❝ eleven. ❞
sick and stubborn
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"Harley, aren't you going to sleep?"
Harley shook his head and covered his mouth when he started coughing. Harith could feel his lips twitching into a frown, and he approached the mage to start examining him. He placed a hand over Harley's forehead, but he was surprised to find that the mage had no temperature. He looked back at what Harley was doing, and he couldn't help but disapprove that the Mage Genius was currently staying up for some kind of project.
"What is this for anyway?" Harith asked, pointing at the bottles of chemicals on the table. He glanced at the time and found it to be past midnight already. "You can do this tomorrow."
"I can't," Harley answered, coughing again. He looked at the paper in his hand before pouring one of the liquid inside a bowl. "Nana needs this for her exam tomorrow. If I don't get it right, she might fail."
Harith crossed his arms before raising a brow. "Why are you doing this for Nana? She should be doing this herself if it's for her exams."
Harley gave him a small smile. "She had been working on this spell for a few weeks now, but she just can't seem to get the formulae right. She came to me all teary-eyed for my help. You know I can't say no to her face."
"Harley, why are you so soft? You know you're going to spoil her if you keep helping her like this," Harith said, letting out a sigh. "But that's not the point. You've been coughing since this morning. You're probably sick, so you need to rest. It's almost one already."
"Don't worry, Harith. I'll be fine," Harley said. But, just as he was about to smile, he started coughing again. When Harith gave him a look that proved his point, Harley added, "I'm almost done, okay? Just a little more, I promise."
Harith had to end up waiting for Harley to finish. He doesn't trust the mage if he leaves him. Harley was a perfectionist when it comes to magic. He would say that he was almost done, but, whenever he sees any small mistakes after that, he would spend hours just to fix it. This time, however, Harith wasn't going to allow that to happen. Harley only had ten minutes. After that, he was going straight to bed, even if that meant he had to be dragged to it.
"Finally," Harley muttered, laying his head onto the table. "I can rest in peace now."
"Good," Harith said, tugging at his arm. "Now, let's go to bed."
Harley's eyes started drooping. "Give me five minutes..."
"Oh no you don't. I am not letting you sleep at the table." In one swift motion, Harith lifted Harley in his arms and started carrying him up the stairs. He could hear Harley making a protesting sound at the back of his throat, but, other than that, the mage made no move to walk on his own. Instead, he shifted so that he was in a more comfortable position in his arms. Harith couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Someone's really tired, huh?"
Harley let out a faint hum, but his eyes were already closed. Judging by the sound of his breathing, Harith could tell that he was asleep. Gently, he placed Harley down onto the bed, and he smiled as Harley started curling himself up.
"Goodnight Harley," Harith whispered. He knew that the Mage Genius was already fast asleep, but he still felt like saying it.
He turned off the lamp and motioned to his side of the bed. He didn't expect to hear a response when he got onto the bed.
"Goodnight, Harith."
- ✾ -
Harith woke up from his sleep when he heard the sound of coughing. He turned over to the side, only to find Harley coughing a few times. Frowning, he started rubbing the mage's back as he continued to cough. Harley doesn't look like he was awake, but it bothered Harith that he sounded sick. He moved his hand to place it over the mage's forehead, and he couldn't help but feel that it was warm. Gently, he started shaking his shoulder.
"Harley," Harith said, moving his head to look at the mage's face. "If you're awake right now, I just want to ask, are you okay?"
Harith watched as Harley slowly opened his eyes, before the mage whispered, "My throat hurts a little."
Harith nodded. "Hold on, let me get you a glass of water."
Harith got out of bed and went downstairs to grab Harley some water. When he returned to his bedroom, he found the mage already in an upright position and coughing again. His ears drooped at the sound, and he hurried to give him the glass of water.
"Thank you," Harley said, his voice hoarse. He started drinking the water. After he was done, he handed the glass back to him. "My throat feels better now. Thanks, Harith."
Harith placed his hand again over Harley's forehead, and he mentally noted that it was still warm. It doesn't seem like the Mage Genius had a fever, but that doesn't mean he was okay. He asked, "Do you want me to call Rafaela here?"
Harley was surprised by his question, but he shook his head. He laid back onto the bed and pulled the covers over his body. "No, don't disturb her. I'm fine, Harith."
Harith hated how Harley kept claiming that he was fine, when clearly he wasn't. But, what could he do? It was three in the morning, and Rafaela was most likely asleep. Harley also doesn't have a fever yet, so he should wait for tomorrow. The moment the mage has a temperature, he was going to bring him straight to the support.
Harith ended up sighing. "Okay."
Harley gave him a small smile before closing his eyes. "Let's just sleep. We both have training tomorrow."
"Not if you're sick."
