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It was spring, and the weather was still much too cold to swim in. But that didn't stop Haruka Nanase from diving right in as soon as the pool was filled. He was a wonderful freestyle swimmer, akin to that of a dolphin, but even he wasn't immune to the common cold.
Makoto had visited him that morning as usual before heading off to school. He had promised to come back and warned Haruka not to stay in the tub for too long.
Haruka had no way of telling how long he had been sitting in the tub of water other than the fact that it wasn't warm anymore. He heard footsteps approaching the bathroom door. If Makoto found him as he was, Haruka knew that he'd be sorely disappointed in him for not taking his advice.
The door was slid open and on the other side, Haruka didn't spot the light brunette head of his friend. Instead, he caught dark fuchsia. Rin Matsuoka stood at the doorway, his face expressionless and his bag slung over his shoulder.
"Fucking hell, Haru. I knew you'd be in here." said Rin, running a hand down his face.
Haru was surprised to see him. "Rin," he glanced over his friend's shoulder into the empty hall. "Where's Makoto?"
"Still at school. I got a text you were sick and headed right over." Rin approached him and offered his hand. Haru took it and let himself be pulled out. He could feel the water run down his stomach and thighs, leaving him to face the reality of dry land. His swimsuit clung to his thighs. Immediately he felt cold, and a sneezed wracked his body.
"Dammit, man" Rin put down his bag and wrapped a towel around Haru's head and shoulders. Haru felt him ruffle his hair under the towel.
"If I hadn't shown up earlier, you might have been the first person to die of a fucking cold." said Rin.
Haru pushed passed him and rubbed his face with the towel. There was a slight stagger in his step as he made his way down the hall. "You can't die from a cold."
"Which is why it'd be amazing. " Rin sighed before following after him. "You get changed. I'm going to make you some tea."
Haru wondered when it had been so difficult to choose what clothes to wear from the drawer. He wrapped the towel around his waist and settled for kneeling by the wood and staring at the clothes. A sneeze made him jolt, then he swayed and leaned his head against the drawer. When his eyes felt heavy, he thought he would close them for just a little bit. In fact his whole body felt heavy, so he gave in to the weight. He'd be up in a few seconds after all, or Rin would be upset with him.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself on the bed with the duvet draped over his chest. By his bedside, Rin was on a chair, peeling an apple with a small knife.
Haru sat up quickly and felt something damp fall from his head to his lap. The motion made him dizzy, but he noted that he was out of his swimsuit and in a shirt and pajama pants.
"Hey, idiot, you shouldn't be sitting up." Rin threw him a disapproving glare before setting the apple and knife aside to push Haru back into the bed. "If you need anything just tell me and I'll get It for you."
Haru felt Rin gently replace the cloth on his forehead and tuck him in. He shivered, then sneezed. His nose felt like it was completely plugged. "Tea," he said. "Cad I..."
Rin sighed and his shoulders relaxed, as did the muscles on his face. He went over to the table to grab the steaming mug of lemon tea.
"I'll just be here until Mako comes back." Rin assured him, returning to Haru's side and helping him sit up. "Then he can take care of you."
When Rin handed Haru the mug, Haru took hold of his wrist and looked at him. He felt Rin freeze. "Doe," he said, "You don' ha' to leave..."
Rin's eyes widened at this, and for a moment he only looked at Haru. Then he coughed and turned away, and Haru noticed the tint of red on his cheeks. "Geez..." Rin muttered.
That was all Haru needed to feel a bit better. He carefully took sips of his lemon tea before handing It back to Rin and settling back into the bed. "Ri', dank you." He said with a smile.
Rin was silent for a moment before the other's words seemed to hit him. He had to chuckle before he retook the apple and knife from the bedside table.
"Just hurry up and feel better, will you?" He continued to make perfect apple peel spirals as he waited for his friend to recover.
End