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Hyuse found the idea of palpitating because of Mikumo Osamu funny. Because how could he? Osamu is an enemy to him and to his country.
Osamu is one of the reasons why Hyuse is imprisoned as of the moment. Although Hyuse never thought he'd be subjected to his country's own tactics, he found that Osamu can be a formidable enemy outside combat.
For starters, Osamu is an enemy that doesn't act like an enemy. Being a soldier, Hyuse was taught to trust no one but himself if he ever found himself in a situation where he's unable to meet with his allies. Unlike Hyuse whose disdain and distrust was evident the first time he step foot on Meeden's cemented land and breathed the vehicle polluted air, Osamu actually had allied himself with neighbors.
And unlike Hyuse who was dead set on not interacting with Meeden and its soldiers to preserve the information about his home country, Osamu is one meddlesome enemy. Hyuse didn't know if it's by nature or due to Osamu being a captain, but he tries to pay attention to everything.
Osamu pays attention to everyone, including Hyuse. He pays attention so much he sometimes bring those sweet fish-shaped bread for Hyuse home. He pays attention too much, he offered to ride the bike with Hyuse at the back so Hyuse gets to experience what it's like to travel on it without falling off it.
Osamu pays attention to everyone so closely that he doesn't even pay attention to himself.
Second, Mikumo Osamu is an enemy that swore he'd do his part to bring Hyuse home. Hyuse found Osamu too idealistic and naive at times. Trying to please everyone, trying to come up with tactics that won't sacrifice anyone. He's an enemy that's not afraid to take steps even if it sounds ridiculous, even if it's for the sake of his own enemy.
Osamu is an enemy that was patient enough to teach Hyuse how a bike is rode. He is an enemy that tries to attend to everything and everyone that Hyuse can't believe he isn't part of Meeden's surveillance at all.
Formidable.
Almost admirable.
Hyuse cannot be palpitating because of an enemy. He cannot be palpitating because of Osamu. It had to be the caffeine.
(It's now his third day of losing sleep, totally not because of Osamu.
It's just the caffeine. It'll pass.)
As Hyuse had researched (read: asking Yotaro), caffeine causes palpitations, as well as his current dilemma: lack of sleep.
Hyuse is now seated in Tamakoma's dinner table, half asleep with the biggest 'I'm not a morning person' on his face. It was probably around 4 in the morning that he found sleep. But here he is already, 3 hours later, woken up by a panicking Konami who's late for school.
"I can't believe they all left without me! I was supposed to go with Reiji-san!" Konami complains, flipping the pancakes.
Hyuse yawns, "they told me you were sick."
Konami clicks her tongue, "well the problem now is that I'm already recovered and late for school."
"Can't you just use your trigger?"
Konami rolls her eyes at Hyuse, "and cause panic everywhere? Why would a border agent use her trigger while visibly rushing? Where's the emergency?"
"So a member of border's strongest unit can't be granted use of trigger like that, huh?" Hyuse says, staring at the cup of coffee that Konami handed him. He started debating internally, whether to intensify the side effects of the caffeine
"Give me one cup of coffee to start my day Konami." Hyuse perks up, looking towards the source of the voice.
It was Yotaro who looked like he just woke up, judging by his matching hair with Hyuse. He was walking inside the kitchen, Raijinmaru following behind. Suddenly, a loud, dull sound reverberated throughout the room. The next second, Yotaro was rubbing his forehead, glaring at Konami.
"You're not allowed to drink coffee yet, Yotaro. You're going to be hyperactive throughout the night!" Konami replies, carefully putting the pancake on the plate.
Hyuse nods in agreement, thinking about how he's currently suffering the side effect of being not able to sleep throughout the night.
"Right," Konami turns to Yotaro, "go wake Osamu up. Reiji-san left a note he's not going to school today but he needs to eat too."
Yotaro who finally got himself to sit on the chair with Raijinmaru's help whined, "can't it wait after I finish my breakfast?"
Konami goes for another flick on Yotaro's forehead as she put the plates down the table, "stop whining. Don't you want Osamu to eat too? Go get him."
Yotaro still whines, now turning to Hyuse with a pout, holding the sleeve of his hoodie, with his eyes pleading. Hyuse only sighs, it's not like he can turn his 'senpai' down.
"I shall retrieve Osamu." He said and Yotaro practically lit up. Hyuse stood up and went up to one of the many rooms in the Tamakoma Branch.
Hyuse will never tell a soul, but he found himself getting lost in the different corridors and rooms of the branch a few times. Thankfully, with Raijinmaru's excellent sense of smell, Yotaro is able to find him and quickly guide him downstairs again.
But as weeks passed, Hyuse found himself navigating through the corridors with ease. Now facing the door to Osamu's room, Hyuse knocked twice, waited for a response that never came. He knocks again just to be sure, but once again, he was met with silence.
