Work Text:
“Huh? Miss Yomi has a fever?!” Chiyo exclaimed when she heard the news from Tomo.
“She said she got it this morning.” The bearer of bad news continued.
The group of five stood together in front of the entrance to the train station, disappointed that the final sixth member wasn't able to come with them to the theme park. It was a chilly morning, so everyone was wearing warm layers. Tomo on the other hand, typical to her nature, was underdressed, wearing only a t-shirt with something long-sleeved underneath. No coat of course.
“Oh, man, that really sucks for Yomi.” Kagura added, before being interrupted by a tiny voice.
“Then, we should cancel today's trip and go visit Miss Yomi!”
The concern of the little girl was evident in her voice. Despite being much younger, Chiyo tended to act like a parent to the other girls because of her larger knowledge.
Tomo was quick to disapprove, tutting Chiyo out and wagging her finger in reproof. She leaned down to Chiyo’s level, and placed her hand on her shoulder.
“Chiyo, you really are such a child. Listen, if we did that, Yomi might feel all guilty,” Tomo then enthusiastically stood up, “Therefore, the right thing to do is to leave Yomi alone and have all the fun we can!”
“Y’all can leave me out then.”
“What?!” All the other girls were shocked, even Sakaki was surprised. They all turned towards Osaka and anticipated an explanation.
“Ah feel kinda bad now because of what Chiyo said,” Osaka continued, “Ah think ah’m gonna visit Yomi while she’s sick, y’all can go without me.”
“Alright, if you'd prefer to be bored to death by being around her, go ahead!” Tomo snickered, her attempts at convincing falling flat against Osaka, who turned towards Chiyo.
“Chiyo, you can go without me, ah want you to have the theme park experience while you’re still young, especially as big as Magical Land! Ah can always go another time.” She then gently ruffled Chiyo’s hair and smiled.
“Are you sure you’d rather miss out on Magical Land to visit Yomi? What about our Knucklehead pact?”
“We had a pact?” Kagura interjected.
“SHH!” Kagura’s face was hit by Tomo’s hand. “Ahem, well, don’t come crying to us for regretting not coming along, Osaka! Let’s go, everyone!”
Thus, Tomo and Kagrua ran up into the train station, with Sakaki walking behind them, and Chiyo being apprehensive to go along. She gave Osaka a wave before running to catch up to the other girls, warning them how dangerous it was to run up the stairs to the station.
That morning, in her bedroom rested a girl ill with a fever. She was swaddled up in her bed, sulking over the fact she had to exclude herself from joining her friends to go to the amusement park today. She was clearly very excited to go, that she actually bought a guide to the park the day prior at the bookstore. Captivated by the guidebook, she read it in the winter weather before she could reach home, which is what had sadly caused her fever.
“By now, everyone will be…” Yomi began thinking, her room silent bar the sound of the clock ticking. “But maybe they'll come by and try to surprise me with their visit.”
Alone and in discomfort, Yomi yearned for her solitude to be over. Her mother had given her some medicine earlier, but was more busy with housework and cooking. She tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep again. The muffled voice of her mother talking to someone had almost lulled her to sleep, before being alerted by the words:
“Koyomi! You have a visitor!”
Yomi jolted awake in her bed, no longer feeling the need to sleep.
“I was right! They did come to surprise me!”
A feeling of dizziness then came over her, her vision getting blurry.
“Ugh… got up too fast.” She put her hand on her head and laid back down into her bed. Thoughts berating her excitement then filled her mind, comparing her emotions to that of Tomo. Yomi didn't like to admit that some of their behaviours were similar to each other. Though she also couldn't be serious and adult-like all the time, it would surely drain her still youthful mind.
Knock Knock.
“Oh, come in.”
“Hello Yomi! Ah came to visit you while you're sick.” Osaka’s cheerful voice resonated in the bedroom. Yomi propped herself on her elbows to sit up in her bed.
“Hey Osaka. Where’s everyone else?”
“Oh. Um, I came by myself.”
Yomi recollected what her mother had said a few moments ago.
“Right… My mom did say ‘a visitor’...”
“Why’d you decide to come see me? Wouldn't going to Magical Land be a better way to spend your day?”
“Well ah felt bad that you were all alone and didn't go, so now we can be alone together!” Osaka raised her hands in the air enthusiastically.
“... That's what made you worried?” Yomi furrowed her brows at that.
Osaka sat down on the edge of Yomi’s bed.
“Ah knew you were sick too, I know how bad it is when you're sick. I get really bad colds often in the winter and spring”
“It's a fever.”
“Same thing.” Osaka waved her hand dismissively.
Osaka scanned around Yomi’s room, looking at all the corners, parallel lines, colours and the different types of surfaces. All the empty space, and all the occupied space. Not a single word was uttered in this brief silence of fascination.
Amidst the silence, the bedridden girl almost forgot that her classmate was even there. Her eyelids felt heavy, her head felt heavy too, her body was hot, hot and tired…
just gonna close them a little… and maybe…
“Wow Yomi, your room is so much bigger than mine!”
“AH!”
“Aaahh!!”
“Why are you yelling!!”
“Yah scared me!!”
“You scared me first, Osaka!”
Osaka just looked at Yomi and chuckled awkwardly, as if to nonverbally mean ‘oops, sorry.’ Yomi didn’t know how to respond, though she did find it funny how they both scared each other just now. She shifted her position in her bed to be more comfortable, she’s not going to be getting any rest anytime soon with Osaka in the room as well. Better make use of the company if she's not going to have fun at Magical Land, right?
The girls soon calmed down from their accidental fright, and Yomi began to speak:
“Were you saying something about my ro-”
“KOYOMII,I I'M GOING TO WORK THERE'S SOUP IN THE KITCHEN!”
