Komaeda fell into yet another whooping coughing fit. This had to be the third or fourth one. Hinata grimaced, and despite the former's objections, he caved and leapt from the tree fort, scampering off inside his home for cough medicine.
Hinata paused for a second before locating his parents for the medicine. They were fourteen now, and yet… he didn't think even once Komaeda has been inside his house. It was awfully strange now that he thought about it. However, the idea of inviting his friend into his home seemed odd. The tree fort was their territory, after all.
He thanked his parents and rushed back outside where the white-haired boy was still coughing, and although he denied it, it was indisputably a painful cough. Hinata could tell just by the sound of the it.
This was no small sickness, Hinata knew at this point. The cough medicine wouldn't likely help sadly. At first they'd thought Komaeda had just fallen ill, but he had been like this for the course of a month now. No one gets sick that long.
"Not to worry-" hacking, and further coughing, "-Hinata-kun… I did as you told me to do."
"You went to see the doctor after all? I've been nagging you on to do that for weeks, Komaeda… thank god, finally…"
Komaeda chuckled in a break between his wheezing. "You're likely right… I should have done it sooner…" As the days went on, the coughing got continually worse. Hinata wished desperately that there was something he could do…
"So, what did the doctor say?" Hinata pondered. Komaeda could see the deep concern in his eyes, and admired it. He didn't deserve such care from Hinata-kun, but it still meant more to him than Hinata-kun would ever know.
"I… haven't gotten the results back. It shouldn't be long…" Hinata frowned with empathy. Even his best friend's normal voice has gotten strenuously raspy.
Komaeda noted the worry in Hinata's expression, and shuffled closer. Hinata gasped softly, realizing the white-haired boy had hugged him. "I'm going to be okay, Hinata-kun. Don't waste your worry on me, okay? I'm not that important."
Hinata looked down at the other boy, who was smiling and hugging him. He paused for a second, and moved his arms up around Komaeda, returning the hug. This startled Komaeda.
"You're important to me, Komaeda."
Komaeda stopped for an instant, absorbing the words. Then, he tightened his hug on Hinata, as if his life depended on it.
Hinata smiled warmly, and matched the hug tightness. "And don't you forget it."