rabbithatch | calmer weather | kengo utahoshi and ryusei sakuta

calmer weather | kengo utahoshi and ryusei sakuta

For now, it seemed the worst of the storm had passed. Weeks had gone by since Gentarou's death and subsequent revival. Ryusei had betrayed the KRC and also been seemingly forgiven by all of them. Everything seemed fairly normal, aside from the dark cloud on the horizon that the club opted to ignore at times. While things were calm and happy now, the war was still ongoing. Horoscopes were still appearing and attacks were still happening. It would only get worse. In time, it would be too much to ignore.

This was part of the reason Kengo had ducked out of class an hour earlier to go to the infirmary. There were no longer the days of leaving class to go to the Rabbit Hatch and work on Switches in solitude. No more Switches needed to be made and Kengo had spent far too much time going over the older ones again and again until he was forced to stop. Repetition did nothing good for anyone when things were already at their best. This, today, was an honest health issue. While he knew it wasn't the quietest location in the school, it was a better alternative to finding a place on the floor in the Rabbit Hatch and having to deal with everyone when they showed up.

Kengo's case was on the floor next to his bed, his cell phone out of his pocket and on the table top, just in case anyone decided to call him using it. His jacket was off and draped over the side of the bed, his tie loosened just enough to not bother him while he slept.

Unfortunately, even with medicine the nurse had given him, the pain in his head wouldn't completely subside.

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What else had he expected someone who'd gone to the infirmary to be doing? Ryusei looked at the sleeping Kengo, torn about whether or not he should go.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out Fire Switch. Gentarou had begged Ryusei to be the one to tell Kengo, because apparently Kengo yelled at Ryusei less. If that was their concern, then it should be Yuuki to break the news, Ryusei thought, but Yuuki had been freaking out just as badly. Ryusei could repair it himself, but it would need to be checked by Kengo; if it wasn't, Kengo really would yell, and then they'd all be in trouble, even the ones who hadn't done anything.

If he could be sure that waiting for Kengo at Rabbit Hatch wouldn't make Kengo more angry (on the grounds of not bringing the issue to him right away), Ryusei would leave and let Kengo sleep. As it was....

After a moment's more deliberation, Ryusei put the Switch on Kengo's bedside table. Compromise. He'd be upset anyway, probably, but there was nothing more Ryusei could do. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, watched for an admittedly paranoid second to see if Kengo would wake up right then, and then turned to go.

Someone moving around in the room had been enough to wake Kengo up. It came with the unhealthy sense of paranoia he carried with him as a result of being part of the club. When it came to how strong the members were, Kengo considered himself in the lower half, but he also realized how valuable he was to their operation. It was surprising to him that he'd never been singled out by any of their enemies, which only helped him to keep his awareness up until either the threat was gone entirely, or he knew not to worry about it anymore.

Putting one hand down on the bed, Kengo pushed his body up a bit. He hadn't managed to sleep for more than five minutes at a time and he certainly looked like it. For a moment, he tried to decide between sitting up or laying back down, but the final decision seemed to result in him choosing the more comfortable option. When he laid back down, he turned onto his other side to face the door, looking around for the source of the noise.

... oh. Was that it...?

"Ryusei...?"

"Kengo?" Ryusei strode back to the bed. If Kengo looked this bad, maybe this wouldn't be the best time to bring up the broken Switch. Unfortunately, he couldn't swipe it without Kengo noticing.

He also couldn't do anything about Kengo's apparent illness because he didn't know the source. None of them did, and Kengo had to be bad if he was submitting to resting, but Ryusei had never seen him like this. Kengo was normally so forceful, and Ryusei needed to block his memories of Jirou right now because they weren't going to help. "Are you okay? Should I get someone?"

Ryusei was going to get someone anyway. That was what the staff here were for, and if it was a waste of their time, then well, they were terrible staff. But it was rude to leave when Kengo hadn't said yes or no either way, so Ryusei resisted the urge to immediately call for someone.

Really, with Ryusei's skill and Kengo's current state, there was still a chance Ryusei could get away with stealing the Switch back if he wanted to. Kengo's attention was more focused on the other boy and trying to figure out why he'd shown up in the first place. At the very least, it wasn't someone trying to kill him -- though a small, bitter part of himself spoke up otherwise, which Kengo immediately quieted. He knew better. That wasn't something to think about.

