#I don’t care; i still get to ise your body at night when youre sleeping

[missfay49]

Just Speak

Summary: Janus and Remus being domestic.  Well, as domestic as they can be.

Warnings: body horror, space, aliens, suggestive content, food, poison mention, venom mention, talk of medical procedures

Word Count: ~2060

AO3

Down Time

“Say it.  Say it, pleeeaze?  Please, please, please, please-”

Remus is crouching in front of the kitchen table, only the top of his head and his fingertips visible from where he’s gripping the edge.  His eyes are wide and teeth bared.

Janus is sitting across from him, elbows on the table, face in his hands, staring at Remus through his fingers.  He looks tired and more than a little disturbed.  

“Remus, honestly?  I don’t know if I can take another one.  Do I enjoy a good philosophical debate now and then?  Yes.  That’s not this.  You’re trying to destroy me!”  He squints and sits up, lowering his arms.  “It’s rude.”

“Hee!  Last one, I prom-ise.”  Remus rolls the ‘r’ and jumps from his crouch onto the table.  By the time he lands, he’s an eight-legged Boston Terrier, bouncing and giving Janus authentic puppy eyes - several of them.

Janus releases a shuddering sigh of defeat.  

“Fine,” he mutters through gritted teeth, a thousand-yard stare overtaking him.

“Pinky,” he asks.  “Are you pondering... what I’m pondering?”

Terrier-Remus erupts into a full-grown side again, standing on top of the table.  Janus leans back, looking up at him and grimacing.

“YES!”  He cackles in triumph, then pauses, confused.  “I mean, no!”  He smirks again.

“Unless, of course, you are also pondering the expansion of the universe and its correlation to black holes, because if matter disappears into the black holes of our universe, yet we continue to grow, then that implies not only that pocket universes are forming on the other side of those black holes, but that our own universe is also a pocket dimension formed on the other side of a black hole we cannot see - in a universe above our own - supplying our universe with matter at such a rate that we cannot lose it fast enough?!  And are you further pondering whether life first formed in our universe or the one above ours, and if it formed there first, does that mean that they put us here on purpose?  Are they watching us?  Are we just an experiment to them, CURSED,” he screeched. “-to struggle for the sick curiosity of an ancestral yet alien race that may decide to terminate us at any moment?!”

Remus stands over him, hands clutching the air, panting at the end of his monologue.  Janus stares up at him, mouth agape.  Logan laughs.

Logan?

Janus turns slowly, reluctant to take his eyes off the spectacle before him.  Logan is sitting cross-legged on the couch behind them, apparently having watched the whole thing.  

“Hilarious.”  He puts a hand to his chin.  “The odds of Janus pondering that exact same thing at the same time are preposterous.  Excellent joke, Remus.”

“Spaghetti!”

“That was not a joke - it was an existential crisis!”  Janus yells at the both of them.  

“I am not sure why it should cause any distress.”  Logan says evenly.  “While it is technically possible for that scenario to be true, it is not more true now than it was before you were aware of it.  And there is literally nothing we can do about it, given our species’ current technological progress.”

While Logan speaks, Remus climbs down, sits at the table, and conjures a plateful of piano wire covered in marinara.  He’s spinning a fork into the mess, nodding sagely all the while.  Janus watches him take a crunchy bite.

“This is why Virgil left, you know.”  Janus simpers, summoning a glass of… soup.  

“Oh, boo, Janny.”  Remus speaks out of a second mouth he’s just added to his shoulder.  It’s grin belies something sinister.  “He left for much worse reasons than that!”

Janus sighs into his wine.  Logan walks over to join them at the table, summoning a notepad and pencil.

“Remus, could you describe what is happening to your teeth right now?  I’m curious.”

“Absolutely!”

On a Mission

“Remus?  Darling, where are you?”  Janus calls from the kitchen.  A shape appears to the side, just catching the corner of his eye.  Remus is inexplicably soaking wet.

