Archive of Our Own

In retrospect, Takumi really should have anticipated what ended up happening. Part of it, at least. He woke up with a sore throat that persistently stayed with him for the rest of the day, despite all the tea he drank to soothe it. Later on, a few hours into work, his limbs started to ache. And in the afternoon, a headache got added to the mix. All pretty clear signs of an approaching illness.

But Takumi was nothing if not stubborn, and he had not gotten properly sick in years. As far as he was concerned, he never caught anything more serious than a light cold. That fact led him to largely ignore all the warning signs and waving them away as just him being a bit tired. And, well, sore throats happened. Takumi carried on with his day and if he was more exhausted than usual after work, then he ignored that, too. He would have liked to go to bed early, but Project.D was having a few practice runs on Mt. Akagi tonight that he definitely couldn't be absent from. Not that he wanted to. His sore throat was still annoying him though, so he drank some more tea, took some painkillers against his headache, and wrapped a scarf around his neck before leaving. The air was rather cool tonight.

As usual, he was the last to arrive on Mt. Akagi. When he got out of the car, he saw the mechanics and Keisuke talking under the propped-up hood of the FD while Kenta lingered and watched. Ryousuke and Fumihiro were standing a bit aside and also discussing something, but they interrupted their conversation when they saw Takumi arrive.

"Good evening, Fujiwara," said Ryousuke while Fumihiro gave Takumi a short nod and a smile in greeting. "You haven't missed much. We were just about to discuss the adjustments we plan to be testing today. Let us join the others, shall we?"

Takumi nodded and followed them over to the FD, where the rest of the team said their short greetings to him before resuming their conversation. Takumi thought he saw Ryousuke's eyes linger for a little moment on his scarf and then on his face before he turned his attention to Tomiguchi and asked him a technical question that Takumi did not yet understand fully. He tried to pay attention anyway, at the same time wondering whether it was obvious that he was feeling a little bit under the weather. His headache actually felt like it had gotten worse rather than better, and it was making it a bit hard for him to focus.

Later, when the mechanics were wrapping things up and Takumi waited for the first run to start, Keisuke joined him. He had not talked with him so far today save for the short exchange earlier.

The two of them were at a point now that Takumi would almost start calling him his friend. Whether Keisuke thought so, too, Takumi did not know. But the other certainly seemed to be annoyed with him a lot less often than in the beginning of them being part of the same team. Which, of course, wasn't to say that it never happened.

"Interesting fashion choice," Keisuke said in place of a greeting and stared pointedly at Takumi's scarf, which just so happened to have a horrendous grey-and-lilac knit pattern.

Takumi did not care much about that; it was warm. He shrugged instead of responding to Keisuke's underhanded remark. He felt too exhausted to properly engage him in conversation, let alone one in which he had to be witty.

"Sore throat," he only explained. Keisuke went from judgementally eyeing the scarf to searching for something in Takumi's expression.

"Don't get sick on us," he said brusquely, "We have a lot of practice runs scheduled for this weekend."

Takumi frowned a bit. "I know. I'm not getting sick." Even if he were, he doubted that he could do anything about it, no matter what anyone wanted. Thankfully, at least his headache seemed to finally dullen a bit. Maybe it was the painkillers or the cool air; either way, Takumi was grateful for the respite.

Especially so now that Ryousuke was walking over to them, meaning to talk over what they should be paying attention to during the first few runs. Takumi was still exhausted, but with the headache being just a light steady thrum that he could almost ignore, it was easier for him to pay attention. He was thankfully past the stage where he had to ask about every second word (by now he had a basic understanding of the most often-used technical terms), but Ryousuke's explanations could still get very tough to follow.

Without warning, Takumi was hit with a sudden wave of dizziness. It startled him so much that he almost stumbled, but he managed to keep it together. Quickly looking over at the two brothers, Takumi saw to his relief that neither seemed to have noticed anything as they were currently occupied with each other. Ryousuke was specifying something about the tweaks that had been made to the FD, and his brother was listening intently. Takumi suppressed a relieved sigh.

Despite his stubborn insisting to himself that he wasn't getting sick, he couldn't help but worry a bit about what had happened just now. Maybe he hadn't gotten enough sleep lately. That would certainly be a problem since it did not look like he would get to catch up on that this weekend.

Right now, however, he did not have the leisure to brood over that. Keisuke was already on the way to his car, and Ryousuke now turned his attention to him. Takumi straightened up a bit and tried his best to look the exact opposite of what that dizzy spell just now had made him feel like.

He expected Ryousuke to fall into one of his long and drawn-out explanations that still occasionally featured some words Takumi had never heard before, but this time the other just took a long look at him and said, "This is supposed to be a rather casual test run, nothing you haven't done before. I'd like to hear how the car reacts to the new modifications, but otherwise take it easy for today."

That last part seemed a bit uncharacteristic, and Takumi gave him a slightly confused look and wondered if maybe his little moment of weakness had not gone unnoticed after all. But Ryousuke seemed to have nothing further to say to him, so Takumi just nodded and started walking towards his car.

"And, Fujiwara?"

Takumi stopped and looked back over his shoulder. Ryousuke was smiling at him, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"That's quite a nice scarf you are wearing."

Two hours and about five runs up and down the mountain later, Takumi's headache was back with a vengeance. To make matters worse, so was the dizziness. It went so far that Takumi's vision occasionally swam a bit, and that was the point where he actually started admitting that coming here today might not have been such a good idea. He was stubborn, but he was not reckless. Driving in this state could get really dangerous, and he knew it.

He still wasn't quite willing to go and tell Ryousuke just yet, so he took to staying seated in the car after his last run instead. Leaning his head back and closing his eyes, he tried to relax a bit and get his senses back under control. It worked a little bit; but now everything hurt, and his head felt as if it was filled with cotton.

Unfortunately, his break was short-lived. Someone knocked at the driver side window, and Takumi unwillingly squinted his eyes open to see Keisuke standing outside.

Oh, no.

"Oi, Fujiwara, what's up with you? Are you planning to stay there all night?" his teammate asked impatiently. Takumi let out a quiet groan, but he managed to open the door and peel himself out of the seat. He clambered out of the car, made a step and then another one – and promptly lost his balance, toppling forward and dimly noticing the dark asphalt approaching his face at a concerning speed. Or was it the other way around…?

Before he could finish his musings, an arm wrapped around his waist and stopped his fall. Instead of the asphalt, his nose met the black fabric of a sweater. "What the fuck?!" Keisuke's voice rumbled, and Takumi honestly did not have an answer to that question. "Is everything alright?", his teammate continued asking, and that was a question Takumi could think of an answer for.

"Everything's fine," he slurred and wondered why his tongue refused to obey him.

