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Mondo was impressed with himself getting to school early for once.
He stood by the committee room where he knew Kiyotaka to be, probably organizing files and writing out schedule duties for this coming week. The small bouquet that Mondo held in his hands was getting strangled more and more as the time ticked closer to when Kiyotaka would walk out of the room.
It was far too early for Mondo to be getting this nervous. The adrenaline that pumped through his system made his heart ache. He cursed at himself for being so nervous about this. They were already together, why was it so god damn nerve wracking to ask his boyfriend out on a date?
“Mondo?”
Mondo practically leapt out of his skin at Kiyotaka’s voice behind him. The paper around the bouquet crinkled loudly as it was crushed in his grip. He whipped around and faced the sweetly smiling face of his boyfriend.
“I’m proud of you for making it to school on time! Even early! I’m quite impressed!”
Mondo didn’t process any of the emotions flooding through his brain. He thrust the bouquet forward, tapping against Kiyotaka’s chest in a light punch. Sweat was beading on his brow as he gritted his teeth and tried to keep from shouting this early in the morning.
Mondo truly tried, but ultimately failed as his voice echoed down the empty hallway.
“FUCKIN’- YOU WANNA FUCKIN’ GO?!! W-WITH ME?!! OUT?!!” There were some unintelligible stammers and stutters dotted with the occasional expletive before Mondo could finish his request, “ON A FUCKIN’ DATE?!!”
Kiyotaka’s face began to turn bright red, his eyes widened as he stared up at Mondo. The other man was panting now, still gritting his teeth together to form a rather scary-looking smile. Down the hall, a small cluster of other students giggled and laughed, making Mondo shrink into his Diamonds jacket more.
Now, it was Kiyotaka’s turn to raise his voice. Though not at the same volume as Mondo’s, he did loudly reply, “Yes!!! I would love to!”
For some strange reason Mondo will never fully comprehend, he was surprised by his boyfriend’s reply. “Really?”
“Of course!” Kiyotaka replied with a laugh, “You are my boyfriend after all! I do so dearly enjoy spending time with you! Ah... this will be our first official date, won’t it?”
Mondo nodded and used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Y-Yeah, s-sorry for shoutin’,” his voice sounded a bit more rough now, “Y-Y’know how I get.”
Kiyotaka held the bouquet and smiled as he sniffed one of the flowers. He hummed in agreement. “That I do, my love. I’m glad you chose to ask before school as well! This is an appropriate time for romantic pursuits!”
“Y-Yeah Yeah,” Mondo grumbled and scratched his cheek.
“I still have time to run these by my dorm! O-oh! And ah... does... this Friday work for you?” Kiyotaka’s voice turned quite soft as he looked up at Mondo. That blush was still bright on his cheeks.
“Huh? Oh! Friday!” Mondo grinned, “Yeah! I’m all clear Friday night.”
“Excellent! What will we be doing?”
Mondo’s mind drew a blank as he stared at his boyfriend. “Uh... What?”
“What will we be doing for our date?”
“Shit, um,” Mondo bit his lip as he picked at the buttons of his jacket, “Wanna do dinner? And maybe a movie in one of our rooms afterward?”
Kiyotaka beamed. “That sounds like a pleasant evening! I will do my best to keep my schedule free and clear! Could you hold these, please?”
Mondo held the bouquet as Kiyotaka produced a small black notebook from his backpack. He flipped a few pages and clicked a pen to his cheek before his eyes fell on Mondo again.
“This Friday, at... what time?”
“Uh... wanna shoot for like... 6:30?”
“6:30 it is then!” Kiyotaka happily wrote down something in the notebook.
Curiosity got the best of Mondo and he peered over the edge of the notebook, which turned out to be a planner. In the little box for this Friday, Kiyotaka had written “Date with Mondo. 6:30 PM. Dinner and Movie night”. In the space remaining, he was drawing a smiley face with large eyebrows... and another one with what looked like a cloud protruding from the top of its head... and a few little hearts.
Mondo blushed a brilliant red as he began to dissolve into fluster again.
“There,” Kiyotaka clicked the pen again, then neatly tucked the planner back into his bag. He accepted the bouquet again with a smile, his cheeks still bright pink. “I didn’t want to risk accidentally scheduling something over it! You are of utmost importance, as my time with you is something I treasure!”
Those little stutters returned as Mondo covered his mouth with his hand.
“I-I’m really looking forward to it,” Kiyotaka admitted, hugging the bouquet, “L-Let’s go get these in water in my dorm. Would you like to accompany me?”
