His eyes flicker to the light flashing frantically underneath papers on Shouta's desk. The vibration is short and low, but the sheer number of messages pushes the device closer to the edge. He grabs it before it falls, intent on-

(What? Answering? Turning it off? Putting it in a safer place?)

-something. Then, he reads the name above the message and swallows heavily automatically.

Hisoka-chan. 

Did anyone tell her? Or think to tell her? Could anyone else even reach her? 

The phone begins to ring then, an incoming call from Hisoka-chan. 

. 

He answers, bracing himself for tears or screams. Instead, he gets a hitch of breath. 

"Hisoka-chan?" he calls, clearing his throat. He gets a broken whine from the other end and tears come to his eyes unbidden. "My name is Yamada Hizashi. I'm-"

Who does Hisoka-chan know Shouta as? Eraserhead or Shouta? 

"I'm Shouta's co-worker," he settles on, hoping he isn't wrong. She makes a sound, soft but urging, and words fall from his mouth in a flurry - still generic, in case, but honest. "He was hurt in a Villain attack and is currently in surgery at-"

His lips don't even hesitate over pronouncing the hospital's name. It's information that is dangerous in the wrong hands, but Shouta trusts and so does he. 

Her breath hitches once more, and the line goes dead. He pulls the device from his ear and stares at it. After another moment, he pockets the phone and practically runs out of the office. 

Shouta is still in the hospital.

Nezu purses his lips (snout?) but puts a paw on his elbow comfortingly. 

"You did no wrong," the mammal states, putting an end to all - if any - complaints from his co-workers and fellow Heroes. The group falls silent then, putting brief hands on his shoulders and elbows as he passes, pacing in agitation. 

The silence is overbearing, and he mutters an excuse for the bathroom quietly.

He sees frantic movement out of the corner of his eyes as he turns the corner and takes in a teenage girl - most likely the same age as Yuuei students - signing frantically at passing nurses for information. 

None of them seem to be able to understand, and her straight face leads everyone to deem her case not urgent. (The sloppiness and choppiness of her signs says otherwise.) 

He meets her eyes and registers recognition before she strides over to him, hands immediately grasping onto his sleeve with white knuckles. 

His best friend is currently undergoing surgery, and his nerves are frayed. But her eyes are desperate, and he's a hero.

"Hey there, listener," he greets, pulling on his stage smile. "How can I help you?"

Her expression hardens, and a mental presence presses against him. He throws up his barriers immediately because he's a trained Hero, but the presence doesn't claw or bite or attack, merely waits - urgency present in every mental atom. 

He opens his first layer, the surface one, and she - the mental presence is her - shoves memories in his face. 

It's of Shouta and her - both as Eraserhead and as Shouta: eating together at a table with other adults and smiles, walking through a cat shelter and debating, watching the news as Eraserhead saved the day, her trying on his goggles and a fond almost-smile on his face. 

"Hisoka-chan," he breathes in recognition.

She has her hands in her lap demurely, face too blank and knuckles too white but eyes resolutely dry. He, along with the other Heroes, casts glances in her direction, waiting for an outburst, but she keeps her eyes firmly on the doors and waits. 

When the surgeon finally steps out, peeling away his mask as he approaches them, she jumps and is the first to approach. The doctor, more than used to the Heroes' presence, casts a purposeful glance to her then to them in silent question. Nezu nods, signaling acceptance, and the doctor speaks.

"He's going to make it," the surgeon opens with immediately, holding up a hand to forestall questions as he continues. "Despite the amount of blood and the head injuries, none of it significantly impacted his brain other than a concussion. However, he had multiple facial and arm fractures, and his entire orbital floor was crushed. It was fortunate that the Korean hero Anesthesia was visiting. With her help alongside Recovery Girl, his vision should be intact and his hero work mostly unaffected. His humerous, ulna, and radius were all shattered, but we were able to put them together with minimal damage, again because of Anesthesia and Recovery Girl. He'll be in pain and will have to keep his arms in casts for some time, but he should regain full mobility with physical therapy." 

Hisoka-chan breathes out shakily, and the relief is palpable. She presses a hand against the doctor's shoulder, and after a moment, he nods. She nods in return and turns around, following the nurses and the wheeled bed containing their injured but alive friend. 

"How should we keep him calm?" Nemuri asks, keeping her voice low as the entire group migrates a few steps behind Hisoka-chan. "He's going to be bandaged head-to-toe."

"I believe-Hisoka-san?" Nezu calls with faint alarm when the nurses enter a room and Hisoka-chan does not hesitate to follow through. 

She sits on a nearby chair, leans her head down, and picks up one of Shouta's hands - not yet casted - to place it on her exposed neck. 

He knows - as do the other Heroes - that Shouta knows four moves with a hand on the throat; one for death, one for immense pain, two for incapacitation. And Shouta, after waking up post-injury mid-battle, awakens with his instincts still stuck in fight-or-flight mode. (Which had saved the underground Hero in previous instances when captured by Villains, but-) 

Shouta will never forgive himself if something happens to Hisoka-chan.

It's a fact he, Nemuri, Sekijiro, Nezu, Ken, and all the other Yuuei teachers know, so they move because the doctor's "He should wake up pretty soon since we didn't use heavy painkillers due to Anesthesia's presence and need his cooperation to cast his arms." rings in their minds ominously; and they see Shouta's hand twitch, flexing around Hisoka-chan's neck and they won't make it-

A presence brushes against his mind and he hesitates, the warning understood loud and clear. The rest of his co-workers, he assumes by their pause, have received the same. 

Then, Shouta tenses - posture stiff and muscles ready to spring into motion - and relaxes soon thereafter. 

Hisoka-chan moves from his grip and holds Shouta's hand in both of hers, careful not to pull on the injured muscles and just-fixed bones. They catch the look of relief on her face before she sniffles.

Her shoulders shake, and she cries finally - tears rolling down her cheeks and breath soundlessly hitching. 

He calms his pounding heart and pretends his curiosity is from Hisoka-chan's technique rather than her true relation to Shouta.

When her mental presence brushes his briefly, he accepts he probably failed.