Feverish dream (Tokyo Ghoul:re - Juuzou x Reader)

A blissful smile spread over your face as you came to stop in front the CCG headquarters. Even though you had the day off, you'd made up your mind to stop by and pay one of your co-workers, Juuzou to be exact, a visit. Earlier that day, you'd baked a strawberry cheesecake and knowing that the stitched male has a sweet tooth, you'd decided on brightening up his day with some home-made baked goods. And so you'd packed the raven-haired investigator a 'desert lunch-box' and made your way to your workplace.


“Good afternoon, everybody!”
You greeted your colleges in a cheerful tone as soon as you entered the office department you and Juuzou work at and gave them a small wave with your free hand while making your way over to the ruby-eyed man's desk. You took a quick glance at the neatly wrapped box you were carrying and couldn't but break into a wide grin as you started to imagine Juuzou's reaction to your small present. Totally absorbed in your daydreams, you didn't watch where you were going and promptly bumped into another person as you turned the next corner.
You staggered a few steps back but managed to keep your balance and quickly regained your composure, instantly apologising for your carelessness.
“I'm sorry! I didn't watch wher-”

“No, no. It's my fault. I should have watched my steps more carefully.”

“Huh?”

Recognizing the voice, you looked up and locked eyes with Hanbee, who gaped in surprise as he noticed that you were the person he had bumped into.
“Oh! Associate Special Class Investigator (l/n)! Good afternoon!”

You let out a small giggle upon hearing Hanbee's formal greeting. You'd told the male several times to just drop the 'Associate Special Class Investigator' part and call you simply by your last name, since he totally refused to call you by your first name, but the investigator still continued to address you with your whole 'title'. Just as opened your mouth, about to reply, you were interrupted by Hanbee's unusual serious voice and looked up to see that his expression had turned from a surprised  into a worried one.
“You have the day off, don't you? Is everything alright? Did something happen? I-”

Hearing Hanbee's worries, you let out a few chuckles. The black-haired investigator had been fretting over the smallest things ever since he'd joined the CCG and even though you'd already told him to calm down several times, he nonetheless kept getting worried about anything and everything.
Quickly shaking your head in disagreement, you reassured him that you were totally fine.
“No, no. Don't worry about me, everything's fine. I didn't come because something happened, I actually just want to visit Juuzou.”

The tall male breathed a deep sigh of relief upon hearing your words and nodded understandingly.
“So you came to see the Boss?”

You gave the man in front of you a quick nod in agreement and flashed him a bright smile as you hold up the box you'd packed for Juuzou.
“Yeah. Today I made a strawberry cheesecake and figured that he'd like to have some, so I brought him a dessert lunch-box.”

Standing up on your tiptoes, you peered over the tall ghoul-investigator's shoulder, so that you could look at Juuzou's office desk. Upon seeing that the stitched male wasn't there, you asked Hanbee with raised eyebrows about his boss's whereabouts.
“Do you know where Juuzou is?”

The dark-haired bowed his head before answering your question.
“Yes. The Boss is still in the meeting room, we've just finished discussing our next case. I'll bring you to him.”

“Thanks.”
You gave the First Rank investigator a bright smile in response before starting to follow him to the assembly room Juuzou was sitting in.
It didn't take you long to reach your destination and as you arrived in front of the meeting room, Abara knocked twice at its door before opening it a little bit, so that he could inform his superior about your visit.
“Boss? Associate Special Class Investigator (l/n) came to see you.”

Juuzou, who was sitting with his back to Hanbee and you, turned sluggishly around upon hearing his assistant's voice.
“Mhh?”
Spotting your head poking out behind Abara's back, the stitched man's lips curled up into a faint smile.
“Oh. Hello, (f/n)-chan.”

Your grin widened upon hearing Juuzou's sleepy voice. He sounded as if he'd had just woken up and you figured that he must had fallen asleep after the meeting. You smiled widely as this thought crossed your mind and you really had to give your best to hold back another fit of giggles. Some things just won't change, huh?
Stepping forward, you walked over to Juuzou and hold up the boxed strawberry cheesecake as soon as you came to stop right beside him.
“Hey there, Juuzou. I've just made a strawberry cheesecake and thought you'd like to have some. So I made you a dessert lunch-box.”

The raven-haired man looked up at you and met your eyes, only to avert your gaze the very next moment by glancing to the side. His voice lacked its usual cheerfulness as he answered you quietly, nearly whispering.
“Ah, is that so? I'm not that hungry, though...”

"What?!"
Both, Hanbee and you, exclaimed in unison upon hearing Juuzou's latest statement.

Astonishment was written all over your face as you questioned the ruby-eyed male a second time, checking whether you'd heard him right.
"Uh...did you just say that you don't want any sweets?"

Juuzou merely shrugged with his shoulders as he repeated himself in a low voice and it seemed as if he had trouble not to drift off back to sleep, seeing as he struggled with keeping his eyes open.
"I really don't feel like eating anything right now."

A worried expression formed on Hanbee's face as he walked over to the stitched investigator.
"That isn't like you, Boss..."

