Chapter Text
Ena was royally pissed. Downright furious. Enraged beyond belief.
After years of painful pining and heart wrenching misunderstandings, she finally has a girlfriend who she loves and adores and in turn is loved and adored by.
So of course, knowing her shitty luck, Ena had caught a fever so brutal that she couldn’t even cuddle or make out with her girlfriend. Typical.
It would seem that no matter how romantic it was, spending a cold windy night outside in a thin dress for a few hours was bound for disaster.
But did any of the three other disasters that had become so deeply intertwined with her life get sick? No. Of course not. It was only Ena.
As she sneezed miserably, Ena fumed and pouted over the unfairness of it all.
If there was one bright side, it was discovering how gentle and caring Mizuki could be when it counted the most.
Of course she was just as sarcastic and teasing as ever, but the way she would gently comb Ena’s hair when she was too congested to do it herself was so overwhelming domestic that Ena felt like she’d melt into a puddle.
But sadly Mizuki could hardly stay forever.
She had a life of her own and Ena insisted that she go before she got sick from Ena. God knows the two of them would be unbearable if they were ill together.
Ena practically had to shove Mizuki away, ignoring her adorable pout as she ushered her out the door, swearing she’d be better soon and would spend time with her then.
Despite the success of knowing that her girlfriend wouldn’t be wasting her time taking care of Ena, she hardly felt like a winner. With no one available to take care of her, she was forced to get up and handle things herself. Opening the fridge to hunt down food was like entering an icy tundra, and braving the stairs felt like she was scaling mount everest.
Part of her was beginning to consider meekly begging Mizuki to come back when her prayers were answered by the insistent sound of knocking at her front door.
When it became clear that Akito wasn’t going to go open it, Ena forced herself up out of bed and down the stairs until she made it to entrance of her home, opening the door to reveal none other than-
“Tsukasa?”
“Ena!” His voice was a bit too loud for the pounding headache that plagued her, causing her to flinch. Tsukasa immediately winced before lowering his voice. “Ah, my apologies, Ena!”
She shook her head - hating how the slight movement made the world spin around her. “What’re you doing here?”
“I’m here to take care of you, what else?” Tsukasa asked with a laugh, gently pushing Ena out of the way so he could enter.
It was only then that Ena noticed the giant duffle bags that he brought with him, making a loud thud when they hit her wooden floors.
“Wha- How did you know I was sick?”
Tsukasa laughed. “Mizuki messaged me complaining about how you wouldn’t let her take care of you. Naturally I decided to take it upon myself.”
Ena blushed at the idea of Mizuki being so concerned that she’d reach out to Tsukasa Tenma of all people, but hoped that the redness in her cheeks could be mistaken as the flush of a fever.
Tsukasa’s knowing smirk proved that she wasn’t as sly as she hoped she was.
“You seriously don’t need to help me, Tsukasa.” Ena said, admittedly feeling a warmth in her chest at the reminder she had friends who cared deeply enough about her to do something like this.
For as much as she adored Kanade, Mafuyu, and Airi, they weren’t exactly the kind of friends she’d call up when she was non-stop coughing herself to tears in the middle of the night. Or trying not to puke in her bathroom.
Tsukasa seemed to have no reservations about proclaiming himself as Ena’s caretaker.
“Nonsense! I’m sure your parents are busy and I’d be more than happy to take you off their hands and care for you myself!”
Ena withered a bit, eyes darting to the side before responding.
“Um. Yeah, I guess.”
Tsukasa furrowed his brow. “Your parents… are taking care of you, right?”
Ena sighed. She and Tsukasa had a pretty good understanding of one another and their insecurities. At this point, Ena had learned that they had far more in common than she’d ever guess.
He was another friend she could call when feeling insecure about her art, and she’d gladly sit and listen when he finally managed to confide to her about his own fears of emotional intimacy.
So yeah. They were pretty attuned with each other when it came to feelings.
And yet, Ena hadn’t quite been able to articulate her… less than loving family situation. She knew what Tsukasa was like with Saki and Toya, and figured this would be one thing he couldn’t relate to her with.
“They’re busy,” She said gently, hoping that the emotion in her voice was covered up by the rasp of her sore throat. “Don’t worry about it.”
Tsukasa visibly deflated as his expression saddened. “You’ve been taking care of yourself this entire time?”
It was sweet how naive Tsukasa was when it came to family, sometimes. Ena would love to see what it was like to live in his world for a day, to see what that kind of lifestyle was like.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
“It is!” Tsukasa insisted, mindful of his volume. “Your parents shouldn’t be neglecting you!”
“They’re not,” Ena insisted, hating the direction this conversation was taking. “Look they’re just- My family isn’t really the affectionate type, alright? My father is cold, even on his best days, and my mother… She’s not cruel by any means but she’s just kind of…”
She waved her hands around as she tried to come up with the right words.
