Author's Note: My step daughter got sick with a stomach bug and it inspired this. Remember I left time between some of the chapters for short stories. I welcome ideas or suggestions. This is part of the "Please Be My Hero" series. Takes place after Christmas and his birthday where Azumi adopts Keigo, so he's still new to having a caring mother figure.
Disclaimer: I don't own MHA. Not making money by writing this, just doing it for fun. Rated because it's connected to my other work and subject matter is sensitive in both stories.
Bird Flu
It started with a stuffed up nose and a cough Tuesday morning. Azumi was curled up on the queen sized futon bed asleep, and Keigo was curled up next to her with his wings draped over Azumi as much as a 6 year old can. He wasn't sure if the stuffed nose woke him up, or if the lack of easy breathing, but he blinked his golden eyes to see the dim morning light peeking through the blinds in the bedroom. The alarm hadn't gone off meaning it wasn't 6:30 am yet. He stretched his wings and his arms letting out a yawn and a chirp that turned into a wet sounding coughing fit.
Azumi stirred and Keigo tried to breath in through his nose resulting in sniffles as he sat up nervously, his wings clinging to him like a blanket as he watched Azumi open her purple eyes. They were hazy with sleep as she looked right at him mumbling. "Keigo? You alright?" He nodded as he watched her starting to wake up. "A little stuffy but I'm ok." She reached out to run her fingers through his hair, noting how warm he felt as he coo'd and leaned into her hand. "You feel a bit warm to me, Keigo." He didn't want to be sick because at home with his parents, being sick was really bad. He tried to answer in a way that wouldn't worry Azumi and would change the subject.
"I'm just a bit stuffed up in my nose. Can I have oatmeal for breakfast please?" Azumi blinked at the request and nodded, climbing out of bed to head to the kitchen. "Alright. Get ready for the day while I make you breakfast." He watched her leave before burying his face into his pillow and coughing again. He was going to have to be really careful so she didn't know how sick he felt. He got dressed, washed his face and brushed his hair before going into the kitchen to sit at the island countertop table. Azumi had made him strawberries and oranges minced into his oatmeal with a glass of orange juice. His wings fluttered happily and he was about to dig in when she stopped him.
"I want you to take this medicine first. It will help with your stuffy nose." She poured a small capful of red liquid and watched as he drank the children's cold medicine, his nose wrinkling at the taste. She came around to kiss the top of his head as she took back the cap. "I know it tastes yucky, but it will help you feel better at Sion's. Ok?" He nodded and started eating his breakfast as she went to the bedroom to get ready herself. Keigo stared at his breakfast once she was gone, trying to ignore the flip flopping in his stomach he was feeling as he forced it down one spoonful at a time.
When Keigo was living with his mom and dad, before Azumi had adopted him and his parents had gone to jail for breaking and entering and assault, being sick was a big deal. Usually his mom would isolate him into his room or the closet in the hallway, depending on if he was making bird noises or not. He got water and crackers and was allowed to use the bathroom as long as he needed, but that was all the attention he was given. If it was serious enough to warrant a doctor visit, both his parents made sure he knew how much of an inconvenience it was to take him and how expensive medicine was. He knew one time he had been prescribed a cough syrup to help him sleep, but his mother had drunk it all, giving him no relief from his coughing at night which had led to a number of beatings. Another time he was given antibiotics, and his father spaced them out to keep half for himself as needed. It was lonely, scary and miserable. They were worse if he ended up chirping or trilling while sick. Those memories were the things of nightmares that he was scared of now. He had nothing positive to compare when being sick.
They never bothered to give him anything right away like Azumi did. Keigo was fairly certain Azumi wouldn't leave him all alone if he got really sick, but he also didn't want to be an inconvenience to her. She was being so nice to take him in, feed him and clothe him, even adopt him as her own! The last thing Keigo wanted was to make things difficult. If he did that, she might tell him she didn't want him anymore and Keigo desperately didn't want to go to a children's home. A cool hand on his forehead snapped him out of his thoughts and he realized Azumi was dressed in her scrubs for work, a hand on his forehead because he had only eaten half of his breakfast.
"Keigo, are you sure you don't feel sick? You can tell me if you do." Keigo shook his head quickly and shoveled the last of his breakfast in his mouth. "I'm ok. I promise my nose is just stuffy. Sorry Zumi." She sighed and nodded, taking away the empty bowl. "Alright. Get your shoes on and coat and we'll go to Sion's." He did as asked, Azumi bringing the bottle of children's cold medicine with them.
Sion was an old woman who lived on the 4th floor of their apartment building with her grandson, Jin. He was a few months older than Keigo with a quirk that gave him bat wings on his arms, large bat ears and a snout. The two became instant friends when they first met the day Azumi took Keigo out to play in the snow when he first came to live with her during a blizzard. Sion babysat a number of children in the building because most families couldn't afford a daycare or preschool. She also dealt in trade which helped a lot, like chores around her apartment and groceries. For Azumi, she did Sion's laundry once a week and in return, Sion watched Keigo while Azumi worked at the Mercy Medical Clinic 10 minutes away.
