Thin Walls ~ SakuAtsu Short Story

4. Tired

Atsumu's head perked up and he smiled. Sakusa was playing Nuvole Bianche. Atsumu got up hurriedly and waited for a measure before joining in, smiling. There was a soft laugh and Atsumu laughed back. 

What a pretty laugh. 

"Great job Omi!" 

Halfway into the song, Sakusa stopped and Atsumu heard loud coughing. He stopped playing. 

"Omi?" Atsumu knocked on the wall. "Omi, what's wrong?"

There was banging on the wall and then a sound of slamming a hand on keys. 

"I'll be right back." 

Atsumu got up and went into Sakusa's apartment, finding that it was unlocked. It had been a month. He couldn't get that bad that fast, right? 

"Omi?" Atsumu found his room and saw Sakusa next to a beautiful white piano. A small one. But that didn't matter, he was in obvious pain and couldn't stop coughing. "Omi. Omi what's wrong? Does your chest hurt?" 

Sakusa nodded hurriedly and grabbed his inhaler. He tried to take a few puffs but coughed them out again. "I can't..." 

Atsumu picked up the raven-haired male. He put his mask on him and got in his car, not overly sure as to what to do. 

"I can't get air..." Sakusa whined, bending forward. 

Atsumu rubbed his back on the way down the road. It wasn't long before they got to the hospital and Sakusa was coughing blood into his hands, mask moved. 

Atsumu got him inside where nurses seemed to recognize him and hurried him away. Atsumu waited until he was called to where Sakusa was, seeing that he was sitting on a bed with a cannula on and was holding a paper in his hand, staring at the floor. 

Atsumu went closer and lifted his hands. He held his hands. "What's going on?"

"My lungs need more help and I'm getting more antibiotics to try and help." 

Atsumu nodded. "Alright... Did they call your emergency contact?"

"What? I don't have one." 

Atsumu paused. "You don't?" 

"Ah... No. People are avoiding me because I'm going to die soon." 

Atsumu frowned. He gently rubbed his hands. "That's kinda dumb. People are so dumb. Are you dumb?"

"Of course I'm not dumb!" 

Atsumu laughed. "Relax." 

Sakusa looked around before pulling Atsumu close. He hugged him. "I have to get a portable device but they're so expensive..." 

Atsumu rubbed his hair. "Hm..."

Sakusa pulled out his phone and texted something to someone before hugging Atsumu again. He yawned softly. "I'll have this rolly thing." 

Atsumu nodded. "Alright. Are you allowed to go home?" 

"Almost."

Atsumu nodded. 

"This is the second time I've had one of these in." Sakusa waited and took the silence as a prompt to go on. "I still have no idea how to sleep with it."

Atsumu hummed. "We'll figure something out." 

Sakusa looked up and saw the doctor. "Can I go home?" 

"Are you feeling alright?" 

"Well... I'm dying. So no. I just... I wanna go home, please." 

The doctor let him go and Sakusa ended up in the home of Atsumu. He had to drag his oxygen tank with him, his already weak arms becoming tired quickly. 

Atsumu somehow convinced him to lay down on his bed and got him to relax. Sakusa laid down and was covered in thick comforters. He had comforters under him too, making sure his back wasn't going to be sore. 

"Omi I'm gonna get you something yummy to eat, okay? Is there anything you really like?" 

"I like- oh." 

"What is it?" 

"Eating my favorite food makes me throw up..." 

Atsumu smiled warmly. "It's okay. I'll find something." 

Sakusa nodded and closed his eyes. His chest felt sore on the inside. 

Atsumu heard Sakusa's soft breathing and stopped moving around. "Did you fall asleep?" 

Sakusa stayed silent. Atsumu put his hand on Sakusa's chest and just felt his heart beating, chest moving with every breath. 

Someday he wouldn't feel this. 

Atsumu kept watching, suddenly aware that he was the healthiest person there. He wasn't dying. He wasn't grieving his own death. He had some friends. 

Sakusa had none of what he had except for stupid thin walls in his apartment and his beautiful white piano. 

Atsumu watched him a bit longer. His breathing felt healthy. He was still very pretty. Very shy. 

Atsumu went off to the store down the road and spotted a light salad type thing Sakusa had eaten once and grabbed a bottle of thickened water. He also grabbed some blueberries and checked the prices. 

Atsumu checked out and brought the food to his apartment. Sakusa woke up just enough to eat a lot of blueberries and drank some of the water, not even realizing it was thickened because of how much easier it was to drink it. 

Atsumu rubbed his shoulder and just watched. Sakusa was fast asleep soon again and Atsumu sat on the other side of the bed, closing his eyes to fall asleep on his own.

When he woke up in the morning Sakusa was still fast asleep, curled up closer to Atsumu and holding onto his forearm, going closer to his hand than what he was expecting. Atsumu turned on his side and put his hand on Sakusa's chest again, just enjoying the feeling of it moving as he breathed. 

The larger male whined quietly and his eyes opened the smallest amount they would open. 

"Good morning Omi."

Sakusa looked up and then back down. "What's the time?"

"Six in the morning."

Sakusa nodded. He tried to sit up, his arms shaking as he tried to do the simple act. Atsumu scooted closer and held him up. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Atsumu whispered. He saw the pain in Sakusa's eyes as he sat there, struggling to hold on. Everything hurt this boy and there was nothing he could do to stop it. 

Atsumu picked up his phone and saw a text that he absolutely needed. 

"Ah... Omi I don't have work today. It snowed a lot overnight."

Sakusa perked up. He raised his head before making his way to the window where he stared outside. "Atsumu look at it. It's beautiful."

Atsumu looked at Sakusa, who's pale skin had turned paler by reflection of light off of the first snow of winter. Atsumu got up and sat next to his sick friend. He looked at him again and things seemed warmer. When had things changed?

He'd seen Sakusa as his friend, forcing himself not to get too close before he passed away. It had only been a month. 

"Kiyoomi."

Sakusa looked over. "What?"

"Let's go play in the snow."

Sakusa looked between the snow and Atsumu. He felt warmer, too. There was no way he would admit it though. 

He would rather die before Atsumu found out anything about his feelings.