Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews! Happy there's an interest for this story. It's exam my side so hence the slow updates.
Warning: Pure Fluff.
BSD
Leaning heavily against the wall, Atsushi used the back of his hand to wipe at the glistering sweat on his forehead.
"You okay?"Junichiro asked with concern.
The other man handed him a bottle of water. They'd just finished their mission and were waiting for their pick up transport.
He accepted the bottle with a grateful smile before taking a sip. The cold liquid felt so good on his parched throat. "I think I might have caught the flu or something," he admitted.
He'd woken up this morning nursing a headache and aching joints.
This sudden bout of unwellness had taken him by surprise. He never got sick. Then again they'd been quite busy and he hardly got the chance to sleep much.
"You should get some rest," Junichiro advised giving him a gentle pat on the back.
He nodded his agreement and thankfully Kunikida finally rolled up. "Need a lift?" he asked them, having rolled the window down.
Unlike Dazai he didn't make it sound like a joke either.
/
Atsushi barely made it out of the shower, feeling woozy and his joints aching and protesting. Whatever he was coming down with, it had hit him pretty hard.
But he was sure it was nothing a good rest wouldn't cure.
He got dressed, practically fighting with his trembling clammy hands to work.
Finally he was able to lie down.
Just for a bit. He told himself drowsily. He'd wake up in a bit to make dinner.
It was his turn after all. Although it seemed like it was always his turn.
Kyouka had a talent of burning food. Even salad wasn't safe from that girl.
He thought about the last time she'd made dinner and it brought a drowsy smile to his face. She'd completely turned that rice into harden flap jacks.
His mind drifted between thoughts of his neighbour and the amount of work he still needed to get done until he eventually drifted off to sleep.
When he woke up, he was freezing but sweating. He sat up and his blanket fell to his legs.
Odd. He didn't remember pulling up the covers. But then his sensitive senses picked up on what had woken him in the first place.
Burning! Something was burning!
He leapt to his feet, stumbled when they shook under him but steeled himself. He couldn't die in a ball of fire!
Also, why hadn't the fire alarm gone off?
Stumbling out of his bedroom, he made his way to the kitchen and froze.
Standing precariously on top of the table, fiddling with the fire alarm was his neighbour.
"Kyouka?"
She started before turning to look at him. "I was switching it back on," she explained.
Well that explained why it hadn't gone off. Still, there was the whole issue of why something was burning in the first place. The culprit was a pot set aside, smoke bellowing out of it.
"Were you cooking?" he asked surprised.
She crossed her arms across her chest. "It was your turn but when I got here you were sleeping," she accused with a huff.
"Sorry," was the automatic response. For some reason he was always the one doing the apologizing. "So what were you cooking?"
He still felt unwell, chills on his skin making him feel cold, but he was certain he wasn't in danger of passing out.
She jumped from the table, landing perfectly on her feet. She was a pretty agile girl.
"Porridge." She answered.
Porridge? He frowned before slowly realisation dawned on him and he smiled stupidly back at her. "Were you cooking me porridge?" he asked surprised.
"You're sick aren't you?" she demanded in annoyance.
"Something like that..."
Had she also been the one to pull the covers over him? He found the gesture endearingly touching.
"Anyway you should probably eat," she said.
He glanced at the pot of doom. It even had a thick gloomy cloud of smoke over it. Surely if the cold didn't kill him, it would?
"Ah actually I'm not really that hungry," he said hastily.
"You're sick, you need fuel," she said. "Also, you can't take medication on an empty stomach."
Medication?
He noticed a small package on the table. She'd bought him medication too?!
He was really touched. Having seen how far she'd gone for him, he realised he couldn't turn down her food as well.
He had no choice.
Smiling he took a seat. "I'd love some porridge." He said.
She looked unconvinced. "You sure?"
He nodded.
"You're not just forcing yourself are you?"
He was definitely forcing himself. Honestly his stomach was turning at the mere thought of shoving that concoction down his throat.
"I'm not forcing myself," he lied.
She gave him a dubious look.
