Work Text:
Heizou woke up with bile in his throat.
He barely had time to register what was happening, before he was choking on vomit, rolling over coughing and sputtering. Sour liquid splattered across the bed.
Heizou frantically tugged the vomit-soaked covers off him, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth as he scrambled out of bed. Dizziness slammed into him like a truck, and Heizou blindly stumbled out of his room, only just making it into the bathroom in time to collapse in front of the toilet, promptly missing it and vomiting onto the toilet seat. He dizzily righted himself, loudly burping over the bowl. All he was bringing up at this point were strings of spit and bile, but his stomach didn't seem to understand that it was empty. Heizou dry heaved a good few times, breathlessly panting over the toilet. Everything felt hazy and out of focus around him.
“What… the fuck.” Heizou cursed softly, spitting into the bowl. He heavily sat back on the tiled floor, needing to steady himself on one arm before he toppled over.
He was a mess, hair plastered to his face with sweat. The fabric of the t-shirt he slept in stuck to his chest, and Heizou blearily looked down to find his shirt was covered with vomit. He sharply looked away, belching loudly when the sight triggered his gag reflex. He felt horrendous.
For the next couple of minutes, Heizou just sat there, eyes closed. He was slowly but surely starting to come back to reality, piecing together what was going on. He was sick - that much was obvious. Heizou vaguely remembered that he hadn't felt well when he went to bed the previous night, but he had been sure that he'd sleep off whatever was making him feel sick. So much for that.
The clock on the bathroom wall showed that it was already past nine — He must've forgotten to set an alarm. Not that Heizou cared one bit at that moment, he was in no state to attend class. Swallowing back the nausea bubbling at the back of his throat, Heizou reached forward and flushed the toilet. He pressed his lips into a thin line, staring at the vomit splattered across the toilet seat, slowly dripping down onto the tiled floor.
Squeezing his eyes shut, so he didn't have to see what he was doing, Heizou used some toilet paper to wipe it up from the floor and toilet seat. He was a shade paler by the time he finished, and spent a few more minutes leaning over the toilet bowl, feeling like he was going to throw up a second time.
Heizou finally managed to drag in a shaky breath, weakly pulling himself up off the ground. He tugged the wet t-shirt over his head with trembling hands, depositing it on the floor in a crumpled heap. Trying not to look at it, Heizou trudged over to the sink, turning on the cold tap. His hands shook as he cupped them beneath the stream of water, splashing it on his face.
Heizou slowly brought a handful of water up to his mouth, trying to take a small sip of it. He had barely swallowed it, before the water was already coming back up his throat. He clutched the sides of the sink with a white-knuckled grip, coughing the water back up.
With a soft groan, Heizou turned away, trudging out of the bathroom. What a way to wake up. He stopped in the doorway to his bedroom, heavily leaning on the doorframe and squeezing his eyes shut. The air smelled of vomit, and Heizou's stomach roiled when he remembered he had thrown up in bed.
Heizou’s knees quivered, and he clutched the doorframe tightly. He felt faint. Maybe he should just go lie down in the living room, just until the dizziness passed. He needed to clean up, but at that moment he felt dangerously close to tipping over.
He staggered, and Heizou shakily sunk down against the doorframe, until he was sitting on the floor.
Somewhere, a phone rang. His phone rang, he recognised the ringtone.
Heizou blinked a few times, dizzily reaching over and feeling along the bedside table until his fingers brushed against the vibrating phone. He closed his hand around the phone, sinking back against the doorframe. Heizou stared at the screen blearily, trying to make out the name. He was having trouble focusing his vision, he couldn't see properly.
Kazuha.
Heizou picked up, closing his eyes as he pressed the phone to his ear. “Hm?” It wasn't quite the greeting he was going for, but his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. Just saying words felt like effort.
“Hey, where are you?” Kazuha asked on the other end of the line.
Heizou's eyebrows furrowed. Why was Kazuha asking him that?
“Heizou?” Kazuha asked after a moment, when he didn't respond. “Don't tell me you forgot? We were going to hang out this morning, remember?”
“Oh.” Heizou leaned forward, pinching the bridge of his nose. When had his head started to throb so badly?
“You forgot?” Kazuha didn't sound mad as much as he just sounded confused.
“Yeah.”
It was quiet for a moment.
“Is everything alright?” Kazuha asked, after a couple of moments. “You sound… I don't know. Out of it.”
