Child Care (YYH Canon OVA-RP)

[EDDE]

Juvenial sniggers and chortles filled the silent kitchen as Yusuke poured the hot liquid into the tea cup Kuwabara had pulled down for him. They were in this together, so the former King had needed to come up with some way to force complicity. He couldn't feed the ill red headed fox his tea concoction without the cup after all. Aside from steeping and heating it there really wasn't anything else that needed to be done. "Okay. Shh, shhhhh~"

The big oaf backed off once again as he watched Yusuke set up the measuring spoon and begin to pour the mystical juice into it carefully. "You're sure you're sure about this, right Urameshi?" This was only about the fourth time he was asking this.

Yusuke rolled his eyes as he counted out the first tiny spoonful and poured it into the large cup of tea. One.

"I'm telling you, Kuwabara," he insisted. "Kurama is gonna be thanking us when he drinks this stuff up, poofs on into his old self, and feel a million times better again." He turned a cheery smile on the ginger moron that was all too sure of itself as he set the glass jar back on the counter to explain -again- why they were playing their little prank on their friend.

"He's been sick in bed 'n miserable for days, and he ain't getting better any time soon. If we give him a kick in the pants, maybe he'll be able to finally recover. It's not about the look on his face--" he was cut off by the deadpan expression that was landed on him by his large friend and rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, yeah. Well it's not just about the look on his face when he gets pissy about the prank, or the fact that we're pulling one over on him for once while we're gettin' to help him out."

Crossing his muscular arms, Kuwabara stood up straight and nodded his head in determined, affirmative agreement. "Okay, I'm with you so far." he lifted and eyebrow as he watched Yusuke pick the glass jar back up and pointed carefully at the action. That little tiny spoon-thing looked weird as anything. Hell, it couldn't even really be classified as a spoon with how small it was. It was more like some kind of weird divot on a flat stick. "And you're sure you know what you're doing with that too, right?"

With an annoyed growl, Yusuke leveled a glare on his friend. "Yes, jerk. I've watched Kurama measure it out before, okay? I know how much he was putting in the last time he used it. Now shut the Hell up so I can concentrate. Or are you trying to screw me up?"

"W'll okay, just as long as you're sure." After a long moment of staring hard at what Yusuke was doing, the shit-eating grin they'd been matching each other with before broke back out across his face as he waited for his friend to finish the concoction.

Yusuke, on the other hand, went back to concentrating. He began filling the small measuring device carefully and counting out each time he poured it into the cup until he'd done it each required time. One, two, three. Perfect!

With a satisfied smile, the raven-haired teen recapped the glass bottle and left the room to put it away, taking care of the utensil and also placing it right back where it belonged as well. Both items were kept out of normal-use reach of course, given what could happen if the tainted objects came into improper contact with other beings wandering around the household, and had their own special places where Kurama kept them. Once they were put away in their rightful spots, the tea was returned to and mixed properly so the flavor didn't offset. It was special, after all. Just because it was gonna make him feel better didn't mean it had to taste gross like actual medicine tended to.

They broke into another fit of near silent laughter through their giddy excitement over their genius before they were able to fully calm themselves down and head to the bedroom to offer the foxy human his hearty, healthy lunch that the raven haired teen was so sure would help him get better; grilled fish and sticky rice, proper top ramen effortfully filled to the brim with veggies and meats by Yusuke, a small glass of orange juice, a small glass of milk, and cup of tea that would also sooth his poor aching throat until its full effect kicked in. By the time the fox ate up the large, overly healthy meal he'd probably have the energy to handle their little prank much better too. In fact, Yusuke was damned sure of it given that the tea alone was bound to give him an immense, though admittedly forceful, boost of energy in general.

Kuwabara attempted to ask him where he'd found the bottle containing he fruit in the first place, but Yusuke only shushed him before he could finish the question. He knew how good Kurama's hearing was. And no matter how sick he might be with this cold, eventually they'd get close enough coming down the hall for those sensitive ears to pick up on their conversation and completely blow their cover without ever having the chance to even present him with the prank in the first place. He wanted to go back to guessing how his lover would take their joke just as gleefully as they had been when they'd been setting it up, but he'd just shushed his friend for a reason, and he wasn't about to be the one to ruin it for them. Although he did have to stop to contain more sniggers as he thought on the potential outcome all over again.

When they got to the door, he gave the large tray of food to Kuwabara. They'd already decided that there was no way Yusuke could keep a straight enough face to give it to him without suspicion. Not only was he a horrible liar most of the time in the first place, But the red headed fox demon could read him like a book on the worst of occasions. Besides, Kuwabara had to work in the morning. And in needing to make sure he didn't catch the same bug, he had an excuse to cover the majority of his face with a medical mask to help the situation. Yusuke didn't really have an excuse to do that. He didn't tend to get sick easily and hadn't really taken that kind of precaution before.

