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Higashi hadn’t expected to come out of this liking Yagami. It had surprised him a little when he’d been waiting outside the entrance to Koi Bride after Hoshino’s call and found his heart racing, hammering against his ribs as Kengo growled at some beat cop next to him, blocking their path into the building. He’d barely had time to wonder why before Yagami’s mop of hair appeared up the stairs, messy as always and eyes wide, and Higashi’s heartbeat finally started to slow.
He let the corner of his mouth hook up in what could almost be called a smile as Yagami’s face relaxed, clearly saying something to Kaito behind him, and nodded as Yagami finally smiled back at him. “C’mon, we’re outta here.”
Higashi turned and left, Kengo and the others falling in line behind him. Yagami was fine. He was fine. His heartbeat slowed more and more as he repeated that to himself, finally back to normal as he reached the entrance to Charles.
It was a little odd, though, Higashi thought, starting to close the arcade properly - he’d left in a rush at Hoshino’s frantic call, and no matter how tired he was, it still had to be done. He still couldn’t quite put his finger on why Yagami was his focus. He’d barely spared a thought for Kaito - maybe he knew Kaito was capable of handling himself in a way he still wasn’t quite sure Yagami could, despite the other man having beaten him twice now in a fight. Maybe he knew Kaito would just end up more as collateral damage, bruised but alive, and Yagami would take the brunt of Kuroiwa’s anger. Higashi grimaced, touching his forehead gingerly where he was still aching from the last time they’d tangled.
It was probably normal to be concerned for your former superior’s friends, right? If nothing else, Yagami being seriously injured would hurt Kaito. Higashi finished counting out the register and locked the cash box away, stretching with a grunt. Maybe he’d somehow managed to start liking Yagami, a little bit - he almost laughed at the thought, but paused, considering. Not in any serious way, but he hadn’t hated working with Yagami, not after their first few meetings. The other man was annoying, and nosy, and much too involved in family business for a civilian, but he had a sense of justice that Higashi couldn’t argue with. It wasn’t so important to Yagami that things had to be legal as they had to be right, and Higashi had started to notice that they tended to have the same idea of right.
He walked back up the stairs, sliding the grate behind him and locking it. If nothing else, Yagami and his little band of friends had made being stuck at the arcade more tolerable over the last few days. If Higashi felt a little fondness towards him, it couldn’t possibly be considered out of the ordinary, right?
That thought bounced around his head later that week as he watched Yagami sprint up the stairs in the ADDC lobby, Sugiura close behind him. A shout from Kaito drew his attention and he ducked, narrowly missing a fist to the face from whatever kind of shitty cops Kuroiwa had dragged along.
“You think Yagami’s okay?” He gasped the question out between rounds, the remaining cops circling warily, and Kaito gave him an odd look.
“Tabo’s a good fighter, you know that. He’s beat your ass enough times for you to have figured it out by now. ‘M more worried about Sugiura, myself.”
Higashi’s eyebrows pulled together in a frown, but they were rushed again before he could continue the conversation. He hadn’t even spared much of a thought for Sugiura, and felt a twinge of guilt at the thought. The kid was dragged into something way over his head, when all he’d wanted was to figure out what really happened to his sister - but Yagami would take a bullet to keep him safe.
That thought didn’t make Higashi feel any better.
“Listen,” Kaito snarled at the lone cop still standing, a fist wrapped around his collar. “You’re gonna go up there with us, and see what kind of freak your little boss is, alright? And if we’re wrong, you can arrest us, but if we wait any longer someone else will be dead and it’ll be your fault.”
“I - I don’t - okay,” the cop stammered, face white as Kaito smiled at him in a way that was anything but kind. “Okay. My - the unit can go.”
“If they hurry, they can go.” Kaito shook the man one last time and let him go, turning back to Higashi. “They’ll catch up. C’mon.”
The cops did catch up with them halfway, bruises growing on confused faces when Kaito and Higashi rushed past them back down the stairs. “What’s - “
“Bridge’s gone,” Higashi called, trying to remember the map he’d glanced at in the lobby. “There’s an entrance across the parking lot, right?”
“Uh, yeah. It’s in the garage.” The helpful cop was on his heels, jogging to keep up with his longer strides. “Down that ramp.”
“Yeah, thanks. We need a badge or anything?”
“Yes, to get into the lab. I have one.” He nodded at the words but didn’t respond, speeding up again. The bridge had just been gone, glass shattered across the ground and metal beams twisted unnaturally, and he’d only managed to turn back to the stairs after staring at the ground and not seeing a black jacket and worn jeans anywhere. Yagami must have made it across the bridge then, somehow, hopefully before it had exploded.
