Of Fever and Underwear ~ [The Pig Pen]

Of Fever and Underwear

‘Twas a day like any other; school, homework and basketball practice. Sendoh Akira sauntered through the hallway, duffel bag over one shoulder and mouth wide open in a yawn. History really is a very boring subject. It didn’t help at all that the sensei is a wheezing, bald old geezer who talks to the blackboard in a monotone.

The spiky-haired player rubbed the moisture from his eye [1] as he rounded a corner, and promptly ran into something solid; as in another human being. As sleepy as he was, the forward managed to keep his balance. The other person, however, wasn’t as fortunate.

~*~*~*~

Koshino Hiroaki squinted blearily up at the wall he had bumped into. Oh, wait, it wasn’t a wall after all. From behind half-lidded eyes, he could just make out the outline of unmistakably spiked hair. He heard the person speak but the voice sounded strangely muffled. And what the heck was that sharp stinging pain he felt on his behind?

“Koshino! Daijobu ka?” Sendoh crouched down to peer at his fallen comrade. “Ne, can you get up? Here, take my hand.” Koshino saw two outstretched hands floating in front of his face. So sleepy. I’ll just close my eyes for a second, Koshino thought.

He was out cold the moment his lids slid shut.

~*~*~*~

It was cold. Koshino tried to burrow deeper into the soft cotton comforters in an effort to ward off the chill. Wait a minute. Soft cotton comforters? How did he get there? His eyes snapped open as he bolted into a sitting position.

He immediately fell back down to the pillows, a soft groan escaping his lips. Damn. He wished he hadn’t done that. Now his head was spinning uncontrollably and his stomach felt really queasy like he was about to…

There was just enough time to lean over the side of the bed before the boy threw up all over the floor. After puking his guts out, Koshino didn’t have enough strength to sit back up. He stayed like that, head hanging over the side of the bed.

That’s how Sendoh found him when he came back into the room.

~*~*~*~

There was a decidedly sour smell inside the room that wasn’t present before. Sendoh wrinkled his nose in distaste when he finally figured out what it was. He smiled wryly as he approached the bed, careful to step around the mess on the floor.

“Kosh.” Sendoh whispered the name softly as he helped the other boy into a sitting position. “How are you feeling?” He grabbed a tissue and gently wiped the corners of Koshino’s mouth. “Do you want anything?”

The feverish boy sank back heavily against the pillows. He couldn’t think straight. Perversely, he refused to believe that the fever was causing him to become delirious. He opened his mouth to say something, anything.

“Sendoh, have I ever told you that my boxers have little bears on them?” He knew he was spouting nonsense the moment the words left his mouth. A dull flush of embarrassment crept into his cheeks and spread slowly to his ears. He wished to God he would just die right then and there. He would have banged his head to the wall if he had the strength.

In the meantime, Sendoh was doing an admirably good imitation of a fish, his mouth opening and closing a few times without a sound. He blinked a few times as if to clear his head before he threw his head back and laughed heartily.

Sendoh’s blue eyes twinkled with merriment when he finally stopped laughing a couple of minutes later. “Gomen for laughing, Kosh. I know it’s just the fever talking.” He watched with amusement as the feverish boy glared at him. “Maa, maa. Don’t be angry. Here, drink this while I clean up this mess.” He placed a glass of water and two aspirins on the bedside table and left the room to get some cleaning supplies.

~*~*~*~

Koshino waited until the footsteps died away before reaching over and grabbing the tablets. He shoved them hurriedly between his lips and gulped them down with a few sips of water. He grimaced as he felt his throat constrict painfully. He placed the glass back, hands shaking with fatigue.

K’so. Why did he have to get sick? And why did it have to be Sendoh who saw him like this? Of all people, it just had to be the one person who he didn’t want to see him this way. A sardonic smile ghosted over his lips. How life loved to play these tricks on him. He lost his train of thought as another feverish chill shot through his system.

