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Kensuke is not unused to seeing Mamoru a little behind him, but this time, he can’t help but frown, slowing down to be able to match his pace, before calling out to him.
“Mamoru?”
“Mh?”
“Are you okay?”
“Eh?”
“Your bike has been kinda shaky since we left.”
“Mh… Is it really that shaky?”
“Yes.”
They both stop, and Mamoru keeps staring at his bike, until he gets off to try to give it a better look, but nothing seems to work.
“I wonder why… It does feel harder to manage today.”
“You changed the chain recently, didn’t you?”
“Ah, I did, yes. After exams!”
“Maybe it needs oil? We’re still close to the orphanage, we can leave it and you ride mine, what do you think?”
“...Okay. Sorry, Ken-kun. But I can walk, don't worry!”
“No, no. I’m faster, so I’ll go leave it and then come back!”
“...Thank you, Ken-kun.”
“Just wait for me!”
The teachers back at the orphanage are quick to understand, and he doesn't hate the extra exercise, if it weren’t for Mamoru’s strange expression when he got back.
He hadn’t even put up much of a fight, for starters…
“I’m back!”
“...”
“Mamoru-senpai?”
“Ah-! Ken-kun, welcome back! Sorry…”
“It’s nothing! Let’s go?”
“Yes…”
Mamoru stands up from the street and grabs their school bags, and Kensuke quickly fixes both into the basket, waiting until Mamoru sits as well.
“Grab me tight! I’ll go fast so we can get to school early!”
“Yes, thank you.”
It wouldn’t have been strange at all, if it weren’t for Mamoru’s lack of talk. Of course, he was totally capable of having days feeling under the weather, but he’d be able to notice that already, because they barely happened. Sure, he hasn’t known Mamoru for long, less than half a year, but he knows Mamoru would’ve told him if he didn’t feel like talking much, too.
There was… Something else going on.
“-! Kensuke-kun, please slow down a little!”
“Eh- Mamoru?!”
He's quick to slow down, and when he turns to him, he can see Mamoru's bothered face, covering his mouth.
“S-Sorry. I got so dizzy…”
“Did you eat little for breakfast, Mamoru-senpai?”
“Ah, haha, I guess so.”
“Ryo-senpai will scold you~”
“Yeah…”
Again, it was strange. But he decides to not push- Ryota has scolded him for that multiple times already, and he wants to be able to give Mamoru that space…
“Well, we should be fine with time anyway. I’ll go slow now.”
“Thank you.”
—o—
He’s no expert, but he can tell when something’s wrong. And it was clear that something was obviously wrong with Mamoru that day. And, he’s annoyed that he wouldn’t have known that, if it weren’t because he had been unable to find Mamoru as he was outside to prepare for the club, only Hina letting him know that Mamoru would leave early when he had approached her to ask about him.
At least, he does find him- Mamoru was standing in front of the lockers, and it didn’t seem like he was able to open his.
The older boy doesn’t even talk when he gets nearby, only giving him a forced smile as he keeps fighting with his locker…
“Mamoru-senpai, do you need help? Also, you could’ve texted me if you were going home already! I could give you a ride back-”
His words get stuck in his throat as Mamoru fails to open the locker yet again, this time with a heavy breath, right before he-
“Mamoru!”
-collapsed, leaning on the locker to avoid a fall.
When he kneels to check on him, he can feel his heated skin as his body barely touches his, making him unable to react.
“Mamoru, you’re burning! Did you have fever-”
Looking around, there was no one. Mamoru can only give him a painful stare as he attempts to stand up.
“Wait! I’ll bring help!”
His legs aren’t fast enough.
Anyone would’ve worked, yet he tries to search for one of the older boys first, and when no one appears, he takes the longer route to the teacher’s lounge, wanting anyone to be able to help.
“Zaka-sensei!”
“What? Ah, Yaeg-”
“I need help! Mamoru has a fever, I think he almost fainted!”
The relaxed expression on the teacher's face immediately fades, and other teachers mentions going to the infirmary to inform the teacher as well, while Kagurazaka follows him.
“Where is he?”
“At the lockers! We were there and he already looked a little bad but I didn’t think-”
He can’t keep up with the teachers’ pace. He feels himself being more and more far from him, and when he’s able to stop, the teacher is already lifting Mamoru from the floor, being able to take him directly to the infirmary.
