He'd never have expected that there was actually someone who'd make a fuss over a rather ordinary sick leave.
Right on the first day he has to deal with a shower of Haruhi's calls, which range from shocked to appalled. Suddenly they stop - and he realizes it's the time when the so-called "brigade activities" start, and this somehow, absurdly, reassures him that all's right with the world (a phrase rather inappropriate to describe - although indirectly - someone who unconsciously does the utmost to make the world anything but all right).
This short period of peace and quiet is only interrupted in the middle by a single message. It says: I hope everything's alright with you. Koizumi, complete with a few typos which give it the impression of being written furtively under the desk - and he doesn't know whether he should be pleased or annoyed by such a sign of concern. And then, when afterschool activities end, there comes another call, this time slightly calmer in tone, as though Haruhi tried very hard to make herself sound unfazed, albeit ending with a statement which awakes him from his idleness: I'm going to visit you soon. And Kyon, unwisely, doesn't treat her threat as seriously as he should.
Because on the next day he has a visit right after school - which means she dissolved the brigade for today. He can't recall many cases when that occurred, and he'd never consider the possibility of his sickness being an event serious enough to make Haruhi miss the only thing makings her look forward to school. And upon her arrival he's exposed to a professional interrogation, covering most of the possible issues - such as when is he finally going to attend lessons again, why did he get sick so suddenly, how come he hadn't notified her of being ill? She paces his room, waving her arms wildly with each question - most of them probably being rhetorical, as Haruhi doesn't really pay much attention to Kyon's distracted answers, most likely seeing them as nice, but slightly superfluous additions to her improvised speech. She strives to sound disappointed with his absence, yet at the same time most would notice that she's radiating some kind of weird happiness while visiting him.
"Remember that if I get sick, you're obliged to visit me as well! No excuses, be it natural disasters or a funeral!"- these are the words that she leaves with, and the room feels oddly empty for a while without that hyperactive girl's presence. The rain bangs on the windows as regularly as it did before.
It takes only a few more days until the next visit, which is somehow even more unexpected, albeit announced. In the morning comes another message, saying: I'll visit you after school today, signed with the surname of someone who Kyon doesn't particularly wish to see neither today nor tomorrow, or in the nearest future in general. But he doesn't protest. And in the early afternoon, the first thing Itsuki does having entered his room is touching his ill schoolmate's forehead somehow unceremoniously, and then claiming he is sick indeed and probably shouldn't leave home soon with such a fever. The visitor then finds himself a chair - and having placed it next to Kyon's bed, he sits down and proceeds to engage in something that was most likely meant to be a conversation, but thanks to the convalescent's sickness-induced apathy turns up being more like a monologue. And after a while of listening to Itsuki's report of today's school happenings and Haruhi's plans (which seem to be slightly more megalomaniac then usual, as this week there's no one around to make her reason), he finds it increasingly harder to concentrate on his "interlocutor"'s words - and as discreetly as possible, he falls asleep, feeling that it's justified for someone With A Fever Preventing Him From Going Out.
The first thing Kyon notices after drowsily opening his eyes is that it must be quite late already, as the room is only dimly lit. The second - his visitor still being there, gazing at him curiously, and he still has no idea whether this fact should irritate or gratify him. But he doesn't have much time to think the possibilities over, as Itsuki stands up and apologises for the visit having turned out like that, but he really has a few matters to deal with and as much as he would like to, he can't stay any longer. And, unexpectedly, he leans over Kyon, so close his fringe tickles the other boy's ear, and whispers: Get well soon. Yet it's hardly something surprising, knowing how he usually behaves. Therefore, nothing about this visit would be so out of the ordinary, if it weren't for the sentence Itsuki leaves with, one that Kyon wouldn't really expect from him:
"I would appreciate it if you didn't tell Suzumiya about me coming here."
On the next day, there are another three messages: one from Asahina, wishing him good health and a quick return to school, one from Itsuki, apologising for not being able to come neither today nor probably tomorrow, and one from Haruhi, announcing another visit, because, as she writes, a sick leave is not an excuse for a brigade member not to report to his chief regularly!
