⟬⎯𝝠𝖽𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗂𝖺⎯⟭

①②

That evening, after watching the remainder of volleyball practice from after he got back, even after taking his pain meds, Aoki struggles to get into bed. Wheelchairs were not easily maneuvered around a roommate, a desk, a bed, another bed, another desk, and the various piles of things on the floor. The rooms were small as expected of a dorm room (Which normally worked just fine for non-wheelchair Aoki), but he hadn't exactly been expecting to be in a wheelchair at any point in his high school career and so hadn't applied for a larger (and more expensive) room.

"What if I just sleep in my wheelchair?" He laughs, practically in hysterics, to his roommate who was currently trying to avoid getting hit by being perched on his own bed.

"Uh... might be kind of uncomfortable..." He mumbles.

Aoki pauses. Right. That was Satori's humour. "Yeah." He agrees lamely. He could get out of the wheelchair just fine, but twisting himself sideways and then backwards or forwards depending on which way he twisted didn't sound all that appealing. His balance wasn't that good. If he actually managed to get twisted around and onto his bed, he'd have to fold up his wheelchair and push it to the end of his bed so that his roommate wouldn't trip if he had to get up in the night, all while not putting weight onto his left leg and knee.

Aoki was seriously considering having a meltdown right then and there.

"You're friends with Ushiwaka, aren't you?" His roommate speaks up. "And like, the rest of the volleyball club? You're on the volleyball club so couldn't you just get one of them to like... pick you up or something?"

Aoki stares at him for a moment before laughing (and crying but that wasn't the point) "Sato," he grins. "You are a genius!"

Sato shrugs. "Basic logic." He mumbles, clearly wishing to just go to sleep. "I'm going to go stay with one of the guys on the volleyball team, his roommate is visiting family. Thank you for being patient with me, I'm so sorry." He inclines himself forward in an attempt at an apologetic bow.

Sato waves him off with a goodnight and a "good luck," as an afterthought as he backs out of the room, taking his two pillows with him.

Aoki wheels himself down the hall a little bit until he gets to Wakatoshi's room. He wipes his sweaty palms on his pyjama bottoms before knocking on the door. He wasn't nervous, why would he be nervous?

The fact that he hadn't spoken with Wakatoshi since their conversation before he went under for surgery was eating away at his mind and he had done everything possible to forget about both his conversation with Wakatoshi and the one with his family but had succeeded in thinking about it more and resulting in him spacing out during volleyball practice. Coach Washijo apparently was taking pity on him and hadn't shouted too much when he asked him to repeat instructions a few times.

Wakatoshi opens the door, yawning. Aoki felt guilty for possibly waking him up. He had just had volleyball practice and a five-set match-- you had a five-set match on an injury and then surgery for said injury, stop feeling guilty, Aoki mentally scolds himself.

"Aoki?" He mumbles. "Is everything alright?"

Suddenly absolutely terrified and very embarrassed. "I uh-- I'm just... I can't get into my uh-- bed..." He can feel himself blushing and looks away from his team captain. "I have to like-- maneuver myself to like get up and twist around without putting weight on my left leg and knee and um, then I have to get my wheelchair folded and tucked behind my bed also without putting weight on my left leg and knee and then get my leg elevated so that my blood doesn't clot around the break and uh..." Aoki realizes he's rambling and stops abruptly, feeling his face get warmer. "Could you help me? And could I stay here tonight?" He finally rushes out.

Wakatoshi blinks at him sleepily. "Sure," he says after a second of processing the spew of words Aoki just flung at him. He steps out into the hall, letting Aoki go in first so that he can close the door. He, with some difficulty, squishes past Aoki to get in front of him.

"I'm sorry." Aoki mumbles, blush gone as he just feels terribly guilty at inconveniencing him.

"Why? You have no reason to be sorry."

"I'm being a huge inconvenience to you, so I'm apologizing for that."

"You aren't inconveniencing me. It's a deviation from my regular schedule but I don't mind changing my schedule for you."

Aoki finds he doesn't have anything to say to that.

"How would you like me to help you?"

"Right-- yes. Ok, if you can, could you pick me up," he says putting his pillows on the desk next to him. "If you can, could you please try and avoid touching my knee? It wouldn't be the end of the world but it's still a bit tender right now. And just um, get me into the bed-- god that sounds so weird, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," he mumbles as he tugs the sheets back to the end of the bed so that he could get Aoki situated properly. Turning back around it takes them a minute or so to figure out how to get Wakatoshi's arms under his legs and around his back which involves Aoki shuffling forward in his chair a bit with a couple of annoyed glances at the objects in the room.

Once he had managed to pick Aoki up he paused, using one foot to nudge the wheelchair back a bit so that he could get Aoki in the bed without hurting either of them. It gave Aoki the wonderful opportunity to lay his head against Wakatoshi's chest like someone in an anime or manga (It made him feel dramatic and happy, shush).

"Do I weigh anything to you?" Aoki mumbles tiredly.

"Not really."

"Damn, even with the cast?"

"Hm."

He gets Aoki placed down on the bed, helping him get himself into a comfortable position before passing him the pillows from the desk. Aoki gets his leg elevated like the doctor showed up before Wakatoshi helps him get the comforter loose to move around the elevated limb.

Aoki gives him instructions to fold the chair and he tucks it in at the foot of the bed. "Are you comfortable?" He asks as he comes back around to Aoki's head.

"I am, thank you so much, and I'm--"

"Don't say sorry."

"--Not sorry?" 

Wakatoshi smiles and Aoki proceeds to have a heart attack. He bends down a gently kisses the top of Aoki's head before sitting on the floor next to him.

"You said I had to wait until you got out of the hospital to finish doing it right?"

"You're going to give me a heart attack one day." Aoki wheezes, clutching at his t-shirt.

"Why? Are you sick? Should I take you back to the hospital?"

"No-- no, I'm not sick, you just-- never mind." Aoki sighs, smiling at the idiocy of the guy sitting next to him. It was a wonder he made it past the entrance exams. "Thank you Wakatoshi, I'm sorry I've kicked you out of your bed."

"It's fine," he tells him as he stands up. "You're the injured one and I don't really mind the top bunk. Sweet dreams." He wishes as he climbs the ladder.

"Sweet dreams." Aoki sighs, fidgeting a bit to get more comfortable before relaxing fully.