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Gaku stumbled into the room, barely able to stay on his feet. Almost forgetting to close the door, he moved further inside, bumping into several pieces of furniture. They clattered to the floor with a fairly loud sound.
Kumanomi is going to be angry.
Usually, he wasn't this clumsy when he was injured. Obviously, something was wrong. Gaku just hoped the guys wouldn't wake up and find him in such a pathetic state.
He needed to get to the bathroom. He felt like the world was literally swimming and his mind was getting cloudier. He heard a rustling sound from somewhere in the corner, and someone's heavy breathing. Or was that all him?
He needed to get to the bathroom quickly. He dragged his feet towards where he assumed the bathroom was. It felt like his legs were made of cotton, but for some reason they felt too heavy. Like weights had been attached to them, which was strange because how was that even possible? Though, who the hell knows with those JAA guys.
Speaking of them.
Lately, they had become especially persistent and unfriendly. They'd had to change houses several times just to shake those bastards off.
Suddenly, Gaku tripped over his own foot, and immediately felt himself falling. His body hit the floor, and a groan involuntarily escaped his pressed lips.
Gaku winced, clutching his side. Or was he? He couldn't feel his hand well enough to give a definite answer. Darkness was spreading in spots before his eyes.
The floor was cold. Too cold. Gaku felt it against his cheek and the corner of his mouth. So, he was lying on his side after all.
Good.
He tried to take a deeper breath, but the air got stuck somewhere between his ribs. His side responded with a dull pain, like someone was slowly twisting a knife under his skin.
"Tch…"
The sound was barely audible.
Gaku blinked. The ceiling blurred, came back into focus, then blurred again. His thoughts jumped just as erratically — clinging to one thing, letting go, grabbing another.
He shouldn't have come in through the window.
No.
He should have left earlier. Or… maybe just not let himself get shot.
He gave a hoarse chuckle, but the laugh immediately broke into a short cough. Somewhere nearby, there was another rustling sound, like footsteps. Or maybe it was just the blood pounding in his ears.
Gaku tried to turn his head, but his body obeyed poorly. Everything seemed to be a second behind.
"…You gotta be kidding me?"
The voice was, surprisingly, real. Low and a little hoarse from sleep.
Gozu.
Gaku closed his eyes for a second, as if that would help.
"I lie down for five minutes," Gozu muttered somewhere above him, "And you've already decided to redecorate?"
There was a creak of floorboards, and Gaku felt someone stop in front of him.
"Gaku."
Now the voice was completely different. Gaku lazily opened one eye.
Gozu's silhouette loomed over him, dark against the dim light from the hallway. He stood motionless for a second, surveying the mess — the overturned chair, the scattered belongings, the dark stains on the floor.
"You look…" Gozu grimaced, searching for the word. "Disgusting."
"Thanks," Gaku whispered, his tongue feeling foreign in his mouth.
"Always happy to support."
Gozu squatted down next to him. The floorboards creaked softly under his weight.
"Let me guess," he continued. "The plan was: come back quietly, don't wake anyone up, and bleed out in the bathroom until someone finds you in the morning?"
Gaku stared at him for a long time, as if trying to remember how to respond to such things. The bathroom... where even was it? And where was he? The floor was cold but this wasn't the bathroom. His gaze caught on a pile of trash in the corner of the room.
If he remembered correctly, Tenkyu was supposed to take out the trash.
Lazy ass.
Haruma would probably end up cleaning it himself. Even though Kumanomi had scolded Tenkyu to do it himself.
Haruma had always been like that. Didn't like conflicts.
Wait... what did Haruma have to do with anything?
Right, the bathroom.
"The bathroom… is cleaner."
Gozu snorted.
"Oh, so now you're practical too."
He carefully turned Gaku onto his back. The pain flared up anew, and this time Gaku couldn't hold back a short hiss through his teeth.
"Easy," Gozu grumbled. "If you thrash around, it'll only get worse."
"It's already worse."
"Trust me, it's not."
His hands were warm and surprisingly steady. He quickly examined the side, pulled at the fabric of the jacket, and clicked his tongue softly.
"How do you even manage to get into situations like this? You have a real talent for it."
Gaku blinked, trying to process the words. But Gozu, apparently, didn't need an answer. He ran his palm over his face, ruffling his hair.
"Okay, good news."
"Hm?"
"You're not dead yet."
"Glad to hear it."
"And the bad news is if you pass out now, I'll have to drag you through the whole house. And trust me, it'll be humiliating for both of us."
Gaku tried to smirk, but only managed a weak shadow of a smile. The world started swimming again. He felt Gozu's fingers tighten on his shoulder.
"Hey, don't zone out."
The voice got closer.
"You hear me?"
Gaku slowly shifted his gaze to him.
