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Shirogane stumbles towards the water. His wounds burn. They aren't deep, barely more than scratches running along his ribs. But they're from Orgs, so they're already infected. He eases off his jacket and peels off his shirt as he approaches the shore. The lake is still, the moon reflecting off the smooth surface.
He checks the wound in the moonlight. It's a sickly green, pus leaking from each cut, crusting on his skin. It looks worse than it is, he knows this. If it was poison, he would have already felt the effects. No, it's poison in the way that all Orgs are poison: toxic and corrosive by default. Water will be enough to clean the wound.
He strips the rest of his clothes, places them on a rock, and walks into the water. His movement sends ripples through the lake's surface. The ground under his feet is rocky, and the water is chilly as he moves farther in. As the water hits his hip, he takes a handful of water and trickles it over his wound. It does little to clean the wound, considering how much of the infected fluid had hardened and stuck against his skin.
But the water doesn't burn or sting, so he walks farther in. The chill of the water numbs the fire as he lifts his feet and swims forward. His body trembles in the cold as he fully emerges himself. He shouldn't stay in this cold for too long, he can already feel his toes going numb. His feet brush the bottom of the lake as he scrubs at the wounds underwater. The crust falls away easily and the pain is lessened by the cold.
Once the whole area is clean, he returns to shallower water. Standing in waist-deep water, he checks the injury. He's no medic, but it looks clean. The scratches run from his side to his back, almost to his spine. He twists to get a better view of where they end, but it's difficult.
There's a sound behind him, and he snaps to attention. Nothing's there. He's in the middle of the woods, it's likely an animal. The Orgs that attacked him earlier aren't stealthy, they wouldn't sneak up on him when they could take him out while he was away from his weapon.
Turning his attention back to the wounds, he does another check, running his fingers over the scratches, checking for any sign that it's still infected. There's nothing. No pus is forming, and the burn has already faded.
Wading back towards his clothes, he brushes the wet hair out of his eyes. The more his body emerges from the water, the more he shivers. Winter is on its way, he won't be able to use this place to clean himself much longer. Modern humans have warm water inside, he knows, but he has no access to those spaces.
A problem for another day.
Water drips off him as he checks the wound again. The pus is gone, but now there's blood. Nothing serious, but he doesn't want the red to stain his jacket. He was already lucky enough that the attack happened when his jacket was off, bundled under his head as he reclined in the sun. The shirt he was wearing is torn and pus cakes the area around the slices. Unsalvageable as an article of clothing, he decides to rip the infected parts out and use the rest as a bandage.
"What happened?"
Barring his teeth, Shirogane turns on the stranger.
Red steps back, raising his hands to indicate he meant no harm.
"What are you doing here?" Shirogane snarls.
Shifting on his feet, Red avoids looking at Shirogane. "You're wounded. What happened?"
If Shirogane can't get a proper answer from Red, he's not going to bother answering the man's questions. "That's none of your business."
Red purses his lips, still not looking directly at him. "You should clean that. Don't want it to get infected."
Shirogane relaxes as he realizes why the man is acting so weird. Modern humans are oddly uncomfortable with nudity. It's funny, but he's cold and dry enough that he takes pity on the other man and puts his pants back on. "That's what I was doing," he says as he does.
"Lake water is not sterile," Red snaps with surprising anger.
"What do you suggest I do instead?"
Red brightens. He pulls a small bottle out of one pocket, and some cotton out of the other. "Let me help."
"No." Shirogane turns away and resumes tearing up his shirt.
"Why not?"
"I don't need your help."
He hears Red muttering something angry under his breath. "This is my job," the man says after he collects his thoughts.
"You're a healer?" Shirogane turns to him with a raised eyebrow.
"Not..." Shirogane hears rocks shifting under Red's feet as he approaches. "Not exactly. I work with animals, but disinfectant works the same human or not."
"Will it be quick?" Shirogane asks. He doesn't want to deal with any of this, but his experience with Red so far has shown the man to be incredibly stubborn. It will be easier to go along for now.
