𝙱𝚊𝚍 𝙸𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚜 - 𝙺. 𝙱𝚘𝚔𝚞𝚝𝚘 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

Chapter Twenty

The sun had set on that day, yet Idoki and Bokuto remained at Satoshi's bedside. With her legs pulled up onto her chair, she rested her head on Bokuto's shoulder while she dozed off, listening to him and Satoshi talk about sports in hushed tones so as not to disturb her. It was only eight o'clock, and with visiting hours nearing their end, Bokuto forced himself to stay alert despite only having gotten an hour and a half of sleep that night as well as a forty-five minute nap in the afternoon. Sure, he was absolutely exhausted, but it was actually really nice to get to know Satoshi. He reminded Bokuto a lot of his own father, and couldn't help thinking that the two dads would make great friends.

The door to Satoshi's room creaked open a while later, but neither bothered to pause their conversation seeing as it was either one of Ichigo's brothers or a nurse coming to check the man's vitals. When Shinsuke Kita stepped into the older man's line of vision he did, however, stop what he was saying to greet him.

"Shinsuke, what a treat," he smiled kindly. Although he was glad to see him, after the morning's emotional events, he wasn't sure his daughter's fragile heart could take much more stress. "Were you in the neighbourhood? It's not often I see you away from your property these days."

"I spoke with Masayuki earlier this evening and he alerted me to your whereabouts." Kita kept his eyes focused on his best friend's father, both hands stuck in the pockets of his smoke-grey winter jacket, the colour of which nearly matched his hair. "I wanted to check-in and see how you are doing."

"Just a little beat up from surgery," Satoshi shrugged. "Nothing a little rest can't fix."

A small smirk crossed the man's lips. "You'd have to be able to sit still to rest, Idoki-san."

Satoshi softly chuckled, knowing that if he laughed sincerely he'd inflict pain upon himself due to the stitched incision along his lower abdomen. "Ichigo's already on watch, don't you worry."

Kita allowed his vision to stray, and though he'd already caught a glimpse of his ex-girlfriend sleeping on another man's shoulder when he had entered the room, he only now just realized who that other man was.

Offering his hand to Bokuto politely, Kita introduced himself. "Shinsuke Kita. I'm a friend of the family."

Shifting ever so slightly to complete the handshake, Bokuto's movement awoke Idoki and she pulled her head from his shoulder and rubbed her eyes before opening them to see the man she wanted to be her boyfriend and the man who formerly held that title shaking hands.

Her face grew warm, but seeing as the introductions hadn't been finished during her slumbering state, she felt it rude to ignore them. "Shin, this is Kotaro Bokuto, he's," she paused, her heart beginning to beat faster with anxiety as she once again thought of the best way to introduce him without invalidating their mutual feelings. "He's really important to me."

Kita nodded, piecing together what he could about them with what little information he actually had. "Nice to meet you, Bokuto-san."

Bokuto gave him a friendly smile in return. Kita's name was one he instantly recognized from earlier conversations, but he was determined to stay polite despite the pang of jealousy in his chest. "Likewise. It's nice of you to stop by for a visit."

"I had to confirm with my own eyes that Idoki-san was okay." Kita's intense brown eyes focused on Ichigo as she blinked up at him, his heart aching from the thoughts of possibilities ahead of them. "And that Ichigo was as well."

"I-I'm fine." Ichigo scratched her cheek sheepishly before gesturing to her father. "It's Tou-san who's here to be cared for."

Kita didn't bother to look away from the redhead whom he had been studying carefully. The dark crescents underneath her puffy lids were certainly indicative of her lying about being fine, but it would have been unnecessarily rude to point that out in front of other people, so he refrained.