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Ibara has been overworking herself; that much is clear to anyone who looks closely. His other half, his partner in Adam, is the first to notice. And after a while, she starts drawing more and more concerned stares from the idols of ES.
She is usually meticulous with everything she plans, always coming out on top of whatever he gets himself into. He manages several businesses skilfully, one of which, to her unitmates' amusement, includes an ice cream shop. So to see the smug and calculating look change into a frazzled and tired expression as a live approaches is quite alarming.
“It is an important show”, he insists when Hasumi Keito urges him to relax one day when they bump into each other in the hallways of ES. Hasumi concedes with a shrug and warns him not to go overboard.
Hypocrite, Ibara thinks. Hasumi is nothing if not someone who goes overboard with all his projects. She's too polite to say it out loud though, so she only nods.
(He fumes on the way to his office. To be told off by the representative of a rival production— the representative of RhythLin , no less— is nothing short of embarrassing. Still, there is nothing she can do. The CosPro higher-ups will chew her out if the live isn't a success.)
And so the routine continues, until one morning it is with utmost horror that Ibara awakens to find that she may be coming down with a fever. Her throat feels sore, every single one of her joints hurt, and her head feels like it's splitting apart. He sighs and steels himself for a long day. Work remains to be done, and there is no rest for the wicked. He manages to drag himself out of bed with excruciating slowness to discover that Tsumugi is already up and dressed, hovering around in the small kitchen attached to the dorm. Midori is sitting in a nearby chair, looking bored.
She decides to attempt to slip away unnoticed. Her fever-addled brain protests that it's a bad idea, and he shushes that part of himself. Midway through this perfectly calculated and wonderfully genius stunt, he gets caught by the other two looking up to meet his eyes, and immediately regrets everything.
Tsumugi, ever observant and ever caring, notices her pale face before she manages to disappear out of sight and starts to panic. He enlists Midori's help in wrestling Ibara back towards the bed, all the while raving (quite loudly, in Ibara's opinion) on and on about how he just wants his friends to take better care of themselves.
All the noise wakes Mitsuru up, who blinks mutely at the others for a minute while he tries to comprehend the events unfolding before him.
As Mitsuru vanishes into the shower after about fifteen minutes of worrying over Ibara, Tsumugi enters mother hen mode and Ibara can barely register him shuffling around frantically as she slips in and out of consciousness. He thinks he sees the blue haired idol pick up the phone one time, managing to catch a few words here and there.
He's grateful for his roommates, truly, but he wishes they weren't so overbearing sometimes. (An annoying voice in his head tells him that that is a lie. He doesn't know what to do with it.)
Ibara has almost completely drifted off when there's a weight on his bed that he vaguely registers as Mitsuru and pushes himself up to look at the now fully dressed young idol of Ra*bits. He notices Tsumugi and Midori at the edge of his vision, standing by the door.
Mitsuru hugs him tightly, careful not to hurt him, and he leaves a small kiss on the side of the younger boy's head. “I will be perfectly fine, Tenma-shi! No need to put yourself in distress for this snake, ahaha! ☆ Assault, invade, conquer~”
“I will bring Saegusa-senpai the best bread so she can get better! Dash dash daze~” He's yelling a little, but Ibara does not mind. She presses another kiss to his cheek and ruffles his hair as he bounds towards the others.
Tsumugi is still standing in the doorway, wringing his hands, very obviously fretting. “We have to work, but I've called Nagisa-kun so they should be here soon, there's soup and a bento in the kitchen, if there's anything at all that you need I-”
“Your Majesty!” Ibara cuts in, even if just to stop him from spiraling. “I must express my utmost gratitude, but you can stop worrying now.” Her roommate nods in response, a relieved look on his face as he gives Mitsuru a quick hug, herding him outside the room.
Midori sends her a look filled with concern and sympathy as he closes the door.
Barely a minute later, it opens softly to reveal one Ran Nagisa, a book tucked under their arm, Jun trailing behind him. They settle onto the bed, burying their nose into the book, and she curls into their side without thinking. Jun grins at her as he pulls up a chair to sit next to the bed, and she rolls her eyes.
“.....Tsumugi-kun informed us you were unwell,” Nagisa says without looking up. “He called all of us here. Hiyori-kun should be on his way.”
“We were about to head to the practice rooms too, when Nagi-senpai got the call,” Jun adds, shaking his head. Ibara lifts his head to squint at him. “Turns out the person who arranged this whole thing is down sick. Honestly, yer so much trouble, heh.”
“Is that so, Jun?” Ibara grits out. His so-called 'soulmate' somehow always manages to get on his nerves just by opening his mouth. “Well, I thank you for your concern, but as you can see, I'm perfectly alright!”
This only makes Jun grin wider, fangs showing slightly. “Ya call that alright? C'mon Ibara, we're your unitmates, we've seen ya in much better condition.” His smile fades. “You've gotta tell us if you're not feeling okay, right, Nagi-senpai?”
Nagisa nods quietly. “....I agree with Jun. You should rely on us when it comes to things like your health.” He ignores Ibara's incredulous stare as he adds, “....And please remember to not overexert yourself.”