~*~*~*~

The taller boy returned a few minutes later and started cleaning up. Koshino pretended to be fascinated with the blue plaid design on his comforter, eyes fixed determinedly on his lap. Sendoh chuckled at the other boy’s obvious discomfort.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I used to have these boxers with hearts on them. They were a gift from my grandma so I wore them. It’s not like anyone saw them anyway.” He finished up quickly and disposed of the rags and cleaning solution. The room now smelled faintly of lemon.

For the life of him, Koshino couldn’t figure out why his friend was telling him all about his underwear. He quickly forgot about his confusion when a shiver worked its way over his frame. The action didn’t go unnoticed by the other boy.

Sendoh leaned over the other boy worriedly and pressed the back of his hand on the other’s forehead. “Geez! You’re really burning up, Kosh. Maybe I should call a doctor.” He turned to do just that when a sweaty hand closed on his wrist and tugged weakly.

“No. No doctor.” Koshino forced the words out of his mouth before swallowing thickly. He tugged on Sendoh’s wrist again. The other boy plopped down on the bed, a slight frown marring his handsome features. “All right. But if the fever’s not gone by tomorrow, I’m going to get a doctor whether you like it or not. Deal?”

The fever suppressed Koshino’s stubborn side for the moment, and he nodded weakly, a cold sweat breaking on his forehead. He was still grasping Sendoh’s wrist and he tugged on it again to get his attention. The spiky-haired boy leaned over. “What is it?”

“Cold...” The word sounded like it had wrenched its way out of the boy’s chest as he once again shivered uncontrollably. Sendoh didn’t know what to do. He hesitated for only a moment before he gathered the shivering boy into his arms, hands rubbing the other’s back comfortingly.

~*~*~*~

Sendoh continued tracing random patterns on Koshino’s back long after the boy had succumbed into a troubled slumber. The smaller boy would murmur gibberish for a while or jerk suddenly then settle down again. The taller boy gently shifted their position until they were lying down on the bed, the feverish body tucked securely against his.

A wry smile made its way unto Sendoh’s lips. Of all the times he dreamed of having the smaller boy in his arms, he never thought it would be in a situation like this. He hated seeing Koshino suffering as he was now, the fever continuing to ravage the boy. Sendoh couldn’t fight the sleep that was coming over him. The last thing he did before he succumbed was to brush his lips lovingly against Koshino’s forehead.

~*~*~*~

The sun peeked lazily behind several fluffy white clouds. The two figures on the bed didn’t stir as the door to Koshino’s bedroom opened quietly and four heads popped into view.

The girl was the first to speak, albeit in a whisper. “Maybe we shouldn’t disturb them. They look exhausted.” However, a fond smile had made its way unto her features as she watched the cute scene in front of her.

A boy who looked remarkably like the girl merely shrugged disinterestedly and looked over to his redheaded companion. “I don’t mind. It’s this do’aho here who might be noisy enough to wake them up.”

“Nani?! What are you implying, kitsune! Mff!!” The boy who had spoken before clamped a hand over the redhead’s mouth, silencing him effectively. He turned to the girl. “I’ll take care of him,” he said, before turning and dragging the other boy behind him.

The girl giggled impishly as she looked at the brown-haired boy beside her. “Ne, don’t they look cute together?” She poked the boy teasingly, inclining her head towards the sleeping couple.

“Ow!” The boy rubbed the place where she had poked him, a mock frown on his face. “Yes, they look cute together. But you didn’t have to poke me so hard.” A cute pout had replaced the frown that was previously in place.

The girl giggled again as she closed the door gently. “Maa, maa. Don’t be such a weakling.” The two laughed quietly and went back to the living room, fingers laced together. They walked in to a scene that was disturbingly familiar. [2] The two boys on the couch disentangled their limbs hastily, guilty half-smiles on their faces.

The girl raised her eyes heavenward. “Yare, yare. Come on, let’s go.”

Four figures were seen leaving the Koshino residence that morning. And as for the two upstairs, well, let’s not disturb them, shall we? ^_~

~Owari

[1] You know how sometimes when you yawn, you get tears in your eyes? *shrug* Thought I’d explain in case anyone wonders why Sen has moisture in his eyes. Hehehe.

[2] In case you haven’t read my fic called Glacier in Japan, there was a scene there similar to this. Just thought I’d put a cameo. ^_^