Original The Road Trip

[SeichiYagami]

Hello everyone~! This is my time posting a fiction on this site xD I've mainly been lurking and reading other fictions.  I posted this fiction on tumblr and it got a lot of positive reviews, so I figured I'd post it here too  Feedback and comments are welcomed! Let me know if you want me to post the other chapters xD I wrote a lot of chapters for this fiction xD Harima and Yuko are my favoriteee~ 

“Hurry up already, damnit!” Yelled an aggravated Harima. He had been waiting for over 10 minutes on Yuko, who was taking his sweet time loading the car.

The brown-eyed young man lifted his final luggage into the trunk and slammed it shut with a nice, reassuring ‘click’ behind it. “Relax! We don’t have to be in New York for another 24 hours!” He giggled to himself, seeing the anxiety in Harima’s eyes.

“Yeah-yeah, whatever kid, just get in the damn car already!” Harima was already in the driver’s seat, starting up the engine. “I will leave you behind.” He shot at Yuko, meaning every word of it.

Without hesitation, he quickly got into the car, knowing that Harima was the type that would follow through with everything he said. Once Yuko swung the door shut, the anxious man instantly pressed on the accelerator and hit the road hard. It was going to be about a 22-hour drive to New York from their present location, and Harima didn’t want to waste any time. The man already had 2 bottles of coffee stuffed in the glove department, with an already half drunken red bull in the cup holder, just in case he felt himself getting sleepy. When the man said he wasn’t going to stop, he wasn’t going to stop. Even if he had to use the restroom, he would have to contemplate on whether it was worth wasting time or not.

Yuko shivered and embraced himself into his own arms, trying to warm himself up. The jacket and scarf he decided to wear wasn’t shielding him from the chills that were sneaking up on him. “Damn it’s cold in here! Can’t you turn up the heat?” he asked, through chattering teeth.

The man grunted, not looking at Yuko, and being careful to keep his eyes on the slick road. “Tch, if it’s so cold, why don’t you turn it up your damn self? Can’t you see I’m trying to drive here?” Harima sluggishly grabbed at the AC nob, furiously turning it to the right, only for it not to move. “It’s already up all the way, kid!”

“What the hell? It’s freezing!” He reached behind his seat to grab his fuzzy blanket out of a duffel bag and wrapped himself tightly, allowing his body heat to radiate underneath, engulfing him. The nice bubble of warmth caused him to let out an orgasmic “Aaahh” to himself.

Harima shook his head and groaned in annoyance; hopefully that blanket will shut Yuko up for the next 22 hours, he thought. He didn’t want to hear Yuko complain the entire trip, or listen to his boring road trip stories he often liked to share. If he had the option to leave Yuko back at the apartment, he would have without a doubt; but that was just wishful thinking now.

Harima sniffled quietly to himself, and used his index finger to wipe underneath his nose, only to discover a wet streak outlining the top of his finger. It felt as if no matter how many times he sniffed, the mucus pent up in his nostrils kept crawling down, making itself known. He cursed underneath his breath, trying to remember if he had any spare napkins in his car, which he didn’t. Great.

Yuko lazily shifted his glance at Harima, who was pinching his nose, desperately trying to prevent the mucus from coming out any further. “Oh God, Harima! If you needed a tissue, you could’ve just asked!” He shoved his hand deep into his front pocket and revealed a half pack of tissues to Harima. The man instantly grabbed the tissue pack and quickly blew his nose, with a wet, liquefied sound behind it, causing Yuko to squirm in his seat in disgust. “What the hell? That doesn’t sound good.”

Blowing his nose helped him for the moment, but he could tell that it would only be short lived. In the back of his mind, he knew that more would try to escape soon, but this would have to do for now. He rubbed his now slightly pink nose, trying to rid himself of the prickly feeling poking at his nostrils. “Well maybe if you put your headphones on, you wouldn’t have to hear it. Now shut up.” He barked at the teenager as he threw his used tissue into the available cup holder.

Yuko rolled his eyes at the man in irritation, but slid his headphones on as the man suggested. He didn’t want to cause any trouble since he was trapped in a car with him for the next 22 hours. He allowed his body to sink with gravity deep down into the soft passenger seat, with his eyes drifting out the window, glaring up at the gray sky.

”Hhn… Hh’ngtsch- kg’tschiih!!”

Yuko’s gaze instantly shifts over to Harima, who has his head buried deep into the crook of his left elbow, his breath still hitching unevenly. “You good, man?” He could tell Harima was struggling by the look he had on his face after he removed his head from his elbow.

His eyes were still squinted as if he were fighting back another sneeze that was trying to make an appearance, he was sniffling rapidly to himself, his breathing was still out of rhythm, and Yuko could tell that his nose had gotten a little darker since the last time he had seen it. “Hih… H-hang onNKgschiih! IKGScht!!” Harima tried to speak, but the tickle in his nose over took him and sent him plunging forward into his right hand. He holds back a groan, trying not to sound sick to Yuko; he didn’t want him to feel trapped in a germ cell, and he certainly did not want to feel his pity. He knew he was coming down with something the day before, but he hadn’t expected for it to progress this quickly. He rubs underneath his nose with a curled index finger, and lightly clears his throat, trying to hold back a cough that is trying to break free. He mutters, “I’m fine, kid.” To the innocent teenager, and grabs for his open red bull, in hopes of easing the itch that’s still trying to get him to cough.

A harsh sigh is heard from the boy as he folds his arms. “You sound sick.”

Harima shares a quick glance at Yuko, and shakes his head. “Just because of a couple sneezes, you’re getting your panties in a bunch.” He mutters, “Relax, Yuko, jeez.” Harima can tell that his words aren’t convincing him. “… I’ll let you know if something’s up… Honest.” He lied right through his teeth.

An uncomfortable silence broke out into the car, but Yuko let it for a moment, trying his hardest to believe Harima’s words. “You better. I still care about you, even though you’re such a dick to me.” He shoved his headphones back on, without giving him a chance to respond to his statement.

Damn it that was close, he thought to himself. Too close for comfort. I can’t let that happen again. He turned on the radio, hoping to tune out the hard sniff he’d been holding back the entire time he was talking with Yuko, which seemed to work.

***

About 2 hours had passed since the boys had left their apartment, and Yuko was already knocked out, head resting on the car door, face buried snugly into his blanket, with his headphones barely staying clipped to his head from all the pressure. Harima had finished his red bull, and was now halfway through his first bottle of coffee. The feeling of fatigue was lingering around him with a constant itching at the back of his throat, and he was dedicated on keeping it at bay. The soft humming of the engine and smooth melody playing on the radio rubbed his ears gently, trying to sing him to sleep; It was like a continuous battle for him. He wished he could be sleeping right now, but he instantly shut that thought down and glued his eyes onto the road.

Harima tightens his scarf around his neck, feeling a sudden chill and rubs at his nose with the back of his wrist, cringing when the slightest touch sends his overly sensitive sinuses into a sharp, needling uprising. “O-oh crap…” He mutters under his staggering breaths, so desperately trying not to awaken his sleeping companion. Before he can attempt to prevent them, the sneezes escape from his grasp, jerking him forward, with his face still shielded by the back of his wrist. “Ihh… Hihh’sscht! Ihh’ISSCHT-NKG’isch!” The man sniffles quietly to himself, trying to stop the flow of sneezes that are forcing their way out of him. A weak sounding moan followed by a ‘bless you’ is heard from his right side; Yuko was rubbing at his eyes, lightly yawning with his glassy orbs fixed directly onto him. Harima broke the eye contact and quickly pulled up his scarf to cover up the wetness on his face.

“What time is it?” He whispered, voice clouded with sleep.

Harima glanced down at his radio and lightly sniffled into his scarf. “Quarter ‘till 12pm.” His voice came out thick and lower than usual from his congestion, with a slight voice crack. He attempted to quietly clear his throat, but it hadn’t helped on reviving his voice.

Yuko lifted an eyebrow at the man, feeling betrayed and lied to. “… So now you’re lying to me.” The teenager folded his arms at the man in disbelief.

Those words hit Harima hard in his gut; He knew exactly what Yuko was referring to. “I’m not lying to you, kid! I’m not sick, seriously. Now you can either choose to believe me or not, but just stop being such a worrywart.” He fought back the strong urge to sniff as best he could in order to help his case.

The teenage boy aggravatingly huffed at Harima and glared out the window. “Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep this up.” Yuko was fed up with him, and was eager to challenge him. “I’ll ‘believe’ you for now, but if it turns out you’re actually sick, which you obviously are, prepare for a big bowl of I told you so.”

Harima smirked at the boy and shook his head, only for his smirk to melt down into a wry frown as his head tilted back slightly and for his eyes to flutter, with a small tear rolling down his cheek from the prickly sensation in his flared nostrils that he’d been trying to hold back for the longest time. He quickly grabbed at his scarf and pulled it over his nose, so that the giant piece of cloth could absorb all the liquids that would spray out of his mouth and nose. “Nnh.. Hhn’ngtsch-nnk’gssh! Kg’tschuh!!” He pried open one of his eyes, only to see Yuko’s hand grabbing the steering wheel, steadying the car for him.

