Work Text:
Tango really should’ve expected the knock.
It wasn’t surprising to see Etho on the other side of the door, a torn mask and a bloody smile that shouldn't have looked as attractive as it did. His arm was hanging loose at his side, probably dislocated. The superhero just leaned against the frame, making Tango huff out something tired. “Hey, T.” Etho finally spoke, voice sounding a bit tight. “Got room in the inn?”
“You’re so stupid, man.”
Tango got Etho to sit on his table, turning the kitchen light on to see the damage better. His suit was way more ripped up than Tango though, blood oozing from around his knee still pretty fresh. “You look like you lost a fight to a cheese grater, dude.” Tango grumbled as Etho got himself comfortable. He seemed far more content than a guy with his injuries should be, but Tango chalked it up to blood loss. “Did you at least win?”
“Mhm.” Etho confirmed, leaning back on his good hand just as Tango pulled a chair out to sit in. It put him at a good level for Etho’s knee, which really did feel like the most pressing matter. “And it was Shredder, so…kind of like that.”
Out of all the heroes that visited Tango, he couldn’t lie, he liked Etho the most. Maybe it was just because Tango kind of knew the guy outside of the suit, at least a little bit. Maybe it was because he wasn’t a total asshole like the other guys. Maybe, just maybe, Tango liked being Etho’s main healer, because that meant that he wasn’t totally useless even as newer and better healers came onto the scene.
Hissing, Tango realized he was putting too much pressure on Etho’s knee. “My bad,” Tango mumbled, glancing up to see the way Etho’s teeth fitted together. It was a rare sight to see Etho’s mouth in general, so Tango wouldn’t fault himself for looking. They weren’t as white as the other heroes were, or as straight. Maybe even a bit chipped. That would make sense, since it wasn’t like Etho was seeing Tango for dental health. He didn’t have to smile or show his teeth for PR, not that he did PR very much in the first place. He was a real hero, not like those government trained sickos that-
“You’re staring again, Tango.”
Shit.
Looking back down, Tango finished whipping off the rest of the blood around the knee. The cut was pretty brutal, stitches were probably the best bet. Or, Tango could…
The magic was already flowing before Tango even finished the thought, ignoring the surprised note Etho let out in order to focus his energy towards the wound. He could feel the look Etho was giving him as he worked, the flesh under his hand stitching back together slowly. It was a pleasant heat coming from his hand, probably a bit more than hot against Etho’s skin, but he didn’t complain. In fact, all Etho did was watch him, eyes staying trained on Tango even once he looked up after his knee was healed. The two stared at each other, Tango feeling far more vulnerable than he should. Etho still looked mildly surprised, even more than normal thanks to the lack of a mask, but there was a note of amusement as well. “You know,” Etho started, the amusement leaking into his voice as well. “If I wanted a quick fix, I could’ve gone to StarBorn.”
Tango raised his own eyebrow, ignoring the pang of something left in the past in order to stand up. “Would’ve made my night a lot easier if you did, you know.”
Etho just hummed again, waiting for Tango to get a good hand under his back before he leaned back. There was something there as well, the fact that Etho trusted Tango to touch him like this, to help lead him into a laying position and to stay there. “You didn’t have to answer the door.” Etho pointed out, clenching his eyes closed instead of voicing what was hurting. “Could’ve stayed asleep.”
“And let you bleed out on my doorstep?” Tango easily shot back, gently feeling around Etho’s shoulder. Yep, totally dislocated. “What were you doing, dislocating your arm like this?”
“Relax, it isn’t my shooting hand.”
That wasn’t the point, and Etho knew that. Tango bit back his instant argument that was starting to form in his throat. Instead, he grabbed a rag from his bag to give his hands something to do. “I’m going to move your shoulder back so-” Etho nodded, eyes still stuck on Tango’s hands, only moving to his face once Tango’s hand got close to his cheek. The rest of the mask came off easily, Etho blinking up at Tango with wide eyes that were far too unassuming for what Tango knew he had seen. “Bite down.” Tango grumbled next, wedging the rag in between Etho’s teeth.
Honestly, Etho wasn’t one to make much noise, but with how late it was, Tango couldn’t risk it. Counting down, Tango watched Etho’s eyes close again just before Tango reset his shoulder. The crack was loud, ugly, Tango himself pulling back a bit at the sound.
Done and dusted.
Sure, Etho’s face was bloody, but Tango was more or less sure that it was someone else’s blood, not his. The blood on his teeth didn’t seem to bother him, at least, and that was enough for Tango not to be worried about it. Etho let out a few more deep breaths before attempting to sit up. It was slow going, Tango packing up all the tools he didn’t end up needing to avoid making Etho feel uncomfortable. They weren’t as young as they used to be, something Tango was well aware of every time Etho arrived on his doorstep. Honestly, if Tango could get out of the circuit, he didn’t understand why Etho didn’t either. There were other heroes, some real and some genetically modified, he didn’t have to-
“You got your thinking face on again, that doesn’t mean anything good.” Etho broke their silence, rolling out his shoulders with a wince. Tango grimaced as well, though he was aware all heroes now had at least some form of regenerative attributes. Of course, Tango didn’t know if Etho was taking those…enhancements, but for his sake, Tango hoped so. “If it really bothers you, you can tell me. I’d hate to find out in a few months you hated our late night conversations.”
“That's what you call em’ huh?” Tango grumbled before clearing his throat. “You know I don’t mind. I mind you getting blood on the carpet.”
“Ah man, I thought I did better this time!”
Huffing, Tango watched Etho move out of the kitchen, probably to check out the carpet in the front room to see if he had actually gotten blood on the carpet or not. There were a lot of words left in the air that he was sure both of them could feel, both ignoring them like they always did. It was better this way, Tango distantly thought, watching as Etho looked up from the carpet with a tiny smile. It had to be better to be stuck in this situation than to propel it further. A hero’s partner wasn’t a desirable situation for anyone, and Tango stood by that. “No blood, I was the perfect patient.” Etho said, turning back towards Tango. His voice still held a laugh in it, like this whole situation was some kind of joke and not a real scare for both of them. “Thanks for the fix up.” He said a bit softer.
It was better not to say anything. Tango knew that.
“You staying the night?” Tango had to ask, mostly for his own piece of mind.
“You got a shit couch.”
“You know that wasn’t what I was offering.”
Etho’s smile just grew more lopsided, more him. “If you got a change of clothes.”
“You’re my most demanding patient, you know that right?”
Etho didn’t respond, at least verbally, nodding twice before he started heading back towards Tango’s bedroom. Tango didn’t think about how weird it was that that number five rated hero knew where his bedroom was, and felt comfortable to sleep there. Tango didn’t think about how his bed felt more like his with Etho in it, or that Etho left early before Tango could wake up with him, only leaving his ruined mask behind.
Tango really didn’t think about it.
Etho would be back the next time he needed Tango. Tango would answer the door no matter what time it was, and patch him back to health even though he was retired. It was routine, it was comfortable. And that’s exactly what Tango wanted, to stay comfortable.
Even if Tango kind of wanted to kiss him before he left this time.
Tango didn’t think about it.