Rise and Fall - Kikasa
The one thing that Ryota could safely say he found comforting right now, was the rise and fall of Yukio's chest.
It had been a long road, and he had a scary feeling that this was the end. Until then he was going to try and keep his lover by his side for as long as possible.
It had all started a few months back. Kise had been in Europe for a shoot and Kasamatsu had just been at their home in Japan. Kise had gotten a call that Yukio had collapsed. At first it was written off as exhaustion from work, and he told Kise not to skip his shoot because of it.
Kise was glad that he did, because it turned out he wasn't okay.
Yukio was dying.
Kise couldn't even pronounce the name of the disease, but it was eating away at his lover body. Medicine wasn't working, and Kise had called in some of the best doctors, ready to put out any amount of money to save him.
Once it was concluded that there was nothing that could be done. Ryota had Yukio moved back into their home. He knew that he wouldn't want to spend his last few days of life in a hospital.
Almost all of Kaijo's old team stopped in, even their coach. For the most part everyone was good spirits, but it would be a lie to say that Kise hadn't seen all of them, at least once, leave the room to cry.
Yukio was still moving around at this point, however, he did get tired easily and was constantly napping.
The Kasamatsu family had more or less moved in. His sibling and father seemed to be in the house constantly. Kise didn't mind. Yukio smiled when he saw them, and as long as Yukio was happy Ryota was happy.
They would sit up talking about things from childhood, the pointless fights they used to get into, and the stuff they had done behind their fathers back. Or even the tricks they played on the neighborhood kids who had taunted the youngest. Sometimes an inside joke was explained, and Yukio talked openly about his relationship with Ryota. All the way from the day they first met, to their awkward few months of getting together. He made sure to add how he would never regret the decision, whenever he could.
Ryota couldn't explain the grief that you feel from watching a love one shrivel up before your very eyes. There were times when he just wanted to be away from him, but he didn't want to leave him either. He wasn't sure if he could handle it, but it was coming weather he was ready or not, so he decided to be ready.
Every time Yukio coughed or had to explain that he needed help moving around, was a horrifying reminder to the limited amount of time they had left.
Now he held Yukio close, listening to his breathing. The smaller mans head rested on his chest as if to comfort himself.
"I know it's selfish, but I really don't want you to go." Ryota tried to keep his voice steady. He couldn't cry when Yukio was the one facing death. He had to be brave for him.
"I don't want to leave you either." Yukio confessed. "I wanted more time with you."
"Yukio…"
"I'm not going to forget you." He was smiling up at him. "I mean it. In my next life I'll miss you. Even if I don't know why, I'll always miss you, until we find each other again."
Tears were streaming down Kise's face forgetting his resolve not to cry. He found the strength to nod. Yukio was still smiling, and managed to lean up enough to press their lips together in a slow and loving kiss.
He was quiet after that but Ryota could still hear him breathing. He placed a hand on his chest to feel the expansion and compression of his lungs. Yukio's hand rested over his.
Ryota let out a breath as he felt the rise and fall, rise and fall, and rise and fall, and…
"Yukio?" He sat up starring down at the other mans peaceful expression. "Yukio?!" The hand over his felt limp.
Kise felt his own breathing become shallow and panicked. "Yukio…"
He felt himself truly fall apart at this point. For a while the only thing he could hear were the deep heaving sobs from his chest and the only thing could feel was Yukio's body still next to him.
Limp, but still warm.
Yukio was gone. It was so hard to believe with his body right there. But is was just that, his body, not him. He wasn't here anymore. He was never going to be.
He pulled it together to call the proper people to take care of the body and to contact friends and family. The Kasamatsu's were in charge of the funeral. Kise was more than willing to help to pay and plan, but they told him to rest, and thanked him again for taking care of Yukio.
"I never saw him as happy as he was when he was with you." His father had said at the funeral, teary eyed and close to sobbing again.
"I'm glad to be able to have had the time with him." Kise said politely.
After the after pass he couldn't find it in himself to go home. He ended up crashing on Aomine's couch, like he had since Yukio passed. He wasn't sure if he would ever to be able to go back to their home.
He had given the Kasamatsu's the key so they could get the things that Yukio had passed on to them. Other than that he couldn't think of going back there and not having Yukio with him.
"Maybe you should move?" Kagami had suggested. He was Aomine's "roommate."
But Kise wasn't sure if he could do that. It was as if he would leave behind all of the memories that they had created if he were to change addresses. It was their home, he yearned for the familiarity yet feared it all the same.
I actually really like this one. Hope you enjoyed and please don't kill me for this.
Also, of the doctors mentioned, one was Midorima, but I didn't know how to write it in.
