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"Hey Hairstripe, what did those guards back there mean by 'You're still a criminal, no matter what the princess says'?" Hugo asks, following Varian's escape from the town with its Coronian guards.
"Nothing, just a mistake I made when I was younger. It doesn't matter anymore," Varian snaps as he keeps walking, not caring if Hugo follows him or not.
"But it seems to matter to you a lot. What did you do, have an affair with the princess? Steal some cabbages?" Hugo teases, bumping his shoulder against Varians.
The alchemist whirls around. "No! If you must know, I kidnapped their Queen and tried to kill their princess, along with her best friend and the aforementioned Queen. Or did you mean when I drugged Rudigar with an alchemical solution and sent him to terrorize the palace? Or perhaps when I drugged half the kingdom with truth serum-laced cookies? Take your pick," he snaps, staring defiantly into Hugo's eyes.
"Varian I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"
"No," he interrupts, "You didn't mean anything did you? You never do, do you? Act before you think, 24/7." Laughing hollowly, he turns away, making his way deeper into the forest.The sound of rushing water quickly grows closer until a river, well more of a stream, appears through the trees.
Hugo chases him to the bank of the stream where they both stop.
"Please Goggles, just let me talk. I don't want to hurt you," Hugo pleads, taking a few careful steps toward Varian, trying not to scare him off..
Varian glances behind him as he steps into the water, fully intending to cross. "It's a bit too late for that Thief." He glares at Hugo, which is why he doesn't see the soaking-wet moss-covered rock sticking up out of the water. He steps onto it, but his boot can't find traction and he falls, face-planting into the water with a large splash.
Hugo rushes into the water to the unmoving alchemist and rolls him onto his back. Blood trickles from a deep cut just above his left eyebrow and splashes into the water, not mixing but just expanding and swirling until it's swept downstream. He presses his fingers to Varian's neck and finds a pulse, distant but steady.
Good. He's merely unconscious, not dead. Now he has to wait for him to wake up, which on one hand, he doesn't want to do in this freezing,rocky river but on the other hand, should he be moving Varian? After a minute of thinking, he decides to move.
Hugo slides his arms under Varian and lifts him up, almost dropping him when Varian's limp body starts to slip out of his arms. Luckily he rights the alchemist before any damage can occur.
He takes a few steps away from the offending water source and gently sets Varian down on a soft-looking patch of moss.
"Goggles, are you going to die on me? Cause if you are, I would really appreciate a warning?" he asks. Nothing. "Come on Hairstripe, work with me!"
He sits back against a thick tree trunk and waits, watching as Varian's chest rises and falls. Birds chirp cheerily from the treetops and occasionally a lone leaf will flutter down from the tree canopy. Hugo catches one of these leaves and spins it by the stem between two fingers.
After what feels like ages but is really only a few moments, Varian starts to stir.
Hugo tumbles forward, scrambling to get to Varian's side. The leaf he had been fiddling with flutters to the ground, forgotten.
"Ugh my head feels like- what are you doing?" Varian stares up at Hugo, who is crouched over him.
"Checking to see if you're not brain damaged. How do you feel?" Hugo grins as he wipes a trickle of blood that threatens to go into Varian's eye.
"Get off," Varian hisses. " And as I was saying, my head feels like it got smashed against my laboratory wall. Again. Also, why am I soaking wet?"
"You don't remember?"
"Well, clearly not. Can you please just answer my question? It is much too bright out here and my eyeballs feel like they're being split open with a rusty nail."
"That doesn't sound very present, And you are sopping wet because you face-planted in the river, which is how you got that nasty gash on your head," Hugo explains. "We should get you back to the caravan so I can get a better look at your head."
"Don't like being wet. But I have dry clothes back at the caravan so let's go." Varian stumbles to his feet, nearly smacking his head on the tree trunk when his legs decide that they don't want to work.
"Do you need some help?" Hugo offers, standing over Varian, who has fallen back to the ground.
"Nuh," he groans, sitting up. "I can do it myself."
After attempting to get to his feet a couple of times and failing miserably, he gives in.
"Fine, I need- I need.' Varian sighs. "I need help."
"That wasn't too hard now was it?" Hugo grins, offering his arm to Varian.
"Disagree," Varian murmurs as he pulls himself up onto Hugo's arm. "Let's just get this over with."
Hugo wraps his arm across Varian's shoulders and the alchemist replicates the action. They stumble back toward the caravan. Varian leans heavily on Hugo for support as they move through a particular uneven patch of forest.
Despite the difficulties, they soon reach camp, where Nuru and Yong are nowhere to be found.
"Eh, I'm sure they're fine. Nuru is way too responsible to get in trouble," Hugo assures, as Varian glances around uneasily.
"I suppose. But shouldn't they be back by now?"
"She probably just dragged him off to find a new telescope or something. But you're more important at the moment, given you have a bloody gash in your head." Hugo shifts Varian's weight off his shoulders and onto the wall of the caravan, where he leans awkwardly while Hugo opens the door.
Varian staggers inside and Hugo follows closing the door and drawing the curtains behind him.
