Only Human

Kaiba ran a gentle hand across Mokuba's feverish forehead, causing the child to moan and mumble unintelligibly. He sighed and pulled his blankets back over Mokuba's small, trembling body, tucking the comforter around his shoulders and under his chin. The kid had been fighting a horrible cold for the past few days, and he had apparently reached the climax of his illness, which resulted in him running into his big brother's bedroom just after midnight, deliriously screaming and crying about some demons in his room. Or something.

He wasn't exactly easy to understand, but Kaiba found just holding him was enough to get him back to sleep, like he was five instead of thirteen. It wasn't like Mokuba got that sick often at all, though, so the elder brother decided it was best to keep him in his bed that night. Kaiba tried to fall asleep himself, but Mokuba had suddenly turned into a little power heater that made too much noise, so Kaiba knew his night was going to be spent caring for his brother, and not sleeping.

And Kaiba was fine with that. That kid came before his own life. He got up, went to get a small crystal bowl, and filled it with water in the bathroom, where he grabbed a small towel and dropped it into the bowl. Once he was back in bed, he wrung the towel out, gently pushed Mokuba onto his back, and draped the cool, damp fabric over his eyes and forehead. Now that he was situated, Kaiba reached over and pulled out his book, then leaned against his pillows to read until Mokuba awoke.

Mokuba didn't even start to stir until late the next afternoon, and once he'd awakened, he realized he had a terribly dry mouth and a pounding headache. He felt the wet towel over his face, and reaching up to remove it, he was immediately overwhelmed with a somewhat painful dizzy sensation, causing him to whine softly and garner Kaiba's attention. The elder brother reached down and gently pulled the cloth off of his face and dropped it back in the bowl. Mokuba gazed up at him through squinted eyes, panting slightly with fever.

"Seto…" he mumbled, licking his dry lips. Kaiba gently hoisted Mokuba into a sitting position, pulled the glass of water off the nightstand, and held it to his lips until the child drank a sufficient amount. Mokuba yawned and glanced around a bit, frowning. "When did I get to your room…and what time is it?"

Kaiba brushed the back of his hand over Mokuba's cheeks before answering. He did seem to have cooled off a tiny bit, which was a relief. "You came here late last night. It's just after two right now."

"Two in the afternoon?" Mokuba clarified anxiously. He blinked and stared at his brother. "You're still in your pajamas…and in bed…" The situation finally clicked in Mokuba's head, and he cried, "You should be at work-"

"No, I should be here taking care of you," Kaiba said firmly. "Now, how are you feeling?"

Mokuba blinked a few times, letting this sink in. "My head hurts, I can barely breathe, and my mouth feels like I've been chewing sandpaper all night…it's gross." He moved to stretch a little and settled back against the pillows.

"That's because you were breathing through your mouth all night," Kaiba explained, but Mokuba scowled.

"Well, you're the one who snores-"

"Mokuba, I wasn't picking on you," Kaiba said patiently. "Your nose is all blocked up, so while you were sleeping, you just started breathing through your mouth to make up for it. And that's why your mouth feels so dry. That's all I meant." He handed Mokuba the water glass again. "Drink some more, it'll help."

Mokuba obliged, and returned the glass with a heavy sigh. "I didn't mean to get all offended, I'm really not feeling well."

Kaiba stifled a yawn and moved down to stretch out on his back, then patted the space right beside him. "I know. Just lie down and take a nap." The child curled up beside him, despite the fact he'd only been awake for a short while. He coughed and moved a little closer to steal some more warmth, and to rest his head on his brother's chest. It was insane how quickly something as simple as a cold could sap his energy and leave him so exhausted after sleeping for over twelve hours…but despite how miserable he felt physically, he was at perfect emotional peace.

So here's one with Kaiba taking care of Mokuba. I'm running low on ideas, but if you have anything you'd like me to try, let me know.