Morning came late for Suki.
Actually, it came, left, and came again, and he still hadn't lifted his head from the pillow.
He was sweating, shivering, and somehow cold under three blankets. His throat felt raw, his limbs heavy, his head pounding like a drum pressed against bone.
He heard Rika open the door softly.
"Suki… you're still in bed?"No answer.
She stepped inside, saw his flushed face, and gasped. "Oh my god, you're burning up."
Hana rushed in behind her. "Suki?"
Suki didn't even lift his eyelids. "I'm fine…"
He wasn't.
Not even close.
Hana placed a hand on his forehead and immediately swore under her breath. "You're boiling! Why didn't you tell us?"
"It's nothing," he croaked. "Just… tired."
Rika grabbed a thermometer. Hana lifted Suki's head gently and slid it under his tongue.
The numbers flashed red.
39.7°C.
"Suki!" Hana snapped. "This is NOT 'just tired.' Get up. We're going to the hospital."
"No…" Suki whispered. "I don't… want to go anywhere."
Hana stared at him—at the dark circles, the trembling, the dried tear marks still faint on his cheeks—and her expression softened into something aching.
"Sunshine… this isn't a request."
She pulled the blankets back despite his weak protest, and when Suki tried to sit up, his vision swam.
He collapsed into her arms.
Both sisters exchanged a terrified look.
"Suki," Rika whispered, "Can you walk?"
He didn't answer.
That was enough.
Hana scooped him up against her shoulder, her voice breaking. "Rika, get his bag and jacket. Hurry."
Suki clung weakly to her shirt as they made their way out the door.
His voice was small.Barely there.
"…sorry."
Hana's grip tightened.
"Don't apologize. Not for being sick. Not ever."
And she carried him out into the cold morning air.
Meanwhile — At School
Ryuzí sat in class, staring at the empty seat next to Haruto like it was an accusation carved into time.
He hadn't been able to focus.
Every tick of the clock made his chest grow tighter.
Every vibration of his phone made hope spike—and collapse again when it wasn't Suki.
He read Suki's cold message from last night again.
I'll answer later. I'm resting.
He knew he deserved it.He knew he caused it.Knowing didn't help.
The teacher droned on in the background. Haruto whispered to Aoi:
"He looks awful."
Aoi whispered back, "He knows he messed up. You can see it all over him."
Miyako watched silently, attention flicking between Ryuzí's blank stare and the tension in his shoulders.
At break, Ryuzí stepped outside and texted Suki again.
Ryuzi: drink water
No reply.
Ryuzi: r u awake
No reply.
His jaw tightened. He typed again—
Ryuzi: please answer
He almost deleted it.Didn't.Sent it.
Still nothing.
He pressed a hand to his forehead, forcing himself to breathe.
He wanted to see him.Wanted to fix it.Wanted to say the truth and undo the distance he'd built.
But Suki wasn't here.
And Ryuzí had no right to demand anything.
He was about to put his phone away when it buzzed.
He snatched it instantly—
A message from an unknown sender.
Hana (Suki's sister): This is Hana. Suki is in the hospital. 39.7 fever. He collapsed. I'm telling you because I think he needs you. Don't let him know I messaged you.
The world snapped sideways.
Ryuzí's breath hitched.
For the first time all day, something cold and sharp stabbed through his chest.
Hospital.Collapsed.Fever.
His hands shook.
He didn't stop to think.
He ran.
Out of the school.Out the gates.Down the street.
He didn't look at anyone who called after him. Didn't stop when Aoi shouted his name. Didn't hear Haruto curse and sprint three steps before Aoi held him back.
Ryuzí ran like someone had ripped the ground out from under him.
In The Hospital
Suki lay on the bed, IV in his arm, blanket tucked around him.
His eyes were half-open, glassy with fever. His breaths shallow.
Hana was pacing near the window. Rika sat in the corner chair, biting her thumb nail. Emi had arrived and immediately sat by Suki's bedside, stroking his hair back gently.
"Suki," Emi whispered, "try to sleep, okay? The medicine will help soon."
He nodded weakly.
But sleep wouldn't come.
Every time he closed his eyes—
He saw Ryuzí's face pulling away.
He heard that soft smack.
He heard his own shaking voice saying:
"Fine. I'll match you."
His stomach twisted painfully.
He felt stupid.Pathetic.Annoying.
The fever fed the worst thoughts.
Maybe I really am too much.
Maybe he really does need space—from me.
He curled his fingers weakly.
"Emi…" he murmured. "Do you think I'm clingy?"
Emi froze. "What? No! Suki—where is this coming from?"
He didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
But the door suddenly flew open.
Hana gasped.Rika dropped her phone.Emi sat up straight.
"Suki—!" Ryuzí practically stumbled inside, hair disheveled from running, chest heaving, eyes frantic.
Suki blinked slowly.Confused.Feverish.
"…Ryuzi…?"
Ryuzí froze at the foot of the bed, gripping the railing like it was the only thing keeping him upright.
"Suki," he breathed. "You're… you're here. You're—"
He stopped.Words failed.
Everyone else quietly moved away.
Hana stepped close and whispered, "He needs you. Don't mess this up."
Then she dragged Emi and Rika outside to "get tea," leaving them alone.
Suki shifted weakly, avoiding Ryuzí's eyes.
"You shouldn't skip school for me…"
"I didn't skip school," Ryuzí said quietly. "I ran out of it."
Suki looked away. "You didn't have to."
"I did."
Suki swallowed, throat burning. "Why?"
Ryuzí's voice cracked. "Because I was scared."
Suki stiffened.
"…Scared of what?"
"Of losing you," Ryuzí whispered.
Silence.Thick.Heavy.
Suki turned his head slightly, exhaustion pressing on every muscle.
"You didn't look scared yesterday," he said flatly. "You looked tired. Of me."
Ryuzí flinched like he'd been struck.
"Suki, no—"
"You pushed me away," Suki croaked. "Literally."
Ryuzí swallowed hard. "I know. I'm sorry."
Suki shook his head weakly. "Sorry doesn't fix distance, Ryuzí."
That one landed deep.
Ryuzí stepped closer, voice trembling. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"But you did."
Suki's voice trembled with fever and emotion.
"And the worst part? You didn't even tell me why."
Ryuzí squeezed the rail until his knuckles turned white. "I… I couldn't."
"I know," Suki whispered bitterly. "You need space. You always need space."
Ryuzí's breath caught. "That's not—"
"Well," Suki interrupted, "maybe I should give you all the space you want. Maybe I should leave you alone completely."
Ryuzí went absolutely still.
Suki continued, eyes glassy with fever and hurt:
"Maybe I should switch schools."
The words weren't true.Not even close.
But they hit Ryuzí like a car crash.
His face drained of color. His breath shook.
"…Switch… schools?"
Suki looked away. "If my presence makes you pull away… then maybe I shouldn't be there."
"Suki—no." Ryuzí's voice broke sharply. "Don't. Don't say that. Don't even think—"
"Why not?" Suki whispered. "You said you're scared of ruining things. Maybe we're both ruining each other."
Ryuzí felt the air leave his lungs.
He took a step forward—then froze halfway, uncertain if he was allowed to come closer.
"Suki," he whispered, voice raw, "I would break before I let you go."
"Then why keep pushing me away?"
Ryuzí's lips parted—no excuse came out.
Suki's eyes shined with tears. "Why make me feel like I'm too much? Why act like I'm suffocating you when all I do is care about you?"
Ryuzí's throat made a small, helpless sound.
Suki's voice dropped to a whisper. "Why do I feel like you're already halfway out the door?"
That shattered something in Ryuzí.
He grabbed the side of the bed, shoulders trembling.
"I'm not," he breathed. "I'm not. I'm right here. Suki—look at me."
Suki turned his face away.
Ryuzí felt the rejection like a knife twisting inside him.
"Suki," he whispered, voice cracking on the second syllable, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel alone. I didn't mean—any of it. I'm just—"
Suki waited.
Ryuzí forced the words out like they scraped his throat raw.
"…broken."
Suki froze.
Ryuzí continued, eyes glassy, breath uneven.
"I pull away because I'm scared. I'm scared I'll ruin you. Scared I'll be too much. Scared you'll see everything wrong with me and leave."
He shook his head slowly.
"But I never wanted to lose you like this."
Suki didn't answer.
Not right away.
His fevered eyes softened—but only slightly.
"You hurt me," he whispered.
Ryuzí's breath broke. "I know."
"You really hurt me."
"I know," Ryuzí whispered, voice trembling. "And now I feel it too."
There it was.
Finally.
Suki closed his eyes, tears sliding down his temple onto the pillow.
His voice was small.Fragile.
"…Then don't do it again."
Ryuzí swallowed hard.
"I'll try," he whispered.
"Trying isn't enough," Suki croaked.
Ryuzí stepped closer, finally brave enough to place a trembling hand on the blanket near Suki's.
"Then I'll do better."
Suki didn't take his hand.But he didn't pull away either.
For now… that was all they could manage.