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shion-yu · 10 months ago

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Cabin Pressure

My entry for the spot "New Things" for @hurtcomfort-bingo. 5,366 words, one part, no TWs. Introducing OCs Ryo (toyhouse) and Alex, Shu's adult son. Ft. sick Ryo while away on a work conference with a rival and air travel.

Even though good grades had never been his forte, Ryo had gotten through veterinary school with flying colors. He had an innocent charm that made people gravitate towards him and he'd quickly become the favorite of all his professors. They loved his cheerful energy, his genuine enthusiasm and his kind heart, so he had a job the day he graduated. His classmate, Nathan - valedictorian and class grump - started at the same clinic with him. Ryo was happy to know a face at work already; Nathan was fed up with Ryo before they even began their new jobs.

Their relationship was a love-hate one, although who did the loving and who did the hating was unbalanced. They were the definite Ying and Yang of the clinic, but it surprisingly worked despite their bickering. The two worked skillfully together, each one's strengths making up for the other's weaknesses.

Because they had been in the same class it was assumed they were friendly and work decided it'd be a great idea to send their two new veterinarians to a conference together - with plane tickets next to each other both ways and a hotel room they'd have to share. Neither new DVM had ever been to a conference and they were both very excited - but not necessarily about going together. Nathan, at least, made no attempts to hide his distaste about having to share this experience with Ryo. He didn't want to cause drama at his new job though, so he didn't complain, at least not directly.

On the morning of their departure, Nathan's mother drove him to the airport and bid her goodbyes. As he stood in line for security, Nathan spotted Ryo from afar clearly having an impassioned parting with his boyfriend. Nathan couldn't remember the boyfriend’s name, but he'd seen the blonde guy a few times at various events before and knew he rarely smiled. He seemed very different from Ryo, but opposites attracted. Not him and Ryo though; they were too opposite. Nathan was sure they'd never really be friends.

Ryo took no notice of his audience and after kissing Alex yet again and making him promise he'd take care of himself - "I left healthy meals in the fridge for you, so they better be gone by the time I'm home!" - he waved a final goodbye and got in line for security. Nathan attempted to blend in with the crowd as inconspicuosly as possible, but his bothersome and startlingly white-haired colleague was impossible to avoid once they boarded the plane. Nathan grit his teeth and replied stiffly to Ryo's all-too-cheerful greeting. The conference was only three days long, but because it was out of state they'd be gone for four nights. Nathan wasn’t sure if he was going to survive being paired with Ryo that long without letting him have a piece of his mind, but he bit his tongue for now.

His resolve didn't last long. While the flight was uneventful and so was finding their hotel room, Nathan couldn't hold back any longer when Ryo video chatted his boyfriend and became completely insufferable, oozing affection and sappiness that made Nathan want to puke. It was all "baby" this and "love" that, punctuated by frequent giggles and kisses.

"Jesus, get a room! A different room!" Nathan burst out shamelessly, looking pissed as all get out. He'd lasted longer than he'd expected actually, about twenty minutes into the sickly sweet conversation.

Ryo looked up from his call, surprised at first and then giving Nathan an annoyingly smirk. "Don't tell me you're stuck in the 50s, Nathan," he said.

Nathan huffed. "Not at all. Seriously. You're just annoying as hell."

Ryo glanced back at the call where Alex, who knew only vaguely of Nathan's distaste for his boyfriend, had a confused and concerned look on his face. "Don't worry," Ryo smiled. "He's probably just tired." He ignored the tidbit next to him of 'Yeah, of your yapping.' "I'll call you tomorrow baby. I love you so much, like super much. I wish you were next to me. Okay, bye." He winked and with a quick little air kiss, ended the call.

"You sound like a hung up little girl," Nathan muttered. "Still in your honeymoon phase?"

Ryo chuckled. He didn't take it personally and he was in a good mood from checking on Alex. "No. We've been dating for like... Nine years?" Nathan looked surprised at this answer, which only amused Ryo further. The truth was, he knew why Nathan disliked him and in a slightly mischievous way thought it was funny to poke the beast.

"Well, you could at least go in the hallway if you're gonna talk that long every night," Nathan huffed and turned over. "I'm going to sleep."

"Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite," Ryo chimed.

"That's not even funny," Nathan muttered. He heard Ryo laugh before the lights were turned off. It was going to be a long five days, he thought before he fell asleep.

