So Many Striders - Now With Illustrations!

"Yeah dude that's great, congratulations your memory's not jacked up. Okay, next..." He glances back at his phone, twisting slightly to get more comfortable without moving away at all. This isn't really possible, but it does mean he gets to wriggle while resting on Dirk's bare chest so he's going to count it as a success. "Do you feel nauseous, have a strong headache, or heightened sensitivity to light and or sound? You definitely have the last point on here, the loss of balance thing, you were tottering all over the place like a foal that's worked out how to get its feet under it for the first time."

 

Hal's hair is tickling him a bit, but not enough for him to complain. Dirk frowns at the questions. "I felt nauseous before, but only when I was trying to stand up and things. The second time I stood up it wasn't nearly as bad. And, I mean, yeah I have a headache, I smacked it on the ledge. It's getting better though, not worse. As for light and sound, there hasn't been any very loud sounds but I'm not more bothered than I would be normally with a headache. Same with light, except my glasses are AWOL so like... a bit of light sensitivity would be a thing no matter what." Dirk doesn't want to have a concussion, but yeah, some of those things sound like they might be things. He gingerly pats his head, like he'd be able to feel his brain swelling through his skull. "I only lost my balance because I was dizzy though."

 

"Okaaay well that's starting to sound like you might have a little bit of a concussion. Which we can deal with here, that's not so big a deal, no hospital trips needed." He scrolls down the page on his phone. "You're definitely more tired than you would be 'round this time if you're wanting to sleep and lie down and shit. How's your emotional state? Any sudden swings between anger, fear, sadness, and anxi- okay, yeah, this one's a thing too, you were practically crying on me earlier." He clears his throat. "Which, I mean I didn't like the sad part, but it was pretty nice having you leaning in so close. We should do that again sometime when you're not all emotional because of a head injury."

 

Oh. Ohhh. His breath goes out of him with a whoosh. The relief of knowing is almost enough to cancel out the embarrassment. "Yes. All of those. God. But like, maybe not because you almost. You." There's the anxiety and the fear he was talking about back again. "It seems pretty reasonable to feel those things when, when you almost..." His eyes prickle again and it's the head injury, obviously. He takes a shaky breath and tries to compose himself.

"Okay, what do I do to get better?"

 

"I uh. I'm okay now though." Hal blinks hard a couple of times, because apparently his brain has taken this long to realise that Dirk was interpreting his own anxiety and fear and shit as just the natural reaction to Hal nearly dying and he's like to have a moment to process that but Dirk asked a question. "Okay, okay uh..." He scrolls down past how to diagnose concussion in children. "Apparently bed rest? And I should make you answer memory questions every so often to check nothing's getting worse. It could only take a few hours to get better, but concussions stack so probably best to take it easy at least until tomorrow to make sure."

 

Ugh. Rest. Right then. "Well, my tablet isn't as good as my computer but I guess I can get some stuff done on it from here. Or my phone I guess, if I get really desperate. Maybe I should have picked the couch to lay on, we could play video games. Not that I expect you to babysit me all day... that's not a thing you have to do, right? You just have to ask me questions sometimes?" Dirk starts to shift to get himself set up for a day spent in bed, but Hal is still laying on him, so he flops back down into his pillows. "I suppose the two hour shower I was planning is right out if these things stack. I'll slip and die."

 

"Yeah I've gotta ask you questions sometimes, but you're meant to have someone hanging out with you too to make sure you don't fall asleep." Hal continues reading until the end of the page, and shakes his head. "No working on tablets or video games allowed anyway, apparently focussing hard on bright screens and fast moving images are bad if you've damaged your brain or something, who knew? Watching a movie'd probably be okay, or reading a like, actual paper book, or... I'm sure I could find a way to keep you entertained myself." Yesterday, or even earlier that day, he'd have been totally casual and joking about the offer, but now it's maybe an actual possibility he finds himself getting nervous suggesting it. Not nervous in a bad way, though, nervous in a good way like it'd more accurately be called something along the lines of hopeful anticipation.

