→ 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 (𝐧𝐚𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐢)

xxii. love

          togami stayed with naegi in the hospital the entire weekend. his driver took him home during the night to shower and change clothes but whenever the progeny had a moment to spare he was at naegi's side, watching him sleep and waiting for him to open his eyes and talking to him about whatever came to mind. at the end of the second day, the nurses took naegi off the ventilator and started to reduce the amount of sedative in his system. togami was told he would be awake by monday evening. although he wouldn't admit it, he missed naegi's soft lips most of all. his lips and his eyes. he couldn't wait for naegi to open those eyes and smile at him with those lips. he just couldn't wait.

          at school on monday, togami was swarmed by classmates asking him how naegi was doing, if he was alive, what happened, alongside other questions. maizono and ikusaba were surprisingly not engaging, sitting silently at their seats. "how is he doing?" asked asahina. "i wish i would have been there to help. it sounded terrible!!"

"it was terrible," fujisaki sniffled. "one second he was running and the next he was up against the wall, and then he was on the floor!"

"i am just happy i was there to call the police!" ishimaru said. "i fear he wouldn't have made it had someone not called in time."

"bro, i was not feeling it that day. i was too stoned for much of anything," hagakure chuckled. "sorry about that."

leon sighed. "i feel terrible. if we'd have told him to grab his inhaler earlier, then he would have realized it was missing, and he wouldn't have had to run."

"it doesn't work like that, leon. you know the kid, he would keep looking until his entire backpack tbrew up on the floor and then he would still run because he was embarrassed," enoshima stated before handing togami a single daisy. "give this to him for me."

          togami had collected a small array of flowers for naegi from all their classmates. he was planning on bringing them to naegi after class. this stupid class is so damn long, he thought. togami glanced over at the empty seat next to him, wanting nothing more than to take naegi's hand and kiss him. he sighed and turned his head back to the class, although his mind was far off elsewhere.

•

togami went straight to the hospital after class that day. he sat by naegi's side, whispering to him about how all of their classmates missed him dearly. "i brought you flowers," he murmured. "there are daisies, roses, babies' breath..." togami trailed off, gazing at naegi's slightly parted lips. they were chapped and dry from the ventilator. togami pulled some chapstick out of his pocket and started to gently apply it to the sleeping boy. he tenderly held naegi's chin, steadying his head as he dabbed the lip balm onto him. "there," he whispered. "that's better."

naegi's breath was soft and slow. the nurses had just taken him off the lowest dose of sedative, so he would be awake in a couple hours once the medicine wore off. togami was just happy naegi was breathing again. seeing the boy tucked into a hospital bed, a blue gown draped over his limp figure and an oxygen mask over his unconscious face, had altered togami's view forever. the boy he had grown so close to over the months, on the brink of being lost forever. just like that, he was almost gone. togami couldn't help but think about how ruthless life was. life didn't care about young love. life didn't care about passion or happiness or smiles. life never hesitated to take. and life almost took naegi from him. naegi, with his dusty brown hair. naegi, with his sweet green eyes that always shone with optimism and happiness. naegi, with his soft freckled cheeks and his small, scarred hands.

togami gently held naegi's hand, caressing his cheek with his free hand. he rubbed the boy's skin in a circle with his thumb. "i'm so grateful i didn't lose you," he whispered. "you know i need you. i... naegi, i think i'm in lo—"

"hiii!!" naegi's little sister, komaru, burst into the room, causing togami to jump. "oh! so sorry togami. did i scare you? i was just coming in to say hi to naegi quick before music club. how is he doing?"

          "he is fine," togami said. "he appears to be set to wake up in a couple of hours."

          "oh, okay! great!" komaru skipped over to naegi's bed on the other side, lightly kissing his forehead before she disappeared. togami sighed, holding naegi's hand close to his chest.

          "i don't know what i'm going to do, naegi," he mumbled. "i have so many feelings about you. you excite me. you bring me passion and joy and fear and guilt. you make me feel things i have pushed down for my entire life." tears slid down togami's cheeks and onto naegi's hospital gown. "i'm scared," he whispered. "nobody has ever seen this part of me but you."

          naegi softly groaned, his head falling to the side.

          he was waking up.

          togami gently squeezed naegi's hand, his heart a fluttering mess, and the boy's fingers tightened around togami's as he did so. naegi slowly began to open his eyes, sleepily gazing up at togami with pure adoration. his lips curved up into a gentle smile as his eyes welled up with tears. his voice was hoarse and whispery as he spoke.

          "i love you."

•

a/n: IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!