The first day of the conference went by smoothly. Both Ryo and Nathan really enjoyed themselves, Nathan making an active effort to sit as far away as possible from his former classmate so he didn't have to hear that painfully cheerful laugh any more than he had to. Ryo texted his boyfriend a few times throughout the day just to let him know when he was on a break or lunch, but for the most part he was unavailable by phone until after they'd finished dinner and he was back in their hotel room.

They were both pretty tired at the end of the day, despite how well it went. So Ryo didn't go into the hall because he knew it was be short - he just called Alex on video call and smiled when his boyfriend picked up. At least he used earbuds this time, though. "Hi, my sweet boyfriend." He could feel the other side of the room grow colder and stifled a laugh. "How was your day? I'm sorry I couldn't call earlier. It's really busy all day, and the other days look the same," he explained.

"I'm good. Busy, too," Alex said. Ryo nodded along and whole he didn't actually notice himself doing it, he was absently rubbing his temple to ease a small headache that spread down the side of his slightly pale face. He assumed he was just tired and that it was nothing even worth mentioning. He was far more happy to see his boyfriend's face and get visual confirmation that Alex was doing fine, anyways. Ryo hadn't expected otherwise, but he had valid reasons to worry about Alex being on his own. Sure, Shu was on the other side of town if anything happened, but still.

"The cats asked where the hell ya are," Alex said. "And since you spoil them, I had to get up with 'em at 6am, so thanks for that. Do you like your conference so far?"

"I do! I learned some really interesting things and met some cool people,” Ryo said.

"And Nathan? Is he being any nicer?"

Ryo glanced over at Nathan who was using his phone with his jaw clenched hard. "Nicer, no, but not meaner either. He's not really mean, just a grump. Apparently I'm too loud and smiley is all," Ryo finished with a flourish of a smile. Nathan seemed to be ignoring him clearly talking about him in favor of playing some game. Ryo chuckled, but then that turned into a surprising little sneeze that he didn't have time to hide from the camera. He sniffled, wiping his nose sheepishly. "Excuse me," he said to Alex.

"Bless you," Alex said. "You okay?"

"Thanks, I’m fine," Ryo said. He rubbed his watering eyes. "A bit tired." He yawned which then turned into a second sneeze, rougher than the first one. "Ugh, sorry. The air was really dry on the plane," he explained. "Anyways, I'm heading to bed." Plus if he talked for too long Nathan might kill him. "I'll call you tomorrow night. I love you," he said sweetly and then hung up. Nathan didn't make any comments. Ryo prepared for bed and then fell asleep very quickly. It was good to get some rest after such a busy day.

The second day of the conference went much like the first. Ryo was charming and friendly with everyone and made several connections, which was ultimately what this conference was about. He gave his best smile and a few people even told him they liked his hair. Ryo was used to his hair being his most memorable and defining feature. He figured it helped him stand out - in a good way (hopefully).

The only problem was, Ryo's headache from yesterday seemed not to have gone away with sleep. In fact, it actually felt like it had worsened and his right ear was aching. He rubbed it absently throughout the day, trying to get the pain to go away but to no avail. By the time the day was over, his throat had started to feel scratchy too. Thinking he really didn't want to get sick right now, Ryo decided to chalk it up to dry air and cabin pressure on the flight here. That was common, right? When they were back in the hotel he did purchase some Tylenol and emergen-c from the lobby store, which he downed with the optimistic hope that he’d feel fine tomorrow.

By the time he called Alex, Ryo was ready for bed and so chanced video calling his boyfriend from the room yet again with the expectation that things would be short. Nathan glared at him and smacked his teeth in disapproval from where he was sitting on the other bed. Ryo chuckled and greeted Alex happily when he picked up after only two rings. "Hi baby," Ryo said in a voice that was only a little scratchy, but noticeable to his boyfriend who he talked to every day. "Are you doing okay? Did you eat?"

"I'm fine. I just ate. You sound hoarse," Alex said.

"I'm assuming you ate one of the meals I made for you, not junk food, right?" Ryo asked for his own reassurance. Gosh, he thought, when did he become such a mother hen? He cleared his throat with a grimace and touched his fingertips to the tender area lightly. "My throat's a little sore but I don't think I'll lose my voice," he said optimistically. "I have too much to say!"

"Way too much," Nathan piped in loudly.

Alex frowned. "Want me to beat him up?"

"Shh, don't bother poor Nathan, he's just mad he doesn't have a boyfriend as good as you," Ryo giggled.

