I did not do research because I refuse to trigger ThE AlGorItHm. So my knowledge comes purely from conversations and such, since I also do not like medical live action television. I also almost made the mistake of having Iruma in the hospital for like, 3 days, before remembering this is set in (HW) Japan, where they won't try to kick you out ASAP like in the US, lol. The base healing timeline and post-surgery issues knowledge reference is from Detective Conan's Desperate Revival Arc, 'cause otherwise I'd have no clue. -thumbs up- This is a section added in that I didn't think of in the initial doc, and I didn't name the medical staff because they don't matter in the end. -shrug-

Also FYI, if you are used to getting email alerts of any sort from fanfiction dot net, you have to go to your profile to agree to accept emails every 6 months, cause I mean. Why would you wanna be updated on something you're subscribed to, amirite?

TW: Medical questions, effects of medication, triggered PTSD (without understanding that's what it is), nearly hyperventilating, nearly having an anxiety attack? Just covering my bases. DX

Blood Divine, Spilt Upon the Desperate Soul
xXx-xXx-crimson-xXx-xXx

Iruma stared at his ring blankly for a time as he and Asmodeus sat in a comfortable, yet strange silence.

He wasn't quite sure of what to say, and perhaps Asmodeus had also hit a conversational wall.

What was safe to talk about here?

Iruma hummed to himself in thought as he tried to think about what to talk about, when a knock sounded at his door. He perked up as Asmodeus also frowned towards the sound. The door opened, and a Doctor in a white coat let himself in with a professional smile, "Suzuki-sama, it's good to see that you're awake."

Iruma nodded in greeting, "O-oh, hello." He shrunk into himself a little as nerves hit him. He was never really good at talking to adults outside of work specific situations.

The Doctor acknowledged Asmodeus with a small nod, "You'll be happy to know your boyfriend here has kept a strict vigil over you since yesterday."

Iruma flushed in surprise and nearly choked. He clenched his fists and stared down at his hands, embarrassed and confused. He barely glanced at Asmodeus to see that he was similarly flushed and was staring into his lap.

Something had been confused, but if he wasn't going to deny it..?

Iruma nodded meekly, "Azz-kun is always very protective of Clara and I."

The Doctor nodded pleasantly as he took a quick glance through Iruma's charts, "I have some personal questions that I need to ask you, as well as what our next steps in your care would be. However, you need to give consent for your partner to be present for this discussion."

Iruma blinked, finding himself unconsciously relaxing before he nodded slowly, "I give permission, and well, beside's uhm…" He flushed and rubbed the back of his head with his good hand, "Azz-kun has way better memory than I do, and it'd help for him to know about what'll be happening for my recovery to go smoothly."

The Doctor nodded, "Understood." He settled himself at a nearby wall table to set his clipboard on as he wrote.

The usual list of age, birthday, last known height, weight, and any past allergies were asked before getting into known family history. Iruma slowly became anxious at that, as he had no contact with any of his extended family outside of his biological mother and father.

The Doctor simply took everything with a professional ear as he continued writing down Iruma's responses, "Any history of sexual activity?"

Iruma startled badly at the question, "Wha? No!?"

The Doctor gave him an amused look, "It's a standard line of questioning Suzuki-sama."

Iruma buried his face into his one good hand, "I-I've never been asked that by a doctor before, though!" But he'd been a child back then, and had always avoided being seen by a doctor-

The Doctor raised an eyebrow as he took the conversation on a slightly new path, "Speaking of that, we could barely find any medical records. We have no history of vaccinations, check-ups, nothing outside of one or two school physicals you happened to be present for. We can't even locate a birth certificate or any sort of medical history on your mother leading up to your birth." He had a troubled look, "It's all rather bizarre how you fell through the cracks."

Iruma stared at the Doctor blankly, "H-huh? Why were you looking for anything like that in the first place..?"

The Doctor gave him what he supposed was meant to be a sympathetic and placating look, but it just made a lump of confusion and... something build in Iruma's throat.

The Doctor sighed, "After your reaction to your parents, as well as your rather unusually brutal injury, social services have been alerted to your case."

Iruma's insides turned hollow as he felt an entirely new feeling that wasn't despair, but something that was angry, sad, and empty all at once.

He swallowed, feeling sick as that strange burning feeling caused him to hide his face, incapable of looking at the doctor any longer, while wanting to hide his expression from Asmodeus.

He pursed his lips in agitation as his body could only curl into itself more tightly as he tried to move beyond the strange feeling that was swelling from deep within him.

He took a shaky breath, his voice deep from a lack of emotion, "So they want to get involved now, after I've done nothing but work and did everything my parents asked of me since as far back as I can remember!?"

He didn't notice that he'd begun to raise his voice as his eyes began to burn with frustrated tears. "That' I've been working under aged for most of my school life, and that I don't even know how I didn't get held back in school!?"

He started breathing thinly as he tried to catch his breath. This feeling was suffocating and he hated how ugly it felt. He buried his face into the crook of his good arm and cried while trying to pull himself back together, "What would they even do now? Take me away from the people who have cared for me over the past year, as if they could fix my parent's irresponsibility!?"

