Request for @animewhump: she requested a sick!Inumaki, and I’m here to deliver. I hope that this is somewhat good!! Inumaki’s such a complex character to write, and since I haven’t read the manga (yet) everything’s even more complicated, but I did what I could…! Let me know what you think :)
TW in the tags.
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Inumaki wakes up feeling not too hot.
Quite literally.
Before he has the chance to ask Ieiri for some pills or whatever she is going to deem necessary, Gojou decides to drag Inumaki and the other second years outside, for training.
Not that he stays with them for long, anyway.
Something comes up, something that needs his attention, so he leaves his students alone, trusting their judgement when it comes to training individually and in groups without adult supervision.
In hindsight, Inumaki thinks, he is glad that Gojou isn’t there now. The teacher would probably sense his student’s discomfort immediately, and he would force him to train even harder.
Had it been someone else, someone with a little more tact, they would probably ask Inumaki to get some rest, but Gojou is… different, when it comes to handling problems like the one at hand.
Maki dries her forehead, panting slightly. She's sporting shorts and a T-shirt, wearing a cap to protect herself from the boiling sunheat, and Panda definitely looks too hot for comfort.
But Inumaki can't quite understand how.
He keeps pulling at his shirt, trying to wrap it tighter around his quaking shoulders, teeth chattering as if he were bathing in the Pacific Ocean in the middle of December. The sun does nothing to warm his freezing skinー it isn’t, he knows it isn’t, but it sure feels like itー and he is actually convinced that his toes are eventually going to fall off, at this rate.
“-ge, you okay there?” Panda calls, waving a paw from a few meters from where Inumaki is sitting on the grass. Even Maki turns around, cocking a concerned eyebrow at the boy’s unusual stiffness.
Normally, he’d be participating way more actively, but today something about Inumaki feels indubitably off.
“Inumaki? Hey, are you alrー”
“Salmon.”
Maki is there too, looming behind Panda. She crouches in front of Inumaki, bringing a careful hand forward. “Here, let me…”
Panda cuts in, approaching him, “You’re shaking pretty bad. Are you sick?”
Inumaki shakes his head, stubborn, averting his gaze, “Bonito flakes.”
Before she makes contact, however, Inumaki bolts upright, knees buckling under his weight. He takes a couple of tentative steps back, staggering, fists clenched at his sides as he snarls, “Bonito flakes!”
“Okay, okay.” Panda calls, eyes wide, taking a step back and extending one arm to force Maki to do the same, “But, huh, are you positive you're fine?”
“Salmon.” he nods, trying to keep the shaking at bay, to no avail. The young sorcerer sluggishly gets up from his spot, stumbling a bit but managing to stay upright. Lilac, half-lidded eyes blink at the offending sunlight that blinds them, and after taking a few steadying breathsー not that it works, reallyー Inumaki heads back to training, ignoring the concerned looks that are being casted in his direction.
Sparring continues without further interruptions, though Inumaki can feel himself getting weaker and weaker as seconds go by, bones freezing despite the melting heat of July. He feels jittery, clammy and wrong.
Well-aware of the piercing gazes of his friends, evidently keeping an eye on him, he tries to look fine. He doesn't like this, he's never liked being a problem, not when he can't even explicitly explain, not when he's forced to listen to the people around him play guess.
It's frustrating.
Sweaty palms reach to brush damp ash-grey hair off his forehead, as beads of sweat drip from the messy mane, down his forehead, onto his nose and cheeks.
He feels cold, and yet, he's uncomfortably aware of the heat radiating from his body. Maki’s blows ground him painfully, but he's aware of how dodging continuously will only result in his friends fussing over him, unnecessarily.
“Put some spirit into it, would you?” Maki grins, cocky, landing another blow that sends the boy stumbling backwards.
Panda watches from not too far away, humming.
Maki’s staff jabs at Inumaki’s shoulder, pushing him backwardsー she is definitely holding back, it's painfully obvious at this point. He manages to catch himself from falling, ending up a few steps away from his opponent. His weak knees are bent, and his hands attempt futilely to pry themselves away from the kneecaps they seem glued to. Inumaki struggles with each rasped, shallow inhale, trying to will the thick fog away.