"Well, obviously not." Keisuke sounded outraged for some reason. "If this is the 'sore throat' you've been talking about, I'm gonna-" He did not finish the sentence, instead feeling Takumi's forehead and hissing quietly at whatever he felt there. "Holy shit, you're burning up. Why the fuck didn't you tell anyone that you're sick?!"

Takumi frowned and shook off Keisuke's hand, instantly regretting the action as it made him feel nauseous. "…'m not sick," he insisted, "Just… a bit tired…"

"C'mon, you're not kidding anyone like that," Keisuke interrupted him. "Look, let's go to the others and tell them what happened before they start worrying. Can you walk?"

"Sure," said Takumi, walked two steps, and promptly stumbled again. Keisuke seemed to have expected that to happen and was by his side immediately, stopping him from faceplanting onto the ground yet again.

"Whoa there," he said, "That's not going to work. Here, lay your arm around my shoulder. I'll steady you."

"I can walk on my own," Takumi insisted while Keisuke manoeuvred his arm into position, unaffected by his weak protests.

"Tell that to someone else," he grumbled, and tightened his hold on Takumi's waist.

Takumi tried to wriggle out of his grip, but unfortunately Keisuke was determined and also not currently riddled with fever, so all efforts were for naught. "Stop that," Keisuke said and frowned down at Takumi, "You're just going to exhaust yourself. Also, what if I drop you? You plan on hitting your head on the ground?"

Takumi was not, in fact, planning to do that; but to be honest, his capacity for planning ahead currently didn't run much further than "get Keisuke-san to let go, get to my car, drive home and go to sleep immediately." That plan was very simplified and skipped such important points like how exactly to drive home when he could barely walk a straight line at the moment, but Takumi's fever-muddled brain did not account for such concerns.

Thankfully, he at least also lacked the capability to be all too horrified about having to be supported by Keisuke right now. He gave up his struggles with a little huff, recognising that they were not getting him anywhere. What also was not getting him anywhere in a more physical sense were his feet. He stumbled over air once or twice, losing his balance and almost falling if it had not been for Keisuke's arm around him. Keisuke swore. He sure did that a lot, Takumi thought dimly.

Regrettably, the next thing that Keisuke did was not to curse quietly under his breath anymore, but to shout for his brother. Loudly.

Takumi groaned as the sound reverberated through his skull and resulted in another painful throb of headache. If Keisuke already had to be half-carrying, half-dragging him across the parking lot, then couldn't he at least be a little bit quieter? Takumi's poor head felt as if it were about to burst.

Thankfully, Keisuke at least did not need to shout a second time. A tall, black-haired figure that must be Ryousuke was approaching them with quick steps, even breaking into a little jog for the last few meters. Maybe it wasn't Ryousuke, then? Takumi had never actually seen the other hurry anywhere. He always walked like the world could wait for him a bit, and it usually did.

But when the figure got even closer, Takumi saw that it was, in fact, Ryousuke.

Huh.

"What's wrong?" Ryousuke asked as he came to a halt in front of him. He did not wait for an answer before gently lifting Takumi's head by the jaw to look him in the eyes and puzzling him with the worried look on his face. Then Takumi felt his pleasantly cool hand on his burning forehead. "What happened?" Ryousuke asked again, directed at his brother despite the fact that he was still looking at Takumi.

"He pretty much collapsed on me just now," Keisuke answered. Takumi could feel the vibrations of his voice a bit too clearly through their bodily contact. It made him feel dizzy. "I have no clue why he even came here in that state. How bad is it?" Keisuke asked his brother, sounding both exasperated and concerned. Takumi felt a bit irritated about the fact that neither of them was asking him. He just needed to go home and catch some sleep, then everything would be fine again.

"He is definitely running a fever," Ryousuke answered, still furrowing his brows. Finally addressing Takumi directly, he asked, "Fujiwara, can you tell me since when you have been feeling like this?"

Takumi hummed lowly, lacking the energy to form any actual words at the moment. He was so tired. Maybe he should have called to cancel, after all. Well, it was too late for that now.

"Well, at the very least he's still responsive," Ryousuke mumbled, more to himself than to his brother or Takumi. The latter thought that sounded way too dramatic. Yes, he didn't feel pretty great right now, but he could handle it and… Oh, he was feeling dizzy again.

"You exerted yourself too much," stated Ryousuke as he moved to Takumi's other side and slung his arm over his shoulder. "Why didn't you tell us that you weren't feeling well?"

Takumi sagged a little in the brothers' grip. "Thought it would be fine," he mumbled defeatedly. He was still lucid enough to know that they were probably really pissed at him right now.

"You moron," growled Keisuke, ever supportive. "How dense must you be to let yourself get to the point of almost fainting before admitting that something is wrong?!"

"Stop it," Ryousuke admonished him while Takumi hung his head in shame. "Let's be thankful that nothing worse has happened for now. We can talk about the rest later. First, we need to tell the others and get him into a bed as soon as possible."

Keisuke huffed, but mercifully had nothing more to say for now. The two of them proceeded to mostly carry Takumi towards where the rest of the team was waiting, and where Takumi then was seated in the back of one of the vans. This did not go by without some fussing over the situation by the rest of the team, especially by Kenta, whose frantic voice was way too loud to Takumi's throbbing head until he got yelled at for it by Keisuke, also way too loudly. Fumihiro handed Takumi a blanket from somewhere. That was a pretty helpful addition seeing that Takumi was starting to feel very cold to the point of starting to shiver. He did not notice much of what went on around him after that, but eventually he was helped to stand again and carry-dragged along to the FC.

At that point, he started struggling again. The nausea rolling around in his stomach told him that getting into any vehicle was a bad idea, and he would rather die than end up puking into Ryousuke's car. He was also pretty sure that Ryousuke would quite actually kill him if it came to that.

"No. My car," he insisted and vehemently dug his heels into the ground despite that not really doing anything in his current state.

"You are not going to drive," Ryousuke stated in a calm tone that still left no room for mistaking the statement for a mere suggestion. Grumbling, Takumi clumsily shoved his car keys into Ryousuke's hands. There was no point in arguing here, and if anyone else had to be driving the 86, it might as well be Ryousuke.

"Very well, then," said the latter, "We can come back and get my car later. Most important right now is that you lay down and rest as soon as possible. You can stay at our place for the night."

Takumi shook his head (and regretted it; that darn headache). "I can rest if I just go home, too," he argued with as much conviction as he could muster. Keisuke scoffed, and Ryousuke furrowed his brows at Takumi.

"I think I clearly remember you informing me earlier that your father is away for the weekend. I will not leave you alone and fully under your own responsibility in the state you are in. No, Fujiwara," (Takumi closed his mouth that he had opened to protest), "I will not change my opinion on that. You are ill and need someone to look after you."

"Listen to him," said Keisuke, patting Takumi's shoulder, "He's a doctor."