“Damn it, Harima!” Yelled the boy in a panic, “Be careful! You’re gonna kill us!!”

The man helplessly shut his eyes once again, trying his hardest to maintain the sneezes. “W-wehh…Well what the hh-hell d’you want me to do?! I-It’s not liehh… l-like I can he-NGTsch!! C-can he— IKGSsch-isschiih!” Harima gave up on talking and just decided to let the sneezes possess him until they decided to give him a break, and hope that Yuko was good at steering from the passenger seat. “Nngschiih! Hhh— ehh? Ikg’tsschh!! Ugnh…” He falsely allowed a desperate moan to escape from his grasp and quickly massaged the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve the pressure building up near his eyes and returned his attention back on to the road, still continuously sniffing into his scarf. He muffled a ‘Thagks’ through his heavy congestion and the material of the cloth as the teenager blessed him, letting Harima regain control of the vehicle. Maybe it's time to admit that I'm coming down with something... I could use a break, he thought, but of course his pride would always take over and insist that he was fine and that he would be okay.

Yuko glanced up at the struggling man in concern; his glassy eyes were hazily scanning the road, his leaky, chafed nose seemed to be very bothersome for him, and his cheeks were now flushed a dark shade of pink. A light, muffled cough was heard from Harima in his scarf, sounding wet and lung rattling. The teenager could tell at this point, the man was too fatigued to care about hiding it anymore and was just trying to stay well enough to maintain control of the vehicle. Yuko bit his tongue so hard it threatened to bleed; it took all of his might for him to hold back the boast of being correct for once. “… It’s okay to pull over and let me drive, Harima.” He was both concerned and fearful of the situation; He didn’t want Harima to break out into another sneezing fit and lose control of the car again, only for him to not be so quick to recover for him. “You sound like you’re fighting something really nasty, and it’s beating you like a dead horse…”

The man used his scarf to clean his nose for the fifth time it seemed, and shook his head at Yuko, eyes never leaving the icy road. “Im not’ stopping.” He brought up his fist to catch the forcefully wet coughs he’d been hiding back from Yuko, seeing how his light coughs were making the itch worse, rather than relieving them. “I’ve only been driving for 2 hours, are you kidding me?” He muttered between his lung shattering coughs that took his breath away and made him gasp for air. “Just relax, I can handle this, kid. I’ll let you know when I want to switch.”

Harima’s words flew in one ear and directly out of the other for Yuko. How could Harima tell him to relax when they almost veered off the road from his harsh sneezing fit two minutes ago? The boy gave out a ‘tch’ and folded his arms, rolling his eyes at the foolish man. “Relax? You almost killed us. As far as I’m concerned, you’re in no condition to be driving period.”

“Whose car is this?” He barked at Yuko, trying not to waste the little breath he still had left. “Whose name is on the insurance?”

Yuko fell silent, being stumped for a response. He knew that the answer was obviously him, but he didn’t want to admit to it. He sunk deeper into his blanket, trying to hide his unspoken frustration with the stubborn man.

“Exactly, now shut your mouth before I… Ihh-hih…” It felt like tiny bristles were prickling the inside of his flared, red-rimmed nostrils. The man slowly hovered his cupped hand beside his mouth in preparation for the sneezes that would decide to escape him. “Great, hih-here we g-IKGSsch! …hh’sscht-isschiih-‘tschuh!” He forced himself to pry one of his eyes open and glare at the road, vision being blurred by the tears from the burning sensation.

Yuko was watching the man from beneath his blankets, face completely buried with only his eyes visible, along with his feet resting on top of the dashboard as if he were watching a horror film. “Bless—”

“—hh’sscht-ikgscht!! Ehh-hiih!? I-I’b dot… d’NGTSschiih!! Ha’ekk-chhiihsh!! Ih’tchiihshehh!!” He had given up on covering and returned his hand back onto the steering wheel; with each sneeze, his head would duck down into his chest, raising his head again to fix his gaze back onto the road, only to almost instantly duck back into his chest. He could feel all the sick liquids on his face and scarf, and knew he had gotten some on his coat, but he ignored it and fixed his fatigued gaze back onto the road, sniffling hard, trying to at least get rid of some of the moisture on his face.

Yuko was thoroughly disgusted with the man; he just looked like a beat-up pile of garbage, and he could tell Harima was suffering; His eyelashes still had a light flutter to them, as if something were in his eyes, he still hitched softly between breaths, and he softened his sniffling in concern for Yuko, but it clearly wasn’t helping him. “B-bless you…” He muttered under his breath, trying to keep his strong feeling of disgust from coating his voice. He knew Harima must’ve been embarrassed— He was embarrassed for him.

“Ihh-hh… T-Thagks, Yuko, but you mighhh-hihh… want to save those blessings… F-for laterhhh…” Harima’s voice trailed off into a torturous build-up. His chest was moving to a beat of its own, and he couldn’t control his breathing properly. “U-ugnh, not agaihh… n-nnh…” He fought the urge to let out a desperate moan, as the climax he had reached faded into a slow and soft hitching again. A clicking of the hazard lights were heard as he pulled over to the side of the road; he finally decided that it was time for him to rest and recover… Or at least clear his system of whatever was needling its way through his nostrils, interrupting his driving.

Yuko sat up and removed his fuzzy blanket, preparing to get out of the car. “Does this mean—”

“— This is the only s-stop we make, understood?” Harima flatly interrupted the excited Yuko, staring him directly in the eye, conveying to him that he was most definitely being serious. “I-If we’re running low on gahh-hihh… g-gas, tell me.” The man brought his coat sleeve to his nose, trying to avoid the lingering, rebellious sneeze, causing his voice to be muffled into his arm. “And do NOT crash my car. If you do, I’ll have your head on a silver plihh… p-pl’Itchiihsh! Hih’kgscht-ugh!!” He didn’t’ even bother trying to finish his sentence; He was too warn out to, anyway.

Yuko giggled at the suffering man. “Mmhmm, mmhmm, yeah, whatever.” He mumbled, trying to quickly brush him off and get into the driver’s seat. “Just get some rest already! I don’t want you looking like this in New York.” His soft smile seemed to warm up Harima, as he got out of the car and approached the passenger side.

[M214186]

OMG please continue this delicious story 

[SeichiYagami]

@M214186 Thank you so much for your awesome feedback xD

4 hours had passed since the two switched positions; Yuko couldn’t help but occasionally glance at the sicky, who was slumped down in his seat, arms folded, head buried down into himself, with a hat that he previously grabbed from the back seat, covering his face from view. Yuko could hear his faint, shaky, and congested breaths over the soft hum of the engine and sorry-excuse-for-a-heater; he had turned off the radio just to make sure that his companion was still alive and breathing. Every couple of minutes, Harima would give a weak groan and wetly cough into his hat, making Yuko cringe each time. The sound of him suffering made his stomach churn with unease; he couldn’t stand seeing and hearing him sound so horrible. “Uh, Harima… You awake…?” The boy asked out of both curiosity and nervousness. He wanted to stop by an approaching pharmacy or gas station, whichever came first, to pick up some medicine for the poor guy, without him noticing.

The man responded with a congested-sounding groan and sniffled onto his curled index finger, only to return back to his peaceful slumber.

The boy smiled, understanding that he was still fast asleep. “You’re not gonna like this, but… I’m just looking out for you… Aaaand I also just have to pee…” He whispered, typing in a gas station onto his GPS.

After a quick five minutes of driving passed by, his GPS instructed him to turn left, and announced that he had reached his destination. Obeying the GPS, he slowly pulled into a parking space as carefully as possible as to not wake up Harima. While opening his door, a feeling of nervousness stirred in his gut; He knew that his companion was still asleep, but he gave him one last glare to be sure, before leaving the car and headed into the gas station to quickly perform his tasks.

Yuko hadn’t even been gone two whole minutes before the man already noticed the car had stopped moving. “Yuko…?” Harima mumbled while lifting the hat off of his face, only to realize that he was only by himself in the car at a gas station he had never heard of. He grunted at himself for knowing that this would’ve happened regardless; It was just in the kid’s nature. He swiped his left coat sleeve underneath his swollen nostrils and stepped outside of his car, allowing the cold winter air to brush through his short black locks. “Guess I should fill up anyway…” He muttered, bringing his groggy voice fully out of retirement; An itching sensation crept up on him, triggering a violent, wet sounding coughing fit into the warmth of his damp scarf, as he placed the gas pump into the tank. He could feel a lot of concerned stares on his back from other commoners filling up their gas tanks as well.

“I guess winter isn’t for everyone!” Yelled a random lady as she got in her car and drove off.

Harima cursed underneath his breath at the lady as he wiped his nose in his scarf; Do I really sound that bad? He thought. The cool air really did seem to be getting underneath Harima’s skin, as he could feel his nose start to run more heavily than it had before, and he knew his index finger wouldn’t be enough to keep the stream of mucus at bay anymore. He pinched his nose shut, having a wave of relief cover him at the clicking of the gas pump. The man quickly closed his tank and paid for the gas, only to see Yuko rushing to the car from the corner of his eye, returning with a brown plastic bag. “Yuko…!” he yelled, enraged, but his voice cracked and gave out mid yell, sounding more raspy than full.

