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Nobuhiko runs his thumb down the mug's handle, sipping his coffee more than anything else. Wataru and Kyoko are talking about something next to him, their voices washing over him. Normally he tries to follow the conversation a little better, but this past week was exhausting.
Between the fire that he had to put out in the form of dredging through the new kid's code to find the source of the error message and the tight deadline that's a knife hanging over his throat, he's had no time to relax.
All this work makes for what should be a simpler week next week, but he can never predict all the ways someone can mess up.
And, somehow, he's always greeted with something new when someone asks for his help debugging.
Wataru nudges Nobuhiko's side with his elbow, leaning over to peer at his plate. "Not hungry?"
Nobuhiko lifts his coffee mug and shoves the plate over to Wataru. "You can have it."
Wataru looks between the plate and Nobuhiko, a frown pulling at his lips. "Everything okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Nobuhiko takes a sip of his coffee, giving Wataru a tired look. The coffee is bitter and burnt, but the caffeine is well-needed.
"You just gave me your food." Wataru narrows his eyes, something like suspicion in his gaze. "Without an argument."
"You're the one being weird here." Nobuhiko reaches out for the plate. "Do you not want it?"
Wataru bats Nobuhiko's hand away and pulls the plate closer. "I want it."
"Nobuhiko's right." Kyoko reaches over and snags one of the vegetables off the plate with her chopsticks before Wataru could stop her. "I don't think I've seen you deny food."
"I'm not denying it." Wataru takes a scoop of vegetables and drags them through the sauce pooling on one side of the plate. "I'm just pointing out that it's not normal."
Nobuhiko refrains from rolling his eyes. "I do one nice thing and this is your reaction."
Wataru elbows him again, harder this time, before shoving the vegetables into his mouth.
Nobuhiko spends the rest of the dinner nursing his coffee and watching the sun set. Wataru fights off Kyoko from stealing more of the food that Nobuhiko gave him. Nobuhiko doesn't intervene, even though it was his food to begin with, and just keeps an eye on them out of the corner of his eye.
No matter how loud the two of them can get, it's a welcomed break from the monotony that filled the past week.
There's no joking around when a deadline's breathing down your neck.
Wataru calls for the check and pays before either of them can stop him. He gives both of them a sly grin. "Consider it a gift," he says to Kyoko before looking over at Nobuhiko. "And I ate most of your food."
Nobuhiko drains the rest of his coffee before setting the mug down. "I could at least pay for my drink."
Wataru ignores him, climbing out of the booth and shoving his hands into his pockets.
They make their way out to the parking lot and their cars parked in the back. Wataru leans against the Levin's hood. "Sadamine or Maze Pass?"
"You don't want to go to Shomaru?" Nobuhiko digs his keys out of his pocket and unlocks the Altezza's door. "That's a first."
"Your team doesn't go to Shomaru and I thought you'd want to see them again." Wataru looks over at Kyoko. "Kyoko?"
"My vote's for Sadamine," Kyoko says from her place beside the FD.
"That works for you, Nobu?"
"Yeah, it works." Nobuhiko isn't going to admit it to Wataru, not with him already being on edge and suspicious, but he's glad that they settled on Sadamine. It's closer than Maze Pass for one thing, and Wataru usually can find someone that isn't Nobuhiko to race against.
He just doesn't have it in him tonight.
He follows Wataru and Kyoko to Sadamine, keeping his gaze trained on the Levin's tail lights.
The headlights from the incoming traffic are bright and piercing at this time of night.
He pulls off at the base of the mountain where a couple of his teams stand milling around their cars, waving off Wataru and Kyoko.
He'll meet up with them again later, after they've had their fill of the pass.
He parks next to Nakahara's Familia, the front fender sporting yet another new dent. At this point he needs to ask Nakahara how it's possible to get this many dents when he's out on the pass less than Nobuhiko.
Nakahara breaks away from the rest of the group when Nobuhiko steps out of the Altezza, giving him a half wave. "Akiyama, I'm surprised to see you here!"
"I could say the same for you." Nobuhiko leans back against his car's body. "You looked half-dead on your feet when you left."
Nakahara shrugs. "I can't stay away too long. I have to make sure you don't forget what my car's like."
"I don't think that's possible." Nobuhiko spent more time beneath the Familia's hood than he'd liked. It's not a bad car or anything, but Nakahara seems to always have a new problem for him. Nobuhiko sighs at the sheepish grin Nakahara gives him. "You have something you want me to look at."
There's no need to phrase it as a question, Nobuhiko can clearly read the answer across Nakahara's face.