He can't, he can't!
He needs to straighten up, to protect himself from the upcoming attacks. He's not allowed to slack like that, he needs to be physically strong too, because his technique has its limits, and he knows it far too well.
He knows he needs to focus, he's aware of the others’ gazes on him, and yet, before he can bring his eyes up to meet theirs, his vision flickers.
The suffocating darkness gets ahold of his being, overwhelms his senses, drags him under, deeper below the surface.
The sorcerer lets out a pitiful yelp, choked.
He's out before he even hits the ground.
Until, he doesn't.
Maki has seen it coming, she's been able to tell that her friend had been a push away from collapsing for a bit, and the confirmation comes when, after taking a few steps toward him, he doesn't acknowledge her at all, and drops like a sack of wet cement.
She leaps to cross the distance between them when Inumaki starts to bleach alarmingly fast during the fall, revealing the painfully obvious flush on his cheeks and eartips.
“Inumaki!!”
“Toge!!” Panda cries simultaneously from his position, running toward his friends. Maki hooks her arms under Inumaki’s armpits, and starts to lower him to the ground, wincing at the heat.
“Damn it, he’s burning up.” she hisses. Maki kneels next to her friend, patting his cheeks as she attempts to rouse him, to no avail.
Panda watches horrified as Inumaki’s face twists in discomfort, mouth gaping as he sputters shapeless sounds, eyelids twitching. He kneels to his other side, silent as Maki grabs Inumaki’s shoulders and shakes him slightly, hoping to make him come to, at last.
And, surprisingly, he does after a moment.
Inumaki shoots into an upright position with a cry, shaking uncontrollably in Maki’s hold. She can see just how disoriented and delirious her friend is, pinpoint pupils darting around like a deer in the headlights', struggling to breathe.
He’s sweating and shaking, trying to pry himself from the hands on his shouldersー stay back, stay back stay back stay back stay back…!
Maki sees Inumaki's lips start to move, and immediately lets go of him, urging Panda to step back, for their own safety, and Inumaki's, too. If he uses his technique now, he's going to get worse, and right now they can't afford that.
“Inumaki, it's okay, you're okay. It's us, it's Maki and Panda.” she speaks, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible, “You're sick, okay? Do you understand what I'm saying? Inumaki.”
He squeezes his eyes shut, nodding after an instant. The two other sorcerers relax visibly, shoulders sagging in relief.
“Can we come close, please?” Panda asks tentatively. Another nod, frantic.
And so they approach him again, careful with their movements, slow and calculated not to startle him further. Panda nods to Maki, and she nods back, trying to catch Inumaki's shifty gaze.
“I'm going to feel your forehead for a second. Can you tell me what's up?” Maki's tone is soft yet firm, determined to get to the bottom of this. Her slightly calloused hand sets itself onto Inumaki's forehead, and her olive-green eyes widen behind the square spectacles. She hisses without even realising it, and lets her hand shift and move down to touch the side of her friend's neck.
“Yeah, definitely a fever. High, too.”
“Geez, alright.” Panda swallows the lump in his throat. He's always been a bit of a worrywart, especially when it came to his two best friends, “How long have you been feeling sick, Toge? “Why didn't you tell us!?”
“N-nori seawe-ed, soy sau-sauce, rice? Bonito flakes, rice.” Inumaki wheezes, shaky, and collapses, colliding with Panda's fur. The latter frowns, and so does Maki.
“We're notー we didn't get that, sorry.” he apologises, mortified, “Toge, do you think you can text us what's wrong?” Panda adds, handing him his own phone.
Inumaki grabs it with unsteady hands, sweaty brow furrowed as he types, painfully slow. After a minute, he hands the device back to Panda, taking a breather.
I feel bad. My head hurts. It's too cold.
“We should probably get you out of the sun, then.” Panda cues, and Maki nods immediately, grabbing their stuff.
“Can you carry him?” she asks.
“Yeah, I got him. Call Gojou-sensei in the meantime, please.”
“Already on it.” Maki hums and heads toward Inumaki's room to get it ready, phone held between her ear and shoulder, praying for the teacher to pick up soon.
