Title: Hot Bodies and Cold Showers
Author: Queen Momoko
Rating: PG-13
Written: 12/13/2004
Pairings: Fujicest & Mizuki/Yuuta
Summary: Mizuki resolves that cold showers are the only real solution to hot bodies.
Disclaimer: I'm poor soul, with no money, and only these nice little yoai thoughts to keep me warm at night. They only bring joy to the world and if you sue me… I'll still think them… in fact, I'd probably just share more of them during the trial…mmm yummy. Just remember that PoT is luv!
Mizuki stared down at the sweat-drenched boy on the bed. Yuuta had been changed out of the sweats that he had been wearing the night before and had instead been put in pajamas. In fact, the pair of pajamas just happened to have little bears stamped all over them, an obviously unwanted Christmas, or some such, present. Mizuki could feel a little smirk work its way onto his lips as he looked at the boy. Had he been conscious enough to protest, Yuuta never would have agreed to wear them. He would have glared, fought, and done practically anything, Mizuki was sure, to stay out them.
The fact that none of that had happened when Mizuki had rummaged through Yuuta's belongings and pulled out this hideous object of clothing was proof enough to Mizuki of how absolutely sick Yuuta was. While Mizuki was all for Yuuta training, being out in the frosty early morning hours with a T-shirt and pair of sweatpants playing tennis was not a great plan. Exactly how long the boy had been out in the winter weather in his condition, Mizuki had no idea.
Mizuki frowned a little as he continued to hold a cool rag to Yuuta's forehead. That last thought was definitely a little bothering to him. He should have known his teammates better than that. He should have definitely known Yuuta better than that. Why had the boy gone out and done something so incredibly stupid? Whatever would have been so important to the boy that he would risk his own health for it?
Taking off the already warmed rag, Mizuki placed in back in the bowl of cool water. Water splashed out the bowl and onto the carpet with the force that Mizuki was executing on the rag, to re-dampen the rag and then to wring it. But just as quickly as the violent abuse of the towel began, it ended just as swiftly as it was placed caringly back onto Yuuta's forehead. With the newly cooled rag safely placed on Yuuta's sleeping head, Mizuki grabbed the thermometer and placed it in Yuuta's ear. The soft beeping sound of digitial instrument kept Mizuki from allowing his thoughts to get the better of him.
"39.1. What am I ever going to do with you?" Mizuki said, his voice carrying a worried tone. "I hope you now realize that what you did was an extremely stupid idea." Mizuki wasn't expecting any response, so when Yuuta gave a garbled complaint he allowed a faint quirk of his lips.
But something obviously needed to be done. Yuuta's temperature risen since earlier in the night and it was getting to be a critical temperature. There was also the fact that Yuuta hadn't eaten since the day before. Even then, Mizuki wasn't quite too sure. Yuuta appeared to be a little thinner than he usually was and when Mizuki thought back he couldn't remember actually seeing Yuuta eat recently. After all, making sure his teammates were eating properly wasn't something that he thought he needed to do. But maybe it would be something that he would have to consider implementing.
Mizuki bit the inside of his lip as he continued to stare at the boy that was currently tucked into his bed. How could he not have noticed that something had been wrong with one of his team? How could he not have noticed that it was Yuuta? The St. Rudolph's left-hand killer who almost always seemed to scowl. The Yuuta who always gave a little smile of pure joy whenever he managed to overcome an obstacle that had been set before him. Yuuta who wanted to prove to the world that he was his own person. His Yuuta who would do anything to beat his own older brother, a tennis tensai.
The two precise taps on Mizuki's door, caused him to look up and pull himself out of his spiraling thoughts. The door to his room slid open silently. The dark of the room, which had previously only been lit by a small lamp in the far corner of the room, was now broken by the light flooding in from the hall. The silhouette of St. Rudolph's tennis team captain filled the doorway. Mizuki's eyes followed the captain as he entered the dark room and approached the bed.
"How is he?" Akazawa asked Mizuki as he looked down at the younger boy on the bed.
"I'm going to try one more thing to get his temperature down. If that doesn't work, we'll need to get a taxi to take him to the hospital," Mizuki said turning his attention back to Yuuta.
