“Just… make it count. Don’t waste him.”

"Of course." She looks over her shoulder at him. "Who do you think I am?"

He gives a sigh, and turns his head away.

Fushiguro Inori has a number of visitors during his stay at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Hospital, but most of them aren't there for a social visit. While Gojo's visit may or may not have counted as social, considering their relationship, he was terrible company for its entirety. Just a short 'We'll talk about things later, it's too busy for a proper chat right now,' and a wish for him to get better quickly. And an apology, that he does not expand on, and probably doesn't need to.

Then, aside from the nurses showing up at every odd hour of the day and night, he is left alone.

...he.........

He hates this.

He usually likes being alone, but..........

............but now he'd like to not be.

And then he gets a visitor.

"Excuse me," asks a woman with a familiar color of hair. She looks to be somewhere in her early forties, maybe late thirties, and... is probably Hayashi's mom. "Is this the room of Fushiguro Inori?"

He looks up at her from where he'd been idly browsing on his phone. "Yes," is all he says.

"I'm Akiho's mother, Hayashi Honoka. It's nice to meet you. Would it be all right if I put in the request that you and my daughter should share a room?"

Fushiguro blinks twice, and lets out a long, relieved breath. He had been half-expecting her to come here tell him her daughter didn't survive her wounds.

He nods, once.

"All right." She smiles. "Akiho-san is doing well. Bored out of her mind already. I thought it might be prudent to solve one bored teenager with another."

That draws a small smile out of him. "Thank you, Hayashi-san."

"Of course. Is there anything you need?"

He shakes his head. "No, thank you, Hayashi-san."

"You're quite welcome. Rest well."

And then, several hours later, the desire to move rooms is confirmed, and he is gently bundled up and wheeled away to another room. This room contains pretty plants by the window, a couple packages of sweets, and most importantly...

One Hayashi Akiho.

"Fushiguro-san!" she says, brightening immediately upon seeing him. "Hi! How are you doing."

"Not any more hurt than last time you saw me."

"Wow, what a glowing review that does not at all fill me with concern."

He shrugs, and winces at the pain. "Take it or leave it."

"Well I'm taking it, obviously, you're my friend. Besides, I think my mom has decided to adopt you as her own."

"...what?"

"I don't know, she was very annoyed by the state of your hospital room. In a, a. My mom kind of way. She is out passive aggressively buying you a get well card or something."

"Passive aggressively," he repeats slowly.

"Yep. Just wait. You'll see. She's scary."

"You don't look scared."

"She is not pointed at me! Are you scared of Gojo-sensei when he's being scary?"