It was only about an hour before the procedure, taking a breath Takao smiled sadly looking at Kuroko, he was sleeping so peacefully it was soothing. Takao's left hand was trapped in his right, and in his other hand he held his phone which was tethered to the wall. He sent out an update to the 'caretakers' they were the ones who would break the news. Himuro from Yosen, Kiyoshi from Seirin, Mayuzumi from Rakuzan, Imayoshi from Touou, Miyaji from Shuutoku, Kasamatsu from Kaijou. Each member was a core of their respected teams, it was quite the assortment, even Takao could only helplessly shake his head. The amount of captains in his contacts was surreal, other than the 'emergency group' and the 'rainbow squad' including Kagami and Momoi he had the 'back up crew' in case the original care crew were busy. Susa from Touou, and Sakurai if needed. From Kaijou it was Yoshitaka or Shinya. For Rakuzan it was the second closest to the hawk, Mibuchi and the ever playful Hayama. Yosen only had Fukui who conversed with Takao other than their aces, so he'd ended up with Coach Masako's number as well. Seirin had the coach, captain and point guard. As for Shuutoku he was pretty sure a pineapple would have his name if he didn't have all the core contacts. He typed a message to the care crew, simply.
'If anything goes wrong. I will call you before reaching out to anyone else. In regards to your teams, you'll be best suited to relay the news and keep the miracles from panicking. Praying that nothing goes wrong, I'll send out a mass text instead of individual calls to spread the news fastest. If I call, I may not be in the best state myself, but I will do my best to not cause panic. I will be counting on you on the off chance to keep them from rushing out in this storm. We'll be heading down shortly; I will have my phone on airplane mode to avoid any potential issues. Please keep yours nearby in case something happens.' That text reached the various aces, captains and cores. From location to location each had a different reaction. Miyaji was frowning at his hawkling's pessimism. Mayuzumi looked indifferent but he altered his phone to have a violent response should any contact come from Takao considering the obvious unease. Kiyoshi and Himuro frowned at their phones, neither very close with Takao, but both were familiar with his 'sunny persona' and this didn't fit; he was bracing himself for whatever and giving warning. Imayoshi and Kasamtsu were in a meeting together, they exchanged a look and said nothing. The procedure was a revolutionary thing; there should be a small margin for error. So where was this uneasiness coming from?
Silence. Nothing seemed to be making a sound, the stillness was feeding into eeriness and that was causing the over tired hawkling to jitter, he couldn't hear the sound of the ticking clock, the howling of the storm, everything was silent as if he'd entered the eye of a hurricane. Kuroko's steady breathing and the hum of Takao's phone charger were soft and almost not audible, and yet those were the first sounds that he recognized. Closing his eyes he took a breath, slowly counting to ten, attempting to ground himself, he couldn't get his feathers ruffled with hypotheticals or this would never end. It wasn't an easy feat not even if it was ideal. Takao refused to be the uneasy that translated over, he wouldn't unsettle Kuroko no matter how much effort that took.
The countdown was an insane battleground for the bird as he was being preyed on by uneasiness and everything from the concept to the horoscopes were causing a destructive wave of nerves to assault; incident after incident and scenario after hypothetical scenario played out and no matter how hard he tried it was an endless cycle. Putting down his phone Takao wrapped Kuroko's hand in both of his almost in a prayer and closed his eyes. The darkness overtook him as he clung onto the warmth, although Kuroko's palms were warm his fingers were cold. Leaning forward Takao pressed the cold fingers against his forehead, sacrificing his warmth to warm up the shadow in front of him. The sounds of the storm were violently whooshing outside, there were muffled sirens in the distance, some crashing and shaking glass. A gust seemed to pulse through the gaps in the sealed window to his back, lashing an icy wind against him causing him to shiver as he shielded Kuroko more his silvery eyes darkened. He wasn't sure why it was that he felt uneasy, he had barely been able to touch his soup and left it untouched, a contrast to Kuroko's bowl which was nearly emptied despite his tiredness.
