I'm back again with another Ai no Kusabi story! I know you're probably thinking I'm crazy for adding another one, but I can't stop myself. Forgive me! This story is based in just our plain old normal world. Iason is not part of anything like the Syndicate, but he is part of something. And therefore, he is human and going to be softer than he was in the novels. This is rated M because their relationship will become intimate during the duration of the story. If you can forgive me for all of this, then please keep reading and enjoy. ❤

The sound of metal twisting and a earsplitting bang filled the air as the car collided with the truck. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, his mother screamed and his father tensed as the impact occurred. He didn't even have time to look up from his cellphone to brace for the impact. All he saw when he looked up was the metal of the other vehicle straight in front of him.

Then came the pain, the excruciating pain that shot up like lightning in his back as he lurched forward. He screamed in agony as he couldn't move his legs or move to get away and free himself. He was squeezed between the front seat and the back seat, not enough to crush him, but enough to ensure he was snuggling stuck. A wave of dizziness and disorientation took him as he felt his head pulse from when hit against the interior. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them and saw several dots of crimson. Some were in a cluster, while others were spread out; others dripped downward.

He heard his mother sigh deeply and almost serenely, as if the breath were gently stolen from her lungs or she were doing some sort of relaxing mediation exercise. And there was no sound at all from his father.

"M-Mom?" he choked in a breathy whisper as the seats squeezed his lungs. A shot of pain again in his lower back caused him to gasp and writhe in the hold, "Mom!"Neither of his parents responded, which worried him. Maybe they couldn't hear him, maybe they had passed out. But they were all right, right? Another wave of dizziness hit him, this time it tugged him into darkness and he let himself be consumed as the pain in his back increased to an unbearable rate.

"Young male, car accident, possible paralysis or severe spinal damage!" the nurse listed off as the doctors pushed the stretcher down the hall.

"Can you hear me, boy?" the male doctor asked, flashing a light into his dark eyes and the boy nodded slightly. "He's responsive."

Riki tried to move his head to the side, but the brace under his chin held him still, "What...?"

"You're in the Emergency Room, you've just been in a car accident."

"Parents..."

"Someone is dealing with them right now," the man assured, turning the stretcher down another hallway. "Clear him for an X-ray and CT, stat!" he barked to the others. "Does anything hurt?" He jabbed Riki's fingers with a pen, "Can you feel this?"

"My...back," Riki moaned feebly, trying to move himself around with no success as he was still strapped to the board.

"Can you feel this?" the man asked again, but this time jabbing Riki's leg and then feet.

"No..."

"CT scan showed swelling in the spine," the nurse confirmed, "And the X-ray showed that there were no fractures or damage to the spine or spinal cord. We've booked him for an MRI, but so far are diagnosis is that he's bruised his spine from the blunt force in the accident, hence why he can't feel his legs."

"He's in a lot of pain, start him on some corticosteroids," the doctor ordered, "He'll have to have blood drawn out from the injury which is causing the blockage." He looked at the test results again, "He may need surgery if he doesn't regain any feeling soon."

Riki gripped onto the bed railing as he felt the cold needle touch his skin. He was given some pain medication, but it still hurt like a bitch to have the hurt and tender spot touched. The drugs must have not taken full effect yet, which was why he could still feel some pain. He ground his teeth together as a huge amount of pressure formed in the area.

"Breathe slowly, in and out," one of the nurses advised gently while touching his knuckles that were white from his grip. "Just breathe and it'll be over."

He moaned at the pain as he felt the pressure in his back increase, like something inside of him was going to launch or erupt. It hurt so bad, why did it have to hurt so bad?

"There we go," the doctor commented, finally finishing the task of drawing the blood. "Now get some rest and we'll send someone to care for you soon." He placed a tiny bandage on the puncture wound after he handed the syringe to the other nurse who left the room.

The nurse beside him helped Riki roll over and positioned his legs properly on the bed. Then after he was covered with a blanket he was finally left alone. He closed his eyes as his head pulsed slightly underneath the bandage. His world was a confusing haze, he couldn't exactly figure out what was going on. he hadn't come to terms with his injury or the reality of his parents. Everything was just a big fuzzy ball of confusion, whether it was from hitting his head or the medicine, he didn't know.

"No one wants to take him on, but he needs a caregiver," the head nurse fretted. "He's going to need someone to help him!"

"We are so short staffed right now, if I could I'd take him, but I'm already caring for the patient in room 286."

"I can't take him, I'm already committed to patient 37."

"I'll take him," the man agreed, stepping up to take the file from the head doctor. "My patient was just released this afternoon. I'm free to take him on."