"Not yet," Ryousuke replied flatly. "I don't think a medical degree is necessary to know that any physical activity is only bound to make things worse in such a state. That being said, you should have really told us about not feeling well, Fujiwara. You might have been able to avoid this predicament if you hadn't driven tonight."

Takumi only grumbled something unintelligible, having used up most of his energy on his prior protesting. He felt more than heard Ryousuke sigh next to him.

"It will be fine, though, if you just let us take care of you. I suspect you got a classic case of the flu, so you really should be taking it easy from now on."

But Takumi did not want to do that. He had things to do, and the house to look after-

Keisuke seemed to have spotted his pout and guessed exactly what he was thinking about. "C'mon, Fujiwara," he said and tightened his steadying hold around him, "You can barely stand at the moment. I hope you don't really think that you're in the condition to take care of anything right now, let alone yourself. And if you do think that – well, tough luck, because we won't let you." He grinned. "Side effect of joining this team. You're not getting rid of us anymore."

"Well-said," commented Ryousuke, smirking lightly. The three of them had arrived back at Takumi's car now, and Ryousuke opened the door for him. As he was helped to sit by Keisuke, Takumi faintly thought that it was weird to sit in the passenger seat – he had not done that in a long time.

Stranger was only that Ryousuke sat down behind the wheel. He took a moment to adjust the seat, then turned towards Takumi with a small smile. "If I am honest, I have always been curious about driving your car… I did not picture a situation like this, though." He turned the key in the ignition, and Takumi heard and felt the engine spring to life, the familiar sound distracting him from his misery a little bit.

"Don't get carried away," said Keisuke, lingering by the still-open door. "Fujiwara still looks like he's going to pass out."

"I wasn't going to." Ryousuke gave Takumi another once-over, looking at him with something akin to pity in his expression. Takumi huffed.

"'m not gonna pass out," he protested, but if he was being honest with himself, he did feel about ready to collapse. Fortunately, he was sitting now. Less fortunately, he was going to have to endure a car ride down an – obviously – very curvy stretch of road. He certainly hoped that Ryousuke would not get "carried away." As it was, Takumi's intestines already felt like they were dancing polka inside of his body.

Keisuke threw him a look of pity, one that looked eerily similar to Ryousuke's earlier one. "Try to stay alive." And with that, he closed the car door and left for his FD.

Ryousuke sighed. "Well then. At least it's not a long ride, so I hope you will be able to endure."

Of course I will, Takumi wanted to say, but then Ryousuke pulled out of the parking spot and suddenly it was far more important to focus on the movement rather than talking. Takumi clenched his teeth, his fingers digging into the upholstery of the seat. This was not going to be fun.

One very unpleasant car ride later, Ryousuke finally pulled into the driveway of his home. Thinking back on it, Takumi's memories of the last fifteen minutes were very blurry. He was not quite sure how he made it to this point without eating backwards, but he was certainly thankful for the fact.

"There we are," said Ryousuke, unnecessarily, and helped him get out of the car. "How are you feeling?"

"Bad," Takumi mumbled and let Ryousuke sling his arm around him again without much complaint.

"Then let's get you inside."

With Ryousuke's support, Takumi stumbled towards the front door on wobbly legs. The motion sensor-activated lights flickered on, and Takumi could only squint blearily as Ryousuke unlocked the door. The latter chuckled lightly upon noticing. At this point, Takumi was getting really tired of it all. Being sick sucked. He couldn't really do anything by himself without risking falling flat on his face. He had driven a car earlier, right? How had he done that?!

Getting out of his shoes had also felt much easier once, he was sure. He must have grumbled under his breath about it while having to sit down at the entrance, since Ryousuke was laughing again. Takumi glared at him. This was just mean.

"My apologies," Ryousuke said, the smile on his face making Takumi doubt the honesty behind it. "I have never seen you be so grumpy before."

"I'm not grumpy," protested Takumi, grumpily pulling off his shoes. Ryousuke was kind enough not to give any further comment and instead took to helping Takumi out of his jacket and scarf.

"Do you want to get right to bed?" he asked, "Or do you want something to eat first?"

"Bed," huffed Takumi, who was seeing the interior of the hallway swim before his eyes again. Few things seemed more enticing in this moment than the prospect of laying down.

"Well, that was a clear answer. As you wish." Ryousuke smiled again, and Takumi had a hard time grasping what the other found so amusing.

He was led upstairs, which was a much more difficult process than it should be due to the, well, stairs. Takumi had problems lifting his feet that high, and by the end of the ordeal he was pretty exhausted. He saw that Ryousuke was giving him a concerned look and pretended not to be as affected by the physical exertion.

"Only over to that door there, then you've made it," Ryousuke said, as if Takumi needed the encouragement.

He had to say, however, that he was glad to finally flop down onto a bed. He lay there bonelessly for a moment and watched with bleary eyes as Ryousuke covered him with a blanket. He did not struggle when the other reached out to feel his forehead again.

"I should take your temperature," murmured Ryousuke while Takumi merely enjoyed the feeling of cool fingers against his burning skin. He whined lowly when they left.

Ryousuke paused in his movements, and even Takumi's fever-riddled brain immediately grasped how needy he had sounded just now.

"I will be back in a minute," said Ryousuke. Although that was not exactly what Takumi wanted to hear, he couldn't say it was unwelcome.

As the other left the room – presumably to get a thermometer – Takumi closed his eyes against the bright light and burrowed deeper into the blanket. If only the headache and nausea would go away already, that would be a big help. He was tired, but the pain in his skull wouldn't let him fall asleep just yet.

When Takumi heard Ryousuke return, he squinted his eyes back open and cooperated when the other went on to measure his temperature. He didn't miss the frown on Ryousuke's face as the latter inspected the thermometer's display. "Over thirty-nine degrees Celsius," he told Takumi "I'll get you something to drink and some medicine; and after taking that you should really try to go to sleep."

Takumi nodded tiredly and watched Ryousuke place the thermometer on the bedside drawer, presumably for later use, and then leaving the room again. Takumi sighed quietly. He couldn't shake the feeling that Ryousuke's tone had held some amount of accusation; and honestly, that would be justified. Takumi wanted to hit himself over the head for being so dumb. If he had actually listened to all the signals his body had sent him instead of ignoring them, he wouldn't be feeling like crap right now and barely be able to do anything.

"I'm sorry for acting so stupid," he mumbled when Ryousuke returned and pushed a glass of water into one of his hands, and a pill into the other. Ryousuke was quiet for a second, then smiled warmly.

"Don't worry about that. It happens to the best of us," he said. "I don't blame you for underestimating your illness. But please make sure to rest enough from now on and recover, yes?"

"Mh, okay… Thank you," Takumi mumbled and had to look away because that gentle expression on the other's face was somehow really hard to look at. It was much easier to focus on how tired he was.