Yuko had the look of a sad puppy with his tail caught between his legs. “Listen, I can explain—!” He began, only to suddenly be interrupted by Harima lifting his finger, signaling for him to wait a second. He already had his right hand hugging his left shoulder, the crook of his right elbow promptly in front of his face, ready to catch the sneezes he was about to pitch.

“I have tihh! … sn-sn-sneehhh… sneEKGSschiih! H’NKGSschiihsh!! W-whahh- eh? W-what’s in… t-the… ba’ekk-chhiihsh!! ‘KGSscht!” The man could feel all the wetness he was trying to hold back, splattered all over his arm. He helplessly pinched his nostrils shut as he tried to prevent anymore sneezes from attracting more attention from the other commoners at the gas station; he could see them giving him harsh looks full of disgust and repugnance.

The teenager blessed him and pulled out some long tissues that he snagged from the men’s restroom. “… Here, I grabbed these for you… You look like you could really use them…”

Harima gratefully accepted the tissues Yuko handed him, and blew his slightly ticklish nose. A big wave of mucus rushed out into the thin tissues with a moist gurgling sound, bleeding out into his hand, causing him to grimace; He could hear the teenager wince at the sound over his loud nose blowing. “Thagks, Yuko…” He congestedly muttered through the hand full of tissues before giving another strong blow, feeling embarrassed that the boy had to witness his mess.

Yuko opens the passenger door, urging for him to take a seat. “Don’t worry about it.” He consoles, trying to hopefully take away the anger and hostility Harima still had against him for disobeying him.

The sick man weakly sits back down into the passenger seat, using Yuko for support and closed the door, hurriedly trying to get out of the cold weather and escape the uncomfortable stares on his back. His body was already starting to feel achy from the cold shards of wind. The relieved teen starts up the engine and pulls back onto the highway, tossing Harima the bag. Harima looked into the bag, only to see a box of Dayquil pills, a bottle of water, and about two more long sheets of tissue crumbled up on top. He sighs at Yuko, seeing how Yuko hadn’t picked up something he would want for the road trip, like a pack of smokes or at least a bag of teriyaki flavored jerky.

The innocent teenager decided to break the uncomfortable silence that somehow broke between them. “So… How are you feeling, Harima…?”

He pushes the bag onto the floor of the car, frantically rubbing at his leaky nose. “Ughk…” A moan is released from Harima, as he anxiously tries to kill the prickling in his nose. He could feel his own muscles starting to tense up against his will as his eyes fell shut. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered attempting to speak when he had to sneeze... He always lost the war anyway. “IKGSchuh!! ‘Kisschiihsh! …T-Tickl’isscht-ugh! S-so tihh… t-ticklish…” Each sneeze scraped the back of his throat and made him release an exhausted moan as his body trembled from the lack of heat. He buried his wet face into his scarf out of habit, attracting the attention of the teenager.

“Yuck!” The boy blurted out, not being able to stop himself; He instantly regretted the shameful outburst. The remembrance of Harima using his scarf as a tissue the entire trip, and him snuggling most of his sneezes into it made him squirm in his seat. How could he still be wearing that mucus-infested piece? He thought to himself. Yuko’s stomach flipped out of guilt. He knew that Harima couldn’t help it, but being a witness to his messy acts just made the boy cringe intensely. “… There’s a few extra tissues in that bag, you know…” He tried to inform the sicky without sounding punitive.

Harima fell silent; He understood how gross he portrayed himself as, and if he were Yuko, he’s sure that he would’ve reacted the same way. The man grabbed the last few tissues from out of the plastic bag and tried to quietly blow his nose and mask the liquefied sound, only for him fail, creating another damp sounding gurgle. The teenager tried his best not to wince at the sound and cleared his throat instead, hoping to offset the sound. “M’sorry…” Harima mumbled through the handful of tissues. He gave his nose one last wipe and stuffed the used tissues into the cup holder. “I see that I’m grossing you out beyond the max.” The helpless man quietly sniffled to himself, beginning to remove his scarf, and then his coat.

The teenager felt full of remorse; why did he have to say that?! “N-no, it’s okay! You’re not feeling well, and that’s totally normal!” Yuko scratched his head, nervously, trying to reassure Harima. “Everybody’s different!” He bit his lip, feeling anxious, hoping that he hadn’t hurt the sick man’s feelings. Harima’s head was leaned against the cold window with a blank expression, his glassy eyes were gaping out, watching the iced road. His body had a slight shiver now, since he removed his coat and scarf, and his arms were folded, in an attempt to provide him at least some body heat. The man only groaned in response to the innocent teen. “Here…” Yuko muttered while reaching behind him, eyes still locked onto the road. “You can… Use my blanket…” Without thinking, he gave Harima his fuzzy orange blanket, not caring about germs being spread. He figured this was the least he could do for him. The sick man willingly wrapped himself in the soft blanket, feeling instantly relieved and was unspokenly thankful to the boy for lending him his blanket, despite his horrible condition.

*** 

“5pm…” Mumbled the exhausted teen, “11 more hours to go…” The boy raked his fingers through his soft, short brown hair and sighed. It felt like time decided to disappear— No, to become nonexistent, and that it seemed like he had been driving on the road for days now. He knew that he needed to take a break, but the guilt that was resting so heavily in his stomach wouldn’t allow him to pull over or to wake up Harima; He had already disobeyed him once, and he didn’t want to make that same mistake again. Every so often, he could feel his glare latch onto one of the trees and he would follow it, until he’d lazily have to readjust his attention back onto the road, or he would find himself trapped deep in thought, until Harima would weakly sneeze or cough and snap him out of it. “We’re almost there…” He sighs, trying to convince himself that the remaining hours would be the final stretch, and that it wouldn’t be too much longer.

“Tch, yeah, keep telling yourself that, kid.” A groggy, lack-lustered murmur was heard from the right side of Yuko. Harima was still engulfed in the cozy warmth of the boy’s blanket, wiping at his nose with a corner of the fuzzy cloth that was draped over the coil of his shaky finger. “11 hours is a long time to be driving, even for you.” His voice was still clouded with both sleep and deep congestion that made his voice sound frail and insubstantial.

The boy smirked at his sick companion, trying to wipe off the hazy, weary look he had that coated his face; He didn’t want Harima to think of him as weak, and as someone who couldn’t handle a few hours of simple driving. “Whatever!” Yuko scowled at the man, tightening his grip on the steering wheel, “Anyway, when are you gonna take that medicine I bought for you?” The boy had spent his last few bucks at the gas station for Harima, and for him to ignore his efforts made the teen bite his lip in agitation. The stubborn man rarely gave Yuko any money in general, and if he did, it was only spare change that he was tired of carrying around; all of the cash that the boy managed to save had been spent on the medicine.

“Listen, kid, I don’t need that stupid medicine.” Harima rasped, feeling a slight itch clawing at the back of his throat, easing its way up his nasal cavity. He tries to swallow deeply in order to ease the itch, only to find himself snagging the blanket over his mouth, “All I need is—” The itch grows into an agitating burn, causing Harima to hack into a lung rattling coughing fit, interrupting him mid-sentence. Each cough scraped the back of his throat, giving a sensation of needles jabbing into his raw gullet. “— Is a pack of smokes and a bag of jerky!” He managed to compel out of himself, while the stinging pain and burning itch were causing his eyes to become glassy and unfocused.

The teenager chuckled at the stubborn man and shook his head, “Are you sure those are needs, or is that just what you want?” After not receiving a response from his companion, Yuko’s mood instantly shifts from humorous to worried. He temporarily turns his head over to his right side, only to see Harima’s head engulfed into the blanket, as he desperately tries to silently stifle three of his gruesome sneezes. The boy winces as he quietly observes Harima sneezing into his favorite blanket, but tries his best not to show any of the disgust he feels. He could tell that Harima’s sneezes were sounding harsher each time; he could tell that they were hurting the sicky, and that it was becoming a lot harder to stifle them. “Jeez, Harima… You’d do yourself a huge favor if you quit stifling your sneezes. It sounds like it hurts—”

“—Hh’sscht-‘isschiih!! HIH’TSHhh!!I Ihh-KTT’SCHHah! HEH’SSShuhh! IKGSSschiihkt!!” Harima’s brash eruptions cut the teenager off, as he smuggles his face deeper into the blanket, rapidly swiping away the wetness lingering in underneath nose and coughing lightly into the orange cloth that rests over his arm. He decided to heed Yuko’s advice and to sneeze naturally, which helped him for the moment. “Damn, I’m hungry…” He grunts at Yuko, who’s ferociously glaring at the road, with a strong, silent intensity emitting all over his face. He was highly peeved at how much Harima was using his blanket as a… really soft and fuzzy tissue! If anyone would be using it for that purpose, it should be me and only me! It's my favorite blanket, after all. No I have to burn that blanket with extra gasoline! A blanket used for such acts shouldn't exist on the planet! Was he doing it on purpose?! No, he’s sick and vulnerable… What else would he use? Surely he couldn’t just use his already contaminated scarf laying in the back se—

“Stop at the next food place you see. I don’t give a rats ass what it is. Just get me some damn food.” Harima’s gruff voice cracks the teen’s train of thought. Yuko absently nods his head and gives a half-assed smile, attempting to offset the rugged atmosphere he created. Thought we weren’t making any stops. Thinks the boy in a mocking manner, trying his hardest not to give a snarky reply.