“Ah, there you are.”  Janus claps his hands together.  “Remus, dear, did you place this giant terrarium here just off the kitchen?”  Remus peers into a thick jungle sprouting out where the oven used to be.

“Sounds like me, but I don’t remember.  Are there dangerous creatures in it?”

“If the shrieks are any indication, undoubtedly.”

“Then, yes!”  Remus shimmies, shaking off the water.  Janus admires the spray, smiling.

“That’s exactly what I wanted, thank you.  Come along, now, we’ve got specimens to collect.”  With a flourish, Janus twirls around and strides into the foliage.  Remus snaps his fingers, donning a stained and battered explorer’s outfit, equally as wet as before, and leaps in after him shouting something about ‘smashing!’.

Working Late

Remus tiptoes down the hallway, leaving a trail of flour-based footprints behind him.  He’s dusted halfway up his shins with the stuff.  He slows and stops when he sees the light still on under his target’s doorway.  Janus is usually asleep by now.  He twists the knob, willing the hinges to squeal with their utmost spooky capacity.  

The bed is empty and neatly made.  Janus is at his desk instead, cape and hat hanging off the back of the chair.  His gloves are nowhere to be seen.  There’s a pen still upright in his hand, but his head rests on his arm and he’s fast asleep.  Even the noise doesn’t stir him. 

Looming over his shoulder, Remus examines what was keeping him up so late.  Small stoppered vials full of pale liquids are lined up in a specially-made wooden crate.  Latex gloves, wash cloths, and a mask are discarded atop a metal tray.  A pair of safety goggles are resting on Janus’ head.  

Half the vials are affixed with permanent labels in a clean handwritten script.  The rest just have sticky notes and scribbled words.  

Taxine alkaloids, Taxus brevifolia

Abrus precatorius

“Oo hoo hoooo!”  Remus claps excitedly as black tentacles tear through his clothing.  They wrap around Janus and lift him from the chair with surprising grace.  Janus only startles for a moment, settling back down when he recognizes the feel of the limbs surrounding him.  

“I’m nearly finished,” he murmurs.  Remus just presses him down into the bed, tendrils pulling down the blankets.  As the tentacles pull away, Janus shivers; nothing but his boxer briefs remain on him, the rest having vanished somewhere between the bed and the desk.  He pulls the blankets up tight as Remus perches on the footboard.  The tentacles are slowly slurping back into his body.

“Prenez une petite mort.  Your nightmares are more interesting when you get more sleep.”  Remus grins wide, revealing rows of shiny, dagger-like teeth.  A tentacle passes by the desklamp and hits the switch.  In the darkness, he sounds ravenous.

“Don’t worry.  I’ll stay right by your side…”

“Fine.  Goodnight, Remus.”

Janus sleeps soundly knowing nothing will get past his bodyguard tonight.

Almost Ready

“What scent should I use?”  Remus has brought three different perfume bottles for Janus to choose from.  “Ozone, battery acid, or meat?”

“Oo, tough call...”  Janus deadpans, focusing on tying a bow onto the crate just so.  “Sure you don’t have bloody mouse-y with a dash of hot sauce?”  He slaps a hand over his own mouth when he realizes what he’s said.

“A classic!  You got it, Santa-snakey.”  Remus snaps his fingers.  The first three bottles vanish, and a fourth appears.  It’s filled with a thick, bright red paste.  

“For the love of Liza Minnelli, do not spray that in here.”

The Gift

Logan sits unsuspecting in the living room having a cup of tea and reading an article about Maria Skłodowska-Curie on his phone.  The dark duo appear out of thin air on either side of him, the rustle and movement of the couch his only clues, except…  Logan puts his tea down.  

“Remus, what is that smell?”  

“Best not to think about it too hard,” Janus interjects.  “Here.”

Janus holds a hand out before Logan, a mysterious shape underneath a black cloth.  He flings the cloth away dramatically to reveal a present wrapped in gold-foil paper and a black silk ribbon.  Logan blinks at the surprise.

“This wrapping is quite aesthetically pleas- oof!”