They were rushing through the patient center now, little crowds of groaning scientists huddled into corners as they rushed past, the unit of cops panting as they tried to keep up. “Kamurocho’s finest, my ass,” Kaito coughed out, rounding the corner and slowed, hissing at something ahead of them. “Tabo!”
Higashi dropped to a walk behind him when he caught sight of Yagami, bloody and sweating but alive, standing over Kuroiwa as he knelt on the ground. Kaito said something he didn’t quite catch, arm wrapped around the one cop who’d managed to keep pace with them, but Higashi couldn’t tear his eyes away from Yagami. He looked - well, he looked terrible, Higashi thought, hair matted to his head with what looked like blood, starting to sway on his feet. “We’re gonna need a lawyer,” he added when Kaito finished talking, and Yagami almost laughed, shifting on his feet as Kuroiwa groaned.
“Yagami-san - “
They all turned at Sugiura’s voice, Higashi following Yagami’s gaze to where he was crumpled against a door, hissing as Shono stepped out - Kuroiwa dove at him with a knife - and Kaito, thinking with his fists as always, hurled a chair at Kuroiwa’s head.
The conspiracy unraveled in front of their eyes. Higashi could barely process what was happening, watching the scrawny little doctor explain his accomplishments as Kuroiwa bled out in front of them. Yagami did his part, and Higashi felt a pang of what felt dangerously close to pride as he managed to ask the right questions to gain enough evidence to exonerate Okubo.
It almost felt anti-climactic, Higashi thought numbly, watching as Shono injected himself and died as Sugiura recorded the entire thing, phone shaking in front of his face. He must have really thought it would work - shock appearing on his face as he started to convulse, gasping on the floor, eyes turning a horrific shade of blue. And then he was dead, the whole program dying with him, and they finally had an answer as to why none of the bodies found had kept their eyes.
“Glad that’s fuckin’ over,” Kaito groaned, turning to the cop next to him. “So we’re good, right? No arrests?”
“I don’t think there’s anything to - property damage, maybe,” the cop muttered, eyes darting to his left. “Um - is your friend okay?”
They all turned at his words, and Higashi frowned, watching as Yagami took a wobbly step towards them.
“Tabo?” Kaito called, eyes darting to Sugiura. “Whoa - hold on, is he - “
“He got shot.” Yagami’s voice wasn’t as clear as usual, but Kaito didn’t seem to notice, already dodging around Kuroiwa’s body on his way across the room. “In his stomach.”
“Get some - some real doctors, not just lab coats,” Higashi growled over his shoulder as he started to move towards Yagami. “Someone who knows how to actually fix things. What about you, huh?”
“Me?” Yagami just looked back at him, eyes wide and confused as Higashi stopped in front of him. “I’m not shot.”
“That’s good.” Higashi hesitated before softening his tone, shifting to the way he’d talk to some of the cats that liked to hang around Charles and meow in hope of a handout. “I’m glad you’re not shot. What happened to you?”
“Um. The bridge, when Kuroiwa blew it up, I hit a car. The road, too.”
“Wait - wait, you were on the bridge?” Yagami nodded and winced, hand floating up to his head and hissing at the movement. Higashi caught him without thinking, a hand braced against his waist and the other catching his chin, tipping Yagami’s head to the side. The gash along his hairline looked nasty, but didn’t worry him as much as how Yagami just let himself be moved, head turning without protest. “So you got blown off and landed on a car? And then - what, rolled onto the road?”
“Yeah.” Yagami’s skin was warm under his fingers, eyes half-shut and out of focus as Higashi carefully pushed his hair to the side. “I couldn’t see right for a little bit. Hard to move, too.”
“You - Kaito, where are the doctors?” Yagami didn’t even jump at his shout, eyes slipping shut as he leaned heavily into Higashi’s arm. “Kaito?”
“They’re coming,” Kaito called back, pausing to murmur something to Sugiura. “Tabo beat most of them up, but a few hid out in the other building, and they’re almost here.”
“I don’t need a doctor.” Yagami’s voice was soft, words blurring together as his knees gave out for a moment. “I’m fine.”
“You could not be farther from fine if you tried. You’re barely conscious, Yagami.” He swore as Yagami collapsed next to him, deadweight pulling both of them to the floor. Higashi managed to slow his fall, arm still around Yagami’s waist as the other man dropped to his knees and Higashi knelt next to him.
“Yeah. Yeah, um.” Yagami’s head rolled onto his shoulder, heavy as he took a short breath. “I don’t feel great.”
“I can tell. Kaito?”
