Tags & Trigger warnings: Emetophilia, Vomit, sickfic, Hurt/comfort

Summary: In which after Ren falls sick, Sojiro realizes he lead Ren to believe he couldn't rely on him.

Posted to Ao3: May 9th 2021

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'Keep your head down and don't cause trouble.'

'Be lucky I even decided to do this, for your parents.'

'If you get sick, I'm not taking care of you.'

These were just a few of the things Sojiro had told Ren upon meeting him. And if Sojiro knew what exactly he was up to right now, the man would not be happy.

But he's not at Leblanc right now, having closed down the cafe for the night and headed home.

Ren paused for a moment, then he sneezed, sniffling a bit before looking down at the lockpick with narrow eyes.

"You're getting really good at that," Morgana said as he licked his paw. He purred as he rubbed his head.

"It's thanks to you," Ren muttered with a scowl. He was sure he cleaned Leblanc's attic nearly top to bottom, or at least he dusted most of the room so he had no clue why he was sneezing.

Morgana purred. "True, but if you didn't have any talent for it then, it'd be a lot harder."

Talent huh ? Ren thought as he went silent for a moment. Then he shakes his head. "I just learn quickly," he mumbled as he set the finished lockpick off to the side.

He rubbed a hand over his eyes massaging them. He doesn't know if it's the fact that he's been sitting at this desk for hours, or if it's just his exhaustion starting to wear on him, but either way, he can feel a dull ache forming behind his eyes.

He reached over and picked up his phone, squinting as the light from it seemed to stab him in the eye. The clock read eleven thirty pm, with a sigh Ren placed his phone back on the desk as he stretched and got to his feet.

"Stopping for now?" Morgana asked as he watched Ren get ready for bed. He leapt down off of the table and sat down by the bed.

Ren nodded. "Yeah, I have school early in the morning. Not to mention we have to finish infiltrating Kamoshida's palace," he said, yawning.

While Ren knew that they had a few days before the deadline he wanted to get it done as soon as possible. It was better to be safe than sorry about this.

"We've made it over halfway through, so we're making good time. Having Ryuji and Lady Ann with us definitely helps a lot," Morgana said.

Ren merely nodded in response, as he climbed into bed. Exhaustion was crashing over him in heavy waves, weighing his limbs down. So when he finally hit the bed he sighed loudly practically sinking it to it, the mattress that usually seemed a bit firmer than what he was used to felt like heaven on earth at the moment.

"Am I always gonna be tired like this when I leave the Metaverse?" He asked Morgana.

Morgana gave a soft hum, and Ren feels the bed dip slightly as the cat joins him on it. For some reason Morgana seemed to enjoy sleeping on the bed, he either slept on that or Ren's chest the past few nights since Ren had brought him to Leblanc.

"Maybe, I don't know too much about how the Metaverse affects other people yet," Morgana told him as he carefully climbed onto Ren's chest.

With what looks like a small smile Morgana gives a low purr, tucking his legs beneath himself as he gets comfortable.

Ren scowled as he shifted a bit, his chest felt tight and heavy but Morgana didn't weigh that much. "I hope not, this sucks," he huffed, he winced slightly as his ribs seemed to almost creak.

"Don't worry, it'll go away...probably," Morgana said, trying and failing to reassure him. He watches as Ren closes his eyes and seconds later the boy is out like a light.