“I'm going to lift you, now. Hang in there, alright, bud?” Panda asks, no, pleads, and he feels Inumaki nod, just barely, but it's there and right now, it's all he needs.
As soon as she leaves, Panda lets his gaze fall onto Inumaki's again. Everything about the boy screams discomfort: his already-pale skin has lost even more color, and splotches of red cover his cheeks and ears. His hair is damp, plastered to his face uncomfortably, and Panda delicately brushes it off his eyes.
They're clouded, dull, and it's obvious that he's in pain.
Gently, oh-so carefully, he lifts Inumaki, arms hooked under his knees and behind his back, neck crooked uncomfortably when the boy's head lolls to his side and his face is buried into the fur that tickles his nose.
Panda walks slowly, trying not to jostle the sick sorcerer. He whimpers, half-choked wordsー he wasn't limiting himself to onigiri ingredients anymore, eitherー escaping his trembling lips, eyes fluttering.
“Shhh, it's alright, Toge. It's okay. We're almost there, your room isn't far. Maki already warned Gojou-sensei, and she's getting the room ready.” he hushes, tender.
Inumaki's dry sob is painfully grounding, and Panda's heart clenches in his chest.
“H'rs…” Inumaki slurs, and Panda almost freezes. It's not a command, per se, so it's not harmful, but he shouldn't be speaking now.
“I'm sorry.” Panda hums, sympathetic and worried, “Try not to talk. Rest. We're close, almost there.”
“Boni-ito fl-flakes.”
“Mh, ‘no’? What do you mean?”
Inumaki groans, fingers fisting the fur. It doesn't hurt, so Panda doesn't really mind. If it helps his friend to distract himself, then he won't tell him to stop.
Panda can feel Inumaki getting more limp, but the boy doesn't look like he's falling asleep, no. Instead, the young sorcerer seems exhausted, spent as if he'd just used his technique ten times in a row, on the brink of fainting.
The Cursed Corpse speeds up, and soon they're in front of Inumaki's room, door slightly ajar.
“I think he's getting worse, he looks so tired…” Panda says, and gingerly lays Inumaki down onto his bed. Maki's fast to take the boy's boots off, and she sets them on the windowsill.
“Panda, is that you?” Maki calls from the inside, and opens the door for her friends, stepping aside to allow Panda to walk in without making Inumaki bump into the doorframe.
“How is he?”
“I got a thermometer from Ieiri-sensei, and fever reducers if it gets too high.” she says, and Panda hums out in gratitude.
“And his mission?”
“Inumaki, hey.” Maki calls, running her fingers through his hair, and he only blinks sheepishly in response.
“I'm going to take your temperature. The thermometer's tip is cold, but bear with me for a moment.”
She slides the object under his sweaty armpit, and Inumaki shivers violently. Panda pats his head, and while Maki waits and makes sure that Inumaki doesn't move around too much, she looks at the other.
“Gojou-sensei will be here soon. I asked him to pick up some sports drinks, plus onigiri with pickled plum for Inumaki. Hopefully, he won't take too long.”
“Nothing he couldn't handle.” she reassures, “When I called sensei, he was already done. Ah, he says he got the first-years snacks, but nothing for us.”
“Cruel of him.” Panda chuckles.
Maki does the same, nodding, “Right!?”
The thermometer beeps, and Inumaki jumps, eyes wide. He coughs and sputters, and soon he's lifted to sit on the mattress, rather than to lie down on it, and a handー a paw－ runs up and down the whole lenght of his spine.
“40°C, fuck.” Maki bits at the same time, glancing at the offending numbers, “We need to cool him down.”
“There, there, breathe through it, Toge.” he says, handing the boy a glass of water that Maki had prepared beforehand.
He helps him drink, holding the glass for Inumaki. The cold liquid drips down his twitching chin, but he swallows a couple of sips and, surprisingly for him, he doesn't choke on it.
“Lukewarm bath. Or shower. Whatever he can handle.”
Panda hums, “What do you suggest?”
As they talk, Inumaki throws his head back, evidently against his friends' suggestions, and whimpers a plea, or what his friends have learntー through the yearsー to identify as such.