A bit flustered, Takumi took the pill and washed it down with some water. Ryousuke cleared his throat meaningfully, and Takumi quickly downed the rest of the water, too.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Ryousuke asked.

"Nah… Wanna sleep," mumbled Takumi and sank back into the pillows. Ow, his head hurt so much. If he managed to fall asleep, at least that wouldn't bother him anymore.

Ryousuke nodded. "Of course. I'll leave you alone for now, then." He turned to leave, but lingered for a moment to add, "If you need anything, call for me." Then he closed the door, and Takumi finally closed his eyes. Only a few minutes later, he fell into a restless sleep.

When Takumi woke up again, it was only for a short time. A damp washcloth had been placed on his forehead, feeling like a blessing against the headache that still pounded against his skull.

He unwillingly squinted his eyes open only to close them again. The light overhead was still switched on and way too bright. Takumi rolled around, trying to avoid the washcloth falling off his forehead in the process. He heard the door being opened and grumbled unhappily, neither really understanding what the sound meant nor actually caring. He just wanted to go back to sleep.

A switch was flipped, and it got dark around Takumi as the light was finally turned off.

The door quietly closed again, but Takumi didn't consciously notice that anymore. He was already halfway back to sleep.

When he woke up the next time, Takumi was feeling almost as horrible as before his sleep. He was drenched in sweat, his throat hurt, and his headache remained a steady thrum. That was pretty mean, he thought; on the rare occasions he ever got sick, sleeping over it for one night usually got rid of it.

He opened his eyes and saw that the room was bright. Upon looking more closely, the source of the light appeared to be the window. It must already be morning then, Takumi concluded.

He heard a rustling sound and turned his head only to see Keisuke sitting next to his bed, flipping through the pages of a magazine. Upon noticing Takumi move, he looked up.

"Hey there. Welcome back to the world of the living," he said, and grinned slightly.

"I don't feel very alive, though," Takumi croaked, voice hoarse due to his dry throat, and managed a small smile.

Keisuke sighed. "That flu's got you pretty good, huh?" He put the magazine away and scooted closer with the chair he was sitting on. Takumi grumbled sourly when Keisuke felt his forehead once again, not bothering to warn him. "Feels a bit better than last night, at least," he commented when Takumi turned his head away.

"Great," Takumi growled. Keisuke gave him a worried look.

"Are you feeling any better?"

Takumi harrumphed and sank back into the pillows. At least Keisuke seemed to consider that answer enough. "Alright, got it," he said. "Do you need anything?"

"Something to drink," Takumi answered, voice muffled by the pillow and not even bothering with being polite. His throat was burning, and he found himself thinking about the tea that he had declined. At least he thought he might have done such a thing. He couldn't remember everything so well.

"Okay, I can do that," Keisuke said and stood up. "On my way."

Takumi blinked confusedly as the other quickly disappeared into the hallway without as much as a complaint or even just a snarky comment. Was he sick?

Then Takumi remembered belatedly that it was actually him who was sick. Oh, well. It seemed that this situation was unusual in more than one way.

Honestly, it was quite nice not having to go get everything by himself. Takumi had to admit that. But now that he was fully awake, he couldn't help feeling weird about this situation again. Never in his life had he been fussed over like this. It was hard not to fall into old habits and try to do everything by himself. But Takumi knew that if he attempted that now, he would probably be yelled at by Keisuke and very likely be scolded by Ryousuke, and he wanted neither of those things. Having to stay in bed was already starting to grind on his nerves, but he figured that he would have to bear with it for now.

Steps coming up the stairs alerted Takumi to Keisuke's return. He watched as the other shoved the door open with his foot, his hands being occupied with carrying a glass of water and a steaming bowl.

"Here," said Keisuke and placed both items on the bedside drawer. "I also got you something to eat if you feel like it. Some soup."

Ah, so that was the explanation behind the presence of the bowl. Takumi could have guessed by the scent that was now spreading in the air.

On every other day, said scent would have made his mouth water. Right now, it only awakened the remnants of the nausea that had already plagued him earlier. "I think I'm going to be sick," he weakly informed Keisuke. The latter's eyes widened almost comically before he sprang into action and shoved the nearest useable container into Takumi's hands, which happened to be a wastebasket. It was only just in time for Takumi to bend over before he couldn't force down the nausea any longer.

"Well, damn." Keisuke grimaced. "I take it that food wouldn't be a good idea right now?"

"Probably not," Takumi replied in-between retches. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Keisuke quickly took the bowl away and brought it outside, out of Takumi's range. When he returned, he sat down next to Takumi on the bed and began rubbing his back to ease him through his heaving. "We can still try that again later."

Takumi nodded, too occupied to give a verbal answer. He was thankful for Keisuke's presence. Honestly, he wouldn't have expected the other to be caring enough to sit with him while he was vomiting into a wastebasket. Despite how awkward it was, he certainly wouldn't be complaining. It was comforting to know that someone would do that for him. Someone like Keisuke, who he hadn't even known for so long yet.

"Thank you," he said quietly as the nausea began to slowly subside and made him able to get out some words again.

Keisuke gave him a lopsided grin. "Don't mind it. I can imagine better pastimes, but training to kick your ass while you are sick in bed would be a bit unfair, wouldn't it?"

Takumi huffed. Internally, he thought about how when he wasn't shouting at him, Keisuke was actually pretty good at making him feel better about himself. Banter like this was easy. It made the current situation a bit less awkward. Takumi appreciated that; he really did. Therefore, he gladly played along. "You'll need more than that to catch up."

The grin turned into an actual laugh. "Big words coming from the one currently puking into a wastebasket. But sure, please try to get rid of your illness as fast as possible. I can't wait to kick your ass."

"Would be a first," Takumi deadpanned before having to retch again. Had he already mentioned how much he hated this?

Instead of a retort, Keisuke sighed quietly. Takumi was sure that if he looked at his face now, he would see that look of pity again. He did not like the thought, but currently all he could do was try not to make a huge mess. Keisuke continued rubbing his back until Takumi was pretty sure that there was nothing left anymore that his stomach could expel. He coughed a few times and raised his head.

"Done?" asked Keisuke, and Takumi nodded weakly.

"I think so."

Keisuke offered him the glass of water, but Takumi declined. "Want to rinse out my mouth first," he mumbled, cringing at the horrible taste.

"Understandable." Keisuke took the basket out of Takumi's hands, avoiding looking inside, and offered him his arm to support himself.

Takumi frowned. He had been certain that walking would be a lot easier now that he had gotten some sleep, but unfortunately standing up and taking one step taught him otherwise. His legs still felt wobbly, and he grumpily accepted Keisuke's support.

He was somewhat even less happy about Keisuke lingering next to him while he bent over the sink in the bathroom, as if he could fall any time. "I'll be fine," he said, a bit more forcefully than planned.