Morgana chuckled as he snuggled in for the night. He could get used to this honestly, laying on Ren's chest like this was like laying on a heating pad, nice, cozy even. Morgana noticed that Ren felt a bit warmer than usual but thought nothing of it.

~~~

Sojiro arrives to open the cafe in the early morning as he usually did. It was about thirty minutes before sunrise before he began to tidy up the cafe, though he did tip upstairs as quietly as possible.

To his surprise Ren is there, asleep, exactly like he's supposed to be. The cat, Morgana is curled up on his chest looking absolutely content.

Truthfully before he'd met Ren, Sojiro had no idea what to expect. While the boy had a sharp, almost mischievous look to his eyes at times, especially when he wasn't wearing his glasses, he was nothing like the tattooed thug Sojiro had been expecting. It was almost hard to believe the boy was here because of a criminal record.

Sojiro checks his watch, giving a low chuckle as he goes back downstairs to cook Ren breakfast and tidy up the cafe a bit.

When he finishes he glances up towards the attic, a slight shuffling noise drifting downstairs as Ren wakes up and starts getting ready for school.

When the boy eventually came downstairs to leave for school, Sojiro glanced up from his newspaper practically doing a double-take when he saw Ren.

The boy has always been a bit pale, however at the moment he didn't just look pale. Under the lights of the cafe, his skin looked almost ashen, his jet black hair only making it stand out even more.

He looks at Sojiro when the man places his newspaper down on the counter. And when he did that worry that had wormed its way into his chest only seemed to grow.

Ren's eyes looked a bit dull, dazed almost, the characteristic sharpness that was typically softened by the glasses he wore was muted.

Ren glanced away when Sojiro crossed his arms. Was it just him or did the boy seem a bit nervous? "Good morning, " Ren muttered his gaze on the floor.

Sojiro is silent for a moment watching him fiddle with the strap of his school bag before he sighed. "If you're hungry, I fixed you breakfast, " he told the boy, gesturing to one of the nearby empty booths.

Ren looked over at the food briefly and if possible he seemed to pale a bit further, swallowing hard. "Thank you and I'm sorry to trouble you but...I'm not really hungry right now can you put it up for me?" Ren asked slowly, choosing his words carefully.

And considering the way his head was pounding this made thinking about anything very difficult at the moment. The usually soft lights of Leblanc feel way, too bright, the normally low volume of the tv grates on his ears making it feel as though his brain is being turned into mush.

He feels Morgana shift slightly in his school bag, the cat, like usual wanting to come to school with him. Ren tensed as he waited for Sojiro to answer, the stress doing no favors for his already fried nerves.

Did he mess up? Was Sojiro upset? After all, he'd gone to so much trouble to make breakfast for him in the first place. But at the same time, just the thought of eating anything at the moment makes Ren's stomach churn.

Before he could decide if he should just force the food down anyway Sojiro sighed causing Ren to look back at him.

"Alright kid, I'll put it up so you can have it for dinner, " Sojiro told him.

Ren frowned slightly trying to decipher his reaction. He didn't seem mad or even disappointed.

"Thank you, " Ren said softly as he made his way to the front door.

"Kid, " Sojiro began which made Ren look back at him. His mouth is open like he was going to say something, but instead, Sojiro just closes his mouth and shakes his head. "Don't get into any trouble okay?"

Sojiro sees Ren's hopeful expression falter a bit before he nodded. "Yes sir." And with that, the boy leaves, and Sojiro can't help but stand there his arms crossed as he wonders if he made the right decision.

~~~

The train ride to Shujin Academy that morning was torture. Ren's stomach had started aching slightly, and that combined with the queasiness as well as the stop-start motions of the train made Ren want to die.

When he finally reaches Shujin he is practically ecstatic for all of two minutes before he remembers that he has a long day ahead of him.

After school, we need to continue making our way through Kamoshida's palace. Ren thought, keeping his head down.

He hated to admit it but he was incredibly thankful, at least for today, that everyone gave him a wide berth and left him alone due to his reputation.

He really didn't feel like doing anything besides sleeping or passing out. Either would be good right now.

So when Ryuji comes up to him speaking in his usual loud tone, Ren has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from cursing. It's not that he doesn't like Ryuji, hell Ryuji was the first and only one to try to see past the rumors surrounding Ren and get to know him.

And Ren is eternally grateful for that, but at the moment he just did not have the energy. So when Ryuji talks to him, Ren struggles to keep up, just smiling and nodding as he did his best to catch words here and there.

