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"Lift your back... Did you change the bandage yourself? That's a breakthrough."
For only two wounded officers, Brimstone's medical skills were overwhelmed. He knew the measures, sanitary protocols and treatments from the war doctor's internship, but those memories were forgotten and he felt disoriented by the zero existing pressure. His only lifeline were Sabine's human anatomy books, carefully collected from his room to avoid future problems with her, and his smartphone, which unfortunately he had not charged the night before.
"Let's see, how did you...? No, that's it," she mumbled to the serum bag.
"For a non-Sage, you seem to be doing okay," whispered a somewhat pained Raze.
"It's up to me to make sure you're okay. They'll kill me if you don't get better first. " Raze chuckled before he started coughing.
Brimstone was about to retreat when she asked him for a favor.
"Say hi to my friend for me. Tell him I'm so sorry.... No...better tell him to get well soon, that sounds better."
Raze was the least affected by the blast, only some medium deep cuts and a broken rib, despite being two meters away from the explosive device, making the veteran wonder if perhaps Raze might have radiant abilities hidden in some corner of his being.... Now he had to see Breach, lying in his room, due to the lack of stretchers in the medical bay. Brimstone took a deep breath before entering his room, which he congratulated himself on feeling the pump of enclosed air and smell of sweat hitting his face. He was greeted by a man in bed, bandaged over much of his body, disheveled, with large dark circles under his eyes, missing his prosthetics and with a visibly angry look on his face.
"Do you know how long it will take that girl with my arms?". Was the first thing he grunted
"No, and even if she did know, you'd still have to wait" he replied with a growl in return.
Communication between them consisted mostly of yelling, mumbling and growling, everyone already knew that. They didn't hate each other, as everyone thought they did, but Brimstone was very repulsed by it. No one knows why, but they had grown accustomed to that relationship, maybe because of their political stances, maybe because of their past, or even, according to Jett, because they were both too much alike.
"I don't understand your situation Erik."
"If you were crippled like me I'd understand .... And stop calling me that, okay?"
"Does it bother you to be called by your real name? I'll make a note of it for later."
"Did you come here to take care of me or to make fun of me?" she asked sarcastically
"Both" he whispered moving closer to the bed.
I perform the same routine as Raze, but less roughly to avoid further injury. He checked the serum, administered the ointments, made the routine consultations and changed the bandages, something he found difficult because Erik always had the strange habit of having his room in the dark, as if he was some kind of vampire or something, and not only complicated him at the time of treatment, but the mobility inside the room was difficult, almost tripping every two seconds with shirts and pants scattered on the floor, being his only support the light reflected by the battery cymbals... Something stopped him as he made Erik sit up in bed, besides the multiple scars that dressed his pale skin.
"What's that?"
"Nothing, well?
"A piece of shrapnel is nothing.... What an idiot, why didn't you tell me?"
He stood up from the room, and at a brisk pace went and returned from the medical bay with some vermilion-colored briefcases. He searched for something among Sabine's briefcases, which she had left in the room for some reason unknown to him, even more so considering her trauma-based territoriality. He put on gloves and prepared a scalpel, along with some gauze with antiseptic liquids.
"Admit you care about me" Breach taunted in a challenging manner, before stopping with a sharp cry of pain.
He screamed as he felt the tip of the knife dig into his flesh. Brimstone began to slowly dig in, easing access to the chunk of metal embedded in the other man's back.
"I remember when I had to extract five shell casings from a fellow Marine."
"Did I ask you for your life?" In response, the clamp pulled the shrapnel out a little too roughly. A few extra layers of bandage covered the wound, after washing it with neutral ph soap, which didn't stop the freshly opened wound from stinging the mercenary.
Breach settled himself as best he could, avoiding eye contact with the old man. At that moment, he had a strange mixture of feelings, he did not know how to act, beyond his mask of a proud man, despite the vulnerability of the moment. In addition to the discomfort, without his arms he could not perform certain movements, such as standing upright or turning his head, due to the absence of nerves. Even after that effort, he could feel the general's eyes pointed at the back of his neck.
"Can you stop judging me for nothing, Liam?"
"To you I'm Brimstone."
"But can you stop looking at me like I'm the problem with everything?"
"I don't think that of you anymore" Breach heard him sit in the chair next to her. "I think you're someone neglected who needs to be taken care of? For now."
After those heartfelt words, there was an awkward silence. Breach's face turned pink, to which Brimstone answered a call from Sage alerting him to his urgent return.
"I know... I know this is going to sound weird" Brimstone turned to hear Breach speak "I know .... But you can give me a hug "
"Why should I?" The request, at the ex-Marine's discretion, not only struck him as odd, but outright absurd. He didn't know with what intentions, but he flatly rejected the idea. Before he could complain again, Erik (sorry, Breach) explained.
"I like to have physical contact in situations like this. Normally no one... Well, I don't know why I should tell you this."
"...." There was an uncomfortable sigh "Just a moment" I snort reluctantly.
He took Breach's shoulders (or what was left of them) to move him to the side of the bed, and settled in with him. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, the smell of his hair was pleasant and his touch was familiar. She couldn't see his face, but she could feel his peace and tranquility. For a moment she was reminded of her younger self, of field missions, of war and fear.... But having him, next to her, even if he was an annoying piece of shit, made those memories now nothing ....
Killjoy couldn't help but take a picture when he saw them sleeping together