Keisuke shook his head. "I'm not taking any risks. Aniki would murder me." Under his breath, as if Takumi weren't supposed to hear, he added, "Not that I'd want to see you injure yourself, either."

Takumi shot him a look, but Keisuke was making a point out of looking away from him.

"Where is Ryousuke-san, anyway?" Takumi decided to ask.

"Out to get some supplies. We're out of aspirin or something."

"Ah." In secret, Takumi started wondering about the reason for all the efforts the two of them were making just for him. He didn't think it had been necessary for Keisuke to sit guard by his bed, but by the looks of it he had been doing exactly that. Better not mention it, though. Even this oddly mellow version of Keisuke would probably be insulted by the insinuation. He was awfully touchy about things like that; Takumi knew that by now. Therefore, it was better not to ask him about it. Takumi didn't mind it too much, anyway. In fact, it was also part of the things that felt oddly nice and comfortable; just the thought of someone having the need to check up on him.

"Fujiwara? You still with me?"

"Huh? What?" Takumi raised his head, feeling caught in the act despite not even knowing what the act was yet. Keisuke was staring at him with arched brows, and only then did Takumi realise that the water was still running, and that he had spent the last ten seconds lost in thoughts and staring emptily at the wall. "Oh. Sorry," he said, mildly flustered, and quickly turned off the tap.

Keisuke shook his head, suddenly seeming a bit miffed. "Seriously," he grumbled and looked as if he wanted to add something else for a moment but didn't. Instead, he gave Takumi an uncomfortably long look before offering him his arm as support again.

As they slowly walked back to the bedroom, Takumi almost wondered whether he had said some of his thoughts out loud to cause Keisuke to act this weird. But he decided that that couldn't be the case (he didn't tend to think out loud, a fact that used to cause Itsuki to complain all the time about not being able to follow his thoughts), and that instead it was just Keisuke being Keisuke.

Takumi's ever-present headache was slowly growing in intensity again, and he was happy when he got to lay back down. Keisuke shoved the glass of water from earlier into his hand. "Here, now drink something. You don't look so good."

"Thanks," Takumi replied, half-sarcastic. "I don't feel so great, either."

Keisuke smiled at him, although it looked somewhat forced. "Then maybe you should get some more sleep. I'm sure aniki will also come by as soon as he gets back."

The comment struck Takumi as a bit weird, but he couldn't really put a finger on it. "I guess I should do that," he mumbled. Sighing quietly, he tried to find a comfortable position that didn't make his headache worse.

Keisuke was being oddly quiet. Takumi wondered for a moment whether he had already left, but when he glanced over to the side, he was still standing there. Takumi was about to ask what was up with that, but Keisuke beat him to it.

"By the way, Fujiwara?"

"Hm?"

Keisuke cleared his throat uncomfortably, looking almost flustered. "Please never do that again."

"Never do what again?"

"What you did earlier, obviously. On Akagi."

When Takumi only gave him a puzzled look, Keisuke huffed impatiently. "When you almost faceplanted the ground. I- Damn it, Fujiwara, I was fucking terrified for a moment there! Just- Please don't keep things like that from us ever again, okay?"

His tone was a frustrated one, but in contrast to that, he almost looked like he had to physically force himself to get the words out. Not at all like the usual Keisuke, who never held back in the least with expressing his frustrations about anything he disliked.

Takumi wasn't sure about what would be the right reaction to that. He gave Keisuke – the agitated, frustrated, and worst of all, blushing Keisuke – a sheepish smile.

"Okay. I won't."

"You better hope so, or I'll kick your ass for real," Keisuke growled. Then he turned around as if suddenly becoming aware of the fact that he was pretty red in the face. That fact took away some of the threat's bite, but Takumi still promised himself to be less of a dumbass in the future, as much as possible at least.

"I guess I'll leave you to sleep, then," said Keisuke, attempting to sound nonchalant.

Takumi was more than happy to end the conversation. "Sure," he said, watching Keisuke's back as he left through the door. He seemed not to want to look at him again.

The door closed, and Takumi sank back into the pillows with a sigh. He was exhausted and not sure whether that was because of his walk to the bathroom and back or the following conversation.

But no matter how exhausted he was, sleep eluded him this time.

Takumi wasn't sure how much time had passed, whether he actually did doze off in the end or just lost track of it. Either way, he was mostly awake when there was a soft knock on the door and Ryousuke let himself in.

"Good morning. Or rather, good afternoon. Did you sleep well?" he asked as soon as he entered the room, looking very interested in the answer.

Takumi saw that the he was carrying a plastic bag that he now placed somewhere next to the bedside drawer. Keisuke had said that his brother had been planning to get supplies, Takumi remembered.

"Okay, I guess," he said and flinched a bit at the sound of his own voice. It seemed to be getting worse rather than better. He probably should avoid talking too much if he didn't want to lose his voice completely for a while.

Ryousuke was watching him attentively. "You do not seem to be feeling much better yet."

A bit alarmed, Takumi replied, "No, I'm definitely feeling better already. My headache is almost gone, too." He had aimed to sound reassuring, but the fact that his voice suddenly cracked in the middle of the sentence destroyed a bit of the intended impact. Ryousuke only chuckled.

"You aren't going to successfully convince me that you are fit to leave your bed yet, if that was what you were aiming for."

Takumi pouted a bit because that was exactly what he had been aiming for. Ryousuke's chuckle turned into actual quiet laughter at the sight. "I'm certain that you will have fully recovered in a few days, as long as you keep on giving your body enough rest. It would be rather irresponsible of me to let you go back to walking around already." His expression turned serious. "After all, it has only been hours since you nearly collapsed. Please promise me that you will not attempt to return to your normal activity before it is certain that your body can handle it. A flu can be a serious danger if you take it too lightly."

Takumi bit his lip. "Okay. I promise I'll be careful."

"I hope so," said Ryousuke, still serious. Then his expression relaxed again, and he smiled a little. "I'm certainly glad to hear though that you are already feeling a bit better. What is your fever looking like?"

He leaned down a little, once again feeling Takumi's forehead. Takumi sighed quietly. Headache or not, he was feeling pretty comfortable in this moment. Ryousuke's presence could be really soothing. He would probably make a good doctor one day, Takumi thought.

"Hm. Definitely still there," Ryousuke mused. "It does feel like it has already gone down a bit, though. We should measure your temperature again just to be sure."

"Fine with me," said Takumi, annoyed but in the full knowledge that Ryousuke would convince him otherwise if he refused. Going along was the least Takumi could do after all the trouble he had caused already. He knew that Ryousuke was a very busy person even outside of his work for Project.D, so the less valuable time of his he wasted, the less bad Takumi had to feel about it.