So he was really going to beg for his own food poisoning? Atsushi thought.
"Please can I have some porridge," he asked.
She looked nonchalant but he could tell she was secretly pleased. "Fine, if you insist," she said.
She scooped him up a serving before placing it before him. She must have been really worried, she never served him. Not even when he cooked and promised to do the dishes afterwards.
Atsushi stared at the green yellowy mixture. He'd never seen porridge this shade of colour before. And neither had his stomach, judging by its reaction.
Kyouka sat across from him, waiting.
He couldn't even throw it away at this point. Squaring his shoulders he picked up the spoon.
You can do this. He mentally encouraged himself. Think of it as another mission to stop the Port Mafia.
It was all or nothing.
Having spooned up a helping he brought it to his mouth and nearly gagged.
His fingers actually trembled.
From the corner of his eye he saw Kyouka watching him.
His jaw actually hurt as he opened his mouth and clamped it around the spoon.
He had to swallow the entire chunky mess down in one go. That's how bad it was.
This taste...
He tried to keep the disgust from showing on his face as he swallowed with great effort.
"Kyouka," he began hesitantly.
"What?"
"Did you..." he paused. There was no way, but still his taste buds were not that shot yet. "Did you add vinegar in this?"
"Yes and some lemon juice," she replied with a nod. "I wasn't supposed to?"
He actually threw up a bit in his mouth when he heard that. No wonder it tasted like something horrible and disgusting.
"Also, I was afraid it would cake so I added the eggs last."
Not only was it burnt but it was also not even cooked through.
"You hate it, don't you?" she asked miserably.
Hate was a kind way of putting it.
Honestly, had they been enemies in their past life and this her sub conscious way of paying him back for whatever wrong he committed against her back then?
But she looked really sad and Kyouka for all her disinterest and flat voice was never really sad. At least not with him and he much preferred her triumphant smirks over that near to tears look she was currently spotting.
He felt like a real ass then.
"I actually don't hate it," he said and it wasn't technically a lie. He more than hated it. "It just has its own distinct taste." In other words you have committed a grave sin against the cooking gods and the taste gods for that matter.
She looked surprise. "Really?"
He nodded.
"So you're going to finish it?"
What?! How on earth did she gleam that from this situation?
Her eyes were shining back at him.
His shoulders slumped as he picked the spoon up once more.
It was like dying. If death was slow, tortures and seemingly endless.
Still, he ate the entire thing.
"Wow, I guess it's really not that bad," Kyouka remarked awed. She got up. "Want seconds?"
Was she hell bent on killing him?! At this point he was just about ready to ask her to shove a blade into his stomach. Surely it would be quicker and less painful?
He shook his head. "I'm full," he said with a forced smile. "Thank you."
She nodded. "Okay, you should take your medicine," she said.
He began opening the packet to take out the cold medicine.
She brought him a glass of water, which he thankfully received.
He took the pills in one gulp.
"So this wasn't so bad, huh?" she asked staring at the pot.
He shook his head. It was dreadful. I don't think you'd serve that to even your worst enemy.
She scooped up a bit and took a tentative taste only to spit the entire thing out immediately.
"What the hell?!" she exclaimed, making a disgusted face. "This is horrible!"
She looked really surprised too.
She stared back at him with wide eyes. "You really are sick," she commented. "How the hell did you finish this otherwise?"
He had no comment.
/
"Hey, Kyouka?"
"Hmmm?"
"Are you planning on staying the night?" Atsushi asked curious.
After dinner, or whatever that horrible meal had been, she'd insisted he go back to bed and seeing as how he actually did feel fatigued he relented.
He expected her to leave swiftly afterwards, after all it always seemed like she had pressing matters to get back to. However, she surprised him by pulling up a chair next to his bed and paging over a book he was half way through.
She paused, lifting her eyes to him. "You want me to leave?" she asked flatly.
"What?" he blurted before shaking his head. "No, no of course not!"
"Okay," she seemed satisfied with his response and went back to reading.
For someone who had been dead on his feet most of the day he was suddenly alert. Or maybe he was fighting off sleep?