“I… don't feel well.” Heizou mumbled. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Everything was getting fuzzy.
“Heizou, why didn't you just say so?” Kazuha's voice softened significantly. “Are you okay?”
“I…” Heizou blinked a few times, trying to keep his head up. “...sorry, I… I kind of feel like I'm going to… pass out.”
“What?” The tone of Kazuha's voice changed completely. “Are you sitting down, can you lie down?”
“Hm. Sitting. On the floor.”
“Put your head between your knees.” Kazuha instructed him.
Heizou clumsily leaned over, doing as he was told. Kazuha must've known what he was talking about, because the worst of the lightheadedness faded away. Heizou let out a shuddery breath, swallowing thickly. He was getting really nauseous again.
“Heizou?” Kazuha sounded uncharacteristically anxious. “Are you still with me, are you conscious?”
“Yeah.” Heizou lifted his head again. “Yeah, I… I'm okay. Just nauseous now.”
“What's going on?” Kazuha asked him. “Are you sick?”
“Think so. Woke up feeling pretty bad.” Can Kazuha stop asking so many questions? His head hurt.
“Where's Aether, is he home?” Kazuha asked.
Heizou snorted softly. “He's never home. He's practically already moved into that new place with Albedo.”
“Can I come over?”
What? Heizou blinked, puzzled. Kazuha must have picked up on his confusion, because he went on.
“I'm worried, you don't sound okay.” He said softly. “I don't think you should be alone right now.”
“If you want, don't feel like you have to.” Heizou mumbled softly.
“I’ll be right over. Will you be okay, or should I stay on the line with you?”
“No, I'm good.” Heizou was starting to feel really close to throwing up again, and he'd rather not have Kazuha listening in over the phone.
“I'm on my way.”
—
Kazuha pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex where Heizou lived. A frown was etched onto his forehead as he got out of the car, briskly walking to the building.
Heizou hadn't sounded good on the phone. Kazuha couldn't tell if he was entirely there the whole time he spoke to him, his responses were dazed and so distant. It made Kazuha want to overthink the situation — Heizou's never been the best at self care, how long has he been under the weather? Especially with Aether rarely being home.
Digging around in his pocket for the keys, Kazuha hastily unlocked the door. At that moment he was very grateful to have a spare key — Heizou and Aether had both agreed that he should have one, after he once picked the lock to get in when Heizou was feverish and not answering his phone. The tiny apartment was quiet when Kazuha stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Even Aether's cat was already at the new place, making the place feel even less lifeless. Only the bare minimum of furnishings were still around, and boxes littered the whole place. Kazuha silently wondered how long Heizou had left, before he'd have to move out?
“Heizou?” Kazuha asked, as he tiptoed around the boxes. “Where are you?”
A part of him was a little scared of finding Heizou somewhere on the floor. Admittedly, Kazuha had felt a tiny bit freaked out when Heizou said he felt like passing out over the phone.
Kazuha navigated his way to Heizou's bedroom. The door was open ajar, and he softly rapped his knuckles against its wooden surface, waiting for a response that didn't come. “Heizou? Are you in there?”
After a moment, Kazuha carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside. A strong, sour smell immediately greeted Kazuha. His eyes scanned the room, and Kazuha nearly gagged when he saw the vomit on the bed sheets. Typically Kazuha wasn't easily nauseated by sights or smells, but he also hadn't been prepared to see the partially digested remains of whatever Heizou's last meal had been. Hastily directing his gaze away from the bed, Kazuha looked around for his friend. Fresh worry was quickly knotting together in his stomach. So Heizou had been throwing up too.
There was no sign of Heizou in the bedroom, and Kazuha took a step back into the hallway. The bathroom door was open, and Kazuha slowly approached, peering inside. “Heizou?”
Heizou was sitting on the floor, the upper half of his body draped over the toilet. His cellphone lay discarded on the floor next to him. Hearing his name, he weakly lifted his head, spat into the toilet bowl, and glanced over his shoulder.
“Hey.” Kazuha gave him a sympathetic smile. “Mind if I come in?”
Heizou started to nod, only to swallow back a gag, hurriedly turning back around and burying his face into the toilet. Kazuha grimaced, hearing liquid splashing. He walked over, kneeling down behind Heizou and placing a hand on his bare back. His skin was clammy against Kazuha's hand.