Mizuki heard a slight grunt in response from the captain in response. Mizuki knew that his recommendation would be followed. With a slight smirk, Mizuki lifted the towel off of Yuuta's head and placed it back in the bowl.
"Yuuta," Mizuki stated with a slight nudge to awaken the slumbering boy. Yuuta mumbled and sank back into his drug induced sleep. Mizuki's eyes narrowed a bit as he looked at the boy and shook him with a little more force. "Yuuta, wake up. You need to take a shower."
At the second shaking, Yuuta managed to crack an eye open and look blearily at Mizuki. Mizuki could hear Yuuta give a garbled 'ah' as he tried to get himself into a seated position. Mizuki grabbed onto Yuuta's arm and pulled him into a seated position. Once Yuuta was firmly seated and in no danger of falling back onto the bed, Mizuki went to his dresser to gather a couple of towels for them. That done, Mizuki turned back to Yuuta, who was now standing waiting for Mizuki.
Mizuki helped to support Yuuta's body as they traveled down the hallway to the showers. As the pair made their way slowly to their destination, Mizuki was once again thankful that many of the students had left. Not only had many left for the weekend, but many had left for Saturday afternoon and evening excursions. So the few students that could still be found in the dormitory were happily staying in their rooms. This allowed Mizuki not to explain why he had been nursing Yuuta in his room. It also let him off the hook for not notifying the school nurse right away about the ailing boy.
It wasn't that the school nurse wasn't qualified. It was just the fact that Mizuki didn't believe she did not have enough knowledge of his team. She didn't know his teammates as intimately as he did. So he was much better prepared to understand what his team would need when they got sick. Hence the reason why the his team always went to him with their illnesses. It was also how Mizuki knew that if a cold shower didn't lower Yuuta's body temperature that the boy would need to go to the hospital. There was simply no other responsible option.
The pair finally made their way into the floor bathroom. The tile was cool to Mizuki's feet and he could only imagine how cold it appeared to Yuuta's overheated body. If the shivers that were now coursing through Yuuta's body were any indication, then it was quite cold indeed. But Mizuki ignored Yuuta's discomfort and led the boy to the benches just outside of the showers. Yuuta collapsed unceremoniously onto the benches as Mizuki kneeled down in front of him.
Mizuki raised his gaze to look at Yuuta. Yuuta, who was leaning back against the wall, had his head thrown back with flushed cheeks and was panting. Reaching up slowly Mizuki grabbed the bottom hem of the shirt Yuuta had on and he began to lift it up Yuuta's chest. Yuuta's slightly glazed eyes followed Mizuki's movements. Mizuki ignored Yuuta's feeble attempts at stopping him and continued to strip off the boys shirt.
The nicely defined chest that greeted Mizuki's gaze made him freeze for a moment. How he wished that he was doing this at any other moment. A moment when Yuuta wasn't fixed on some cold medicine or riding high on a fever. A time when he could take as much time as he truly pleased to disrobe the younger boy and do anything he pleased with him. All with the boy's permission. Mizuki sighed. But that moment had not yet arrived. He had to take care of Yuuta now so that there would come that time where he could fulfill all his hopes with Yuuta.
Mizuki moved his hands down to the bottoms of the pajamas. Sneaking his hands into the waistbands of both the pajama bottoms and Yuuta's underwear, Mizuki pulled the garments off in a single motion. Yuuta's eyes stared widely at Mizuki, as he tried to huddle his body for warmth. After placing the taken garments on the bench next to Yuuta, Mizuki reached up to stroke Yuuta's head.
"Don't worry. This will make you feel better." With those words, Mizuki stripped his own clothes off. "Stay here for a moment, Yuuta."
That said, Mizuki headed into the shower stalls to prepare the water for Yuuta. The cold water handle turned easily and the icy spray sent goosebumps across Mizuki's body. Glancing out the door of the showers to make sure that Yuuta hadn't left, Mizuki turned on the hot water to regulate the temperature of the water. It wouldn't do to freeze Yuuta with the water, it just had to be cool enough to lower the boy's core temperature. After a few more adjustments, Mizuki nodded to himself about the water's warmth.
