October 18, 1996, approximately one month later
Hiei picked at his dinner, still not interested in eating it. The queasy feeling he had been waking up with every morning still hadn't gone away, and being around food made it even worse. Kurama had fixed hot dogs and a vegetable medley for dinner tonight, which Hiei thought he would be able to stomach, but apparently he thought wrong.
Still, he didn't want Kurama to catch on. Hiei knew that if his husband found out he was sick, he would turn fussy and overprotective, so it was better to just let this run its course, and pretend everything was fine until it was over. But that was easier said than done, because part of what made Kurama so intelligent was that he noticed things others might not. Of course, he'd said himself that being a bandit made him good at spotting things others sought to hide. And sure enough—
"Is anything the matter, Hiei?" Kurama asked, his broccoli-occupied fork poised halfway between his plate and his mouth. Hiei felt sick just looking at it.
"No, I'm fine," said Hiei. "Just tired."
"You seem to be tired quite a lot lately, though, and you're hardly eating any of the dinner I cooked for us," Kurama insisted. "Are you sure you're feeling all right?"
Hiei felt a flame of anger rising inside him all of a sudden. Not just irritation, actual rage.
"I'm not a baby, Kurama!" he shouted. "And you're not my fucking mom, so just shut up and let me eat!"
Woah…where did that come from? There was silence for a few moments, where all Hiei could hear was the soft hum of the refrigerator as Kurama stared down at his plate. But when he finally looked up again, he appeared to be as calm as ever.
"When you're ready to talk about it, Hiei, let me know," he said simply, picking up his fork again and finishing off the vegetable medley. Hiei still wasn't hungry, but his anger had disappeared as quickly as it had come, and he felt a little bad for being rude to Kurama. So he decided he was just going to have to power through it and eat what was in front of him.
"Yum, carrots," he said weakly, stabbing one and stuffing it into his mouth.
"It will help improve your eyesight," Kurama told him. "And make sure you drink your milk, too, for your bones."
"What did I tell you about acting like a mom?" Hiei replied, but this time he couldn't help but grin as he said it. Kurama smiled back, and everything was fine until the meal was over. After they finished eating and put their dishes in the kitchen sink, Kurama had Hiei sit down again and walked to the fridge.
"Here's something I know will cheer you up, Hiei," he said, taking a Tupperware container out of the fridge. "Look what my mom got us for dessert—homemade brownies, just the way you like them."
Just the sight of the brownies there in the container made Hiei sicker than ever. Oddly, some foods made him sicker than others, and sweets were absolutely the worst. But he knew Kurama's feelings would probably be hurt if he didn't eat them, and the last thing he wanted was for Kurama to start babying him again. So he tried his best to fake it.
"I love brownies," he said, his stomach reeling. "Give me two."
Kurama smiled and cut two brownies for Hiei. Determined to prove that he wasn't sick at all, Hiei picked one up and shoved it into his mouth whole—but as soon as he did so, he knew he'd made a huge mistake. He felt a horrible lurch in his stomach, and jumped up out of his chair so quickly that he knocked it over in the process. Only a couple of seconds later, he was in the downstairs bathroom, vomiting into the toilet. He didn't even notice Kurama standing in the doorway until he was done.
"Hiei," he said softly, "something's not right. What is it?"
"I-I don't know." Hiei wiped his mouth with his hand and sat back on his heels. "I just feel like shit."
"You have seemed a bit off in the past several days, I must admit," said Kurama, putting his hands underneath Hiei's armpits and hoisting him to his feet. "Why don't I make you some tea, and you can relax?"
"Well, all right." Hiei finally felt defeated enough that he decided to accept help. There was no denying it now, anyway, so what was the point?
In a matter of minutes, Kurama had Hiei on the couch, under a blanket, with a cup of tea in his hands and a plate of crackers in front of him on the coffee table. He turned the TV to Hiei's favorite show, and gave him a quick kiss.
"That's better, isn't it?" he said. "Now just promise me you'll get some rest."
"Why did you give me crackers?" said Hiei. "Even looking at food makes me feel sick."
