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fuwapoyomochi · 2 months

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めちゃ感動した😭👏✨

C:\KANAI\system32\emotions.exe

an oc snz fic ♡︎

WOW would you look at that? I finally finished my Kanai fic that is meant to directly chronologically follow @thekinkyleopard ‘s fic, (found here) and it didn’t even take me a whole month to write this time •ﻌ•

Fic includes 7.5k words snzing ofc from a miserably sick Kanai, Alistar being an ass until he’s not, Drae being sweet, some swearing, and one mention of nausea to anyone trying to avoid that~ (❀❛ ֊ ❛„) ♡⃛ @thekinkyleopard also owns Alistar ⋆.˚

Pls enjoy~ ⋆⭒˚｡⋆ 𓁹‿𓁹

Kanai prided himself on never indulging in the luxury of a mid-day nap. Every time he gave in, it was like willingly stepping into a suffocating fog that drained the life from his body. The consequences were always the same - sluggishness and a lack of productivity - and for someone as driven and determined as him, this was simply unacceptable.

His daily routine was meticulously planned out, down to the minute, and he followed it like a well-oiled machine without question. Draeko had once described him as "obsessive… even maybe a little compulsive…" in his strict adherence to his schedule.

But today, Kanai's unexpected slumber was shattered by the jarring chime of the doorbell followed by the frantic whispers from his housemates, scolding each other for not telling the delivery driver to avoid ringing the bell. With an irritated grunt muffled against his bony forearm that was stuffed under his head, Kanai shifted in his seat slightly, still not conscious enough to register when or where he happened to be sleeping.

Only a few moments pass before the hellhound's body convulses with a sudden jolt, his muscles screaming in protest as he struggledto move. With one eye forced open against the heavy fog of exhaustion, he surveys his bedroom, his heart racing with confusion. An unfamiliar itchy tightness within his thin chest forced Kanai to cough into his shoulder a few times; at first they were just dry, ticklish coughs that could be easily explained by a dry throat after waking up, or plain old allergies, but each time he would finally feel like he had managed to get rid of the irritation, his breath would catch desperately in his throat on an unassuming inhale and send him sputtering another string of increasingly deep, harsh coughs down towards his lap. Kanai's chest rises and falls erratically with each cough, his blank expression ever so slightly contorting in discomfort.

Panicked, the hellion sat up as straight as possible in the heavy padded leather office chair he sat in, and clutched at his chest as more violent coughs wracked his body. The exhaustion from his unanticipated nap was quickly replaced with fear as he struggled to catch his breath. This wasn't normal for him - he never got sick… Unless of course, the red headed demon that he called his best friend decided to bring home another cold to share like he decided to do every so often.

The hellion was fortunate to be almost immune to illnesses the mutt picked up, however, as his natural body temperature was too high for most normal pathogens to survive.

However, no one in the house had been sick recently…

As the coughing fit finally subsided, Kanai took in deep gulps of air and tried to calm himself down. Although while trying to catch his breath, the hound was made painfully aware of the thick obstruction within his sinuses that stretched up behind his eyes and down into his throat, to which he sighed deeply, a small wheeze turning up the tail end of it.

Out of all of the symptoms that came with an earthly illness, his nose being stuffed and swollen was definitely Kanai’s least favorite. He could deal with the sneezing; after being on earth for almost a year, he had honestly got accustomed to the involuntary action and Draeko usually always had some sort of home remedy or trick to minimize any symptoms. Coughing was a little worse, but nothing he couldn’t tough through.

But a completely blocked nose that can never decide if it wants to be runny or not, keeping you on the edge of your seat with a tissue or at least a sleeve available to catch any stray moisture that may escape, and every small tilt of your head would result in the wet cement shifting in your sinus cavity like the sand within an hourglass… That was Kanai’s version of hell…

The hound tried a testing sniff, only to find not even a molecule of oxygen would be able to get through the congestion that had packed itself tightly into his face. With an even more defeated sigh and a small wiggle of his heavily pierced nose, which by this time was dusted with a very soft shade of pink, he willed his dual colored eyes to focus on his surroundings.

The room was ablaze with blinding light from both overhead fixtures, a strange contrast to the usual darkness preferred by the hound.

Looking down towards his lap, it suddenly occurred to him that he was— or at least had been before being overcome by such an intense coughing fit— splayed out on his rather expensive leather office chair and draped across the top of the huge, very meticulously organized desk.

Every cord that ran from his computer or other electronics was precisely rolled up and secured with a small, color-coded tie. The organized bundles hung in perfect alignment on the wall behind his desk, surrounded by an array of sleek, modern bins and organizers. Each compartment was labeled with a specific purpose and everything had its designated place. The hound, a stickler for detail, even had his paper clips sorted by color in a small plastic drawer. Not a single pen could be found out of place on the smooth surface of his desk. It was a model of efficiency and order, a reflection of his meticulous personality.

