#if it still hurts tomorrow i'll dig out an actual heating pad for it

[violetsareblue-selfships]

My shoulder’s hurting and all I can think about is Diluc warming his hands to act as a make-shift heating pad to make it feel better <3

Honorable mentions: Dabi doing something similar or Mipha healing it the best she can

[wonderlandleighleigh]

could we see one of those instances where midge begs lenny to stay with her because she doesn't feel well :)

He stops by late after one of his shows, because she said she'd be up, and she is, but she looks...

"Hey," he says gently, stepping into the apartment.

Midge takes a breath and does her best to smile. She still looks perfect, wearing a nice dress she obviously wore for dinner, her hair done, her make-up flawless, but there's pain in her eyes, and it's hard to see. "Hi."

"Am I staying tonight?" he asks quietly.

"No," she says abruptly. "No, you don't have to, you worked tonight and you're tired."

Lenny tilts his head at her, gazing at her worriedly.

She swallows. "Everything hurts. I...I barely made it through my day. I used my cane for most of it, and I felt like I practically crawled through the door this afternoon. And then the kids needed to be fed, and Papa had guests over for dinner and..."

"And you're hurting," he says quietly.

It takes a long moment for her to speak up again. "Please stay."

He draws her into his arms, kissing her tenderly, letting her slump against him a little. "Yeah. Let's get you relaxing, huh?"

"The dishes aren't done," she says.

"Fuck the dishes."

"They're almost done, but-"

"Fuck the dishes, Midge," he says soothingly.

She takes a breath and nods, her arms wrapping around him and burrowing in against him.

He follows her back to her bedroom, and closes the door behind them. He helps where she needs him to, getting the zipper on her dress down, helping her unhook her corset, and he drops a kiss on her shoulder, before he slips out of his own suit jacket and tie while she slips into a nightgown.

When she disappears for the bathroom, he digs out the little heating pad near her side of the bed and makes sure it's plugged in and working. Nights seem to be the worst; she's taken the prescribed amount of painkillers for the day, and can't have anymore. He doesn't know where she keeps them (on purpose), and she is rigid in how many she's allowed to have per day.

Lenny imagines he'd pop 'em like candy and just feel weightless forever, but that's not Midge. She prizes her lucidity. Being on heavier medication drove her out of her mind. Incoordination and brain fog just make her feel frustrated.

Which means smaller doses of less heavy shit, which means more lucidity but more pain. The problem being that no one is certain the pain will ever actually go away, so the doctors can say that heavier meds are temporary, but they just don't know.

She comes back in slowly. She hasn't put her hair in curlers, but she did manage to put a little night cream on her face, and when she lays down, she sighs in relief. "Waaaarrrmmmm."

Lenny chuckles a little and sits on the edge of the bed next to her. "Thought it might help."

"Thank you."

"How was your set tonight?" Midge asks, reaching out and taking his hand.

"It went well," Lenny nods. "Sold out the room..."

She smiles proudly. "Of course."

"Almost got arrested, but managed not to get on Officer Peluso's bad side tonight."

"Lucky me," Midge smiles. "And lucky you because I could not have come bail you out when I feel like this, and I would have sent Papa, who...would have shot his mouth off, also got arrested and then I would have had to come bail you both out with my cane."

"I bet the desk sergeant would have been very nice to you," Lenny grins fondly. "What's tomorrow look like? You got time to relax a little?"

"A little," Midge tells him "I'm supposed to meet Susie for lunch at the Stage Deli."

"She could come here," Lenny points out.

"She doesn't like coming all the way here," Midge argues lightly.

"She'd make an exception if you're not feeling well," he points out, gently playing with her fingers.

It's clear she's thinking of arguing with him, but she doesn't, just taking a breath. "I'll see how I feel in the morning."

He nods, satisfied with the compromise, and they stay there in the silence of the room for a long time, Midge's eyes drifting shut, her body finally relaxing a little into the heating pad and the comfortable bed.

"Don't go, okay?" she says.

"I'm not," he promises. "Gimme a minute." He kicks off his shoes and then climbs over her onto the bed, laying next to her, and she carefully rolls over to curl in against him. Her skin is warm and her weight feels good against him. Right, settled there with her head on his shoulder.

He gazes up at the ceiling and lets the quiet take them both for the night.