Opening the door for the both of them, he hurried into the room right past the bed and made a bee line for their ensuite bathroom. "Hey," he mentioned warmly without facing the redhead directly. "Kuwabara's got your lunch. I'm gonna start the bath and make sure it's scalding."

Boy, was he glad he'd gained a propensity for doting on his foxy lover over the years. The short narration might have seemed weird otherwise, and he didn't want to do anything that could be seen as out of the ordinary if he could help it. It would be weird enough that he hadn't spared him a glance when making his way in after all. Although it had been days, and Yusuke's near all-consuming worry over his fox before this bright idea of his might be enough to excuse him at this point.

A nice hot bath probably sounded great anyway. It would soak tired, aching bones and help clear up his current breathing issues; which just so happened to be the reason Kuwabara was wearing that mask and Kurama wasn't. There may have been a bit of a tiff between the two childish men over that particular matter, but to be fair the big ugly lug was too much of a tenderhearted baby to put up too much of a fuss over it.

 

[FavoredFox]

He'd forgotten how miserable being sick could be. Kurama had always been a healthy creature, even in his past life; but as a human child he had never gotten so much as a sniffle or cough. He was cautious by nature, and had an insatiable vanity that kept him clean and out of situations that could lead to a cold or flu. It had been decades, perhaps centuries since he last felt the way he did now.

The red fox was reclined on the bed, swathed in comforters and sheets, his back supported by a large number of fluffed up pillows. It would have been incredibly comfortable if not for the pounding headache that pulsed in his sinuses, and the throbbing ache that weighed his body down. Sleep would have been the best remedy, and he knew that, but with his nose completely stuffed and running he had to awkwardly breathe through parted lips. It took only a few moments for his mouth to dry out and he was forced to swallow and move his sticky tongue around to try and wet it once more. He just couldn't sleep that way. Even his plush, always soft and smooth lips had begun to dry out and crack.

He tried to focus on the book in his hands, but his emerald eyes were puffy, red, and watery, making keeping them open long enough to read more than a few sentences impossible. He turned the book over and rested the open pages on his lap while he grabbed yet another tissue from the quickly depleting box. First, he dabbed at his eyes, then wiped off his nose before blowing out as much of the runny goo from his poor pink nose as he could, the chapped skin burning against the tissue that felt like sand paper. With a miserable "Guuhn," he wiped away the mess and tossed the soiled paper into the trashcan beside his bed. The small black container was filling rapidly, and would need to be dumped out for the second time that day.

Kurama looked towards the door when he caught the sound of heavy footsteps, and politely buttoned up his baggy, sweat laden, long sleeved shirt. Yusuke certainly didn't mind, but Kuwabara was not so keen on his half dressed form; and he already felt guilty enough for dragging the poor man into this mess. The ginger had worked so hard to get where he had, and the fox would be remiss if the gentle giant caught his illness and jeopardized his job; but Kuwabara was kind, and wouldn't leave a friend to suffer even if Kurama did have the energy to argue.

The door opened, and he wished he could smell the delicious looking food that was being brought in. Yusuke's quick disappearance and excuse was met with a dismissive grunt, equating the former detective's actions as guilt. After all, if his lover hadn't insisted on fornicating in the rain again and again and again, the fox wouldn't be in such bad shape.

A hand was raised to awkwardly pet down his bedraggled hair, and once again cursed his inability to care for it himself. He could barely raise his arm enough to do that, nonetheless properly brush out the locks that continued to tangle with every short bought of sleep he managed to gather. The fox tried to smile at Kuwabara, but with his reddened, puffy face and weary eyes, it looked absolutely pathetic. "Thank you, Kuwabara," he offered, his stuffed nose turning his perfect speech pattern into a muddled mess. He would have reached out to take the tray, but his shoulders tensed, and the fox quickly turned his head and lifted the blanket to his face to cover it as he raggedly coughed. When his body relaxed again, he pulled the blanket away and murmured a weak apology.

"You do not have to stay," he offered, now able to take the tray with an array of food and drinks. It looked amazing, but his stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch at the thought of eating and drinking so much. "But I do very much," he turned his head and cleared his throat to avoid another cough, "Appreciate it."

