Maruki’s breath hitched as Akira stirred, the boy’s quiet noises breaking the tense silence. His chest tightened when he heard the faint, broken syllables: "Hi, Da...Doctor." Not Dad. The correction nearly felt like a punch to his gut.
The contact sent a shiver up Maruki’s arm, and his hand flinched, recoiling just slightly before he froze it in place. He hoped desperately that Akira hadn’t noticed the tremor that rippled through his fingers, the telltale sign of how much the moment was affecting him.
He swallowed hard, forcing down the storm of emotions that threatened to surface. His hand steadied, pressing back gently against Akira’s cheek despite the sheer guilt threatening to surface. Wrong. So wrong. Can't fix yourself. Can't fix him. His other arm shifted, sliding under Akira’s back to help him sit up straighter.
"Don’t be ridiculous," Maruki said firmly, his voice low but tinged with concern. "You have nothing to apologize for."
He hesitated before asking, "Are you okay? Did you hit your head when you passed out?" His words came quickly, tumbling over one another in that classic, frantic concern.
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The contact sent a shiver up Maruki’s arm, and his hand flinched, recoiling just slightly before he froze it in place. He hoped desperately that Akira hadn’t noticed the tremor that rippled through his fingers, the telltale sign of how much the moment was affecting him.
He swallowed hard, forcing down the storm of emotions that threatened to surface. His hand steadied, pressing back gently against Akira’s cheek despite the sheer guilt threatening to surface. Wrong. So wrong. Can't fix yourself. Can't fix him. His other arm shifted, sliding under Akira’s back to help him sit up straighter.
"Don’t be ridiculous," Maruki said firmly, his voice low but tinged with concern. "You have nothing to apologize for."
He hesitated before asking, "Are you okay? Did you hit your head when you passed out?" His words came quickly, tumbling over one another in that classic, frantic concern.