“YEAH,” came Mondo’s shouted reply. Kiyotaka laughed as he walked beside Mondo in the direction of the dorms.
The rest of the week went off without much of a hitch. Every day, Kiyotaka would remind Mondo just how excited he was for their date, and every day, Mondo would turn into a pile of flustered mush at how happy Kiyotaka was.
It made Mondo’s days a little brighter as the date drew nearer. He could look forward to seeing Kiyotaka look so excited about finally getting a break and relaxing for a while. The two would go on their first date, have a blast, and spend time together they had been needing.
On Thursday, Kiyotaka’s face was a little more flushed than usual, even for being excited about the next day. It gave Mondo a brief pause for concern. He sat across from Kiyotaka at lunch outside, under their usual tree.
“How’re things goin’?”
“Quite well! So far, only Leon has given me trouble today. I caught him planning some prank with a few of our upperclassmen,” Kiyotaka hummed.
“S’good, baby, I’m proud of ya,” Mondo ruffled Kiyotaka’s hair with a grin.
Kiyotaka looked up at him with a smile. There was something off, something not quite right about that smile. Maybe it was that little bit of glazed over look in Kiyotaka’s eyes. Mondo was going to ask, but Kiyotaka cut him off.
“Thank you. How has your day been so far?”
Mondo shrugged and took a bite of the lunch he’d brought, sitting back more. “Same as usual. Nothin’ new.”
Kiyotaka nodded with a little “ah”. He pushed around the rice with his chopsticks with a little frown. “Sometimes business as usual isn’t too bad-“
Mondo couldn’t take it anymore. Kiyotaka not eating? There was something amiss. “Alright, Kiyotaka. Somethin’s up.”
Kiyotaka looked surprised. His head shot up, his wide eyes fixed on Mondo’s. “What... do you mean? Nothing is ‘up’, Mondo.”
“Like hell!!! You ain’t eating! You’re lookin’ real red and I dunno, somethin’s just not right, ok?”
Kiyotaka fell silent, looking down at his lunch. He pushed around the grains of rice a little more as he spoke.
“I have been feeling rather nauseated today. I think it is from the nervousness for our date tomorrow. I’ve never been on a date before! And you mean so much to me, I don’t want to mess up.”
Mondo set his finished lunch aside and scooted closer to Kiyotaka. He took Kiyotaka’s lunch and did the same, then laced their fingers together. A little smile tugged at Kiyotaka’s lips as his hands closed around Mondo’s. Mondo took a deep breath. Kiyotaka needed comforting; this was no time to shout in his face.
No matter how soft Kiyotaka’s hands felt.
“Taka, baby... you aren’t gonna mess things up,” Mondo spoke slowly, focusing on containing his volume, “No matter what happens, I ain’t gonna stop lovin’ you, ok?”
“Even if-“
“Kiyotaka,” Mondo said in a warning tone, “Even if any of those little scenarios playin’ in that adorable little head of yours happen. Probably won’t happen first off, but even if they did, that doesn’t change anythin’.”
Kiyotaka’s large eyes were fixed on Mondo’s. He could see those wheels turning, the anxiety-driven mechanics pumping one fear after another out in his mind. Those eyes closed as Kiyotaka leaned forward and rest his forehead to Mondo’s with a sigh. Mondo closed his eyes as well with a squeeze of Kiyotaka’s hands.
“Thank you. I will do my best to remember that,” Kiyotaka murmured.
“S’ok, baby. I know you’re tryin’. Keep tryin’ to focus on the fun we’re gonna have, ok?”
Kiyotaka nodded and smiled. “I will do my best with that also!”
Mondo grinned and ruffled Kiyotaka’s hair as the two drew back and sat up. There was a little more vibrancy in Kiyotaka’s red eyes now, a little more life. Mondo was grateful for that.
“Now you eat your lunch, or else,” Mondo warned without much actual pressure behind his words.
Kiyotaka laughed and picked his lunch back up, taking a small bite. “I will, don’t worry.”
After that, Mondo relaxed, and the two were able to go about lunch as usual.
The rest of the day went smoothly as well. To Mondo, there wasn’t much more he could do to calm Kiyotaka’s nervousness other than just reassure him every now and then that things would indeed be ok. Kiyotaka at times seemed convinced, but other times, he seemed so distant, like his mind was focused elsewhere.
They went to their dorms and didn’t say much more on the subject for that evening.
Mondo should have pressed the subject more.
Kiyotaka wasn’t in class at all on Friday.
