Rei

Sweat running down his throat woke Rei. He stayed still, eyes closed, using his senses. His master was at his back, morning wood pressed against his rear as was common. But there was another body in front of him, pressed against his chest.

Lisa.

His fellow slave was shivering. Rei moved his hands. The sweat was mainly from Lisa. Rei opened his eyes. The curtain was mostly closed but mid-morning light streaked around the edges, casting the room in a dull glow. Lisa’s long hair was wet and sticking to his forehead and neck.

Rei put his hand against Lisa’s forehead. Burning.

“Lisa.”

Lisa muttered something in Russian and pressed closer.

Rei pushed up on one elbow. “Master.”

Sevastyan opened his eyes. For half a moment, they were unfocused, then his sight sharpened.

He looked past Rei to Lisa’s flushed face.

He sat up, reached out to put the back of his hand against Lisa’s forehead just as Rei had done.

“Try to wake him,” he ordered and swung his long legs out of the bed.

Rei put his hand on Lisa’s shoulder, shaking him gently. Lisa raised one hand and pushed the touch away. Rei lay back down, wrapped his arm around Lisa, and rubbed his nose against Lisa’s. “A-sa.”

Lisa whimpered and buried himself against Rei, clinging to him.

Sevastyan returned carrying part of the medical kit. The thermometer was in his hand. He pulled the cap off the end and handed it to Rei. “Under his tongue.”

Rei took the thermometer and tapped Lisa’s mouth. Lisa flinched. Rei pressed it gently inward. “Please?”

Lisa stopped resisting. Rei slid the end of the tool between Lisa’s lips, crossing fingers it was under his tongue. Lisa groaned and twitched. Sevastyan waited beside the bed until the tool beeped.

Rei took it out. “One hundred and two,” he said. Unreal. It couldn’t be in Celsius.

Sevastyan pulled out his phone and ran a search. “Thirty-eight-point-nine Celsius,” he muttered. “That’s too high.” He leaned over Lisa and rolled him onto his back. “Lisa, answer me.” Lisa tried to pull away. Sevastyan slapped him gently on the cheek with his fingers. “Lisa.”

Lisa’s eyes fluttered. He looked up, confused, tried to cough, and rolled to the side, choking. Sevastyan steadied him.

Rei’s shoulders tightened and his belly churned. His eyes moved from Lisa to Sevastyan and back.

“He’s weak. Probably caught something on the flights. Let’s hydrate him. Watch him. I’ll be back.”

Sevastyan left and came back with a cup of tepid water. Rei helped lift Lisa. Sevastyan cradled the feverish man’s head and held the cup to Lisa’s lips. Lisa turned his head away, twice.

Rei cupped Lisa’s cheek. “You need to drink, please, A-sa.”

Lisa swallowed mutely and opened his mouth, letting Sevastyan get some of the water inside. He swallowed, coughed, and tried again. Rei stroked his cheek to express his gratification.

Lisa twitched and held his stomach. Sevastyan snatched up the blanket and held it under Lisa’s face. In Rei’s arms, Lisa jerked and then heaved, emptying his stomach into the impromptu bowl of fabric. Rei turned his face away, his own stomach clenching against the smell.

Master?

Rei forced himself to look back. Sevastyan still held the blankets open, the middle sagging with vomit, waiting for Lisa to stop heaving. Without a word, Sevastyan gathered the blankets up and took the entire mess to the bathroom. Lisa slumped against Rei, shivering.

Rei stroked his back and held him, still breathing shallowly against the smell.

Sevastyan returned with a wet washcloth. He handed it to Rei and nodded at Lisa’s face. “If you can get him to rinse his mouth . . .” Sevastyan’s voice trailed off as he took in the way Lisa was almost pinning Rei to the pillows.

If his master ordered him to, Rei would try to escape. Rei held his breath.

Sevastyan shook his head. “Keep him there. I’ll find a bowl in case he vomits again. Maybe there’s a pot in the kitchen. Then we’ll get him to rinse his mouth and I’ll find a clean sheet. If he’s going to be holding you, no more blankets till the temperature comes down. He’ll burn himself out.”

Rei nodded. Sevastyan grimaced and set about handling his own list of tasks.

Lisa’s fever did not come down over the next hour. Instead, it rose to thirty-nine degrees Celsius. Sevastyan sat on the edge of the bed looking at the thermometer and shook his head.

“If he can’t keep water down, he won’t keep down medication. He needs fluids and we have to lower his temperature.”

“How serious is it?” Rei whispered. He had an idea, but he needed his master to say it.

“He’s weak from not eating.” Sevastyan sighed. “If we can’t control the fever, it’s very serious, but there are ways.” He stroked the hair back on Lisa’s face and shook his head. “I’m going to make some calls. I’ll be in the living room. Do you need the bathroom or food?”

“Water, please?” Rei said. “And the bathroom.”

Sevastyan helped Rei extricate himself from Lisa’s clinging limbs. Lisa muttered random words in German, Russian, and English, the English heavily accented. He wouldn’t let Sevastyan touch him but curled up into the empty space Rei left.

It hurt to leave him there. Rei rushed through brushing his teeth and using the toilet.

He wiped away the worst of the sweat and hurried back.

Sevastyan had put a towel down on the mattress and found a fresh sheet.

Rei accepted his hand up onto the mattress.

Lisa reached for Rei as soon as he was close.

“Towel under you,” Rei coaxed. Lisa allowed Rei to pull him to the side, and Sevastyan pushed the towel between him and the mattress.

Rei settled with his back to the headboard, two pillows to support him from behind, and cradled Lisa between his legs.

Sevastyan laid the sheet over Lisa. He leaned in and pressed his lips to Rei’s forehead. “I’ll bring water in a bit.”

Rei lifted his face and Sevastyan lingered, letting Rei brush a caress against the stubble on his cheek. He smiled tiredly and left the room, pulling out this phone.

Lisa was a hot, heavy weight between Rei’s legs. Rei rested his hand on Lisa’s shoulder and rubbed gently. Somehow, his touch seemed to be grounding Lisa through the confusion of the fever.

Sevastyan returned with a water bottle sometime later and disappeared again. When he came back there was strain in his face. “I’m going out to pick up medication.” He placed Rei’s phone within reach. “Call me if anything changes.”