Yeah, I'm boring, I know
More brofic. I'll link to the relevant thread that precedes this sometime when it's not 1 in the morning and I feel like I'm about to pass out.
The first thing Jack was aware of as he woke up was that everything smelled clean and like antiseptic, and he groaned. It wasn’t like he wasn’t expecting to wake up in a hospital, but it still didn’t sit well with him.
Though on the other hand, perhaps it was unexpected; he hadn’t been thinking he would wake up at all.
The last thing he remembered was Hajime, and Sanji, and being loaded into some kind of van thing, and then a bumpy ride, and he was tired, Haj, so tired, please let him just… just rest a second…
The second thing Jack was aware of was that the ground seemed to be rocking ever so gently. Weird.
Hajime, he thought, hadn’t been too happy about him trying to sleep. Stay with me, he had been saying. Don’t sleep now. It’s not time. Or something. Jeez. No respect for the virtues of a good nap.
He was pretty sure he had fallen asleep anyway, even though he had tried to stay awake. Really, he had.
The third thing Jack was aware of was opening his eyes to light.
He winced back into his pillow, squeezing his eyes shut again. Ow. Ow ow ow.
He stayed that way for almost a minute more, then slowly opened his eyes again. The light didn’t blind him quite as bad as it had before, but he still couldn’t really see anything. Suddenly, that rocking and the antiseptic smell were a lot more worrying.
“Aa-“ Oh wow his voice was weak and dry. He swallowed hard what spit was left in his mouth, tried again. “Haj…?”
His following cough drowned out the sound of someone jerking awake with a start in a chair, and then scrambling to his bed, and he wasn’t aware of the other’s presence until that other grabbed his hand.
“I’m here.” A small pause, and then, “Hey.”
“Hey.” Jack felt the fear evaporate instantly. If Hajime was there, and Hajime was okay, then everything must be fine now. “Can’t see, too bright,” he rasped. “Thirsty.”
“Sorry. Just give me a moment.”
The comforting weight left his hand, and he waited with almost held breath while Hajime closed the curtains over the small window, dimming the room, and returned to his bedside, carefully pouring some water in a glass. Jack sat blinking for a second before turning to watch his friend. “Can see now,” he reported.
Hajime’s grimly set mouth twitched at the corner, just barely. “Good.”
He set the cup down on the small bedside table. “Want me to help you sit up?”
“Got it.” Though Jack quickly found that he did not have it, as he only made it about three inches up before flopping back on the pillow. “Maybe not.”
Hajime was shaking his head at him, and Jack actually managed a grin back. The Ouendan carefully helped him up, propping a pillow behind him to lean on.
“Does that hurt?”
“A little.” Jack shrugged. “Thirsty.”
“Right.” Hajime held out the glass to him, which wasn’t nearly full enough to make Jack happy.
“Is that all?”
“We’re not sure how much you can handle yet.”
“Hmph.” Jack pouted a second, but then he lifted a hand to take it…. a hand which was far too shaky to hold it.
Hajime didn’t say anything, just held the glass to Jack’s lips. The redhead blushed, allowing the liquid to be poured slowly into his mouth. He sank down into the pillow after. “This is stupid.”
“What is?” Hajime put the glass down.
“Being handled like a baby.”
He expected a quip about how he was always a baby, or some other sarcastic comeback, but all he got was a hard stare.
“…What?”
“Jack, you almost died.”
The silence that stretched between them was longer than Jack was comfortable with. He finally broke eye contact, looking down at the bed sheets and the big t-shirt that covered the stitches and bandages on his abdomen.
“I know that,” he muttered, trying to sound annoyed but failing. “So what?”
“So it’s okay. To be handled like a baby, I mean.”
Jack looked back up at him. Hajime’s stern look had fallen, and he was looking down at the genius with more apprehension and worry than anything. “You’re still hurt. You… you need to be taken care of.”
Jack didn’t like the tone he was taking, or the way Hajime suddenly wouldn’t look him in the eyes, and he tried to keep up a light-hearted tone. “Yeah, but this is kind of embarra-“
“I’m sorry.”
Jack hushed at Hajime’s interruption, confused. “Huh?”
Hajime closed his eyes. “If I hadn’t… if I had just… This is my fault, Jack, I’m sorry, I’m so-“
“It’s okay.” Jack’s shaky hand caught Hajime’s again, and the Ouendan looked back at his face. Jack smiled. “You saved me, right? Pretty cool… I didn’t know you could do that.”
