*Akira wanders around the upstairs part of Goro's apartment, feeling restless. It hurts to walk some days, and today was one of those times when Akira wishes he could just flop down in a heap and never move again. It had been like this ever since he had been captured by his Shadow and beaten, but surely his leg would have healed by now, right?*
*Sighing, Akira hears Goro moving around downstairs and decides to check on her. He takes one step, then two, getting to the top of the stairs, before his right leg buckles and he's pitching forward. Panicked, he scrambles for the railing but wildly misses, hands clawing at nothing but empty air as gravity acts on his helpless body. Wood slams into him as he tumbles down, Akira letting out small curses and fragile whimpers while a steady thump thump thump fills the air. Akira finally tumbles to a stop a few steps away from the floor, his entire body feeling like he just got tossed like a ragdoll into the path of an oncoming truck.*
Fuck...
*With shaky arms, he tries to push himself up. It's no big deal, he's fallen before because of his leg giving out and been just fine. But now... something's different.*
*curious about the noise, goro rushes out into the corridor. sticking her head into the stairwell, seeing akira on the floor, she suppresses a laugh before quickly taking the stairs down to meet him. she stands at the bottom stair, not a hint of concern showing on her face - yet. when akira stays down for a few more moments, her brow furrows and she kneels down to look him in the eyes.*
What's going on with you? Do you actually need help getting up?
*Akira bristles at the tone of her voice—like she's convinced he fell down the stairs for the hell of it. Resentment flares up briefly, but he tamps it down quickly, knowing damn well he can't be upset about this. He must look stupid, otherwise Goro wouldn't be trying not to laugh. Akira shakes his head mutely, biting back a groan as he attempts to get himself up again. He manages to force himself up into a somewhat sitting position, but as soon as he moves his right leg to get himself standing, fire lances up the limb and up his spine, making him wince and clutch at his thigh. He has a fairly high pain tolerance—after all, he's been through worse than a fall down the stairs. But this? It felt like invisible hands were pulling at his ligaments, intent on ripping the whole leg off of him in one fell swoop.*
I'm fine... just give me a second.
*Despite the excruciating pain, Akira's determined to stop being a nuisance. That's all he is, really. His head looks back against the railing with a soft thud, his eyes closing as he tries to block out the pain.*
*she hums, straightening up and simply watching as akira struggles to stand. after a particularly loud failure in the form of a garbled curse from akira, she sighs and steps closer once more.*
are you sure you don't need help? i can carry you to the couch if you need me to.
*her eyes are trained on the hunch of akira's back, the way his muscles tense under her gaze, his damned leg she knows that beneath layers of clothes has been blooming an ugly purple for the past month. he's been managing this pain by himself all along? it's a miracle he's only fallen down the stairs now. goro almost feels guilty for not trying to help sooner.*
I've got it...
*Akira manages between gritted teeth, forcing himself up. He finally manages to stand, his right leg almost buckling again underneath him, but he catches himself this time on the railing. Not meeting Goro's gaze, Akira hobbles toward the living room himself, only to collapse again, this time against the table and nearly hitting his head. He lets out a frustrated cry, devastated that he still couldn't walk properly enough just to lug himself over to a couch.*
*unimpressed, she lifts akira up under his arms like a cat, depositing him on the couch with ease, still mindful of his evidently incredibly painful leg.*
you've got it, hm?
*goro stands over him for a moment longer before sighing and settling beside him on the couch. she runs her hand down her face, the other squeezing akira's between them.*
when are you planning on actually getting that checked, joker?
*Akira's silent for a long while, his unruly hair falling into his face as his leg throbs and aches, making it twitch inadvertently. Goro's hand on his makes him feel slightly better, but it doesn't ease the pain. Finally, however, he lets out a soft huff.*
I thought it would have healed by now. It didn't feel like it was significantly damaged, just bruised or something.
*Akira still refuses to meet his girlfriend's eyes, fearing that he'd see the disgust and frustration on her face that she surely must be feeling.*
mm, maybe if you had your persona back then. you spent a while without any help before we managed to return your shadow to yourself, didn't you?