"What?! Am not!" That only made Ryo laugh more. Unfortunately this irritated his already sore throat and he ended up falling into a small coughing fit. It didn't sound terrible, but it also didn't sound great. He tried to hide how uncomfortable it was for him and shifted his position on the bed. His body was aching like he'd taken a long walk today, even though he hadn't.

"Maybe you should skip tomorrow. Are you okay?" Alex asked in concern.

Ryo waved one hand in the air casually when he was done coughing. He ears and head were throbbing in time with his body. "Yeah, totally," he said, but he was only partially confident by now. "It's the last day and well... Don't worry about me." He grabbed a tissue off the nightstand and blew his nose loudly. A surprisingly considerable quantity of snot came out. Not the best sign, he thought to himself grimly. "I'll call you tomorrow night. Only tonight and tomorrow and then I'll be with you," he smiled fondly. He looked seriously exhausted though. "Come pick me up, okay?" It was only words, because of course he knew Alex would pick him up.

The morning of the last day of the conference, Ryo's minor aches and pains had turned into a full blown fever overnight. He'd tossed uncomfortably and moaned fitfully in his sleep. It hadn't kept Nathan up, but he'd fallen asleep after Ryo and definately noticed it. Nathan told himself he had no business worrying about anyone else, especially his annoying coworker. However in the morning when they got up and Ryo looked dramatically rougher than yesterday, Nathan couldn't help but feel his stomach pang with pity. He wasn't a total monster after all.

Nathan cleared his throat and asked as casually as possible, "Hey, are you okay?" He hoped his voice maintained a quality of carelessness.

Ryo was slow in responding to him, which was unusual since Ryo always seemed to be able to come up with the peppiest thing to get under his skin in seconds. He was downing a handful of Tylenol when Nathan asked and swallowed before answering. Nathan noticed Ryo winced as he did so, as if it pained him. "Just a little cold," Ryo croaked, putting one thumb up in Nathan's direction. "I'm flattered you care though." Nathan rolled his eyes and decided if Ryo was well enough to still be cheeky, then he was well enough that he didn't need to be worried about.

"You better not get me sick too," Nathan huffed.

"I'll wear a mask," Ryo reassured him. The painful sounding coughs that followed convinced Nathan that it was probably too late anyways. But he told himself that Ryo didn't need someone to fuss over him and if he did, it wouldn't be Nathan of all people.

Ryo was not the focus of Nathan's thoughts for the rest of the day, given they sat separately. He did hear someone coughing and sneezing a lot across the room, but didn't quite connect it to the fact that it was Ryo until he saw his roommate at lunch looking, well, god awful. His face was flushed red and despite continuing to interact with other people, he looked completely exhausted. At least he’d bothered to put on a mask now.

Ryo didn't just look bad, he felt bad. He was still telling himself it was just a little cold, but the headache, earache and now fever seemed to be persistent despite the Tylenol he was consistently drugging himself with. It was the last day though, which was important for getting peoples' contact information and sealing connections, so he pushed himself despite getting progressively colder and achier throughout the day. He fielded off any texts from Alex asking how he was doing with some particularly cheerful emojis and forced himself not to drag his feet. By dinner - which was a big event because of it being the last night - Ryo had zero appetite and the thought of eating seemed repulsive. But he went anyways, trying to stifle his coughs and sneezes with some success and ignoring the mix of worried and annoyed glances he was getting. Afterward dinner, almost everybody was going to the hotel bar. Ryo didn't feel up to more, let alone drinking, but again it seemed important and so he forced himself to go and ordered a shot of fireball in the hopes that it'd warm him from the inside out.

He decided to call Alex before he forgot and it became too late. He sequestered himself into a quieter corner of the hall, pulling the mask down to his chin. No video though, it was too chaotic and anyways, Alex didn’t need to see how rough he looked now. Alex picked up quickly. "Hi baby,” Ryo said. “Everyone is going to the bar now, so by the time we're done I bet you'll be asleep. So I wanted to say goodnight and I can't wait to see you tomorrow!" His feeble voice left little to the imagination even without a video.

"You sound sick as hell," Alex said right away. "Go to bed."

Ryo chuckled hoarsely. It didn't sound very encouraging. "Maybe I have a little cold," he admitted before he could stop himself. It seemed fireball on a mostly empty stomach was hitting his already woozy head harder than he'd expected. He pulled the phone away from his warm cheek and muffled a sneeze that was much more painful than the ones yesterday. He resisted the urge to groan and pinched the bridge of his nose as if it would ease the pain in his head. "I'll sleep on the couch when I get home and wear a mask, so don't hug me too tight," he instructed Alex. His heart hurt a little saying those words because all he wanted was to be in his boyfriend's arms at the moment.

