#istg if there was a way i could conveniently record my long play runs of both these missions

[luv-again]

goddd one of my priorities once i get back to my dad's is to replay cryptic castle a bunch but take the largest tiki tour imaginable just so i can soak everything in

bc i feel at any given step i could miss a detail i might wanna add and we can't have that

[jubesy]

Could you do 20 for matcha blossom please these docs are curing my depression istg

Aww, thank you, anon! I’m glad you’re enjoying them~  I went the sick!fic route with this one. I hope that’s okay!

Matcha Blossom #20 “I’ll protect you, no matter what...even if it kills me.”

Also available on Ao3.

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Cherry was not some fragile thing. He just wasn’t as...robust as a certain thick-headed gorilla he knew. But even so, when Cherry needed help, he wasn’t so stubborn as to not ask for it. If it was completely necessary, that was.

So, the fact that Joe hadn’t even messaged him to alert him to his current condition was...troubling. Especially considering Cherry wouldn’t have even known about it if he hadn’t shown up at Sia la luce unannounced, as usual, breezing through the dining room to sit in his favorite spot by the bar. It wasn’t until he’d been seated for a few minutes -- without a single word of greeting from his childhood friend -- that he grew suspicious.

“Called in sick,” Cherry muttered to himself as he climbed the steps to Joe’s apartment. One of the servers had timidly approached the bar and informed him as much. “He could have at least sent a text.”

It wasn’t like Joe had bailed on him, exactly. This wasn’t a date, for heaven’s sake. But Cherry did tend to swing by after work and Joe… Well, Joe never missed work. Never got sick, actually. So, he must have been feeling particularly awful if he’d abandoned his staff -- That wasn’t true. The assistant manager was plenty capable --  but Cherry had overheard the regulars wistfully sighing when they received the news that the head chef was out for the evening.

Cherry shook his head as he reached the door, his fist raised and poised to knock. He rapped once. Twice. And by the third time, he was annoyed. Annoyed and...something else.

“Kojiro!” he called, knocking again.

What if...what if something had happened? What if Joe had tried to take a shower and go to work and slipped and hit his head? Once when they were in high school, Cherry had gotten a fever so awful that he could barely move, but he didn’t want to miss class -- despite his appearance, his attendance record was flawless -- and he’d done the exact same thing. If Joe hadn’t caught him…

“Kojiro!” he tried again, but received no answer.

Perhaps Joe had tried making himself some soup. Maybe he’d burned himself in his weakened state. Or he’d fallen asleep while it was simmering and it boiled over. Or what if the heat was too high and the kitchen had caught fire?

Cherry shook the ridiculous thought from his head. Joe was grace under fire, though some wouldn’t believe it. Every time Cherry was sick, including the time he’d passed out during fifth period, Joe had always been there to take care of him. In fact, his soup -- his grandpa’s recipe -- was a cureall.

Still, Cherry was...concerned. So, seeing as Joe still hadn’t shown himself, he reached under the mat for the spare key and made to unlock the door, but rolled his eyes as he jiggled the knob. 

“Idiot ape,” he muttered as he let himself in. “Leaving the door unlocked.” 

But that only worried him further. Was Joe in such a state that he’d wandered out? Or maybe he had someone over?

Something acrid bubbled in Cherry’s belly at the thought. Was Joe playing hooky? Had some girl come over the night before and stayed? Anger swelled in his chest. To think, he was worried about him!

But even as that thought crossed his mind, deep down, Cherry knew that wasn’t the case. Joe was a frivolous, flirtatious, and feebleminded oaf, but not when it came to things he took seriously. Like his career.

So, taking a deep breath, Cherry padded down the hallway and opened the door to Joe’s bedroom. It was dark inside, but the light pouring in from the hall illuminated a lump on the mattress, covered in the duvet and surrounded by wadded up tissues. There was an open bottle of cold medicine on the nightstand, the measuring cup stained, but empty beside it.

Well, at least he was present enough to take medicine. 

“Kojiro,” Cherry called again, softly this time.

A large, hand clawed its way out from beneath the comforter, drawing it down to reveal a mess of curly hair and a flushed face. “...Kaoru?” 

Cherry bit back a fond smile. “Yes, it’s me.” He drew closer and took a seat on the edge of the mattress. 

“You came?” Joe blinked up at him with bleary eyes. 

“Yes,” Cherry said again. “Even though you neglected to tell me you were sick.” 

Joe had the decency to look sheepish. “I conked out after I called the restaurant,” he confessed. “What are you doing here?” 

