Pairing(s): Dee x Gn!Reader
Divider Creds (in order): @/enchanthings, @/suupersonic, @/ferretmilkshakezzz
You were sick. Terribly sick.
You had woken up at the ass crack of dawn, and the fact you had a pounding headache, body aches, and a stuffed nose didn’t make it any better. The shower hadn’t helped. Getting dressed hadn’t helped either. By the time you finally walked out the door, your body already felt drained, like it was out of things to run on. Then, as if to kick you while you were down, you had to turn right back around when you realized you had somehow forgotten your bookbag.
The morning air should have been refreshing. It could have been a decent start to the day. Instead, it only made you more aware of how miserable you felt. Whatever gods you had managed to anger must have taken special offense, because they had decided you would wake up with this cold and not be ok as long as you had it.
You didn’t waste time thinking about it. You just dragged yourself onto school grounds, made it in through the front, and walked the hall until you reached your first class. The instant you sat in the chair, your body folded in on itself as if it had finally gotten what it wanted.
Waking up had been enough of a hassle. Making it here at all was its own kind of punishment.
You let out a long sigh and nestled into your desk, determined to savor whatever small amount of rest you could steal before class started. From where your head rested, you tilted your gaze downward. That was when you spotted a familiar pair of black combat boots.
Then came the voice. “You do realize the teacher is going to be here any minute now?”
It was direct, blunt, and had the usual correctness that always made it sound like he was scolding you. Sometimes, if you were being honest, you might even find it endearing. But not today. Especially not when you already felt like you were dying.
You forced your head up and the pressure of your migraine returned at full blast, you groaned and faced Dee with a less than enthusiastic expression, “Yes, I do realize that Dee. Thank you for pointing it out.”
“You’re sick.” He said, as if it wasn’t the most obvious thing in the world, from your lifeless complexion to the nasally sound of your voice. “Why didn’t you stay home? I doubt it would have any impact on your classes.” This time you could tell he was a bit worried.
“It’s nothing. Seriously.”
His eyes lingered on you longer than you liked, a little too long. When the sound of more students filing in broke the moment, he finally pulled back and returned to his seat.
You sighed and slid back into your chair.
It was gonna be a long and painful day.
The morning dragged on. Classes blurred together. Lunch was more routine than relief, and afterward you were left with the weight of knowing you still had hours left to endure before you could go home. Sleep tugged at you the entire time, threatening to pull you under even as you forced yourself to keep your eyes open.
Eventually you asked for permission to leave class. And luckily, it was granted.
You ended up in the restroom, standing in a stall longer than you probably needed to. You blew your nose until it stung and tried not to wince at how it made the pounding in your head harder to ignore. Even that small effort left you exhausted.
By the time you stepped back into the hallway, your body was already wavering. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. Just walk back.
But then you lost your balance.
You stretched out a hand toward the wall, needing support, but your hand landed on something soft instead. Something that was definitely not the wall.
You didn’t even get the chance to see what it was before you passed out and everything went black.
Light pressed harshly into your eyes, so sharp you had to shut them again. When you tried to sit up, the pounding in your head increased so badly that you doubled over and pressed your hand to your temple.
When you finally lifted your gaze, Dee was sitting across from you. His eyes were already on you.
You jolted. “Geez, you scared me. How long have you been here?”
“The whole time. I’m the one who found you,” he said, his voice calm as he pulled a chair closer to your bed.
“Ohhh, so you’re the thing I bumped into before I blacked out.” You nodded slowly, as if finally coming to an understanding and Dee just seemed taken aback by being referred to as a ‘thing’.
He handed you a paper cup of water with a pill in his other hand. “The nurse told me to give you this once you woke up.”
You took it without hesitation then set the cup to the side, “Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
“It’s covered. The nurse wrote me a note so don’t worry about it.”
“How am I not supposed to worry about your academics, Dee?” Your eyes stayed on him, waiting.
“I mean, you are my boyfriend.”
That made him clear his throat and glance away. A faint blush spread across his face, giving him away in a way nothing else could. Dee was always his usual self, but that all slipped whenever you reminded him of this one simple fact.
