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The first time it rained it had been cloudy all day and the air had been exceptionally humid, but finally, it rained. It felt like mother nature had finally breathed a breath of fresh cool air. Shiro had pressed his face to the window of Keith's hospital room and stared down at Lance enviously, who was jumping around outside. But Keith was still exhausted so he waited. It was obvious Lance wasn't the only one who was missing the rain
The second time it rained Keith was restless. So they went out, Keith leaning on Shiro as they walked slowly outside. Shiro slowly helped Keith settle down onto the bench under the overhang of the building, then speed walked into the rain. Keith grinned at him as Shiro threw a glance over his shoulder. He watched as Shiro relaxed in the rain by tipping his head back and letting his shoulders drop. Keith wants to tell Shiro to come back under the sheltered overhang, but Shiro was so happy. Ten minutes pass and Shiro is still in the rain so Keith relents, he calls his name reluctantly
"Shiro," he says loudly. "It's lunch time, we should probably go back in." When Shiro doesn't respond he adds, "you're going to get sick, you have a crap immune system."
Shiro turns around and makes a face at Keith. "Lance didn't get sick."
"Well Lance isn't the captain of a giant space robot who keeps running himself to the ground. Come on Shiro, it’s lunch time anyways."
Shiro pouts and walks over to Keith slowly dragging his feet, “that’s Captain Shirogane to you.”
Keith laughs, “you won’t be the captain for the next couple of days if you get sick.” Slowly, they walk back, just in time for lunch.
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Unlike the day before, the weather is clear and pleasant and the afternoon sun is casting a warm glow over the room. Lance is visiting Keith today. He sits in the chair beside the bed with one leg casually thrown over the other as he gestures wildly with his hands. “They were lifting this large thing and I could see it slipping, you know? And I-” He is cut off by Shiro who staggers into the room and all but collapses into the nearest chair.
Lance stares at him. “Man, you look like a train hit you.”
Shiro scrubbs a hand over his face. “Thanks.”
“No, I mean it.” Lance frowns. “You look like you got hit with a train.”
Keith watches them bemusedly. “I told you.”
Shiro gives him a dark look. “Lance didn’t get sick, so I’m not sick.”
“You mean the rain?” Lance gives Shiro an incredulous look. “Don’t tell me you went out into the rain with your awful immune system.”
“He did,” confirms Keith.
Lance gapes at him. “I didn’t know that you were missing the rain too.”
Shiro changes the subject abruptly, “It’s four, right?” he looks down at his watch to confirm. “Crap, I have a meeting.” He stumbles out of the room and the door shuts loudly in the silence surrounding the room. Lance’s mouth is still open.
“Should I go after him?” he says hesitantly.
Keith sighs. “Please. He might keel over in the hall. I think he has a fever”
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The meeting drags by slowly. People are talking, but Shiro can’t seem to form sentences and thoughts from the words they say. It’s like he’s underwater looking up at them. Finally the meeting is over and thankfully, it was more like a lecture than an actual discussion so he didn’t have to contribute anything.
In the hall, the lights seem to be too bright compared to the dimness of the meeting room and it makes Shiro’s headache intensifies. It’s also too cold and he wonders vaguely if someone messed with the air conditioning again.
Somebody’s approaching him. It looks like two Pidge’s, no, it’s Matt and Pidge. Matt’s mouth is moving now, but Shiro can’t make out what he is saying. Suddenly there’s a hand on his forehead and two faces are looking at him with so much concern he feels suffocated.
“He has a fever,” Pidge confirms and takes her hand off his forehead. “I think you should take the night off Shiro.”
Shiro frowns. “Meeting.”
“The meeting’s over.” says Matt. ‘We’re going to meet Hunk in the kitchen. You should come with us. He might be able to make you some soup.”
There are loud footsteps behind them. “Crap.” says Lance, “He’s worse. Keith asked me to keep an eye on him, but after he went into the meeting room I left.”
At the sound of Keith’s name Shiro perks up. ‘“Keith?”
“Yeah Bud,” Lance loops one of his arms through Shiro’s and grins. “Keith is waiting for you.”
“Oh.” Shiro looks suddenly tired and starts to sit down. “I’ll meet him here.”
“No, no, no,” Lance says. “Keith is waiting for you, not the other way around.” He looks back at Pidge and Matt, “Go get some soup. We’ll meet you in Keith’s room, it has an extra bed.”
As Pidge and Matt leave in the opposite direction, Lance squats down beside Shiro, whose eyes have started to close.
“Hey big guy,” Lance says softly. “It’s much comfier in a bed than on the floor.”
Shiro seems to think about this for a moment and nods. Together they stand up and make their way back to Keith’s room.