By the time he makes it to class, he is pretty sure that he just agreed to buy him lunch or something. Sinking down into his chair, Ren allowed Morgana to climb into his usual spot inside his desk.

He runs a hand through his hair, a small shuddering breath leaving his mouth. Ren desperately wants to sleep but he knows that he's already on thin ice with the teachers as it is.

He glances down at his phone when he feels it vibrate in his hand. A message from Ann flashing across his screen.

Ann: Are you okay? You look pale. :(

Ren glanced up to where she sat right in front of him. Seeing her discreetly holding her phone in her hand.

He quickly texted her back.

Ren: I'm fine. Just tired from the palace.

A moment or two she texts him back.

Ann: you gotta take better care of yourself. We need our leader in perfect condition. >_>

Ren quickly texted her back before putting his phone away. The light from it made his eyes sting.

Ren: right

Morgana peers up at him from inside his desk. "What did Lady Ann want," he whispered.

Ren sees the student to his right glance over before quickly looking away once more. He shook his head slightly hoping Morgana would take the hint and thankfully he did, giving Ren a slight scowl before laying his head down again.

Ren tries his hardest to pay attention to what the teacher is saying but the noise seems to grate on his ears making paying attention difficult. And taking notes is almost impossible.

As the bell eventually rings signaling lunch, Ren grimaced slightly as he grabbed his school bag, Morgana having climbed inside towards the end of the last class.

Ren's head is still throbbing, but the nausea from earlier had vanished leaving his stomach feeling hollow and empty. This wasn't surprising since he skipped breakfast, so despite not having an appetite right now he forces himself to eat anyway.

In the middle of finishing his food Morgana looks up at him, his eyes almost narrowed. "Why do you look so pale?"

Ren shrugged, taking a drink from the bottle of water he'd gotten from the vending machine. "Still tired from the Metaverse, went to bed late yesterday too," he muttered.

As if to contradict him, his stomach made a soft growling noise. His lunch was sitting in his stomach like a rock, the heaviness making it ache. Ignoring the way Morgana is looking at him he stands up, stretching as the bell rings once more signaling the end of the lunch period.

Ren goes to grab his bag but stops briefly seeing Morgana still watching him. "Are you coming with me?"

The cat seemed to frown before shaking his head. "I'll catch up with you after school. I kind of want to check on something first. Don't forget you promised to meet with Ryuji later."

Ren scowled as he watched Morgana walk away, the cat leapt over the school gate with ease, and then he was gone.

Meet with Ryuji later? Was that what he agreed to when the other boy had been talking to him?

This time Ren does curse softly as he recalled what Ryuji had said to him, about wanting to talk and hang out with him during study hall.

Right the courtyard... Ren thought as he headed to his next class. Despite Morgana not being in his school bag, it still feels noticeably heavy, his back and shoulders aching as he adjusted it a bit.

By the time study hall finally rolls around, Ren just kinda wants to pass out and go to sleep. He is very, very tired and despite the fact that he's sure that Ryuji is talking to him in his usual quick and loud tone it sounds like he's talking underwater.

Taking a deep breath he closes his eyes, only opening them slightly when he feels someone, more than likely Ryuji, gently grabs his shoulders, steadying him slightly as he sways.

The world smears into a vibrant blur before his eyes, and it feels as though he can't breathe, the air he tries to drag into his lungs practically disappearing.

Ren thinks he sees Ryuji say something, a look of concern and shock clear on his face but the black dots filling his vision make it hard to tell.