When he began asking around about it, Kyoko confirmed there was a special meeting going on for the class representatives. She wasn’t too sure on how late it would go.
Mondo sighed. “Fine, guess I’m hangin’ with Chi today.”
“Uh... Chi’s gone too,” Leon said as if Mondo should have already known that.
“What?! The hell did Chi go?!”
“B-Beats me, dude! Don’t shoot the messenger!”
Mondo sighed and crossed his arms, burying his face there. It was going to be a painfully long day.
As expected, the day went by about as fast as a snail caught in molasses. He’d decided to hang around Leon, but despite the punk’s best efforts, he couldn’t get his mind off Kiyotaka.
Messages he sent to Kiyotaka went unanswered. At first, Mondo assumed it was because of that class rep meeting.
But then he saw the class rep from the class ahead of them, Chiaki, and got very confused. It was 5:30 now. If Chiaki was out of the meeting, then Kiyotaka must be also.
He sent a message letting Kiyotaka know he was going to start getting ready. Their date was in an hour, after all. Maybe Mondo would see him then.
7:42pm.
Mondo stood outside the school, leaning against his bike. Hell, he himself had been running about an extra 30 minutes behind, getting all the product out of his hair had been an unexpected hassle in addition to finding some appropriate date clothes. Now he was here, ready to go in a nice t shirt and dark jeans, his hair tied back in a ponytail, with no boyfriend in sight.
It was not like Kiyotaka to be over an hour late for something he had been looking forward to all week! Or at least, seemed to have been looking forward to.
Mondo’s mind floated over the memories from yesterday, how Kiyotaka had been worried about messing up.
Even if...
What was Kiyotaka going to say there? Even if he scheduled over their date and just never told Mondo?
Mondo pushed himself up off his bike and began to storm toward the dorms. The few people he passed backed against the wall, terrified of the angry biker.
He stomped right up to Kiyotaka’s door and banged on it with his fist.
“Ishimaru!!! You fuckin’ in there?! It’s almost eight! The hell is goin’ on?!”
There was silence from the other side of the door. Mondo tried the doorknob, but found it to be locked. He growled and pounded on the door again.
“Kiyotaka Fuckin’ Ishimaru! Answer the goddamn door!”
There was a sound of rustling before a loud thud on the floor. A small cry of pain. Mondo’s mood switched from anger to concern in the blink of an eye.
“T-Taka?! I’m comin’ in!” Mondo dug his keys out and fished for the spare key to Kiyotaka’s dorm. He unlocked and pushed open the door, met with a sight that didn’t exactly calm his nerves.
It was totally dark save for the rectangle of light made by the open door. Mondo could see tissues scattered on the floor, the bed a total mess the blankets were pulled to the opposite side of the bed, where a faint groan could be heard.
“Taka... Taka, baby,” Mondo darted over and practically slid on his knees to where Kiyotaka lay.
He was in a heap of blankets and sheets, still in his pajamas. His arms wobbled as he tried to pick himself up off the ground, only earning coughs in spite of his efforts.
“I’m terribly sorry, Mondo,” Kiyotaka’s voice sounded rather rough, “I’m very sorry, please, I’m so sorry...!”
Mondo helped Kiyotaka sit up on the floor, keeping his arm around him. His heart began to ache at the sight. He’d really gotten this mad at his boyfriend for just being sick.
“Hey, Hey, it’s ok, baby. I’m here now. I just was gettin’ worried. You weren’t answerin’ me, and I hadn’t seen ya all day, and then it got late, I thought you’d forgotten about the date and scheduled somethin’ over it.”
“What? No!” Kiyotaka’s raised voice made him cough, turning away from Mondo. “Why would I do that? I’m... I’m sorry for making you believe that, I-“
Mondo shushed Kiyotaka, rubbing his back as he waited for the coughs to subside. He softly murmured some words of encouragement to Kiyotaka, reminders to take things easy, take deep breaths.
Once the coughs silenced, Mondo spoke. “Baby, it’s not your fault that you’re sick.”
“I-I hoped I wouldn’t get sick. I felt it start yesterday, I just hoped it was nervousness. Now we can’t go out to dinner... I didn’t get to go to my meeting today, they had to send Chihiro in my stead. I didn’t see that I’d gotten messages from you until I woke up just now, and I’m sor-“
Mondo caressed Kiyotaka’s cheek with another soft “Shh”. As Kiyotaka leaned into the touch, Mondo could feel just how warm he was. He watched Kiyotaka nuzzle against his palm with a small smile.
