Engine Boy, I Love You!

EBILY | Ch. 6: A Future of Unknowns

DISCLAIMER: There are hospital scenes in this chapter that talk about the subject of Tensei's paralysis. I have not experienced a family member becoming paralyzed, so my limited research and insight on the subject are all I had to go off of when writing this chapter. There are bound to be some potential inaccuracies, and if you suffer from paralysis or have a family member who is paralyzed and feel that some sections are handled incorrectly, I would not be opposed to feedback. Granted, I know I cannot appease everyone, but I assure you all that I did my best to handle the subjects as sensitively and positively as I could.

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As sunlight streamed through the curtains of Iida's balcony, he let out a soft groan from his bed—rolling onto his side to try and avoid the beam of light currently hitting his eyes. Facing the wall, he started to drift off a second time in the darkness—ignoring the time of day, and the way his muscles still ached from the day before.

For once, Iida did not want to get up. Not only was it Saturday, but Iida was fairly certain that no one else in 1-A was up yet either. They were all collectively exhausted still from their examination, so it only made sense. Normally such a thing would've bothered him—he preferred to start every day bright and early, but today would have to be an exception. Not to mention he'd paid Hatsume a late-night visit, so in terms of emotional and physical energy, Iida was spent.

Enshrouded again in the dark, his mind started to wander back into that state between consciousness and sleep. Hatsume entered his mind absently, remembering their evening together with a warm fondness. He could see her almost clear as day again, drinking his soup from the chirirenge in his hands with a smile playing on her lips.

It was a cozy scene to recall—enough so that he forced his mind to remain in that place for just a minute longer. He gradually dozed into a deeper and deeper sleep all the while, her face never losing its clarity in the front of his mind.

She nudged away the spoon in his hands and set her cheek into one of his palms—holding his hand in place against her face. Her smile deepened as she did, and the two stared quietly at another for several long seconds.

Iida shivered.

Tucking his knees closer to himself under the covers, he felt his body heat rise as he imagined himself tucking her hair out of her eyes and combing his fingers through it. He raised her chin, setting them eye level with each other, and then leaned in slowly to kiss her.

He imagined selfishly for a moment what such a thing might feel like. No teases—a real, passionate, slow kiss. How would that feel? The touch of her lips as she turned, her soft breath on the underside of his nose, the curve of her cheek against his own... if only he could truly know that sensation. Actually experience it.

"(Hatsume...)" he murmured, and moments before he could reach out to touch his wall like a fool, Iida suddenly jumped at the blaring chirp of his ringtone on the nightstand by his head.

Irritated, he blinked away those tempting thoughts of her and rolled over to glare tiredly at the source of the incessant ringing. Apparently someone was calling him.

"(For crying out loud,)" he mumbled, rubbing both eyes as he reached over to grab his phone, Right when I was... was... he hesitated on the answer button, What was I doing, come to think of it? Daydreaming? About her?

If he were any more lucid, Iida would've scolded himself for having such thoughts; but being as tired as he was, he rolled his eyes instead—making the controversial decision to just be mad that someone had essentially woken him from the start of a potentially wonderful dream.