Once more he endured a thermometer being stuck into his ear and tried not to move. Ryousuke's focused expression drew his attention, and Takumi tried unsuccessfully not to stare too much. Ryousuke was an interesting person, always so calm and collected to the point of being almost enigmatic at times.

Takumi wished he would understand him and his motivations a bit better. He had overheard quite a few people gossip about Ryousuke, and according to most of them, he was a cold and detached kind of person. Takumi knew first-hand by now that that couldn't be the truth. At the very least, everyone who had ever had the honour of racing Ryousuke could confirm that he certainly wasn't detached from everything. As for the other part… Well, if the current situation was any good indicator, the bit about him being a cold person was also a gross misconception. That just went to tell once again that Takumi couldn't trust any of the rumours and had to try getting to an understanding on his own.

He was so lost in thoughts that he almost didn't hear the quiet beeping of the thermometer, but then Ryousuke withdrew from him and the trance was broken.

"As I thought; it has gone down," Ryousuke said, looking at the display. He nodded to himself, seeming satisfied. Takumi was relieved to hear it, too. He hoped it meant that his state would steadily get better from now on.

"I suppose you're still going to tell me that I need to stay in bed at any rate," he croaked.

"You would be right about that," said Ryousuke, smiling that signature amused little smile again. "Also, your voice sounds a bit rough. Does your throat hurt?" Upon seeing Takumi nod, he continued, "I brought you cough drops as well, just in case you might need them. It seems to have been the right decision." He reached for the bag he had brought in earlier, searched its contents for a moment (there seemed to be a lot of stuff inside judging by the sounds) and pulled out a little package of cough drops that he handed to Takumi.

The latter considered the package for a moment before looking back at Ryousuke with slightly raised brows. "What else is in that bag?"

Ryousuke straightened up a little. "The usual fever-lowering medicine, to start with. I don't know whether you have an intolerance to any of the common active ingredients, so I purchased a small selection since we didn't have much left at home in the first place. It was a good opportunity to stock up on them. Furthermore, I picked up two more packets of chamomile tea as we will be needing a lot of that and I prefer it to other variants." He paused. Takumi almost wanted to ask how much tea he was being expected to drink because that sounded a bit concerning, but he decided against it when he saw the look that was being directed at him. "Lastly, I also got you a hot water bottle for when you feel cold again. I figured you would appreciate it," Ryousuke finished his summary.

Takumi blinked up at his expectant expression. "Thank you," he mumbled as soon as he had gotten his thoughts halfway back in order. "That wouldn't have been necessary, but I do appreciate it…"

"Then I consider it necessary," Ryousuke simply said. Looking at him, Takumi could only think that he seemed to be totally in his element. After all, he always appeared to go the extra mile, like when choosing to send a rival a bouquet of roses in order to challenge them.

…No, Takumi would certainly never forget that one. It had been the first and so far only time anyone had ever gotten him flowers, and he still got flustered thinking about it.

That said, he probably would never forget the current situation, either. Being taken care of like this was also a first. He had to admit that if someone had asked him weeks ago whether either of the Takahashi brothers would take any time off their day to assist him while he was sick, he would have just looked at them weirdly. But now here he was, letting Ryousuke measure his temperature and bring him medicine and other supplies. It was quite crazy, honestly.

And despite how busy Takumi knew he was, Ryousuke did not seem to be in a hurry at all. He lingered by Takumi's bedside, watching as he took one of the cough drops. When Takumi glanced at him, he looked oddly… content, for the lack of a better word. Almost as if he actually liked doing this.

"Do you think you would be able to eat something now?" he asked, probably having been informed about the earlier mishap by his brother.

Takumi considered the question for a moment. He wasn't feeling nauseous anymore, and he was actually a bit hungry now. "I can try," he said.

Ryousuke appeared pleased with the answer. "It would certainly help if you got some food into your stomach, even if it is just a little bit. I will bring you something that you will hopefully be able to keep down."

Takumi hoped so, too, since he really didn't want to repeat what had happened earlier. He was pretty sure it wouldn't be any more enjoyable a second time (although Takumi caught a part of himself wondering whether Ryousuke would also sit next to him and rub his back. He then vehemently banished the thought from his mind).

As Ryousuke left the room, Takumi reached for the magazine that Keisuke had kindly left behind earlier. However, he did not get much time for reading. He had barely started looking at the second page before Ryousuke returned with a tray in his hands, on it a bowl and a cup of what was likely chamomile tea. He had probably prepared for this beforehand with how quick he had been.

"It's okayu*," Ryousuke explained after Takumi had quickly put the magazine away again. He helped him sit up in the bed and propped his back up with pillows so that he could place the tray in his lap.

Takumi needed two seconds to shake off the aftershocks of Ryousuke's hands on his back.
"Ah… Thank you." This was ridiculous, especially since it wasn't like Ryousuke had never touched him before. Not even counting the events of last night, he actually did that quite a lot.

Honestly, it occurred to Takumi only now how often that happened. That was just a Ryousuke thing, he assumed.

To quickly get his mind back on track, he tried to concentrate on the food in front of him that looked oh-so enticing. He couldn't remember the last time he had okayu, but he was looking forward to getting something into his stomach.

Takumi heard Ryousuke's smile in his voice as he said, "Keisuke made it for you."

"Keisuke?" Takumi echoed in disbelief, looking from the okayu to Ryousuke and back again.

"Yes," the latter affirmed, a hint of mirth sparkling in his dark eyes. "He burned his first two attempts, but he insisted on trying until he got it right."

With this new information, Takumi gave the bowl's contents a slightly mistrustful look. It looked and smelled like perfectly fine okayu, though. In fact, it smelled pretty delicious; and as if on command, Takumi's stomach growled.

Ryousuke laughed quietly, and Takumi's face heated up. "I didn't know Keisuke could cook," he mumbled, quietly enough to hope that Ryousuke didn't pick up on it.

Ryousuke did hear it, though. "Neither did I," he said drily, and upon Takumi's confused glance in his direction, he added, "He doesn't usually try to cook. Hence him needing three tries to get it right. Don't worry, though. I tried the okayu, and I think Keisuke did a rather decent job with it. It's certainly safe for consumption, unlike his first attempt."

He smirked, and Takumi laughed quietly. Not really at the gentle teasing, but more to overplay the confusing emotions running rampant in his head. It was difficult to imagine Keisuke putting so much effort into making a meal for him, especially considering how cranky he had been earlier.

Takumi hesitantly tried a bit of the okayu and had to admit that it was pretty good. If Keisuke really had never cooked before, then this was quite impressive. Then again, Takumi knew first-hand how stubborn and competitive Keisuke was. If he really set his mind to something, he could do it. That apparently applied to cooking, too.

'Is this supposed to be some sort of apology for earlier?' Takumi wondered as he continued eating, more bravely now. The okayu was just right, filling his stomach with pleasant warmth.

