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Sakura usually felt like shit. Between the constant fights and his condition, that was a given but today he felt extra like shit. Sakura woke up in more pain than usual. His stomach twisted uncomfortably, his legs ached, and it felt like someone was driving a jackhammer though his chest. He had barely dragged himself out of bed and, as much as he hated to admit it, he was grateful he ran into Hiragi on the way to school, who politely ignored the way Sakura was gripping his shoulder, and ignored how Sakura gripped the railing as he dragged himself up the stairs, where Hiragi walked behind him, certainly not to catch him is he fell. Now sitting in class he contemplated taking a nap to see if he’d feel better. He didn’t have anything better to do, right? He lay his head in his arms, zoning out the chatter around him, and letting sleep claim him.
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Nirei was an observer. It was a trait he took immense pride in, being able to earn just about anything about anyone. Because of this, he could tell when something was out of the ordinary, when something was wrong. And something was definitely wrong with Sakura today.
He had noticed immediately, be it Sakura’s stumble when walking to his desk, the way he sat down less gracefully than usual, or his overall lack of fight, something was definitely up with the boy. Nirei wandered up to Sakura’s desk, hoping to get a more thorough read on what was wrong with Sakura today. Could it just be his illness? Or was something else going on? As Nirei crept closer to Sakura’s desk, he felt a hand rest heavily on his shoulder making him jump and whirl around. Sugishita was the culprit of the scare. He pointed towards Sakura’s desk, and then made a shushing motion. “He’s fast asleep, don’t wake him,” the long haired boy grunted out, at a noticeably lower volume. Nirei looked again and noticed his class rep really was out like a light at his desk. He then glanced over to Nirei, to see if his fellow vice had noticed their sleeping classmate. Suo gave him a nod of affirmation, which set in motion a plan in Nirei's brain. “Operation: Let Sakura sleep was officially” in action.
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Suo prided himself in knowing what was happening around him. Of course he knew when Sakura fell asleep. Of course he saw the crease in Sugishta’s brow when he noticed. Of course he saw the cog’s turning in Nirei's head as he concocted one of his plans. He’d have to keep an eye on that plan.
He watched Nirei climb up to the podium placed at the front of the class, immediately knowing what would come next and hurried over to the blissfully ignorant Sakura as Nirei opened his mouth to whisper the words that would doom both of them.
“Everyone! Make sure to be super quiet, Sakura’s sleeping!”
It was like telling a group of kids there were free puppies outside the way they pushed and shoved to get a better look at their sleeping grade captain. Suo could tell they were trying to keep quiet, they were trying very hard, but the whispers quickly rose in volume, before getting shushed. It was a continuous ebb and flow, the rise and the silencing from his peers. Perhaps he wouldn’t have to intervene to let his precious captain sleep. Then the speaker crackled, bringing the peace to an abrupt end.
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Sugishita loved Umemiya. It wasn’t a secret, as much as he liked to comfort himself with the notion. But he also loved? No, he cared for Sakura. He supposed he cared for all his classmates, but he cared for Sakura the most. Maybe because he was so reckless, or maybe because he wasn’t scared of him like everyone else was. Nevertheless, Sugishita cared for Sakura. So the least he could do was let him sleep. He stopped Nirei when he saw the kid flitting over to Sakura’s sleeping form, knowing the fretful boy wouldn’t do any favors. That was one crisis averted. But one crisis he couldn’t avert? Umemiya’s volume. The wave of dread when he heard the speaker crackle hit him like a truck, as Umemiya’s booming voice filled the room.
“GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, AND WHAT A BEAUTIFUL ONE IT IS! ALL SUN AND PERFECT WEATHER ON THE HORIZON TODAY!”
Sugishita watched Sakura’s head shoot up, wishing he could have slept just a little longer.
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Sakura woke with a start to the sound of Umemiya’s screaming, which came with the woeful realisation that sleep hadn’t helped in the slightest. Sakura felt his stomach roll violently, and knowing what was sure to come soon, bolted to the door, ignoring the dizzying head rush that came with standing up too fast. The swimming of his vision as he ran towards the door caused him to slam into the frame, the abrupt stop bringing up another wave of nausea. He clamped a hand to his jaw, desperately trying to keep his insides there, as someone led him out towards the restroom, opening the door for him as he stumbled into the stall and shut himself in.
The person who walked him there turned out to be Suo, who gently rubbed circles on his back as he emptied himself out. Once he was done with the dreadful ordeal, his vice captain gently sat him on the seat, making sure he was stable before grabbing a damp paper towel to wipe off Sakura’s face. He felt his face heat up, both with embarrassment and shame, and mumbled out an apology as Suo’s gentle touch cleaned all the sweat and mess from his face.
“Sakura,” Suo spoke softly, “don’t apologize for us caring about you. It is our choice to help you, and personally one I’d gladly make over and over again. You aren’t making us make any choice we wouldn’t willingly make, and I know you’d do the same for us, so stop apologizing.”
Sakura didn’t think his vision blurred from dizziness this time