Sweetness and Light ✓ || Hueningkai X Reader

Chapter 8

Kai comes back twice the next week, once with all of his friends. They almost get kicked out by Mr. Hatsuhara, but Saya calms them down enough so that they don't disturb the other customers again.

The next Friday, Kai comes by, but he doesn't seem like his usual self. It's two weeks until his birthday, and the August heat is taking over Los Angeles. The air conditioning should still be going, but it sure doesn't feel like it, so Mr. Hatsuhara adds extra fans to the restaurant. Your hair keeps going every which way, and no matter what you do, you can't stop it. Even Kai looks like the heat is getting to him.

"Do you need extra water?" you ask as he stares out the window.

"I think so," he says, and you do so and bring him cold udon. Anything hot right now is out of the question, and most of the passersby are going straight past the restaurant, or coming in solely for bubble tea to cool off. Your apron is starting to stick to your collar. Is this what summer is always like in Los Angeles?

"This is good," he says. "Sorry, I guess I'm just feeling a little under the weather today."

"Well, I'm still glad you're here." You tend to the other tables, making sure everybody has water and that they are hydrated well. Once your section opens up again, you stop by Kai. He really does look like he's staring off into the distance, not focused on any one person in particular. Maybe it's just one of those lazy dog days.

You head to the back to get your own glass of water when you hear a crash from up front.

"That's your table," Mr. Hatsuhara calls out, and you turn back toward the front. Except Kai is no longer sitting in his chair. He's on the floor, and what's left of the cold udon has spilled all over him. Hana has raced to him first, trying to pull him up and failing. You get to her side.

"Kai? Are you okay?"

But he's not answering. You feel for a pulse and realize he's burning up. It's not just the heat -- he's sick. What is he doing here?

"Sweet...pea...the udon..." Kai tries to sit up, and thanks to you and Hana, he finally gets there, seated on the floor. Holt stops by and whips out a mop, cleaning things up so they never happened. Kai's shirt is still soaked through with broth, though.

"We need to get you back to the Magnificat so Trius can take care of you," you say. "Can you hang onto my bike? I'll go slow."

Kai nods, and Mr. Hatsuhara gives you permission to take the rest of the day off so you can return Kai to his staying place. You pull out your bike, and Kai puts his feet on the back wheel's convenient riding ledges. He puts his hands on your shoulders, and you do your best to pedal onward. It's much harder to ride your bike with two people on it. The extra weight is slowing you down. But you remember that you have to keep going, or else Kai might fall off, and Kai can't walk all the way back to the Magnificat on his own, even if it's a short distance. He had already fallen from his chair once at Michi's.

You realize just how worried you are about him.

The Magnificat comes up over the horizon, and you pedal nearly through the front doors. Then, you stop, and Kai jumps off. Two people in pink polo shirts run over immediately, taking him by the hands while you lock your bike outside. They start asking him who he's with, what act he's staying with, who his handler is, and you can tell things are blurring.

"You can go now," one of the people says.

"But...no," Kai says, holding out his hand to you. "Sweet pea stays. I want them to help me."

Normally, you'd go willingly, but this time, you want to stay. "He collapsed at my place of employment," you tell the pink shirts. "I just want to make sure he gets back to wherever he is supposed to be and gets some rest."

"There you are." One of Kai's band members -- the tall one, Soobin -- has come downstairs, along with Trius, to see what the commotion is. "Are you okay?"

"He's probably running a fever," you say as Kai basically collapses into Soobin's arms.

"This person is asking for permission to come upstairs," one of the pink shirts tells Soobin. "Who should we clear this with? What paperwork will they need to fill out?"

"None." Soobin takes your hand and leads both you and Kai over to the elevator. "Trius will agree. Sweet pea is coming with us."

Trius almost says something to object, but then he stops. "Your information is already on file with us," he says. "Let's get you all upstairs." And he scans his card into the elevator, and you all step on again, going to a different floor than before this time. You look over at Kai. He's practically already asleep, leaning on Soobin.

"What exactly happened to him?" Trius asks you, and you explain how he came to the shop, and it is sweltering hot outside today, but he still collapsed when he tried to get up from his chair. "I honestly thought it was the heat until then. I wasn't expecting all of this. So I put him on my bike and pedaled him here."

"You brought him back?" Soobin asks.

You nod.

"Thank you." Soobin smiles. "I'm so glad he's safe." He makes sure Kai is secure. "Kai, we're gonna get you in bed and rested, okay?"

Kai murmurs something in response.

"Here we go, room 304." Trius knocks on the door, then turns back to Soobin. "Are you sure you want this person in with you?"

"Please let them come in," Soobin says, in a voice that means he wants you there as well.

Trius sighs. "All right. We seem to have our own share of drama that comes with extra visitors, but this seems to be pretty regular. I would just ask that you leave by curfew at 8 PM."

You nod. "I can follow that."