About ten minutes of silent driving pass by and the two reach a restaurant in the middle of nowhere they both had never heard of, ‘Emma’s Diner’. The soul tapping warmth from the diner embraced both of them, since the heater in Harima’s car was trash compared to the roaring fireplace inside the diner. A waitress greets, and sits them down at a small booth beside a window. “What can I get for you boys?” Charms the waitress, as she hands them both a menu. Harima orders a coffee and the teen gets a mountain dew. The teen can’t help but stare at the man in his poor condition. He looked paler than usual, his coughs and sneezes sounded harsher than usual, and he couldn’t stop rubbing at his nose to save his life.

“You should probably get something light, Harima…” The teen warns him, watching his unfocused eyes glare out the window, “Your stomach might be sensitive since you're sick.” He can tell that he’s wasting his breath, seeing how the stubborn man will most likely order whatever he wants to, anyway.

The sicky smirks at the boy, “I’m a man, Yuko. I need the protein… and nutrients to… replenish my body and crap.” He announces to the innocent teen, trying to sound smart and to justify his order. Yuko only sighs and shakes his head, shrugging at the man in a gesture of ‘I warned you’. Harima decides to order a double cheese burger with French fries, and Yuko orders a Cesar salad and a fruit bowl. They eat their meals with a few enjoyable side conversations about New York and the remaining hours of the road trip.

After the boys finished their meals, they headed for the car in a hurry, trying to escape the short interlude of coldness in between the gap from the diner to Harima’s car. It took them a while to leave the diner and remove themselves from the warm, comforting embrace of the fireplace, but it had to be done sooner or later. Yuko pulls out of the parking lot, back onto the highway to continue their road trip.  

[M214186]

I hope Yuko is going to end up sick...this is just great

[SeichiYagami]

@M214186 Thank you so much! xDD Your replies are literally the only thing keeping this thread alive LOL xD If you never responded, I wouldn't have had the confidence to keep updating this post! Atleast I know one person is enjoying my story! Hahaha and about Yuko... I don't want to spoil anything

(Warning: There's a little vomit in the first half.)

Darkness has replaced the soft, gray clouds as the sun has set and the moon has made its appearance far up in the sky. It’s now 9pm, and Yuko is beginning to feel exhausted far beyond comprehension. The route they’re taking is empty and there aren’t any other cars around to be seen. The beam from his head lights are the only thing keeping Yuko half awake; Everything surrounding the vehicle is pitch black from the lack of sunlight that used to reveal all of the natural, vibrant colors. Every time the boy blinked, fear would rush over him; he was afraid that they wouldn’t open again, and that he’d be overcome by a deep slumber.  

Harima moans deeply and flips sides in order to face Yuko. His face was damp from a cold sweat, despite how cold it was in the car due to the poor, useless heater. The boy turns on the overhead light in order to see his companion clearly. “Yuko…” Mumbles the sicky, sounding more like a bare whisper, “I don’t feel good…” His voice seemed strained, and like it took him all of his might to mutter out those words throughout all of his moaning.

The boy hazily looks at Harima, who’s writhing in his seat, groaning and clutching his stomach. “What’s going on?” Yuko blinks a couple of times, trying to make sure that his eyelids were still obeying him, and he rubbed his eyes.

Harima desperately holds his mouth, with a muffled dry heave. “I think I’m gonna throw u—” Another dry heave forces its’ way out of the man, as he brings his other hand over his mouth. He swallows deeply, trying to rid himself of all the excess saliva that is salivating in his glands. Feeling his stomach churn and flip around, he moans in pain and lets down the window, trying to get some fresh air. He curses at himself, knowing that whatever is fighting its way out of his stomach is winning, and it won’t be long before it is released.

“Woah, woah, hang on, okay! I’m going to pull over! Just try and hold it for a sec!” Yells the panicked teen, caring more for his blanket rather than his companion at the moment. Yuko slams on the brakes, veering off onto the side of the road, while Harima is already yanking at his seat belt and throwing off the blanket. Promptly after the car stops moving, the man flings the door open and dashes out of the car, instantly hunching over and violently gagging. Yuko gulps and looks away, trying not to retch himself at the sight. I can’t just leave him there… He thinks, while he bites his lip and decides to rub Harima’s back, in order to show that he’s there for him. The man retches again, with a brown liquid spewing out of his mouth, splatting onto the ground, causing a cringe to squirm out of Yuko as he shuts his eyes. Violent coughs are heard from Harima as he weakly collapses down onto his knees and clutches his stomach.

“You gonna be okay, Harima?” Yuko’s eyes widened in terror as he watched the weary sicky; he was beginning to feel the pain with him. Each cough brought up more acid-like bile, bringing tears to the man’s eyes.

After the last stream of bile and bodily fluids were released, followed by a few more finishing false heaves, Harima sits down in the cold grass with his eyes closed, cleaning his mouth. “Yeah, I’m good… I’m alright.” He sniffs deeply, body shivering from the cold air. “Must’ve been that damn burger.”

Yuko gives a profound sigh, “What am I going to do with you?” He smiles, seeing how Harima was lying right though his teeth; The man was known for his stubbornness and he most likely was never going to change.

Harima groans, feeling annoyed with his runny nose. No matter how many times he sniffled, the mucus would resistantly keep sliding down again. “Help me back into the car.” Mutters Harima with his arm out, waiting for Yuko to help him. “This cold air isn’t doin’ anybody any good.” Without hesitation, the teen nods and wraps the man onto his side, acting as a support beam to guide him back over to the car.

Yuko pauses when he feels Harima tense up and jerk away from him. “Kg’tschiih! Heh’IKGSsscheh!! ‘tchiih!” Harima’s chest frantically bounces up and down as he struggles to take a breath and land his face into the crook of his elbow. “Nnk’gssh!! Ihh… Ikg’tschuhh!” After a deep, liquefied sniffle, he apologizes to Yuko and nudges him to keep walking. The teen blesses him awkwardly, feeling revolted at the fact of being so close to Harima while he sneezed.

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Mumbles the teen, not making eye contact with the man. He can feel Harima roll his eyes beside him, “Your body feels unnaturally warm…”  

The sicky smirks at Yuko as they approach the car, “Kid, I’m fine! Don’t worry about me. Just focus on getting us to New York in one piece.” The two men enter the car and Yuko neglects to start the car. “What’s the hold up? Let’s get movin’.” Mutters Harima, cocooning himself into the blanket.

“Cut the bullshit, Harima!” Yuko slams his fists onto the steering wheel in aggravation, breathing heavily. “You can stop lying to me for fucks sake!” Harima glares at the boy in surprise not saying a word. “We both know that you’re not ‘alright’, and you won’t be until you take that damn medicine!” The teen is unhinged and vents all of his anger out onto the man, not giving him a chance to respond, even if he were going to. “I spent all of my savings on that medicine, and for what? For you to just-- throw it away?!” The teen glares at the man, glassy eyes locking onto his before the man looks away in guilt.

Harima is silent and let’s Yuko’s words steep inside of the car for a few moments. “Well if it means that much to you, I’ll take the damn pills…” Tears stream down Yuko’s face as he lets all the pent-up emotions slide out of him. “Come here…” Mumbles Harima, as the teen rests his head into the sick man’s chest, letting his shirt soak up all of his tears.

“I’m so sorry Harima! I didn’t mean to—” Harima interrupts the boy’s muffled whining with a silent shush, as he rubs his hand through his cold locks.

“—I know, I know…” He consoles, twitching his nose at the prickling sensation he suddenly feels needling its way around his reddened nostrils. Yuko can feel the man tensing up, along with his chest raising his head up and down with his uneven breaths. Before the teen can escape the comfort of Harima’s embrace, the man’s left arm contracts, holding him captive, as the man ducks his head into his left hand and slightly into the boy’s hair. “Heh’KNGTschiih!! Hh’shhiih! Nnk’gshh!” Harima lets out a desperate moan, blinking wearily, fighting off a wave of giddiness from the rough stifle.

Yuko is stunned in shock at first, but then instantly removes himself from Harima, frantically rubbing at his hair. “You didn’t—!” Harima couldn’t help but smile at the panicked teen as he sniffled to himself. “Oh God- PLEASE tell me you didn’t--!” The boy suddenly freezes, feeling a slimy substance on the top of his head and frowns at Harima. “I’m going to kill you.” He states, flatly, to Harima, who is chuckling to himself in the passenger seat.

His chuckles gradually turn into a light coughing fit in the back of his wrist as he manages to mutter, “I’m afraid I’m already dying.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that.” Yuko utters, cranking up the car and returning onto the road.