Before he can tell them to stop, Maki's not there anymore, and he hears her drawing a bath, testing the water to keep the temperature around 32°C, not too cold but cold enough to cool him down.
Hopefully.
“B-bonito flakes, bonito flー” he coughs again, bringing a fit up to stifle the cough. The glass is once again pressed against his lips, but he pulls away and shakes his head, teeth chattering, stomach twisting. “N-no, no pl-please.”
And, this time, Panda is forcedー quite literallyー to set the glass down. The fog that takes over the Cursed Corpse as Inumaki activates his technique soon fades, and he sighs.
“Toge, you need to stay hydrated. Your fever is very high, your body needs the water. Please, man.”
“Bon-bonito fla-kes.” he coughs, and Panda cringes. Maki pokes her head inside the room.
“Bath's ready. Can you strip him down, please?”
“Sure, but I'm going to leave his underwear on.” Panda nods.
“Duh, I wasn't planning on ever seeing Inumaki butt-naked, thanks. I already have enough trauma to deal with as it is, no need to add more.” Maki laughs, trying to ease the tension. It helps a bit.
Panda lifts Inumaki again and takes him to the bathroom, sitting him down on the lid of the toilet and taking his clothes, minus the boxers, off. Maki grabs the sweaty items and tosses them inside the laundry basket whilst Inumaki is gently lowered inside the water.
As soon as he's under the surface, up to his shoulders, he jerks and thrashes, crying out and sobbing as he struggles. Panda holds Inumaki's head to prevent him from accidentally drowning, whispering half-choked apologies, and Maki gently wipes a damp towel over his forehead and the part of his neck and chest that isn't underwater.
“Bonito flakes, b-bonito flakes!!” he yelps, face twisting up in pain, “Rice, mustard leaf, mu-mustard leaf, soy sauce…”
He's wailing, trying to get rid of the hands that are forcing him to stay inside the bathtub. It hurts, it hurts, it's too cold, he thinks he's dying, he knows he is.
He wants to get out, he's freezing, he's really freezing. Inumaki doesn't understand why they're doing this to him, he doesn't know what he did wrong, he doesn't know why his friends are punishing him like this.
He vaguely remembers using his technique on Panda, and it only sends him further down the spiral of panic that's clawing at his chest.
Inumaki's scared, and he's hurting. He just wants to get out of there, he needs to.
“Has he boiled over yet?” asks someone from the bathroom's doorstep, and he can't turn around, but he wants to, and maybe this person will help him.
Maki's tempted to snap at Gojou, but she doesn't. “Did you get the things I asked you, sensei?”
“Sure I did!” he chirps, waving the plastic bag, “I got cold patches too. Didn't know what brand to get, so I got a bunch of them.”
Maki and Panda thank their teacher, bowing their heads too. It's been ten minutes since Inumaki's been in the water, so Maki opts to take the boy out of it and into some dry, light clothes.
Panda helps him out of the tub, and Maki wraps a fluffy towel around his shoulders. Inumaki’s shaking like a leaf, whimpering miserably, and Maki wrapped the towel a little tighter, sighing worriedly. She places the back of her hand onto his forehead, and it feels a bit cooler than before, but they need to dry him off before they can take his temperature accurately again, so Maki asks Panda to hurry while she goes rummage through Inumaki’s drawers, retrieving a pair of clean boxers and a T-shirt.
“Here.” she says, passing the clothes to her friend, “Do you need help to change him?”
“No, I got this, don’t worry.” Panda smiles, though worry seeps clearly through his features.
Maki nods, “Okay, then I’ll pour him a glass of whatever Gojou-sensei bought, and I’ll ready a bowl with water and a towel, for later.” she says. Then, she closes the door behind herself to give the others some privacy.
Gojou is still there, and Maki’s surprised that her teacher’s caring enough to wait and see if his student is actually okay. As if on cue, he chuckles, shrugging, “What, shocked that I’m not as heartless as you kids make me out to be?”
“We have our reasons, sensei.” she says honest.