“They’re almost here - they’re coming, Higashi, keep him awake - “
Yagami’s eyes were barely open, and he sighed tiredly as Higashi shook his shoulder nervously. “Don’t fall asleep, alright? You gotta tell them what hurts when they get here, Yagami, the doctors are coming.”
“It all hurts. Higashi - “ A shallow breath, Higashi holding his own as Yagami shifted, his hand falling onto Higashi’s leg. “It hurts.”
“I know,” he hummed soothingly, trying to keep his panic hidden as Yagami took another short breath, then another. “I know it does.” Footsteps echoed down the hall with the mechanical clatter of a stretcher echoing behind, and Higashi’s head whipped around, searching for where it was coming from.
“l - can you stay with me?” Higashi stared at him in surprise as the stretcher rounded the corner. “Please, Higashi - “
“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll stay,” he rushed out as the doctors finally arrived, lowering the stretcher so they could shift him onto it, Yagami’s face twisting in pain as they strapped him in. “Where is he going?”
“Not far,” one of the doctors called back, already lifting the stretcher to head back down the hall. “Triage down the hall. Ask the desk for his room.”
Sugiura blurred past on his own stretcher, headed the same direction, and Kaito stopped at his side with a sigh.
“Just the gunshot for him. As shitty as that sounds, he’ll be fine. Kids always heal up quick. How’s Tabo?”
“Not good. He said he got blown off the bridge, nailed his head pretty hard. Ribs too, maybe, from how he was moving.”
“You staying with him?” Higashi blinked in surprise and Kaito shrugged, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him towards the hall. “Tabo hates hospitals. Always has. Figured he’d ask someone to hang around until he’s back on his feet.”
“O - oh. You can stay, if you think he’d prefer that - “ Kaito laughed, the sound echoing oddly in the empty atrium as the desk came into sight.
“No, if he asked, he wants you there. I’ll keep an eye on Sugiura. Poor kid’s never been shot before, can you believe that?”
“Uh, that doesn’t actually surprise me.”
The desk clerk seemed a little shaken, like every other doctor in the building, but was able to give them the room numbers where Yagami and Sugiura would be placed after their evaluation was finished. “Sugiura-san will probably be going into surgery,” she added, and Kaito nodded. “So he’ll be a little longer. Yagami-san should be in his room shortly, though.”
“Thanks, appreciate it.” Kaito glanced at Higashi. “You good? Kinda looks like you might puke.”
“What? No, I’m - I’m fine. Just worried.” Kaito sighed and dragged him down the hall again, arm heavy around his shoulders as he found an unbroken couch and dropped onto it, pulling Higashi with him.
“Yeah, I can tell. Didn’t know you liked Yagami that much.”
“I didn’t know either,” Higashi mumbled, ignoring Kaito’s startled laugh. “He was just - he was in really bad shape.”
“Yeah. But he’ll be okay. He always is.” Kaito’s hand tightened on his arm. They talked quietly until a doctor stepped out of Yagami’s room, glancing down the hall and nodding when she caught sight of them. Kaito stood with a groan, offering Higashi a hand up. “That’s our cue. I’ll be next door, waiting for Sugiura, alright? Just shout if you need anything.”
He vanished behind the door to room 308 as Higashi stared at the numbers floating in front of him. Room 310, the nurse had said, and he should already be there. Higashi’s hand hovered over the handle. Can you stay with me?
He turned the handle and opened the door, stepping into the room.
Yagami was asleep in the bed, face pale but clean, hair pushed back so it didn’t quite cover the large bandage across his forehead. His jacket was folded carefully and placed on a chair next to the bed, sneakers tucked underneath; he looked small in just his t-shirt, goosebumps just barely visible on his arms. His eyes were closed, but his face didn’t look relaxed - a crease had settled between his eyebrows, sharp lines at the edge of his mouth. Higashi frowned, taking a step closer and reaching out to pull the blanket at his waist up, and almost jumped when someone behind him cleared their throat.
“He was asking about you,” the nurse said, kindly pretending not to notice how red Higashi’s face was. “I made sure he knew you’d be in as soon as we’d finished the evaluation. That might be the only reason why he finally fell asleep, actually. I do have permission to update you on his condition, if you’re ready?”
Higashi dropped into the chair as she left, holding Yagami’s jacket on his lap as the door clicked shut quietly. He had no idea how Yagami had been standing when they arrived, frankly - the list of injuries the nurse had run through seemed almost unbelievable, even for someone who was notoriously hard to knock down. Two broken ribs, two more fractured; a serious concussion, plus a cracked skull from where he hit the road; sprained knee and wrist, both marked with bone-deep bruises; a dislocated shoulder, arm strapped across his chest to protect the joint; more scratches and bruises than he could count. An IV line looped up and away from the arm carefully bent across his chest, attached to a stand carefully positioned behind the bed.