"You know, with my mouth. On your mouth. Maybe other places too if that gets stale." There, that's much better. Back to joking (but also sincerely meant. He wants to map out Dirk's face with his lips.)

 

Outrageous. He is speechlessly upset. No computers OR video games? No working? No sleeping? For a moment Dirk is so affronted and angry he could cry, and NOT because of a brain injury this time he's almost positive. This is cruel and unusual- oh. His face goes hot all at once and that can't be good can it, all that blood rushing to his head. But then Hal says the second thing and he's not at all concerned about there being too much blood in his face anymore. He's still not entirely sure what he thinks of the whole situation, so he joins in on the joking.

"I'm wounded, and weak, and half dressed after literally saving your life and yet here you are with designs on my virtue. You sir are no gentleman." He would clutch something to his chest theatrically but they're lying on top of his blanket. He... really is rather undressed isn't he?

 

Hal snorts with laughter and rubs the back of his head against Dirk's chest, lifting a hand and flapping it around until he can find Dirk's shoulder to pat it. "Do you really wanna go down that line again because I can and will use my terrible generic Southern accent if you do." Ugh he should probably stop sitting like this though, he's getting a crick in the back of his neck. He pushes himself up and turns around, climbing over Dirk's legs to flop down next to him, nose at about nipple height on Dirk and legs draped over his. "You cold like that?" He nods at Dirk's bare chest. His gorgeous, muscled bare chest. "Because I bet I could keep you warm."

 

Hal clamors over him to the other side of the bed and he's basically a giant nerd.

"You, er, enjoying yourself down there?" He scoots over a bit so that Hal has more space to join him, and so that his face isn't right by Dirk's gross armpit. He's acutely aware that he hasn't gotten to shower except for rinsing his hair. It's a dilemma. He could shoo Hal away until he smells nice, but then he's pretty sure that the swamp of sadness will win his soul and he'll drown tragically like Artax. God. What a beautiful scene...

Hal is still there. He reaches for a joke and comes up empty handed. "Um. Yeah... I'm kinna cold. I'm not... very funny right now. But. Yeah. Warm is good." His voice gets quieter as his awkward attempts at conversation run out of steam. His hand hovers awkwardly near Hal's shoulder, because he's smooth like that. He just needs his voice to crack and to spontaneously develop an interesting array of pimples and it'll be perfect.

 

Hal is the biggest nerd, it is him.

"Yeah, having a great time." Dirk moves away, which is a shame, because while he may be a bit sweaty-smelling after doing the kata, it's not a bad sweat smell, it's just the smell of Dirk but stronger. But he's cold, apparently, so Hal squirms his way further up the bed, until his mouth- uh. nose, nose is at shoulder height, and then moves in close again, wrapping one arm over Dirk's upper chest and flopping his body over the closer half of it. "Any warmer now?" He rubs his cheek slowly against Dirk's shoulder, like he's some sort of cat and he wants to claim ownership. This shoulder is now property of Hal Strider.

 

Hal seems determined to be silly, and it's helping Dirk's mood more than he's willing to admit. "Are you marking me with your face grease? Is that what's happening here?" Dirk tries to think of a further cat joke to make but the words 'claw' 'lick' and 'bite' all fight to make it out of his mouth first and he just barely swallows them back. Instead he runs his fingertips through Hal's hair, brushing along his ear.

 

"Yep you got it, I'm greasing you up like cheap Chinese food." He rubs against Dirk a couple more times just because he made that comment, then wriggles across even more on top of him, angled so his head is on one of Dirk's shoulders and his ankle is pressed against the outside of Dirk's opposite foot. "Mm." Having his hair touched continues to be fucking awesome, and the brushes of Dirk's fingers against his ear make it tingle pleasantly. "Keep doing that. It'll let me know you're still awake."