“Sorry.” Heizou mumbled into the toilet. “Been throwing up… all morning.”
Heizou had a tendency to hide it when anything was wrong. Kazuha didn't like how openly vulnerable he was.
“How long have you been sick?” Kazuha asked him softly, tucking some hair in behind Heizou's ears. “It feels like you're running a bit of a fever.”
“Just since I woke up.” Heizou pressed his forehead against the rim of the toilet seat, closing his eyes. “Felt off yesterday, but not sick sick, y’know?” He inhaled shakily. “Sorry. Just need a moment, if… if I keep talking…”
“It's okay.” Kazuha told him. “Just breathe.”
They remained on the bathroom floor for another good ten minutes. Heizou dry heaved a few more times, but the vomiting seemed to finally be over. When Kazuha offered to get him a glass of water, he vehemently refused.
“Alright, but you tell me as soon as you think you can keep some water down.” Kazuha told him. “You're not getting dehydrated on my watch.”
Heizou only hummed in response.
Kazuha glanced around, anxiously tapping his fingers against the floor. He felt a little out of his league, he wasn't sure what to do. Not to mention, the apartment was a mess of half packed boxes. Did Heizou even have any clean sheets?
“Can I take you back to our apartment?” Kazuha suddenly asked.
“Why?” Heizou seemed to finally feel okay enough to stop clinging to the toilet, weakly wrapping his arms around himself and looking over at Kazuha. His face was horrifically pale.
“Because I'm not leaving you alone.” Kazuha said matter-of-factly. “And I think I can look after you better at home, where I know where everything is.”
“Is Gorou okay with it?” Heizou asked, unconvinced. Gorou was squeamish, everybody knew that. “I don't think he'll like you dragging home somebody who's going to be puking in your bathroom all day.”
“Three things.” Kazuha said, holding up three fingers in front of Heizou. “First thing’s first, if you keep throwing up like this, I'll be dragging you to the emergency room, period. Secondly, Gorou would be just as worried as I am. Sure this might not be the type of situation he's good with, but he wouldn't not want you there.”
“What's the third thing?” Heizou asked blankly.
“Gorou literally isn't even home.” Kazuha held out his arms in exasperation. “That's why we were going to hang out today, remember? Gorou’s visiting his family this week, he's not going to be back for another week.”
“Oh. Right.” Yeah he had completely forgotten about that.
“You are completely out of it.” Kazuha’s face softened, and he reached over to feel Heizou's forehead. “You definitely have a bit of a fever.”
Heizou hummed softly, closing his eyes. It hurt too much to keep them open, the light seeping in through the window seemed to pierce all the way into his brain.
“Can I go grab a clean shirt for you?”
Heizou only nodded. He heard Kazuha scramble up from the floor, his footsteps on the floor fading away, before quickly returning again.
“Lift your arms.”
“I can put a shirt on by myself.” No matter how sick he felt, Heizou was embarrassed. He opened his eyes, blindly reaching for the shirt Kazuha was offering to him. His hands shook as he fumbled with it, before messily pulling it over his head.
“It's backwards.” Kazuha informed him.
“Do I look like I give a fuck?”
Kazuha didn't seem taken aback by him lashing out. He only gave Heizou a sympathetic smile, before he got to his feet, leaning down to take him by the arm. Heizou shakily got up as well, relying way too much on Kazuha to keep his balance. He staggered slightly when he stood, gripping Kazuha's shoulder with one hand, the other awkwardly hovering in the air.
“Tell me if you need to sit down.” Kazuha said. “You haven't passed out at any point, have you? Over the phone you said-”
“Haven't.” Heizou weakly tugged out of Kazuha's grip, reaching a hand up to his mouth. “G’nna-”
Kazuha was one step ahead of him, he already had Heizou by the shoulders, guiding him over the toilet. Heizou dry heaved loudly.
“You're really not doing good, are you?” It was a ridiculous question, but Kazuha's tone was completely serious.
“Just damn nauseous.” Heizou rested his hands on his knees and sniffed. His eyes and nose were running after the fit of heaves.
“I can see that.” Kazuha's voice wasn't sarcastic in the slightest.
“M’kay.” Heizou sniffed again, stiffly standing up straight. Everything swayed for a moment, and he closed his eyes, swallowing thickly. “M’ good. We c’n go.” He was quiet for a moment. “Go where, again?”