“He’s doing well, considering he decided to fight on broken glass,” the nurse had said, giving Higashi a careful smile as he stared down at Yagami’s face. “This is all fixable. He’ll need to rest - and not ‘take it easy’ rest, actual ‘not leaving his bed’ rest - but he will heal.”
“I know. Thank you.”
Yagami shifted under the sheet as Higashi watched him, goosebumps rising on his arms again as the air conditioning clicked on. He sighed when Higashi carefully pulled the blanket up, bringing it over his chest and shoulders, hesitating at his injured shoulder before letting it settle gently over his side. “That’s better,” he murmured, and Yagami sighed again in reply. “Wish it wasn’t so cold in here, though.”
He’d just settled back into the chair when someone knocked at the door, and Kaito stuck his head through the door. “How’s he doing?”
“Fine. Not - not fine, but - “
“Yeah, Sugiura’s the same way. He’s still in surgery, so I’m gonna run home and pick some stuff up. Better than just waiting around, at least. You want anything?”
“Uh - yeah, actually. If you have time to stop by Charles, I’ve got a phone charger there. And I’ve got a bag behind the couch, could you bring that too?”
“Phone charger and bag, sure. I’ll bring some food, too, so I’ll be back in about an hour. Call me if anything changes, alright?”
“I will. But I can go, if you wanted to stay with him - “
“Nah, if Tabo asked you to stay, he wants you here. He’d be mad if he woke up and it was me instead, I promise. I’ll be back soon.”
He was fidgeting anxiously with his phone by the time Kaito made it back, shifting in his seat and glaring at the vents as more cold air spilled into the room. “Got the bag you wanted, I think.” Higashi took it with a quiet thanks and opened it immediately, digging through until he could find what he was looking for, Kaito watching with a frown. “Is that - “
“Yeah.” He knew his cheeks were burning red again, sunglasses hiding exactly nothing, but Kaito was polite enough not to mention it as Higashi shook out the old sweatshirt he’d been hunting for. “He’s cold.” He’d offered it as an excuse, but Kaito just shrugged.
“Tabo hates being cold almost as much as he hates hospitals, so he’ll be thrilled. Need help putting it on him?”
“No, um - his shoulder’s messed up, so I was just going to put it on like a blanket.” Kaito hummed consideringly before shrugging again.
“He’ll still love it. I know they kept his jacket off because it’d be a pain to work around, but you’d think they’d turn up the heat a little, right?”
Higashi swallowed a laugh and bent over Yagami, unzipping the sweatshirt so it would stretch more easily over his chest. “I guess maybe the cold air helps people rest. I know I always sleep better when it’s cold.”
“I don’t.” He jumped at the sound of Yagami’s voice, raspy and thin, and stared down at his face. Yagami was barely awake and blinking tiredly up at him, still very pale but not looking quite as bad as he had a minute before. “Gotta be warm to sleep. ‘S this yours?”
“Uh, yeah. Just an old sweatshirt. I can move it - “ Yagami caught his wrist as he stretched to pull it off, shaking his head with a wince.
“No, I like it. Smells like you. Can I wear it?”
It took some creative positioning and Kaito’s help, once he’d managed to stop snickering in the corner, but Yagami was eventually leaning back in the bed with the sweatshirt wrapped around his shoulders. He was pale and sweaty, and Higashi didn’t like the lines of pain that had settled around his eyes, but he did look much more comfortable.
“You look cozy.” The nurse stepped back into the room, smiling at Yagami and glancing at the monitor blinking softly next to his head. “Looks like you’re feeling okay, too. Anything still really hurting?”
“Not really. My shoulder kind of hurts - “ he shook his head at Higashi, who must have looked just as panicked as he felt - “but I’ve had dislocations before, and it doesn’t feel any worse than usual.”
“Alright, good. We’ve got you on painkillers so you shouldn’t be feeling too much, but the first round should be wearing off pretty soon, and a lot of it will start to sneak back in before we can give you the next dose. Just buzz when it starts to bother you and we’ll see how close you are, okay?”
She ran through the rest of her checks, teasing Yagami gently to distract him, ignoring Higashi pacing in the corner until Kaito yanked him back down into a chair and kept him in place with a heavy hand on his shoulder. “He’s fine,” Kaito said, low enough that only Higashi could hear. “He’s gonna be fine.”
Yagami glanced back at them, curious, and Higashi forced a smile. “I know.”
Kaito groaned as the nurse left and rolled his shoulders back, reaching for the door himself. “I’m gonna go check on Sugiura. He should be getting out of surgery around now. Text if you need me, alright?”
