Slippery roads and sidewalks. Bridges and staircases frosted over. Cars covered with piles of snow, and hazards in every direction. Even worse, freezing temperatures that threatened to drop in the negatives. To put it simply, winter was a bitch. Especially to an ex-psychic, who could no longer use pyrokinesis on his body to keep warm.
And now is where Saiki found himself bedridden, suffering the consequences of what people called a cold. What even... The pink haired boy racked through his brain on the previous events before he blacked out. Oh, right. I went to run an errand, and it was freezing. When I got came back home, I started feeling weird. Almost as if I were ill. He slowly sat up and put a hand on his head. Could I actually be sick? I guess I just need rest... He looked at his nightstand, only to see an empty glass cup. I need water... After a moment, Saiki shrugged and laid back down. Well, time to sleep.
~~~
The vigorous sound of knocking reverberated throughout the hallway. When no answer came, the knocking continued.
"This place isn't that bad for being a commoner's place." Hikaru commented as he took in the view of the interior.
"Do you really have to knock that much?" Haruhi said in a reluctant tone. She'd rather not bother her pink haired friend.
"We must! Because why isn't he answering?" Tamaki whined, looking like a kicked dog. Kaoru and Hikaru leered.
"Maybe he hears your voice, boss." Kaoru snickered.
"Hey!"
"I just hope we're not bothering him." The brunette sighed.
"Nah, he'll be fine." The twins smiled cheekily. Haruhi averted her gaze, she didn't trust that smile. "Believe us!" They pouted.
"Do you think he's awake?" The lolita asked with a smile. "I brought some cake!"
"He doesn't need cake, Honey." Hikaru reminded.
"It doesn't matter! We must find out what's wrong with my boy!" Tamaki exclaimed before turning to Kyoya. "Kyoya, open the door!" Kyoya simply nodded and stepped in front of the door, where he twisted the knob to pick it. Much to his surprise, the door was unlocked.
"...That's odd." The dark haired male stated as everyone peeked over his shoulder.
"It was unlocked?" Honey questioned. Kyoya pushed the door open and everyone looked inside. It was quiet and empty, besides the obvious trail of items that were carelessly left on the floor. Saiki's shoes looked like they were kicked off, and his keys were laying there next to his phone that he had only recently bought.
"He must've been stumbling" Kyoya muttered. The twins gasped.
"C-Could it be..." Kaoru started.
"He was robbed?!" Hikaru cried. Tamaki shrieked.
"WHAT?! Now, now. I'm sure that's not true... L-Let's hurry inside. Come on!" The blonde ushered. The hosts followed him inside, scanning the living room and kitchen. A soft thud caught the attention of everyone.
"Woah! It's the cat!" Hikaru pointed at the gray cat that just hopped from the couch.
"Hm? Saiki's cat?" Kaoru crouched down and held his hand out for the cat, who happily rubbed his head on the hand. "He grew so much!" He cooed. Tamaki bent down next to Kaoru and smiled at the cat.
"Hey, little guy. Where's your owner?" The cat meowed and spun around, speedily walking down the hallway. "Oh, in his room. Come on!" They trailed behind the cat to Saiki's door, which was slightly ajar.
"Good cat." Hikaru praised the cat, who meowed happily. He moved to open the door. Everyone was met with the sight of Saiki laying on his bed, face flushed and panting. A wave of shock shot through the hosts before they rushed over to his bed. The pink haired boy blinked his eyes open.
"...What?" He rasped out.
"Saiki? What's wrong?! Why weren't you at school today?!" Tamaki cried. The pink haired boy groaned.
"Shut up..." Tamaki flinched back before gasping.
