Tags and Trigger warnings: Emetophilia, Vomiting, sickfic

Summary: When Ren, catches the flu from Futaba he still insists on going to Mementos. It goes about as well as expected.

Posted to Ao3: June 30th 2021

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Ren wakes up that morning as he usually does for school, the only difference is he feels as though his body hates him. His head and stomach are aching, his throat is sore and really dry and he can feel exhaustion still tugging at the edges of his mind as his body pleads with him to go back to sleep.

He gives a soft huff as he stares up at the ceiling of Leblanc's attic in a daze, as he desperately tries not to doze off. Normally Morgana would start prodding and urging him to get up and get ready for school by now but the cat had stayed over at Ann's house last night. Which gave Ren a much-needed break he was thankful for.

Morgana was a valuable friend but sometimes his presence became a bit too much, so Ren was thankful for the brief periods of calm he did have to himself.

He groaned rolling over on his side as his phone began ringing the sound of his alarm for school going off once again. Turning the alarm off he carefully sat up, rubbing his stomach absentmindedly as he sat on the edge of the bed yawning.

Ren has a very busy day today, considering that the Phantom thieves made plans to head to mementos today to knock out some of the requests they'd received. He might as well hurry up and get ready before he found himself tempted to climb back in bed.

So with his joints aching, his head pounding and his stomach churning he grabbed his clothes and started getting ready for school.

He's just about finished getting dressed and is in the middle of buttoning the shirt on his school uniform when he stopped for a moment, reaching out to steady himself as he sways. Closing his eyes for a moment he swallowed, trying to escape the dizziness. Everything feels too hot and he has a feeling that it's not because of the usual summer heat.

Even with his eyes closed however the waves of dizziness crashing over him don't stop, if anything it gets worse. He groaned rubbing a hand over his face, then his stomach flipped and his eye snapped open as he felt coppery tasting saliva begin to pool rapidly in his mouth.

He turns and bolts downstairs, his hand clamped over his mouth and nearly tripping over his own feet in his rush to get the bathroom. He practically falls as he drops to his knees in front of the toilet, a wet retch bringing up last night's dinner.

He coughed panting as he gets a brief moment to catch his breath a bit before another heave has him lurching forward again.

It sucks, the bile burns his already sore and sensitive throat, his stomach which was already aching feels like it's trying to wring itself out and his headache only worsens.

Ren groaned as he just sat there for a moment, hiccuping and sniffling as he blinked away the tears that had gathered in his eyes. The awful bitter taste of bile coats his mouth, and his stomach hitches still upset but there isn't anything left in it to bring up besides a little bit of bile.

He closes his eyes, turning away as he flushes the toilet, really not wanting to look at the barely digested remnants of his dinner.

Ren staggers to his feet and begins making his way to the bathroom door but stops for a moment when he catches sight of his reflection briefly in the mirror. He's pale, nearly ashen his normally sharp grey eyes look glazed and glassy both from the tears and from what he assumed probably an oncoming fever.

A soft curse fell from his lips as he realized that a few splotches of vomit were on his shirt staining it. More than slightly irritated by both his pain and the way his day was going at the moment he sighed, turning the sink on and splashing a bit of water on his face.

Feeling a tiny bit refreshed he left the bathroom stopping when he noticed how quiet Leblanc was. Normally by the time Ren would be up and getting ready for school Sojiro would be downstairs reading the newspaper or watching the tv before opening the cafe.

Although it was strange Ren wasn't going to complain, he really didn't want to worry the man or cause him any trouble. Plus if Sojiro knew he was sick he'd make him stay home, and staying home meant skipping out on going to mementos today. Besides he did feel a bit better after throwing up anyway, yeah his joints were still stiff and aching but his headache had mostly disappeared along with his dizziness and nausea.

He makes his way back upstairs removing his now dirty shirt and tossing it in the hamper as he grabbed a clean one. He's grabbing his school bag and about to leave for school when his phone rings suddenly.

Picking it up, he scowled as he sees Sojiro's name flash across his screen.

"Hello?" He said as he answered the phone, hoping that Sojiro doesn't notice nor question the slight scratchiness of his voice.

"Yeah kid, don't worry about opening the cafe today. I need to stay home with Futaba, I think she's caught some type of bug from somewhere," Sojiro told him, the worry clear in his voice.

Ren is not incredibly surprised, the other night Futaba had seemed a bit off at the movie theater but he just chalked it up to her usual anxiety about being in crowded areas. It would also explain the horrible start to his day considering they'd shared popcorn and drinks to save money too.