They took the elevator from their floor which was the sixth to the fourth and Keigo walked down the hall to Sion's door holding Azumi's hand. When they knocked, Jin answered and grabbed Keigo to drag him inside. "Morning Mith Thumi!" His speech still lisped because of his teeth growing weirdly. Keigo grinned, his wings fluttering as they hurried off to play. Sion walked from the kitchen of her larger multi room apartment to bow to Azumi. The old woman was dressed in traditional oriental garb with her black hair in a bun on top of her head. Azumi waved and offered the bottle of children's medicine.
"Keigo is a bit congested this morning so I gave him a dose before we came over. If he needs more later feel free to give him more, but if his symptoms get worse call me and I'll come get him." Sion took the bottle and nodded. "Is he being stubborn?" Azumi nodded. "Yes, but I suspect it's due to previous treatment from his parents more than stubbornness about the medicine itself." Sion nodded and said goodbye to Azumi as the nurse headed to work.
It got worse at lunchtime.
Keigo got along with the other kids that Sion babysat ok. Jin more than the other three not just because he was a few months older than Keigo, but because Jin was his first friend since he started living with Azumi. The others were just kids Sion babysat during the day and were all almost a year or two older than Keigo. Sure, he'd gotten them all gifts for Christmas, they got him things too, and the others had made sure to include him in games, but he invited Jin over for sleepovers and came to Jin's for sushi sleepovers almost every other weekend. He loved to read Jin's hero statistics books and hero adventure comics with Jin while the other kids were always trying to get time on the TV or play video games together during babysitting hours. Keigo didn't own a game system so video games held little appeal for him.
Keigo also never slept during nap time, not wanting the other kids to find out he had nightmares about his parents. Jin had already told them Azumi was his foster mother, and they didn't need to know his past or true family situation. Sion had ideas and Jin knew from what Keigo told him, that was enough for Keigo to feel comfortable. It didn't mean he was close with the other kids. Just Jin really. So when they all sat down to lunch it started. Keigo felt like his nose was stuffed up and that he couldn't get a full breath in without having to cover his mouth and cough hard.
Sniffling, he used a napkin to blow his nose before eyeing the sandwich and apple slices Azumi had packed for him for lunch. The other kids were laughing and gobbling up their food while he took a few experimental bites of his sandwich. His stomach felt a bit queasy like at breakfast, Sion watched him while she poured juice for them all. Keigo mumbled a thank you and went back to his lunch trying to nibble some of the apple slices that had been packed. Halfway through his fruit slices, his stomach lurched and he sniffled again because he felt like his nose was completely clogged up. Worse he turned from the table to try and get to the bathroom and threw up all over the floor.
The kids at the table made grossed out noises and Sion scolded them as she hurried to get cleaners and a mop. Keigo coughed, hands on his knees as his throat burned and his eyes watered. Jin hopped up and grabbed some water for Keigo who looked ready to cry as he sniffled and took the glass with shaking hands. Sion came back with a wet cloth and wiped at his face, feeling his forehead before she took the half empty glass of water and told him to go lay down on his cot. He nodded, too ashamed to look at the other kids as his wings came around to hide him and he lay down on the stackable blue children's cot with black and red striped blanket to mark it as his. They had been put out before lunch so the kids could wash up and lay down.
Jin watched Keigo hide in his wings and lay down before helping his grandmother clean up the floor. He tried to yell at the others to stop making so much noise because they'd been sick before. Once done helping, he sat down to finish lunch watching the red fluffy cocoon that was Keigo while Sion grabbed a forehead thermometer strip. She walked to where Keigo was bundled up in his wings and blanket. Sion heard him sniffling and coughing as she gently put a hand on his feathers since he was cocooned in them.
"Keigo? I need you to sit up so I can check you for a fever. You're putting off more heat than my oven. " He sniffed again and slowly sat up, his face pale and his hairline looked like he was sweating. He tried not to stare in a daze as she placed the strip on his forehead, but he did speak softly. His voice sounded congested as Sion saw he had a mid grade fever. "My face hurts…I'm sorry I threw up. Please don't tell mama. I'll get better. I promise." She ran her fingers through his hair feeling the heat and sweat before gently pushing him to lay back down. He curled his wings around himself even as she tucked him in with the blanket.
"I'm going to call your mother. I thought you looked pale when you got here and I guess it got worse. It will be alright, try to get some sleep." Keigo closed his eyes and a thumb went into his mouth as he whined, immediately coughing which sounded wet and raspy. Sion patted his shoulder gently and stood to check on the kids before grabbing the phone. Keigo wanted to cry. His head hurt, his face hurt, he couldn't breathe and now Azumi was going to be called and it was all his fault. She was going to have to leave work to come get him. He was going to cost them money for medicine. She was going to be so upset he had hid it this morning. She was going ro be so upset he had thrown up. He felt awful both physical and mentally as he tried to close his eyes and rest.
