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Yuriko was just barely able to hold Midari up as they stumbled into her dorm room. Her body was searing against Yuriko’s, even though her clothes. That wasn’t a good sign and Yuriko was eternally grateful she found Midari when she did. Any longer and Midari may have been needed to be hospitalized.
The Beautification Officer was burning up with a high fever, but somehow still able to gain a sense of her surroundings. She looked irritated and to an extent, embarrassed. Yuriko knew why; Midari didn’t want to appear weak. Yuriko didn’t once consider her to be weak, even when she collapsed in the hallway from sheer exhaustion. Her stubbornness was both a blessing and a curse; in this case it only made things worse.
Thankfully, Yuriko found her and was able to help her up so she could walk her back to her dorm in hopes that she’d be able to rest. She didn’t know why Midari decided to press on that day regardless of her high temperature and raw throat from coughing all night. Perhaps it was a masochist thing, but Yuriko had a feeling it wasn’t. There must have been another reason why Midari didn’t stay in bed when anyone could see that she was sick as a dog and needed to sleep.
“Bed,” Midari murmured, weakly pointing to the correct direction.
Yuriko huffed in frustration. “How could you be so stupid? You’re burning up! Even you should know to stay in bed if you have a fever!”
“I’m not in the mood to be nagged like you’re my mother, Yuriko,” Midari groaned. “My head is killing me as it is.”
“You should be thankful I found you and brought you here,” Yuriko flushed with embarrassment.
Midari shrugged as they reached her bedroom. “I guess that’s true. I feel like fucking shit now. It’s gotten worse since this morning. Maybe you’re right about staying in bed.”
“Of course I’m right,” Yuriko rolled her eyes and helped Midari sit on the edge of her bed. “I know this must be hard for you.”
“Eh? Hard?” Midari raised a brow at her before letting out a wicked cough. “What are you talking about?”
“Allowing someone to assist you since you’re so reluctant about not letting someone help you when you need it,” Yuriko snickered jokingly.
“I do that because I don’t wanna be dead weight to someone,” Midari admitted. “Plus, I’m not a people person. I don’t really trust people much unless I genuinely like them.”
Yuriko frowned. Midari rarely admitted things like that and Yuriko suspected she only said it because she was in such a weakened state to begin with. If it was true that she didn’t trust people… why did she trust Yuriko so easily?
Though, Yuriko couldn’t deny she had been growing closer to the one-eyed girl as of recently. Call it fate or “sheer absolute boredom” as Midari claimed it to be, the two had started talking much more and actually seemed to enjoy each other’s company.
It was strange. Of all the people Yuriko thought she would form a bond with, Midari Ikishima wasn’t at the top of her list. Yet there was something so alluring about the Beautification Officer all the same. She stood out in the crowd of faces at Hyakkaou. She was known by practically everyone, but at the same time she wasn’t considered to be popular so much as she was feared. Many of the students saw her as a freak. Yuriko however… found her to be intriguing. Surprisingly, talking to her was as easy as breathing.
“Thanks for uh… getting me here,” Midari swallowed her pride and said quietly.
Yuriko nodded. “You’re very welcome.”
“What are you gonna do now?” Midari asked softly, her voice scratchy from the coughing.
“Stay here, of course,” Yuriko chuckled.
It wasn’t like Yuriko had anything better to do anyway. All club activities were finished for the day and it was a weekend which granted her freedom to do what she pleased. Although many wouldn't want to spend their weekend tending to someone who was ill, Yuriko really didn't mind.
Midari wrinkled her nose in confusion. “You’ll be bored out of your mind.”
“I won't,” Yuriko assured her. “I want to help.”
“Why?” Midari scoffed.
“Believe it or not, I actually consider you to be my friend,” Yuriko murmured. “And… I care about you.”
“Well that’s sweet,” Midari smirked. “And I guess I can’t force you to stay or go, so do what ya want.”
Yuriko knew that was Midari’s way of telling her thanks. She watched as Midari slowly stood up and walked over to place her revolver on her nightstand before plopping back down onto her mattress, lifting one of the covers over her.
