Work Text:
His eyes remained on the screen as Cherry and Adam raced down the track. His eyes even remained locked on the screen as Cherry was brutally hit in the face with Adam’s skateboard. The only movement that gave away his fury was the clenching of his jaw and the narrowing of his eyes. However, as Cherry remained unmoving and even seems to have closed his eyes, Joe couldn’t help himself anymore. He faintly heard Shadow’s voice calling out for him as he jumped onto his board to get to Cherry, no, Kaoru. His heart was pounding in his ears as he pushed his own limits to get down faster. Quicker. Hurry, hurry, hurryhurryhurry-
“Kaoru!” He bellowed out as he jumped off his board, not caring that the remaining speed propelled it into bystanders as he slid to his knees next to the unmoving body of his childhood friend. Breathing in sent prickles of pain through his chest as he cradled Kaoru’s head against his abdomen. “Hey, get a grip of yourself.” He begged him.
“I thought I could have a little fun, but Cherry was really boring.” A shock ran down his spine as he whipped his head around to stare at Adam. The image of the self-assured but kind smirk on a teenage Adam slowly shattering before his eyes as he saw Adam simply watching the lifeless form of their former mutual friend just laying on the ground. “Adam, you son of a bitch…” He hissed out. Just before he could jump forward to wrap his fingers around Adam’s throat and pressing until those disinterested eyes became lifeless, the screeching tires and honking of Shadow’s car pulled him out of the fog of rage that threatened to cloud his better judgement. “Hey, right now it’s more important to get to a hospital!”
Biting back down his fury, Joe picked up Cherry into his arms, cradling him gently against his chest as to not jostle his wounds too much and climbing into the back of the car that Miya was already opening for him. Forcing a small grateful smile onto his face for the kid, Joe barely had the time to buckle himself up before Shadow was speeding off. With a gentleness that Joe would later question he could muster, he managed to paw Miya’s hands off the injured body of Kaoru. “It’ll be alright, it’s okay.” He could hear himself repeating over and over again. Whether it was to ease Miya’s panicking questions or himself, Kojiro was no longer sure.
“Hey, we have to make sure that we are not exactly in our “S” outfits when we get to the hospital. It will just raise more questions.” Kojiro’s head snapped forward again, briefly locking eyes with Shadow in the rear window. He took a deep breath and forced out a croaking “Yeah” as he began to pull apart Kaoru’s Cherry persona. They had gotten ready for S together countless of times, so Kojiro considered himself quite familiar with the complicated knots and buttons that made up the other’s outfit. Miya’s sharp intake of breath only confirmed his suspicions. Kaoru must look bad, real bad. At last, he had finished to strip Kaoru down to the shirtless turtleneck and black leggings he wore beneath his yukata and hakama. Even the turtleneck was partly torn at the back where Kaoru had slid across the pavement. His fingers shook slightly as he gently adjusted his friend’s head to rest more supported on the swell of his shoulder rather than on his bicep. “Joe, you go in first and get him to one of our doctors. I will park my car and take off my make up and inform Reki and Langa. Miya and I will then catch up with you.” Kojiro stiffly nodded but didn’t move to look towards the front of the car again, his gaze fixated on Kaoru’s chest, looking out for the faint rise and fall that confirmed that he was indeed still alive. Pressing Kaoru a bit closer to his body, he heard a faint sound coming from the man in his arms.
“Joe! Answer me, for heaven’s sake.” Shadow’s voice rang through the car and Kojiro was tempted to yell back that he should mind his own fucking business, he was not in the mood for anyone’s bullshit right now, not when his best friend was possibly dying in his arms- Oh. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he spoke. “Sorry… Yeah, it sounds like a good idea.” He hesitated for a moment before turning to Miya. “Kiddo, did you grab our bags before leaving?” Miya merely stared at him and Kaoru, unmoving. “Miya.”
“Wha? Y-Yeah, of course, you old geezer.” Kojiro shot Miya a wry smile and thanked him. At least he would have the other’s ID and insurance card so he could get treated quicker. Unable to help himself, he brushed Kaoru’s hair away from his face. His stomach knotted itself into a huge ball of anxiety when his fingers came back wet and warm. Kaoru was bleeding from his head. He slowly looked forward again and spoke in a calm voice, unwilling to upset the kid further. “Shadow? Please hurry.” Shadow glanced back again and upon seeing Kojiro’s expression, cursed lowly beneath his breath and accelerated the car, very likely going beyond the speed limits.