"You are such a life saver, Iason! Thank you!" the head nurse bowed before running off as another emergency order came in.

Iason flipped open the file, heading towards from number 53 to meet his new patient. From the description he read that the patient was a young male, age eighteen and in fairly good shape outside of the injury. He slid open the door and stepped in to find the boy asleep. Not wanting to wake him, he plunked down softly on the sofa in the dimly lit room. The blinds were drawn so only a bit of light from the night outside shone in, while on the other side the lights from the hallway were most blocked out by the blinds.

Iason watched the boy sleep, counting out the rising and falling of his chest. It was a bit slower and deeper, which mildly concerned him. He stood up and hooked up a mask and attached it to the tank in the wall before placing it over the boy's mouth. It wasn't really necessary, but he just wanted him to be more comfortable. He had read in the file that the kid's parents were deceased. They died almost instantaneously after the impact of the crash. The kid had been through a lot and probably was still in shock and confused.

Poor kid, he thought and watched as the boy took on a normal breathing pattern again. He pulled the elastic around the dark haired head and went to go sit down again. He was also extremely tired, but knew that the hospital was severely short staffed so he had volunteered to stay later. And he was happy he did. This kid needed someone right now, someone to help him and explain his situation. Last time Iason had helped someone who had a spine injury, they had given up on life and he was handed off to another patient before he could make things right. He wasn't going to let this boy go down the same road.

Riki awoke to a gentle nudge and a light shinning on his eyelids. He pried open his eyes to see a man with blonde hair and icy blue eyes looking down at him with concern. "I'm sorry, I have to wake you up every so often because you hit your head." He took off he mask and pressed a button and raised the bed so that the boy was sitting up at an angle that wouldn't hurt his spine. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain?"

The boy just softly shook his head, his eyes dull with exhaustion and mild pain. He wasn't in much pain, but there were still moments where his back would twitch or spasm and it was uncomfortable. "I'm...fine..." he croaked, watching the blonde man look over his IV machine and adjust a few things with the push of a button. "Who are you?"

"I'm your caregiver," he answered, "My name is Iason. I'll be here to take care of all your needs and if you ever need anything when I'm not here press that button." He pointed to a red button on the bed railing.

"I'm...Riki," the boy whispered back, "So...what happened?"

Iason pulled up a chair to the bedside, and Riki noticed how tall he was compare to him—at least a good foot or so higher. His breath caught as he saw how long his hair was in a ponytail, it went down his back a ways! And it was such a pure shade of blonde that he had never seen before, it was actually beautiful. "Riki," he started out slowly, grasping onto his hand gently. "You were in a car accident with your parents. You have suffered a nasty blunt trauma to your spine, but we believe it is only bruised badly, not fractured."

"Is that why I can't feel my legs?"

"Yes, you can't feel them at the moment, but you will when we get you back up and to physiotherapy," he assured, gently patting the tanned hand. "But you cannot give up, or else you'll never be able to walk again."

"And...my parents?" Riki asked with a tennis ball lump in his throat. He could vaguely remember calling out to them, but there was no answer. If they didn't answer, were they dead? "My...parents..." His chest tightened and his throat seemed to close as he started to panic as the memories flooded in like a torrent of hot lava.

"Riki...Riki!" Iason called gently as he abruptly stood up. With deft precision, he grabbed the mask and held it against the shaking boy's mouth and nose. "Just breathe Riki, breathe. In and out, come on." He gently patted the boy's shoulder in a soothing motion as he tried to ease the panicking boy back to a somewhat normal state.

Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes, "Are they...?" he choked, unable to say anymore.

"I'm sorry, Riki," the blonde offered softly, continuing to give a gentle touch of reassurance to the boy. "I'm sorry, but... they didn't make it." A sob ripped from the boy's throat and he abruptly tried to pull away, but Iason gently held him still so he wouldn't hurt himself further. Riki continued to try and fight against him, so he ended up giving him a gentle hug to hold him still.

He could feel the hot tear drops landing on his shoulder as the boy's frame shook in his arms, he didn't know how else to get him to stop trying to move so he had acted on a whim. But it seemed to be working, and he didn't feel that Riki was pushing him away either. He continued to hug him until he got worried because Riki started to heave. He reached out to the table beside him and grabbed onto the kidney basin just in time as Riki began to throw up.

Iason gently patted Riki's upper back as he threw up everything in his stomach and then dry heaved a little. "S...sorry..." he whispered through eyes burning with tears again.

