CH7.1: Worrywart (PA)

Yuto's head felt fuzzy that morning. He really couldn't concentrate so well. 'Thank god I decided to prep Nagi's breakfast before I went to bed. I don't think I'd be able to cook in the morning with such a headache,'. He took out the eggs that he had boiled and the fish that he had marinated and fried the night before. He laid it out for Nagi on the dining table. "Ugh...my head really hurts...". Yuto felt his head pounding and rested it against the cool kitchen wall.

He struggled to re-tie his hair up in the small rattail. "Yuto? You have an early lecture?"Came Nagisa's sleepy voice as he walked out of his room. "Yeah,"The boy groaned and Nagisa took the hair tie from Yuto. "I'll do it for you, just hold still,". Nagisa tied his hair up pretty easily and Yuto held his head in pain. What a day to wake up with a headache like this. "Thanks....Thanks Nagi,".

"Do you want me to drive you to class? I can eat breakfast in the car while waiting for school to start,"Nagisa smiled and held him close, kissing his forehead gently. "That would be nice, Nagi. Thank you,". The boy tottered to his room to change his clothes. His vision was bleary and his head kept throbbing. He slipped one of Nagisa's hoodies on before he sighed to himself. 'Maybe staying up that late for a project isn't such a good idea,'.

Once Yuto arrived at school, his headache seemed to have blossomed into a migraine. He couldn't focus on anything. His head pounded according to the footsteps he took to enter the compounds of the school and he really wished he told Nagisa about it. But Nagisa was stressed over a meeting he had to go to and he couldn't possibly stress him out even more by being sick.

"Are you alright?". A soft voice called out to him and Yuto turned around to see a male who was perhaps older than him. "You don't look well,". Traditionally, Yuto would have shielded his face with the hood of the hoodie and immediately run away but he didn't have the energy for that. "I'll be fine...."He replied hesitantly and the boy grabbed his arm and dragged him to one of the benches in front of the lecture halls.

Smiling at him, our hazel eyed friend comforted him."Sit down for a bit. I'm Ryu Jaehwan. Nice to meet you,". Yuto looked up and realised that this was the person he had bumped into a couple months ago. He didn't really know how to respond but he decided to introduce himself back. "I'm Kirishima Yuto.....Nice to meet you...". Jaehwan seemed surprised by how much he trailed off before he apologised. "Ah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you talk,".

What was it like to have a friend? Well, Yuto didn't know. He didn't even know who to consider a friend. But if it meant having someone to lean on when you're in such pain, it probably wasn't so bad. "I thought I'd be alone. But I guess if I attend today's lecture with you, I'll be fine,"The boy smiled at Yuto once more. Yuto thought of Nagisa and the boy.

'Is it normal for a human to smile so much at someone who doesn't understand the value of it?'.

Jaehwan felt Yuto's forehead gently. "Ah..you're coming down with a fever? You shouldn't have come to class,". Yuto looked down as he huffed a reply. "I wanted to turn in the conclusion to my report today,"He groaned and saw the boy's surprised expression. "What?? That thing's due in two weeks! Wow, I guess honours students sure are a different breed of smart,"He joked, pushing his scarf to one side.

Pushing Yuto's head to rest on his small shoulder. "There, there. Lay there for a bit. Class should start soon,". Yuto shut his watery eyes, relieved. Today, he had made his first friend. The day can't be all that bad. But that's what he thought.

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Nagisa had to sit through the meeting with a midlife crisis. Okay, so he won an award for being "The Best English Teacher" out of the many teachers all over Japan. He was gushed, ecstatic, happy, what more could he say? Then he realised that he would have to travel all the way to Shibuya to receive it. 'What? I have to spend three days away from my precious Yuto? Impossible! No! I can't possibly go along with this!'.

The principal spoke up with a smile. "We'll be handling the accommodations and food but if there's anything you would prefer to handle yourselves, please tell me now,". One of the female teachers spoke up. "Yamazaki-sama, can I bring my husband along with me? He'd be so happy to see me collect my award!".

