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Juzo watched Awase pace back and forth in the waiting room. His messily done hair sticking out in every direction and his usual headband hanging around his neck instead of holding his hair back. Watching him made all of Juzo's nerves flare and built his anxiety to a constant rumble. He wouldn't stop him, though. Everyone was worried and had their own way of trying to keep calm. Tsuburaba sat in the corner of the room, staring down at his phone with clear, purple bags underneath his eyes. Monoma was staring contemplatively at the wall with his hand covering his mouth and his leg bouncing up a storm. Juzo himself was even fidgeting with his necklace, unable to keep his hands still while he observed his surroundings to keep his mind busy.
He glanced down at his necklace. It was a small, white rabbit charm that he got as a gift from Shihai. Juzo remembered the small smile on Shihai's face when he handed him the necklace and a headband. The headband was for Awase, but he told Juzo not to tell who it was from.
He heard the door of waiting room open, and his head shot up to see who it was. While he hoped it was the doctor, that also brought the possibility of bad news.
The last thing he expected was for Shihai's parents to enter the room.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Awase blurted out.
Juzo knew how Shihai's parents treated him when he was younger. His father never cared for what he had to say or how he felt. His mother pushed her views onto him and tried to control every aspect of his life. Both of them were vehemently against Shihai becoming a hero, but he did it anyway under the guise of joining the business class. When he got his acceptance letter, and his parents figured out what he had done, they were furious. Juzo even remembers the time that they tried to change his class behind his back, but Principal Nezu called him to his office, saying he wouldn't do it without the student's genuine consent.
"Why wouldn't we be here?" Shihai's father asked with an edge to his voice. His pitch black face couldn't hint at any emotions except for what you could see in his tired eyes. "I should be asking you that," He added.
When Juzo saw Awase's trembling hand clench into a fist, he began to move himself to intervene, but before he could, Monoma walked over and grabbed Awase's hand with his own. Awase glared at Shihai's parents the whole time.
From here, Juzo heard Monoma whisper, "We're heroes, Awase. We shouldn't make a scene. They're just here to see if Kuroiro will be okay, like the rest of us."
Awase squeezed Monoma's hand one last time before turning away from Shihai's parents and moving to sit. He kept his head down and crossed his arms, closing himself off from everybody.
Despite not many people waiting there, the room felt crowded. It felt as if anyone could move and disrupt everyone in the room. A single movement could cause the silence of the room to break.
A doctor entered the room. Everyone's heads snapped up to look at them.
"Kuroiro Shihai is alive," they started. Juzo heard a collective sigh of relief pass through the room. Then the doctor continued, "He suffered a lot of injuries, but none he won't recover from. Although, his eye sight may not be as good as it was before."
"Can we visit him?" Tsuburaba asked, almost shoving himself off of the seat.
The doctor paused. He looked down for a second and creased his eyebrows. "Only for a few minutes," he finally said, "because it is already very late and he needs to rest."
Everyone filed out of the room quietly. The doctor looked concerned at the amount of people going, but ultimately decided not to say anything more.
When they arrived at the room, Shihai's parents entered first. They took the seats right beside the bed. Juzo shuffled inside and immediately noticed the amount of bandages Shihai was covered in. He chose a spot near the wall, leaning against it.
It was quiet at first. Juzo was made aware of the smell that he could only describe as clean. It wasn't strong, but it lingered longer than he would've liked before he got used to it.
"Shihai," his mother addressed, her tone low, "you should stop trying to be a hero."
Juzo tensed up. Awase nearly launched himself forward, but Monoma held him in place. A slight gasp escaped Tsuburaba's lips.
When Juzo turned to Shihai to see how he reacted, his usually tall friend looked like he'd shrunk into himself. His head was low and cradled by his shoulders. If Juzo focused, he could see his Shihai's shoulders trembling.
"Mrs. Kuroiro," Juzo spoke up, "excuse me for interrupting, but I don't think it's healthy to bring up something so emotionally vexing before letting him recover."
Shihai's mother turned towards Juzo with narrowed eyes. "Who are you to say that?" she spit, "He's my son and this would've never happened if he hadn't been playing at hero!"
Juzo had been okay to just brush off their comments and ignore them until now, but to hear them blatantly bring it up in front of Shihai, sitting in a hospital bed, had his blood boiling. He opened his mouth to respond, but there was a knock at the door.
"I apologize, but Kuroiro-kun needs his rest. You should all probably be on your way," the doctor informed them through the door.
Shihai's mother was the first to leave, turning quickly and storming out as if Juzo was the one who was wrong. His father turned to Shihai, telling him that they'll be back to talk about it, and then turned to leave right after.
Tsuburaba walked up to Shihai and lightly put a hand on his shoulder. "Get well soon, man," he whispered before walking out. Monoma and Awase left a card on Shihai's bedside table. "Hope to see you in class again, soon," Monoma said while Awase muttered apologies. They left, with Monoma leading Awase out of the room.
