Author's Note: Got distracted by shinny things, here's an update.

Summary: Taki might be an idiot, but he is not unobservant….

A New Understanding

By: Bar-Ohki

Taki Natsuhiko was the dumbest person on the Devil Bats, without question. The only thing Taki understood was football. One of the few things people never appreciated about Taki was that he was not an unobservant person.

Taki was observing Hiruma today; it was hard not to, the quarterback was always shooting firearms and shouting profanities at his teammates. Hiruma hadn't been throwing as hard as usual or as quickly. Hiruma did not have bags under his eyes, but his voice definitely was not as strong as usual. Taki blinked and thought about it, perhaps Hiruma was a little depressed or maybe a little sick. Either way the quarterback was certainly not himself.

Taki stopped thinking about Hiruma after practice was over and instead turned his attentions back on the school work ahead of him. Hiruma returned to the idiot's thoughts during lunch, was the quarterback really okay?

Taki decided to stop by the clubhouse and check. Opening the clubhouse door revealed Hiruma sitting at the table with his head resting on his arms. Hiruma's face was flushed and his breathing was strained. Hiruma's eyes were barely open and definitely unfocused.

"Do you need to go home?" Taki couldn't help but ask the clearly ill quarterback.

"Fucking goatee!" Hiruma hissed and tried to sit up, failing when his body gave out on him. There was a tense silence while Hiruma remained laying on the tabletop.

"You shouldn't be at practice if you're sick," Taki told Hiruma, "you might get the others sick, or make yourself a lot worse."

"I don't have anywhere to fucking go!" Hiruma spat acidly, his mind fogged by fever.

"Why don't you stay with Kurita-san or Musashi-san?" Taki suggested. "They're your friends, I don't think they would mind putting you up while you recover."

"You don't know anything! Go away!" Hiruma screamed, managing to stand unsteadily on his legs. Taki said nothing and left, deciding to seek out Kurita.

It did not take the tight end very long to find the lineman.

"Taki-kun!" Kurita was mildly surprised when Taki approached him.

"You should go to the clubhouse right now." Taki told the lineman cryptically. Kurita blinked once, then left to go to the clubhouse.

Hiruma was not present at after school practice, Kurita explained that their captain was at some official tournament-related meeting that Hiruma attended because Deimon lacked an official coach.

Taki never commented on what he noticed, but he did find a new pair of spikes in his locker the next morning when Hiruma returned.

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Yay for Taki, the guy who knows that people need help sometimes! Leave a review!