"Have you been here the entire time?"

Shuusei reached carefully for Hotsuma and tried to push past the lingering aches attempting to stop him. This wasn't the first time he'd been lucid, but it was the first time that it seemed like it was going to stick. Already he'd spent a couple of minutes silently watching Hotsuma curse at the game he was playing a few feet away...

"Shuusei!" Hotsuma dropped the handheld onto the floor - only a few inches since he was sprawled on his stomach nearby - and practically launched himself onto Shuusei.

"You're awake," Hotsuma murmured into Shuusei's shoulder. Hotsuma's weight wasn't particularly pleasant, but it was familiar and warm.

"You're heavy and I'm wounded," Shuusei reminded him. He'd figured out the basics - this was still Kyoto. Tooko was probably okay because he was fairly sure he'd heard her voice one of the other times he'd tried to bring himself around.

"You had me so worried." Hotsuma sat up and raked his hair back with one hand. "Shuusei..."

"Is Tooko--?"

"She's fine," Hotsuma said quickly. "She's sat here with you, too. We all have. Me and Tooko and Tsukumo and even Yuki, before he returned to Tokyo."

He leaned back down so his forehead rested against Shuusei's, close enough that Shuusei could feel Hotsuma's breath.

"Shuusei..."

He wasn't surprised when Hotsuma kissed him, softly and awkwardly. This wasn't the first time, after all. But it was different. And of course, it was when he had to feel like... well, he'd pretty much been dead. So Shuusei felt like death warmed over for a very good reason. Except what he wanted was to kiss Hotsuma back and hold him close and thank him a thousand times...

Shuusei pulled a hand up to rest on Hotsuma's shoulder. That would have to be enough - his body felt like lead.

They were together, everyone was safe, for the moment, it was enough and...

"Hey, Hotsuma, I think you're dead."

Hotsuma pulled back so quickly that Shuusei couldn't do anything but laugh. The panicked look in his eyes was downright funny, especially since it was only Tsukumo holding Hotsuma's discarded game.

"Ah, Hotsuma, I brought--" Tooko slipped into the room a half-second later, with a tray of what looked like drinks and snacks. "Shuusei!"

"I'm glad you're okay," Shuusei rasped. Hopefully someone would offer him one of those drinks in the near future.

Tooko quickly handed off the tray to Tsukumo, who juggled it and the game onto the ledge nearby. She dropped to her knees and leaned, kissing Shuusei's cheek softly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Me too!"

Shuusei wasn't at all surprised when Tsukumo kissed his other cheek. It was only fair, he supposed. He couldn't help smiling, even if Hotsuma was going through an entire spectrum of expressions as if he couldn't decide how he wanted to respond.

"You'll get another turn," Shuusei finally said once Tooko and Tsukumo shifted to find him something to lean on and offer him a drink.

"Yeah, I know," Hotsuma replied. He reached to take Shuusei's hand and squeezed it firmly. "And I'll make sure we aren't interrupted."