Chapter Text
Raj let out a ragged gasp, groaning and rolling over the taste of vomit and blood on his tongue as he wearily pushed himself onto his knees. His heart is pounding hard in his ears, it's rapid beat drowning out all other sounds. He fell down on his hands again trembling as flowers forced themselves up, his throat being torn to shreds as they fell from his mouth.
His throat hurt...
His lungs hurt...
He couldn't breathe...
The blurry form of Taiga appeared in his vision, kneeling down In front of him. The boy was saying something but Raj couldn't hear anything.... he felt too weak to respond, then despite his best efforts the world blurred again and Raj fell back into darkness
It had been one thing after another and it was getting exhausting.
Damian sighed deeply, he was... frustrated. That was the word. There was just too much going on and his system was having a hard time keeping up. His arm was sparking dangerously, he needed to fix that but he needed to focus on his crew first. Then he could deal with his own state and every other responsibility that was now weighing heavily on his shoulders, ever since the battle had been won Damian hadn't been able to analyse the crews condition. He had so many other things to focus on first before he could give the crew the attention they needed, finally able to assess things Damian sighed once again before starting his work on picking people up. Heather was beside him in an instant to assist in helping the best she could despite looking as injured as everyone else, Damian silently handed over one of his two last sugar sticks to her just so she could keep going, which she took gratefully.
"How is everyone holding up?" Damian asked gruffly as he kneeled next to Heather as she healed up Bradley, Damian turning to Jiro himself to pick up his superior. "I... I don't have too much left in me but... after Bradley I just have Taiga and Raj to check on" Heather muttered hurriedly as Bradley's wounds healed over and he was able to sit up with a little help, the two hugging and exchanging a look that Damian couldn't quite understand before Heather scurried off to the other side of the room. Bradley still looked a little out of it so Damian had Choppa come over to give him a check over just to make sure he wasn't concussed. Jiro wasn't conscious but he was alive and that was good enough, Damian ran a hand down his face... he was exhausted but they were almost in the clear.
Almost... Yokan had still eaten a man and they still had this whole kingdom political situation- and November. Damian shook his head standing up stiffly, the more he thought about all his responsibilities the more likely that in his state he would shut down, then what use would he be? He turned his gaze over to Yokan who was clearly still in a manic state as she tried to calm herself down balled up with her knees drawn to her chest as she sat herself down close but not too close to Damian.
"Are you going to demote me again?" Yokan whispered her eyes red with tears barely peeked up from behind her knees. "No, I literally can't demote you any further... but we do need to have a serious talk about all this." Damian replied trying to be comforting but by the sorrowful look on Yokan's face he realised he had missed the mark entirely. "Look, I should've paid more attention to my crew and especially to how you were spiralling Yokan, I failed as you captain and I will help you in anyway I can." He added on, being sincere as it was his responsibility to look out for his crew and to know if and when they were struggling but he hadn't noticed a thing. Yokan bit her lip and nodded, tears and snot still streaming as she struggled to pull herself together; "I never wanted to hurt anyone... I just wanted to save people..." She murmured as she wiped her face, Damian clenched his fists struggling to find words of comfort. He knew how she felt to an extent, he had come to the Marines originally to save people only to become the Marines weapon. He had hurt so many people and now he had the power to save more than he hurt and he still failed.
Damian took a breath and sat beside Yokan thinking for a long moment before speaking once again; "We are all here for you Yokan, you're important to the crew... I and everyone else are willing to help if you ask. But you have to ask, we won't know unless you do." The words were difficult for Damian to say but they felt true. Suddenly Yokan's head was against Damian's shoulder her tears wetting his coat, at the contact Damian froze in place uncertain how to react. Eventually and hesitantly Damian's arm hovered over Yokan's back, comfort wasn't something Damian was used to... neither was affection. But he knew this was what Yokan needed and just as his arm moved to fully comfort Yokan, her head abruptly shot up, her nose twitching before she dashed off to the other side of the room leaving Damian feeling tense and oddly disconcerted.
