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Gentarou pushed the door to the garage open, peering into the dim darkness. Yuki had told him that Kengo had decided to look at the Power Dizer for a tune-up, trying to see if there was any repairs to be made after the latest run-in with a rogue zodiarts. There was a faint irritation that felt almost foreign because he hadn't associated it with Kengo for a while. Kengo had a tendency to overwork himself, which lead to an increase in headaches and crankiness. It was partly the reason why he enlisted Ryusei's help in the first place, but then Kengo got Ryusei to back off, and here they were, back to square one.
"Kengo!" Gentarou called. The garage smelled far from disuse, even though the boxes were deceptively dusty, and provided a believable cover. He didn't seem to hear any repairs going on, but he moved forward anyway. Even though he had been fighting alongside the Power Dizer for months now, Gentarou never really got a close look at the hulking machinery, and certainly not when it was quiet and not in use.
He felt his way until he saw the familiar sheen of yellow, lit by a small lamp source. Beside the kneeling bulk of metal he spotted Kengo, head leaning against one of the metal legs. "Oi!" he shouted, leaping forward and shaking Kengo's shoulder. The other boy shifted and frowned hard before opening his eyes, gaze unfocused and confused before they settled on Gentarou.
"Kisaragi," Kengo murmured, and then pushed against the leg, trying to get up. Gentarou said, "Woah, wait," and sat down instead, his hand dropping from Kengo's shoulder to the other boy's hand. That seemed to quiet Kengo enough that he stopped trying to get up, instead letting his head fall back again against the leg with a dull thunk. "Just give me a few minutes," Kengo said, eyes still closed.
Gentarou looked around, and spotted a metal tumbler sitting on a cardboard box. He got up and grabbed it, hearing the slosh of water, and nudged it in Kengo's hand. That seemed to rouse the other teen a little, but only just. Kengo shifted again and started searching the pockets of his makeshift jumpsuit (really the school tracksuit over a white t-shirt, sleeves tied at the waist), finally coming up with a medicine tab. Drowsily, he asked Gentarou for the time.
"Just past three," Gentarou said, and the frown was back again, before Kengo dropped the medicine tab with a sigh. "A hour more, huh," he murmured. "For your medicine?" Gentarou asked, but Kengo didn't deign to answer, instead settling himself into a more comfortable position. "Look, why not just go and rest in the nurse's office? You're done with everything, right?" Gentarou persisted, and Kengo waved him off.
"Stop talking, Kisaragi," Kengo grumbled, "I'm fine here. Just give me a few minutes."
"That's what you said five minutes ago," Gentarou grumbled back, and then he moved next to Kengo, pressing one shoulder to another. He shifted Kengo's head to rest against his shoulder, ignoring the soft protest.
"You could always get people to help, you know," Gentarou said. "Stop being so stubborn."
"I built this by myself, I know the Power Dizer best," Kengo retorted, but he didn't lift his head from Gentarou's shoulder. "Look, just be quiet, you're making my head hurt more."
"Those are painkillers then?" Gentarou asked, blatantly disobeying. Kengo grunted, but seemed to have given up trying to answer. The garage was humid, and if not for the tiny fan whirring near them it would have been completely airless. Gentarou felt sweat beginning to bead on his forehead, and he realized in the dim light that Kengo had fallen asleep, chest rising and falling in deep and steady rhythm.
He brushed Kengo's hair off his forehead, noticing that it's grown past his eyebrows. Without thinking he pressed his lips to Kengo's forehead. It didn't feel foreign or weird to him, because it was just a show of affection. He was still glad that Kengo wasn't awake, though, certain that the other teenager would yell at him.
"You work too hard," Gentarou murmured. Kengo pressed his cheek deeper into Gentarou's shoulder, and slept on.