MAPS [Tamaki Amajiki x OC]

Chapter 31 - A Bouquet

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"I'm not going to take it back, you know."

In the pale, washed out, shiny linoleum halls of the hospital, Tamaki thought Haru had never looked more beautiful, even as she panted and trembled through her daily physical therapy laps of the neurology floor. Despite being confused by her vague statement, his fingers intertwined in hers, anchoring her and protecting her from wayward visitors as her other hand slid along the rough texture of the wall for stability.

Tamaki's free hand guided Haru's IV pole down the hall for her. "Take what back?" he asked, watching her sallow face glisten with sweat and twist with exertion. He'd fetch her a wheelchair if he thought she couldn't finish her second lap, but she'd easily accomplished both yesterday... And he believed in her.

He wouldn't give up on her. Not now, or ever.

"You know, Tama... That I... I said 'I love you' too early," Haru chuckled weakly, glancing up from her grippy compression socks to Tamaki's flushed cheeks. A teasing smile pulled on her lips. Her jagged periwinkle hair framed her face, hanging in uneven strokes, courtesy of Tomura Shigaraki. "Back on the rooftop... I meant it then. And I still do. I just... I wanted you to know in case something happened during the fight... You- you needed to know."

A troop of nurses walked by with a patient on a gurney, forcing Haru and Tamaki up against the wall, with Tamaki shielding Haru within the cage of his arms, his ears warming instinctively at her proximity. "I- I understand why you said it," he muttered. Even if it was a little awkward, he was thankful for the small break in Haru's walk so she could catch her breath and hold her close. They hadn't had many opportunities to be close since she'd awoken, what with her constant flow of doctors, nurses, and visitors, so he'd take even the briefest moment with her. Tamaki gathered his courage and told her the truth about how he felt. "And it's o-okay that it was early... We have all the time in the world now, right?"

Haru smiled. "Right."

With that, they shuffled back to her room in record time.

After returning from their walk, Haru settled into her bed and asked about the last month and their injuries. Tamaki, being the only one there, got comfortable across from her on the bed with his knees to his chest and reluctantly trudged through the most important details - the trials for Dr. Zero, Hikaru, and Yasushi, namely, but also the ten kids and the heroes' injuries - before hesitantly describing his own injuries.

"I'm fine now," he said first, absently running his fingers over Haru's dainty, calloused hands and avoiding her piercing eyes, "But, um... I got a couple new scars. Nothing huge."

Haru frowned at him, staring grumpy daggers at his floppy hair hanging in his face. "Tamaki. Boy who eats the sun. Light of my life. Is that the whole story? Or are you trying to soften it because you think I can't handle it?"

Cheeks rivaling lava, Tamaki buried his face in his hands at Haru's words. "I- I punctured my lung with a broken rib when I passed out in an MRI machine, but it's fine now," he muttered into his palms, "No long-term injuries. Promise."

A skeptical hum left Haru's lips as she squinted at Tamaki. "So, what about me? Are the doctors telling me the truth?" The sun began to set outside, shadows elongating across the hospital room and casting Tamaki in gold and peach and rose.

Peeking at her between his fingers, Tamaki raised a brow. "Huh?"

"They said... I really broke my spine?"

Tamaki's hands fell back to Haru's bed, immediately reaching for her hand again. Running his thumb over her knuckles soothed him, so he continued the motion as he spoke, his heart trembling at the memory of Haru's lost month. "Y-yeah... Yes. You fell a strange way into Gum and cracked a few of your, um, cervical vertebrae," he explained, "They fused them together to fix it."

"Guess that explains the stiffness, huh?" Haru joked, squeezing his hand.

The laugh that spilled from her lips drew Tamaki's eye, and he softened at her easy smile. "You're...taking all of this awfully well," he said carefully.

Haru shrugged, closing her eyes to bask in the feeling of Tamaki's tentative fingers tracing her smooth scars. "No use in being sad, I guess," she muttered, exhaustion threatening to pull her into an unwilling nap, "Can't do anything about it. It's already over and done. Gotta move forward and make the best of it."

Just as Tamaki opened his mouth to ask how Haru came to that conclusion, the door to Haru's room slammed open, startling them both. Nejire and Mirio stood in the doorway, with Eri holding one of each of their hands. In the crook of Mirio's arm he held a riotous bouquet of flowers, colors violently bright in the sterile hospital. "We come bearing gifts!" he beamed, holding up the flowers and glancing at Nejire, who raised a takeout bag from the pho place near Tamaki and Haru's apartment.

"You guysss," Haru whined as she laughed, shaking her head at her thoughtful friends, "You didn't have to bring more flowers or food. I mean, I have been craving pho, but-"

Skipping over to Haru's tray table with the food, Nejire cut off Haru before she could continue. "Oh, the flowers aren't from us," Nejire dismissed quickly. "They were waiting for you at the nurses' station when we checked in, so we volunteered to deliver them."

Eri scrambled up into Tamaki's empty spot when he stood to hug Mirio and Nejire. She clambered across the scratchy hospital sheets and cuddled right up to Haru, getting comfy in her lap. "I missed you," Eri said, wiggling her tiny arms around Haru's thinner-than-usual frame.

"I missed you too," Haru said, hugging Eri back and patting her hair gently.

Nejire nudged Haru's hand with the card from the flowers. "Here, before we get started on your hair and food," she smiled.

"My hair?" Haru laughed. She carefully peeled her arms from Eri to use both hands, popping the small envelope of the card open with her nail. The handwriting didn't look familiar at first glance... But the succinct message inside made her blood run cold, goosebumps covering her head to toe.

"...Haru? You okay?"

Shaking out of her terror at Mirio's gentle words, Haru forced a smile onto her face and shoved the card back into the envelope, stuffing it under her pillows. "Yup! Super duper! Let's fix my hair, huh?" She tapped Eri to get them both moving, scrambling out of the uncomfortable bed one after the other.

Mirio, Tamaki, and Nejire exchanged a look as Eri escorted Haru to the bathroom, never once letting go of her hand. Nejire pulled her scissors and Mirio's hair clippers from her purse and chewed her lip, glancing at the place where the card hid beneath Haru's pillows, but figured the flowers were probably just from Haru's ex... or maybe her shitty parents.

Mirio and Tamaki wrongly assumed the same.

What none of them knew was that the short message inside the small card had no obvious sender. Haru only knew who sent it because she recognized the small burn mark on the corner of the card... and the nickname wasn't meant endearingly.

We'll be seeing you soon, pet.

It was a reminder of her status, of her position in the League.

It was a reminder that they owned her.

And that the League would be returning to retrieve their property.

Soon.