Damian couldn't help but sit there for awhile, his hand hovering in the air where Yokan was before he finally lowered it. He wasn't certain where this uneasy feeling was coming from but something was deeply wrong as he looked over to where Yokan had run over to, seeing her join the small huddle of Taiga and Heather to the side of the room... why wasn't Raj standing with them? Was he still hurt? Why hadn't Damian noticed?
Damian found his body moving before he could think, despite his own injuries he took quick long strides towards the group huddle. Yokan noticed him first and looked as if she wanted to run up to him but Heather stopped her, whispering something before approaching Damian herself. "Where's Raj?" Was the first thing out of Damian's mouth and Heather's hesitant and worried look was all he needed to see before he barreled past her. Body moving completely on its own, Heather was trying to say something but his mind was whirring too loud and all he could think about was if Raj was okay. Everyone had to be okay... Raj was strong.
Damian froze in his tracks... staring straight forward at Raj.
Those flowers...
The blood...
Damian moved forward quickly, attempting to take Raj into his arms. But his current state betrayed him and he just couldn't, guilt settled on his shoulders like the weight of the ocean itself. A hand came to rest on his shoulder snapping him out of it.
"I'll take him" Yokan's voice full of determination and hiding her fear well, cut through the guilt and worry as she quickly and carefully brought Raj into her arms, lifting him with ease. Damian followed her in standing; "We need to get him back to the ship" Damian said softly before turning to the crew to direct them as their captain. "Bradley, you're in charge right now. Kai you help out, you two need to help make sure things in the city are okay. I'm trusting you with this."aa
"Aye aye captain, I won't let you down, you just make sure everyone is doing okay and me and Kai will handle the rest" Bradley stated with a salute, Kai nodding and saluting in turn.
Then they were off, Damian's footsteps thundered through the forest keeping in stride with Yokan who clutching the broken body pf his comrade... his friend in her arms. His left arm was barely functional and Damian knew he was close to system shutdown but pushed through it and kept running. Raj's chest barely rose and fell, his breath short and ragged... his eyes struggling to stay open as he fought to remain conscious. He heard the footsteps of two others following close behind and Damian turned slightly to see Heather and Taiga trying desperately to keep up. They both shot him a look that practically screamed "We're not turning around", so Damian just nodded and continued to stampede through the forest hoping that they could get back to the ship in time.
The forest felt impossibly large and dense as Damian's small group rushed through, half of Damian's gaze was on finding the path through... but the other half was constantly lingering on Raj. His eyes darting back and forward a deep fear rooting itself into Damian's heart, he forced himself to clear his mind to stay on track. Raj would be okay, Damian could save him... he wouldn't be too late this time.
**Two Weeks Ago Jeopard's Lab**
After beating the AI version of Jeopard, Damian still held a small bit of hope in his heart that the man himself was still alive despite how foolish the thought. He had separated from the crew to follow Repairo through the darkened halls, now void from the bright lights of Jeopard's projected self and the sound of his bragging. Even in the darkness and through the layers of dust, Damian remembered how it was to be here all those years ago when it was just him and Jeopard making what they believed could help the world. Now those memories had been stained with Jeopard's actions, all Damian wanted was to know was... why? Why did Jeopard give up on progress and fall into this pit of obsession with AI and staying stagnant forever. Damian wished to get those answers from the man himself... he wouldn't get any. Any hope of speaking to his old partner again was crushed as the stench of decay hit his nose as Repario lead him to Jeopard's room, at the robot's hesitance at the door Damian led the way. Already knowing what would be on the other side.
Jeopard's room was neat, with a thin layer of dust over everything. It felt nostalgic in a way... though slumped in a chair, device strapped on his head and a horrifyingly serene smile on his bloody lips... was Jeopard. Damian stood still taking in the sight of his friend's body, he knew that this was the most likely outcome... he knew that things would probably turn out this way. It didn't make the loss hurt any less. Damian hesitantly walked forward his eyes locked onto Jeopard, he at least needed to know what happened as he closed in on the body there was a strange crunching noise under Damina's feet, like walking through leaves in autumn. Damian cast his gaze downward to see.. dried flower petals, he furrowed his brow in confusion as he kneeled to examine the foliage. His system's investigation pinned them as... Forget me nots, about a week old. Damian took one of the delicate petals into his hand, careful so it would not crumble immediately standing with a perplexed expression before Jeopard's corpse. This was a desert island how had these gotten into Jeporard's possession? Damian recognised the bloom somewhat... a hazy memory of a childhood that felt so long ago.
