𝐒𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 - ★彡[ᴀʟʜᴀɪᴛʜᴀᴍ]彡★

𝟖 - 𝐅𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐇

The next morning I woke up earlier than usual due to the fact I had gone straight to bed instead of playing otome games. The dinner had left me in a surprisingly foul mood, and I couldn't get the motivation to pull out my console and start something up. Dragging myself tiredly down the stairs, I glanced around to see if Alhaitham was still home.

Unexpectedly, he was in the kitchen.

"Mr. Alhaitham, you're not working?" I decided to pipe up and start a conversation, walking over to where he was sitting. Even though I was disappointed that he didn't even make a comment on how I did yesterday, that was no reason to hold a grudge against him.

"Yeah," he didn't even look at me as he continued to type on his laptop. His breathing was labored and his normally clear eyes were stained and glassy.

Without thinking, I reached forward and pressed my hand against his forehead, putting mine on my own for comparison. His forehead is definitely hotter. He must be running a fever...

"What are you doing? Cease that this instant," his low voice cut me out of my thoughts. Alhaitham seemed thoroughly perplexed and uncomfortable by my sudden actions, as if he had never had anyone take his temperature in this way before. Oh right, they really only do this in otomes, so he probably never had someone do this.

"You're running a fever," I hurriedly removed my hand, "you should take a day off. It seems pretty bad."

Alhaitham stared at me in disbelief. "Fever? I've never had one in my entire life span. It is nearly impossible for me to gain one now just because I haven't slept."

"Anyhow, you need to rest, a fever can get a lot worse if it's not treated. A lack of sleep built up over time can cause illness."

Alhaitham, on the other hand, looked more intrigued than distressed. "So this is what having a fever is like. It isn't as horrendous as described."

"Yeah, it doesn't feel like it's the end of the world, but pushing through it won't do you much good either," I dragged him towards the couch with all my strength. He didn't put up much resistance, but he was a lot larger than me so it was still a challenge.

He allowed me to lie him down on the couch, albeit looking a little confused.

I told him to stay put and then walked over to the kitchen, beginning to prepare a porridge that was easily digestible.

"...I'm sorry."

I heard his voice from the kitchen, his laconic nature spared as he displayed more emotion.

"What are you sorry for?" I tilted my head at him. "You haven't done anything wrong."

He's sick right now, so the last thing I want him to feel is obligated to apologize.

"Last night, I forgot to thank you for your work. I apologize, I was in a bad mood after some of the things that Ayato had said."

I hadn't expected him to apologize for what had happened and was a little taken aback by the sudden change in demeanor. I guess sickness affects him as well.

"There's no need to worry, I understand," I added more ingredients into the pot, "and you don't have to apologize. One of the many rules in the contract was that I shouldn't expect anything out of this, right?"

"Right." He murmured (so quietly I could hardly hear him) and seemed to have begrudgingly closed his eyes.

Looking at him lying like this, I realized that at this moment he's just like any other normal guy.

It was certainly a weird thought, but not unwelcome. Our combined performance last night had been lackluster and in order to strengthen it we would have to become more familiar with each other.

After I finished making the porridge, I poured some into a bowl and brought it over to my feverish boss. His eyes fluttered open as I approached and his gaze drifted down to what I was holding.

"You didn't have to actually make it," he said, "I could have dealt with this just fine—"

"Absolutely not." I took a spoonful or porridge and guided it towards his mouth. "There's no way I would just leave a sick person to fend for themselves. That's just inhumane. Now come on, take a spoonful. If you don't like it, just tell me."

"I... couldn't possibly," Alhaitham turned his head away in embarrassment. "I am not a child, so I can eat it myself. Being taken care of is unfamiliar to me, so I don't particularly want it."

I sighed. "Look, just don't worry about that right now, okay? The best thing for everyone is if you get back on your feet. Caring for yourself is going to prolong that process and have long-lasting negative effects. If you don't want me to feed you, it's alright; but at least let me take care of you. You're giving me a free place to stay and extra pay, so it's really the least I could do."

I'm doing it because it's obligatory, that much is true. But I can't deny the fact that he looks far cuter than usual when he's lying down like this. So win-win, right?

"Here, I'll move it closer," I took the plate that was holding the stew and put it within arms reach of Alhaitham.

He slowly turned around with a mixture of hesistance, humiliation, and shock all in a single expression. Perhaps the sickness was wearing away the wall that he put up most of the time... either way, it was somewhat adorable. I'm just enjoying this like I enjoy otome games, it's nothing serious. I continued to tell myself that as I watched him hesitantly reach out and lift a spoonful of the porridge, putting it in his mouth. Alhaitham's flustered countenance changed into surprise as he swallowed it.

"This far exceeds expectations," he murmured, "I didn't realize that you possessed such adequate cooking skills."

"That's high praise if it comes from you," I let out a small titter, "but I'm glad you enjoy it. Is it satisfactory enough for you?"

As my gaze met his, Alhaitham hurriedly averted his focal point, staring at his meal instead. "Yeah. I've never really had anyone's personal cooking before, so it tastes completely different than ordering at a restaurant."

"No one's ever cooked for you?" I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Not someone that was close to me, at least. Servants and chefs making food wasn't specifically for me. This tastes a lot warmer than what they make— perhaps even nostalgic."

I couldn't help but smile brightly at his words as I grew elated. "Really? I'm so glad! I was worried you wouldn't like it. If you need anything, let me know, I'll be in the other room."

I stood up and was about to walk off, when suddenly a rough hand gripped my wrist. The sound of the blanket ruffling and the scent of the bittersweet porridge was wafting through the air, as my stoic boss, the one whom had never lowered his exterior around me, said in a weak and desperate voice:

"Don't go. Not yet."

Most of this was wrote on my phone at midnight lol— I hope you guys liked it! Thank you for all of the reads and votes, I am actually in shock ('༎ຶོρ༎ຶོ')

EDITED (✓)