"I hear you…"
"Great. Just lie here for now, I'll go get the first aid kit."
Gozu looked at him for another second, as if trying to make sure he wouldn't pass out the second he turned away.
"If you pass out, I swear, I'll throw out all your video games."
He stood up, the boards creaking softly under his steps again. His silhouette momentarily blocked the light from the hallway, and then the footsteps faded away. Sounds seemed to come through water.
The threat was convincing enough for Gaku to try not to pass out. He tried to focus on something, anything. The ceiling, for example. A crack in the plaster. It looked like lightning, or a tree root. He wondered how long it had been there?
His thoughts wandered.
The floor was still cold. For some reason, that was starting to annoy him. He tried to move his hand to shift into a more comfortable position, but his body responded with a delay, as if the command arrived too late.
He thought he was moving. Or maybe the room was just swaying. Somewhere in the distance, a cabinet door slammed and he heard a quiet curse.
Gaku tried to open his eyes wider, but his eyelids were heavy. He should probably tell him exactly where the wound was. Although… he'd already seen it. And Gozu could figure it out himself.
The thought cut off as abruptly as it had appeared.
Darkness slowly crept in from all sides. The last thing Gaku felt was someone touching his shoulder, turning him a little more comfortably.
"Damn it, Gaku. Just you dare…"
——
When he came to again, the first thing he felt was pain. Dull, heavy, spread throughout his whole body, like he'd been run over by a truck during the night and then someone had decided to carefully piece him back together.
Gaku slowly opened his eyes.
The ceiling was different.
Actually, it was the same, he was just looking at it from the bed. He blinked several times, trying to gather his thoughts. His side was wrapped in bandages, his chest too. Even his shoulder seemed to be immobilized.
Gaku carefully turned his head. He was in his room. Which meant Gozu had ended up dragging him after all. For some strange reason, that thought made him chuckle quietly.
He lay there for a few more seconds, listening to the house. Somewhere in the distance, he heard voices. Muffled, but clearly lively.
His stomach treacherously clenched.
Gaku sighed, gathered his strength, and slowly sat up. The world immediately swayed disapprovingly, but didn't completely collapse.
"Ugh... okay," he muttered to himself. "It's okay."
After all, it had been worse.
His feet found the floor. It felt too cold again, and his body too heavy. But Gaku stubbornly stood up, holding onto the edge of the bed.
Step.
Another.
He opened the bedroom door with his shoulder because his hands were busy keeping him upright. The hallway seemed longer than usual.
Holding onto the wall, Gaku slowly made his way to the kitchen. As soon as he appeared in the doorway, the conversation inside stopped and there was a moment of silence.
And then—
"IDIOT!!!"
Kumanomi's voice shook the kitchen like a gunshot. He winced involuntarily, feeling his head throb. Blinking, Gaku realized everyone was in the kitchen.
Kei was sitting by the window, calmly holding a cup of tea, looking at him with an expression of mild, almost lazy interest. Across from him, Gozu was leaning his elbows on the table and looked completely unsurprised.
Haruma stood by the stove, slowly turning his head. A bit further away, Tenkyu sat backwards on a chair, frozen with a piece of bread in his mouth.
And Kumanomi.
"You're supposed to be lying in bed!" she continued, approaching rapidly. "Do you have absolutely no instinct of self-preservation?!"
"Humans don't have instincts."
"Now's not the time to be clever, Haruma," Kumanomi snapped.
"I…" Gaku paused, trying to remember what he'd wanted to say. "Just got hungry."
Tenkyu snorted quietly with laughter.
"Little guy's hungry! Want me to feed you with a spoon?"
Gaku shot a venomous glare at Tenkyu. He was going to kill that joker someday, honest. Meanwhile, Kumanomi looked at him like she was about to shoot him herself, just to finish what the JAA had started.
"Back. To. Bed."
She pointed a finger towards the hallway. Gaku took another step into the kitchen.
"I'm already up."
"GAKU."
"What?"
Kumanomi turned to the others, as if seeking support.
"Someone tell him!"
Kei calmly took a sip of tea.
"Gaku, you really should stay in bed."
"I'm fine, stop fussing."
"You are definitely NOT fine. You can barely stand, you idiot!" Kumanomi waved her arms.
Gaku really was barely holding himself up from falling. His vision started swimming again, making him falter slightly, grabbing the doorframe. Haruma sighed and turned off the stove, while Gozu ran his palm over his face.
"I told you," he muttered. "Should have tied him down."
"Go back to your room, I'll bring you breakfast."
"I hate you all."
Gaku took one last look at his "family" before Kumanomi yanked him towards the hallway. As he left, he heard Tenkyu's laughter. Well, at least he could rest and give proper attention to the new quest in his game. And laugh at Gozu.