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School feels very strange without Gion’s intense presence, and rugby practise is even weirder. But at least Iwashimizu knows why Gion isn’t here: his boyfriend sent him a text this morning informing Iwashimizu that he’s caught something and needs to stay off school. Still, Iwashimizu worries about Gion all day, and misses his boyfriend too.
So, when practise is finally over, he has only one thing on his mind. Iwashimizu hurries all the way to Gion’s house, only stopping to visit a convenience store to pick up some candy (because Gion loves candy, and he wants to cheer his boyfriend up however possible) and is so exhausted by the time he arrives that Iwashimizu must double over to catch his breath.
When he can breathe again, Iwashimizu straightens his uniform, walks down the path to Gion’s house and knocks on the door. After a few seconds, the door opens, revealing Gion’s mom on the other side.
“Oh, hello there, Iwashimizu-kun,” she says, smiling.
“Hello, Gion-san,” Iwashimizu says, his cheeks flushing as his social anxiety starts to act up, ducking his head as though that will make seem less like a giant in front of a woman who is even shorter than her son.
“What brings you here?”
“Gion texted me that he’s sick, so I came to see him. How’s he doing?”
“We think it’s the flu, and his father probably brought it home from work. And now Kenji’s sick too.”
Iwashimizu nods his head, unsure how respond. He knows from experience that illnesses spread through the household super quickly, knocking one person down after another.
“But don’t worry, he’s well enough to complain about being forced to stay in bed,” his mother says, her smile reminding him so much of Gion’s cheeky smirk.
That does lessen some of Iwashimizu’s anxiety; if Gion is his usual loud and argumentative self, he can’t feel that dire.
“That’s good,” Iwashimizu says, smiling weakly. “Is it okay if I visit him? I’ll wear a mask.”
As he speaks, Iwashimizu rummages through his school bag and pulls out a fabric face mask, which he keeps for emergencies (he’s a bit of a germaphobe—if not wanting to get sick when someone keeps coughing in class makes you a germaphobe).
“I was about to suggest that,” Gion-san says. “But yes, of course you can visit him, sweetheart. Come inside.”
“Thank you,” Iwashimizu mumbles, stepping into the house.
After slipping his shoes off, he heads up the stairs, knowing where Gion’s room is after visiting his boyfriend’s house a few times. Iwashimizu pads along the floor in his sock-clad feet, soon reaching Gion’s open door. And, after putting on his face mask, Iwashimizu enters the room.
His boyfriend sprawls on his back in bed, his blankets thrown off as he lies with his limbs splayed out around him. A box of tissues rests next to his pillow, a trash can full of used tissues placed right by his bed. He wears his headphones, lying there motionless with his eyes shut, but Iwashimizu can tell Gion isn’t asleep.
“Gion?” he says, taking another step closer to the bed.
He knows that Gion tends to plays music very loud, so he probably can’t hear Iwashimizu’s voice. It doesn’t help that Iwashimizu’s voice is very quiet most of the time. But before Iwashimizu needs to think of how to get his boyfriend’s attention, Gion’s eyes snap open and he lunges to grab a tissue. He sneezes violently, propping himself up on one elbow as he blows his nose and tosses the tissue into the trash can. And, as Gion wipes his watery eyes, he raises his head—and jumps when he notices Iwashimizu standing in his room.
“Shit! Tree Trunk, when did you get here?” Gion says, his stuffy nose making his voice a little nasal.
“About a minute ago,” Iwashimizu says. “Sorry for making you jump.”
“It’s okay. But what are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming ‘round.”
Iwashimizu’s cheeks glow red. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Gion lets out a hoarse chuckle. “Well, it sure was a surprise.” Sitting up in bed, Gion leans back against the headboard and pats the bed beside him. “C’mon, take a seat, Tree Trunk.”
Iwashimizu does as requested, perching on the edge of his boyfriend’s bed. Up close, Gion looks worse than he thought, his nose red and lips chapped, and his eyes bloodshot. But Gion just smiles at him like nothing is wrong.
“Hey, what’s in the bag?” Gion asks, tilting his head.
“O-Oh yeah, I forgot,” Iwashimizu says, smiling bashfully. He places the plastic bag on Gion’s lap. “I bought you some candy.”
Gion’s eyes widen, and he immediately upends the bag, spilling bags of candy all over his legs. He stares at the collection of chocolates, lollipops, and chewy sweets, each of them hand-picked to be Gion’s favourite flavours, and a huge smile spreads across his face.
“All this is for me?” Gion says.
Iwashimizu nods. “Yep. I know how much you hate being stuck inside and missing rugby practise. So, I hoped this would cheer you up.”
Gion unwraps a lollipop, shoving the strawberry-flavoured candy into his mouth and sucking noisily. He grins around the stick poking out of his mouth, voice muffled as he says, “Oh, it really does. Thanks so much, Tree Trunk!”
“You’re welcome,” Iwashimizu says, his cheeks burning hotter than before.
And as Gion flings his arms around him, pulling Iwashimizu into a tight hug, he smiles, glad he could do something to make his sick boyfriend feel a little better.