He turned to Repario with a quizzical expression wondering if the robot could offer him any answers, Repario's wiery metal fingers fidgeted as he shuffled towards Damian and Jeopard's body. "F-father... was sick... f-for a l-long time, then he was g-gone." Repario said, his voice shaking with something that Damian couldn't tell was emotion or bad programming. Damian looked between Repario and Jeopard feeling like none of this was reality but he took a breath to rationalize himself. "When did this happen?" Damian asked keeping his tone as calm as possible, just needing answers. Repario took a long time to answer, either scared to tell Damian or just buffering. "F-father came in h-here a week ago... and d-didn't come out, n-no matter how many t-times I called f-for him." Repario's words actually rattled Damian, Jeopard had only been dead for only a week?
Did Damian make the wrong choice in going after Taiga first? If he had come here... then maybe he could've- No Damian couldn't think that way, saving Taiga was important. He had been hurting people and had been hurting in turn, who knows what would've happened if they hadn't gone to him first. With Jeopard, Damian didn't have all the information there was not even a hint that Jeopard was dying or that he was spiralling. Damian couldn't of known but the guilt still hung over his head like a guillotine.
"How... how did... how did he die?" Damian asked surprised at his own hesitance, stepping forward and running a hand along the dusty side table. Gaze lingering on the old photo placed upon it like an prized possession, him and Jeopard when they were young... just after they had first opened the lab. Damian delicately took the picture into his hand, staring into his own eyes. As Damian stood pondering over old memories and wondering when he had lost his smile for some odd reason. Repario raised his shaky voice once again.
"F-father... missed you... t-too much."
**The Present**
The ship came into view like a beacon of hope but Damian didn't let himself feel relief at all, Raj was in critical condition the Al-miraj having slipped into unconsciousness again just a moment ago. He herded his small group into his lab taking on a captain's tone as he commanded Taiga and Heather to go get a medical bed from the bay so Yokan could set Raj down. As they waited for the duo's return Damian started flicking through databases, searching for something... anything that could help him. He had looked into what had killed Jeopard as much as he could with his limited resources, he had been lucky that Nurse knew more than him on viruses and illnesses as her research had been vital in giving Damian closure but also crushing him with guilt.
"Damian... is Raj going to be okay?" Yokan spoke up her voice full of fear and anxiety despite clearly trying to keep a level head, she hadn't spoken at all during their rush to get back, none of them had so her sudden presence almost made Damian jump. "He will be, I'll make sure of it." Damian answered stoically, flipping through the folder that Nurse had left for him. "Parasites and Diseases for Dummies" A crude title and made by Nurse herself just for Damian, he was thankful for her hard work at the time and was even more thankful now. Hanahaki was a horrifying illness to Damian, the idea that someone could be overtaken so deeply by love that it would manifest into a deadly disease. It felt like something ripped straight out of a fantasy novel but this world was stranger than fiction sometimes and Damian had to face that on the daily. Yokan peered over his shoulder to read as well, her face visibly paling as she read along.
"Captain, how can you be so calm seeing all this" Yokan's voice steadied sounding more angry than afraid now. Damian thought for a moment, he truly wasn't as calm as he seemed from the outside. Inside every panic alarm was baring, his body was close to shutdown and there was a deep pit on his stomach that deepened the longer Raj remained unconscious. "I am calm because I have to be, because I am your captain and even in times of crisis I need to be the one making the difficult decisions." Damian answered curtly, standing and turning to start setting up his tools trying to keep his mind off the whirring worries in his mind. Yokan gawked at him like Damian had just grown a second head before she growled annoyedly; "So you just don't care? Okay so you save Raj by cutting out that plant but that book said that he'd... he'd forget the person he loves! Do you really want to do that without even asking him first?"