Azumi was resetting an exam room at the clinic when one of the other nurses poked their head in. "Zumi, you have a call on line 3." Azumi smiled a thank you and set down the spray bottle, grabbing the phone on the wall. "Azumi speaking." Her heart beat sped up when she heard Sion speaking.
"Hello Azumi, I'm sure you won't panic like most parents I tend to call, but Keigo is running a pretty high fever and is really pale. He also threw up what little he had at lunch. He's laying down but I think you better come get him." Azumi frowned and checked her watch. "Alright, I'll leave work now and come pick him up. Thank you for calling me. If he feels like it, maybe try some water and crackers until I can get there?" Sion agreed and hung up leaving Azumi to go through one of the drawers for a forehead thermometer. She knocked on Dr. Seek's office door, causing him to look up from his computer.
"Excuse me sir. I'm sorry to bother you but I need to leave early. Keigo's babysitter called and said he has a fever and was throwing up. He was a bit congested this morning but I think it got worse. And I might need to grab a bottle of the children's fever medicine. I have cold and congestion at home but it's not a fever reducer. " Dr. Seeks raised both eyebrows as he stood and motioned for her to follow him. "Keigo has a mutation quirk, correct?" Azumi nodded as she paused to set a chart aside for the next nurse and took off her stethoscope. Dr Seeks went to the medicine closet and got his small ring of keys out.
Once inside the medicine closet. He handed her the bottle of grape children's medicine. As a clinic they got cases of over the counter medicine for families that needed it with little to no income. The doctor was checking a shelf and pulled down a blister pack of dissolvable tablets, handing them to her. "I doubt he was given a Flu shot since there's next to no medical records on him. One a day for a week." Azumi slowly took the antibiotics and blinked at him.
"Are you sure?" Dr. Seeks nodded and started locking up. "I'll mark it in the log, don't worry. Call me in a day or so and let me know how he's doing. I wouldn't doubt it's the flu given he wasn't around other children until recently." Azumi bowed as she hugged the medicine. "Thank you! I will keep you updated sir." She hurried to the break room to get her coat and bag, the medicine sliding into the main pouch of her purse as she hailed a taxi the moment she was outside.
The entire car ride to the apartment, Azumi read the instructions on both types of medicine. She had to remember Keigo probably hadn't been cared for like this before. Given how scared he was to get help with a bath, how much he craved physical affection and how he had acted that morning, she was a bit concerned with trying to give him the medicine. He might fight her on it since he didn't seem used to it this morning. She paid the cab driver and hurried up the steps to her building, hitting 4 on the elevator once she was inside.
She knocked gently, not wanting to bother the children if they were going down for a nap. Sion answered the door and motioned for her to come inside. She heard soft music playing and saw all of the kids laying down on small cots in various stages of getting ready to sleep. Keigo was in the kitchen sitting at the kitchen table with his head resting on his crossed arms. A glass of ice water and a napkin of saltines were next to him untouched. His forehead was covered in sweat and his little wings were shaking as Azumi walked into the kitchen and whispered.
"Hey my handsome little bird." He blinked his eyes open and made a faint chirp as she placed a cool hand on his forehead. His chirp turned into a coo as he leaned into her cool hand and moved his hands to try and hug her. "I don't feel so good, Zumi." She crouched to hug him and slowly picked him up, letting his head rest on her shoulder. He was warm all over and didn't even have the energy to hold his wings up, letting them hang limp like two capes off his back. Azumi gently kissed his temple as she took his backpack from Sion. "I know my little bird. We're going to go home so you can rest and feel better."
Keigo made a non committal moan as he closed his eyes and Sion held the door for them both whispering, "Feel better Keigo." Azumi smiled at Sion and waved with a free hand before walking to the elevator. She was worried about his temperature and shaking but didn't want him to speak just yet. She managed to get up to the 6th floor and unlock the front door before slipping her shoes off and moving to the sofa, crouching down so he could crawl onto it instead of her bending over with him.
He reluctantly let go and curled up on the sofa, eyes halfway open and watching her as she moved to get the thermometer and fever reducer from her bag, starting with those. His golden eyes looked glassy and distant as she checked his temperature and then opened the medicine where he could see it. The look he was giving her could only be described as scared. "This is just like the medicine this morning, or any time you've been sick. You know people take medicine to feel better, right Keigo?" He shook his head no eyeing the bottle and spoke, his voice hoarse. "Mama took medicine and it made her mean." His sentence ended with a deep wet sounding cough. She smiled sadly, thinking Dr. Seeks probably guessed it correctly with the flu.
