Dirk, for his part, was... not expecting this to be such a long haul project. He honestly expected Ranboo to get over himself in a few days. But it became apparent quickly that whatever was wrong with him wasn't just in his head. Or rather, it might have been, but it was a physical problem with his head and not just him wallowing in his emotions.
Ranboo stumbled. He slurred. He was sluggish and confused. There was a strained element to his breathing. Dirk was, honestly, a little afraid he was going to die.
He couldn't stand for that. Not after everything he'd done for him. Not after how much work, how much time, how much care he'd put into him. He wasn't letting Ranboo go without a fight. He wasn't letting Ranboo go. He was going to fight it. Whatever 'it' was.
So, he carried him to the bathroom. He checked on him while he slept, and woke up during the night to check on him. He researched nutrient dense foods in a way different from the way he loaded his own foods, studied metabolism and bioavailability, and woke Ranboo up to make him eat, even if "eating" meant "forcing him to drink Dirk-original smoothies concocted for their benefits to the body, taste be damned."
If it came to it, he was even willing to bribe Ranboo--if he was too fucked up for sex, maybe he could sway him by offering to buy him a candy bar.
Finally, there came a day when it seemed the dam broke. Dirk was home when the crying started. He could hear it, back there in the bedroom. It went on for seemingly hours; sometimes quiet enough that he could basically ignore that it was happening, or even start to wonder if it was over, sometimes loud enough to make the tension he was forcibly ignoring awkward on top of stressful.
He did not go in the room until things had quieted down, this time seemingly for good.
When he finally does, it's... weird. He doesn't know what to do about all that. He doesn't know whether he should have come in here at all, frankly. He stands silhouetted in the doorway for a good minute or so, staring wordlessly at Ranboo's ragged, weakened form on his bed.
Then, slowly, he walks up and sits stiffly on the edge of the mattress, his back to Ranboo. He still doesn't speak, silently hoping that Ranboo will say something first.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2024-12-15 02:42 pm (UTC)Ranboo stumbled. He slurred. He was sluggish and confused. There was a strained element to his breathing. Dirk was, honestly, a little afraid he was going to die.
He couldn't stand for that. Not after everything he'd done for him. Not after how much work, how much time, how much care he'd put into him. He wasn't letting Ranboo go without a fight. He wasn't letting Ranboo go. He was going to fight it. Whatever 'it' was.
So, he carried him to the bathroom. He checked on him while he slept, and woke up during the night to check on him. He researched nutrient dense foods in a way different from the way he loaded his own foods, studied metabolism and bioavailability, and woke Ranboo up to make him eat, even if "eating" meant "forcing him to drink Dirk-original smoothies concocted for their benefits to the body, taste be damned."
If it came to it, he was even willing to bribe Ranboo--if he was too fucked up for sex, maybe he could sway him by offering to buy him a candy bar.
Finally, there came a day when it seemed the dam broke. Dirk was home when the crying started. He could hear it, back there in the bedroom. It went on for seemingly hours; sometimes quiet enough that he could basically ignore that it was happening, or even start to wonder if it was over, sometimes loud enough to make the tension he was forcibly ignoring awkward on top of stressful.
He did not go in the room until things had quieted down, this time seemingly for good.
When he finally does, it's... weird. He doesn't know what to do about all that. He doesn't know whether he should have come in here at all, frankly. He stands silhouetted in the doorway for a good minute or so, staring wordlessly at Ranboo's ragged, weakened form on his bed.
Then, slowly, he walks up and sits stiffly on the edge of the mattress, his back to Ranboo. He still doesn't speak, silently hoping that Ranboo will say something first.