Work Text:
Chiaki sat up in her bed, rubbing her tired eyes. The clock on the nightstand read 12:30pm, which was not an unusual time for her to wake up. She noticed a dull ache in her head, just behind her forehead. On top of this, her throat was incredibly dry, and she couldn't breathe in through her nose. Realizing she was probably coming down with something, Chiaki let out a soft sigh and got out of bed, shivering in her tank top and skirt she had fallen asleep in.
Downstairs, Mikan was feeding their pet rabbit, Usami. She turned around when she heard Chiaki come down.
"Morning," Chiaki said sleepily, making her way into the small kitchen attached to their living room.
Mikan finished feeding Usami before following Chiaki into the kitchen. The pink haired girl was standing on her tiptoes, grabbing a mug off the top shelf of the cabinet. "Good morning. D-Did you sleep well?" She noticed that Chiaki looked tired, like she often did. Even though Chiaki staying up late was a frequent thing, Mikan still worried about her. She did her best to encourage her girlfriend not to pull all nighters while gaming, even though it wasn't always successful. On the nights when Chiaki fell asleep in front of whatever gaming console she was playing, Mikan would always move her to the bed so she could sleep comfortably.
"I slept alright, I guess," Chiaki was warming up a mug of water in the microwave to to make tea. While waiting for the water to finish, she went over to Mikan and put her arms around her in a gentle embrace. "Did you sleep good too?"
Mikan jumped a bit, a light blush dusting her cheeks as she returned the hug. "Ah! Y-Yes, I slept well," She paused. Chiaki was shivering slightly. "A-Are you cold?"
"Mhm," Chiaki mumbled.
Mikan adjusted her position to put the back of hand across Chiaki's forehead, first moving her bangs aside, which were messy from sleeping. Her body had felt warm when they hugged, and sure enough, she was running a fever."Are y-you feeling sick? Y-You have a f-fever." Mikan asked nervously. Even though it was likely just a cold, and Mikan was definitely capable of taking care of someone who was sick, she still worried for Chiaki.
"Yeah, I might be coming down with something, I think." Chiaki replied. She looked at Mikan's face and recognized the way her eyebrows scrunch up when she got nervous. "Don't worry though, it's not bad."
"Still, y-you should go back upstairs and r-rest. I'll bring you your t-tea and some medicine." Mikan said, watching as Chiaki nodded and went back upstairs to their bedroom.
Mikan entered the bedroom a few moments later, carrying a medicine bottle, Chiaki's mug of tea, and a thermometer. Chiaki had changed into a sweatshirt and pajama pants, and was now laying in bed under a fuzzy pink blanket. Mikan set the mug and medicine on the nightstand and sat down next to Chiaki. She handed her the thermometer to put in her mouth, which she did.
The thermometer read 101°, which wasn't too high. Mikan gave Chiaki a cup of medicine, Chiaki making a face in response.
"I know it t-tastes bad, but you h-have to." Mikan told her.
Chiaki reluctantly took the medicine, cringing as she set the empty cup down.
"That should get your f-fever down. You can t-take more later," Mikan told her. "You should h-have something to eat."
"I'm not really hungry right now," Chiaki replied. She sneezed softly, reaching around on the nightstand for the box of tissues they kept there.
"Y-You shouldn't take medicine on an empty s-stomach. I'll make some soup, okay?" Mikan said, her hand on Chiaki's shoulder. Chiaki nodded at her and she got up off the bed. Before she left, she added, "Make sure t-to drink your tea. Y-You'll feel better."
When Mikan returned with the finished bowl of chicken noodle soup, Chiaki was playing Minecraft on her Xbox, mining away in a cave. Mikan set the soup down, getting Chiaki's attention.
"Hey, do you wanna play with me? We have another controller over there." Chiaki gestured to the area where the console was set up and they kept all the games.
"O-Oh, I don't know, I'm not very good at this game..." Mikan replied, remembering Chiaki had taught her how to play before. She preferred creative mode over survival, because she didn't like fighting the monsters.
"Yeah, you are," Chiaki assured her. "C'mon, you can help me with the house and farm."
"A-Alright, but make sure you eat your soup." Mikan said, grabbing the second controller and joining, the screen dividing into two sections. Chiaki showed Mikan where to build the house and gave her materials, then put down her controller to eat her soup.
Mikan had fun building the house while Chiaki ate. She enjoyed building in Minecraft, and she had gotten pretty good over the time Chiaki spent teaching her.
When Chiaki finished eating, she picked up the controller again. "I'm gonna go into that cave to look for more resources. Do you wanna come with?"
"S-Sure," Mikan replied. Caves were dark and scary, and usually filled with monsters, but she wanted to help Chiaki, and besides, it was good practice.
"Okay, here," Chiaki gave her an extra stone sword and pickaxe, along with some torches. "We need iron the most, so if you find any of that, let me know." Mikan nodded in response, following Chiaki to the cave.
They explored the cave, finding a decent amount of iron along the way. There was also a pool of lava, which Chiaki said could be used later for obsidian. On their way out of the cave, they ran into a couple skeletons.
"Eek!" Mikan exclaimed, arrows flying across the screen. The skeletons had startled her as they seemingly came out of nowhere, and she wasn't very good at combat in games.
"It's okay," Chiaki said calmly. "I've got it." She quickly killed both skeletons with her sword, continuing her way out of the cave.
"G-Good job," Mikan said, amazed at how good Chiaki was at this game. "You're r-really good at this."
"It's nothing, really," Chiaki responded. They had gotten out of the cave and were nearing their house. "I've just practiced a lot."
"Still, I c-could never fight monsters like that. It's t-too stressful." Mikan said.
"It's less scary the more you do it," Chiaki explained, opening the door to their house and going inside. "I'm sure you'd be great with enough practice." After she finished her sentence, she let out a long yawn.
"M-Maybe you should take a nap," Mikan suggested. "You'll get better faster if y-you rest."
"Alright, I guess I am pretty tired," Chiaki admitted. She exited the game, and Mikan took the controllers and turned off the console. When she was done, she sat back down in her spot on the bed. Chiaki leaned her head against Mikan, absentmindedly playing with a purple strand of her long hair. "Can you tell me stories from work?" Chiaki asked. She loved hearing about interesting patients that came into the hospital Mikan worked at.
"A-Alright," Mikan said with a giggle. She began telling a story from a week or two ago, running her fingers through Chiaki's soft hair as she spoke. By the time she was done, Chiaki was fast asleep. Mikan smiled to herself, admiring how peaceful her girlfriend looked. Planting a quick kiss on her forehead, she whispered, "I love you." In response, Chiaki moved closer, snuggling up against Mikan, who wrapped her arm around Chiaki's shoulders. They stayed like that for a while, Mikan eventually falling asleep herself.