Chapter Text
A nasty flu started to rip through the school and office. No matter how careful he was, Ijichi interacted with the largest number of people compared to other managers. He found a fever creeping up on him. He tried to take it easy by only staying in his office to knock off some reports. When Gojo found him collapsed by his desk, it was finally decided to send him home to rest. Having any kind of time off felt strange. He felt downright guilty of passing off his work to someone else, sick or not.
At least he could work on some things on his computer at home. Most of the day passed by with him typing away, bundled up, his fever causing a pounding headache to remain behind his eyes the entire time. A knock came to the door, which was unexpected. Getting up slowly, he shuffled over, wondering who it could possibly be.
“Oh, shouldn’t you be working right now?” Ijichi asked, a bit surprised at who was at his door.
“It’s nearly seven.”
Nanami stood out in the cold, a dark scarf wrapped loosely around his chin, trying to block out the chill. He held out a basket of fruit that was from everyone in the office. It was so heavy that Ijichi had issues lifting it. Looking over his co-worker, Nanami’s plans mentally changed.
Ijichi’s cheeks were slightly pink, his hair was a mess, and his glasses were crooked. Bags were under his eyes, and he kept tugging at his oversized housecoat. He wore a yukata that matched his small traditional family home. A small cough was enough to fully cement his co-coworkers' new shift in plans.
“Did you eat today?” Nanami pressed, sounding like a cop in an interrogation.
“I haven’t had much of an appetite today,” Ijichi admitted, thinking that was a good enough reason to avoid food.
“What about yesterday?”
His eyes darted away, knowing he’d been caught. The last thing he wanted was to be scolded while sick. Instead, the taller man slipped past Ijichi, leaving his shoes by the door.
“I’ll make you something.”
Shocked, Ijichi started to protest.
“I’m ill. You might catch something!” He said, trying to get his co-worker to leave.
“That’s fine. I wanted a few days off anyway.”
There would be no stopping him now that Nanami had made up his mind. He no longer trusted leaving Ijichi alone. They would find the man dead of starvation before the next workday rolled around.
“You really don’t need to do this.” Ijichi pleaded embarrassed over the idea.
“You’ve demonstrated you’re an expert at taking care of everyone but yourself. Here.”
Seeing how heavy the basket was, Nanami took it over to the kitchen. He’d never been inside Ijichi’s place. It was small and cozy. He needed to slightly duck under each doorframe. The entire house made of strong wood with classic sliding doors. The hallway floorboards creaked in an oddly pleasant way. The kitchen was small with a wooden well-worn table in the middle.
He knew Ijichi had a large family, but they were rarely at the house. He was the one in charge of the upkeep, along with his busy work life.
“Go back to bed. I’ll bring supper over to you.” He ordered, then looked inside the fridge to see if there was actually anything he could make.
“Wait...” Ijichi was done protesting against this but needed to do something first.
He dug around in the cupboards and found what he needed. Filling a glass of water, he handed over a pill to a confused Nanami.
“I haven’t vacuumed the tatami mats in a few days. It might be dusty in here; your allergies may kick up. This is a non-drowsy pill.” He explained.
If Ijichi could take care of himself as well as he did with other people, as Nanami pointed out, he wouldn’t be sick a day in his life.
After taking the pill, he needed to forcefully get Ijichi back into his room. It might take a little longer to get dinner ready without knowing his way around the kitchen, but he would rather the currently sick person be in bed than puttering around being in his way. There wasn’t much in the fridge, but he made it work. He decided on a simple, small meal so as not to overwhelm Ijichi and make him give up on eating altogether.
He found a tray with foldable legs so Ijichi could eat in bed. Carefully carrying it down the hallway, he opened the sliding door with one hand, his face falling into disapproval when he saw Ijichi at his desk still working. The tray was placed beside the futon, feet maneuvering around piles of folders, papers, and books. The bedroom looked like Ijichi’s work office. He was a very clean person. For the most part. The issue was that he had so much work and reports, it was impossible to stay on top of them all.
Ijichi felt a little embarrassed about having someone in his room. He wished he had more of a warning so he could clean up a bit. Or at least hide some of the mess.
“I’ll be over in a second. I’m almost-”
His words were cut off when Nanami bent over and lifted the entire chair with a startled Ijichi and set him next to the messy futon. Compared to most things he needed to lift, his co-worker felt light, which worried him.
“Are you going to get into bed yourself, or do you need help with that as well?” He threatened.
With a small yelp of worry, Ijichi got moving, only to trip over his own feet and need help getting down to the floor. He protested getting the blankets tucked around his waist and the tray set over his lap. Nanami even poured some tea for him as Ijichi arranged the dishes around on the tray, deciding what to eat first.
