Chapter Text
He feels the smack of the board against his face moreso than he sees it, brain running a mile a minute because he knew ADAM played dirty but he wasn’t expecting this. Usually he’s gotten everything calculated to a perfect angle, numbers running through every single scenario and outcome to avoid any mistakes at all costs - but Kaoru wasn’t able to predict this - somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought he still had the power to reach deep into an old friend’s soul and pull him back out, away from the dangerous game that ADAM insists on playing, warping skating into something more sinister and dangerous - at least, that’s what Kaoru thought.
He crashes onto the ground with a groan, gravel hard and rough against his back and everything hurts, it hurts and he’s no stranger to pain after all, but not like this. He should have seen this coming, should have dodged, should have factored in that ADAM would do this. He needs to get up, but everything is on fire, and his legs refuse to work, and there is a panic that crawls up inside his throat when he hears a faint “Cherry!” being yelled and warm arms cradling him before he finally passes out from the pain, out like a light and limbs heavy.
Kojiro’s done this before - held Kaoru against his chest and lifted him up - but this time it’s different, there’s a rage that simmers in him and he wants to tear ADAM’s mask off, to throw a punch in that smug bastard’s face and he wants to make him hurt, and he knows that nothing will change if he does that right now, because ADAM thinks his skating puts him above everyone else and right now Kojiro has his arms filled with Kaoru’s limp body, blood trickling from his head and this isn’tgood, he needs to move, and get Kaoru to the hospital before he slips away. So he simmers and cradles Kaoru’s head gently as he gets into Shadow’s car and they speed off, ADAM fading into a speckle of blue and red, but the rage simmers in his chest as he holds Kaoru close, gently carding his fingers through his hair and hoping that they’re quick enough to make it to the hospital in time.
Kojiro hates hospitals, not that most folks like them anyway -- they’re too sterile, too cold, antiseptic and death lingering around every corner. Shadow gets them there in record time and rushes in first, yelling about a head trauma injury while Kojiro steps out of the car and gently maneuvers Kaoru’s body out of the car, holding him close as the medical team closes in with a stretcher and he doesn’t want to let go because what if this is the last time he’ll get to hold him- but Shadow’s back at his side, puts a firm hand on his shoulder and says “C’mon, the quicker they can take a look at him the sooner he’ll be able to be patched up and out of here.” - it’s almost odd, in Kojiro’s mind, that Shadow is the one who’s serious and level headed despite being in his ‘S’ make up and persona - but he nods and lets go of Kaoru as the medical team swarms around them, takes him from his arms and rolls the stretcher into the emergency room, Kojiro trailing behind them like a burning wraith, anger and worry simmering underneath as he’s told to wait as they run tests and it is the sound of machines beeping nonstop.
(He wonders what deal with the devil ADAM made to turn out like this, he wonders if there’s any way of getting an old friend back, after all these years. But after the fourth time he’s punched the wall and his skin burns, nerves set on fire because he doesn’t have the option of leaving Kaoru alone in the hospital, he can’t abandon him -- it’s as if the anger and fight cuts out of him like a doll getting its strings cut, and he lets out a long sigh, rubs his eyes and collapses into the chairs lined up against the wall, holding his head until he hears one of the doctors approach to tell him if Kaoru’s going to be okay.)
(He needs him to be okay.)
Kojiro loses track of time as he waits for the doctors to update him on Kaoru’s status - We’ll be monitoring him for any extensive head trauma and any damage done to his spine, but other than being pretty banged up, he’ll be fine. - the doctors had said, in between scans of tests and more tests until they finally told him that they’ll be transferring Kaoru to a room on one of the floors up and away from the critical care unit. So he follows them, one foot after another after he waves Shadow off with a grin and a nod, tells him to take MIYA home (it’s getting late after all), cradles Carla under his arm and thanks the nurses and doctors as they leave the room.
Kojiro hates hospitals, hates the rooms with terrible lighting that casts everything in a sickly grey-green tone, hates how quiet they are, how still it is at night aside from the beeping of the machines and monitors. He places Carla down gently on one of the chairs in the room before collapsing into the unoccupied chair next to Kaoru’s bed, and watches the monitor beep steadily as the anger simmers in his chest again, and he lets himself lean forward, taking Kaoru’s hand into his, closing his eyes and holding steady.