Taking a breath you leaned forward, unknowingly falling asleep at his bedside. The sound of knocking roused you, and groggily you called "Tecchan, it's time to wake up." He could feel the hand trapped within his move slightly as Kuroko slowly opened his eyes. Takao rubbed his eyes and looked up as Oe walked in, he looked at the two of you and smiled "Kuroko-kun would you like to use the restroom before we head downstairs?" Kuroko blearily nodded and Takao chuckled helping Kuroko up "Your wish is my command Tecchan, this way then~" With a forced smile he bounced back to his normal persona before fluttering around, giving his normal description of where they were walking. Kuroko entered the stall and frowned where Takao couldn't see him wondering why the point guard seemed sad? After finishing up Kuroko trained his expression back to nothingness and exited the stall following the gps like directions to the sink and the paper towels. Oe was waiting in the room for you both and asked "Alright Kuroko-kun, if you're prepared I'll be bringing you two down to the lowest level. Takao-kun you'll want a jacket, it gets quite cold down there even with the regulated temperature." After settling Kuroko into the wheelchair Takao pulled his sports jacket out of the duffle bag and put it on over the hoodie he already had on, pocketing his cellphone, leaving the charger with the bag under the window.
With such preparations Oe smiled "Well, that's quite the vibrant jacket; Are you a fan of orange?" Kuroko seemed to laugh a little imagining the hawk in orange likely with a white hoodie under it making it more painful against the violent blizzard outside the windows behind him, somehow it suited him with a mental pout he seemed to want to see it. Takao noticed the chuckle and grinned "Hm~ A fan huh? Well it's something I've adapted to at least. So I've fixed my wardrobe to match it, since school athletes need to support their colors no? When I first got this jacket I was actually wearing a blue hoodie… Total mismatch~ So now I've got to stick to white like this, gray or black~ I have to say I don't dislike orange, but I prefer more shadowy colors." Oe missed the flirtatious tone change and continued the conversation as Takao returned to your side, murmuring as Oe pushed the chair and the conversation onwards "Ah you mean like cool colors? I can imagine those don't pair well with Orange; it's a much more vibrant color huh?" Chuckling Takao nodded and pressed the call button to the elevator for Oe "Mm, orange is much brighter than expected." That conversation was short lived and Oe asked "How are you feeling Kuroko-kun?" Tilting his head slightly "Hm… Curious? I want to know if this is going to work." Takao nodded hopping into the elevator into the corner after Oe wheeled in Kuroko and pressed the button, with a chirpy voice he said "You'll have the best doctor performing the surgery~ Of course it will work~" Kuroko muttered "I'm also curious if you'll tell me after?" However his voice was too low and no one heard him over the elevator floor change ping, Takao who saw your lips moved leaned down though and said "What was that Tecchan?" To which he shook his head silently.
From floor six to the lower level, seven small bings and the doors opened. The air was chillier than the first floor where triage and the scans were done. Snow was packed against the windows entirely, the floor seemed to be half underground. Takao's descriptions began, unlike the upper floors the tiling was primarily a cool slate color with white slats now and then, the walls were offwhite with traditional art now and then, the halls were long with very few doors along them. It was like a catacomb of halls leading different directions. There were several turns before you reached the operation room. The hallway leading to it had a few cushioned benches about six feet apart from each other with the room at the end of the wide hallway. At the opposite side there was a hallway leading to a vending machine with signs pointing to the cafeteria which was back towards the elevator in the opposite direction. Other than the whirr of electricity and the soft hum of lights this floor was lifeless. At the bench Oe-san said "Takao-kun, this is as far as you can go. This area is restrictive for cellphones, however at the very end where the vending machines are, that waiting area is clear for you to use your phone outside of airplane mode." A light touch brushed Kuroko's hair and Takao seemed to grin "Well Tecchan, the court is yours. I'll be waiting for you!" Thinking for a moment Kuroko held out a fist and Takao was stunned for 3 seconds before returning the fistbump, once their knuckles met Kuroko said "I'll be back… Don't be worried"
Even Oe was caught off guard as he looked between the two, Takao's face clearly showed he was baffled, and even so he laughed "Right back at you Tecchan, take it easy~ He's all yours Oe-san" As soon as Takao said 'back at you' Kuroko simply nodded and his voice lapped with Takao's "I'll be in your care Oe-san" Oe blinked several times and sighed "Right, we're on our way then Kuroko-kun." Swiping his ID against a panel he opened the secure green door and pushed the wheelchair through. After a moment the doors swung shut behind them closing off Takao from the world inside.
Outside Takao's expression melted away, the smile vanished. He stood facing the door, watching until it closed, the last thing he saw was the doctor and the nurses prepping tools and Oe helping Kuroko gown. Takao stayed rooted to the spot until the light blinked on. Once the 'Operation in Progress' light lit, he walked to the vending machine, finding a spot he could see that light and swiftly changed his phone from airplane mode. He sent out the message 'Kuroko is beginning the operation now. I'll be in touch.' Short, sweet and simple. He messaged the 'Core crew' just that again and then sent a message to Midorima 'Shin-chan… Tecchan is really amazing isn't he?' He hesitated a moment before he sent it, he had no doubt that his partner on the court figured out his feelings a while ago, the tsundere was oblivious about such things, but he wasn't completely blind. It was barely a moment later when the text notification popped on his screen. Surprising Takao, after all Midorima didn't message quickly, ever; there were bigger and more important things to do; like practice or studying. The message was simple 'Of course he is.' Takao was about to laugh when he went to hit reply he noticed something at the bottom of the screen and scrolled a continuation 'Are you okay?'