Even when he’s sick, he’s still too adorable.
“How will we have our date now? I can hardly go anywhere,” Kiyotaka sighed.
“I’m bringin’ the date to you then.”
“Y-You are?!”
“Fuck yeah I am!”
Kiyotaka still looked beyond perplexed. “B-But how?”
Mondo fell silent for just a moment as he collected his thoughts. He clicked his tongue a little and managed to catch Kiyotaka giggle a little. He raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“You dork. How about this,” Mondo cleared his voice, “I’m gonna help ya get back in bed, I’mma go make some soup, grab my laptop, and we’ll watch a movie and have dinner that way. Sound good?”
Kiyotaka’s stomach rumbled at the mention of food. He smiled sheepishly as Mondo grinned.
“I take it that’s a yes,” Mondo said between chuckles.
Kiyotaka ducked his head with a shy smile. “If you wouldn’t mind, my love.”
“Baby, I don’t mind at all. It’s still date night. Just a bit different.”
Kiyotaka nodded and repeated Mondo’s last sentence to himself. His muttering was cut off by Mondo standing and starting to lift Kiyotaka off the ground.
“M-Mondo! What- What are you doing?!!”
“Pickin’ ya up off the floor and puttin’ ya back in bed?”
“I-I can handle it! Please, I-“
Mondo interrupted Kiyotaka with a kiss, his fingers threading through his boyfriend’s short black hair. The other’s hand, once pushing against Mondo’s chest, now settled and curled around Mondo’s shirt collar. Mondo could feel Kiyotaka relaxing in his arms and he was damn proud of it. With a brief second kiss, he pulled back and tried to give Kiyotaka a stern look.
It ended up being much softer than he intended, but perhaps that was what Kiyotaka needed.
“Taka, baby, you worry about restin’. Let me take care of ya.”
Kiyotaka just stared back at Mondo, his expression unreadable. Mondo could see in his eyes that he was searching for something, something within Mondo. Hoping to help soothe Kiyotaka more, he ran his hand through Kiyotaka’s hair. He watched Kiyotaka’s eyes close, then his head nod.
With a smile, Mondo lifted Kiyotaka off the ground with ease. Though the lift was brief, Kiyotaka still held on tight. His arms latched around Mondo’s neck as he hid his face in Mondo’s chest. Mondo blushed deeply. He nuzzled against Kiyotaka’s hair and left a little kiss here and there, and earned a pleased hum in reply.
He adored this feeling. Holding Kiyotaka like this, feeling the other so warm against his chest. Though, a little too warm due to the fever.
He wanted to hold Kiyotaka like this more often, his arms willing.
Right now, he had more pressing matters to attend to. He lay Kiyotaka back in bed and picked up the blankets and sheets off the floor. He fluffed the pillows back up, allowing Kiyotaka to lie back with a smile.
“Thank you,” Kiyotaka murmured.
“Anytime, honey. I’ll be back soon.”
Mondo shrugged out of his Diamonds jacket and wrapped it around Kiyotaka. He took the opportunity to kiss Kiyotaka’s nose with a proud grin.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Alright, darling.”
Mondo instantly took off for the kitchen. He gathered the few ingredients that he needed and got a large pot on the stove. He was quite impressed with himself at how he could still remember this soup despite it being so many years since the last time he’d had it. It had been easily since before Daiya...
Mondo shook his head.
“No, now’s not the time for depressing shit. Now’s when I make somethin’ for Taka and help him feel better. Speakin’ of...”
Mondo left the soup to cook and ran down to the little store where he bought all kinds of medicines. He put them all in his pants pockets and left a few rather crinkled up bills on the counter.
He returned to the soup and stirred it every now and then, all while scrolling through his phone and trying to pick a good movie for the two to watch. He leaned against the counter, occasionally stirring, as he looked for a movie and waited for the soup to finish.
When Mondo returned to the room, he had his laptop under his arm and two full soup bowls in his hands. His laptop charger was hanging out of one pocket, and his other pocket rattled with medicine every time he took a step. Kiyotaka watched with brows deeply furrowed in confusion. Very slowly, Mondo set the bowls down on the little end table, then plopped the laptop on the bed.
“Goodness,” Kiyotaka breathed as he watched Mondo place various medicines on the bed. “All of this... is for me?”
“I didn’t know which one was gonna help... so I got a bunch. And uh, I got soup, and I got my laptop, and I picked out a movie, so we’re all set.”
