XD Loved the reactions (last chapter got the most reviews yet! Arigatou!). I'm glad that they're together, too, though. And as for the voice thing, he can still "talk" and it's not like he used his voice all that much anyways… -3-

Oh, and new rules. "Yadablah"= Ryoma "talking" and "Yadablah"= normal talking.

Here We Go Again

Chapter Sixteen: The Plate Glass Angel

The glint of green shone in the early morning sun as a strand of hair was twirled around a slender finger. Momentarily distracted from his previous train of thought, Ryoma pondered the habit he had picked up after he grew his hair out. It was something he did when he was bored, and Lord knows he was bored right now.

As it so turned out, Fuji was the only one capable of lip-reading consistently, so it was either learn sign language, write everything that he wanted to say, (too time consuming) or have Fuji follow him everywhere and translate, so to speak.

Fuji.

Inadvertently straying back to his last thought process, the boy began thinking about his newly formed relationship with the genius, if that was what it could be considered.

This whole fiasco had started so fast, and to think that this time yesterday he'd been playing capture the flag with peroxide head…

Setting his arm down, as he was still irritatingly weak, he thought about what had transpired since the events of Field Day. Try as he might to skip around the part that still sent shudders down his spine, Ryoma could still feel the pain. Every punch, the white-hot slash across his chest, the arm around his throat, all burned agonizingly bright in his mind. He reached up again to trace the clean lines of his bandages.

Mute… Mute…

The word rang through his head endlessly, in a ceaseless litany designed to wear down his mind. The only person he could even have some semblance of a conversation with now was Fuji, and even so he was still trapped inside with only his glum thoughts for company.

Disabled… Crippled… Mute… Mute…

On top of that, everyone was already treating him as if he were about to break. So what if he was a little banged up? He was totally fine.

For the most part.

One of the big problems was that he had been unable to protect himself. When those bastards had first found him behind the clubhouse, they'd caught him without a problem. How pathetic… Maybe I should start learning martial arts or something. As of right now, I'm totally useless.

The boy closed his eyes with a sigh, trying to collect his thoughts. Rolling over to one side, he drew his eyebrows together. This was hitting him far too hard for his own taste; he needed to pull himself together.

This sucks. I'm being weak and useless.

Even Fuji, who was apparently in love with him, was handling him with the utmost delicacy.

And then there was the whole love thing.

He was already largely reconciled with the fact that he was probably gay, but did he really want this? Moreover, did he want this with his gentle looking upperclassman? The kiss had felt so good, and Fuji was caring, intelligent, extremely pretty, and could provide interesting conversation. The brunet would easily keep Ryoma on his toes, and give the boy a challenging, exciting life.

But love?

Finally noticing the pattern in his thoughts, Ryoma made himself simply stop. If he could stop, he could get some peace of mind, and hopefully some sleep. Sleep always helped. Letting the tranquilizing effects of his meds take over, the small teen released his grip on reality.

~X~

Fuji opened the door as quietly as he could so as not to disturb the room's occupant. At the sight that met him, however, he smiled broadly.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, highlighting the twirling dust motes. A vase of wildflowers sat on the bedside table, seeming to glow in the golden light. These two made the room, despite its sterile hospital atmosphere, seem warm and welcoming. What really completed the picture, though, was the figure sleeping peacefully in a pool of light.

Ryoma's hair was splayed around him, gleaming and shimmering. His skin seemed to glow, regardless of its pallor. His lips were parted slightly as he softly breathed in and out, and his brow remained clear and unknotted by nightmares. The petite teen was a perfect image of ethereal innocence, vulnerability, and above all, beauty. It was like an angel composed of the finest glass.

The brunet sat down next to his glass angel's bedside, careful not to disturb anything. Gently, he began to stroke the boy's hand, slowly letting his injured subconscious get used to the touch before switching to feather-light skims to reassuring caresses. If he'd judged correctly, Ryoma would now have an extreme aversion to physical contact that would take time to get over.

This aversion was mainly the result of Fuji's mistakes, so it would be his job to heal his little precious person.

Ara?

Caught up in his thoughts, the brunet had failed to notice as a pair of golden eyes fluttered open and focused on his face. Only when the owner of said eyes tugged on his sleeve sharply did Fuji notice that the room's other occupant had woken up.

Ryoma was glaring at him irritably, apparently miffed about having to employ physical contact to get someone's attention. "You look way too serious," he mouthed.

"I was thinking about something serious."

"What?"

"Just… what's been happening the past day," Fuji replied with slight hesitation, frowning slightly.

"Me too." Barely disguising his sadness, Ryoma looked out the window to the cheerful, lively streets of Tokyo. Everything was still going, the world still turning.

"It'll be fine, Ryoma. I promise."

A wry smile crept onto the boy's face, and he leaned back tiredly. Fuji hated that smile; it was too bitter, too cynical, too jaded. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Fuji-senpai."

"Whoever said I can't keep it?" the genius retorted.

"You can't always be here. Things happen, and you know that."

"I seem to remember saying that I'd protect you."

"I don't need protection," replied Ryoma as he turned to his companion, eyes narrowing.