"Well, this medicine is special just for you. It won't even work on me, and I bet you feel hot and icky and sniffly right?" He nodded a little as he carefully took the small cup of purple liquid. "This will help you feel better." She smiled and waited for him to drink it. This was Azumi giving it to him and he trusted her. What she gave him this morning helped until Lunchtime. He sipped it and winced at the sweet taste, but swallowed the whole dose before he saw she had a small juice box of apple juice for him. Taking the juice to wash down the super sweet taste, he leaned into Azumi's hand as she brushed her fingers through his wet blond hair that was sticking to his forehead. She popped a dissolvable tablet from the pack and offered it to him.
"This too. This one dissolves in your mouth. We'll have to do both medicines each day for a bit but it will help you feel better. And I'll stay here with you to help you feel comfortable so you won't be alone. Is that alright?" He nodded slowly sitting up to sip the apple juice while waiting for the tablet to dissolve. Azumi took the time to put the thermometer on his forehead, watching the dots light up with colors. She read the temperature of 101 and smiled gently. Something told her frowning in concern or looking upset wasn't going to help him. Just looking at him made her feel awful that she hadn't insisted on keeping him home. His eyes were watery like he was about to cry. Sweat plastered his blonde hair to his forehead as he weazed with breath. He was gripping the apple juice box and shaking, but she wasn't sure if it was from being sick or something else. "You must feel so sick, my poor little one." Azumi crooned as she stood to get a cool wet cloth and his pillow from the bedroom.
/
Thirty minutes later she was sitting on the couch with a cup of tea and a book. Keigo had had his neck and face washed with cool water. He was curled up under a small blanket with his left thumb in his mouth. Head on a pillow on Azumi's lap so she could run her fingers through his hair while he watched the TV. The volume was low to help lull him to sleep, but it was a movie about bugs being super heros to help a colony of ants. His eyes were staring off, an occasional wet cough coming from him, but the heat and ickiness he had been feeling was much less noticeable now.
He looked up at Azumi as she read from her book and kept playing with his hair, a small smile on her face. He'd never been taken care of like this when he got sick before. To be fair, he couldn't remember being this sick before, even with his parents. His wings felt heavy and sluggish, everything had been hot and his stomach was upset. If he breathed too deeply he would cough or his nose felt runny. Keigo was pretty sure he'd never been this sick because his parents would have had to do something with him instead of isolating him. And even the one time he had a cold and couldn't eat anything, his mom and dad gave him a bucket and a bottle of gingerale with some crackers and told him not to leave his room. If he coughed too much or made bird noises, they had moved him to a small closet instead, or done much worse. The memory caused him to shudder.
He'd been scared when he started feeling sick this morning, and opted to fake it at Sion's claiming he was a little tired and sniffly. But then he threw up, and felt his whole body burning and shaking and knew he couldn't hide it. He'd felt guilty that Sion had called Azumi and tried to plead with her not to after she hung up. Azumi needed to work, and he didn't want to be a burden on her because he wasn't feeling good. Medicine was expensive, she was going to miss work, he really wasn't worth all of that trouble. Medicine cost money, and Azumi not working was costing money for bills.
Yet here she was helping him feel comfortable by washing the icky sweat off of him, giving him medicine to help him feel better and staying with him instead of leaving him alone in the bedroom. She even started stock for soup so he could try and keep something down later. His eyes watered as he stared at her face looking for any signs of anger or annoyance, like the looks he'd seen on his mom and dad's. But there was none. Only a soft smile as he felt her cool fingertips on his forehead and her purple eyes moved from her book to his face as she smiled more. "Hey. Feeling ok?"
He shook his head no as tears fell from his eyes and he saw a mild panic in her purple eyes before her book was set aside. She gently hugged him with both hands and peppered his forehead and cheeks with kisses, pausing to wipe the tears away as he pulled his thumb from his mouth. His voice was still scratchy but he didn't care. "I'm sorry I got sick." He cried as she held him close and he started coughing. Azumi helped him sit up, moving his wings so she could rub his back.
"Keigo, why on earth are you apologizing for being sick? Being sick happens and it's my job to help you feel better. Not just as your mom but as a nurse." He sniffled and started twisting the blankets bunched in his lap, unable to stop himself from stress gripping. "But you're missing work and you had to get medicine and I'm not worth the trouble." His head felt foggy, and he swore the room seemed brighter than before. Whatever she said was muffled as he looked around in a daze. The muffled noise sounded more insistent as he blinked quickly trying to focus on the blurry lines in his vision. He heard Azumi yell his name as he toppled over, letting darkness take over.
Azumi mixed some rice into the broth, worry evident on her face as she listened to Keigo's deep cough from the bedroom. Despite the medicine he had wound himself up and overheated. Passing out with just enough of a notice for Azumi to catch him so he didn't fall off the sofa. She moved him to the bedroom and tucked him in, moving a glass of water to the end table for him. He slept all day, only waking up once in a coughing fit and she'd given him another dose of fever reducer. He had passed back out leaning into her hand, his face flushed red as he whined faintly.