"...You're sick!" He said stunned. "Do we call a hospital?! Do they even have one for super psychic's like Saiki?!" Saiki shut his eyes again as the president started flipping out. He had a splitting headache, and he wasn't understanding why he had visitors at the moment. It's hot. It hurts... Why does it hurt? The ex-psychic has had minor headaches before, but none of them came close to the pain level this one had. Was it normal to suffer like this? If so, Saiki would've thought twice about removing his powers. I know people get colds, but headache's don't usually go with it... Right? Am I dying? Haruhi observed how Saiki's panting didn't let up. Kyoya's voice brought him out of the small shock.
"Are you in pain?" He softly asked just as a small whimper left Saiki's lips. And that was all the dark haired male needed. He put his hand to Saiki's forehead, eyes widening from the heat. "He has a high fever."
"Ahh, he needs a hospital!" Kaoru exclaimed, crying on his brother's uniform.
"What do we do?!" Tamaki paced around the room.
"Poor poor Saiki!" The twins cried. The hosts stared at the three idiots with a blank face. Saiki's eyebrow twitched from the volume.
"That's enough..." Kyoya exasperated, rubbing his temples.
"Poor Ku-chan. I hope he's okay." Honey said solemnly. Mori nodded in agreement.
"What do we do, Kyoya?" Hikaru asked worriedly.
"Well first, we should get him a doctor." He stated, holding his chin in thought. If Kyoya really thought about it, he has never taken care of another person. With nurses and doctors at his aid the second he showed symptoms of an illness, he grew up used to the catering and pampering. But with his knowledge in the medical field, he would figure out a way. "A thermometer. I'll go get one." He turned to leave the room.
"No... No doctor..." Saiki huffed out.
"Why not? I won't have them check your records." The dark haired man assured.
"I don't do doctors." He shook his head.
"It's fine! We'll take care of you!" Tamaki exclaimed confidently. On second thought... Kyoya sighed.
"So be it." The hosts watched him walk out the room.
"Uh... Okay. So now what?" Tamaki wondered. Shouldn't you know?
"We should sing him a song! That's what Hikaru does for me!" Kaoru suggested.
"We should give him sweets! I always eat cake when I'm sick!" Honey beamed. Hey, sweets sounds great. But can you all leave? The ex-psychic silently brooded, being too tired to object out loud.
"Do you need us to hold your hand?" Hikaru questioned, leaning over the pink haired boy. I need you to leave. He thought, eyebrow twitching in annoyance as Kaoru warned his twin to not get too close.
"You guys suck at caring for people." Haruhi said out of nowhere. The hosts turned to look at her. "Saiki, did you even take care of yourself?"
"...Yes. I went to bed." He croaked. But somehow I'm feeling worse than before I went to sleep.
"So you basically tried to sleep it off..." She sighed, and it was 100% true. Was that bad? Kyoya returned to the room empty handed. It's really hot in here.
"Kusuo, you don't have a thermometer. Or any medicine." Saiki kicked off his blankets and curled in on himself before looking at the dark haired male.
"I could burn away viruses in seconds, so I never needed medicine before." He said in a quiet voice.
"Is that so... Then we'll have to go pick up some things for Kusuo!" Tamaki raised his hand in the air. "Let's go!"
"We can't leave boss alone in public, so we'll tag along as well." The twins grinned as they locked arms with him.
"Then I'm forced to go. Who knows what disasters these idiots may cause." Kyoya pushed up his glasses before leaving the room again.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" The blonde protested as the brother's dragged him out the room. "...Hey, guys? What do people use when they're sick?"
"No idea!" They exclaimed as they shut the door. Haruhi slouched.
'...They're hopeless.'
"I agree." Saiki mumbled.
"Huh? With what?" The brunette questioned.
...
That did it. He pursed his lips and stared at the ceiling, trying not to sweat. Haruhi smiled a bit before turning to Mori.
"...Mori, can you get him a wet towel? I'll go make him something to drink."
"Mm." He nodded and turned to leave, waiting for her at the door. There's no way I heard her thought, right? I must be hearing things.
"Honey, just make sure he's okay." She said before exiting. The lolita saluted happily.
