He gazed up at his lover who finally gave him a life sign after three days of waiting. Asami´s breathing grew more and more unstable and he contorted his face with pain. The doctor rushed to the other side to press some buttons on the machines, supposedly increasing his dose of pain killers when Asami suddenly cried out as he opened his eyes. Clenching his hands into strong fists, he made Akihito whimper as he pressed his sprained wrist in one of them.
Completely disoriented he struggled against his own muscle weakness, almost punched the doctor, and Akihito reacted quick to cup his lover´s hot cheek and caressed him and started to speak in a very calm voice as he came close enough to Asami´s sweating face to almost kiss him. The anxiety had fully left his body now.
"Asami, it´s me. Calm down. You are safe. Asami, look at me."
"Akihito." The older man´s voice sounded soar and almost broke off within this one word. It instantly drained every bit of air from Akihito´s lungs. Asami relaxed his body in exhaustion. Panting he shook his head once or twice looking around him, finally realizing he was now out of danger.
"You are at Tokyo General Hospital, Sir", the doctor started to explain a number of things. He then asked Asami a number of questions to see if he was up to date on the events that had run down over the last days. Asami gave away just about enough to make sure he would rate him sane but little enough to not give any hint about his business or what was really going on.
Asami sounded as if he was doing great to the doctor but deep down Akihito knew how hard it was for him not to scream from the pain he must have been in. The doctor then left the two alone and Asami asked if he could have a glass of water and then brush his teeth. It sounded very strange to Akihito but he was out and about getting a toothbrush and toothpaste in his relief at once. It was only when he came back into the room, that he noticed tears on Asami´s cheeks. The young man wiped them away with a gently smile though under the surface his heart was screaming out in devastating ache. If he hadn´t avenged his lover´s pains brutally a few days ago, he surely would have now run out of the building chasing after that scum. As Asami couldn´t move a finger without painfully frowning, even though he would never have made a sound, Akihito persuaded him to have his teeth brushed by him.
"For the next few days, let me be your arms and legs", Akihito whispered into his lover´s ear.
He put away the toothbrush and sat down beside the Crime Lord. Asami panted in pain as he tried to move his body a bit away on the bed, and Akihito immediately jumped to help with whatever he was trying to do, but Asami simply rose a hand to stop him. His stupid pride, Akihito thought. The older man then padded the little, empty space he had created beside him and looked demanding at his boy. As if he could read his mind, Akihito knew instantly to take off his shirt because what Asami would now need most was skin contact and the warmth of his body. With his bare upper body he cautiously slipped into the hospital bed that was a lot too small for both of them.
It was the first time in his life that Akihito held Asami in his arms, reassuring and strong. Asami had now found out a bit about what hurt and which movements he could make. He turned his head to gaze into his boy´s eyes and took in a deep, passionate kiss. Both men knew that this kiss would be everything they would be able do for the next few days or even weeks but it was enough for them to finally be in each other´s arms again. Now Akihito got why Asami wanted his teeth brushed. He looked at his man and smiled gently. Asami buried his head into Akihitos hug, making the young man shiver when he kissed his chest and took a deep breath of Akihito´s scent.
"May I sleep like this?", he asked his kitten.
Akihito was struck silent by the gentleness in his lover´s voice. Never had Asami ever asked him for anything. Usually he would just take whatever he wanted, wether Akihito wanted to give it to him or not.
"Yes", the young man responded quickly, in order not to show how much the question had surprised him.
In a few seconds Asami drifted away in Akihito´s arms, giving Akihito the rewarding feeling of being useful for once in his life. Even if his only ever real purpose in life was to soothe Asami he knew he would be needed, he knew he could help only one single person to fall asleep, away from agony and pain, away from darkness, and this man really was the only person Akihito ever really cared about.
Every hour or so Asami would wake Akihito that night, struggling in his sleep, frowning and panting with the pain his still too many open wounds caused him. Akihito kissed his temple, caressed his hands and cheeks, pressed him closer into his scent, until the tall man started to breathe regularly again.
By the first light of the morning, Asami had gone into a high fever and the doctors increased his doses of pain killers and tranquilizers quite a bit to keep him from moving so much. During the night he had ripped open a number of wounds that had only just started to heal in. Akihito watched as the nurses changed bandages, pain and sorrow spearing into his heart like a twisting steel blade as he got to look at the all the different kinds of injuries on his Asami´s body.
Asami was conscious, but only barely, during the procedures. Whenever his eyes locked onto Akihito´s he would try to speak but his voice wouldn´t make any sound. His painful gasps and excruciating gazes burnt under Akihito´s skin.
Unable to move his arms, Asami reached only with his fingers for Akihito´s warmth as he shivered in feverish nightmares during the day. As soon as the doctors left them alone, Akihito slipped back into Asami´s bed and held the now fragile and comparatively skinny body of his. From time to time a tear would run down Asami´s cheekbones and he would mutter random words of passion and hatred, or at least Akihito thought that was all it was.
Suddenly Asami opened his eyes and searched for Akihito´s gaze. When he had finally managed to focus his eyes on the boy he said very calmly and very intensely:
"Akihito, whenever you look at me I can hardly manage to return your gaze. Your eyes can see right into the darkest corners of my soul and it makes me so afraid I can barely breathe. I was always so afraid to tell you, I have always needed to be the strong character in every aspect of life, that I have forgotten how to turn it off. I want to posses you. I want to be with you forever. I love you. Everything I am and everything I have belongs to you."
Then, the powerful man started to cry bitter tears, clenching onto Akihito´s body. He went back into his feverish state of mind only a few moments later.
Akihito couldn´t move. He just lay there, holding up his lover´s head, without the slightest idea of what had just happened. There had been more truth in Asami´s words than Akihito had ever experienced elsewhere, and deep down he started repeating them in his head as to never forget them, because he wished he could have filled the precious moment into a small glass bottle like a perfume.