Silver pulled the stethoscope from his ears with a small sigh and nodded, arms folding. “That’s a cocktail for a meltdown.” He turned to me. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
I shrugged helplessly, biting my lip. “I didn’t want to bother anyone.”
Silver’s eye twitched. “Mia. You’re not a burden. Stop treating yourself like one.”
“I wasn’t trying to—”
“You were, and you are,” he cut in, tone still calm, but edged with that bluntness that only he could weaponize without sounding cruel. “You’re chewing your hair, pulling on your eyebrows, forgetting to eat, and clearly haven’t slept in at least… what, two days? Three?”
I glanced away.
“Three,” he answered for me. “You can’t run on guilt and willpower, you have to take care of yourself.”
“Silver, it’s fine—”
“It’s not.” Silver’s voice cracked like a whip, quiet and sharp. He knelt in front of me now, face dead serious. “You’re gonna end up in a hospital bed again, and if that happens, I swear—”
Hilbert raised both hands. “Woah, maybe dial back the death glare, man.”
Silver ignored him completely, reaching into his bag again. He pulled out a pill bottle, rattled it, then looked at me. “Vitamin D. Iron. B-complex. You’re pale as hell and your body’s screaming for nutrients.”
“I’m not taking—”
“You are.”
I blinked.
“…You can’t make me.”
“I can crush them into your food,” he said dryly. “And I will.”
Hilbert whistled low. “Dang. That’s commitment.”
Silver finally stood, letting out a breath and glancing down at me again. “You need to stop thinking it’s selfish to ask for help. Because if you keep pretending you’re fine when you’re clearly not, we’re gonna find you passed out with bald eyebrows, chewing your own hair like some kind of starving Mareep.”
“… That’s oddly specific,” I mumbled.
“Because you’re doing it right now.”
I groaned and flopped backwards onto the bed, covering my face with both hands.
Hilbert sat down beside me and gave my shoulder a small nudge. “Hey, you’re not alone, okay? We’re here. Silver might not smile, ever, but he’s here.”
Silver snorted. “Smiling is a waste of muscle energy.”
“… You definitely need a hug,” Hilbert muttered.
Silver just crossed his arms again, but his eyes flicked to me. “Get some sleep. Eat something. And stop pulling your eyebrows out.”
I peeked through my fingers. “I’ll try.”
“You better.”
And even though Silver’s voice was cold, I could hear it.
That warmth.
That concern.
That quiet way of saying, I care.
Even if it came with threats and vitamin bottles.
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