"Roger, hehe!" He turned to the pink haired boy. "Ku-chan. Do you want some cake?" Honey held up a box. Purple eyes slowly raised to look at the box. Yes. Honey took the gleam in his eyes as a yes. He giggled and opened the box. "There's chocolate and strawberry, which one?" Saiki mustered a bit of energy to sit up, but the pain in his head worsened. "...Ku-chan?"
"...M-Mm." He held his head in his hands. Am I going to be okay...? It really hurts... His worries slightly dissipated when the pain lightened, causing him to release a sigh. The lolita turned to him with a slice of chocolate cake.
"I think the cake will make you feel better..." The blonde frowned, feeling bad for his friend. The pink haired boy watched as he put a fork in the cake. He really is cute... "Here!" He held up the fork, smile quickly returning to his face. Saiki opened his mouth and bit down around the fork, completely forgetting his headache as the flavor began to override his senses. "You're quick, Takashi!" Honey beamed at his cousin who had returned with a wet towel. Saiki opened his eyes, realizing he didn't even notice the other man walking in. "What are you gonna do with that towel?" Honey asked as he put the cake back in the box. Mori looked down at the towel in his hands.
"Not sure." He thought for a moment before stepping closer to the pink haired boy. He smiled and pushed Saiki's bangs back, watching his eyes close from the action. "Lay down." Saiki obediently listened, slowly laying on his back. The dark haired male carefully draped the towel over his forehead. That feels nice. There was a few moments of silence. Hm, what now? Saiki opened his eyes.
"What's next?" Honey questioned after the deafening silence. Mori simply stared at the pink haired boy. You don't know? "I never really taken care of anyone before..."
"Me neither." The dark haired male rubbed his neck. Ah, rich with private doctors. Saiki rolled his eyes and closed them again. I don't need to be cared for anyway.
"Then I think it's time for more cake!" The blonde jumped to pull out the cake again. Yes, I think it's time for more cake.
After a few bites of cake and mindless chatter from Honey, Saiki found himself observing the two boys. I don't really mind these two, but why are they here again? I can't complain, free cake. Hmm... Honey is really cute. It's no wonder he has so many fans. And Mori definitely lives up to his title. Although I haven't seen much of his wild side, he is stoic and cool with a protective nature. I kind of wonder why. I have noticed how he's always protecting people, especially Hone-
"Kusuo. You're staring." Saiki blinked.
"Oh, sorry." He turned back, looking at the blankets that he previously kicked off. I guess I'm still not used to seeing everyone without x-ray vision. Mori smiled, keeping the thoughts of how he actually didn't mind to himself.
"I'm back." Haruhi announced as she walked back in with a hot cup of tea. "It's hot, so be careful." Saiki nodded as she placed the cup down on the nightstand. "I'm going to make you some rice porridge, I saw you had the ingredients."
"Okay, thank you. But I can do it myself." The pink haired boy said.
"No way. I'm not gonna let you cook in that condition." She smiled. Saiki just stared blankly at her. Okay. Haruhi quickly left again.
"Kusuo." Mori moved a spoonful of tea to the ex-psychic's lips.
"I can do-" Saiki tried, but Mori dismissed him. He wanted to roll his eyes, but he took the spoonful anyway.
Saiki was spoonfed and catered to for the next fifteen minutes, even after he reminded them that he was capable of doing everything himself. He could just read an article and would instantly know how to care for himself. Kyoya, Tamaki, and the twins soon entered the apartment again.
"We're back! We got tissues, face masks, medicine, and painkillers!" Tamaki exclaimed happily. Saiki was sitting up on his bed. "By the way, the twins are picking up your belongings."
"My belongings?"
"Yeah," Kyoya started. "You stumbled in the apartment, right? Why was that?" It quickly added up for the pink haired boy. Oh. That makes sense.
