Asahi laughed at the message written in his journal.

'Looking forward to seeing you tonight, please keep your hair down'

Asahi smiled to himself and grabbed his bag. He headed to the door but was soon interrupted by a voice he was sure he had to put a restraining order over. "Proffessor! Hi!"

Asahi smiled. "Hi Layla how can I help you?"

"Just wondering how you were doing. You haven't responded to any of my emails." She smiled, clutching her books close and just under her breasts to push them up. Asahi backed up some.

"I'm doing okay. Sorry, I've been very busy."

"Oh! Well that's okay. I've been wondering if you and a few of the students from last semester wanted to hang out. Just get some drinks and stuff."

"I appreciate it but I really need to get going. I have something important tonight." He tried to step around her but she persisted until he genuinely felt scared. "Layla please. If you keep holding me here my friend is going to wonder where I am-"

"Oh your friend?"

"Yes. I have to meet a friend for drinks."

"Well you guys can join us!"

"Please stop," Asahi begged. He startled as Aone was suddenly behind Layla, ominous over her figure. "Aone."

Layla turned before chuckling nervously. "Hello."

Aone glanced at her, glaring. He turned to Asahi. "Would you like to go?"

"Yeah." Asahi smiled and followed Aone down the hallway.

Aone glanced behind him before putting his arm on his lower back, rubbing his hip. Asahi smiled, not at all knowing that Layla was watching. Aone got him a bit closer. "You saw my note."

"I did." Asahi glanced up.

Aone kept his eyes forward and face blank. His knee ached. "I was wondering if we could eat dinner this time?"

"Of course! What were you thinking?"

"I'm not sure."

"Hm... hot pot. Ramen. Back to the bar. There's a new restaurant open nearby."

Aone stumbled and winced.

Asahi stopped walking. "Hey... are you okay?"

"I'm okay."

"I dunno it sounds like you're hurt. Do you need to take a break?"

Aone nodded. He opened the door to a study room and sat down, instantly going to remove his prosthetic. As soon as he removed it, Asahi gasped. The sleeve over his leg was soaked with blood and was dripping onto the floor.

"Aone! Oh my god?!"

Aone grunted softly, pressing his hand to just above his knee. "I'm going to remove the sleeve, okay? Please don't panic."

Asahi nodded and leaned down. Aone pulled off the sleeve and started to hyperventilate a bit, clinging to the chair. "Aone?"

"I'm losing a lot of blood. It cut a vein." Aone clung to the chair harder, closing his eyes. "I need you to please-" his lashes fluttered. "I'm sorry, I feel woozy."

"Hold on. I'll call an ambulance." Asahi pulled out his phone. Aone held onto Asahi's shoulder. Asahi looked up, worried as he heard Aone take more ragged breaths. "Aone?"

Aone grabbed both of his shoulders, gasping now. "Asahi. Asahi," he repeated. "My leg."

Asahi met his wide eyes and saw his focus go in and out. He realized very quickly that Aone was genuinely having a panic attack right now. He gently set down his phone and held Aone's face in his hands. "Breathe." Aone reached for his knee but Asahi grabbed it, kissing his knuckles slowly. "Shhhh... shhhh..."

Aone flinched. "It hurts."

"I know. Hold onto me, okay?"

Aone shakily nodded. Asahi called emergency services and held Aone close. He talked to the operators, staying calm as Aone clung hopelessly to him. As soon as he was in the hospital he had surgery, taking the rest of his knee. When Asahi finally saw him again, his heart broke.

****

"Aone?"

Aone's eyes focused before violently going back to blurry. He couldn't feel anything. He breathed out and could feel as each one of his muscles pumped oxygen.

Asahi leaned over, eyeing Aone. "Aone? What are you saying? You've been whispering for the past hour and it's making me nervous."

Aone's eyes focused a bit and he realized Asahi was above him. His eyelashes fluttered a bit and he looked back to the ceiling.

Asahi looked to Aone's friend, Ushijima. These two were oddly the same but Ushijima was a bit more animated than Aone.

He got up, gently making the bed higher. Aone's eyes opened again before his head bobbed forward. Ushijima held his head up, fixing the bed again. "Aone."

Aone struggled for a moment. "My head..."

"You're trying to wake up, it must just feel weird." Asahi sighed, leaning close to Aone. Aone's eyes focused on him. "Are you okay?"

