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Lukey likes to think of Pangi as a cat. At times he is loving and affectionate, and at others he is temperamental and takes swipes at whoever his target is with his claws out. Naturally, he finds himself being the target more often than not, both on the side of the affection and the aggression. Not that he minds. If nothing else it keeps things between them interesting.
But Pangi also shares something else in common with cats: when they were injured they tended to hide. And allegedly, Pangi had been severely injured in a fight between him, Bad and Pili, and had bolted in the aftermath. Lukey hadn’t been there at the time, and ended up hearing about it from Aimsey after it was all over. He was assured that it was over before it really got started, and if there had been any warning he would have been called.
The important part was that Pangi had apparently limped away, barely holding onto his hearts and his head. He hadn’t retreated to the lab, and no one had thought to go after him when they had all been trying to fight off Bad and Pili. Of course they had slipped away after causing their chaos.
Aimsey had come to him, asking if he had any idea where Pangi was. But he hadn’t even known what had occurred, and Aimsey waffled between giving him the full run down and going after Pangi themself to save time. It ended up falling on Water and Oli’s shoulders to fill in all the details after Aimsey took off.
As they both struggle to explain in full detail what occurred he pulls out his communicator. ‘Hey. Are you ok?’ He quietly sent off the message to Pangi, hoping for an answer that would give him an excuse to leave.
When he gets nothing back he can only think of two options as to why. The first, and most likely, is that he’s being ignored. The second, and most terrifying, is that Pangi is too hurt to answer him.
He patiently waits for Water and Oli to complete their story, full of meaningless details, so he can bow out. He doesn’t much care to know that Bad teleported away again, or that Pili was teleported away a few seconds later. Not when Pangi could be in trouble.
“I know where the teleporter is. I imagine that they’ve cleared out by now, but we should do something about it soon.” He says in a rush. “Thanks for the info though. I’m going to go see if I can find Pangi.”
“Let us know if you find him.” Water calls after him while he flies away.
Fat chance.
Putting everyone else out of his mind he focuses on finding Pangi. There are two places he can think Pangi would go if not the lab. The first is the old lab. The second is his little village hide away. The village seems more likely, so he heads there first. It takes him longer than he would like to find the right village, and then two tries to locate the right house with the ladder. Before he heads down he notices the fresh trails of blood dripped across the floor. At least he doesn’t have to waste time trying somewhere else, but it fills him with a sense of urgency.
He steadies himself for the worst, and goes down the ladder, dropping into the cave, and gliding over to the taller of the two wooden platforms. Pangi isn’t immediately visible, but the trail of blood leads him to his villager hall. Down at the back he spots him, leaned up against the wall, his breathing shallow, his tools and chest plate scattered around him.
“Pangi!” He rushes over to him, but there’s no reaction. “Fuck. Hold on.” Lukey grabs Pangi's arm, checking for a pulse and finds one. It’s faint, but it’s there. He notices that Pangi’s skin is pale, and clammy to the touch as well. Pangi is worse than he thought. “I’m going to help you, Pangi.” He says more to himself than to Pangi.
Looking around the villager hall it’s clear this hasn’t been Pangi’s home for a long time. It's filthy, and there’s barely anything to it. Just the villagers, and a few chests and rails from what he can see.
Before he can really help Pangi he’ll need a place for him to recover, but first, he needs to fix what he can. His mind spins trying to decide what should come first. He grabs all of Pangi’s dropped belongings and throws them in a nearby chest to make sure they don’t get in his way, then throws down his ender chest, and pulls out his potions box. Most of what he has is useless at that moment, but he has one regeneration potion. The regen isn’t splash, so he has to carefully pull Pangi away from the wall, into his arms, so he can get him at the right angle to be able to tip his head back.
“Open up for me, Pangi.” He’s forced to use his fingers to open Pangi’s mouth enough to carefully tip the potion in. Luckily Pangi swallows. He rests his head against Pangi’s helmet in relief. Now that he has a better grasp of the situation the seriousness of it crashes right into him.
Pangi is half dead in his arms, barely breathing, with a faint pulse. He could have been too late. Pangi could have lost a life. The sorrow and rage he feels crashes over him, and he swears he’ll help Pangi get his revenge. As soon as he fixes Pangi. Once he makes him well and whole again. And he will, with all he is he’ll do whatever it takes to make him better.
“You’ll be ok.” He whispers. “I promise. Do you hear me, Pangi? I promise.” His heart sinks when Pangi’s eyes refuse to open, but he knows it’s defeatist to let himself dwell on that detail. There’s too much to do now, too much riding on his promise. He’s made it, a gauntlet for himself to rise to, and he refuses to accept anything less than perfection. It’s for Pangi, he has no choice. He holds Pangi close, taking comfort in feeling the faint beat of his heart and hearing the slight inhales of breath. Pangi is alive. He’s alive. Lukey has to focus on that or he’s going to start to spiral.
