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Abolish’s forehead was going to gain a permanent furrow if he stayed in Oakhurst for much longer.
Which it seemed like he would be, because no one in this town, human or vampire, seemed to know what in the world they were doing. I mean really, he and Pearl had been out the whole night and it was truly unfair for both of them, but mainly himself, that they’d been cooped up in town for so long. There were multiple hunting parties out every night at various time with absolutely no planning whatsoever, so fine. He could absolutely take a night to just escape the wooded confines of Oakhurst while someone else watched their precious beacon.
Only no one had done that. Because Oakhurst, he was starting to see, was a town of idiots who couldn’t see past the bridge of their own noses. And if they didn’t start looking past them, Abolish would be pleased to break those noses so they would.
His gloved fingers curled methodically over his sword hilt, the taps of his fingernails echoing the rhythm of his muttered thoughts. Probably the most unorganized thing about him at the moment.
The town center had fallen mostly silent as he walked away, save for the whistle of wind as it picked up through the clearing. Its tendrils whipped between the palisade’s pointed crests, brushing Abolish’s cheek, whispering at the chance of rain. He grimaced upwards. Great, just another thing to brighten the start of his day.
Well, not really the start as he’d been up all night searching with Pearl, and up since before dawn the day before dealing with Avid’s… well, whatever Avid had meant by imprisoning himself. Abolish didn’t want to do the calculations of how much sleep he’d gotten in the past couple weeks; he was sure he could count the number of hours on one hand. Too much time spent dragging himself through underground caves and tunnels, building houses and looking for tomes. And in the end it didn’t even seem to matter, Pyro’s claws still tore through him like a knife through butter. Though he’d heard the vampire hiss as their skin met his silver gauntlets.
The was the last thing Abolish was currently clinging to. His last bit of hope. That Pyro had given himself a itty bitty teeny tiny little burn with the armor Abolish had sacrificed his sanity for. Truly incredible
He huffed a half laugh as he turned a corner a bit too sharply, ears picking up signs of life before his eyes did.
“Okay. Understood.”
Abolish slowed, blinking towards the tall figures of the doctor and Cleo stood halfway through his doorway.
Great, he thought, trying not to wince at the fresh bandages wrapping his skin. Feeling the conversation he’d had with Martyn about Cleo rising like a storm cloud. The last two people I needed to see right now.
He faintly wondered if he could shift his trajectory and ignore them completely, turning foot to do so before chancing a glance and meeting Cleo’s hard gaze. He sighed. Not an option then.
“-I’m feeling a little light headed.” Legundo was saying, leaning more than heavily against his doorframe. It was harder to notice from farther back, but closer now Abolish could see the perspiration lining his forehead. The way his knuckles showed white where they gripped the wooden frame.
Apparently Cleo was already one step ahead of Abolish.
“You don’t look great Doc. And you sound even worse.”
The doctor made a noise that just barely resembled a laugh. “Just had a bit of an.. uh encounter with Scott and Pyro.”
Abolish breathed easy as Cleo’s glare had turned from him to the Doc, sweeping his unsteady figure and torn robe. As he shifted Abolish caught glimpses of rusty blood spots, stark against the white gauze and cotton. The vampires must’ve done a good amount of damage for the wounds to still be bleeding that heavily.
“They’re killing people now.” Cleo said, somewhat subdued compared with the look in their eyes. She seemed to be hovering under the roof’s overhang not for protection from the clouded sun, Abolish realized, but for another reason. Their hands kept twitching slightly towards the doctor’s sides.
“They are.” Legs echoed dully, in a way that led Abolish to believe his theory was right. Even the weakest vampires’ wounds would stop bleeding over time, but the ground beneath was steadily becoming a sure tell that that was not happening. Legundo remained just as pallid as a vampire however.
A sudden bark of bitter laughter brightened his complexion a bit, although Abolish jolted at the sound. “They could’ve ended me, t-they could’ve ended it.” All of the words collided with each other into one frantic sound; his huffing breaths were a bit too heavy for Abolish’s liking. Then, much softer, “They could’ve ended it all.”
For a moment it seemed as if the wooden frame of the house was going to burst into splinters with how hard Legundo was clinging to it. Abolish inched forward slightly, the furrow in his brows deepening but Cleo wasted no such subtlety. She was at the doctor’s side in a moment.
“That was far too close.” Legs muttered, relief seeping through every word. Although it seemed more directed at his troubling memory and less at Cleo’s assistance. Cleo’s arm braced against his shoulder just as his eyelids fluttered for a second.
Quiet and brief they nodded, “Let’s get you inside, Doc.”
It was as if Legs hadn’t heard them say a word. “Martyn- Martyn, Ren, Avid, and me just got cornered by Pyro and S-cott. Then we got separated; they singled me out, they cornered me.”
