His arm was tender, but Kunigami's pain wasn't as bad as Chigiri's, so there wasn't any reason why he couldn't start to tidy the place up. That scumbag had made a bit of mess, smashing whatever was in range. Thankfully it was all replaceable. As bad as it was, it could have been so much worse…

He got to work picking up the big fragments of glass and ceramics to toss them in the bin. He'd vacuum later when Chigiri was awake.

He'd thought about calling the cops. There were guys on the force he knew through work, they often attended emergency scenes together, but if he called them in, things would have to go on record and that was the last thing Chigiri needed. If they could just pay them off and be done with it, he could let the rest go if it meant Chigiri was safe. It wasn't how he preferred to do things, he'd rather play by the rules, but he had to make a call here, and in the end it was Chigiri who won out. Protecting him was the most important thing. Besides, even if he did call the cops, he'd seen bad guys walk plenty of times for all sorts of reasons. Justice was never guaranteed.

Cleaning up took longer than it usually would have because of his burns. He had to be careful not to reopen the scar again. Originally the doctor had told him that the burns would heal completely, but both arms were scarring badly because he hadn't been able to take it as easy as he should have. He'd had to lift and wash Chigiri, as well as do extra housework during those first few weeks. He didn't really care, it's just how things were, all it meant was for now he wasn't quite as capable as he'd like to be.

He was just about finished with the big bits of debris, when Chigiri limped into the living room.

"Hey," he frowned. "What are you doing up?"

"I heard you out here. This place got trashed, huh? Are your photos ruined?"

"It's fine. Photos are all digital these days, I can just print more."

Chigiri looked around the room, surveying the damage.

"Let me help."

"I'd rather you went back to bed."

"I'm okay. The pain isn't too bad right now."

"That doesn't matter. The doctor said you've gotta stay off it."

"I said I'm fine," Chigiri bit back.

Anger boiled up in Kunigami. Here he was, doing everything in his power to accommodate and help Chigiri, and all Chigiri had to do was rest and he couldn't even manage that. How can he be so ungrateful?!

"You're not. You are so far from fine that I…"

"That you what?" Chigiri snapped. "I told you this would be hard! I told you to walk away at the beginning! What do you think addiction means?! This is the reality of it! My parents couldn't handle it! My sister couldn't handle it! Taking the drugs is only part of it, you gotta get your hands on them first. It's ugly and cruel, and if you can't handle it either then just leave me alone! I don't… need… you…" Chigiri broke down in tears, crying in earnest. He sounded so hopeless and broken-hearted, and Kunigami was horrified that he'd been the cause of these tears.

"Hey, come on…" he said, hurrying to wrap Chigiri up tight. "I'm not going anywhere. I promised, didn't I? I didn't mean it, I just… I'm tired, and in pain, and it got the better of me for a minute okay? Don't hold it against me. Please." Chigiri cried harder and a sudden panic gripped Kunigami. I don't know what I'll do if he loses faith in me. "I'm here for you, Chigiri. Don't ever doubt that."

Chigiri clung to him, while his thin frame was racked with uncontrollable sobs. In the end, Kunigami scooped him up and carried him back to bed.

He laid Chigiri down, then quickly grabbed a cold compress for his knee and a damp cloth for his face.

Once he had Chigiri sorted, he laid down too, so that they were facing each other. The cleaning could wait. They both needed some reassurance.

He reached out and tucked Chigiri's hair behind his ear, wanting to see Chigiri's face clearly. His eyes and nose were red from crying, but he was still the most beautiful person Kunigami had ever seen, maybe made even more so by his vulnerability.

"I'm sorry," Chigiri sniffed.

"Hey, no. It's okay. You don't have to hold anything back with me."

Chigiri dropped his gaze and this time Kunigami did touch his chin to lift that gaze back up. He didn't say anything, just looked into those pretty pink eyes and waited for Chigiri to gather his thoughts. He had a feeling these tears had been a long time coming.

"It hurts," Chigiri finally admitted, voice soft and raw. "All the time. I… I want it to go away…"

He started to cry again, silent tears this time, and Kunigami knew what he was talking about. He wanted to deal with the pain like he had in the past. He wanted a hit. As much as Kunigami hated that idea, he was filled with relief that Chigiri had talked about it instead of acting on it. He's fighting. It's messy and reactive, but it's enough. He shuffled forward and wrapped Chigiri up again, being careful not to bump his knee.