"So how was your day?" he asked her.
She glanced at him once more. He smiled innocently.
Heaving a sigh, she dropped the book face down on the bed. "I fed The Fish." She replied.
The Fish was actually the name of her fish. Unimaginative but somehow it fit Kyouka.
"Which reminds me," she continued. "Thanks for the other day."
He just smiled. "You're welcome."
There was a lull in conversation, but it wasn't awkward.
"Not going into work?" he asked.
"Not tonight," she said with a shake of her head.
He was surprised she gave him an actual response, because usually she'd either change the topic or just ignore him.
He became hopeful. "Sooooo Kyouka," he began, fully sitting up and giving up all pretences he was about to fall asleep. "What is your job?"
She gave him a long look. So long in fact he began to feel nervous and was just about to take the question back when she responded.
"I kill people."
Atsushi blinked.
There was a long pause.
It was definitely awkward this time.
"Just kidding," Kyouka said before picking up the book once more. Only she said it with the same flat infliction Kunikida delivered similar 'jokes'.
"Oh," he said, relieved. "I mean that's funny...ha, ha, ha, ha-"
"It's not that fun," she interrupted him.
He clamped his lips shut.
Nervously he began tugging at a stray lock of hair.
Kyouka suddenly stood up.
"Where are you going?" he asked unable to mask his disappointment.
"You need rest," she informed him. "And if I stay you won't sleep."
"I'll go to sleep!" he hurriedly insisted. For some reason he didn't want her to leave. His body and head hurt less in her presence. If for no other reason than to fast track his recovery, he needed her to stay. "In fact," he added, lying down once more. "I'm probably sleeping right now."
She arched her eyebrows.
"This is me talking in my sleep," he explained.
She actually smiled.
"So I am sleeping, so you don't have to go," he finished.
She hesitated for a moment and he held his breath. Finally, she sat down once more and picked up her book.
He sighed in relief.
"You know," he began because he really wanted to talk with her some more. "You could always read to me."
No one had ever done that for him and he'd meant it mostly as a joke.
She shot him an unimpressed look. "Don't push it," was the flat rejection.
He smiled.
However a moment later, in a soft if somewhat shaky voice Kyouka began reading aloud.
And fuck it if he wasn't touched to bits. His eyes even misted over, but that could be the flu.
Definitely the flu.
If her presence was soothing her voice was like a balm to his aching body.
And he soon fell asleep.
/
And sure enough the next morning found him feeling much better. He could safely say the flu was the thing of the past.
Unfortunately his neighbour didn't get the memo. He found her in his kitchen engrossed in a cook book while something green bubbled in the stove.
Not even God falling from the sky could make him drink that, thank you very much.
"Morning," he greeted.
She turned and gave him a once over, her brows furrowing. "You're all better," she said and was it just him but did she actually sound disappointed?
He nodded. "Yes, good as new," he said enthusiastically. "So what are you brewing?"
She shot him a glare.
"I mean cooking!" he hastily corrected, hands held up in defence.
"I was making you a one day flu cure but since you're all better I guess it's unnecessary," She said with a sigh.
Yeah, definitely disappointed.
"Thank you, god," he said under his breath.
She closed the cook book and set it down. "Well?" she prodded.
He blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"You're all better right?"
He nodded.
"Then cook, I'm hungry," she said with a huff.
He smiled wanly. "I guess it can't be helped," he said moving to retrieve what he'd need from the fridge.
A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, Kyouka?"
"Hmmm?"
"Did you eat anything last night?"
She just dropped her eyes to the ground.
His eyes widened. He'd been so absorbed in his sickness he hadn't even asked. To think he'd pressed her to stay and read him to sleep!
"Sit down," he said, voice firm.
She raised an eyebrow.
"I'm going to cook for you." He announced before he got to work.
She smiled and honestly if he wasn't feeling well, he was pretty sure her smile would have cured him.
**********************************************************************************In the series Kyouka can cook, at least there's an inference that she can, however for purpose of this story she's terrible at it.