"And if he doesn't wake up? What do you think I should do Yokan, of course I would prefer asking... but that might not be an option." Damian responded, back turned to Yokan, palms pressed hard against the metal of his desk enough to be painful for a normal person but for Damian he didn't feel a thing. Yokan made a move to retort but the door slammed open and Heather busted in pulling along the requested medical bed with Taiga heading up the rear.The boy waving but Heather looked pensive;
"We're back! Now the old man can get better right?" Taiga asked with false jovially as he and Heather steered the bed into the middle of the room. Yokan huffed but gently set Raj down, the man's body slightly too tall for the bed so Yokan had to carefully tuck Raj's legs in. "Thank you, you two did a great job." Damian said stiffly, still cooling off from his short conversation with Yokan. Heather approached and handed him and Yokan a cup of tea each, a small strained smile on her face; "I'm sorry we took a moment, I collected a bunch of medical things you might've needed... pain relief and stuff. I-I also filled my teapot to the top with some peppermint tea... I uh would've done Lavender as I personally find it more relaxing but... I didn't think it be appropriate" Heather trailed off at the end, her eyes becoming filled with worry as he took a glance at Raj. Her words caught Damian's attention though; "What do you mean it wouldn't be appropriate?" Pieces started to fit in place as Heather and... Taiga both displayed the expressions of guilt and secrecy.
"You two knew about this" It was more of a statement than a question, Damian's face was stone cold as he stared at the both of them grip tight on the teacup. Heather went completely silent her hands shaking slightly as she looked away from Damian to put her teapot down before she dropped it. Taiga was the one to speak up despite looking equally scared; "Yeah... we knew and we didn't say anything but Raj told us not to say anything, I swear Damian we would've told you! We wanted to, but Raj.... didn't want to worry you." Taiga explained in a placating tone as if afraid that Damian would start yelling. "I'm sorry... we didn't know this would happen." Heather added on quietly, her ears flat to her head with anxiety leading to Yoakan putting a long arm around the both of them to comfort them butting into the conversation before Damian is able to get another word in.
"It's not your guys's fault, you were just looking out for Raj... he obviously didn't tell you everything to not worry you just like you two didn't want to worry everyone else." Damian couldn't help but let out a huff of annoyance at Yokan's words but he sighed; "Look I'm not mad at you two for not saying anything... nor am I mad at Raj but do either of you two know why he couldn't tell me? I- We could've fixed this a lot sooner if he had just come to me." As he spoke it was if everyone in the room was frozen for a moment, Taiga casting a glance to Heather, Heather to Yokan and Yokan to Taiga.
They were still hiding things from him.
"This is not the time for secret keeping you three, either you fess up and tell the truth or I will order you out of my lab so I can save Raj's life... I am not losing someone else to this damned disease." His words were firm with a undercurrent of anger coursing through him. He started getting to work as the trio stumbled over their words, Nurses instructions clear in his mind. Having her here to assist in this operation would be prefered, not that Damian doubted his skills. Perhaps he would call her once his lab was clear, having someone else with medical knowledge would be better than being alone even if she wasn't there in person. He set the Den Den Mushi up just incase before starting to set up the anesthesia, even though Raj was currently out cold the idea of doing any of this with the risk of Raj waking up during it.... it made Damian's heart twist uncomfortably. Damian paused over Raj's body, staring down at the man's chest where he knew the root of the disease lied but... he hesitated and in that hesitation Heather spoke out grasping Damian's hand in her own.
When did his hand start shaking?
"C-captain I'm sorry for what I'm about to say... especially without Raj's consent but you're never going to understand unless someone says it plainly to you... Raj is in love with you." She let out a deep sigh, her voice trembling somewhat despite her unyielding tone and posture."That is why no one said anything," Her confession made Damian pause in bewilderment and shock turning towards her, his brows knitted in uncertainty.
"What?" Was all Damian could muster, his mind racing chaotically, order and composure being forgotten for a moment as he struggled to process what had been said.
Heather just stood her ground determined, her hands balling as if ready for a confrontation; "You can take those flowers out and save his life but..." Heather paused for a moment, biting down on her lip as her fearlessness faltered and her eyes began to fill with tears. "If you care for him the way he does for you then... just say something to him... please" Yokan stepped to Damian's other side her face torn between acting strong for the others or crying her eyes out; "And if you remove them he'd forget you..." She stops talking for a moment, her words stuck in her throat from emotion; "T-This is my fault isn't it for trying to get you two together... My pushiness caused this" Taiga pushed through his face already wet from tears; "I don't care how you feel old man but Raj clearly does... and I just want him to be okay, so if you love him... tell him, if not just save him man."