What concerned her more than the cough or temperature was the way he stared at her while she gave him the medicine. He didn't speak, only coo'd and chirped as if he was scared to talk or unable to form words. The whine at the end was new, as if he was scared to fall back asleep. His feathers had also begun to molt and there were tiny pink and red downy feathers all around him on the bed as he slept. This was the first time she had tended a child with a mutation quirk but she knew from her studies that animal quirks could cause serious side effects if she was not careful. She wanted him to get soup or toast on his stomach. Something other than medicine and apple juice so he could start to feel better. She was ladeling the soup or broth and shredded chicken into a bowl to cool off when he cried out from the bedroom.
Azumi ran into the room after leaving the soup on the counter and saw he was out of bed pressed up against the corner, staring terrified at the doorway and now her as she stood watching him. His pupils were dilated and looked like thin black slits up and down on golden eyes wide in fear. Face flush which looked off with his blonde hair sticking to the sides of his face. His wings looked ragged with a number of small feathers sticking every which way. His shirt was drenched in sweat as he stared at her shaking.
To her surprise, he didn't say anything with words. He chirped and made a scared sort of whine as he stared at her. The bird noises sounded forced as he went into a coughing fit and Azumi put both hands out activating her quirk. "It's alright Keigo, it's alright. You're living with me and I'm your mommy now, remember? Azumi?" He shook his head still eyeing her and then doubled over coughing. Azumi stepped forward and he raised his wings like little shields curved around him, shaking all over. Azumi froze as she realized he was recoiled from her and braced as if he thought she was going to strike him. She didn't move, didn't say anything as she watched him staring at her. Azumi was afraid if she moved too fast he would panic, and it was evident he was slightly delirious from the slow blink and wide eyes.
Keigo finally closed his eyes, swaying as his wings went limp on either side of him, too worn out and sick to stay so tense and defensive. Azumi closed the distance to get a hand on him to keep him from falling over and knelt, a wrist on his forehead before a gentle hand caressed his cheek. "Your fever is up again, I wouldn't be surprised if you were hallucinating at this rate. Do you want me to run you a warm bath?" She saw the panic in his eyes and she quickly spoke."You let me do it before when you got glitter in your wings. Remember? It will be just like that. Sound ok?" Keigo stared at her in a foggy daze but nodded. Not being so hot and sticky sounded really good right now. His mother never treated him like this when he got sick, and he had been ready for a blow that never came. Remembering before, Azumi had been super gentle with his wings, so there was no reason not to trust her.
"Promise?" He rasped out as she smiled, gently resting her forehead on his and spoke softly. "I promise. I'll draw up a bath and I'll be very careful with your wings." He nodded faintly as she moved him to sit on the bed, his thumb went back to his mouth as he watched her grab some clean pajamas for him. She then disappeared into the bathroom and he heard the tub starting to fill with water. As he waited, his face felt warm again and Keigo moved to try and get up. But he swayed and sat right back down on the bed. He was very confused and tired. He wanted to curl up and go to sleep again but knew a bath would feel really good.
Azumi walked back into the room and gently knelt to hold open her arms. On instinct he stepped forward and into a big hug as she picked him up and walked him into the bathroom. He saw the tub was half full, only a little steam was rising from the water. As promised she washed him gently with a washcloth. Keigo felt more calm than he had in awhile, part of him knowing it was her quirk, another part wondered if it was because she was caring for him so much. Maybe it was the nice smell of the bathwater. Either way he really didn't care. This felt nice.
/
Azumi waited outside the bathroom for Keigo to finish getting himself dressed. He had said he could do it, so she left him to it. She did leave the door open a crack just in case he fell or passed out. The soup had been moved to the living room table in front of the sofa and Azumi was getting concerned the longer his fever was up. She had to get it down tonight. If it didn't break by tomorrow morning, or she couldn't get liquids of some sort into him, they would have to go to the clinic. This also gave Azumi a very scary realization that she wasn't given any medical history on Keigo when the adoption was finalized. With a mutation quirk, he could need special vaccines that he probably didn't have and this sickness could be something worse than flu.
He opened the bathroom door, wings puffed up from shaking in the tub and hair a mess but he looked better. His sniffled, his nose clogged as he made his way over to her and rested his head on her side as he hugged her. "I love you Zumi." Was all he could mumble before he coughed again. She smiled and picked him up, a hand through his hair before rubbing his back as she sat on the couch. "Want to try some soup?" He nodded, eyes half closed with a tired look. She sat him on her lap and slowly fed him the shredded chicken and rice soup. Pleased that he got half the bowl down before declaring he was full.
