'You don't look very good.'

If Takeru wasn't feeling so lightheaded, he'd have given Koushiro the middle finger.

'Would I have bothered coming here if I wasn't feeling good, Koushiro-senpai-?'

Koushiro rolls his eyes, because of course Takeru visits every now and then, and helps Takeru in. Referring to Koushiro like that had become a habit for Takeru - he never really learnt all that much about computers in all the lessons Koushiro had graciously led him through, though.

Koushiro's apartment is a tip; even if one were to ignore the tech paraphernalia building up in heaps on practically every available surface, they'd be astonished by the level of accumulating rubbish. The air is totally dry, and slightly warm from the overheating of what must be most of Koushiro's appliances.

Takeru has half a mind to 'accidentally' knock some of the papers off the table, just to see what Koushiro would do. Koushiro probably thought of the whole thing as an organised mess, like that made it acceptable.

Sitting the younger down, Koushiro asks, 'So what are your symptoms?'

Takeru likes that Koushiro always gets straight to the point.

'I... my mouth is dry, and I'm thirsty as fuck. I've got a headache, and I've been constipated all week. My feet are killing me…'

Moving to get a glass of water for Takeru, Koushiro quizzes, 'Shouldn't you have called an ambulance?'

'And get everyone on my case if something else is wrong with me? No thank you. I figure you're smart enough to work out what's wrong with me and fix it.'

Takeru knows how stupid he sounds - he knows that there are a shit load of things that are wrong with him. Only, here he doesn't have to justify himself. At least Koushiro can work with that.

'You should have gone to Jou.'

Takeru accepts the proffered glass of water, taking slow sips as Koushiro starts searching the symptoms on the internet. Jou lives too far away, and Koushiro was in walking distance. Takeru wasn't bothered to make the longer trip, particularly when disturbing Jou would probably have bigger consequences.

Takeru tries not to concentrate too hard on anything for a while - he already feels swamped by all the stuff on the tables, in the cabinets, even on two of the seats. He doesn't need more stress.

'What medication are you taking currently?'

Takeru struggles to think. 'Efadermin. Something like that.'

As he continued typing, presumably starting a new search, Koushiro pipes up suggestively, 'We should probably let Hikari know where you are.'

Takeru puts the glass down with an unsteady hand, and sits back with an overworked sigh. Koushiro's probably right. If he's dying, he'd like to see Hikari once at least. Everyone seems to know how in charge Hikari is of his care anyway. Koushiro carries on - like he would have even if Takeru had opposed to informing Hikari.

Takeru knows that Koushiro makes smart decisions. Takeru wishes he was the same. Takeru doesn't have to blame his rocky mental health - he's just an idiot. He's always believed in stupid things and now his life choices were coming back to bite him. Maybe, he considers, he should smoke less…

'Lithium.'

Takeru blinks up at Koushiro, and says drolly, 'You'll have to speak up, I'm dying.'

'Lithium. The chemical element. It's a key ingredient of your medication, and it happens to be toxic in uncoordinated doses. Have you been taking extra pills?'

It hurts for Takeru to admit, 'I'm not sure. Don't think so. I have a routine… If it's toxic, does that mean-?'

'You're not going anywhere, Takeru.' Koushiro says sternly as he emergency-calls for an ambulance, 'Not on my watch.'

Takeru grips the armrests harder. So this is what it felt like to die.

The ambulance journey was fun. At least, this time, he wasn't the one panicking. He was too busy minding his symptoms. Instead, Koushiro is engaged in both a heated conversation with the paramedics and a quick-response text battle with Hikari.

One of the green-clad doctors asks Takeru if he's had diarrhoea recently, and he tells them no. He says that his feet hurt - which they did - and that if they didn't slow down right then he might actually puke. If he still wasn't so dizzy, Takeru might have laughed at the way Koushiro itched to edge away from him.

The paramedics say some more stuff to him that he doesn't understand - he isn't really listening - and the next thing he knows he's being unloaded at the hospital. Koushiro walks beside him as he's carried on a stretcher - he hadn't even noticed that he wasn't walking.

The grey walls are numbing, and the white ribbed bed frames remind him of skeletons. It's like the hospital wants to remind him how close to death he was. Or rather, how close to death he is.

Hikari is there when he's set up just outside the poisoning centre, in a neighbouring ward, hooked up to a precautionary intravenous drip. She looks extremely upset, and very pissed.

