"How are you feeling?" Angin watched Petir struggle to raise his left arm. It was too stiff and slow, even for the bandages and stitches.
Petir's expression gradually turned from distressed to horror when he realized his fingers were barely responding. His index finger twitched briefly, but that was all he could get out of it.
The similar thing happened to his leg, where he couldn't so much as move his toes.
If it weren't for Angin holding his hand, giving him support, he would have broken down. Angin was more worried of the akuma infested mark, where a black ink-like tattoo was burned onto his knee, black veins slowly stretching out to the rest of his skin.
It was better if Petir didn't see it. But how long could they hide the secret? It was Petir's body, after all.
"They said your nerves were too damaged." Angin could barely believe his own voice. He'd despised being the son of a doctor, where you knew a fate that in spite of your capabilities, there would always be things you can't salvage. "If it was worse, they would have been amputated."
Petir didn't turn to him. His head was hung low, his expression frozen between despair and blankness, his hair hanging by his face.
The wounds on his neck stung, but he didn't notice.
Ever since he dropped out of the academy, all he wanted to do was to return to that life. He wanted to run, to train, and to participate in competitions again.
He believed he could feel the thrill of it all after he recovered. After he got better in the head. All he needed was rest, right?
Now, he would not be able to walk, nor raise his arm ever again.
How ironic, isn't it?
"It's going to be okay," Angin promised, squeezing his hand a little tighter. "There's always physical therapy. It's not easy, but-"
"No." Petir's voice was hoarse, and he didn't let Angin finish his sentence. "I don't want therapy."
Angin nodded, not pushing the topic further. "Okay," he breathed, letting go of Petir's hand. "Just take your time, alright?"
Petir didn't respond to that.
"Also, don't worry about the costs," Angin said, trying to make him feel better. "I have it all covered."
That prompted Petir to react, which he did with a small nod.
Eventually, Angin had to leave, and Petir was graced by a world of silence, where his own breathing was too loud. The heart monitor was removed because he'd regained consciousness.
Though, there was an IV in his wrist that restricted his movement.
He didn't care.
He just wanted someone to talk to. Someone that will always stay by his side.
It didn't matter if it was an akuma. It was the only thing that stayed with him even as he left the academy.
A tear fell on his blanket. He gripped the sheets with his uninjured arm, trembling in grief and fear.
Where are you, Hali?