Yamazaki chuckled and looked across the meeting room. "If you want to bring someone with you, just fork in extra money for them. It's $150 per extra person so just give me the extra money for your hotel room,". That changed the narrative Nagisa had. So he could bring Yuto with him. The heavy weight on his shoulders was lifted off. He was worried about leaving Yuto alone. Right then, he had to tell Yuto about this.

Just as his hand slipped into his pocket, he felt a hand tap his shoulder. "So, Shinji-san, you're bringing the cutie with you?". Nagisa stifled a growl and glanced back to see Takaba, who was smirking at him. "That's none of your beeswax. Whether I want to bring him with me or not has nothing to do with you,".

Takaba laughed in a way that ground Nagisa's gears the wrong way. "Pity, I thought I could say 'Hi' and really get to know him,". Nagisa glared at the other man fiercely and held back the growing anger he had in him. "I don't want you eyeing on my boyfriend. Find someone who's not taken will you?". Takaba patted him on the shoulder irritatingly and walked away. "It's hard to find a boyfriend who's half foreign around here,". Nagisa was stunned for a bit.

'What? Half foreign? But....Yuto's Japanese. I don't get it...'

But the more he thought about it, Yuto was the only one in his family with blonde hair and green eyes. But Nagisa knew that he wasn't adopted because of the blood test at the hospital. So why did Takaba think he was half foreign? But then again, he didn't know who Yuto's father was and he was certain that Yuto didn't either.

He chose not to dwell on it too much since he needed to hand out some mock exam questions to his class, but his phone started buzzing like mad the second he walked out of the meeting room. Nagisa didn't think too much of it but the buzzing continued until he reached the staffroom and it put him off. He finally pulled his phone out and answered the call nervously. "Good morning, Shinji-kun. This is Kirishima-kun's professor, Sanada Maya. I have called for you to pick Kirishima up from class because he's coming down with a fever and a migraine,". The professor's calm voice contrasted Nagisa's panicked one.

"A fever?! And a migraine?!"He exclaimed and was motioned by one of the other teachers to pipe down a bit. He did a quick bow to apologise and continued the call. "Alright. I'm coming! Tell him that I'll be there in half an hour,". He darted to his classroom with the question papers and instructed the monitor to make sure the students finished them by the time he came back to class in about half an hour's time.

Popping himself in his car, he drove all the way to Yuto's school. There was nothing but worry in his heart that morning.

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.

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"You'll feel better once I put you to bed at home,"Nagisa sighed as he laid Yuto down in the backseat of his car. He had bundled up his coat for the boy to use as a pillow. He had carried Yuto like a princess all the way to his car. He got on top of the boy and kissed his lips gently. "Do you feel that sick?"He whispered as he kissed Yuto's neck and got an "Mmh.." as a response. "I'll take you home so you can rest up after I check myself out of school for the day. I was so panicked I had forgotten about that,".

Although Yuto was visibly in pain from the migraine, he leaned over to face Nagisa. "I'm sorry for making you rush all the way here, Nagi. Did you manage to finish up with the meeting in time?"He asked in a soft voice and Nagisa nodded. "Don't worry about that, it ended just as your professor called me. I have some good news but I'll wait to share it with you,". Yuto nodded and keeled over the backseat, his eyes shut. "Sleep, my Yuto. I'll wake you up once we get home,".

Kissing Yuto on the cheek, Nagisa shut the door carefully before putting pressure on the gas pedal. 'Ah, this kid. He's suffering from a high fever and a migraine but all he's worried about is the meeting I had. I think that project for their final grading has really taken a toll on him.

At least, I think he's finally done with it. He does deserve a small break now that it's done and dusted,'.

Afraid that Yuto would be left in such a stuffy car when he arrived back at his school's compounds , Nagisa left the engine running. He didn't have to worry about anyone running away with his car because the security guards outside the school gates were very thorough with their checks. Plus, these kinds of things rarely happen in Japan anyway. What he didn't notice was that a figure was waiting for him to leave the car park.