Hajime swallowed hard. “I didn’t either.”
“Then we definitely found out at the right time, huh?”
“Right time.” Hajime’s voice sounded almost robotic. He still wasn’t looking in Jack’s eyes. “If that was what it took to find out, I’d have rather gone on not knowing.” He looked back up with a renewed urgency. “I’m sorry, I really am-“
“Knock it off.”
Jack was trying to sound nonchalant, but he was failing, the worry too heavy in his voice to allow for true light-heartedness. “You know I don’t blame you for anything.”
Hajime looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn’t. Instead he just watched the other for a second before squeezing his hand tightly. “I was scared,” he admitted.
“Don’t worry, so was I,” Jack promised.
Hajime graced him with the tiniest of smiles. “The only thing to do is make sure it never happens again.”
“Hah, yeah.” Jack coughed, and the jarring action reminded him of the very slowly healing hole in his abdomen. “Yeah, I’m not really looking for a life as Swiss cheese.” He contemplated a moment, then looked back up at his friend. “Did it hurt you, too?”
Hajime tensed. “No.”
“Liar.”
“I just took some of your pain. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“I’m sorry.”
The apology took Hajime off guard, and he looked at Jack with feigned irritation. “Oh sure, tell me not to apologize for… for what I did, and then you go and apologize for me saving you?”
Jack was silent a moment, then he sighed. “I guess so.” He looked up. “Thank you.”
“I would say ‘anytime,’ but…”
“Heh. Gotcha.” His wound really was starting to ache. Weakly he wiggled to lay more flat, Hajime helping him lower himself to the bed. “Man, I’m tired.”
“Being on massive amounts of pain killers and losing most of the blood in your system can do that to a guy.” Hajime pulled the covers up around him, tucking him in. “You need to get some sleep.”
“Mmmkay.” Jack’s eyes were already starting to close, but then he forced them open again. “Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“I meant what I said.”
“…I know you did.”
Suddenly, without warning, Jack was tugging Hajime towards him. The Ouendan easily could have pulled back, but he didn’t. Instead, he allowed himself to be yanked into the hug.
And he hugged back.
The first thing Jack was aware of as he woke up was that everything smelled clean and like antiseptic, and he groaned. It wasn’t like he wasn’t expecting to wake up in a hospital, but it still didn’t sit well with him.
Though on the other hand, perhaps it was unexpected; he hadn’t been thinking he would wake up at all.
The last thing he remembered was Hajime, and Sanji, and being loaded into some kind of van thing, and then a bumpy ride, and he was tired, Haj, so tired, please let him just… just rest a second…
The second thing Jack was aware of was that the ground seemed to be rocking ever so gently. Weird.
Hajime, he thought, hadn’t been too happy about him trying to sleep. Stay with me, he had been saying. Don’t sleep now. It’s not time. Or something. Jeez. No respect for the virtues of a good nap.
He was pretty sure he had fallen asleep anyway, even though he had tried to stay awake. Really, he had.
The third thing Jack was aware of was opening his eyes to light.
He winced back into his pillow, squeezing his eyes shut again. Ow. Ow ow ow.
He stayed that way for almost a minute more, then slowly opened his eyes again. The light didn’t blind him quite as bad as it had before, but he still couldn’t really see anything. Suddenly, that rocking and the antiseptic smell were a lot more worrying.
“Aa-“ Oh wow his voice was weak and dry. He swallowed hard what spit was left in his mouth, tried again. “Haj…?”
His following cough drowned out the sound of someone jerking awake with a start in a chair, and then scrambling to his bed, and he wasn’t aware of the other’s presence until that other grabbed his hand.
“I’m here.” A small pause, and then, “Hey.”
“Hey.” Jack felt the fear evaporate instantly. If Hajime was there, and Hajime was okay, then everything must be fine now. “Can’t see, too bright,” he rasped. “Thirsty.”
“Sorry. Just give me a moment.”
The comforting weight left his hand, and he waited with almost held breath while Hajime closed the curtains over the small window, dimming the room, and returned to his bedside, carefully pouring some water in a glass. Jack sat blinking for a second before turning to watch his friend. “Can see now,” he reported.