"Come on, Yuuta," Mizuki called out. "It's time for you to take a shower."
Mizuki headed out towards where he had left Yuuta. A sense of pleasant surprise filled Mizuki when he saw that Yuuta had gotten himself standing and was making his unsteady way over to the shower. So with a slight smile of pride, Mizuki helped Yuuta to traverse the rest of the way to the shower.
While he thought he had been prepared for Yuuta to fight against the cold water of the shower, Mizuki had not completely grasped everything that it would entail until it actually happened. Mizuki grunted as he held onto the struggling boy who was trying to leave the frigid stream of water. Yet Mizuki had his arms wrapped tightly around Yuuta's arms and chest, keeping Yuuta firmly in the shower.
Mizuki fought a groan as he felt the delicious friction between their bodies. Yuuta's wet body trapped against his. Yuuta's wet back sliding up and down and side to side along his own equally wet chest. The dripping brown strands of hair to be thrown around sending little droplets of water in all directions. The moans and sounds of protest that were uttered from the usually grim mouth of Fuji Yuuta. He could feel his own heart rate increasing with situation and his blood rushing through his body. Even as his body grew uncomfortable with the contact that he was being forced to endure, Mizuki held firmly onto Yuuta.
These feelings that Yuuta brought out in him were intoxicating. With senses heightened to a new level, Mizuki felt his world changing. Things had been so simple before Yuuta. He was going to win. He would win using every and any means possible. If it meant that people had to get hurt, it was only for the greater good. Yet somehow along the way, Yuuta had taken his drive to win and twisted it. The drive to win at tennis was still there, but there was now another battle that Mizuki had to win. But now was not the time to play that game. Mizuki had to stay in control of the game and his body.
Finally feeling that enough time had passed under the cold water, Mizuki let Yuuta go. The sight that greeted Mizuki upon his exiting the now-turned off shower, was a shivering Yuuta huddled on the bench that he had been sitting on earlier. Grabbing one of the towels that he had brought along with them, Mizuki began to dry Yuuta. The attempt at a glare that Yuuta gave Mizuki made him smile. He would definitely be hearing about this indignation from Yuuta when he got better. That was if Yuuta remembered anything. Mizuki was beginning to think that this whole fever episode might end up being lost to the young man as merely a dream.
Once Yuuta's body was dry, Mizuki turned to quickly drying his own body and getting the two of them dressed. Mizuki then helped Yuuta to stand and together they made their way back to Mizuki's room. Of course, it had to be Mizuki's room because that was where all the thermometer was. But the little smirk that had formed with that thought was quickly wiped away as he saw the light that was coming out of open doorway.
He was sure that he had not turned on the light while they had been in there earlier. There was also no possibility that he had turned it on while they were leaving. That left only a possibility that someone was now in his room. Someone who he had not given permission to. So it was with a slight scowl that Mizuki stood in the doorway to his room, with Yuuta on hand, to see Akazawa sitting at his desk.
"Well?" he demanded upon seeing Mizuki and Yuuta in the doorway.
Mizuki's frown turned into a glare as he escorted Yuuta into the room. Yuuta's flesh still felt warm to Mizuki's touch, but he hoped that the boy's temperature would have gone down at least some. So ignoring the captain's question, Mizuki placed the thermometer back into Yuuta's ear to get his new temperature.
"38.9," Mizuki finally responded. "We need to call a taxi now."
With those orders dispensed, Akazawa left the room to go make the phone call leaving Yuuta and Mizuki alone. Yuuta sat down on the bed and let his head fall down to his chest. Mizuki sat down in the chair that was recently vacated and stared at Yuuta. He couldn't help but feel that he had failed the boy. He had failed to take proper care of a person who was important to his team. A person who was important to him.
Rubbing his temple, Mizuki rose from his chair and began to gather some things to take with them. For the time being, Yuuta wouldn't need much in the hospital so there wasn't much need to rush to his room to gather some of his things. That could wait until Mizuki returned. He wasn't about to leave the still feverish boy alone. But Mizuki himself needed to gather his things so that he wouldn't have to leave Yuuta. He wanted to be able to stay by Yuuta. So some clothes and some of the projects that Mizuki had been working on found their way into one of his bags.
