Hidden Boys Omake - For Sickness

Basically you can thank Zelinxia for this. Xia inspired me to do an omake and while I'm not sure if it's good I wanted to write something for HB with my improved (well I think anyway) writing style. It was meant to be a really fluffy piece and quickly became a look into their life after the story but before the epilogue. Enjoy~

~o~

“You're sick.”

“No I'm not Kuro-pu.”

Kurogane snarled. “Yes you are.”

“Aw. You're so cute when you worry, Kuro-cute.”

“I'm not cute.” Kurogane leaned against the window frame of Fai's car and looked in at the blond who had already shifted his car into drive. “And you are sick. You wouldn't be leaving this early otherwise.”

Fai relented and sighed, “It's just a cold. I don't even have a fever. I'll be better with a little rest no worries.” Kurogane didn't move. “I'll call you if I need you. Go on back inside. The kids are going to come looking for you.”

The larger man smirked, “More like they'll come looking for you. You know they ask about you when you aren't around.”

Fai smiled in return. Kurogane's smile could literally melt ice, well, if ice was Fai. “I know.”

They stared at each other a few moments lost in looking at the other. Recently their relationship had begun changing. It had been roughly five years since Kurogane had been rejected in the hospital and since Fai and him had gone through he tedious motions of building a solid friendship, establishing mutual trust, and slowly becoming part of the other's everyday life. Their relationship was in a fragile transition phase entitled “we-kiss-but-not-in-front-of-the-kids”. It had been that way for roughly three months and was showing very few signs of progressing to something more anytime soon. This wasn't bad, both of them knew that they were not the only people to consider in their relationship, there was always the children to consider and because of this their relationship had not progressed past gentle kissing and sweet necking when they could. And when they could was generally the days the kids were with Yuuko and Clow in the town over.

Fai cleared his throat and looked away in embarrassment, Kurogane had developed a habit of openly staring at him and while he by no means hated it, it never failed to turn his cheeks pink. He then glanced out his windshield to check for peeking eyes and when he didn't find any his hand shot out his window. grabbed Kurogane by the collar, and pulled the larger man's head in through the window. They kissed then in a slow meeting of lips that reluctantly pulled away after a few brief seconds. “I should go,” Fai tried to say and was silenced when Kurogane kissed him again.

“I know,” Kurogane said and Fai kissed him. “Call me if you need me. Please.” He kissed the blond again, this time a little more forcefully for good measure.

Kurogane retreated and stood straight as Fai smiled at him, “Goodnight, Kuro-darling.” With that Fai backed out of his driveway.

He stood there in the darkened driveway a few more seconds and once he was sue he was out of Fai's sight he broke into a grin reminiscent of a kid at a candy shop. He ran his ran over his face as if trying to contain his happiness before walking back to his house to finish the stupid fish movie that Kina liked so much.

He walked into his sunken living room and his children stared at him. “What?” He growled.

His children didn't even flinch and looked at each other before looking back to him. “You're smiling stupid, Dad,” Kina replied and turned back to the movie.

Kurogane looked to Mori who shrugged with a smile that was much to similar to the one Yuuko wore when she knew more than she was letting on.

 

Friday afternoon and the idiot hadn't called. For all he knew Fai could be dying in his loft not taking medicine and refusing to see a doctor. That's how his stubbornness presented itself and Kurogane pondered this as he stirred his ice cream soda. As usual, if the opportunity presented itself, he would take the kids to their favorite ice cream parlor at the end of the week. He might not have been one for sweets but ordering an ice cream soda was more desirable than listening to his kids scold him for not participating in the family outing.

“You look upset,” Mori said thrusting his spoon towards his father across the table.

Kina pursed her lips then clucked her tongue. “Yeah,” she agreed from beside Kurogane.

“I'm not upset. Eat your damn ice cream so we can go home and make dinner would ya?” Kina snuggled up closer to him not even phased by his unintentionally harsh way of speaking. “I wish Fai was coming over today. He could come with us to get ice creams. And he makes yummy food.”

Kurogane scowled down at her, “What? I don't make 'yummy' food?”

His children blinked at him. “We didn't say that.”

“But Fai puts butter on the vegetables,” Mori added.

Kina looked up at her dad, “ And he cuts the crusts off the sammiches.”

Well, Kurogane wasn't one to deny his children. “You guys want to go see him?” He asked as casually as he could.

Both of them perked up at the prospect, “Really?”

Kurogane rubbed his head, “Yeah but you guys can't be running around in the bar.”

“We won't!”

 

The bar was busy seeing as it was a Friday so he held Kina more securely on his hip and gripped Mori's hand a bit tighter as they made a b-line for the stairs at the back. They hurriedly shuffled up the stairs and he knocked loudly on Fai's door.

