The Ultimates

Twenty-Eight

When I woke up in the morning, I tried my hardest to avoid waking Nagito up. I did the same thing I always did on Saturdays when I tried not to wake him up and unwrapped his arms from around me and laid his head on my pillow.

As I finished tying my tie, Nagito woke up and sat up on the bed. "Hajime?"

I turned around to smile at him. "Yes?"

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because you're skipping school today."

"What? No, I'm-"

I glared at Nagito, prompting him to clamp his mouth shut. "You're still sick. If you're feeling better by Monday, then you can come back to school, but for today, you are relaxing and staying home. Plus, look on the bright side," I chuckled, "it's Friday, so it's like you get an extra-long weekend."

"It's not the same," he mumbled, glaring at the window. "I really can't skip today."

"Why not? We have nothing important going on in class today, and I doubt Byakuya wants a repeat of yesterday."

Nagito shook his head. "It's Sonia's parents. They don't want me skipping school."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I grabbed his hand and gripped it tightly. "I doubt they would want you going to school while you're sick, though. I'm sure they meant playing hooky or something."

Nagito frowned as he played with my fingers. "Still..."

"If there is an issue, we'll figure it out and work through it, okay? I promise."

He flashed a small smile. "Okay."

I smiled and leaned forward, kissing Nagito's forehead. He still felt a bit warm, but nowhere near as bad as yesterday. I cupped his cheek and smiled at him. "Now, my parents are going to be at work today, but I refuse to leave you home alone, so I have Kazuichi coming over to keep an eye on you. If there are any emergencies, he'll call me, and I'll be back here in a flash."

"You're that worried about me?" he giggled.

"Of course, I am," I stated. "Go back to bed. I'll be back after we close the café."

Nagito pouted as he laid back under the covers. "I forgot about the café."

"Time will fly by before you know it," I chuckled.

"Have a good day," Nagito yawned.

"You too."

I walked downstairs into the kitchen, finding Kazuichi already sitting at the kitchen island. "Thanks again for sticking around."

"Hey, I get it. You don't want him to feel lonely like he would be at his place. I'll keep a good eye on him, so relax. Everything will be fine."

"I know," I sighed. "I really wish I could skip club activities, but I doubt Byakuya would be happy about that. He's already down a waiter."

"Do what you've got to. It's all good."

"Thanks again. Oh, by the way," I hissed, "if you say anything to Nagito about my feelings, I will kill you."

"I won't tell him your feelings. I promise," Kazuichi stated. "Seriously, relax. I've got everything under control. We'll have fun today. We are friends, too, you know."

"I know, I know. Call me if there are any emergencies," I demanded as I opened the front door.

"Whatever you say, daddy," he teased. I gawked, turning back to him. "If you're going to act like one, I will call you one," he stated before closing the door in my face.

Tsking, I walked next door to Makoto's car. He always gave me a ride to school before Nagito started spending most of his time at my house. He still drove me to school on the days when Nagito wasn't over. It was nice talking with him in the morning, as it kept my mind off worrying over Nagito.

Throughout class, I did my best to pay attention to all of my lessons. I wanted to make sure my notes were clear and concise so Nagito could copy them once he was better. It also helped me to focus and not continuously look over to where Nagito's empty seat was. I was very worried about him, but I hadn't felt my phone buzz yet. That meant that nothing was wrong yet. Hopefully there would be no need for the word yet.

During my lunch break, I called to check in and see how Nagito was doing. Kazuichi claimed he was feeling better and that the two were having a good morning. I would have talked to Nagito, but I felt embarrassed asking Kazuichi to hand the phone to him. Instead, I hung up and ate lunch with Makoto for the first time in a while. It was nice to catch up that way.

According to him, things were going well between him and Kyoko. It would only be a matter of time before she confessed to him, and I hoped she'd do it soon. I wanted my friends to be happy together. That, and it'd been almost a month since Chiaki and I made that bet, and I really wanted to be right.

Throughout my sessions in the Ultimate Club, I did my best to focus solely on my clients and perform my Ultimate duties. It felt weird to have Toko serve us instead of Nagito. There was no one to look at whenever I felt even the slightest bit nervous, which made me even more anxious. Nevertheless, I did my best to perform my duties and made it through the day.

Instead of having Makoto and I hang back to help clean after we closed the café, Byakuya excused us both early. It was weird having him dismiss us, considering we were the ones who stayed behind to clean the most. However, I didn't hesitate and risk him taking it back. I dragged Makoto out of the café and had him drive us home, with him laughing the entire time.

When he stopped his car in his driveway, I exited the car and ran to my yard, yelling goodbye to Makoto while he continued to laugh at me. I didn't care. I just wanted to see Nagito.

"I'm home," I announced as I burst through the door.

"Hi, honey," mom greeted from the dining room.

"Mom? What are you doing home?"

"Your father and I were worried about Nagito, so we finished with our client early and called it a half day," she explained.

I entered the dining room, finding the three sitting at the table, playing a card game. Nagito smiled giddily up at me before laying down a card. I hugged him from behind and rested my forehead against his temple. "You were okay today?"

"Yes," he giggled. "Everything went great. I promise. I'm feeling a lot better now."

"Good." I ruffled his hair before pulling away. "I'm going to change. Deal me in next round."

"Sounds good," dad replied.

As I walked up the stairs, I glanced into the dining room, watching Nagito play cards with my parents. They all seemed so happy playing together, especially Nagito. It was the happiest I'd seen him in a long time. It was a relief to see him happy and with a family who loved him. He was right where he belonged.

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