"I'm not," Harley mumbled before nuzzling his cheek against his pillow. "Goodnight, Harith."
Harith smiled. "'Night, Harley."
- ✾ -
Harith grunted when he heard the sound of his alarm clock ringing, and he slammed his hand over the button. He covered his mouth when he yawned, and he turned his body to wake Harley up. But, the moment he spotted the mage, his eyes widened, and he instantly became worried the moment he caught Harley's laboured breathing.
"Harley?!" Harith called, moving to the side of the bed to face the mage. Harley's face was flushed, and his forehead was hot when Harith placed his hand over it. "Damn it, you are sick."
Harith could see Harley struggling to open his eyes, and he watched as the Mage Genius pull the covers closer to him. "It's so cold..."
"It's because you have a fever," Harith said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He stood up. "You wait here. I'm going to make something for you to eat, and then I'll give you some medicine, okay?"
Harley bobbed his head, and Harith rushed downstairs to make Harley some quick breakfast. It looked like they both won't be going for training today. Harith had a feeling that Harley was sick when he had been coughing non-stop, but, since he had no temperature yesterday, it was hard to tell whether he was actually ill or not. However, now that he was in bed with his face red and his body shivering, it doesn't take a genius to know that Harley was sick.
Harith made Harley a chicken sandwich. He placed the food on a tray, along with a glass of water. He carried the thing upstairs, and he frowned when he found Harley coughing with his face buried under the blankets. He placed the tray onto the bedside table before gently pulling the covers off.
"Harley, here's your breakfast," Harith said, handing over the plate with the sandwich. Harley accepted it with a small smile. While the mage was eating, he said, "I told you, you should've slept early yesterday. Now look at yourself."
"I'm sorry," Harley muttered, his head lowered. He coughed a few more times after swallowing the sandwich. "It's just... I don't want to disappoint Nana."
"Harley, you had other things to do yourself. Nana would've understood if you had told her that you were busy," Harith said, sighing. He moved over to give Harley the glass of water. "After this, I'm going to call Rafaela to check on you."
Harley shook his head before waving his hand. "I'm just having a fever."
"Yeah, but I'm going to make sure it's just fever and not something serious," Harith said, giving the mage a stern look. The last time they thought Harley had a normal fever, it turned out to be a viral one. He was hospitalised for a week after that. It was a good thing they had decided to see Rafaela within a short time. If Harith hadn't persuaded Harley to go see the support, the mage would've chosen to just stay at home. "Also, you better shower after you eat. It will help you lower your temperature."
Harley let out a sigh before mumbling, "'Kay, Mom."
- ✾ -
"Harith, can you bring this paper to Nana?"
Harley watched as Harith's ears perked up, before he turned around to look at him. The leonin was all dressed up, ready to get Rafaela to come here. In Harley's hand, was the paper he kept looking at yesterday, and it contained the correct formulae of Nana's spell. He was supposed to give it to Nana today, but, since his body had other plans, it looked like he had to depend on Harith to pass it to her.
"Sure," Harith said, taking the piece of paper and keeping it in his pocket. Before he head out of the door, he stopped. He looked over his shoulder. "I'll be right back. You just rest, okay? And, for the love of god, please don't do any of the house chores while you're sick."
Harley opened his mouth, but he was cut off by Harith.
"No house chores, Harley. No washing dishes, no doing the laundry. Just sleep on the couch. Do you understand?"
Harley let out a huff before crossing his arms. "Fine."
Harith smiled. "I'll be back."
The moment Harley heard the front door close, he let out a sigh. Usually, he would try to do some of the house chores whenever he was sick, but, since Harith seemed serious when he told him not to do it, he would just listen to the leonin for today. He shifted himself on the couch and pulled the blankets over his body. He then tilted his head up and found himself staring at the ceiling. He covered his mouth when he started coughing again, and he let out a groan. Being sick was so boring.
After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, he could feel his eyes drooping, and he almost fell asleep. That was, until he heard a knock coming from the door. Slowly, he got off the couch and answered it. It turned out to be Kimmy and Claude, who, for some weird reason, look really agitated.
"Harley!" Claude shrieked, throwing his arms around him. Harley could feel his brows furrowing at the weird gesture, and he was startled when the marksman suddenly shook him by the shoulders. "You have to help us! We–"
"Hold on, Claude," Kimmy said, pulling the marksman away from him. She stared at him for a while before asking, "Harley, why aren't you at training? Are you sick?"
Harley waved a hand nonchalantly in the air, but it was at that exact moment when he suddenly felt like coughing. He cleared his throat before shaking his head. "I'm okay. What's wrong?"