The three of them tugging at his coat, all their eyes on him... tears flowing from them.
It was overwhelming.
Damian thought that this would be easy, that he could save Raj unlike how he had failed Jeopard... but everything had come full circle. Even without a stomach Damian felt like he was going to throw up. "I-I'll save him.. I promise." It felt like a lie even though it wasn't one but the trio believed his words and several pairs of arms forced him into an awkward hug.
"Whatever you do doesn't matter as long as Raj is okay."
"I swear that this isn't your fault... he chose to keep this from you."
"We're here if you need us, okay?"
The words washed over Damian but he couldn't identify who was saying what, it was all to much. Then like a blink he was left alone in his lab... well not alone, Raj was here. Raj was stable....Raj would be okay...
Damian stiffly moved to sand back over Raj, gaze flittering between Raj's face and the tools Damian needed to kill the weed that was trying to steal him away.
He slumped down, leaning against the medical bed. He didn't know what to do... this wasn't something he ever thought he would have to think about... his feelings.
Damian unthinkably grasped the Den Den Mushi in hand calling the first number he could remember right now. It rang for a long while, the little snail sitting comfortably in his palm. Then that familiar dry voice rung out; "Damian what do you need?" Damian silently sat there unsure of how to reply, he was never uncertain, never wavered but the words failed him now.
"Nurse... what is love supposed to feel like?" The words scared Damian and he wished he could take them back the moment they left his mouth but they were out there in the world now. A fear Damian never wanted to admit, he didn't understand love. But he now knew that Raj apparently loved him enough to be dying from that feeling and he knew that knowledge made himself feel... confused.
Nurse scoffed; "Trouble in paradise?" Her tone was bone dry and non humorous before she continued; "To be honest Damian, I don't know... I have never felt love myself but I know my sister, Joy she loves that dumb fisherman boy of yours, never stops talking about him. She wishes that she could be by his side all the time, fight alongside him... protect him and be protected in turn. She's smart so she doesn't think they'll be together forever like in all those silly kids stories but she said that... just being with him for a short while makes every small moment worth a million."
Damian let those words settle in his mind trying to make sense of them; "And to her that is love?" Damian muttered the question, voice so quiet in this moment.
"Apparently" Nurse responded back bluntly, her tone then softening slightly; "Those who feel love can feel it in so many different ways... it's a complicated emotion. Something I don't understand but know the science of... the only love I know is the love I feel towards my sisters so my only advice can come from that. If you feel as if your life is better when they're around... then you love them, the type of love doesn't matter."
Damian took a breath tilting his head back, eyes closed to push through everything that was going through his mind; "Thank you Nurse... you've given me a lot to go over, I-I think I know what I need to do now." Nurse just hummed in response then spoke again; "It's not a problem Damian... was there a reason you called me outside of bemoaning your lack of love life?" Despite her cold words Damian knew that she was just worried. He slowly stood up, looking over Raj his free hand coming to rest on the side of the medical bed close to Raj's face. He hadn't actually thought through why he called Nurse, originally he was considering calling her to help with the operation only to call her without thinking and saying the first thing that came to mind. Damian was really starting to feel like he wasn't living in reality... why was he finding himself acting so... human?
Something Raj had said to him once came to mind, making the corners of Damian's mouth twitch slightly.
"No there wasn't anything else Nurse... thank you." Damian answered quickly hanging up and putting the Den Den Mushi down.
Raj twitching slightly made Damian turn, for some reason afraid that Raj would wake up right now. Only for the Al-Miraj to settle back down, muttering in his sleep somewhat... Was he having a nightmare? Damian hesitantly brushed a hand lightly over the fur of Raj's brow, he had never tried soothing someones nightmare's before nor had he touched someone so gently. Damian was thankful for having a lack of nightmares now though he understood the pain and stress of them from before, Raj's fur was... soft but slightly rough with age. Befitting of Raj.