"You don't need to get anyone. I'm fine." While he wanted to say that nothing was wrong, Kengo knew he wouldn't be able to convince the other of that. With how much Kengo had dealt with this sort of thing before, he knew how to deal with his body when it got to this point better than anyone else would. He looked a lot worse than he felt. With how he felt... it really boiled down to how he expected someone might feel with a bad cold. Kengo never seemed to get sick the way anyone else did -- it was always something like this.

If Kengo was going to say that, then it really would be rude for Ryusei to leave. Not that he was obligated to stay here, but was it suspicious for him to be here in the first place? Ryusei decided to call him on it. "You don't look fine."

Ryusei was still too keyed to possible relapse; no one knew what had caused Jirou to collapse, really, and modern medicine wasn't that good if it couldn't figure out what was up with Kengo. It was safer to get someone to check. But Kengo had had to live with it; Ryusei's interference wouldn't be anything but unwelcome meddling, if Kengo had it under control. "Are you sure...?"

Kengo made a face when Ryusei called him out on saying he was fine. Really, he should have expected that reaction from someone. It wasn't entirely unwanted for someone to call him out either, since Kengo enjoyed that there were people who cared about him enough to be concerned. It was a nice feeling to have people around, as long as everything else went smoothly.

Pushing himself up again, Kengo pressed his back against the wall at the head of the bed, resting his hands in his lap. His head was still spinning, but laying around hadn't made him feel any better yet. Still, he knew well enough not to force himself into doing work at this point. ... there really was nothing else left to do, aside from general repairs.

Speaking of which, as soon as Kengo turned his head again, he noticed the Switch on his bedside table. It didn't take much for him to figure out what had happened. There was really only one reason anyone would bring a Switch to him. For now, he was intent on ignoring Ryusei's question -- partially because he couldn't honestly say he was fine. He was close, but still in no condition to do anything.

"You should have told me if you were fighting..."

Ryusei had been fighting with Gentarou about who should be the one to tell Kengo, but Ryusei had a feeling that that wasn't what Kengo had meant. The issue now was whether or not Kengo would get upset when he learned the real reason the Switch had broken.

Nothing he could do but face it. It'd be worse if Kengo found out Ryusei had lied. "We weren't. Gentarou was just tossing it around...."

Honestly. At least it hadn't been Cosmic. Not that there wouldn't be a problem either way, but Cosmic was a bigger Switch and Ryusei assumed it would be more difficult to repair. And at the very least, it wasn't Fourze's most powerful form that had to be temporarily taken out of commission. "You know how excitable he gets. But it isn't that important." He reached for the Switch. "I can do it. You take your time and recover."

Ryusei hadn't failed to notice that Kengo hadn't responded to Ryusei's question. Or to Ryusei's comment, for that matter. It was good that Kengo wasn't going to force himself, at least, but Ryusei couldn't help but wonder if that wasn't because Kengo's illness had simply overwhelmed his stubbornness. There had been times when Kengo had clutched his head but had then just gotten back up without seeking treatment, after all. But if Kengo wasn't going to answer Ryusei, then further questioning was useless. He'd just to have to ask the nurse to be discreet and not let on that it'd been Ryusei who'd asked that someone check up on Kengo. "Do you need anything? I can get you some water...."

The expression on Kengo's face from those words was clearly not a happy one. Even though he was exhausted and looked worse than usual, that much was certainly clear. He stared at Ryusei for a few moments before turning his head away. Closing his eyes, Kengo took in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then released it. If Gentarou had been there, it was likely there would be hell to pay, but while Kengo didn't tone down his rough attitude around anyone, it seemed he'd warmed up to Ryusei almost as much as he had to Yuuki. It probably was for the best that they had pressured him to come in their place.

"Tossing it around..." The words weren't forming a question. It was just Kengo's utter disbelief that Gentarou would do something so stupid. There was a quiet, frustrated noise from Kengo as he picked the Switch up from the bedside table before Ryusei could take it, far more light with it than his current mood would have suggested he would be. As angry as he might be, Kengo had always been able to force himself to only using gentle touches with anything relating to his work. He held the Switch in the palm of one hand, rolling it into his other and looking it over to see if he could figure out what was wrong without running tests. "It's still no excuse for what he did. He knows better."