Abolish was quite sure Legs was trying to drag himself to the ground with the force of his own stare, one green eye looking wide eyed at the ground, the other unblinking at the horizon.
Cleo, the unmovable object however, would not let him.
“Martyn’s back at least.” They informed Legs, nearly into his ear, wrangling the slumped doctor back upright. While they weren’t too different in size, Legs’s body seemed hell bent on tipping forward and he was doing very little to counteract that. Abolish considered trying to help steady him, but decided at the hint of Cleo’s fangs poking between their drawn back lips that Cleo had it perfectly under control.
Still, despite their efforts Legs stumbled forward, away from the protection of the door frame. “Good,” he nearly panted, head swinging, “where- where is he, where are they.”
Even if the doctor wasn’t sweating and unstable, his tone of voice would’ve been enough to set Abolish off about there being something explicitly wrong with him. While never entirely emotionless, the factual way the doctor spoke, and his lower tone often quieted a small stirring part of Abolish’s mind. Now it echoed, breathy and high pitched through the clearing, stuttering and stopping. It was honestly quite unsettling.
“Ren’s back as well,” Abolish started, slowly, watching as Legs continued to walk with limbs seemingly made of lead while Cleo trailed behind, yanking on his robed shoulders akin to trying to pull a stubborn mule. “They went towards the tavern I think, or Ren’s house.”
If Cleo hadn’t been clinging to Legs’s shoulder she would’ve set herself at Abolish right then and there. He made a helpless gesture at her annoyed glare because what did she expect that he do? Legs had at least a foot of height on him and while he’d held the doctor up before, he had never been moving against him.
The doctor’s breathing became concerningly ragged as they inched forwards, Cleo clearly trying to direct him back towards his house but also trying not to cause him more harm in the process. Legs was making it increasingly hard, to the point where when Abolish stepped in there was only a small huff in return from Cleo. He’d removed his shoulder plate moments before in order to press against the doctors chest, hoping for a little more stability. Abolish only felt his boots slipping on the gravel below. The rough noise it made overlapped with Legs’s mutterings, something about nobody being hurt, and Cleo’s sharp words of reprimand.
“For a doctor you’re very slow to self diagnose,” they bit out, giving a final yank upright and sliding around into the doctor’s vision. Ultimately ousting Abolish from his supporting position, to which he closed his eyes and sighed deeply through his nose.
Surprisingly, Legs’s good eye followed Abolish to his peripheral before dragging back towards Cleo.
“You need something to eat and to sit down.”
Green eyes were covered by fluttered lashes again as Cleo growled at him, Abolish just barely catching the movement before rummaging around through his bag. “I have some potatoes but that’s about it.”
The ghost of a sad smile passed over Legundo’s face. “I- ehhh that’s… not gonna help me much.”
Right. He should’ve figured. Vampire and all. Hmmm. Abolish turned his gaze towards the town’s cow pen across the road where Cleo was already sniffing about it, claws twitching against the gate.
In the end it was Abolish’s ears that caught the smallest intake of air, snapping his head towards Legs just as the man giddily mumbled, “I think I’m gonna pass out.”
—
Cleo was over in an instant, helping to pull Legs’s limp body off of Abolish’s back.
He’d dove to Legs’s side as soon as the words left his mouth, in a desperate attempt to keep the doctor upright and from planting face first into the path beneath them. Unfortunately Abolish had been right earlier when he suspected he wouldn’t be able to fully support the doc’s weight.
As soon as Cleo got their arms under him they lowered him unceremoniously to the ground, before kneeling to check his pulse then shaking their head with a brittle laugh.
“Undead,” she muttered, before cutting red eyes to Abolish. “Let’s get him back home.”
“Did they kill him?” Abolish asked quietly. He adjusted, then readjusted the grip he now had around the Doc’s lower legs. All he got in return was rhythmically said orders from Cleo until Legs’s body hung between them.
“Cause I know he kind of implied that they didn’t kill him but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.”
“They didn’t. He would’ve been fully healed by now.”
“But did you see what the injuries looked like before? Unless we have something to compare it to I don’t know if we could be sure-“
“Abolish.” And his dark eyes snapped up. “We are taking to doctor back to his place and you are staying to watch him. I have something I need to attend to.”
Abolish blinked at the change of topic. “I’m sure Legs would be fine…” He trailed off, truly and finally assessing just how badly the doctor needed treating. “No you’re right,” he sighed, before suspicion tainted his tone. “But what would you be leaving us to go do?”
Cleo snorted. “That’s honestly none of your business.”
“Actually isn’t it all of our businesses, since we’ve all decided to do the whole ‘no telling secrets’ thing?”
The whole procession jolted to a stop.
