Chapter Text
Feet tapping. Girls chattering. Cicadas chirping. Rock music blasting through her earbuds, and most importantly, an empty desk next to her. Mitsuki Koga was impatient for that spot to be filled with a certain someone’s presence.
She had been sitting alone, waiting for Aya Oosawa to show up in her usual fashionably late manner. Now, with two minutes till the starting bell, the prospects were looking slim, and fashionably late was turning into unacceptably late. It made Mitsuki slightly anxious, though she didn’t care to dive into why at the moment.
It wasn’t like Aya's presence was so important to Mitsuki that she couldn't function without her, she just really wanted to tell her that one of their favorite artists had come out with a new album. That was definitely all, Mitsuki thought. No other reason. That's what good friends did, anyways. She was going to hold off from listening to the album until Aya was there, but one minute to the bell, and she was nowhere to be found.
Today wasn’t going to be Mitsuki Koga's best day, she realized as the starting bell rang and the teacher strolled into the classroom. She still held out hope for Aya to surprise her, but it was short-lived.
That morning, Mitsuki realized that life was quite boring without her usual pop of pink.
***
Alarm beeping. Ears ringing. Head pounding. Cold everywhere, then unbearable heat the next. Aya Oosawa felt like absolute shit.
She groaned, slapping her alarm to get it to stop, and slowly sitting up, brain foggy and spinning. She didn’t even bother changing, immediately exiting her room to report her symptoms to her mother. No way she was going to school today.
She stumbled down the stairs, still half asleep and feeling like a zombie. She saw her mom standing in the kitchen, working on breakfast early. When Mrs. Oosawa saw her daughter, however, she raised an eyebrow.
“Ma… I don’t feel so good,” Aya mumbled, walking over to the kitchen counter.
“Do you actually feel sick, or do you just not want to go to school?” Her mom asked, unamused.
“Pretty sure this is real,” Aya huffed, “I haven’t pulled that trick in forever,” It was true. She had a reason to go now.
“C’mere, I’ll take your temperature. But if it's nothing, you’re going,” Mrs. Oosawa warned, walking over to the medicine cabinet and grabbing the thermometer. She turned it on as she walked over to her daughter, giving it to her to stick in her mouth. Aya complied, and when it beeped, she took it out for them both to read. A perfect 38 degrees Celsius.
“Well, you got me,” Her mom raised her eyebrows, a little surprised. She felt Ayas forehead, as if checking again, and nodded, “Yeah, no way you’re going. Bed rest for you today, kiddo. Anything else hurt?”
“I dunno… my ears are ringing real bad, and my head hurts.”
“Probably an ear infection, then. You got them all the time as a kid. I’ll grab you medicine after work, but take it easy today, okay? I’ll grab you some painkillers, but then you should go back to your room before your siblings get down here,” Her mom walked back to the medicine cabinet, shuffling around before returning with two painkillers and a cup of water. Aya downed the pills and water, returning them to her mother.
“Thanks, Ma,” Aya smiled weakly, and her mom beamed back, shooing her back to bed. Aya complied, walking back up the stairs to her room, closing the door behind her, and grabbing her phone from her dresser.
She didn’t want to miss school, it was a real pain, and she would have a bunch of homework over the weekend. But there was no way in hell she was going to go to school. Not to mention, she would look like crap no matter how much makeup she put on, and no one should have to see Aya in this state.
However, more importantly, there was Mitsuki. Aya wanted to see Mitsuki. She should at least let her know she’d be gone. Mitsuki seemed like the type to get anxious if her friend was gone. The thought of Mitsuki worrying about her made Aya smile, as selfish as that was.
But, even with her phone in hand, sleep and sickness were more powerful than anything else she was dealing with. She saw a message from Chizuru pop up, but she just tossed her phone aside, flopping down on her bed.
As sleep crawled into her mind, she was thinking of Mitsuki. Nothing new.
***
“Mitsuki…?” Narita called, waving a hand in front of her face, snapping Mitsuki out of her daze. Her lunch sat uneaten in front of her, and Narita, Mao, and Chizuru all looked at her like something was very wrong with her.
“Sorry, what were you saying?” Mitsuki asked sheepishly.
“Glad you’re alive. I was asking if you knew why Aya isn’t here today.”
“She didn’t text any of us, and she’s like, never gone,” Chizuru informed her, scrolling through her phone. Mitsuki sighed, pulling out her own phone and opening her chat with Aya.
“She never said anything to me,” Mitsuki sighed, refreshing the chat, but still nothing.
“Weird. Have you texted her?” Narita asked.
“…No,” She admitted.
“Well, do it! She’ll respond to you faster than us,” Mao suggested, and Chizuru elbowed her side, but she just elbowed her back, huffing “What? I’m right.”
“What could you possibly be implying, Mao?” Narita asked dramatically. Chizuru glared daggers at him, seeing right through his tomfoolery. Mitsuki, however, sat, confused at the whole situation.
“Ignore that, but really, text her. I already did, she didn’t even read it,” Chizuru said finally. Narita nodded, an excited look in his eyes. No clue what that was about.