“...Absent. She knows I can take care of myself so she doesn’t need to coddle me. And I mean, you know what Akito is like. We don’t really act like that around each other, it’s just not who we are.”
Tsukasa did not look placated in the slightest. “That’s awful, Ena.”
She felt herself weaken at the devastation in his voice. “Tsukasa it’s really not that bad.”
“It’s not good, either.”
She sighed again, knowing this was a losing battle. She didn’t blame him or anything, Tsukasa had a much more loving home than her, of course he’d struggle to understand the apathy that circled her household.
“Tsukasa, I know that you’re like, always the reliable older brother and you love taking care of people, but you gotta understand not every family is like that. We just keep to ourselves a bit more, it’s not a big deal.”
She watched the battle of emotions as they were processed on Tsukasa’s face, before he settled on determination.
“It’s no matter, for now on, I, the great Tsukasa Tenma, shall be the older brother you’ve never had!”
Blinking, Ena was frozen as Tsukasa immediately dove down to the heavy bags he had brought and opened them eagerly. The first thing he pulled out were several containers that had the most delicious savoury smell - The first smell in days that didn’t make her nauseous to the point of tears.
“As always, the best cure for a sick person is homemade soup! I’ve brought several flavours since I was unsure which you’d like, but they’re all delicious, I assure you!” He paused before adding on, “I had Saki help me cook instead of Toya, don’t worry.”
Ena laughed a little before another coughing fit overtook her. When she finally recovered, Tsukasa was holding out a thermos of warm tea that she gratefully accepted and sipped it, relishing in how it soothed her aching throat.
“I’ve also brought cheesecake from that cafe you like, but I’m afraid you can’t have it just yet. Too much sugar will only agitate your throat more!” Tsukasa rambled as he unloaded the bags, revealing medicine, heated blankets, various tea bags, a thermometer, and an unreasonable amount of treats that Ena knew he’d be keeping from her until she was better.
“This… Isn’t this a bit excessive, Tsukasa?” Ena asked weakly, the guilt of having someone go through this much effort for her was stifling.
Come to think of it, Tsukasa was always doing stuff for her. Has she ever truly repaid the favour? What was listening to a few rants compared to all of this ?
Ignoring her, Tsukasa continued. “Now! Tell me all of your symptoms, I fear I could be missing a few things.”
“ Missing ?” Ena repeated, incredulous. “Tsukasa this is too much!”
“There’s no such thing as too much for one of my dearest friends,” Tsukasa said casually, unaware of how the words made Ena soften and relent to his kindness. “C’mon, Ena, just let me take care of you!”
“...Okay, I guess. Just don’t overdo it or anything.” Ena mumbled out, feeling sheepish before Tsukasa draped the softest blanket she had ever felt in her life over her shoulders.
“You can’t overdo kindness, Ena.” Tsukasa scolded, leaning into that big brother role surprisingly quickly. “If it helps, think of it as me simply being selfish.”
Brow raised, Ena looked doubtful. “Selfish how ?”
Tsukasa shrugged. “Ah, well if you’re sick, how am I to get you to help me design props? Or plan for Emu’s birthday party? If anything, perhaps it’s selfish of you to not let me help you get better.”
“That’s the biggest reach I’ve ever heard,” Ena muttered, though she was losing her fire as the exhaustion from standing up this long started to catch up to her.
Tsukasa, of course, noticed immediately and instantly grabbed her hands and helped support her weight as he made his way towards her stairs. “You sound like you need some rest. I’ll reheat the soup on your stove and wake you when it’s ready, okay?”
Too tired to protest, Ena just nodded weakly and let herself be dragged upstairs. Tsukasa had her sit at her desk chair for a moment before he quickly ripped off her sheets and blankets and replaced them with fresh ones. There was no hesitation as he refluffed her pillows and made her bed - despite the fact she’d be crawling right back into it.
“Tsukasa, there’s really no need-”
“Nonsense! You need to rest in a clean and disinfected bed! Otherwise how can you expect to recover?”
With no rebuttal, Ena let Tsukasa help her into her bed, gently pulling a thin blanket overtop of her. She practically melted into the new, soft sheets and happily pressed her face up against the pillows. She heard Tsukasa’s fond laugh before she let herself drift off into a restless, but much more comfortable sleep.
Tsukasa watched as Ena drifted off, waiting until her breathing evened out before quietly creeping out of her room. She was much like Toya when he’d get sick, and stay at the Tenma’s while he recovered.
Toya too had an unaffectionate home life, and it had always shattered Tsukasa’s heart. With such a strict and controlling father, Toya had been overwhelmed by the love he was smothered with when he ran to the home of his piano teacher for comfort.
