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lovebykai · 2 years

Text

Concussed

》 Commissioned By @lesbiansportsanime

Type: Short [ 1K to 2K ]

Word Count: 1K

Pairing: Sano Manjiro x OC

Warning(s): Mentions of Death. Avoidance of Grief.

Mikey knows she means well.

Karu Kitamaru is standing at the foot of his bed, looking as concerned as he probably should be. She’d been quietly following after him since he got admitted and if she hadn't been, he’s pretty sure he’d have puked all over himself and the floor. He needs to be kinder -- more appreciative -- but every time he looks at her all he can think about is that today is one of the worst days of his life. His heart hurts more than his rattled up head.

“How are you doing?” Kinder, he orders himself as she looks at him from beneath long lashes.

“Wonderful.” It’s bitten out with more force than he means, his eyes wandering the room. The painkillers that he was given have yet to kick in, and there's an uncomfortable blur to his vision that makes it hard to focus on anything. He wishes it was his memory that had gotten fucked up, but alas.

The vision of Baji’s body is tattooed onto the backs of his eyelids-- seared into his mind. It hurts; he’d forgotten just how badly it hurts to lose a precious person.

“Do you want me to go?”

“... no.” Being alone with his new reality makes his skin crawl, and he knows that he’ll have to face it sooner or later but not right now.

Mikey knows without a doubt tonight is not the night to unpack it, so he doesn't even try. He wants to make her talk to him-- to drown out the echo of his friend's last words bouncing off the walls of his skull. There's a chill in his hands that no amount of flexing his fingers is able to remove.

“I’m… I’m really sorry, Mikey.” Karu is speaking softly, like saying the words at a normal volume is going to be the thing that makes him snap. Fuck, maybe it is.

“It’s fine.” The lie passes his lips easily and a hand hesitantly wraps around his own. Warmth is finally enveloping it, melting the ice in his veins enough that he feels less like a statue and more like himself. It’s quiet for so long that he nearly checks out.

“No, it isn't,” His silence doesn't stop her well-meaning tirade. “You lost someone that means a lot to you, and that doesn't just go away. You’ll probably never stop missing Ba-- him.” He’s not sure if the quick cut of his eyes was what made her stumble or the fact that she realized he was trying to specifically not think about his dead friend all on her own.

Either way, he tugs away from her and lets out a soft grunt, rolling onto his side. The world spins uncomfortably -- sharp bolts of pain shooting from his various bumps and bruises -- but he doesn't mind when he settles in and stares out the window. Karu is silent again behind him, and he thinks for a moment she’s left until she lets out a soft sigh.

“... you’re right.” It feels weird to ignore what she was trying to say, despite not wanting to hear it. Karu pats his shoulder before leaving the room.

* * *

“Five… four… three--”

“Fine, fine!” Mikey is almost laughing when he pushes the door to Karus apartment open, letting out a soft sigh when she steps aside to let him in.

She gives him a smile that actually reaches her eyes as he looks around her living room, keenly aware of the fact that the two of them are alone. He knew about her family, of course-- well, he’d picked up on it anyway through a few conversations. The fact she’d weaseled herself into her own apartment was something to be admired, if nothing else.

“You can sleep here,” She’s drifting towards the hall as she gestures to the couch and Mikey watches her curiously. “Uh, I don’t have any spare pillows or anything but here's some blankets.” They smell like her and he tells himself that’s a perfectly normal thought. The pile is dropped onto one of the cushions with a soft whomp of fabric and he waits a beat to see if theres anything else she wants to say.

His release from the hospital should have been more exciting than a slumber party at a girls place, but he wasn’t one to complain. Toman could wait one more day while he recovered completely from his loss. Briefly he wonders if anyone else is feeling it as keenly as he is -- it was a gaping hole in his chest that he didn’t think he’d ever be able to fill -- but the cloud of grief is once more swatted away by the silver-haired girl across from him.

“I guess I’ll see you in the morning?” Karu’s smile is tentative as she backs towards the hallway once more and Mikey wishes he had just went home.

“Yeah… thanks for letting me stay.” He still could.

Draken would pick him up in a heartbeat and whisk him out of this girls space without a second thought. It would be easy to escape the darkened room and lumpy couch that was closing in on him. Even when he’s tucked beneath the shelter of the blankets, listening to the sound of rain tapping against the windows he’s feeling… disconnected from the world. It’s too heavy, now that he’s finally alone with his own thoughts.

Mikey drifts. He’s awake and yet not quite, floating in the place between here and there and trying desperately to simply sink into sleep when he feels the brush across his forehead. His hair tickles his nose, but he can’t force his body to move. Karu -- and he knows it’s her only because the smell of her detergent has been pushed up against his cheek all night -- is carding her fingers through his hair.

He knows it’s just to check the stitches-- knows the soft sigh and click of her tongue is from a place of concern more than anything, but it doesn't matter. It’s comforting to feel someone elses warmth; he’s glad that sleep finally takes him under before she leaves.

#tokyorev #tokyo revengers #tokrev #📝 . commission kai #sano manjiro #manjiro sano #mikey #mikey x oc #sano manjiro x oc

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