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Shu had known it was going to be a under-the-weather day simply from the moment he woke up with a throbbing headache. The sorcerer sat up, pressing a hand to his temple and massaging it, trying to alleviate at least some of the pain. Ever since traveling to the future, his sorcery and curses had been slightly off, sometimes causing his body to feel ill or weaker than usual. Of course, he tried to keep usage of his more powerful magic to a bare minimum with the people around him explaining that this world had nothing similar to his sorcery.
Of course, he had no problems using it for everyday purposes.
He had heard that there were more advanced medicines to deal with illnesses, but it wasn't quite clear to him how they worked yet. Things like maths and physics weren't a problem to him, but the advanced medical technology was sometimes still confusing.
Getting up, he put on his slippers and shuffled down to the living room and kitchen areas. It seemed like the other members of the household had not risen yet. The quiet of the kitchen soothed the pounding in his head faintly as he prepared several mugs, each with separate drinks inside. His magic kept them afloat, levitating them slightly above the countertops.
The first mug was purple, a picture of a small minion holding a banana. He filled that with orange juice (obviously with pulp included) from a carton in the fridge, setting it down on the counter carefully.
The second mug was orange, with a small fox wearing glasses printed on it. This was filled with black tea, milk and sugar added in generously as he manipulated his sorcery to keep it slightly warm.
The third mug was black, and a small red oni could be seen on the side. For this one, Shu decided that today was a black tea day too, going easy on the milk and with no sugar. This joined the orange mug in being kept warm.
The fourth mug was blue, with the image of a quill penning something into a book. Shu filled this one with slightly flavoured sparkling water, trying to give a healthier alternative to carbonated sodas. A barrier formed around it to stop the liquid from going flat before the drinker came down.
The last mug was yellow, with a plushie lion design on the side. This one was filled with warm coffee, not too cold but not too hot, joining the 'being kept warm' group. Milk and creamer were placed on the side for them to choose.
He then started on the breakfast, headache not stopping him from remembering what each person had requested the previous night. With mostly him and Vox taking turns making meals, it was good to have a schedule planned. Quickly, breakfast was made, consisting of caviar toast, an assortment of sugary and healthy cereals to pick, french toast, and vegemite on toast as well. As Shu calculated, he heard the sounds of people getting up as soon as he was loading up the dishwasher.
"Shuuuuu, it smells good, what're you making?" a lethargic call could be heard as someone trudged down the stairs.
He chuckled at the familiar groan, "Come sit down and you'll see!" he answered as Mysta plodded into the room. He took his seat, Shu automatically moving the orange mug and placing it in front of him.
"What cereal are you feeling like today?" he asked the genius detective.
"Hmm...I'm feeling...Coco Pops!", Mysta exclaimed as he grabbed for the right box. Shu sat down as well, drinking some orange juice and munching on some cornflakes as he waited for the rest of Luxiem to make their way down, trying not to move too much to avoid agitating the headache.
Next was Vox, looking as put together as ever even though he had just woken up. The black mug levitated its way to his seat, the demon raising an eyebrow in appreciation.
"Shu, it's like you read my mind every time." he spoke, sipping the tea slowly. Shu responded with a soft smile.
Ike came soon after, the blue mug floating towards him. Taking a small taste, it seemed like it fit his tastebuds.
"Shu! This tastes great! Could you tell me where you got this?" he immediately asked.
"Sure! I think it's grocery shopping time today, so I'll buy some on the way home today and give you the address."
Luca was the last to arrive, a loud yawn announcing his appearance. The yellow mug made its way to its owner, settling comfortably into his hands. Luca took a quick sniff, and seemingly pleased, took a large gulp of the coffee.
"Wow! The the coffee you make is always so POG Shu! What would we do without you?" he exclaimed.
The loud volume of the pog made Shu's head throb a bit, hands squeezing at his temples slightly, but he smiled through it. He would rarely admit it out loud, but he did have a soft spot for who he viewed as the youngest member of their little family of Luxiem. Luca was like a golden retriever, equipped with boundless energy and never-ending positivity.
"Eyyyyyy, thanks Luca." he replied, hoping that he had hid the headache well enough.
Well, apparently he wasn't as good as hiding things as he thought he was, as Luca immediately tilted his head.
"Shu? Are you okay?" he asked with a slight note of concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just...a small headache."
He saw as slight glances were exchanged by all the others.
"Shu," Vox began, "Are you sure? You can always tell us if you're feeling under the weather." The others nodded with him, glancing at Shu.
"Yeahhh, it's not a big deal. Just a small headache! Emphasis on the small!" he replied as upbeat as he could. It wasn't that big of a deal...
"Ok bro, but for real, if something's wrong, you can always rely on us, y'know?" Mysta spoke this time, prompting giggles from Ike.
"Pft! Isn't it funny how Mysta's saying this even though he put himself as least reliable on his tierlist while Shu was the most reliable?"
