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“AHH!”
“Aoi, hold still.”
"It hurts."
Eri shook her head as she shoved him back down. “You need to rest.”
It had been during one of the matches at the tournament when Aoi landed on his foot wrong and twisted his ankle. The scream of anguish escaped him so fast he didn’t have time to register anything else happening around him. His coach reacted first, followed by his teammates. Former captain Echigo as well as Eri and Noriaki had been watching in the stands, all three rushing down to the health office to check on him. Aoi sobbed the entire way, heartbroken by the fact he couldn’t play for the rest of the Spring Tournament.
“I don’t wanna.”
“You have to or you’ll make it worse!”
“But-”
“No ‘buts’, mister!” She put her hands on her hips and frowned. “Stay put in bed or I’m telling your mom!”
“Not Mom, please no!”
“Then behave!”
“Fine…”
Aoi leaned back on his pillow, hugging the stuffed bear Noriaki had given him before leaving. It was fluffy and its smile brought some comfort, but it didn’t wipe away any of the frustration written on his lips. The bear seemed to tell him to smile, to cheer up. Yet, the frown stayed painted on his face, his tears becoming the paint for the picture.
“Did they get to move on?”
“Yeah, they went onto the next round,” Eri said, coming over with a glass of water. “They’re wishing you a fast recovery.”
He took the glass and chugged it down. “Mmm.”
“You did great earlier.”
“Mmm.”
“Don’t feel too bad, okay?” She brought out the puppy dog eyes. “You did your best!”
Nodding, he placed the glass down on his bedside drawer. “I guess. I just wish I could have stayed on the court after that spike happened.”
“It was an amazing save though!”
Aoi shrugged, sliding down onto his bed with a sigh. The event played back in his mind - the ball flying into the air to the opponent’s side, the perfect set happening, the player on the right side of the court about to spike with no one there to block. He jumped to block it and the ball returned to the other side, resulting in a point, but as Aoi returned to the ground, he didn’t pay attention to his footing.
Slipped.
And his screams escaped him.
He shivered upon recalling himself screaming in pain. It wasn’t a fun experience and he’d never wish it on anyone, not even that annoying kid down the street who pestered him all the time to play tennis. Still, participating in the tournament would be much better than sitting around in bed with nothing to do.
When was the last time he sat down like this?
“Hey, Ao.”
“Huh?”
Eri waved a small treat in front of him and stuffed it into his mouth. “Eat!”
The heat of the dessert filled his mouth. The sweet sugars covered his tongue. The bread was perfectly chewy, just the way he liked it.
Cinnamon rolls.
“Thought your favorite dessert would cheer you up!” Her smile reached from ear to ear. “No more frowns, okay? It’s already happened, so let’s focus on healing up. It’s fine to rest every now and again, you know? Plus the more you rest, the faster you heal and the sooner you can play again!”
Aoi’s eyes widened. Realizing she had a point, he took a bite of the cinnamon roll. “Mmm, ohgey!”
“Great!” Eri ruffled his hair. “Let’s watch a movie to pass the time, any requests?”
“Studio Ghibli?”
“Okay!”
Seeing her smile brought him some comfort. Maybe resting wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“Here we go!”
Eri hopped into the bed beside him, snuggling up against Aoi. He flushed red, making her chuckle at the sight.
“I heard hugs were good for recovery.”
“Really?”
“Even if they’re not, I think they’re still good, don’t you think?”
Aoi chuckled. It was hard to disagree with that, so he hugged Eri back and leaned into her warmth.
If all recovery days were like this, he wouldn’t mind more of them.