Work Text:
Ryousuke likes quiet mornings. He's long gotten used to the heavy exhaustion that takes him a couple of minutes to shake when he wakes up and he can appreciate the tranquility.
It gives him some time to sip at a cup of coffee and skim through today's new publishing in the couple medical journals he follows or keep tabs on the different racers he knows scattered about the country.
He doesn't always get a morning like this, more than half of them are in a controlled rush to the hospital for an urgent surgery, but they're something he can look forward to.
He lifts the mug to his lips and takes another sip. He's met with the bitter dredges.
A frown pulls at his lips as he lowers his mug back on the table.
He didn't realize that he was sitting here alone long enough for him to finish his coffee.
By now the scent of coffee would've drawn Nobuhiko out of bed, even if his classes aren't until the early afternoon.
That is another thing Ryousuke likes, being able to spend a couple of quiet moments with Nobuhiko before they're both swept up in their days.
Ryousuke sets the mug and plate he used by the kitchen sink and makes his way back to their bedroom.
Nobuhiko lays curled up on the bed, the blankets pulled up to his face. All Ryousuke can make out is messy curls against the pillow. Ryousuke sits on the other side of the bed and reaches over to pull the blanket away from Nobuhiko's face. He cups Nobuhiko's cheek, running his thumb along the faint blush staining his skin.
His cheek is warm against Ryousuke's hand.
Nobuhiko opens his eyes into a squint, shifting to meet Ryousuke's gaze. "Ryo?"
Ryousuke brushes some of Nobuhiko's bangs out of his eyes. "You feel like you have a fever, love."
Nobuhiko shakes his head before wincing and burying his face into the blankets.
Ryousuke exhales slowly and runs his fingers through Nobuhiko's hair. "Do you want me to stay here with you?"
"No, I'll be fine." Nobuhiko's voice is scratchy and thin. "You should go to work."
"Making sure you're well is just as important." Ryousuke curls a couple of strands of Nobuhiko's hair between his fingers.
"It's just a cold." Nobuhiko shifts to look at Ryousuke, the start of shadows darkening the skin beneath his eyes.
Nobuhiko is right, but it doesn't mean Ryousuke wants to leave him here alone. "Is there anything else I can get you?"
"Some tea." Nobuhiko frowns, his eyes narrowing. "And my migraine meds."
"Are you getting one?" Ryousuke rests his thumb against Nobuhiko's temple, as if he could brush the pain away.
"I don't think so—I just don't want one." Exhaustion cuts through Nobuhiko's words and he presses his face back against the pillow.
Ryousuke leans down and presses a gentle kiss against Nobuhiko's hair. "I don't want you to get one either."
Nobuhiko just mutters something illegible into the pillow.
Ryousuke slips off the bed and draws the blackout curtains over the blinds before making Nobuhiko some tea. He uses the water he warmed for coffee, soaking a bag for green tea before squeezing it out and stirring in some honey. He puts the mug on a saucer before grabbing some Excedrin.
He leaves both on the bedside table next to Nobuhiko and leans over to press another kiss to his hair. Nobuhiko turns, looking up at him with a beady gaze. "You're gonna get sick too."
Ryousuke tucks some of Nobuhiko's hair behind his ears. "I slept next to you all night, this isn't going to change anything."
Nobuhiko narrows his eyes. "If you say so."
"I am the doctor between us." Ryousuke runs his fingers through Nobuhiko's hair one last time before stepping away.
A slip of a grin pulls at Nobuhiko's lip, but it's quickly devoured by exhaustion. "Can't argue with that one."
"Try and get some rest." Ryousuke flicks off the lights and pulls the door closed, leaving it just a touch ajar.
He finishes getting ready quietly, cleaning dishes and getting himself another cup of coffee in a to-go cup. He puts on a mask before leaving for good measure, not that he's feeling ill but that doesn't change he was most certainly exposed to whatever illness Nobuhiko has.
Ryousuke takes his FC to work over their daily, having spent a couple long hours this past weekend replacing the wiring.
