There was no point in taking medication for his anxiety if he couldn’t keep it down. Yuuri retched and heaved miserably over the toilet of the hospital bathroom, grateful that the facility itself was relatively clean. He, on the other hand, was still wearing the blood soaked clothing from when he’d helped Lauri through the doors of the hospital and into the capable hands of the doctors and nurses.

Which left him on his own to devolve into a panic attack.

His knees hurt from the hard tile floor, his forehead, wet with sweat, was pressed against his shaking arms that were folded over the lifted seat. He felt like a child; pathetic and unable to control his own body. It was his own fault for getting like this, he knew. He’d used too much of his own energy, had teleported too many times after already being worn down from his own match. There was bruising along his arms from where the senshi he’d fought had hit him, and the aching in his body meant that there were bound to be more bruises under his clothes.

But nothing he’d faced had been anything compared to Aue. Yuuri hadn’t needed to eat a handful of starseeds after his match, hadn’t needed stitches and staples and he definitely hadn’t needed to fight a second time. Against a youma in addition to a Captain.

The smell of blood and sweat and stomach acid still lingered with the images of the fights, and Yuuri pushed himself away from the toilet before his body decided to attempt a revolt against him again. Not that there was anything for him to throw up except his medication.

With limited strength, Yuuri tugged at the sleeves of his sweater as he sat on the bathroom floor, still trying to catch his breath. Peeling it off while it was covered in drying blood was probably more difficult than it needed to be, but eventually Yuuri was able to pull it over his head and fold it neatly inside out so as not to alarm anyone he might pass. His pants were still spotted with blood, and some had soaked through onto his white button down shirt, but he didn’t look as horrible as he had before. He hoped.

Using the toilet for support, Yuuri pushed himself up to his feet. He knew he needed something to eat and drink, not particularly enjoying the thought of being called a hypocrite later. Being concerned about Lauri was no reason for him to not try and take care of himself, especially when he’d used so much of his energy.

The face that met him in the mirror when he finally stumbled to the sink was ghostly pale, his dark hair and eyes not exactly helping him look any better. He washed his hands and arms and face of blood and sweat as best he could, tucked the sweater under his arm, and quietly slipped out of the bathroom and into the hall.

He made a quick stop at the gift store, picking up clothes for Lauri to change into. After being given Lauri’s clothes to wear as many times as he had, knowing what size to get wasn’t an issue. A bottle of water, bar of chocolate, and pack of poptarts was added to the checkout counter, at which Yuuri kept his head down, avoiding as much eye contact and social interaction as possible. As per usual.

Finding out where they’d placed Lauri was another problem entirely. He was asked for his name and relation to the patient. He was tempted to say that he was Lauri’s boyfriend. After all, it had worked to get Lauri into his doctors’ appointments without too much scrutiny. But just in case Lauri wouldn’t have wanted him to lie, he mumbled that he was a friend.

And then, he was made to wait.

Would Wolfeite visit? As Archer of course. He’d seemed incredibly pleased with how Aue’s first match turned out, and was pleased with Yuuri as well, even though he hadn’t managed to win. Would Faustite visit? Yuuri couldn’t imagine that he wouldn’t, not when it was obvious that he and Lauri shared something.

Yuuri reminded himself that it probably didn’t help that he’d been nagging at Lauri about going to the hospital, or that he’d made selfish comments about what would happen to him if something were to happen. Nothing will happen to me Aue had said, but after seeing his fights, the possibility of something happening to Lauri was very, terrifyingly real.

Lauri had shown him compassion that Yuuri wasn’t used to, whether it was out of obligation or just a natural response for the Finn. And other than Adrien, whom he still missed terribly but knew it was for the best that Wolfeite didn’t get the chance to sink his claws or teeth into him, Lauri was, quite possibly, the only other person he’d consider a friend. But more than that, he was pack. No matter what Faustite said about it, no matter how much Faustite looked down on him.

It seemed like hours, when in reality it was maybe thirty minutes. Yuuri sat anxiously in the waiting room, gnawing at one of the poptarts he purchased. No, it wasn’t the best meal, but at least he’d be able to say he got something in his stomach if he was asked. Whether or not Lauri would ask was… well…

Waiting did nothing to calm his nerves. If anything everything seemed to put him on edge. Every voice, every noise, the faint hum of machines, hurried footsteps up and down the hall, an announcement overhead, the muffled cheers of a crowd, the sound of a fist hitting solid surface, a blade slicing through skin and muscle, a drip, drop, plop of blood pooling and splash of it being stepped in, slipped on, the shine of magic being cast, cries of pain and agony and curses in multiple languages unable to separate from the deafening sound of his own heart pounding in his ears, unable to breathe, unable to think, just the inevitable of --

Yuuri jumped when someone shuffled past him, nearly running into the chair with a cart because they were too busy talking to their coworker to notice a mousey teenager sitting and waiting for someone to tell him that Lauri had been tended to and that he was resting and well.

Finally, he was given the okay to see his packmate and quickly jumped up from his chair so he could locate the room number he was given, along with the reminder that visiting hours for anyone not family or loved ones was only for another hour that evening.

That was okay. It had to be okay. He didn’t have any other choice.

Just being able to see Lauri and know he was okay would be enough. At least that was what Yuuri tried convincing himself. After that, he would figure out what to do.

Swallowing down his nerves, he lifted his hand to knock on the hospital room door, and pushed it open once he heard Lauri’s gruff, tired voice from the other side.


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