Remus drops a ten-pound box in Logan’s lap, knocking his phone to the ground.  Janus deftly moves his gift out of the way.  The box is wrapped in yesterday’s paper and tied in a series of reef knots.  The top facing article features the latest alligator attack suffered by yet another “Florida Man”.

“Thanks!”  Logan squeaks out.  “I will just open this first, if you don’t mind, Janus?”  The other side nods.  

Logan carefully unties the knots and opens the box - the cake box.  Because inside is a pale blue frosted cake with rock candy cutting through the side.

“It is beautiful.  Is it meant to resemble blue agate?”  Logan carefully lifts the cake out of the box and places it on the table.

“It’s meant to resemble a vagina!  It’s a vageode cake!  I made it last night.”  

“Is this another reference I need to learn?”  Logan asks them both, but Janus just shrugs while Remus pokes holes in the cake and laughs.

“Mine next,” Janus reminds him.

“Ah, yes.”  Logan accepts the gold package Janus hands him and undoes the bow with one pull.  Underneath the foil is a smooth wooden crate holding eight vials.

“Oh!  ‘Nerium oleander’.  ‘Atropa belladonna’.”  Logan starts reading off the labels.  “Poisons?”

“And venoms-s-s.”  Janus says low.  “So you can help Thomas’ competitors- I mean, his fellow actors, take a well deserved break.  Or, you know, develop life-saving antivenoms, or whatever.  Your choice.”

“Thank you?  I am not going to poison Thomas’ colleagues.”

“You can test them on me!”  Remus winks at him.  

“Surely that won’t be necessary.  Although, testing does provide a lot of data.”  Logan looks thoughtful for a moment.  “Say, do you think- wait, no, that’s unethical.”

“Who cares about ethics, you’re not a doctor!  Tell me tell me!”  Remus bounces on the cushion, making a horrible sucking sound with each rebound.

“Well, I would need to do some research first.  Is it still considered an autopsy if the patient is alive?”  Logan picks his phone off the ground and starts opening tabs.

“Wait!”  He stops himself.  “I’ve got your gifts upstairs.  I didn’t know when you would be popping in.  I’ll be right back.”

Logan leaves the two sitting on the couch.  Janus preens.  

“Another highly successful encounter.  Do you think he’s caught on to our devious plan, yet?”  He smirks at Remus.

“Definitely not.  What was the plan again?”  

Janus tsks.  

“Our very evil plan to befriend the nerd under the guise of traditional holiday celebrations, reconcile all the sides with his help, and thereby help Thomas achieve self-actualization?  You know, the ultimate plan?”  He squints at Remus.  “Did we not go over the plan?”  

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Then why did you make that cake?”

“Cause we harvested all those poisons and I wanted to try my hand at creating a vagina!”  Remus tears a chunk of cake off and starts to eat it.  Blueberry filling starts to pour out.

“You know they’re not blue, right?”  

“Maybe not the ones you’ve seen.”  Crumbs are falling everywhere.  Janus withholds any more questions to prevent a bigger mess and texts a warning to Logan not to eat the poisoned cake.  

At that moment, the front door swings open.  The pair on the couch freeze.  Roman and Virgil start loudly carrying in armfuls of groceries, complaining about the lack of snow.  

“Patton, we’re back!”  

Footsteps upstairs are rapidly approaching.  Janus nods to Remus.

“That’s our cue.”  They stand up as one.

“Hey!”  Virgil shouts.  “What are you two doing here?!”

“Villains!  We’re being invaded by villains!”  Roman cries out, rushing into the living room.

“Now, Remus!”  Janus drops out of sight with a swirl of his cape just in time to avoid the explosion of glitter as Remus’ form erupts like a balloon.

When Patton comes downstairs, Roman is standing in the middle of the room spitting out neon green glitter with his sword drawn, and Virgil is ranting about perimeter security and motion detectors, floor sensors and alarms.  

Logan comes down a moment later carrying two gift bags.  

“Hm.”  His phone buzzes.