"Oh yeah! I saw that, wasn't it also..."
The group had a fun laugh about this, with Shu grateful for the topic change.
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When most of the members had finished breakfast, they all headed back to their own rooms, getting ready for their streams on the day. Shu stayed behind in the kitchen area, finishing up his orange juice and cereal while scrolling through Twitter and retweeting fanart.
"Shu?" a voice cut through his concentration.
"Oh, yeah? What's up?" he replied.
"Do you not have a stream planned today? I think everyone went back to prepare." Luca asked while finishing up his coffee and vegemite toast.
"No, I put today as a rest day on my schedule. I'm thinking of going grocery shopping in a bit, just for food and stuff, yep."
Luca nodded thoughtfully, "D'you need help? I can help carry stuff!!!" he exclaimed loudly, making Shu giggle softly.
"No, it's fine! Don't you have a stream in a bit that's going to last a few hours? I thought you were going to play Monster Hunter today?"
"Oh yeah! Well, that can always be a bit shorter if you need help! How about the others?"
Shu thought about the schedules, having a habit of memorising everyone's general schedule to make planning collabs easier.
"I think Vox and Mysta have something together today? Was it Smash maybe? And Ike is doing a Q&A and Superchat reading stream so that'll probably take a while too. It's okay, I can manage! You can go prepare now, I'll finish the washing up."
Luca looked thoughtful, as if he was on the verge of saying something but decided against it.
"Okay! See ya then! Call us if you need help on the food run!" calling back as he headed upstairs. Shu waved back, a fond smile on his face.
"Well then," he spoke to himself, "Time to finish the washing up and to go on that grocery run!"
As he stood up, his head throbbed once more, making him slightly dizzy, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. It wasn't too bad, so everything was going to be fine. Throwing on a hoodie and some leggings, he checked his shopping list and set out to the store.
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Everything was not fine.
Well, it had been fine up until Shu started walking home. He had managed to get everything he had on his list, including everyone's favourites and the new drink that Ike had liked. However, this ended up with him finishing the shopping at around evening and having to carrying 3 heavy bags at the same time, but with the help of a little sorcery, the bags were actually lighter than they should've weighed. Of course, he wanted to work out his arms a bit (I mean what else were the biceps for?) so they weren't completely weightless.
He had started the trek home with the slight ache in his temples, but the dull throb had quickly started to turn into waves of pain pounding in his head every time he took a step forward. The pain made his slightly dizzy at times, stumbling from here to there on the path.
Were his powers really that messed up from traveling to the future? He stopped near a streetlamp, putting down the bags in order to massage at his forehead again. Maybe he should have asked one of the boys for help...or not. He was fine. He could make it home in one piece.
Placing his palm on his forehead, he felt slight heat radiating from it. Oh great, now he might have a fever? Maybe he really was ill...
Pushing all thoughts of being sick to the back of his mind, Shu picked up the bags once more and continued on his way home. Hazily looking around, he seemed to be at around the halfway point. Good...only halfway more to go.
He closed his eyes for a moment, wanting to catch his breath. However, he was interrupted by a hand grabbing his wrist, making him drop the bags onto the pavement. The presence behind him seemed unfamiliar.
Whipping around, he saw an unknown man who had just caught hold of his wrist. Was he really so out of it that he hadn't noticed someone coming up behind him?
"E-Excuse me, do you need something?" Shu hesitantly asked the other party, maybe he just wanted directions or something? The man didn't reply immediately, seemingly just staring at Shu. An uncomfortable shudder ran up Shu's spine as the other looked at him up and down, his gaze felt disgusting.
"Um, hello? I'm currently going home, so please let go of me right now." Shu tried being a bit more assertive, trying to pry his wrist from the awkward grip it was in.
"Hey, pretty boy, what's wrong? You aren't feeling so good?" the other finally spoke, Shu cringing at the use of words.
"N-No, I'm fine. Please, let go of me. There's people waiting for me." he twisted his wrist again, wanting nothing more than to throw this guy off of him, but still trying to be civil and polite.
"Well, you certainly don't look fine. Why don't you come to my place, I'll give you some meds to make it better, hm?" he grinned at Shu, the other hand coming around his waist and trying to pull him closer.
"I said," Shu spoke louder, "I have friends waiting for me. Let go of me right now or you will regret it.", using a more resonant voice that made his head hurt even more, wincing slightly.
"If your friends let you go out and buy stuff in this condition, I'd say they're not very good friends, are they?" the man sneered, "A cute little thing like you would be gobbled up right away!"
That was the last straw. Shu once again felt disgusted by this person, and how dare they insult the members of Luxiem? He didn't care about being polite anymore, gathering up curse energy in his palm to blast this dude into the next dimension. However, right as he gathered it, the ringing of the headache resounded once more, causing Shu to flinch at the pain. The energy dissipated as he held his head to try and stop the dizzy spell.