Tsukasa had always figured that Ena’s home life wasn’t as loving as his own, but seeing it in practice was truly devastating. Had she and Akito always needed to be this self-sufficient? It would explain a lot about their behaviours and reactions to what Tsukasa saw as simple acts of kindness.
Tsukasa knew what it was like to watch parents shower a sick child with love and care until they were better. Tsukasa himself vowed he’d always do the same. He was already an older brother to many, he’d gladly add one more new sibling if it meant showing Ena what true care really was.
Creeping back downstairs, Tsukasa opened the Shinonome’s fridge and peered inside, trying to see what he had to work with.
As great as soup was, Ena would eventually want something more solid as she recovered, so Tsukasa needed to take stock of the ingredients available and make note of what he’d need to buy or bring from home. Mentally cataloguing everything, Tsukasa closed the fridge door only to startle and shriek at the sight of Akito standing behind it, arms crossed with a sharp glare sent his way.
“Agh! Akito, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”
The glare intensified. “Oh, my bad. Sorry that I live in my house, and I came downstairs to my kitchen, to find someone rummaging around my fridge. But by all means, make yourself at home.”
Tsukasa was completely taken aback and caught off guard. Hostility from Akito was nothing new, but it had never been so aggressive before! Tsukasa had always been under the impression that Akito was always teasing him, both aware that there was no ill-intent behind any jabs or comments made.
Was he wrong?
Or maybe…
After the er, prank Tsukasa and Ena had pulled at the dance, Tsukasa had profusely apologised to Akito. At the time, Akito just groaned and waved him off, saying it was fine and just to not do it again.
Tsukasa had been so sure that Akito had forgiven him, but was he mistaken? Was he still furious at the fact that Tsukasa pretended to date Ena for that night? Or perhaps he felt as though he was made a fool out of?
“Ahaha,” Tsukasa laughed nervously, eyes darting back and forth. “My sincerest apologies, I was just looking to see what I could make for Ena, to help her feel better.”
It would seem that this was the wrong thing to say, because Akito’s glare darkened with a flash of annoyance. “And you took it upon yourself to just show up and take care of her?”
“Ah!” Tsukasa panicked. Did Akito think that Tsukasa actually had feelings of some kind for Ena? Was he afraid that the two would become a genuine couple?!
He supposed he could understand why that’d upset him. Considering that Toya is practically Tsukasa’s little brother, it’d be very uncomfortable if both shinonomes decided to date the Tenmas.
“I assure you there’s nothing to worry about, dear underclassmen!” Tsukasa insisted. “I am merely giving Ena the older brother treatment she never received! She’s terribly sick and was stubbornly trying to handle it herself.”
Akito’s expression withered into something almost… afraid? Before he schooled his features into something more unreadable. “Ena’s sick?” He asked, voice strangely small.
“You didn’t know?” Tsukasa asked, watching as Akito’s bravado shattered. “Ah, don’t feel bad! She doesn’t want anyone to fuss over her, so naturally she’d keep this to herself! You needn’t worry about a thing, for I will take such good care of Ena that she’ll be better in no time!”
Akito winced, confusing Tsukasa to no end.
Did he say the wrong thing? Did any of what he just said about Ena come across as romantic? Nene had once told him that he can occasionally be too affectionate, and that some people didn’t want that as much as others, or could interpret his actions incorrectly.
Tsukasa needed to remedy this situation, fast!
“Ena really is just like a little sister to me,” Tsukasa added nervously. “She reminds me so much of Saki sometimes, though she’s certainly much more stubborn! I always used to enjoy taking care of Saki so this is really no bother at all to me, it’s how I show that I care. I’m not called everyone’s reliable older brother for nothing!”
Boom. Listen to all of that healthy communication in action.
Rui would be so proud of him if he were here to see this. Their new relationship was still a bit rocky and unstable due to Tsukasa’s newly discovered insecurities, but Rui has been so patient and understanding, insisting that Tsukasa focus on understanding himself before pouring himself into their relationship.
Feeling proud of himself , Tsukasa froze at the far-away look in Akito’s eyes before he turned away abruptly, scoffing under his breath.
“Right. Of course.” Akito muttered, bitterness seeping through his words. “She’s lucky to have you, then.”
Tsukasa deflated at the sadness seeping through his underclassman’s voice, but Akito was long gone before Tsukasa could pull himself out of his shock quick enough to stop him and ask what all of that was about.
He replayed their interaction in his head as many times as he could, and still he couldn’t figure out what had bothered Akito so deeply! Surely by now he knows that Tsukasa has no interest in dating his sister, right? Akito helped him get together with Rui for goodness sake!
Feeling out of his depth, Tsukasa reluctantly went back to focusing on cooking and taking care of Ena. At least that was something he could understand right now.