*** 

2am had finally rolled around, after what seemed like an eternity had passed, and Yuko felt like this was his last straw. No matter how many times the boy blinked or rubbed at his eyes, they decided to linger shut longer than Yuko felt comfortable with. It felt like he was lifting tons every time he would open his eyelids. His throat also felt scratchier than he last remembered, he had a pulsing headache, and he realized that he was sniffling up his own strings of mucus. Did Harima get me sick? He wondered. No, I’m just tired… Yeah, that’s it…

Harima was dozing in and out of sleep, occasionally watching the road and making sure that Yuko didn’t fall asleep at the wheel. His head was resting up against the cold window, arms folded, and legs crossed; He was getting annoyed with sitting in the car for this long and was eager to get to New York already. Every road sign that passed by, Harima would scan it and wait for it to read: ‘You are now entering: New York.’ He could tell that they were close; They’d been driving for 20 hours already, so that sign was bound to show up soon.

Yuko lazily brings his right palm underneath his nose to swipe away all of the wetness and sniffles to himself. His mouth gradually dropped open as he silently gasped for air. His hazy eyes slowly closed into a this sliver as his muscles tensed up, breath starting to hitch more rapidly, only for him to reach a torturous build up, and for it to vanish, returning him back to his uneven breathing. He sighs, feeling annoyed, and rubs his nose with his right jacket sleeve.

“You alright, kid?” Harima is concerned and examines the teen. “I can take over if you want. I mean, we’re only two hours away.” His soft, yet gruff voice was oddly soothing to Yuko, and without hesitation, he nodded, pulling the car over onto the side so that he could finally take a well needed rest. The two switch seating, and Harima mumbles a ‘You did well’ to the boy as they meet each other, which makes Yuko smile a warm and grateful grin. It felt good hearing that from Harima, seeing how he never really said anything like that to him on a regular basis, and it was rare for him to even consider saying it to him.

An hour sneaks by, and the two finally reach their destination. Harima spots the road sign and increases his pressure on the gas, eager to find the nearest hotel and immerse himself into an available bed. He takes a quick glance at the teen, and neglects to awaken him. He seemed to be in a deep, comfortable sleep and he didn’t want to part him from it. He heard his deep, rattling breaths and felt guilty, seeing how he was the one that wasn’t that considerate of spreading his germs. We’re in a small car together for twenty hours! He thinks to himself, trying to ease up the guilt that’s gnawing at the bottom of his stomach. What did he expect would happen?

“Hh-h…! Hih! Hihh-hiHTSHH…! Hh-heh’kgtSHH! Ughk!” Two throat scratching sneezes were heard from the teen, breaking him out of his peaceful slumber. “D-da’bit… H-ha… ribaaah…'IK'GTSSHnt!” He congestedly yells, both hands covering his mouth and nose, with his breathing still frantic and out of rhythm. He weakly sniffles into his hands, triggering an intense, prickling burn clawing at his inflamed nostrils. “H-haaah…! Aaah-hIH! HIH'K--..." He froze, cupped hands still hovering over his mouth, jaw dropped, and eyes closed, his shaky soft breaths mimicking his slowly rising chest, just before the tingle hit the right spot in his sensitive nostrils. "HaH’TSHH!! Huh’tsHH! H-hihh’SHH! Heh’ktSHHngkt!! Ihh…!" Tears were rolling down the teen's face from the irritation, as he attempted to gasp for air and collect himself between each stifle. Once he started sneezing, it was always a challenge for him to stop. That's mainly why he hated sneezing, besides how messy and gross they were. The man couldn’t do anything but helplessly watch the teen suffer in his seat. “Eh-k’tshIEW!! Hehh’kSHHEW!! ‘ISSCHIEW! ‘TSHIEW!” The teen desperately wipes at his nose and rapidly sniffs, trying to kill the itching in his nose. He helplessly searches around the car, hoping to find some kind of tissue he can use to release all the wetness he’s holding behind his hands, before realizing that Harima had used up the rest of the bathroom tissues. Kill me now, he mentally sighs.

“Go ahead.” Mutters Harima, as he looks away from Yuko, to avoid bringing up all the guilt he spent so long trying to rid himself of. “Use your scarf… You know you want to.”

Yuko scowls at the man. “I’b dot a careless bastard ligke you! We’re albost dhere, adywa—” He trails off into a wet, lung rattling coughing fit into his cupped hands. The coughs were so violent that they jerked him forward nearly into his knees.

“Hey, take it easy…” Harima mumbles to the teen, pointing at the bag in front of him. “Take those last few pills in there. I think there’s some water left, too…”

Yuko snorts at the man in aggravation, “O-Oh, so dow you’re dhe expert?” He grabs the crumbled-up bag from off the floor, too destressed to care about what reply Harima had to offer. “I cadn’t believe dhis..” a soft mutter is heard from the teen before he angrily scarfs down the remaining pills.

Harima is silent; the feeling of guilt clogs his throat, preventing him from saying a word. He only rubs Yuko’s shoulder and gives him a pleading look, hoping that his expression reveals how sorry and apologetic his is. Yuko scowls at him for a bit, but then smiles, seeing how it was Harima after all, and he couldn’t stay mad at him for too long.

[WolfPack]

I am hooked on to this fic! 

I really like your writing style and I am looking forward to more parts.

[SeichiYagami]

@WolfPack Thank you so much!!! :DD I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!!!  That makes me super happy!!!

A Sick 'Vacation'

“Keep it down over there!” Yelled an irritated Harima. It hadn’t been long since the two had finally gotten into their hotel room, and the man couldn’t even begin to fall asleep with all the noise Yuko was making from his bed. “Unlike you, some people have to work in a couple of hours! This isn’t a free vacation week for me, kid!”

Harima’s gruff and hoarse voice carried across the room over to Yuko, who was constantly shifting and flipping around in his bed, scrunching up his blanket in the souls of his hands. It felt like no matter how many times he tossed and turned, he could never get comfortable. His pajamas and sheets seemed to be sticking to his sweaty body, and his pillow had wet patches from his leaky nose and sweat-coated face, causing him to cringe every time his cheek laid up against it

Unlucky for them, the hotel they decided to spend the week at only had two queen sized beds that were side-by-side, meaning that Harima could hear every single movement the teen made.

The boy wanted to give a snooty remark of “Well, it ain’t much of a vacation week for me either, thanks to you…” but instead, the boy attempted to roughly exhale and wince an apology, only to remain silent. It took all of his will power just to keep himself from moaning and pouting from how awful he felt, and he knew that if he opened his mouth, all of it would leak out against his will and make Harima even more pissed off than he already was. The teen shifts in his bed one final time, allowing one of his legs to dangle off of the mattress, as he squeezes the blankets around him, feeling both hot and cold at the same time.

“Damnit…” Harima mutters to himself while checking his cell phone. “7am already? What the hell…” The man scratches his head and slams his phone onto the end table, groaning out of both crankiness and slight fatigue. Harima still seemed to be fighting off his gruesome cold he caught a couple days ago, but he didn’t seem as bad as Yuko was.

The entire time they were at the front desk to register for a room, Yuko’s face was tucked deeply in the crook of his elbow. Whether he was trying to quietly stifle his sneezes, or just trying to wipe and cover the wetness that was lingering across his face, Harima couldn’t tell. The two had only checked into their hotel room at 4am, and Harima himself couldn’t seem to get any shut eye; he had only slept for about an hour, if that.

Harima gets out of bed and flings on the light, not caring about poor Yuko at the moment; if Harima had to get up at 7am, so did Yuko for all he cared. Without looking at Yuko, he grabs his duffel bag and enters the bathroom, slamming the door behind him with a grunt.

“My head…” Moans the teen, absent-mindedly, as if Harima could hear him over the now running shower. He removes the covers, only to almost instantly pull them back over his head to shield him from the blinding bright lights, nurturing a pulsing headache he doesn’t want to take on. “… Please… Someone turn them off… The lights…” He helplessly murmurs, in hopes that someone in the world will come into his hotel room and shut the lights off for him.

A few torturous moments pass by, and Yuko finally comes back into reality and realizes that if he wants the lights off, he’s going to have to turn them off himself. The fatigued teen drapes his blanket around his back as if it were a cape and groans as his weakened, twig-like legs tremble and threaten to collapse right from underneath him. Each step seemed like a mile to the boy as he forced his lower body to cooperate. A shaky hand reaches up and quickly drops onto the light switch in a split second, returning the room back into a bleak darkness. The boy then turns around, nearly too fast for his own body to comprehend, sending a strain of dizziness all throughout his body. His weight shifts to the far left, almost tilting him completely over. A loud thump is heard as he catches himself just in time to throw himself back onto his bed instead of hitting his head on the rough carpet flooring.

