𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨

❝Oh...❞ Momina's eyes were watery so she blinked them back. ❝I didn't eat yet so no...❞ she coughed again, covering her mouth with her arm. ❝I-I'll get something to eat now, though. And then take my medicine!❞

Momina shook her head, her twin braids moving with her. ❝No, not too cold. If anything I feel too warm...!❞ She rubbed at her eyes, brushing the tears away again. ❝I felt too warm all night.❞ Her shoulders sagged when he mentioned her not being able to go to Tsutsuna's house. Her expression downcast. ❝...I wish I could but I probably❞ another coughing fit. ❝C-can't...!❞

There is a heavy pit in his stomach he refuses to call anxiety, but it is there, weighing him down, screaming unease in his ears. WHAT IF THIS TIME, SHE WON'T BE OKAY. ( When was she ever okay ? ) , but he swallows that lump of disquieting truths and tells himself it's alright ; he's overreacting ! Like he always does.

" Too warm? " Gokudera turns away, already stalking towards the offending heater, he doesn't say, that his interest in leaving decreased twice-fold, that he had decided to stay with her the moment she started wheezing a gnarly cough out of her tiny little lungs. ⸻ he'll never really get use to the sound of it, like she's about to hurl her guts out if it gets any worst, he does not dismiss the possibility of her coughing out a chunk of her lung and a quarter of her kidney.

Mindlessly, he slams his hand onto the control panel of the heater, the clunky thing barely hanging for its dear life, been like that for a while now. His temper is also hanging by a thread. " Not again ! " And the temperature spikes down, colder than what it's supposed to be. " Why the fuck is a heater getting colder ?! "

Enma chuckled, feeling a bit shy. "Haha...yeah..." his cheeks flushed as he looked down at his shoes, . "...Adelheid got mad this morning about it actually..." She had actually told him he had to get the cats under control on Tuesday but it was just so hard to ignore them. How could he when they looked at him like that and needed help? "She said if I don't figure something out before I get home there'll be trouble..." Honestly the wrath Adelheid will bring down on him will be awful and scary but he can't really care too much right now as he feels Miruku's back against his own. A soft, warm smile appeared as he moved his toes around. Miruku was one of two bright lights in his life. Every moment spent with him was something he treasured. With that thought in mind, he spoke.

" I don't want your protection, I wanna be dead in the ditch. The next BREAKING NEWS. " Theatrical, a tad bit too dramatic with just a dash of truth. ( The dead part, not the breaking news part he's far to shy to be a public figure. ) " We really should figure out this cats situation though, we are unfit for cat litter custody. We're too young to be parents, Enma. I'm too young, I have dreams and aspiration and⸻ "

A yowling cat cuts through the rambling. Miruku stares at the ill-favored one, grotesque creature that they call a ' cat. ' Trying to be cute? Well it wont work on me, freako. " I don't remember asking for your opinion. " She scolds, tone too jovial to ever be read as angry.

" Anyway, I'm thinking, cat adoption centers. What do you think Enma ? "

Momina had been laying in bed, once again feeling terrible when she heard the knocking on the door, followed by Hayato's request. She blinked, still laying in bed as she could practically sense the anxiety that must be coming off him in waves. She pushed herself up with some struggle, rubbing at her eyes.

"S-sorry...!" She replied, her voice sounding weak and hoarse. She hadn't spoken until now, and she felt embarrassed sounding like that. Before she could say anything else, however, a horrible cough racked her entire body. It took her five minutes to compose herself once more and shakily make her way from her bed, still in her pj's. "W-wait, please..." she wheezed before finally making it to the door, taking some deep breaths before opening it.

⸻ Her voice is distinct, middle range, mezzo soprano, between A3 to A5. Then ever so often, it becomes muted with ailment , ' FUCK ' He cursed inwardly, suddenly remembers he needs to figure that out, her declining health. Gokudera is trying to play it cool, like he's not about to spew a litany of personal questions, like he didn't NEED something from her. " oi, did you drink your shit already. " An array of ' shit ', sequencing her medication conveyor belt style, round and round inside that neurotic skull of his. ⸻ ( Acetaminophen ... OTC ... tylenol ... anti-inflammatory ... Nonsteroida ... the advil. ) " is it too cold ? " he asked, brows furrowed, should he cover her windows? like, all of it ? " Guess you can't go out today, was about to head to Juundai- Tsuna-kun's. "

His hands hovers awkwardly around her face, temperature checking, but can't bring himself to TOUCH her. " How bad is it this time ? " This is bad for his heart, does she know what he's doing to her ? He'll die. She'll die. Then what? Then what when they're both dead in their dingy apartment.