“Okay. Y’know what. Since you’ve decided I’m a threat, I’m leaving you with the doctor so he can get you both back into working order.”
“That’s not what I-“
“Don’t think I can’t smell the blood on you too.” Cleo all but growled, nostrils flaring. “If we’re going to talk about secrets then let’s see what’s under that dark, unstained coat you’ve got. You people are so eager to throw yourself at a fight that ends you up even worse than before!”
“Pyro attacked me!” Abolish exclaimed, wanting nothing more than to step back but unwilling to undo their progress of moving the doc. “What was I supposed to do just let him rip me up? And they were in our town. Our town Cleo, on our beacon that everybody seems so adamant about protecting up until they decide to go running off into the wilderness!”
“Well somebody should have been here,” she muttered, gaze still resting heavily on Abolish. “Weren’t you supposed to stay in town?”
“Yeah. Five nights ago, or something like that. Ever since then nobody else has stayed in town for longer than a day.”
“You don’t have to stay in town. You have every right to leave, Abolish.”
“I don’t really!” He cried, gesturing vaguely towards the invisible barrier trapping them inside. “Because at this point I only trust myself to guard that beacon and honestly I don’t want to anymore.”
He heard the sound of his voice echo back to him through the clearing. Even Cleo seemed a bit taken aback at the volume before she said, “You wouldn’t even trust me to guard it?”
“No, because you’re never here!” Abolish clarified, searching hopelessly for any hint of sympathy or understanding in those red eyes. He found none.
“Right.” Cleo’s teeth clicked as she talked, a painful noise. “Because I’m slinking around with the vampires and drinking bone marrow out of crystal goblets in their big fancy castle, instead of putting my ass on the line for this town!”
Abolish opened his mouth yet no words came out.
The vampire huffed a strangled laugh. “If you’re so incredibly determined to unjustifiably assume I’m working with them, then all I need from you is what direction the castle is in. The one with the vampires living in it, in case you were wondering. I’ll leave our precious doctor right here in your hands; what you decide to do with him is entirely up to you. There you are, there’s a choice you can make in your life.”
Abolish did not have the words or the patience to tell her that the choice was the same as always. Leave the town or stay to protect something of value. Unfortunately this choice was easier. He would protect Legundo over the beacon any day.
“But I cannot listen to the sound of your voice anymore.”
With a curt nod he flicked his head towards a vague direction. Not a second later the doctor was set almost gently on the ground and Cleo was nowhere to be seen.
Abolish slowly dragged his hands down his face in lieu of punching something.
He was getting so bone-crushingly tired of people assuming he was the one starting these fights. And even more tired of this backroad, bloodstained mess of not even a town but an outpost maybe, a camp; the dredgings of the loose definition of civilization.
He didn’t ask for this, and he knew inherently how selfish he was being in wanting to shirk his responsibilities. But when those responsibilities weren’t appreciated in the least, wasn’t he in the right to shirk them anyways?
He didn’t ask for this.
…But neither did the doc, and Abolish wasn’t one to let someone else suffer from his inadequacy.
“Alright Doc, let’s get you up and moving,” he muttered, pacing around the still body. White robed chest rising and falling steadily, and Abolish’s eyes narrowed.
Gauging the situation and the lack of people in town, it seemed fruitless to even try to move the doc himself if he wanted to avoid further injury. Abolish was still for a moment, thinking, before striding purposefully to the center of town. He pulled a tin cup from inside his bag, filling it from the bubbling fountain located there. Back by the doc’s body in seconds, he kneeled in the gravel and soil a few feet away before throwing the cup’s contents into the doc’s face.
Green eyes blinked open.
Then the doctor shouted and flailed upright, his good eye flitting around as quick as the bats that seemed to plague Oakhurst. As if Abolish was hovering over him with a blade. Which he wasn’t. But it took a good minute for Legs to control his breathing, his eye finally settling, less manic but tired, on Abolish.
“You alright?” he asked. For a second there was a glazed sheen over Legs’s eyes, the telltale sign of.. not quite hallucinations but Legs was not seeing him. Someone else maybe. Abolish was not entirely aware of what exactly the doctor did or was before arriving at Oakhurst, but he knew something had greatly affected the man. It could just be the cost of being a doctor, not being able to save everyone, but it was moments like these when Abolish suspected there was something more.. potent behind it all.
Comforting contact was not his strong suit; reserved unless entirely necessary, so Abolish’s hand came to rest just above the doctors shoulder, hovering. It landed light for only a couple seconds before Legs was blinking, brows deeply furrowed.
“Legundo?”
“I’m fine. I’m fine, I’m fine um-“ He swallowed so hard it seemed to pain him. “Yeah, sorry that was.. a lot.”
“Everybody’s alright; take a minute. Then we’ll get inside.”