Over the next few minutes the potion starts to do its job. Pangi’s breathing starts sounding stronger, but he can tell that it isn’t going to be enough. There’s a slight wheezing sound that makes Lukey fear that Pangi might have fluid in his lungs. Fixable with potions, but it’ll need to be addressed as soon as he can get his hands on instant health potions.
He tries to keep his thoughts simple and straight forward like this so he can focus. Problems. Methods. Solutions. Results. That’s the way he has to frame his thoughts or he knows he’ll get lost in the murky depths of his own fear and sorrow. He can only let himself think in terms of the next step. Which… looking around isn’t going to be easy.
Lukey curses their surroundings, none of which is suitable for treating someone with Pangi’s injuries. He needs a place he can actually care for Pangi and more supplies. Plus he needs to get Pangi out of his armor and into a bed. That’s the priority even before he addresses the long term issue of where to house him. Lukey spots a bed down at the end of the hallway, but that won’t be an ideal location to work with long term. Not when it’s right next to the villagers, and there isn’t access to most of the sides of the bed.
Knowing his own strength he decides to remove the armor before attempting to carry Pangi to the bed. “Sorry in advance.” He murmurs softly.
The easy parts come off first, there is blood inside the helmet and in Pangi’s hair, but the cut on Pangi’s head appears shallow, and from a broken piece of the helmet that had cut into him. Thankfully, not from a major cut to the head. Head injuries were nasty, and took time to recover from, it was a wonder Pangi hadn’t fallen out of the sky on his way to his base. “You stupid pangolin, why did you run so far?” He sighs in frustration. Why didn’t he fly to the lab, or hide out near spawn? The thought of Pangi falling out of the sky to his death shakes him to his core. Too close. Too much.
Lukey uses water from the bucket he carries on him to wash away the blood in Pangi’s hair and from the cut, wiping off the wound with a clean bit of his lab coat and then uses a part of a spiderweb as a makeshift bandage to stop it from bleeding too much more. He soaks up more of the water in Pangi’s hair with his coat, noting the slightly pink color. Another ruined lab coat, but at least the web is stopping the cut from bleeding anymore. It would do for the moment, only temporary. Just until he can get his hands on the potions he needs. The last thing he needs is for Pangi to bleed more while he is transferring him.
Pangi’s boots are next. He has to lean Pangi back against the wall to get the right angle, but he tells himself it’s just for the moment. He works quickly, removing one boot and then the other. It’s horribly obvious that one of Pangi’s ankles is swollen. Carefully he examines it, pressing softly on the tender tissue and decides that while it looks serious it seems more like a bad sprain rather than a break. Small mercies.
He sets Pangi’s feet back down to the ground and moves again to remove the elytra. He has to move Pangi away from the wall fully this time, which takes gentle maneuvering. “Come on Pangi, help me out here.” He says, mostly to himself. But part of him still hopes his words will bring Pangi to stir. But he’s able to scoot him far enough away from the wall that he can get to Pangi from all angles now.
Removing the elytra is delicate work. Lukey isn’t sure how bad his injuries might be so he has to take care to not jostle him too much. Luckily the straps are in good condition, and slip off of Pangi without fuss. Without the elytra in the way, he notices that Pangi’s shirt has patches of blood on both the front and back. He lifts the shirt a little to try to see how bad the damage is, and finds mainly arrow wounds. They’re ugly and open, but he decides that since the blood isn’t actively running out of him that he will address those wounds once he gets Pangi settled in a real bed.
And cleaned. His hands are covered in muck from handling Pangi and his gear. Blood mixes with grease, ash, and dirt making his stomach churn. Highly unsanitary. Possibly even dangerous. He pushes those thoughts down the line. Nothing to do about it until he has more to work with.
He turns his attention to Pangi’s leggings, knowing they were going to be the worst of it. Since Pangi rarely if ever removed them the buckles were less inclined to give, forcing him to tug and fuss with them for several minutes until they came undone. But removing the buckles is just the start. Lukey realizes that in order to fully remove them he is going to have to change his position to have the leverage to pull them down and off. He shed his lab coat and bunches it up to place under Pangi’s head, then slowly lowers him down so he lays flat, giving himself the best position to work with. Switching positions to kneel next to Pangi’s feet he is able to slowly and carefully pull down the armor pieces, first one leg and then the other. “Don’t make this weird later, ok. No comments about being a freak.” He gasps, panting with the effort.
He takes a moment to toss all the armor and the elytra into the same chest as the rest of Pangi’s things, then takes a moment to give Pangi a quick examination. Lukey quickly notes that there is a sizable gash on Pangi’s right leg, and a number of smaller injuries accompanied by blood soaked patches on Pangi’s pants. He’s also covered in bruises, but Lukey is less worried about those, knowing that a few potions will clear those up in no time. It’s keeping the cuts from getting infected, and fixing anything internal that he can’t see that he’s thinking about.
Pangi is going to murder him for what he needs to do next, but there is little choice. If there’s one thing the pangolin hates, it’s being weak. He carefully scoops the man up in his arms and carries him to the small bed tucked behind some planks near the entrance, setting him down gently. “There you go. That’s much better.” He adjusts Pangi’s head, and rearranges his arms and legs, trying to make sure he’s comfortable. To make certain of it he tucks his coat under Pangi’s head again, the pillow was a little ratty for his taste and he doesn’t trust it to support his neck properly.
