Out Of Danger

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The next night, Kei woke up to find himself surrounded by his family. Well, sort of. It was dark in his room, only a small lamp offered any light. The only other one awake was mom, who smiled as soon as he made eye contact with her. He could tell she wanted to come over to him, but she was currently seated near the window, and Akaashi was asleep beside her, his head on her shoulder.

"Glad to see you're awake," she said quietly. "Do you feel any better?"

"A little," he replied, his voice rough from underuse. "What happened?"

"You passed out," a new voice joined the conversation. Akaashi was awake. "Do you not remember?"

Kei shook his head once and winced. "I remember the headache that clearly hasn't subsided." He told them. "I remember the synchro attack, and my leg cramp. After that, I can't recall a thing."

"They got you over to the bench, and the three of us ran to you from the sidelines. You were already out of it, saying 'I can still fly.' Eventually, you passed out, and here we are."

Flashes of memories entered his mind. Also, the realization that he'd done everything to get them to this point. He closed his eyes for a few moments, and then looked around the room. Akiteru was seated by the door, watching them. Tetsu was next sitting on a chair next to him, head resting on his arms on the bed, and still asleep.

"Where's Bokuto?"

"Sleeping. On the floor."

"Really?"

"Pretty much crashed where he landed," Akaashi said wryly. "Typical, really. Give him enough time to be still, and he'll go to sleep."

Kei grinned. "Sounds about right." He slowly moved his arm and gently laid his hand on Tetsu's head, sifting his fingers through his hair. "What about him?"

"Practically ran himself into the ground worrying about you," Akiteru said bluntly. "He only left your side when he absolutely had to, but returned immediately after. It took Keiji yelling at him to get him to move."

Kei turned his head to look at his friend. "You yelled at him?"

"Yeah, but only because you couldn't."

Kei winced again. "I'm really sorry. For all of this."

"You should be. You knew better," Akiteru scolded. "What were you thinking going out there when you knew you were sick? Why did you push yourself beyond your limits?"

"I couldn't let them down. It wasn't so much that I wanted to play even when I felt horrible, but... how could I have taken myself out of the game when they needed me?"

"They have other middle blockers..."

"But none that are up to Kei's level, not even Chibi-chan," Tetsu said gruffly, raising his head to look at Kei. "He's one of the best middle blockers out there, and to be perfectly honest, Karasuno could not have gotten as far as they did without him."

"That doesn't excuse him from pushing himself so hard that earned him a hospital stay."

Tetsu's eyes sharpened on Kei. "No, it doesn't. But I think he knows not to do it again."

"Once was enough, thank you," Kei replied sarcastically.

"Once was too much," Tetsu said.

"Right."

"But don't go thinking that we don't understand your reasoning," a voice rose from the floor. Bokuto slowly sat up and grinned as he leaned against Akaashi's legs. "I'm willing to bet all of us here would be just as stupid as Tsuki, and Hinata, when it came to our teams and playing at the national level."

"I'm stupid??"

"You're lying in a hospital bed, still on a vent and hooked up to a continuous drip of antibiotics," Akaashi reminded him.

"Point taken."

"Now, are we done scolding him?" Bokuto asked.

"Unless mom has anything to add...?"

"No, I think you guys took care of it. However, I will say that the doctor told me he wants to keep you here at least until the weekend. After that, and if he's satisfied enough with your recovery, he'll discharge you into our care."

"Okay, but what about...?"

"We can discuss logistics later," she said firmly. "First, we need to eat a light meal and then those of us who aren't staying here need to sleep in a real bed."

"Alright, but who's staying?" Kei asked sleepily.

"Me, duh," Tetsu said incredulously. "How could you think otherwise?"

"Keyword: think," Kei snapped back. "I can't brain too well right now, dorkwad."

Tetsu smiled. "Yeah, you'll be fine in no time. Now, move over."

"Absolutely not. You hog the blankets," Kei argued even as he slid over a bit.

"We've got you covered. Literally," Mom said as she flung another blanket out over the both of them. "Get some sleep, the both of you."

"Best sleep of our lives," Tetsu replied, already sounding half-asleep. He gathered Kei up in his arms, mindful of the mask and the IV, and then settled down. "Good night, everyone."

"Good night, you two. See you later."

After they left, Kei moved so that he could look at Tetsu. He reached up and gently traced the outline of his face.

"I'm sorry I made you worry."

"I'm just glad you're going to be okay. But maybe next time you're sick, don't push yourself. No matter what's going on. I don't want to take any chances, okay?"

"Okay." Kei snuggled down against Tetsu's chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Now, let's go to sleep."

"You actually want to sleep? Color me shocked."

"Smartass."

"You love it, though."

"And I always will. Now, shut up already, will ya?"

"That's my line."

"It's my turn."

Kei chuckled. "Good night, Tetsu."

"Good night. Sleep well."

"I will now."

"Yeah same."

Wrapped up in a tangle of arms and legs, Tetsu and Kei finally fell into a deep, healing sleep. One they both desperately needed.

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