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Kazuichi Souda made a bad decision, that much was clear. Ibuki held a party at her parent's house while they were gone for the weekend, so naturally, Kazuichi decided to go.
From there on, one thing led to another, and then another, and a few more another's. Now he was here, barely conscious, completely wasted on the side of a road.
He had just woken up, unsure of where or why he was laying in a soggy patch of grass. His head was pounding, all of his limbs seemed to have a throbbing ache. As he pulled himself up off of the ground he looked around the area, scanning for a sign of any other human, but there didn't appear to be anything for miles on either side. He attempted to stand up to the best of his ability, but that didn't work out the way he'd planned for it to. Immediately crashing to the ground, he hit his head on a large rock that he was unable to see in the dark of the night.
With an inability to stand or walk, he started digging through his pockets in a desperate search for his phone. While his thoughts were incoherent and fuzzy, he knew he didn't like his current situation, and he knew he had to get out of where he was. Luckily, he found his phone and began searching through his contacts for the person most likely to assist him.
Eventually he landed on his roommate, Gundham. The two of them didn't have the best relationship, there was always a sort of tension that never ended up resolving itself with time. Unable to figure whether or not Gundham was the right choice of help, he decided to just go for it.
Ring~
Gundham was going to be so pissed, wasn't he. Kazuichi could only assume so; it was 3am, he was probably sleeping soundly and softly in a nice warm bed, nothing to worry about at all. Especially not Kazuichi.
Ring~
What was Kazuichi even doing out here in the first place? How on earth could he have gotten so far from the house? His memories seemed to be failing him on the events that had taken place. At least he could be somewhat grateful for his ability to comprehend that he needed help.
Ring~
Nerves set in, Kazuichi contemplated hanging up and pretending that it was an accident, before eventually deciding against it. He didn't want to spend the night on the side of the road. Having lost any and all inhibition likely wouldn't help the situation either.
Ring~
He began to grow impatient, a slight metallic taste of blood and dirt made its way into his mouth, he spit it out, as one would. The sudden reaction added tears into the mix, his senses seemed to flood back to him, causing the reality to set in even more.
"Hello?" A quiet and frustrated voice was heard from the other side of the phone. Kazuichi, being himself, started laughing quite a bit out of happiness.
"Gundham!" He hiccuped, "Hey- hic Dude!" His speech was incredibly slurred to the point of barely being able to comprehend for someone like Gundham, who had just woken up from a restful sleep.
"What horrid tragedy must you have gone through to wake me up at this hour of the night?" Gundham groaned, slightly exaggerating, although not much.
"I- hic was at the party, right?" Tears began dripping down Kazuichi's face as he spoke, not particularly sad tears, just tears in general. "So I dunno- hic something' happened- hic and I dunno where I am anymore…" A slight amount of guilt took over in his voice, he didn't want to be bothering Gundham, but who else could he bother? Most other people he knew would be at that party, and it's not like he could ask his dad without getting yelled at or ignored.
"Are you not at Ibuki's?" Gundham questioned lightly, showing a bit more sympathy in his voice this time.
"Nope- hic I woke up and- hic now 'm on the side of a big road." He started giggling nearly uncontrollably, causing his eyes to water even more. His desperation was audible through the phone, and could likely be heard through any form of voice changer machine that existed. "So… can ya' please- hic come get me?" Kazuichi heard a sigh coming through his phone and lost a bit of faith in the situation, before Gundham spoke again.
"Alright, turn on your location and remain on call with me so I may ensure your safety while I am searching." Kazuichi could hear Gundham standing up and shuffling around in his room before he spoke again. "Got that?"
"Yes! Yes, thank you Gundham!" A large, dumb grin plastered itself across Kazuichi's damaged face. "I really owe ya' one- hic now, don't I!" He fell down further to the ground, covering himself with more mud.
"Of course. Now, do you have any idea of where you may possibly be?" Gundham quickly grabbed his keys and ran out the door and down the stairs to get to his car.
"Nope- hic just a big road with nothin' on it from either side…" His smile turned into more of a frown, thinking it was possibly hopeless and that he might not be found.
"I see…" Gundham sighed as he started the car. "Are you injured at all?"
"Yeah 'm a little bloody… dunno why…" Kazuichi nearly nodded off to sleep again, but he ended up not doing so once his head hit the ground.
"I will stop at the store on the way to gather healing supplies." Gundham's voice began to shake, he was growing more and more worried for his roommate. "How are you holding up?"
"'M okay… 'm tired…" Kazuichi mumbled into the phone, resisting his tired urges to rest himself.