When he turned back, the blush still lingered, but his expression had settled into that of one unimpressed. “You’re free to go home, in fact the nurse is hoping you will. Coming to school sick is possibly the dumbest thing you’ve done so far [your name].”
You sighed. “Yeah, okay, I already know that.”
Standing up was harder than it should have been. You stumbled, and Dee moved like he was ready to catch you again. That was when you realized your bag was missing. You couldn’t even remember which class you had left it in.
Dee noticed your hesitation. His head tilted, silently telling you to speak.
“My bag. Do you know where it is?”
“Yes, I went back to class to get it after I brought you here so let’s get going.” He walked forward, turning back only to beckon you to follow.
“What do you mean…’lets go’ ?”
Your question was answered almost immediately when Dee grabbed his bag, and the two of you walked out of school without anyone giving you a second glance. It turned out Dee had asked the nurse if he could walk you home, and she had agreed. Even when you expressed concern over his academics, you didn’t press the issue once you remembered it was Dee you were talking about.
The two of you walked side by side, Dee keeping to the outer side of the sidewalk.
You sighed and looked at him. “It’s nice out, surprisingly.”
Dee walked a little closer, just enough that his shoulder brushed against yours every few steps. You noticed it, but didn’t comment. It was subtle, almost accidental, though the way his gaze kept flicking toward the street made you think he was scanning for any potential danger.
“Don’t step too close to the curb,” he said casually, though the tone in his voice made it clear he was serious.
You raised an eyebrow and huffed. “I’m fine, Dee. I’ve walked home plenty of times by myself.”
“Yes, but you’re sick,” he replied, still keeping his eyes scanning the sidewalks and the street ahead. “I don’t want you getting hit by a car or…”
You cut him off with a laugh. “Or what, Dee?”
His eyes went wide for a moment, realizing he’d been caught in having ridiculous concerns, and he cleared his throat. “I mean… you never know. Just better safe than sorry.” He turned away as if brushing off the thought entirely.
He looked almost panicked for a second, the way he shifted and kept glancing around. Slowly, he straightened up and returned to his usual nonchalant demeanor.
“You’re being a little overprotective,” you pointed out.
Dee blinked at you, froze for a second, then let out an awkward, out of place laugh, brushing it off. “Overprotective? I’m acting normal.”
“I’m going to nod because I totally believe you,” You said, trying to hide your amusement.
After a few moments of silence, you tilted your head. “Seriously, though… Why are you walking me home? You didn’t have to.”
Dee’s eyes flicked toward you, then back to the sidewalk as if deciding how much to admit. “I… thought it’d be better this way. You’re sick. I just thought it was for the best.”
Before you could say anything else to fluster Dee, you were at your front door. Dee set his bag down and looked at you. You turned your attention towards him and tried your best to hide your grin at the new idea that popped into your head.
“Hey… you know a way I'll get better faster?” You asked.
Dee looked at you as if he didn’t even want to ask, “what can I do to make you feel better?” It seemed he finally gave up.
You let out a hum as if you were thinking about it then tapped your cheek with a finger, signaling a kiss on the cheek. “Oh, I don’t know,” you said, not able to stop yourself from smiling.
Dee froze, eyes widening like you’d just asked for something inconceivable. He stared at you for a second and shook his head, clearly trying to process the moment. “Right… uh I-I should go,” he stammered, awkwardness radiating off of him as he reached for his bag.
You shrugged, starting to turn toward the door. Not like you expected him to anyway.
Then, just as your hand was on the doorknob, you heard quick footsteps behind you. Dee had come back, moving faster than seemed possible for someone trying to act casual.
Before you could react, he leaned in and pressed a soft, warm kiss to your cheek. Your eyes went wide, and you felt your heart hammering in your chest almost immediately.
“Uh– bye.” he blurted, voice cracking, fumbling for his bag again, and then he bolted down the sidewalk, leaving you blinking.
Well, not expected but certainly not unwelcome.