Ren finally gets his wish and is unconscious before he hits the ground.

~~~

Sojiro jumps slightly as he turns his attention away from the small tv in the corner to the house phone on the counter.

Leblanc is empty at the moment, with his usual regulars already coming in earlier today as they typically did.

"Hello?" Sojiro said as he snubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray on the counter.

"Hello, is this Mr. Sojiro Sakura?" A calm female voice asked. In the background, Sojiro can hear something that sounds like paper being shuffled.

"This is he."

"Yes, this is the nurse from Shujin Academy and I'm calling in regards to your son, " the woman told him.

Sojiro froze at her words, before he frowned, glaring at the wall in front of him.

I told him to be on his best behavior. Figures he wouldn't listen . Sojiro thought. While he hadn't been expecting to get a phone call about Ren he's truthfully not surprised. He had expected something like this ever since meeting the boy, had Ren just been tricking him this entire time with the mild-mannered and respectful attitude?

Biting back a curse, Sojiro sighed, running his hand over his face. "Alright, who did he injure?"

For a moment the nurse is quiet, and in that small amount of time Sojiro's mind concludes the worse.

Oh God, did he actually snap and kill someone? He wondered.

Then the nurse finally spoke, "Mr. Sakura...it's quite the opposite."

Sojiro frowned. "The opposite?" He echoed.

"Yes, your son collapsed while at school this afternoon. He's quite sick in fact so he will need to be picked up from school, " the nurse informed him.

Sojiro chuckled the tension leaving him in an instance. "I see, " he said.

There is a small pause as Sojiro actually processes what the woman had said.

"Wait, he's sick?" He asked, shocked.

"Yes, sir that is what I said, " the nurse told him slowly as though she's talking to a child.

Sojiro sighed, the tension slowly returning as he rubbed a hand over his face. He'd noticed that the boy looked pale, couple that with him not eating breakfast and Sojiro should've known something was wrong.

"Alright, I'll be there as soon as possible, " he told her, not even bothering to correct her about Ren being his son.

As he hangs up the phone he removes his apron and begin's locking up the Cafè.

He gets to the school so quickly that's pretty sure he had to have been speeding. Sojiro calls the school to let him know that he's outside waiting and lights a cigarette to calm his nerves a bit.

To distract him from the guilt that's currently weighing his shoulders down.

Sojiro glanced over at the school gates just in time to see Ren begin shakily making his way towards the car. Sojiro grimaced noting that the boy was as white as a sheet.

Suddenly Ren freezes and Sojiro sees the boy's eyes go slightly wide before he pitches forward vomit streaming from his mouth.

Cursing under his breath Sojiro gets out of the car, a bit frantic as he makes his way over to Ren.

He winced as Ren retched again, a rough grating sound that brings nothing up. Ren coughed, wiping a hand over his mouth, he only looked up at Sojiro when the man put a comforting hand on his back.

"Why in the world did they let you walk out by yourself?" He huffed grabbing Ren's arm to steady him. He bites his lip when he feels the heat practically radiating off of Ren, he didn't know how high his fever was but Sojiro is starting to wonder if he needs to go to the hospital.

The boy is swaying slightly in place, his usually sharp grey eyes glazed over giving him a dazed look as he slowly blinks up at Sojiro. "Ryuji...offered to help. But the nurse...told him to go back to class," Ren told him, his words slurring a bit as he fiddled with the strap of his school bag. Ren is aware, alert as he possibly could be right now and he really wants to go back to sleep.

His entire body ached, his stomach is churning and he feels uncomfortably hot as though he's melting.

At his answer Sojiro sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, let's go."

Ren allows Sojiro to lead him to the car, practically slumping down in the passenger seat once he's inside.

Sojiro gives him one more glance before starting the car so that they can make their way back to Leblanc.

The traffic is in full force today as usual considering it's afternoon, meaning many people are either coming to or going to work at this hour.

Shaking his head Sojiro lights a cigarette, his nerves still on edge and the traffic merely makes his impatience worse.

Ren gives a small shuddering breath as he opens his eyes, the sharp scent of cigarette smoke filling his nose, nearly choking him. That combined with the motion of the traffic really isn't doing his stomach any favors, in fact, it feels worse than it did during the train ride to school.

He closes his eyes again, laying a shaking hand on his churning stomach as he does his best to focus on anything. Anything else besides the way the start-stop motion of the traffic made him feel like he was swaying in place, the way the cigarette smoked overrode every other scent practically coating his tongue, and the heaviness that weighed down his stomach causing it to ache. After all, he couldn't throw up here, he knows that Sojiro adores this car and he's already sure that the man is upset with him over having to go out of his way to pick him up from school.

As his anxiety makes his nausea worse Ren swallows hard trying to get rid of the saliva that's rapidly filling his mouth. "Can you pull over?" He choked out as he began to realize with horror, that his body isn't going to give him much choice in the matter.

Sojiro looks over at Ren with wide eyes. The boy has one hand clamped over his mouth, his pale almost ashen skin has a slight green tinge to it that Sojiro doesn't like one bit and his eyes are squeezed shut.

Sojiro's eyes dart back to the traffic light, the sight of the neon red light had him biting his lip. "Can't you hold it for a second?"

"I'm trying," he whimpered, his whole body is tensed up as he puts all his focus into trying to keep his stomach contents in place. At first, Ren thinks it's working and he relaxes slightly, he only realizes how bad of an idea this is when he suddenly retches into his hand feeling bile rising in the back of his throat.

A second later the car violently jerked forward, as Sojiro practically slammed on the gas, Ren's stomach can not take anymore and he heaves squeezing his eyes shut, he feels thick vomit streaming into his cupped hands as the bitter taste of bile coats his tongue.

A very small part of him notices how hot his own puke feels in his hands and on his clothes as he heaves again, but this one only brings up bile and saliva.

Sniffling Ren slowly opened his eyes, too afraid of Sojiro's reaction to look at him. So he is a bit shocked when he feels Sojiro place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered throat aching and raw.

"It's fine, you couldn't help it. Besides most of it got on your uniform anyway," Sojiro said, trying to reassure him. Had Ren been afraid of making a mess in the car, because he was worried Sojiro would be mad at him?

