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The hiss of pain that left Aaron's lips made Eric cringe with empathy as he dabbed the cut just under his lover's eye with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball. He blew a cool breath to try and take away the sting as he cleaned the cut.
"Sorry, babe. I know it hurts, but if it gets infected..."
"It's fine," Aaron assured him, gripping the edge of the vanity where he was perched in their bathroom as Eric tended to his wounds.
"Why is it when you and I were out there together, I was always the one getting patched up or put in a cast, but now that you're out there without me...I'm always patching you up?"
"I guess I just didn't want you to feel left out," Aaron teased, groaning softly when Eric's hand gently pushed back the curls at his hairline to clean another cut.
"Well, I'm touched you would go to such extremes to make me happy," Eric told him, pausing to blow against the cut at his scalp before looking into Aaron's eyes again. "But I happen to be pretty partial to you not looking like you've gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson."
Aaron started to laugh, but hissed again in pain, putting a hand to his ribs. Eric tossed the pink-tinged cotton ball into the trash and gently took the hem of Aaron's t-shirt into his hands, lifting it up slowly over Aaron's head and tossing it to the floor. The bruises were already starting to form from Aaron's ribcage down over his abdomen, and even spread across his back.
Seeing the look of consternation in Eric's eyes, Aaron reached up to cup his face. "It's not that bad. My heart's still beating. That's what counts."
Eric opened his mouth to argue, but Aaron wrenched him forward and silenced him with a kiss. Eric sighed in resignation, resting his forehead gently against Aaron's and lightly caressing the dirty scruff lining his jaw. "I hate this. I wasn't afraid before the Saviors came along. Now...I feel like every time you're out there, I'm holding my breath until you're here again...safe with me. I want to be back out there with you."
"Absolutely not." Aaron pulled back to look at Eric solemnly. "We agreed that you won't risk your life anymore."
"You agreed," Eric corrected. "With my ankle in a cast, I didn't have much room to argue at the time, but I'm better now. And things have changed. We're not exactly recruiting anymore. Let me help you scavenge for the Saviors. If what Negan said is true--that we're still in a hole because what happened today--then you need more people out there looking."
"I love you, and I love that you want to help, but I'm asking you to stay here and let me do this." When Eric started to open his mouth to ask why, Aaron pinned him with an imploring look. "Please."
Eric swallowed his argument and took a breath, nodding softly. Both knew the disagreement was far from over, but for now, the ginger-haired man conceded. "Think you can manage a shower on your own? I'll bandage the cuts after."
Aaron nodded and used Eric's shoulders for leverage as he stood up from the vanity. Eric made sure he was steady enough on his own two feet before he moved to turn on the shower and put a fresh towel out--a darker one that would hopefully not show bloodstains too bad. When he turned back towards Aaron, he saw that his lover had managed to get his trousers and boxers off and was shuffling towards the shower stall.
"Are you sure you don't need help?" Eric asked skeptically.
"I'll yell if I need you," Aaron promised, stepping under the spray and closing the shower door behind him.
Eric lingered for a few more moments, then picked up Aaron's soiled clothing, catching a musty scent from them for the first time and noticing that they were slightly damp. He started to ask, but shook his head, deciding it was probably better if he didn't know, then left the bathroom.
"If this is the new norm," Eric muttered to himself. "We're going to need a lot more cotton balls and band-aids."