Chapter 5
"Common, don't be stubborn," Kaoru grumbled, scowling.
However, it was like talking to a brick wall. Kyo returned his scowl and added a pout on top of it, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his head away. "I am not swallowing any more of that crap," he declared, referring to the soup which Kaoru was trying to force him to eat.
"You need to eat," Kaoru pressed.
Kyo shook his head. "Then give me real food. I've had nothing but soup and water for the last four days. Even the hospital food was better than this," Kyo declared.
"The hospital food was juice, ice cubes, or dripped from an IV," Kaoru returned.
"That's beside the point. I'm feeling better now, and I want to have some solid foods in my system," Kyo stated. He gave the soup a glare that would curdle lesser substances. "The last time I went to the bathroom, I pissed for almost five minutes straight! I can't stand any more of these liquids."
"The doctor said we had to wait at least five days before we gave you solid foods, to give your body time to adjust. Plus, your throat is still raw from coughing. Not that you've been helping it along by smoking," Kaoru replied. The blond had refused to quit long enough to recover. Eventually, they had to give in because the nicotine cravings had turned the small vocalist into an aboslute maniac.
"It's only a one day difference! Couldn't I at least have some ice cream or something like that? It's a liquid once it melts," Kyo pointed out.
Kaoru sighed and relented. It was only one more day, and Kyo did have a point about the whole melting thing. He made his way to the kitchen with the promise of ice cream and waved hello to Toshiya, who was watching a movie in the livingroom.
"He didn't want the soup?" Toshiya replied with a snicker. He'd been the first one to try and feed Kyo today. He'd had no luck either.
"I'm going to bring him some ice cream," Kaoru replied.
Toshiya arched an eyebrow. "Spoiling him?" he teased.
Koaru laughed and shrugged. "Maybe a little. Still, he needs to eat something. He might be a stubborn little shit, but he's still very weak. Maybe the calcium will do some good. At least it will keep him from complaining for a while," he replied.
Toshiya groaned and rolled his eyes. "You don't have to live with the guy. He isn't very stable on his legs yet, but growls at me whenever I help him. Yesterday, he decided that'd he was the most bored person in the world, but had read every single book and seen every single movie. On top of that, it took me an hour to convince him to eat his three helpings of soup. And I had to check his mouth to make sure he took the medication," the bassist stated.
His lips quirking, Kaoru finished dishing up the ice cream and put the bucket back into the freezer. "I was here, remember?" he replied.
"Oh, yes, sorry," Toshiya replied with a laugh before turning his attention back to his movie.
Since Kyo had come home from the hospital, Kaoru had been sleeping on the couch in their apartment. He'd told Toshiya that it was in order to help out, and be there just in case ther was some kind of emergancy. Mostly, it was because he wanted to make absolutely certain that Kyo was looked after. Not that he didn't think Toshiya would do a good job, but Kaoru stilled liked having first-hand knowledge.
He doubted that Kyo knew he'd been staying the night. The vocalist wasn't allowed to leave his bed for a while, unless it was to go to the bathroom or wash up. Kaoru had Toshiya look after Kyo at those times, since he didn't want to put himself into a situation where he might do something embarassing. Like stare at Kyo in the bath.
"Okay, I got you your ice cream. If I get in trouble for this with the doctor, I'm blaming it on you," Kaoru stated when he walked back into Kyo's bedroom.
The vocalist was sitting up against some pillows. He looked adorable with his hair sticking up in every which direction and an oversized teeshirt serving as pajamas, not that Kaoru would be stupid enough to say as such. Although, he couldn't help an amused grin when Kyo scowled at him when he held up a spoonful of ice cream in front of his mouth.
"I can feed myself, you know. I'm not that weak," Kyo stated, but still accepted the mouthful.
"You must be the most stubborn person I know. Anyone else would be playing this for all they were worth," Kaoru commented.
"I just don't want you thinking I'm some kind of baby that can't take care of himself," Kyo replied after swallowing a second mouthful.
Kaoru barely supressed a grin and shook his head. "I don't think that. It's fun, being able to look after you," he said.
"It can't be that much fun," Kyo declared. "I don't know why you would want to look after your sick friend."
"Exactly for that reason," Kaoru replied firmly. "You're my friend, and you're sick. Besides, I don't get very many opportunities to do something like this. It is fun to be able to look after someone."
Kyo looked at him for a long moment, then shrugged and took in another spoon of ice cream before replying. "Well, this is the last time. Tomorrow, I can eat solid food, and I intend to feed myself," he replied.
"All right," Kaoru agreed, although it took a bit to keep his disappointment out of his voice.
Kyo looked at him in silence again, and Kaoru was beginning to think something was wrong as the next spoonful of ice cream began to melt slightly. Then Kyo shook his head a little and took it into his mouth without a word. Whatever the cause of his momentary distraction, he didn't share it with the guitarist.
To be continued
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