"See? You need some rest right now, I'll bring you to somewhere safe." the guy licked his lips, pulling Shu away from the main street. Weak from the dizziness and pain, Shu tried to wrench himself away again with no avail.
"Hey, s-sto-"
"Get your hands off of him right now."
A forceful voice cut into the conversation. Shu looked up, and through his unfocused vision, he could see a familiar figure standing farther down the street in the direction of his home.
The other man smirked, "Whatcha' gonna do? Hit m-"
He hit him.
Most of the time, Luca was a harmless golden retriever with boundless energy and never-ending positivity, but that side of him led to some people forgetting that he actually was a mafia boss. Shu watched as the man fell to the ground, Shu almost falling along with him if not for Luca catching him in time.
"Shu!", worried purple eyes looked down with concern, "Are you okay? I'm glad we came out to find you!" Shu could see the other three members of Luxiem coming up behind. He coughed, trying to stand up but ultimately collapsing into Luca when another dizzy spell hit.
"Shu!" three resounding calls were heard as the other three made it. Mysta and Vox took the fallen bags while Ike gave him some water from the water bottle they had brought along. Feeling his forehead, Ike gave a small gasp.
"You have a really high temperature! Why didn't you call us on the way back? We would've come immediately. Thank god Luca got worried and told us all to come out!" Ike chided him.
Shu giggled again, "Ike, are you my mom?" he said, coughing again, "S-Sorry, I thought it wasn't that bad...I think I would've made it, if that guy hadn't stopped me, ahaha, eyyyy..."
"This is not time for jokes, Shu Yamino!" Ike replied, Shu giggling at the mom-like statement again.
"Bro, are you okay? Holy crap, that could've been bad..." Mysta seemed taken back at the man currently passed out on the floor. Vox nodded in agreement.
"I think what Shu needs right now is rest, rest, and more rest." Vox spoke, "Let's get him back to the house." The members agreed, Luca picking Shu up in a princess-carry. He was flustered at first, but with the tiredness setting in and the soft surface he was pressed against, he quickly fell into dreamland.
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When Shu woke up, it was already early next morning. He blinked blearily, squinting at the sunlight streaming through his curtains. As he tried to move, somehow it felt like a large weighted blanket was covering him, not allowing him to move a single inch from where he lay on the bed.
Looking down, indeed, there was a certain mafia boss sleeping next to his bed, his lower body sitting on a chair and upper body sprawled all over Shu. He looked down at the baby of the family, managing to get an arm to escape the blanket in order to fondly ruffle his hair. The blonde-haired man smiled in his sleep. After a few moments of silence, he heard the door open.
Vox, bringing a bowl of soup as well as Ike and Mysta entered, smiling affectionately at the scene in front of him.
"Shu, are you feeling better now?" he asked.
"I'm feeling fi-"
Ike cut in, "You better not say 'fine' right now, or I will make sure you only sleep in this position on your bed until your body fully recovers."
Feeling the threat from Ike, Shu laughed, "Okayy, I won't say that. Uh, my head still hurts a bit, but it's way better than before. Sorry you guys had to uh...deal with it. Just middle child moments, you know eyyyy!"
"You don't need to apologise for anything bro! We gotta take care of each other, so you need to rely on us sometimes too!" Mysta said with slight indignation, a pout forming on his face. Shu felt his heart warm slightly at the statement, nodding in agreement.
"We're a family now. You can feel comfortable telling us when you're having an off day, and we'll do the same for you. It isn't wise to shoulder everything to yourself, even if you are a powerful sorcerer and hardly even know 'er." Vox continued, Shu chuckling at the use of his line, "Let yourself rely on us, as we also rely on you."
At some point, Luca had awoken to the chatter.
"Shu! Feeling sick is unpog! You gotta tell us when you're feeling bad so we can help!"
Shu laughed as he sat up on his bed, "Aw, thanks guys. I-I'll be sure to tell you guys next time I'm feeling off." he said with a sheepish grin.
Sounds of agreement chorused through the room.
"Okay boys, let's leave Shu to rest and allow him to drink his soup in peace, alright? Especially you, Mysta, don't come barging into his room every 30 minutes to ask him a stupid question such as 'Which is heavier? 1 kilogram of steel or 1 kilogram of feathers?'" earning a squawk of indignation from said detective. As the Luxiem members filed out, Luca was the last to leave.
"Okay! Hope you feel better Shu!" he cheerfully said, standing up to leave.
"Wait!" Shu stopped him from leaving, "Come here." beckoning the mafia boss closer.
"Thanks for coming to get me." he gave the blonde-haired man a light kiss on the forehead, smiling softly at the flush of pink he saw at his ears.
"N-No problem..." the other stuttered out before clumsily exiting the room.
Shu blew on the steaming soup, feeling his own face heat up slightly (and not from the fever).
Although he might have come from the past, all alone, he certainly was not without a family to rely on.