Work Text:
"Alright!" Sachika stretched as she pushed herself off of the table, chair scraping against the floor.
"Woah!!" Shouma visibly had awe drawn across his face, admiring the work Sachika finished.
"You fixed it! Before, it looked all broken, it's so different now! Sachika-san, you're amazing!" He rushed to take hold of her shoulders while praising.
To which Sachika responded with a shy grin instantly masked with a cocky one.
"I know, I knowww." She dragged the word.
"Hanto's gonna be so happy you fixed his jacket!" Shouma grinned ear to ear, more than he's supposed to.
"Woah, how come you're more excited than him, hm?" She narrowed her eyes teasingly, resisting a smirk towards him.
"Ah—i-it's just that...well, I wanted to do something good and you helped me a lot..." He chuckled awkwardly, drawing back shyly as Sachika started leaning closer playfully.
"Yeah, right, Umasho~" she shot a finger towards his cheeks, the ones that vibrantly rose into a pink shade after her question.
"A-anyways, I have to go and give it to him now, right?" He snatched the newly stitched jacket that Hanto used often and shuffled towards the door.
She crosses her arms, head tilting to the side out of habit to check up on him as he swings the door open. "Okay, don't give yourself too much credit!" She jested.
The door shut with a soft click, leaving a small wave at him.
Her hands fell to the sides slowly, her grin faltering with a sigh,
"Guess I'm alone here again. Well, technically since those two lovebirds are always stuck together." She approached the table once more, cleaning up the loose threads she trimmed and the remaining ones that were hooked in the needle.
Carefully twirling the used threads back and pushing the needles into the pin cushion made of recycled fabric scraps and storing everything else into her heart-shaped sewing kit—that was actually a cookie container that Shouma had mistaken once.
Another soft stretch and wave of relief after another activity-filled day, she heads over to her desk office in the corner and slouches against the chair, throwing her head back as she spun.
The sun seemed to set, an orange shaft seeped through the curtains around the apartment and cast a dim light over her.
All of the sudden, she sneezes. A soft sound was able to fill the quiet place.
"Huh?" She sniffles, suddenly sounding nasal and feeling a cold shiver beneath the sweater she wore.
"Am I sick?" She questions herself, furrowing her brows as she gulped.
The door knob twisted, the door swung open with a soft creak and footsteps echoed.
"'sup." He said lazily as he held his hat, bending his head to pass through the door frame. The door shut with a thud, lifting the hat as he looked around the empty apartment.
"Ah! Rakian?!" Sachika instantly stood from her seat after recognizing that familiar voice and a grin painted her face when she saw him.
Rakia looked over to where he heard that energetic voice he'd gotten used to, and his face softened for an ephemeral moment.
"...Sachika." He uttered lowly, softer than he'd usually speak, approaching her with slowed steps and looking around once more to double check.
"You came to visit!" She rushed towards him eagerly, tugging at his sleeve like she always would. She'd reach a little higher or tiptoe just to be at his level, a habit of hers that Rakia found endearing and dumb at the same time. A small, faint twitch caught at the corner of his lips at the sight of her energetic presence. He would be lying a little if he said he didn't miss that the most in the human world.
"Oh—did you come to visit Umasho or Hanty?" She tilted her head to the side out of curiosity, gaze meeting his.
"Ah...yeah." He hesitated between the two simple words.
His ass was actually lying. He came to visit her after having mustered the courage to do so after another miserable and dull day in the Granute realm.
"Ohh..." She nodded, taking in the response thoughtfully.
"They've actually been pretty busy lately, so I've been taking the jobs alone like before." She explained with a soft chuckle.
"Alone?" He repeated, too quick.
"Yeah! But don't worry, as the jack of all trades, I can handle it all!" She winked playfully to reassure him,
"Oh! You're probably hungry or something, hold on—" she looked over to the kitchen and rushed to open the fridge.
Meanwhile, Rakia felt some strange unease tug at him knowing about what Sachika had been doing in the past, something new to him that somehow made him feel concern.
"I see." Was all he could reply quietly.
"Here! Ta-da~" Sachika excitedly presented a plastic bag filled with rocks that she stored inside the fridge for some reason, in a specific spot that just had 'Reserved for granutes' written all over it. As Rakia squinted to the fridge, he could see a variety of other rocks that were preserved in a spot.
"Did you...?" He mumbled, confused and also surprised at the same time.