Now he definitely sounded angry.

The distraction did seem to help in one way, however. While Kengo was examining the Switch, he casually responded to Ryusei's offer, though there was still the tone of annoyance in his voice. "... sure."

Tell Gentarou to leave Club early today, Ryusei added to his mental to-do list. Ryusei had studiously left out the part where JK had taken part; Ryusei wasn't sure if Kengo would be harsher on JK, but there was no reason not to try minimizing the casualties. "Don't be too angry with him," Ryusei said tentatively.

Probably a lost cause. Ryusei had also been a little angry, but as he hadn't stopped Gentarou and JK, he felt partly responsible. Not that there was any stopping Gentarou when he wanted something. Saying so would incriminate Ryusei, imply that he had been there, so Ryusei didn't say it. Instead, he turned to go.

Once in the hall, Ryusei looked around. The majority of the Foodroids would either be at Rabbit Hatch or in Yuuki's bag, but— Ah. "Nuggeropa." The pink-eyed tiny round robot bounced up and down in response. Ryusei glanced at the door behind him, then moved a ways away. "Tell Gentarou to go home."

Yuuki could stay if she wanted, but it wasn't her who was in trouble, anyway. "And get someone else over here. Softonya, or Burgermeal." Would Softonya's freezing ability help in this situation? Kengo didn't exactly have a fever. Ryusei frowned, but decided to leave Nuggeropa to it, and went in the opposite direction for the water.

There hadn't been the opportunity to speak to anyone, ask them to look in on Kengo, he thought, disgruntled, as he returned. "Here you go," he said, handing over the bottle.

It had taken a few moments for Kengo to realize Ryusei had left the room at all, bringing his gaze up from the Switch to look around. At first, he'd thought the other had resigned to quietly sitting nearby, but that didn't seem to be the case. The frown remained on his face. Maybe Ryusei had just left without saying anything... Kengo hadn't really noticed his response, after all. It had been more automatic than he'd intended. Even with everything Ryusei had done, Kengo knew Ryusei wouldn't just walk off and leave him without a word. ... well, he was pretty sure.

While he waited to see if the other would return, Kengo continued to examine the Switch. At this point, he could see where at least one of the problems was. If the misplaced piece inside the Switch was the only issue, then it would only take an hour or two to fix, at the most. Hopefully. Kengo had never repaired a Switch in this state before, so he couldn't be sure. Staying in the infirmary and trying to do anything with the kaban system wouldn't work. He'd have to go back to the Hatch and use the resources there, though he'd already completely forgotten Ryusei's offer to go in his place.

Kengo only made it as far as swinging his legs over to the side of the bed and sitting on the edge before Ryusei returned to the room. Setting the Switch back on the bedside table, Kengo accepted the water, intent on getting up and leaving the room as soon as possible -- condition be damned. "Thank you." His gratitude sounded more dismissive than usual, but his actions seemed appreciative. Kengo carefully opened the bottle, keeping his attention focused on it as he took a long sip. It had been something he'd wanted after all, despite wanting to pretend otherwise.

"Going somewhere?" Ryusei said neutrally. Hopefully Kengo had just wanted to sit up, because otherwise, Ryusei was going to have to do something, and he didn't want to struggle physically with Kengo while he was in that state. Worse case scenario, Ryusei could grab the Switch and— No, that wouldn't work; Kengo would just come after him.

What would Gentarou do in this situation? What would Yuuki do? Ryusei had no idea. "If it's about the Switch, I can do it. Gentarou won't need Fire if he uses the other Switches right."

With Kengo giving commands, the remaining Switches were bound to be used right, but Ryusei didn't say that, in case Kengo interpreted it as an attempt at flattery. And anyway, Kengo commanding Gentarou meant that he had gotten better, so in that case Fire would have been repaired already.

"If you're willing to trust me, I can have it back to Gentarou today...." Which meant Kengo would have to forgo checking Ryusei's work, but Ryusei had been at it this long without errors. Well—minor errors. Not the most comforting track record.... "I'll come to you if I encounter any problems."