The cake is a lie.

Come visit anytime.

@sanderssidesgiftxchange​ @on-and-on-we-go-forever​

#sanders sides #missFay #my writing #writing #lying #sarcasm #cursing #remus #janus #logan #patton #roman #virgil #body horror #alcohol #space #universe #platonic dukeceit #dukeceit #poison #venom #blood #tentacles #vageode #human experimentation #platonic loceit #platonic intrulogical #loceit #intrulogical #pinky and the brain

[kuriquinn]

The Job Offer [part 2]

General Disclaimer

Rating: PG 13

Author’s Note: I was planning to do all random one-shots that weren’t connected to anything. But this was the only thing I could think of writing when I saw the prompt was “medicine”. So...here’s the next part of that mafia fic I started like two years ago. If you want to read the first part, you can find it here.

⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂

“So, I hear you’re refusing your medication unless I give it to you,” Sakura says as she enters the private room without preamble, two IV bags in hand. “Care to share why? And it better not be some macho, stoic bullshit.”

She should probably be a little more polite, but she’s way beyond sleep deprived at this point.

Uchiha Sasuke is propped up in his bed, glaring at her. His chest is a swath of thick bandages, turning what she has learned is a stunning physic into a comically shapeless square. They are incongruent with the vibrant colours of sleeve tattoos that depict snakes winding up either arm against a black background with red clouds. She knows there’s something on his back, too, but she was a little too preoccupied with his life-saving surgery at the time to identify it; some kind of bird.

“Your people are refusing to allow my men in here. I can’t be sure I’m not being poisoned.”

“After the show they put on in the emergency room, they’re lucky they’re even allowed in the waiting room,” she grumbles and begins to set the bags into the apparatus. “Why do you trust me not to poison you? I mean, you’ve been a bit of a pain since I met you, so you’d totally deserve it…”

She chances a glance over at her patient, who hasn’t taken his eyes off her since she walked in. She has a brief moment of being lost in endless black, and then he turns away with a noncommittal noise.

“You’ve already proven you have principles. Since a dozen Uchiha-gumi couldn’t make you waver, I doubt anything else could.”

He goes quiet, staring at the wall with a slight frown in his forehead, and long bangs framing his face rather fetchingly despite the fact he probably hasn’t had a chance to wash his hair in three days.

He is really, unfairly and ridiculously pretty.

Sakura swallows at that thought, hastily grabbing for his chart so he doesn’t catch her looking.

No! None of that! Bad idea! That is the worst idea. Just look at his arms, they tell you exactly why this is a bad idea!

“What are you giving me, anyhow?” he asks. “I don’t allow just anything in my body.”

“I’m trying not to find that ironic,” Sakura quips. “Anyhow, these are your next round of antibiotics and painkillers—and no, it’s not morphine, you already made it clear to my interns what you thought about that.”

“As I said.”

“Yeah, well, you could have been a little nicer about it. I think Dr. Ise is about to go to the administration and tender his resignation because of you. And they’re in enough of a tizzy already, they’d accept it.”

Uchiha watches her face, and something flashes in his gaze.

“You haven’t had any issues, have you?” he asks, frowning. “With regards to your employment?”

Sakura’s cheeks flame. “You mean since your boys were trying to intimidate Senju-sensei and the rest of the Board of Directors?”

“It would be remiss of them to suspend your privileges considering the situation.”

“Do you know how much of a problem their interference could be for me?!”

“Was it effective?”

“In this case…yes,” she admits grudgingly. He smirks at that, like he predicted this, and she clenches her fists. “But the Board’s going to make my life hell in other ways from now on! Constant reviews and check ins and…” She sighs, reigning in her temper. “Look, it’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but you’re making my life more complicated—”

“Complicated enough to leave?” he suggests, and there’s something too blank about his face just then.

Suspicion rears its head, along with a memory of the night they met.

“So what? Just come work for me.”

“I’m not quitting my job. I have responsibilities—"

“Take a sabbatical,” he suggests. “I’ve heard that’s common among the medical profession, either due to burnout or the desire to research areas of interest.”