Hajime’s grimly set mouth twitched at the corner, just barely. “Good.”
He set the cup down on the small bedside table. “Want me to help you sit up?”
“Got it.” Though Jack quickly found that he did not have it, as he only made it about three inches up before flopping back on the pillow. “Maybe not.”
Hajime was shaking his head at him, and Jack actually managed a grin back. The Ouendan carefully helped him up, propping a pillow behind him to lean on.
“Does that hurt?”
“A little.” Jack shrugged. “Thirsty.”
“Right.” Hajime held out the glass to him, which wasn’t nearly full enough to make Jack happy.
“Is that all?”
“We’re not sure how much you can handle yet.”
“Hmph.” Jack pouted a second, but then he lifted a hand to take it…. a hand which was far too shaky to hold it.
Hajime didn’t say anything, just held the glass to Jack’s lips. The redhead blushed, allowing the liquid to be poured slowly into his mouth. He sank down into the pillow after. “This is stupid.”
“What is?” Hajime put the glass down.
“Being handled like a baby.”
He expected a quip about how he was always a baby, or some other sarcastic comeback, but all he got was a hard stare.
“…What?”
“Jack, you almost died.”
The silence that stretched between them was longer than Jack was comfortable with. He finally broke eye contact, looking down at the bed sheets and the big t-shirt that covered the stitches and bandages on his abdomen.
“I know that,” he muttered, trying to sound annoyed but failing. “So what?”
“So it’s okay. To be handled like a baby, I mean.”
Jack looked back up at him. Hajime’s stern look had fallen, and he was looking down at the genius with more apprehension and worry than anything. “You’re still hurt. You… you need to be taken care of.”
Jack didn’t like the tone he was taking, or the way Hajime suddenly wouldn’t look him in the eyes, and he tried to keep up a light-hearted tone. “Yeah, but this is kind of embarra-“
“I’m sorry.”
Jack hushed at Hajime’s interruption, confused. “Huh?”
Hajime closed his eyes. “If I hadn’t… if I had just… This is my fault, Jack, I’m sorry, I’m so-“
“It’s okay.” Jack’s shaky hand caught Hajime’s again, and the Ouendan looked back at his face. Jack smiled. “You saved me, right? Pretty cool… I didn’t know you could do that.”
Hajime swallowed hard. “I didn’t either.”
“Then we definitely found out at the right time, huh?”
“Right time.” Hajime’s voice sounded almost robotic. He still wasn’t looking in Jack’s eyes. “If that was what it took to find out, I’d have rather gone on not knowing.” He looked back up with a renewed urgency. “I’m sorry, I really am-“
“Knock it off.”
Jack was trying to sound nonchalant, but he was failing, the worry too heavy in his voice to allow for true light-heartedness. “You know I don’t blame you for anything.”
Hajime looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn’t. Instead he just watched the other for a second before squeezing his hand tightly. “I was scared,” he admitted.
“Don’t worry, so was I,” Jack promised.
Hajime graced him with the tiniest of smiles. “The only thing to do is make sure it never happens again.”
“Hah, yeah.” Jack coughed, and the jarring action reminded him of the very slowly healing hole in his abdomen. “Yeah, I’m not really looking for a life as Swiss cheese.” He contemplated a moment, then looked back up at his friend. “Did it hurt you, too?”
Hajime tensed. “No.”
“Liar.”
“I just took some of your pain. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“I’m sorry.”
The apology took Hajime off guard, and he looked at Jack with feigned irritation. “Oh sure, tell me not to apologize for… for what I did, and then you go and apologize for me saving you?”
Jack was silent a moment, then he sighed. “I guess so.” He looked up. “Thank you.”
“I would say ‘anytime,’ but…”
“Heh. Gotcha.” His wound really was starting to ache. Weakly he wiggled to lay more flat, Hajime helping him lower himself to the bed. “Man, I’m tired.”
“Being on massive amounts of pain killers and losing most of the blood in your system can do that to a guy.” Hajime pulled the covers up around him, tucking him in. “You need to get some sleep.”
“Mmmkay.” Jack’s eyes were already starting to close, but then he forced them open again. “Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“I meant what I said.”
“…I know you did.”
Suddenly, without warning, Jack was tugging Hajime towards him. The Ouendan easily could have pulled back, but he didn’t. Instead, he allowed himself to be yanked into the hug.
And he hugged back.