TW: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Trans Character, Heavily Implied Menstruation, Vomiting

Trott was on his knees, the cool tiles hard against his skin and starting to hurt. He was wary of standing up, however, as the wave of nausea hadn't subsided just yet. Sighing in frustration, he leant his elbow against the toilet rim and closed his eyes. Just a moment later he threw himself forward, the sounds of retching and splashing echoing in the bathroom.

In a room a few doors down the hallway, a tuft of dark hair, speckled with the dried remains of yesterday's hair gel, could be seen beneath a blanket. A muffled yawn broke the quiet and the blanket slid down to show the pale torso of the man who had just awoken.

A hand pressed to his mouth to suppress another yawn. With eyes still shut, Ross sat there for a moment, still not quite all the way awake. His other hand reached out to the side, landing on the cool bed sheets next to him, and he squinted his eyes open when he didn't find what he expected.

Pale teal eyes were barely visible through black lashes but Ross could see that Trott was gone and had been for a while now for the sheets to have cooled. Frowning, he kicked the rest of the blanket still laying over him to the side before pushing himself up onto his long legs. Scratching at his briefs-clad bottom, he walked out of the bedroom and started down the hallway.

Ross was about to call out for Trott before he stopped in his steps. He could hear the ever so lovely sound effects of someone vomiting coming from inside of the backroom. He knocked on the door.

"Trott, you alright?"

The only reply Ross got was more retching, and he hesitated before slowly turning the doorknob and pushing the door open. He took in the sight of Trott leaning against the toilet on the floor, skin pale and body shivering. Making his way to the sink, he grabbed a washcloth and soaked it in cold water before squeezing it until it was just damp.

Ross squatted down next to Trott and waited for the other man to finish up. When it seemed like the violent bodily function was completed, Trott looked up at Ross with a purely miserable expression on his face. His normally golden eyes were dull and bloodshot, snot and bits of vomit still on his chin. Ross held back a grimace and simply wiped at Trott's face gently, making sure that he was clean. He stood and rinsed the washcloth off, squeezing it out again before going back to Trott and wiping over his face again, trying to help the other man cool off.

Ross let the washcloth rest on the back of Trott's neck as he filled a glass with water. He held it out to Trott, who sipped at it before swishing it around his mouth and spitting it out into the toilet. Trott repeated that a few more times before he finally had the energy to stand up. Ross helped, a hand gripping above Trott's elbow. Trott was still a little shaky, so Ross kept a supportive hand on Trott's back, rubbing up and down gently as Trott brushed his teeth.

Trott finished, and Ross wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling the smaller man against himself.

"Feeling better?" he asked, resting his hands on Trott's lower back. Trott nodded, leaning his head against Ross' bare chest.

"Much. Thanks sunshine," Trott said, his voice low and rough.

Ross shrugged and leaned down to kiss the top of Trott's head, "No thanks needed, love. Just taking care of my boyfriend. It's part of the job description, y'know."

Trott laughed quietly before grimacing at a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. He leaned back and groaned, rubbing his hands against his face and ignoring the prickles of tears at the corners of his eyes.

"I fucking hate this. I can't wait until it fucking goes away."

Trott wrapped his arms around himself, mentally cursing his body. The all-too-familiar sting of self-deprecation and discomfort stabbed at his chest. The urge to cry surged and he bit down on his bottom lip hard in order to hold it back. He would not cry. He'd done too much crying lately and he was pissing himself off.

Ross watched as Trott's face twisted into a different kind of misery, and concern welled up inside of him. He reached up to rest a hand on Trott's neck, his thumb rubbing just beneath the other man's jaw, before leaning down to press his lips against Trott's softly. He stayed there, feeling Trott breathe against his mouth, smelling and tasting the mint of the toothpaste.

After a moment, Ross pulled away, sliding a hand down to slip his fingers in with Trott's.

"C'mon."

Trott followed Ross as he lead the smaller man into the livingroom. Ross sat Trott down on the couch and knelt in between Trott's legs, wrapping his arms around Trott's waist. He peered up at his boyfriend, staying quiet. Trott met Ross' gaze and his lips curled into a small smile, his fingers going to Ross' hair and running through the stands gently.

They stayed in this position for a few minutes before Trott curled in on himself slightly, his arms going around his waist. He held back sounds of pain as the cramp ripped through him, his eyes squeezing shut. Ross watched, worrying his lower lip between his teeth, trying to think of something he could do to help.

Then he remembered something.

"Be right back," he assured Trott, letting his hand run over the other man's shoulder before heading into the kitchen.

