Chapter Text
Blurry. everything, the familier sea blue eyes, in an uncomfortable twist of concern rather than the odd comfort of stable, never-changing, blank stares he found so safe. The calming voice -so soothing, so like his mother's- was lost and over his head, the sound melding into white noise. His mind felt blurry, the cold harsh concrete seeming unusually comfy against his back and he slipped into a dreamless sleep.
---
"Sanemi?" the flurescent lights were bright cruel on his violet eyes, he blinked slowly, white fluttering over pale skin. sanemi half came to his senses, the lights were too bright, he too hot under the thin layers of soft cotton that completely covered his tired body. A soft, steady hand was cradling his, another of his forehead, but they weren't right. They were missing the recognisable navy nail polish. Sanemi shifted on the soft bed, averting his gaze from bright, white ceiling tiles, and over to the familiar face beside him.
"...Ubuyashiki?" the realisation hit him. he needed to go. Panic. He bolted up as fast as he could, pulling out anything that had been attached to him, trying yank his hand away and run.
"Sanemi, lie back down, its okay." No it wasn't, he'd get stuck with someone, he'd be taken away from his friends, he needed to leave. But before he get out of bed, soft, but firm hands held him down. Kagaya had never been paticularly strong, but at the moment sanemi felt so weak.
"It's okay, I know you want to leave, but you can't, it's fine, I won't call anyone, just stay still, okay?" Sanemi wanted to protest, but still, he felt himself nod slowly.
"Good, I'll help you sit up and then I'll get someone to fix that" he said eyeing the IV that was now lying on the bed next to his bleeding arm. Sanemi nodded as kagaya pulled him up against the excessive pile of pillows, sanemi stared down at his hands, fidgeting. He stayed the way for a while, only looking up when he heard the door open.
violet eyes flicked up towards the intruder. oh.
"Tomioka?"As he glanced up towards the door, a mop of messy black hair came into view, accompanied by the deep, blank stare he'd grown to love, now only holding a hint of the worry they'd held before.
"Sanemi, you're awake, I brought coffees" he lifted up a cardboard, take away tray containing, a black coffee, jasmine tea and a ridiculously sweet looking caramel coffee. Giyuu walked over, worn converse hitting the ground at a steady pace, when he reached them, he passed the tea to kagaya, who accepted with a polite thank you and nod of his head. He then passed the caramel coffee to sanemi.
"Yes I got an extra large, yes it has extra syrup, your all set to damage all your bodily functions" sanemi let a ghost of a smile grace his pale, scarred face.
"Thanks" was all the reply he got, before sanemi had his face in the plastic cup, Giyuu took a seat next to kagaya, leaning back in the plastic chair, staring as sanemi.
"You gave us a fright." Sanemi took another small sip from his coffee, enjoying the burning feeling of hot drink going down his throat, before opening his mouth to speak. "...What happened?" Giyuu's eyes widened like he was surprised by such a question.
"Well......you..you've been running, you're not eating right, you're getting into fights and you caught something...you're body got fed up I guess. You collapsed when I was smuggling you your class work." Giyuu had a slightly more emotive expression on his face, he was worried.
Sanemi sat for a moment, just thinking, staring into his coffee like he found the swirls of syrupy caramel more interesting than finding the meaning of life
"Oh..." giyuu opened his mouth, just about to speak when kagaya interrupted
"We can discuss it later, I'll call a nurse to get that IV put back in." Giyuu froze at that, deep blue eyes widening, his eyebrows drawn together.
"Why is it out?" Concern laced in with his usual stale tone, he put his coffee and leaned closer, worry all over the teenagers face. Ubuyashiki put a soothing hand on giyuu's shoulder
"It's alright, sanemi was just a but distressed when he first came to, he pulled them out trying to run away, but it's okay, he's here now and we can get another." Giyuu relaxed slightly but an expression of pity (or a least pity in sanemi's eyes) took place in his beautiful eyes instead. Sanemi bristled at this, working on auto pilot and jumping straight to his usual vicious anger, raising his voice as much as he could at the moment -not very much-
"I don't need your pit!-"
"Sanemi." Ubuyashiki's kind -much firmer now but still kind as always- tone cut through the start of the inevitable argument
"calm down, no one's pitying you, I promise. Now just rest -actually- rest and I'll call a nurse to put the IV back." Sanemi still looked like he willing to pull his own hair out, but somehow willed the strength lessened the rage building in the back of his skull for the sake of his poor principal.
"..right..sorry.." sanemi muttered half heatedly, having a mouthful of coffee, the cup seeming to burn his hands but still, he made no move to buffer the heat. He let the liquid pool on his tongue, the overpowering blend of excessive sugar and coffee, suddenly tasting sour above everything else. It shouldn't have made him feel so bitter, it was only a little expression, he could have misinterpreted it, he could've let it go, leave it alone, but no. Sanemi always had to bite, his first option just had to be rage. suddenly, Sanemi was snapped out of his thoughts by the snapping of the glass door swinging open, a nurse dressed in pale puprle unifrom, kind eyes and shiny black hair, neatly swept back with an ornate floral pin. Tamayo.
---
Sanemi had been in the hospital more than he'd like to admit, courtesy of dear old dad. She had been a close friend of his mother, they'd met through work and hospital visits. "Sanemi? it's been a while...gladly......why are you in today?...lets see....ah." Tamayo picked up his patient file off the end of the bed with a soft manicured hand. Slowly, her eyes traveled over the form. Collapse, exhaustion, deficient diet, stress, blood loss. The bed creaked as sanemi shifted to hunch his shoulders and stare harder into his coffee, sheilding himself from tamayo's gaze more effectivley, taking a more defensive stance. He missed the way her shaped brows knitted together as she went down the list of causes.
"Right, well" tamayo put the file down and padded over to sanemi's side, she crouched down to sanemi's level, staring into his face with those seemingly empty, kind violet eyes.
"lets get you another IV, hm?" she picked up a needles.
"this will pinch a bit, do you need to hold onto something?" sanemi's lavander eyes flicked up to meet her familiar face "I'm fine" he muttered iritably, rolling his eyes before returning to his coffee, his jaw clenched and scars pulled taught on his cheekbones.
"Alright, alright. i know. you were the same when you were little, you know. It didn't matter if you were only seven or had a broken nose...you were still always pretending to be big and strong, hm" Tamayo inserted the IV carefully, with ease of a practiced nurse. sanemi flinched but didn't complain. Giyuu perked up in his seat, curious, he sat up straighter.
"You knew Sanemi as a kid? why was he in hospital enough to know you?" Sanemi went stalk still at that comment, anger flashed through his eyes and a slight tremble ran through his body, calloused shaking subtly against his paper take-away cup.
"Nemi here, was quite the little bruiser as a kid, also just a tad accident prone. always breaking fingers, or something or other" Her tone was level calm as she covered for him, she knew the real stories but she also knew how much they hurt. It wasn't like she was lying through her teeth or anything, he had always been a klutzy kid in his earliest years, however that had quickly been beaten out of him. Eventually, the intense mix of emotions coursing through his body dissapated slightly and he cleared his throat roughly. "right."