The mumble of unintelligible words dragged Tenzo from the haze of sleep. He blinked, trying to differentiate between dream and reality as the room around him came into focus. A soft, half-light filtered across the bed, blending the warmth of moonlight with the harsh fluorescents of the hallway. The insistent drone of a machine almost drowned out the words when they came a second time. "You're here."
Tenzo chuckled, feigning a lightheartedness that he didn't feel. "Where else would I be?"
"At home," Anko countered, pushing into a sitting position. She winced and clutched her side. "Fuck, that hurts."
"Yeah, a sword through the stomach tends to do that." Tenzo sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle Anko more than necessary. "Maybe try to avoid that in the future."
Anko laugh-groaned, hands tightening on the swath of bandages around her middle. "Did you just make a joke about my near death experience? I knew I was rubbing off on you."
When Tenzo didn't respond, cold fingers intertwined with his. "Hey, I'm fine."
"You almost weren't." Tenzo tried to banish the memory of Anko slipping between him and the enemy, the fear as her blood pulsed through his fingertips, and the terror when she lost consciousness despite everything he could do. He drew a ragged breath, lungs aching at all the things that he needed to say. "Never do that again."
Anko scoffed. "I don't take orders from-"
"You do this time." Tenzo growled, brown eyes flashing up to Anko's. Her eyebrow quirked at his tone. "I had time to get my defenses up."
The haze of battle haze made it impossible for Tenzo to know if the words were true. But, he needed them to be, and that was good enough. Anko hummed, fiddling with the IV in her hand. He untangled their fingers and brought one hand to her cheek. "I love you."
Tenzo had never said those words before, never qualified this relationship between them, but he needed to make sure Anko knew. "I have for months, and I couldn't bear the thought of never saying it and losing you."
Anko's lips pulled in a thoughtful frown, and Tenzo leaned in to kiss. Her mouth surrendered to the soft pressure, opening to his. She pulled him closer, flush against her chest despite the wires and machines, teeth catching his lower lip. Tenzo groaned and broke the kiss, then drew a shaky breath. "You're hurt; we shouldn't."
"I'll let you know if it's too much." Anko's eyes glinted as she dragged Tenzo into another kiss, one that made it difficult to remember why he was supposed to object in the first place.
When they broke apart for a desperate drag of air, Anko laughed. "I always did like playing doctor, but I guess being the patient isn't so bad either."