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Keith’s room is dim, which Shiro, even through the haze of fever appreciates. It makes his headache just a little less loud. Cosmo is lounging on Keith’s bed and jumps up to greet them when he sees Shiro and Lance come through the doorway.
“Hey Cosmo.” Lance gently deposits Shiro onto the spare bed in Keith’s room and bends down to pet the space wolf on the head.
Keith comes over to stand next to Lance, gently bumping Cosmo out of the way and feels Shiro’s forehead. Shiro leans into his touch and Keith frowns. “You’re really warm Shiro.”
“S’cold in here.” mumbles Shiro. “Did you mess with the air conditioning again Keith?”
Keith and Lance turn and frown at each other. “I’m going to get you some pajamas, a thermometer, and a washcloth.” says Lance ticking the items off his fingers. He was well acquainted with the medical staff. “I’ll be back soon Shiro.” he turns and leaves with Cosmo at his feet. Shiro doesn’t respond.
Keith sits down beside Shiro on the edge of the bed and brushes his bangs back. Shiro cracks one eye open sleepily and smiles. “Idiot,” Keith says softly. “I told you so.”
Shiro sighs and shifts. “It was worth it.”
Lance comes backs triumphantly holding a pair of the standard hospital issued pajamas. “Here Shiro, go get changed. Pidge and Matt should be back with the soup soon.”
Shiro sighs and pulls himself up. He takes the pajamas from Lance with a hoarse ‘thank you’ and lurches into the bathroom. When he comes back Pidge is there with a bowl of soup. It makes his stomach churn, but he’s still freezing so he reluctantly takes a couple of small sips before he burrows down into his bed. Matt has apparently been needed for some technical maintenance.
“Huh.” Pidge says. She looks down at the spoon resting in the bowl of soup and the half nibbled cracker. “He must be really sick to just eat like that.”
Keith nods grimly as he pulls the sheets up over Shiro. “Normally he puts up a fight. Don’t go to sleep yet Shiro, we have to take your temperature” He sticks a thermometer into Shiro’s mouth.
Lance grins a little and looks at Pidge. “Do you wanna know why he got sick?”
Keith glowers at him. Shiro is not at all aware of the situation and sleepily strokes Cosmo’s head, who has flopped down onto the chair beside the bed. Pidge looks at Lance warily. Lance opens his mouth to speak when the thermometer beeps. Keith takes it out of Shiro’s mouth and frowns. “Do we have any Tylenol?”
Lance quickly hands him the bottle he thought to pick up at the nurses station then turns to Pidge. “He danced in the rain.”
Pidge tries to stifle a laugh. “Shiro, danced in the rain?”
Keith glares at Lance. “He didn’t dance. He stood in the rain.”
“Same thing.” says Lance easily. “Apparently he also missed the rain.”
“Shut up.” Keith glowers at Lance. “Help me sit him up.”
Together they prop Shiro up enough for him to swallow some water and a pill. Then settle him back in bed gently. Pidge hands Keith the dampened washcloth and he gently lays it on Shiro’s forehead. Soon his loud breathing evens out and Shiro’s asleep.
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It was late when Hunk finally finished in the kitchen. Normally, he didn’t have to cook because there were already designated cooks. But today, he’d felt a little off, so he made his way to the kitchen and fell into the familiar rhythm of cooking. When he’d heard that Shiro wasn’t feeling well, he had debated leaving the kitchen and going to check on Shiro, but he had been cooking and he couldn’t let the food burn. By now, it is late, around eight o’clock as he bolts around the kitchen cleaning up as fast as he can before heading to Keith’s hospital room.
Quietly, he peers into the darkness of Keith’s room. Something bumps into his leg and he looks down to see Cosmo. Hunk smiles and pets the space wolf affectionately. As his eyes adjust to the darkness he makes out Keith, who is asleep, his head resting on folded arms, slumped against Shiro’s bed. Lance is sprawled out in a chair with his head tipped back and his mouth open. Pidge is curled up on the floor, a blanket thrown over her. Hunk smiles again and he walks into the room. Gently, though he hates to do it, shakes Keith awake. “Hey.” he says softly, “I can watch him, you should lie in your own bed.”
“Hunk?” Keith rubs his eyes and stretches.
“Hi.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” Hunk takes a seat in the now vacated chair as Keith lies down in his bed and turns onto his side. Cosmo pads over and gently jumps onto the bed, snuggling up to Keith. Hunk replaces the washcloth onto Shiro’s forehead. In his sleep Shiro sighs. Hunk leans back in his chair and feels contentment wash over him. It’s quite pleasant in the dark room, with all his friends.