“Everything alright in there???” The man’s voice cut through the dripping of the shower head and thin bathroom door. “Thought I heard somethin’…”

The teen yells a strained “I’m good!” through his pillow and sheet that he had landed on, wincing when the power in his own voice causes a sharp pain to jab at his head. The man doesn’t reply to the boy and the sound of the shower droplets fill the room, along with Harima’s occasional coughing in the mix. Yuko shuts his eyes, seeing how the shower seemed to be a pleasing sound to him; it strummed his earlobes like a harp, cooing him into a soft slumber.

About fifteen minutes pass and the door to the bathroom swings open, drawing out a light cloud of steam with it. “Alright kiddo, I’m headin’ out.” Mumbles the man, suit jacket swung over his left shoulder with his duffel bag in his right hand. The boy doesn’t reply to Harima, as he was still fast asleep. Harima drops his bag and grabs Yuko’s shoulder, nudging him awake. The teen shudders and frantically wipes at his nose, feeling a strong tickle erupt in his sinuses from Harima’s rough shaking. “Hey, I need you awake, alright? Someone’s going to stop by while I’m at work…” Harima pauses and examines the boy, seeing how hot and sweaty he looked. He lifts his hand up to feel Yuko’s forehead, only for the teen to quickly grab his hand and pull it to the side.

“Eh’ktSHH! Hh-hih! Hehh-ih…! Hih’ktSHH!” Yuko quickly brings his right hand up to cup his mouth and nose, still feeling the intense tickle clawing around in the back of his nose. His eyes remained closed with his eyebrows furrowed, reddened nostrils softly twitching underneath his hand. His left hand was still squeezing Harima’s as his breath slowly hitched again, slightly tilting his head deeper into his pillow. “Y-you did’t habe to shaehhh… S-shake be! You kdow how se’setibe by-hihh…! B-by dosehhh… Hehh’ksSHHT! Ih’KSSHT!! ‘KSSHT! Ihh…!? Hh’iktsSHIEW!! Hih’tsSHEW! Ih’TSHH!  ‘KGTSHHnkt! Ughnn…” He releases a pleading moan to himself, feeling all of the pent-up pressure in his sinuses rush up to his forehead, making his headache pound like a beating drum.

Harima yanks his wrist apart from Yuko’s tight grip, sighing with the shake of his head. “This isn’t good…” He mumbles to himself, seeing the teen struggling to sit upright and catch his breath. Yuko grabs at his chest, still panting heavily, and ruptures into an intense coughing fit with each cough harder than the last. “You alright, kid?!” The teen can only respond in lung shattering coughs as he grabs Harima’s left arm in order to maintain stability. The panicked man quickly reaches onto the nightstand and grabs a half drunken bottle of water and hands it to the teen, hoping that it would at least dampen the itch that’s insisting on torturing him.

Yuko manages to whisper a dry “Thags…” to the man in between coughs as he then scarfs down the rest of the water in the bottle. A sigh of relief is heard from the two after Yuko’s coughs subsided.

“Take it easy, alright?” Harima pats the teen on the head, and then picks up his bag. “A friend’s comin’ at noon to drop off my paper work. Make sure you get it.” Without giving Yuko the chance to respond, the man flips open his phone and exits the room.

***

Three hard knocks serve as a rude awakening, pulling Yuko out from his short slumber. Who could it be at this hour? Yuko thinks to himself, being greeted with his now returning headache, a slight itching in his throat and a tingle in his nostrils. He pulls the sheets over his head, feeling annoyed at how quickly the symptoms persistently returned and flushed like a wave all over his body as if they were reclaiming lost territory. He decides to ignore the visitor, and hopefully return to a passive snooze.

“I have a package for Harima! Hello? Is this the right room?” The voice of a middle-aged woman is heard from the other side of the door, jolting the teen out of bed.

Oh, right… The paperwork…

Yuko releases an agitated sigh, groaning to himself seeing how he really didn’t want to leave his warm cocoon. “Jusdt a bidute…!” The boy attempts to yell at the woman to keep her at bay, kicking his reserved voice fully out of commission. His raspy, congested voice gets lost in a sea of ghastly coughs, which he barely catches in the crook of his elbow. He clears his throat, desperately trying to stop himself from scraping his raw gorge any more than he already has, and forces himself to get out of the bed.

The teen groggily approaches the door, barely keeping his own balance, and slowly opens the door with a finger resting underneath his nose, trying to prevent any liquids from leaking down. The middle-aged woman greets him, shocked at the appearance of Yuko, but quickly plays it off and shows him the folder she has in her hands. “You’re Yuko, correct?” She smiles, revealing a set of braces lining her teeth.

He nods, hoping that he won’t have to say a word. Just grab the paperwork and lay back down. He knows that if he tries to speak, his irritated throat would burn and make him start coughing again, which is something he did not want to repeat. He sniffs twice and rubs his nose with the curl of his finger, trying to lessen the sensation of the irritant prickling his red-rimmed nostrils, which only seemed to be making it worse. He mentally curses his stupid, sensitive nostrils, already feeling his eyelids trying to close against his will, and his breath unsteadily hitching.  

"Harima says a lot of... good... things about you at work!" She hesitated, " I've decided to take everything with a grain of salt when it comes to Harima though!" She giggles, "I think he's just grouchy all the time and hates everyone... But deep down inside, he's just a trapped little teady bear that needs a little old school TLC!" Please stop talking. Please stop talking. Can't you come back later? The woman gives him a look of concern and takes a closer look at the spaced out teen. Need to sneeze. N-need tohhh-hihh! Sne-eeze--! The need to sneeze was so strong that he was even hitching in his thoughts. “Hey, are you alright…? You don’t look so good…”

Yuko quickly backs away from the woman, being overtaken by the prickly sensation that insists on torturing him and he slowly brings a cupped hand up to hover over his mouth. His eyes flutter shut, along with his lips gradually parting. “I-I’b… fihhh -snff- F-fide…” He whispers, more like to himself, through staggering breaths, as he rapidly sniffled, attempting to eagerly release the stuck sneeze that refused to free itself. He freezes, lips parted, eyes shut, jaw dropped and hand promptly in front of his mouth, impatiently waiting for the inevitable.

“Hm. For some reason, that doesn’t sound too convi—”

“Hehh’KGDSSHT!” Yuko interrupts the woman mid-sentence, instantly burying his face deep into his now wet hands, with each sneeze clawing at his throat, stripping it dry. “Hh’ISSCHIEW! ‘KGSSHEW! ‘Itssch-‘Ksshh-‘TsshIEW! ’ISSCHIEW! Ih’TSCHIEWW!!” Not even having time to collect himself, he leans onto the doorway for support, frantically gasping for air, only for his scattered breaths to be interjected with grisly coughs, gaping out of him.  An upsurge of lightheadedness crosses the teen, as he attempts to swallow away all the itching in his throat and breathe properly.

The woman anxiously grabs the teen and rests him on her shoulder, walking him over to the couch and closing the door behind her with the swing of her foot. “I’m going to sit you down, okay? Just try and breathe for me!” The boy weakly collapses onto the cushion, coughing up a lung on the couch, tears rolling down his cheeks from all of the burning in his throat. The woman tosses the folder onto a nearby coffee table and fills a glass with water from the sink; She hands the glass to the boy, making sure he drinks every last drop of it.

“Dagknds…” The boy mutters through a thick wall of heavy congestion, sounding so unclear that he himself wasn't sure if he said the correct wording. He felt his cheeks flush a light pink from his embarrassment. 

The woman grabs the used glass and replaces it with a travel pack of tissues that she removes from her purse. “Well, I didn’t exactly come here to be a caretaker…” She sighs and checks her watch, giving it a disappointed look. “… And this run was supposed to be quick…”

“I cad mbadage ‘till Hariba gedts bagk…” He mutters through the four sheets of tissues now resting in his hands before giving a soft blow, which does absolutely nothing to break the congestion. “Dhagks a lodt, really. I did’t cadtch your dambe?”

“Asahi…” She says to the teen, giving him one last gloss over, being hit with a slight feeling of unease. “… Tell Harima to call me when you see him… And take care…” She mumbled a ‘sorry’ to the teen on the way out and closed the door behind her.

Yuko lets out a weak sigh after blowing his nose a bit harder the second time, being careful not to trigger the persistent itch lurking in the back of his throat, and lays down on the couch, folding his arms, trying to provide him with at least a little body heat. The rough couch cushions made it difficult for him to get comfortable, but he shrugged it off, trying to make the best of it, seeing how he wasn’t confident in having enough strength to reach his bed alone without falling out onto the carpet. He flips over to his side, and closes his eyes, trying to get some rest and hopefully stop the room from slowly spinning around him, wanting Harima to be the next person to awaken him.

***

“Hih’KGSSHnt!” A loud eruption jerks Yuko forward, forcing him to nearly do a sit up into his knees. He winces, feeling the wetness spray onto his thighs. Still flushed with sleep and slight dizziness, the teen barely brings up a cupped hand to catch the next two harsh sneezes. “Hh-hihg’TSSHIEW! Eh-k’gtshIEW!! Mmnn…” He releases a light moan between soft sniffling and then curses underneath his breath, being annoyed with his indecisive nose, seeing how it couldn’t decide on whether it wanted to run or to stay stuffed up. He also noted that his sneezes were getting harder to maintain and that each one hurt like hell. The teen shudders and frantically gazes around the room, eager to find another tissue or napkin—SOMETHING other than his clothing to stop the heavy flow of mucus, only to find nothing; He had already used up the pack that Asahi gave him. He pulls his phone out of his pocket, checking the time; It was only 2pm, and Harima didn’t get home until 4pm. We really ought to get some tissues… He thinks to himself, while dialing Harima’s number into the phone. Maybe he could pick some up…?