"Are you stupid? I'm going to take care of you,” Alex snorted, direct as always.

Ryo sighed, which made him cough for a moment. "Okay, well, still. Keep your distance," Ryo said. "I'm still happy to see you tomorrow though. Bye baby. Love you." He hung up before Alex could nag him any more.

Ryo managed to drink another beer and suffer through a few more fruitful interactions between he genuinely felt like he was going to pass out. Everything seemed to be floating by him as if he were on a cruise and he was quite surprised when Nathan slid next to him, eyed him critically, and then shook his head. "You definately should not be drinking," he heard his hotel roommate say critically. "Go to bed. You look terrible."

Ryo raised a tired eyebrow but shook his head, too worn to come up with a witty response other than, "Gee thanks. I'm fine." He said this with the conviction only someone with Ryo's specific brand of idiocy could muster. "It’s just a cold."

Nathan snorted. "You said that this morning, but you clearly have a fever." To Ryo's surprise Nathan placed the back of his hand against his cheek to feel how hot it was. He tried to hold back the small groan that escaped his lips, but the cool feeling of another person's skin just felt so good. God he missed Alex. "You're burning up." Ryo’s eyes fluttered open and was disappointed when Alex wasn't the person sitting across from him. Still, the look of genuine concern on Nathan's face gave him enough energy to push Nathan's hand away with a tight smile.

"I'm-"

"If you say you're fine again, I'm seriously going to punch you," Nathan snapped. Ryo shut up. He stayed silent, though now in shock as Nathan grabbed his wrist and pulled him off the bar stool. He was then forcibly led to the elevator, stumbling with dizziness. He opened his mouth to complain, but the glare from Nathan was enough to keep him quiet until they got to their room and Nathan sat him on the bed with his hands on Ryo's shoulders. "Sleep, you moron," Nathan insisted angrily.

Ryo was way too tired to argue and at this point, had no energy to call Alex again. Alex was on his mind though, and he couldn't help but smile to himself thinking about how he'd be reunited with his boyfriend tomorrow. Regardless, he wasn't aware that his phone had now died, leaving any call attempts Alex may or may not have made for the rest of the evening to go directly to voicemail and his texts to go unread.

Ryo fell asleep quickly. Vaguely, he remembered someone trying to wake him up around one in the morning, shaking his shoulder and saying something quite loudly. He whined and shut his eyes tightly to ward off the light that had been turned on. He heard whoever it was sigh and then a cold washcloth was placed on his forehead. He moaned and tried to pull the thing off, but the frustrated other party growled and forced if back into place.

"Jesus, how does he deal with you every day? Nine years... How the hell?" Some level of recognition regarding the scenario processed in Ryo's brain and even so sick, he couldn't help but laugh. "If you're conscious enough to laugh at me then you're fine," he heard Nathan huff, which only made him chuckle more until he was stopped by his own harsh coughing. The deep voice grew gentler and he felt a hand on his back rubbing circles until the coughing died down. "Just go back to sleep. We'll be home tomorrow."

The night felt like it lasted so much longer than it did. By morning Nathan was exhausted and agitated from having to play nurse all night. He scowled as he had to physically support Ryo into the rideshare they took to the airport. Ryo's fever, despite Nathan's reluctant tending overnight (prompted by a series of pained moans and violent shaking that even Nathan hadn't been able to ignore), had not gone down at all. In fact it seemed to be even higher. Nathan would rather drop Ryo off at a hospital to be their problem, but they were in an unfamiliar place with a flight to catch. He just needed to drag Ryo home and hand him over to his boyfriend, Nathan told himself a little desperately.

When they exited the cab, Nathan hoisted Ryo out of the car, throwing one of Ryo's arms around his shoulders for support. Ryo could walk at least, but he seemed totally out of it and unaware of what was happening. Nathan was kind of glad for that though, because he wouldn't have been able to bear the humiliation of Ryo being fully conscious during all of this. He half dragged Ryo through security and luckily Ryo wasn't stopped with the suspicion of being drunk, although Nathan wasn't sure how. Maybe Ryo's charm extended so far it could even trick TSA, Nathan thought dryly. The same routine applied as he got Ryo onto the plane and buckled him in, muttering an embarassed, "Excuse me" as he did the all too intimate task for his rival.