Ren gives a soft hum. "Okay, I'll make sure to lock the door before I go to school," he muttered. This put a slight dent in their plans to go to mementos considering that Futaba was their navigator, having taken over the job from Morgana due to her Persona being one suited more for analysis than combat.

It didn't mean that Morgana couldn't do it, but Ren knew that it put a bit more of a strain on him to both navigate and haul them around during their trips to mementos.

"You feeling okay? I know you two went out to see a movie last night?" Sojiro asked after a moment.

Ren chuckled softly hoping it didn't sound too forced. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just grabbing my stuff for school."

Ren's not technically lying, he doesn't feel as awful as he had when he'd woken up. And while there is still a slight haziness in his mind as well as some light soreness and queasiness he's sure he'll be fine, after all, it's not like he can miss school anyway.

While he knows Kawakami is a bit more sensitive in regards to his situation than she had been when he'd first started school, that is not true of the other teachers despite his good test scores and grades. He also knows that the other teachers and the Principle will take any chance they can get to throw someone like him under the bus.

There's no way he can miss school and there's no way he can put off their Mementos requests any longer either, so when Sojiro tells him to be safe Ren merely gives a soft hum as he hangs up. He quickly texted everyone else, telling them about Futaba's condition, and while worried everyone else agreed like him that they should proceed with the Mementos trip as planned.

Giving a soft sigh he slips his phone into his pocket before grabbing his school bag and leaving. Ren is nothing if not stubborn so he can do this, yeah it may be a little annoying to go to school in his current condition especially if he has to get a hall pass to go to the bathroom just in case he pukes but it's not impossible.

He'll go to school, then complete the requests in Mementos before coming back home and taking a much-needed rest. It was a simple plan and a good one in Ren's mind.

~~~

Ren is not someone who gives up easily, but he may be willing to admit that he may be a bit in over his head. Just a tiny bit though.

His stomach is churning, he feels too hot, and the start-stop motion of the train is horrible. Making it so that he can practically feel his stomach sloshing.

Taking a deep breath Ren groaned softly massaging his eyes for a second. Tightening his grip on his school bag he shifted slightly leaning back against his seat.

He discreetly rubbed one hand over his stomach, swallowing hard. He needed to get himself together before he got to Shujin, this wasn't a choice in his eyes, it was a necessity. Just like him, the other Phantom thieves had sharp eyes, if they noticed he was sick then one of them, Makoto more than likely, would call Sojiro to come get him. The man already had his hands full with Futaba being sick, Ren didn't want to add to his burden.

Ren takes deep breaths and forces his mind to focus on something other than his churning stomach and aching head.

Maybe whatever god is out there has decided to take pity on him because miraculously it works and by the time he reaches Shujin he feels more confident in his condition.

Which is good because Ann is walking up to him with Morgana in her school bag.

"Morning, and here you are," she told him cheerfully.

Ren glances around before taking Morgana from her. "Thanks, hope he didn't cause you any trouble."

Morgana meows loudly as he begins wriggling in Ren's school bag. "How dare you, I would never cause Lady Ann any trouble! I was on my best behavior! Right, Lady Ann?"

Ren smiled slightly, ignoring the way his head throbbed as he glanced at Ann for confirmation. She grinned. "Yeah, he was fine. A bit noisy when I gave him some tuna though."

Ren nodded, ignoring Morgana's near indigent exclamation of "See!"

"By the way, we're still up for our mementos trip right? Are you sure we shouldn't reschedule? Futaba is our navigator after all," Ann asked, looking slightly concerned.

"I was thinking the same thing honestly, but we can't put off the request anymore. Since they're serious I don't want people to think we're ignoring them you know?" Ren told her, secretly relieved that she hadn't noticed his current condition.

He must've looked better than he thought.

Morgana meowed as he popped his head out of Ren's bag. "I can navigate! I did it before Futaba came and I don't mind doing it now," he said, sounding a bit more assertive.

Ren frowned as he glanced back at the cat, he really wished Morgana would stop wriggling like that. It was making him feel sick and straining his already aching joints. "Are you sure? You'll already be hauling us around mementos too, I don't want you to tire yourself out."

Morgana chuckled looking as if he's practically smirking. "Of course I can handle it. I have tons of experience, you know."

The school bell chimed in the distance and Ren smiled at Ann. "There you have it. We should probably go to class though, we can talk more about it at the hideout."

Merely nodding at his words they walk to class. Ren just hopes he can hold it together for the rest of the day. He just needs to get through the day, then once back at Leblanc, he could sleep like the dead.

Tomorrow was a weekend too, which meant he'd be free to laze around the cafe if he wished.

The rest of his school day is surprisingly uneventful, while he still felt absolutely fucking miserable at least he hadn't thrown up again despite the waves of nausea crashing over him and making his stomach churn.

He ends up drinking a smoothie for lunch to help get rid of the near oppressive heat from his fever, and regrets it minutes later when he's sitting in class and can still feel the drink sitting in his stomach.

He glares down at his notebook as he focuses on taking notes, ignoring the questioning look Morgana gives him from inside his desk.

Ren has made it this far and he's definitely not giving up now. No way.

Just a few more hours to go.