"Mhm!" She nodded in response, walking over to him to hand over the bag.
"I previously made these rock candies I found on the internet somewhere and thought: 'Rakian would probably prefer real ones.' So, I let Umasho try them and I picked out some real ones when we took a gardening job!" She placed the bag on the table, proudly showing how carefully she picked them.
He hummed softly, taking in the story of hers into mind with a faint grin. "Daru." He muttered, opening the resealable bag and taking out a pebble.
Sachika watched him carefully, genuinely curious to know what he thinks as she leaned on the table, gaze darting between the rock and his expression.
He took a bite, a soft crunch as the rock became a smaller bit, and he chewed slowly enough just to see how she'd react.
"So..." She stretched the word,
"It's...not that bad, I guess."
Saying that actually meant that she did a good job.
"Yes!!" She beamed in accomplishment, sighing out of relief.
Rakia continued to eat the one he picked out, at least finishing it to prove what he said was true.
"Chu—!" She sneezes, startled enough to fall on the chair she thankfully forgot to adjust earlier.
Rakia was startled too, and he rushed over to check on her, curious.
"So I guess I really am sick today..." She managed a small chuckle, resting the side of her head on the back of the chair.
"You were sick?" Rakia asked, sounding more concerned than he would usually be.
"Well...it could be because I was rushing home in the rain...but, I already had my raincoat on and even my big umbrella!" She contemplated, going back to find out the reason behind her sudden cold. Leaning her head against the chair and the back of her feet kicking against the floor idly while Rakia kept the rocks back in the fridge.
She kept muttering to herself of her whereabouts the past few days,
"It could also be because...eh?" She turned her head towards Rakia who walked towards the kitchen.
"You're not eating?" She asked, pouting.
"No...you're way more important than these rocks right now." The words escaped him almost involuntarily.
"Really?"
He faced her, and Sachika took in what he just said with confusion, at the same time with joy. Eventually, they reached her heart with a different kind of warmth she couldn't feel before.
"...yeah." Rakia just realized what he said, but decided to go with it now that he has no choice and no other reason to use to forget about it.
He leaned against the table as he twirled a strand of his faded dyed hair idly. Immediately putting his nonchalant facade back up.
He cleared his throat, "So, your reason?"
"Oh—right. Well, I also think I could've accidentally gotten rabies from the other day when I went to help look for a missing cat—wait, no, that doesn't make any sense, it was just a scratch...but still!" She kept going on,
When the realization came to Rakia, he couldn't help but utter:
"Daru." He sighed, pushing himself off of the table in disappointment, and Sachika was still oblivious.
"Eh? What is it? Do you know why I'm sick?" She asked.
"You're obviously sick because you overworked yourself." He pointed out, reaching a hand out towards her face to lift it gently, letting her gaze meet the concerned glint that shone on his.
"Oh." She said quietly, finally getting it. The slight cold and rough skin that met her contrasting warm one left a lingering trace.
A strange silence hung between them, and it took a while for Rakia to notice what he was doing. Leaving him to let go of her face which he secretly adored and looking away nervously. Visibly at that. Which is definitely not like him. And at some point missing the way he held her already.
He exhales a sharp sigh directed to himself for acting weird and finally managed to think of something to say.
"Why'd you put rocks in a fridge?" He quirked a brow towards her. To which she just responded with a soft chuckle he was secretly fond of.
"Ahh...that probably looks dumb to anyone, but, I did it because I thought it was something Granutes do. After all, they're probably just like us humans in some way, right?" She explained, a curve of her lips forming.
"The same as humans?" He repeated, low and nearly a whisper to himself. "I suppose these feelings I have could be something humans experience too." He thought to himself.
"Well, it definitely is dumb."
"Hmmm...but didn't you just put it back inside a few moments ago?" She pointed out.
Rakia paused. Damn it, he did.
"That was because..." He tried to think of a reason that was not surrounding the topic of paying more attention to Sachika.
"...whatever, so what?" He gave up.
She stood from the seat with a giggle, carefully walking over to the couch and laying a pillow on her lap.
"By the way, It's getting late, are you staying over?" She mumbled with a lazy grin, rubbing her eye and causing a faint smudge of eyeliner which she didn't notice as her eyes were close to shutting.
Rakia could see that her head was almost falling and how her movements were slower than earlier, and he approached her.
"You're getting weaker, you should drink some water before you sleep." He dodged her question, not that she'll even be able to hear it if he ever answered.