Kiyotaka smiled. While Mondo began setting up his laptop, Kiyotaka read the labels of each medicine Mondo brought to him before selecting one and taking the first dose. The little dorm room was quiet other than Mondo’s mumbling about how the WiFi better not fuck up and the occasional cough from Kiyotaka.
Satisfied with the setup, Mondo slid in bed beside Kiyotaka. The laptop sat between them on a notebook, paused at the opening credits of the movie Mondo had chosen. A warm bowl of soup was pressed against Kiyotaka’s hands and brought a smile to the other’s face.
“This smells delightful! I didn’t know you knew how to cook!”
“It’s an Oowada family specialty~” Mondo stated with pride, “Ma would make it for Daiya when he was sick, and then Daiya started makin’ it for me.”
Kiyotaka’s face lit up. “Oh gosh... Daiya... and your mother both? This is quite important to you then!”
Mondo blushed and shrugged as he twisted the spoon in his hand. “It was just... somethin’ we did... when one of us was sick, we made this. I dunno if it made the sickness go away faster, but it sure as hell made us happier.”
“I am looking forward to trying it!”
“W-Well, It probably ain’t gonna be as good as Ma’s or Daiya’s... But I tried, Alright?!” Mondo could feel his voice raising out of nerves but managed to keep it fairly under control.
Kiyotaka, as always, was undeterred. “And that is the most important part! Though, I’m sure it will still be lovely. Much like yourself!”
Mondo squeaked and ducked his head between his shrugged shoulders as his blush flared brighter. “J-Just eat the damn soup!”
Kiyotaka giggled. “Alright, thank you for making it, love.”
Mondo hummed in response, still hiding in his shoulders. He took a bite of the soup and found that it was actually not too far off from how his family had made it. Maybe he was a little too heavy handed on the salt.
He decided to sneak a peek at Kiyotaka taking his first bite. He watched the normally rigid male practically turn into a puddle right there, his eyes fluttering closed as he smiled.
“It’s delicious, Mondo! I can see why this helped you feel better when you were sick!”
Mondo’s smile grew as he watched Kiyotaka eagerly eat the soup, his heart swelling with pride once more. He had been successful in helping Kiyotaka feel better! He really had done it! He made something that Kiyotaka actually liked! He continued to eat his soup as well, so very content with himself.
Maybe he wasn’t such a fuck up after all.
Minutes later, two empty bowls sat stacked on the nightstand. The room was darkened once more, save for the light coming from the laptop screen. Kiyotaka curled up against Mondo’s side, his head resting contentedly on his chest. Mondo had his arm around Kiyotaka’s shoulders as he held him close. They were both focused on the movie, a cartoon that Mondo had dubbed “a classic” and “a crime that Kiyotaka hadn’t seen it yet”.
They were both quiet for most of the movie. Occasionally they’d laugh, make a comment about something that happened, but mostly just remained silent. Mondo could feel Kiyotaka relax as his hand traced gentle circles on his back. It was decided long ago that while this may not have been the original plan, this turned out far better.
As the credits began to roll, Mondo shifted into clean up mode. He gave Kiyotaka a kiss on the forehead before slipping out of the bed.
What he was not expecting was Kiyotaka to latch onto his wrist.
“Mondo! Ah... erm... where are you going...?”
Mondo cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head with his free hand. “Uh. Was gonna clean up a bit. Take the bowls back to the kitchen. Why?”
Slowly, Kiyotaka retracted his hand. His laugh sounded a little forced, and the way his eyes flicked about the room confirmed one thing.
Kiyotaka was about to lie.
“Oh, no reason.”
There must be a reason. Mondo’s eyes narrowed as he looked back at his boyfriend, who continued to avoid his gaze. Normally, Mondo would force Kiyotaka to show his hand.
Also normally, Kiyotaka isn’t this sick, and as Mondo watched Kiyotaka attempt to suppress a coughing fit once more, he decided not to push it for the time being. He rubbed Kiyotaka’s back and kissed his forehead again.
“I’ll be right back. Ok?”
“Ok,” came Kiyotaka’s hushed reply between coughs.
He waited for the coughing to subside before taking the bowls, laptop, and a bag of trash out of Kiyotaka’s dorm. He made his trip as quick as he could, running through the unmonitored halls from his own dorm to the kitchen. He chucked the bag of trash into a growing pile of garbage and set the bowls in the sink to be dealt with later.
Inside Kiyotaka’s dorm again, he saw relief wash over Kiyotaka’s face. Those thick eyebrows relaxed, his eyes closing as he settled back against the pillows in his bed once more.