“I’ll be right back, ok.” Lukey brushes Pangi’s hair out of his face, and studies him for signs of waking. Still nothing. Not even a twitch. He forces himself to pull away and focus on the next step of his task. Shelter and supplies.
First things first, he digs around in Pangi’s things to take stock of what the pangolin has and what he doesn’t. And unfortunately it isn’t a lot. He finds a single brewing stand, but no wool, no bottles, or any ingredients for brewing. He scowls. If he is going to care for Pangi here, and being honest with himself he has no alternative, he is going to need to make the fastest supply run of his life. But he worries about leaving given their location. Pangi has a zombie villager nearby, and there is always a chance other monsters will appear. Which means making a structure has to come before the supply run. At least Pangi has building materials, and apparently another bed hiding under one of the platforms. This one looks less used, and in better condition. A little dusty but with a few flicks of the sheets the dust flies off.
With his spoils in hand he quickly threw together a small hut on the upper platform near the villagers. It’s as big as the platform will allow for so it has extra room inside for him so he can set up brewing stands. It will also give him enough space to walk around the bed, and set up his own place to sit and sleep if needed. When he’s done he goes to check on Pangi, who doesn’t look like he’s moved since he had set him down. He checks Pangi's pulse at his wrist again, noting that his pulse is still present, but slow. “I’m almost done, Pangi. Just give me one moment.”
The last pieces of the hut are the doors, the bed, and the support for the brewing stands. Lukey lines one of the side walls with an extra block to serve as a stable platform for the stands to sit on once he brings them over. He makes a note to bring his own bed from the lab as well, along with everything else he needs. Now that the building is done he shifts gears.
He starts making a mental list of what he needs while he purges his inventory of anything unnecessary, putting down a chest in a corner of the hut for random things, and throwing his own belongings into his shulkers. Once he’s confident he has the space he needs he prepares to go. The last step is to move Pangi.
“Pangi.” He murmurs softly. “I need to move you now. Be patient with me.” To make things easier he removes the planks right behind the bed and shoves the lab coat into the pocket of his hoodie. With a deep breath he picks Pangi up again and carries him into the hut as quickly as he can, setting him down gently on the new bed. Pangi doesn’t move at all, and now he’s starting to worry. He’ll have to make things quick, as much as possible so he can start the healing process.
“I’ll be back soon, I promise. Don’t do anything wreckless.” He presses a quick kiss to Pangi’s cheek then leaves. He’ll never know about it, no harm no foul. But it’s not the kiss that is bothering him. He’s making too many promises now, it’s messy of him. A bad habit he’s slipping into. Promises made to Pangi seem innocent now, but later on not so much. He swears to himself that it was the last one.
Shutting the doors to the hut, he takes off to the lab. The flight is fast since he doesn’t waste time gliding, using up his rockets. It’s for a worthy cause. What’s ten minutes at a creeper farm and collecting some paper, in exchange for the speed he needs? Once he’s in the lab he heads to the storage room and starts opening the chests, taking everything he can see that could be of use.
He grabs a set of eight brewing stands, left over from when he was resetting up the lab, nether wart and blaze powder. He makes a note to stop by the melon farm, but he has plenty of gold available. Quickly realizing his inventory wasn’t going to hold enough, he dumps one of his shulkers filled with random materials, and starts loading it up with what he’s found so far and other ingredients. They’re short on ghast tears, but he finds a spare few looking through various chests and shulker boxes near the brewing areas. Glowstone powder is also a limited resource but he hopes what he finds will be enough. Worst case scenario he can make a small run to the nether once Pangi is more stabilized. The leftover spots in the box are filled with glass for bottles.
On his way out of the lab he grabs more spiderwebs, white wool, and a spare bed he found in a chest. He refuses to waste any more time and makes for the exit. Especially when he needs to make a stop for melons as well, his time is precious. It occurs to him that he should also let Aimsey know that he had found Pangi. He won’t want to be bothered once he starts the real work and takes a moment to shoot off a message.
‘I know where he is. I’m treating his wounds. Focus on tracking Bad and Pili.’
He hopes Aimsey isn’t in the mood to argue because he doesn’t intend on checking his message again until he has fully assessed Pangi, and gotten him sorted. Lukey quickly takes the water shoot out of the lab then flies to the giant melon farm, taking a few stacks of whole melons with silk touch to preserve space. His inventory is nearly over loaded as is.
Lukey burns through his rockets getting back to the village. He’s been an anxious wreck since leaving Pangi behind, refusing to acknowledge any ‘what ifs’ or fears about Pangi not waking up. Flying gives him nothing else to do but think about the situation and fret. Even with as short a flight as it is, he’s a nervous wreck once he lands.