“Not to go work for the mob!”

He doesn’t appear to hear her. “You doctors engage in research, right? Life-saving practices, new methods?”

“…Yes?”

“And that requires funding, if I understand it. Which is difficult to come by, considering you don’t exactly get paid much…”

Sakura narrows her eyes. “Are you trying to bribe me?”

“I consider it more of an investment.”

“No offense, but even if I were at the point in my career where I was trying to get funding for something, I’d rather not have the money attached to my name and methods be dirty. Especially not if I want to be taken seriously.”

“We maintain entirely legal businesses,” he dismisses. “My branch of the family has a thriving private security business, which has been very lucrative so far. Any funding you receive through us would be through legal channels and with clean funds.”

Sakura blinks, not entirely sure she’s understanding what she’s hearing.

“Why are you trying so hard to recruit me?”

“You have a good image.”

“Excuse me?”

“Not like that,” he rolls his eyes. Then as if in opposition to what he just said, his gazes flicks up and down in a way that has her blushing and torn between wanting to cover up in a blanket or shrug out of her scrubs in front of him.

Oh. My. God. What the hell is wrong with me?

“You are small and unassuming,” he continues. “No one would know to look at you that you’re anything more than that. And in addition to being able to fight, you have medical skills and respect discretion. In my experience, that is hard to come by without a lot of money being thrown around. And money doesn’t buy loyalty. You already have principles, so money wouldn’t be necessary. You’re a warrior and a healer. That’s valuable.”

“I…”

What the hell do I say to that?

“As it happens, I’m looking for another member of my security team. Suigetsu’s wife is having a baby soon, and she’s demanding. I don’t see him being able to maintain his commitments to my schedule for the next little while. You have no family connections or commitments to speak of, nor any time-consuming romantic relationships most women your age do.”

“How the— how do you know that?! Are you— did you have someone look into me?”

She’s entirely thrown off balance by this.

“My brother is very thorough. He and my parents wished to make sure of your credentials.” There aren’t many yakuza that the general populace are able to name off the top of their head, but Uchiha Itachi is one of them. If any of the stories about him are true… “You will likely meet him when I’m permitted to leave here.”

Sakura is only just able to hold back the choke of fear, but her patient notices, nonetheless.

“There’s no need for you to worry about him,” he says, bored. “He already likes you, from what Suigetsu told him. Something amuses him about the fact you can—what’s the expression? ‘Get me to take my medicine’? Anyhow, he’ll have a formal offer of employment drawn up for you.”

He is looking at her with a superior look, as if to say, this hospital may be your kingdom, but I have my own domain.

That confidence is simultaneously terrifying and sexy in a way it shouldn’t be.

“You may have time to consider the proposition,” he tells her, indicating the door; a clear dismissal.

Sakura bristles a little at that, irritated. “And if I still decline?”

He shrugs. “Then you decline. I’m not about to have your fingers cut off because you’ve done something I don’t like.” His eyes rest on her hands, then flick up to her with something indecipherable in them. “That would be a waste.”

And then he smiles.

Sakura feels a surge of want slam into her and oh, whether she takes the job or not, this is not going to turn out well for her, is it?

栗

#sasusaku #ssm19 #ssm19day3 #prompt: medicine #kuriquinn #sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #sakura pov #sfw #romance #drama #mafia #au

[spantch]

Am I not monster enough for you?" Copper's cool and low voice emanating from where he still lays on their bed puts something in his chest at ease.

"What?" He doesn't fully turn as he continues to get dressed.

"You go on these stupid hunts, putting yourself in danger, because you need it right? you need a monster to fight?"

"Copper, it's more complicated than that. I have a duty to protect."

"So? Protect yourself if its adrenaline you need I'll give it to you."

"Just go back to sleep, I dont want to talk about this right now."