“You really don’t have to do all this.” He complained yet again.
Watching Nanami put a spoonful of honey in the mug and then stir it caused a strange feeling to settle in his stomach. His movements were almost tender, which made him slightly shake his head to remove any odd thoughts from forming.
“It’s for a selfish reason. Think of how much work I’ll have to do without you.” Nanami said, setting the mug down carefully on the corner of the tray.
“I can’t imagine it would be much. I hardly do anything to help-”
Lifting a bowl of miso soup, it was placed in Ijjchi’s hands to shut him up. Once a sip touched his tongue, his stomach tightened over just how hungry he felt. He hadn’t eaten in at least two days. He'd been more focused on arranging managers and ensuring jobs got done. Tackling the bowl of rice next, he paused to watch Nanami silently peel an orange that came with the gift basket. Despite having large hands, his expert fingers took the peel off in one piece. He then worked on removing the white remains between the slices, cleaning the orange thoroughly, and putting each piece on a side plate. Not once in Ijichi's life had anyone peeled an orange for him. It was another strange feeling. He enjoyed the smell that mixed with the scent of the tea.
“I’ll work on some reports while you eat. Tell me if you want seconds. There is a lot of rice.”
Straightening up, Nanami took the chair to return it to the computer. He sat down and removed a small case from his pants pocket. A set of reading glasses was removed and put on his face until Ijichi finally snapped out of it and sputtered.
“I can finish them! I’ll just eat first, then-”
A dark glare in his direction shot a burst of ice down his spine. He wisely shut his mouth and got to work taking apart the nicely cooked fish on a fancy plate he only used for special occasions. As he ate, he listened to the sound of keyboard keys in the otherwise silent room. Only a desk light was on, but it gave him enough light to eat by. Glancing up, he couldn’t help but watch his co-worker type away. Seeing Nanami at his desk was so strange that it took a few minutes to take his eyes off his back. The man and Ijichi’s private lives were something he never thought would interact. It wasn’t as if he overly disliked the idea. It was just that Nanami kept his life outside of work so private, and he never put his nose into other people’s business. If someone was troubled because of things going on outside of work, he made a note of it and did small things to make life easier for them. However, he wouldn’t talk to people about their family matters or relationships. He was somehow good at keeping an emotional distance, yet very good at caring for others at the same time.
Ijichi noted that he must have come here after work. He was still wearing his normal light suit, pants, and blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His weapon harness and tie were left at the school, though.
It was almost unbearably awkward to eat while someone worked right beside him.
“Are you hungry?” Ijichi asked, wondering if there was even anything besides the fruit basket and rice to offer his new helper.
“I got something before I arrived,” Nanami answered without looking away from the screen.
He wished he weren’t such a slow eater. His stomach protested against the warm meal. He took a sip of tea, trying to settle it a little before going on. He hated the silence in the room, yet he couldn’t think of anything to talk about.
“Do you always wear something like that while you’re off work?” Nanami asked, again not turning away from the screen.
It was such an unexpected question that it took Ijichi a moment to respond.
“Yes. For the most part. My family has more of a traditional fashion sense, and oddly enough, we’re all pretty much the same height. All my clothing is hand-me-downs. I rarely buy anything new outside of suits for work and undergarments.” He explained.
Sure, he could wear t-shirts and sweaters on his days off, but when he had so much clothing around the house that fit him, why bother buying anything new? He didn’t even think he owned a pair of jeans, let alone sweatpants.
“You know, I only see you in the same suit and blue shirt for work. Is blue your favorite color?”
Finally, he looked over and noticed Ijichi had pretty much finished his meal. He walked over, getting down to his level to refill the mug with the small teapot on the tray. Gathering the empty plates, he left the tray behind so Ijichi could pick at his rice still.
“No. I hate it. Blue reminds me of the vacation I’ll never take. I tend to ruin my clothing, so I go through a lot of these shirts. Why bother wearing ones I like?” He stood up, and his reading glasses slipped a little. “I’ll get you a little bit more rice. Please finish it.”
Ijichi almost felt bad for asking such a question. He thought Nanami was displeased over how his long-time co-worker wasn’t aware of the reasons behind his fashion choices. Pausing by the door, he added a little bit more to his answer.
“My favorite color is black. I don’t wear it because it reminds me of my student days.”
After that, he left the room to return the plates to the kitchen and to get a little bit more food to force Ijichi to eat a normal amount for once.