~~~

The first thing Sojiro does once they arrive at Leblanc is help Ren out of the car and upstairs so that he can get changed and rest.

As Sojiro fixes Ren some tea he makes sure to grab the thermometer before heading back up into the attic. Although he freezes for a moment when he sees Ren in his sleeping clothes sitting up in bed, practically curled up into a ball.

"Hey, what's wrong? Do you feel sick again?" Sojiro asked, setting the cup of tea aside. He approaches the bed noticing that Ren's shoulders are shaking.

"It's over isn't it?" Ren whispered, his voice trembling.

Sojiro frowned. "What do you mean what's over?"

Ren shakes his head before raising it to look at Sojiro, tears clear in his eyes. "You're mad with me, " Ren said his voice sounding far too young and small. "Cause I missed school. I didn't mean to, I know you said that you wouldn't take care of me if I got sick. I didn't mean to though, I'm sorry."

Sojiro grimaced as the boy rambled, the guilt he'd been feeling early practically weighing him down like a ball and chain. He sighed shaking his head, he should've expected to hear something like this, especially considering the things he'd said to Ren but that doesn't make it any less difficult.

"I'm not mad, at least not at you anyway," Sojiro sighed as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He opens his mouth then closes it seemingly searching for his words. "I'm sorry if I made you feel as though you couldn't come to me about something like this. I didn't give you a fair chance, despite you giving me one."

Ren sniffled but said nothing as Sojiro places the thermometer in his mouth, his half-lidded eyes staring down at the blanket wrapped around him. Sojiro sees him struggling not to fall asleep sitting up, when the thermometer beeps.

Sojiro winces as he reads the temperature displayed on the tiny screen. "38.3," he muttered as he climbed to his feet.

He doesn't need to go to the hospital, yet at least. But I should see if I can get him to take some fever reducers and drink something. Sojiro thought. He glanced down to see Ren staring up at him blinking slowly as though the boy wasn't completely aware of where he was.

With a soft smile, Sojiro reached out, patting Ren's head briefly. "Just try to rest for now. I'll take care of you."