"Sunlight. I dont want to wake up alone and then have my first thought be if I'm ever going to see you again. If it's a fight you need or blood or whatever, I'm here. I'll be the monster," Mikely saw Copper's stripes dim for a second as he came close to losing composure, "I want to help you, I want to keep you safe, but I don't know how to keep you safe from yourself."

"I appreciate your conviction, but you cant fix everything."

"Why not? I know I cant make the world all sunshine and rainbows, but I can try. Please, at least let me try."Copper says as he reaches out to hold Mikely's hand.

"No." Mikely crossed his arms and drew away from the only person who has ever truly loved him, "Its more complicated than that, this goes beyond us and- and you dont understand."

"Your right I dont understand, but I want to. please just tell me, show me, whatever, just let me help you."

"Its my duty ok? this is what I was raised to do. to be."

"You know that's a crock of bull, sunlight, Nobody breathing expects you to keep throwing yourself to the wolves." his tone is infuriatingly gentle, it always is.

"I do."

"Why?"

"I dont know!" he snaps.

"Sunlight please, I'm not trying to upset you, I just- I just want to help."

"I know."

"Will you at least tell me this?"

"What?"

"When will it be enough? When do we- you get your happily ever after?"

"I dont. Ok? I dont get one. I was never meant to."

"So you're just going to keep throwing yourself away until you're dead?"

"What else is there for me?"

"Me, Metock, Nolk. Whatever else you want, I'll get it for you, Sunlight."

Mikely makes a frustrated noise and barely restrains himself from stomping his foot like a bratty child, "You dont get it. It's more complicated than that!"

"Maybe I dont need to 'get it'! Maybe you just need to trust me for half a second. You know what? Maybe you- dont get it."

"Dont get what? that you're some spoiled, self absorbed, greedy fairy?"

"You know what maybe I am but your the one refusing to accept that if you keep doing this nonsense you will die."

"So what?"

"So what? Mikely-," He grit his teeth and glared at Mikely while he calmed himself down enough to not yell at him "Mikely, You're right. I absolutely am a selfish bastard, and that's going to manifest right now. Mikely, if you die, I'm going to be alone again. And You dont understand how absolutely terrifying that is. I love you, but I- I cant watch you do this to yourself."

"To bad." He turned away from the creature staring slack jawed and broken hearted at him, Copper deserved better, "I'm going now, Youd best be too." The door closed with a satisfying thunk that he pretended he didn't feel in his chest.

---

Their room was empty when he returned, his neck was stiff, he couldn't open one eye and he had lost feeling in his hand. realistically the most severe injury was the slash that cut deep in his shoulder, it still slowly seeped but adrenaline was keeping the ache at bay for now.

He sat in his chair, the one coated in waxed fabric with extra padding, and waited for Copper to return from where ever he was having his fit.

But he didn't.

Mikely drifted in and out of unconsciousness as he waited; sunset turned to night, to mid night, to early morning, to sunrise.

Copper did not return.

Why?

He sat up and his head swam as the room spun.

the cracking of dried blood barely registered in his ears over the thrum of his own heart. His hand was cold and his eye wouldn't open and his shoulder burned.

Where's Copper?

Why didn't he come home?

He stumbled out of their room and down the hall.

"Oh shit, Mike?" Metock called as she saw him, "Hey, hey, you dont look good" She held out her hands to steady him as he swayed to a stop. He winced as his nerves revolted against touch.

"Copper?"

"Copper? What, oh shit. Copper left last yesterday, said he was going away for a bit. Mikely were you waiting on him?" she ushered him to sit.

He slumped forward I'm his chair and nodded. why was it so bright in here?

"I'll go find a physician, please just stay put."

he nodded into the table again.

Time passed, or maybe it didnt.

life felt sluggish right now, and all to much at the same time.

Where did Copper go?

"Hunter? I leave you alone one night, and you find your way to death's door," There he is.

"Do-dont call me hunter." He slurred "Y-you call call me moonlight, or sun- su- sunlight or s-starlight."

"Why should I call you any of those things? you are the one who made it very clear we're just acquaintances."

"Yu- Love me."

