The last sickly sliver of moon peeked through the bedroom window, its wan gaze lighting upon the two figures inside. It watched as the one with hair like garnet sat on the bedside and helped the young man with dark hair to sit up. The latter was wracked with coughing and clutched feebly at his chest. The tissue the former held to his mouth soon glistened with dark stains, and the moon's greedy light smiled. Perhaps it'd carry off a soul on its weakening beams.

When day sat on the cusp of night, Gojyo was convinced that Hakkai was going to die.

The only time he'd ever seen someone shake so hard was when some kid in the market had some sort of seizure and that was because he had had epi-something. Hakkai just had a fucking fever, for Christ's sake. Gojyo had moved him to the bed and covered him with every blanket and sheet he owned, going so far as to raid his closet for any sweaters he owned, but Hakkai still shivered. Then the coughing started. Gojyo had held him upright so he wouldn't choke on whatever was coming up. Gojyo murmured mindless words of (what he hoped was) comfort.

Now Gojyo watched helplessly from the doorway, déjà vu creeping over him the way the mist covers the land before dawn. Hakkai was moaning again, but there was nothing sensual about any of this. The sound rattled out of his chest bit at Gojyo's skin. There must be poison in those fangs; his chest felt so goddamn tight. A wastebasket full of blood and phlegm-stained tissues overflowed in a corner.

Gojyo stood in silence until, in a moment of exhausted desperation, Gojyo kicked off his boots and crawled under the covers. He refused to think as he pulled Hakkai's body against his own and wrapped his arms tight about him. His thoughts, however, refused to listen to him. They chased themselves around, one trying to reassure another. It was fine what he was doing. He was just trying to keep him from shaking like that. He could hurt himself, right? With the way his teeth were chattering, he might chip a tooth or something. This would also help keep him warm. Beds with two people sharing them could get plenty warm. It was fine.

Hakkai moaned again and Gojyo flinched.

"It's all right, Hakkai," he whispered through clenched teeth, his arms tightening just a little. "It's all right." He closed his eyes against the darkness, his final thought drifting on the edges of unconsciousness.

At least Hakkai wouldn't have to die alone.

The next time Gojyo opened his eyes, the sunlight was shining through his bedroom window and he had no recollection of having fallen asleep. It sure as hell didn't feel like he'd gotten any sleep. He was contemplating rolling back over to try and get just a little more shut eye when memory hit him like a seven-forty-seven. Gojyo's arms were still draped over Hakkai. Gojyo froze. What if when he looked up, Hakkai was…? Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and braced himself for the worst.

Green eyes smiled at him. "Good morning, Gojyo-san. Did you sleep well?"

Gojyo stared for a moment, his mouth hanging open just slightly as every emotion he'd felt the night before hit him with the intensity of a speeding truck. With a weak, incredulous laugh, he hung his head and tried to get a grip on himself. He needed to keep it together. For Hakkai's sake, he told himself even as his pride informed him that it'd be damned if he cried now.

"Yeah," he replied eventually, finding the grin on his face to be impossible to remove. Relief he allowed himself to feel and he let it wash over him in waves. "Damn, you scared the hell out of me last night."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"No, you don't. Don't you dare apologize. I'm just glad that you're, well… I'm glad that I didn't wake up to something—" Gojyo paled a bit. Oh, yeah. He'd slept next to Hakkai. More than next to: the guy was still pretty well entwined in his arms. He probably owed him an explanation for that. "Ah, yeah… see, you were shaking like crazy, and I didn't—I mean, you seemed so cold, so I thought that—"

"That lending me your body heat with help break my fever," Hakkai finished for him, giving him a gentle smile. When he had woken, he saw the mountain of blankets and jackets that had been piled on him and understood why Gojyo was sleeping close besides him. It was strange, though: having those arms holding him so close to that chest was oddly comforting in ways the touch of another person hadn't been in years.

"Yeah, that," Gojyo said gratefully. He placed a hand on Hakkai's forehead. It was a gesture he'd seen countless times. He really had no idea how accurate it was. Maybe moms just had some sixth sense where they could tell the exact degree of a person's fever. Well, moms who gave a shit, anyway. "You're fever's gone down. I think," he concluded lamely.

"The chills are gone at the very least."

Gojyo nodded. He knew he really should be moving away from Hakkai. The guy wasn't shaking anymore, but Hakkai didn't seem to mind. Not to mention the idea of letting him go wasn't exactly appealing to Gojyo.

"So, the doctor left some medicine for you to take. One pill twice a day with some food. Do you think you could stomach eating a little something?" Or a large something. Gojyo was certain he could break Hakkai in half if he really wanted to, he was so frail. "I can bring it you in here. I don't want you getting up anymore than you have to. You need to rest." Gojyo's motherly tirade trailed off as Hakkai's smile slipped from his face. "Hey, what's wrong? You feelin' okay? Need something?"

"You've done such a foolish thing," Hakkai said quietly as he looked away.

Gojyo's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I had a customer for last night who had already paid for my services. When I return, they'll—"

"Who says you're going back there?" Gojyo asked defiantly.

Hakkai stared at him. "You couldn't possibly mean for me to stay here."

"And what if I did?"

"They'd come looking for me, and when they found me…" Hakkai shivered. "I've seen what they do to girls who try to run away and to those whom they suspect have hidden them. I could never ask you to take such a risk."

"You don't need to ask because I'm already going to do it."

"I wont have it. You don't understand—"

"I'm not letting you go back to the hell hole!"

"Listen to me!" Hakkai fell into a fit of coughing.

"Damn it," Gojyo ground out guiltily as he quickly as he helped Hakkai to sit up with all the care and tenderness that his voice lacked. He rubbed Hakkai's back as he continued to cough, not knowing what else to do. He bit his lip. Hakkai still looked like death warmed over. The fit left him panting and trembling all over again.

"I'm sorry," Gojyo murmured and laid him back down once he had caught his breath. "I shouldn't have lost my cool, but I'm not letting you go back to that place," he added before Hakkai could speak again. "Hakkai, this isn't some cold you've got. It's pneumonia. The doctor said you've got it real bad, too. You need rest to get better, and if you're trying to service your customers that ain't gonna happen."

"Gojyo-san…"

"And how the fuck that perverted bastard could have even dreamed of taking you to bed last night is fucking sick. You could barely stand on your own and he was going to—" Gojyo bit the inside of his cheek and took a deep breath through his nose. He couldn't loose his temper. "You could have died last night, Hakkai."

Hakkai turned his face away. "Maybe its what I deserved."

"No one deserves that." Except for perverted bastards like your customers.

"You can't say what I deserve. You don't know me," Hakkai challenged and, after a moment, Gojyo nodded in agreement.

"You're right. I don't know you, but I want to and I am not letting you go back to that place. To hell with whatever happens because of that. I don't care what you've done or what you think you deserve. All I care about right now is that you're sick and we've got to get your medicine into you."

Hakkai slowly turned to look at Gojyo. A tear slipped down from the corner of an emerald eye. Gojyo's confidence crumbled.

"Don't do that," Gojyo murmured. "Don't cry." I can't stand it when pretty girls cry… only you aren't a girl, but it hurts just the same.

"If you only knew what I've done," Hakkai began thickly, but Gojyo hushed him.

"We've all got our ghosts." Gojyo hesitated. "Will you stay?"

Hakkai closed his eyes. He was quiet for so long that Gojyo wondered if he had fallen back to sleep. Then a sweet sound filled the room.

"Yes."