The paramedics let him in the ambulance… but it didn't matter; Honda wouldn't have taken no for an answer. He was sitting there, watching them do their thing, when Otogi's eyes fluttered open. Green eyes flitted around the ambulance, the paramedics, before settling on him. Otogi groaned softly. Honda managed and a weak smile and said, "You asshole. You scared me."
Otogi didn't speak, but reached up to touch his head. He cringed, and moaned softly. The paramedics were talking to him, effectively pulling his attention away from Honda.
Honda, who swore his heart had stopped the second Otogi looked at him. He smiled to himself; he knew that Otogi's head had been thick.
"Sir, you need to stay awake. You might be tired, but you can't go to sleep," a woman was explaining, and Otogi just nodded. Honda scooted closer and turned to the woman talking.
"He's going to be okay?"
She nodded and smiled sympathetically at him. "He'll be fine; he just took a hit to the head."
Otogi blinked up at him, and finally uttered one word. "Ow."
The woman laughed. "I bet that's the understatement of the century."
Honda was still shaking, and he reached out to find Otogi's hand. It was strangely intimate gesture, holding someone's hand in the ambulance. He spared another pathetically small smile. "I guess we're headed for the hospital instead of my place."
Otogi looked pretty serious – or maybe was just dazed – and he managed a small nod, then cringed.
Honda rolled his eyes. "Don't move, you idiot. Just stay awake."
"Honda," Otogi said feebly. "I'm okay." He didn't sound okay; he sounded almost stoned. Maybe the paramedics were medicating him. "Thanks. Besides, I hear the hospitals have good beds."
Honda smiled, hand still clutching Otogi's tightly. His eyes fell onto his watch, and his eyes opened wide in shock. It felt like it had been hours since they left Jou's house.
Only eleven minutes had passed.
- final notes -
Originally the idea was simple: write a story that spans only eleven minutes, with a chapter per minute. First I was thinking a cute little PWP with someone & Otogi in the bathroom – an honor that Jou and Honda seemed to fight over, lol – while a third party watched football (ha, anyone else hearing "TOUCHDOWN!" jokes in their head?), but the more I considered what to do, the angst-ier it became.
So... I think I figured out what the story was really about... lol, pretty bad, that I'm not even sure until I finish it. Any theories out there? Just curious.