Work Text:
"Did you put one wrong eye in, I wonder?" Shu said to Mika. Mika knew he didn't really meant it as an offense but it still hurt. He already was insecure about his eyes, and now to be told something like that didn't help. Still, he only laughed and continued sewing.
"Oshi-san, we better head home. It's gettin’ dark and it seems like it would rain soon," Mika said to Shu. They had been in the handicrafts club room for a few hours after school ended. When Mika arrived Shu already was inside making new clothes for Mademoiselle. While Mika waited for Shu to finish, he had fixed some old stuffed toys he had found the day before.
"Mika-chan, Shu-kun is extremely focused now so he will not be able to answer you," said Mademoiselle. " I think that if you wait for him a bit more we will be able to leave."
"Mado-nee, ‘zat so? But if we don't hurry it will start rainin’ and then we will not be able to go home," Mika said. " We would get soaked since we don't have any umbrellas with us. And that wouldn't be good for ya, Mado-nee."
"You're right, Mika-chan. If I get wet it would be bad for me... but it doesn't look like Shu-kun will finish anytime soon. What could we do?" Mademoiselle said with a sigh.
"Don't ya worry, Mado-nee! I will find 'n umbrella for yer use!" Mika said. He left the room and started to search. But where could he get one? All the school stores are closed at this hour. And there is nobody around to ask for an umbrella. He still didn't gave up and started looking everywhere he could think of.
He still went to the school stores only to find they were all closed. He went to search in the locker rooms, at the entrance of every building, even in the classrooms but he didn't find any. He was heading back to the handicrafts room when he finally found an umbrella. It was right besides a trash can and it looked like it didn't belong to anyone so he took it with him.
When he entered the club room he realized it had started raining. Shu was still making clothes for Mademoiselle, so he sat in a chair and waited. He tried to open the umbrella but it was stuck. After trying for a while he was finally able to open it, only to notice that the fabric was torn in some places. Since he had time until Shu was ready he decided to fix it. Taking some cloths and a sewing kit he started patching it up.
"Kagehira, it's time to go." He looked away from his work to see Shu staring at him with Mademoiselle in his arms.
"Oshi-san, Did ya already finished makin’ new clothes for Mado-nee?" Mika said surprised. He hadn't finished patching up the umbrella.
"Of course not. Such detailed and delicate pieces are not to be finished in a rush. You have to take the time to do every single part carefully or else they will not be perfect," Shu said offended. "Well, of course someone like you can't understand something like that. What are you doing with that umbrella?"
"Oh! I'm just patchin’ up this umbrella I found so we can go home without worryin’ of gettin’ wet!" Mika said holding the umbrella higher for Shu to see. "I just need to finish it and we can go home! Does it look good, Oshi-san?"
Shu looked at Mika's work and frowned. "It looks good for someone with your skills. Finish that quickly so we can head home, Kagehira."
"Yes, Oshi-san!" Mika said and quickly continued with his work. When he finished he tried streching the fabric to see if it was good enough to not let the water pass through it. It wasn't really a good work. You could still see some holes in it but he only had to make sure that they were at his side. That way neither Shu nor Mademoiselle would get wet. He would try to fix them now but Shu looked annoyed after waiting so much.
"I finished, Oshi-san. Now we can go home," Mika said closing the umbrella and taking his things. Shu looked taken aback by hearing Mika's voice, after all the only thing he had hear while waiting was the sound of the rain. "Then let's go home Mika-chan!" said Mademoiselle. Shu stood up and headed towards the door.
They had left school twenty minutes ago. Mika could feel water dripping into his shoulder and his back. For now the only thing he could do is hope that he doesn't catch a cold and that Shu doesn't notice. They were a few blocks away of their house when Shu stopped in front of a convenience store.
"Kagehira, wait here. I'm going to buy some food for dinner," Shu said leaving Mika alone outside the store. Mika could feel how his back was wet and was relieved that the store had a roof outside. Oshi-san please hurry. ' ‘f I catch a cold Oshi-san will worry, so please, please don't let me catch a cold. Please don't let me catch a cold. Plea- ' "a-achooo!" 'Oh no. It's just a sneeze, one sneeze can't hurt... right? ' "A-achooo" 'I definitely caught a cold. I can't let Oshi-san find out. I would just be an inconve-'
"-ehira. Failure, what are you thinking about so much. Start moving we need to get home quickly." Mika was startled. He hadn't heard when Shu came back.
"O-oshi-san, w-when did ya come back? I didn't hear ya," He said moving a little bit to the side so Shu couldn't notice how wet his shoulder was.