Iruma half expected Asmodeus to react in some manner, but he was so... so bitter towards the Doctor for the information he was being given. He hated the questions he was being asked, and he just wanted to go back-

"Suzuki-sama." The Doctor's voice was gentle, "I have no plans of releasing you to social services as things stand at this time. You are in my care as my patient, and my priority is your well-being. I apologize for causing you such undue stress, but since your preferred Guardian is not present, I am informing you and your partner instead."

Iruma chewed on his cheek roughly as he sniffled and attempted to reign in his feelings of frustration and resentment. He forced himself to breathe like Master taught him, to center himself once more as he brought himself back to equilibrium.

He sniffled a few more times before giving the Doctor an apathetic look while clasping his hands in his lap, "Alright."

The Doctor observed him for a moment before slowly nodding, "Now then. You had to have a blood transfusion when you arrived, so you are on special medication to help your body accept the blood given to you. You're also on rather strong pain medication at this time. You won't be able to get your stitches wet, so you'll have to take very careful sponge baths for at least a week. There is a risk of infection, though so far it seems to be healing well. You also should let us know if you start to feel sick in any way. It's rather common for patients to suffer colds and other such illnesses after surgery due to their immune systems working overtime."

Iruma nodded blankly at the information. He felt fine enough physically despite the distant ache in his shoulder.

He just didn't feel hungry. He'd barely felt like eating the food in front of him during lunch, and had only done so because it was strange not to eat. That, and Asmodeus looked worried enough, he didn't need to add skipping meals to his current problems.

Asmodeus cleared his throat awkwardly, "Are there… negative effects of anything you're giving Iruma-sama?"

The Doctor blinked before nodding, "Well. Sometimes patients experience a loss of appetite, shifts in mood, nausea, fever-" The list went on with what Iruma felt was common between most medicines as far as he could compare to television commercial warnings and simply took the information given at face value.

However, it seemed Asmodeus became both agitated and relieved all at once when the Doctor finished possible side-effects, "I see. Would it be at all possible to give me a printout of what it is he's on as well as printed instructions for his care?"

The Doctor smiled, "Certainly." He looked to Iruma again, "It takes an average of two to four weeks for an injury like yours to heal. You absolutely can't use your left arm for anything for at least two weeks or you run the risk of opening your wound, got it?"

Iruma nodded silently, and the Doctor sighed internally at the poor kid's plight, "Well then, I will return later with more detailed instructions, as well as what your partner's asked of me, alright?"

Iruma gave the Doctor one more tired look, "Yes, thank you."

The Doctor nodded one last time before letting himself out with a silent click of the latch.

It was silent for a long and agonizing moment before Asmodeus hesitantly spoke, "Iruma-sama..?"

Iruma looked at Asmodeus with a strange and empty calm, his voice still strangely deep and husky like his dark phase despite being his normal self, "Hm?"

Asmodeus seemed to lift his hand, as if he wanted to reach out and hold Iruma before clenching his fist and holding it close to himself in slight shame. "I apologize."

Iruma blinked, "For what?"

Asmodeus ruminated for a moment before meeting Iruma's dispassionate eyes, "For… I-" He fumbled. He was just so lost on what to do, and felt defeated as he sighed and glanced downwards. "I know I'm not quite the best for this task- That Clara would know just how to cheer you up. She…" He trailed off for a moment as he lamented, "I apologize for not warning you about the uhm. The boyfriend thing." He flushed, somehow embarrassed and frustrated that his love and adoration towards Iruma-sama, their personal bond as soulmates, was a form of shame for him for even a second.

But somehow, Iruma's reaction made him realize that for as much as the three of them cared for one another, they had never called themselves in such a close and endearing manner. They had never taken the time to discuss the particulars. They just happened.

Heck, he'd barely started calling Clara by her given name instead of Valac.

Asmodeus gripped his knees, "I'm sorry, if it's some form of shame for you or I said the wrong thing, I-!"

Iruma's voice was gentle and close to his usual pitch as he gently touched Asmodeus's cheek to gain his attention, "Alice."

Asmodeus inhaled sharply as he met Iruma's soft gaze, and realized he'd foolishly jumped to conclusions again as his anxiety took over.

Iruma couldn't smile at him, but he did feel a little more at ease as he sighed to himself internally, "We've only ever called each other by name, as friends, best friends, and soulmates. I just- I was just surprised, that's all. Is it really okay for them to think that you're my…" Iruma flushed lightly as he pulled his right hand away to clench his chest meekly, "Boyfriend?"

Asmodeus couldn't help but gain more secondhand embarrassment from Iruma's reaction as he nodded, "I-if that's okay?"

Iruma was quiet for a beat before asking, "And Clara?"

Asmodeus blinked and spoke like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Our girlfriend."

Iruma finally smiled, glad that Asmodeus was in agreement that Clara was just as much a part of their relationship as the other was.

But it did make a small part of him that had been confused for a rather long time worry that perhaps this wasn't simply the end of things. That there were others he considered to be just as important as Asmodeus and Clara.

He hadn't been able to answer Lied back then, and even now, he found the answer both illusive and obvious in the present situation.

Azazel Ameri was just as important to him as Asmodeus and Clara. His relationship with them irreplaceable to him in his life.

So just how greedy was he, if he slowly found that he wanted to keep everyone that he cared about by his side..?