"I don't really remember, but I was beginning to feel ill by the time I got back. I was buying some stuff for Kitty." He said, running his fingers through his hair.
"So you were only outside for a little bit?" Kyoya made a mental note of that. The ex-psychic nodded.
"We gave Saiki hot tea and rice porridge!" Honey giggled. Hikaru and Kaoru came back.
"Hi~!" They greeted, sliding close to the bed. "Missed us?" The two said in unison, cocking their heads in sync.
Not in the slightest.
"How are you feeling?" Kyoya questioned, turning to the ex-psychic.
"I'm fine- Nh..." Saiki suddenly winced, putting his hands on his head. "...Hurts." He inhaled a shaky breath. Oh god... I might be cursed.
"Saiki?" The twins asked, voices laced with concern. Tamaki snatched the bottle of painkillers from the bag and turned to the pink haired male. Saiki removed his hands from his head to look up at them, unknowingly showing a pained expression with tears in the corners of his eyes.
"Kus-" A large gasp, and he dropped the bottle. "Y-You..."
"...What?" He asked, wondering why they all looked shocked.
"K-Kusuo..." The blonde stuttered with an absolutely astonished look on his face. "I never thought I'd see the day..."
"...Crying real tears!" The twins exploded in tears, making Saiki flinch back with a sweat drop. Seriously? They blew their noses. "He's come so far..." Kyoya ignored the boys and raised the bag in his hand.
"I asked my private nurses the best medicines and ways to help you overcome your fever." He said before opening a bottle of medicine. Saiki tilted his head in confusion. "Cough medicine. The Ootori group helped manufacture this. It's quite a wonder."
"Mm." He nodded. The dark haired male took a spoon and poured the medicine on it before moving it towards the ex-psychic. Saiki opened his mouth.
"I can-"
"Just let me do it." Kyoya stated pushing the spoon in. The moment the liquid entered Saiki's mouth, his face twisted and his body retracted. W-What the hell? What just entered my mouth? "Swallow it, swallow!" He clamped his hand over the ex-psychic's mouth, inevitably forcing him to swallow. Kyoya's hand left his mouth, leaving him to grimace at the taste. "Sorry, I should have warned you about the taste. But I can guarantee it works well. However, you need another spoonful." The pink haired male made an audible noise of disgust.
"No, thanks..."
"You have to!" Tamaki exclaimed, grabbing the spoon and medicine from the dark haired man. Saiki shook his head vigorously, eye twitching from the lingering pain of his headache.
"I'll be fine." He said, leaning back when the blonde raised the spoon by his mouth.
"Don't be so stubborn!" The twins exclaimed, shutting Saiki down.
"No-"
"It's for your own... good!" Tamaki punctuated by shoving the spoon in the psychic's mouth.
"...!" Saiki wanted to gag at the nasty flavor, but he forced himself to swallow it. He held his tongue out before glaring at the blonde.
"Good job. Now one of these." Tamaki handed him his cup of water and dropped a pill in his hand. Saiki eyed the pill in his hand before taking it. I need a break.
"Okay, time for sleep. I read somewhere that rest is the most important part of getting better." Haruhi stated, pushing the pink haired boy on his back. Good grief, how could I possibly sleep with you guys in here? Saiki sighed and closed his eyes.
...
"And he's out." Kaoru commented.
"Out like a light." Hikaru added. Tamaki released a sigh.
"That's good..." He smiled, turning around with a smirk. "Well boys, that was quite an experience wasn't it? But now we know how to take care of a sick person!"
"I can say I have learned a lot." Kyoya said as he wrote on his notepad. Haruhi looked down at the pink haired boy who slept peacefully. No sign of pain or discomfort appeared on his face. It made her smile.
"...Underneath all that power, he has a weak immune system." Haruhi spoke, turning around. "If you think about it, Saiki can be just as normal as the rest of us."
When they all left the room, the pink haired boy had a small smile on his face. What a pain... I dont need to be cared for.