Chapter Text
Jouno Saigiku, admitted to Yokohama hospital on 31st May, at 12:29pm. Patient was admitted due to critical injuries surrounding his heart and abdomen. Future surgeries will increase the patient's chance of living. Prognosis is optimistic.
Jouno had never truly understood why Tecchou liked him. Why he would stay with him, even tolerate him and his sadism.
So when he heard the door of his hospital room creak open, and felt Tecchou's familiar heartbeat in his ears, it was strange that he felt surprise.
'Jouno?' he whispered softly. 'Are you awake?'
Jouno shifted uncomfortably in his bed, turning away from the other man hastily. He wished to be left alone, to think in peace. To think of what had happened that day.
The scream of his name. Hot, sticky blood pooling around his chest. The feeling of losing consciousness, agonisingly slowly. How weak he felt.
Then, he felt fingertips on his face, gingerly being dragged up and down his nose. He jolted upright, and heard snickering. Tecchou had attempted to wake him up.
'What the hell do you think you're doing, Tecchou-san?' he tried to shout, but his voice fell hoarse. He coughed.
'Simple, I was trying to wake you up.' he replied. 'Could you come somewhere with me?'
Jouno almost scoffed. He was in no condition to even walk, let alone leave his hospital room.
'Where on earth could I go with you at the moment, Tecchou-san?'
His voice lacked any of the sharp tone he was so used to, and it bothered him immensely. His voice felt hollow without it.
'It's seems I'll take you there a different way, then.' Tecchou mumbled. He hooked one arm underneath Jouno's knees, and the other on his back. He tried to protest, tried to turn to particles, but he just felt too tired.
Tecchou lifted him easily, and Jouno finally allowed himself to go almost limp in his arms.
This felt all too much like that fateful day.
When he felt himself being carried, being held, his own blood staining the other's clothing. How he heard his name being said, over and over again, how he felt his face being held as he slipped out of consciousness.
Tecchou slowly walked towards a door in the corner and pushed it open to reveal a small bathroom that smelled of strong chemicals and soap.
He gently placed jouno down onto the floor, and began to shuffle what he assumed were bottles of body wash around. Then thick towels were dropped on the floor next to him.
'Can you stand up?' Tecchou asked. Jouno shakily stood up, and grabbed his wrist for support.
Then, he gently tugged at Jouno's shirt in an attempt to take it off. Jouno opened his mouth, to protest, to insult him, but his mouth ran dry.
'Is it okay if I... help you? To take a bath?'
He mumbled.
The truth was, Jouno hadn't bathed since the incident. That was, if he remembered correctly, three weeks. Normally, he was a very clean person, but said incident had bound him to bedrest. Every time he woke, he smelled horribly of sweat. He wondered how the doctors and his comrades could bear it.
He gave a small nod. Tecchou began to pull his shirt off, and then his pants, leaving him in his underwear. It made him feel so weak, so vulnerable, yet-
Tecchou made him feel safer, in a way. Like he was protected. The feeling in itself, the feeling of reliability, disgusted him.
He sank down onto the bathroom floor, pulling his knees up to his chest. He began to shake, and heard Tecchou crouch down next to him. His breathing was soft and slight compared to his own, jagged and uneven.
'Jouno, are you alright? Are you okay with me helping you?' he said gently.
Once again, he gave a small nod. He felt strong arms wrap around him, and tenderly place him down into the bathtub.
He heard taps squeaking, and he felt warm water on his head, gliding down onto his neck and back. Tecchou began to gently move the shower head over Jouno's body, wetting his limbs and chest. He felt shampoo being massaged into his scalp and rinsed away. He felt body wash, cold and gluey, being faintly rubbed into his skin, under his arms, his stomach, his legs.
Tecchou made a point to avoid his chest, where a long, deep scar resided over his heart.
He rinsed off the body wash, and lifted Jouno out of the water, despite the fact that he was soaking wet.
Jouno felt a soft towel press upon his head, and another wrap around his body. Tecchou rubbed the towel into his damp hair before tossing it away. He paused for a moment.
'Jouno, is it okay if I... take off your underwear? It's wet, and i brought you spare clothes.' He whispered. 'It's okay if not.'
Jouno hesitated. To be fully nude would be the most vulnerable he could get. But the idea of getting back into his already uncomfortable hospital bed with wet clothes would only make it worse.
'Alright.' he said quietly.
Tecchou began to gently peel off his underwear, leaving him fully naked. He draped a towel over Jouno's body so that he felt just a little more covered.
Then, he left the small room, leaving Jouno alone again. It was just over a minute before he returned with a bag containing his clothing, but it felt like longer, sitting there, cold and alone.
Tecchou pulled a shirt over his head and gingerly brought his arms through the holes. Then he gave him fresh underwear and pants, and finally gave him a hoodie to pull over his own head. Jouno noticed how, despite the fact that it was his own hoodie, it smelled undeniably like Tecchou.
'Would you like to walk back to your bed? It's not far.' Tecchou queried. It didn't seem like much of a challenge.
'Why not?' he replied blankly. Slowly, he stood up, gripping the other's man's wrist for support. He made ginger steps toward the bathroom door, which Tecchou opened hastily. His steps became steadier as he walked, more sure.
Jouno flopped down onto his bed, propping himself up on the few pillows he had. He heard shuffling, and a thick, warm blanket was draped over his legs.
'Is this yours?' He hadn't been to Tecchou's apartment in a while, but he'd never felt the blanket before.
'It's teruko's. She said you could borrow it until you get discharged.' Tecchou responded, sitting on his bed and sliding under the covers. Jouno could feel his heartbeat, uncharacteristically fast in his chest.
'What makes you think you can climb into my bed like that?' he muttered. The other man ignored his words, and instead fixed his gaze upon Jouno.
Tecchou slowly began to trace the lines on his palms, moving up to his arm, dragging his finger up and down his biceps. He moved his hand up to cup his face, fiddling with his still-damp hair. His breathing was heavier, more uneven, and his heart raced. And- even though Jouno could never say it outright- his own heartbeat was at a highly unusual pace.
He leaned forward, enough so that their foreheads connected. Tecchou felt impossibly close, their breaths tying together, spilling onto the other's cheeks.
Then the bow of Jouno's lip brushed against the other's, and he finally closed the small gap between them.
The kiss felt warm and soft, but also electrifying in a way that felt indescribable. Tecchou's lips moved against his own so passionately, so lovingly, and it sent shivers up and down his body.
They broke apart, breathing hot and heavy. Jouno didn't understand what made him want this, what made him want more, but it felt like ecstasy.
Tecchou had always felt different, in a way. Different to the other hunting dogs. Jouno had always made his distain for the man clear, but he never cared. He continued to break down every wall that the man had set with patience and kindness. Unwrap every layer of hatred and anger around his heart.
Tecchou, who he could never admit to have fallen in love with.
Tecchou flopped onto the pillows, burying himself under Teruko's blanket.
'Don't you want to sleep? The blanket makes it quite comfortable.' He said quietly. Jouno lowered himself onto the pillows, turning to face away from the other man for the second time that night.
Then, he felt a leg hook over both of his, pulling him closer. He felt a warm chest press into his back, and an arm drape over his side.
He felt Tecchou kiss the back of his head, lips soft against his skull. It all felt comforting, in a way he couldn't describe.
When he drifted off to sleep, it didn't feel as long and arduous as it had in the past few nights.
It felt better to have someone next to him. Someone who brought him relief instead of discomfort.
Someone who let him love again.