A psychology textbook lay open on the desk in front of him, its pages taunting him with clear descriptions of the spectrum of emotions and what he so desperately wanted to understand. He checked it out from the library as a distraction from their disastrous trip to the beach, but even now it couldn't keep his attention. Honestly, Kanai couldn’t stop replaying the day before over and over in his head— how he had lost his shit and even broke down sobbing to his best friend over seemingly nothing while they tried to enjoy a very wet, and miserable first trip to the beach.

—Something that’s he should have avoided by just checking the weather beforehand had he not been so scatterbrained recently.

The notebook next to it was filled with jumbled scribbles of notes that started off neat and organized before descending into chaos.

The hound couldn't remember anything after reading the page that lay open on the desk. Had he fallen asleep? But in broad daylight? That didn't make sense. The dark line scrawled across the page from the final word only added to his confusion. He’d never fallen asleep while writing before either..

As a hellhound, he prided himself on being strong and in control, but now he felt lost and vulnerable. How could something as simple as reading turn into such an impossible feat? He wasn't used to feeling conflicted, and it was disorienting to say the least.

With an extremely waterlogged snuffle that failed to dislodge any of the slime within his airways, Kanai was again choked off by another fit of strong coughs that left him breathless afterward. The ailing hound just hung his head in his hands and groaned softly. He did NOT feel well…

“….Do you think that woke up Nai?” Draeko whispered cautiously to the redhead that stood beside him in the hallway, clutching two large pizza boxes tightly in his blackened hands.

Alistar shrugged, tossing a nonchalant glance towards the hounds door that sat cracked open a few inches.

“Dunno. Go find out? Tell ‘em we got ‘za.” The redhead responded simply, already turning to make his way towards the kitchen to stuff his face with pizza before the desperate, barking cough from Kanai’s room stopped him in his tracks.

Shooting a wide eyed glance towards the other, the mutt returned the same look before mouthing “yikes..” while shaking his head.

As the two stood together in silence in the hallway, listening for more signs of life from the hellhound’s room, a sultry smirk began to twist into the demon’s features.

“He always knows just what I need to unwind after a hard week~ he didn’t need to bring home a cold just for little ol’ me~” Alistar mewled quietly, spinning in place once with excitement before Draeko smacked the back his head with an open palm. The demon flew back around quickly to be face to face with the pastel mutt who furrowed his brow.

“I’m sure he didn’t get sick FOR you, Al. You and I both know how much Nai hates being sick… so please try to take it easy on him, okay? That cough sounds pretty bad..”

Alistar scoffed and waved one of his blackened hands dismissively towards the other, his other hand firmly on the outer most sides of the pizza boxes to hold them up against his body. Draeko rolled his eyes with a huff.

“Well, after you put the pizza down, can you at least grab a pillow and a bunch of blankets from the cabinet and put ‘em on the couch for Nai? Im gonna try to get him up so I can keep an eye on him.” The mutt’s entire demeanor had changed to one with more authority and confidence as he assumed his role as the hound’s caretaker, and began to go down a mental check list of items he could give Kanai to help him feel better.

Rolling his bright crimson eyes, the demon threw his head back and sighed dramatically at the simple request. “Ugh, fine. Whatever, I’ll figure it out.” The redhead hissed softly as he trudged down the hallway to their kitchen, tucking away both boxes of pizza securely onto their counter top before beginning his search for the requested supplies.

Even if the door to Kanai’s room wasn’t completely closed, Draeko still rapped his knuckles against the wooden door softly. “Hey, Nai? You up yet?” The hybrid called out in a low, gentle tone.

After a few seconds of quiet shuffling sounds from within the hounds room, a hoarse reply with its consonants more than rounded from thick congestion finally came from behind the door and was quickly trailed by a wet sniffle. “I amb.”

With a warm, gentle smile, Draeko pushed open the hellions bedroom door to find Kanai still sitting right where the mutt had last seen him a few hours prior.

As he slowly turned towards the door to make eye contact with the mutt, the look of utter exhaustion written on the hounds features made the hybrid’s expression twist into an empathetic frown as he crossed the bedroom to sit on the corner of the bed facing the other.

“Awh, I was going to say ‘good morning, sleepy head!’ but it doesn’t look like you’re having the best time in here.” Draeko mewled softly, brushing the hound’s slightly damp navy blue strands of hair from his forehead.

Kanai replied with a completely waterlogged sniffle, his vacant gaze shifting to settle on the hybrid in front of him.