With his few things packed, Mizuki looked over to Yuuta who was now looking up at him. The boy's eyes were slightly less glazed as they gazed back into Mizuki's own eyes. Lifting the bag over his shoulder, Mizuki went over to Yuuta.
"Come on, Yuuta. We need to get down to the entryway."
Yuuta gave a slight nod and stood up. Mizuki watched as a slight scowl appeared on Yuuta's face as he tried to make his own way to the entrance hall. It was a look that Mizuki had named Yuuta's scowl of determination. Before it had only appeared when Yuuta was training for his match against his brother, but now the look was making an appearance.
Mizuki walked a couple of steps behind Yuuta, in case the boy should need help, but Yuuta kept on moving. Every once in a while the wall would form a support for Yuuta's staggering form. It took some time before the two of them finally made their way to the glass doors at the entrance. Mizuki was thankful that the taxi was pulling up to the doors as the two of them got their shoes on.
The sound and vibrations of the car had put Yuuta back into a doze. The boys brown haired head was resting on Mizuki's shoulder. Gently Mizuki reached up and brushed some of Yuuta's hair out of his face. With a slight mumble, the flushed boy settled more firmly against Mizuki. With that action a small smile appeared on Mizuki's face.
How had he become so susceptible to Yuuta and all of his unknowing charms? It was a good thing that the boy had never truly looked or he would have seen how absolutely captive he held Mizuki. But until Yuuta got over what had captured him so thoroughly, he would never see Mizuki. Until Yuuta saw the true source of his problems as they really were. After all, all of Yuuta's problems seemed to stem from one source. The problem of Fuji Syuusuke.
Fuji Syuusuke was an undeniable catalyst. That had been Mizuki's only drive not too long ago. To beat Fuji Syuusuke. To knock down the tennis tensai and show him up. That had been why he'd initially approached Yuuta. He had known who he was when he'd first seen him. After all, it wouldn't do to wage a war on the tensai without any background information.
Mizuki had been aiming at doing the one thing that would hurt the tensai the most. To take away one of the people that he valued the most in life away. With that one missing support, Fuji Syuusuke would crumble before him. Tennis wasn't just a battle on the courts involving a ball and some raquets. It was a psychological battle that was started long before anyone ever entered the court.
So Mizuki had watched and waited for the perfect opportunity to wound the young tennis star. Of course the opportunity had come easily in the form of Fuji Yuuta, Syuusuke's younger brother. A few well worded phrases and he'd had the young boy eating out of his hand dying to leave his family and join him at St. Rudolph. That was when his original plan had grown and changed, just a little. First he would train Yuuta so that he could beat his older brother and then he would step in revel in Fuji Syuusuke's defeat. Being beaten by his younger brother would be so much more damaging to the tensai than anything that Mizuki could do on his own.
So he had trained Yuuta. He had trained the boy hard. He'd taught him a technique that could ultimately destroy his arm, but it was all for the greater of defeating Fuji Syuusuke. But somewhere in all that training and molding Yuuta into what he wanted, Mizuki had lost sight of what the original goal was.
Yuuta had begun to fill his thoughts and motivations. He himself had become dependent on Yuuta. It had been painful when he'd discovered the boy's eternal fascination with his brother. It was then that it was no longer acceptable that Yuuta should play his brother. To have Yuuta truly reach his dreams of defeating his brother would destroy the boy. While that had been an acceptable loss in the beginning, it was no longer.
So when they were finally playing Seigaku in the tournament, he had found it necessary to lie to Yuuta. Yuuta need never know that he had been behind the fact that he wouldn't face his brother. Mizuki would continue to manipulate behind the scenes to keep his addiction from destroying itself it public. He would do anything and everything in his power.
Mizuki stroked Yuuta's bangs once more back from his forehead as the taxi drew closer to the hospital. Yuuta would over come this and then together they would continue. Mizuki wouldn't let Yuuta fall. His heart wouldn't let Yuuta fall.