Sick Day [Dan/Shibani]

He wasn't sure what it was that woke him up. Maybe it was the silence of the shop. Maybe it was the stillness in the air. Perhaps it was the absence of the familiar presence moving around. Regardless of what it was, something was off enough to wake Shibani up from a dead slumber. The man's fair lashes fluttered open, his gaze immediately locking onto the doorway facing out near the shop. The sun was coming in through the windows and lighting the place up with natural light, but the shop lights themselves were off. Shibani furrowed his brows and slowly sat up. He didn't know what time it was, but he was sure enough to know that Dan should have been up working like he always was. The shop was quiet, empty, still. It felt wrong and it caused him to worry.

"Dan?" Shibani called quietly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He got up from his pillow pile and made his way out into the main area, his warm feet walking on the cold floor, freeze going straight through his stockings. It sent an uncomfortable chill up his spine. When he gazed around the shop's front he noticed that the sign wasn't flipped, no dango or mochi was out, and everything looked like it hadn't been touched all morning. This made the bun feel cold deep down in his body.

"Dan??" he called out once more, looking around the shop to see if he could find the guy anywhere. His tail curled up in discomfort at this. It wasn't like Dan at all to just be gone from his work. The man was adamant about how he did things and he was very strict with his own work schedule. No one could make dango or mochi like he could -even after searching for an apprentice for so long- so he couldn't imagine the confectioner would just up and leave like that. He would also have left a note for Shibani if something came up, but he couldn't see anything on the counters or by the door.

The white bun turned his head to the staircase at the farthest end of the shop. It was impossible that the guy slept in, but maybe something happened? Carefully Shibani made his way to the stairs, placing one delicate foot after the other on each step and peeking his head up around the corner.

“Dan? Are you up here?” Shibani called out. He got an unusual groan in response and the bun hurried himself up the stairs the rest of the way.

Placing his hand on the door Shibani mentioned he was going to come in before he opened it. His eyes widened when he seen Dan still in bed -though he was trying to get up- with a red flush on his face and sweating like it was in the middle of summer. His hair, which was usually put up neatly, was messy in tangles and knots like he was tossing all night.

“Dan! What happened? Are you sick?” Shibani hurried over, nearly tripping over his own feet before he got to the man. He placed his hand over Dan's forehead and winced at how hot it was. “You need to lay back down and get some rest, otherwise you won't get any better.”

“'m fine..” Dan retorted in a slight slur as he attempted to get out of bed once more.

“Don't be stubborn this time!” The smaller man held onto Dan's arm, looking up at him with worried eyes. They looked like they would start welling up at any moment. “I don't want you to get worse...”

Dan gazed into Shibani's worried eyes, feeling the tight grip the guy had on his arm. He closed his eyes and sighed in defeat, sitting back down fully on the bed. “...Fine.”

Shibani relaxed in relief at Dan giving in. "Good. Now hold still. We have to get you taken care of." The man began to work on getting Dan comfortable, taking off excess clothing and placing a delicate hand onto the man's firm chest, pushing him down with a not so delicate force to emphasize his next words. "And stay in bed. Don't try to sneak out. It's dangerous, especially since you have stairs. I'll be sure to get a cloth and some medicine for you, so don't move until I get back."

Without wasting anymore time Shibani turned and began to hurry out of the room. The bun wasn't used to rushing, so as Dan rested in bed he heard the thudding of gentle feet, a small cry of surprise, and a louder thump, followed by a tired "I'm okay!" coming from down the stairs. Dan rested an arm over his busting head. He was relying on Shibani to take care of him, and while he was grateful for the man's assistance, he now realized how dangerous the situation was for the both of them...

The hours crept by and Dan was in and out of consciousness frequently throughout the day. At times he'd wake up to see Shibani over him looking sleepy but giving him a smile as he changed the rags out. Sometimes he'd feel gentle fingers on his forehead or a damp, cool cloth lightly dabbing at his sweaty skin. There were times he was assisted to sit up and drink some water, even though Shibani struggled to push the larger man's weight up. It was a constant, all-day care that Dan was hardly there for. Besides these moments he remembered, the only other things he could recall were the heat of his body reminding him that he lived in literal hell and the pounding of his head like someone was making mochi on it. He rarely got sick, but this had to have been the worst he's had it. On top of all of the misery he was feeling he also worried about making Shibani sick. The lazy bun already slept a lot; he didn't want to cause his companion to practically go into a coma.

It wasn't until the sun was setting that Dan opened his eyes and felt some relief. He still had a headache, but at least it didn't feel like someone was using his hammer on it, and it felt like his fever broke a little. But he wondered why he felt warmer on one side? With the careful turn of his head he looked to Shibani lying next to him, curled up against his side with his head nuzzled into Dan's neck. Dan had, at some point, unconsciously wrapped his arm around the man's small body and held on to him. Shibani must have exhausted himself with taking care of him and laid down for a nap, only to snuggle close and fall into a deeper sleep. Dan had no doubt that if something was seriously wrong with himself that Shibani would wake up in an instant to help, but for now he was feeling better and he didn't want to wake the guy up. He did work all day taking care of Dan and the confectioner didn't have the heart to wake him up this time. The mochi maker owed him a lot for his assistance.

Dan rested his head back onto his pillow and mindlessly ran his fingers along Shibani's side, feeling the soft sigh against his neck and the bun nuzzle in closer with a sleepy murmur. The feeling of his warmth and the fact that someone was there to care for him when he felt bad gave him a kind of comfort he didn't know he needed in his life. Not that Dan would ever admit it, but he rather liked having Shibani around. It made his shop, his home, feel less empty. Dan closed his eyes at these thoughts, feeling his consciousness give way to the grasp of sleep once more, the comfort of his companion's warmth beckoning him to join in a deep slumber.

Perhaps a little more rest wouldn't hurt.