acatalepsy_logs

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Who: Shiro and you.
Where: Shelter, medical area
When: Hours after rescuing the King.
Rating Pg
What: Shiro comes back battered and wounded from the rescue mission. Keith swears a lot.

He runs his hands over the bandages around his ribs with a wince. He’d gotten so used to being able to shake off bullets and arrows. He has been mostly indestructible. He should have known better. Shiro slips from the small area laid out to treat his injuries as gingerly as he can manage. Cracked ribs are no joke.

He hisses through his teeth as the pain radiates out from his chest and side. He regrets a lot of things. He had charged at a pack of guards confident he would perfectly fine. “Crack goes the Lion.” He mutters as he pulls his duffel bag closer with a foot and fights not to breathe in.

Every breath hurts. They have a surplus of healers this time. The distraction team will all get back on their feet in less time than they would have otherwise. But until then he can just deal with it.

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"Yeah, I'll keep an eye out. That's something I think I'd want to see."

But it still is something to wrap his mind around. Magic or not, it does sound impressive. Keith will try to see some of it if he has the time, if things settle down enough that he isn't on permanent edge about the other shoe dropping with the tensions and violence in the city.

His hand lifts automatically to reach over and set atop the one of Shiro's at his shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze that he hopes is reassuring. "Of course. I always am." If nothing else, Keith is a survivor. But there's tension in the smile he offers Shiro, admittedly most of it worry for the broken Black Paladin. A great deal of his well being is dependent on Shiro's -- more than Keith likely realizes consciously, though it became clearer and clearer each time he's lost him.

He watches him and shifts, moving to pull Keith into a very careful hug. "Keith. It will be alright. The Circle is a large group. We have all sorts of powers among us. We can do this! I'll be fine back here. I doubt I'll need to fight for a while. I know you and the others can handle it."

Shiro cautiously tightens his hold on him, smoothing his hands down his back in a soothing gesture. "I don't like being benched but I can't argue that right now I need to be." The painkillers are finally taking the edge off. He slowly let's go and lays down.

He should try to sleep soon. What is his life that he has to calculate the averages of medication effects as he used to chart readings while he flew? Yet he still reaches out to touch Keith's arm and keep physical contact. "...be careful out there. I expect you to end up here because you're crashing for the night. Not because you got hurt from doing something risky."

Keith moves to hug back like he normally would, remembers immediately that Shiro is injured and instead sets a hand oh so very carefully against his uninjured side, leaning into him as cautiously as possible. He nods.

"I know. You're right."

And he is. Every point Shiro makes is correct, and Keith can't and won't argue with them. He'll do what he has to anyway, while there's still some battle to be fought to try to do some good in this place.

He makes sure Shiro is settling in and nods. He sets his hand on top of Shiro's at his arm, holding his gaze. He summons up a shade of a smile. "I'm always careful, Shiro." He lies, a lie so blatant that it's followed by a laugh at himself for even trying. "I'll be smart. No unnecessary risks." Just the necessary ones. Where that lines get drawn is the real question. "You should get some rest. Let the meds do their job."

"I mean it, Keith. No risky behavior. You're one of our few fliers. You're needed more than ever." He moves his pillow with only a wince at the pain. Keith had flat out lied in a way he's pretty sure was meant to make him feel better.

It doesn't. He gives him his flat stare to back up his statement and finally shuts his eyes. "I'll be back up on my feet as soon as the healers get my ribs fixed." He murmurs. He feels so drained. The demand of shifting isn't usually this bad. It has to be using the lasers and getting hurt.

Doesn't mean he has to like it.

Keith almost says Isn't there a dragon out there somewhere? But he's grown a little, in his time with the Blade, so he manages to keep that to himself. He knows Shiro worries, and he wants to shrug it off -- even after all this time, he's not really used to anyone worrying. Shiro's been the only one who has, since he was really young anyway.

And Keith gets it, in a way. He worries a lot about Shiro, after Keberos especially.

"I'll be as careful as I can, Shiro. I promise." And he does mean that.

He also means what he says next, "So... worry less about me and more about taking it easy until you're patched up."

He sighs. "Alright. Be careful out there." He's worried about Keith since he first met him. It's difficult to even consider shutting that off. So he doesn't. Shiro shuts his eyes.