“…Okay,” Mitsuki said quietly, still confused as hell. She opened the chat back up, typing out a quick message and sending it before she could overthink it.
Mitsuki (12:42)
Aya? Where are you today?
She knew she would regret the way she worded the text until she was in her grave, but she shook it out of her head, refreshing the chat a few times.
“I’ll let you know if she responds,” Mitsuki said, forcing herself to set her phone face down and start on her lunch.
“What did you say to her?” Narita asked, voice an excited whisper that Mao and Chizuru could definitely hear.
“I just… asked her where she was?” Mitsuki responded, feeling like she was giving the wrong answer in a trivia competition.
“That works, I guess,” He said, disappointed, after a pause. Kindly, what was his deal?
All four of them went back to their lunch, Chizuru and Mao talking in quiet murmurs next to Mitsuki, and Narita back in his own world, periodically sighing happily.
Mitsuki wasn’t worried. Just because her hands started sweating every time she thought of picking her phone back up to check for a message, which she did not do, didn’t mean she was worried.
Well, she lied. She did pick up her phone, to leave one more stupid, stupid message to Aya.
Mitsuki (12:46)
I miss you
Then, as she felt red flushing in her cheeks, Mitsuki put her phone in her bag and didn’t pick it up for the rest of the day.
***
Aya’s mind was awake, but she couldn’t seem to open her eyes. All she felt was the heat of summer, everywhere, in the middle of spring. She kicked off her blankets, writhing in bed until she was able to blink her eyes open. She heard a clunk as her phone went with her blankets to the floor, however, it was extremely muffled, as she could barely hear at all.
The sun was high in the sky, and Aya guessed it was about noon. She stumbled to get up and close her windows, as she felt like she was being baked alive. However, when she closed them and flopped back down, she didn’t feel any different.
She was feverish all over, and she groaned when she felt sweat on her brow. Her own skin was stifling her. She hated it, so very much. She rolled around, feeling childishly helpless and overdramatic.
She knew looking back she’d think she was being overdramatic, but she couldn’t help it. She was being boiled alive, her painkillers had probably worn off by now, and she could barely hear herself breathing. That was the scariest part for her, even though she knew it was temporary. There was no way for her to know when her Mom got home, as it would be just a muffle to her.
Aya hadn’t been this sick for a long time, and it hadn’t been this serious since she was a baby. She got sick a lot as a kid, and now whenever she was ill, it didn’t last long, but it was a huge pain in the ass.
She closed her eyes, willing herself to go back to sleep and get out of the hell she was being subjected to.
***
Mitsuki dug her phone out of her bag as soon as she was in the front yard of the school, unfamiliarly anxious. What if Aya hadn’t seen it? Or, worse, what if she had seen it, and got uncomfortable? What if she thought Mitsuki was being clingy, or just saw it and didn’t respond? She didn’t know which would hurt more.
In hindsight, Mitsuki Koga was an idiot for saying anything at all.
However, when she pulled out her phone and opened their familiar, usually buzzing chat, she was met with nothing. Her message was still shown as delivered. Mitsuki shifted her weight from foot to foot, refreshing again and again. Nothing.
For Mitsuki's ego, this was probably the best outcome. In the big picture, this was the worst. At this moment, the most serious worry she had had thus far set in. Aya always had her phone on her, which meant something was very, very wrong. Mitsuki tried to find a way to justify the radio silence from the other girl, but she only came up with false truths and endless hopes.
What if her phone was dead? If she was safe at home, she would be able to charge it.
What if she was just ignoring Mitsuki? That’s what she hoped for, but it seemed the most unlikely. Even Mitsuki wasn’t that blind.
Worst of all, what if she was in danger? What if she needed help?
The pressure of the endless ‘what if’s caused Mitsuki to spiral, and that spiral led to her making a very bad decision. But before she could take action, her second biggest fan appeared to stop her.
“Mitsuki, you good?” Narita approached from behind her, laying a hand on her shoulder, which she quickly shrugged off.
“I’m fine. If you want to walk home together, I can’t today,” Mitsuki said quickly.
“No, I don't care about that, but… You kind of looked like you were having a panic attack, I just wanted to make sure you were alright,” He clarified.
“Oh, uh… I’m not. Having a panic attack,” She thinks so, at least, “But thank you, Narita.”
“I gotcha. Did Aya respond?” He asked.
“No. But… I’ll figure it out. I’m… I’m going to go visit her. To see if she’s alright,” Mitsuki said, her voice taking on a new, determined tone.
“Ooh, I see,” His eyes gained that girlish glow that they always had when the situation involved Mitsuki and Aya. Strange man, “Well, go get her!” Narita whispered, pumping a fist in the air.
“Go get her? I’m just going to check in on her!” She stumbled over her words, as if she wasn’t already embarrassed enough by Narita's whole reaction.
“For sure, for sure,” Narita grinned.
“…Yeah,” Mitsuki mumbled, not convinced by his sincerity or her own.