An ominous groan resounded in the small hallway in response. Kina scurried out of her father's grip and rushed the door declaring, “That means 'come in!'”

“Fai!” Kina shouted as she ran and jumped on the lump in the middle of the mattress that was Fai. “Daddy brought us over because we want food!” She shook the lump.

Mori walked over towards the bed cautiously, “I think he's dead.”

Kurogane flicked on the lights and took in the apartment. It was littered with tissues and smelled of sickness. “Guys, stop.”

It was then the Fai moved and turned to look at the kids and even they could tell something was terribly off. Fai was so pale that his skin was blanched and his blood vessels made him look green in color. He tried to smile but failed.

Kina and Mori pulled back a bit, “Are you sick Fai?” Mori ventured.

The blond actually looked like he was about to answer 'no' but then he began to convulse as he tried to repress vomit and failed and threw up in a trashcan on the other side of the bed.

Kurogane rushed in “That's a yes.” He pulled his kids back and rushed them out the door. “Tomoyo!” He called down to the bar.

A moment later she was at the bottom of the stairs, “Please tell me he's not dead.”

“Tch. As if.” Kurogane replied with a scowl, “Take the kids to the back and feed them some of that grilled ham and cheese stuff you guys have.”

“Alright,” she responded throwing the dish towel she was holding over her shoulder.

Kurogane turned his kids to face him and squatted to be at their level, “You behave for Tomoyo and don't cause her any trouble.”

“Yes daddy,” they responded. Kina kissed his nose and Mori his forehead and then they retreated.

Kurogane called after them, “Hold each other's hands!” They both shot him a thumbs up in response. He went back into Fai's loft and closed the door behind himself. Fai was still bent over the side of his bed though it didn't seem he was throwing up anymore.

Kurogane went around to the side Fai was facing knelt down beside him, “What are you waiting for?”

Fai swallowed thickly, “Second wave.” No sooner had he spoken the words had his body started retching again.

“Shit,” Kurogane said as he reacted by pulling Fai's hair back from his face. The golden strands more closely resembled wet hay and felt similar. Fai vomited into the trash for a good ten seconds before his body stilled. “Done?” Kurogane asked massaging Fai's scalp.

“Water.” Fai's arm shot out to his night stand and collided with a cup that had water in it sending it to the ground. “Fuck,” Fai mumbled almost pathetically.

Kurogane picked up the cup and went to the sink to refill it. He grabbed the hand towel and dropped it on the small puddle before setting the glass down on the night stand. Fai hadn't even attempted to move while he was getting water and so Kurogane lifted Fai under the arms and brought him back so he was propped up on his pillows. “Here,” Kurogane said handing Fai the water.

Fai looked at it a moment before taking it and drinking roughly half the glass in the span of three minutes. Kurogane sat on the edge of the bed. “You were supposed to call.”

“You have the kids.”

“You were supposed to call,” he repeated. He wasn't mad so much as he was upset that Fai hadn't given him enough credit.

“I didn't want to get you guys sick.”

Kurogane took Fai's hand, “You promised idiot. You're practically dying up here. I can make arrangements for the kids.”

Fai closed his eyes and gave Kurogane's hand a light squeeze, “Your time with them is important.”

“You're important too idiot. Don't forget that.”

Blue eyes settled on red ones, “I'm sorry I broke my promise.”

“I'm not leaving you alone. I'm going to go call Yuuko.” Kurogane stood and Fai opened his mouth to protest. “And don't try to talk me out of it either.”

Fai closed and opened his mouth a few times as if about to say something and thinking better of it. “I'm going to try to sleep then.”

Kurogane's gaze softened, “I'll be back in two, three hours tops.”

Fai nuzzled into his pillow. “Hng. Hit the lights on your way out.”

 

They met half way between Yuuko's house and Kurogane's. They had had to return to his house to gather the kid's things before they left. They pulled off into the gas station they deemed half-way; Mori and Kina were trying their best to sit still as they waited for their mom to arrive.

Kina kicked her legs in the back seat while singing a song under breath. “Daddy,” she prompted.

“Hn?” Kurogane responded and locked eyes with her in the rear view mirror.

“Are we going to Mommy's house so you can take care of Fai?”

He turned to look at her and evenly stated, “Yes. Is that okay with, you?”

“Yep!” She smiled happily to herself and played with her thumbs.

Mori spoke up then, “Are you going to stay the night?”

“Maybe, it depends on how sick he is and if he'll let me.”

His son's face scrunched up, “Are you going to kiss?”

Kurogane couldn't decide if his skin had paled or if he was blushing. “What?” He barked in embarrassment.

Mori grew embarrassed himself and shouted in retaliation, “That's what happens on TV!”

“Y-your mother needs to stop letting you watch those dramas!”

“I just don't want you to get the pregnant!”