"Something's up with the fans. They're rattling." Nakahara leans into the Familia and pops open the hood.
Nobuhiko leans over the engine bay and gets to work.
It's not exactly how he wanted to spend his Friday evening, but it's better than just lounging around bored back at his apartment. It's just a simple replacement, one of the fan blades cracked, and Nobuhiko ropes Kyoko in the moment she returns from a couple of runs down the pass.
Wataru, someone who's allergic to taking a break, just loops around at the parking lot and continues running the pass.
Nobuhiko retreats back to the Altrezza while Kyoko and Nakahara hash out some plans for him to take his car to her shop for the repairs. While Nobuhiko could probably do it himself or get Wataru to do it, it's probably better for Nakahara to go to a shop. Maybe they'll find a problem before it becomes one, something that Nakahara refused to let Nobuhiko look for.
Nobuhiko presses his fingers against his temple, massaging it. A dull pain had crept up on him the moment he bent over and he couldn't shake it off.
It's probably nothing but the small, logical part of him starts listing off all the symptoms that he's been feeling the past couple of hours.
Lethargy.
A lack of appetite.
"Hey Nobuhiko," Kyoko's voice drives a nail into his temple, the throbbing twisting into something far less manageable. "Are you good?"
"I'm fine," Nobuhiko snaps, far harsher than he intended.
Irritability.
Kyoko's expression falls and she frowns. "You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Nobuhiko exhales slowly, trying to shove the pain back into the little box he had it in.
Nakahara slams his hood shut and Nobuhiko flinches, squeezing his eyes shut.
Why now?
The last thing he wants to deal with is a migraine right now.
He should grab the meds he keeps in his glove box, he should move away from all the lights and noise, but the moment he reaches for the handle his body betrays him.
His vision blurs when he twists his body, leaving him disoriented and weak.
He just sinks to the ground instead and presses the palm of his hands against his eyes beneath his glasses.
He can sit here.
The ground is cold and it's a little less bright.
"Nobuhiko," Kyoko says, worried and loud. "What's going on?"
"Just—" Nobuhiko draws in a sharp breath, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Just give me a moment."
Kyoko is quiet for a long moment and he almost believes that she's left. But the sound of her breathing is a low, constant, and droning pain. "Is there anything I can do?"
Nobuhiko shakes his head. "Ask Wataru."
Nobuhiko doesn't know how he'll explain this to anyone who doesn't know about the different meds he keeps in his car and the ones that he needs right now.
Nothing he has will kill him if he takes it now, but he'd rather take the ones that will help with all of this than the ones that won't.
Fabric shifts and a hand rests on his shoulder. "I'll wait here," Kyoko says, low and quiet. "Until Wataru gets back."
Nobuhiko nods once, the movement jerky and half-aborted when pain flares across his temple and deep into his skull.
His glasses dig into his fingers but the idea of removing his hands and facing the bright street lights twists the low nausea churning in his stomach into something less manageable.
He doesn't know how much time passes between the moment he sat down here by his Altezza and when the piercing growl of an engine pulls into the parking lot.
On some level, Nobuhiko recognizes the engine. But between the throbbing pain he's desperately trying to ignore and the bitter anxiety curling in his chest, he can't figure out which car it belongs to.
He presses his fingers harder against his eyes as a clamor of voices approaches him.
"Bullshit. Just being nice for once my ass." Wataru's voice cuts through the haze of pain, low and curled with concern. One of his hands rests on Nobuhiko's shoulder, right in the place where his shoulder connects with his neck. "How bad is it?"
Nobuhiko grimaces. "A six—maybe."
"Maybe lower or maybe higher?" An edge bleeds into Wataru's voice, thready with worry.
"Maybe higher." It's one of the worst ones he's had in a while.
He thought….he thought that he had everything under control by now.
"I'm gonna grab your meds. It'll just take a sec." The door handle clatters as Wataru tries it. "I need your keys. I'm just gonna grab them from your pocket, you don't need to move."
Nobuhiko doesn't remember locking the doors. He normally wouldn't but he must've hit the switch by habit.
Wataru fishes out his keys and unlocks the Altezza, something that must've only taken a couple of minutes but feels like a wash of indiscernible seconds to Nobuhiko.
Someone takes his glasses, his skin aching from where the frames dug into it. "Hey Nobu," Wataru says quietly. "I need your hands. I've got things for you."
Nobuhiko slumps against the Altezza and drops his hands from his eyes. It's not as bright as before, but the street lights at the end of the lot still burn in the corner of his eyes. Wataru sits crouched in front of him, a water bottle in one of his hands. He presses it into Nobuhiko's hand.