The rest of the ride felt agonizingly slow as Kojiro kept gently adjust Kaoru’s hair as to not let Miya see the blood slowly running down Kaoru’s face. At one point, he had reached out to put a hand on the kid’s head, gently rubbing the back of his head to calm him down. As soon as Shadow stopped in the front of the hospital, Kojiro unbuckled himself and moved to get out, grabbing their bags with his hand. “Joe, wait—” Miya called out, biting his lip. “Can I come with you?” Kojiro frowned and glanced at Shadow who merely shrugged. With a heavy sigh, Kojiro nodded and handed the boy at least one of the bags before rushing towards the entrance, not even bothering to look back as Shadow drove off to get his car parked and himself into a more civil look.
He burst through the entrance door, the nurses looking up in shock. Miya was panting as he stumbled after Kojiro with their bags dangling from his bag. “We need to see Doctor Murano. Now.” The nurse sitting at the front desk frowned and opened his mouth to protest but a familiar face merely nodded and rushed off. Others came in to try to pry Kaoru out of his arms but his grip on the other remained solid. A gentle tug at his pants made him loosen his grip enough for the nurses and Doctor Murano who had arrived to maneuver Kaoru out of his arms and away. Suddenly, he felt cold, and he shifted to button up his jacket further. “Will he be okay, Joe?” His gaze flitted down to Miya who was staring up at him with wide eyes and a wobbling lower lip.
Right. Miya had insisted on accompanying him inside. Taking a deep breath to collect himself, he merely returned his head to its former position on Miya’s head as he gently nudged the boy so he could lean against him. “Yeah. The bastard has seen worse.” Lies. “He is too stubborn to go out like that. He’ll be fine. Besides, Doctor Murano is very capable. He will take great care of Kaoru.” Miya merely nodded slowly and buried his face partly into Kojiro’s jacket, his hand reaching up to grip at it tightly. His heart sank in his chest at the frightened look on the kid’s face. This boy was only 13. He shouldn’t have had to watch someone be so brutally injured – let alone someone he has come to care about as a parental figure. Kojiro only managed to keep from pacing around like a maniac because the kid needed him right now. Taking another deep breath, he guided Miya to sit in one of the chairs in the waiting room, kneeling in front of him to shield his small body with his own big one.
“It’s okay, kiddo. He will be fine. Do you want a snack?” Miya merely shook his head and began to furiously rub at his eyes, turning his face away. Kojiro smiled faintly and merely sat down next to him, pulling the boy fully into his side. At first, Miya protested by pushing his hands against Kojiro’s arm but when he found it impossible to move him, he merely sagged against the tall man and buried his face into his jacket, faint sobs emitting from the place where face met fabric. Now that Miya was unable to see his face, Kojiro let the faint smile slip from his own face as he leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. At the back of his mind, he knew Kaoru would be fine. Murano was capable and Kaoru was at least still breathing and faintly moving when he had been brought in. That was a good sign, right?
Time was passing agonizingly slow as they waited for news on Kaoru’s wellbeing. For a short moment, Kojiro had closed his eyes as the adrenaline was beginning to wear off and he felt so utterly exhausted. “Joe!” He didn’t know how much time has passed as he slowly opened his eyes again, gazing at Hiromi’s and Langa’s concerned expressions. With a hint of a frown, he noted that Reki was absent. So was he still avoiding them? A soft groan left him as he shifted in the seat and his back felt stiff. He did fall asleep for a few minutes after all, it seems. “Hiromi.” He croaked out, glancing down at Miya who was now sleeping against his side, having slid down to rest on his lap again. He gently placed his hand against the boy’s shoulder to shake him awake.
“Any news on Cherry?” Kojiro glanced at Langa and slowly shook his head. “Not yet.” Miya yawned loudly as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He smiled softly at him. For a moment, Kojiro wondered when they had become such an odd group of friends, bordering on family. However, he was unable to remain in his musings for long when Hiromi stepped in front of him, staring down at him with a frown. “Do you want some coffee or tea?” He asked. Kojiro wordlessly reached into one of the bags and grabbed a wallet to pull out a few bills to hand over to Hiromi. “Yes please. Black and a bag of fruits and nuts for the kids.” Hiromi merely nodded and left with the money to get them some food and some much needed caffeine.