“Um, Ikishima-san, shouldn’t you perhaps strip down a little so you don’t increase your body temperature?” Yuriko asked.
“Hm, I’m too exhausted to take off my uniform right now and I've got the chills,” Midari retorted tiredly. “You want me to rest, so I am.”
“I don’t think it’s wise to leave so much clothing on though,” Yuriko insisted. "Take off one layer at the very least. I assure you, it will help."
"Hm, you're really eager to strip me down, huh? Shouldn't you at least buy me dinner first?" Midari playfully flirted.
“I’ll leave the room if you need time to unclothe," Yuriko ignored her comment.
Midari sat up and winced, holding her head. “Don’t bother; I don’t give a shit. Actually, why don’t you give me a hand since you're so insistent?”
Yuriko blushed, though she didn’t know why. “A-alright then.”
"Just do me a favor when you do," Midari requested when Yuriko walked over to her.
Yuriko raised a confused brow. "Okay?"
"Don't stare too much," Midari huffed.
Yuriko stared at her in slight confusion. Why would she stare? She wasn't rude like that, nor was there really anything of interest for her to stare at. Nothing she would ever admit to, that is.
"Why would I stare?" Yuriko chuckled uneasily.
Midari sighed. "I have some scars from my past that I don't like people seeing."
This wasn't all that surprising to hear considering Midari's line of work and responsibility in the academy. Or maybe these scars were there for a completely different reason; self inflicted perhaps. That may explain why Midari didn't want anyone seeing or knowing about them. It was a rather taboo topic after all.
"I understand and I won't stare," Yuriko nodded. "But we really need to get your body temperature to go down."
Midari complied, slowly standing up. Yuriko looked down at Midari's red, sleeveless shirt and looked back up at her, asking for permission. Midari nodded tiredly, sluggishly lifting her arms up while Yuriko helped lift the shirt off of her. Next came the buttoned up shirt which Yuriko quickly undid each button.
Yuriko removed the article of clothing off of Midari's body, feeling the intense heat radiating off of her. Her eyes locked onto the one-eyed girl's basic purple bra, slowly looking down to see her well toned stomach. She wasn't sure to be surprised to see that Midari had abs or the large, noticeable, faded scars across them. Midari said she had scars, but Yuriko recognized these to be cutting scars. She had no doubt that these were indeed self inflicted. They were too intricate; too close together to be accidental.
Instantly, Yuriko felt her heart swell with sorrow. It made her realize just how little she really knew about the Beautification Officer. It was true that the two had grown close as friends, but even then Yuriko couldn't say she truly knew Midari and what occurred in her past.
Breaking free from her thoughts, she felt Midari grab her hand and guide it toward her scars. Her hand was pressed against the hot skin and her entire body heated up as Midari allowed her to touch her abs. Midari had her eye closed with an almost pained expression, as if being touched hurt her.
"W-why?" Yuriko stuttered, her face turning intensely red by this point.
"You looked like you wanted to touch them," Midari teased, her tone unusually soft. "Besides, I knew it would fluster you and your reaction didn't disappoint."
"No... no I meant... why are you letting me?" Yuriko asked, looking away in embarrassment.
"You’re the only one I trust to do this," Midari admitted quietly.
Trust. That was one thing Midari rarely felt and Yuriko knew it better than anyone. The only person Midari truly trusted was herself, or so she thought. Yuriko now questioned if she underestimated how Midari felt about her.
She looked up to see Midari's cheeks dusted with red and she knew that wasn't from the fever. She too was flustered by this, but wouldn't easily admit it. It made Yuriko's heart flutter, causing her to have an overwhelming desire to lean forward and close the distance between them. But now wasn't the time.
"I see," Yuriko murmured shyly. "Are you comfortable sharing why these scars are here?"
Midari thought back to when she first placed a blade onto her skin, soon creating a wound that would become the first of many cutting scars. She didn't do it to punish herself or because she felt like she deserved it like a lot of people would feel when they did something like that. Her problem at the time was feeling anything at all.
