Chapter Text
There wasn’t much to accompany Yuuki in the glaringly bright white room. The steady, rhythmic beep of the heart monitor and his cluttered thoughts were all he heard. He didn’t understand most of what Akira said when he explained the situation. Honestly most of it didn’t make sense, but what little he did understand made him want to see Goro more than anything else. He looked at the bed again. Of course, Goro still wasn’t conscious. There was a chance he never would be. There was so much Yuuki wanted to say, so much he never got to say. Their painful friendship never even truly got closure. Even if Goro hated him now, he at least wanted that much. He at least wanted to end things on a somewhat of a positive note. That wasn’t too much to ask for, right?
It seemed it would be. He visited one day, two days, three, and Goro showed no sign of waking up. Each time he left, Yuuki worried that visit would be his last, that he’d never be able to get the closure he wanted, that Goro would leave the world not realizing just how much Yuuki still cared for him. He needed to clear his mind of these clouded thoughts. But even if Goro did wake up, could he say them? Or would he cower away without saying a word?
Without much to do aside from stare blankly at the bed, Yuuki found himself frequently looking through the books and magazines stacked on the small bookshelf in the room. The books were well worn, and many of the magazines had been outdated for months, even years, but they were better than nothing. A mystery novel (Put that aside. He might like to read it. If he hasn’t already.), gIrly advice and fashion magazines, a children’s chapter book, a book for learning basic English words and phrases, a fairy tale book! Yuuki’s face lit up with a childlike delight when he picked the book up. Fairy tales were always his favorite. Growing up, he’d always demand hearing one before bed, and he often found himself torn between wanting to be the princess, and wanting to be the prince or knight that saves her. He opened the book and flipped through the different tales. Cinderella the first day, Rapunzel the second, Snow White the third, Sleeping Beauty the fourth.
And so, the princess pricked her finger, and was cursed to an unending slumber .
An unending slumber ...
Yuuki paused on the words “unending slumber.” How familiar... He cast his gaze at the bed only for a second before returning to the book.
A slumber that would only be interrupted by true love’s kiss.
Again, Yuuki paused on the words in front of him. What was his mind trying to tell him...? Why was he lingering so much on those words...? Why did his lips burn so much...? It was starting to get late. He put the book back on the shelf and headed out to go home.
On the fifth day, Yuuki felt more tense than ever. Usually, he could at least watch over Goro without much stress, but the fearful feeling overwhelmed him as soon as he walked in. On most days he would sit across the room and read, not daring to get near the bed. But for some reason he felt he needed to see Goro up close. He sighed softly as he looked at his former friend’s face. He was comparable to Sleeping Beauty under her curse. A still, beautiful prince waiting for a spell to be broken... This isn’t a fairytale, you idiot. There isn’t a way to break this spell. There’s not going to be a Happily Ever After. Yuuki found a lump in his throat that made just breathing nearly impossible. He couldn’t hold back anymore. He needed to get his closure.
“Goro- man, this is stupid, you can’t even hear me can you? I shouldn’t even bother, but I can’t keep quiet anymore.”
His voice wavered as he spoke. His words were delicate little things, sitting at the edge of an unstable shelf, ready to shatter in seconds. How could he say what was on his mind? Why was he even saying this to someone that wouldn’t hear?
“I-I don’t even know how to say any of this. I still don’t know everything about the situation, except that you risked yourself to save the Thieves. They were your enemies not too long ago, and you nearly died for them. You could-”
His words teetered on the edge of the shelf, and a single feather could send them crashing to the ground. Everything was so overwhelming. His voice was strained and cracked, and he let out the thoughts he hid for far too long.
“You could have died. And now you’re here and you might still die and I’m scared . I’m afraid you’ll leave thinking I hate you. I don’t hate you. I never did. I-”
The words came crashing down in a mess of crystal tears. The weight Yuuki carried for months finally hit him, and it hurt more than he could ever hope to handle
“I care about you so... so much. E-even when we stopped talking, I th-thought about you all the time. Sometimes... sometimes I just wanted to talk to you again. An-and now I might not get that chance. God, I... I feel stupid, spilling my heart out to you like this. You’ll never know, and I might not get the chance to tell you but I just- I wish I could tell you one last time how much I care about you.”
The last shattered remains of his words spilled onto the ground as he sobbed. Goro stayed the same, still as ever. Idiot. Did you think that would work like some magic spell? That's not how things work. Stop acting like a child! He backed off from the bed and fell into one of the chairs across the room. He sat there for a bit, knees pulled to his chest and face buried in his knees, and let out all the emotions that had been weighing down on him all week. This isn’t a fairytale. He’s not waking up. You’re never going to fix things. Even if he did wake up, what makes you think he’d forgive you?! You’re pathetic. He let his mind tear itself apart as he cried out every last bit of frustration, until there was nothing left to cry. He still sat there, knees pulled up to his chest, silent and unmoving until the last of his energy drifted away.