Langa sat down in the chair across for them, staring down at his folded hands in his lap. If his mind wasn’t already wandering back to Kaoru’s wellbeing again, he would have been amused at the fact that Miya has started to use his side as a resting place again. Noticing the faint shivering of Miya, Kojiro shrugged off his jacket and draped it across his shoulders, bundling him up tightly. Said boy squawked in surprise and glared at him. “Seriously dude? You’re just going to sit around half-naked?” Kojiro was about to retort that he was plenty warm but a faint gasp from a nurse in the distance reminded him that he was not in a place where it’d be appropriate for him to remain shirtless, so he snatched his bag from the ground and pulled out a shirt to throw on. Despite his protests, Miya still remained snuggled into his jacket, even going as far as pulling it tighter around himself.
His gaze returned to Langa who looked beyond worse for wear. “Hey kid. Any word from Reki?” Lange returned his gaze and just slowly shook his head. “He read the message but didn’t reply. He also ignored Shadow’s call.” Kojiro frowned. This was unusual. He knew the kids all cared deeply about Kaoru, despite the latter’s aloof nature that made it difficult for him to truly connect to the kids. “I see… I’m sure he will drop by tomorrow. He probably just realizes that there is little he can do right now. I doubt Kaoru will even be awake by the time that we’re allowed to see him.” He mused, leaning slightly forward to lean his elbows against his knees, sighing deeply. Miya gave a small noise of protest at his movement but settled into the new position just fine. The corner of his lips twitched up slightly. At least he was useful for something right now, even if it was just to serve as a pillow for Miya. Speaking of…
“Miya, have you called your parents yet?” A soft grumble was his only reply and he sighed deeply. One of these days, Kojiro or Kaoru should probably introduce themselves as Miya’s tutors or secondary skate coaches so they could inform the kid’s parents about his whereabouts without freaking them out that men in their mid 20’s were hanging around their kid. “Reki said he texted them that Miya was staying with him.” Kojiro glanced up at Hiromi who had just returned with two steaming cups of coffee and a big bag of dried fruits and nuts. “Ah, at least they won’t worry, even if it’s still lying.” He replied wryly before gratefully taking the cup of coffee and cradling it between his hands. Hiromi plopped down into the seat next to Langa, tossing the bag of snacks at Miya who yelped as he was startled awake again, owlishly blinking down.
“I’m not hungry.” He muttered, slowly glancing between the other three people sitting around him. “Eat.” Kojiro urged, snatching the bag to open it before holding it towards Miya. His only reply was a dry look that reminded him so much of Kaoru – and God, they really should stop leaving the kid with Kaoru or else they’ll have another snobbish, overly self-confident, annoying, prickly, idiotic, beautiful, smart and… Halting his spiraling thoughts there, Kojiro just gently shook the bag to rattle its content again. “Eat.” He repeated. With an exaggerated roll of his eyes, Miya snatched up the bag and began to slowly stuff the nuts and fruits into his mouth. “I prefer your risotto.” Miya faintly muttered and Kojiro decided to absolutely not let Miya spend so much time with Kaoru alone anymore.
Kojiro took slow sips from his coffee as they continued to wait. Despite the caffeine now flowing through his veins, he still couldn’t help the exhaustion wearing down on him. He not-so-gently rubbed at his puffy eyes as he glanced towards the clock. 2:36 AM. His eyes wandered to the door the doctor and nurses had disappeared through with Kaoru placed on a stretcher. How long have they been waiting for? It felt like ages but at the same time only mere minutes that he had picked up Kaoru’s broken body from the ground. At last, the torture came to an end when a nurse came towards them that looked as exhausted as Kojiro felt. “Who of you gentlemen is Nanjo Kojiro?”
The eyes of the other guys landed on him as he slowly rose to his feet. “I am. How is he?” The nurse glanced up at him and her expression remained unmoving for a moment. His heart was beginning to descend into his stomach again. No, he can’t be- Kaoru wouldn’t let something like that take him down, would he? He is too stubborn, to spiteful, he…
“It was a close call but he is stable, and we are confident he will make a full recovery.” The nurse slowly smiled at him, albeit weary. “However, he has to remain here for a few more days so we can be sure that none of the stitches re-opens and there is no remaining damage from his concussion.” The tension in the air drained out as all four men relaxed their shoulders. Faint sniffling told him that Miya had started crying out of relief again. “Do you wish to see him?” Kojiro’s throat felt sown shut, but he managed a faint nod. The nurse’s smile grew faintly as she leaned to the side to look at Miya who had his face buried into Kojiro’s jacket again, drying his face with the collar. “Do you want to see your dad, too?”
