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crash-bump-bring-the-whump · 1 year

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ALRIGHT time to finish up the cocaptives arc!! This was so fun to set up!! Okay now I can post things with them kissing--

Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five

TWs: hypothermia, fever, broken bones mentioned, hospital setting, needle mention, death, violence, captivity, blood, people being burned alive

“C-come h-here.” Dimitri’s voice was soft and hoarse as he cupped Mariano’s face. Mariano leaned into the touch, into Dimitri. He let himself be tucked up close, did his best to roll onto his side for more contact, whining from the effort.

One of those broken arms painstakingly lifted, draping over Dimitri’s waist. Mariano’s fever had only progressed further as the days had gone on, but Dimitri couldn’t help but be a little grateful for it. His scalding forehead felt like heaven up against his own chest.

Mariano whimpered as his shoulders tensed, another wave of pain dragging its teeth through him. Dimitri slid a thumb along his cheek, back and forth, giving him something nicer to focus on. "I kn-know…I know."

Glazed over eyes looked up at him as Mariano relaxed again, barely aware but wanting touch and gentleness and mercy from someone. Anyone at all, it seemed, if he was so eager to receive it from Dimitri of all people. When Dimitri pulled Mariano fully into his arms again he shivered, a cracking moan drifting through their cell.

They were running out of time. Mariano was barely hanging on, and Dimitri knew he didn’t have much more of himself to give. His own beating earlier had left the room spinning for hours, and he wasn’t sure if he could come back from a third trip to the freezer. These people didn’t seem like they had the best emergency care available, either.

If the others didn’t show up soon, they might just be bringing bodies back.

Mariano buried his face into Dimitri’s neck. It seemed like he understood the stakes too, on a level. Dimitri took a deep breath, letting tension seep from his shoulders.

There was no need to worry about it at that moment. There was nothing he could do. In the end, they’d either die here or they wouldn’t.

Dimitri didn’t remember falling asleep. He woke with ice still in his bones and shudders snaking through his limbs. Mariano was radiating heat, bloody hands wound into Dimitri’s shirt. Footsteps entered Dimitri’s awareness next. Three people.

He couldn’t open his eyes. Wouldn’t. He didn’t want those three guards to be the last people he ever saw.

He curled in close around Mariano. He didn’t care about training. He didn’t care about procedure. One hand wound into Mariano’s hair, holding him tight.

“P-please–” Dimitri stuttered out as their cell door rattled open. “Please…” His voice cracked. He didn’t know what to ask for anymore. He couldn’t give anything else. “M-me.” It slipped out before he could think. “M-my t-turn…n-not done.”

“Shit–” That voice sounded like Laredo. “Can we even…”

“We have to.” That one sounded like Manuel. A hand came to rest on Dimitri’s forehead. It was smooth and calloused. Small. Whoever it was hissed. “God, yeah, he’s frozen and Mariano’s burning up. I don’t know if they can handle healing magic–not being this dehydrated, so...”

Scaled hands slid up under Dimitri’s, unwinding his fingers. They were so, so warm. Warmer than Mariano was, even if it wasn’t by much. “Hey. Hey. It’s okay, it’s alright. Let go.” A soft, growling voice sounded nearby. “It’s us.” That didn’t sound like any of the guards.

It sounded like Bastian.

Dimitri hesitantly opened his eyes. He blinked hard, trying to will his vision to focus through the exhaustion and aches. Silver eyes with slit pupils looked back at him. Scales that glittered like diamonds grew along dark skin. Those teeth were pitch black and sharp as knives. “Wh…what…? Bas-stian?”

“Yeah, it’s me. The others are here too, Izan's in the van. Let go of Mariano so we can get you guys out. He’s too warm for me to carry him.” Bastian glanced at Mariano, then to the side. When Dimitri followed his gaze, he saw Laredo.

