Disclaimer.
'Bame: We do not own Cardcaptor Sakura.

Clow sneezed rather alarmingly as Yue and Cerberus entered their living room to find him sprawled uncomfortably on a couch in a very un-Clow-like way. Cerberus raised a majestically dignified eyebrow. Yue opted for simply showing his concern. "Are you not feeling well, Master?"

"Unfortunately not, Yue. I seem to have contracted a flu of some nature," he spoke in a voice that was noticeably not as smooth as it normally would have been.

Cerberus growled in annoyance. "You're supposed to tell us these things, Clow. Come on, let's get him better. . ." He proceeded to drag Yue away to help him reach blankets and tea for their master.

Twenty minutes later found Clow completely ensconced by fuzzy blankets, sniffling into a tissue from the box on the small table next to his current abode. A teacup sat beside the tissues, steaming invitingly. He could hear Yue and Cerberus bickering over soup as he took a sip of the hot liquid.

"You're making it too hot!"

"You'll freeze him to death if we leave it like this!"

"Two more minutes, then."

"Five!"

Clow's chest tingled at the sound of Yue's concerned voice. He ignored it as Cerberus trotted in looking irked, curling up at his feet.

"Hello, Cerberus. I hear you and Yue have had a discrepancy over soup?"

Cerberus snorted. "I'm leaving that stuff to him. I'm your footwarmer now."

Clow smiled fondly, scratching behind Cerberus's ears. "Thank you, Cerberus. I appreciate it."

"Be a good invalid and concentrate on resting. Yue'll be in with the soup in his five minutes."

He laughed. "All right, then."

Yue did indeed arrive in five minutes' time with hot soup for Clow, making sure the man wouldn't burn himself before he began eating it. The three companions sat quietly together while Clow ate.

About a quarter-hour later, a glimmer caught at the corner of Yue's eye. He had been trying not to look at his master, but now he turned his head to see what the shine was. Clow had taken into his hand a magical mechanism of some sort, and was turning it about between his fingers, tapping it studiously in certain places as it continued to rotate. Cerberus shrugged toward the item as if to ask Yue if he knew what it was. Yue shook his head slightly side-to-side, and the two returned to watching the human with intrigue.

Clow was met by two curious gazes as he briefly looked up from his tinkerings, and laughed softly. "It's an energy containment unit – a ball of energy, as you will. Come closer, Yue, here. . ." He gently dropped the thing into Yue's hand, pressing the angel's fingers closed over it. For a minute Yue felt like a summer breeze had rippled through his whole body, calming him from the inside out. When Clow's large hand again engulfed his small one, easily transferring the energy into Cerberus's paw, Yue felt chills flow through his arm. Clow was smiling at him when he looked up. The direct contact startled Yue, who felt his cheeks turn warm. He averted his eyes, trying to keep his blush down. Mercifully, his friends didn't seem to notice.

Cerberus fell into a contented sleep as the afternoon wore lazily on, leaving Yue as Clow's sole attendant. Yue was certain his nerves would give him a heart attack as he loyally made sure his master was as comfortable as possible at all times. Talking between them seemed difficult without Cerberus around, Yue realized. The things he wanted to say seemed to catch against an invisible wall around his larynx, nargled and infested with cracks when they managed to push through. Clow was looking at him oddly.

"Master? What is it?"

"I was just wondering, Yue. . . Is there something bothering you?"

Yue gulped, feeling himself blush again. His mind reeled to come up with something plausible that wasn't really a lie. He was wondering, after all.

"Cerberus and I, I mean. . . I was just wondering, why did you give us sexes, hormones. . . feelings?" Clow would know what he meant by that.

The magician tensed briefly at this sensitive question. "Probably because I simply wanted it for you. The deep love of another is something I myself have never had, but should that have stopped me from giving you and Cerberus that opportunity?"

Yue nodded. That made sense.

Clow began to cough roughly, leaning on Yue for support. He shook his head when he had finished, leaning back down and yawning. "Thank you, Yue. . ." He closed his eyes.

"You should sleep, Master." Yue carefully tucked the blankets closer in around Clow, knowing he would never leave the man falling asleep before him. And he silently thanked him for making him able to know this.

He loved Clow Reed.