Hiromi snorted faintly. Kojiro merely smiled and held out his hand to Miya who slowly stood and took it. “Hey, what about us?” Hiromi protested quietly, frowning up at the nurse. The woman turned to him and hummed. “Technically, we are only allowed to let his next of kin see the patient outside of visiting hours, but.. since it’s so late, I suppose I can make an exception for you.” Langa and Hiromi visibly perked up and the group slowly trailed after the nurse who led them into a room. Kojiro huffed softly. Of course, Kaoru’s insurance would put him into a single room.
However, his amusement did not last for long as they approached the bed Kaoru laid in. He was paler than usual and covered in bandages. One of his arms and legs were in a cast and possibly broken, his head and neck were wrapped and Kojiro suspected there were several stitches on other parts of his body. Miya’s grip on his hand tightened as Kojiro slowly stepped further with the boy in town, leaning down to brush aside Kaoru’s hair again, his expression resembling more of a grimace. “You fucking idiot. You scared us.” His chest began to feel tighter the longer he looked at Kaoru. His eyes began to burn as his throat began to close up again. Hiromi came up behind him to place a comforting hand on his shoulder and Kojiro gave a shuddering chuckle. The hand on his shoulder tightened and Hiromi eventually broke the quiet in the room. “Hey Langa. It’s getting late and Miya looks like he will fall asleep standing soon. Why don’t you take him to my car already? I will join you in a bit.” Langa frowned and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Hiromi before he could. “Now. Come on.” Kojiro almost protested when Miya’s hand was taken out of his and he watched with a disoriented gaze as Hiromi ushered Langa and Miya out of the door before turning to him.
“Joe. It’s okay now.” Kojiro didn’t know what Hiromi meant but as his mouth was suddenly filled with a salty taste, his fingers moved up to touch his face. A faint gasp left him as his fingers came back wet. Was he crying? But Kaoru was fine, he was breathing, the faint beeping of the monitor attached to him proved that and—Oh God.
Despite his best efforts, a sudden sob ripped out of his throat and Kojiro caught himself on the edge of the bed next to Kaoru’s bed as his legs suddenly gave out on him and he crumpled to the floor. Just now he realized how painful his shoulders felt as he pressed his face into the thin mattress on the hospital bed. His sobs were loud, even to his own ears. Hiromi slowly kneeled next to him, pulling him to lean against his solid form. “Fuck, oh fuck. Fuck.” Kojiro gasped out, his hands balling into fists and slamming into the ground next to him. “Shit, shit, shit. Hiromi, I- I could have lost Kaoru tonight.” His sobs increased in volume as Hiromi merely rocked him gently. Kojiro punched the ground again, feeling a shock of pain run up his arm. “I swear, I will kill that son of a bitch. I will strangle him with my own bare hands, I don’t care—”
“Kojiro.” Hiromi’s voice was firm but not unkind. “I doubt Kaoru would want to wake up to hear you ended up in jail, especially for of him.” Kojiro merely shook his head and allowed Hiromi to tug him more securely into his side. Injuries and broken bones were nothing unusual for their hobby. He could barely count the number of injuries Kojiro had sustained himself during his time skating, but it was never this severe. Never in their lives have they gotten that close to losing one another. If Kaoru had died tonight, if he had lost the only person he trusted to inexplicably, without ever being able to tell just how much he cherished Kaoru’s presence in his life…
Another wave of sobs ripped through him and he grabbed at Hiromi’s bicep. The other man merely continued to hold him. “It’s fine, Joe. He is going to make it.” Kojiro merely nodded. After the sobs subsided, embarrassment took hold of him. Slowly, he detangled himself from Hiromi and stood on shaky legs, nearly doubling over again. His limbs felt as if they were filled with lead and Hiromi nudged a chair beneath his body. Kojiro gratefully sank into it and leaned his forehead on the mattress again, placing his hand to cover Kaoru’s, gently intertwining their fingers.
“The kids are waiting for me, will you be okay without me?” Kojiro merely hummed and nodded slowly. He knew he would spend the rest of the night here. Their boards and his bike were most likely being retrieved by a friend at S. Hopefully. Whatever, it didn’t matter right now. The only thing that mattered was that Kaoru was alive. That he was going to be okay. He took another shuddering breath and slowly lifted his head to look at Hiromi who was looking at him expectantly. “Yeah, I will be fine because he will be.”
With a faint smile, Hiromi moved to the door but before he closed it behind him, he turned around to look at Kojiro who now sat with his forehead pressed against the back of Kaoru’s hand that was cradled between both of his. “When he wakes up… You should tell him how you feel.” A soft click echoed through the room. Kojiro smiled slightly as he glanced up at Kaoru’s bandaged, but peaceful face.
“Maybe I should.”