He felt Ryousuke watching him and paused between two spoonfuls to say, "It's good."

"I will make sure to tell him that."

Takumi ate silently for a few moments while thinking about the effort Keisuke was making for him. Keisuke, of all people. He might have stopped proclaiming how much he couldn't stand Takumi and actually started to have some normal conversations with him, but this was just an entirely different level.

'I thought he didn't like me,' he mused.

Only when he heard Ryousuke laugh did he realise that he had said that aloud. Crap.

"Interesting that you would be thinking that," he said almost cheerfully, while Takumi thought this wasn't funny at all. This wasn't a conversation he actually wanted to be having, especially not with the person-in-question's brother.

But Ryousuke looked oddly pleased, exactly like he did when watching a race and seeing the participants act just the way he had predicted them to. Takumi would have lied if he said that fact didn't worry him a bit.

"I mean, he does seem to be annoyed with me half of the time. Like earlier," Takumi mumbled, deeply regretting having said anything at all. Maybe he should have taken another cough drop; at least that would have stopped him from talking.

Ryousuke was still smiling as if he knew something Takumi didn't. (To be fair, that was probably true as usual.)

"Trust me, there is no need to be concerned about that. He has always tended to express his worry that way."

"So he's just worried?"

Ryousuke laughed again. "Of course he is. I thought it was quite obvious." He gave the bowl of okayu a meaningful look.

Takumi blinked down at his food and blushed. Right, so this was another way for Keisuke to express his worry. Takumi would have thought it to be quite touching if he hadn't been too busy being angry about making him worry in the first place.

But evidently, he wasn't the only one being worried.

As Takumi resumed eating (which thankfully also kept him from asking more embarrassing questions), Ryousuke kept lingering by his bedside.

He didn't leave, despite Takumi's suspicion that he had more important things to do. Takumi remembered Keisuke making an offhand comment about it a while ago, mentioning that his brother did barely anything else than analysing opponents for races and writing reports for university lately.

But either he was done with all of that work, or it didn't bother him in the slightest. Like Keisuke earlier, he eventually sat down on the bed, so Takumi scooted over a bit to make space for him.

He was probably thinking too much into it again, but the way Ryousuke acted gave him the feeling that while the other might in fact have more unfinished tasks to tend to, he currently considered this to be more important.

The thought caused a strange tingling feeling in Takumi's chest that was almost bordering on unpleasant. That hopefully wasn't a sign of him being about to get nauseous again.

Ryousuke gave him a short grateful smile, which made the feeling worse. Takumi let the spoon sink.

"Ryousuke-san?"

"Yes?"

Takumi dwelled on his question for another moment, wondering whether it was dumb to ask it. But Ryousuke was looking at him and waiting for him to continue, and it was already too late to quickly think of something else to say.

"Am I wasting your time?"

Ryousuke's eyes widened by a fraction. "Why would you assume that?" he asked, voice more curious than anything else. He still hadn't quite regained his usual composure, though. Takumi almost believed to hear a hint of uncertainty.

'That would make two of us,' he thought. He probably shouldn't have asked in the first place.

Continuing, Ryousuke said, "You are not asking this because you cannot train at the moment, are you? You will get all the time you need to recover. The project will not suffer from it. If an important member's momentary incapacitation would bring it down, then it wouldn't be very well planned."
A corner of his mouth quirked upwards. "And I put a lot of effort into the planning."

"But that's what I mean," Takumi said. "You work a lot for all of this. Am I meeting your expectations?"

'Am I worth it?' he didn't say.

"More than I ever could have expected," Ryousuke said seriously.

"Oh," mumbled Takumi, feeling warmth rise to his cheeks. "I see."

Ryousuke considered him silently for a moment. "Do you feel like you aren't doing enough?" he asked then.

Takumi shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not sure about a lot of things. I could probably be doing more." He grimaced. "And now I can't do anything."

"I assure you: You are doing enough," Ryousuke said firmly in a tone that barely left room for doubts. "More than enough, in fact. You keep surpassing my expectations when I already think I have you figured out." He smiled a little, then added, "I only want you to make sure that you also get enough rest in between. This illness is also your body telling you that you need to take a little break to not run yourself ragged. Please listen to it."

"I'm sorry," Takumi said for at least the fifth time today. He meant it. He hoped that Ryousuke also meant all that he had said.

"Don't be." Ryousuke was smiling softly again, resting one hand where Takumi's leg was underneath the blanket. "And please do not assume you are ever wasting my time. For you, I always have some to spare."

And here Takumi had thought that he had finally gotten over becoming flustered every time he was around Ryousuke. Apparently not, judging from the heat in his cheeks and the way his heart was suddenly hammering against his ribcage.

"Oh? You are turning all red in the face. Is your fever going up again?" Ryousuke asked. Takumi looked at him a bit speechlessly and saw the teasing smile on his face.

He gave him a small glare. "You're changing the topic."

Ryousuke laughed lightly. "My apologies. Don't think that I did not mean what I said. If you need me, I will always make some time for you. I would say I owe you as much after roping you into participating in my little project."

Takumi frowned, thinking that the other was making it sound too much as if Takumi hadn't chosen to join on his own volition. Ryousuke had merely given him some very good reasons to join, but he had enabled him to convince himself of it.

"I can see you doubting that," Ryousuke said, and Takumi realised he had indeed been about to argue. "Do you remember what I told you that time? That there is a big world out there, just waiting for you to prove your skill?"

Of course Takumi did.

Ryousuke leaned a bit closer towards him and said, smiling mischievously, "Well, occasionally it will just have to wait a bit longer."

Takumi blinked at him and found himself smiling back a bit, despite the fact that his doubts were still there. They were quieter now, though.

"Thank you," he said quietly, although that probably wasn't enough to express his gratitude properly. He didn't know his way around words the way Ryousuke did.

"Not for that."

Takumi looked at him, still sitting there smiling pleasantly. Something still bothered him about it, and he nervously wet his dry lips.

"Can you promise me something?" he asked.

Ryousuke inclined his head in interest, encouraging him to continue.

Takumi met his eyes. "Please take a break from time to time, too. What you said to me also applies to you, doesn't it? You shouldn't run yourself ragged. And the world can wait a bit."

Now it was Ryousuke's turn to be puzzled, but he regained his composure much faster than Takumi. Of course he did. There was an odd emotion reflected only in his eyes as he said, "I can do that."

"That's good," Takumi said and smiled.

A moment of awkward silence passed before they both apparently remembered the still half-full bowl of okayu at the same time.

"The food is getting cold," Ryousuke remarked. "You should try to finish it."

"Ah, right…"

At least he didn't have to talk while eating.

