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Nagisa and Rei had been friends forever, it sometimes felt like. Rei would remind him no, Nagisa-kun, it’s only been three years, but Nagisa would still insist that it felt like forever.
In all that time, Rei had been right about everything. Nagisa kept track. It didn’t help that Nagisa mostly thought with his heart (and stomach), whereas Rei was almost like a walking version of a certain encyclopedia website that had seemingly infinite resources on any subject imaginable. In their entire friendship (of three or nineteen years, depending on who you asked), Nagisa had won one (1) whole argument (about the sugar content of soda, which Rei waved off as unimportant). Not that Nagisa really minded. Not that they even disagreed much. It just would have been nice.
Which was why, when Rei came to Nagisa’s apartment for a study session obviously not feeling well, Nagisa had to savor it.
“Rei-chan! Is it possible you’re sick?” Nagisa gasped in mock surprise.
“I suppose it is possible, Nagisa-kun,” Rei replied. He was sweating a bit, even though it was a cool autumn day.
“But, I thought that with your vitamin regiment, your immune system was perfect!” Nagisa said, still feigning shock.
“My immune system is still perfect,” Rei snapped. “Getting sick will only strengthen it.” Nagisa expected the tone of Rei’s response, but was a bit surprised when Rei didn’t even bother to correct his use of “regiment.” Passing up an excuse to correct Nagisa could only mean that Rei really was sick.
“Rei-chan, if you’re not feeling well, you should go home,” Nagisa said, taking pity on him. “‘You cannot successfully learn when you are not in prime physical condition,’ isn’t that what you’re always telling me when I pull an all-nighter?”
“Yes…well…everything has exceptions. My grade on the history test next week will be higher if I start studying now, even if we don’t cover as much material today,” Rei reasoned. Nagisa opened his mouth to suggest something else. “And I’m not going to study lying down in your bed, so don’t even ask.”
Nagisa closed his mouth. Rei wiped his forehead and reached into his bag for his notes.
———
It definitely wasn’t the least productive study session they’d ever had, overall. The first hour went pretty well.
Then Rei abruptly stood up from the couch they were both sitting on, covered his mouth with his hand, and dashed for the bathroom. When he returned, he was looking paler and sweatier than before, but returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.
Hour two was punctuated by Rei constantly fanning himself with his notes and jiggling his foot nervously, but he would still chastise Nagisa every time he reached for his phone or suggested stopping for a snack break. Nagisa, at least, felt productive.
It wasn’t until the third hour that things fell apart. Nagisa had finished looking over the notes for history, so he decided to pull out a book for his literature class even though it made his “head feel like it was full of illiterate bees,” whatever that meant.
A few minutes in and the angry buzzing in his head had already begun. Nagisa started to complain, but as soon as he saw Rei he shut his mouth wordlessly for the second time that day (a rarity). Despite his earlier teasing, Nagisa was now concerned about Rei. Instead of even acting like he was reading, Rei’s eyes were clenched shut and his hands were balled into fists in his lap. He was losing color in his face and breathing heavily through his nose.
“Rei-chan? Is everything okay?” Nagisa asked cautiously.
Rei breathed deeply several times before answering. “My stomach…hurts,” he admitted. For Rei to actually admit that something was wrong must have meant something was wrong.
“That might have something to do with you throwing up…” Nagisa suggested.
Rei grimaced. “Please don’t talk about that…wait, how did you know?” Rei asked, opening one eye and looking at Nagisa.
Nagisa snorted. “It wasn’t very subtle, Rei-chan,” he laughed. Before he could say anything else, Rei whimpered and clutched his stomach.
“Rei-chan?” Nagisa jumped out of his seat. Rei was now holding one arm all the way across his stomach while the other was grabbing his hair. “Rei-chan, what do I do?!”
———
The paramedics agreed that Nagisa had done the right thing. Even though Nagisa felt like it had taken him hours to decide to reach for his phone and call an ambulance, his reaction had been quick enough to get the paramedics to Rei before he had thrown up again (which he was kind enough to not do on Nagisa’s history notes).
Nagisa was allowed to ride to the hospital in the ambulance, which probably would have been thrilling if he hadn’t been scared (and also a little grossed out; he planned on bringing up the vomiting at a later date). At the hospital, Rei was admitted almost immediately, but Nagisa was asked to wait in the lobby. A gray-haired nurse had been kind enough to inform him that someone as young as Rei with no history of major illness had a very low chance of having something fatal.
So Nagisa waited.
