…Do you…do you mean that?" tears run down the white-haired boy’s face, and Tanaka wipes them off gently with a sleeve before pulling him into a tight hug.
"Yeah, so don’t worry about it. No matter what happens, just trust me, alright?" he whispers into E’s hair, tightening his grip, and E’s expression wavers momentarily before he clutches Tanaka’s back tightly as he bursts into tears.
After what feels like hours but could really have been only five minutes, E eventually exhausts himself and falls asleep in Tanaka’s arms. Repositioning himself so as to not get tangled up in the many wires surrounding the bed, and also to seat himself in a more comfortable position, Tanaka sits cradling E’s head, running his hands reassuringly through his soft white hair. Eventually, he feels himself grow drowsy, and leans back into the hospital bed, falling asleep alongside E.
He’s chased out just over an hour later by the nurse delivering dinner, and he sheepishly returns to his own bed as the nurse hands them each a platter of bland food.