He's busy the moment he steps into the building, barely any time to clock in and set his things down before being swept up into surgery prep. It starts with assisting in a tracheostomy in a patient with lung damage, the otolaryngologist on staff new and wanting some assurance. He only has enough time during his break to send Nobuhiko a short message, unconcerned when it goes unseen.
Ryousuke wants nothing else than Nobuhiko to get some rest.
After a long decortication—even if he agreed with the acting doctor's assessment that the patient was stable enough for the surgery, that doesn't change they were still recovering from the initial wedge resection that caused this infection—he switches off with the evening shift surgeon. It's early enough that it's still light out and gives Ryousuke enough time to get home and order something for dinner.
It's just the start of fall, when the chill in the air only bares its fangs in the evening. Even if Nobuhiko wasn't sick, soup of any kind sounds wonderful tonight.
But Ryousuke isn't greeted with an empty kitchen like he was this morning when he gets him. Nobuhiko sits hunched over his laptop at the kitchen island, a mug of tea on one side of his and a bottle of Advil on the other.
Ryousuke drops his bag in the chair next to Nobuhiko and wraps his arms around Nobuhiko's shoulders, pressing his cheek into his hair. He can feel the fever emanating from Nobuhiko's skin. "Love, you told me you were going to rest."
"I did," Nobuhiko says, absentmindedly. His hands still over the keyboard, his shoulders stiff. "But—I had to get this done. The deadline's coming up."
Ryousuke takes Nobuhiko's hands within his own, pulling them away from the keyboard. "What did you have to get done?"
Nobuhiko sinks into Ryousuke's chest, the tension seeping out of him. "The grant requests. I already got an extension on them and I just need to get it done."
"You're just going to make yourself sicker working like this." As much as Ryousuke's loves Nobuhiko's work ethic, it is also the source of most of his worries.
Nobuhiko looks up, giving Ryousuke a weak glare. His fever is far more obvious now that Ryousuke can see his face. "You're one to talk."
Ryousuke ignores the jab, shifting his grip on Nobuhiko's shoulder. "You should sleep, I'll finish this up for you."
"I—I can't make you do that." Nobuhiko pulls away from Ryousuke. "It's my research and you just got home."
"I've done my fair share of grant requests, I can finish what you've started." Ryousuke pulls Nobuhiko up off the chair and pulls him into a hug. "And I wasn't busy at work."
"You're lying." Nobuhiko's voice is muffled but Ryousuke can make out the teasing flicker in it. Nobuhiko leans his head against Ryousuke's neck. "But….okay."
"You think you're up for walking back to bed?" Ryousuke asks, quietly.
"If you're here." Nobuhiko pulls away from Ryousuke, just enough so Ryousuke can wrap an arm around his waist and support the brunt of his weight.
Ryousuke helps Nobuhiko back to their bed, keeping a steady hand on his back when he lays down. Ryousuke brushes some of Nobuhiko's bangs away from his eyes and tucks them behind his ear before leaning away.
Nobuhiko reaches out, grasping at Ryousuke's wrist. "Can you stay?"
"Let me grab your laptop then I'll be right back." Ryousuke takes Nobuhiko's hand, holding it between his own hands.
Nobuhiko nods, sinking into the mattress.
Ryousuke leaves him, quickly sticking the cold mug of tea in the sink before grabbing Nobuhiko's laptop.
Nobuhiko is half sitting up when Ryousuke returns, gaze trained on the open door. His posture loosens and he slumps against the bed. Ryousuke sits next to Nobuhiko and props the laptop on his thighs. Nobuhiko leans into him, wrapping his arms around Ryousuke's waist and pressing his face into Ryousuke's side.
Ryousuke tucks some of Nobuhiko's hair behind his ear before carding his fingers through his hair as he skims through what Nobuhiko already wrote.
For all Nobuhiko's promises to stay in bed, he must've been working on this for hours to get this far.
Ryousuke smooths down Nobuhiko's hair before resting his fingers on the keys, starting to type.