*she stares at the ground, her voice devoid of any inflection. something about this really is bothering her, and she means to fix it as soon as possible. her next words come in a rush, after a few minutes of tense silence.*
at what time does that shady doctor of yours begin her business?
*Akira lifts his head, startled by the question. Goro hates Takemi, always has, especially since she found out that Akira had been the doctor's guinea pig and downed all manner of prototype drugs in the name of getting better healing items for the Phantom Thieves.*
Um... she should be open for a couple more hours. Why?
*Goro was now holding onto his hand incredibly tightly, and Akira wasn't sure what to make of this new development.*
lovely!
*her voice carried some sort of eerie cheer as she abruptly stood up, nearly causing akira to stumble had she not let go of him at the last mossible moment. her eyes are wide with some odd sense of false mirth yet her lips are pressed into a thin line before she opens them to speak.*
we should pay her a visit. i'll carry you, or we could haul you in a wheelbarrow, or maybe she should be called here instead, or...
I'd... prefer not being in a wheelbarrow. And she lives too far away from here, she'd have to close early because she won't make it back to her clinic before closing time.
*Akira tries to read Goro's behavior, but it's hard. Even with all his experience of studying her expressions and body language, even he can't tell what she's truly feeling at the moment. He sighs and tries to push himself up from the couch.*
I can make it to the train station, we'll just have to ride a train to Yongen-Jaya.
you're not walking on that leg, joker!
*she pushes him back down by the shoulders rather roughly, smoothening his shirt of imaginary wrinkles right after.*
you're not-- you, you're so... i can call a taxi. i'm calling a taxi.
*she turns on her heel and pulls out her phone, sitting down on the armchair opposite the couch. the hand not holding her phone squeezes at her thigh, and as she taps away at the presumed taxi app, the room falls once more into a tense silence, save for the sound of their synchronised breaths and the tapping of her nails on her screen.*
Infuriating. I know.
*Akira murmurs under his breath, finishing her cut-off sentence. She always seemed to do this; starting to tell him that he was something, and then never finishing what she was going to say. He knows he's messed up in some way—Goro's agitated, after all, and he feels the familiar twist of guilt in his gut that makes his throat tighten. He sighs and shifts on the couch, ignoring the protest from his injured leg, and leaves Goro be. He wants to reassure her, to tell her that he'll be okay... but he fears even that will make her more upset.*
*she puts down her phone and takes deep breaths, counting to nine and back.*
okay, there's a taxi coming in a few minutes. come to the front door so that there'll be less if a wait later on.
*she stands, but doesn't move further. her gaze darts back and forth between the door and akira's leg, but never lands on akira's eyes.*
can you walk to the door?
*Akira nods, though he isn't that sure he can. Bracing his hand on the armrest of the couch, he pushes himself up, gritting his teeth against the whine that wants to build up in his throat, before he finally manages to stand fully. It's hell for him to do so, his leg is on fire, but he can't show that. Goro's already too upset. He hobbles slowly over to the front door and all but collapses against the wall next to it, trying to put all his weight on his uninjured leg to give himself a breather.*
*her expression tightens as akira's condition starts to show more clearly. she hasn't let the floor move out of her sight. shifting her own weight from side to side, she mutters awkwardly,*
i'll carry you to the taxi when it arrives, joker. and to the clinic.
*Akira doesn't say anything. He's too busy trying to keep himself conscious, his vision becoming blurry and spotty at the edges every time he so much as twitches his leg. He wishes Goro would stop looking like he'd kicked her favorite puppy and that she'd stop looking at the floor like it held the secrets of the universe.*
You don't have to, *Akira murmurs finally.* From the looks of it, you'd rather be anywhere else right now.
what?
*her head snaps up, her features contorted into a frustrated, incredulous expression. goro's voice is still sharp but now carries the disbelief of the entire world.*
i want to be here. i want to be with you, and accompany you to the clinic, and make sure you're alright. what about me could possibly suggest otherwise?
*Akira opened his mouth to shoot off a long list: the way Goro refused to look at him in the eyes for several minutes, the way she squeezed her thigh earlier, the way she had shifted around uneasily like she was uncomfortable just being around him... but he closed it again, ducking his head like he used to when his parents were upset and yelling at him.*
Nothing. Forget I said anything, I'm sorry.
