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Pull Request
“Hey, Matt. Guess who crushed his midterms?”
“Danny,” Matt said, a faint smile catching. He lay flat in bed, turning something small between his fingers. “Didn’t think I’d see you today.”
He took him in. Not as bad as he’d pictured. Maybe it was because he wasn’t strapped into that brace this time.
“Yeah. Survived that project from hell. Thought I’d celebrate by annoying you.”
“Still managed to finish it, huh?”
“Barely.” Danny pulled out a laptop and trackball from his bag. “We had a guy on the team who thought copy-pasting buggy code would solve everything. I nearly strangled him with an Ethernet cable.”
“Sounds... fun.”
“Oh, it was.” He powered up the machine, then dug a box out of the bag. “But that’s done. You’re stuck with me now. I brought reinforcements.”
Matt glanced at the box, then the trackball. “What’s all that?”
“This, is a masterpiece. One of the best real-time strategy games ever made. Thought you might like it. History, strategy, conquering stuff. Right up your alley.”
He stared at it for a moment, then looked back up at the ceiling. “Thanks, Danny.”
“No pressure. Just thought it might be fun. If you ever feel like trying it, it’s ready to go.”
A slight nod. His thumb worried the corner of the same gray scrap.
Danny tried to read his mood. They used to get lost in games together, hours gone without thinking. Now he barely got a reaction.
“So, how’ve you been? Lucy said you’ve been making progress.”
“Progress,” Matt repeated. “If you can call it that.”
“Well, I do. She told me about the sensory stuff. That’s huge, Matt.”
“Doesn’t feel huge.”
“It is. And I’m proud of you, even if you don’t see it yet.”
“Persistent as ever.” He sighed.
Danny grinned. “It’s a gift.”
For the next half hour, he talked about school. The frustrating group project. His classes. Even the cafeteria food.
He kept things light, slipping in enough humor to draw a few short laughs from Matt. But over time, Matt’s responses dulled. His head tipped back against the pillow, and whatever he’d been fiddling with now lay still.
“You look wiped. I can get out of your hair if you want.”
“I’m fine.”
“Nice try. It’s okay, Matt. You need to rest.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
“Leaving this here if you ever get bored. I’ll swing by soon. Try not to scare off the nurses.”
“Yeah. See you,” he murmured.
Danny lingered until Matt’s hand went slack against the sheet and his breathing evened out. Then he stepped toward the door.
“Get some sleep, Matt,” he said, and closed it behind him.
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