Claude took out a green crystal that looked like it had splitted in half. He let out a sniff. "You see, me and Kimmy were on a mission, but we accidentally broke the Holy Crystal."
Kimmy raised a brow at Claude. "You mean you broke the Holy Crystal?"
"Kimmy, we're a team," Claude said, pulling a face. He then turned around to face Harley. "Please, we need your help to fix this. Or else the Headmaster will have our heads!"
Harley blinked a few times when he slowly felt like he was having a headache, but he decided to ignore the pain. He nodded his head. "Sure."
"Wait," Kimmy said, stopping Claude when the marksman took a step forward. She flicked her gaze towards Harley. "Harley, are you sure you're okay? Your face looks slightly red. Do you have a fever?"
Before Kimmy could place a hand over his forehead, Harley batted her hand away. He gave the marksman a small, reassuring grin. "I'm fine, Kimmy. Come, let me help you fix it."
Claude was grinning when he entered the house, but Kimmy just stayed silent as he led them to the kitchen. He placed the Holy Crystal onto the counter and inspected it for a while. He concluded that the crystal can be fixed, since it wasn't shattered into a million pieces, so he searched for one of his books before opening it.
"So... can you fix it?" Claude asked, peering from his shoulder.
"Yeah," Harley said, letting out a few coughs. He blinked a few times when his vision became blurry, and he shook his head a little in an attempt to relieve the discomfort he was feeling. "I just need to cast a spell on it."
He glanced at the page of the book before chanting the words for the spell. He could feel himself becoming tired within seconds, but he forced himself to hold on just a little longer. He didn't want to disappoint Claude, especially now that the marksman's face was full of hope.
- ✾ -
"Harith, you should totally make sure that Harley keeps his health in check. This is the third time this month he fell sick."
Harith sighed before nodding at Rafaela. The support didn't know, he had always tried to make sure Harley doesn't stay up too late or overwork himself. But the Mage Genius was stubborn, and he would sometimes push himself until he reaches beyond his limit. He had always scolded the mage for not taking care of himself whenever he's sick, but he never listens.
Harith was about to lead Rafaela into his home, when he heard Kimmy's voice yelling, "Harley!"
It only took the mage's name for him to rush inside the house. His eyes widened when he found Harley with his head laid on the kitchen counter. Next to him, was Kimmy and Claude, who looked like they were trying to examine him, but, at the same time, panicking.
"What happened?" Harith asked. He placed a hand over Harley's shoulder and shook it gently. "Harley?"
Harley slowly tilted his head to look at him with half-lidded eyes. He coughed a little before responding with a hoarse voice, "Sorry."
Harith noticed a green crystal and one of Harley's books next to his head. He remembered that Claude and Kimmy had to go on a mission to search for the Holy Crystal. He narrowed his eyes at the two marksmen. "What did you guys make him do?"
He glanced to the side when he heard Harley say, "It's not their fault. I just wanted to help them..."
"Damn it, Harley," Harith muttered, lifting the mage in his arms. He carried him and placed him on the couch. "I told you to just sleep. Is that too much to ask?"
"But–"
"I don't want to hear another word from you," Harith said firmly. He was pissed right now. He told him already to just sleep this morning. He knew that he said not to do house chores, but that didn't mean he wanted him to use up his Mana. Why couldn't he just listen to him for once? "You have no idea how mad I am with you right now. You never listen to me."
Harley looked remorseful, but he didn't say anything else. He was silent when Rafaela started examining him by waving her staff.
While waiting for the results, Harith could feel someone poking his arm. He turned around and found Claude fidgeting anxiously. "Hey, Harith, it's not his fault. We–"
Harith shook his head before looking back at Rafaela. "He's too stubborn, Claude. I can't let him continue like this. One day, he might end up going to battle while he's sick."
It took a while, but Rafaela was finally done checking on Harley. It turned out that this was just a regular fever, but she told him to just keep an eye on his temperature. She advised him to make sure Harley has enough rest and not spend any more of his Mana, and that was exactly what Harith was planning to do.
"I'll get going now," Rafaela said, stepping out of the door. "If you need anything, please call me."
"Thanks, Rafaela," Harith said, nodding.
Claude and Kimmy were standing next to him, and they both waited for Rafaela to leave. Kimmy was the one who broke the silence when she said, "Harith, we want to apolo–"
"No, it's fine, Kimmy," Harith said, smiling faintly. He stared at the Holy Crystal in her hand. "Did he do whatever you guys wanted him to do?"
"Yeah, he fixed the Holy Crystal," Claude said, nodding slightly. "Thanks for letting us borrow him, and we're really sorry for allowing him to help us when he's sick."
"It's fine," Harith repeated, waving his hand in the air. He threw a glance at Harley and found the mage with his eyes closed. He focused back onto the two marksmen. "You should thank him once he's better. I think he's already asleep."