*Before Goro could demand to know what he meant, a horn blasted from outside; the taxi had arrived.*
*goro frowned. what was akira's problem? blinded by mild panic and biased by her own experience of metaverse injury care, she didn't see anything wrong with what she was doing. she was trying to help, truly she was. st the new development that was akira's new emotional state, her next words came out unsure and small.*
can i still carry you?
Yeah, if you want to.
*Akira's voice was quiet, meek, entirely unlike how he usually was. He felt like a burden, and he wished his leg had never acted up at all, or at least not to the point where he couldn't hide it. He braced himself against the wall so Goro could pick him up easier, his breaths shallow and labored from the pain still radiating up his body.*
I'm sorry... please don't be upset at me anymore.
*Those last words were spoken in a whisper, small and tentative.*
*she scowled as she hoisted akira up, albeit with much more care than she exhibited previously. she locks the front door one-handed behind her and manages to get them both in the taxi without fanfare. she doesn't answer akira's plea, nor does even acknowledge it in any way. leaning forward to the taxi driver—not maruki, thankfully, she thinks with an internal laugh—she mumbles their destination and a clipped 'be quick with it, please'.*
*Akira doesn't speak a word the whole ride to Takemi's clinic, and he barely moves either. He had seen Goro's scowl when she was picking him up, and it only makes him feel worse. He keeps to his side of the taxi, only letting out the occasional whimper when his injured leg is jostled by a too sharp turn or when he accidentally bumps it against the car door. He tries to keep his pain hidden regardless, figuring it would put Goro more at ease. Eventually, they arrive at the streets of Yongen-Jaya, and Akira feels a small bit of comfort seeing the familiar backstreets.*
*goro sighs and quickly moves to open the door for akira once they arrive. she's schooled her face back into perfect neutrality and her voice is, when it cooperates with her and leaves her throat, annoyingly lacking in any sort of tone at all.*
right, let's go again. hopefully the decision you made due to your nonexistent fucking self-preservation skills hasn't killed you or anything.
*she knows she shouldn't have said something so harsh and hypocritical the moment the words left her mouth, but this is stressful, damn it. akira, the near-unflappable leader...*
*Akira flinches slightly at her words as soon as he registers them, his eyes prickling with the threat of tears. He knew it. He knew she despised him for this, for being injured and for forcing her to take care of him. He doesn't make any noise when Goro picks him back up again, but he tries to make himself as light and plain as possible, to make sure he's not more of a burden than he already is.*
*goro pushes open the door to takemi's clinic with her shoulder, stopping in front of the desk and staring at a mildly gobsmacked back-alley doctor. she doesn't put akira down - if anything, she tightens her grip on him more, if that's possible.*
tell her what happened, akira.
*Luckily, the clinic was entirely empty except for Goro and Akira. Takemi glanced up from her clipboard, assessing Akira's condition wordlessly before she stood, taking her clipboard with her as she opened the door to her examination room.*
Let me guess. He busted something fooling around in the Metaverse?
*goro stays silent for a moment longer, half-expecting akira to respond, but no such sound comes from the man in her arms. she shifts him up higher in her grip as she follows the doctor into the exam room, looking around at the odd, vibrant medical posters plastered on the walls.*
well, we're hoping it's not anything serious... but yes, he 'busted' something.
*she doesn't hide the slight surprise at the casual tone of takemi towards akira's obvious pain, nor the way she's actually rather reluctant to let go of akira as she places him on the medical cot.*
*Takemi chuckles lowly, closing the door behind her and locking it with one hand before plopping down on her stool and crossing her legs.*
That's my guinea pig... always getting himself into scrapes.
*Her teasing tone disappears when Akira winces at being set down on the cot, her expression becoming brisk and serious. One instant, she's calm smiles and self-assured confidence, and the next, she's all business. Goro almost admires the sudden switch.*
It's his leg, right? *she asks Goro, getting up from the stool and lightly tugging up Akira's pant leg to inspect the damage.* What happened? My guinea pig seems awfully quiet, but that's nothing new.
it's... i don't know.