Laredo looked furious, heartbroken, and joyous all at once. Blood was splattered along his clothes, hands, and face. He’d taken point during this raid. “Yeah, let go of Marito. I’ve got him now.” His hands were at Mariano’s chest and forehead. One of his thumbs slid back and forth along Mariano’s sweat-soaked brow. “Bastian’s even warmer than me. Let him take care of you.”

Dimitri finally let go. He let Bastian and Laredo untangle them, the desperate, panicked whine that Mariano made as they were separated only tugging at Dimitri even more. “Shhh.” Dimitri heard Laredo whisper. “I know–I know. You’re okay, Rookie. Manuel’s gonna take care of you in the van...” He didn’t catch much else as his world tilted and smeared when they both stood. Bastian’s grip pressed in on bruises and lashes and breaks, and it wiped all thought from his mind.

The dragon was warm, though. He was so warm, even through Dimitri’s damp, chilled clothes. His arms were even softer than Mariano’s–closer to Laredo’s. Manuel was chattering away, filling Laredo and Bastian in on what the next steps were, and Dimitri felt the sway of Bastian jogging. He tucked his face up against Bastian’s chest, basking in the heat rolling off of him.

At some point, the air filled with the smell of burnt hair. Flashes lit up the world beyond Dimitri’s eyelids. There was shouting, Manuel shouting. Laredo joining in, barking for someone to drop their weapons or else they’d wind up like their friends. It was so familiar, so comforting.

The desperate, cracking screaming of someone burning alive was the last thing Dimitri heard.

When he woke up next, the room was dim and dark. The bed wasn't the softest, but after the concrete floor it felt like heaven. A heavy blanket was draped over him, and he was warm. Someone was holding his hand.

Opening his eyes was the hardest thing Dimitri thought he'd ever done. Messy, short black hair, tense shoulders, and tired brown eyes greeted him. "Welcome back, Dimitri." Laredo said, one hand reaching up to rest on Dimitri’s forehead. "You scared us, stubborn old bastard."

Dimitri laughed quietly, and he realized he wasn't impossibly thirsty anymore. Glancing down, he saw that there was an IV in his hand giving him warmed fluids. "Takes more than that to kill me." He leaned into Laredo’s palm anyway.

"Not much more."

"But still more." Dimitri said with a sigh as Laredo moved to cup his cheek. He lifted one hand and brought it to rest over Laredo’s, relaxing further and letting his eyes drift shut again. “Is…is Marito okay?”

Laredo’s thumb started to slide along Dimitri’s cheek. “He’s real fucked up, but he's alive. Bed's to your left. He’s just resting right now.”

When Dimitri looked over, he saw Mariano lying in a similar hospital bed. He had an IV in, casts on his arms, and Bastian's jacket draped over his shoulders like an extra blanket. There was no blood flaking off his skin, and he was in a similar hospital gown.

He didn’t look as close to being a corpse as before.

Even with his broken glasses and the lingering pallor on his face, he seemed more alive. He seemed to feel Dimitri looking at him too, as dark, exhausted eyes drifted over to meet his own. It took a moment, since Mariano probably needed a second to process anything with that fever. But then he smiled.

“Holding up alright, little lamb?” Dimitri asked.

“Mmmhm. Glad you're awake, banana bread.” Mariano slurred, smile not wavering.

Laredo snorted, choking back a louder laugh. “That’s going in my phone right now.” As promised, he pulled out his phone and opened up his contacts.

Dimitri just sighed, not able to bring himself to feel angry or irritated. “Whatever…” He muttered, settling back in against his pillow.

When the other war mages filed in with Bastian right behind them, happy gasps and worried chatter filled the air. Manuel and Izan gave him the same updates they'd given Mariano earlier as Bastian took his seat next to his mage. They'd gone through and exterminated everyone there. No one died quick death.

They’d even gotten him some shitty coffee on their way back from getting lunch. It was burned. It was too bitter, and watered down horribly. It wasn’t even that warm. Laredo had to help him sit up to drink it, with a steady hand at his back.

It was exactly what Dimitri needed.

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