“They’re not being subtle anymore,” Legs said staring off at the ground again. “They are just running around and killing people. Not turning people. Killing people.”
Abolish hummed his agreement from his crouched position. The doctor wasn’t looking for a full conversation at the moment, just voicing worries.
“I’m not great but I will- I’ll… I’ll be fine. They didn’t go after Ren or Martyn, they targeted me.”
“Well then let’s get you fixed up alright?” Despite that this was maybe the sixth time he’d spoken these words Abolish could not care; he only cared to get the doctor inside and safe. His ‘job’, he figured, disgruntled, although not of the prospect of the ‘job’ itself but of how it had been placed upon him. Honestly he was glad with the guarantee of more time to talk to the doctor; he was hard to pin down, and Abolish had a few… questions, per se.
“O-okay.” For a moment all was almost well with the world as Legs was about to comply with what Abolish was asking. Then he shook his head. “Wait. No, they need me-“
“They need you, sure.” And Abolish had to stop himself from just dragging Legs by the ankle. “But they need you well. Not on the brink of unconsciousness.”
“I’m not-“
“Doctor, I’m taking you inside.”
Legundo froze at the snap of the words, before looking Abolish up and down, some dry irony behind his eyes. “I don’t think you’re taking me anywhere.”
Abolish sighed, undeterred. “I’ll find a way.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Legs laughed breathily, still staring directly into Abolish’s eyes before looking around himself for a moment then slumping a bit. “Alright fine. Help me up?”
—
Abolish was glad he had decided against dragging the doctor around; it was much easier to get Legs inside and sat down while conscious.
They’d settled him in the chair of his desk, as he’d refused to sit at his makeshift treatment table or anywhere substantially comfortable. Abolish frowned at that but didn’t push it, figuring that if he upset him, Legs had enough fleeting strength now to just up and leave again and they’d have to do the whole thing over.
With detailed instructions he was sent upstairs, nosing through Legs’s piles of papers and books for his medical kit. But only after a full minute of silence when Abolish had pointed out that he was still bleeding.
Abolish wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly how fast vampires healed, even weaker ones like Legs was pretending to be. Why on earth the man had decided to pretend to be one was a mystery in itself. At the time nobody knew how the town would react to vampires in their midst, and it was a small miracle that Oakhurst hadn’t jumped the gun and staked them all after revealing themselves. That was one risk. And now Legs had been attacked by Scott and Pyro. That was the other risk. So who was he trying to appease by pretending to be a vampire?
Already Abolish found himself back downstairs, medical kit in hand. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” Curt and short and already down to business as Legs set about removing his tattered robe. Abolish quietly relocated his eyes to the window as Legs started on the buttons of his shirt and vest.
The doctor chuckled. “I would say to go outside if you’re uncomfortable, but…”
“Yeah, no, Cleo would probably come rushing back just to make sure I was watching you,” Abolish sighed. He chanced a glance behind him but only caught a brief glimpse of red. “They were right when they said you looked bad.”
Legs huffed, something akin to a playful pout on his face. “I’ve gotten hurt no less than anyone else in this town.”
“Except everyone else isn’t throwing themselves head first into danger,” Abolish hummed.
“That is a lie. And I wasn’t throwing myself!” Legundo cried, mock offended as his medical handiwork become abandoned in his lap. His face flickered. “It- I- we were getting attacked.”
“…Who started it?”
“Pyro did.” Green eyes went back to work then almost immediately back up to Abolish, bemused. “I wouldn’t have expected the blame game from you Abolish.”
“I don’t really care I just wanted to know.”
They settled into companionable silence broken occasionally by the doctor’s muffled grunts of pain and the wind whipping through the grass outside. The dark and gathering clouds did not bode well for any of the hunting parties this afternoon. The last time they’d been out in a storm had not gone well per se.
Abolish felt eyes on the back of his neck and turned. Legs was staring past him and out the window; his brow furrowed as a low rumble of thunder rolled through the town.
“Not a fan of the weather?”
“No, not s- not really.” He laughed and the thunder echoed it. “Reminds me too much of old times.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that, actually.” And Abolish did not miss the way Legs’s frame stiffened ever so slightly. He flinched a bit internally, not wanting to press too much but at the same time it was incredibly intriguing, how the doctor referred to his past.
“I’m afraid it wasn’t much.” Speech as stilted and stiff as his posture. “A soldier; a surgeon. I’ve done things I’m not proud of, Abolish.“
He spoke grimly, like the words themselves were ash on his tongue. Abolish had no doubt that they were. The house fell silent, save for the wind and muffled beat of rain.
“Is that all?” Something that was not quite a grin graced Legundo’s face.
Abolish wanted to know more, not even for the Organization’s purposes but just for his own curiosity. One look at the doctor’s ever stiffening spine and hollow eyes however, made him stop.