“Thanks, Kaito-san. Let us know how he is.” Kaito left with a wave over his shoulder and Yagami sighed, shifting uncomfortably in the bed. “I know she was just doing her job, but - “
“Kaito said you don’t like hospitals.” Higashi moved to the chair next to Yagami again, setting his jacket onto the nightstand instead. “That extend to nurses, too?”
“Yeah. Nothing personal, I just don’t like anything about being here.” He shifted again, wincing. “And I think the painkillers are wearing off.”
“Yeah, she said they might.” Higashi hesitated before reaching for the bed, putting his hand on the sheets next to Yagami’s hip. “Uh - if you think it would help - “
Yagami’s hand wrapped around his own, long fingers holding tight, warm and a little rough. “Th - “ he hissed, squeezing hard for a moment before relaxing. “Thanks.”
“It’s that bad already?” Yagami’s eyes were closed again, face pale and sweat starting to appear. “I can buzz for the nurse - “
“No. No, I’m fine, I can wait.” Another short gasp and Higashi’s knuckles were white in Yagami’s grip, the small bones in his hand starting to ache. “This is good enough.”
“I’m calling her back in two minutes.”
Yagami was hissing with every breath by the time the nurse came back, sweating under the hand Higashi had pressed to his forehead, shifting and twitching against the mattress as he tried to find some way to relieve the pain. “It’s about that time, huh?”
“I’m f - fine.” Higashi shook his head at the nurse, who smiled sympathetically.
“Yeah, I bet, but your friend here is really worried about you. You don’t look fine, you know. So let’s get you feeling better so he can stop worrying, alright?”
Yagami glanced up at Higashi, eyes squinted with the effort of holding still, and sighed. “Sure.” He relaxed almost as soon as the nurse added another dose of painkillers to his IV, hand loosening around Higashi’s as his face relaxed. “That’s better.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Higashi frowned at the red marks slowly appearing on his hand where Yagami’s grip loosened and glanced up at the nurse, who shrugged back. “You gonna nap for a little bit?”
“Think so. Are you staying?”
“Yeah, I’ll be here. Might go check on Sugiura while you’re out, but I’ll be right back.”
“‘Kay. Say hi for me.” Yagami’s face relaxed under his hand, lines in his forehead smoothing out, and Higashi sat back with a sigh.
“He’s really going to be fine?”
“Yes.” The nurse had made herself busy while they talked but turned to look at him, finishing a note on her clipboard and clicking her pen. “The first day’s not good - everything’s fresh, and your body doesn’t know what to do with it. Second day’s hard, too. The ache will sink in, he’ll finally be able to process what he’s feeling, and in his case, maybe start to realize just how close he was to something very bad. Third day, he’ll start to be on the upswing. Sore, tired, sick of seeing us and eating hospital food - but he’ll be healing. We’ll probably release him to home care at that point.”
“Home care? After three days?” He must have sounded appalled, but the nurse just smiled at him, probably more kindly than he deserved.
“Three days is enough for us to catch anything lingering that could be a big problem. From what I’ve seen, he’ll need someone reminding him to take it easy, but he’ll be back in his feet in no time.” She patted Higashi’s shoulder on her way by, pausing by the door. “I know it’s scary, seeing a friend like this.” Her voice was soft as he stared at Yagami’s face, finally relaxed as he slept. “But he really did get lucky, and he’s already starting to heal.”
He took a deep breath as the door shut behind him, then another. “You better be fine.”
Yagami kept snoring as he ducked out of the room a few minutes later, knocking on Sugiura’s door and stepping in. Kaito was leaning back in the chair by his bed, scrolling through his phone as Sugiura watched, curled on his side carefully. “Higashi!”
“Hey, Sugiura. How’re you feeling?”
“Good! I mean, not - not good, but much less bad.”
“He’s on the heavy duty stuff,” Kaito informed him. “Not as sleepy as Tabo’s meds make him, so he’s flying a little right now.”
“I feel fine, though, so I’ll be off them soon, I think.” Sugiura grinned loopily at both of them, and Higashi couldn’t hold back a tiny smile. “How’s Yagami?”
He frowned when Higashi gave him the rundown, fingers tugging at his blanket nervously. “That’s a lot, huh? Is he gonna be okay?”
“The nurse says so. He’s pretending it’s not bad, at least. Three days here then released to home care, if everything goes right.” Sugiura leaned back in his bed with a sigh, flicker of pain vanishing as he settled back against the pillow.
“Then what, Nurse Higashi is on the case? Cute.”
