Chapter Text
Tink! Tink tink!
“O-Okay, that's your reflexes tested, is there anything else I can d-do for you..?” She timidly asks, putting the miniscule hammer back in her large tray of medical equipment.
You rub the back of your head nervously, lowering your leg from Safalin's lap, and ask if you can get a massage.
“Ah, alright...Would you t-take your top off, please?”
You shake your head, a feeble blush across your cheeks. That's a bit too intimate.
“Very well...T-Turn around, Y/N.”
You do as Safalin instructs. In a single movement, you swivel around to face away from her, her fingers droop over the top of your shoulders and tips lay gently onto your collarbone. Her palms knead into the skin; you very nearly melt at her touch, something about her soft hands with a reassuring grip, the way she treats you not as a patient, but as a human, with the utmost care and not a slip in that attitude to be found.
“Is there any part that hurts..?”
You pause, then your head shakes out a no.
“Did you just want a massage f-for the sake of it?” Safalin curiously addresses you.
Again, you respond without a word, a single nod all you require. You sag forward slightly.
“...Is everything okay?”
Not a word.
“...I see.”
Safalin removes herself from you and places herself beside you on the bed.
“I-It's been very hard, I know. Lots of things...O-Of bad things have been happening. To a lot of people. It's upsetting and a-all of it seems ready to crumble. Personal pr-problems on top of everything makes it worse...Like things are personally out to get you...”
She pauses, thinking of what to say next. She's a doctor first, not a speechmaker, and she does have trouble herself registering the world around her with a positive mindset.
“...But, it's best to k-keep strong. Stay u-united with the people who you like, and who like you back. Keep friends close, e-even right now, and don't isolate y-yourself, even if it seems necessary...”
You cut in half way through Safalin's next pause. You plainly state that you like her. That's why you're back here so soon. You didn't want a check-in for injuries, you wanted a check-in with her.
Safalin is taken aback. Her eyes scan you shyly, and her pause elongates.
“...Th-Thank you. I like you too.”
Unsure, she reaches her hand over to yours – stops – and placidly wraps her fingers around your wrist, making sure not to squeeze and disrupt the mood. You lean towards her, she leans back, until she and you are propped up against each other.
Neither of you speak. You don't need to. Things are fine just as they are, just this second, and for a while.