He thought he should probably say something, but he didn't know what. Offering an opinion wouldn't change how Chigiri felt, and it wasn't like he needed to tell him that turning to drugs was the wrong thing to do. He wasn't even confident his support would be enough, he'd witnessed too many sad endings on the job to believe that things always worked out because you wanted them to. But he did care about Chigiri, and would fight as hard as he could right along side him, so he said the only thing he could.

"I'm here, Chigiri. I've got you." And he held on tight so that Chigiri had no choice but to believe it.

xxx

It took a couple of days for Chigiri to feel able, but the deal was made. He'd held Chigiri's hand while he made the call, to serve as a reminder that he had a path to stick to, and someone to lean on while he walked it. At the arranged time, Kunigami opened the door and handed the cash over to buy Chigiri's safety. The guy started thumbing through it. It was the same scumbag that had hurt Chigiri but Kunigami kept his cool, he just wanted this over and done with as quickly and cleanly as possible. Don't give him any excuse for retaliation. That was the best way to help Chigiri.

"It's all there," Kunigami told him impatiently.

The guy looked up, a smug expression on his sleazy face.

"Make sure he pays you back. He's good at handing out favours, he gives really good head, you know. And he's pretty enough that you can pretend he's a girl."

"Get lost you piece of shit. And if I ever see you again, if you even so much as look at him, I promise you'll be sorry."

"Touched a nerve, huh? Well whatever, I'm not interested in sloppy seconds anyway. Have fun with your little whore."

Kunigami slammed the door in the guy's face and took a deep breath to calm himself, then turned to see Chigiri. Their eyes met, and his heart sank, he knew Chigiri had heard every word.

"Chigiri…"

"Don't," he said, eyes shining with unshed tears, then he hobbled off into the bedroom.

"Chigiri, wait…"

Kunigami followed because he couldn't leave it like this, he needed Chigiri to know none of it mattered the way he thought it might.

He stepped into the room to see Chigiri stuffing his things into a bag, silent tears streaming down his face.

"Chigiri stop…"

"No…"

"Please…"

Chigiri ignored him, continuing to pack. It made Kunigami mad with frustration. Doesn't he know me better than this by now?!

"I said STOP!"

Chigiri froze.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

Chigiri turned to him, still in tears.

"Just let me go. Please, I'm begging you…"

Hearing it like that, Kunigami knew it was impossible. I'll never leave him to be alone again.

"No."

"Kunigami, you need to."

"Why?"

"You're a good guy. You shouldn't have to be exposed to things like this. Your place got messed up. You lost a bunch of money. And you shouldn't have to be around someone so unclean."

"What do you think I am, Chigiri? I'm strong enough to take anything you throw at me. You won't break me."

Chigiri slumped down on the bed and hid his face in his hands.

"I'm weak. So pathetically weak."

Kunigami went to him and crouched down in front of him, touching his good knee.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know. And you say these things and I crumble. I know I should go, I know it's the right thing to do, I'm no good for you, but I just can't. I don't want to leave you..."

"Good. I don't want you to. Chigiri, look at me…"

He waited until Chigiri pulled himself together enough to make eye contact. Red-rimmed eyes and sticky, wet lashes just making Kunigami want to protect him all the more.

"Now listen. Since this whole thing started there's only one thing I care about and that's you. Not who you used to be, or who you thought you might be. Just you, right now, and how I can help you find your way back to a place that makes you happy. That's it. I'm a simple guy, so I can't be bothered by the rest of it. You understand? I want to take care of you. That's all I need you to worry about. Just tell me what you need so I can give it to you. Okay?"

"Kunigami…"

"And if you're worried about my happiness, don't be. If you let me do this for you, that's all I need to be the happiest guy in the world. Got it?"

Chigiri sniffed and scrubbed a sleeve across his eyes.

"Yeah," he nodded, offering a watery smile. "Yeah, I got it. Hero..."

That smile makes everything a hundred times better.

"Good," he smiled in return. "Now don't ever forget it."