Higashi choked on his breath as Kaito cackled, laugh bursting out as he almost dropped his phone. “Yeah, you got it, Sugiura. Nurse Higashi is gonna do his best.”
“I - “ Higashi growled, turning towards the door. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Sugiura. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“I will! Thanks, Nurse Higashi!”
He closed the door on Sugiura’s giggles, Kaito’s lower-pitched laugh bubbling up under it, and shook his head. He’d be a terrible nurse.
Yagami was still asleep when he stepped back into the room, and Higashi dropped back into his chair with a sigh, hesitating for a moment before leaving his hand on the bed. It felt odd to just hold Yagami’s hand while he was asleep - invasive, almost, like he was taking advantage of him - but just leaving his hand there was better. Give Yagami the space to choose.
Higashi sat back and closed his eyes, shifting until he was comfortable enough to finally relax. Just a short nap, he thought, after the day they’d had. Just half an hour or so.
When he woke up, it was dark outside - clearly much later at night, although he could hear rain still tapping against the windows. Yagami’s hand was wrapped around his, face relaxed in his sleep as he breathed slowly, still wrapped in Higashi’s sweatshirt. The nurse nodded at him from the foot of the bed, pointing with her pen to his IV. “You just missed him. He got another dose, so he should be out for a while. Looked pretty happy to see you here, though.”
“He doesn’t like hospitals.” Higashi cleared his throat, sitting up a little more in the chair. “So he doesn’t want to be alone.”
“I get it. Thank you for staying with him, then. The more relaxed he is, the faster he’ll heal.”
She left just as quietly as she must have entered, and Higashi let his eyes slip shut again. This was going to be a long three days.
Yagami wasn’t exactly the ideal patient. He still tried to argue against getting his painkillers, complaining unless Higashi was sitting with him - he couldn’t shake the memory of how awful Yagami had looked when he’d left to grab a change of clothes one time and gotten stuck in traffic, coming back to a near-frantic scene as Yagami almost threw up from the pain - and was becoming more and more of a nuisance. “I just want to see Sugiura,” he’d beg, trying to swing a leg out of bed as Higashi glared at him. “To make sure he’s okay.”
“He’s fine, you know that. He’s on bed rest just like you.” Higashi braced his elbows on the mattress to lean in, eyes narrowed. “But you will not be fine if you fall out of this bed. You’ll have to stay longer.” Yagami hesitated, but fell back into the bed with a huff, trying to fold his arms across his chest and wincing when he bumped his sore shoulder.
“You’re good,” the nurse said in an undertone once Yagami was finally napping, carefully curled under the sweatshirt again. “Ever consider a career change?”
“I think this is about all the nursing I can handle. Is there any way our friend could come visit him, though? Maybe that’ll calm him down a little bit.”
Sugiura rolled through the door a few hours later, much to Yagami’s delight, Kaito pushing his wheelchair with a grin. He was healing very quickly (“Because I’m young and healthy, Yagami-san, and you’re old. Maybe it’s the smoking?”) and would be released the same day as Yagami, but with very strict orders to not do any kind of running for at least another week.
Sugiura and Kaito left when Yagami started to sweat again, pain setting back in as he clutched at Higashi’s hand. “You feel better seeing him alive?” Higashi pressed the button to call the nurse before resting his other hand on Yagami’s forehead, pushing his hair back and out of the way. “Knowing that he’s fine, too?”
“Yeah. Would’ve felt like shit if he’d died.” He sighed as the nurse stepped into the room and headed straight to his IV, needle already prepared. “Glad he’ll be good eventually.”
“Faster than you at this rate.” He grinned down at Yagami, who did his best to smile back, eyes flickering to the nurse. “Because you’re so old.”
“Ha ha.” Yagami sighed as the medicine finally hit, relaxing under Higashi’s hands. “Thanks.”
He was asleep again before the nurse left the room.
The days blurred together, Sugiura and Kaito ducking in to visit when they could, Yagami going longer and longer before calling for painkillers as Higashi tried to pretend that his hand wasn’t aching as Yagami clung to it.
As promised, though, both Yagami and Sugiura were released after three days. They both got folders with a long list of what they could and couldn’t do (Sugiura read his carefully, and Higashi took a quick look through Yagami’s, frowning at some of the things listed - no running, jumping, flipping, kicking, or looking at screens for a week? He wasn’t sure that was possible.
Higashi snuck a glance at Yagami, watching him ruffle Sugiura’s hair with a laugh, and sighed. Maybe the threat of having to be readmitted to the hospital would be enough to keep Yagami in check.
Higashi had assumed that Yagami would be a miserable patient away from the watchful eyes of the nurses, but would never have been able to guess the extent of it. Every time he managed to make it to the office Yagami was up and off the couch, a guilty look appearing when he noticed Higashi, hurrying back to the couch and sitting carefully, only to pop up again the second he left.