"I do, and as much as it pains me to admit it, I probably always will, But hunter, you chose to reject me. Our deal was I'd stay by your side forever and always until you told me to leave. You told me to leave, I left."

"Di-nt mean t-too"

"Sure felt like you did."

"Sorry."

"Dont apologize, just… just dont. I cant take this anymore."

"St-ay?"

"Hunt-"

"Stay. I-mm uh, co-ld" he turned to face copper, why wasn't he next to him? why did he look so sad? "Sad?"

"Hunter. Somebody I love is dying, you are dying, of course I'm sad."

Mikely wined and thunked his numb hand on the table a few times. "N-o"

"Humter I'm sorry, there's blood building up in your skull and its putting pressure on your brain, you are going to die."

"No, S-sad."

"Its okay to be sad hunter-"

"N-no! Sa-d, You." he whined and thunked the table a few more times. This time Copper understood he was trying to get him to sit down next to him.

he shouldn't, but he does.

Mikely flinches when copper puts his arm over his shoulder.

"Hurts."

"Dying usually does." He adjusts his position to share as much body heat as he could without putting pressure on Mikely's wounds.

"Fix?"

Copper sighs "why should I? All that's going to happen is you're going to do this again and again, and- I cant do that Mikely, at least in death you would be at peace. No more fighting no more hurt, for either us."

"N-no m-more Th-Th-ief?"

"No more thief."

"No." Mikely shifts in his seat, slow and laboriously against his protesting muscles, until hes pressed up under Copper. "N-o more safe?"

"of course youd be safe, I'd never guide you somewhere you couldn't be safe, hunter."

"No Th-ief, no safe."

"Hunter-"

Mikely wines "No, st-stay I-ll Fix it. Don-t leave."

"I'm not going anywhere, there's nothing left to fix."

"Alone?"

"What?"

"Y-you? Alone?"

"Yes, when you're gone I'll be alone, we've discussed this already."

"n-no, Fix. I p-pro-promis-ised."

"You already broke that promise hunter, when you told me to leave."

"No."

silence fell between them. Mikely's quiet sniffling drilled holes behind Copper's heart, but what were they to do? Metock and the physician wouldn't be here in time.

"Hurt." Mikely whimpers.

"I know, sleep for now, it'll be gone when you wake." Copper cards his hand through Mikely's hair like hes done a thousand times before, careful to avoid the bruises.

Mikely relaxes under it, hes safe now.

---

Mikely wakes up alone. Both eyes open, both hands twitch in the sheets, and his shoulder only smarts a little as he sits up.

He runs a hand over the side of his face and into his hair. He's clean and his hair has been braided in the very specific way copper does it when he going to be on his back for a while.

Where's copper? That wasnt a dream. is he home now?

Mikely stumbles out of his room, only slightly more sure footed than last time.

The only people in the dining room are Metock and the physician Daria.

"Sir, you should not be standing!" She jumps to her feet and guides him to a seat. "Sit, sit, it's a miracle you survived, so you probably shouldn't push your luck further!"

"Copper?" he says

"What?" she says

"The friend he'd been out hunting with. he hasn't returned yet so Mikely is worried." Metock lies. She was good at that.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll show up at some point."

---

Physician Daria left soon after, her only instructions being for him to rest and drink lots of water.

He didn't think he'd miss her chipper bed side manner, he much preferred Physician Copper. She was a good doc, but he trusted Copper a lot more.

"So, What happened?" Metock said with a tone that indicated she would not tolerate side stepping from her husband right now.

"Copper and I had an argument,"

"Ok? That happens a lot between you two. Doesn't explain why he left right before you went on a hunt."

"He didn't want me to go."

"Ok?"

"And we got mad, and I fucked up, and told him to leave."

"Mikely"

"I know!"

"You fucked up."

"I know."

"But its probably salvageable."

"How?"

"Did you do your hair?"

"No."

"Hm, when Physician Daria and I got here you were out cold, cleaned up, and already mostly healed. It was Copper, right?"