“It is also ndot bordi’g, Luciftias.” He replied flatly, to which Drae chuckled as he shook his head.

Without a chance to respond, Kanai's typical stoic expression was replaced with a distant gaze as his blackened eyes suddenly began to squint, brimming with tears. His head slowly tilted backwards as his eyebrows knit together on his forehead, his chest shivering beneath the hoodie that clung to his damp skin. His pierced nostrils flared helplessly in irritation before he snapped forward, unleashing two powerful, uncovered sneezes.

"hh'KSHHh'hieww!! Hih— huh'KIISSHH'ah!" The hellhound's sneezes were directed towards his desk, leaving behind a trail of saliva on its dark wooden surface. He let out a few strained coughs before leaning back, wincing at the sensation in his throat. Caught off guard, he made no attempt to cover the sneezes that exploded from his face and instead, he just slurped back a soupy sniffle that made the mutt visibly cringe.

“Bless you, Nai, shit. You sound horrible..” Draeko's voice was filled with concern as he took in the other's appearance. His eyes traced over Kanai's flushed face and sweat-dampened hair. Raising the back of his hand to the other’s cheek, the hybrid’s brow furrowed at the increased amount of heat radiating from his grey skin. The warmth seeping through his palm made him worry for the hound’s well-being.

“I think you have a fever…” Drae hummed between his pursed lips as he rocked back onto his other foot to get a better overall view of his house mate, his frown deepening.

Kanai’s expression remained unchanged as he nearly scoffed at the suggestion with a small shake of his head, but instantly his features were again snatched up in desperation before he could utter a response.

“Hhh—! hh’KTishhh’yiew!” The hellhound sneezed forcefully again, misting the air in front of him with virus laden saliva before another string of raspy coughs clawed their way from his chest. The mutt recoiled slightly, but quickly corrected himself by letting his hand rest gently against the hellions back, his fingertips lovingly ghosting across the damp fabric of his hoodie.

After a moment, Kanai was able to muffle the ticklish feeling within his lungs and he cleared his throat before his rebuttal.

“Do dot worry yourself, Luciftias…” he panted with a new rasp to his already scratchy voice. Slowly willing his lanky body to a standing position, the hound had to steady himself on the side of his desk as the room swam around him. Draeko almost reached out to steady him but decided against it, concern clearly written on his face.

“Careful, Nai…”

"I abm dnot idfirmb." Kanai spoke through gritted teeth, his consonants rounded with congestion. His heterochromatic eyes drooped as his body leaned against the desk, exhausted just from the effort it took to stay upright. "It is just... a mbere cold, Luciftias… onde that I will e’ddure." He coughed once, violently, and the sound echoed around the room, making Draeko wince again.

“Why don’t you at least come out and try to eat some pizza with Al and me?," Draeko suggested gently with an encouraging smile, reaching out to place a hand on Kanai's shoulder. The hybrid felt him shiver beneath the material of his shirt, like a shudder running through his entire body despite it not being visible from the outside. "Let me take care of you..."

Kanai stared at him with tired eyes before slowly straightening to his full height again and clearing his throat into a clenched fist. The rain outside picked up suddenly and pattered against the window behind Draeko, casting a misty gray light over them both.

With a defeated sigh, Kanai nodded his agreement. It would do him well to get some nutrients and warmth, and it couldn't hurt to simply sit with the others; as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he wanted the company. He knew the pet was worried for him, even if he insisted he was just dealing with a cold. Despite feeling weak and drained, he knew that he should eat something to keep up his strength.

The hound allowed himself to be guided slowly towards the door, picking up his phone on the way and shoving it into a pocket of his sweatpants. He swayed unsteadily for a moment before grabbing onto Draeko's arm for support, not wanting to fall over. The hybrid glanced at him worriedly but didn't say anything, simply nod his encouragement and following along as Kanai lumbered down the stairs to find Al waiting by the pizza boxes on the kitchen counter.

Well— not so much waiting…

The demon leaned his hip against the counter over the boxes with his phone in one hand, a half eaten slice of pizza in the other. He chewed on a mouthful loudly while scrolling through some random social media feed until his attention was captured by his housemates.

“Hey! Look what the mutt dragged in!” Alistar cheered, extending the half eaten slice in his hand towards the two as they shuffled in. His ruby eyes glanced over them both curiously as they entered, his brow furrowing slightly and his grin disappearing when he noticed how Kanai moved.

“Al! I told you not to call me that!” The hybrid cried, placing another well deserved smack against the back of the hellion’s head when he was close enough.

"Uncle Fucking Christ, when did you get so violent?” The redhead chuckled, carelessly discarding his phone to rub the sore spot on the back of his head.