"Of course you didn't hear me. You were deep in thought. But leaving that aside. Do you feel good? You seem to be paler than usual," Shu said while staring intently at Mika.
W-why is he looking at me so much!? Please stop. Mika blushed. "Oshi-san, w-why do ya ask? Of course I feel good. Now let's go home," Mika said looking away.
"Mika-chan, are you sure you are feeling well? Your face is all red now," said Mademoiselle. Shu was still looking at Mika but less intently than before.
" 'm feeling good, Mado-nee. M-my face is red because it's cold. So let's go home, please." I-I don't know why but when Oshi-san was looking at me so intensely I felt something strange in my stomach. I really did caught a cold.
"Ok. Then, let's go! Mika-chan! Shu-kun!" Mademoiselle said.
When they arrived home Mika quickly went to his bedroom and changed into dry clothes. His face was still red and he was feeling kinda hot. 'It's probably 'cause we walked so fast to get home' . "a-achoo!" '' 'm going to take some medicine so my cold doesn't get worse. I can't let Oshi-san worry about me if it gets worse. I don't want to be a bother to him'. Mika got out of his bedroom and went to the bathroom to find some painkillers. "It should be somewhere ‘round here..." Mika murmured. He was sure they had some painkillers left but he couldn't find them. That meant he had to go buy some. But if he went out with this weather he would get more sick than what he already was. It was that or worry Oshi-san...
With that in mind Mika made a decision.
He had left their home ten minutes ago with a jacket on and some money to pay for the painkillers. He thought of leaving with the umbrella but then decided against it. He wouldn't take too much time. The closest drugstore was a four minute walk away from their house but when he got there it was closed. Mika continued walking in hopes of finding another drugstore close to that one but he couldn't find any. After walking around his breath had become heavier and he was feeling hot. He stopped for some minutes in front of a shop to catch his breath. He wasn't feeling really well but if he went home now he would definitely worry Shu. Looking around from where he was he saw a drugstore across the street. He exhaled and started walking towards it.
He finally had the painkillers and was now going home. The lady behind the counter had been really nice to him. She even gave him candy. "It will help you to calm down," She had said and smiled. Mika had blushed "T-thank ya kindly~" he had said almost quietly. The rain had stopped while he was buying. He had a bad feeling about it so he started running. It probably wasn't an intelligent move but he would get home faster that way. Also, if it started pouring he wouldn't get so wet.
He was a block away when he started feeling dizzy. He stopped to catch his breath and the first thing he heard was the heavy pouring of the rain. He looked around and realized it was raining again, with even more strength than before. 'So I was right ‘bout the rain'. He tried to stand straight but he couldn't. He leaned on the wall and closed his eyes. "It's... It's so hot in here... I have to... get home..." He opened his eyes and started walking towards the house. His walking was becoming slower and unstable with every step.
Mika searched for his keys when he finally was in front of their house but he couldn't find them. He sighed when he remembered he left without keys. He rang the bell. His clothes were soaked and he was feeling dizzier than before. He closed his eyes and waited. He heard the door open.
"Kagehira? Why are you out. I thought you were in your room," Shu said surprised. "Your face is all red and you are wet!"
Mika opened his eyes. "O-oshi-san... 'm s-sorry..." He said and fainted.
"KAGEHIRA!" He heard Shu's voice calling his name before loosing consciousness.
He felt warm and heard movement around him. Mika opened his eyes and saw that he was in his bed. He looked around and saw that Shu was sitting in a chair beside him, sewing. He didn't saw Mademoiselle with Shu. "O-oshi-s... san," His voice sounded rough. How long had I been sleepin'? Shu stopped sewing and looked at him.
"Kagehira, you're awake. In the table besides your bed I left a glass of water and some painkillers. Take them and drink all the water." Mika did as he was told. When he finished Shu took the empty glass and left it back on the table. Then he touched Mika's forehead with his hand and waited. "Oshi-san... w-what are ya doin’?" Mika said flustered. Shu looked at him with a crease between his eyebrows and took his hand away. "It seems that your fever went down," He simply said and stood up. Shu filled the glass with water again and took a dry towel. "Lay down," He said and Mika obeyed.
Shu took a bowl filled with water that Mika hadn't noticed before and dipped the towel in there. He made sure it was complety wet before he took it out and squeezed it. Gently he brushed Mika's hair out of the way before placing it in his forehead. "You still need to rest. Don't you dare to get out of this bed until I say that you can." Mika noticed that Shu's voice sounded worried. He didn't want to worry Shu but it seemed that all his attempts were futile. 'I didn't want to be a bother to Oshi-san but I still made him worried. I really am a failure'.