* SLAM!*
Both girls were startled, again.
“Oh right! The soup!” Osaka stood up from the bed. “I’ll be right back!”
She then dashed out of the room into the kitchen, leaving Yomi flabbergasted. She sighed and leaned back onto the headboard. As if on cue, Yomi’s stomach growled. She hoped it won't growl again when Osaka comes back, she didn't want to be embarrassed even in front of Osaka! That girl, always worrying how she looks in front of others.
There were sounds coming from the kitchen, which Yomi could hear clearly since her bedroom was also on the ground floor, a few steps away from it. Yelps and cries could be heard from there, prompting Yomi to strain her voice to ask if Osaka was alright. She sighed heavily, thinking how this is no different than if Tomo were here, those two knuckleheads are cut almost from the same cloth. Almost, Osaka is a little more tolerable to Yomi. She’d rather have her than Tomo right now, less noise and teases, so she's not going to complain.
“Ah’m coming!!” Osaka's voice echoed through the hallways.
“Ah’m almost there Yomi!” She called out after a minute.
“Just wait there!!” Another minute.
“Don’t run off anywhere Yomi ah’ll be there soon!!”
“Wait for m-”
“I GET IT OSAKA!!” Yomi coughed afterwards, her throat was really strained by then.
After a few more seconds of silence, expecting another update from Osaka, the bedroom door had opened to Yomi’s surprise. Coming through the door was Osaka, holding a bowl in both of her hands. They were visibly shaking, trying to keep the bowl steady. Osaka made tiny footsteps, if you'd call them footsteps, she was more so shuffling along the floor in tiny increments, to further prevent a disaster with the bowl she was holding.
“Is this the soup? What took you so long??” Yomi laid in bed pathetically, hungry to fill her stomach and fuel her fever-ridden weakening body. She reached her arms out towards the other girl.
“Ah took a while because ah accidentally poured a little too much… so ah was careful not to spill it. Ain’t i amazin’ to not spill anythin’!” Osaka stood proudly, lifting the bowl higher in triumph… and spilling some of it on the floor.
“Ah..”
“You're lucky I'm too tired and sick to be angry at you.” Yomi looked daggers at Osaka, who was now frowning at the spill on the floor.
It was only a small spill, so nothing was really lost, but Osaka felt like a failure at this moment. She tried to help out a friend she cared about and still messed it up somehow.
“Ah’m still sorry…” Osaka put the bowl of soup on the bedside drawer, next to some medicine.
“Oh c'mon Osaka, it's not even worth getting sad about, or me getting angry about, just grab a towel and wi… i… Achoo!”
“Woah… that was such a sneeze Yomi!”
“Don't get sidetracked.”
“Right!” Osaka saluted and left the room promptly. Anything for Yomi, she thought. She's sick, so her word matters above all! Osaka was happy as long as she was doing the right thing, and making her friends happy and not upset with her.
“Why do I even get angry at her?” Yomi thought while waiting. “It's not like she does this stuff on purpose like Tomo. Well, Tomo has some accidents herself too, but Tomo likes to annoy me intentionally. But they're both so annoying to be around… urgh..”
“Ahm back! Ah forgot to bring you a spoon for the soup too, so here yah go!”
Osaka gently put the spoon inside the bowl before she knelt down onto the floor to wipe the spill she made.
Yomi couldnt help but feel endeared.
She looked down at Osaka, diligently working on the floor, her eyes laser-focused on the task. Her tongue was sticking out a little bit too, like the characters she’d watch on television. This is what they’d be doing, helping out their friends and doing the hard work; and then they'd get praised and loved for it like they always did, but it never came out quite right when Osaka tried it. Though what mattered to the girl was that she kept trying, maybe one of these times she’d get recognised for her efforts.
“There! Ahm done! Sorry about all that Yomi, hehe. You can now enjoy your soup!”
Osaka then struck a pose she thought was fitting for the occasion of her triumphant success. All Yomi could do in response is laugh, not at Osaka to mock her, but because she found all of Osaka’s efforts to help her cute. Loveable even.
That girl, always worrying how she looks in front of others.
Perhaps Yomi wasn't thinking straight because of her ailment, but she didn't want Osaka to leave yet. If she couldn't sleep, and her mom was gone for work, and she couldn't come to Magical Land, she could at least spend the day not in bored solitude. This was nice, and it would probably be even better if she wasn’t sick, but Tomo would probably get jealous after a while of Yomi not being around her.
She picked up the bowl of soup, and sat up straight to eat it. It was a plain chicken soup, something to warm up and feed the body while it fights off the illness. Osaka sat down at the edge of the bed and watched intently for Yomi’s reaction.
“Thank you Osaka, I really appreciate it.” This was the most sincere thing she had said to Osaka so far. The other girl beamed, her cheeks pushing up against her eyes. She was happy that Yomi was happy, and that she was the one who caused it.
The spoon was lifted up from the soup, and then into Yomi’s mouth. Osaka leaned in in anticipation, as if she actually cooked the soup herself.
It was cold.
“...Osaka!!!”
“Waaaaahh!!! DX”
Bonus Scene (i couldnt fit it anywhere):
Osaka took the thermometer from under Yomi's arm, and inspected it closely. Then, a look of horror struck her face, almost dropping the thermometer out of shock.
"Yomi! We gotta take ya to the hospital! Youre evaporatin'!" Osaka exclaimed, grabbing both of Yomi's shoulders.
"What do you mean?!" Yomi instantly sat up straight and looked at Osaka.
"Your fever is 100 degrees!"
"What? Give me that." Yomi snatched the thermometer from Osaka's hands.
"Osaka thats in Fahrenheit."
"Oh. Whoops!"