She set the bowl aside and helped him lay down on the couch with his head resting in her lap so she could gently run her fingers through his hair. His left thumb went into his mouth and his eyes were half closed as he stared ahead at the blank tv. Azumi hummed softly as he coughed, nowhere near as bad as it had been earlier, and watched Keigo slowly drift off into sleep. She watched as his wings were pooled at his sides and the tiny red and pink feathers molting off were on the floor. He had a raspy inhale but his exhale was a soft coo that made Azumi's smile widen as she kept humming, an arm gently around him while she played with his hair.
Keigo was back at his parents house. He had a cold, and was coughing and blowing his nose every few minutes. It was taking everything in him not to make any bird noises. His parents hated his bird noises as much as they hated his wings, his eyes and his feet. He kept socks on over his talons and scaled ankles. Keigo also hid in his room with a bottle of water and the box of tissues, muffling the coughs and chirps with his pillow. Everything was blurring together as he tried to get comfortable on the toddler sized futon that was his bed. He felt hot, and kicked the blankets off, only to feel cold and shiver.
Whining, Keigo curled up and wrapped his wings around himself, hoping they would keep him just warm enough to get comfortable and go to sleep. He was beginning to drift off to sleep when a coughing fit overtook him and he was forced to sit up. Every time he inhaled between coughs, his throat made a cooing noise and his eyes widened in a panic. The bedroom door slammed open and his mother stood there, tall and imposing. She stormed over to the futon and bent over to yell at him, his wings clinging to him in an attempt to hide from her and the smell of weed. She kicked the futon yelling.
"Was that chirping I heard!? Those ridiculous noises I have told you not to make?" He tried to crawl away from her, clearing his throat and sniffling to clear his voice. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm sick and I can't stop them. I'll do better!" She reached out and grabbed his left wing, pulling him upright. "If you can't keep quiet then we'll have to put you in the closet." The fear filled his veins with ice and he panicked trying to pull out of her grasp. "Please no! I'm sorry! It's too dark in there! I'm sorry!" He began coughing and grabbing the door frame as he cried. His mother pulled harshly and dragged him into the hallway ignoring his pleas as he coughed between gasps of air.
The closet in the hallway loomed like a black void as he cried and grabbed at the carpet with his nails. He was working himself up and started gagging as he tried not to throw up as he heard his mother threatening. "If you throw up, so help me I will beat that cold out of you!" Keigo frantically grabbed for the nearest door frame as his mother tightened her grip on his wing and pulled. He could hear her yelling at him.
"Don't you dare do it Keigo! Keigo! Don't you dare! Keigo? Keigo!?"
"Keigo!" Azumi shook him a little harder trying to wake him around his thrashing and gasping. Keigo's eyes shot open as he sat up coughing violently and dry heaving. Azumi barely got the small trash can into his hands when he threw up. He was crying as he gagged and spit, Azumi moved him to sit on the sofa as she dipped and wrung out a washcloth and began wiping the sides of his face and pressed the cold cloth on the back of his neck. "It's alright. You're alright, just breath." Keigo blinked at her as he cried, and once she was sure he wasn't going to keep throwing up, she moved the trash can away and scooped him up to hold him close.
Keigo was shaking again as he clung to her and cried, coughing when he tried to inhale. Azumi crooned and tried to coo the way he did as she slowly walked in a circle in the living room. "I've got you. You're alright. You're safe with me. Chirp away my little bird." He buried his face into her shoulder chirping as he calmed down, wings hanging off his back. Azumi walked him to the kitchen and managed to pour a dose of fever reducer, noticing how hot his face was. He drank it without complaint and remained quiet as she wiped his face with a washcloth and offered him a cup of water. He sipped it and then rested his head on her shoulder as she started walking with him again.
"Poor thing, you wouldn't wake up from your nightmare. It must have been really bad, do you want to talk about it?" He tried to think about it, his brain hazy as he gripped her shirt. "I was back with my parents and I was sick. Mama wanted to put me in the closet to make noises and I was scared." He coughed as Azumi moved towards the bedroom. "You really haven't had any good experience with being sick at your old home, have you?" Keigo rested his head on her shoulder and spoke in a raspy voice. "Not there. But you've been so nice. I'm sorry I'm sick, Zumi."
She pulled back the covers and kissed his temple before laying him in the bed and covering him to his chin. "Get comfortable my handsome little bird. I'm going to get my book and cup of tea and I'll be right here with you as you fall asleep." He made a happy trilling noise from his throat before coughing and covering his mouth with his elbow. He watched her leave the room and shifted his wings to try and get comfortable. When Azumi returned and sat against the headrest. Keigo shifted to his side so his wings could stretch off the bed and he could use her lap as a pillow. She opened her book and held it with one hand, while the other gently brushed her fingers through his blonde hair, earning a coo in return as he closed his eyes.