He takes the ladder down as fast as he can, and has to land on the lower platform and take the stairs up due to the hut blocking his ability to safely glide over. Quietly, he opens the door and slips inside. His first thought is to make sure Pangi hasn’t declined since he had left. Pangi is right where he left him, looking like he hasn’t moved at all. That was a relief, but even though he can see the slow rise and fall of Pangi’s chest his heart needs a more concrete confirmation. Gently, he presses his fingers against Pangi’s pulse on his neck. He waits until he can feel the beats then counts them in his head, estimating that he’s somewhere around fifty beats per minute. Low for him. Lukey had become familiar with the particulars of Pangi’s vitals while searching for the cure, and while this wasn’t exactly dangerous, it was on the border.
“Pangi, I’m back.” He says softly. “Bare with. I need to get some things sorted before I get you cleaned up.” Lukey allows himself a brief moment to brush Pangi’s hair behind his ear, and then he has to tear himself away. Pangi can’t wait any longer.
He sets down his things, and gets to work. Pangi will need to be cleaned first, then his wounds will need to be treated with potions. The worst of them might need flushing first, and the leg might require additional treatment. His heart breaks for his pangolin, wishing he could snap his fingers and make him well again. As it is, this is going to be a long process. Not as bad as a death, but still painful. He had seen Pangi die only once to Aimsey, and that had been in an organized duel with rules and expectations. Pangi didn’t die, he rarely even got himself injured, so this is something entirely new for him. Seeing Pangi so mangled and bloodied is going to be something he remembers for a long time.
Pulling himself together he gets to work setting up the brewing stands, and making an infinite water pool in the corner of the hut. It will be useful for the potions he needs to brew but also for fresh buckets of water to clean Pangi with. He whips up enough bottles for the stands, fills them with water and gets them all brewing with nether wart. Next, he turns his eyes to Pangi.
Where to even start… Pangi’s soaked in blood, sweat, ashes, and dirt from his travels and the battle. Lukey can’t recall the last time Pangi had washed up beyond taking a swim in a river or an ocean. Before any healing happens he needs the area around the wounds to be clean. And he knows that even if it takes longer it will be worth it to make sure Pangi is as clean as possible from head to toe. Even if it means doing it bit by bit by hand.
He prepares two buckets of water to start, and rips pieces of wool to use as a cloth to wipe him off with. Starting with Pangi's head, he takes care to gently clean Pangi’s face and neck. He removes the spiderweb bandage, and notes that the wound is still angry and red, but smaller and nearly closed. If he pours some health potion on it directly the surface damage would probably disappear in a matter of minutes.
The wool he uses to wipe down Pangi comes away filthy most of the time, causing him to change out both buckets of water once he’s done with this first pass. He can still see streaks of ash on Pangi’s face, and it bothers him to leave him less than perfect. It doesn’t bode well for how long this is going to take, but he refuses to cut corners and risk Pangi’s health. Lukey fills up the buckets again, tearing off new pieces of wool, and dips them in the water. He holds Pangi’s chin, taking care to be gentle when moving his face.
He can’t help but think that this is the closest he’s ever been to Pangi in all the time they’ve known each other. The feisty pangolin had never let him get this close, or touch him this much on his own. It makes him feel guilty for taking comfort in the warmth of Pangi’s skin against his own, and for noting the little details he had never been able to appreciate before. Like the light dusting of freckles right under Pangi’s eyes. Or like the fact that Pangi is covered in scars, but there’s not a lot on his face. Almost as if everyone he had ever faced in battle had found his face too appealing to mar. He can’t say that he blames them, given the choice he would avoid cutting Pangi’s face as well. But he was horribly biased, admittedly.
Pangi’s arms are littered with scars, however. Obviously taking the brunt of the damage inflicted in fights, his arms are strong, well muscled, and tanned from flying. Lukey had admired Pangi's arms a number of times, and it feels like a poor time to admire them up close, though he can’t imagine he’ll get another opportunity. He tries to focus on cleaning Pangi’s arms, but his blood soaked shirt keeps leaving smudges in the places he had just cleaned, driving him crazy.
Lukey swallows. It’s going to have to go. All of Pangi’s clothes are going to have to be removed. The question remains if he can do so while saving them and not further injuring Pangi at the same time. He considers cutting them off. Would Pangi spare his white hoodie or his lab coat in a time like this? Rather unlikely, and that makes his mind up for him. Willing to accept the consequences, he fishes out his pair of shears from his tools shulker box.
There’s no delicate way to cut a man’s shirt off of him, especially when it’s soaked in blood. It seems easiest then to go up the middle and then slice through the arms. Lukey thinks it through, mapping out the cuts he plans on making in his mind before he commits to them. Once he's satisfied, he starts at the bottom hem moving upwards, trusting enough in his hands to avoid cutting Pangi’s chin. As the shirt falls to the sides the extent of his wounds becomes clear. There is significant bruising along his ribs, and several punctures that Lukey had previously recognized as being from arrows. Taking note of a few more wounds he had missed he completes the cutting of the shirt, and firmly pulls it out from under Pangi. He rolls Pangi on his side to take stock of his back, noting a few more arrow wounds, and one shallow cut that seems to have been snuck in right between where his chestplate and leggings sat.