"Osamu," he calls this time. "There's food downstairs."
Still, the receiver of his message didn't respond, which Hyuse found weird. Around this time, Osamu would've been awake already, either training or planning. Hyuse knocks for the third time, to truly make sure of Osamu' status.
When no one answered again, Hyuse thought Osamu's probably still asleep. He was about to turn back when he heard shuffling behind the door. Hyuse waited until the knob turned, and the door revealed Osamu who clearly just woke up.
"You look like shit." Hyuse muttered, clearly not meant for Osamu to hear, but escaped his lips before he could stop it.
Osamu doesn't react, rubbing his eye with the other hand that's off the knob. The captain was leaning onto the doorframe, resting his head on it. To Hyuse, Osamu looked somewhat, fatigued? He's not sure though, but the way Osamu looked at him with unfocused eyes, not even wearing his glasses, gives Hyuse an idea that Osamu is not fully alert.
"There's food downstairs. Konami made pancakes and she's asking you to join us." Hyuse explains to a half-asleep Osamu.
Osamu nods, clears his throat and Hyuse sees him wince, "I'll head down in a bit. I will just freshen up." he replies with a voice that is evidently hoarse.
Hyuse clicks his tongue, and before he knew it, his hands were already on Osamu's forehead, feeling his temperature.
"You have a fever." He frowns when his hands were met with a very warm skin, but Osamu closes his eyes and leans on it.
Lub and dub. Lub and dub. Lub and dub.
"Y-you should drink medicine." Hyuse declares. Aside from Osamu who's clearly burning hot, it seemed like Hyuse's ears and cheeks are too. Osamu hums in response, still leaning on Hyuse's hand.
Osamu sighs in relief, "your hands are cold. Feels good to touch."
Lub dub, lub dub, lub dub, lub dub.
"W-what are you even saying? The fever's getting to you." Hyuse pulls his hands away as he looked away. For a split second Osamu looked disappointed at the loss of contact. Hyuse immediately shook that thought away and started ushering Osamu to his bed.
"Don't move anymore and sleep." Hyuse says to an Osamu who's seated, looking up from his bed. He pushes Osamu down in order to get him laid down on the bed and covers him with the disregarded blanket by Osamu's feet.
Osamu obliges, lying back on his bed and going under the covers. He immediately closes his eyes, and Hyuse watched as relief washed over his face. Hyuse can't help but grimace, reminded that Osamu is that kind of person.
Just yesterday he was taking care of Konami, cooking for the rest of the Tamakoma members, and even staying up late to strategize. Now, he doesn't even realize that he's already ill, brain too foggy to even register things.
"Such a worrywart for others, yet you completely overlook your own situation." Hyuse comments, sitting down on the bed, fixing the blanket so it covers Osamu properly.
"Sorry, can't help it as a captain." Osamu weakly replies to Hyuse.
"Well, you can be a captain and worry over them,but you do realize getting sick means you're out of the field, right?" Absentmindedly, Hyuse starts to comb the hairs sticking on Osamu's forehead. "You're essential to the team, even with your low trion output. What Yuuma and I can achieve are also thanks to you, and of course Chika."
Once again, Osamu leans onto Hyuse's hand, a smile forming on his lips.
"You don't even realize what's happening, don't yo—" Hyuse freezes, realizing what he had just done. Praising acknowledging his enemy, now caressing his enemy's hair? Hyuse is absolutely losing his mind.
He was about to pull away but seeing the way Osamu relaxed to his touch stopped him. There was this weird feeling of discomfort in his stomach when he thought of Osamu tense. So he remained on combing through Osamu's hairs, and once he felt Osamu relax into the bed, he pulls away.
Hyuse stands and walks towards the door as quiet as he can be to not disturb Osamu. But as he turned the doorknob, he heard Osamu shuffling on the bed.
"Thank you," Osamu weakly says.
"Just rest and make sure you're able to participate in rank wars." is all that Hyuse said as he turned his head to Osamu. Hyuse was about to lecture Osamu a little bit more when he was met with a smile.
He smiled at Hyuse as if the neighbor just saved him from death. A smile free of malice, and one that shows nothing but gratitude for Hyuse's presence. A smile that Hyuse would probably never forget for his entire life.
Lubdublubdublubdub.
"I mean it, Hyuse." Osamu continues, fighting the cough that's waiting to get out, meanwhile Hyuse fought the urge to claw his heart out to stop it from beating.
"I'm glad you're here."
"Not for long. You need to get me home."
"Of course, I promised."
Lubdublubdublubdub.
"Stupid coffee," Hyuse mumbles, once again only for him to hear but Osamu lets out a confused sound. Hyuse only shakes his head, "sleep."
He'll have to avoid anything that Konami makes for his sanity.