After what again felt like hours, a different nurse found Nagisa speedreading through his third homemaking magazine and informed him that Rei would be admitted to emergency room for surgery to remove his appendix.
Now Nagisa was the one who felt like throwing up.
———
After the initial shock died down, Nagisa realized that since none of his other friends had been there, it was his responsibility to tell everyone what was going on! So, thankful that he’d remembered his phone, he composed a message for his friends:
Me: Everyone!!!! Rei-chan is in the hospital! He’s having his appendix removed!! :O
And then another one for Rei’s parents:
Me: Good afternoon! Rei-chan and I were studying today and Rei was feeling sick. We came to the hospital and he has to have his appendix removed.
And one more, for his own parents:
Me: I was studying for a test next week with Rei-chan and he collapsed! I had to rush him to the hospital!
The replies started rolling in shortly afterward.
Mako-chan: Oh no! Please wish him well from myself and Haru!
Ai-chan: Tell Ryugaazaki-kun that I hope he feels better!
Gou-chan: Wow! Poor Rei, please take care of him!
Mama Ryugaazaki: Thank you for letting us know. The hospital also called but I am glad to know he is not alone. Please have him call us when he wakes.
Mama: Wow!! Call me later so you can tell me all about it! Also, get well soon Rei~
Momo-chan: WHAT!!
Sou-chan: New phone who’s this
Papa: Give Rei my best, as long as he didn’t get blood on your textbooks!!
Nanako-nee-chan: Good idea, blame the appendix so you won’t get framed for murder
Rinrin: good lord did you try to poison him? What did he ever do to you?
However, after the initial barrage of messages, the fun started to wear off. Nagisa decided he’d have a few choice words later for Rin-chan and his sister, but he was starting to feel bored. Maybe he’d read about a recipe he missed before in the homemaking magazines.
———
After what really was hours this time, a nurse found Nagisa in the lobby poring over a brochure about menopause.
“Hazuki-san, Ryugaazaki-san is now awake. He’d like to see you,” the nurse said kindly. Nagisa dropped his pamphlet like it had burned him and ran off towards Rei’s room…only to turn around a few seconds later, after realizing he didn’t know the room number. “316,” the nurse smiled again.
Nagisa chose to take the stairs instead of the elevator, and only regretted it a little. When he arrived at room 316, he took a second to catch his breath before poking his head in. To his surprise, Rei was already looking at the door.
“I heard you panting,” he supplied.
Suddenly, the wave of adrenaline from running up the stairs wore off and Nagisa was suddenly nervous. In the busy lobby, it had just felt like he was waiting for a doctor’s appointment. In Rei’s room, however, the atmosphere was quiet and still and it suddenly dawned on Nagisa that Rei-chan could have died somehow.
Rei seemed to sense his hesitation. “It’s fine, Nagisa-kun. I feel much better now,” Rei said. True, he was still pale and his voice was hoarse, but he looked a lot better than earlier. Had really only been a few hours since Nagisa was teasing him about his immune system?
Nagisa slowly crossed the room and reached for Rei’s hand. Rei didn’t protest at all, which meant that he probably still felt sick. But he did squeeze back when Nagisa held his hand tightly.
“I was right,” Nagisa mumbled. He tried not to look at Rei’s pale skin or the IV in his arm, so he ended up talking to the crown of Rei’s head.
“Nagisa-kun?” Rei asked, confused.
“I said that I was right. You shouldn’t have been studying if you felt sick,” Nagisa said quietly.
“Well, actually, Nagisa-kun, if I hadn’t been studying with you, I would have been studying alone. And I would have been in trouble if you hadn’t been there to bring me to the hospital,” Rei corrected. Something about Rei correcting him hurt Nagisa, the stress of the last few hours caused him to pop like a soap bubble.
“Of course, Rei-chan. You’re right, just like you’re right about everything,” Nagisa said sarcastically. He stopped squeezing Rei’s hand, but Rei didn’t let go. There was a pause, and Nagisa was about to apologize for pouting, when Rei spoke again.
“After further reflection, I agree that I should not have been studying in my condition. You are correct, and you were correct earlier today when you suggested that same thing,” Rei was now smiling up at Nagisa. He tightened his grip on Nagisa’s hand. “Of course, I suppose that the best thing to do would have been to go to a doctor as soon as I started feeling sick.”
Nagisa could hardly believe it. Rei should be on pain medication more often, he decided. “I guess you’re right about that part, Rei-chan,” he sighed dramatically. “So I guess that makes us both right.” Rei nodded at the compromise.
“Thank you for bringing me here, Nagisa-kun,” Rei said. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”