"You have a kinder heart than you realise..." Damian murmured those words once said to him, he never understood why Raj had thought so highly of him. Damian was no saint, in his own eyes he was a monster... but for some reason so many people saw more in him, saw humanity in him. And Raj had always been the one to voice those thoughts the loudest, always at Damian's side to protect him. Stuff Damian had noticed but hadn't thought much of outside of their... friendship? Comradery? None of those words fit. How long had Raj been suffering with these feelings, how long had it been destroying him from the inside?
Damian's hand came to rest on the side of Raj's face for a long moment before he leaned in close to say in a tone only for this moment; "I'll save you... I promise, like you've saved me over and over again. I'm sorry it took so long for me to understand you."
Raj's eyes opened wearily, his gaze blurry at first but slowly Damian's face came into focus sharp blue eyes staring into his own with an odd intensity. Raj bristled, for a moment fearful at the closeness but then a sudden calmness he hadn't felt in forever washed over him like a soft wave. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, his body still weak and shaky so at his slight struggling Damian's cold hands came to steady him. "How are you feeling?" Damian asked, sounding... worried? His words made Raj want to laugh, he was not okay in the slightest but Damian's tone threw Raj off there was a hint of a tremble to Damian's voice... no Raj must be mistaken. He found himself looking at Damian, head tilted slightly in confusion trying to find the words to respond... and Damian looked away.
"Get... me a drink" Raj rasped out, dropping the pleasantries in desperation. Damian nodded and awkwardly stepped to the side where.. Heather's teapot sat on Damian's desk? Now Raj was even more confused, his gaze moving from Damian to look around taking in where they were and what he remembered. The last thing Raj could recall was the fight with Denial... then collapsing though there were small flitters of consciousness that he could barely grasp onto, half heard conversations and... Damian's hand. They had somehow ended up in Damian's lab... Raj knitted his brows together in thought before a deep panic set in and he immediately patted his chest searching for operation marks... he found none. If the surgery hadn't been performed then... why did he feel okay?
A mug of tea was pressed into Raj's palm, Damian's pale fingers brushing his own for just a moment before he pulled away. The man settling down into his desk chair which had been pulled over to Raj's side. Raj sipped at his tea, oddly enjoying this quiet moment with Damian despite the circumstances. He kept expecting any second to fall into a coughing fit and for Damian to bore witness to Raj's flowers of love, at these thoughts Raj's grip tightened on the mug till his hand was shaking. Damian's cool touch snapped him out of it.
"They told me what was going on after you collapsed I saw.... and they explained, I'm sorry I didn't see that you were hurting Raj." Damian's voice was low and oddly soothing in this moment, Raj just felt even more confused and slightly angry at the idea that his feelings had been spilled without his permission but he knew the kids were just trying to look out for him so he took a breath to gather himself, finding it so much easier than it had been in weeks. "Foolish kids... terrible at keeping secrets." He muttered with a fond chuckle. Damian let out a huff in return, not a laugh... never a laugh from him but it was good enough for Raj.
"I... I want to hear it from you though... I want to know how you feel so I can understand." Damian said catching Raj's eye with that same intensity from earlier. Raj couldn't force himself to look away this time, so he sighed and put down his tea. Grabbing Damian's hand in his, staring into that freezing cold blue that told him to run and faced it head on... not afraid anymore.
"You... you lifted me up from my darkest point and brought me into the light. You gave me hope that life had meaning to it still, you helped me find vengeance and gave me a new purpose once the deed was done. When I look at you I see a man... not a monster like you see yourself to be, I see kindness in your coldness and heart where you say you have none. You have done much bad Damian but have anoned for that evil every day by bringing more good... and more justice into this world. And I would love nothing else but to be by your side till my dying breath... because I love you. Maybe it is silly for me at my age to confess like some lovesick teenager but it is the truth and finally speaking it has brought calmness to my heart... I care for you and I want to be your sword and your defender till the end."