“Yeah that’s… it, I feel like I should.. say.. sorry? Or.. thank you? I-“
He was cut off with an abrupt bark of laughter.
“No apology required. Or gratitude for that matter, gods.” Abolish looked at him, questioning. That was not the response he’d expected.
“No.” Legs continued shaking his head. “That’s not- It was not my proudest moment, I’ll admit. And I will be entirely open about my faults. I probably should be more open about them, because Oakhurst seems to trust me about everything and that’s not- it’s- you’ve all only known me for a couple weeks.”
Abolish hummed in agreement. Under the doctor’s breath: “But what other choice do we have.”
“That true, I can’t tell if it would be better or worse if we all didn’t trust each other. Probably worse.”
“Worse.” Legs said in unison. They both grinned. It immediately dropped from Legs’s face however as he pulled bandages roughly across his midsection, hands not quite reaching fully round his body. Abolish shifted closer, hands hovering to take the wrap from him.
“No I just- I’ve got it now, Abolish, please. Go join the others.”
“Honestly? I don’t have a clue where they are right now and I don’t feel like risking it by running around looking for them.”
“You’ve been cooped up too long in here anyways. I’m an adult. I can take care of myself,” and Abolish heard the moment Legs’s tone slipped into something of an order. Not aggressive or mean, but an order nonetheless.
While his voice wasn’t breathy anymore, it didn’t make Abolish feel any more confident in the doctor’s ability to not pass out again.
And somehow that sentiment was conveyed through Abolish’s lone raised eyebrow.
“I’ve told you I’ll be fine. You can stop looking at me like I’m made of glass.”
That- was not what Abolish was trying to do. The doctor was not fragile; was not made of glass. But he would shatter just as easily if he kept going at this rate.
“Well, okay. Let’s say I leave for the night, right? With no supervision you end up running around town doing.. whatever, faint again in the middle of town, in perfect view of not just anyone who wants to harm you, but all the night creatures as well.”
Legs’s face twisted, amused and disbelieving. “It’s pretty safe in town. And what happened to the mass amount of silver you put up?”
“Would you like to faint in public again?” Suddenly the house was only filled with the muffled ticking of a pocket watch. “Without me to catch you I might add.”
The low light did nothing to hide the faint blush that appeared on Legs’s face. “I can handle it.”
“You can. And you will. Over and over again.” Abolish wasn’t trying to be judgemental, he’d done the same many many times, too many to count. Running himself ragged; destroying himself from the inside to stay alive on the outside. Except now he got to be the voice of reason that he’d never had. “When will you stop?”
And at that something darkened in the doctor’s eyes. “When I’ve made up for what I’ve done. Or when the world decides so,” he said, with the finality of someone who was completely and entirely resigned to their decision.
Abolish let out a slow breath.
“Legs, you are one determined man I will give you that.”
A small smile broke through the dusk veiling Legs’s face. “Thank you.”
“Though I now unfortunately have to give you an ultimatum. I haven’t slept properly in a week or so and I’m not going to until you do.”
Legs turned robotically towards him, blinking wide eyes only once, slowly. And Abolish ignored the desire to look anywhere else, though he wasn’t sure why exactly he was now ashamed of his lack of sleep. Sure, he didn’t go around telling everyone, but if it came up in casual conversation he didn’t mind vaguely mentioning his lack of sleep purely for the sake of seeming relatable. Just never the extent of it.
“I was wondering if the eye bags were genetically or physically induced,” Legs was murmuring, still holding that wide eyed gaze seemingly into Abolish’s soul. It took him a second to process what exactly the doctor had said however.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Abolish paused, before pressing on. “You, I’m guessing, haven’t slept much either. Hence the fainting.”
“That was primarily related to loss of blood and I don’t need to sleep anymore-“
“Do you finally want to tell me why, as a vampire, you are still bleeding hours after a fight?”
Legundo floundered. “I- I haven’t had anything to eat since then-“
Abolish thrust his already exposed wrist into the doc’s face, glove gone and shirt neatly rolled up behind it.
“No, No. No,” A near hiss filled the room as Legs grabbed his forearm and yanked it away, letting out a panicked laugh. “I’m not- drinking from you, of all people. I’m not drinking from anyone.”
“Then you’re going to eat before I leave this room. And you are going to rest.” Caught in his own lie. Abolish resisted the urge to smile a bit, if not only because of the scathing glare Legs was sending his way. “This doesn’t have to be hard, Legundo.”
“You are not in charge of me.” And there was that tone again as Legs stood, closing the gap between them. “I am not your ward. If anything, you are mine!”
“…Finished?”
For a singular moment Abolish was expecting the doctor to go back on his oath only for the sole purpose of putting his body through the nearest window. The moment passed.