Ibara stays silent for a minute, fuming. How can either of them think it's completely fine to just barge in and lecture her about health? Before she can say something scathing that would probably have Nagisa sulking, there's a knock at the door, and without waiting for an answer, Hiyori bursts into the room with much more vigor than necessary. “I heard our Ibara was feeling ill,” he announces cheerily. “So I came as fast as I could!”
Jun stands, maybe looking a little annoyed, and tugs the other idol closer to the bed. “Yer too loud, Ohii-san.” He closes the door gently. “The last thing he needs right now is noise.”
Nagisa lifts his head from his book to smile at the older boy. “....hello, Hiyori-kun.”
Hiyori responds with a bright smile of his own. “No need to fret; your one and only Tomoe Hiyori is here!” He reaches for the producer’s clammy forehead and rests his hand against it to feel her fever, which she surprisingly does not flinch away from.
She must be exhausted. That can be the only explanation. It isn't like she's much more comfortable with being vulnerable with her unit, is it?
(The idea terrifies him.)
“Ah, what terrible weather!” Hiyori laments, drawing his hand away. “We cannot have our viper fall victim to any sickness at this moment, when we have the stage to think of! Truly, however shall we go about conquering the live in a week?”
Jun frowns at his partner. “Ohii-san, that ain’t our concern right now-”
Ibara chooses this moment to speak up again, however weakly. “Ahaha, rest assured, Your Highness, I do not wish to be a hindrance to Eden’s upcoming live! Your brightness, His Excellency’s power, and Jun’s determination is all you need, yes? After all, I am but the snake on the ground that tempted Adam and Eve into biting into the forbidden fruit~”
“....You'll be better by next week though, right?” Nagisa asks quietly, putting away his book.
“I am not quite sure of that, Your Excellency!” Bleary blue eyes blink at the leader of Eden. “However, if I recall correctly, fine has performed several times without the presence of His Eminence. I am sure the most powerful unit in CosPro could surpass them, even when down a member! Besides, I am ready to leave my bed and join you all if you wish me too, illness be damned!”
“....You need to rest. The live is not our priority right now. You are.” Nagisa narrows their eyes. “....I advised you not to overexert yourself just now, I believe.”
“Your Excellency-”
“Are you going to disobey your leader?”
Ibara looks a little panicked at that. “I would never dare, Your Excellency!”
Hiyori leans over to press a kiss to her nose, for once free of the weight of her glasses, and she involuntarily scrunches it up, making him giggle in response. “Eden isn’t Eden without all its members,” he reminds the younger. “Besides, didn’t we once promise we wouldn’t let anything create a rift between us, hmm?”
Ibara’s face, already flushed from the fever, turns even redder at the thought of the events of Conquest. Jun shifts his chair and takes one of Ibara’s warm hands in his, rubbing soothing circles into her palm. “So how’d this happen, anyway?” He asks, filling the uncomfortable silence with his question.
“....She has been overworking herself,” Nagisa replies, mirth audible in their voice at the look of betrayal Ibara gives them.
“Geez, Ibara, ya really gotta learn how to take a break.”
“Ahahaha ☆ my apologies, Jun! It was a slight on my part to neglect my health when we have a performance to prepare for~” The cheerful tone seems too forced, especially with the tiredness seeping into her voice.
Jun squeezes her hand tighter. “We just want ya to take care of yourself, man. As Nagi-senpai said, it’s not the live or our image we’re worried about — it’s you.”
Ibara looks slightly distraught at the unexpectedly sweet gestures from his unit; it’s clearly something he’s not used to. He doesn't draw his hand away from Jun's grasp, but his lips part in order to protest the onslaught of tenderness from all sides. “I- you all-” He does not get very far before Nagisa decides to start threading through her hair in a soothing manner, making her mouth snap shut like a trapdoor. Her eyelids slide close, weariness overtaking him, so he cannot find it in himself to actually voice out her complaint.
Hiyori plants another kiss on his forehead. “Rest, my adorable viper. You have nothing to worry about right now~”
Ibara shifts uncomfortably like she does when she's embarrassed, blush on her face rising as she squirms, almost as if (unsuccessfully) trying to shake off the affection being lathered onto her. Nagisa presses closer to her and she gives up fighting, burrowing into their body heat. Hiyori suppresses a chuckle.
It’s hard to make out what she mutters next, voice muddled from the drowsiness: “M’ roommates…”
“....Your roommates understand that we would have wanted to see you during your time of ailment,” Nagisa reassures. “So they have let us stay here for the time being. However, if you or they want us to leave, we will do so.”
Ibara makes a sleepy noise and grabs at the fingers carding through her hair with her free hand. “Stay.”
It is rare to have him like this, his clingier side coming out completely unfiltered. The rest of Eden smile down at their youngest member who's fallen asleep in seconds, and if one could have a glimpse of this peaceful moment, their fondness would be quite clear.
But this garden of tranquility is not for anyone to intrude on. Let Adam and Eve shower their beloved snake with adoration.
(As for the live, Nagisa will be having a word with the CosPro staff later. For now, he must be by his partner's side.)