"Alright, I shall be there soon. Do not fall asleep just yet." Kazuichi could hear the noise of the car through the phone, it made him smile a bit. He had always found noises made by cars to be quite calming.
The silence seemed to grow louder and louder, tension building up through the call. Guilt was eating up Kazuichi's drunken mind, meanwhile Gundham was overcome with worry.
"Are you mad at me?" Kazuichi choked out, not particularly wanting an answer, only really hoping to break the silence. He heard a loud sigh come from the other.
"I am not angry at you, but I certainly am angry." Keeping his composure was somewhat difficult, but Gundham didn't want to worry Kazuichi at all because his mind was probably already preoccupied with stress. "I'm frustrated with those who allowed this to happen to you. We may not be on the best terms as of late but I do not wish you any form of harm."
"Aw~ that's so sweet~" Kazuichi giggled a bit until the laughter slowly faded. "You care about me?" He asked in more of a serious tone, seemingly setting aside his drunken mind for a quick second before returning to his usual attitude.
"Obviously, fool." Gundham rolled his eyes as he pulled into the parking lot of the small store. "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't."
"That's nice… when ya' get me- hic can I have a hug?" Kazuichi smiled a bit, his words still blending together. He suddenly felt somewhat of a pain in his stomach, and before he knew what was going on, he was covered in his own vomit.
"Kazuichi, I heard something that sounded quite unpleasant, are you alright?"
"..." Kazuichi paused, starting to tear up again. "I threw up."
"I see, hold on. I need to check out and then I will be right there, I promise."
"Do you hate me?" Kazuichi whined, more tears rolling down his face. "I'm sorry! I didn't wanna!"
"No, Kazuichi, I do not hate you. Please halt your tears before I begin to pity you." Gundham walked out of the store and got in his car again. "I'm departing for Ibuki's now, if things work out on the better side I'll see you on the way. If that is not the case I'll keep driving until you are found.
"Okay…" Kazuichi sniffled, wiping his face off with his hand. "Can I have a hug?"
"You can have a hug once I get you all washed up, is that to your satisfaction?" Gundham chuckled quietly, not quite enough to pick up through the phone. "I would much rather you be healed to completion before worrying about physical affection. However, rest assured you shall still recieve an embrace."
"Thank you- hic Gundham…" Kazuichi smiled a bit, he was happy that at least someone cared for him in this state.
The two of them remained silent for a few minutes, the only sound on either side would be an occasional sniffle from Kazuichi, who was wiping snot from his nose; or the sound of Gundham's car trailing along the empty night roads. There was less of a tension than there usually would be in such a situation, the silence was comforting to Kazuichi, just glad to have someone there for him. However, the peace wasn't permanent. Gundham had made it well past the scene of the party, he'd even tried asking what had happened to a few people, but it was to no avail. Everyone was either too drunk or didn't care enough to answer. Having been driving for a half hour since then, hope was slowly chipping away for them both.
"Kazuichi, are you sure you have not a clue where you are?" Gundham sighed with increasing concern. "It has been thirty minutes since my departure from Ibuki's and there is still no sign of you. I am worried that this endeavor may become fruitless."
"'M scared, I don't wanna die here…" Kazuichi frowned, slightly tearing up.
"You are not going to die here, I would scan the entire earth before allowing that to happen." Gundham shook his head and frowned, he hated how Kazuichi seemed to feel so hopeless.
They once again found themselves sitting in a tense and unbearable silence, with their worries increasing for each minute that passed. That is until Gundham managed to catch a glimpse of slight movement through the side of his eye. He squinted as he grew closer, and sure enough, it was the human-highlighter he'd been searching for all that time. Without saying a word he pulled over and stopped the car. He ran over to Kazuichi, who was smiling with relief, immediately helping him off the ground.
"There you are, I cannot believe it took that long to reach you." He pulled Kazuichi up, lifting him by the armpits for support. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder and began walking him over to the car.
"Aw man! I thought I was dead meat and I'd never see ya' again!" Kazuichi pressed himself against Gundham's side as they walked over, and wrapped his free arm around his torso for 'extra support.'
"I know you did, but no need to fret, I am here now." He opened the car door with one hand and helped Kazuichi to sit down. "There you go, now let's get you home."
"Thank ya' Gundham… means a lot." Kazuichi smiled and looked down. "'M sorry for makin' ya' do this…"
"It is alright, so long as you are safe." Gundham sighed and reached over to place a hand protectively on Kazuichi's leg. "I would not like to know what would have happened had you not called for me."
"Yeah…" Kazuichi nearly dozed off before feeling a tap on his shoulder.
"You cannot slumber yet, I need you to remain awake until I can get you back to the dormitories and care for you." He used his free hand to massage Kazuichi's shoulder gently.