“Sir? Excuse me?”
Yuuki groaned as he looked up at the source of the voice. A nurse leaned over him, her brow furrowed slightly. Did he fall asleep...? “Oh...sorry...”
“It’s fine. Visitors fall asleep all the time.” The nurse backed off of him and smiled. “But visiting hours are over.”
Yuuki sighed as he got up, and looked over at Goro for a moment. “No changes, huh?”
“Unfortunately no. Just give it time, okay? I’m sure he’ll recover soon.”
The words felt so empty. Like she was just trying to comfort him so he didn’t start crying again. He couldn’t argue though. He just trudged out of the room, his mood no better than when he fell asleep. “He’ll recover soon.” Yeah right. Stop trying to make me feel better.
Six days, seven, eight, passed. Things didn’t change. Yuuki couldn’t bring himself to read more of the fairy tales. The old magazines didn’t hold his attention as much, but the book gave him a sense of uneasiness that wouldn’t go away. Not that he needed the book to feel uneasy. His worries would do that enough.
The world had hardly noticed how long Goro was gone, there wasn’t any news announced about his condition, no fans trying to get in, nothing. It was almost like he had been forgotten. Goro didn’t deserve that. He deserved to be remembered, celebrated even. At the same time, if Goro was remembered, it would mean having to see him on the news all the time. It would mean being reminded of him again, and again, and again. Yuuki couldn’t decide which sounded worse. Both were nightmares. But they were the only futures he could see happening at this point.
After nine days, Yuuki had given up. He hardly even wanted to visit anymore, but more than that, he didn’t want Goro to be alone. He didn’t even want to read at this point. The magazine remained open in his lap as he stared down at it, not able to process the words as his mind became cluttered with thoughts of what was, in his mind, the inevitable end. How much longer would the world drag out his pain like this?
While lost in his thoughts, he didn’t hear the quiet shifting noises coming from the bed, the mumbled nonsense, or the soft gasp. It took a small, weak voice calling his name to make him look up. “...Yuuki...?”
Yuuki looked up with a start, his eyes wide. He stared with his mouth hanging open as he tried to process what was happening in front of him.
“Am I...alive...?” Goro’s voice was weak. It hurt to talk. Everything felt so strange, like the whole world was a mucky mud puddle on the side of a busy street. He tried to gather his memory. The Palace...the Phantom Thieves...that cognitive version of himself that existed inside that bastard’s heart...gunshots...and then nothing. Nothing until he found himself here, in this bed, with Yuuki staring at him. What was he doing here? Why did he seem so shocked? The last time he and Yuuki talked, it ended with the usual fighting their friendship had dissolved into. So what was he doing here, in what he could only assume was a hospital room? Why did he look so shocked? What was going on? Why did having Yuuki here make things just a little better?
Yuuki stared at Goro, his mind taking its time to process that Oh my god he’s alive. He’s awake and alive and he’s here he’s okay he’s not dead he’s fine. Everything’s going to be fine. His vision blurred as tears filled his eyes, and when he tried to speak all that came out was a shaky, broken sob. He struggled with his words a few times, but finally managed a soft. “You’re okay.” He smiled and laughed between sobs. He’s fine! He’s actually fine!
The crying threw Goro off. It worried him for just a moment, but was Yuuki smiling? He was happy? Was he...was he waiting for me to get up? How long was I out? “Were you- were you waiting for me?”
“Of course I was!” Yuuki’s voice cracked when he spoke. Why wouldn’t he wait?! Didn’t Goro know how much he- Oh, right. In all his emotions, he forgot about their falling out. Did Goro still hate him? Was he mad about him waiting like this? Or maybe- maybe they could make things up now. Maybe they could start again. Last time he spilled his feelings, Goro wasn’t able to hear it. This time he could. This time Yuuki could fix things. He got up and walked to the side of the bed. “So... you feeling okay?”
“I’ve certainly been better.” You make it a lot easier.
“I don’t want to drop a whole lot on you right now, but I just- I want you to know I still care, Goro. And I’m so, so glad you’re alive.” Yuuki relaxed and smiled. They could talk about things in detail later. Or not. Maybe it’d be better to just let things happen. Before anything could continue, a knock came at the door.
Goro sighed. Nurses probably. Time for the fun stuff... “Come in.” Sure enough, a nurse walked in the door. Thanks for ruining the moment. I guess.
Yuuki smiled at the nurse to hide his disappointment. “Well, I should head out then.”
“You’ll be back tomorrow, right?” Goro asked. If he was going to suffer through all this medical bullshit- checkups and therapies and whatever else they were going to throw at him- he wanted at least one thing to look forward to.
The question stunned Yuuki at first. Goro wanted to see him? Were things really going to be okay again? His expression soon faded into a small, peaceful smile. “Of course I will. I’ll see you then.” With that settled, he walked out and headed back home, with a smile on his face for the first time in a long while.