"Make sure to keep an eye on the king's tent." He adds, "Can't miss it, it's isolated from the rest." Hopefully, Keith heeds his advice and doesn't get shot or stabbed.

"Got it. Now get some rest." Keith offers a smile, and with that he heads off to see what's going on beyond this room, and to let Shiro hopefully drift off to sleep.

...

Eventually, however, he makes his way back. It's been... a long day. To say the least. He makes his way into the room as quietly as possible, hoping not to wake Shiro if he happens to actually be resting.

But Keith's steps are a little heavier than usual, a little uneven. It may have something to do with the bandage currently wrapped around his torso -- which is entirely visible given that his shirt is currently in his hand.

Shiro. He ruined his new clothes. Also he got stabbed. A little.

So much for don't get shot, don't get stabbed. They've been overachievers this time.

He wakes up because the footsteps don't sound right. They're heavier, one side being favored more than the other. Then he smells the coppery tang that could only be one thing. Blood. He shoots up in bed so fast his side is awash with pain. He clamps his hand over it and breathes through it as he scans the area for the problem.

His eyes settle on Keith in the gloom. "Keith? What happened?" He lays back down, snatching up his lighter and uses it with a flick to light the lantern by his bedside. Shiro lets his eyes get accustomed to the lantern light and goes cold inside.

"Come closer." He'd jinxed it before. Damn it.

Keith freezes at the first sound of Shiro moving, staring through the dim light and wincing when he hears that breath. Damn it. He's already moving towards the bed, to make sure Shiro didn't go and injure himself further with that. "Sorry... I was trying not to wake you up..." he murmurs even as he watches the light flare to life.

Keith is far more concerned about Shiro at the moment than himself -- which is so true to usual that it barely bears being mentioned. "Are you all right? Did you hurt yourself moving?"

Stopping just beside the bed, he takes a moment to look at him, turned a bit so that his own injury isn't immediately visible. ...but the bandages are wrapped full around him so he's hiding nothing and knows it. "I'm fine, Shiro. Just made a stupid mistake. Forgot to watch my six."

He ignores the questions. They're not important. He wants to growl. What had he said about being careful?? If his temper wasn't set on low burn, he'd have said it. Shiro sits back up and gestures for Keith to turn. "How deep is it?" He'd smelled blood. Has to be some kind of wound instead of cracked bone or a break like his own issue.

"You're bleeding." He reminds him as he grabs the bottle of pills and the water bottle. "You take anything for the pain yet?" Hopefully he has but he has bets on that not being the case. Probably let himself get patched then came straight here to check on him.

It's touching but he worries for him.

"I was bleeding. I got myself stitched up." It's still bleeding, but between the stitches and the bandages, it's slowed to nearly nothing. He'll be fine, he's certain of that. It's not even worth having a healer look at it when their abilities are needed far more by people hurt far worse than him. He frowns a little at Shiro, like he's ready to argue about Shiro even wanting to look at it when Shiro should be lying down.

But instead he turns, lifting the arm on that side with a wince. "Not that deep. It didn't hit anything important."

The wound is on his left side, closer around to his back. It missed his kidney by a few inches, apparently. But hey he has two of those so that can't be a big deal either. He hesitates at the question. Way to call him out on exactly what he did, Shiro. Patched up and straight here. So a shake of his head and he answers in a non-answer, "It doesn't really hurt. You should save those." Bad enough he took them for a hangover really, especially now that he's had a very clear reminder of how much he hates seeing Shiro in pain.

Keith had turned to present his left side and lifted his arm. With the bandages around his middle, he can guess where it probably is. Missed vitals but he's still bringing his eyebrows down with disapproval. "If it doesn't hurt you're in shock. Take the pills, Keith. I can restock at the temple."

He won't give on this. Shiro pulls back on the anger curling in his chest. Not at Keith, at their situation. They don't have the medical equipment he'd want to have. "We don't have the resources here we'd have in space." He says as he pulls his pillow up, shoving it up against the wall so he can sit up for a while.

"You're going to need sleep whether you let yourself be healed or not. Pain makes that a lot harder." He stretches his legs back out and takes a moment to let himself settle. "The first night is always the hardest, remember?"