The pain from the blade allowed her to feel something when she struggled so desperately to feel anything. She was so out of tune with her own emotions that she was beginning to struggle feeling anything physically as well. Every time she cut into her skin, she was finally able to feel. Granted, it was severe pain which in itself wasn't the best feeling, but to her it was better than not feeling anything at all. It gave her something to hold onto, knowing she was still able to feel something albeit it was pain. It reminded her that she was still alive and helped her figure out what was real and what wasn't.
It was the darkest time in her life.
Midari shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not ready to talk about that. Not yet at least."
"And that's alright," Yuriko nodded in understanding. "You will tell me when your ready or not at all if you cannot. I will respect that."
"That's good," Midari agreed, then giving the shorter girl a seductive expression that caused Yuriko's blush to travel to the tips of her ears. "Now, are you gonna finish stripping me, princess?~"
"W-why do you have to say it like that?" Yuriko stuttered.
Midari weakly cackled which prompted a coughing fit.
"Because there's no better way to say it!" She choked out.
"You make it sound so lewd," Yuriko grumbled, placing her hands on the hem of Midari's skirt before gently tugging it down. "Then again, I don't expect anything less of you."
Midari shrugged and stepped out of her skirt. "Can I rest now?"
"Of course," Yuriko confirmed.
Midari gave a subtle nod before crawling back into bed, now covering her body fully with her bed sheets. She felt hot and sticky yet at the same time her body had the chills; it was a very odd sensation and she didn't like it. It was uncomfortable. Thankfully, she was able to fall asleep within minutes, completely forgetting about the uncomfortable sensation.
Yuriko sat down on the edge of the bed, watching the exhausted girl's chest rise and fall as she slept. She shook her head, trying to ignore the feeling in her heart to join Midari and wrap her arms around her, assuring that this sickness would soon pass and that she wasn't alone. Would that have been such a bad thing?
Midari woke up to the feeling of something damp and cool press against her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes to see Yuriko with a wet cloth in her hand. Midari had almost forgotten Yuriko was still here, but seeing her warmed her heart nonetheless. It's not like she knew anyone else who would do this for her.
The one-eyed girl glanced over at her clock. It was close to midnight. She had been asleep for roughly six hours, but still felt exhausted and like she could sleep for another six hours. Her symptoms hadn't worsened at least, but they didn't necessarily subside either.
"How are you feeling?" Yuriko asked softly.
Midari sluggishly sat up. "Not much better, honestly. The cold cloth feels nice though."
"I took your temperature earlier. Your fever went down slightly which is a good sign," Yuriko smiled encouragingly.
"You know, you didn't have to stay here this whole time," Midari commented, laying back down.
Technically Yuriko didn't. At some point when Midari was out cold, she left her dorm to go purchase some medication as well as bring a novel from her own dorm room. She wasn't planning on just leaving Midari there alone for the night when she was barely able to stand up on her own.
Yuriko nodded. "I know I didn't, but I wanted to. So don't worry about it."
Midari grinned weakly, lightly tapping Yuriko's arm. "Hmmm, you've got it bad for me, don't ya?"
Yuriko's eyes widened, not knowing how to respond to that. Midari was flirtatious by nature, but somehow she flirted with Yuriko far more often than she did with anyone else.
Yuriko said nothing, but the blush that formed in her cheeks spoke for her. Did she like Midari? Platonically she did without a doubt. Romantically however... that was a complicated answer that she didn't even know herself.
She brushed the thought to the side, knowing Midari wasn't in the right frame of mind at the moment. She looked over at the cough syrup she placed on the nightstand earlier. Midari followed her gaze and scowled.
"You're crazier than I am if you think I'm gonna drink that nasty shit," Midari said warningly, turning over in bed once Yuriko grabbed the bottle.
"It's going to help you get better," Yuriko huffed. "Please don't be difficult."
"I'm telling you right now there's no way you're gonna get me to drink that," Midari grumbled. "I'd rather die."
Yuriko ignored her. She looked over the directions and poured out the correct dosage of cough syrup into the measuring cap. She could smell how bitter it was and understood why Midari didn't want to drink it; she'd honestly have a hard time consuming it herself.