“Hello? Yuko…?” Harima’s gruff voice is heard on the other line, over printing machines and other conversations in the background. “Why the hell are you calling me? Did something go wrong? Did you get my paperwork? Do I need to come—”

“I’b fide, dhagks for aski’g…” The teen interrupts Harima’s panic attack, trying to stop him from getting too caught up in his mental warfare. The man grunts into the phone, threatening to hang up on the boy and get back to work if he didn't get to the point of the phone call. “Loogk, cad you judst picgk up sobe tissues, please? Dhat’s all I wadt…” Yuko bites his lip hard, trying to relieve himself of all the nervousness building up in his gut. He knew that asking anything of Harima would be a challenge, because he always said ‘no’ to everything he asked, no matter what it was. “… I cad pay you bagck later, judst—”

A loud, drawn-out sigh is heard from Harima, indicating to Yuko that Harima was very much annoyed with his request; Yuko could tell that he was either massaging his temples or rubbing his forehead in irritation. The two fall silent, allowing Harima’s background environment to fill Yuko’s left ear. After a moment of pondering, the man clears his throat and utters a ‘sure’ into the phone. “… Sure, kid… I’ll get the damn tissues. Anything else??? Or am I just your stupid errand boy?”

Yuko grimaces with remorse, feeling like this entire call was a huge mistake. He just didn’t get it. How Harima could switch so fast from being caring and concerned about him, to instantly giving him the cold shoulder and asshole treatment not too long after. I wouldn’t be in the mess if you hadn’t gotten me sick, you know. He thinks to himself, trying to release some of the guilt that is now waning in his stomach. “We’re oud of meds…” He mutters softly like a whisper. Harima pulls the phone away from him and doesn’t respond to the teen, causing another silence to break between them. Feeling uncomfortable with the silence, Yuko fumbles with a loose string in the couch, wondering if Harima had heard him or not. “…Hello? Did you hea—”

“Hn’kgschxt! …Kg’tschxt-uh!!” Two distant sneezes are heard from the man, disrupting the stillness between them, followed by a few stifled coughs. He mumbles a ‘thagks’ to the coworkers that blessed him, then returns the phone to his ear with a trail of light sniffling. “Yeahhh, I h-heard you-HUH… Ih’kttschnxt-ugh!”

The teen frowns, seeing how Harima didn’t sound like he was getting any better, and he was worried about him working in this condition. “Are you sure you’re suppos’d to be worki’g like this?” The teen cringes and brings up his right sleeve to wipe away all the wetness resting on his upper lip, seeing how it was becoming too much for him to keep at bay and he needed to get rid of at least some of it.

A damp sounding nose blow is heard on Harima’s end, followed by two failed stifles; He ignored the blessings this time, already knowing that he wasn't finished and that more would come sooner or later anyway. He kept the cloth draped around his nostrils as he replied to Yuko, making his voice sound quiet and muffled. “Like it or not, I have to. ’s why we drove here, remember? Gotta make the money.” The man gurgles into the damp tissues once again and tosses away the depleted tissue. “Hihh...! Hih'Kgtsx-chiih! Damn it-- Look, I gotta get back to work, alright? I’ll bring the stuff back to the room.” Harima ends the call instantly, cutting off his wet coughs and without giving Yuko the chance to reply or rebuttal.  

Yuko slides his phone back into his pocket, feeling uneasy at how abruptly Harima ended the call. All he could do was hope that his companion could finish the day in one piece and make it hope alright. He wearily attempts to make it back to his bed and cocoon himself under the inviting covers and await the arrival of Harima.

TBC...

This is all I've written so far xD Currently working on the next segment  

[M214186]

I am so damn hope darn hooked on this.... glad to have had two parts to read.... 

[ebay34]

This is so well written. It's so interesting how fast Harima switches from being concerned and caring to being a complete jerk to Yuko. I can't wait for more.

[RipleyToo]

I love Harima's sneezes...hopefully he'll learn that stifling them isn't good for him! Please do continue! I love your characters and their personalities with each other! I'd love to see more sneezy Harima tho 

[Shikee12.haley]

4 hours ago, Puzzle said:

I love Harima's sneezes...hopefully he'll learn that stifling them isn't good for him! Please do continue! I love your characters and their personalities with each other! I'd love to see more sneezy Harima tho 

I couldn't agree more this story is just so great 

[SeichiYagami]

SORRY TO KEEP YOU ALL WAITING~~~ O O F

LOL My birthday just passed (Yay :D) and I've been doing a lot of stuff with my family! AlsoooOOoO I got sick today ;- ; And it's been so hard for me to focus UUHGHUHGUHASNDAF!! I'm like halfway finished with the next chapter so it should be posted soon!  

@Puzzle and @Shikee12.haley YESSHHHHH!!! Sneezy Harima is the reason I live and breatheeee~ <3 He's my favoriteeeEeEEee!! I'm so glad y'all agree!!! And of course, Harima's not out of the woods yet  HE'S FAR FROM IT, TO BE EXACT!!! MUAHAHA!! *Evil laughter* 

Thanks to EVERYONE for the lovely comments!!!! I'm so happy that you guys are enjoying this story!! I'll try to post more frequently in the future  <3 You guys are the best!

[RipleyToo]

13 hours ago, SeichiYagami said:

SORRY TO KEEP YOU ALL WAITING~~~ O O F

LOL My birthday just passed (Yay :D) and I've been doing a lot of stuff with my family! AlsoooOOoO I got sick today ;- ; And it's been so hard for me to focus UUHGHUHGUHASNDAF!! I'm like halfway finished with the next chapter so it should be posted soon!  

@Puzzle and @Shikee12.haley YESSHHHHH!!! Sneezy Harima is the reason I live and breatheeee~ <3 He's my favoriteeeEeEEee!! I'm so glad y'all agree!!! And of course, Harima's not out of the woods yet  HE'S FAR FROM IT, TO BE EXACT!!! MUAHAHA!! *Evil laughter* 

Thanks to EVERYONE for the lovely comments!!!! I'm so happy that you guys are enjoying this story!! I'll try to post more frequently in the future  <3 You guys are the best!

Can't wait for the next update then!!

[SeichiYagami]

Please excuse my absence! xD NOT TO WORRY, I COME BEARING A GIFT~! Sorry if there's any errors or typos LOL I'm sleepy and wanted to post this ASAP since I went MIA xD

 

Yuko drearily bats an eye at the digital clock resting on the nightstand. 6:15pm… He thinks to himself, wiping away beads of sweat that coated his forehead. A pulsing headache erupts strongly in Yuko’s head from the jangling of keys outside the hotel door. He still felt very sluggish and lethargic, even though he’d been napping on and off.

“Heh’IKGSsscheh!! Damn it,” A sneeze interrupts the still silence before Harima shoves the door open with two plastic bags in one hand and his duffel bag in the other. The teen slowly sits up in his bed, feeling relieved that Harima made it home safely.

“You’re bacgk lade…” He winces, trying to ignore the strong itch in the back of his throat already returning and refusing to give him a break. The man only groans in response and tosses the bags onto the table. Feeling the strong tension radiating off of Harima, Yuko decides to change the subject instead; He was just grateful that Harima made it back safely at least. “How’re you feeli’g?”

“Shitty…” Harima croaked through a few rattling coughs, as if to justify his case. “You?” Harima tried to hold back a grunt, feeling overrun by exhaustion: mental and physical. He felt worse than shit— He wasn’t sure if there were even a word fit enough in the dictionary to describe how he felt, but he didn’t want Yuko to worry about him too much, seeing how Yuko was already sick himself— probably even sicker than he was.

“Shiddy.” Yuko repeats, mockingly. Harima digs into one of the plastic bags and roughly tosses a box of tissues directly at the teen, being unamused. The teen catches the box, shrugs off his aggressiveness and blows his nose, feeling overwhelmingly grateful that he could finally relieve himself of all the pint up congestion. “… Anyway, I was real worried about you, ya’know?” The teen took in a deep sniffle and squeezed the blanket tighter around himself to comfort him from Harima’s unspoken wrath while he spoke. “You still sounded pretty rough on the phone, and you hung up really quick…”

“I was at work, kid!!” Harima erupted, “D’you think I get paid by slacking off and chatting up a storm with my friends all day???” He hacked into his fist, instantly regretting the decision of raising his voice. “If you do, then your world sounds a hell-of-a lot better than mine...” The room went still for a quick moment, allowing room for the congested breathing from the two to do the speaking for them. “Sorry…” Harima finally grunted out, “It’s just been a long day… I’m so goddamn tired I could just fall asleep standin’ up.”  He yawned deeply and stretched his arms. “And this damn cold ain’t helpin’… Ugh, I need a smoke.” The man reached into the plastic bag once again, pulling out a box of Marlboro cigarettes. After shoving the box into his pocket, the man had left the room entering the cold, and leaving Yuko alone once again.

