Checkmate

Accident

Izumi sat moodily up against a wall, on top of a pile of blue gym mats, perched there like some kind of bird or feline when the door crashed open. At once, Izumi dropped his phone on the mats and ran to the boy standing in the doorway, shock and worry splashed all over his face. 
"Leo! Leo, are you all right?!" Now was no time for teasing or sharp remarks. Leo had tears in his eyes. There was dirt all over his face and uniform, and he held one arm at an awkward angle. The sleeve was red.

"H- hi, Izumi." Leo said in a wavering voice, wiping his tears off of his face with his sleeve as he tried to smile. "I'm so s- sorry." Izumi's face went completely white as Leo stumbled and then collapsed, either from pain or exhaustion from his obvious run. Izumi caught him and held him tightly, then examined his arm. Definitely broken, from the look of it. He had no idea how Leo could have possibly broken his arm. He wasn't the type to start a fight. 

I'll ask later. Izumi thought, More pressing matters. 

"Leo, don't be sorry. I'm taking you to the hospital." Leo's bright green eyes went wide and scared.

"No! No, I don't wanna!" He protested, shivering despite the warmth of the summer day that it was, leaning on Izumi.

-Twenty minutes later-

Now that he and Leo had gotten over the shock, Izumi had the space in his mind to be angry and scared. Those two feelings seemed to coexist whenever they were present. Seeing someone he loved in pain? That had to be the worst feeling in the world

No, that wasn't it.

Leo was hurt, and he wasn't showing any of it. There he was, smiling and joking about the incident like nothing had ever happened. None of his pain showed on his face or in his actions, even though he was obviously hurt.

That. That was the worst feeling in the world.

Finally, Izumi couldn't take it anymore. He just snapped, his words harsh as ice and directed at his bright and sunny friend.

"Are you stupid?!" He exclaimed in an urgent half-whisper, "Are you stupid, are you stupid, are you stupid? Got in some kind of fight, did you?" Leo had the sense to look somewhat humiliated, or maybe it was sadness flickering there inside him. Izumi couldn't tell. "Do you know what would happen if you messed up here, at Yumenosaki?" Leo shook his head. "You'd be expelled. I'm always telling you this. Have some self-awareness as an idol! Think about what you've-"

"Stop nagging me already! Are you my mom?" Leo shot back. Anger, okay. That, Izumi could understand. There was a lot of it to go around. 

"Your parents didn't teach you properly, and that's why I have to suffer so much-" Izumi huffed, slapping his open palm against his face in exasperation.

"Hey!" Leo shouted, "You bully, Sena! You can tease me, but anyone who talks bad about my family can go die in a hole!" He had a hurt, dejected look on his face, but it was laced with determination too.

"If you don't want people insulting your family, live more seriously. I was more insulting you, though?" Izumi raised one eyebrow, regarding Leo with a quizzical look on his face. In truth, there was much room for his questioning, though Leo may not have agreed with that particular statement.

"AGH, SHUT UP!" Leo declared at top volume, "I said not to nag me, you stupid Sena! You're smart but stupid! Stuuuupid!" Could he have been any more ridiculous? Izumi wasn't sure, but also wasn't above saying so.

"What are you, in elementary school? You have no sense of language, yet you're a renowned composer...I'm honestly impressed." At this, Leo beamed. 

"Hahaha, it's 'cause I can compose! It's all I'm good for! Although, I ask my little sister for help sometimes." Izumi remembered Leo's sister. A tiny thing with quiet, curious green eyes and wild ginger hair just like Leo's. Ruka, he remembered her name was. Yes, Ruka, that was it. Leo talked about her all the time. "Here, I can show you a picture I took of us yesterday. Wait- Where's my phone?! I dropped it somewhere..." 

Izumi couldn't believe him. Yes, the phone had a password, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if someone found it, but really? Everything was getting out of hand. 

"Then deal with it like an adult."

"Ahhhh, noooo! I don't wanna be an adult!" Leo shouted, mostly at Izumi.

"This is a public place! You can't just scream things like that!" 

At that moment, Tsumugi exited the hospital, carrying a dark blue bag with his school books in it. He paused, perplexed by the scene before him. What was Izumi doing out here? And who was that with him? He adjusted his glasses and walked up to the bickering pair, lifting a brow as a question. 

"Wha? Who's this?" Leo asked, all thoughts of being an adult forgotten as he gave Tsumugi his full and undivided attention. 

"Ah," Izumi responded, "You wouldn't know him, but this is Aoba, from my class. What are you doing here anyways?" He asked, the last part of the question aimed at Tsumugi.

"Oh, I was visiting that one kid from our class- Tenshouin -and gave him some notes to study. He told me he'd seen all the material before, then he started to look really tired, so I left." Tsumugi said, "I liked him though. He seemed friendly after I started talking to him." There was a pause and a small sigh, a glance cast towards Eichi's still-open window. "That aside, what are you here for? Are you okay, Sena?" Izumi shook his head before Tsumugi misunderstood any further.

"No, I'm here because this idiot went and broke his arm. I wasn't at the scene, but he got into a fight or something? Even though he really should have been here a lot sooner, he kept saying things like 'No! I don't wanna go!'... So I kind of had to drag him here."

Leo stamped his foot indignantly, throwing Izumi a glare. "Hospitals smell like medicine and they're boring and I don't like 'em!" He protested, "And there are these people who keep trying to randomly inject meds in me with a needle if I'm here!" 

"Don't you mean the doctor? For God's sake, it feels like I have a child." Izumi said tiredly, giving Tsumugi a look that said, 'don't you see what I deal with?' Tsumugi laughed and walked away, shaking his head