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Okay, so like, one of his arms is a little bit flabbier now, but it still sends a zing up his spine when he feels any kind of zing going through it at all, so Kyle'll take it. When his shoulder burns after lifting weights or his fingers fly over the strings of his air guitar or his biceps flex locking up with his opponent, that's the good stuff, the stuff that he gets him bouncing on the soles of his feet. Sure, there's feelings that are less good, like when he's been sitting too long and it's like he's been sitting on a porcupine instead of hanging out on a chair in catering, and Roddy's been putting some extra mustard on his sick kicks lately which makes his jaw distinctly unhappy after, but hey, that's just Roddy bein' Roddy, and when he hits him back, hey, that's just Kyle being Kyle. And he likes being Kyle. Definitely the best thing he can be, especially since no one else is up to it.
Though lately he's been wondering what it'd be like if he were like Mark Briscoe, instead. Or maybe some kinda Kyle - Mark hybrid. Kyle Brisco'reilly? Something like that. Whatever, he can workshop the name thing later, it's not important, not like being there to patch him up after one of those trios matches they've been doing together lately. Not that he needs much in the way of patching, being the kinda guy to just slap some z-tape on and keep on going, but hey, someone's gotta make sure that tape becomes actual bandages sooner or later, and that someone's gonna be him.
"Hey, I didn't say nothin' about needing a nurse hangin' around poking and prodding me." He's got his elbows up like he's gonna start throwing haymakers, probably against the shadows along the wall if a suitable opponent doesn't step up first. All he's fighting at the moment, though, is Kyle's roll of bandages. The bandages are winning. "All this blood and gunk's making a mess, don't get me wrong, but it's staying where it's supposed to, so don't get frowny-faced at me, Kyle! I see you all boggly eyed!"
Kyle cannot confirm or deny how much his eyes may or may not be boggling, but they certainly are looking his way, and he guesses that sometimes they go a little big when he's trying to take in the words flying out of Mark's mouth, so… sure, yeah he's got a bit of a boggling problem. Sue him. You try taking your eyes of him for a second, see how that goes for you. "Anyone ever tell you you look like one of those dogs that's spent all day out in the rain?" Mark thumps Kyle on the back, hard enough that it must jostle a bone loose from somewhere he didn't know about. "It isn't good for you to sit around here in the doctor's office, go outside, get some sun on you, that'll fix you right up."
Kyle squints at him. Really takes him in, the way his fingers are itching to get up to some kind of trouble and how if it weren't for his front teeth being missing, he'd probably be biting at the medical bed under them. "You're just saying that so I'll get out of your hair. I'm onto you." He waggles his finger in mock admonishment, because he gets it, he really does, how being looked after still makes something prickle behind his eyes. He swings his arm over Mark's shoulder and bonks his forehead on his cheek, right around the scraggly-ass beard he can't get enough of. "Well, get used to Doctor Kyle because you're gonna be seeing a lot of him for, hmmm, the next hour or so."
"Doctor Kyle can sit his ass down and read a book for the same amount of good he'll do me, and you can tell him I said that myself," Mark grumbles. He's got his feet up on a nearby stool with his arms crossed in front of him, slouching like he wouldn't know how to sit up straight even if you sat him against the wall. Kyle likes that about him the way he likes just about everything but bites his lip around a smile so Mark keeps going instead of winding down. "Don't see no medical fancypants degree. What's he gonna do, kiss my boo-boos til they go away?" He barks out a laugh, the kind that shakes him around. "I've been pecked at by bigger chickens on the farm than those Undisputed Kingdom boys we keep tangling with."
Kyle scrunches his nose. Doesn't like thinking about how he might be so tangled up with them that they'll never let him go. That they've been crossing paths and double-crossing each other since the days when they crossed up with the Briscoes on every other circuit. Now, of course, there's a space where Jay ought to be that no one can fill up the same way, and even thinking about him too long makes his heart hurt like when he couldn't hold his daughter. Point is, they're both jagged and cut-up but damn, they're still here when they'd have every reason to just pack up and go home. They might as well make something of it, right? Something good.
Kyle gasps in mock-outrage, hand to his heart. He bats his eyelashes, a big dopey grin going wide across his face. "No way you're turning down smooches! That's the best kind of medicine we've got." He nods his head like it's attached to a pogo stick. "Science says so. Are you gonna doubt science?" He decides to demonstrate this extremely important scientific principle by grabbing one of Mark's big, calloused hands and smooching the fingers. He's probably broken those fingers a dozen times and they'll get broken a thousand more. It's beautiful in a sicko kind of way, and when he lays down another kiss on his scabby knuckles where Mark's still scraped up, he adds some obnoxious smacking noises for good measure.
Mark's laughing, which is good, because he's got a great one. More importantly, he doesn't take his hand back. "Now I know that ain't the best you got." He uses that hand to tug Kyle off the medical bed and into his lap. Kyle wiggles in and gets comfy, arm slung over his shoulder. "Lemme show you how a real smooch doctor operates." His eyebrows waggle and his eyes sparkle and then he's kissing him plum on the mouth. And, not to brag or anything, but Kyle kinda gets how he has so many kids now, because Mark kisses like it's highway robbery and he's leaving no ways unrobbed. Guess the lack of teeth leaves more room for his tongue, who knew. Not Kyle, obviously, though hey, he's learning fast.
Learning faster every minute.