Bedrest
Sasuke walked quietly back into the room after having washed used dishes from her rice porridge lunch. At least she was able to eat. He sat on the bed beside the sleeping girl, worry etched on his face as he studied her quivering form.
Sakura is a medic, he thought with a frown. She's not supposed to get sick.
But sure enough, she complained of a headache as he walked her home from work and woke up the next morning with a fever and chills. He decided it was a good thing that he stayed the night at her apartment. It gave him some peace of mind that he could watch over her. But now that he was here, he felt...helpless.
"Sakura," he called softly, resting his hand atop her shoulder to rouse her. She was bundled beneath layers of blankets, a human cocoon. She shivered even in sleep, but it seemed to recede slightly when she opened her eyes.
"Sasuke-kun," she breathed. "You're s-still here?"
"I was only gone for ten minutes."
"Oh," she shivered, offering him an unsteady smile. "It f-f-feels like I slept for s-so long."
He felt his frown deepen as her eyes began to drift shut once more, but not without a shudder from her chills. Sasuke pressed the palm of his hand to his forehead before reaching out, pushing her fringe aside, and resting it on hers for a comparison. She was still burning.
"What can I do?" he asked, keeping his voice from revealing desperation as he withdrew his hand.
"I'll b-be okay, Sasuke-k-kun," she responded. "I'm h-hydrated, you fed m-m-me, so now it's a matter of w-waiting for the fever to b-b-break."
That answer didn't sit well with him. There was nothing else he could do but wait? And where was he supposed to do that? Well...
As carefully as he could, he lifted the deepest layer of blanket and slid carefully behind her. She squeaked as he molded his form against her back before wrapping his arm tentatively around her waist. I'll break the damn fever myself.
"S-Sasuke-kun, I might g-g-get you s-sick—"
"Don't talk. Sleep."
She was too weak to argue any further, for she relaxed in his embrace and drifted into slumber. Within an hour, she stopped shivering.
—
Three days later, Sasuke was cocooned in his bed, shivering. Sakura knew without asking that he was internally cursing his immune system. She didn't want to play the "I-told-you-so" game, though, as she secretly enjoyed the idea of nursing him back to health.
"Sasuke-kun," she coaxed him awake as she held a water bottle with a little bendy straw, "Time to hydrate."
He groaned in response, but he allowed her to help him sit up and take sips of the lukewarm water. His eyes dropped tiredly, and his signature scowl could have wilted half of the Yamanaka flower shop. Despite it, though, the sight made Sakura want to giggle.
He grunted in thanks before slithering back under the covers, shuddering as he rolled onto his side to look at her. "You're enj-j-joying this," he sniffed as she took her seat on the mattress.
Sakura brushed away his midnight locks from his face to gently press the back of her hand against his burning forehead. "Mmm," she hummed, trying her best to suppress a guilty grin, "I might be."
The Uchiha scoffed, but he seemed to settle against the touch of her tender hand. When his breathing slowed and his shivering grew less intense, she carefully slipped her hand away. Just as she tensed her legs to stand, she felt his warm fingers wrap around her wrist.
"W-w-wait," he muttered, holding her still. She blinked at him, patiently watching for the sign that words have come to him to speak. Sure enough, they did. "Stay."
Sakura smiled before gently pulling the covers to allow her to slide into the bed with him. She wrapped herself around his front, trailing her fingers to his back to draw soothing circles there as she buried her face in his chest. She felt his chin settle on the crown of her head, and a satisfied sigh rumbled through him.
"I won't g-g-get you sick ag-gain, right?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her tighter as a shiver ran through his body.
"No, lucky for us, my system has made antibodies to prepare for this." She looked up to plant a tender kiss on the base of his neck. "Now, don't talk. Sleep."
Sasuke didn't even bother fussing in his usual, stubborn way. He drifted off to slumber as she snuggled into him, the sheer presence of her working its healing magic.