Iason moved the dish away from Riki and grabbing a wash cloth from the cabinet across the room and wetting it. He shook his head softly as he handed the wash cloth over, "You've done nothing wrong, Riki."

Another set of tears bubbled up in the already glistening dark eyes, staining his cheeks on the way down. He covered his face with the hand that wasn't connected to the IV after wiping his mouth, and swiped at damned drops.

"Do you want me to go?" the blonde asked softly, rising up already so Riki wouldn't have to hide in embarrassment for mourning.

"No," he choked, reaching out to catch Iason's hand. "I'm...s...sorry. Please, stay."

Understanding that perhaps Riki didn't want to be left alone, he sat back down and gently touched the dark arm with a soothing caress. "You don't have to be afraid to cry, Riki. It's nothing to be ashamed about." Riki nodded softly, but continued to swat at his tears to make them stop. Iason finally caught his hand, "Riki, just let it out. I'm not going to think any less of you."

Riki tried to hold it back, but his tears got the best of him and soon his cheeks were stained with the salty drops. Iason scooted back on the chair and grabbed Riki a pillow to squeeze and cry into, but made sure he didn't bend his spine forward in a curve to ensure he didn't hurt himself. He stayed by Riki's side and held his hand all until he had cried himself to sleep.

When he woke up, he felt drained and empty inside. He couldn't believe that his parents were gone, just the other day they were together and everything was somewhat all right. And now he was alone. His eyes burned from all the crying he had done, but he forced them open and stopped to regard the figure next to him.

Iason sat up and stared up at Riki with his blue eyes pooled with concern, "How are you feeling?"

"Shitty..." he managed, his eyes dropped to the bed then to the blonde. "Did you stay with me this whole time?"

He just nodded, "Are you hungry? Shall I get you some food? Or is there anything else you want?" He rose slowly, his body stretching out with such an air of gracefulness before he waited for a response patiently.

"Sure...f–food sounds good for now."

Iason nodded, "All right. I'll be right back."

Riki watched him turn and leave silently. Frankly, he was confused. Never had he heard of any caregiver staying with a patient throughout the night. If anything, he had heard of hospitals leaving patients alone in their times of need. What made this hospital different? It was actually a bit of a relief to know that someone was always there in case he needed something. He remembered that when his uncle was in the hospital that there were a bunch of nurses, but none actually committed to a patient such as Iason did to him. And in all actuality, that was the reason his uncle had died. The nurses would drop the food off and not feed him. How was he supposed to feed himself in such a weak condition? They practically left him to die. They'd come back at the next meal and take the untouched food that his uncle couldn't reach and leave. His aunt had been appalled at the lack of caring the hospital provided, and she herself being in an unstable condition wasn't always able to rush to his aid. If only his uncle had been in this hospital.

The door opened quietly, and Iason stepped in with a tray of food and a little paper bag in his other hand. He set the tray on the little on sided table and slid it over to the bed and then pushed the tabletop part with the tray into Riki's lap. "Here you are," he smiled, uncovering the main dish and the opening the container of juice.

Riki nodded in a gesture of gratitude and picked up his fork to begin eating some of the breakfast sausage. He speared through it and took his first bite, casting a glance in Iason's direction. The blonde was sitting on the couch, and unpacking the little paper bag on the side table. There was only a little bit of food inside: a muffin, an apple and a juice box. He frowned and stared back to his meal, the sausage was only a fraction of the contents on the plate. There were also eggs, some whole wheat toast, the juice container, and a container of yogurt. Why was he eating so much compared to a worker?

"Are you on a diet?" Riki questioned, staring down at the blonde who was silently munching on his food.

Iason grinned and swallowed, "No. I just don't have much of an appetite in the morning. I've always been that way."

"You look like your starving yourself compared to my breakfast menu."

A chuckle rumbled in his throat, "I assure you I am fine."

"Suit yourself," Riki grumbled, stuffing another breakfast sausage into his mouth.

After they finished, Iason left briefly with the tray and returned with another box in hand. "This is going to suck, but we need to do this." He set the box down on a table and grabbed gloves from the box attached to the wall. "You will hurt yourself if you try to move, and I can't move you to go to the bathroom yet. Meaning," He laid a towel out on the table. "I have to put a catheter in you."

Riki cringed, but knew there was no way around it. He wilted slightly as he watch Iason open the box and grab a linen protector and move towards him.

Iason skillfully pulled back the sheets, gently pushed his legs apart and then stared up into Riki's eyes briefly before pulling up the hospital gown to expose his lower region. He slipped the protector in the opening of his legs and stepped back. He then threw his gloves into the garbage and pulled another package out of the box and slowly opened it. "These are sterile gloves," he explained, putting them on properly so there was no contamination.