*god fucking damnit, goro, you do know. asshole. goro knows it's her fault akira's taking the injury even worse than he usually would, knows she's the one who made him get it in the first place after pushing him to traverse his own palace like that. her pride prevents her from voicing any of this, especially to takemi, and she falls back on her trusty technique of staring pointedly at the floor.*
i think his leg's had a problem for a while, but today it just... gave up, i suppose? he fell down the stairs.
*Takemi makes a non-committal sound in the back of her throat, her clipboard set aside to inspect Akira's injury. With gentle, manicured fingers, she probes at the swelling and discoloration. The bruising, which had largely localized to Akira's ankle at first when Goro had been taking care of his wounds, had spread all the way up to his knee, and it looked like it had been beat to hell.*
...This is more than a problem. I'll have to x-ray the leg to be sure, but he must have broken at least one of his bones and it looks like things didn't heal correctly.
*She glances at Goro again, her brown eyes serious but understanding.*
It's too soon to tell, but... I have a feeling that my examination won't give us good news. Are you prepared for that?
*goro doesn't answer immediately. her fists clench and unclench at her sides, and she feels like a sorry excuse for a partner. whatever! whatever. akira'll get over this, surely.*
yeah, i'm prepared, just get on with it.
*barely looking takemi in the eye, she shifts to lean on the wall, feigning indifference.*
*Takemi nods before starting her work. Akira's given the whole works— physical examinations, x-rays, questions about how he's been taking care of his ankle and if he's been taking pain medication (the answer is no). The whole time, Akira's been as silent as possible, and uncomplaining during the physical examination, despite how painful it looked to Goro. Finally, Takemi re-enters the room after fetching the x-ray results, and holds them out for Goro to take and look at.*
It's as I suspected. Akira should have had me or at least someone qualified to look over his injuries as soon as he was somewhere safe. Because he didn't know how to treat his very fractured ankle, repeated usage of it wound up damaging the muscles of his lower leg and falling down the stairs fractured his femur as well. On top of that, his calf and ankle healed improperly, and the damage already suffered is pretty much irreversible.
*She pauses, letting her explanation settle in before she delivers a crushing diagnosis.*
Akira's now formally disabled, and will be for the rest of his life. He'll need intense physical therapy for a while until his leg is strong enough to carry him safely for short distances, but he'll never regain full mobility. He'll need a cane or crutch for daily use, and may need further mobility aid for long excursions.
*goro's head snaps up like a whip, her hair slapping her in the face as she stares at takemi rather than the results chart. who cares? who fucking cares about some printed sheet of medical bull when not only she's been told everything by takemi and akira's shivering on the cot acting like a saint for his own made-up religion of useless fucking self-sacrifice!?*
fucking---! fuck!
*her voice raises again, but not a single good thing has come out of her being loud and aggressive today, she finally realises, looking back at akira. she takes a deep breath in, visibly composing herself as she counts to nine, then exhales. her eyes still glare daggers at everyone and everything in the room, but her voice isn't violent and her hands have unclenched. this isn't something she's prepared to handle, and it's terrifying her more than any shadow ever could. it's real, it's permanent, and it's happening to akira of all people.*
okay, he's disabled. um. does he have to stay here for long?
*Takemi seems taken aback at first by Goro's reaction; she expected Akira to have an outburst, but Akira's sat as still as a statue, staring off into space with a blank look on his face. The poor thing was likely in shock. Then, she lets out a soft sigh.*
No. You can take him home for now. You'll need to find a physical therapist for him once his pain has mostly died down, though. I have a cane and crutch you can take with you, and he can use whichever is more comfortable for him.
*She puts a hand into her labcoat pocket and pulls out two pill bottles, giving them to Goro.*
He needs to take one blue pill and one white pill once a day, and additionally he needs to take one white pill each time he feels the pain is worse than he can manage. They're painkillers, and he'll need to get in the habit of taking them in case he develops chronic flare-ups, in which case he'll need to take them more often. When you need a refill, come back and see me.