It could have been worse. The thought creeps into his mind and sits there. “Oh Pangi…” He sighs, his heart heavy with grief that cannot fully manifest itself. Pangi wasn’t lost, and it wasn’t worse. That’s what matters. He repeats the words over and over while he works.
He leaves Pangi on his side, quickly scrubbing down his back, being careful of the wounds. His back is more bloody than dirty, turning the water a murky red that twists his stomach. Lukey steps away to change his water and to make glistering melon slices to add to the brewing stands. While they brew he takes another pass on Pangi’s back and contemplates taking the time to increase the potion’s usefulness with glowstone.
The decision is made for him by how long it takes to complete Pangi’s torso and arms. His arms are filthy despite taking a few passes at them already, worse than his face had been by far. Sooner than he would like his work becomes a chore of constantly refilling the buckets, and going over spots he had done at least twice already to be sure. If it’s the last thing he does he’s going to make Pangi take a once weekly bath with soap. If only to spare Lukey this effort in the future.
Lukey sighs.The pants are next up to be removed, which he feels slightly less guilty about since there are so many gashes and holes in them in the first place. He goes through the pockets, pulling out the last of Pangi’s inventory and stashes it in the chest he put in the corner. The pants are quickly clipped apart and removed in two pieces. Pangi’s leg is still in rough shape, and his ankle is still swollen, so he’s careful and gentle in cleaning around those areas. He works one leg at a time. Thankful that the mess is mostly blood, and doubly thankful that Pangi remembered his underwear. It would save them the awkward conversation once Pangi woke up. Though he knows Pangi will give him a hard time about it anyway. If not now then at some point. “Won’t you?” He’s learning not to expect answers.
He takes a break between the legs to refill the water and finally add the glowstone to the potions. Once they’re done he can make half of them splash for Pangi’s wounds, and use the rest to feed to him directly. Being so close to the end he forces himself to focus on his task. He’s methodical about it at this point. Knowing how firm to be with his washing. How best to avoid the wounds. How to move Pangi’s limbs without causing strain or harm.
Lukey tries not to think about how familiar he is becoming with Pangi’s body. It isn’t the time or the place, but so help him when this is long behind him the things he will say and think and do about it. Even like this Pangi is beautiful, and his admiration is simmering just under the surface, raw and vibrant due to his emotional state.
Finally, Pangi is clean enough for him to set the task aside, reserving the right to revisit it one more time once all his wounds are closed. He dumps the water out, and washes up, stripping himself out of his hoodie which is now a mess, down to his white shirt.
After setting half the potions to become splash with gunpowder, he collects several completed bottles of boosted instant health and places them on a small stand next to Pangi’s bed. Now that his head is propped up by a proper pillow he can just open his mouth and pour them in with the benefit of having a better view of his mouth and throat from before. Pangi drinks three of the batch one after another. Maybe it’s overkill, but more health boost never hurts, and with as bad as Pangi is, and with all the time he has had to wait he almost wants to give him more.
But he wants to first see how far they go before he feeds the pangolin anymore. Watching the potions at work is mind numbingly slow. The effect is subtle at first. Pangi almost died, and there are a lot of wounds, probably even more internally that he doesn’t know about, to fix. The first thing he notices are the arrow wounds starting to turn less angry, and the large gash on his leg begins to shrink. Color starts to return to him, and his breathing deepens.
The changes are a relief. They’re far from perfect, Pangi still has a ways to go before Lukey will be satisfied. But it gives him hope for the next step.
Some of the deeper wounds need to be flushed of debris and then closed with splash potions. The worst of them being Pangi’s leg. He tears off large chunks of wool to place under the leg, and then uses the bottles that had just held the health potions to pour fresh water into the cut. Pangi flinches when he does, which scares him for a moment. He worries that he’s caused more harm than aid but when Pangi doesn’t wake up screaming in pain he is able to calm himself down enough to continue. “Sorry…” He murmurs softly over and over. He strokes a small spot just above Pangi’s knee in a gesture he knows brings himself more comfort than Pangi. But he needs that little bit of contact to ground him.
The remains of the potion aren't enough to heal the cut, but it does add a little extra to the water which helps Pangi’s body push out any impurities. Blood, and muck ooze out of the cut for several moments until the water starts to remain clear. He tosses the ruined wool in a pile to be burned later, and then grabs three of the newly finished splash potions.
Pouring the potion over a wound isn’t so much a science, it just needs to happen, and ideally as directly on the wound as he can manage. Knowing Pangi will flinch, he grasps his leg, just above his still swollen ankle and pours the first half of the bottle over the cut. As expected Pangi thrashes, moaning in pain while his leg starts to stitch itself together. Lukey watches, adding a little more potion in spots that are not closing as quickly or fully as the rest. Pangi continues to whimper, making his heart clench. No one said it would be easy work to put Pangi back together again. But he endures the sounds, focusing on adding more of the potion until he can’t see any more spots that need it.