Ignoring the demon’s jeers, Drae sighed in frustration and shook his head before turning to address the hellhound that stood statuesque behind him now.

“You doing okay?” The hybrid’s lips curled into a gentle empathetic smile as he reached out to squeeze the other’s arm in reassurance.

Kanai, who’s vacant gaze was fixed on a random spot on the counter, nodded slowly, his lips parted slightly as he was forced to mouth breathe. With another dangerously waterlogged sniffle, the hound swallowed. He knew if he were to try to respond with anything more, he would simply be choked off by another fit of harsh coughs that even now, threatened to clamber up his throat.

“What fuckin gives?," Alistar asked callously, annoyed by the damper in the mood. He was already back to scrolling on his phone, stuffing another bite of pizza into his open mouth without looking up from his screen.

“He’s sick, Alistar… it’s bad this time…”

He honestly couldn’t understand why his best friend wasn’t celebrating over his illness; not only did it feel AMAZING, (not to mention the incredible sex…), but because of their high body temperatures and infernal immune systems, neither of them got to experience mortal illnesses very often. Shit, Kanai should be STOKED about such an opportunity to dive deeper into his pathogen research. Alistar wouldn’t squander such an amazing turn of events, that’s for sure. He was so fucking ungratef—

“Hhh— HEH'kkssshuuh!! Eh'kgsssshihh! Hhah—! hah’KSHHh’iiew! hhH’KIISSHH’ue!!” The previously silent hellion suddenly veered to the side, burying his face into the crook of his elbow just in time to contain his sneezes, before a thick, deep cough proceeded to once again steal the breath from his lungs.

Ripped from his thoughts by the sudden violent sneezes, the redheads lips turned up into a smirk and he eyed his best friend up and down slowly. See, this is exactly what he was talking about… What kind of crazy person could hate that?

Draeko rubbed up and down Kanai’s back until the other managed to get his breathing back to a normal pattern, although the hound couldn’t bare to return the mutt’s gaze in fear of seeing his big dual colored eyes filled with concern and sadness for his current state.

“Now you’re speakin’ my language, buddy!” Alistar cheered, once again raising the slice of pizza in his hand like a toast before taking a massive bite, chewing loudly again.

Draeko cringed at the sound of Alistar’s obnoxious chomping, but he tried his best to swallow his annoyance as he knew it would only egg the demon on and encourage him. With a forced exhale, the smaller male turned completely around so his back was towards Al, and the hellhound had all of his attention.

Kanai’s blank expression remained the same as always, however Draeko knew his well enough to see how truly run down and crappy his mate must feel. His naturally grey skin had somehow less saturation now, except in his face. The hounds black scleras were shadowed with dark purple circles, and his cheeks, nose and forehead all were dusted in a shade of pink that was almost never seen on the hellion’s complexion. He just looked like a sad puppy and it broke the hybrid’s heart to see.

“Just ignore him, okay? Here, let’s go sit on the couch… Maybe we can play some Untitled Goose Game to try and help you feel better?” Draeko offered with another gentle smile, wrapping his arms around the other in a loving embrace.

Kanai felt almost like he was in a dream, like nothing felt real except the ever present clogged feeling in his entire head, as if someone had packed as much cotton within his skull as they could, and of course, the constant buzzing within his sensitive nose.

Usually, the suggestion of playing the hellhound’s favorite game would be enough to shake any ailment he was facing, but when his response was only a nod and a few tired blinks, Draeko felt worry begin to burn brightly within his chest. He really must feel absolutely awful if a game of logic that you get to play as a cheeky goose didn’t shake his near catatonic state.

The mutt tossed a glance at Alistar, who despite his own selfish intentions also seemed to pick up on hounds disinterest and decided to keep his comments to himself, stuffing the last of his pizza crust into his mouth.

Kanai let himself be guided to the largest couch in the living room, Draeko's fingers resting lightly on his shoulder. The pillows and blankets that he had asked Alistar to put out for Kanai were where he was asked to leave them, however, they all laid in a huge tangled mass over the arm instead of being spread out over the cushions. With another frustrated sigh, the hybrid shook his head and simply scooted the pile of bedding over to give his mate plenty of space to sit how he felt comfortable.

The hound leaned heavily against the back of the couch as he sat down, his breathing labored but trying to keep himself together. He could feel Draeko watching him, his gaze full of concern, but also an underlying need to care for and protect him. It was reassuring - a feeling he hadn't ever experienced.