It was quite unlikely that Nagisa would ever open the door so roughly.

Even Yuto was confused, opening his eyes to make sure he wasn't delusional. "Nagi??"He groaned, his eyes still glassy but half-opened. He felt such a harsh force push down on him and realised that this person was indeed not his boyfriend. He opened his eyes widely and noticed the man's face leaning into his and out of impulse, he slapped him across his face hard. Yuto had never slapped anyone before so this kind of shocked him but he recognised this man. It was the man that had lied to him that Nagisa was cheating on him.

The man, known as Takaba Akuma held his cheek in pain and groaned. "Piece of shit...I'm going to steal you away from that cunt Shinji,"He growled and Yuto scowled at him fiercely. "You're saying that even though you're taking advantage of someone who's sick? That's pretty low of you,". Takaba got up and glared at Yuto. He thought that the kid would be an easy target to knock down but so it turned out that Yuto was actually very difficult. Even more difficult than Shinji Nagisa himself.

"So that's how you're going to play at it," Takaba smirked as he slammed the car door soundly behind him. He realised that he could no longer be so gentle on a kid who had all the words in his mouth to make his heart bleed. He didn't even consider the fact that Nagisa was pretty much a hellfire dragon when he was angry.

Oh no, the only thing in his blackened heart was a heinous crime. To deflower a kid who didn't hesitate to show contempt for people he hated. To rule him with violence.

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Returning shortly, Nagisa was oblivious about the whole incident. He cautiously opened the rear door and gave Yuto a gentle kiss on the forehead. He felt the boy's heated neck and forehead. Yuto felt himself being kissed in the usual way and relaxed. 'This is the gentle and sweet Nagi I know of. This makes me feel so relieved,'. He put his arms around Nagisa's neck, surprising the man himself.

"Aww, we can cuddle at home, Yuto. You need to be in bed and well rested first, okay?"He smiled and hugged the other male back warmly. Yuto decided that he wouldn't speak about what happened earlier because Nagisa already had enough to worry about. Little did he know, his efforts to make his partner worry much less were only going to make him worry even more.

As soon as they arrived home, Yuto was resting in Nagisa's room. The man was extremely worried for him and kept taking his temperature every spare minute he had. "You need to make sure that you get enough rest, Yuto. Going to bed at 4am everyday and waking up at 6am isn't good for you,".

The boy nodded at the little lecture from his boyfriend who was concerned because Yuto, who was rarely sick, had developed a fever and a migraine. Nagisa knew that Yuto didn't eat any breakfast nor did he consume anything for lunch but if he wanted to take medication, he was going to have to eat something.

Heating up some soup that he had bought from the convenience store on the way home, he served it to Yuto on a nice bed tray. "Eat something before you take your medicine. Then go to bed. Don't worry about me. I can take care of my own dinner myself,"He smiled as he watched the boy slurp up the soup quietly. After Yuto had taken his medicine, Nagisa switched off the lights except the nightlight.

"Sleep well Yu-"He spoke while standing up from the bed but was cut off when a smaller hand caught his larger one and held it weakly. "Please stay, Nagi. You said we could cuddle,"He grunted from the pain in his head and scooted a little to the side. No matter how firm Nagisa could be, he always succumbed to the cuteness of this boy.

Slipping in the empty space next to the boy, his arms wrapped themselves around Yuto's slender figure. "Your body still feels hot,"He muttered and Yuto just nodded before he turned around to face Nagisa, his arms coiling themselves around the older male's body. "Don't worry so much Nagi. Let's take a nap together,"He yawned and snuggled into the man's chest before he dozed off.

Cradling him in her arms, his thoughts wandered. 'Was this how worried he was for me during that period of time that I'd return home completely wasted after my divorce? I don't think I've ever worried so much in my life. I don't even think I worried this much when Hitomi broke her leg as a child. Is this what it's like to worry about the one you truly love?'.

