Smoking cats - shinsero

Fragile Moments

Shinsou sat in the sterile hospital waiting room, his hands buried in his wet hair. The rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall did nothing to ease his nerves. It had been over an hour since they'd taken Sero back into the ER, and no one had come out to update him.

The small, black cat sat curled on the chair next to him, her fur still damp from the rain. She'd been quiet since they arrived, her big eyes occasionally flicking up toward the doors leading to the emergency area, almost as if she was waiting, too.

The boy's mind raced with too many thoughts. He hadn't realized just how far gone Sero was until now. The weight of it, of knowing that his boyfriend could've died, hung heavy in his chest. He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to push away the worst-case scenarios.

But they kept creeping in.

The door to the ER finally opened, and a nurse walked out, scanning the waiting room before her eyes landed on a certain purple haired boy.
"Mr. Shinsou?"

He shot to his feet, practically tripping over himself to reach her.
"Is he okay?"

The nurse smiled kindly, though there was still concern in her eyes.
"He's stable for now. We're monitoring his condition, but he's still unconscious. He was lucky you brought him in when you did."

He let out a shaky breath, relief flooding him, though it didn't ease all his worries.
"Can I see him?"

The nurse nodded.
"Of course. Follow me."

He picked Tipi up and followed her down the long, winding hallway toward Sero's room. His pulse quickened as they neared the door, dread still clinging to him despite the reassurance that Sero was stable. He wasn't ready to face this - wasn't ready to see the boy like this.

When they entered the room, he froze at the sight of the black haired boy lying in the hospital bed. Tubes and wires connected to machines beeped softly beside him, and Sero's face was pale, his dark hair damp and clinging to his forehead.

Shinsou swallowed hard, his hands tightening around Tipi. He had never seen the boy look so fragile.

The nurse gestured for him to sit in the chair beside the bed, and Shinsou did so, setting the cat down on his lap. She jumped off and padded gently onto the bed, curling up at Sero's feet as if to keep him company.

"Is it okay for her to be here too?" He asked, not really paying attention to having brought Tipi into the hospital.

"Yeah, well not really, but I'll make an exception for you, but try to hide her from the other nurses," she said with a wink. But it soon returned to a more serious face.
"He's going to need rest, and we'll keep him here overnight for observation," the nurse said softly.
"But for now, just being here with him is enough."

Shinsou nodded absently, his eyes never leaving the other boy.
"Thank you," he whispered.

As the nurse left the room, the quiet hum of the machines filled the space, but it didn't drown out the thoughts swirling in his mind. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, staring at the rise and fall of Sero's chest.

Why didn't Sero tell him how bad things had gotten? Why had he felt the need to hide it? Shinsou blamed himself for not seeing the signs, for not being there when Sero needed him the most.

He reached out, gently taking his boyfriend's hand in his, his thumb brushing over the back of his knuckles.
"You idiot," Shinsou murmured, his voice thick with emotion.
"You could've died."

Tipi purred softly at the foot of the bed, her presence a small comfort in the midst of the chaos swirling around them.

Hours passed, and Shinsou stayed by Sero's side, refusing to leave. The exhaustion of the day caught up to him, but he couldn't bring himself to close his eyes for more than a few minutes at a time. Every time he did, the image of Sero lying in that alley came rushing back, making his stomach twist with guilt.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that the black haired boy began to stir.

Shinsou snapped awake the moment he heard the faint groan from the other's lips. His heart leapt into his throat as he sat up straighter, watching as Sero's eyes fluttered open, blinking blearily at the harsh hospital lights.

"Sero?" His voice was soft but urgent.

The boy's gaze slowly focused on him, confusion etched into his tired features.
"Hitoshi...?"

"Yeah, it's me," Shinsou whispered, squeezing his hand gently.
"You're in the hospital. You overdosed, but you're okay now."

Sero's brow furrowed, his mind struggling to catch up with everything.
"Overdosed...?"

The purple haired boy nodded, his throat tightening.
"Yeah. I found you in an alley. You were barely conscious. I thought I was going to lose you." His vision began to blur, speckles of unshed tears staining his vision, causing him to close his eyes and let one single tear fall down on the other boy's hand.

Sero's eyes widened slightly as the memory started to come back in fragments. The rain, the strangers, the drugs. His chest tightened with shame and regret.
"Shit... I'm sorry."

Shinsou shook his head, his voice breaking.
"Don't apologize. I just - why didn't you tell me you were feeling this bad? I could've helped you."

Sero's eyes filled with guilt, and he turned his head away, staring at the ceiling.
"I didn't want to drag you down with me. You've already been through so much... I didn't want to be another problem for you to fix."

The violet eyed boy's heart clenched, and he leaned forward, brushing a strand of hair away from Sero's forehead, letting his own tears fall free.
"You're not a problem, Sero. You're someone I care about. You don't have to hide from me."

Sero's throat tightened as he felt the weight of his boyfriend's words. He had never been good at letting people in, never been good at trusting others with his struggles. But here was Shinsou, sitting beside him, holding his hand despite everything.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again, his voice barely audible.

The other leaned in closer, pressing a soft kiss to Sero's forehead, lingering there for a moment.
"I'm just glad you're okay."

They sat in silence for a while, the weight of the night still heavy in the air. But for now, they were together, and that was enough.

———

//