Title: Contagious Affection
Author: Page of Cups
Pairing: Cloud Strife/Riku
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Rating: T for some swearing
Theme: #28 Wada Calcium CD3
Disclaimer: It's all lies. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or have any affiliation with anyone who does own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, I'd be twisting their arm to make things happen the way I want them to instead of writing fanfiction.

Author's Note: So because I either hate myself or have Cloud/Riku in my head this often, I joined Thirty Kisses as well. Don't worry; I won't abandon 100 Steps to Somewhere, but I did want to write some shorts on the side that had nothing to do with the 100 chapter epic. If only for the feeling of accomplisment at completing something. So here's my first oneshot for Thirty Kisses.

.:.:.:.:.:Contagious Affection:.:.:.:.:.

"With the all-new Amazing Laser Slicer you can forget about all that extra time spent in the kitchen. Watch as you prepare gourmet dishes in half the time! And if you call within the next fifteen minutes—"

Click.

"Would you like to lose some unwanted pounds? Trim off that ugly, extra body fat? TurboSlim is an all-natural vitamin—"

Click.

"Call now, and connect with one of the thousand sexy singles in your area—"

Click.

"What are you doing?"

Riku threw the remote control on the floor, pulled the heavy woven blanket up to his chin, and sneezed.

"I can't sleep."

"Well, I don't think you need TurboSlim, and I hope you don't need to meet any sexy singles, but that Amazing Laser Slicer . . ."

"Forget about the Laser Slicer. You missed the really sweet juicer about a half hour ago. Now that's where it's at in the latest movement of kitchenware technology."

"Is that right?"

Riku sneezed.

"Yeah."

"You should get some sleep."

"I already told you that I can't sleep."

"You sound terrible."

"Thanks, Cloud. You always have this way of making me feel sexy."

"If you don't like it, there's thousands of sexy singles in your area. Call one of them."

"Make me tea or something and stop being such an emo bitch."

"Me the emo bitch? You're the one in here coughing and whining at three o'clock in the morning."

"I don't feel good. Don't give me a hard time, or I'm going to tell all my friends about how you were mean to me while I was sick, and then you're going to have to deal with Selphie."

Cloud leaned over the back of the couch, mussed Riku's hair, and rolled his eyes.

"No. Not Selphie. Please. Save me."

"My throat hurts."

"Eat a cough drop."

"They're on the counter."

"So go get one."

"Cloud, I'm sick. Take care of me."

"You're a pain in the ass. I hope you know that."

"That means you're going to get me a cough drop and make me tea, right?"

Cloud grumbled. Riku broke into a smile, snuggled farther under the blanket, and reached over the side of the couch to retrieve the remote. He flipped through a few channels before settling on another infomercial, and his smile grew when the bag of cough drops fell into his lap.

"Can I have some more tissues, too? Mine are almost gone."

"You just wait until I get sick and then you have to take care of me."

"Won't happen. You're so incredible and strong and perfect that you'd never need little old me to take care of you."

"Flattery will get you nowhere. When did you last medicate?"

"Around dinner."

Cloud rustled around in the cupboards, closing the doors carefully so as not to let them bang too loudly, and returned to the living room with a box of tissues, an orange prescription bottle, a glass of water, and a thermometer.

"I want you to know that you're more spoiled than you deserve."

Riku opened his mouth to protest, but Cloud shoved the thermometer under his tongue. Riku grumbled as Cloud returned to the kitchen, searching through the mugs to find Riku's favorite, and then pulled out a box of tea bags. The low hum of the microwave sounded through the small apartment mingled with the announcer's voice on the television. Cloud pulled the sugar from a cabinet and a bottle of lemon juice from the refrigerator, and when the thermometer beeped, he turned to face the living room.

"What does it say?"

"My brain is cooking itself to death."

"In degrees Fahrenheit, please."

"One-hundred two."

Cloud sighed, left the kitchen, and disappeared into the bathroom. He emerged thirty seconds later with a bottle of ibuprofen and a cold, wet cloth. The cold material dropped onto his forehead, and Riku groaned as he reached up to readjust the rag. Cloud popped open the ibuprofen bottle, poured a few pills into his hand, separated two, and returned the rest. He turned to the prescription bottle, dug around inside, and then handed Riku three pills with the glass of water.

"Take."

"Blah."

"Stop being difficult. Take. I have to finish your tea."

"I'm sick of being sick."

"That makes two of us."

"Don't you like taking care of me?"

"It just amazes me how you can be so self-sufficient the rest of the time. You have to be in charge and take care of everything when it comes to all of your friends, but with me . . ."

"That's because I only like it when you do it."

"You're spoiled."

"You made me this way. If you don't like it, you have only yourself to blame."

"Take your pills and stop whining."

"You're whining, not me."

"Riku . . ."

"Oh, all right."

Riku took the pills from Cloud's open palm and swallowed them down. Cloud returned to the kitchen.

"Hey, Cloud, did you know I can lose thirty pounds in thirty days guaranteed or I get my money back?"

"What's the program? Being your boyfriend and waiting on you hand and foot?"

"Nah. It's being your boyfriend and listening to so much whining while dealing with how emotionally distant you are that you never have an appetite."

"I see. That explains why you're so thin, then."

"That and good genetics."

Cloud returned to the living room and set the tea on the coffee table. He pushed the table closer to the couch, setting all of Riku's sick supplies within arm's reach, and tapped Riku on the shoulder. Grinning, Riku slid forward on the couch, allowing Cloud to sit, and then turned on his side to drop his pillow in Cloud's lap. He grabbed his tea from the table, sipped, and then laid back down. Cloud draped an arm around Riku's waist.

"How's your tea?"

"Perfect."

"Hey, look, calcium supplements for people who don't eat enough fish or get enough sunlight. That might be you soon if you stay sick much longer."

"Better take the number down."

"I bet if we call within the next fifteen minutes, we can get two bottles for the price of one."

Riku laughed, rolled onto his back, and looked up at Cloud.

"I love you."

Cloud smoothed a hand over Riku's hair, leaned down, and kissed his forehead.

"I love you, too."

"Thank you for taking care of me."

"No problem."

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