It was incredibly annoying, watching Yagami ignore every single piece of medical advice he’d been given about how to get better, but Higashi couldn’t say it wasn’t also a little bit endearing. Yagami had always been one to push the limits of what was possible, and it wasn’t much of a surprise that he’d push himself to the limits too, even when still injured.
The third time he caught Yagami practicing his spinning kicks was the final straw, though.
“You can’t push yourself like this,” Higashi hissed, barely catching Yagami in time as he tilted backwards, wincing at the tight grip. “You know it’s supposed to be bed rest as much as you can - “
“I can’t just stay on bed rest forever, Higashi!” Despite his protests, Yagami wasn’t resisting, letting Higashi guide him back towards the couch. “We have a lot of cases, and Kaito can’t do it all on his own.” He groaned as Higashi lowered him onto the couch, eyes closing as his head dropped back, sore arm held to his chest protectively. “I can’t ask him to do everything, it’s not fair - ”
“He doesn’t have to, alright? I’m helping, and Sugiura is helping - but if you keep pulling this shit, you’re going to get hurt again and be out for even longer.” Yagami cracked an eye open to stare at him, the glint appearing that meant he was about to say something intended to get under someone’s skin.
“Aw, Higashi,” and why did he have to say it like that, low and soft and a little teasing, “I didn’t know you cared so much.”
Higashi’s vision whited out for a moment. He blinked and realized he was now very close to Yagami, noses almost touching, hands braced against the couch on either side of his shoulders. Yagami’s eyes were very wide, darting between his own.
“Higashi?”
He leaned in a hair closer, eyes dropping down as he heard Yagami swallow, catching on his mouth.
“Higashi - “
His lips just barely brushed over Yagami’s mouth, hesitating on his cheek when the other man took a sharp breath.
“Of course I care,” he murmured, and Yagami almost whimpered under him when Higashi kissed him again, just a little bit longer than the first time. “I care so much.” Another kiss, lingering as he brought a hand to Yagami’s jaw, almost smiling when Yagami went boneless at the touch. “And it’s killing me to watch you putting yourself through this.”
“‘M okay,” Yagami mumbled, straining forward when Higashi pulled back for a breath. “I’m fine, come back - “
“I can’t just keep watching you try to put yourself back in the hospital.” Another soft kiss to Yagami’s cheek, hand on his jaw slipping to brush against his neck, and Yagami sighed at the touch. “You scared the shit out of me, you know that?”
“Wasn’t my fault.”
“No, but this would be.” Higashi took a step back, Yagami barely managing to catch his hand as it dropped from his neck, fingers tangling with his own immediately. “So can you please just - take it easy? Just for another week?”
“Five days,” Yagami offered, smiling nervously when Higashi gave him a look. “Six days?”
“A week. Seven days.” He bent to kiss the back of Yagami’s hand, mindful of his sore shoulder, and hid a smile at Yagami’s delighted squeak. “Then you can do whatever you want.”
“Fine, you’ve convinced me.” Yagami tossed his free hand over his eyes with a dramatic sigh, his other hand still wrapped tightly around Higashi’s. “Seven days.”
Higashi managed to keep his distance for the week - half because Kaito sent him regular updates on how Yagami was really trying his best to follow the advice, even going so far as to take client meetings entirely in the office rather than around town, and giving all the tailing jobs to Kaito; half because the family was still in disarray, and although Higashi didn’t want to be given any more responsibility than he already had, he couldn’t just let it fall apart in front of his eyes - but he was somehow still surprised when Yagami hurtled through the entrance to Charles a week later. He stumbled on his way to the counter as Higashi lunged towards him, just barely catching him in time. “Hey, hey - careful, are you okay?”
“Kiss me,” Yagami gasped, eyes bright and breath coming fast. He must have run all the way here, Higashi thought, head spinning at how warm Yagami felt against his chest, heart pounding under his hands and -
“ Yagami - I will, just - Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You almost ate shit there.”
“I have waited an entire week for you to kiss me again,” and Yagami was still panting but his cheeks were flushed, no hint of pain lingering around his eyes, grinning when he caught Higashi staring at his mouth. “A week, Higashi. I thought I was going to die.”
“You can’t die from not being kissed.” Despite the words, he was already pulling Yagami close to his chest, one hand pressing low on his back as the other settled at the back of his neck. “If anything still hurts, you have to tell me.”
“I could’ve been the first person to die from lack of kissing, you never know.” Yagami’s eyes were still so bright, voice low and teasing again, his hands warm where they landed against Higashi’s chest. “I could still be the first person, actually, unless you hurry up and kiss me.”