After those words left him, Raj felt content. Feeling that heavy burden lift from his chest like the purest breath of fresh air. Damian looked the most surprised Raj had ever seen him, even though you wouldn't be able to tell from his face... but Raj could see it. He couldn't help but chuckle; "Maybe that was too much..." He muttered softly smiling softly. "No that was... good," Damian interjected awkwardly, fumbling over his words in a way that just made Raj laugh harder. "Good? Is that all... weeks of pain just be told my confession is good" At those words Raj instantly noted the slight change in Damian's expression.
"Sorry I just-" Damian cut him off; "No don't apologise, you have a right to be angry at me-" Raj cut him off in return; "I'm not angry at you Damian, I was the one to scared to admit to you that-" And again Damian butted in more forcefully; "I care okay, I think... this is new to me." At Damian's admission Raj couldn't return with a rebuttal, letting the words linger.
"You care.... About me?" Raj asked slightly leadingly, almost trying to get something from Damian and by the light steam coming from Damian it looks like he actually got a reaction.
"You're important to me... you protect me and... I feel like you understand me better than others." Damian admitted looking away as if flustered though his face remained composed. Raj chuckled softly, brushing his fingers across Damian's knuckles; "Smooth... very smooth but that was sweet, thank you." Raj managed to catch Damian's eyes again and the way Damian went between staring at Raj to looking away was priceless.
"You.... never answered my question earlier, how are you feeling?" Damian's attempt to change the subject made Raj roll his eyes but he answered softly a small smirk crossing his face; "Better somehow... I wonder if that has anything to do with you." The admission was true, he felt... clear. He was able to speak without coughing and that weakness he had felt upon waking up ahd ebbed a lot. But he worded it in a teasing way to see if Damian would take the bait. "Wait so the flowers are gone?" Damian questioned immediately going into check up mode, grabbing Raj by the chin and shining a light down his throat; "Mhm still sore looking but no flowers... huh." Damian sounded completely bemused, sitting down once again once he was done fussing over Raj. "So that means.." Damian started clasping his hands together tightly before trying to continue but his words were drowned out by the sound of the door being shoved open and Taiga charging in, with Yokan desperately trying to drag him back. Poor Heather trying to placate the both of them and clearly failing as they all fell over each other.
Taiga managed to poke his head out of the Yokan and Heather pile looking up at Raj with a bright smile; "Old man! You're alright!" The boy forcefully shoved himself out from under the two girls charging towards Raj and jump hugging him, absolutely shoving the air out of him. "Taiga be careful, he's still recovering." Damian chastised reaching to drag Taiga off but at Raj's glare he put his hand down. "I am alright Taiga... I'm okay." Raj muttered soothingly into the boys hair, starting to feel tears hitting his fur. "I- I just was scared you'd die... and I'd never get to thank you for protecting me." Taiga sniffled loudly, in all the comotion of confessions and feelings Raj had completely forgotten about his injures from Denial barely feeling them at all. He put a hand to his side feeling neat stitches, his gaze flicked back up catching Damian's eye who just looked away. Raj would have to thank him later.
"You don't need to thank me Taiga, it's my honor to protect all of you." Raj said gently, letting Taiga pull away the boy trying to hide his tears with his sleeves. As soon as he had pulled away, two more sets of arms wrapped around Raj, a lot more gently than Taiga. Heather was already crying, shoving her head into Raj's shoulder and Yokan didn't cry as hard but made up for it with how loudly she cried. Not that Raj minded, hugging the two girls tightly. Knowing they needed it. "Raj you're the best and I'm sorry... I ate someone but I DIDN'T WANT TO!" Yokan sobbed out, Raj paused in his calming strokes though the girls hair for just a moment looking worriedly to Damian before speaking; "We can talk about that... but I know you're a good person so we can fix this..." Heather spoke next, clearing her eyes of tears and wrapping her arms around Raj's neck to properly hug him; "I told you... I said that we would be here for you! I was so scared that... that I wouldn't be able to speak to you again.... I am... s-so happy you're okay!" Even though her tears had dried, her eyes immediately well up again and Raj found himself close to tears by their words so he just hugged them tighter.
Between hugs and tears Raj felt that familiar cool hand touch his shoulder, Raj raised his head and Damian leaned forward to press their foreheads together. Something completely wordless but said more than a confession ever would. The flowers had dried up and they both understood why. But no more grand words were needed, just this small moment was enough.