Fever + Dream
Chapter Three
It was the end of his second drink--yeah, so what. He said one; he'd had two. He'd underestimated how thirsty he was. Besides, he didn't know if it was whatever the hell he'd come down with or what but the only time he didn't feel two centimeters away from death was when he was drinking something cold. This way he didn't have to waste any of his money to the stupid vending machine; normally he was pretty good scamming free stuff out of them, but he wasn't at the top of his game when he was all feverish and shit. If Kawamura wanted to keep the water coming Akutsu'd be a fool to turn it away, was how he thought of it.
Still, two glasses was gonna be his limit. He couldn't have Kawamura thinking he was going to sit around and waste both of their time all evening. Looked like Kawamura was officially on restaurant duty anyway, walking around asking people if they wanted something else to drink and greeting people at the door and shit. Not like they were all that busy but Akutsu sure as hell wasn't going to waste any more time. When he'd drained the second cup he got up to leave, hoping Kawamura'd be busy with something and he could slip out the door unnoticed.
No such luck--the minute Akutsu put his hands on the table to steady himself and pushed himself upward Kawamura was all running over to him.
"You going, Akutsu?"
Well, what the hell did it look like? He wouldn't have dignified that with a response, but when he stood up his vision went all black and starry for some reason. Barely even noticing what he was doing he plunked back down on his ass like some moron.
"Akutsu?"
Akutsu didn't say anything back. He kind of felt like he was going to throw up.
"You okay, Akutsu?"
Jesus, he'd feel better if Kawamura would quit asking him a million questions a minute. Akutsu readied his hands to steady himself so he could stand back up and get out of there fast He might not have cared much what anyone there thought of him but if possible he'd like to leave before he was puking on the table or something.
"Hey," Kawamura was saying over his thoughts. "Seriously, you okay?"
Akutsu spoke so quietly that Kawamura had to lean all close. "I'm okay," he said, when he was sure he could open his mouth. "Felt a little sick to my stomach there, but I'm gonna go now--"
"You think you might throw up?"
What, did he need a diagram? "Nah," Akutsu said. "I'm going. Maybe I drank too much water or something." It occurred to him he hadn't eaten that day either. Not like he hadn't ever gone a day without eating, but that could explain it.
Kawamura was still looking at him like he thought he was gonna explode or something. Akutsu sighed.
"I'm okay, Kawamura. Don't go getting all freaked out."
"Akutsu," he said. "I don't want you walking home if you feel sick. That'd be awful. Maybe you should lie down a little bit"--he repeated "just a little bit" when he saw Akutsu giving him the look of death--"just until you feel better?"
"You want me to freaking lay down right here?"
"Not here," Kawamura said, laughing like it was all some big joke. "No. I'm sure my dad'll let me off so we can go up to my room and maybe you can take a little nap and then go home and I can--"
"No."
"No?"
"I'm going home." It would have been so much easier if he just could have walked out the door, but he was all shaky. Jesus fuck, it was embarrassing. If he caught the son of a bitch that gave him this damn plague or whatever it was he was going to kill him.
"Akutsu," Kawamura said. Serious. Like--stern. Not much like Kawamura at all. "I really think you should lie down for a little bit before you go home."
It wasn't like he'd meant to, but a couple of times by pure chance Akutsu had seen Kawamura play tennis. Aw hell, he'd had to see him after he'd heard some idiots talking about Kawamura-from-Seigaku-that-aggressive- scary-tennis player. He'd laughed. Kawamura didn't have an aggressive bone in his body. But sure enough Kawamura with a racket in his hand was a whole different person, not just a good player since he was pretty good at most physical things kind of like Akutsu himself was so that was no surprise, but--yeah. A world different. Confident. Cocky, even, Kawamura of all people. Laughing and taunting and making his opponent back off like he was some big scary bastard. It was downright fucked up. Sometime he'd have to make the bastard play a few games with him.
Except Akutsu didn't play tennis anymore.
But whatever.
Anyway, the whole point was that looking at Kawamura now, it was the same look in his eyes as he had clutching a racket on the court. Like he was going to give him a hard time if he kept saying no. It wasn't that Akutsu couldn't handle Kawamura of all people giving him a hard time but fuck it--he wasn't going to deal with it.
So he rolled his eyes.
"Okay?" Kawamura pressed. His insistence was gone. He was smiling a little bit. Guy was always smiling. You'd think his face would get tired.
"If I go lay down for ten minutes are you gonna be happy?"
"Yes," Kawamura said. Smile got bigger. Weird-ass guy. He practically bounced over to his dad; Akutsu heard him saying his buddy sitting over there at one of the tables lost his keys and was sick and could he have some time off to bring him to his room and make sure he was all right.
Kawamura's dad said okay but was giving him looks. Fuck him. Akutsu didn't care what he thought.
Kawamura came back over. "He said it's okay."
"I told you I didn't lose my key," Akutsu said, giving him a look.
"Oh," Kawamura whispered. "I know."
"You lied," Akutsu said incredulously.
"Yeah," Kawamura said, turning red, his hand wandering to clutch at his neck. "I did."
Akutsu couldn't help but laugh It was probably the worst thing Kawamura had ever done in his life.
See, that was one of the ten million things that was so different between the two of them that it was a wonder they could stand each other at all. Akutsu knew that lies were essential to living in the world; Kawamura would probably go through two weeks of guilt over the first time he'd told his parents anything other than the 100% objective facts of the situation.
But whatever. Kawamura kind of shrugged, and it really was fucking hilarious if you thought about it, and the two of them went out of the restaurant part of the house, up the stairs to Kawamura's room.