 

Dirk snorts. "You are selflessness incarnate. It's you." He strokes Hal's soft hair lightly, its very soothing. The texture is nice, and its mostly tied back in a ponytail so its all going the same direction. When he starts to zone out and fall asleep, which does not take long since he's exhausted, he tries changing it up by running his fingertips along the outside shell of Hal's ear, and down the side of his neck, and back up into his hair. He wishes Hal would take the hair tie out, but he knows that's unlikely to be a thing since it bothers him a lot. The more he does this the calmer he feels and the more steady his breathing gets. His movements start to slow.

 

"I really am." He nods, hand moving up from Dirk's chest to his shoulder, thumb stroking absently over it. It's so nice to lie all warm and comfortable on Dirk and have his hair stroked, although the first few times Dirk's fingers move over his ear and neck he shivers. Ears as a sexy place to be touched, what weird kind of god thought that up. Dirk starts to slow down, and he nudges his head back into his hand. "Hey, Dirk. What's Dave's pesterchum handle?"

 

Hal pushes his head under Dirk's hand like an insistent cat and suddenly asks a random question. Ah, right, staying awake. "It's turntechGodhead, and you're putting me to sleep, you really are like a cat. Infecting me with sleeps." It's nice having Hal with him though, solid and real and not dead. It's still a difficult thing to process. He wraps an arm lightly around Hal's shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay though."

 

"I'm fine, Mom. And okay, maybe you doing a repetitive and soothing action wasn't the best idea to keep you awake." He'd move away, but Dirk wraps an arm over him so he stays put. "The offer of making out is still totally on the table, by the way, if you were wondering at all. You probably weren't. But just so you know." He clears his throat.

 

"Are you seriously going to call me 'mom' and then propose making out with me? That's it, I'm kink shaming." Dirk hesitates, because he kissed Hal earlier, twice even, and he doesn't want to have done it because he was scared Hal almost died, or because of a weird brain thing.

"I um." He thinks about Hal's mouth on his, and that's definitely something that pings him as yes good but... "I think I want to but I'm, not sure of, I mean." He decides to take the cowards way out and talk around what he means. "I'm not good for you baby, I don't want to lead a sweet little thing like you on, you know, I'd just leave you at the alter, shamed and broken hearted." Hal's tiny, hopeful voice makes him feel ashamed of himself (and even hungrier for a kiss.) Dirk's own voice goes low and quiet without his permission as he runs his hands up Hal's arm and back to maybe encourage him to scoot up a little bit. He tries for a tiny bit of honesty. "I don't know what kissing you means, future-wise, for either of us. I'd. Um. Be okay with figuring it out?"

 

"Rude." Hal chews on his lip, listening to Dirk dance verbally around the subject, nibbling off bits of skin and he should probably stop doing that just in case Dirk actually does want to kiss some. He presses them over his teeth instead, sucking them into his mouth and accidentally making a wet sound when he sucks hard enough that they smack together. Dirk goes all quiet and strokes his arm, and it's honestly just making Hal want to kiss him more, so he moves with the encouragement, pressing his toes against the bed so he can scoot up along Dirk, lifting himself up on elbows propped either side of Dirk's head. Their faces are really close like this.

"Doesn't have to mean anything, future-wise, for now. Could just mean we both enjoy kissing each other. We should maybe talk about that sorta thing when you're not concussed, too?" he dips his head slightly, until their noses are just touching.

 

He gets what he'd been aiming for and more when Hal moves against him and props himself up on his elbows over him. Their noses touch and Hal must be teasing him because this is awful, why is he forcing Dirk to make decisions when he's wounded? But everything feels warm and slightly dizzy and over all safe. Hal is safe, he's safe, this doesn't have to be a horrific mistake that ends up with everyone hating him again.

He breathes "okay" before tilting his head slightly and touching his lips to Hal's slightly scratchy ones. Keeping his head lifted rather hurts so he only kisses Hal properly for a second, lining their lips up so that he catches Hals top one between his for a moment before drawing back and resting his head on the pillow again. His eyes had closed automatically and he opens them again to see if that was okay.