Friday afternoon Sora got home from work, entered his tiny apartment as usual, and then stopped to gaze at Mizuki with alarm. She was still asleep in the bed, and she was visibly sweating despite the fact that the room temperature seemed comfortable to him.

"Mizuki?" Sora asked worriedly.

She responded to the sound of his voice, and woke up enough to toss the cover back far enough to show that she was actually dressed, in a T-shirt and loose pants.

"Why are you in bed?" he asked anxiously.

Mizuki blinked up at him for a moment, and then replied stuffily, "I seem to have caught a cold. I was just taking a nap Sora."

He knelt and kissed her.

"You'll catch it," she complained.

He grinned as he informed her, "After everything we did yesterday, I'll catch it anyway if I'm going to catch it." His smile turned into a frown as he added, "You seem feverish, have you taken your temperature?"

Mizuki shook her head and Sora stood up and fetched a thermometer from his little bathroom.

After taking her temperature Sora panicked, and exclaimed, "I think I should take you to the hospital!"

She frowned at him and protested, "Stop exaggerating. I feel sick, but not that bad!"

They argued about it for a little while, and finally Sora insisted on calling her parents. Mizuki glared at him while he explained the situation to her father.

Junshiro shortly turned the conversation over to Minori. His wife had been the one who had tended the children through most of their childhood illnesses.

Minori gave a string of instructions, and then assured Sora, "If you give her the medicine, and her fever still doesn't go down in a few hours, then go ahead and take her in. But there's no need to panic, she often gets fevers when she's sick."

Sora stared at his phone worriedly, but replied, "Okay, thank you."

Mizuki's parents both smiled as they instructed their daughter to behave, and get well soon. Then they bid the man who was so anxiously caring for their youngest daughter fond farewells.

--

Minori's smile fell away as she turned to her husband and asked worriedly, "Do you think I should go down there?"

"No," Junshiro replied calmly. "I think they'll do fine."

After a moment she sighed and nodded. "It does sound like it's probably just a bad cold."

"They aren't afraid to ask for help," he pointed out reassuringly.

--

Mizuki glared at Sora as she demanded querulously, "You had to call my parents?!"

Sora gave her a baffled look and asked, "Why are you angry? Aren't they the ones who know the most about taking care of you while you're sick?"

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She sighed and complained, "But now they'll worry, and it's just a cold."

"Sorry," he replied after a moment. He sat back on his heels and informed her, "But I'm already worried. I'm going to go get the medicine your mother suggested, do you want anything else? What have you eaten? What sounds good to eat?"

Mizuki shrugged and replied, "I ate the oranges and the crackers you had. I don't know, some more fruit? Or pudding or soup are the usual kinds of things? But I'm not really hungry." She looked at his worried face and sighed before assuring him, "I'll eat some of whatever you get, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed, and then handed over her phone. "Call in sick for this weekend," Sora instructed fretfully.

"It's the last two days I'll be working there," she objected.

"If you don't, I'll take you to the doctor now," he threatened.

She rolled her eyes, and then held her hand against her head for a moment before agreeing, "Fine."

She called in sick for her last two days of the job, and complained to Sora when she finished, "They are not going to be a good reference after that."

"It'll be okay, you worked very hard," he assured her firmly as he went out the door.

--

Mizuki's fever went down a couple hours after she took the medicine. She ate a bit of the food. Sora cuddled up with her on the futon, and they played games together for a while.

Sora wasn't as anxious when she fell asleep, now that she wasn't as hot, but settled down beside her so that she could rest.

Mizuki was startled when she woke up in the morning to find Sora still seated beside her, playing through a section of one of the handheld games.

"Oh, it's already Saturday," she said after a moment.

"Yes, so I let you sleep in," he agreed. "How are you feeling?"

She sneezed when she sat up, and he handed her the box of tissues.

She shrugged. "Still sick I guess."

After she used the bathroom she crawled into Sora's lap and cuddled into his chest. He kissed her but then went back to his game.

"Sora," she complained.

"Yes?" he asked.

She frowned and looked down while answering, "I don't know, I want your attention I guess? Sorry."

"You have my attention," he replied without hesitation.

Mizuki was silent and Sora paused the game and sat looking down into her face quizzically. She avoided his eyes, despite having asked for more of his attention.

"Do you want breakfast?" he suggested after a moment.

"I want sex," Mizuki replied with flushed cheeks.

"But you're sick," he objected.

She shrugged.

He cuddled her for a minute before suggesting, "Breakfast first, and then if you still want to?"

"Okay," she agreed more cheerfully.

--

Sora teased her afterward, "Aren't women supposed to say 'I don't want to, I have a headache' instead."

Mizuki admitted after a moment, "It did make my headache worse for a little while."

"Mizuki…" he complained helplessly.

"I really wanted to do it Sora," she insisted as she cuddled against him happily.

He looked down at her contented expression and sighed. "Let's do something quiet for a while then?" he suggested.

"Playing games is quiet," she protested immediately.

Sora rolled his eyes at her and told her, "I mean relaxing. You are way too intent when you're playing."

"What do you want to do then?" Mizuki asked curiously.

He thought for a few minutes and then suggested, with a visible blush, "Want to watch the movie I told you about where they're doing it in the rain?"

"Okay," she agreed questioningly, looking at his blush.

Sora added, "It's a samurai movie, but it's basically porn with plot. It is one of my favorites though."

Mizuki laughed.

He made hot tea before they started. Mizuki looked at her cup and asked, "You made hot tea? But you bought lots of cold tea?"

He sat and cuddled her for a moment before responding, "Hot is better while you're sick though."