"Ya' know I get carsick…" Kazuichi groaned before nearly falling asleep again, once again being stopped by the tap on his shoulder.
"I have a trash bag in the case that grows to be an issue."
Not much else was said for the rest of the ride home. Both of them were tired as could be, and due to the general dislike of the situation from either side it was much easier to remain silent. Kazuichi occasionally drifted off, only to be awoken by a gentle massage on the neck or shoulder. Luckily Kazuichi's car sickness didn't activate and the ride was mostly peaceful. Once they arrived home, Gundham was the first to get out of the car so that he could go and assist Kazuichi on the other side. They quietly walked in and over to the elevator. Getting Kazuichi up the stairs would likely have been a far too reckless venture.
Even just walking over to the elevator was a challenge. Kazuichi nearly fell over multiple times during the short walk, until Gundham resorted to picking him up bridal-style to avoid further casualties.
"Aww, Gundham~" Kazuichi giggled and wrapped his arms around Gundham's shoulders. "You're gonna carry me~" He giggled loudly and lightly kissed Gundham's cheek. Luckily nobody was out at this time, otherwise this would make quite the interesting scene.
"Your breath is horrendous, please refrain from doing that." He pushed Kazuichi's head down into the crook of his neck to avoid the other seeing his flushed pink face. "And yes, I am. I'd like to avoid you falling over, and if I am carrying you that's less likely to happen on your own accord." As he approached the elevator he shook Kazuichi a bit to grab his attention. "Would you like to press the button?" He shifted, putting Kazuichi in a position where he'd be able to press the button with ease if he so desired.
"Yes, please!" Kazuichi smiled and attempted to hit the button, missing by quite a bit. He tried to hit it again, this time successful, making him smile. Kazuichi had always loved hitting the buttons at elevators, Gundham learned this the hard way when he was nearly tackled to the ground after trying to hit the button himself. Ever since then he'd always let Kazuichi hit the button on the rare occasions they had to go anywhere together partially because he didn't want to end up dead over buttons on an elevator, Partially because he found it adorable the way he got excited about it.
The doors to the elevator opened up and Gundham walked in, careful to not hit Kazuichi's head on the side of the door. Once they were safely in the elevator he allowed Kazuichi to hit the second floor button.
The two of them stood in the elevator, Gundham still carrying Kazuichi; who dug his face further into Gundham's neck to avoid the feeling of the moving elevator. Once they made it all the way up Gundham swiftly moved out of the elevator and over to the room. He pulled the key out of his pocket, moving his leg up to keep Kazuichi off the ground so that he was now standing on one leg. After the door was unlocked he shifted again to hold Kazuichi more properly. He turned the doorknob and kicked the door in so he could move in sideways so as to not bump into anything.
"Alright, we have arrived. I suggest you bathe yourself before sleeping as we are unsure how long you were outside." Gundham set Kazuichi down, still holding onto him but the waist as he closed the door behind them. "If I may add, you are covered in vomit and blood."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Kazuichi freed himself from Gundham's soft grip, but that didn't last for very long until he fell over.
"Please be careful, allow me to assist you." Gundham caught Kazuichi before he hit the ground and sighed. He began slowly guiding him over to their shared bathroom. "Wait here," Gundham sat Kazuichi down on the seat of the toilet. "I shall go fetch you a change of clothes, spare me just a second." He exited the room, leaving Kazuichi to sit alone for a bit until his return.
Eventually growing impatient, Kazuichi stood up and gave an attempt to walk a mere few steps to the door, but unfortunately he failed and toppled to the ground. Gundham quickly shuffled into the bathroom holding the clothes, he looked down to see Kazuichi fallen at his feet.
"Kazuichi…" He sighed and extended an arm to help him up. "Alright, I would like you to bathe yourself to the best of your abilities. Do not worry too much about it as you can shower tomorrow, however you are still covered in blood and dirt. I will wait outside for you, let me know if you require any assistance at all." Just as he was about to leave the room, Kazuichi tugged on his sleeve to hold him back.
"Can you run the water for me?" Kazuichi looked up at Gundham with puppy eyes, attempting to win his request. Gundham just raised what would have been an eyebrow granted he had them, and turned back into the room.
"Sure…" He walked over and knelt down by the bathtub, turning the knob as soon as he could, allowing for the mildly cold water to pour down into the tub. He fixed the knob more, allowing for the temperature of the water to heat up a bit more. He didn't intend on filling the bathtub entirely to lead to less of a hazard for Kazuichi. He sat there as he waited for the tub to fill, occasionally glancing back to Kazuichi to ensure that he hadn't done anything stupid. Each time finding him fidgeting with his hands or staring off into space.
