The Pain we Share || Aki Hayakawa

Separation Anxiety

You woke up in a sweat, abruptly forcing your body into a seated position. Your vision was blotchy and your breath was heavy. Pain surged through every inch of your body, and dizziness made your head spin.

What happened?

You looked down at your hands, expecting to see them trapped in green sludge, instead they were covered in small scrapes and cuts.

You looked down to see your legs bare

Where are my pants? Am I... in a bed?

You scanned your surroundings confused to see that you were in a room, but not your own. The room was dark. You were sitting in a bed, the bedsheets filled with your sweat. You were in a large blue t-shirt and nothing else. On the nightstand was a glass of water and vitamins, you chugged it down and forced your aching body off the bed.

The room twisted and swirled, you clung onto the side of the bed desperately trying not to topple over. You made your way over to the door and swung it open with the little energy you had, leaning onto the door frame for support.

The door opened into a spacious living room and small kitchen, neatly decorated with a few plants and meticulously clean.

"Oh y/n you're awake?" you heard a voice coming from the front door. It was Kurose, rushing into the apartment with a few grocery bags in his hands. He was wearing a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, his hair was a bit shaggier than normal and pulled back with a headband.

He dropped the grocery bags and ran to your side, putting your left arm over his shoulder and lightly taking hold of your waist.

"You shouldn't be moving too much" he said, gently guiding you onto the couch. "Are you alright? Are you hungry? I wasn't sure what you'd want when you woke up so I got some groceries, I can quickly make something for you?"

You tugged at the end of the t-shirt to cover your legs, feeling exposed.

"Oh..." Kurose said, noticing your discomfort "I tried to put sweatpants on for you but you were overheating in the night so you kept kicking them off" he said while avoiding eye-contact.

Your cheeks heated up to a bright pink

This cannot be happening right now. Did he see me naked? What the heck happened?

He backed away from you "I'll make you some tea..."

Your head pounded and swarmed with questions

"What happened last night?" you said with a scratchy throat

"You don't remember?" He said, as he filled the kettle with water "A devil spawned out of nowhere and tried to get the gun devil bullets, taking you as a hostage. It morphed its body to trap you and suffocate you".

You traced your fingers around your neck, remembering the burning sensation from being choked by the sludge. You winced from the memory.

"It all happened so fast" he said, leaning on the kitchen counter "I tried my best to attack it without harming you, but you still got a bit scratched up. Sorry... I should've been more careful"

"Thank you for saving me" you said, running your fingers over the cuts on your hands "Did it get the bullets?"

"Yeah, but I killed it before it could escape. The organization is holding onto them for now until we can relocate the lab" he replied, pouring your tea into a cup.

"What kind of devil was it?" you asked, resting your hand at the base of your neck

"Parasitic Devil... Which reminds me, I should take you to the hospital. I think I managed to take it out in time, and you puked a fair amount out... But there's a chance that it left a piece of itself in you which means-"