Nobuhiko holds out his other hand. "The meds?"
"Drink some water first." Wataru withdraws his hand once Nobuhiko tightens his grip on the bottle.
Nobuhiko tries to stare Wataru down, hoping that his concern will dull some of his stubbornness.
But Wataru just sits and watches him with his arms resting against his thighs.
Nobuhiko bites back a sigh and brings the bottle to his lips.
The water is tepid and tastes like plastic, but he swallows it back. Wataru waits for Nobuhiko to take a couple of sips before handing over the meds.
Nobuhiko doesn't bother looking at the two smooth pills that Wataru shoved into his hand before throwing them back.
Even if it's just a dose to extra strong Advil, it'll be better than what he's going through now.
Nobuhiko closes his eyes and shoves the bottle in Wataru's general direction.
Wataru takes it from his hands. "Wanna get into the car?"
"No." Nobuhiko wraps one of his arms around his stomach. "Just—let the meds kick in first."
Wataru shifts and Nobuhiko can feel him pressed against his side. He throws an arm over Nobuhiko's shoulders and gently guides Nobuhiko's head to the crook of his neck. "Does this help?"
The residual light that seeped in through his eyelids is gone. "Yeah."
Now that Wataru's here and Nobuhiko's taken his meds, the anxiety in his chest recedes.
Wataru will be able to help him, no matter how long he's left like this.
The Advil or whatever Wataru decided to give him usually works, but he's been unlucky before.
He'd rather not have to suffer through this for the entire weekend if he doesn't have to.
Wataru talks with someone, their voices a quiet murmur half muffled by the fabric pressed against Nobuhiko's ear. He doesn't bother attempting to follow it, letting Wataru deal with the prying questions.
He'll have to answer them himself eventually but for now, whatever Wataru tells them is good enough.
At some point Wataru nudges Nobuhiko's back with his elbow. "You doing better?"
Nobuhiko nods and leans back from Wataru. The pain is still sharp and grating, but it's a little easier for him to ignore it.
This is going to be a bad one, isn't it?
Wataru releases Nobuhiko's shoulder, letting him sit up. "You could've told me about this." Something hurt lingers in Wataru's voice, sloppily hidden by concern.
"I didn't know until it happened." There were signs, but he only started piecing them together once the pain hit. By that point, Wataru was already on the pass.
"I thought you were taking something to help with them."
"I am." Nobuhiko narrows his eyes. He felt like he was forgetting something, a nagging, unfamiliar sense of unease that left him unsteady. "But I think I forgot."
"You're forgetting to take your meds." Exasperation colors Wataru's words. "Do I need to tell Aunt Hanako that?"
"What is she going to do? I don't live with her any more."
"I think she'll figure something out." A flicker of a grin twists in Wataru's voice but it quickly drops away. He frowns at the Familia's body. "You scared your team, y'know."
Nobuhiko looks away, staring down at the asphalt. It's grey and cracked. "I know."
"You need to tell them about shit like this. They just wanna help."
"I've got it under control."
Wataru huffs, bitter and sharp. "Like you did now? What were you gonna do if I wasn't here?"
To be honest, Nobuhiko doesn't know what he would've done. Maybe he would've scrambled together something to keep Kyoko from calling an ambulance and help him find his meds. "I don't know."
Wataru sighs. "You don't hafta tell all of your team, but at least tell Kyoko. You need someone else that can help."
"I will," Nobuhiko says, quiet. Wataru nudges his shoulder and Nobuhiko looks up to give him a weak glare. "Honestly."
Wataru grins, shaky and uncertain. "C'mon, you ready to lay down in your car?"
Nobuhiko would rather just sit here the rest of the night but he knows that it won't help. He can't keep Wataru here for the entire night to act as a wall for the light.
The tint on the windows should keep some of it out.
"Yeah."
Nobuhiko lets Wataru pull him to his feet and help him into the car. Wataru leans down to peer into the car, the frown returning to his face. "Will you be good here for the next couple of hours? I don't think you should drive."
"I'll be fine." Nobuhiko waves off Wataru's concern. He's not going to leave his Altezza out here unless he absolutely has to. If he gets some sleep he should be fine to drive by morning.
Hopefully.
Wataru gives him a hard look. "Call this time if that changes, okay?"
"I will."
Wataru lingers for a couple of extra seconds before shutting the door, leaving Nobuhiko in silence.
Nobuhiko rests his head against the stiff fabric and closes his eyes.