Ｃｏｍｐｌｅｘｉｔｙ

Ｐｙｒｅｔｉｃ

Note at the end !

★★★

Pyretic
adjective

・fevered, feverish, or inducing fever

★★★

What is the best course of action to take when pinned beneath a body heavier than your own?

This is the question you ponder on as you lay there, a whole mess of boy settled comfortably on your chest.

In hindsight, you should have known something as wacky as this was bound to happen when you decided to come over. A sick Shoyo would be no different from a healthy Shoyo. Although not as loud and boisterous, still as clingy.

"I guess this isn't that bad," you think to yourself idly. Sure, breathing is starting to become a bit of a chore, but you did miss him these past couple of days. Something about not being able to run into him in the hallways when you had to change classes or after school during his volleyball practices made even the sunniest of days seem the tiniest bit dimmer.

Almost as if reading your thoughts, Shoyo cuddles impossibly closer, tufts of ginger hair tickling your chin in the process. A breathy chuckles leaves your lips, left hand landing softly on his back to draw meaningless pictures on it. A few kanji you've been studying for a test next week get thrown in as well.

"Trying to get under my skin or something?" you tease, although you don't expect a reply. His mother did say he had been out of it for a few days now. Four or five, you can't really remember.

Surprisingly, he replies with something that gets muffled in the material of your shirt. You let out a questioning hum, hand moving to the fiery mop on his head to card your fingers through it. You feel him relax a bit more, the weight on your chest almost doubling. He doesn't say anything else.

You let out a laugh at the absurdity of the situation. In all honesty, you'd only planned on stopping by to drop off a tiny care package. But here you are, twenty-ish minutes later, cuddling a very ill upperclassman and wondering if you'll be able to make it home before it gets too dark.

The erratic movement must shake him out of his half-asleep state because you soon feel the weight on your chest lighten, although the warmth of another body close by lingers.

Shoyo lifts his head to meet your gaze; blinks once, twice, eyes still bleary. He yawns, nose scrunching up in that way it does, and lays his head back down on your chest. You go back to playing with his hair, twirling strands of it between your fingers.

"When did you get here?" he asks, his words coming out quiet and croaky.

"Been here a while."

He rubs his nose into your shirt a few times, breathing you in, before he rolls onto his side to look up at you.

"I don't want to get you sick."

You snort, shuffling closer to him so that your foreheads touch.

"You weren't saying that twenty minutes ago when you decided I would make a great body pillow."

His mouth opens and closes, his still sleep-addled brain trying to come up with some excuse, but you shake your head. You were just teasing. Really, being this close was nice. When was the last time it had been just the two of you? Between him graduating in a few months and all of your college applications, it's been difficult to find time to just be together.

The pressure of his thumb on the space between your eyebrows disturbs your train of thought.

"Stop doing that," he chides, a bit more awake than earlier.

Silence blankets the next few seconds as you stare at each other. You wonder if he's fully awake yet. He picks at a loose thread at the hem of your shirt. When he blinks, you blink back. It's nothing extraordinary, but quiet moments like this hold a special place in your heart.

Just as you close your eyes to revel in the peace, you feel the warmth of his lips press against your own for a moment, gone just as quick as they had come. Your eyes widen and before you can even register the kiss, he's pulling back, a dopey grin plastered on his face. A welcome warmth climbs up your neck and the best you can sputter out is a meek "What?"

Shoyo laughs, big and loud. That laugh of his that sounds like a thousand tiny bells tinkling in chorus. You can't help but laugh along with him as your face heats up, almost as if you had a fever, too. 

He finds his place on your chest once again, slotting his fingers between yours as he rests both of your hands on your stomach. You think about the test you're probably going to miss while he prattles on about what type of fruit he might bring you when you inevitably get sick and miss school next week. 

★★★

Would you believe me if I told you I had a dream that made me feel like I needed  to update this? I wouldn't either, but here we are.

Anyway! I do not plan on updating this work anymore. I haven't written (and finished) anything in a long time and I haven't been active in the fandom for longer. The only real reason this update exists is because of a dream. 

This isn't to say that I'm going to quit writing altogether. I just feel like this period in my life is not one where I can allot time for my creative interests. I started writing for the fandom at 15. I'm 24 now. Growing up sucks ass, but it's going to happen whether we like it or not. Nevertheless, it was nice to sit down and write something. I hope I can pick up writing again in the future. 

Thank you for enjoying my work!