"Kagehira? Are... Are you crying?" Shu said. Mika hadn't realized it but there where tears coming from his eyes. "Oshi-san... I'm sorry! 'm so sorry!" He said. He sat on his bed and tried to stop the tears but they didn't stop. " 'm *hic* s-sorry *hic* I'm so sorry *hic* Oshi-san!" Shu was astonished. He didn't understand why Mika was sorry.
"W-what are you crying for!? Why are you sorry!?" Shu said worried. He didn't know what to do. It was the first time he saw Mika cry like that. He also didn't understand why he was sorry. He was standing besides Mika's bed not knowing what to do. He started petting his head awkwardly. It seemed to work because he heard how Mika calmed down a little and started whispering something. He kneeled so he could hear better what he was saying.
" 'm a failure that only bothers Oshi-san. 'm just a bother. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Shu was amazed. He never thought of the way his words affected Mika. He took Mika's hands "Kagehira, look at me." Mika shook his head and Shu sighed. He took Mika's chin and tried to look into his eyes but Mika looked aside. "No, I can't. My eyes will bother ya."
"When did I said your eyes were annoying?" Shu asked genuinely confused. He knew that sometimes he said offensive things but he was sure he had never said anything offensive about Mika's eyes.
"Ya said that I had put one wrong eye in," Mika quietly said. Then Shu remembered. He had indeed said that to Mika once but it was as a question. He didn't meant to hurt. Carefully he started to choose his next words. "When I... said that... I didn't mean it to hurt. I'm extremely sorry that it hurt you. Could you forgive me?"
Mika slowly nodded "Yes," he quietly said. Shu smiled. "Thank you. Now could you please look at me?" One of his hands was still holding Mika's and the other still was in his chin. Mika looked him in the eye. "Perfect, now I can see your beautiful eyes," Shu said and blushed. He saw that Mika had also blushed. He was embarrased and wanted to say something else to cover it. But now it wasn't the moment for that. He had to fix what he had done because of his need to hide his true feelings. He wasn't going to let this oportunity pass.
"I love to see your eyes, Kagehira. They remind me of two different but beautiful jewels. It's like being at the beach and seeing the sunrise and the sea. I could never get tired of looking at them because they are hypnotizing," Shu exhaled. His face was probably beet red but he had to finish what he had started. "Also, you are not a bother and will never be one. You always find ways so that Valkyrie can perform again. And even if I told you to leave me and go to another unit in where your talent would be better appreciated, you won't. And you stay by my side. You work hard so I don't have to worry about you but I can't help to worry. You are really important to me, Kagehira, and if something ever happened to you I don't know how I will react."
Mika was dumbfounded. He had never thought that Shu felt like that. He didn't know what to say or do. He just stared at Shu. Waiting for him to do something. Shu was staring intently at him and that was when Mika realized that he had finished talking.
"Ka-kagehira!? Why are you crying again!?" Shu said distressed. Mika touched his cheeks and felt that tears were coming out of his eyes again. He shook his head and smiled. "It's just that... What Oshi-san said made me really happy. Thank ya kindly, Oshi-san," Mika said with a wide smile. Shu almost forgot how to breath at the view of something so beautiful. When he realized he was staring too much he cleared his throat and looked aside. After calming himself he looked back at Mika and with his sleeve cleaned his tears.
"I'm glad you are happy," Shu said. "Now laid back again so I can properly take care of you. After all you are still sick." Mika nodded and laid back in his bed. Shu took the towel that had fallen in Mika's bed and dipped it in water again. After repeating the same process than before he put it in Mika's forehead.
"Thank ya, Oshi-san," Mika said. Shu smiled at Mika in response. "Oshi-san I was wonderin’... Where is Mado-nee?" Shu sat back in the chair. "In my room. The instant that you fainted I quickly went inside and left her on my bed. Then when I came back I carried you here and changed you into dry clothes." Mika blushed and covered his face with the bed sheets. Oshi-san had to change my clothes. My heart is beatin’ so fast, I feel like I'm goin’ to die.
Shu smiled "Do you want to sleep? or eat?" Mika lowered the sheets a little bit to quietly answer "Sleep."
"Ok. If you need something I will be here," Shu said taking what he was sewing and continuing working on it. Mika stared at how Shu worked and little by little he started falling asleep. After a while Shu looked at Mika and saw him completely sound asleep. He left his sewing aside and knelt besides Mika. He took the towel away from his forehead and left it in the bowl.
Gently he started to caress Mika's hair. "I will make food for you now. So please get better... Mika." Shu gently kissed Mika's forehead and left the room with a blush on his face.