“Well, go! Go go go! You got this, bye!” Narita saluted dramatically and half jogged off to wherever he was supposed to be. Mitsuki watched him run away, groaning internally. He so knew.
Mitsuki opened up the map on her phone, finding Aya's message from an old chat they had had a while back after Mitsuki came over to tutor her. It was only a 5 or so minute walk from the school, explaining how she got away with waking up so late.
Mitsuki shot a quick text to Kanna and Joe, letting them know she’d be back later than usual. They both responded with a thumbs up.
Mitsuki started the directions on her phone and got to walking. Most of the students had cleared out, so the sidewalks were pretty empty, most people were already home and getting ready to go out, since it was Friday.
As she walked, taking occasional turns, she thought about what Narita had been saying. Mitsuki thought he was great, but sometimes he said things surrounding Aya that struck Mitsuki too close to the heart.
As much as she wanted to deny it, he had to know. Again, Mitsuki didn’t have good sight, but she wasn’t blind.
Narita probably knew that Mitsuki was in love with Aya before she did. In his defense, he did make for a good wingman. He was a bit of a fangirl about it, though.
Mitsuki had barely come to terms with the fact that she was in love with anyone. She had had crushes before, but little harmless ones on girls she didn’t even know. It had never been love, just like. This was different. She felt it every second of the day, in every part of her body. It was kind of scary, feeling this much.
She knew thinking about this shouldn’t be her priority. She needed to be able to see Aya’s face before she could decide what to do with her bubbling feelings.
She walked up Ayas street, and soon enough, she was standing in front of her house. She walked up to the doorway, shoving her phone in her bag and adjusting her hair. When she was satisfied she didn’t look like the wreck she was, she rang the doorbell. She swore she could hear children yelling in the background, and heavy footsteps heading to the door. She straightened her back as the door opened, revealing Aya’s mother.
“Hello there! Are you one of Aya's friends?” Mrs. Oosawa greeted Mitsuki cheerfully.
“Yes, I am,” Mitsuki cleared her throat, but she couldn't get another word in before Mrs. Oosawa spoke again.
“I haven’t seen you here yet, what’s your name, honey?” She asked, which made Mitsuki feel awkward, as she definitely had been here, just on a different end of the fashion spectrum.
“I’m Mitsuki Koga. I’ve been here once, but I looked a lot different,” Mitsuki answered sheepishly.
“You have? Jog my memory, when was that?”
“A couple weeks back, I came to tutor Aya.”
“Oh!” Mrs. Oosawa clicked her tongue in surprise, “We thought you were a boy, then! I’m sorry, come on in!”
She opened the door wide enough, and Mitsuki came in, slipping off her shoes and setting down her bag on top of them. Mrs. Oosawa closed the door behind them.
“Is Aya home?” Mitsuki asked, heart pounding.
“Oh! Yes, yes she is! Hrmm… The thing is, she’s sick. She's not contagious, but she’s got an ear infection. You can go up to see her if you’d like,” She offered.
“Yes, uh, that would be nice,” Mitsuki said too quickly. But Mrs. Oosawa just smiled warmly.
“Let me send you up with her medicine, one moment!” The older woman bustled off to grab the prescription. In her place, a little boy that Mitsuki recognized as one of Aya's younger twin brothers shuffled over, dragging a blanket on the floor behind him.
“You’re that guy…” The child warbled, “But you’re a girl!”
“Yeah, hah, I am,” Mitsuki confirmed awkwardly. The boy just stared, awestruck.
It wasn’t long until Mrs. Oosawa hurried back over, prescription bottle in hand.
“Aki! Leave Aya’s guest alone!” She hissed, and Aki scurried off, squealing, “I’m so sorry about him!”
“It’s alright, I don’t mind.”
“You’re such a dear! Now, here’s the medicine, she’ll know how much to take,” Mrs. Oosawa informed her, handing her the bottle. Mitsuki took it and nodded, starting to walk upstairs to Aya's room, but Mrs. Oosawa called to her one last time.
“Thank you, Mitsuki, was it? It’s nice to know Aya has a friend like you,” Ms. Oosawa smiled with the warmth Mitsuki expected from a mother who was hers before bustling back off into the kitchen.
Mitsuki took a deep breath, walking towards and up the stairs to Aya's room. She had only been in there once, and it was very brief. However, it was easy to tell it was hers, as the door had a note reading, ‘Aki and Amu: STAY OUT!’, which Mitsuki smiled at.
She knocked on the door, hearing a small rustle of blankets before a voice.
“You don’t have to knock, Ma,” Aya said hoarsely. The rush of relief that Mitsuki felt at hearing her voice fueled her to open the door just enough to show her face, but not yet look in, just in case.
“Sorry, uh, I’m not-” Mitsuki was cut off as she looked up at Aya, finding her curled in a ball on her bed, head poking out of her blanket like a turtle.
“Mitsuki?” Shock filled Aya’s voice, and Mitsuki almost closed the door and ran out right then and there.
“Hey,” Mitsuki smiled nervously, and Aya met her eyes in surprise. For a few seconds, all they could do was stare.
“What… What are you doing here?”