“I suppose you do, I’m not going to blame you guys for that.” Gojou laughs. A moment later, Panda comes out, carrying Inumaki. He sits him onto the mattress, back against the bedframe. Gojou tosses Panda the cold patches as he watches from a distance, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room.
Panda gently applies it to his friend’s forehead. Maki slides the thermometer under Inumaki’s armpit for the second time that day. It takes longer than the first time, but it’s a good thing, they know it is. As a matter of fact, the results are good, and Maki and Panda exhale in relief.
“39.4°C, more than half a degree lower than before.” Maki says, and Gojou nods satisfied and relieved, even if he wasn’t too worried to begin with, to be fair.
Inumaki does seem a bit more cognizant, but he’s silent, blinking slowly at his hands that rest on his lap. He swallows, and it’s the signal that friends’ have been waiting for.
“Here, slowly.” Panda says, helping him to drink from the glass. It’s not water, it’s sweeter and mildly bubbly, Inumaki notices, tempted to drink more. But his stomach’s upset from the heat, so he reluctantly pulls away after three medium sips.
“Hungry?” Maki says, grinning gently, “Gojou-sensei got you pickled plum onigiri.”
Inumaki nods, still shivering, and takes the food that Maki hands him with unsteady hands.
Gojou flashes two thumbs up and leaves without another word. Maki and Panda still bow their heads to express their gratitude as he exits the room.
“Should I ask Shouko to give him some meds?” Gojou asks, yawning as if he were annoyed, “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”
“Maybe some mild fever reducers? If it doesn’t spike, he’ll be fine, but... better safe than sorry.” Maki says, rubbing soothing circles between Inumaki’s trembling shoulders, not too hard.
Inumaki’s three quarters through his onigiri when he chokes, coughing abruptly and hitting his chest with a weak fist. Maki and Panda both rub at his back, trying to coax whatever got stuck into going down the right tube.
Inumaki’s slightly less pale than beforeー but still paler than averageー and his cheeks aren’t as scorching, and his eyes aren’t as empty and dazed. Still, the fact that he’s been silent for a while is definitely a source of worry.
Maki and Panda exchange a confused look at the expanse of his shoulders, before the latter clears his throat and speaks. “Toge, man, are you alright?”
“Yeah, you haven’t said a word.” adds Maki after a moment.
Inumaki nods, “Salmon.”
But something’s not right, he doesn’t sound convincing at all and even he knows it. He grabs the phone that had been placed on the nightstand, and opens the memo app.
I’m sorry.
“For what?” Maki and Panda ask in unison.
I ruined training. And you were forced to take care of me and give me a bath as if I were a child. I’m sorry.
Maki sighs, exasperated, and Panda shakes his head, “Toge, you didn’t ruin anything! And we weren’t forced to take care of you, we wanted to!! You would’ve done the same. You’re good, don’t worry.”
It was embarrassing.
“For you? Maybe. For us? Not one bit.” Maki explains, “Get over your embarrassment already, because you’re the only one who thinks that the need for help is embarrassing. I swear.”
She’s maybe a bit harsh, but she knows she is right, and so does Panda. Inumaki’s face heats up, and it’s not the fever’s fault, but he doesn’t question it. He grabs the hem of his T-shirt and brings it up to cover his mouth and part of his nose, gaze shying away.
Gojou’s there too now, and he hands Inumaki a little blister with pills, “Here, take one now, and one if the fever isn’t down in six hours.”
Inumaki nods and bows slightly, before he lets Panda lift the glass for him. He drinks a sip, puts the pill on his tongue, and tilts his head to will it down after taking another sip. He coughs a bit, but the pill’s probably long dissolved by now, so it’s not a problem.
Maki smiles tenderly, and pats his back, “Come on now, get some rest. I’ll be back later.”
“Yes, we’re taking turns!” Panda explains to Inumaki, who only blushes further. Maki and Gojou live after waving their hands briefly, and Inumaki goes horizontal.
He’s still cold, but not as much, and his head hurts a bit less. Still, he’s dizzy, and tired. Struggling earlier has left him drained, and Panda’s constant chatter helps him doze off before he can apologise again, or wonder why his underwear is backwards.
He’ll take care of that after a nice nap.
(3/29/2021)