As he settled into his usual seat, his eyes flickered to the boxes of pizza that Alistar proceeded to set on the coffee table in front of him, and instinctively he tried to take a deep breath through his nose. Despite the clogged state of his sinuses, he managed to detect the scents of the tomato sauce, cheese and garlic. It made him even more nauseous than he had been before, but he felt it would be rude to refuse food when Draeko was trying so hard to be of help. He picked up a slice with trembling fingers and brought it close to his lips, taking a small bite that nearly made him gag. The taste was alien: tangy and hot, burning its way down his throat. He closed his eyes as he chewed slowly, the texture thick and stringy in his mouth like glue before he swallowed hard. Another coughing fit seized him afterward, forcing out a soft "fuck" from his cracked lips when he eventually caught his breath.

Kanai felt his temperature spike, his cheeks flushing as he opened his eyes to find Draeko's concerned gaze locked onto him.

"You are worryigg yourself too mbuch, agaidn, Luciftias," he croaked out, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. The room seemed to spin around him, and he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. His heart thudded in his chest as if it were trying to escape from his ribcage, and his head throbbed with every beat. The air seemed to shimmer around him like heat rising off of asphalt on a summer's day. "I amb dnot goigg to expire." — although truthfully, he felt as if he were already on Death’s door.

Alistar sat on the loveseat across from them, his crimson gaze locked on the hound for a few moments. The demon tried his best to brush off the sight of moisture filling his best friend’s eyes again; an occurrence that had only happened now twice in the entire 2000 some odd years that their friendship had existed. The redhead didn’t want to admit to himself, or anyone for that matter, how much the sudden show of emotion from Kanai the past few days concerned him, as he had never even had to ponder the thought of something happening to his companion.

They were immortal for fuck sake. So he would always have Kanai following him around like the little sidekick he had always been, despite the hound being a few hundred years older than Alistar. — Right?

He couldn't help but notice how thin and vulnerable Kanai looked in this moment - an unexpected side effect of whatever cold or flu-like illness had overtaken him so suddenly. Secretly, his black heart ached at seeing him like this; usually, he was always such a vibrant presence in their little group.

Just as the redhead ripped his attention from his sad looking friend, the very subtle flaring of Kanai’s nostrils drew his line of sight right back. He found himself unable to look away as the sensitive appendage quivered helplessly, forcing the hound to involuntarily gasp in desperation before snapping forward forcefully.

“Eh'kgsssshihh! Hhh— hh’KTishhh’yiew!! ‪hih’KKSSSHHHuh! Hihh— sndddff!! ‬hIH’IKTSHhh’uuh!” With an uncharacteristically pathetic groan, the hound smashed his pierced nostrils between his index finger and thumb, dramatically scrubbing his nose within an inch of its life to try and rid himself of the sensation.

"Nai, you okay?" Draeko asked, concerned as he watched the hound desperately try to clear his nose. The hybrid had never seen Kanai like this before, and it worried him.

"I amb finde, Luciftias," Kanai mumbled, his voice nasally and thick with congestion although he had tried to sound reassuring. "You are worryigg t-too mbuch againd..." He paused to sneeze again, his whole body convulsing as another sharp blast of air exploded from his nostrils. "Hih'kkssshh!!"

Alistar couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the usually stoic and composed hound reduced to a sneezing mess. But even as he chuckled, his concern for his friend grew. It wasn't like Kanai to become so ill— especially so suddenly.

“But you have a fever…” the hybrids voice trailed off at the end of his sentence, but Al still heard the other’s statement and audibly scoffed, leaning forward to fish a new piece of pizza from the box on the table.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong, pup. We’re from hell, fevers are impossible in these vessels~” The demon waved his fresh pizza slice in the mutt’s face, just trying to be annoying out of boredom.

By this point, Draeko was done with Al’s shit, and as soon as the demon’s food crossed into his personal bubble, he quickly slapped it from the redheads grasp, sending the slice of pepperoni pizza sliding across the floor a rather large distance with a splat of tomato sauce left at the original point of contact with the floor.

Alistar fell silent for a second, a look of disbelief written on his face as he looked back and forth between Draeko’s smug expression and the now soiled slice of pizza across the room. “—Man, what the fuck?”

“Stop fucking around and just support Kanai, Alistar… Why is that so hard for you? There’s a time and a place for that shit…” Draeko spat angrily with more venom than he had intended, however, it needed to be said.

“Damn, go off, pup.” The demon laughed dryly, shaking his head before standing up and crossing living room to where his slice of pizza flew and picking it up off of the floor with a grunt. The demon inspected both sides of the slice briefly before shrugging and taking a large bite. Draeko had him fucked up if he thought he would waste a perfectly good slice of pizza because he wanted to be bold. Alistar made his way back to his spot on the love seat before reaching for the tv remote on the other edge of the coffee table and turning on the large flat screen on the wall in front of them.

"Do you need anything?" The pastel hybrid asked, moving closer to Kanai. "I can make you some tea or get you something else to eat?”