Legs grumbled in the back of his throat at Abolish’s unflinching posture, and Abolish saw in return the way the man’s shoulders slumped with invisible weight.
Legs looked tired. Forget the fainting, the injuries tracing his body; his eyes weighed on Abolish like a ship’s anchor. Steady, heavy, sinking.
Legs had never faltered in Oakhurst. He’d been unsure or wrong before but he’d never broken, crying or numb, wanting his own home, his own bed. From Abolish’s understanding Legs had come here of his own volition (leaving was another story but he had been actively searching for this place). The doctor couldn’t have known this was in store for him. Nobody had.
Unlike Abolish’s self imposed tiredness, Legs had seemed bright and cheery when they arrived, with just a touch of morbid humor but what could you expect from a surgeon and a soldier? The humor remained but the brightness had vanished almost entirely.
“Abolish, why did Cleo leave you with me?”
Abolish reacted minutely to the topic change. “…Because you fainted? You’re- you’re bleeding out?”
“But why you.” He did not like the heaviness that colored Legs’s tone at that.
Pushing past it, he offered half of a laugh. “Because apparently I’m now Oakhurst’s babysitter.”
“You don’t sound happy about that. I told you to leave earlier.”
“And I told you I can’t.”
Legs pressed on. “Not the fog, no, but the walls themselves you can leave.”
“I can’t, Legs,” Abolish repeated, an edge of frustration slipping between his words. “Every single time I do leave something goes wrong.”
Silence. Then, quietly, ironically, “I didn’t take you as superstitious.”
“It’s not superstition. It’s the truth.”
The silence stretched thin now.
“…Abolish, are you bleeding.”
It was not a question. Abolish sighed.
“Not substantially, no-“
“Why didn’t you tell me!”
“Because I would’ve distracted you-“ his words did little to comfort the doctor “-and because I already patched myself up.”
“Not well enough,” Legs mumbled, neck straining to try and get a better look at the fairly small slit down Abolish’s now exposed forearm. He’d forgotten it was there. “There’s blood on the wall.”
“Whoops.”
“I don’t-“ Legs broke off with a frustrated noise, “I could not care about the wall, come here.”
“I told you I-“
“Come here.”
Begrudgingly Abolish walked over to the desk with him. If only he could tell Legs about the amount of times he’s cleaned himself up from a vampire fight. He was tempted to, if it got the doctor off of his back.
Legundo batted his hands away as they reached for the medical kit, snatching up the roll of gauze Abolish had had his eyes on. He held up his palm and waited, assumedly for Abolish’s bleeding forearm.
A battle between two stone faced glares. “Don’t you have your own wounds to attend to, doctor?”
“They’ll be fine, I need to check yours,” Legundo said, eyes now solely on digging through the medical kit.
“And what if I said that I’ll be fine and I need to check yours?”
Brown eyes met green, two unstoppable forces screeching to a halt. Secretly Abolish was glad they’d found somewhere to stop, to compromise.
The irony that in trying to help the other they’d helped themselves. And were annoyed by themselves for it at the same time.
The corner of Legundo’s mouth quirked upwards as he matched one of Abolish’s many sighs. “I still have to look you over. For infection. For cleanliness. For general safety. I am still the doctor.” He fully smiled now, wryly. “Although I’m certain you are entirely capable. You’re…”
While Legs searched for words Abolish started to task of removing his jacket and shirt. “Someone who can take care of his own injuries,” he mumbled dryly, but without malice. Legs laughed but quickly fell silent as the blood stained tears through his button up were revealed.
“It looks worse than it is,” Abolish offered half heartedly, rolling the shirt over his shoulders. Most of Pyro’s swings had been clumsy shoves, attempts to push Abolish off of the tower itself. As he’d retreated the vampire had done more substantial damage, though it couldn’t compare to the silvery network of scarring already adorning Abolish’s torso.
It matched the web of lightning that suddenly flashed outside. The thunder followed at beck and call.
Legs’s eyes had that sheen again.
“Legs?”
No reaction.
It was perhaps the electricity in the air, the warm wind passing through or the candle nearby that left a faint dusting of blush sat atop Abolish’s cheekbones. No other reason surely.
“Doctor?”
“Yes. Wh- you-? …Actually.” Legs’s head tilted like a confused St. Bernard. “That’s not half bad, can you turn around for me?”
Legs was already halfway behind him by the time he shifted around, hands hovering and flitting about Abolish’s back which was laced over with bandages.
“I told you I was fine.” Abolish chuckled, a low fleeting thing.
Legs didn’t seem to hear him. “Huh. And you washed them properly?”
“As- as best as I could.”
“Right. Because everything here is so clean!” Even though the doctor’s ironic exasperation was aimed at the ceiling the sarcasm was incredibly evident. As was the suspicion creeping into his tone. “Where did you learn to do that?”