Once the tub was full to the extent Gundham was comfortable with, he stood up and turned back to Kazuichi. “There you are, is there anything else you require?” He placed a hand on Kazuichi’s head and scratched a bit behind his ear.
“No thank you, ‘m okay…” Kazuichi leaned in closer to Gundham’s hand and smiled a bit. “What if I slip and die getting out?” He chuckled quietly and looked up at Gundham, scanning for his reaction. The scratching on his head came to a stop, and the two of them made eye contact.
“You are not going to fall and die, Kazuichi.” Gundham held Kazuichi still and firmly looked into his eyes. “Should you hurt yourself I shall heal you. Have I made myself clear?” Kazuichi was shocked by the strictness of the reaction, it was just a small comment and yet Gundham appeared to be hurt by it.
"Got it…" Kazuichi placed his hand on top of Gundham's on the back of his head. "So can I take a bath now?"
"Yes you may." Gundham took his hand away from Kazuichi's head and walked out of the room, closing the door on his way out. "If you require anything I shall just be waiting for you from outside the room."
Kazuichi sat in silence for a few seconds before looking over at the bath. He slowly undressed himself and lowered himself into the water. It was extremely uneventful for the most part, every now and then Kazuichi he'd call out to Gundham; not that he needed help or anything, he just enjoyed the company.
Eventually he was clean enough for his own satisfaction, as if there were no more bodily fluids or dirt spread out on random places of his body. It's not as if he'd have taken a shower if this didn't happen anyway.
He pulled the drain blocker out, allowing the water to drain nearly to completion before getting out. At this point it was quite the horrendous color at this point, a dull brown with thick swirls of red from the blood. Once the tub was drained he shakily stood up and stepped out of the tub, holding onto any nearby object for support. He attempted to grab a towel, but missed the first time he tried, unable to reach out properly with his blurred vision. After finally grabbing it he sat down on the cold floor and held it around his body.
"Kazuichi, have you finished bathing yourself yet?" Gundham knocked gently on the bathroom door. "You have been in there for a fair amount of time now."
"I'll be done when I wanna be done!" Kazuichi yelled out a bit louder than he should have. "I need to dry off… like a gerbil!" He tilted over and fell to the floor on his side, the cold tile touching his cheek causing him to flinch.
"What is your point? What do gerbils have to do with your time spent in the lavatory?" Gundham crossed his arms and walked over to the door.
"Ya' can't get 'em wet or they get moldy!" Kazuichi laughed and smiled. "I don't get moldy, though…"
"I see…" Gundham chuckled a bit and shook his head. "Well, have you finished yet?"
"No!" Kazuichi shrieked and failed his right arm aimlessly in the air before hitting it against the wall by accident. "Don't come in, ya' fuckin' perv!"
"My, my, someone's aggressive tonight." Gundham rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I wasn't inclined to walk in on you in the first place, calm yourself."
"Yeah, yeah!" Kazuichi whined and stood up. "I'm getting dressed now and your pervy thoughts can't stop me!" Kazuichi yelled at Gundham, laughing as he did so. Gundham chuckled with a smile.
"Of course, please come out when you are finished." After that statement Gundham waited in near silence, the only noise was Kazuichi fumbling around to put his clothes on, bumping into furniture along the way. Once he was done, he slowly opened the door before falling forward, nearly hitting the floor. "Easy, there." Gundham caught Kazuichi and helped him to stand up straight again.
The two of them walked out of the bedroom and to the small living area they shared. Kazuichi stumbled quite a bit, which was normal considering his level of sobriety. However, Gundham helped him to the best of his abilities, and soon got him to lay sideways on the couch with his head placed gently in Gundham's lap.
"Allow for one of your legs to hang off of the couch, it shall help when you wake up tomorrow morning." Gundham placed his hand on Kazuichi's head and slowly ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "I would not like you sleeping without supervision in this state, so I will be remaining here with you through the nightly hours in case of an emergency."
Kazuichi would have responded, but at this point he was too blurred to think of what to say. He silently dozed off as he felt Gundham's fingers softly comb through the knots in his head as he hummed a quiet song.
Gundham smiled as Kazuichi fell asleep, listening to the soft purr-like sounds escaping his lips. This had been quite the night, not a particularly good one. He knew that tomorrow he'd be digging for who let this happen, and why in the world it did, but for now he was just trying to enjoy the peace he had now that the worst was over with. As he himself grew more and more sleepy, he moved down and pressed his own body against Kazuichi's, wrapping his arms around the sleeping boy's torso. Eventually, he drifted away into unconsciousness himself, with a soft smile on his face and a boy in his arms.