Putting the lid back on the bottle of water, Kengo glanced back up as Ryusei as he worked with it, looking a bit unsure as to whether he wanted to answer the question or not. His hesitation was enough of a sign of what he'd been thinking about doing, if nothing else. He knew that Gentarou wouldn't need Fire. They hadn't needed it for awhile. The problem was that there was always a chance of an enemy they would need it against and Kengo was well-known for his tendency to be over-prepared for any situation.

"I trust you, but I'd still rather be there..." Kengo trailed off. He knew how it sounded. It sounded like, 'I don't trust you.' To a degree, there might have still been lingering feelings of distrust towards Ryusei, but most of the issue was on Kengo himself. The rest of the club looking down on him for being unable to keep up had always been something that worried him. He hated being weak -- no one needed to tell him he wasn't, because he already knew otherwise.

Putting his bottle of water on the bedside table next to the Switch, Kengo put his hands back down on the side of the bed and pushed himself to stand. "It shouldn't take more than a--"

Even before Kengo could finish his sentence, his body fought back against him for pushing too hard. The familiar sharp pain rang through his head, a soft gasp leaving him as the pain took his breath. As it did every time he tried to push himself, his body gave out, knees failing him as he started to slip to the floor.

"Kengo!" Ryusei grabbed him by the shoulders. He had been irresponsible. He should have gotten someone right away, before this could escalate to this point— "I'm going to call someone. Stay here. Can you stay here until I get back?"

No, no wait. There was no guarantee that nothing would happen while Ryusei was gone. He didn't even know where the staff had gone. Maybe they were on less alert than usual because Kengo came here so often. Irresponsible. Ryusei only had to hope someone was nearby. In the meantime, he had to— "How are you feeling? Can I leave you? Well enough?"

"Ryusei..." It was the second time the other's name had slipped through his lips without Kengo meaning for it to. The censor he usually kept for himself, to insist on keeping people at a distance no matter what, tended to falter when he wasn't thinking straight. As Ryusei caught him, Kengo moved one hand to tightly grip the other's shoulder, his other hand twisting in the fabric of the bottom of Ryusei's uniform jacket. From the pressure he was putting on Ryusei, it was clear that Kengo was attempting to hold himself up, still unable to find his balance.

The constant words of concern made his stomach twist uncomfortably. Kengo knew why Ryusei was worrying so much. It was only natural after everything the other had been through before, which made him feel more guilty about his own condition, despite the fact that there was nothing he could do about it. "I'll be fine." Even when the words left him, Kengo sounded like he didn't believe it either. He couldn't even lift his head to look at the other, though part of that was due to the pounding in his head. Closing his eyes only made him feel worse.

"There's nothing anyone could do to help me, anyway," he muttered. Kengo knew he should have dropped himself back onto the bed, but even that would require effort he was too worried about putting forward. For now, he just did his best to hold himself up with Ryusei's help.

Even if Ryusei wanted to leave right now, he couldn't extricate himself like this. If he let go, to pry Kengo off, Kengo would lose his balance. And he couldn't just leave him here like this—

He had to think clearly. But Kengo's words were worsening his panic. Nothing anyone could do? Obviously there was, if Kengo wasn't like this all the time—

But he was—

No, he wasn't. Think clearly. "Kengo. Kengo, drop onto the bed. I-I have to go get someone—"

Less lightly than he should, he pushed Kengo backwards, a little, just enough, he thought, to make his point clear. Ryusei would have to bolt out after this, make a run—left? right? what direction would the staff have headed?—explain as quickly as possible when he did find someone. But he had to get Kengo to let go. "I'll catch you. Just let go. I'll be back quickly."

As Ryusei pushed, the first signs of panic Kengo had shown came through, immediately tightening his hold and leaning closer to Ryusei as a result. In that moment, he'd been terrified that he would drop completely and manage to hurt himself. While his condition was something he could deal with, they couldn't afford for him to be injured otherwise. It would be one more problem they didn't have time for.

"Sakuta..." The distancing part of Kengo's personality seemed to come back through, at least. He lifted his head just enough to make eye contact. "Calm down." It was spoken as an order. There really was nothing anyone could do to help him and Ryusei panicking would just make the situation more difficult for everyone.

Aside from that, there was still the small part of him that felt guilty for causing this reaction in the first place.

