✱Takes place after episode 6

Ikuya stared at the ceiling, hoping it would bring him any good in the situation he was in. Alone. He was all alone. Away from his friends, away from his brother, he didn't even think that Hiyori was a true friend to him anymore. No one can save him from drowning. He's all alone.

He took all the strength he could muster up to pick up his phone, fingers hovering over the messaging app. No, he thought. Hiyori wouldn't message me after that. Why would I be the first to text him? He's always poking his nose in my business! Ikuya complentated that for a moment. It's only effort to be mad at someone who worried for you. He threw his phone across the bed, instantly regretting the blunt action as it hit the floor with a loud thunk. The damn phone began ringing.

'It's 9:30,' he internally deadpanned. He glanced at the caller address. 'Natsuya.' Ikuya was in no mood to talk to anyone right now, despite the fact that he was sulking about being alone a minute ago. He ignored it.

But the calls soon became restless, all of them from his beloved big brother. After around the fifth decline, he finally answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Ikuya?" His brother's voice reverberated through the speaker, sounding panicked.

"Aniki, it's almost 10, what do you want?" He questioned sounding tired so Natsuya would think he woke Ikuya up.

"'What do you want?' Ikuya, I've been trying to call you a hundred times but your lazy ass doesn't want to pick up the phone! Hiyori got into a car crash, he's at the hospital!"

Ikuya sat near an unconscious Hiyori's bedside, still trying to process everything that was happening. Fortunately, Hiyori's physical condition wasn't so bad. A broken arm, a few cuts here & there, minor internal bleeding, nothing fatal.

At least that's what Ikuya thought.

The doctor came in and explained. A drunk driver hit him, he hurt his head, a lot of stuff that Ikuya couldn't make out due to his fancy way of wording everything. Ikuya did manage to make out a few things though. 'Tumor,' blah, blah, blah, 'Building up,' blah, blah, 'Fatal,' blah, blah, blah, 'Too late,' blah blah blah…

Ikuya almost didn't believe the next words that he sympathetically spoke (without fancy wording), as he just about stopped breathing.

"We won't be able to treat it," he paused. "He's only got two days to live."

Ikuya regrets everything he's done. Everything he said to Hiyori at the playground and ignoring him, being so stuck up to Haru, etcetera, etcetera. Hiyori was informed about his condition, how much he's missed, how much time he has left. Hiyori wasn't sad. He didn't completely break down into tears, like Ikuya did. He wasn't angry for not taking action about it before. He looked up and thanked the nurse. Then he smiled.

Hiyori smiled.

Ikuya was only able to talk to him a few hours later. Still teary-eyed, he mustered up the courage to talk to his fading friend. He came into the room, seeing Hiyori looking out through the hospital window. He turned his head once hearing footsteps.

"Hey," he blankly said.

"H-hi."

The conversation had been fast, but slow. Ikuya wanted to stay next to his best friend's side forever, but he knew he couldn't. Turns out Hiyori's birthday was tomorrow, which was even more disheartening. Ikuya couldn't even celebrate his friend's birthday properly after he's gone; he dies on his birthday.

He decided to get Hiyori's all-time favorite - coffee. Not a pistachio smoothie like he always used to hand him as a last-minute gift, but a decent cup of coffee. Hiyori liked it. Said it was just fine. He smiled, thanking Ikuya.

"My parents often worked, so I never really got to spend time with someone like this on a birthday," he said, looking down.

Ikuya kept his eyes only upon his sad smile. The smile he put on everyday to hide the pain he held back. Every minute. The mask he wore to conceal his will to breakdown. It made sense. Ikuya was responsible. He was the reason Hiyori was in the position he's in. Hiyori didn't deserve any of this. All he wanted was an actual friend. He just wanted someone to spend time with. He just wanted someone that could trust him and not have him feel so lonely. He just wanted to be happy.

That smile pissed him off.

"Why… are you smiling?" Ikuya questioned, face darkening.

"Hm?" The young hospitalized boy wore a contorted face of puzzlement.

"You're smiling. You do know that I can see that it isn't real. Aren't you scared? Aren't you sad? Aren't you angry with me? You've been hurting all this time and I never knew, and you're suffering because of it, because of me! You actually cared for me, yet I never returned any of that back! Why are you smiling? Hiyori, you're going to DIE, why are you smiling?!" He lost his composure, coming to yell at Hiyori.

Hiyori only stared. His bottom lip trembled and his eyes began to water. He stayed silent for a while, failing to keep the tears he held back for so long and being comforted by just only Ikuya's presence. Hiyori actually felt sorry. Sorry for having Ikuya see him in a state like this, but Ikuya seemed to be relieved. Relieved for having Hiyori release his stress in front of him through tears.

They both sat there awkwardly, the silence broken by Hiyori's constant sniffles. Hiyori was the first to talk.

"Honestly… I hate you." he bitterly said, but with a sincere smile upon his swollen face. "You're so stuck up to Nanase, and I know he saved you, but you never came to realize that there were also others that support you with everything they have… like me…" he mumbled the last part, but Ikuya still heard it. "But that also brings me to hate myself. I feel selfish for just focusing on you, mainly for everything I had said to your friends. I shouldn't have treated you like I did, but you should know that we care for you, I care for you. You aren't alone. And if you haven't caught on for the past few years, I'm saying that I love you." His cheeks dusted pink.

The painfully awkward silence became even more painfully awkward, as Ikuya's adorable puzzled face couldn't process what he said. Oh, how Hiyori loved the precious faces he made.

Ikuya mumbled, "You mean.. In a heterosexual way?"

"There's no heterosexual way to take that!" his face turned into a more cheerful sentiment, as for one of the first times Ikuya's seen, his smile seemed real. Although, his smile didn't last long. "Well… it's not like it matters anymore. I don't deserve someone like you. You can be happy now. No worrying about your friends being held back and-"

Ikuya's lips pressed on to Hiyori's, coming into a luscious, sweet kiss. (More) Tears flowed from Ikuya eyes, as he enveloped Hiyori into a hug while speaking between sobs.

"I-I'm so sorry I ignored you… I love you too Hiyori… I-I *sob* don't, don't leave me!"

They kept themselves there, embracing one another and not wanting to let go, not wanting to worry about the time they have left, not letting a single second pass by without being by each other.

Ikuya didn't see Hiyori the next day.