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Leo/Need would always mention that when they were kids Ichika was always reckless. Sure her recklessness in her youth was more outright, but that doesn't mean that she isn't anymore, especially pertaining to her health.
Ichika had woken up with a slight fever, an everlasting ache behind her eyes that caused any sort of light to hurt, and a headache that felt as if someone had bashed her head in with her guitar. She just wanted to close her eyes and go back to sleep, but she had some quizzes to take that she wouldn’t like to miss, not to mention an important student rep. meeting.
Ichika knew she should prioritize her health above meetings and work, but as they say, old habits die hard. She tried her best to recall the many times from middle school when she would go to school, despite being sick, just to make sure that Shiho and Honami were okay from a distance. She got ready for the school day, but before leaving took some pain reliever, sinus medicine, and cold medicine, not knowing what she caught, and walked out the door.
Halfway to Miya. she stopped in her tracks, the first legible thought that didn’t intensify the headache had surfaced, “I can’t get Saki sick.” She said, unknowingly louder than she meant to, her hearing muffled.
It would be hard to avoid Saki all day, seeing as they were in the same class. Not to mention that if any of Leo/Need saw her in the state she’s in they would all, collectively, drag Ichika back home and make her rest. Despite her disappointment, Ichika would have to actively avoid all of her friends for the entire day, tell them she can’t make it to band practice, and then get back home to rest. Ichika tried to take a deep breath only to wince halfway through the inhale and let go of the breath.
“Okay, only shallow breathing today.” She said just above a mumble, as she had once again started her trek to school.
The second that Ichika had stepped through the doors of the school her nose had decided to become blocked and the warning bell had started to ring causing her to flinch due to her headache being intensified. She walked to her class trying not to be late due to her apparent lack of walking speed. Each tap and chatter of other students caused her to flinch and raise her shoulders. Her eyes burning so much she wanted to gouge them out just to not have any light hit them. The slight exercise and fever combined to make her feel warmer than just the fever she had, and her shallow, labored breath only more apparent to her due to her muffled hearing.
Ichika makes it to her class after what had felt like forever only to see that Saki wasn’t there. She tried to pay attention to the material being discussed in class, but she couldn’t focus, so she just sat there, a hand over her eyes to block out light, hoping that the teacher for this class wouldn’t notice. It was then the passing period before the next class, she didn’t move from her spot, her whole body started to ache, and Saki still wasn’t there yet. Ichika wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
The beginning of the day had been the same as the first class except for Ichika having to take a quiz before lunch. Once lunch had finally started Ichika found herself rooted to her seat but knew that she would have to both eat and hide away from Shiho and Honami. When she finally found the strength to uncover her eyes again the first thing she saw were both Honami and Shiho staring her down from outside the classroom window. When they made eye contact they had started to move towards the door of the classroom, which caused Ichika to all but sprint to the door, throw it open, and run the complete opposite way of her two friends.
Ichika could hear their footsteps as they ran after her, she couldn’t care less about how much more difficult running made it to breath or her headache intensifying by the second, she just had to get away from her friends. Just when she thought she had finally lost them, here comes Saki, rounding the corner, talking with Mafuyu, then a shout from behind Ichika of “Saki! Grab her!” To which Saki looks startled and Ichika dodges past both Mafuyu and Saki.
Ichika finally manages to escape and goes into the room where student rep. meetings are held. She gasped for breath, each one causing her chest to ache. Her headache being the worst it had been all day, so she slid down a wall to sit and catch her breath, closing her eyes to block light.
Before Ichika knew it the door to the otherwise empty room opened. She couldn’t bring herself to let any light into her eyes so she just kept them shut. The running and the fever had caused her to sweat a bit as she continued to gasp for breath despite the new person in the room.
The door closed, “So this is where you ran off to.” It was Mafuyu who had found her, Ichika could tell from the sickly sweet voice being used. “You don’t look so well. Are you okay?”
Ichika could only muster up a simple hum of answering.
“I should take you to the nurse.” Mafuyu said, stepping closer to Ichika, who was still sitting on the floor.
“No.” Ichika mumbled
“Can I at least take your temperature?”
Ichika hummed in agreement. Mafuyu put the back of her hand onto Ichika’s forehead and the second that the hand made contact Ichika sighed at the coolness of the hand, and made a dissatisfied noise when the cold was taken away.
“Wow, you’re burning up. You should go to the nurse with a fever this bad.” Mafuyu said, utterly and genuinely shocked at the amount of heat radiating off of her fellow student representative.
Ichika once again declined and slowly mumbled out “I have a quiz and that meeting for student reps.”
“Well you won't get good marks if you can’t get off the floor and someone can fill you in on the meeting tomorrow. Now let's take you to the nurse.” Mafuyu explained and helped Ichika up onto her feet, only for her to instantly put most of her weight on Mafuyu to help her walk.