“My place.” Kazuha's hand rested on his forehead. “If you think that's a good idea. We could go straight to the hospital from here.”
“I'm not that sick, Kaedehara.”
Kazuha had the audacity to scoff at Heizou's comment. “I'd rather not know what you consider ‘that sick’ then.
Heizou tried to roll his eyes, but the motion made his head throb. He gritted his teeth and squinted, reluctantly allowing Kazuha to lead him out of the bathroom. Halfway down the hallway he stopped, blindly feeling for the knob of the hall closet.
“What are you looking for?” Kazuha asked.
“One of these.” Heizou pulled out a plastic bucket, pushing it into Kazuha's hands. “Unless you want me to-” he stopped, swallowing. “-puke all over your car.”
“I’d like to avoid that if at all possible.”
—
Driving was, to put it simply, hell.
Heizou was incredibly grateful for his foresight to bring a bucket, hugging it to his chest for practically the entire ride, head hanging inside. While he felt like death itself for the whole drive, he didn't actually throw up until they were nearly there. Thank god for the bucket.
Kazuha and Gorou’s apartment was strangely… comforting . Heizou was there almost as much as he was at his own place. Their living room couch was a second home to him.
Heizou immediately went for the couch he was so familiar with, letting himself collapse onto it. He pulled his legs up, curling himself into a small ball with his face smushed into one of the soft couch cushions. Kazuha didn't say anything, only silently placing a trash can within easy reach of the couch, before leaving again. Heizou heard him move about the small apartment, though he didn't pay much attention. Now that he was lying down, exhaustion was quickly settling in his limbs. He hadn't realised he was so tired . Would Kazuha mind if he just drifted off for a while? Heizou let out a slow exhale, sinking further into the plush couch. Oh yeah, he could already feel sleep calling to him.
“Heizou?”
Heizou groaned, turning his head and burying his face as far into the cushion as he could.
Kazuha chuckled softly at this. “I know, I know. But you have to try and drink some water.”
“You're asking for more puke to clean up.” Heizou mumbled into the pillow.
“Come on, just a few sips will be enough. You're already dehydrated.”
Groaning loudly, Heizou reluctantly pushed himself up into a sitting position on the couch. He awkwardly pressed a hand to the side of his head, grimacing and closing his eyes when the world tilted.
“Dizzy?” Kazuha's voice sounded almost distorted.
“Yeah.” Heizou mumbled when everything cleared up.
He felt Kazuha close his hands around a small cup of water. Heizou looked down at it, pulled a face, and slowly raised it to his mouth. He took a few small sips, before quickly passing the water back to Kazuha, like simply holding the glass would make him more likely to throw up again.
“See if you can keep that down.” Kazuha placed the cup on the coffee table. “Do you want me to run you a bath, or do you feel up to a shower?”
“Can I just lie here for a bit?” Heizou asked hopefully. “My head is killing me.”
“Yeah, of course.” Kazuha's face softened. “Get some sleep if you can. I should probably study anyway.”
Heizou responded with a vague smile, before shifting over and lying back down on the couch. Kazuha disappeared for a few moments, before he came back, offering Heizou a proper pillow and a blanket. After that he curled up on one of the armchairs, tucking his legs beneath him and opening a textbook across his lap.
With a long, slow exhale, Heizou rolled over on the couch and closed his eyes. It felt… strangely calming. They weren't talking or interacting in any way, but just knowing Kazuha was there, it was a silent comfort. Heizou had a hard time believing that he used to live alone. By now he's gotten so used to living with a roommate, he couldn't imagine staying by himself again.
Except, he had been. Even though they still had a couple of weeks left before they had to be out of their apartment, Aether had as good as moved out. It was as good as living alone, and while Heizou enjoyed having the small space to himself, the silence became overwhelming soon enough.
Sleep tugged at the corners of his mind, but it was almost impossible to drift off. He still felt nauseous. Heizou distantly wondered if it was just unlucky that he caught something, or if the takeout he had the previous day gave him food poisoning. Whichever it was, he felt miserable.
Grunting softly, Heizou shifted, rolling over on the couch so he was lying on his back. He glanced around the living room with half-lidded eyes, his gaze drifting over the books scattered across the coffee table, the arrangement of photos up on the wall, the plant next to the tv that was clearly getting too big for its pot. Finally his gaze found Kazuha, who was still curled up on the armchair, focused on the book in his lap.