He knew the manager would need a little bit more time before he was forced to eat a little more. He quickly washed the dishes, leaving them in a rack to dry. On a whim, Nanami looked in the freezer. His eyes landed on something he grabbed to bring into the other room with some medicine.
“Rice or this?” He offered.
In his hands was an ice cream in the shape of a peach. The treat was a little expensive for Ijichi but not for Nanami. The treat would help his throat feel better, yet he didn’t want to eat it. It felt like something he needed to save for a special occasion.
Ijichi took the bowl of rice, but both were given to him.
“You said or.” He pointed out.
“I think you earned both. Take your medicine too.”
Sighing, he knew he couldn’t get out of any of this. Forcing himself to finish his dinner and to get a few pills down, he was surprised by how much he enjoyed the ice cream. It tasted far better when he had a fever. Unable to help himself, Ijichi needed to lie down to let his full stomach rest. His eyes drifted shut, listening to the keyboard again.
Soon, he’d fallen asleep without realizing it. When Nanami noticed, he paused working to go over to move the tray and bring the blankets around the poor, worn-out man. He felt a warm forehead trying to gauge the fever. The warmth of the room caused Ijichi’s cheeks to flush. It was oddly charming.
He finished washing the last few dishes. His plan was to leave once the last few reports were finished. Yet his plans changed again.
An hour or two passed with him at the computer. He mentally made a note to buy Ijichi a new chair. The stiff wooden backing caused a knot at the base of his spine to form. He felt oddly sleepy as well. A noise gave him an excuse to stop and look over his shoulder.
Ijichi was on his back, his hand gripping the blankets. A groan came from him as a nightmare interrupted his sleep. Soon he was whimpering, legs moving as if he was running in his sleep. Sweeping across the room, Nanami got beside him, placing a hand on Ijichi’s, trying to carefully wake him.
Gasping, the man sat up, confused about where he was. His half-open eyes darted over the dark room. His hand landed on Nanami’s shoulder, gripping it in an unknown fear.
“We need to run, the curse...” He whispered voice strained.
“I took care of it. You’re fine. Here.”
Playing along, he lifted a glass of cold water for the dazed Ijichi to take. He drained it, his strength fading. Body slumping, Nanami wrapped an arm around Ijichi’s shoulders to guide him back to the comfy futon. Eyes closed, but his hand refused to release his co-workers.
Placing a hand on Ijichi’s forehead, he was a little confused over the fairly normal temperature. The fever had gone down a great deal. So, what was causing the nightmare?
His heart sank a little. He took in the sight of a person he’d known for so long having such terrible sleeping issues. Nanami hated the idea that this was Ijichi’s daily life. He always appeared exhausted, and he always assumed it was because of all the overtime hours he pulled. He never would have thought the job they both did tormented the manager so much on his nights off.
Unable to help himself, his free hand reached over to smooth back messy dark hair, trying to give an ounce of comfort.
“Stay...” The small request came as Ijichi shifted in his sleep, trying to get closer to the only other person in the room.
Ijichi was far calmer than before. He might be fine for the rest of the night now.
Thinking about the time, he actually considered the request. The school was within walking distance. His options were to stay the night there, sleep at the school, or take a train home.
Since he was already there, the choice was easy.
He found extra blankets in the closet on the other side of the room. Placing them beside the futon, he took off his belt and found a phone charger in the mess of papers. Setting an alarm for the morning, he settled in to sleep but was ready to wake up in case of another nightmare.
Being so comfortable, Nanami didn’t wake up at the sound of the alarm for a few seconds. Slowly sitting up, his right hand patted around blindly for his phone, large fluffy blankets slipping off his shoulders. A hand fell on top of his the moment he found his phone muffling the alarm.
Turning his head he found he was nose to nose with another person. He almost forgot the night before. Ijichi remembered Nanami dropped by but had no idea why he was next to him in bed, hair going every which way as a sign of a very deep sleep. When his brain kicked in, he stumbled away, gripping his overcoat he slept in head spinning.
He opened his mouth for answers, but only a scream came out.
It was difficult to get out from under the warm blankets. Nanami let Ijichi get his shock out of his system as he checked his phone. He hadn’t missed any important texts.
“I’ll make breakfast. I need to head down to the store, so I’ll be right back. You should get washed up.” Nanami explained.
He’d seen a bakery down the street on the way. He was a little excited to see what they offered. Another store nearby sold other groceries. An omelette with some fresh bread sounded nice.
“You... I...” Ijichi stumbled over his words, unable to stand up just yet.
He watched Nanami button up his collar and fix his sleeves. He made an effort to fix his hair without a mirror, but accepted his trip to the store would be with his hair still disheveled.