Chapter Three
It was the end of his second drink--yeah, so what. He said one; he'd had two. He'd underestimated how thirsty he was. Besides, he didn't know if it was whatever the hell he'd come down with or what but the only time he didn't feel two centimeters away from death was when he was drinking something cold. This way he didn't have to waste any of his money to the stupid vending machine; normally he was pretty good scamming free stuff out of them, but he wasn't at the top of his game when he was all feverish and shit. If Kawamura wanted to keep the water coming Akutsu'd be a fool to turn it away, was how he thought of it.
Still, two glasses was gonna be his limit. He couldn't have Kawamura thinking he was going to sit around and waste both of their time all evening. Looked like Kawamura was officially on restaurant duty anyway, walking around asking people if they wanted something else to drink and greeting people at the door and shit. Not like they were all that busy but Akutsu sure as hell wasn't going to waste any more time. When he'd drained the second cup he got up to leave, hoping Kawamura'd be busy with something and he could slip out the door unnoticed.
No such luck--the minute Akutsu put his hands on the table to steady himself and pushed himself upward Kawamura was all running over to him.
"You going, Akutsu?"
Well, what the hell did it look like? He wouldn't have dignified that with a response, but when he stood up his vision went all black and starry for some reason. Barely even noticing what he was doing he plunked back down on his ass like some moron.
"Akutsu?"
Akutsu didn't say anything back. He kind of felt like he was going to throw up.
"You okay, Akutsu?"
Jesus, he'd feel better if Kawamura would quit asking him a million questions a minute. Akutsu readied his hands to steady himself so he could stand back up and get out of there fast He might not have cared much what anyone there thought of him but if possible he'd like to leave before he was puking on the table or something.
"Hey," Kawamura was saying over his thoughts. "Seriously, you okay?"
Akutsu spoke so quietly that Kawamura had to lean all close. "I'm okay," he said, when he was sure he could open his mouth. "Felt a little sick to my stomach there, but I'm gonna go now--"
"You think you might throw up?"
What, did he need a diagram? "Nah," Akutsu said. "I'm going. Maybe I drank too much water or something." It occurred to him he hadn't eaten that day either. Not like he hadn't ever gone a day without eating, but that could explain it.
Kawamura was still looking at him like he thought he was gonna explode or something. Akutsu sighed.
"I'm okay, Kawamura. Don't go getting all freaked out."
"Akutsu," he said. "I don't want you walking home if you feel sick. That'd be awful. Maybe you should lie down a little bit"--he repeated "just a little bit" when he saw Akutsu giving him the look of death--"just until you feel better?"
"You want me to freaking lay down right here?"
"Not here," Kawamura said, laughing like it was all some big joke. "No. I'm sure my dad'll let me off so we can go up to my room and maybe you can take a little nap and then go home and I can--"
"No."
"No?"
"I'm going home." It would have been so much easier if he just could have walked out the door, but he was all shaky. Jesus fuck, it was embarrassing. If he caught the son of a bitch that gave him this damn plague or whatever it was he was going to kill him.
"Akutsu," Kawamura said. Serious. Like--stern. Not much like Kawamura at all. "I really think you should lie down for a little bit before you go home."
It wasn't like he'd meant to, but a couple of times by pure chance Akutsu had seen Kawamura play tennis. Aw hell, he'd had to see him after he'd heard some idiots talking about Kawamura-from-Seigaku-that-aggressive- scary-tennis player. He'd laughed. Kawamura didn't have an aggressive bone in his body. But sure enough Kawamura with a racket in his hand was a whole different person, not just a good player since he was pretty good at most physical things kind of like Akutsu himself was so that was no surprise, but--yeah. A world different. Confident. Cocky, even, Kawamura of all people. Laughing and taunting and making his opponent back off like he was some big scary bastard. It was downright fucked up. Sometime he'd have to make the bastard play a few games with him.
Except Akutsu didn't play tennis anymore.
But whatever.
Anyway, the whole point was that looking at Kawamura now, it was the same look in his eyes as he had clutching a racket on the court. Like he was going to give him a hard time if he kept saying no. It wasn't that Akutsu couldn't handle Kawamura of all people giving him a hard time but fuck it--he wasn't going to deal with it.
So he rolled his eyes.
"Okay?" Kawamura pressed. His insistence was gone. He was smiling a little bit. Guy was always smiling. You'd think his face would get tired.
"If I go lay down for ten minutes are you gonna be happy?"
"Yes," Kawamura said. Smile got bigger. Weird-ass guy. He practically bounced over to his dad; Akutsu heard him saying his buddy sitting over there at one of the tables lost his keys and was sick and could he have some time off to bring him to his room and make sure he was all right.
Kawamura's dad said okay but was giving him looks. Fuck him. Akutsu didn't care what he thought.
Kawamura came back over. "He said it's okay."
"I told you I didn't lose my key," Akutsu said, giving him a look.
"Oh," Kawamura whispered. "I know."
"You lied," Akutsu said incredulously.
"Yeah," Kawamura said, turning red, his hand wandering to clutch at his neck. "I did."
Akutsu couldn't help but laugh It was probably the worst thing Kawamura had ever done in his life.
See, that was one of the ten million things that was so different between the two of them that it was a wonder they could stand each other at all. Akutsu knew that lies were essential to living in the world; Kawamura would probably go through two weeks of guilt over the first time he'd told his parents anything other than the 100% objective facts of the situation.
But whatever. Kawamura kind of shrugged, and it really was fucking hilarious if you thought about it, and the two of them went out of the restaurant part of the house, up the stairs to Kawamura's room.