This time, when sleep overtook him, he remained asleep in a dreamless void of blackness. Azumi silently gave thanks to small favors that all of the medicine finally let him sleep solidly through the night.
/
The next morning, Azumi woke before the sun was fully up. Keikgo was still asleep, his face flushed and sweating as he coo'd in his sleep, both hands clinging to her pajamas. A hand went to his forehead and she frowned, leaning over to grab the forehead strip from the bedside table and placed it on his forehead. She watched the colors and numbers light up and bit her bottom lip as she gently ran her fingers along Keigo's scalp. He chirped in his sleep, coughing once before he settled back down, obviously exhausted. Retrieving her cell phone, she sent a text to Dr. Seeks about his fever and nausea.
Once that was done, Azumi gently pried his hands off her pajama pants and slipped out of the bed to grab the fever medicine, a small cup of water and a cool cloth. She hated to wake him, but the fever was worrying her still. A gentle shake was all it took for him to open the pools of liquid gold, his pupils thin slits as he chirped at her. Azumi smiled and offered the medicine, the water and then helped him settle back to laying on his side. The cool cloth soothing his neck and face as she rubbed his back. There was almost no cough from him, although she could hear the struggle in his inhale. He stared off for a moment before closing his eyes again, letting her take care of him.
"My poor little bird." Azumi crooned as he chirped in reply, but didn't move to sit up. He looked exhausted and barely awake at the same time. As the sun came up, and Azumi waited for a reply from Dr. Seeks, she saw that Keigo was pale compared to yesterday. He didn't seem to want to open his eyes, opting instead to curl up facing Azumi, his wings sprawled behind him. A chime on her phone broke the silent moment and she read Dr. Seeks' message back.
'You should bring him in this morning.'
Sighing, she brushed his forehead with her fingertips. "Keigo? You awake?" He whined and rolled his face into the pillow, coughing before he sniffled and looked at her with squinted eyes. "Yes mama." He mumbled as she moved to sit next to him. "Dr. Seeks wants to take a look at you this morning. Do you feel up to a visit with him?" The little boy blinked and nodded slowly. "Ok." Azumi smiled and went to get him new clothes that would be warm and comfortable.
In truth, Keigo felt worse today than he did yesterday. Unlike then, he wanted nothing but to sleep. His body ached and felt full of crud. He slowly sat up when Azumi came back to help him get dressed. She asked if he wanted anything to eat and he refused, afraid it would just come back up. She got him a juice box of apple juice and let him sip that while she got dressed herself. It didn't take long for him to be scooped up into her arms and carried onto the bus towards her work.
The clinic was practically empty this morning. The check in nurse smiled sympathetically when she saw Keigo asleep on Azumi's shoulder, a thumb hanging in his mouth. Since this was an official visit, Azumi sat with the clipboard and filled out as much information as she could. Keigo moaned and sat up, realizing he fell asleep, and curled up in her lap as Azumi absently kissed his temple, purple eyes on the paperwork. "Keigo? Do you remember anything at all about vaccines or shots when you were with your other parents?" The little boy shook his head no, afraid to say anything because it could come out as a chirp.
Dr. Seeks himself came out to the sparse waiting room and waved them over. Azumi handed him the clipboard as she lifted Keigo up. The six year old buried his face in Azumi's shoulder coughing as they were led into one of the children's exam rooms. Keigo blinked slowly, remembering the last time he was there and being looked at. Azumi sat him on the exam table and gently ran her fingers through his hair as Dr. Seeks started to give Keigo a full exam, from his eyes and pupil response to his reflexes and ears. Azumi kept a hand on his head or arm the entire time, and he leaned into her whenever Dr. Seeks did something that made him nervous.
For the most part, Keigo just stared in a daze and let the doctor look him over. When he was finished, he started writing on a clipboard and opened the door for a nurse to come get a medications list and fill it from the medicine closet. Azumi frowned as she waited patiently, both arms around Keigo as he buried his face into her shoulder whining. "What's wrong with him, doctor?"
Dr. Seeks sighed and moved to sit while he waited. "Keigo has never been vaccinated for anything that I can tell. That needs to be done as soon as he recovers from this. Right now, he has Avian Flu or Bird Flu as it's sometimes called. It wouldn't be so bad for him if he didn't have a bird quirk. It's lethal to birds and that side of his quirk is what is making him so sick." Keigo's whine turned into a scared chirp as he gripped Azumi's shirt and looked up at her with big golden eyes. "Am I going to die?" She leaned down to kiss his forehead. "No, Keigo. You're not going to die. We're going to help you feel better and then get you shots so this doesn't happen again."
