Fever • TodoDeku

Chapter 6

Coyotes are cool. I will never be.
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Moonbeams shone brightly on the droplets of sweat coating pale skin, lighting up dark eye-bags, fluttering lids open.

Out of the darkness, Shouto woke, sitting, bolting, upright, in the silvery glow.

Nausea churned his stomach, sending pain shivering through every bone in his exhausted body. Fuck, not now. Slurry thoughts begged desperately.

Almost unable to move, sore muscles strained with awful discomfort following each thick breath. Frozen, almost in denial, or some kind of hope that this wasn't happening again, he blinked rapidly as the other side of the bed began to shift.

"Hrrngg..." a whispery groan announced the accidental waking of his boyfriend. Reaching a hand over, he laid it on a shaky arm, immediately perturbed by how warm it was. "Hey, bub, everything okay?"

He couldn't manage a response, even as rushing of motion returned to his body. Legs swung hesitantly over the bedside, mental urgency increasing when legs lacked in speed.

"Hey, Sho," pushing off blanket, Izuku slid off the bed, making his way 'round to intercept the sick boy struggling to walk on shaky legs.

Hitting a light switch as they entered the bathroom, the harsh golden light suddenly illuminated just how bad Shouto looked.

His face was a pale, so white and lifeless, that the stark, brownish-red scar and deep purple eye-bags seemed almost too saturated. The dewy sweat coating his skin appeared too intense, and the jitters wracking his limbs were awful, straining his ability to walk, severely stressing Shouto.

True anxiety filled his mismatched eyes, as if the few steps to the toilet were a marathon. Internally, it was agonizing to watch.

A hand over trembling lips, weak knees strained to carry him any further, only held up by the gentle lead of his determined boyfriend.

Gently letting him down, Izuku crouched to the floor beside the sick boy, keeping a calming hand on his back.

A lump lodged in Shouto's throat, rising rapidly, horribly, acidic. Shallow breaths puffed in and out, his normally placid face twisting in an agony that Izuku had never seen before on him.

"Babe, you're okay, it's okay, everything, hey," brushing sweaty bangs back he hurriedly pinned any loose hair back with a black barrette. "Baby, everything is okay."

Pitching forward, the former contents of his stomach purged themselves out. Stopping only in deceit. Just long enough to allow the teen to think it was over, to see the light at the end of the tunnel... before sending a pummeling wave of violent nausea rushing back up his throat.

Rubbing loving circles from the top of his shoulders, down to his tailbone, the freckled boy did everything in his power to ease the overtaking pain of his lover.

Somehow he'd never fathomed how much this fever was actually wrecking Shouto; hazy agitation plagued his eyes accompanying every bout of nausea, fever almost too hot to touch, and he was nearly in tears over the ordeal, something so sideways compared to absolutely everything else he knew or had ever known about the boy. A thought so inexplicably scary.

"Shh, shhhh, shhhh, you're safe, you're safe," he cooed, continuing to massage compassionate circles round and round his hunched back, patiently waiting.

After three long minutes, Shouto could finally lean back, weak, shivering, body softly colliding into his boyfriend's chest.

"S-Sorry," quickly leaning off, his hoarse voice was almost inaudible as he rasped an apology.

"No, no, you haven't done anything wrong," Unclipping Sho's hair, he pressed a light kiss on heated forehead just before bangs tumbled back into place. "Do want some water? I'm worried you're getting dehydrated."

Shouto managed a slight head-shake indicating  'no thanks, not thirsty'. Slowly able to sit up, he gripped the wall to stand, aided impart by the sturdy arms of his boyfriend.

"Sho, bugs, take your time," Izuku reminded, after catching a sudden stumble.

The two successfully made it back to bed through the pitch-black darkness and after tucking the sick boy back in and providing a short peck, they fell back into the soothing grasp of sleep.

Later that night, a mere hour before the sun would rise, Midoriya was again woken by a dipping in the plushy mattress.

He flipped on the lamp and, once again, caringly tended to his sick boyfriend, before returning to the sheets for any last sleep they could eke out of the night. Though, in the end, it didn't amount to much.

That next Wednesday morning, Izuku was shaken awake... for the third time. Thankfully not by his boyfriend, but rather his usual school alarm, screeching at the top of its lungs that it was time for him to wake the hell up.

Even in his sleepy haze Izuku practically dove out of the bed to silence its infernal song to keep it from waking the other resting boy. This attempt though, proved a quick fail.

Blankets dragged off the freckled teen's legs, wrapping around his waking lover, as he rolled over in discomfort.

"What time is it?" He breathed, words barely managing to leave his cracked lips.

"Seven thirty." Propping up on his elbows, he brushed a hand through tangled, mismatched hair, calming down the wild headache creeping up on Shouto. "Do you feel any better?"

He paused before answering, not having the wearwithal offer a consulate lie.

"I... no,"

"Blech," he said, light voice kind and whispery. "Can I take your temperature again? You feel warmer."

"Mhm," closing hetrochromic eyes, he missed the flash of concern upon the freckled boy's face.

Grabbing the thermometer off the nightstand, he turned it on, making an 'ahh' to indicate an open mouth and pressing the cold thing under Shouto's tongue. It took a minute before the screen displayed a reading, one that would've spelled hospital to most other people, but thankfully in this situation was normal.

"You're up again bugs," he murmured, using a rather odd nickname.

"Huh?" Sho laid an arm across his forehead, wanting to get back to sleep to rid himself of the ever growing pains.

"Fever, Sho, your fever's up." Sporting a half-hearted laugh, Izuku tucked the thermometer away, exchanging it for his phone.

"Oh,"

Texting someone, Izuku didn't say anything, just texting, a worried look plastered on his face. He looked weirdly serious, but still, shifted a hand on the arm over his boyfriend's face, gently caressing blanket-imprinted skin.

"Who's that?" The sick boy mumbled, intrigued by the muted taps of a text.

" 'zawa."

"Oh," pausing for a moment, he looked over in confusion. "Don't you have to get ready soon?"

"Ready for what Sho?" Turning away from the phone, he brushed locks of hair off a scarred eyelid.

"School,"

"No! Who would take care of you?"

"...me?"

"Shouto, babe, that is a terrible idea." Playfully rolling his eyes Izu leaned over, peppering Shouto's face with adoring kisses.

"Mmgh," he groaned in protest, leaning away from the kisses as best he could without disturbing his headache. "Why?"

"Because, you're sick. And that means you need someone to help you feel better."

"Oh," Snuggling against Izuku's lap he realized this must've been one of those 'normal people' things that he didn't get.

Pecking a few more kisses, Izuku finished texting before grabbing a juice box and climbing back into bed.

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