Kurogane hit his head against the steering wheel and the horn resounded across the parking lot. How old was Mori? Nine now, almost ten. Now was not the time to have the talk especially when Kina was siting there watching this all unfold with confusion written across her face.

“What's the pregnant? Is it bad? Is Fai going to give it to you?” She sounded genuinely worried.

Kurogane was about to answer when Mori piped in again. “It's when people kiss and then their stomachs get huge and then they explode!”

“Daddy! If you explode I'm going to have to beat Fai up! I don't wanna do that! I like him!” Fatherhood. Kurogane wondered if he could negotiate the life long contract.

“Okay listen,” he growled and both of them piped down. “You can not get pregnant by kissing. And when a person does get pregnant their stomach doesn't explode they have a baby.”

They both blinked up at him and just when he thought they were satisfied they threw their questions at him.

“Then how does somebody get pregnant?” Mori asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kurogane knew he was most definitely blushing.

“Oh,” Kina decided “Then you can get the pregnant with Fai daddy and have a baby! I think you guys would have a pretty baby!”

He stared dumbfounded at his children and ignored the urge to bang his head against the window or, alternatively opening his car door and run into the woods. Instead he snapped his head to Mori and very nearly shouted as he pointed at his son, “Ask me again next week and don't you dare ask your mother.” Then he turned to Kina who had knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. “And men can't have babies with other men by 'getting the pregnant' they have to adopt.”

Mori stared at him irritated, he was the kind that wanted answers immediately but was slow to give up his own. Kina though looked thoughtful. After about a minute of silence Kurogane thought the subject was done and over with, “Well then you guys can just a-pot! I'm sure the baby will grow to be cute even if it does have leaves.”

Kurogane couldn't help the smirk that crawled across his face nor could he help his vocal pleas for help from the almighty god above. Thankfully Yuuko's headlights swung into view blinding him in the process, she certainly knew how to make an entrance.

The kid hopped out of the car without so much as asking and went to their mother to hug her around her waist. Kurogane got out of the car just in time to catch Kina telling her mother “-but it's okay that Daddy can't get the pregnant because he can just plant a baby in a pot!”

Yuuko smiled, amused, at her daughter and looked to Kurogane as she said slowly, “Is that so?” She tuned back to the kids, “Why don't you guys get in the car and I'll talk to your dad?”

Both of them ran back to their father who crouched down to embrace them. They both kissed his forehead. Mori lingered a moment and bopped his dad over the head with his little fist, “Don't let Fai die.” Mori retreated to the car then.

“So your planting a child?” Yuuko asked as she closed the back door the kids had went through.

Kurogane sighed and handed her the kids backpacks which she slung over he shoulder. “I said adopt. Not a-pot.”

“Hm,” she mused, “Are you and Fai in a relationship?”

The taller of the two sat on his car and kicked his legs out. “No. He's just sick and he's to much of an idiot to take care of himself.”

“I think that will change soon.” She mused. “Your and Fai's relationship status.”

“What makes you say that?”

She smirked at him and walked over to ruffle his hair like a cute pet. “Just because you don't tell me how often Fai comes over during the week doesn't mean the kids don't. They're very fond of him, they like to talk about how he 'makes Daddy smile stupid' if I'm quoting them right.”

Kurogane rubbed his hands over his face, “Yeah. They tell me that too.”

Yuuko looked a bit shocked that he had admitted to it but smiled at him pleased, “You should get going.”

Kurogane nodded in agreement.

 

It was nearing nine in the evening when Kurogane walked into Fai's apartment carrying a bag from the pharmacy with various forms of cold medicine: nighttime, daytime, multi-symptom. Fai was still asleep on his bed, even from the doorway Kurogane could see the fine layer of sweet the coated him.

Kurogane flipped on the lights and went to the kitchen as Fai rolled over groaning and pulled the sheet over his head. He found a pot and pulled out a can of soup and dumped it in and put a lid over the pot. He looked around and saw Fai was peering at him through a small peep hole he had made in the blanket.

“You need to shower.”

“I'm not going to eat that. It's to heavy. I'll just throw it up.” Fai frowned and turned away to snuggle deeper into the sheets. “I'm to tired to shower.”

Kurogane turned the pot off and walked over to lean down by Fai's ear. “I don't care. Your fever is really high. I can feel it and I'm not even touching you. You need to cool your body down before you fry your brain.”

Fai made a childish whining sound as he threw the blankets off and tried to stand. He wobbled a bit and Kurogane caught him and helped him to the bathroom. He ran the water so it was temped and let it run. He was waiting for it to fill with Fai sitting on the toilet head facing the floor and hair hanging limply about his face. Fai made a small tired noise and Kurogane saw him with his arms outstretched and raised ever so slightly with his wrists hanging limp.