 “No worries…” Muttered the innocent teen under his breath, more like to himself since Harima had already stepped outside. He glared out the window, seeing Harima’s back leaning up against it through the wooden blinds, and he shook his head in disapproval. That man is going to kill himself one of these days, Yuko sighs as he gets up and decides to see what the man had brought home. In the first bag there were two bottles of water, a 6 pack of ramen noodles, a bag of Teriyaki Jerky, of course, and a can of red bull. In the second bag there was another pack of cigarettes, another box of tissues and the crumbled-up receipt. Yuko audibly groans and shakes his head, feeling very disappointed in the choice of items Harima bought. At least it’s something… I guess. He grabs one of the bottles of water and sets it on the night stand, feeling overly submerged in exhaustion. All I want to do is sleep, he tells himself, as he lies back onto the brick-like mattress and returns to his blanket cocoon. He closes his eyes and attempts to sleep off the horrible symptoms that insist on making him miserable.

Not even 2 minutes pass by before Yuko is rudely awoken by Harima’s muffled, rattling coughs. The teen flips over onto his other side, watching the man repeatedly hack into his clenched fist through the window. His coughs grow louder and rougher as he snaps at the waist, hunched over, face buried deep in his hands. The man drops his cigarette and stomps it out, still attempting to rid himself of the irritant scratching at the back of his throat. Yuko sighs, unable to muster up an answer as to why Harima insisted on being so mule-headed. While rubbing at his throat, the man re-enters the room feeling worn, and grabs the red bull from the bag.

“Well that didn’t take long…” The teen muttered from underneath his blankets.

Harima ignores the teens’ snarky reply and downs a swig of red bull, removing his coat and grabs the bag of jerky along with an old newspaper from the table. He swings open the paper and plops down onto his bed, causing the springs to make a loud squeaking sound as he got comfortable and began to read the paper. The teen shifted around in the bed deciding to ignore the man and resume his attempts in getting some rest.

***

Yuko’s soft, stuffy snores finally filled the room, serving as a confirmation for Harima that he was fast asleep. He sighs, wondering how Yuko managed to fall asleep before him with such a leaky nose and scratchy throat. The man slowly sits up, stifling a couple of wet coughs into his curled fist, feeling annoyed with how irritated his throat has been feeling. He struggled to stand up, mentally cursing his body for not willing to cooperate with him, and he forces himself to grab the folder off of the table and slowly work his way over to the desk. He exhaustedly sits down and turns on the dim lamp, reluctantly taking out the papers from the folder.

He manages to get through the first quarter with a few quiet sniffles, but as the night slowly progresses, he finds himself sniffling louder and wetter. The man sluggishly grabs the other tissue box and sets it on the desk, feeling a returning tickle he knows all too well.  He brings up an index finger to cover underneath his nose and quickly grabs a handful of tissues, already feeling his chest begin to excitedly jump up and down. The man squeezes the tissues tightly around his nostrils, hopelessly trying to control the prickling deep inside his nose. He slowly tilts his head back, falsely allowing a few faint, but audible hitches to escape his lips.

His eyes quickly shut as his entire body freezes, reaching a suspenseful climax, feeling the battle between him and the persistent itch rage on deep into his nostrils. He can feel himself on the verge of another hitch, so he desperately clamps his jaws down shut, again but harder, eagerly trying to prevent the lurking sneeze from rupturing out of him. He feels a strand of mucus trickle down his nose and dampen the tissue, sending a ticklish wave radiate throughout both of his nostrils. A frail, hitching breath escapes him as he quickly drops his pen and brings up his other hand to squeeze his mouth and nose tighter; He was on the brink of failure and he himself knew that.

The man clenches his eyes shut even tighter, already feeling his nose leak heavily into the tissues, trying to flush out the irritant in his nostrils. He jerks deep into his hands, twice, not making any sounds except for his heavy, congested sigh. He holds onto the table, feeling lightheaded and tries to maintain his balance in his seat. Before he can truly collect himself, he ducks into his chest, being caught off guard by the quickly returning prickle.

“Hehh-IKGSshn-isschiih-kg’tschiih!!!”

The sound of rustling sheets behind the man cause Harima’s stomach to flip as he quickly grabs another handful of tissues. He forcefully blows into the soft tissues, helplessly trying to eliminate the tickling sensation resting in his nose. The man tosses the wad of used tissues to a random corner of the desk, quickly exchanging it for another handful of clean tissues and instantly squeezes his nostrils shut, still feeling the strong tickle irritating his sinuses. He aggressively hitches into the tissues as an innocent tear rolls down his right cheek. Harima hears the teen give a congested groan from behind him and holds his breath, hoping that he hadn’t fully woken up the teen. He barely stifles an intense hitch with all of his remaining strength, his body trembling yet remaining frozen once again from the paralyzing itch. The man mentally curses, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed; He shuts his eyes and snaps forward, finally giving in to the tickling sensation.

 “Hh’IKGSSH-ikgssh’nkgssh! Hhnkgssch! Hh-hn’nkgtxshmpf! Ikgschff!”

He grunts at how tired his sneezes sounded, feeling angered at how hard stifling his sneezes were truly becoming. The man coughs wetly into the tissues, panting for air and also trying to coax out the lingering sneezes still sitting in his nostrils. A low gurgling sound is released as he empties the fluids from his nose. He cringes, feeling each gurgle vibrate his nostrils in a ticklish manner. How many times am I gonna sneeze tonight, damnit!? He thinks to himself, with his hand hovering hesitantly over the box of tissues as if he were determining whether or not he would have enough time to replace the used tissues before he entered another sneeze fit. He wipes his nose one more time and begins to crumple up the used tissues, but as he pulls the wad away from his face, he feels the now burning sensation rupture like a wild fire along the inner-rim of his nostrils. He lunges forward, just barely making it into his left elbow before an unrestricted sneeze erupts out of him.

“Hhuuhh’iihhIESSSH’u! Hh’IESSCH! Hiih’iihSSCCHHiiu! Nnggh…”

The man winced at how painful these three forceful sneezes were; He felt each sneeze rip out of him and scrape the back of his throat every time. A soft shuffling of footsteps are heard from behind the man, but he says nothing, trying to keep himself from moaning in pain from the pressure in his head. Feeling exhausted and helpless, the man blindly reaches around for the box of tissues, being too embarrassed to lift his head up from his elbow now resting on the desk. He hears the sound of the box sliding against the desk and feels the box slightly nudge against his elbow.

“Here…” Yuko’s groggy voice cuts through Harima’s heavy cloud of despair as the teen pulls up a chair to sit beside him. The man remains silent and turns away from the teen, so he could gratefully blow his runny nose. A pair of stifled coughs are heard from Yuko as he sluggishly rests his head onto the cold desk. “I haven’t heard you sneeze like that in a while.” He mutters, voice coated with surprise and concern, “Are you okay?”

The man lackadaisically stares at the wall, chest slowly rising and falling out of rhythm. He closes his eyes, mentally cursing at how ticklish his nose still was. A muffled hitch his released into the handful of tissues as he absent-mindedly nods his head, still trying to figure out if he was going to sneeze or not. The teen reaches up to rub the man’s back, not caring about he would react. For all he was concerned, the man looked like he was overly exhausted and in pain. He couldn’t allow himself to leave him to suffer alone like this. Harima flinched at the foreign action but was too weak to care enough to pull away. The teen’s eyes widen as he smiles internally, feeling accomplished and hopeful.

“Ikg’chsshm-kg’isshmpf!! Ihkggshmpff!!!”

The man breaks the connection and weakly jerks forward into his hands, using the tissues in a failed attempt to stifle, or at least lessen the forcefulness of his sneezes. He then stiffens, being overtaken by a slight dizziness and unintentionally leans against Yuko’s right shoulder, having his balance lost after a failed recovery.  Yuko quickly sits up, attempting to stabilize Harima before he fully collapses onto him and he carefully pushes the man upright in his chair. Harima blinks a few times and takes a heavy breath, still trying to compose himself.

“Harima, you should rest!” The teen fearfully advises. The man turns to look at Yuko in a robotic manner with a blank stare. “Come on, I’ll help you get to your bed.” The man absent-mindedly obeys and attempts to stand, only to lose his strength and roughly fall back into his chair. He gives a weak grunt before Yuko wraps Harima’s arm around his shoulder and guides him to his bed. “You need to take better care of yourself.” The teen scolds the man, seeing how weak and exhausted he was. “Red bull’s and beef jerky aren’t the proper diet, especially when you’re sick…” The man only gives a weak grunt in response and collapses onto to the bed.

TBC...

[M214186]

So glad that you have continued with this

[RipleyToo]

Omg! Harima is so damn cute!! I need more of his sneezes!! He is very stubborn <3. Can't wait for the next update! 

[RipleyToo]

Will this ever be continued?