"But—"

I'll be fine, Kengo had said. And for now, that did seem to be true. It was true all the other times that this happened.... Tentatively, Ryusei started to let go, but realized that maybe Kengo couldn't stand yet, and tightened his grip on Kengo's shoulders again. "A-are you sure you don't need...?"

It was the bed that had done it, Ryusei thought in a flash. Someone resting in an infirmary bed, collapsing. Would he have reacted like this if he and Kengo had been standing anywhere else? How embarrassing. Embarrassing, but.... "You have to tell me if you need anything," he said, more calmly, through an exhale. "And... and please be careful."

When Ryusei's grip tightened, there was the faintest hint of a smile on Kengo's face. Embarrassment was something he was feeling as well, over this entire thing. The expression was reminiscent of one he'd had during their time alone in the Hatch a few weeks before. But that personality was drastically different from the way Kengo had been acting since. Ryusei's reveal had essentially made him a completely different person and Kengo had treated him as such. It was almost as if the whole time before the event that changed everything had never happened -- except for the reaction Kengo was having now.

The smile was gone just as quickly as it had come, at least for now. It was nothing more than a slip.

There was a heavy silence while Kengo thought of what to say. At any other point, he would have spoken without thinking, but Ryusei's panic made him pause. He wanted to be careful. Seeing Ryusei like that had caused a horrible, uncomfortable mess of feelings.

"I know you're not used to seeing me like this. Everyone tries to help, but nothing ever works. Medicine, rest... I've spent a long time trying to figure out how to make it better. I can't. All I can do is try to avoid it happening in the first place and wait until it passes. ... sometimes, I don't even have to do anything." He lowered his gaze again, focusing on the collar of Ryusei's uniform instead. "That's why I don't want you to worry so much about something you can't help."

"I-I see." Could Ryusei let go now? He wasn't sure, but Kengo was still holding on, so Ryusei didn't want to repeat the situation from a second ago, when Kengo had clutched him tighter. Standing here was starting to become uncomfortable. It would be different if his arm were slung over or under Kengo's shoulders, but this.... Ryusei could feel Kengo breathing.

"Can you stand now?" Lie back down on the bed, he would add, but Kengo hadn't seemed to want to.

This... this whole thing, the apparent concern for Ryusei's frame of mind, calling Ryusei by name several times now by Ryusei's count.... Ryusei wanted to leave. Get his bearings. Calm his heart rate.

There. That was one of the feelings Kengo hated the most -- when he allowed himself to be vulnerable. Every time it would slip and the realization would sink in, Kengo quickly moved to cover it up and pretend it had never happened in the first place. So instead of allowing it to continue once he noticed Ryusei's reaction, Kengo made a point of thinking how to best avoid the situation.

"For now..." Putting a bit more pressure on Ryusei's shoulder to balance himself, Kengo pushed his body back to sit on the bed again. For a few seconds, Kengo kept his hands on the same spots on Ryusei's body, grasping the fabric with his fingers. Let go. ... right. He had to let go if he was going to lay back down and try to get better somehow, but... he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Kengo repeated the phrase to himself again, a bit stronger, forcing himself to release his hold and bring his hands back. The fabric was wrinkled from how tightly he'd been holding it.

What could he say? There had to be some way to make things less uncomfortable, but nothing came to mind. Instead, Kengo settled for moving himself back on the bed, putting his back against the pillows again and reaching for his water. He never once attempted to make eye contact with Ryusei.

Now that the crisis was seemingly over, Ryusei found himself clasping his hands and looking at the floor. Why had that become so uncomfortable? It almost never was when Gentarou was involved, but Gentarou also didn't try to hang onto Ryusei. Push at a little, maybe, when Ryusei helped him stand. But never clutch at Ryusei even when he was attempting to lie down. For a moment, Ryusei had been almost afraid that Kengo wouldn't let go.

"I-I'll take care of Fire Switch," he said with the ingratiating smile he almost never used now. He almost never used it now because he didn't spend much time with people who weren't Club members. The smile slipped a little, then turned into a wince. What was he doing?

"I'll let you know if I'm unsure about anything," he said, more naturally, raising his head. "Promise."