Kurogane rolled his eyes and grabbed the hem of Fai's soaked shirt and brought it over his head in one swift motion. The waistband of the baggy pajama pants Fai was wearing had slipped halfway down his hips and Kurogane found his eyes pinned to the parallel scars that seemed bright against Fai's pale skin.
Fai's hands crept slowly over his own skin inward to cover the scars and this movement effectively snapped Kurogane out of his stupor. Fai's eyes were waiting for his when they met and he his gaze was unwavering on Kurogane. “They're fading you know.”

Red eyes glazed over in guilt before Kurogane gave a curt nod. He reached down and turned off the water. There was only a few inches of liquid in the tub, enough to take away the heat of Fai's fever. There was a small press into his side and he looked down at Fai who was now wrapping his arms around his hips and trying to burrow his head into Kurogane's middle.

“Kuro-sama, stop staring and let me get in the tub before I get sick again without a bucket to barf into.” Fai sounded terrible and Kurogane could feel the heat of his fever even through his clothes.

He scratched Fai's head before he backed away to the door. “Stay in there for ten minutes,” he instructed before closing the door behind himself.

Fifteen minutes later and Kurogane had managed to do the pile of dishes in Fai sink, pick up the crap on the floor, and change the idiot's linen because sleeping in sweat soaked sheets was disgusting even when sick. Fai emerged from the bathroom in and oversized shirt and snow-pea green cotton pants. The ends of his hair were wet and his skin was still pale but had taken on a less green quality. “How do you feel?” Kurogane ventured as he followed Fai to help the blond into bed.

Fai managed a weak smile, “A little less like shit.”

“You look it too,” Kurogane smirked and he put his hand to Fai's forehead. He was still burning but at least he wasn't as hot as the fiery pits of hell anymore. Kurogane went to the kitchen area where he had stashed his bag from the pharmacy. “When's the last time you took medicine?”

“Let's see I graduated high school at eighteen. So about eight years before that?”

Kurogane stared at him with disbelief. “You're fucking kidding me.”

“Cold medicine is gross.”

He shook his head, grabbed some nighttime fever reducer, the thermometer he bought, and a stack of saltines. Kurogane stuck the thermometer in Fai's mouth and filled the cap to the brim with cold syrup which caused Fai to visibly grimace through his misery. The thermometer beeped and Kurogane looked at the digits: 101.3 degree fever. “Well the good news is I'm not going to take you to the hospital. The bad news is you're going to drink this and eat some of these he said motioning to the medication and crackers respectively.

Fai did so with little complaint and Kurogane sat at the side of his bed attentively. About forty minutes later Fai was struggling to keep his eyes open and Kurogane went around the apartment shutting off the lights after changing into his sleepwear. He went back to Fai and pulled the covers up around his neck and turned with the intent of grabbing a blanket from the closet and a pillow from the bed and sleeping on the couch but Fai's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. “Where are you going? Are you leaving?”

“As if I could leave you by yourself. You nearly died in the few days I didn't hear from you,” he replied with a sigh and sat back down on the floor by the bed. “I was going to get a blanket and sleep on the couch.” He could just barely make out Fai's blue eyes in the dark.

“No,” was Fai's simple reply. Fai's hand weakly pulled Kurogane up and towards the bed. He followed obediently and crawled over to the opposite side.

They were lying next to each other on the bed and Fai turned to face him. His hand reached up and ran up the length of Kurogane's neck to rest on his cheek. Fai ran his thumb back and forth over Kurogane's cheekbone for a moment before stopping to stare at him. “I want you to sleep with me tonight.”

Fai's eyes were serious but Kurogane could tell it had taken a lot for Fai to invite him this far. He had demonstrated a lot or restraint (like last year at the Halloween party when Fai had gotten particularly drunk and flirtatious) but he lost himself and bent his head down to grab Fai's lips with his own. It started heated but quickly faded to light pecks that Fai tried his best to return even as he fought sleep. Kurogane pulled away and kissed Fai's nose before pulling the blond by the waist into him.

“Your going to get sick,” Fai mumbled into his collarbone and gently kissed Kurogane's neck.

Kurogane close his eyes, “Don't care. Just don't barf on me in the middle of the night.” Kurogane could hardly bring himself to care that he might get sick because Fai's body was pressed into his and not in some wet dream either but in the flesh. He loved Fai and while now was not the time to blurt out how the blond made him complete he couldn't help but be reminded of something Kina told him.

“Kina says I smile stupid when we kiss.”

Fai smiled and burrowed his head deeper, “Tomoyo tells me the same thing.” His voice was sleepy, almost delirious.

“Can we be stupid together then?”

Fai mumbled into his neck. He hadn't heard the reply and he probably wouldn't because Fai had fallen asleep. So he pulled the blankets around them and fell asleep himself. On the border of consciousness his brain was able to depict what Fai had said and though he might have conjured it up he would probably forget that Fai had promised him Forever.