"Stupid four-eyed kappa," Ken huffs, gathering Chikusa into his arms as much because he knows Chikusa's just going to ragdoll like a sulky toddler through his as because he wants to move him out of the bushes and into the yard where Ryohei, he imagines, will have more room to see and to work his box. But the care he takes, the gentleness with which he scoops up his wounded partner to not make his injuries worse even though he knows Chikusa probably isn't feeling much pain, says a lot more than his mouth ever will.

He settles Chikusa on the lawn, sitting himself behind Chikusa and propping him upright against him, arms around his waist. He gives Ryohei a look of sullen defiance. "Fix him, byon."

It's desperation, and even Ryohei can probably tell that. Desperation, the massive extent of Chikusa's injuries, and Ken's own straightforward, reckless nature that probably makes him more likely than anyone else in the Kokuyo gang to go for the obvious solution of Ryohei's healing box even if it means asking for the assistance of the Vongola and possibly annoying Mukuro by doing so in the process. Chikusa wouldn't have been willing, and Chrome probably would have been too conscious of Mukuro's likely negative reaction to dare it.

But even if it's born of desperation...Ryohei may be conscious that he's been given a significant amount of trust here. Ken is asking him to fix this, and in doing so entrusting one of the most important things of his life to him. Honestly, the fact that Ken thought of anyone outside their group at all when at the end of his rope implies a subconscious trust in the Vongola he'd never admit to.