Gripping his phone a bit harder his heart clenched and he grinned 'What? Shin-chan are you worried about me? Or do you miss me that much? It's su~uper cold down in the hallway you know? I'm standing next to the coffee vending machine for some warmth! But I'm not the one behind the closed doors you know? Don't worry Shin-chan your shadow princess will return to the castle soon!' Takao followed up with a selfie of him next to the coffee machine, making a finger heart pretending to blow a kiss. Again barely a minute passed while he was marking the 'I'll be waiting' or 'Keep me posted's marked from the core members Midorima sent a message saying '. . . Idiot . . . Stay warm. . . And don't pretend to be so strong. You've done everything you could do, so don't make that kind of expression. . . Bakao.' Takao felt his heart drop and he replied simply 'Yeah.' That ended their texts. Takao switched his phone back onto airplane mode, bought a coffee and went to sit on the bench closest to the door. Perched so he could jump up when it opened, he waited silently.
Takao had no idea that on the other side of the city Midorima was meeting up with Miyaji to figure out how to handle Takao, because he was worried. Or that Kasamatsu was scolding Kise more than normal because he started whimpering and tried to run out of their hotel. Away from the hospital Atsushi looked at Himuro and was harassing him for information, which usually took too much effort. Momoi couldn't focus on analytics and Aomine couldn't sleep. Akashi redid the room assignments so Mibuchi and Mayuzumi were by his side, since they would tell him nothing. While he brooded, they brooded; and none of them had any idea why it just seemed the snow was too much for their hearts.
Inside the operation room, Dr. Johnson was explaining the procedure again while Kuroko breathed in the anesthesia. "While you're sleeping this machine will keep a steady flow of gas to help you rest comfortably. At first you'll begin to feel woozy and then your body will feel heavier, sounds will blur and finally you'll fall back into a slumber. Once that happens we will begin. As I told you before this will be a more invasive vitrectomy, which means we will make a small incision into the white wall of your eye. After this I'll use a small suction tube to remove the built up fluid and blood that is causing the separation, it's a much smaller version than what is used by dental hygienists. Once we've completed this step we will use the custom lasso tool we've brought with us to carefully probe behind the eye and coax the retina into position before allowing it to create a freeze bind which will hold it in place while your body naturally further solidifies the connection. Once we're certain this connection has been made we will inspect the eye before continuing and mirroring the procedure on your opposite eye. After doing so we will put you on a drip to ensure your body both wakes and heals properly, just feeding extra nutrients into your system."
Contrary to Dr. Johnson's belief the young shadow didn't fall asleep listening to his words and groggily answered muffled through the mask "I'll be in your care." The staff was surprised and startled, one of the nurse staff checked the level of gas and Kuroko's medical file before increasing the released dosage slightly. The fact that he was still conscious was due to his will power, however they wanted to ensure no accidents could be caused, after all moving during this would have the chance of causing irreparable damage to this student's eyes.
Ten minutes. Twenty. Finally inside the room Kuroko fell asleep. After another ten minutes the operation began.
Outside the operation room, Takao still sat perched, he moved very few times. Going to the restroom, getting a coffee and checking the weather once more before heading back to his spot. An hour, then two, then two and a half. At that point Takao was a bit uneasy, recalling the words the doctor had spoken. The procedure will take about two hours. Then reassured himself that the anesthesia takes time to be effective and Kuroko probably listened to the full explanation again. Despite that, he didn't realize he'd bitten into his lip again causing it to once again bleed, nor did he care.
The third hour arrived, time was ticking by. Phone battery dropping from 100 to 55, it was an older android, even on airplane mode… Checking the display for the time ever few minutes drained the battery, sometimes multiple times in a minute was killing it off quickly. Especially now that three hours had passed the phone display dimmed but never blackened. Heart in his throat Takao waited. Another ten minutes had passed. Takao nearly stood up when the light went off, but froze.
The entire hospital was engulfed in blackness. At first it didn't process. "KUROKO!" The hawk jumped to his feet in the dark hall and stares at the dimmed sign in the blackness, his heart sinking.