FicWad

Disclaimer: I certainly DON'T own Bleach and it most certainly owns me.
Note: Since I'm from Sweden I'll use Celsius. 39.4 °C is approximately about 103 °F.
Another note: I've tried not to write cliff-hangers. And there isn't really one in this, but there are some "questions" which you won't get the answers on until the next chapter.

Chapter 4 - Love fever

Renji woke up the next morning feeling like he had swallowed a thousand needles. His throat was all dried out and it was hot. Ichigo lay asleep beside him, but that wasn't the source of the heat. Suddenly he started coughing and it hurt like hell. He put his hand over his mouth and tried to suffocate the coughing with no success.
Beside him Ichigo turned in his sleep. Renji tried even harder to suffocate the coughing. He didn't want to wake up Ichigo, so he carefully got out of bed. But as soon as he tried to stand up on the floor, his legs folded and he fell down on the floor. His body felt not only hot, but weak too. As he laid there the coughing came back.
"Damn, Renji. That doesn't sound good."
Ichigo sat up and looked down at Renji on the floor.
"I'm fine," Renji answered, still coughing.
"What the hell are you doing down there?"
When all he got as an answer was more coughing, he rushed out of bed. He put one hand on Renji's forehead.
"Renji, you idiot! You're burning up. Why the hell did you get out of bed? Sometimes I wonder if your head is filled with sawdust."
"Why you little piece of...." The sentence was interrupted by an attack of coughing. "I was trying not to wake you up. I'm fine. It's just a little hot in here."
"Damn it, Renji! It's you who's burning. It's absolutely freezing in here. You caught a fever."
Ichigo lifted Renji back on the bed and wrapped him up tightly in the blankets.
"Ichigo, it's to hot..."
"No, it's not."
"Stop pampering me."
"I'll pamper you all I want. And I will make sure that you stay in that bed all day, if I so have to tie you up."
"You wouldn't dare..."
Ichigo stared at Renji.
"Why don't you try me? I'm going down to get a few things. You better not move."
He kissed Renji lightly and then he went downstairs. Renji could hear him greet his sisters and then fight with his father. "I wonder how it feels. To have a real family. Sisters, brothers and parents." He removed some of the blankets and tried sitting up. Another attack of coughing came and he gave it up for a while. When his body had calmed down he tried again, but got the same result.
"I would do as Ichigo said, if I were you."
Renji turned to the door. Rukia stood in the doorway, hesitating whether she was welcome in the room or not.
"No, you wouldn't."
She smiled.
"What's the matter? You had no problem bursting in last time."
Rukia blushed and looked down at the floor. She entered with her head held low and when she reached the bed she fell to her knees and her head touched the floor.
"I'm really, really sorry about that. I'll do anything to make it up to you."
"Rukia, what the hell are you doing? Get up!"
"Renji... I'm sorry."
"Rukia stop that! It's true, you could at least have knocked, but I kind of over..."
The sentence was broken by Renji's coughing. Rukia looked on the friend she had known for so long with anxiety.
"Renji. You shouldn't speak that much."
"Not you too, Rukia. It's enough that Ichigo pampers me and threats me as a weak little child. Don't you do that too."
"Renji. He only does it because he loves you. I realized that by looking at the two of you. He only wants you to get well."
"She's right."
Rukia and Renji turned and looked at Ichigo, who stood in the doorway, holding a tray with various things on it.
"I'll leave the two of you alone," said Rukia.
"You don't have to go."
Rukia smiled, left the room and closed the door.
"I thought I told you not to move."
Renji put out his tongue.
"Ah, well. Doesn't really matter now. In fact it's even good that you sat up. Now I won't have to help you up. Open your mouth."
"Wha..."
Ichigo pushed in the thermometer into Renji's mouth.
"Ichigho, shyou shon of a bitch," Renji slurred.
"Mouth shut," said Ichigo and shut Renji's mouth by putting one finger under Renji's chin.
While waiting for the results, Ichigo mixed up something in a bowl. Renji looked at it with dislike. A small beep was heard.
"Now then, let's see the verdict. Shit, 39.4 °C. Looks like you're staying in bed all day."
Ichigo put away the thermometer and picked up the bowl with the mysterious contents.
"If you think I'll eat that, then think again."
"You'll eat it. Or else I'll shove it down your throat. Now, aahhh..."
Renji frowned and turned his head away.
"Renji, I'm serious."
"So am I."
Ichigo put down the bowl and began struggling with Renji. Even though Renji was weakened by the fever, it took Ichigo quite some time to wrestle him down and succeeding in locking both of Renji's arms, and have his own arms free.
With that done he picked up the bowl again. He filled one spoon and put it into Renji's mouth. Then he put down the bowl again. After that he put one hand under Renji's chin and one over his nose.
"Swallow."
Renji tried to get free, but when he ran out of air he realized there was only one way out of this. He swallowed. It tasted awful. Ichigo patted him on the head.
"Good boy!"
"You're so dead once I get better."
"Now it's time for the next spoon."
Ichigo moved the spoon up to Renji's mouth and this time he swallowed without any objections.