When it was just the two of them, Shihai finally lifted his head to look at Juzo. Juzo pressed his teeth together when he finally saw the bandages wrapping his face and covering his left eye.
"I'm sorry," Shihai spoke softly, his voice rough. Juzo made his way next to the bed and cupped Shihai's face in his hands.
"Dear, you have nothing to apologize for," Juzo assured while glancing at the doctor, standing at the door, "I have to go, but I'll come back tomorrow, okay?"
Shihai hummed and nodded his head.
Slowly pulling his hands away, Juzo walked over to the door. He turned his head to look back at Shihai, who was staring down at his lap again.
He looked... fragile.
Juzo forced himself to walk away from the room before the doctor got upset.
For the next few days, Juzo consistently visited Shihai after classes. He was worried about his parents, but Shihai told him that after that night, they hadn't come back.
Their other classmates would visit on their own time, as well, but Juzo spent more time than not at the hospital with Shihai. He shared notes to help him keep up in class and told him about the usual excitement that their classmates put them through.
Over time, Shihai looked less fragile. He looked up more and began smiling again. Awase argued with him over silly remarks. Kosei and him chatted about the fun pranks they'd pull together once he was out.
"I will have to cut my hair short!" Shihai joked once after realizing that when he was attacked, part of his hair got burnt off.
"You'll look great either way!" Juzo beamed back.
Shihai immediately froze, blushing a bright purple. Juzo burst into laughter and pressed his forehead against Shihai's, feeling his warmth.
"I love you," he whispered.
"And I, you," Shihai nearly stuttered, still blushing.
Normally, when they walked the halls, it was Juzo, Shihai, and Tsuburaba, together. Awase would join them, but he walks with Monoma more often, nowadays.
Since Shihai was in the hospital, it was just Juzo and Tsuburaba.
"Hey, so," Tsuburaba started, his quiet voice making Juzo worry, "I saw Kuroiro-kun's parents at the hospital, when I tried visiting yesterday. I was too scared to try and visit while they were there, so I left." He crossed his arms and slouched. "I feel horrible though," he admitted, "should I have visited anyway?"
Juzo stopped walking. Whatever Shihai's parents had to say would not have been good. Juzo definitely doesn't blame Tsuburaba for not going, though. "No, Tsuburaba-kun, you shouldn't have to bother with Shihai's parents. It's alright. I'll worry about it later."
"They informed me that I will be able to leave, soon, my love," Shihai finally told him another day, "I must promise to consistently take specific care over my eye."
"Well, we can all help out at the dorms!" Juzo's heart skipped a beat. Shihai will be back and then they can spend time together in class, again. Their time won't be limited to hospital visits!
Shihai frowned. "I... do not know," he muttered. "I do not think I will go back to the dorms," he admitted with his voice low.
Juzo nearly fell. "W-what do you mean?" He barely managed to get the words out.
"I may not..." Shihai started, voice getting even quieter, "I may not be fit for heroics."
"What? Shihai, if this is about what your parents said then-"
"But they are correct, are they not?" Shihai interrupted, nearly yelling.
Juzo felt the color drain from his already pale face. Shihai was wrong and so were his parents. It took every force in Juzo not to leave in that moment, stomp his way into Shihai's home to grab his parents, and force them to realize how awful they were. He wanted them to apologize to Shihai. To admit that they were wrong and leave his life in his own hands.
Juzo was so frustrated, he nearly burst into tears. "No," he stated, "they're not right and I can't believe you would lead yourself to believe that," His tone left no room for argument, as if what he said were facts.
"If I were a real hero I would have escaped unscathed! My eye would be just as it always were, and I would not have to spend my days stuck in this–" Shihai waved his hands with his palms open while wildly looking around the room, "–empty, white imprisonment! I was the only one sent to the hospital, Juzo. I am still incompetent even after all these years!"
Juzo grabbed Shihai's hands to quiet him and looked right at him. "My dear–" he shook his head and laughed to himself a little, "–we left uninjured because of you! That battle was unfair and unexpected, especially during class. None of us were ready, but because of you, we got away safely! Do you not remember?"
Tears gathered in Shihai's eyes, "But-"
"No buts!" Juzo lowered Shihai's hands and once again pressed his forehead against the other's, "Shihai, you've become a wonderful hero. Although, I don't want to see you throw yourself into danger for the rest of us, again. Heroes work in teams and we can all help each other out in our futures. We'll all work together, understand? We'll all be heroes."
Shihai's dam broke. He pressed his face against Juzo's shoulder and sobbed. Juzo hugged him closer and they sat there, together. He brushed his hand through Shihai's messy hair.
"Th-thankyou, love," he said through hiccups and tears, "we'll be heroes. Together."