Once the wound fully closes it turns into a bright pink scar, shiny and a little raised compared to the surrounding flesh. Nothing a few regeneration potions couldn’t fix over time, but that would wait for later. The fact that Pangi is still passed out tells him that the internal damage might be worse than he thought. He takes a moment to pour another health potion down Pangi’s throat, and then gets started on another batch, knowing that he’ll burn through his stock in no time.
One by one the wounds close under his care. The quiet sound of the brewing stands gives the shack a sober mood. He can barely hear Pangi’s breathing over the bubbling sounds, even when his ear is right by his face. It’s a mixed signal. He can see Pangi healing before his eyes, but the vital signs show little improvement. It simply means he has to keep going. He’ll accept no alternative.
Now that Pangi is being actively treated, and Lukey is spending time waiting for the wounds to close, he takes the time to do some house keeping. He makes himself a bedside chair to sit in, and makes more bottles for potions.Anything to keep bust because he hates the waiting. Waiting means time to think, and thinking is counter productive to his goals at the moment.
When he lets himself think for too long he can tell how drained he is. Pangi didn’t, as a whole, require much from him but when he did the order was always tall. Despite the perception that Pangi and Bad looked after him, he was no slouch when things went the other way. Lukey always came through when it was critical. When Pangi needed curing, he made it. When he was left on one life he hung onto it for Pangi, until the pangolin tore it from his hands. Whatever Pangi needed that he couldn’t provide for himself, he had been determined to be the one who would be there for him with the answers. And while he was going to cure Bad for selfish reasons, he was also prioritizing it in his plans for Pangi. He would never admit it, but Pangi needed Bad back more than anyone. And it was his job to make sure it happened. If it was the last thing he could do for Pangi before they parted ways, he would give Bad back to him. He would give Pangi anything. Everything, if he asked for it.
Maybe it was because Pangi never did. He was never so presumptuous to ask for what really mattered. He quietly waited and watched, like he was testing those around him to see who was really worthy of his loyalty and trust. Lukey liked to think that it was why he had gotten so close to Pangi so quickly. Lukey always tried to do right by Pangi. Always tried to be helpful. Always tried to give what was needed in the moment. Pangi never had to question whose side he was on. There was only ever one answer, and there always will be only one answer.
And now here he is, playing nursemaid, hoping that he’s doing a good enough job. Praying that Pangi will wake up soon, and tell him that he’s fine. Healing takes time. He keeps mumbling those words to himself in hopes that they’ll sink in. But it’s time Lukey is short on to give. Every moment Pangi stays like this is a moment they lose working towards the end. Or more realistically, a moment they could have spent together, lost. Those are moments he can’t give back.
Instead he’s seeing them alone, running his hand over Pangi’s brow. Threading their fingers together while he waits on another wound to close.
No one will see the way he cleans up after the mess that others have made. No one will know about this but him. Pangi, of course, will have some concept of what he went through, but he won’t fully understand. He won’t see the held back tears, or the way Lukey’s fingers have grown numb. Or the way his back aches, and his arms scream at him.
But he does it for Pangi. He does it for the tender crush he’s kept safe in his heart. Its weathered death, and ridicule. Survived Pangi’s indecisions and subsequent let downs. Even now, Pangi is who he gets out of bed for. No matter that he’s leaving. Or that they might never see each other again. Despite what vindictive cats, paternalistic demons and necromancers or narcissistic princesses think, Pangi is his. Before, during and after this moment.
He gets to be the one that sits at his bedside, keeping watch while Pangi slowly pieces back together. Only he gets to see him this vulnerable.
When the health potions are done closing the wounds on his front he is finally able to close the last of Pangi’s wounds on his back. He gently turns Pangi over onto his stomach, carefully moving him so none of his wounds reopen. He pours the potions into all the wounds on his back all at once so he can get him off his stomach quicker. It’s more to keep track of, but he’s grateful for the distraction.
While he watches he learns the paths of scars that have managed to find their way onto Pangi and actually stick. Pangi’s back is sturdy, his muscles strong under the gentle touch of his fingers. Every part of Pangi is strong, honed out of necessity. He trails down one mean looking scar that starts at his left shoulder and runs down to his ribs. Despite being long healed the scar is still raised. He can’t help but lean forward and press a kiss against it in apology. Pangi shouldn’t have to wear a scar so painful.
No doubt his pangolin is a warrior, but to see the proof of his struggles and feel the texture and severity of them takes his breath away. Part of him wishes for Pangi to wake up and tell him the story of each one, so he may learn his body and history in tandem. He would devote hours to mapping out every tiny scar and documenting the corresponding fight or incident if given the chance. He would build an office devoted to those maps and notes, and keep it from the world. No one would ever get to see the treasure of information he had amassed. It would be his dragon hoard, the prize jewel in his research. The cure would mean nothing in comparison.
But Pangi stays asleep, letting him continue trailing his fingers along the warm skin. There’s another scar, clearly from an arrow that wasn’t removed correctly. It looks like a shooting star, a circular puncture with a tail trailing behind it. More than likely made from Pangi pulling out the arrow at a bad angle. A younger Lukey might have thought it cute to wish upon it. Some sweet, sentimental thought that Pangi will be ok. Or that when he wakes up Pangi will be so overwhelmed with gratitude that he will declare his love.
