Chapter 56: Simply the Best

                                    

                                          

Tsukishima's hand was aching.  It was not really painful, just...sore.  Sore enough that the dull throb of it gradually pulled him out of a pretty sound sleep.  His injured hand, which had been resting gently on his girlfriend's curvy hip when he'd gone to sleep, was now awkwardly dangling in front of his own stomach, kind of half mashed into the mattress.  He moved it to lie on his own side, hoping that would stop it from hurting and let him go back to sleep.
It didn't.  Throbbing was definitely the best word for it.  He could feel it keeping the same rhythm as his pulse.  He sighed, rolling over on to his back and cradling his right hand in his left.
He let his eyes open, staring up at the ceiling.  He must have really been tired, since he had barely moved in his sleep, it seemed.  Usually, when Nakano wasn't with him, he was a fairly light sleeper, and he often moved around a lot during the night.  Of course, she'd been with him when he went to sleep, and maybe that had been enough to convince his body to keep still.  Then again, it also might simply have been sheer exhaustion.  He wished the girl was still in bed with him, entirely certain that if she were with him, his hand would not currently be feeling so damn annoying.
He tried to take stock of how he was feeling.  He felt like his emotions were a little tangled up inside him, which surprised him a bit.  We won, Tsukki thought, we actually won against Shiratorizawa.  Aren't I supposed to be feeling elated?  I guess I do, at least in part.  Of course, this win only leads us to tougher opponents in the Nationals, but we've got a couple months before we need to worry about them.  The boy snorted, accompanied by a wry chuckle.  You know, idiot, you'd probably be feeling a whole lot better about everything if (1) Nakano were here and (2) your stupid hand wasn't quite so achy.  Both of these issues can be solved, if you just go ahead and get your ass out of bed.
Despite the stern talking to he'd just given himself, Tsukishima continued to lie there, somehow hoping someone (Nakano) would come and take care of him.
He sighed.  That wasn't going to happen, and if he wanted his stupid hand to stop throbbing, he was going to have to do something about it himself.  He decided to begin by looking for his glasses, which he couldn't quite recall removing the night before.  He glanced over at the night table beside his bed to see them, a glass of water, two of the pills the infirmary had given him to help with the pain and the swelling, and a stretchy bandage to help him ice his hand.  Nakano must have set it all up before she left, Kei thought, a smile creeping across his face.  He slipped his glasses on allowing him to read the clock more clearly - it was just a bit after ten o'clock in the morning.  
Well, I don't think it was even as late nine o'clock when I fell asleep last night, he thought to himself, so I've gotten at least thirteen hours of sleep.  I should feel great.  He grimaced, grabbing the pills and the water.  Hopefully, these will help.  A shower would help too.  And icing this dopey thing as well.
Now that he was more properly awake, he realized the next thing he'd better do was use the bathroom.  As he struggled to deal with something as simple as removing his sweatpants and underwear, he began to realize how frustrating it was going to be to do pretty much anything over the next couple of weeks until his fingers healed.  Finally finished, he walked back into his room to see Akiteru place a bag of ice and a towel on his night table.
"Hey, good morning!" his brother called cheerfully.  "I thought I heard you up and moving, and figured you were going to want that as soon as possible."  Akiteru's smile was bright, but tempered with a bit of sympathy.
"Thanks," Kei replied, settling back down on his bed.
"Want me to help you wrap it?  I see Nakano left you a bandage so you can use your left hand while you ice the right."