Kazuha must've sensed Heizou's eyes on him, because he glanced up after a few moments. He smiled when their gazes met.
“What are you looking at me for?” Kazuha asked, sitting upright. “You can sleep, if you want to. If it bothers you that I'm sitting here, I can go study in another room-”
“No!” Heizou said, almost too quickly. He sighed, closing his eyes. “No, please, I… I like not being alone.”
“Alright.” Kazuha slowly closed the textbook in his lap. “How are you feeling?”
“Shit.” Heizou said, shifting over onto his side, so he could properly face Kazuha. “Nauseous. Can't sleep.”
Kazuha's face softened. “Can I get you anything?”
Heizou shook his head. He turned his head on the pillow, distractedly looking around the living room again. Once more, his eyes found the photos on the wall. Most were of Kazuha and Gorou. Holding hands, kissing each other’s cheeks, wrapped up in each other’s arms.
“Do you miss him?”
“What?” Kazuha sounded surprised by the question.
“Gorou. Do you miss him?” Heizou asked again.
“Of course.” Kazuha smiled to himself, playing with his fingers in his lap. “He's only been gone for a few days, but I already can't wait for him to come back home again. The house doesn't feel the same without him here. So quiet.”
“Quiet.” Heizou echoed softly. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”
Kazuha frowned. He reached over, putting his book down on the coffee table, before getting up from the armchair and walking over. Heizou pulled up his legs, making space on the couch next to him, and Kazuha sat down.
“Is something wrong?” Kazuha asked softly.
“I woke up this morning and puked all over myself, I'd say so.” Heizou responded blankly.
“You know that's not what I mean.” Kazuha put a hand on his shoulder. “You're… sad. I think. And I don't think it's just because you're feeling sick.”
Heizou sighed, stiffly putting an arm beneath him on the couch and pushing himself up into a sitting position. Kazuha wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
“You know, I hated that tiny little apartment.” Heizou said softly. “If Aether sneezed in the living room, I could hear it all the way from my bedroom. The walls are paper thin, the place is cramped, and don't even get me started on how the roof leaks whenever it rains.”
Kazuha chuckled softly.
“But… I didn't want things to change. I miss having somebody else around, I hate constantly being the only person around.” His shoulders sank. “I can't believe I'm saying this, but the thought of moving out for good fills me with dread.”
Kazuha's face was sad. He gently squeezed Heizou's shoulders. “Do you have a place to go?”
“I'm going to stay with my cousin, until I find a place.” Heizou grimaced. “I’m really not looking forward to it. She treats me like I'm a damn kid, and…” he sighed. “We just don't really get along. I appreciate her giving me a place to stay, but… I just wish I can find a more permanent solution.”
Talking so much was starting to make him more nauseous. Heizou swallowed thickly, leaning over to rest his head against Kazuha's shoulder. He felt unusually emotional.
“I understand.” Kazuha said softly. “I'm not a big fan of change either.”
Heizou only hummed softly.
“When Gorou and I first moved in together, I was so homesick.” Kazuha went on. “Both of us took a while to settle in, but now? I can't imagine not living here with him.”
Heizou didn't say anything. He closed his eyes, pulling his legs further up against him. He really wasn't feeling well, and feeling so close to tears only made him feel worse. Why did he suddenly want to cry? He's known he was moving out for ages.
“I know it isn't ideal.” Kazuha said softly. “But when Gorou gets home, why don't the three of us have a talk? Maybe you don't have to move in with that cousin.”
“Are you saying I can stay here?” Heizou lifted his head.
“Gorou has as much of a say in it as I do.” Kazuha said. “So ultimately it's up to him, but I don't think he'd mind either. We both love it when you stay over here. Besides, it'll only be temporary. Oh and of course, you'll have to make due with the living room.
“Absolutely.” For the first time since he woke up that morning, Heizou felt some semblance of relief. “I… Kazuha, if this works out, I.. I'm going to owe you so much.”
“Nonsense.” Kazuha ruffled his hair. “Gorou and I would do anything for our best friend.”
Heizou broke into a weak, albeit genuine smile. He leaned over, wrapping his arms tightly around Kazuha. His friend's body vibrated with a soft laugh, and Heizou felt Kazuha wrap his arms around him in return.
It wasn't a long term solution, but at least, for the foreseeable future, a small weight was lifted off his shoulders.