Putting the kettle on, Ross searched the cupboard for a box of tea. He rifled through it until he spotted what he needed. He made the tea as quickly as he could before carrying it back to Trott.

"Here," he announced, holding the cup of tea out to Trott.

Trott looked up at him, a brow quirking, before he reached out and accepted the drink. He brought it to his nose and sniffed at it.

"What is it?"

Ross sat on the couch next to Trott and rested a hand on his lower back, rubbing small circles into the area he knew got the most sore at these times. "It's ginger tea," he answered, "I read that it helps with cramps."

Trott looked dubious but shrugged and took a sip of the tea anyway. It tasted nice, at least. He took another drink and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the tea move down his throat and spread into his limbs.

"It's good," he said, opening his eyes and smiling at Ross.

Ross smiled back at him. He let Trott sit in silence, just rubbing his back, as the smaller man kept sipping at the tea. He hoped it would work at least a little bit. He didn't really understand what these kinds of cramps felt like, but Trott had described them as "being stabbed in the lower gut over and over again". He really didn't want his boyfriend to have to deal with that if he could help it.

When Trott finished the tea, he was pleasantly surprised when the cramps had lessened. They still hurt, but not as much. He set the cup aside and turned to wrap his arms around Ross' neck, pulling him down into a kiss. "You're amazing, sunshine," he murmured against Ross' mouth. He could feel Ross smile against his lips.

Ross squeezed Trott gently before letting go and leaning back. He peered into Trott's golden eyes for a moment before clearing his throat. "I have another idea," he said, nervous, "but it's going to require you trusting me."

Trott furrowed his brow, tilting his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

Ross hesitated before taking Trott's hands in his own and squeezing them, staring at them instead of looking at Trott. "I think it would be best if you didn't wear your binder right now," he paused before frowning, "and you really shouldn't wear it while sleeping anyway, love. It could hurt you, you know that."

Trott blinked. "What do you mean?" he repeated, his nerves raising their hackles. He knew that Ross was right. He knew, of course. It was just so hard to let himself be loose, especially around Ross. What if Ross ended up not being attracted to him anymore? What if Ross left him? These thoughts plagued him constantly and he was so scared. It's not like it hadn't happened before.

"I mean," Ross continued, looking up and into Trott's eyes, "wearing a binder right now probably isn't that great for helping ease your cramps. I mean, you get bloated and the binder feels tighter and it feels like you're being squeezed and it's super uncomfortable and painful, right?"

Trott was quiet before he nodded, his lips pursed, still fighting the thoughts in his head.

"Well, it's best if you don't have to go through that, right?" Ross said, rubbing his thumbs across the back of Trott's hands. "I also want to see if a massage would help as well and that'd be a lot easier without it on."

Trott considered this for a minute, fighting against the waves of dysphoria and fear. Finally he nodded. "Okay," he said, taking a deep breath, deciding that he owed it to Ross to be as true to himself as he could possibly be, "okay, I can do that."

Leaning forward, Ross kissed him softly. "Thank you for trusting me, love," he said softly. Then he leaned back and averted his eyes, knowing that watching would only make Trott feel even more anxious. The sound of fabric moving against skin was all Ross heard before it got quiet again. He didn't look until Trott spoke up quietly.

"You can look now."

Turning back to face his boyfriend, Ross let his eyes roam over Trott. The shirt that Trott was wearing was baggy enough that you couldn't really tell that much of a difference. He met Trott's gaze and saw that the other man was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, uncertainty and fear clear in his features. Ross' heart ached, and he gripped Trott's arms lightly enough that he could pull away if he wanted to, urging Trott towards himself slowly. Finally, Trott was against his chest. He let his arms fall around Trott's waist, holding him to himself. Trott was stiff for a moment, curled so that their chests did not make contact, before relaxing into Ross' arms. His eyes closed and he curled his hands against Ross' chest, burrowing into him.

The silence, tense enough to cut, eased into a comfortable one. Ross let his hands run up and down Trott's back again, feeling Trott relax against him, feeling a surge of love and affection fill his chest, almost making it hard to breathe. Gods, he loved Trott so much.

"You're gorgeous, Trott."

Trott hummed in reply, a smile curling his lips and tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. He rubbed his face against Ross' chest, sliding his hands up and around his boyfriend's shoulders, holding onto him tightly. He was so blessed to be with someone like Ross, someone who tried his best to understand and to allow Trott to be exactly who he was. Who stood up for him and who let him fight his own battles when need be. What did he ever do to deserve someone like Ross?

They pulled apart a moment later and looked at each other. Warmth stretched between them and they smiled softly at each other, the both of them feeling an aura of warm comfort and a sense of belonging in each other. Then Ross eased Trott onto his back to lay across the couch, his head resting on the end pillow.

