Chiaki was sitting in her bed, her face flushed, her hair somewhat messy and her eyes a bit hazy.
She had come down with a fever.
A medical mask covered her mouth to prevent any germs from spreading. Izuru suggested that she stay at home in order to get better. Chiaki was against the idea, but Izuru easily won the argument saying that her classmates would want her to be in perfect health. She could barely move without feeling dizzy.
"Don't you have to go to work soon?" Chiaki asked, wondering why Izuru was still at home.
"I called in." "It's best if I stay here with you," Izuru said.
Although Chiaki was happy to have his company, she felt bad that he would be taking care of her.
"Won't it be troublesome?"
Izuru looked to Chiaki, seeing her gaze fall towards her blankets. He went over towards her and sat on the edge of her bed near her side. He gently rested his hand on top of hers, causing Chiaki's attention to turn towards him. His red eyes stared deeply into her rosy pink ones, almost as if they were trying to convey something.
"If I were troubled, I wouldn't be concerned about your well-being."
Izuru's tone was stoic as usual. There was no hint of emotion in his voice. It probably seemed like he didn't care, but Chiaki could see it clearly. She could tell by the way he was looking at her. The way that he was holding her hand as if he was afraid that she might slip away that he deeply cared about her more than anything else.
"You've always been by my side, so let me be by yours."
Chiaki was rendered speechless by Izuru's words. It wasn't often that he expressed how deeply he cared about her. He would show her affections at times, but when he truly felt it was necessary, he would express his feelings in a way that would cause her heart to flutter in her chest.
Izuru got up from Chiaki's bed, making his way to the door.
"Just leave everything to me." "You do not need to focus on anything else besides getting well."
With that said, he headed towards the kitchen to make something for Chiaki to eat.
A smile that couldn't be seen from the medical mask came to Chiaki's face. She still felt bad that Izuru would essentially be catering to her every need, but it made her happy to know how much he cared about her.
Throughout the day, Izuru catered to Chiaki. He gave her the medicine she needed; changed out the towel that was on her forehead; helped walk her to the bathroom; prepared food for her to eat; changed out her bed sheets and helped clean the sweat from her body. Chiaki at times felt like she was being a bother to Izuru and would try to get things on her own even though Izuru was strongly against her doing so. However, he knew Chiaki was a fighter and would let her do some things on her own while keeping a close eye on her.
Besides helping her with basic things, what Chiaki mostly wanted was for Izuru to stay at her side. Izuru didn't mind the simple request, but he didn't think there was anything interesting about him keeping her company. When Chiaki would sleep, she asked if he would hold her hand. She commented on how warm his hand was, which at first made Izuru think that she was cold, but later remembered that warm things were something that Chiaki enjoyed.
When evening approached, Chiaki's fever had gone down slightly. Her face wasn't as flushed and she seemed a bit more energetic. Her fellow classmates stopped by to check on her, bringing her the assignments she missed as well as flowers and some snacks. Izuru suggested that Chiaki should stay home tomorrow as well in order to play it safe. He would take off from work tomorrow in order to be with her.
"How are you feeling?" Izuru asked, handing her a glass of water.
"Better," Chiaki said, taking the glass. "Though I wished you let me go to class tomorrow…"
"You have not fully recovered yet," Izuru said, almost in a stern tone. "It's best not to take any risks."
Chiaki pouted but didn't push the matter any further. "I suppose you're right." She looked down at the glass of water, seeing herself reflected in the clear liquid. "Thanks for keeping me company…" "I know it was a lot of work."
Izuru shifted his gaze. "It's natural to want to take care of the person that is dearest to you."
Chiaki immediately looked up from her glass of water towards Izuru, a surprised look on her face. "Huh?"
"Try not to stay up too late," Izuru said, taking his leave.
Chiaki watched as Izuru left her room, wondering if she had heard correctly about her being dear to him. She couldn't help but smile. Whether or not she had heard correctly, she knew that he cared about her just as much as she cared about him. With that thought, Chiaki sat her glass of water down on a nearby shelf and went to sleep. As she was sleeping, she at times felt as if she was holding something warm, like a person's hand. When she asked Izuru about it the next morning, he told her that she was probably dreaming, but in reality, Izuru had stayed at her side all night, holding her hand as he watched over her.