The hound shook his head slowly. "You have mby gratitude, Luciftias… I just ndeed sombe rest."

Draeko nodded understandingly and patted the hellion's back before reaching into the box in front of him to pull out his own piece of pizza. He licked his lips hungrily, scooting back on the couch all the way before taking a sizable bite, his eyes now focused on the TV as Alistar scanned through channels in search of something to watch.

As the TV guide flickered past Saw 3, Alistar’s expression lit up with excitement, and Drae rolled his bright eyes, but decided against any kind of argument against it. One hand gently squeezed Kanai’s shoulder from behind in reassurance and the hound cleared his throat and snuffled thickly before sliding back to lay his head on the mutt’s lap.

“Here, wait—“ Draeko whispered, reaching forward to swipe one of the pillows from the pile that Alistar had brought in for Kanai and stuffed it under the other’s head, his navy blue hair that still felt slightly damp falling across the soft fabric. He sighed in content, sniffling softly as he melted into the pillow.

As the three of them settled in for the movie, Draeko leaned back into the plush cushions and let out a content sigh. He had always enjoyed spending time with the other two men, even if Alistar could be a pain in the ass sometimes and Kanai was currently out of commission. But in this moment, he couldn't help but feel grateful for their company.

Kanai, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling to stay awake as he snuggled up against the mutt’s lap. The pastel hybrid kept a close eye on him, ready to offer comfort or assistance whenever needed.

Alistar seemed to have calmed down from his earlier antics and was now fully immersed in the movie playing on the TV. The demon chuckled at some of the more brutal scenes, stretching out on the loveseat with his feet hanging over one arm and his head propped up on the other.

Draeko carded his fingers through Kanai’s hair lovingly, stopping every once in a while to gently massage the places his horns jutted from his head, and the hellhound was quickly lulled to sleep. He snored softly as he slept, his mouth hanging open in order to breathe. Occasionally the hybrid would lean forward to give him a quick, protective glance, and if needed, gently wipe away any leakage from his raw looking nose.

Time passed quickly as they watched the movie, with occasional comments or jokes thrown in by Alistar, which of course was followed by a giggle from Draeko who had to hide his face behind his hands during the more gory scenes.

A little more than halfway through the movie, the banter between the two began to slow as their eyelids got heavier, and it didn’t take long before both men were asleep, sprawled out on their respective seats with the tv blaring in the background. The light bouncing off of the screen was the only illumination throughout the whole room as the rain still pattered against the roof, setting the scene for a perfect night in…

Well, that’s not exactly how it played out for Kanai, of course…

Alistar was awoken by gasping, desperate coughing that sounded muffled by something, and in his nearly unconscious state, he tried his best to ignore the unfamiliar sound, squeezing his eyes shut and clearing his mind in order to drift back to sleep—

“H’KngxsstSH! …….hhhih—… Hnkt'KNXTuhh! ihH’ktdSHhh!”

See, now that was a sound he DID know… Well, he was awake now. Maybe he could at least finesse some head from the hellhound since they both were up… y’know, for research purposes…

With a defeated sigh, the demon peeled his ruby colored eyes open, squinting as he looked around the dark living room. He immediately noticed Kanai sitting on the very edge of the couch away from the hybrid who had completely sprawled his small body across the entire couch and had the pillow that Kanai had been using wrapped between his legs. The hound clutched one of the throw pillows that Draeko had insisted they needed a few months prior, his face pressed tightly against the fabric to muffle any involuntary noise.

“Aye— Nai. Cut that shit out, you’re gonna suffocate your vessel. Just let them out. I can’t even imagine the fiasco it would be trying to convince your dad to let you come back to earth, ESPECIALLY if your vessel ends up 6 feet under.” Alistar yawned as he sat up completely, stretching his arms above his head as his feet thudded to the hardwood floor under him.

With his face buried into the pillow in his lap and all of his focus being on staying as quiet as possible while he fought for his life against his symptoms, Kanai had been too preoccupied to notice the demon wake up, and the sound of Alistar’s voice startled him, causing him to jump a little. The sharp gasp he took because of it restarted his helpless coughing fit, the congestion in his chest rattling with every inhale.

When the hound could finally manage to take a shaky breath in without sputtering more rasping coughs, he lifted his face sadly with an unproductive, soupy snort.

“I diddt wadnt to wake Luciftias… snnddff! He will start to worry add his braind will mbake himb sick againd if he worries too mbuch, Doddnie…” The hound rasped quickly, his voice shot and crackling at every few words. The end of his sentence dissolved into a few more violent coughs, but he quickly quieted himself as Alistar’s brow furrowed, a mixture of frustration and almost… concern? written on his face.