Most of the flight went fine. Nathan kept Ryo medicated even though it didn't seem to do anything and tolerated Ryo slumping over to sleep on his shoulder. At least he wasn't saying annoying stuff, Nathan thought to himself. And thank God it was a direct flight.

It was when they began their descent that Ryo seemed to regain awareness for all the wrong reasons. At first he was just covering his ears with his hands, but then Nathan realized he was crying in pain. He touched Ryo's shoulder nervously and the pathetic look of desperation that he got in response seriously scared him.

"My head's gonna explode. It hurts so bad," Ryo whimpered, tears streaming down his blotchy face. Nathan didn't know what to do. He didn't have any experience in helping someone with this, but he knew if Ryo's head had hurt before it was probably unbearable now. He settled for resting one hand on Ryo's knee and squeezed. Ryo placed his hand over Nathan's and held on so tight it hurt.

The remaining descent was a nightmare for both of them. Ryo was doubled over in pain worse than anything he'd ever experienced before and Nathan was terrified that Ryo's ears were actually going to explode. Eventually though, they reached the runway. Nathan waited for everyone else to get off the plane first before he tried to get Ryo off, not wanting to draw attention from the other passengers.

"Ryo, get up," he said gruffly, trying to pull his schoolmate up by the armpit. He froze when Ryo clapped his hand over his mouth and looked at Nathan in panic. "Shit, are you gonna barf?" Ryo nodded frantically and Nathan didn't spare another second before yanking him up and aggressively throwing Ryo into the plane bathroom just in time. One of the stewardesses came to move them along with an inpatient expression which softened when she heard the noises from inside the toilet and let them be.

Nathan waited about five minutes before he knocked. "Ryo, we gotta get off," he said. "Are you alive?" No answer. Nathan waited another thirty seconds before he yanked the door open and saw Ryo looking deathly pale, barely supporting himself against the sink from falling on the floor. He looked at Nathan with teary, guilty eyes. There was vomit on his chin.

"Shouldn'ta drank last night," he rasped, like this was the reason behind the puking and not the unbearable head pain that had made him puke. Nathan made a distasteful face in response at both the vomit and the feeling of exasperation washing over him. They were almost at the finish line, he told himself. "Let's go. Your boyfriend is waiting," Nathan said. He grabbed one of the towels and wiped Ryo's chin off, throwing the paper into the toilet in disgust and then pulling Ryo down the aisle.

The promise of reuniting with his beloved seemed to give Ryo just enough energy to get off the plane and allow Nathan to drag him through the airport to arrivals, where he quickly spotted Alex waiting for Ryo. A wave of intense relief washed over Nathan. Alex immediately looked worried as soon as he saw Nathan supporting Ryo until Nathan basically shoved Ryo into Alex's arms.

"Here, he's yours. He's sick as hell and owes me big time," Nathan snapped. He honestly never wanted to see Ryo again. Except maybe to make sure he was alive, that'd be good. Then he stalked off to find his mom, ignoring any words of protest and leaving Alex alone to support his boyfriend and his raging temperature.

Ryo was pretty out of it and just happy to be reunited with Alex who had to half drag, half support him back to the car. Ryo stared at the high step up into the truck for a long moment as if the task of getting in were too hard for him to comprehend, but eventually he crawled in with a boost from Alex. He leaned back in the passenger seat, breathing hard and fast.

Alex began to drive, glancing up frequently at his miserable boyfriend. "Ryo, wake up," he said. "What hurts?"

"Hurts? Um... My ears... And head... And everything else." He gave a delirious chuckle.

Alex stopped at urgent care on the way home to get Ryo checked out. He was really worried - he hadn’t expected Ryo to be this sick. Plus, Ryo was better at doing this kind of stuff - the planning and caring and tending to. Ryo leaned against him and his hot cheek felt like it seared Alex's shoulder. They gave Roy a test for flu and strep, which came back positive for strep.

“It looks like a nasty sinus infection with a double ear infection, too,” the doctor told them. Ryo was leaning against Alex, trusting Alex to deal with it all now. It was such a relief to not have to push himself anymore. He knew Alex would take care of him. “He’s lucky his eardrums didn’t actually pop," the doctor added. Alex wasn’t sure why he had to say that and glared at him.