He refuses to even think those thoughts, let alone ask for them. Scars don’t grant wishes. No matter how well you look after the person they’ve marked, they are silent. Refusing to share their secrets. Still, he presses his lips to that one as well. He won’t begrudge the scar for its shape or its inability to fix his problems.
Speaking of…
The last wound closes more quickly than he expects, forcing him to turn Pangi over onto his back once more so he can finally rest.
He takes a deep breath, and tries to let out all the tension that he has been holding in with the exhale. It only serves to calm him down a little. There’s still work to do.
Now that Pangi’s finally settled, Lukey dedicates his time to brewing. The health potions are removed from the stands so the regeneration potions can start. They go quickly, and he keeps all but one stand worth in a drinkable form since they’re more useful that way. Before he risks giving a drinkable version to Pangi he waits until the splash regeneration is completed so he can apply it directly to the large scar on Pangi’s leg. He soaks bits of wool in the potion, and then uses a spiderweb as a bandage to keep the wool directly on the scar. Lukey takes one last look over Pangi, checking the different wounds on his chest to see if any need the same treatment. The only injury that still concerns him is the ankle that is still a little swollen. He decides to elevate it with some balled up wool instead of wrapping it, knowing it is likely to improve with the regen potion.
Nervously, Lukey feeds Pangi two of the regen potions and another instant health to help boost it along and then waits in his chair.
At first, there doesn’t seem to be much difference, but slowly color starts to return to Pangi’s skin showing him just how pale he had been. His breathing strengthens, and he almost thinks he sees small twitches in his fingers and feet. He braces himself for Pangi to finally wake up.
“Pangi?” The name slips out without him realizing it. He would rather Pangi rest, but a part of him desperately needs him to wake up and tell him he’s ok.
A few moments later Pangi’s eyes flutter open, accompanied by a sharp intake of breath. “Fuck…” Pangi groans.
He could sob with relief, but Lukey holds his feelings back, tightly packed behind a wall in his mind. Not the time.
Pangi’s eyes find him immediately, a mix of confusion and relief. “What…” A bad cough interrupts whatever he was about to say. Lukey jumps into action, pulling out a spare water bottle that never made it to a brewing stand, and presses it into Pangi’s hand. While he drinks it Lukey fills a few more, handing them over one by one until Pangi is done.
“You doing ok?” He asks carefully. “Can I get you anything?”
Pangi shakes his head, then tries to grab for something near his hip. Lukey imagines he wants something from his inventory which is now either in a chest with the villagers, or in the chest in the corner. But they would get to that later. “Where the fuck are my clothes?” Pangi looks at him with a mix of confusion and panic.
“I had to cut them off of you. I couldn’t risk injuring you anymore. You were in bad shape… Are you hungry?” He asks softly, taking his best guess as to what the pangolin might want in that moment.
Pangi nods. Lukey pulls out a golden apple along with his axe, and carefully goes about cutting it into slices that will be easier for Pangi to eat. The pangolin doesn't say anything, just takes the slices one by one until the apple is gone. Lukey starts on another, passing the pieces over until a piece is waved away.
“Does anything hurt?” He asks, popping the rest of the apple into his mouth.
“My ego.” Pangi chuckles dryly. Lukey watches him clench his eyes shut and sigh. “They took me by surprise. I almost killed Pili a few times, but everytime I got close Bad would stop me. I barely got away.”
He manages a small smile, and reaches out to place his hand on top of Pangi’s. “I’m glad you did.”
“Be honest, how bad was it?” Pangi looks him dead in the eye when he asks. Lukey’s heart clenches. He doesn’t know if he can fully put it into words.
“It was rough. You’ll notice the wrap on your leg and elevated ankle. And there were about a dozen arrow punctures.” He says, keeping it clinical.
“That doesn’t sound bad enough that you had to cut my clothes off me.” Pangi smirks. “Hey man, if you wanted to see me naked so much you could have asked.”
He chuckles. “Your shirt was soaked in blood, it was a lost cause. The pants were in worse shape, barely worth saving.”
“I liked that shirt though.” Pangi frowns. “Where’s Aimsey and all of them by the way?”
“Dunno. I haven't looked at my messages since I found you. I told them that I had you, and that was it.” He shrugs. “I’m sure they must be annoyed, but I was a little busy.”
“Oh yea, I kept you busy?” Pangi wiggles his eyebrows.
“Had to keep both hands on you.” He smirks.
“Freak.” Pangi huffs, and grabs his communicator from the side table. Lukey considers pulling out his own, but decides the headache isn’t worth it. Pangi laughs. “Damn bro, Aimsey is pissed. ‘Tell your boyfriend to answer my damn messages, and stop being selfish.’”
“No.” He sighs.
“They think you’re selfish for not letting them help.” Pangi glances at him and then continues. “They say, and I quote ‘Lukey isn’t the only one who loves you and cares about you.’ Ooo… What do you say to that, Lukey?”
