Chapter Text
Gundham had gotten used to Tsumiki coming and treating him.
He'd also figured out how to use his tv's remote and was able to watch a few things while he waited for Tsumiki to check on him. Kazzy 2.0 always in his arms.
Tsumiki told him he'd be able to walk around and explore soon.
She liked to make conversation, usually one sided. It wasn't that Gundham didn't want to talk to her, its just that he was still wary of her...she did kill his twin in the simulation.
Tsumiki, in other regards, wasn't as much of an oddball as Gundham had initially thought. She doted a little more than he would have liked but he could understand that. After all he was sure to need the attentive care.
Gundham isn't one to particularly pay much mind to anything, but it was one of the only things he could do whilst stuck in a hospital(?) room.
He sometimes spaced out or daydreamed, but it wasn't too frequent. Perhaps he wasn't very imaginative?
The thought was pretty sad due to how he used to be. But perhaps he altered that part of himself because he wasn't like that.
As if she'd been keeping track of his thought process, Tsumiki walked in carrying a small tray that smelled like miso soup.
“Tanaka-san, lunch.” She said gently, “Its miso if thats alright, honestly it was hard to convince Tojou-san not to give you too much.”
Gundham nodded quietly,holding his hands out for the tray, which as usual now, Tsumiki gently denied, setting it on the table beside Gundham's bed.
“Your body is recovering Tanaka-san, I'm not going to make you feed yourself with sore limbs and shaking hands.” Tsumiki said firmly.
Gundham frowned, his hands were shaking when he finally looked down at them, they hardly looked reliable enough to hold a cup of water. Much less a spoon to eat with.
He sat back against his pillow and hesitantly opened his mouth.
Letting Tsumiki spoon feed him gently until the bowl was empty.
The girl smiled at him, praising him for eating so well and expressing the need to be more active than he was idle.
The blackette stared down at his hands. Not responding simply because he had no clue how to.
Instead, he only nodded, tracing the blue veins in his fingers down to his pale wrist where an I.V sat, pressing into his skin and making his stomach flip knowing it was there.
He looked at the foot of his bed instead, hands folded in his lap while he listened to Tsumiki picking up the things she'd brought in, reminding Gunhdham to sleep for a few hours.
Gundham would've, truely, but he was to busy wondering about everyone else sitting in rooms similar to his own.
Were they more engaging in conversation?
Did the trauma keep them quiet as if it were a hand covering their mouth with a grip so bruising it hurt physically?
Did they get to walk around?
Or were they stuck confined to their rooms too?
He frowned slightly, looking down at Kazzy 2.0. There was no use in pondering. No one could read minds, so no on could answer his questions the way he wanted.
He could talk. He knew for a fact after all the torture he put his vocal cords through...Tsumiki called it vocal lessons, Gundham called it torture.
Hearing the sound of his deep, scratchy, unused, voice sent goose flesh pricking onto his skin.
Why he hated it? Gundham didn't know, but he hated it.
He did sound better according to Tsumiki.
In his own ears though, Gundham sounded so foreign. So unlike how he thought.
Tsumiki told him his silence was fine, knowing that he liked to second guess after each lesson.
Selective Mutism.
That's what she'd said.
Gundham had listened when she explained the term to him. Intruiged by the whole thing, partially also because the girl had been combing out his surprisingly knot and tangle-free hair.
He liked that his hair, much longer than he thought, was well kempt.
Tsumiki had said some of the others had awoken with hair in worse off states, sharing that she herself had awoken with a hair problem. Laughing along with him when he burst into giggles.
Gundham stared at Kazzy 2.0 for who knows how long, head perking up at the sound of the door to his room opening.
Tsumiki held a small container in her hands, happily she walked into the room, closing the door and showing Gundham the box, “Tojo-san and Mizono-san wanted to give you these.”
The blackette tilted his head.
Tsumiki beamed when she opened it to reveal a few hair accessories.
“I was going to tell them not to, but your hair is so pretty I got excited to put a few in your hair.” She said.
Gundham smiled a slight bit, raising a slightly shaking hand to run his fingers over the first one he saw.
A light blue one encrusted with clean, reflective silver, a blue gem of sorts seated off to the side.
It reminded him of Ibuki.
So he tapped on it.
“Sayaka-san figured you'd like it.” Tsumiki picked up the clip, “May I-?”
Gundham nodded, tilting his head up so Tsumiki could put the clip in his hair, neatly securing part of his bangs from his face.
Tsumiki smiled, “It looks pretty on you Tanaka-san.” She praised.
The blackette smiled warmly, peering into the container again, eyes skimming over its contents before he picked out a yellowed looking jewel set in thin-yet-intracate gold.
He motioned for the taller girl to lean down. Tsumiki giggled as his slightly clumsy, but determined hands put the clip in her bangs.
It was small enough to not get in her way but complimented her natural hair well enough to be noticed by anyone who looked.
He nodded approvingly, patting Tsumiki as he finished.
“Good?” She asked, pretending to do a few modeling poses and earning herself a soft giggle in return.
Gundham nodded.
Good.