The alchemist mutters an unintelligible thanks as he collapses onto his bunk. He curls into a ball, either not noticing or not caring about how dirty and wet his blankets are becoming.
"Can you sit up for me?" Hugo asks, sitting down on the bed next to Varian and nudging his shoulder.
"Mhhhmm," Varian groans, but he compels and uncurls.
"Thank you."
Hugo gently dabs at the dried blood and dirt on Varian's face with a damp cloth, careful to not re-open the wound. The cloth quickly becomes soiled and he sets it aside.
"I need to stitch you up now, is that alright?" Hugo asks, standing up and walking to the desk that takes up a corner of the caravan. He opens a cabinet and removes a small box and a small bottle full of a clear-tinted blue liquid.
"Sure, whatever," Varian whispers.
"Are you sure? Do you feel ok?" Hugo returns to the bed with the items and sits down, reaching a hand toward Varian's forehead.
"Of course, I don't feel ok. Would you feel ok if you split your head open and had a concussion?" Varian snaps, smacking his hand away.
"Geez, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to help you."
"Fine!"
Hugo decides to ignore the sudden mood change and proceed. He goes the direct root.
"Don't fight me."
Varian barely has time to comprehend this before Hugo's hand is on his chest and he is being pressed into the matres and being held down.
"What are you doing? Get off!" Varian tries to push the thief off him but he wasn't very strong to begin with, and a head wound hasn't improved it.
"Can't," Hugo replies, straddling the alchemist's chest so both his hands are free. He grabs the bottle and uncorks it before pouring a small amount directly onto the cut above Varian's eye.
Varian groans as the liquid begins to bubble and hiss. He squeezes his eyes closed and turns away, trying to mask the red spreading across his cheeks as pain from the cleaning process.
"Good, no infection," Hugo remarks, opening the box and removing a needle and thread, neither of which were made for medical use. "Hope that wasn't too bad."
Varian shakes his head, which Hugo takes to mean, Nah, I'll be fine.
He threads the needle, which is annoyingly difficult, but he manages to accomplish it after a few tries. Taking a deep breath, Hugo leans in close enough for his hair to brush Varian's cheek.
He mutters an apology as he tucks it behind his ear, his cheeks flushing just as much as the boy he's about to sew up. His breath brushes over Varian's skin as he makes the first stitch. a small drop of blood wells up, dyeing the white thread scarlet.
After a few moments, Hugo is done. He's about to climb off of Varian's chest when the door slams open. He nearly jumps out of his skin and falls back against Varian, their lips brushing in the process.
"Um hey, am I interrupting something," Nuru asks, stepping through the doorway and surveying the scene in front of her, Hugo lying on top of Varian, their lips pressed against each other.
"Nope," Hugo yelps, scrambling off Varian who seems too shocked to move.
"Really? Cause I can leave. I'm not judging you or anything, love is beautiful and you shouldn't be ashamed-" Nuru starts.
"No really, please come in. I was just sewing up Hairstripe here. He hit his head on a rock." Hugo interrupts as he ushers her inside.
"It's true. We don't even like each other and would never do, um, stuff like that," Varian adds, stumbling to his feet and making his way to Hugo's side, looking like he might pass out at any second.
"Oh no, are you alright?" Nuru worries, grabbing his face and staring into his eyes
"Yeah, I'm just... I've had worse," Varian mumbles, pulling away from her grip. "Just want to go back to bed. Too loud and bright in here."
"Of course." Hugo wraps an arm around Varian's waist and guides him back to his bed, where he practically collapses as soon as he gets close enough.
Nuru takes that moment to leave, deciding that Hugo has the situation under control. She quietly opens the door and slips outside, closing it without even a small click behind her.
"Is that better?" Hugo asks, drawing the curtains across the windows until it seems like a sudden night has descended across the inside of the caravan.
"Yeah," Varian murmurs, already seeming more relaxed and content.
"Good you silly alchemist. Anything else you need?'
"Um maybe could you- never mind. I'm fine."
"Did you want me to do something?" Hugo kneels next to Varian's bunk so he can look at his face, which is admittedly a tad bit difficult with almost no light.
"No. It would be a stupid request anyway." Varian rolls over, then rolls back toward Hugo, probably so he wasn't lying on his injury.
"It probably isn't too stupid. Besides, we live with Yong, now there are some bad ideas."
"Hey that's not very nice," Varian chuckles. "He just gets carried away with his ideas, which do tend to involve a lot of explosives."
"Still a bad idea. Now, what was your request Alchemist?" Hugo leans in so his face is mere inches from Varian's.
"Too close!" Varian pushes the thief's face away. "But could you um, maybe sit with me for a few minutes? I mean you don't have to if you would rather do something else."
Hugo smiles, though he doubts the other boy can see it. "I would love to. It's no problem."
"Great." Varian's voice sounds relieved, though Hugo can't imagine why.
Hugo drags the chair from the desk to Varian's bedside and sits until the alchemist's breathing steadies and calms.
He brushes a strand of hair off Varian's face, holding his hand there for a few seconds too long. "Goodnight Varian."