“Greedy,” Higashi murmured, brushing a quick kiss to his nose. “There, now you’re set.”
“That’s not - “
He swallowed Yagami’s outraged noise with another kiss, a real one, hand curling around the back of his neck as Yagami sighed happily into his mouth. The first time he’d kissed Yagami had been soft and careful, overly-gentle as he tried to make himself clear even as he worked to convince the other man to at least try to follow the doctor’s orders.
But this - Yagami still warm against him, melting in his arms whenever Higashi brushed a careful finger against the soft spot behind his ear - this was different. Yagami was actually able to kiss him back, for one thing, not frozen to the couch in surprise, half-paralyzed by his lingering aches. For another, he was eager, the hands on his chest already starting to work on his shirt buttons even as he nipped at Higashi’s lip.
“Hey, c’mon - “ He pulled back with a gasp, catching Yagami’s hands in his own. “You move fast, huh?”
“I‘ve been thinking about this for a while, Higashi.” Yagami frowned down at their hands before glancing at his face again, shrugging with an unrepentant smile. “Can’t blame me for trying, can you?”
“A week isn’t that long.” He’d meant it as a joke, but Yagami’s eyes dropped from his, smile slipping a little. “Oh. Longer than this week?”
“Uh - yeah, a little longer.”
Higashi squeezed Yagami’s hands gently when he still didn’t look up, thumbs starting to move in tiny circles over his fingers. “Hey. Yagami.” When Yagami finally glanced up at him again, he raised an eyebrow. “Just a little longer?”
“Since before Kaito-san was expelled.” Higashi’s jaw dropped and Yagami shrugged, laughing a little nervously. “Your old glasses were cute, you know? And I’ve always had a thing for people who can give me a hard time.”
“Yeah, I - I guess that is longer than this week.” Yagami just blinked at him. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I didn’t really think you were interested.” Yagami was starting to look like he’d rather be anywhere else, eyes darting away until Higashi gave his hands another reassuring squeeze. “Even at the hospital, I kind of - I hoped, a little, but I thought maybe you were just staying because you felt bad for me.”
“I was a little late to actually figuring it out, but I wasn’t just staying because I felt like I had to. You get yourself into a lot of shit, Yagami, and when I saw you after that fight with Kuroiwa - “ He shuddered at the thought and Yagami frowned.
“I really looked that bad?”
“You looked awful. Hearing your list of injuries didn’t exactly help, either.” He sighed, a rueful smile slipping onto his face. “But you didn’t die, not from being beaten halfway across a hospital and not from a lack of kisses, so I guess I can’t complain too much.” Yagami grinned at him, bright and cheerful and so full of life that Higashi’s breath caught in his chest for a moment, and shrugged.
“I could still die from not being kissed, you know. You should make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Are you always this greedy?” Yagami’s reply faded into a sigh when Higashi kissed his cheek, soft against his still-healing scrapes, pulling back for a moment. “Hm?”
“N - not greedy,” Yagami protested, trailing off as Higashi snuck a kiss to the corner of his mouth, following when he pulled away. “Higashi - “
“I guess you’ve waited long enough, huh? C’mere.”
Yagami kissed him eagerly, hands hot on his waist as he pulled Higashi closer, almost tripping over his own feet as he led them both towards the back office, collapsing onto the couch and dragging Higashi down on top of him.
“I would’ve waited forever for you,” he gasped out as Higashi mouthed at his neck, sucking a mark onto his collarbone. “If I had to.”
“When you put it that way, a week wasn’t so bad, was it?” Yagami arched up with a gasp under his hands, and Higashi hid a smile against his skin.
“I would’ve waited for you, too,” he said quietly, once Yagami was finally relaxed under him, arms wrapped tightly around his back in contrast to his slow, steady breaths. “If I had to.”
“I know.” Yagami hummed tiredly until Higashi put his head down, forehead pressed against his cheek. “Thank you for staying with me.”
“Thanks for waiting for me.”
He woke an hour later to Yagami snoring loudly in his ear, crushed between his body and the back of the couch, and a text from Kaito flashing on his phone.
From Kaito, 6:13pm - Came by to see if you wanted dinner but it looks like you’ve got your hands full for now. Let me know if you’re hungry later and I’ll swing by
He sent a quick text back and smiled at Kaito’s reply before tucking his phone away again, pressing his face back into Yagami’s chest and closing his eyes again.
To Kaito, 6:48pm - Thanks. Good for now, I think, but I’ll make sure Yagami eats something before it gets too late.
From Kaito, 6:49pm - Thanks for taking care of him.