With a nod and a wave, Kimmy and Claude left. Harith let out a sigh and closed the door. He motioned to where Harley was laying, and he couldn't help but frown. The red tint on Harley's face was still there, and he couldn't believe that the Mage Genius decided to spend his Mana like that when he knew he didn't have the strength for it. No wonder he gets sick often.
Harith scratched his head in annoyance before sitting on the floor, right in front of the couch. Since he had nothing to do, he turned the television on, but the volume was lowered. Though, with his enhanced hearing, he could hear the sound just fine. He was busy watching a show, when he felt someone tug the back of his clothes.
He knew that he shouldn't be harsh while Harley was sick, but he had to get the mage to understand that he shouldn't be pushing himself. So, when he said he was mad at him, he was mad. His voice was monotone when he spoke, "What is it, Harley?"
"...I'm sorry."
Harley's voice was croaky, and he knew that his throat must still hurt. Hearing his voice, it almost made his ears droop. But he couldn't let Harley see that he was crestfallen, so he made sure his ears didn't twitch. He only stood up with his back against the mage. "Wait, let me get you a glass of water."
When he came back with a glass of water in his hand, he found Harley coughing. His ears drooped at the sound, but he shook his head to maintain an indifferent expression. He had been too soft with Harley. If he was strict, maybe the mage wouldn't have done this to himself.
He helped tilt the glass against Harley's lips, and he couldn't help but watch in content as Harley started drinking. Once the mage was done, he pulled the glass away. Harley's voice was quiet when he said, "Thank you."
Harith didn't say a word but place the glass onto the dining table. He sat back in front of the television and continue watching it. However, despite his eyes staring at the screen, his ears were keeping track of Harley's breathing.
He could tell that Harley wasn't asleep, and it proved to him when he felt the mage tugging at the back of his clothes again. "Harith, I'm–"
He didn't want to hear it. "Go to sleep, Harley."
For a while, Harley was silent, and Harith was tempted to see what the mage was doing behind him. Judging by his breathing, he wasn't asleep yet, so what was he–
Sniff.
Harith stiffened.
No, please, no–
Then, he caught the smell of salt.
Good job, Harith.
Harith wanted to pull at his own hair when he realised that he had made Harley cry. He just wanted Harley to never take his advice lightly, not make him sad. Why does the mage have to be so emotional when he was sick?!
"Harley–" Harith turned around, and his eyes widened when he found tears streaming down the mage's face. Harley looked like he wanted to hold those tears back, but it was no use. They continue to flow freely down his cheeks. "No, no, no, Harley, don't–"
"I'm sorry," Harley whispered, sniffing again. His green eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "I promise I won't–"
Harith wrapped a hand around his form and pulled him closer. With Harley laying on the couch, it was hard to embrace him, but at least he could still somewhat give him a hug. He really didn't mean to make Harley feel miserable while he was sick. He just wanted to get through his thick skull that he shouldn't overwork himself. However, this proved to be a terrible method to teach him.
"Please don't cry, Harley," Harith spoke softly. He pulled away, and he found the mage wiping his face with his hand. "You know why I'm mad, right? I don't want you to keep falling sick like this."
Harley sniffed before nodding. "I know."
Harith sighed and started caressing the mage's face. "Then why do you have to get so emotional? It's not like I'm going to leave you or anything."
"I know," Harley said, giving him a small smile. He then let out a shuddering breath before looking at him with anticipation. "I think it's because I'm pregnant..."
Harith let out a chuckle. "Yeah."
It was silent for a few seconds.
Then, it clicked.
"Wait, what?!" Harith exclaimed.
Harley grinned and patted his stomach. "To be honest, I've always wondered why I'm always so tired and get sick often. I decided to do a check up with Rafaela. Turns out I was pregnant, so I told her to not tell you until the time is right. I know it's weird, but some guys–"
Harley's... pregnant?
"Hey, Harith–?"
His mind couldn't comprehend.
"...Harith?"
He was going to be... a dad.
"Harith!"
A dad.
"Harith–"
And everything was black.
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note: don't worry guys, harith just stopped responding for a while. he's actually really happy that they're going to have a child hahahaha
i would also like to apologise for not updating in a while. i've been preparing for university and there's this celebration i celebrate so i had to visit a lot of houses and its so tiring ('°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥｀)
btw this is like "blessing" but another version. where harley is pretty chill about his pregnancy and harith is like wow. idk how this idea ended up like this, but i just needed to finish something
(also i might delete this if i end up hating it. this isn't even close to how i wanted it to be, but you guys deserve some content while i work on another oneshot. so i hope you guys still enjoyed it?)