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Saihara woke up to the sound of objects clattering against the floor in another room, the noise accompanied by what sounded like a torrent of running water. Slowly, he began to sit up in his bed before grimacing, quickly gripping his chest as he felt a dull ache wash over him. As he let himself fall back onto the bed, he took in a breath, a sharp pain shooting up to his throat. Stilling, he forced himself to take long, slow breaths through his nose instead, something which seemed to lessen the pain. Wearily, he let out a groan.
Just as he was letting himself drift off to sleep again, the pain completely wiping his mind of the unknown noises, he saw a familiar small figure appear at the doorway of his room.
“Ki...Kokichi?”
“Ah, you’re awake! Did you see the treats I left you?” Ouma said in his usual cheery tone, nothing seeming to give away the idea that something was out of the ordinary.
Wincing, Saihara slowly turned onto his side, his face directly in front of the small side table next to his bed. Rubbing his eyes back into focus, he saw the sweets and pills placed on a tray that had been left there. Along with it, a glass of water.
Through the slight haziness that remained from his previous attempt to get up, he barely processed the gesture when Ouma quickly scuttled over to help him sit up, even having him the medication himself.
After quickly swallowing the bitter pills and taking a long drink of water, Saihara felt his head clear up a bit.
“Why are you...why did you come back?” Saihara said hoarsely, wincing at the sound of his own voice.
“Well Merry Christmas to you too! It’s the evening, my boss let me off early. Not because she’s nice or anything, apparently her daughter just needed something...or something. Great timing too.” Ouma said lightheartedly.
Saihara looked at his hands as he took in what he heard, watching out of the corner of his eye as Ouma stood beside his bed.
Had he been mad at him? Who was mad at who? What did they even fight about?
“C’mon, let’s give you a bath.”
“N-no, I just,” Saihara started, giving a weak attempt to push away Ouma’s hand as he extended it towards him.
“C’mon, c’mon, don’t act like I didn’t hear you stumbling around the bathroom earlier like a little Bambi!”
“Bambi?” Saihara said weakly, suddenly wondering how long Ouma had been home.
“It’s not too hot, is it?”
“It’s fine.”
“Ah, I’m glad.”
Saihara wondered how he had gotten into the situation he was in. His mind felt muddled from the excess sleep and pain, but the painkillers he had taken seemed to be working and the hot water was relaxing.
Warm baths always made him sleepy.
He could feel the other’s presence nearby. Even without looking, he could hear Ouma flattening, folding, unfolding, and refolding his clothes over and over as he sat in a wooden chair he pulled up near the door.
Why couldn’t he just leave?
The water began feeling heavy on his chest, it felt a bit hard to breathe, but nothing too uncomfortable. Stretching his legs and letting his feet rest at the edge of the small tub, he rested his chin on his chest, closed his eyes, and attempted to relax a bit.
After what felt like only a few minutes of sleep, he felt a pair of hands grab at his underarms and begin to pull him up.
Sheepishly, Saihara gripped the sides of the bathtub, bracing himself to stand as a dull ache resonated in his chest.
After a few puffs and near slips, Ouma finally helped him get from the tub to the wooden chair he had been sitting on.
About 20 minutes later, Ouma had mostly successfully managed to dry off, dress, and return the other to their shared bed.
Ouma let himself fall onto the bed, Saihara barely seeming to notice as the pain slowly began to return at full force.
“Sorry I had to take you out, I didn’t want you to turn into a raisin,” he giggled, despite the apparent worry in his face.
“I’m sure you’re not hungry right now, but I think enough time has passed for you to take another couple of painkillers. Do you want a warm water pad too?”
With a hoarse “thank you,” from Saihara, Ouma took it as a yes.
Once everything was taken care of, Saihara was sound asleep, his blanket tucked up to his chin and a cool towel placed on his forehead. Slowly sliding into the bed next to the other, Ouma could see the rise and fall of Saihara’s chest, as well as the dark circles under his eyes. Regardless, he still looked a lot better than he had before.
Carefully, Ouma put his arm over the other’s chest to take him into a half-hug, their faces almost touching.
“Not everything is my fault, you know Shuichi. Well, even if you make me sad sometimes, I’ll still take care of you,” Ouma said, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.
“Merry Christmas Shu, we can eat lots of treats tomorrow.”