"I'm not in shock, I'm in denial," he provides. But he also sighs. Sometimes arguing with Shiro isn't worth it. It's never easy, and the older man has a way of relying on things like reason and logic that Keith has little actual ammunition against. So he'll go to retrieve the pills and some water, setting himself to a seat on the edge of Shiro's bed and opening them up.

He glances over at the other man now, frowning. "How are you feeling? Do you need these while I have them out?"

Because Shiro is right. "You still need your rest too."

He leans heavily on his unstabbed side, hand braced to the mattress, wincing just faintly. "I remember. Guess we got a little spoiled by healing pods, huh?"

"...yeah, we did." They got used to needing only a little time before they were back up on their feet. He reaches out to steady Keith with a hand on his uninjured side. "And yes, I could use another dose." He's about as he expected, slightly cranky and achy. Shiro covers his own injured side with his Galra hand and drops it back onto the bed.

"You know what this means. I'd like you to stay closer to the Arena. Or not fight at all. There's a lot of tasks to be completed back here." In the past, he'd have urged Keith to help in the infirmary. But he trusts him. "We needed a scout sticking closer to our encampment as it is."

"Yeah, I know. I'm not quite grounded, but I'll stick close." As much as possible anyway. Even Keith has to admit that he's at the limit of how useful he can be at the moment. Circumstances could change, and he could be launching himself back into the fray without a second thought if it comes to it. But for now, Shiro is right. "Last thing I need is to wind up a liability."

And without getting a chance to heal up, he's in danger of being just that if he pushes too hard. He takes a moment to swallow a couple of the pills before passing Shiro a dose as well. They've been in worse shape before, the both of them, more than once, but both of them being injured at the same time is far from ideal. To put it mildly.

"But first... I really need a nap." He's worn out, between the blood loss and the fighting, and the short painful flight back. Shiro is right. He really shouldn't fly when he's injured. The strain of it nearly took him straight out of the air. And now he knows.

He grins at him, relief in his grey eyes. All evidence pointed towards Keith not taking more reckless actions but, in the past, he'd have been stubborn about it. He slowly reaches around his back and grips him in a one-armed hug. "Make sure you let the healers work on you when you get up. We need trained scouts right now, Keith. Don't put yourself on the lower priority list."

He'll let them work on him too. Shiro lets him go and swallows his dose of pills. Any later and the old dose will wear off and the edge will come back. "You can crash here, the bed is big enough for both of us." And he can keep a sharp eye on him.

He knows they've been hurt worse before. But that was when they had healing pods and he has been alone for a while. Having Keith close is important to him.

It isn't lost on Keith, that look of relief, and it takes him a moment to figure out what it's for, to realize that Shiro was braced for him putting up a fight about this. And thinking about it, he's sure he might have not all that long ago.

He's still considering this as he leans into Shiro, carefully, because they're both in a state.

"I will. As long as they've got a free hand." He'll see about trying to get himself mended. But that goes for Shiro too. Honestly, that goes for Shiro first if he's being honest. Keith will feel better once Shiro is back on his feet anyway.

For now though, he offers a grateful smile, nodding and moving to settle very very gingerly on the bed. "Thanks. Kick me out if I bother your side, okay?"

"Keith. It will be fine." He shifts to make room for him and adjusts the pillow so they can both use part of it. "Take the side closest to the wall," Shiro instructs as he lays back down and pulls the small lamp on the table closer. "..and wake me immediately if I'm bothering your side."

They'll be warm enough to sleep without blankets. Still, he sits back up to snag them from where he'd shoved them down. Keith might want them. "Blankets or no? I don't mind. We'll be fine without." He wants them both to get sleep as soon as possible.

"And don't worry, I'll have them work on me in the morning too. I won't stay down for long."

"Got it," Keith moves to settle himself against the wall, back to it, facing Shiro. He blinks when his own words get turned right back around on him and heaves a sigh of sighs at that. "It'll be fine, Shiro." He parrots back, with a smile.

His wound aches, but less so as he settles, and honestly, settling in to sleep this close to Shiro is kind of nice, reassuring in a way that he didn't expect it to be.