She indeed comes, this time not as worked up about Kyon's absence as before - he guesses she treats coming over to him as an extension to the Brigade's usual activities. Yet he still can't make up his mind about whether he sees her presence as a disturbance or a rather pleasant escape from the monothony of his sickness. Like a few days ago, Haruhi walks to and fro through his room, this time apparently determined to lecture him on the dreadful consequences of not curing a flu to the end. There's probably nothing that she doesn't pay attention to: she even declares the air in his room too stuffy to breathe well, and thus opens the window against Kyon's faint complaints. It turns out that she even brought some painkillers which are her "personal recommendation" (he convinces himself it would be quite unwise to make use of anything Haruhi recommends). Just like before, she reluctantly lets him squeeze more than one sentence into her rather energetic monologue. Truth be told, said monologue revolves mainly around his sickness, and he is again surprised that it could actually bother someone to that extent.
The visit ends quite suddenly, as out of the blue she realizes there's a physics essay assigned for tomorrow - a slightly odd behaviour for someone who was never particularly concerned with schoolwork. Just a while before slamming the door (which, in turn, is a behaviour completely normal for her), she announces:
"Get well soon, or else!"
Kyon guesses that there aren't many people who phrase their wishes almost like deadly serious threats.
Just after her exit, he lazily gets up from the bed to close the window she opened against his will, although in good intentions - yet while reaching for the handle, he catches a glimpse of what is happening outside.
That is enough to make him stop in his tracks, as on the street he notices someone he expects - namely, Haruhi - in a company he definitely wouldn't expect - namely, Itsuki. Trying to make out what are they both doing there, he leans out of the window, now having a better view of the two. Down on the street his schoolmate looks up apathetically and suddenly smiles broadly at his sight, then waves at him discreetly - just before abruptly turning back to scuttle after the brigade chief, who has already begun walking down the street in the direction of the train station.
Kyon has the weird impression that he understands less from the situation than he would want to. He feels the sudden need to reply to another of Asahina's messages to distract himself from his thoughts.
On the next day, he receives a call in the evening. Itsuki sounds somehow unnecessarily concerned, apologizing another time for his inability to come again. Kyon hastily replies that there's no need for it: he's recovering , so they'll probably see each other soon enough. His schoolmate finishes the conversation, sounding relieved.
Haruhi phones again as well, yet he quite quickly hangs up, having reassured her as well that he's indeed getting better, and his return to school in a few days is more than likely. Her happiness at the news is hard not to notice.
His return to school proves to be rather uneventful. Obviously, with all the lessons he missed, it wasn't something particularly worth looking forward to - as after his absence the current subjects make even less sense than they used to. Everything seems to be ordinary, as he again has to deal both with the teachers' requests and Haruhi's bothersome remarks, coming with a frightening regularity from the desk behind him.
Basically the only thing that on that day which might merit the description of "slightly unexpected" is the fact that while taking a peek through the open door to the courtyard, he notices a rather familiar figure leaning against the school's wall.
"Koizumi? What are you doing here?"
"Just enjoying the fresh air, really." Kyon fails to understand how anyone can enjoy a temperature nearing ten grades complete with freezing wind without a jacket, but then reminds himself: well, it's Koizumi we're talking about, after all. And than realizes this question makes him feel obliged to start something resembling a conversation.
"You want to get sick or something?" he asks distractedly, noticing that his schoolmate has unbuttoned his blazer, something definitely uncommon for him. A shrug is the only response he receives. He can't stop the absurd thought that Itsuki probably wants to make him return the favour - namely, the visit - quite badly. And he can't deny being surprised at not getting a more definite answer from someone he'd always describe as too talkative. But well, it's not like he's displeased at this sudden - albeit most likely temporary - change.
"Why did you insist on visiting me so much?"
"Isn't it normal? I've... grown attached to your company, that's all." Itsuki replies with a smile, straightening up a little as though to emphasize what he's just said.
Kyon turns his head, he's just about to talk- but suddenly realizes he has no idea how to react to such a statement.
Feeling that the end of the break will come soon, he glances at his watch and excuses himself quickly, trying not to dwell on the thought that maybe "growing attached to one's company" is a fancy euphemism for something he would prefer not to name.
Author's notes: This one was actually a birthday present and coincidentally, it's also one of the fics I'm the most proud of. Maybe because it doesn't feel as rushed as the rest. It's my second one, though, so obviously I might be a little too confident in my abilities... :P
Thanks to Min (Aurum on for being my beta.