The demon huffed softly, coming to sit beside Kanai on the couch. "Fuck that, sometimes you have to be selfish, Kanai. As both your trusted Chaperone on earth, and your best friend, I seriously can’t have you suffocating to death just to make shit easier to swallow for our mortal pet, aight?" Without thinking, he reached over and tousled the hounds damp navy locks before brushing the wild strands back out of his face with what almost more resembled a gentle smile instead of the usual coy smirk he usually wore. Catching himself quickly, Alistar scoffed to try and mask his slip up before tearing his ruby colored irises from Kanai’s intense blue and brown ones.

"How the fuck did ya even end up this sick, Nai? There definitely should be an award you get for being the first infernal being to experience a fever, pal." Alistar smirked at the other, shaking his head with disapproval.

Kanai gave the demon a weak shrug, followed by another thick sniffle and a sharp clearing of his throat. His eyes were bloodshot behind the black hue and glassy with exhaustion and the struggle to breathe; he looked about as miserable as he felt.

After a moment, the hound looked up at Alistar with a quiet plea in his gaze.

“Doddnie?”

“Wha?” The redhead turned his head slightly to look at Kanai warily.

"Could... Could you mbake mbe sombe of the pet’s leaf water? He mbade sombe when he was sick add it helped..." He whimpered softly at the raw feeling in his throat and chest as he spoke.

"...What? You mean Tea? ...Right. Okay, yeah I can do that. No problem," Alistar replied with faux confidence, slightly taken aback by the request, as the hellhound almost never asked for favors. He rose from his seated position and went to head to the kitchen, scratching his head while debating if he should google how to make tea or just wing it. He finally decided on the latter route and began loudly rifling through the cupboard in search of the item he had seen the mutt use to boil water for his own tea.

After a few minutes of clanging and cursing, Alistar emerged from the cupboard with a kettle and a couple of tea bags in hand. He filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil, his mind racing as he tried to remember how long it usually took for water to boil.

Kanai watched the demon's movements with tired eyes, grateful for his help but also feeling guilty for imposing on him. It wasn't like Alistar owed him anything, and he had just rudely woken his friend up from his sleep.

"Mby Apologies, Doddnie..." Kanai whispered, coughing softly into his hand. "I shouldd't have asked..."

The redhead turned to look at him with an incredulous raised eyebrow. "Stop apologizing, alright? Just get better. Or yknow— you could always give it to me since you’re so against being blessed with such a glorious sounding illness." The demon punctuated his statement with a shrug, although his offer was dead serious.

The hound gave him a weak chuckle in response before sinking deeper into the couch cushions. Alistar looked back at the stove anxiously and tapped his black fingertips against the counter top, hoping the water would boil soon.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the kettle whistled and Alistar quickly turned off the stove before pouring hot water into a mug, and tucking a tea bag into it. You would never imagine he’d only half paid attention whenever he’d seen the mutt make his own tea. Dunking the bag into the water a few times started to darken the shade of the water until it slowly began to resemble the beverages his pet typically enjoyed, although he couldn’t help but feel like he was forgetting something…

The demon quickly glanced up at thier kitchen cabinet, and when he noticed the jar of honey on the shelf, he smirked confidently before snatching it from between the other various items on the shelf that the mutt enjoyed, and popping open the cap. The demon hadn’t the slightest clue how much to use, so he simply squeezed out a VERY generous amount of the viscous liquid into the mug and it quickly dissolved into the hot water. Satisfied with the outcome of his endeavor, the redhead mentally patted himself on the back before carefully carrying the hot mug over to the couch and handing it to Kanai who took it in both hands with a grateful nod.

"Be careful, dumbass, it’s hot," he warned the hellion when he saw him about to take a big gulp from his cup, chuckling softly.

Kanai nodded weakly before obeying and sipping slowly at his tea. The warm liquid soothed his throat and chest slightly as he let out a content sigh.

"Thandks..." He mumbled gratefully.

"No problem," Alistar replied nonchalantly, trying not to show how much he actually cared about his best friend’s well-being. "Just don't expect me to make you tea all the time now. I have a reputation to uphold, you know."

Kanai rolled eyes with a shake of his head and Al couldn’t help but smirk. “Do dnot worry Doddnie, I wondt tell Luciftias.” The hound gestured with his head towards Draeko who still remained asleep despite all of the noise going on around him, and Al snorted in response.

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved Kanai off with one blackened hand, a smirk on his face as he turned to make his way back into the kitchen to clean up the mess he had made while looking for the kettle. There was no way he wanted to be awoken in the morning by the mutt’s bitching about a mess he didn’t make.

