In Which Shuichi Panics
The blond ran down the stairs, jumping down entire flights in his urgency to get to the bottom. We’re outside the rear service entrance. We need your help to get him back up to the room. He could feel his heart beating painfully in his neck; a mixture of adrenaline, physical effort, and fear. He hadn’t even asked what had happened...why they would need help...why couldn’t Taiki get up to the room himself? It was just instinct...perhaps he had spent enough time with the slight psychic and he was getting his own abilities...but he just knew. Something was wrong.
Then he was at the car. Three people were gathered around and he vaguely recognized them from introductions some days before. One man was chatting nervously, his hands shaking and face pale. Murasawa-san was leaning against the car, kneading his forehead with one hand.
“Where is he? What happened? What’s wrong? Is he hurt?” The questions poured forth and Taiki’s boss wearily glanced up at him.
“He is okay, calm down Nakatsu-san.” The elderly man held out his hands in an effort to placate the panicky blond. In the next blink Shuichi was kneeling awkwardly on the floor in the vehicle, bent over the limp figure lying across the backseats. Despite the small, shallow breaths, Shuichi couldn’t help the incredibly strong squeeze of fear at the thought that Taiki looked dead. He was so pale, so lifeless and wilted...
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry...I’m so sorry...It’s my fault...” The nervous man outside the car wailed as Shuichi brushed his hand against Taiki’s cheek, quietly urging the man awake. No response. The other car door opened and a man silently and carefully began to pull the unconscious figure out of the back -Shuichi didn’t even try to recall his name. Not important at the moment.
Murasawa-san was approximately 45 seconds into a seemingly rehearsed speech about how Taiki was fine, just needed to rest...about how summoning drains energy...Things hadn’t gone as planned...When Shuichi crawled out of the back of the car and punched the elderly man squarely in the jaw.
Fuming, he strode around to where the nameless man was extracting Taiki and bent down to slip his arms under the limp body and turned, marching back into the building.
The parallels between this situation and the one back in high school were frighteningly similar and Shuichi had to force himself to calm down. This was not the same. Murasawa-san, while he was a goddamned idiot and was supposed to be taking care of Taiki, wouldn’t have brought him back to the hotel if he wasn’t okay.
But his mind was screaming otherwise: This was exactly the same. He was carrying Taiki away, the man’s head was bouncing against his shoulder the same, he was so small...so fragile...Shuichi had no idea what had actually happened...Taiki was far too light; he hadn’t been eating again. So pale...
There was the elevator
The hallway
He’d left the door to their room open accidentally, but it was okay because now he didn’t have to fish out his key...and he was actually pretty sure he’d forgotten to bring one
The bed...Put him down carefully
He still hadn’t woken up...
Patting his cheek, Wake up...Come on, Taiki. Please wake up. You’re scaring me a little...Just open your eyes then you can go back to sleep. Let me know you’re okay. Hey...Please, come on, Taiki...
The nameless man appeared once more and apologized...reiterating that Taiki would be okay; that he just needed to rest. He couldn’t remember if he’d said anything to no-name, but after a while he looked up and he was alone. The door was shut and the room was getting dark as the sun set. He tried to calm down, think rationally...Everything would be okay, they knew best. Just a little sleep...
But 36 hours later Shuichi was a wreck and Taiki still hadn’t woken up.