By the time that they had made it to the nurse, lunch had just ended and they stumbled in. The nurse inquired about what had happened and Mafuyu responded with that Ichika had a high fever and would benefit from getting sent home, to which the nurse took Ichika's temperature and agreed to let her go back home.
“Do you want me to walk you home?” Mafuyu had asked, Ichika using the wall as a support to stand.
“No, I don’t want to risk you getting into trouble with your mom for leaving early to help me.” Ichika had tried to say loud enough, but in the end came out in a mumble. “She might make you stop seeing me, whether she knows about us or not. I don’t want to lose you over me being ill.”
Mafuyu stared at Ichika silently, thinking over her words, and if her mother would truly do that. During that time Ichika had mustered up enough strength to push herself off of the hallway wall, place a hand onto Mafuyu’s shoulder, and give her a tired, tilted, smile, saying “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mafuyu.” Leaving her hand there for a few seconds she let it drop, but before her hand had reached her side again Mafuyu had caught it in hers and said “To the door then.” Ichika nodded and squeezed Mafuyu’s hand before letting it go and starting to walk to the doors of the school. The two class representatives had walked shoulder to shoulder, Mafuyu unknowing, and Ichika too tired to care. Once at the door Ichika turned to Mafuyu, but before she could a single word Mafuyu with a look of seriousness, had deadpanned “I’ll come visit after the meeting.”
Ichika hummed in conformation and said “Alright hon. I’ll see you then.” and then promptly walked into the door forgetting to open it, then she opened the door, and walked out heading onto her way home, not realizing what she had called Mafuyu until she was halfway there.
Throughout the rest of the school day Mafuyu had unknowingly been moving a tad bit faster than usual. Writing down her notes faster, changing books, walking, and once the class representative meeting was over she was the first out of both the classroom door and front door to the school. During the day Mafuyu had decided to get Ichika a Yakisoba Bun or two on her way there and stopped by a store close to Ichika’s house. Once done she was back on her way to check up on Ichika and when she arrived she knocked on the door. Not hearing anything on the other side she had knocked again. The second knock also warranted no response, Mafuyu, being a reasonable person, had pulled out her phone to try to call the houses resident that should have been there.
Upon the third ring the other side had picked up, “Ichika, are you home?” Mafuyu asked deadpan but quietly enough for Ichika to hear but not loud enough to where it might cause her pain. On the other line there was a simple but elongated hum. “Can I come in?” she asked, and got the response of another hum but shorter. With that Mafuyu had hung up and tried to open the door, to which gave in when pushed, and walked into the entry way, only to find her girlfriend face down on the living room floor, still in her school uniform but with her blue hoodie on.
Mafuyu just stared at the scene in front of her after she closed the door. Ichika turned her head towards the entryway and let out a mumbled “Mafuyu?” At that Mafuyu had responded with taking off her shoes before walking to Ichika with the bag of Yakisoba Buns.
“Lets get you to bed.” Grabbing onto Ichika’s waist she helped her stand up and walk Ichika to her room and promptly leaving her on the bed to get a glass of water. When Mafuyu got back Ichika was trying to prop herself against the wall to sit up, while she was doing that Mafuyu put the store bag and glass of water onto the bedside side table and help Ichika. She sat down on the bedside and grabbed the water to hand it to Ichika for her to sip at it, and after gave her a Yakisoba Bun.
Not a second after Ichika was done eating she gave Mafuyu a hug, who was still sitting on the edge of the bed, and said a mumbled thank you. Before she knew it Mafuyu was laying down next to Ichika on her bed, being held by ill occupant.
“I hope this is okay,” Ichika started, “I’ll let you go if you want me to.” She finished, lightly loosening her grip on Mafuyu, who in turn only laid there accepting the feverish warmth and laid her hand on top of Ichika’s arm. Not long after Ichika had fallen asleep holding onto her girlfriend, who also fell asleep.
After an hour of napping Mafuyu woke up and looked at time, realizing she had to start her trip to cram school soon, she had tried to escape the grasp of the still sleeping person, in which was sort of a success. She woke her up a bit and in that time updated her on where she was going, then said goodbye, and promptly left for her classes.
Ichika had been bedridden for two days and in those two day Mafuyu had come to visit her after school and check up on her before she had to go to cram school, sometimes accompanied by Shiho and Honami. By the third day Ichika was still ill but more mobile, walking and sitting around in her room practicing guitar. Ichika, sitting at her bedroom table next to Mafuyu, put her head onto the table.
“Thank you, for helping me whenever you could. And the others too, I should thank them the next time I see them.” She said as Mafuyu hummed and patted Ichika on the head twice before going back to looking through her cram school work. The next day Ichika was feeling fine enough to go back to school, in which she immediately found her friends and thanked them for helping her whenever they were able to.