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. “I was trained in first aid.”
“Obviously,” Legs chuckled, although over Abolish’s shoulder his eyes crinkled with… worry wasn’t the right term but it wasn’t the wrong one either. “But… why?”
“Why?”
“People usually don’t just take medical training for fun, Abolish.”
Which was usually true. And Abolish did not seem like he fit the minority that studied medicine just for the love of it. He could not, however, admit that his training came through managing pissy vampires who wanted a snack. And the occasional elder who thought Abolish a dangerous little play toy. They found out quickly that that was not the case, but not before getting a few good swipes in.
That was not possible. To tell Legs that.
“I- the manor I work in. They required me to learn basic medical in case… something.. happened.”
Perfect.
Legs’s eyes briefly flickered down to the scars threading through Abolish’s back, then up again. “Understood.”
Abolish could tell that Legs knew. He knew there was something else there, that Abolish wasn’t telling the full truth. It’d been a while since someone had been able to see through him so easily, but then again, it had been a while since he’d been around this many people for this much time. Oakhurst became an anomaly as soon as Abolish had realized they were trapped here, forced to brush hands with more people than he usually saw on a weekly basis. It had been an odd adjustment. He was capable of acquainting himself with others, but more often than not his missions required the opposite. Stay low, get in, get out.
What he was doing right now, these acts of hospitality, fit into none of the above categories.
Honestly though? Abolish could not find it in himself to care.
Was creating and strengthening bonds dangerous for both parties? Yes. Incredibly dangerous. But there was something whispering in the back of his mind that they would destroy themselves quicker alone than if they were together.
Usually that mindset was just for the sake of numbers, but this was different. Now Abolish cared.
He tried not to let that realization slip into his tone, blanketing it with soft sarcasm. “Are you going to let me judge your bandage work now?”
The man barked a laugh, shaking his head. “You’ve been looking at it for the past ten minutes.”
“That is.. true.”
A splash of lightning across the floorboards. Legs had ample time now to brace himself; the storm was moving out.
He peeled off what was left of his shirt, and then scanned Abolish’s torso one last time. Assessing damages. “Would you mind going upstairs and grabbing two of my shirts for me? They’re in the green suitcase- it should already be open.”
“Yeah sure.” It did not take Abolish longer than usual to wrestle the shirt sleeves over his arms. It did not take him ages to rebutton it for at least some semblance of privacy as he started on the ladder. His warm face was not cooled at all by the slight breeze that snuck through the rough planks of the house.
This was fine.
He grabbed two sleep shirts stacked neatly on top of each other, took a second to compose himself, and then climbed back downstairs.
He did not ask why Legs had wanted two shirts instead of one. As he held them out, the doctor only took one of the two offered.
Legs nudged it back towards his chest. “That one’s for you.”
Ah. Abolish restarted the process of composing himself.
“It’s definitely a bit too big,” Legs continued, sheepishly, “But unless I’m horribly mistaken I don’t think you’d want to go out in this weather to get something else.”
Abolish was trying very hard to not let whatever confused feeling that was rattling around in his mind show on his face. It was only after he’d subdued that feeling that he realized he’d been staring blank faced and forwards at the doc for about a minute.
One wide green eye swung downwards suddenly. “Or not- um.. I can-“
“It’s fine.”
Legundo froze. “…It’s fine.. that.. you…?”
“Here.”
Abolish turned to face a corner, and took a long breath before starting on his shirt again. Legs was right, the thing was almost tattered beyond use, a combination of Pyro’s claws along with the other vampires over the course of the last couple weeks. Abolish’s other button ups were coming close to this point as well. Maybe Legs would let him keep the shirt.
Abolish was suddenly glad he was still in the corner.
Luckily he didn’t have to worry about that thought much longer; it vanished completely as soon as the new shirt made it over his head, an involuntary laugh escaping his lips.
Legs made a confused noise from behind him that devolved into his own surprised laughter when Abolish turned with the shirt hanging about his knees.
“Maybe I should have gone to look for something a bit smaller,” he said between laughs as Abolish waved him off.
“It’s fine it- it works.”
Legs’s bandages just barely poked out from under his own new shirt, but besides that he seemed.. at ease again. Calmer. No heavy breathing, no wide eyes, no pain creasing the corners of his face. Except for the circles under his eyes.
Right.
“You said you were going to sleep.”
Legs snapped out of the calm stupor and drew himself up a bit, bemused at the sudden topic change. “You said you were going to sleep.”
Abolish didn’t so much as blink.
“…Did you forget that?” There was a smile at the edge of the doctor’s voice, like he’d won a bet.
Abolish had placed no bet and yet suddenly still felt like he was losing. He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and then sighed lengthily, gloved hand pinching the bridge of his nose.