You quickly agreed with the First Rank investigator and knit your eyebrows in concern.
"Yeah, that doesn't sound at all like you, Juuzou. Are you feeling alright?”
Bending a little bit down, you cautiously peered into your raven-haired co-worker's face, noticing the haziness his eyes were holding. Carefully lifting up your free hand, you slowly reached it out into Juuzou's direction before laying it on his forehead, checking his temperature.
You instantly gasped as you felt how hot he was.
"Oh my gosh, Juuzou! You're burning up!"

"Ahh, really? Maybe that's why I've been feeling kinda dizzy since this morning..."
The ruby-eyed man sounded genuinely surprised about your statement and gaped in astonishment at how warm he actually was as he led his own hand to his forehead to feel his temperature, just as you'd done it seconds ago.

You were perplexed at how calm Juuzou was acting as your own mouth fell agape.
"You didn't even notice that you're having a fever?!"

The stitched man just wagged his head.
“I've never been sick before...”

"Boss, you should go home and lie down. You aren't in the condition to work right now.”
Hanbee chipped in as he approach his superior with a very worried expression on his face.

Nodding your head in approval, you backed up Hanbee's suggestion.
"Hanbee is right. I'll take you home."

Hearing your words, Abara instantly turned his head into your direction. You could see by the way he looked at both, Juuzou and you, that he was feeling terribly guilty for not noticing his boss's poor health earlier.
"I couldn't possibly let you do that, Associate Special Cla-”

"It's okay, really.”
You quickly cut Hanbee off mid-sentence and stopped him from speaking on with a swift wave of your hand.
“You're still at work, after all, right? It would be a problem if you just left like that. I'll take Juuzou home and you call him in sick, okay?"

"Alright.”

You flashed Hanbee a small smile upon hearing him (more or less) reluctantly agree to your suggestion and turned then your attention back to Juuzou.
"Now come on, Juuzou. I'll bring you home, okay?"

The raven-haired ghoul investigator gave you a weak nod in response before slowly standing up from his seat and starting to exit together with you the meeting room, so that the two of you could head towards his apartment.


*****


"There we are."
Once you'd arrived at Juuzou's place, you quickly took a spare key out of your pocket (which you'd got from Hanbee before leaving the CCG) and opened the door to the ruby-eyed man's apartment.

Juuzou instantly took a step forward, leaning for a brief moment against the door-frame before plopping down on a chair that was standing right next to the entrance.
"Thanks, (f/n)-chan..."

You gave the stitched man a small smile.
"You don't have to thank me for bringing you home, Juuzou. You're sick, after all."
You entered the apartment and closed the door behind you before walking over to Juuzou's kitchen, heading straight for the refrigerator, where you called out to him in a loud voice.
"Just wait a second, I'll put the cake inside the fridge and prepare a cool pad for you. I'll be right back, so don't move, okay?"

The young man, however, either didn't hear you or totally ignored your command as he pushed himself off of his seat, starting to wobble rather unsteadily into the direction of his bedroom while muttering under his breath.
"I think I'll lay down for a bit."

"Huh?”
Thinking that you'd heard some noises, you stopped dead in your tracks and peered around the corner of the kitchen's door.
“Did you say some- Juuzou?!”
Just as you were about to ask the ghoul-investigator whether he'd said something, you saw how Juuzou staggered around as he tried to walk to the bedroom, about to trip over his own feet.

"Ahhh, watch out!"
You instantly cried out and ran up to the raven-haired male, catching him just in time before he could stumble and fall down on the floor.
"Geez, you're having a fever. You can't just run off on your own in the condition you're in. I'll put you to bed.”
Letting out a small sigh, you took one of his arms and placed it around your shoulder, supporting him as the both of you started to walk together to Juuzou's bed-chamber.

Once you'd reached the stitched male's bedroom, Juuzou instantly broke free from your supporting grip and started (or better said: tried) to walk – again – on his own to his much longed-for bed. You immediately reached out for him and grabbed his arm, wanting to prevent him from stumbling de novo, but the raven-haired male just kept leaning forward with the full weigh of his body what eventually caused you to stumble yourself and in the end you landed with your back on the bed and Juuzou tumbled on top of you.

“Eeeek!”
You let out a small yelp of surprise, but quickly regained your composure and looked up at Juuzou, a worried expression on your face. You were totally focused on the young man's health as you checked up on him, shutting out everything else around you.
"Are you alright, Juuzou? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?”

However, the raven-haired male didn't answer your question. Instead, he just started to draw closer and closer to you, his eyes never leaving yours.
"(f/n)-chan..."

"Huh?"
You blinked a few times in confusion as a light blush started to form on your cheeks. You had been so focused on the stitched male's well-being that you hadn't even realised in what kind of position you were in...at least not until now. Juuzou was pinning you down on the bed, with his hands and legs practically caging your body. You were totally taken aback by the ghoul-investigator's sudden closeness and just as you were about to ask him what exactly he was doing, the raven-haired male had already buried his head into your neck, his hot breathing tickling your skin. Surprised about the young man's actions, you let out a loud yelp and exclaimed his name in irritation.
"J-juuzou?!"