Ryo slept much of the next twenty four hours after the ordeal of getting home. The following day he was lying on the couch dazed and feverish with a blank look in his eyes. Sinus infections could be a funny thing. While rarely extremely serious, they often just seemed to stick around imparting misery as the main symptom. For Ryo this was true, especially when combined with the strep throat have gave him a fever that just didn't want to break despite Alex staying on top of medications. The stress on Ryo's body from travel and especially from the pressure of the plane had made things worse than they probably would have been under normal circumstances. His head felt fuzzy and heavy, and he seemed unable to get through many coherent thoughts before losing focus.

"Nathan took care of me, baby," Ryo mumbled as Alex stroked his hair. "He did a good job. I'll have to make it up to him somehow."

"You don't owe him anything," Alex said. Ryo's head was in his lap on the couch and he could feel how warm Ryo still was despite Tylenol. "It's not like you got sick on purpose."

"I guess not. I'll still buy him a gift card or something though. I'm pretty annoying." Alex didn't disagree with that. Ryo was excitable at best and unbearably loud at worst. He was a hard core introvert's nightmare and Alex himself had been intimidated and annoyed by him when they first met. He didn't think Nathan had to be that rude to Ryo though. Only Alex was allowed to be that rude to him.

That evening, Alex was in the kitchen warming up some light soup out of a can on the stove. Ryo had little to no appetite, but Alex insisted he had to eat something. It was reverse from their usual position, which amused Ryo because Ryo was always the one insisting that Alex eat something that didn't come out of a plastic wrapper. He had on a big sweater, wool socks and their two warmest blankets on top, yet he still felt cold. His face was terribly pale other than his flushed cheeks and he was sniffling pathetically every few seconds. In a way he still felt like he was on the plane - like there was some pressure coming from inside his head that threatened to burst out painfully everywhere: his eyes, his ears, his nose. He wanted to help Alex tidy the house after his days away, because of course Alex had fallen behind on the chores. But all he could do was lie there miserably.

Alex came over with the bowl of soup and sat at Ryo's feet, handing it to him. Or attempted to, but Ryo shook his head and kept his arms planted under his blanket pile. "You need to eat," Alex sighed in annoyance.

"I'm weak," Ryo whined dramatically. "Help me."

Alex rolled his eyes, but spoon fed Ryo the soup anyways. "Dont make eye contact with me," Alex snapped at him when Ryo made yet another laughably doe eyed baby face. "I'll spill it all over you."

"Then you'd have to clean it up," Ryo said confidently.

"Then you'd be covered in soup and you'd have to clean it up," Alex muttered.

"Alex, move, ahh-" Alex yanked a spoonful of soup away just in time to avoid letting Ryo spray it all over him from the force of several harsh sneezes. Ryo groaned in pain. "I'mb sorry," he rasped out. Sneezing was seriously painful given his raw throat and aching head.

"It's okay, I got out of the way in time," Alex reassured him. He glanced down at the bowl to find it half empty. "Are you full?"

"Yes," Ryo sniffled. "Ugh. This is the worst sinus infection I've ever had." He rubbed his forehead which was throbbing with sinus pressure.

"I'm sorry, Ry," Alex said sympathetically. He tried to think of anything else be could do, but he was hardly a natural born caretaker. Still, he racked his brain until he came up with something Shu had done for him once when he had strep throat that had been surprisingly comforting. "I could read to you. Might distract you."

"Really?" Ryo asked in surprise. Alex was rarely so tender. "That does sound nice, but... What's the catch?"

"There is no catch, asshole," Alex huffed. "Do you want there to be one? I obviously don't have to read to you if you don't want me to. Forget I asked." He was blushing and Ryo knew he had to run damage control before this became an argument.

"No! I want you to," Ryo reassured his short-tempered partner. "I was just surprised. Read to me, please. It sounds nice.”

Alex nodded and grabbed the book he’d been reading recently off the bedside table. He didn’t bother giving any context - he knew Ryo wouldn’t care and would soon fall asleep. He just read from where he was while petting Ryo’s head on his lap until he heard Ryo’s congested breath turn into even snores. He put the book down and leaned over to kiss Ryo his head hot temple. Ryo would bounce back from this in no time, Alex thought to himself. He wasn’t worried. But he would take care of his lover for as long as he needed to, no strings attached.

#shionwrites #sick while traveling #kinda a slow ramp up bc I was introducing the characters but the juicy stuff happens in the second half #and by juicy I mean suffering #sick on a plane #reluctant caretaker #sickfic #whump #male whump #sick whump #fever whump #oc: Ryo #oc: Alex #hurt comfort #hurtcomfortbingo #new things #one very small mention of emeto #illness whump #flu whump

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