Guarded (Sugawara x OC)

Chapter 27

"What did you just say to me?" Reo was almost whispering now, hating the way this gray haired punk wasn't backing down.

Without breaking eye contact, Suga held out his bag to the shaking first year next to him and spoke in a calm but firm voice, "Tadashi, why don't you ask that nice nurse if you can get these set up in Machi's room now, that way when they finish the surgery and she wakes up she'll have a nice surprise waiting for her."

Tadashi took the bag and nodded quietly, hurriedly following the nurse who also seemed eager to escape. Hiroshi Yamaguchi was quick to join Suga, offering the teenager an unspoken word of encouragement as he and Reo continued their staring contest. When the waiting room doors finally swung shut behind Tadashi, Reo was the first to break the silence.

"So, now all of Machi's decisions are being made by some kid she barely even knows? Figures. She was always too soft for her own good."

He was trying to goad him, obviously, but Suga wasn't falling for it. "I know her better than you, what does that say about the father-daughter bond you clearly think is so strong?"

Reo chewed the inside of his cheek as he fought to keep control. He had to admit, the punk had some nerve. "Regardless, what gives you the right to decide this for her? If I want to visit my only daughter in the hospital that should be my right." The eerily calm way he spoke now wasn't fooling anyone; he was ready to snap at a moment's notice.

Suga crossed his arms defiantly, choosing his next words carefully, but firmly. "It's your fault she's here in the first place. And I made sure the doctors knew that."

Like an angry porcupine, Reo visibly bristled with fury, "My fault? How is any of this my fault? I've only ever—"

"Forced her to work until she collapsed?" Now Suga was the one shouting. His patience had finally snapped, the fire in his heart fueling the words he spat at Reo with such disdain the man took a step back as if physically assaulted, "Scared her into ever disobeying even the smallest order? Literally beat her black and blue just because she was happy for once?" Hiroshi tried to grab a hold of Suga's elbow to hold him back, but Suga was too enraged to listen to the man's plea for calm. "Do you know how much you've hurt her, how much you've forced on her? You injure her knee but she still competed because she didn't think she had a choice! She's in there getting surgery because of you, so yeah I made sure the doctor knew all about it, and there's no way in hell I'll ever let you see her again."

The silence that followed was only broken by Suga's heavy breathing. He felt oddly empowered and exhausted at the same time, like he had just run a marathon in the last two minutes. A dark shadow fell over Reo's face as he absorbed the information thrown his way. Taking the moment of quiet to add his two cents, Hiroshi Yamaguchi cleared his throat, "You can't deny the truth in Sugawara's words, Reo. Whether you were operating in Machi's best interests or not is up for debate, but I think you should go. I'll contact you if there's anything wrong."

There was a palpable moment when neither Suga nor Hiroshi were sure what he'd do, but then Reo huffed angrily, muttered something under his breath, then marched out of the room, letting the doors slam behind him. Suga and Hiroshi both had a single moment to let out a sigh of relief before the doors opened again, and a relieved Tadashi was beckoning them through.

"Surgery's done, they're bringing her to her room now."

***

Machi hadn't felt this tired in years.

Everything was an effort, and she just didn't have the energy for any of it. It was as if a weight had been placed over her entire body that made even the slightest movement a Herculean task. Her arms felt like lead, her head a weighted balloon, and there was an odd pressure on her leg she wasn't used to.

When she finally found the energy to open her eyes, it took a few moments for her vision to focus and her brow to immediately wrinkle in confusion. She was in a bland looking room she didn't recognize, the afternoon sun peaking in through the closed blinds to shine in dusty beams on the heavily starched blankets covering her. All but her right leg, which was held up in a sling, a thick bandage wrapped around her knee several times, and a rigid brace encased her entire leg in place. Seeing the brace jogged her fuzzy mind. That's right, she was in the hospital, and had just had surgery. No wonder she couldn't think straight.

"Ah, good morning Sleeping Beauty, how're you feeling?"

Another monumental effort to shift her head, Machi's confused eyes slowly softened when she recognized Suga's voice. He was propped in a visitor's chair as close as possible to her bed without lying next to her, the tension that lined his face immediately dropping when he had heard her stirring. If possible, he inched a little closer and grabbed the hand that wasn't attached to the heart monitor. "Glad to see your pretty eyes again."

"Fancy seeing you here." Her voice was scratchy and quiet, but made Suga chuckle nonetheless. Reaching for the water the nurse had placed by her bed, Suga handed it to Machi, who took a few grateful sips while he brushed through her hair.

"Nowhere else I'd rather be."

The water helped clear her throat, but the fuzziness in her head remained, which she didn't like much. Frowning, Machi tried to give her head a small shake to clear it too, but only resulted in making it worse. Not at all surprised by her actions, Suga clucked disapprovingly, "Don't go trying to give yourself a concussion now, Sunshine, we don't need another hospital visit for you."

"Stupid fog...can't focus..." If she weren't so tired, she'd definitely be more frustrated at feeling so helpless, but her mind didn't seem to want to cooperate enough to allow even that. It even took her a few moments to register the soft pressure against her lips before Suga was pulling back and pecking her nose instead.

"The doc said you'd feel pretty out of it while the anesthesia wears off." He was just so relieved to see her awake, Suga didn't bother to tease her for pouting at the brief kiss that left her wanting another. "Best thing you can do now is rest."

Machi could feel her eyes drooping even as Suga was still speaking, but she wasn't quite ready to fall back into the abyss just yet. Lifting a heavy hand to pull at the hem of his shirt, she pleaded with him silently until Suga sighed and gave in. Not like it took much convincing from him though. Double checking the door was still shut, Suga slowly and carefully crawled into the hospital bed beside his girlfriend. Gently and making sure not to jostle her, he wrapped Machi in a warm embrace that they both sunk into with an immeasurable amount of joy. Safe in his arms, Machi was asleep as soon as her head fell against his chest.

When she awoke a few hours later, more alert than before, Machi took the time to fully take in her surroundings. Suga still lay next to her, fast asleep and drooling slightly into her pillow. But the room was now also occupied by two more slumbering figures, and Machi felt her heart swell. Tadashi lay with his head at the foot of her bed, snoring quietly under the blanket her uncle had placed over him. Hiroshi himself sat in the corner of the room, using the wall as a pillow and his blazer as a makeshift blanket. Both had arrived to her room not too long after Suga, and were not surprised at the scene they found. Rather than wake the couple, Machi's family had taken the time to finally rest themselves. After a long day of worry, it didn't take long for both to nod off as well.

Smiling softly, Machi let her eyes roam the room once again, instantly catching sight of the brown fluffy teddy bear on the bedside table. She didn't need to read the tag to know it was from Tadashi, a sudden overwhelming affection for her cousin making her eyes water. It was adorable, and very much something he would pick out. She'd have to thank him properly later. Then, just as she was about to turn away, she saw it, the little box of green tea mochi nestled next to the giant bear, and Machi couldn't stop the few happy tears that trickled down her face. As if aware she was thinking of him, Suga stirred in his sleep, unconsciously pulled Machi closer, but she didn't object. Nuzzling into the crook of his neck, Machi let herself fall back into a comforting sleep, thanking every lucky star she'd ever seen to have found someone like him to hold her tight.