~~~

"Are you sure you can do this Mona?" Makoto asked the cat, looking slightly worried.

They were in Mementos, having left their usual Phantom thieves hideout after going over the four requests they'd received.

While being in Mementos always seemed to leave an almost oppressive feeling blanketing Ren's shoulders, today it seemed even worse. It weighed him down, making him feel abnormally slow and sluggish.

It's sweltering in here as well reminding Ren way too much of when they'd first visited Futaba's palace. Although maybe that was just his fever.

"I can do this Queen!" Morgana huffs, failing his short limbs as he jumps up in the air clearly irritated.

While his voice makes Ren's head feel like it's splitting in half, Ren isn't surprised that Morgana is irritated considering he's been asked that question by every member of the Phantom thieves currently present, barring Ryuji.

Crossing his arms Ren glances toward the door to the Velvet Room, where Justine is waiting in case he needs to enter. However, he's sure that he is well prepared in terms of Personas. In fact, he'd stopped inside on the way to the hideout and called forth a Persona specializing in healing. Since Morgana also had wanted to be included in the main party for today's missions, Ren wanted to take some of the strain off of him at least.

Still was it just Ren or did Justine look slightly worried as she glanced up at him?

"We're just making sure you'll be okay. It's a lot of work, after all, still, if you say you can handle it then I'll trust you," Ren told him with a slight smile.

Morgana grinned a look of pride covering his face. "See, even Joker knows I can do it."

Yusuke nodded slowly, glancing over at Ren. "Yes, I suppose he would know best."

"Exactly! Now with that decided let's get going! We've got requests to do and Shadows to defeat," Morgana said cheerfully, practically skipping with joy as he turned as approached the train tracks that lined the floors of Mementos.

He lept into the air, his body shifting in a large puff of smoke as he transformed into the van that they typically rode around in, in Mementos.

This sight manages to spark a slight amount of fear in Ren, not because he's never seen Morgana in that form before, far from it. But because he just knows that the swaying and start-stop motion of the ride is going to wreak havoc on his already upset stomach.

In fact, he's pretty sure it'll be even worse than his train ride that morning, considering Morgana has no qualms about leaping at shadows to surprise attack them in this form. Just the very thought of it has Ren swallowing hard as bile burns the back of his throat, tasting faintly like the smoothie he had for lunch earlier.

But he takes a deep breath and steels himself, just a little more, he just had to knock these requests out then he could go back home a pass out. The fact that once he's finished he can finally rest is the light at the end of the tunnel that forces him to keep going.

That's why he smiles slightly as he climbs into the front seat beside Makoto, who takes the driver's seat. It's why he ignores how he can literally feel his stomach churning under his hand and the soft gurgling noise it makes as Makoto begins driving.

A few more hours, just a little longer.

Ren barely manages to make it two hours in, when he realizes his body doesn't actually care what he wants, right before he's suddenly lurching forward with a heave bringing up the smoothie that had been sitting in his stomach since lunch all over the floor of mementos.

It doesn't taste too bad thankfully, a bit sour probably from the bile more than anything. It comes up rather easily, after all, it's mostly thin liquid by now, but that doesn't stop the bile from burning his throat nor the stars that burst in his vision as his head pounds.

Coughing softly he blinks away dizziness whipping at his mouth with the back of his hand as he slowly looks up and realizes everyone is staring at him in shock.

Shit . Ren thinks, realizing that he needs to come up with a good lie, and quickly.

Ryuji is the first one to speak. "Dude, you okay? You didn't get hit with a weird spell or anything right?"

Ann gasped her eyes going wide. "Wait, are you sick too?"

"Perhaps it is best if we leave for today," Yusuke muttered, giving Ren a worried glance.

Makoto, ever the team mom, takes a step closer to Ren, holding out a handkerchief for him to use. "Here, use this."

"Thank you," he muttered, taking it from her. While he is doing his best to appear calm on the outside he's panicking on the inside. The worry practically emanating from his friends makes him feel worse.