"It will be even worse on an empty stomach," Kurama explained. "If you eat something plain and easy on the stomach, like bread or crackers, you'll be less likely to be sick. I put ginger in the tea, for the same reason."
Hiei inhaled deeply, breathing in the smell of the tea. It was stronger, but at least it didn't make him want to hurl. "Ginger?"
"It helps with nausea," said Kurama. "I'm sure you'll feel better in no time if you drink it and eat the crackers. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"No, I'll be fine," Hiei told him. "Thanks."
Hiei decided to eat the crackers while he watched TV, although he couldn't actually concentrate on the show, because he constantly had to keep getting up to pee. It was so damn annoying. He'd be settled in with his tea, wrapped in a comfy blanket, and then the urge would come back, even though he barely drank any of the tea. When he got back from his fifth trip to the bathroom in two hours, he noticed Kurama standing there in the living room, another plate of crackers in his hands.
"You had to use the bathroom again, Hiei?" he asked. That concerned look was back.
"I probably just had too much water today or something," said Hiei, plopping back down on the couch.
"I'd have an easier time believing that if you weren't constantly getting up in the middle of the night for the same reason," said Kurama, setting down the plate of crackers and sitting next to Hiei on the couch. "Does it burn?"
"No!" said Hiei, his cheeks flushing.
"Well, that's a good sign, at least," said Kurama. "How long have you been sick without telling me, exactly?"
"Not too long," said Hiei. "I started feeling kind of crappy on Monday morning, and it's just gotten worse since then."
"What other symptoms have you been having?"
"I've been really tired," Hiei confessed. "I think that's why I've been sleeping so late. And sometimes I feel dizzy if I stand up too fast…that kind of thing. Oh, and I haven't taken a dump in four days."
"Hmm…" Kurama looked thoughtful. "Any coughing or sneezing? Sore throat?"
"No, none of that."
"Then you're probably not contagious," said Kurama. "But I do think you're going to need to see a doctor."
"I do not!" Hiei protested. "Since when does a little nausea mean I have to see the doctor?"
"Along with dizziness and fatigue, nausea is no joke, Hiei," Kurama told him firmly. "I can see it in your face. Besides, if you're constipated but you still have to urinate fifteen times a day, that's not normal, either."
"Can we just see how I'm feeling in a few days?" Hiei insisted, but that was when the worst possible commercial came on TV…a candy commercial. Hiei put his hand over his mouth, knowing what was coming once more, but luckily, he was able to make it to the bathroom in time. Once he came back out, he saw that Kurama had gone to fetch him a big cooking pot.
"If you need to throw up again, do it in here," he instructed, setting it down on the floor. Hiei didn't have the energy to argue with him. Besides, even though he'd thrown up, the nausea was still there. He just sat back down on the couch, exhausted, and Kurama sat next to him.
"Oh, who am I kidding?" Hiei moaned, leaning into Kurama's shoulder. "I feel awful."
"Just never be afraid to ask for help, Hiei," Kurama said softly, giving Hiei a small kiss. "Okay? We're married, so it's part of my job to take care of you. Just like it's part of your job to take care of me."
"Yeah, right," Hiei scoffed, his mouth partially obscured by Kurama's clothing. "When do you ever need taking care of?"
"I can get hurt, too," Kurama reminded him. "It happens a lot in my fights. You criticize me for it all the time."
"Well, you always get better."
"And so will you," said Kurama, and he gave Hiei a gentle squeeze. "How about I go and get started on the dishes while you take a nap?"
"Sounds good." Hiei yawned and pulled away from Kurama.
Hiei might have claimed he didn't like being babied, but the truth was, he just wasn't used to it, at least not yet. Kurama was the first person to ever do something for him without asking for anything in return, the one with whom he felt safe, the one who seemed to actually enjoy taking care of him when he was hurt or sick. It was a strange new feeling, even though they had been married for six months now. But maybe it wasn't all bad. Maybe it was nice that someone cared about him so much. That was why Hiei didn't protest as Kurama lovingly threw the blanket over him and tucked him in, finishing it with another kiss on the head. He even smiled. Maybe it was the tea and crackers that was making him finally feel a little better, but really, he knew it was the love.