Juuzou just grinned against your skin as he continued to bury his face even deeper into the crook of your neck, taking in your scent with deep breaths.
"Mhh, you smell so good, (f/n)-chan~"
His voice sounded unusually husky as he purred this compliment into your ear.

"Ehh?"
You were at a loss for words and blushed to the roots of your hair. You'd already figured that his uncharacteristic behaviour must had been a result of the fever he was running, but even so you couldn't but start to feel all giddy about it. And to make it even worse, Juuzou didn't stop, but continued to whisper sweetly against your ear.
"Like strawberry cheesecake. Makes me want to eat you up!"

Your eyes instantly widened. Hell, they went so wide that you feared that you wouldn't be able to close them ever again. A feverish Juuzou surely wasn't good for your heart, he just caused your mind to be all jumbled up.
"W-what are you talking ab- Ahh!~"

But before you could even finish your sentence, Juuzou had smashed his lips against your skin and begun to suck lightly at it. Not only his face, but also his lips felt hot against your soft skin as they massaged your sensitive spot and before you knew it, you'd already let out a small moan.
You promptly covered your mouth with one of your hands after realising what you'd just done and tried to hide your embarrassment by glancing to the side.

Juuzou pushed himself slightly off of you, blinking sleepily a few times at your blushing form before breaking out into a wide grin.
"Mhh, I like that sound you're making, (f/n)-chan~"

You immediately snapped back upon hearing Juuzou's latest remark and felt your face getting even hotter and redder as you sensed a strange mixture of both, shock and excitement, starting to stir up inside of your body.
"Juuzou?! H-hold on! Y-you can't just-"

This was too much. You surely didn't know how to handle this situation anymore. Trying to get out of this awkward situation, you started to push Juuzou (more or less gently) off of you, but failed miserably. His body just wouldn't move a single inch and so you kept being pinned down by Juuzou. How could he be still so strong, didn't he run a fever?! Not knowing any other way to escape this embarrassing moment, you tightly shut your eyes and turned your head to the side, awaiting for whatever would come next...which was a dull thud as you felt Juuzou's whole body fall rather harshly down on your own.

"Huh?"
Opening your eyes again, you tilted your head up and looked at the stitched male's face, which was now merely a few inches away from your own, only to see his closed eyes and hear some soft snoring coming from him.

"No way...he fell asleep?"
You mumbled under your breath before letting out a heavy sigh. There was no way you were getting out of this bed anytime soon. It seemed like you just had to deal with that fact. Peering once again into Juuzou's face, you slowly reached out to brush a loose strand of hair out of his face, careful not to wake him up. You then cautiously leaned a little bit up and pressed a light kiss against his forehead before lying back and closing your own eyes, whispering in a quiet voice.
"Good night, Juuzou. Sleep tight and get well."


*****


"(f/n)-chan! (f/n)-chan! Do you still have that strawberry cheesecake?"

"Hmm?”
A loud and chipper voice woke you up from your deep slumber, but you tried to ignore it and rolled over to the other side of the bed, wrapping yourself up in the warm blanket and drifting back to sleep. It wasn't until you felt someone shake you that you slowly started to open your eyes, rubbing tiredly the sleep out of them. Upon spotting Juuzou, who was kneeling in front of the bed with a wide smile on his face, you let out a good yawn as you stretched yourself before sitting up and asking the stitched male about his fever.
"Do you feel better, Juuzou?"

"Yup! The fever's all gone.~"
The raven-haired investigator eagerly nodded his head in agreement before standing up, throwing his arms into the air and jumping up and down, proofing his healthy condition.
"Now, do you still have that cake you were talking about earlier?"

You blinked a few times, still not fully awake and glanced at the clock on the night table, seeing that it was only a few minutes after midnight before answering Juuzou's question in the affirmative.
“Uhh, sure. I put it in the fridge to keep it fresh."

"Great! I could totally go for a midnight-snack!"
Juuzou instantly jumped for joy upon hearing your affirmation and quickly turned around, heading straight to the kitchen.

You giggled lightly upon seeing the raven-haired male's reaction. Eating some strawberry cheesecake at midnight, barely after getting well again – that was just something Juuzou would do. You doubted that he even remembered what had happened hours ago, but you were just glad that he was feeling better now. Stretching yourself a last time, you finally got out of the bed and started heading to the kitchen as well. Once you'd arrived there, you walked over to the water kettle and turned it on while suggesting Juuzou, who had already taken the baked goods out of the fridge, to have the cake with some tea.
"Will you wait a bit, Juuzou? The cake goes well with a nice cup of tea, I'll quickly make us some.”

"Alright!~"
The ruby-eyed man hummed in approval and put the strawberry cheesecake on the dining table before walking over to the kitchen cupboard and taking out some plates for the both of you. Just as he was about to walk back to the dinner table, to place down the dishes on it, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face you, a bright smile on his face.
"Oh, (f/n)?"

“Mhh?”
You uttered an affirming sound, signifying that you were listening to him as you poured some hot water into two cups.
However, what came next was something you'd never have imagined to hear, especially not from Juuzou, and it seemed like a wonder that you didn't drop the water kettle upon hearing the raven-haired man's ensuing statement.

"You don't only smell, but also taste great~”