Although he does eventually speak, handing the handkerchief back to Makoto. "I'm fine, we can keep going. I didn't get hurt or anything, my lunch just wasn't sitting right. Besides, we have one more request and we're already halfway to the target location, the moment we're done I'll go home and sleep," he told everyone, hoping it sounds as convincing to them as it does his own ears.

His stomach is still killing him and despite throwing up everything in it he still feels queasy. His joints are aching like crazy and his body feels heavy no doubt being aggravated from all the fighting he's been doing.

Morgana who had surprisingly been silent all this time gives him a soft smile and a nod. "If you say you can do it then I'll believe you," he said repeating Ren's earlier words back at him.

Ren's eyes widen briefly before he smiles. "Thank you."

Every one of his nerves is frayed but he's made it way too far to give up now.

Makoto looks between the two of them with her own small smile. "True, you are right. If you say that you're fine now we should be going, it's not good to linger on one floor too long after all."

Ren merely nodded before they piled back into the van to continue to the final target's location.

And he does it, they complete the final request without another hitch and Ren would've cheered if he'd been able to. Because his plan worked, against all odds.

Or at least he believes it has.

The moment they exit Mementos, fatigue crashes over him as he practically trudges forward, his footsteps heavy, nearly dragging.

All noise in the world seems to fade away into the background, white noise filling his ears. He slowly looks up, forcing his eyes to move, despite the world being nothing but a smear of colors he can make out his friends walking away from him.

Ren tries to follow, to catch up with them but he can't lift his legs anymore. In fact, he can barely feel his body at all, as the smear of colors quickly turns to black splotches he thinks he hears something like a cat faintly yowling in surprise or fear. Ren is unconscious before he even hits the ground.

~~~

It's hot, way, way too hot. Burning almost and Ren doesn't like it. It's uncomfortable, he whimpers as he shifts slightly trying to push whatever is laying on top of his body off.

It's not heavy in fact it's soft and feels like fabric but Ren doesn't care because it's just making him hotter. Plus it's pressing on his stomach which is sensitive and sloshing.

He groaned softly as he stopped moving because it was just upsetting his stomach further, but it's a little too late for that. He feels something nearly searing hot climbing up his throat, nearly burning it, clogging it and he flails, frantically forcing himself to sit up just as his stomach heaves.

He retches the strangled sound clawing its way up from his stomach, an ache shooting across it as it wrings itself out bringing up stringy, sticky bitter bile and saliva. Ren wants to die or pass out anything to escape this hell that he's being subjected to.

He feels hands on him, a cool hand rubbing gently across his feverish back and it feels so good that he gives a small almost delirious giggle. He hears soft muttering and something that sounds like the word hospital.

That gets him to open his eyes slightly, the first thing he sees is Ryuji looking at him with worry clear in his eyes and why is he holding a trash can.

Realizing Ren is awake and slightly lucid, he gives a small smile. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"Ryuji!" Someone snaps, from beside Ren and he flinches at the way it grates on his frayed nerves. It sounds like Ann, and a quick glance to his right tells him it is.

She's sitting on the edge of his bed, looking worried as well. Rubbing small soothing circles on his back with one hand, while her other is on his shoulder helping to hold him up.

Blinking slowly Ren glanced around, his eyes roving around his room at Leblanc before looking back at Ann. "Why..."

She sighed, shaking her head as she looked at Ren. "You really scared us, you know? Fainting like that in the middle of the street, if Ryuji and Yusuke weren't there I don't know how we would've gotten you to Takemi's clinic." Her tone reminds Ren way too much of being lectured by his parents and he hates it.

Ah. Ren slowly realized. So that's what happened to him, he remembered being happy about leaving the Mementos and after that nothing.

"But...why are you two here?" He finally managed to ask, his voice coming out raspy and strained.

Ryuji sighed as he set the trash can down. "Sojiro wanted to come over and take care of you, but Futaba is just as sick as you so we offered to do it."

Ren frowned slightly, finally laying back on the bed when his aching arms began to shake beneath him from the strain of holding himself up.

His stomach still hurts, it's too hot and he just wants to go back to sleep but he forces himself to keep his eyes open. "You don't need to do that, I'll be fine," he muttered.

Both Ryuji and Ann roll their eyes.

"Ren, dude, just stop. Go to sleep, let us look out for you for once," Ryuji huffed, crossing his arms.

Ann nodded. "Yeah, for once Ryuji and I agree. You need rest, and you're not doing anything until you get it. So go to sleep, we'll still be here when you wake up," she reassured him.

Ren wants to stay awake, he wants to get up and prove he's fine but exhaustion is tugging at him, and no matter how hard he tries he can't keep his eyes open.

While he is upset that his plan failed he finds comfort in the fact that at least his friends are here with him.