"Clearly you do."

"Right, because this happens every day." Had Ryoma been able to speak, he would have loaded that sentence with sarcasm. "Listen. It wasn't either of our faults. You're making this into way too big of a deal."

"I already told you my stance on this, and I'm not changing it."

At this, Fuji had to crane his neck a bit just so he could see what Ryoma was "saying," as the boy had turned his face away. "Any of it?"

Smiling once more, and knowing perfectly well what the boy was referring to, Fuji said quietly in response, "Any of it."

To the brunet's (masterfully hidden) dismay, though, Ryoma tensed slightly at the statement, eyes widening. "Ryo-chan."

"Ryoma?"

Still no response. His delicate brows creasing slightly, Fuji thought about what might have gone wrong. When he'd kissed Ryoma last night, it had been a spur of the moment decision, but that wasn't to say he regretted it. No, he'd never regret it. Ryoma had kissed back, and hadn't made any attempt to get Fuji off of him, so it wasn't like the boy had been opposed to kissing his upperclassman. Had it been too sudden? Possibly, even Fuji would admit that it had been out of the blue. I suppose there's only one way to find out…

"Do you not like me?" The question was simple, inquisitive, and devoid of any negative emotions.

Slowly, very slowly, Ryoma shook his head. The teen's lips parted before he began mouthing hesitantly. "It's not that, it's just that I…"

"Did you not know you were gay?"

Sighing in exasperation and beginning to slip back into his usual self, Ryoma continued. "I thought I just wasn't attracted to people in general. It's just weird."

"Bad weird?" Sensing that the focus of his affections wasn't totally averse to being in a relationship, Fuji began cheering up. A teasing tone crept into his voice and an amused smile stretched his lips.

The hospitalized teen glared at him, (though it ended up looking like a cute pout from Fuji's point of view) but replied nonetheless. "Not really, I guess. Just… weird."

Realizing exactly what was wrong, the brunet's smile widened even further. "That was your first kiss, wasn't it?" At Ryoma's irritated little eye-twitch, Fuji had to keep himself from bursting out laughing. "So it was? I'm guessing that means I'm your first partner?" he questioned laughingly, making sure that the last sentence was gender-neutral.

"So what?" The boy was looking thoroughly irritated, and he was blushing slightly to boot.

"So, I'm glad that no one else got to you before me."

"Got to me?" the boy echoed, quirking an eyebrow.

"Mm-hm," the genius replied placidly, nodding. "Either way, you do like me, correct?"

The boy twitched again, sinking into his pillows. As he did, Fuji noticed the slightest up and down bobbing of Ryoma's head. Knowing full well that this was as close to a yes as he would ever get, the brunet hummed contentedly and lightly grasped the boy's hand. I'm glad.

~One Week Later~

"So? How's he doing?"

Murasaki blinked as a crowd of very large teenage boys, all staring at him intently, ambushed him. While most of them he vaguely recognized, one in particular stood out to him. The feminine boy with chestnut hair and closed eyes had come by every day to check on the hospital's celebrity patient, Echizen Ryoma. Each time, he'd sat by the injured teen's bedside, talking with him, reassuring him, or simply watching as he slept, like a guardian angel.

Turning to face the two teens at the front, the same two who had asked after Echizen's condition, the man began to speak loudly, so that everyone in the room could hear. "Echizen-kun is doing well, surprisingly so, actually. Some of his bruises are fading, and the cut on his chest is healing extraordinarily quickly. We think he'll be ready for release in about a week. It's still going to be a while before he can move around normally, though."

At the raised eyebrows and "get on with it" looks, Murasaki sighed heavily. "His larynx, however, still needs much more time. While it is showing some signs of healing, it's still unclear as to whether Echizen-kun will ever be able to speak again."

Well used to the somber responses that came after equally somber news, the doctor bowed out of the room. It was always best to leave visitors to themselves at times like this.

As the door shut quietly, several of the teammates looked at each other in concern. After taking a steadying breath, Oishi spoke up. "Well, should be go see him now?"

"Aa! Let's go cheer Ochibi up, nya!" exclaimed Kikumaru, punching the air energetically. The redhead led the way to Ryoma's room, all the while telling Oishi about the various magazines and books he'd brought for their baby's entertainment.

Once Kikumaru banged the ward's door open, he was met with a pair of glaring golden eyes. The irritated boy sitting in bed mouthed something, as if he were actually speaking.

"Eh… Fuji-senpai, translation, please?" muttered Momo.

"He said that you're noisy," the brunet said as he laughed, though it was unclear if it was at Momo or whatever the freshman had said.

"Mou! Ochibi's so mean! Even when he can't talk, he's mean!" Kikumaru whined loudly as he went over to his boyfriend (while not truly looking upset). The remaining five boys gathered around Ryoma's bed and sat down, inquiring after the boy's health.

Using gestures, body language, and slow mouthing, the boy responded as best he could. He really hated the need for Fuji to translate for him, and so he tried to communicate in any other way that he could.

"Guess what, brat? Murasaki-sensei said that you'll be able to leave in a week!" explained Momo loudly, not bothering to contain his excitement.