Off came his tie and he set it on the bedside table taking extra care to not wake Yuto up. 'I was never such a worrywart when Yuri didn't return home for weeks on end only to leave my house after a couple of days again. I didn't worry so much when Nako stayed over at a boy's house. So why am I worried to death over Yuto having a fever? Is it because I love him too much?'. As he hugged the boy close to him, he could feel their heartbeats match each other's pace. He blushed and planted a soft kiss on Yuto's cheek.

'No, it's because I finally understand what true love is meant to feel like'.

Both of them woke up later in the evening. Yuto's head still pounded like a jackhammer but since he woke up in Nagisa's arms, he thought he really couldn't be feeling that bad. Nagisa squeezed Yuto gently to let him know that he was awake. "Did you sleep well Yuto? You look much better now,"He smiled and the boy held his head. "I still feel dizzy, but I think I'll be fine,". Nagisa sat up and caressed Yuto's cheek. "That's good to know. I was such a panic-stricken cat when your professor called me. I'm just grateful that you're here with me now,".

Leaning against Nagisa's broad back, Yuto stretched his aching back. "I made a new friend today. He was the one who told the professor I was ill,". Nagisa was a little shocked for words. 'Yuto made a new friend? That's...very unlike him,'.

Nonetheless, Nagisa was pleased.. "Well, I'm glad that you've found someone to lean on besides me,". But of course he knew that the hard shell around Yuto's heart was very slowly cracking open. The shell that he had built to wall himself away from other people.

Ever since Nagisa entered Yuto's personal space, that cold and icy shell had begun breaking away bit by bit. His anger had softened out a lot more with Nagisa. He was no longer aggressive . A once raging and rude Yuto had become a quiet and caring boy. All he wanted and needed was enough affection. He was still awkward with giving Nagisa affection but he knew he'd adjust to it soon.

"Oh yeah, Yuto. I've got a teacher's award to collect in Shibuya. I wanted you to follow me,"He brought it up nervously, thinking that Yuto would disagree because he hated the presence of other people. "If Nagi's there, I don't mind following. I want to spend more time with you,"Yuto replied with a tiny smile on his face which took Nagisa aback. 'Oi...That's my line..How did he—'.

Playfully kissing him, Nagisa pushed him onto the bed. "You stole my line Yuto! How could you?"He laughed and heard Yuto's cute soft giggle as he was kissed. "Oh, did I? Hehe..I guess it's mine now,". Nagisa looked into Yuto's bright green eyes.

Lately, they've not been dark but rather, twinkling if you will. As everyone had been telling him since day one, maybe Yuto really was becoming happier around him. He smiled to himself as he ran his fingers through the boy's soft hair and kissed him over and over again.

'Yuto, I love you so much. Sometimes I don't need any more to be any happier than to have you by my side,'.

☆___________________________☆

"Wow..So this is what a city looks like at night,"Yuto gasped as he stared outside from the large window. "Is it so fascinating to you? I'm glad I brought you along then,"Nagisa chuckled as he made themselves some tea. "It's so bright and vivid. I love it,".

Before perching himself next to the boy on their bed, the man placed their tea on the little table."If you love it so much, I should take you out more at night when you're older,". Yuto looked at Nagisa like a cute little puppy and nodded shyly. "That sounds nice Nagi,".

The man was always worried that he was sheltering Yuto too much. After all, he finally had freedom from his abusive family. But he realised that Yuto liked things to be familiar, comfortable, safe.

He held Yuto's waist before he kissed him.

"Yuto, you know that I love you right?".

"Of course Nagi. You're my boyfriend,".

More importantly, Yuto wanted Nagisa to be closer to him to make sure that he could smile for the rest of his days.

_φ(･ω･ Author's Note

This was just sweet. I think this chapter was the quickest to write. How did you like the chapter? Voting is also appreciated! Thank you for reading this chapter of A Heart To Heal! ♡