She's so sexy when she's angry.

She hits Koushiro on the shoulder, and scolds, 'You apathetic asshole, Koushiro-san! You could've told me what was going on instead of leaving me with the minimal details-'

He defends, 'I was trying to explain to the doctors what was happening but I had to turn my phone off because you kept freaking out, and, do you realise how stressful it is to text and talk at the same time-?!'

'You put your phone on silent? Ha ha! Brave man, Koushiro-senpai.'

They both remember Takeru, and frown, like they'd momentarily forgotten why they were even there at all. Hikari looks vengeful, which isn't ever a good sign.

Takeru begins, 'Hey, don't look at me like that. Apparently my prescription was wrong so this time I'm not even the reason why I'm in hospital-'

She shuts him up with a kiss. Her face is pressed against his and her lips feel great and refreshing and alive but at the same time he was in the middle of a sentence and completely unprepared and - she breaks away from him, allowing him to gain back some breath and composure, and then smacks him solidly on the shoulder.

'You stupid man.'

Takeru catches Koushiro's eyes, and the man backs away with hands signalling that he has no idea what's going on with Hikari. If he wasn't bed-bound, Takeru would probably back off too. But then again, he's had worse fights with her. Just not so publicly.

'Stop being a whiny bitch, Hikari. Shit happens.' he says, trying to sound deadpanned.

Koushiro doesn't hear the waver in Takeru's voice, but she must have, for she cools down a bit and her stance relaxes. Hikari still looks sulky, but she takes it on the chin.

He loves her. He really does loves her. He loves that she takes a seat instead of leaving. When Takeru expects her to go away, she comes closer instead. Even though her arms are crossed and her legs are crossed and her eyes are averted, she's all there. All there, just for him.

His arm still aches from the drip, so he doesn't reach out for her hand. He could if he really wanted to, but Takeru thinks he can get away without it for now. It would end up comforting her more than him right now, he figures, and he certainly can't have that.

Koushiro's phone rings, and there attentions are diverted.

He swears under his breath, which is unlike him. He doesn't reply to it straight away, either - that too, is out of character. Something definitely isn't right with Koushiro.

Takeru goes to look at Hikari, and she's already looking back at him because they both noticed the same thing. They have moments like that.

'Koushiro-san, don't you want to take that?' she asks.

He frowns. 'I'm not sure if you'd want me to. Especially you, Takeru, considering who's on the other end.'

And of course he chooses now to be cryptic.

'Koushiro,' Takeru says calmly, 'how does Yamato even know-'

'He doesn't.' Koushiro clarifies, checking the screen of his phone as it stops ringing and flashing. 'I was supposed to meet him, Mimi and Sora for drinks over an hour ago. I… I didn't say where I was because I know you're not on the best of terms right now.'

Takeru wants to thank him, but he didn't ask for any favours. So instead, he stays quiet. Koushiro looks at him harder, wondering if an answer is coming.

'Takeru, what do you want me to say?' He presses, an edge of impatience ghosting in his tone.

'Tell him… just tell him the truth. You can say you helped me to hospital - fuck it. I'd rather not be the one who explains what happened tonight anyway. You'll have an easier job of it anyway, and fuck knows Yamato wouldn't come to me himself.'

'But Takeru-' starts Hikari.

'It's ok, Hikari. I won't make a liar out of Koushiro-senpai.' Takeru says, and his words sound so final neither of them question him further.

Koushiro nods, and Hikari stands as he bids, 'Alright, I'm going to head off. I'd better let the others know sooner rather than later.'

'Just… don't tell them which hospital. I don't want any visitors.'

Koushiro stills, like he's mulling over the request, but he finally nods again and says, 'Sure. Even if Yamato isn't going to leave me alone…'

'Thank you for your help tonight, Koushiro-san.' Hikari says gratefully, 'If you weren't there -'

Koushiro rubs her arm, and says, 'No sweat, right Takeru?'

'Heh. Sure.'

As Koushiro leaves the ward, Takeru can't help but question how sane the man is. He has all these quirks, idiosyncrasies, and sometimes he seems like a walking existential crisis. And yet, without him, everything could have gone to shit. Maybe he doesn't have the right to evaluate Koushiro. He's a good guy. Takeru can definitely think of some worse people.