“I’ll tell them myself.” He rolls his eyes, pulling out his own communicator, annoyed that he’s taking his hand off of Pangi’s for this.
“Aww but I want to know.” Pangi pouts.
Lukey shakes his head, pleased that Pangi is feeling well enough to joke around. It means he did his job well. High praise, in his estimation. Probably all he’ll get. He opens his messages with Aimsey, and scrolls past all the ones he didn’t read, and doesn't really care to.
‘You might love and care for him, but I do more. I won’t apologize for that.’ He fires off the message and turns off his communicator. He slips the device back in his pocket, and directs his attention back to Pangi.
“So… you’re really not going to tell me what you said?” Pangi asks directly.
He smirks. “No. Do you need anything?” Pangi falls for his redirection instantly.
“All my stuff?” He asks sheepishly.
“Oh yes. Most of it is in a chest near the villagers, there are a few bits in the chest in the corner. Small things mostly, spiderwebs, endepearls, your apples.”
“Thanks bro.” Pangi’s tone is so casual and almost dismissive that it feels like a stab.
“Bro? I didn’t clean you, tend to your wounds, and watch over you until you woke up to be called ‘Bro’.” He snaps.
“Would you rather I call you Lukey pookie bear?” Pangi laughs. He rolls his eyes, not sure why he bothers. “Hey, no but really. Thank you. It would have sucked to have to take care of myself after that. I would have been laying there slowly healing for days before I could do something about it, and I don’t really have a lot here. You really saved my ass.”
“You’re welcome.” He looks to the floor. “It was no problem.”
“Lukey…” Pangi sighs.
“Yea?” He raises his head slowly, and the serious look on Pangi’s face takes him by surprise.
“I’m glad it was just you. No matter what Aimsey says. I wouldn’t want anyone else taking care of me like this.” Pangi’s admission is a balm on his soul.
“Me either.” He admits. The moment sits heavy between them until Pangi grabs his wrist and starts tugging him down. “Wait, hang on.”
“No, come here.” Pangi scoots over, making just enough room for him on the bed. He gives up, and lets himself fall onto that spot, taking care not to fall on Pangi.
An arm wraps around his shoulders, and a kiss is pressed to his forehead. It’s short, sweet and simple. Perfect as much as it is surprising.
“There. You can go now.” Pangi chuckles.
He glares up at Pangi. “What the fuck?”
“You probably took too many liberties with my exposed body while I was passed out, so that’s all you get.” Pangi laughs. Lukey can feel his cheeks burn red from embarrassment and guilt. He hadn’t expected Pangi to accuse him so directly that he doesn’t have time to control his reaction. “Why the fuck are you blushing. Wait, what did you do?”
“I… I just… You have a lot of scars.” He says weakly, unable to lie at the moment with how fried his mind is.
Pangi’s eyes widen. “You really are a freak.”
“No, I mean… Here.” Lukey puts a finger on top of one of the scars on Pangi’s chest. Starting at the top near his right shoulder he trails it down to where it ends under Pangi’s collarbone. “Or this one.” He traces the starburst scar on Pangi’s stomach. “I was wondering how you got them all.”
Pangi stares at him with a mix of confusion and panic. “I umm… Don’t really keep track. Or remember them all.”
“Oh… That’s ok.” He shrugs, picking another along Pangi’s ribs to trace. A sharp hitch of Pangi’s breath stops him cold. “Do you want me to stop?” Lukey asks, mortified.
“I mean you don’t have to. I’m just not used to this kind of thing.” Pangi looks away from him, but Lukey can see how red his cheeks are. It never occurred to him that Pangi could be nervous or embarrassed about something so simple.
“What? Being touched.” He asks carefully.
“Yea. Not really a big thing where I’m from.” He can tell that Pangi is trying to brush his reaction off so he gives him an out.
“I can stop.” He removes his fingers, and puts his hand on his own side, away from where it might be tempted.
Pangi studies him tensely for a moment, but then relaxes. “It's ok if you do it.”
Lukey smirks. “Just me though, right?”
Pangi chuckles. “Don’t worry. It’s just you.” Another kiss finds its way to his temple, and then two fingers gently lift his chin. “Promise.” Their lips meet. Lukey longs to pour all his pent up emotions into the kiss, but he holds back, keeping it soft and gentle. Pangi is recovering, and he still needs to be easy with him no matter how much he would insist otherwise.
Selfishly he lets the soft kiss linger for another moment, but then he pulls away. “You should rest.”
“Rest with me?” Pangi asks, his voice softer now than before.
“Of course. Do you want me to get another bed?” He asks quietly, noticing that Pangi is having trouble keeping his eyes open.
“No… stay.” Pangi’s head droops back onto the pillow, his eyes barely open.
Lukey nods, adjusting them so it’s his arm under Pangi’s head. “I’ll stay, I promise.”
If Pangi hears him, he doesn’t acknowledge it, and Lukey decides it can be a problem for when they wake up. For now they can both get some much needed sleep.