Chapter 22: Night Troubles
Thankfully, I didn't run into anyone else on the way back. As soon as I closed the door, I sat my backpack down, got comfy, and then laid on the bed, pulling the covers up to my waist, and looking at the ceiling, letting out a small sigh. My first day at UA was officially coming to a close. And if I'm being honest? It.....wasn't terrible. But I didn't really like it, either. I didn't come here by choice, I'm not here to make friends, I'm not here to hang out and socialize. I turned onto my side, staring at the wall, my eyes feeling like lead as my thoughts raced in my head.
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And before I knew it, I woke up in a cold sweat again, gasping and sitting striaght up, my hands flying to the space right below my throat, shaking as I let out a few coughs. I felt like I couldn't breathe for a moment, and my stomach was already churning again, becoming uncomfortable and tight. Once I caught my breath, I just sat there, resting my elbows on my knees and holding my head in my hands, eyes closed as I tried to gather myself. I wasn't there, I wasn't back with them. I wasn't with the villains again. I wasn't just waking up from the incident. Akari wasn't here, he was no longer in this world. He was gone. I was alone. Apparently, I had been too busy gathering myself to notice that the door had opened, because the bed dipped down in front of me from a sudden shift in weight. I didn't open my eyes to look at him, and I didn't move, either. "I'm fine." I spoke, cold and harsh yet again, but we both knew the truth. Aizawa let out a small sigh, and stayed quiet for a minute, as if thinking. Then I heard some rustling, probably because he was moving something around, and I opened my eyes to peek at him. He now held a small, square bucket, which had a plastic bag inside of it. "Its so you don't have to go to the bathroom when you wake up." He held it out to me, and I wanted to refuse it, maybe even tell him to back off and leave, but my stomach churned again, thus time even more uncomfortable and tight, maybe even a bit painful. I took the bucket, and held it between my legs, just to be prepared. Aizawa looked away, staring at the wall. "I might have some medicine...." He mumbled quietly, then looked at me again. "Stay here and don't move. I'll be back." And he was gone before I could even protest.
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A few moments later, I had thrown up about twice, and Aizawa was now back. He held a glass of water in one hand, and what I assumed to be some sort of pain reliever pills in the other, making his way over to me befor sitting down on the bed again. "Here. This should help." He spoke, but this time, his voice was soft and gentle, a mix between concern and his usual, tired tone. I set the bucket down beside me, and took the pills and water from his hands, seriously hoping this helped. I popped a pill, put the glass to my lips, and took a sip before swallowing. I repeated the process once more before Aizawa took the cup, and suddenly brushed some of my hair from my head, causing me to freeze and tense. He then rested the back of his hand on my forehead, his touch gentle but still rough and calloused. "Warm...." He mumbled quietly, then added: "Lay back down." I wanted to protest yet again, but I didn't. For one, he was a stubborn ass, and for two, he'd probably manhandle me just to make me lay down. He was also helping me, even though I hadn't asked him to. So I did as asked, mumbling my thanks to him, and he set the bucket down on the floor beside the bed, before leaving and coming back again, this time with a cold, wet rag, which he placed over my forehead. "I'm not sick..." I mumbled out, although technically, I might've been. But the fever, the puking, all of it was normal for me after waking up from a nightmare. The only person I had ever allowed to be my caretaker during those times when I was younger was Akari. "You threw up, you're still shaking, and you have a fever." He countered, looking down at me. He knew this was normal for me, as I had to tell him on my first night. I didn't say anything else, knowing he had a bit of a point, and just stared at the ceiling instead, a sudden wave of exhaustion and sleepiness taking over and weighing me down. "Just get some rest, Kenji." And that was the last thing I heard before the dark swallowed me.