Ryusei's momentary regression to his past self didn't go unnoticed, but Kengo saw no reason to comment on it. He took a long sip of his water, then another one, almost as though he was trying to distract himself with anything but talking. Once he put the lid back on and set it aside, Kengo took the chance to pick the Fire Switch up from the table. As he had before, his touch was much lighter when handling it.

It would have been better for him to go, he was sure, but he did still trust Ryusei. That didn't stop the thoughts from bothering him about how he wasn't living up to his responsibilities and that he was asking the other for too much. One of the insecurities Kengo had told the other about during their last time together had been that -- though Kengo hoped Ryusei would have forgotten all of that by now. Kengo certainly tried to push it out of his memory. After all... nothing from that time applied to now. It wasn't the same person, or the same actions, or the same feelings. There were a few shadows that slipped through, but...

Kengo held the Switch out to Ryusei with both hands. "Call me if you need anything." He almost added that he would be to the Hatch as soon as he could, but Kengo wasn't sure if he would be good for anything for the rest of the day at this rate.

Ryusei hesitated a moment overlong as he stared at the Switch. To take it, he'd have to touch Kengo's hands, and in any other situation it wouldn't have warranted any awkwardness or any kind of feelings at all, but Ryusei was nervous for a reason he couldn't quite place. No, he knew why, but why now, at this moment, was the real question. Helping someone back to bed when they were ill didn't mean anything.

He was being silly. Taking a breath he hoped was suitably surreptitious, he casually reached for the Switch, forcing his face not to change as their hands touched.

"I'll keep you updated, if you're worried," he said, inclining his head toward the Kaban once he'd stuffed the Switch and his hands in his pockets. Or he could call Kengo, with his phone, but that wasn't free. Technically, Kengo's time wasn't free, either, and in the event that Ryusei did make a serious error, he had no doubt that Kengo would jump out of bed and possibly yell a lot while stalking angrily to Rabbit Hatch. Maybe Ryusei should get Gentarou in here to placate Kengo. Not that Ryusei intended on making a serious error, but he'd already erred once when he'd failed to get a nurse or someone to come in here.

Kengo had said that there had been nothing anyone could do. Ryusei looked down to hide his frustrated sigh. "I'll get you some more water," he added when he looked up again. "Would that help?"

Kengo hadn't been so lucky about keeping a straight face. There was a slight flinch that crossed his face when Ryusei touched him again, the same internal voice that had spoken earlier scolded him for his thoughts of grabbing at the other. As soon as Ryusei took the Switch, Kengo dropped his hand back to his lap. Distracting himself with the sheets on the bed seemed like the next best thing to do, especially if he was going to attempt to sleep, so Kengo busied himself with tugging at them while he spoke.

Was he worried? Of course he was worried. "You don't need to update me unless there's something you need, but I don't want you to be afraid to ask. I'll stay here for awhile." While Kengo knew more details about what he was going to be doing, he felt it was best not to say for fear of looking too weak. He was careful with moving the sheets, wondering if the slightest movement would cause him to have another pain. It seemed better now, but sometimes he couldn't predict them at all.

Kengo perked his head back up at the offer, thinking it over for a moment. Refusing any sort of help was usually his style, but... Ryusei was genuinely worried, even if it was because of some sort of projection from lingering issues in his past. "It might help..." He was contradicting what he'd said earlier, but if it would help Ryusei to feel as though he was making some sort of difference, then...

Ryusei remained there a moment without speaking. It wasn't like he hadn't been very careful not to reveal anything on his face, but Kengo's flinch had bothered him, a little. Must be the lingering discomfort from being so close earlier. Yes, that was it.

Maybe it was a good thing that Kengo had decided that updates were unnecessary. Ryusei couldn't imagine how bad it would get if the two of them had to be in one another's presence for the next long while. Or not. They would just be on each other's screens. It'd be like talking to Burgermeal. But the issue was moot.

He turned to the door. "I'll be right back, then."

It wasn't like anything had changed, Ryusei thought as he came back. This... kind of thing, with the proximity and the touching, had happened before, and nothing had changed. Distracted as he approached Kengo once more, Ryusei noticed too late that Horuwankov was in his path, and in the attempt to avoid stepping on the Foodroid, overbalanced and fell onto the bed.

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