“Fujimura? Hey!”
The whole situation leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, and it doesn’t fade even when Mamoru apologizes when he wakes up, once that some medicine takes effect.
It doesn’t, either, when he gives him a small smile along with an apology, when he’s having some teachers help him into a car as they’re the ones that’ll take him home.
Sure, he had been able to tell a teacher, but he hadn’t been able to do anything else. If it weren’t because of Kagurazaka being able to take Mamoru to the infirmary…
Luckily, his clubmates aren’t angry when he says that he wants to skip practice that day.
—o—
When he wakes up, he can see that it's already night outside. He had laid in bed for a bit, and must’ve fallen asleep at some point, still in his uniform…
Sighing, he turns on the screen of his phone, and there’s no important messages- No message from Mamoru, only from their friends that were concerned about it.
He groggily types a reply to them, and then throws the phone back onto the bed, groaning as he stretches.
And then, he sits again on the bed, deciding what was the best.
Should he send a message to Mamoru, asking if he was feeling any better?
No, he should apologize for not realizing earlier that he wasn’t feeling good.
How could he believe he was Mamoru’s friend if he couldn’t even notice that?
But he had noticed, except he didn’t think that he was feeling bad, so-
“Ken?”
He’s surprised at the voice he wasn’t expecting, and the knock it came with.
“Yes? Ah- Come in!”
Then, he’s surprised with Ryota entering his room with a small bag. He was still in the school uniform, so he probably was just coming back home…
“Ryo?”
“Auntie told me to pick up something for mom, so. Kirara-san is preparing it for me now. Also, Kou saved orange cake leftovers for you.”
“Why did you really come here?”
Ryota smiles at that, and puts the bag on his desk, clearly judging him for the messy space, before coming closer.
“Thought I’d check on you before heading home myself. We all heard what happened with Mamoru. Are you okay? Must’ve been the first time you saw something like that happen. You’re usually the one catching colds, not the one having to help others.”
The other boy laughs, but he can’t still help but feel that knot on his stomach, making him hug his pillow as he looks down.
“I guess so. Mamoru should be resting now.”
“But?”
Ah, in a way, he does hate that Ryota is able to read him so effortlessly.
“...If I were stronger, I could’ve taken Mamoru-senpai directly to the infirmary. I wouldn’t have wasted time going to get a teacher.”
“Mamoru has a cold, Kensuke. It’s not as serious as you-”
“If I’ve noticed, I could’ve held him before he fell. No- I would’ve noticed in the morning, even! I knew something was off, but I-”
“Mamoru didn’t want to make it a big deal and worry others, Kensuke. Not even his classmates realized. Don’t worry.”
“Ryo-kun!”
“And that’s my cue to go. Don’t make it a mess in your head. And Mamoru won’t be angry that you didn’t realize- He’ll apologize about it instead. So. See you tomorrow.”
“See you…”
The blond is quick to leave, and all his willingness to get up disappears with him.
“Even if you say that, Ryo-senpai…”
Kensuke throws himself back in bed, looking at his phone with no new messages from Mamoru yet, making him sigh as he stares at the picture he had as his phone wallpaper, from the first match he won in high school, and Mamoru’s red cheeks as he had ran to see it after a bunch of holdbacks had stopped him from getting to the tournament in time…
In such a short amount of time, Mamoru had gotten all of his attention without even trying.
He wanted to make sure to make him happy.
When Mamoru was happy, there was a warm knot on his stomach that made him keep staring at him.
That’s why…
As his phone goes black with the screen turning off, he sighs again, grabbing his pillow to cover his face with it, as if that would help with anything.
“I want… I want to be able to protect Mamoru.”
“Ken-chan, set the table!”
Yet, his sister had no concerns about his feelings, and her shouts disrupted his spiral of emotions, making him groan as he pulled the pillow off his face to shout as well.
“I can’t!”
“Ah?!”
“I’m drowning in the comfort of my bed. You do it, Kira-nee!”
“You little brat- I cooked! Get your ass downstairs or I’ll tell mom you didn’t hear me and asked me to take out the green peas in your ration and-”
And her steps were clearly getting closer as she went up the stairs, making him jump from the bed.
“Geh- I’m coming!”