Fine. So they were going to play this game of back and forth, you help me, I help you. It wasn’t what Abolish had been planning for this afternoon, there were things to do and books to find after all, but fine. With the worst of the storm passing but with still incessant rain, it’s not like be had anything else he could do. He pulled the remaining glove off and folded it into his pocket, then headed towards the door to start unlacing his boots.
Legs didn’t make a sound but followed just a bit behind him. Probably wondering if Abolish was going to go tromping through the thunderstorm even after all that.
No, Abolish was quite skilled at knowing when he was bested. And he knew from the beginning that Legundo’s insistence would be hard to beat. It was only a matter of time. He straightened and turned around.
Legs was staring at him weirdly; softly, something Abolish had only ever seen directed at the rising sun and the wildflowers he gathered when the rest of the town ran ahead.
“Come here.” And it was gentle. It was tired. Abolish was tired too. It’d taken him that long to register it hovering over the back of his mind like a phantom. He wanted to sit down. The floorboards were cold beneath his feet.
He walked over and Legs rested a hand on his shoulder, leading. Abolish let him.
“How are you still upright right now?” Legs murmured. “How long did you say you haven’t slept?”
“Eh it’s been on and off for a couple weeks. Nothing I’m not used to, but I figured it’s probably a good time to try again before the vampires decide to do something else.”
“Nothing you’re not…” Legs trailed off, worry knitting his brow. “I- would be berating you about this more but.. I’ve been doing the exact same thing.”
Abolish felt a frown pull at his face but it dissipated as soon as he sat down on the patient’s cot, relief washing over him like a tidal wave. Legs hovered a moment, unsure, until Abolish patted the spot beside him.
“I’ve gotten worse sleep here than anywhere else in my life. And that’s saying something.”
Abolish hummed.
“I mean I’ve slept in some awful places before.”
He hummed again, eyes slipping shut.
“But I’ve never-“
His head slowly settled against the doctor’s shoulder.
“-been somewhe-“
The ticking of a clock and the rain on the roof. And Legundo’s steady breathing. Most other sense drained away while some small part of Abolish’s mind told him to stay alert, to push against the arms laying him down, the body against his side. But this was nice. He’d be a fool to give it up now. He was starting to slip on how he’d gotten here exactly but he didn’t mind. He’d been here for a reason though..
Right. Legs was also supposed to rest. One last fail safe then, in case the good doctor tried to go running out into danger and peril yet again.
“You’re not allowed to get up after I fall asleep, or move me. I’m a very light sleeper,” he mumbled and suddenly, and with very little warning, Abolish was out cold.
—
To fall asleep that quickly… well he hadn’t been lying about how much sleep he’d been getting. But the fact that Abolish had trusted Legs with that knowledge and trusted him to hold him accountable… Abolish’s own weaknesses were not something he pointed out easily. It was so genuine it caught Legs a bit off guard.
Unless Abolish was really good at pretending to be asleep.
But that would imply that he knew how to slow down his heart rate to the exact right timing and-
Legs shook his head lightly. No Abolish was out. That slow rise and fall, the slight flutter to his eyelids as Legs’s breath grazed his temple; the doctor would recognize that any day.
He was suddenly glad Abolish had fallen asleep before he’d realized exactly how close their faces were. Legs didn’t have to hide his blush from the darkness.
This was fine. He’d have to make sure he woke up before anyone in town found them like this as to avoid some weird looks, but this could be fine. He’d seen worse in the army.
Legs shook his head as softly as he could, purging those thoughts out of his mind. The rain hummed steady outside.
This was fine, this was nice. It was a softness that was fleeting in Oakhurst, a kindness you had to throw yourself at and cling to while the rest of the world tore through it with sharpened teeth. It seemed they’d both had a good taste of that outside world; those scars on Abolish’s back… they’d suggested something pointed under his calm demeanor. They were clearly scarring from fights, judging from their erratic nature, but to be in that many fights at that age? Abolish never said if he had connections to the war. That’s what was keeping Legs off-kilter in Abolish’s presence; the calmness of a general who knew exactly what he was doing, paired with the face of a freshly enlisted foot soldier.
Occasionally his mind would whisper that Abolish should be dead, before snapping back to reality, which was still somewhat bleak in terms of survival. If those scars were any indication though, Abolish could have no problem making it out of here alive. So long as he remembered to rest every once in a while. Gods, he was just as bad as Legs was.
Well… only in this manner maybe.
Black hair brushed Legs’s face as he shifted ever so slightly.
This isn’t fine. Oakhurst, everything, the town, everything outside the town, none of it is fine. Hadn’t been fine for a long while. But this? This moment here might’ve been one of the only things Legs had left to cling to. He would try. To make things fine.
For now however, Legundo closed his eyes and let himself rest.