The steaming bowl of soup would still be too hot, and he didn't need a burnt tongue on top of everything else. The orange juice would be too acidic for his unstable stomach, and the milk would be too thick to swallow for the same reason; which left the tea. "Chamomile?" He questioned, wrapping clammy hands around the warm cup. He brought it closer to his face to let the steam aid in clearing his nose, but his sinuses stubbornly remained swollen. With that idea scrapped, Kurama set the edge of the cup against his lower lip, and carefully tilted it to let the hot liquid touch his tongue. Hot, but not too hot. He took a small taste and found it to be strangely sweet. Certainly not chamomile or rose. Perhaps some sort of berry flavored blend meant to appease his currently picky taste buds. It was... a familiar taste, but with his nose out of commission it was difficult to place. At least it tasted good. In fact, it was good enough for him to continue tilting back the cup to drink down more. It was soothing to his belly; but what was that flavor? It was literally on the tip of his tongue, and he felt a strange niggling in the back of his mind telling him that, perhaps, he should put the tea down; but what harm would Yusuke and Kuwabara possibly inflict upon him, especially in his weakened state?

As he reached the end of his drink, the dredges of the 'berry' flavoring coated his tongue in pulp... And he knew what he'd just been given. Kurama dropped his teacup, the delicate china chipping when it hit the tray, and shattering when it rolled off of the bed to his the floor. "What did you do?!" The fox yelped, raspy voice raised into the loudest yell he could muster. The tray toppled over, drinks and scalding broth soaking into the bed, but he didn't notice.

A previously heavy, sluggish arm shot out to grab Kuwabara by the shirt and drag him closer. A mixture of anger and fear mingling into bleary eyes as speckles of gold intruded on green. "How much?!" He yelped again. "How much did you use?!" A small sense of panic lifted the peach fuzz hair all along his body. He'd never tried more than a sip. That was all he needed to return to his Youko state. He didn't know if he could overdose, but frighteningly enough, that was the least of his worries. A fetus would not survive until the fruits effects wore off.

A throb pulsed through his body, and Kurama released his ginger friend to instead hug himself tightly. He bent over and clenched his jaw, lips pulling back to expose grinding teeth. Then there was a hiss. It was quiet at first, but grew louder and louder as smoke began to pour out from under his cocoon of blankets, creating one of its own across the floor. Energy sparked within the rolling clouds as they billowed up from the kitsune's huddled body until all vision was lost. The demonic energy spiked to terrifying levels, turning those sparks into lighting bolts of black; and then... Then it began to dwindle, slowly at first, then rapidly sinking into near nothing.

 

[EDDE]

"Don't worry about me, Kurama. Just focus on getting better. I'll be just fine." He offered in that manly, boastful tone of his.

There was a slight twitch in Kuwabara's form as Kurama took up the tea first. He had a feeling that if he did that, there was a chance the dishes he'd been prepared would suffer completely during the transformation. But he stopped himself anyway. The goal had been to feed him a hardy meal to help him feel better before the tea, but if Yusuke was right, it really wouldn't matter too much because the surge of energy he got from it would probably do the same thing. "Dunno," he offered truthfully at the question of what kind of tea might have been mixed with the juice. He wasn't even sure if tea had been mixed in with it.

He got slightly annoyed as he saw the jerk peek out just a little from behind the en suite doorway when Kurama started drinking. The dummy was supposed to be hiding in there so he didn't give them away, not peeking through the doorway like some sort of creeper. At least it wasn't enough to show the likely shit eating grin that was plastered across his face. He was distracted enough by it that the sudden freak out of their sick friend nearly made him jump out of his skin.

"I dunno," he yelped just as truthfully as horror stuck him under that stare that pulled him so close. Kurama was scary enough as it was, but having him angry at you was the scariest, knowing some of the stuff he did when he got angry. "I dunno how it works! Urameshi mixed it up!"

"I measured it just right," Yuske defended in a sharp growl as he stepped out from his hiding place to glare down Kuwabara for his defensive bus tossing. "Don't act like you don't know anything all of a sudden!"

Kuwabara turned sharply to take a stab back, but they both paused when the hissing noise caught their attention and it went fully back to the fox. "Ha! See?! It's working," the raven haired man exclaimed proudly as Kurama's energy sparked to life.

They both looked both relieved and perfectly proud of the plan beginning to pan out for all of the four and a half or so seconds that it was going smoothly. But suddenly that power began to dwindle and both of them panicked quite visibly.

"I don't think that's supposed to happen Urameshi," the ginger warned as he moved a bit closer toward the bed. He'd previously jumped back several steps for safety when he'd been let go.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Yusuke growled back as he rushed his way over. "Kurama?!" He couldn't see through the fog but reached out for where his partner just was in an attempt to find him in it in his panic. At least he was hoping he would find Kurama, seeing as he'd obviously lept past Shuichi given the obvious energy shift from before.