“One of your servers informed me of your condition, so I came to check on you,” Cherry replied, heat rising in his own cheeks at the admission. He covered it up with a jab. “And here I thought idiots like you couldn’t catch colds.” 

Joe chuckled and then coughed into his fist. “S’not a cold,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I’m dying.”

Cherry rolled his eyes. “You’re not dying.” He moved closer, pressing a palm to Joe’s forehead. “I am surprised, though,” he added. “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never gotten sick.”

Joe nodded, closing his eyes and nuzzling against Cherry’s cooler hand. “I overdid it at work,” he admitted. “We had a health inspection and then not one, but two--” he paused to sniffle, “--food critics and then…” he trailed off with a deep, shaky breath. “Lots of call-outs. Must be going around.”

With a soft hum, Cherry nodded. Joe was awfully warm. Perhaps it was more than just a cold, after all. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his spare band, placing it around Joe’s wrist. “Carla,” he said and his own wristband illuminated. 

‘Yes, Master?’ 

“Read Kojiro’s vitals,” he ordered.

‘Yes, Master.’ The other band glowed softly. ‘Temperature high. Temperature high.’

“I thought so…” Cherry sighed.

‘Skin temperature thirty-nine degrees Celsius. Approximate core temperature thirty-nine point four degrees Celsius. Heart rate one hundred and sixteen beats per minute.’ 

“What is this?” Joe asked, eyeing the wristband. 

“Continue to track, Carla,” Cherry said instead of answering. Then he looked at Joe. “Why didn’t you call me?” He crossed his arms over his chest.

Joe groaned, rubbing his face. “I told you, I fell asleep--”

“You always take care of me when I’m sick and you thought I wouldn’t do the same?” Cherry narrowed his eyes. “You think I’m incapable?”

Joe furrowed his brow. “...no?” 

Cherry sighed. “I’ll go fix you something to eat.” He made to get up, but Joe caught his wrist.

“Kaoru,” he said and then winced, bringing a hand to his throat. “You should leave.”

The anger from earlier began rising again, but for a different reason this time. “I can heat up a can of soup, Kojiro!” he snapped. Of course, Cherry wasn’t entirely sure Joe had any in his cabinets. He was a ‘from scratch’ kind of guy. Maybe Cherry could run to the store and--

“No, I mean…” Joe swallowed. “I don’t want you to get sick, too.”

Cherry fixed him with an unimpressed look. “You’re just thinking about that now?” 

Joe shook his head. “No.” He wet his lips. “I didn’t fall asleep right after calling work,” he said. “I could have messaged you. I wanted to,” he added, looking up at Cherry with large, watery eyes. “But I didn’t because…I didn’t want you to catch it.”

There was a beat that passed then, as Cherry digested what Joe had said. He was definitely sick. Joe was typically more honest than Cherry on the regular, but he was being extra honest. Sickly honest. Like Cherry tended to get -- or so Joe would always inform him afterwards.

“I’ll be fine,” Cherry promised. “I’ll make sure to take some supplements after I leave.”

Joe’s lower lip trembled then. “You’re...leaving?” 

Cherry bit back an aggravated growl. “Didn’t you just tell me to leave?” 

Joe blinked. “Oh.” His lips curved up into a smile. “Yeah, I did.” 

“Then--”    

“But I don’t really want you to leave, Kaoru,” Joe interrupted. “But you should.”

Cherry wanted to pull his hair out. Was this how he acted when he was sick? Had he shamelessly voiced every thought as it occurred to him?

“I wanted you to come, but I didn’t want you to come,” Joe said again. “Because Kaoru gets sick so easily…”

“I do not--” 

“So, I’ll protect you, no matter what,” Joe vowed, his face completely flushed and his eyes cloudy. “Even if it kills me.” 

‘Heart rate elevated.’ 

“Yes, Carla,” Cherry said, without glancing at his wristband. “That’s because of his fever.’

‘Apologies, Master. Not Kojiro’s. Yours.’ 

Cherry’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. That damned gorilla… “I’m going to see what you have to eat,” he said through clenched teeth, finally pulling his arm free from Joe’s weakened grasp. “If there’s nothing I can heat up, I’ll run to the convenience store.”

Joe cocked his head to the side, giving Cherry a dopey smile. “Okay.” 

“I’ll be back shortly,” Cherry informed him, standing up. 

“Kaoru?” Joe called just as Cherry reached the doorway.

He looked back over his shoulder. “Yes?” 

“Then you’ll stay?” he asked, voice raspy. 

The corner of Cherry’s lips twitched as warmth blossomed in his chest. “Yes,” he said. “Someone has to make sure you take your next dose of medicine.”

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