[ Kuroko immediately sets upon the tasks given to him, unable to stomach watching Otonashi slice into Akashi. He gathers up the stray sheets and searches through their small bundle of clothing for anything the plants have touched, shaking the remnants out. Anything he finds he tosses into their hearth, burning to a crisp and Kuroko has no remorse watching them shrivel up and turn to ash.
Once he's completes the task, he returns to Otonashi's side and sits next to him, back turned to Akashi. Talk, he suggests, but what exactly was he supposed to say? ]
Akashi-kun... [ He swallows, trying to find the words. ] Yuzuru-san is working really hard, so please hold on.
This seems really surreal, you know... the idea of you dy— [ Kuroko chokes on the word, can't even bring himself to say it, as if saying it will make it possible, real. ] I just never considered it. So, don't. You'll shatter the illusion for me.
AHH "you were in sports so you get how stuff's connected" is what I meant I'M SORRY
—Losing. To plants. It seems really surreal that he would lose to plants.
[ The interjection - ultimately nothing but a small change in semantics - comes instantly. As he cuts root systems free, he drops them to the floor, trusting Kuroko to dispose of them or leaving them for himself later. He concentrates through the tension, locked in silence as he makes new cuts while trying not to consider just how slowly Akashi is bleeding despite it.
Not that he can bring attention to it. Despite Kuroko's presence, he cannot help but to feel alone. ]
Hey. I'm going to need one more needle and sutures. They're made of sterile polyester if you can manage it, but if you can't then silk thread will do. Then if you could just hold the arm I just worked on steady, I'm going to start an IV.
[ It feels like ages until he can finish extracting roots and stitching up even one arm. Securing the quick IV is comparatively easy with the scavenged pieces to throw together an adapter. He has enough vials. Before he gets started on Akashi's chest and body — the really delicate parts of the process — he pushes one of his needles into his arm, wincing softly as he draws a vial of his own blood. It isn't an ideal transfusion method, but Akashi's bleeding slowly enough that it might function.
Maybe, just maybe, he can cleanse Akashi's infected blood and replace it with his own. He can heal faster. His body can fix itself before he'd be in any danger doing this. Right? ]
[ Kuroko wastes no time in spinning together the thread and needle for Otonashi and placing them close-by as he watches him pierce himself with one of the needles, almost wincing at the sight of the blood. He does his best not to look directly at Akashi, at the mess they've made trying, but he can't help it when he moves closer to assist, steadying the arm for Otonashi. His skin is so cold to the touch that it frightens him-- it might be too late, that Akashi might not last long enough for any of this to help--
No. Kuroko bites back his tears and grips harder on the arm, feeling like he's trying to steady himself more than anything else. He takes a deep breath, thinks of more to say to ground him in this moment. ]
You can't die before I've learned about the ways you've changed, you know— I kept thinking I wanted to reconnect with you and the others after the Winter Cup, but before I knew it, you changed again.
Not... not in a bad way. [ He lets out a small and quiet laugh. ] It was just- surprising. You've gained important people and had lots of new experiences. I have to catch up.
no subject
Once he's completes the task, he returns to Otonashi's side and sits next to him, back turned to Akashi. Talk, he suggests, but what exactly was he supposed to say? ]
Akashi-kun... [ He swallows, trying to find the words. ] Yuzuru-san is working really hard, so please hold on.
This seems really surreal, you know... the idea of you dy— [ Kuroko chokes on the word, can't even bring himself to say it, as if saying it will make it possible, real. ] I just never considered it. So, don't. You'll shatter the illusion for me.
AHH "you were in sports so you get how stuff's connected" is what I meant I'M SORRY
[ The interjection - ultimately nothing but a small change in semantics - comes instantly. As he cuts root systems free, he drops them to the floor, trusting Kuroko to dispose of them or leaving them for himself later. He concentrates through the tension, locked in silence as he makes new cuts while trying not to consider just how slowly Akashi is bleeding despite it.
Not that he can bring attention to it. Despite Kuroko's presence, he cannot help but to feel alone. ]
Hey. I'm going to need one more needle and sutures. They're made of sterile polyester if you can manage it, but if you can't then silk thread will do. Then if you could just hold the arm I just worked on steady, I'm going to start an IV.
[ It feels like ages until he can finish extracting roots and stitching up even one arm. Securing the quick IV is comparatively easy with the scavenged pieces to throw together an adapter. He has enough vials. Before he gets started on Akashi's chest and body — the really delicate parts of the process — he pushes one of his needles into his arm, wincing softly as he draws a vial of his own blood. It isn't an ideal transfusion method, but Akashi's bleeding slowly enough that it might function.
Maybe, just maybe, he can cleanse Akashi's infected blood and replace it with his own. He can heal faster. His body can fix itself before he'd be in any danger doing this. Right? ]
no subject
No. Kuroko bites back his tears and grips harder on the arm, feeling like he's trying to steady himself more than anything else. He takes a deep breath, thinks of more to say to ground him in this moment. ]
You can't die before I've learned about the ways you've changed, you know— I kept thinking I wanted to reconnect with you and the others after the Winter Cup, but before I knew it, you changed again.
Not... not in a bad way. [ He lets out a small and quiet laugh. ] It was just- surprising. You've gained important people and had lots of new experiences. I have to catch up.
So, don't die before I can do that.