"Alright," Ross said, fitting himself between Trott's legs. "Massage time, love."

Trott laughed and brushed his toes against Ross' side, making the other man curl slightly. "Alright then. What exactly will this entail?"

Taking the edge of Trott's shirt in his fingers, Ross pulled it up slightly, watching Trott carefully. "I need this pulled up so I can massage your stomach and stuff. That alright?"

Ignoring the tendrils of nervousness that curled through him, Trott let Ross push the shirt up until it reached the bottom of his ribs. Then Ross tugged Trott's briefs down just a little so he could more easily reach Trott's lower stomach. Placing his hands on Trott's hips, he started rubbing his fingers in gentle circles over Trott's abdomen. He looked up at Trott and smiled when he saw the other man watching him, his features soft and warm.

"Alright, love?"

Trott's smile widened slightly and he nodded, reaching out to rest his hand against Ross' face, the man's stubble tickling his palm slightly. "You will never know how happy you make me, sunshine, it's unbelievable."

Ross laughed softly and turned his head to kiss Trott's palm. "I could say the same about you."

Time passed as Ross continued massaging Trott's aching belly, moving to his lower back next and letting his gaze run over the gentle curves of his boyfriend's body. Ross could see Trott's spine just beneath his light brown skin and couldn't help himself from running his fingertips down over the bones. Trott arched his back slightly and let out a small huff of air.

"That tickles, twat," the man said, voice muffled against the arm he was resting his face against. Ross chuckled quietly, keeping the image of Trott's muscles moving beneath his skin as he arched his back stored away in the back of his mind. He could make use of that imagery later.

"Sorry love, couldn't help myself," Ross replied, moving his hands back down over Trott's lower back and pressing his thumbs into the knotted muscles, gently massaging them into loosening up.

Trott groaned into his arm. Ross paused before continuing.

"You alright?" he asked, as Trott let out another small noise, a little flustered by the way the little sounds were affecting him. 'Now is not the time!'he berated himself mentally.

"Mmm," Trott curled his toes slightly and nodded, "yeah, just feels nice. You're pretty good at this, sunshine."

Ross smiled. "I took a few classes a while back for fun. Thought it'd be nice to be able to do this for someone I loved." Trott smiled into his arm.

"That's sweet," Trott said, his voice broken up by a yawn. Ross laughed and smoothed his hands down over Trott's hips before sitting back.

"Tired?"

Trott snorted and pushed himself up onto his elbows, peering over his shoulder at his giant boyfriend, his fringe falling over his eyes. "It is four in the morning, after all," he replied dryly. Ross stuck his tongue out at Trott before flicking his gaze over at the empty mug on the coffee table.

"Want one more cuppa before heading back to bed?" he asked, pushing himself up onto his feet as Trott twisted around to sit normally, hugging his knees to his chest. Trott nodded and Ross took the mug before going to the kitchen to fix a second cup of ginger tea.

Trott sipped at the hot tea, leaning against Ross with his eyes closed, their hands linked together between them. When he finished, Ross took the cup to the sink before coming back and leading Trott towards the bedroom.

"Wait, I have to... to take care of something real quick," Trott said nervously as they reached the bathroom door. Ross nodded understandingly and waited as Trott took care of his business. He took Trott's hand once again when the man came back out and they entered their bedroom.

Trott yawned and Ross pressed a hand against his lower back, ushering him to the bed. Before Trott could lay down, however, Ross cupped his hand at the nape of Trott's neck and nuzzled his nose before kissing him softly. Trott smiled against Ross' lips and slid his arms around Ross' waist, holding onto him tightly.

"I meant what I said before, Chris. You're the most gorgeous twat I've ever seen," Ross murmured against the other's mouth, "Don't ever forget that."

Feeling his chest grow tight, Trott made a small noise of affirmation and closed his eyes. They held onto each other for a moment, listening to each other's breathing and the sounds of the night outside the window. Then they broke apart and Trott crawled into the bed and beneath the blanket, watching as Ross walked around the bed to join him.

Their arms found each other again and they were pressed up against each other in an instant, Trott's head resting on Ross' shoulder, an arm curled up against the bigger man's chest and the other following the curve of his body. Ross rested his hand on Trott's hip and rubbed his thumb against a sliver of skin not covered by clothing. They peered into each other's eyes until Trott's eyelids grew heavy. Then he slept, soft snores slipping from between slightly parted lips. Ross studied the curves and angles of Trott's face, memorizing every freckle and scar, until he drifted off as well, slipping into sweet dreams.

Credit to sweetsharps (neurodivergentnerd) on Ao3