Once Ryousuke had left Takumi's temporary abode, he finally allowed himself to acknowledge how tired he was. Fact was that he had gotten barely an hour of sleep in the last twenty-four hours. Worrying about Takumi had let him ignore his exhaustion, but now it was catching up to him. Whether it was what Takumi had said or the fact that his condition had improved enough to leave him to his own devices for a little bit, Ryousuke's body now seemed intent on catching up on the missed sleep.

He would listen to it once making sure that Takumi had everything he needed. He had made a promise of the kind that he wasn't sure he would fulfil all the time, but for now, he could allow it.

On his way downstairs he encountered Keisuke, who was moving in the opposite direction. Possibly to inquire about the okayu in person.

He stopped in his tracks immediately upon spotting his brother and asked, "How is he?"

"His fever has finally gone down. He looks less pale, too."

"Thank god," Keisuke muttered under his breath. Ryousuke remembered that he had been sitting guard at Takumi's bedside for the better part of the night and watched his condition closely. Of course, he had been the one to inform Ryousuke that Takumi was awake and feeling a bit better, but the sight of their friend twisting and turning in unrestful slumber was still very much on the forefront of both their minds.

'Friend.' A nice word, though somewhat inaccurate. That was something still to be worked on, Ryousuke thought.

To his brother, he said, "I need you to do me a favour, if possible."

"Depends," Keisuke said and grinned, "What is it?"

"Will you keep an eye on Fujiwara for the next few hours, without me? I need to catch up on some sleep that I missed last night."

Keisuke shot him a look. "That's new. Since when are you handing over responsibility that easily?"

Ryousuke smiled ruefully. "Well, I promised Fujiwara that I would get some rest after advising him to do the same. And I assume it will do me some good, too."

"Good for you to finally have figured that out," Keisuke muttered. Louder, he said, "And you're sure that I'll live up to your standards? I don't want to get scolded for not bringing him the sufficient amount of tea or something."

Ryousuke laughed; he and Keisuke were both aware that there was no reason to worry that Keisuke wouldn't put in his best effort to take care of Takumi.

"I'm sure you will do a fine job," he said. "Just please don't get into another fight with him."

"We haven't been fighting," Keisuke protested, "I just told him to be more careful in the future."

Ryousuke watched his brother closely for his reaction as he said, "For all that it wasn't a fight, Fujiwara was wondering whether you didn't like him. In fact, he seemed rather concerned with the matter."

He did not end up disappointed. Keisuke froze for a second, then went off like a roman candle.

"I was watching his fever, made him food, stood next to him literally holding a bucket full of his puke and ready to stop him from cracking his skull open on the sink, and he fucking asks whether I even like him!? Is he fucking serious!? Does he think it's my hobby to take care of feverish overly stubborn dumbasses? What even goes on in that guy's head!?"

"Language," Ryousuke admonished, visibly amused at the sight of his brother's disbelieving fury.

Keisuke promptly directed his glare at him. "You think this is funny," he accused him.

"Maybe so."

"It isn't," Keisuke growled. "I can't believe how someone could be so dense. Oi, maybe you'll have to break your promise to him. With how he always gets all dreamy when the topic's about you, he probably values your presence much more."

Ryousuke arched his brows. "'All dreamy,' you say?"

Shrugging, his brother replied, "You know it's true. He's been like that since the beginning. He's probably got a thing for you, just saying."

He appeared dismissive, but twenty-one years of living under the same roof had ended up giving Ryousuke a pretty reliable insight into the more subtle aspects of his brother's body language. Keisuke had a tendency to avoid eye contact and put his hands into his pockets when he felt embarrassed or vulnerable, and that was exactly what he was doing right now.

'Oh?' Ryousuke thought, inadvertently starting to smile a bit. He might have pitied his brother a bit if this were about anyone who wasn't Takumi. As it was, though, Ryousuke knew that he could have a bit of fun with this without feeling too bad about it.

He did not bother with trying to keep the smile out of his voice as he asked, "Keisuke… Are you, by any chance, jealous?"

"The fuck?! No," Keisuke growled. "I don't care who that twerp is crushing on. I just want him to stay on track, that's all."

"I see. Of course, drawing attention to the fact that you have been watching over him all night and, to quote, 'held a bucket full of his puke' had nothing to do with feeling insulted that he would dare to assume that you don't like him."

Keisuke glowered at him. With the furious blush on his face, it wasn't all that intimidating. "Exactly," he said. "It has nothing to do with that. At all."

"Ah, yes," said Ryousuke, thoroughly enjoying himself, "I know you do such things purely out of the kindness of your heart. There is not even a trace of affection involved. How could I ever assume that, having known you for so many years?"

"I hate you."

Ryousuke just gave his brother a knowing smile. The answer was another glare and then a heavy sigh from Keisuke, accompanied by him dragging his fingers through his spiky hairdo and messing it up further. That was another piece of body language Ryousuke was well acquainted with.

"Okay, fine," his brother sighed, "It's true, you're right as always, I like Fujiwara. Are we good now? Will you stop bullying me about it?"

"What kind of brother would I be if I didn't do that from time to time?"

Keisuke grumbled something unintelligible, then sighed again. "I guess I'll just have to live with that."

Laughing quietly, Ryousuke patted him on the shoulder. "Let me have my fun, too, from time to time." He descended a few more steps down the stairs and added, "I'll bring the dishes to the kitchen, and then I'll be in my room. If there's an emergency, wake me."

At the mention of dishes, Keisuke shot a look at the empty bowl in Ryousuke's hands. "Did he at least like it?" he asked. Ryousuke chuckled quietly.

"He certainly did."

Keisuke nodded, looking discernibly proud. "He better have, with all the effort I put into that stuff."

Ryousuke just smiled to himself, thinking back to Takumi's reaction to the okayu. "Don't worry," he said, "I think you're in with a chance."

Already at the top of the stairs, Keisuke paused and turned around once more to give his brother a long look. He seemed to recognise something, a mild sense of surprise becoming evident in his expression.

"You, too," he finally said.

Ryousuke smirked. "I know."

He turned back around, not waiting for his brother's reaction. He was in a good mood now, despite his exhaustion. Everything seemed to be falling into place, and Takumi was already feeling better. The report he had to finish for Monday could wait until he had gotten a few hours of sleep in. He had given Takumi his word, after all.

Maybe one day, they could rest together. He might have to inquire about that. To imagine Takumi curled up in his bed next to him, his peaceful slumbering putting him to rest as well… It was certainly an idea worth indulging.

For now, however, it had to wait. Before going to bed, he would call Fumihiro and give him an update on Takumi's status so that the rest of the team could also stop being as concerned. Takumi had worried them all quite a lot with the way he had suddenly collapsed.

Yet despite everything, Ryousuke found that he was… content. Knowing Takumi to be safe and on his way to recovery, the house felt more alive with him here. In the future, he would make sure to find opportunities to invite him more often.

That, too, however, had to wait for now. For now, Takumi was here. And that was, at the very least, a good start.