The whole day Renji slipped in and out of sleep. Everything was a blur and he wasn't able to separate dream from reality. He turned and turned in the bed, kicked of blankets and pushed pillows of the bed. But everything was neatly put back by Ichigo.
One thing that Renji could remember, and this he knew was true, was that everything he woke up, Ichigo was there. Always by his side. That fact made him feel safe, and was the main reason he could go back to sleep.


"Renji. You have to wake up."
Renji turned away from the voice.
"Just a little..."
"Wake up, sleepy head."
"I don't want to."
"You have to eat something."
Renji looked out the window. It was snowing, but it was rather light. "It must be morning." Renji turned and looked at Ichigo standing with a tray in his hands.
"What is it?"
"Soup."
"I'm not hungry."
"I don't care. It'll do you good."
Renji frowned, but he was not about to wrestle with Ichigo again. He sat up and arranged the pillows.
"Give it here."
Renji reached for the bowl. Ichigo placed it carefully in Renji's hands. But they both saw that there was no way Renji could hold the bowl and eat by himself. His hands were shaking way too much. Ichigo quickly took it back.
"Damn. I can't even hold a spoon. Look at me! I'm a fuckin' wreck!"
"It's just the fever. You'll be back on your feet in no time. Now open up."
Renji opened his mouth and let himself be fed by Ichigo.
"Does it even matter if I'll get up on my feet? You'll probably just push me back down."
Ichigo smiled and Renji noticed a light flush on Ichigo's cheeks. He raised another spoon toward Renji's mouth.
"Now don't you two look just like a married couple?"
Ichigo almost spilled all of the contents of the bowl over Renji and Renji groaned in pain over the soup that actually had escaped the bowl onto his chest.
"Rukia! Don't sneak around like that," Renji hissed.
Ichigo gave Renji a piece of paper so that he could clean up the mess.
"I'm sorry Renji. I didn't mean to..."
Renji glared at her. Then he turned to Ichigo.
"And you. Keep control over that bowl."
Ichigo blushed.
"You seem better today, Renji."
Rukia entered the room and sat down by Renji and Ichigo in the bed.
"Yeah. It does feel somewhat better."
He looked at Ichigo.
"Whatever was in that disgusting thing you gave me yesterday, it helped."
He smiled at Ichigo and received a smile back.
"Though it still feels like a swallowed a lot of needles. And it hurts to even breathe."
"I'll get you some tea. Mint, lemon or strawberry?"
"I don't like tea."
"Strawberry it is."
Ichigo went to get the tea. Rukia smiled at the two of them. Then she turned to Renji.
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Just talk with me. I'm bored."
"Okay."
She thought for awhile. Then she looked down at the floor.
"Are you happy, Renji," she asked with a sad face.
"What do you mean?"
"Stupid. You know what I mean. With everything. Living here, how things turned out. And also...with Ichigo."
Renji looked at her. Somehow her whole posture had changed in just a few seconds. She seemed sad, lonely.
"Ah."
"Well? Are you happy?"
Renji didn't know what to say. Of course he was happy, now that he had Ichigo. But how could he say that to her when she had such a sad face?
"Rukia..."
"Just answer me. Are you happy?"
"You know the answer. Why do you ask?"
She hesitated.
"I just want you to be happy. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Rukia..."
She stood up, suddenly embarrassed.
"I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I just..."
"Rukia, stop apologizing all the time. You want me to tell you. I'm happy. I love Ichigo and he loves me. I'm really happy."
She stood with her back toward Renji.
"Good."
She walked out and almost collided with Ichigo on her way out.
"Whoa, Rukia. What's the hurry?"
"I'm sorry," she said quickly and ran away.
Ichigo almost missed the tears in her eyes. He looked at her back as she ran down the hall. Then he turned and walked into the room, where Renji sat on the bed, staring at the door.
"Did something happen?"
"I'm not sure."
"Right."
Ichigo placed himself next to Renji on the bed.
"Here's your tea."
"Thanks."
Renji received the tea and smelled it. It actually smelled strawberries.
"It smells good."
"You're supposed to drink it."
"I know that, idiot!"
Ichigo smiled. Renji carefully sipped the tea.
"Ah, hot."
"Take it easy."
"I am taking it easy. Why did you make it so hot?"
"It's supposed to be hot."
"But I'll burn my tongue off."
"Then let it cool a little."
"But I hate waiting. It's so boring. Make it cooler next time."
Ichigo took the teacup out of Renji's hands.
"I can think of at least a dozen things to do while it cools down. And I promise you won't get bored."
Ichigo crawled up beside the now blushing shinigami.