"Just grin and bear it," Yuriko suggested, holding the cap up to Midari's lips.
Midari shook her head childishly. "Why? It's gross."
Yuriko sighed in frustration. "Please, Midari. For me."
Midari rolled her eye in compliance. How could she say no to that? She allowed Yuriko to pour the bitter liquid into her mouth. Midari's senses may have been weakened, but she was still able to faintly taste the disgusting medication and wanted to gag from the taste.
"Thank you," Yuriko smiled slightly. "I think you need more rest now."
"Yeah," Midari nodded in agreement. "And so do you. You look exhausted. Maybe it's time for you to go back to your dorm."
Yuriko was exhausted. She rarely stayed up past ten in the evening, let alone stay up till midnight. Her eyes were heavy and she wanted to sleep, but didn't want to leave. If she could just stay awake for the night to make sure Midari's condition didn't worsen. She knew if it did, the girl wouldn't go to the hospital to get the medical treatment she would need on her own. So Yuriko decided to stay. Just in case.
"No, I'm staying," Yuriko shook her head.
"I don't have an extra bed and the futon is too small to sleep on," Midari pointed out. "Not to mention the floor would also be fucking uncomfortable to sleep on."
Yuriko shrugged. "Then I'll just stay awake."
"Yeah, no," Midari sniffled and sat up slightly. "If you're gonna spend the night here, then you're gonna sleep here."
"Where would I sleep? You said it yourself that there's nowhere I can," Yuriko questioned in confusion.
Midari smirked, patting the spot in bed next to her. Yuriko's heart nearly stopped. She had never shared a bed with anyone before and there was something about sharing a bed alone with Midari that seemed rather... intimate.
"If you're cool with sharing my bed, then you can stay," Midari said tiredly.
"I don't have my night clothes with me," Yuriko muttered shyly.
Midari raised a brow at her. "Okay, and? Just borrow some of my clothes for the night."
"O-oh," Yuriko hummed, not expecting that. "Thank you."
Yuriko stared at her reflection in the mirror. Midari's clothes didn't fit her, yet they were comfortable. Secretly, she enjoyed seeing herself in Midari's clothes. There was something about being engulfed in Midari's scent that felt comforting. Natural, even.
She left the bathroom and noticed Midari sitting up in her bed, inspecting her revolver. Midari still looked exhausted and pale, but she appeared to be returning to her normal self. She must have gotten out of bed at some point to put on a night shirt as well.
"They're a little big on me," Yuriko said quietly, gripping the hem of her borrowed black shirt.
Midari looked up and smiled slightly. "Don't worry, ya look cute in em'."
Yuriko felt her cheeks heat up from the comment. "T-thanks. They're a lot... softer than I imagined."
"I normally don't wear clothes to bed, so that probably explains why they're like that," Midari explained with a shrug. "Alright, now get over here. I wanna go back to sleep."
Yuriko didn't respond and instead climbed into bed next to her. She could feel the heat from Midari's body from where she was, though it wasn't uncomfortable. She laid on her back as Midari shifted her position to look at her. Awkwardly, Yuriko slowly turned her head to see Midari smirking at her.
"What?" Yuriko asked uneasily.
"Nothin'," Midari laughed. "You're just pretty is all."
Yuriko smiled and rolled her eyes. "Sleep. You're starting to talk strangely."
Midari yawned. "Whatever you say. Thanks for staying with me. And... taking care of me. It wasn't so bad."
Yuriko had never seen this soft side of Midari before. Perhaps it was due to her sickness or tired state. Whatever it was, Yuriko liked it. Even the most feral beasts could be tamed by the right person or situation, it seemed.
Yuriko stiffened when she felt an arm wrap around her waist and Midari nuzzled into the crook of her neck. The one eyed girl had already fallen asleep and Yuriko had never seen her look so peaceful or content before. Yuriko came to the realization that Midari would do this with no one else except for her. She truly trusted her, even when she was in a weakened state.
No, this wasn't so bad at all.