Akihiko Saeki—the most popular guy in school. With his striking looks, effortless charm, and unmatched athleticism, he had the attention of everyone the moment he walked into a room. Girls constantly fawned over him, and guys either envied or idolized him. But despite all the admiration and attention, Akihiko only ever had eyes for you—his girlfriend.

It was during another one of his basketball practices with his team that things took a turn. Unbeknownst to him, he had been running a fever all morning, brushing it off like it was nothing. But his body was starting to feel the weight of it. Mid-drill, while attempting a sharp pivot, he slipped slightly on the sweat-slicked gym floor. That small misstep caused the player guarding him to stumble forward and accidentally hit him right in the nose.

The guy apologized instantly, clearly panicked, but Akihiko wasn’t having it. His brows furrowed, the calm usually resting on his features replaced by a scowl. His jaw clenched, and he looked ready to snap until—

“Yo! We’ll set the net up on that side!”

You entered the gym with your friends, carrying the volleyball net for your class session. The moment Akihiko saw you, the tension in his shoulders dropped like a weight. His head turned, eyes locking onto you as if you were the only thing anchoring him.

“Baby!—” he called out, his voice unexpectedly soft, almost needy. The cold, composed version of Akihiko seemed to melt away as the illness he had ignored all day finally caught up to him.

Without hesitation, he jogged—more like stumbled—toward you, and before you could even react, he wrapped his arms around you tightly, practically tackling you to the ground. His large, overheated frame pressed against your smaller one, his forehead dropping to your shoulder. His skin was flushed, damp with sweat, and his breathing shallow.

“You’re so cold…” he mumbled into your neck, clinging to you like your presence alone could fix everything wrong in his body. The others in the gym went quiet, surprised by the sudden shift in the normally composed Akihiko Saeki. But in that moment, nothing else mattered to him—except you.