He pressed the back of his palm slowly against her forehead to check for a fever, thank goodness there was none, and he could feel a relief wash over him.
All Sachika could say now were just mutters and incoherent sentences,
He went back to the kitchen to pour her a glass of cold water, hoping it'd make her better at some point, having no other knowledge of human medicines.
As soon as he came back to hand it over to her, instead he finds a sleeping Sachika who's close to falling into the couch.
With no other choice, he just leaves the glass back on the table and searches for a blanket to put over her.
---
Rakia sits comfortably right next to her, letting himself be used as a pillow as her head fell to rest on his shoulder.
Occasionally, he looks over to her and shifts slightly for her comfort, watching a faint grin on her soft expression.
It was silent, perfectly at that. Just him and the person he likes all alone somehow sitting next to each other.
Then a soft mutter reached him,
"Mmm...sorry, Rakian..." She mumbled, shifting closer to him.
"Hm?" He hummed quietly, startled.
"You just got here and I already disturbed you.." She says.
He was silent for a moment, waiting until she fell back asleep.
"Don't be. Those two abandoned you anyway." He finally replied.
He managed to catch a faint curve of her lips, finding out that she heard him.
The fact that this girl spent time looking for perfect rocks for him and even managed more than he could handle was probably the reason why he loved her. He thinks to himself that Shouma and that stupid Hanto don't appreciate her enough—a level way below his.
He carefully wraps an arm around her to undo her braids, gently pulling the tie out and setting it aside. A small gesture he thought would make her more comfortable.
The door creaks open from across the apartment, Rakia catching a familiar blue hoodie from behind it and someone that looks stubborn and stupid behind him.
"Sachika-san, I'm back—" Shouma called out as he looked around, and immediately shut himself up when his eyes fell to the sight of her sleeping and right next to Rakia who shushed him.
"Oh! I'm sorry!!" He whispered, dipping his head. His other hand was dragging that stubborn and stupid looking guy, their hands were interlocked; something Rakia was not surprised with.
And even if they did let go of each other in embarrassment, it wouldn't change the fact that they're always so intimate with each other it hurts to see them looking like idiots in love.
"You guys are lame for abandoning her especially when she's sick." He scolded quietly, subtly holding her closer to him.
"Sachika-san's sick?" Shouma repeated almost loudly, and Hanto shushed him for it, causing him to apologize again.
"Ugh. You two are always busy spending time with each other it's dumb."
"Oi! Forget about us, s-since when'd you act like she's your girlfriend or something?" Hanto tried to direct the conversation towards him in an attempt to hide the fact that he and Shouma were visibly blushing at each other for holding hands since earlier.
"Whatever. I provide better company than you ever tried." Rakia hit him with that sentence.
"You!—" He tried to run towards him with a fist, but Shouma pulled him back.
"How many times am I gonna tell you idiots to shut the hell up?"
Hanto sealed his mouth shut, "whateverrr!" He growled through gritted teeth. And Rakia had a faint smirk play on his face knowing he pissed him off like always.
----
The next morning, Sachika rose from the couch, wrapped warmly in a blanket and her hair undone. She stretches slowly as she sat herself back up, seeing Shouma prepare her breakfast already.
"Ah! Sachika-san, you're awake! Are you feeling alright now?" He asks, his usually bright grin on display like every other morning.
"Oh, right... I was sick last night, right?" She muttered to herself. "I think I'm okay now, Umasho. Thanks for asking." She stood from the couch, looking around the place in curiosity and confusion.
"Say...where's Rakian? He came to visit yesterday." She asks him, approaching the table as he sat himself opposite her.
"Oh, Rakia-san left really early this morning, he's actually been worried since last night since you fell asleep randomly." He explained with his mouth half full.
"So that means..." She reaches for her undone hair, and slowly lifting her hand towards her face to where he held her.
A soft smile tugged at her lips remembering what he's done, then suddenly,
"Wait, did he take the rocks I gave him?" She stood from her seat quickly and rushed to the fridge.
To see the sight of no rocks and a cup of pudding replacing where she left them, with a sticky note attached to it written with poor japanese handwriting—something of the hand of a Granute.
She pick
ed it up and inspected it, and it read:
"I hope you're feeling better now." Signed by "Rakian"
A faint blush crept towards her face, rereading the note to make sure it was definitely who she thought it was and not something Shouma did.