"My head hurts." Aone stared at Asahi, unable to bring his eyes away from the other male's.

"I'll get you some water, okay?"

Aone nodded. Ushijima made sure he was comfortable, watching Aone strain his eyes staring at the door. "Who is he?"

"A coworker."

Ushijima's brows furrowed. "One who stays as you're rushed into surgery? Satori is smarter than that."

"Satori has nothing to do with this." Aone closed his eyes.

"Asahi is very beautiful."

"I'm very aware."

Ushijima hummed. "Is he your partner?"

"In a sense, yes."

Asahi stepped back into the room with a water bottle. He helped Aone drink from it, holding his hand. Aone kept watching as Asahi kept checking everything, his anxiety increasingly obvious.

"Asahi?"

The older of the two looked over and smiled. "Yes?"

"Please relax."

Asahi sat down. He tucked his hands under him and apologized quietly, staring at the floor. Aone shifted over and drowsily took Asahi's cheek into his hand. He reached and took his bun out and laid back down. "Thank you."

Aone nodded weakly. He closed his eyes, his hand going to where his knee should have been. He sighed heavily. "I'd like to be alone to talk to the doctor."

Asahi got the doctor and stood outside Aone's room for a while. When he went back to Aone the other male was sat up completely on his own, looking through paperwork. Asahi sat back down, anxiously awaiting even a word.

Aone looked over at him a few times, expressionless. His eyes read concern but he kept reading, trying to distract himself while he could.

"Aone?"

"Yes Asahi."

"Are you okay?" Asahi whispered.

"Yes, I'm okay. Thank you for asking." Aone set down the papers he was reading. "Is something wrong?"

"No! I was just wondering since you were reading into all of that." He smiled.

Aone eyed him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay."

Aone hummed. "Would you like to sit here with me Asahi? We will both fit if I hold you."

"Oh no, your friend-"

"Will have no issue with it. Sit with me." Aone moved and Asahi sat down, eyes to his lap now. "Thank you."

"No problem. How does your leg feel?"

"Numb for now."

Asahi nodded. Ushijima walked back in and sat down, going immediately into conversation with Aone about the surgery. Asahi sat there, eyes drooping in exhaustion. Aone noticed and eased an arm around his shoulders, holding Asahi close as he fell asleep.

"Please don't tell me he's not going to date you?"

"We are not officially dating." Aone put his hand behind Asahi's head and eased him into laying down, moving his hair from his face in the process. "I would like to be more than what we are now."

"I'm sure.. what are you two now?"

Aone thought for a moment, his brain churning to find an appropriate response to this question without outing his sex life. "Very close."

"I see." Ushijima looked up as his own partner walked in. "Satori..."

Tendou smiled, beaming and bright as usual despite his dark attire. "Hey Wa-Kun! Didn't get too boring without me, right?"

Ushijima smiled. "Not too boring, no." His eyes softened and he stood, tucking his phone away in his pocket.

Tendou laughed and took his hand. "Hey if you need anything, call me. And whoever this new guy is can call me too," he stated, gesturing at Asahi's tired figure laying next to Aone.

Aone nodded. "Thank you."

"I mean anything dude. Even if it means I have to come over to help you get up and out of bed. You know I'm here."

"Thank you."

Tendou sighed before leaving with his lover, closing the door behind him. Aone laid down and Asahi shuddered briefly. Of course he was cold. Aone had never before seen him without a jacket on, actually. In his car sleeping he had a jacket on, when he was teaching, even when Aone had caught glimpses of him before during warmer weather he had on a jacket.

He remembered a lot from before the two of them had actually talked before. Asahi always ran over the curb pulling into work and always bit his lip in frustration at it. When he would pack up his things he made sure to leave a pen and a pencil out for Aone's night class. Countless times Aone had seen at meetings Asahi's bad habit of biting pens and them exploding in his hands. His hair was always up and he always smiled with his teeth.

Attraction had been difficult to understand for Aone since he had started growing up more. He never knew if he liked someone's personality and body because the feelings felt so different. As soon as he had seen Asahi in person though, he immediately knew it was both.

The rumors of his kindness were etched into his mind even now. Those wide smiles, laughs, and of course the books. God, those books.

Aone would do study groups in the library and everytime without fail he would see Asahi sat on a couch, tucked in close with a book. He wrote in the margins of these books, always looking so intently at the words.

Aone smiled, leaning into the man he'd watched write for the longest time.