"It's cold."
"Then move closer."
Renji snuggled up next to Ichigo.
"It's still cold."
"Wasn't it you who said it was warm in here earlier."
"That was then. I'm freezing now."
Ichigo sighed, sat up and got out of bed.
"Hey, where are you going? Cold..."
"I'm getting another blanket. It doesn't seem like it's enough with those you already have."
"I don't want another blanket."
"Will you ever make up your mind? Are you cold or what?"
"I'm freezing. But I don't want you to go."
"It'll just take a second."
Ichigo went out of the room and came back after a few seconds, holding another blanket in his arms. He put the blanket over Renji, before he crawled down next to him.
"Ichigo..."
"What now?"
"It's still cold."
"Then think on something that's warm."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Hot chocolate, a fire or maybe the sun in summer."
Renji was quiet for a while.
"It's not helping."
"Will you ever stop talking?"
Renji moved as close to Ichigo as he possibly could.
"If you kiss me, I'll shut up."


The next morning when Ichigo woke up, he carefully got out of bed. He looked at the alarm-clock. He had about an hour before he had to go to school. He decided he'd take a shower, eat breakfast and then wake Renji up and give him his breakfast. He went to the bathroom and let the water run a while, before he stepped into the shower.
After the shower he went back to his room, where Renji still slept. He put on his school uniform and went downstairs, where his sisters and Rukia already had begun eating.
When he got up to his room, after breakfast, Renji had woken up and was sitting up. Just when Ichigo entered Renji sneezed and then he sneezed again.
"Bless you."
"Thanks."
Ichigo put the tray with Renji's breakfast in Renji's knees.
"Here you go. I'll have to go to school now, but I'll be back later."
Renji nodded, but he was a little disappointed that Ichigo couldn't stay by his side all day.
"If you go back to sleep after eating, maybe the day will pass faster."
"Yeah."
"Well, have to run. Bye."
Ichigo ran down the stairs, perfectly dodged his dad's attacks and slammed the door on his way out. Renji kind of envied everyone in their class. They got to spend the day with Ichigo, while he had to stay home.
He put away the tray, without even touching the food. He just wasn't hungry. Just as he had put it away, a cough attack came and he suffocated it a little with his hand. But he couldn't stop it and soon he felt how he started coughing up phlegm. It hurt like hell.
He looked at his hand afterwards and there was traces blood amongst the phlegm. He wiped of his hand on one of the blankets.


When Ichigo came back later, Renji was sleeping. He picked up the tray, on which Renji's breakfast still stood untouched. A sigh escaped his lips. "Renji..." He carried it down and prepared some soup. When he got back up, he woke up Renji.
"Renji, you have to eat."
"I'm not hungry."
"Renji..."
"Stop that. I'm not hungry."
"You haven't eaten all day. How can you not be hungry?"
"Maybe I'm a little hungry."
"A little?"
Renji smiled. Ichigo gave him the bowl with soup and Renji ate.
"Rukia acted strange today. What did the two of you talk about yesterday?"
Renji lowered his look.
"She asked if I was happy. If I was happy with you."
"And what did you answer, since she ran away crying?"
Renji looked at Ichigo.
"She was crying? But she... she said that... Oh, shit!"
"What? What did you tell her?"
"I told her that I was happy with you. And then she just ran."
"Then why was she crying?"
"Stupid. She feels abandoned. We have each other, she has no one. Until she got adopted it was her and me. After that it was a little harder, but we still had each other. Now I got you."
Ichigo felt a little guilty.
"Don't!"
"What?"
"Feel like you're the reason."
"But in a way..."
"Don't! I'll talk to her. It's my fault really. Maybe I should have talked with her a little more."
Renji yawned and slid down under the covers.
"Ichigo. It's cold."
Ichigo laughed.
"Is it really cold, or are you just saying that?"
"Does it matter?"
"No, not really."
Ichigo slipped down next to Renji with a smile.


End of chapter 4