Work Text:
Yugamu cleaned and sterilized his surgical tools, glancing over at his former leader as he tidied up the lab. Takumi lay nearly motionless on the table, slack-jawed and sleepy-looking.
"Seems like the procedure was a success," Yugamu said, smiling sunnily. He peeled off his gloves and tossed them out, then sauntered over to Takumi, gently tucking a strand of bright red hair back from his face. His striking eyes had lost a bit of their lively luster, which was truly a shame, but he looked so tranquil. Compared to how tense and angry he'd been before, this was undeniably an improvement. Yugamu would have to thank Aotsuki for helping him convince the others to let him do this.
"Sumino-kun…how are you feeling?" he asked gently, cupping Takumi's cheek in his hand. Takumi closed his eyes and sluggishly nuzzled into him, and Yugamu's expression softened.
Takumi mumbled something incoherent, his eyelids fluttering as if just keeping them open was a Herculean task.
"Tired, are we? That's fine, rest if you need to. I'll be here when you wake up."
With permission granted, Takumi relaxed, sinking immediately into a gossamer sleep. Yugamu could practically feel his consciousness melt softly away, slipping out of reach like a petal in the wind. Everything about him seemed so much more fragile all of a sudden.
Yugamu looked over him with fondness, gently brushing a finger across his cheek and watching him lean into the soft touch like an animal begging for affection. This felt more like the Sumino he remembered, the Sumino he fell in love with. The whole point of this had, of course, been for Takumi's benefit, to make him receptive to everyone's love. Yugamu's work was flawless. He was sure everyone would be pleased to see the results.
Takumi stirred again about forty minutes later, just as Yugamu was finishing straightening up the lab. Hearing a noise behind him, Yugamu turned to face Takumi and smiled down at him. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he teased. "Welcome back to the land of the living."
Normally, Sumino would've rolled his eyes at a comment like that, or lightly chastized Yugamu for alluding to death so casually. This time, there was none of that. Takumi simply stared up at him, almost through him. Eyes unfocused, smiling at nothing.
Yugamu's own smile wavered, just for a moment. He couldn't help but feel like something was wrong—like he'd cut away a hell of a lot more than just gray matter during his careful, compassionate surgery.
"Oh, Sumino-kun~" he cooed as he leaned over his patient, comforted by the way Takumi's eyes did their best to focus on him. "There you are, cutie. I guess the anesthesia's still wearing off, hmm?" Good. He was still in there. Their Sumino-kun. His Sumino-kun.
The door to the Bio Lab slid open, and Tsubasa popped her head in. "How's he doing?" she asked, looking mildly concerned. "Aotsuki's asking to see him."
Yugamu straightened up to address her. "He's fine," he confidently reassured her. "Aotsuki-kun is welcome to come by. Actually, I could use his help moving Sumino-kun somewhere more comfortable."
Tsubasa was visibly relieved, but she stared at Takumi for a long moment before finally leaving. Eito wasn't far behind her; he'd probably been waiting right nearby to hear her report. He could've just come in himself in the first place…
He came right up to the operating table, looming over Takumi, who looked somehow smaller than before the procedure. "Takumi-kun," he called out almost gently. "Do you feel better now? Calmer?"
Takumi didn't answer, but he smiled lazily, his head tilting toward Eito.
Eito frowned at Yugamu, silently demanding an explanation.
"He hasn't said a word since he woke up," Yugamu told him, contemplatively crossing his arms. "I'm not sure if he'll start talking once he's fully alert, or if he'll stay like this. The books I read in the library said it varied between patients, and that they'd usually recover most of their mental faculties over time." He grinned widely. "Human brains are truly remarkable, aren't they?"
"Stop talking." Eito made a slightly displeased face as he thought over what Yugamu had said, but nodded begrudgingly after a few moments. "Well, as long as he's not in distress, it should be fine. We'll still be able to love and worship him as much as he deserves!"
The more he spoke, the more he seemed to believe his own words. Yugamu nodded absently, watching Takumi futilely attempt to keep up with their conversation. Then Takumi reached out, clumsily grabbing on to Eito's jacket. Having an anchor seemed to soothe him. Yugamu felt a bolt of lightspeed jealousy rip through him, momentarily stealing his breath, but he kept his cool. No use being petty about this kind of thing. Takumi was barely awake anyway.
"Poor Sumino-kun has been on this table for hours," he pointed out. "We should move him to his room so he can recover more comfortably."
"Bring IV bags with you," Eito ordered. "Just in case he has trouble eating and drinking."
"It's like you read my mind," Yugamu joked. Eito didn't laugh.
---
It was a bit of a struggle for the two of them to carry Takumi on their own, even with the makeshift stretcher they'd had Tsubasa put together beforehand. He felt like dead weight, limp and lifeless, and Yugamu was starting to worry ever so slightly. He hadn't fallen asleep again—was this peak alertness for him now? Would those dull blue eyes of his ever shine again, or had Yugamu snuffed out their light for good?
He hadn't had a choice. He still believed it was the right thing, that this was the best way to make everyone—including Sumino—happy. And anyway, it was way too late for regret.
As soon as he was done making Takumi comfortable and setting up an IV drip, Yugamu was, in no uncertain terms, kicked out of the room. Eito wanted to play nurse, apparently.
A bit miffed, Yugamu sat down on the steps outside Takumi's door, contemplating. The sun was setting behind the Wall of Fire, and the rooftop was utterly, unnaturally silent. No footsteps, no voices, no rustling of wind through trees in the schoolyard. Just Yugamu and his regrets. No, concerns. They were just concerns.
In another life, he would've confided in his fearless leader. Sumino was a little mean to him sometimes, sure, but when Yugamu got serious, he matched the mood unquestioningly. He was strong, brave, kind, selfless. He took on his friends' burdens without hesitation, standing as tall as if they were weightless. Even when he cracked, he came back stronger, a glimmering kintsugi of righteous blood and steel. Yugamu loved him, had probably loved him since the second he first laid eyes on him. His crimson-winged angel, sent to save him from the cold kiss of death.
Even without the pills, he'd loved Takumi. Less intensely, maybe, but no less genuinely. He fell for Takumi all on his own. But where was that Takumi now?
Maybe it was already too late, even before this surgery business. Maybe he was gone as soon as he swallowed that first handful of pills.
Either way, there was no one else to blame.
Yugamu stood up, intending to return to his room for the rest of the day. There was nothing else for him to do in the Bio Lab. There was nothing for him to say to the others, either; that was Eito's job. His work, so sharp and sterile, like hydrogen peroxide stinging the sinuses, was finished. He'd poured all the love he had into it.
Maybe that was worse.