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“Murakumo Gou.”
Kumo yelps and nearly drops the cup of water he’s holding. As it is, he sloshes it across his hands and the wooden floor both before he manages to catch it and look up at whoever it was who startled him in the first place.
“Ah, Kiyomaro! I wasn’t expecting… sorry, one second, let me…” Kumo fumbles to put his cup down on the nearest counter so that he can look for a rag and only succeeds in spilling the rest of the water across the counter. “Ah…”
“I didn’t mean to startle you. Let me help wipe it up.” Kiyomaro fetches a couple of rags and starts the process of catching the water that’s dripping off the counter before it gets the cabinets wet too.
“Thank you,” Kumo says awkwardly. His stomach twists in anxiety and he winces but starts to mop up the water on the floor. “Sorry for the mess.”
“A little water never hurt anyone,” Kiyomaro says with a quiet finality that makes Kumo’s stomach unclench a little. Once the water is mopped up and the rags are wrung out in the sink, Kumo turns back to Kiyomaro who now, empty-handed, seems a little lost.
“So, uh…Kiyomaro, what can I do for you?” Kumo asks. His hands are empty too, fidgeting since he spilled his water and he could refill the cup, but what are the chances he’ll just immediately spill it again and this time break the cup too? If only Ame was here…
“I just wanted to thank you,” Kiyomaro says. He picks up Kumo’s empty cup and goes to the sink to refill it, seemingly without thinking.
“Thank me?” Kumo accepts the now-full cup that Kiyomaro presses into his hands. “What for?” Kiyomaro’s gloved hands are warm against his own.
“For helping Suishinshi when he collapsed.” Kiyomaro smiles, but it doesn’t seem very happy. “Buzen told me you were the one who first found him and called for help.”
“Ah, I guess. I didn’t do anything special, though. Anyone would have done that.” Kumo takes a drink of water to hide his face for a second. “’S he okay?”
“He’s still in the repair room. Aruji is taking care of him and trying to determine what exactly the problem is. They have an idea, but…whatever it is, Suishinshi is having trouble handling it.” Kiyomaro’s eyes are pinched at the corners. It’s a familiar look, but Kumo can’t quite pin where he’s seen it.
“I’m sorry. I hope he feels better soon,” Kumo says because that’s what you say and because he means it. Suishinshi is quiet, but he seems nice and very dedicated to his work.
“I do too.” Kiyomaro’s smile flickers and fades. “Ah, anyway. I apologize for disturbing you. I’ll leave you to your evening.” He turns away, but Kumo raises a hand without thinking and steps after him.
“Ah, wait! Ah…” Kiyomaro turns around and Kumo realizes very abruptly that he didn’t have anything planned for what to say next. “Do—Do you want to come get food? Or…I think Ame-san just finished another poem that he’s looking for someone to listen to. Or…um…”
Kiyomaro smiles. “Thank you, but I should get back to Suishinshi. I wouldn’t want him to wake up alone.” There’s that almost-there-then-gone smile again and Kumo suddenly realizes where he’s seen this expression.
He sees it most mornings when he gets up to find Kuwana, Buzen, or Kotegiri, sometimes all of them, sitting and whispering to each other about Matsui’s nightmares. About how he’s not sleeping, about how he hardly gets out of bed since he and Buzen returned from Shimabara. He sees it when he pokes his head in to see if Buzen wants food and finds Buzen trying to ease Matsui’s tears. He most certainly saw it when they got home from their mission just now and Kotegiri came out for a hug because Kotegiri had been left to take care of Matsui, because they don’t trust him to be left alone while he’s this fragile.
“Ah—Kiyomaro?” Kumo says hesitantly. “I don’t want to intrude, but, um… if you’re taking care of Suishinshi, who’s taking care of you?”
Kiyomaro pauses. He seems… surprised. His smile returns. It seems more real this time.
“Thank you for your concern, Murakumo, but I’m alright. I just need to worry about Suishinshi right now.”
“Okay.” Kumo looks down into his cup, neatly refilled by Kiyomaro. “Well, if you’re going to worry about him, can I worry about you? Just like…bringing you food and stuff if you’re staying in the repair room.”
“…I would like that,” Kiyomaro’s eyes crinkle when his smile widens. “Thank you, Murakumo.”
“You can just call me Kumo,” Kumo says quickly. “Everyone else does.”
“Well, then, thank you, Kumo,” Kiyomaro says. “I need to return to the repair room to sit with Suishinshi.”
“Ame-san and I can stop by later,” Kumo says.
Kiyomaro’s smile is certainly real now. “I would like that. I’m sure Suishinshi would too.”