Walk With Me

Chapter 8

Tamaki got really sick. Not the 'Ugh get me out of here," sick, the 'Oh my god I've got the plague and I'm gonna die," kind of sick. The kind that settles into every nook and cranny. The kind that can't be erased by a magic red button.

His stomach was rolling, and he couldn't keep much food down anymore. He was finding it very difficult to breathe normally, his lungs wheezing out every breath, it felt like he was running uphill. But the worst part was his...well... his right eye, or what was once his right eye. The surgery area was a swollen, angry red, flaring with pain at random intervals. The morphine was doing a shitty job of stopping it, and every time the nurses changed the bandages it looks worse and worse.They tell him that his stitches are bleeding sporadically and without warning, which meant that now Tamaki had to have another needle shoved into his arm with antibiotics pumping into his system.

To say his friends were nervous was an understatement.

Mori-senpai was pacing, mumbling to everyone all the time like he was making up for the years of silence. Honey-senpai, on the other hand was strangely subdued, content to simply sit with Tamaki in silence. The twins have been as mischievous as always, but whenever someone says something even remotely tied to his illness, the twins explode and have to be taken out of the room. And Haruhi was distant; she never looked at him directly and never spent time alone with him.

The only person who hasn't changed was Kyoya. Surprisingly, the host clubs most mysterious person stayed steady. He continued to keep the Club Members in order, he wrote diligently in his black book, and still managed to grow more handsome with every moment. Whenever Tamaki was in pain though, which was most of the time lately, his smile would turn bittersweet, and he would keep Tamaki company until the blonde would fall asleep. Tamaki can't tell if he should have felt elated that he gets to spend time with Kyoya, or guilty because Kyoya and the other hosts are so worried. They're acting like he's going to disappear, like they're going to wake up one day and he'll be gone. He was in pain yes, but he didn't plan on dying, at least not yet.

"Tamaki? Earth to Tono?" Hikaru said, "It's time for your bandage change."

"Okay," Tamaki waved a hand in goodbye as the hosts trickled out of the room. He was sorry to see them all go, but he'd sooner confess his love to Kyoya then let them see his stitches. They didn't need to see him like that. No one did. Quickly after the hosts filed out three nurses walked in, a cart of medical supplies pushed between them. They were kind nurses in a way, but rather old, so they did not like to make small talk. They got in, got the job done, and got out. As two of the nurses changed the bandages, the youngest stepped outside. He closed his eye, feeling the gentle hands unravel his bandage, clean his face with antiseptic wipes, and wrap him up with new, fresh bandages. It didn't hurt but then again he couldn't really feel much anyway. He drifted in and out of sleep as the nurses continued to check him over, he didn't want to think about what he must have looked like. A few minutes after his bandages had been reapplied, the Hosts were finally allowed back inside. The mood in the room was tense though, his friends seemed defeated. Haruhi shut the door, and the room settled into a painful silence.

"Something bad happened, didn't it?" Tamaki murmured after awhile, looking at the hosts one by one.

"Uhh... yeah Tono, something bad did happen. I.. We just talked to your doctors," Hikaru started, but for some reason he choked up and looked away.

"Kyoya's brother is my head doctor, you guys see him everyday. What's the problem?" Tamaki said impatiently.

"K-K-Kyo-chan.... his.... his brother was saying that y-y-your eye is infected and you've got t-t-t-two weeks to l-l-live," Honey-senpai said with a shaky breath.

"Two weeks to live?" Mori-senpai nodded sadly, a hand covering his mouth.

"Well, then. I..." Tamaki didn't know what to say. What to do to make this better. A strangled sob echoed through the room as Haruhi of all people launched herself into Tamaki's lap, burying her tear-stained face into his chest. Tamaki wrapped his arms around her, gently patting her back. Haruhi was soon joined by Honey-senpai, who wiggled his way into the crook of his elbow. Then surprisingly, the twins squeezed their way to him and landed on his chest. Mori-senpai was leaning his head on Tamaki's shoulder, a single tear trickling down his cheek. Kyoya was on the other shoulder, sandwiching Honey-senpai between them. Luckily, the bed could support all the weight, but Tamaki winced as he heard the metal frame creak and warp.

After an hour of sobs and sniffles, the Hosts had all fallen asleep curled up together. Everybody but Tamaki. The blonde felt at peace with all the hosts around him, surrounded by the people he loved most, and he was about to fall asleep himself. He leaned towards Kyoya, and he freed a hand from under Karou to take off his glasses, the stoic boy had left them on as he fell asleep. As he reached over to place them on the side table, he felt weight shift on his side, and Kyoya buried his head in the crook of Tamaki's neck. Immediately, a blush creeped down Tamaki's cheek and neck, but hopefully it was too dark for Kyoya to notice. Well, it wasn't, but Tamaki would pretend like it was.

"Tamaki," Kyoya said softly, and it killed Tamaki to hear his voice so broken and scratchy.

"I know what you're thinking Kyoya, and I can tell you now I plan on living a lot longer than two weeks. We've got work to do, after all," Tamaki murmured, determinedly.

"But Tamaki infections are serious. This isn't something you can ignore or wish away," Kyoya hissed, fresh tears streaming down his face. "What makes you think sheer determination will keep you going?"

Tamaki grinned through the darkness, "It hasn't failed me so far."