He leaned on Azumi and stuck his left thumb in his mouth as she held him in her arms, shifting so she could face Dr. Seeks. She spoke calmly so she wouldn't scare Keigo. "What is the treatment for Avian Flu?" The doctor took a look at his paperwork speaking confidently. "First thing is a nebulizer treatment here. There's fluid building up in his lungs and we need to get ahead of that. I'm also going to change the antibiotics I gave you before. These will need to be ground up if he can't swallow them." Azumi nodded as she ran a hand up and down Keigo's back because he was shaking. "Anything else? Instructions for home?"
"Yes. Keep him warm and hydrated. I'll give you a cough syrup to help him sleep at night and watch his fever. If it goes too high, say 103? He'll need to go to the hospital. Otherwise, the treatment here and the antibiotics should do most of the work. A few days of rest and wing grooming because of the molting and he should be back to his normal cheerful self." Azumi smiled and looked down, noticing that Keigo was sniffling and her shirt felt wet. "Keigo? Are you alright?" He peeked out from her shoulder, tears running down his face and his eyes wide and watery and his voice sounded raspy.
"I'm sorry I'm causing so much trouble. You're going to miss days of work because of me." Azumi coo'd and tried to comfort him as she held him close. Dr. Seeks put a hand on his arm and spoke gently to the six year old. "Keigo, it's our job to make sure sick people get healthy. Getting sick happens all the time and it's nobody's fault. I don't know what your previous parents were like when you got sick, but believe me when I say that Azumi is your mother now. She will do everything she can to make you comfortable at home. She has plenty of vacation and sick time to use. So don't think for a second that any of this is your fault or trouble of any kind. Can you repeat that for me?"
Keigo seemed hesitant before he quietly spoke. "Being sick is not my fault and it's no trouble for you and Mama to take care of me." The doctor nodded with a smile as the nurse returned, arma loaded with medicines and equipment. "Very good, Keigo. Now let's get that nebulizer treatment started."
/
Keigo spent an hour at the clinic getting a nebulizer treatment, taking medications and his medical records updated. By the time Azumi got the medicine in her bag, Keigo was on and off the bus. back to the apartment and up to the 6th floor, he was struggling to stay awake. Azumi ended up carrying him from the elevators to their front door, and then into the bedroom once they got inside. She gave him a small dose of his cough syrup, which made him wrinkle his nose at the taste, and then tucked him under the covers. After some water, Azumi moved to sit with him, fingers tracing his forehead as he sucked his thumb watching her.
"What are you thinking about, baby bird?" Azumi smiled as she spoke softly. He pulled his thumb from his mouth and blinked quickly at her as if clearing blurry eyes. "You're the best mom. Thank you for taking care of me." She smiled brightly and kissed his forehead. "Always. Keigo, I will always take care of you no matter what. You're my son and I love you." Keigo's eyes widened a bit before he looked at the window. She gently ran her fingers through his hair. "What's wrong? You want to talk about something? I'll listen, you know that." He took a breath and coughed once before slowly sitting up. He grabbed the blankets in his lap and looked down at them.
"Every time I got sick before, with my old mama and papa, they said it was a huge inconvenience. They didn't have the money to take me to the doctor, and when I got medicine, they kept it or took it themselves. When I get really sick, I can't help but make bird noises and Mama always said it was bad to do that. That I'm a monster. That's why-" He paused and his wings came around him, scared and shaking as he coughed. "They said it would be easier without my wings and my feet. I don't remember much about it but I remember them holding me onto a table and-" Keigo squeezed his eyes shut, his hands gripping the blankets.
Azumi moved to gently out her hands around him, kissing his temple before she rested her forehead against his. He was warm, shaking and trying not to cry. "That's why I don't know what to do when you take care of me, when you're nice and don't treat me like an animal. I'm not used to it." He turned his face into her shoulder and moved his hands to grip her shirt tightly, as if afraid she was going to leave. She gently rocked him as her hand rubbed his back between his wings.
"I am so sorry they couldn't see what a special boy you are. You're so caring and lovable. Keigo. You're such a handsome young man, and you help others before they even ask. Your parents didn't deserve you. No one should be treated that way, and as long as I am your mother, I will never treat you like that. Ever." He started crying. Azumi couldn't tell if he was crying because of what she said or what he had told her. They held each other for over an hour as he cried himself out. Eventually, he fell asleep, cooing when he took a breath in. Azumi moved him so he could lay down and inhaled a shaky breath.
She hated what Keigo's parents had done to him. He didn't deserve it, and the nightmares and fears were going to be hard to work through given his reluctance to talk about it. She knew they had tried to remove the physical aspects of his quirk when he was three. But they never gave him any vaccinations, no annual check ups. Azumi was going to make sure he never wanted for medical help, be it a cold, the flu or a broken bone.
With the new medications and treatment, Keigo recovered in four days. He spent time with Azumi watching TV, eating soup, helping with a puzzle and cuddling with Azumi in a much better mood than when he first got sick. They had gotten through another hurdle of his past. Like his baths with his wings and his nightmares, they were working little by little on understanding each other and growing that bond between mother and son.