melone | hurt comfort meme redux.

continued from here.

[ the following weeks were a testament to their bond. having allowed themselves to grieve had been infinitely more helpful to the both of them, physically and mentally than either could really say. everything felt clear, now. they discussed things. midorima asked questions and takao gave him answers. sure, they could go back and regret not having reached this sort of understanding earlier, but there was really no point in it.

it is what it is.

a philosophy the both of them were still stubbornly adopting, somehow.
asking for help was too humbling at times; takao didn't care for it.
admitting the actual level of concern he had could be overwhelming; midorima didn't care for it.
granted, they were butting heads a little more often now, in tiny ways, but for the sake of communication and not the opposite. there weren't any outright lies -- simply obvious admissions that meant the truth underneath the layers and layers of "i don't want to say this". but they were saying things now, which was the important part.

and when things took an even sharper turn, they argued even less. when pain and nausea were too extreme to even fathom, takao asked for help. midorima didn't search for cures anymore -- not right now, at least. rather, he looked for new ideas and methods for keeping them both comfortable. and when it finally happened, they took it in stride. ]

Shin-chan, do you have the day off? [ takao asks, hands sliding over midorima's shoulder and chest as he practically rolls onto the other. the alarm hasn't even gone off yet, so maybe that's a good sign. with his energy levels steadily increasing, he's been feeling more restless. it's been nearly two weeks since midorima has gone to any lectures or meetings and it leaves takao to wonder if he was going to get back into a normal school schedule anytime soon. ]