"I'm good without the blankets," Keith agrees as he sets his head on the pillow. No guarantee he won't gravitate towards the other source of warmth in the bed, but it's a chance to be taken.

"Good. Get some rest, Shiro..." Keith manages to get the words out before he trails off into a yawn.

He lays back, leaving the blankets where they were. They won't need them. He rolls onto his side, back to Keith and head on the other side of the pillow. Hearing someone he trusts breathing nearby has become a source of comfort lately. Shiro blows out the lamp and the room is plunged into darkness.

"Sleep well, Keith." Knowing Keith is right here beside him is nice in a way he had never expected it to be. They can shield one another if trouble occurs and he knows exactly where he is. He shoves his thoughts aside and shuts his eyes, letting himself drift and finally, fall back asleep.

Edited 2018-07-01 05:44 (UTC)

Keith is asleep almost immediately. It's one of his talents, honestly. He can drop to sleep in an instant. Staying is sometimes harder. But for now, he's out like a light, especially after the sort of day that he's had, and especially safe and sound and close. At some point as he sleeps, Keith gravitates closer, and then closer.

Shiro is warm and Keith is drawn straight to him, moth to a flame. By the time the older man wakes up, he'll find himself with company closer than before. Keith is tucked up against him, head settled between his shoulders, one arm draped over him.

Honestly it's the best Keith can remember sleeping in a very long time.

Sometime during the night, he'd leaned back into the warmth tucked up against him. He hasn't slept so soundly since his days in the Garrison. The hustle and bustle of the Shelter waking up and people moving through the halls doesn't rouse him. He'd have slept past his usual wake up time if he hadn't programmed an alarm into his watch.

The shrill sound cuts through the lull. Shiro opens his eyes and shuts it off. His eyes drift to the water and pills on the table. Had they...not put those away? He puts his hand on the bed and starts to rise only to stop.

Soft breathing, a warm body against his back...Shiro looks over his shoulder and his expression turns warm. He settles back down. He'll let Keith sleep.

Normally the sound of an alarm, or any sound really, would be enough to jerk Keith straight out of whatever sleep he may be in, no matter how deep. But. Maybe he's too warm or too content, or maybe the fact that he can feel the rise and fall of Shiro's chest as he breathes, he only buries his face more securely where he's got it tucked up against the other's back as if in denial of morning.

Except.

He does feel movement and slowly one violet eye cracks open to find himself pressed quite close up against a familiar, strong, broad back and oh. He definitely didn't start out this close last night.

Huh. He half wonders if he ought to move away, play it off, if he should be embarrassed that apparently he got clingy in his sleep. But there isn't a single cell in his body that wants to move at all that right now. So instead he shuts his eyes again and mumbles a sleepy, "'Morning, Shiro..."

“Morning...” He yawns and shifts just enough to snag the pills and water. They both need another dose. “Looks like we slept just fine.” He tosses a small smile over his shoulder at Keith. It’s not their usual closeness but he doesn’t mind it. Probably what kept them warm all night. “How’s your side?” His own is starting to twinge. The pain killers are wearing off.

It’s going to suck waiting for the new dose to kick in. He stretches a hair and resettles. He should get up and see what the healers can do. But Keith is really warm and his still sleep fogged mind is content to do nothing. Except maybe fall back asleep.

Keith peeks up just in time to catch that smile, and the embarrassment that he'd been determined not to feel creeps up on him. Damn it. But he still doesn't back off, stubborn as ever. Looks like we slept just fine. Shiro says. And the truth is, Keith is quite sure he's slept better than he probably should have, than he has in as far back as he can remember.

He hesitates at the question, before well, giving an answer that Shiro and his sense of humor ought to be proud of, "My side's great. So long as I don't move. Or breathe. Or stay still."

But fussing aside he adds. "It's not bad. I'm fine. What about you? How bad is the pain? You're breathing all right." The last part Keith knows because he's spent the night lulled to sleep by the sound of it. He's made no attempt to move either, to put any distance between them. Part of it is that he meant what he said. Moving hurts. But the majority is more due to how warm and comfortable he is. And the chance to actually keep Shiro in bed and resting is one that Keith doesn't think he can pass up.

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