Now Mondo could press the issue.
“Why’d you grab my arm?”
Kiyotaka’s eyes slid open and focused on Mondo. He leaned against the wall by the door, just watching Kiyotaka nervously bite his lip and avert his eyes.
“I... wanted to ask if-“ Kiyotaka coughed and spoke a little louder, “If you’d stay with me. I was afraid you’d... not want to get sick or I disgusted you with... the state of my health. So when you got up so abruptly, I was afraid you were leaving.”
It was probably just a small pop in his sternum, but Mondo swore he could feel his heart break a little. He pushed himself off the wall and climbed back into Kiyotaka’s bed, his arms wrapped tight around Kiyotaka.
“Hey... hey, I ain’t goin’ anywhere. I’ll stay with ya.”
“Y-You will?”
“Abso-fuckin-lutely. I’ll be right here with you when you wake up. And hopefully you’ll be feelin’ better then.”
“Oh, thank you so much,” Kiyotaka sounded relieved as he returned Mondo’s tight embrace. “Thank you. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“You don’t gotta make up nothin’. Just... focus on restin’ and gettin’ better...”
Mondo settled in more comfortably into Kiyotaka’s bed with eyes closed. His firm hold had not slacked once, keeping Kiyotaka close to his chest. He sighed. Tiredness had begun to drag him down into the depths of slumber and dreams...
...at least, it would have if Kiyotaka would have stopped squirming. Mondo groaned as he opened his eyes.
“What’s goin’ on? Go to sleep.”
Kiyotaka ducked his head, picking at the little hairs on Mondo’s tank top. “We Ah... need to brush our teeth. And you need pajamas... I can provide some! I-if you think they’d fit...”
“Probably wouldn’t,” Mondo sighed, “I’ll grab some from my room... need help gettin’ up?”
Freed from Mondo’s hold, Kiyotaka carefully began to push himself out of bed. He wobbled, Mondo immediately reaching out and taking hold of his side’s to help him stand.
“I’ve gotcha, baby. I’ll help ya.”
“Thank you... I’m sorry for being so helpless like this.”
Mondo kissed Kiyotaka’s forehead as he stood. “Don’t apologize. I really don’t mind. It’s... kinda nice.”
Kiyotaka looked quite shocked by that. He wrapped an arm around Mondo as the two stood and made the quick trip to the restroom to brush their teeth.
“Really?” Kiyotaka tilted his head.
Mondo was really embarrassed about this. He spoke in a mumble through his teeth. “Yeah. You don’t normally need help. You got all your shit together. If anythin’, you’re the one helpin’ me. It’s... nice to feel needed...”
“Oh,” Kiyotaka whispered. He tilted his head against Mondo’s shoulder and held onto him a little tighter. “I always need you. I just may not show it clearly.”
Mondo almost squirted the entire tube of toothpaste onto his toothbrush. Especially when Kiyotaka snuck a little kiss on his cheek. How dare that insufferable hall monitor be so damn cute.
Bedtime routines completed, the two made their way back into bed. Kiyotaka took a nighttime medicine, then instantly curled up at Mondo’s side. Mondo’s heart skipped beats as Kiyotaka nuzzled into his chest, just hugging him tight.
“Thank you for making today wonderful, love. I’m so very grateful. And I promise to make it up to you!”
Mondo just smiled and shook his head. “Hey now. No worries, baby, you just focus on feelin’ better. I’m glad you had a great time too.”
The light clicked off and the two settled comfortably in bed, arms around each other. It surprised Mondo just how fast the tiredness was creeping up on him the moment darkness set in. He was just about to give into sleep when a voice spoke up.
“Mondo?”
“Mmn?”
“G-Goodnight!”
“Mmnn night baby,” Mondo groaned in reply.
There was a soft pressure to his lips that brought him out of his sleepy haze. Kiyotaka kissed him, as tender and sweet as a kiss could be. Mondo kissed him back and held him a little tighter. It was a brief kiss, but it sure felt like it lingered for a long time. Kiyotaka smiled in the dark, barely visible in the low light of the room.
“I love you. Have pleasant dreams tonight!”
Mondo’s flustered reply managed to have only “I love you too” decipherable. The rest was just indiscernible stammering caused by how cute Kiyotaka could be.
In the end, Kiyotaka did end up living up to his promise, when Mondo came down with the same illness just a few days after. He cared for Mondo in the same way, even tried making him the special Oowada family soup!
Despite it not being their initial plan, both agreed that the date was still perfect in its own way.