Because Ijichi’s face was a deep red, he went over, bent low to do another forehead check.
“Take some medicine too. Your fever is coming back.”
With that, he left to get a proper breakfast, unaware of what trauma he’d just put a certain someone through.
He may have gone a little overboard at the bakery. Everything looked far too good to leave behind. He’d got enough food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner before he went to the next store. When he returned, Ijichi was finished with a quick shower. He met Nanami in the front hall, his face falling at the bundle in his arms.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be taking some of this with me,” he assured him.
The next little while was spent in the kitchen getting a proper breakfast cooked. This time, he let Ijichi help by chopping fillings for the omelette. The skillful hands made quick work of the task. He cooked for himself fairly often and packed his own lunches. Once the table was set, the pair sat down and neither dared to bring up where Nanami slept that night.
He also didn’t need to force the smaller man to finish his plate. How good everything tasted helped a great deal with that. In the time it took him to finish his meal, Nanami knocked off his breakfast and a few items from the bakery. It was impressive how much he could eat and how quickly.
“I’m feeling much better, thank you for everything. I think I can go back into the office. I’ll call them-”
“Go in after lunch. You don’t want to push yourself.” Nanami ordered, arms crossed.
“I took an entire day off. I should really-”
Raising a hand, Nanami stopped the disagreement.
“You worked from home, and I got done a decent amount last night. You can afford to take a few more hours away from the office. You won’t be much help if you collapse again.”
“Oh, you heard about that....”
He found himself unable to maintain eye contact, hoping they could drop such an embarrassing fact.
“Everyone heard about that. The students are worried about you. You don’t want to cause distress to them, do you?”
Frowning, a pouty expression came over his face. He never thought the man would play this dirty.
“No, I don’t...” He muttered.
His bad mood disappeared when a set of hands reached over to adjust his overcoat to fix it better, closing it over Ijichi’s chest. His body tensed when Nanami’s hand raised up, the back of it pressed against his cheek, then fixed his damp hair.
“It would be better if you took another day off. I know you won’t, so I’ll accept half a day. Your fever has gotten better, and you look almost normal. That’s something.”
Did his co-worker already catch the flu? Since they worked with each other, Ijichi noticed Nanami rarely touched anyone. He never hugged friends, placed a comforting hand on their back, nothing of the sort. He’d only see Nanami place a hand on someone if he was silently telling them to hang back, and he would take care of the danger in front of them.
“Your face is getting red again. Maybe you should take the entire day,” he suggested.
“No, it’s fine. It’s just warm in here.” He protested.
Nanami didn’t think so, yet he didn’t argue. Noticing the time, he wanted to have a shower before work. He'd over stayed his welcome though. There was one at the school he could use, and he even had a spare outfit there. He would just arrive at work early for once.
“If I hear about you showing up before noon, there will be a punishment.” He threatened.
After that was set in stone, he made sure the kitchen was in order. He also left a few things from the bakery for Ijichi to have for lunch, so he didn’t need to cook.
At the door, he paused to double-check if he needed to stay for anything.
“Sorry that you needed to stay the night. But thank you for the help.” Ijichi said, still embarrassed over their exchange in the kitchen.
“I don’t mind at all, but please start taking care of yourself. I only want to come by again if I'm invited and not because you’re ill.”
“You... would be fine seeing me outside of work?” Ijichi asked, unsure if those words were true.
“Well, yes. We are friends, aren’t we?”
Nodding, his stomach fluttered. Here, he always assumed Nanami wanted nothing to do with his co-workers once his shift was finished. That much was true, but to see a friend was different. Trying to hide a smile, Ijichi found his hands fidgeting under his sleeves.
“Once the weather is better, would you like to get a bottle of sake and sit in the garden?”
Watching the pond and the flowering tree in the back garden with a cold drink was the one luxury in his life. He thought most people would think it was too boring or old-fashioned. Yet, the suggestion made Nanami’s face light up in a way very few had seen before.
“It’s a date then.”
Without a hint of what way he meant those words, he left to let his friend get a bit more rest before he needed to go to work.
Ijichi stood in the entrance way for a bit too long, gathering himself. His shaky legs refused to work for a long while. Now he felt conflicted over the idea of being ill again. He hated leaving work for others, but he secretly wanted it to happen just once more if that meant there was a chance of being so spoiled again, regardless of how selfish that made him feel.
“I’ll have to get a good bottle,” he muttered to himself, wondering if he could even afford one that suited his friend's taste.
Digging a little into his savings might be worth it to treat himself for once.