(He knows they don’t often do this, never in public. In public, it’s always trading barbs and quips, they throw caution into the wind and he knows that his over the top flirting with women always makes Kaoru bristle with irritation, but his over the top actions never stops Kaoru from dropping by the restaurant after the dinner rush empties out, doesn’t stop him from staying up late and talking well into the night.
It’s routine, almost. Familiar.
He’s always loved Kaoru, but hasn’t ever said it outloud - he’ll say it in the meals he’ll make for him, goading him into taste-testing something that Kojiro makes just for him but hides it under the guise of revamping the menu for the new season - he knows that Kaoru is his oldest friend and he doesn’t want to overstep into the already messy and complicated web of feelings that saying the words would evoke.
But he knows that he loves him, in the dim lit echoes of the hospital room, with no one but a AI skateboard and machines to keep him company.
It sings quietly in his heart, the love he has for his oldest friend.)
He must have dozed off at some point, lost in the in-between thoughts between realizing that Oh, I do love him. and wanting to punch ADAM in the face repeatedly, but Kojiro jolts when he hears the frantic loud beeping of the machines in the room at a ear splitting volume and jumps up, blinking rapidly and trying to calm his jackrabbit heart thumping away in his chest as he sees Kaoru flailing in the hospital bed, eyes unfocused and chest heaving.
“Where am I? What - why does everything hurt” He sees the beads of sweat forming on Kaoru’s forehead, hair sticky and clinging as Kaoru stares at nothing in particular, eyes darting left and right, panic clawing up up up because this isn’t home, this is someplace else, this place is not Safe loops in Kaoru’s head as he sees the needle poking out of his arm, bending it slightly to stare closer at it and why is there a needle in him?, causing the machines to beep even louder and a rattling whimper to escape out of him.
Kojiro moves before he even realizes what he’s doing until he has two hands framing Kaoru’s face and mutters quietly “Hey, hey Kaoru - it’s okay. You’re okay. Hey, look at me. Focus on my voice and hands okay? I need you to straighten out your arm, the machine doesn’t like it that you’re bending your arm.” It takes a moment for Kaoru’s eyes to stop darting left and right as he listens, and focuses on the warm hands framing his face, tries to focus on the voice that keeps repeating that he’s okay. Kojiro? But - why? Where -
“I - what are you doing?” he whispers, voice hoarse, body sagging into the hospital bed as he focuses on the warmth on his cheeks and the familiar honey red eyes staring at him. “Why are you here? ..Where am I?” he asks, because he should just be fine with Carla and where is - Oh, there she is - but Kojiro’s here and everything hurts but Kaoru’s not complaining at how warm Kojiro’s hands are on his face and it’s not entirely unpleasant but it’s also something that they never really talked about.
This thing between them, these feelings that flutter in his chest like some sort of glimmer of hope burrowing into his heart after being thrown away by others. Kaoru knows their banter, knows after all these years that there’s something between them but they’ve never named it, never spoke it into existence, but maybe -- no. He shouldn’t get his hopes up -- after all, he thought he could beat ADAM in a beef and look where that landed him.
Banged up in a hospital, panicking at some ungodly hour, with one of his oldest friends gently cradling his face as if he was made of glass.
“Just wanted to make sure that you’re okay.” Kojiro mutters, before moving to press a gentle kiss to Kaoru’s forehead, a blink and you miss it sort of feeling that has Kaoru closing his eyes. He feels exhausted but he feels the panic ebb and loosen its hold on his throat as he focuses on Kojiro and lets out a heavy sigh. “Thank you. For well. Being here.” he mutters, one hand coming up to wrap around Kojiro’s wrist, thumb brushing against the warm skin before the exhaustion catches up with him and he closes his eyes - just for a minute - and slips into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.
They’ll talk about this later. At some point. Maybe it’s the nerves and adrenaline rush finally kicking the wind out of Kojiro but for now he lets himself smile and brush some of Kaoru’s stray hairs out of his face and presses a kiss to his hand before settling back down into the chair and closing his eyes to doze off.
He’ll have to open the restaurant late today but that’s fine. They’ve got more important things to figure out between the two of them.