Riki watched as he pulled out another sheet of some fabric with a diamond cut out of the center of it. Iason walked over and positioned it so that his penis was in the middle and surrounded by the fabric and empty diamond shape. Then the blonde inserted a syringe with water into a tube that had two ends on one and set it aside. He then picked up a package and tore it open and smeared the contents on the one end that did not have the two ends. After that he pulled out a tray and another packet. He tore open the packet and poured the contents into the tray that was full of cotton ball pads.

Iason looked up at Riki, "OK, I'm going to clean the tip before I insert it, so it might be cold." He gently grasped onto Riki's penis in one hand and in the other hand with a pair of tweezers, he picked up the cotton pad and gently applied it to his penis and started cleaning it. After doing it three times with a new cotton pad each time, he finally threw the tray into the garbage pile. "All right, now comes the next part." He picked up the catheter in one hand and Riki's penis with the other.

Riki tried not to squirm as he watched Iason stick the end into his penis. He bit his lips in terror at never having this done to him. Iason seemed to catch his fear filled gaze and calmly assured, "I've done this many times before, it won't hurt."

He pushed the catheter into Riki's urethra slowly and carefully ensuring that it was going in without any discomfort. When urine started to leak out, he pressed the syringe and filled the balloon on the end inside Riki with the water. After disconnecting the syringe, he took off his gloves and grabbed another pair. He threw away the garbage and protectors before removing the rest of the catheter bag and clipping it to the hanger and bedside. After ensuring it was secure he walked over to the sink and wet a cloth and then proceeded to clean off the tip that was covered in the disinfectant before he dried it. Finally done, he pulled Riki's gown down and the sheets back up.

"There, now that that is done we don't have to worry about it," he sighed, throwing the gloves away. "Are you feeling all right? Nothing uncomfortable?"

"I'm fine," Riki murmured, trying to reclaim whatever pride he had left now that his caregiver had seen and touched his penis.

"Please don't be concerned about that," Iason assured, "It had to be done. Or else you would have had to wet the bed to go the the washroom. Then you could be embarrassed."

He did have a point, that would be way more embarrassing than him having the catheter. "Now what?"

"Well, you can either take a nap, or watch TV," he answered, "I'm actually going to talk to your main doctor for a bit. So you're free to watch what you want or get some sleep."

He nodded, accepting the remote Iason handed to him before he left. He was grateful for all Iason had done to help him so far, and he could see the blonde knew that he was embarrassed anyways and wanted to be alone for awhile. He flicked through some channels and then ended up turning it off to sleep. He was still really tired and his eyes were really sore.

"Riki!" the gentle voice called again as the boy kept screaming. He caught him in a soft hug and patted his upper back with a soothing motion, waiting patiently for him to wake up and realize that he wasn't in the accident anymore. Riki had nearly rolled off the bed he was so active in his dream, so that was why he had to hold him still without hurting him.

Finally waking up, Riki gasped and panted hard as he panicked. He mumbled a few incoherent things as he squirmed a bit in Iason's hold. Then came another wave of tears as he sobbed openly. Iason continued to gently pat his back, "You're safe now, you're safe, Riki." He froze when he felt Riki actually hug him back, that was a surprising action he hadn't foreseen.

He was so scared that he was dreaming and he was still in the car or dead. He wrapped his arm around Iason's back, hoping to convince himself he was in fact awake. He needed this to anchor him down, or else he would float back to the wreckage of twisted metal and blood. "I'm...sorry...I'm so...sorry..." he sobbed.

Iason continued to hold him, "I'm here for you Riki, I'm here. I won't let you get hurt again."

After a moment of the emotional embrace, Iason gently laid the sniffling boy back down. He walked to the cabinet and grabbed a cloth to wet with water and wipe Rik's face off in attempt to make him feel better. He had actually brought in the tray of lunch for Riki on his way back, but couldn't bear to to disturb him as he looked so tired until he started to scream and thrash his upper body. Iason grabbed onto the juice container and put in a straw before offering it to Riki who accepted with shaky hands. When the cup almost slipped from the trembling tanned fingers, he caught it, adjusted the chair beneath him to a higher position and held it for him to sip away at.

Riki pulled away, his eyes falling in shame, "I'm so...lame..."

Iason only smiled gently, "There is nothing wrong with crying and having bad dreams, Riki. All humans do it." He gently ruffled Riki's hair with his other hand. "Don't worry about it, all right? I'm not going to think any less of you."

"'Kay..." he whispered and continued to sip at the juice.

To Be Continued