Ryoma raised his eyebrows in surprise, lips parting slightly. Quickly wiping the "huh?" look off of his face, the patient quickly replaced it with one of irritation. "No one ever tells me anything," he mouthed loosely. Had he been able to speak, the statement would surely have come out as an irritated mumble. He leaned back gingerly, trying not to disturb the bandages on his chest. While Fuji translated what he'd just said he allowed his thoughts to drift aimlessly. Soon, though, the boy's wandering mind noticed the fact that there were two less people than usual visiting him. "Why aren't peroxide head and baka-aniki here?"

Fuji was the one to reply, tilting his head slightly. "They said that they had to deal with the media, since your parents were busy with the lawsuit."

Ryoma nodded, looking somewhat sympathetic (empathetic, at the very least). By now, people would be wondering why he hadn't been seen or heard from in a week, and the paparazzi never stayed quiet for long.

"Kevin asked me to tell you that he was learning to lip read, though. He doesn't seem to enjoy the three way conversations very much," Fuji continued.

Ryoma snorted. Leave it to peroxide head… Looking back up, he commented dryly, "I bet that'll get him a few weird looks."

"Yes, I imagine people would find it strange when he starts homing in on the lips of whoever's talking at the moment," chuckled the brunet.

Giving his upperclassman a freaked out stare, Momo jumped into the conversation. "You make that sound a whole new level of creepy, Fuji-senpai, you know that?"

The prodigy's only reply to that was more soft laughter.

Ryoma sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head in slight amusement. As annoying and insane as his friends were, he was glad for all their visits. The company may very well have been the only thing keeping him completely sane. The boy closed his eyes, a sense of contentment drifting over him. The soft chatter filling the room was soothing, and he'd been overly sleepy this past week. A short nap on his part wouldn't hurt anyone. Heeh… Maybe I am narcoleptic…

~X~

"Ah. He's out," observed Momo.

"There's a 68.74% chance that it was caused by his meds," said Inui by way of response.

"Should we stay or head back, then?" came Kaidoh's low, rumbling voice from the corner where he'd sat down.

"We should leave," said Tezuka, standing up. "We don't want to disturb Echizen's rest, and there's still school tomorrow. Let's go."

"Eh? But we just got here!" whined Kikumaru, visibly wilting. Momo decided to join in, loudly voicing his piece. Instead Tezuka stepping in, however, it was Fuji to intervene.

An eerie black aura filling the air around him, the brunet popped up behind his two loud teammates. "Maa, maa. Tezuka said that we should go home, and Ryoma's sound asleep. You two wouldn't want to disturb him, would you?" The question (which had come out as an open threat) stopped both teenagers in their tracks, each of them freezing with wide eyes and a deathly pallor.

Almost as if they'd rehearsed it, Momo and Kikumaru backed out quickly, rubbing the back of their heads. "No, no, of course not! Well, we'll be waiting up front!" they chorused, bolting out the door.

That was easy, thought Fuji, sauntering out after them. As he passed through the doorway, he looked over his shoulder at the boy sleeping peacefully on his hospital bed. Until tomorrow, Ryoma.

The rest of the teens left quietly, Tezuka shutting the door softly behind them. As they walked through the hospital's main lobby, Oishi had to literally drag Kikumaru and Momo away from the small coffee shop while Inui hailed a cab.

The whole way home, Fuji's thoughts seemed to be in a completely different place. Though his smile hadn't faltered, the genius had stared out the window the entire time, pondering something.

What exactly he'd been thinking about came out during dinner that night. Setting down his chopsticks, the brunet cleared his throat. "Sorry, everyone, but can I ask you something?"

As the chatter died down, several of the teammates looked at Fuji questioningly. Inui, on the other hand, didn't even bother to look up, having figured out what his friend had to say somehow. "What's up, Fujiko?" asked Kikumaru, blinking in curiosity.

"I was just thinking, Kevin's right. You should all learn to lip-read, to make things easier on Ryoma." As much as Fuji hated to admit it, he couldn't always be next to the boy, and being able to communicate somewhat normally with his housemates would make adjusting to the loss of his voice much easier.

It was at this point that Inui chimed in, looking up from the scribbles in his notebook. "I can easily acquire the necessary books, and I have a rough schedule for everyone to begin learning already written out."

"Eh… Inui-senpai? How did you know what Fuji-senpai was thinking of?" As per usual when dealing with the data master, Momo was smiling with a hint of nerves and had one eyebrow raised.

"Simple logic, reasoning, and observations," Inui replied calmly, making his glasses glint as he pushed them up his nose.

"So, do we all agree?" said Fuji, opening his eyes to half-mast.

All around the table, the icy blue orbs were met with encouraging nods and smiles. Oishi and Kikumaru were grinning with their arms wrapped loosely around each other, Kaidoh was already looking on at Inui's plans, Momo had just finished a fist pump, and even Tezuka had nodded approvingly.

Inwardly, (he'd been letting far too many emotions show as of late) Fuji chuckled. Sounds like we're learning how to lip-read, then. It'll be interesting, that's for sure.