Hey, so I know I haven't updated in literally forever, though to be fair, I am an actual mess. I think you should know that I uploaded this same story onto archive of our own and I'm actually one chapter ahead of where I am in this version. (they're the exact same story I just prefer using ao3 so I kinda forgot about ) Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Karma kept his eyes trained on the floor, lost in his own thoughts as he walked through the sterile halls of the hospital. He had no idea how he was going to pick up the pieces of this particular mess.

He knew that he would need to call Gakushuu, preferably soon. But he was not looking forward to that conversation. He had no idea what kind of changes this would cause in his relationship with Gakushuu, not to mention his already strenuous camaraderie with the rest of class 3-E.

Finally, Karma reached the door to room 317. He gently pushed the door open, walking into the room. It was silent, as it always was, save the steady beep of the heart rate monitor. Dropping his school bag near the door, Karma settled into the familiar, uncomfortable chair that sat next to the bed.

The woman lying on the bed may have been beautiful once. You could still see the laugh lines around her eyes, proving that her life had been full of colour. But those days were long gone. Ever since that fateful night, when the roads had been a little too slippery, and the sky had been a little too dark.

If ghosts did exist, Karma noted, they would probably look something like this. Frail and thin, so deprived of sun that she could easily be a part of the hospital bed. Even her hair, which had once been a brilliant crimson, was faded and dull. Her eyes were shut, as they had been for eleven years. Karma couldn't even remember what colour they were.

"Hey mom," Karma paused, trying to clear the lump in his throat, "It's been a while. School has been really busy, plus the whole Koro-sensei thing, ya know?"

Karma felt his shoulders start to relax as he talked. He didn't know for sure if his mother could hear him, although people often said that she could. If that were true then Karma should probably be arrested for revealing top secret information. But Karma honestly couldn't give less of a shit when it came to what the government wanted, not least when it came to his mother.

"Gakushuu and I have been doing well. I stayed at his house over the weekend. We watched movies and I made pancakes. Just the way you always made them."

Karma didn't have a lot of memories of his mother. He remembers how she would make him pancakes on the weekends, and he would pretend to help by following her around the kitchen. It was probably a nuisance, but she never once asked him to stop. He remembers how she taught him to braid hair. He had wanted to grow his out, so that he looked more like her. But his dad always made him cut it. And he remembers when they would go to the park. The same park where he first met Gakushuu. And he would talk about how amazing Gakushuu was, and how one day they would get married and take over the world. His dad always scolded him, talking about how he couldn't marry another boy. But his mom would just smile and ask if he would invite her to the wedding.

There was another memory in there too. A memory of wanting to play in the snow just a little longer. A memory of an icy street and a darkening sky. A memory of sudden motion and the squealing of tires as they lost their grip on the frosted pavement. And the memory of clambering out of the wreckage, crying for his mom, who wouldn't respond. Calling the ambulance, the screams of sirens, all drowned out because why isn't mommy waking up?

And she didn't wake up. The doctors said she probably never would. It had taken Karma nearly six months before he could bring himself to visit her in the hospital. How could he? If he hadn't begged to stay at the park another hour, then it wouldn't have been so dark out. His mom wouldn't have crashed the car. It was all his fault. And his father and him both knew it.

"It's almost midterms. I completely bombed finals last term, so I've been studying almost nonstop since then. We're not allowed to study right now though, since a few students injured an old man. He's in this very hospital actually. Only a few floors up. Funny how these things work out"

His dad never came to visit, at least, not that Karma knew of. He paid the medical bills, but Karma had a sneaking suspicion that it was only because his mom was the only leverage his dad had against him. Like it or not, Mr Akabane was smart. (Karma would prove that he was smarter, one day.) And he had taken every precaution to make sure that his less savory behaviors remained known to only him and his son. If he ever found out that Gakushuu knew… Karma didn't even want to think about it.

"We've been spending most of our time at this daycare that the man works at. It's pretty torn up, so we've been helping to rebuild. We only have another week and a half to finish it up. Midterms, so I don't think I'll be able to see Gakushuu for a little while. You know how he gets with these things."

Karma smiled bitterly, leaning back in the hard chair. "But I doubt you really care about my boyfriends study habits," Karma forced out a chuckle. He didn't know who he was trying to fool. His mom certainly isn't benefiting from his forced amusement. Maybe it was himself he was trying so desperately to convince. "You probably want to know how dad is doing."

Karma glanced down at his hands, clenched together on his lap. "He got back from Germany on Friday. He's been here for almost a week, so he'll probably leave tonight or tomorrow."

Karma really didn't want to go home tonight. But he also knew that Gakushuu would be studying all night, and Mr. Asano would be pissed if Karma showed up. There was no way Karma would put Gakushuu in a position where he could piss off his father.

Karma checked his phone. Visiting hours were almost over.

"We've been doing a lot of free running in class lately. I think that's what got some kids in trouble. They were using it outside of class. Don't worry; I've been staying out of trouble. Well, staying out of trouble as much as usual anyhow."

Karma didn't even try to fake laugh this time. He was worn out. This whole week was just one mess after another, and sitting here, staring down at his comatose mother was not nearly as therapeutic as he had been hoping.

"Sorry if I'm not good company," why was he apologizing to the woman in a coma? "It's been a long week. I hope things start to get better soon."

He paused, as though waiting for some response. Maybe words of encouragement, maybe advice. Whatever he was waiting for, it never came. And Karma spent the next few minutes sitting in solemn silence.

Eventually a nurse walked in to tell him that he had to leave. He didn't put up any kind of fight, just thanked the haggard looking man and walked back through the too-bright halls.

Stepping out into the fresh air of the hospital parking lot, Karma stuffed his hands into the pockets of his blazer, trying to conserve some body heat. The air had chilled while he was inside, and he was starting to regret staying for so long.

The only thing he could hope for now was that his father was gone or asleep by the time he got home.

Have a wonderful day everyone!