The tea instantly began to soothe the hounds throat as he continued to sip on it, although after a few sips, the steam that arose from the hot beverage began to loosen the thick congestion within his sinuses, reigniting the buzzing within his nose that he had JUST gotten to die down, and his breath began to catch in his throat. Kanai tried desperately to sniff back the unbearable prickly feeling that threatened to explode out of him again, twisting and scrunching his nose helplessly, but it was no use. His chest hiked quickly twice, filling to max capacity as he gasped in preparation, before—

“hh’KTishhh’yiew!! ‪hih’KKSSSHHHuh! Huh—! ‬hh'KSHHh'hieww!! HHeHh— heh'KIISSHH'hiew!” Kanai snapped forward again weakly, just barely avoiding spilling boiling tea all over himself by slipping it onto the table in front of him. A soft whimper left the hounds lips as he straightened into his seat, the small glimmer of the hellions true self that had returned moments before quickly retreated again once he was reminded of how unwell he truly felt.

Muffling a series of sharp coughs into his hoodie sleeve, Kanai leaned his heavy head against the side of the couch, his already intensely dark eyes now slightly sunken in and framed with deep purple circles. The hound’s lanky body draped over the furniture in such a way that he looked much like a sad, wilted flower; His Navy blue hair sticking to his damp forehead and his pierced lips parted just enough to allow oxygen to pass though. After a moment of the hellion struggling to catch his breath, Kanai’s heterochromatic irises slowly lifted towards the redhead who now stood in the middle of the kitchen with his nose buried in his phone screen and he cleared his throat with a small grimace.

“Hey, Doddnie?”

The redhead lifted his head from his phone screen lazily, his bright ruby colored eyes meeting his friends vacant expression. “Sup?”

“Where are we?"

Alistar lowered his phone to his side and turned to face Kanai, leaning against the counter, and crossing his arms.

This was a game they played, but one they hadn't touched in a while. Draeko had employed it quite a bit when he needed a little help with grounding himself after a bipolar episode; if he was somewhere without Alistar or Kanai when he eventually crumbled, he’d text one of them—where are we?

And the hellions would get the text, and know it was an SOS from their pet, typically answering quickly-- “we’re at an ICP concert. They just called us up on stage” or “we’re at that museum of stars and planets (….Planetarium) that you enjoy and we’re holding hands” or even just “we’re in bed. How am I doing?” They’d go on and on, detailing a wide variety of different scenes for Draeko to imagine and distract him from his own racing thoughts.

Kanai felt dizzy and sweaty and vaguely like he was going to sneeze again, but that he might explode if he did. “Where are we?”

The corners of the demons mouth curled up into a soft smirk, the innocence of his best friend in such a state making him shake his head as he came to the couch and plopped down next to Kanai. “We’re at the aquarium you keep not so subtly sending me links for.. It’s hot. We’re walking through the building and you’re reading me every single one of those lil plaques in front of the tanks with some random ass fun fact about a weird looking ocean thing with an unpronounceable name like those Anen— Ameminy—? I don’t even fucking know.. so I’ll definitely know more about ocean shit than I will ever need or want.” The redhead threw back his head with a snort at his own humor. Al’s usual impenetrable hard outer shell seemingly melted into a puddle at the demons feet.

“Mmm.” Kanai hummed softly through a thick wall of congestion, his breath snagging on the tail end and trailed by a string of raspy coughs that bursts out immediately after, barely a breath between them.

After a moment, he took a few testing breaths, as deep as he could, and shook his head against the dizziness.

“Nai…, what’s wrong?”

The hound could feel that same prickling warmth in the corners of his eyes that he had earlier, and he desperately tried to swallow the sizable lump that had lodged itself in his throat. ‘why is this happening? Did I do something to cause this?’ Kanai asked internally.

“You didn’t like the story?” Alistar asked his best friend softly, just as unsure how to navigate the sudden near menopausal mood swings from the previously emotionless hellhound.

The hound shook his head, his eyes squeezed shut now to try and contain the moisture that pooled behind his eyelids.

“What’s wrong?” Al pushed the other’s damp navy colored hair back and the amount of heat that rose off of the other’s scalp nearly made the demon recoil in surprise. “Nai… The mutt was right, you’re fucking burning up…”

“…But where are we?” Kanai whispered.

The redhead looked at him for a minute, and Kanai wondered, panicked, what he’d said to make his best friend look so sad. But then Alistar was hugging him, holding him in a tight embrace, and everything was okay. He nuzzled into the demon’s sweatshirt and knew exactly where he was.

Home.

Thanks so much for reading this far and I hope you liked it! Helped me to scratch my every present Hellboys itch ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა any feedback you have is also very appreciated ఌ︎.

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