"Yes!" The relief is palpable in Red's voice. "I've gotten very good at patching wounds quickly with all the unruly dogs I've had to take care of."
"You calling me an unruly dog?" Shirogane raises an eyebrow as he faces the man.
"What, no, I mean, dogs are my usual job, I'm not saying..." The moonlight shows Red's blush as he stumbles over his words.
Shirogane laughs. "I'm joking."
Red stops, his mouth contorting into a pout that's oddly endearing. He opens the bottle in his hands and wets the cotton. "This will sting," he says tersely, "Lift your arm."
Shirogane does as he's instructed, and the man moves in close, hunching down so his face is close to the scratches. Red wasn't lying, it does sting when he dabs the cloth along the scratch. It burns the open wound like salt, and he winces. "What is that?"
Red looks up questioningly at Shirogane. "Alcohol as a disinfectant has been around for more than 1000 years. Did you not use it?"
"Why use liquor when we have magic?"
Red pauses and laughs. "Fair point." His hands are gentle, only pressing enough to ensure the wound is properly cleaned.
It's still uncomfortable. The burn lingers even after he moves on, and Shirogane struggles to stay put as Red moves around him. The scratches are deeper on his back and the burn goes even deeper. He shudders despite the gentleness of the care.
Red's free hand comes to the back of Shirogane's neck, fingers digging into his scalp and the base of his skull. Relief flows from every touch. Muscles Shirogane didn't even know he was clenching relax. The burn is much easier to ignore with the distraction. He hums quietly, and Red's fingers dig in even more.
The touches go lower, as Red rubs circles into the muscles at both sides of Shirogane's neck. His eyes roll back in his head and his head tilts back. It's nice, so nice and relaxing.
Red makes a sound and Shirogane snaps back to attention. His wounds have been cleaned, the burn is fading. Red's hand leaves his neck, and Shirogane wants it back.
Repressing the urge, he turns. "Thanks," he mumbles. His face feels warm against the night chill.
Red isn't fairing much better. He's blushing even worse as he struggles to put the cap back on his bottle.
"You didn't answer my question before." Shirogane picks up the remains of his torn shirt and wraps it around himself. "What are you doing here?"
"I..." Red's hands shake even worse, and he drops the cap. "I like to walk around at night sometimes."
"I like to walk around as well," Shirogane says, "I've never seen you around here before."
"I've seen you," Red says. Shirogane raises an eyebrow and Red backpedals. "Only once. Before. I told you. I saw you bathing in the lake."
Shirogane remembers but finds himself amused again. Modern humans and their hangups. "Were you hoping to see more?"
Red's face nearly matches his jacket. "No. Of course not. I wasn't... I did want to see you, but... This is one of the places I thought you might be, that's all."
"Either way, you got what you wanted," Shirogane points out. He fumbles with the makeshift bandage. There's not enough cloth, and the material was never meant for this purpose.
Red glares at him petulantly. "Need help?"
It's Shirogane's turn to be embarrassed. "I've got it," he mutters as he fails to get the material to hang like he wants.
"You don't have to do everything by yourself." Red comes up behind him and swats his hands away. He takes the uncooperative cloth and ties it effortlessly. The process is done before Shirogane has time to complain.
"I would've gotten it."
Red's hands rest on Shirogane's bare skin, right below the bandage. He steps closer, so the two of them are close enough to feel each other's body heat. "You don't need to. Let me help you."
A shiver runs through Shirogane's body. The night is cold. He has his jacket, but the loss of his shirt will make it an especially cold night. The warmth of another human is tempting.
"I'm not going back to the island," he says firmly, "but you're welcome to keep me company tonight."
Red moves even closer. His breath is hot against Shirogane's shoulder. "I have a place. It's not much, I took near everything out when I moved to the island, but it's private and none of the others know about it."
"Good." Shirogane grabs his jacket, stepping away to pull it on. Red's eyes linger on the line of bare skin visible as the coat hangs open. "Because I'm still a lone wolf. Spending the night with you won't change that."
Red's smile is fond, and Shirogane feels a pang in his chest as the man says, "I'm not trying to change anything."