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[rain_of_bullets]

[Haine has taken matters into his own hands.  When he found nowhere around that did in fact do piercings or tattoos, he figured any small, sharp object would do.  To be fair, the wings do look pretty badass with the hoops and cuffs and a thin silver chain he found to fill the piercings with.  Most of all, he just wanted to stick the bastards that

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[manmade_angel]

[Nill came home from picking up some things for dinner, when she comes home to blood spots just outside the door... and on the carpet outside. Which means someone who was in the house is now bleeding.]

[She drops the bag inside the door and follows the blood to Haine's room. Once she opens the door, a cold tingle runs over her shoulders at the larger spots of blood on Haine's sheets. An attack? A kidnapping? Either way, she was following the wrong end of the trail.]

[Dashing back out of the house, she finds the blood trail again, towel in hand, and follows it. Away from the housing, almost all the way out of town.]

[And as though she thought she couldn't be any more scared than she was when she'd seen Haine get shot and fall out of a window, it's worse now. Haine means everything to her now.]

[Nill runs over to Haine, wishing to God she could just start screaming until someone found them. All she can do now, though, is kneel down next to Haine and try to figure out where he's bleeding from and why he's fallen down.]

[rain_of_bullets]

[Haine can remember precious few times where there wasn't a stark difference between alive, sleeping, and dead. There's never been much inbetween, save the few times he's lost control. But he knows he hates this bleary, tired feeling. For once he doesn't even hear her footsteps, and it isn't until she's next to him, kneeling over him, that he's even sure she's there.

He tenses the moment he's conscious enough to process the thought, and even though it's Nill and no one else, it's hard to get control. Hard not to feel cornered and trapped. If a few piercings were this bad, it was a good thing he hadn't just torn them out, like his first instinct had been. Still, the wings hardly move, save the occasional shudder when he tries to push himself up again.]

Fuck.

They won't stop bleeding.

[manmade_angel]

[Nill looks down at Haine when he speaks, shocked that he's still trying to get up. Well if he wants the bleeding to stop, he's going to have to stop moving so much, Nill knows that at least. She puts a soft hand on his shoulder, trying to encourage him not to move. Nill can see he's trying to fight, but she doesn't need to see any more. She knows he's strong, that he can take care of himself.]

[She looks back up at Haine's back, at his wings. The blood pool is dripping from his back to the ground, which means 'they'...]

[It's hard not to cover her mouth with her hands when she sees what Haine's done to his wings. She would never do such a thing, but Haine has dozens of piercings. He probably tried because he's stubborn like that.]

[Haine's already tried to stop the bleeding with sheets, and a normal wound would have clotted by now. And Haine... Haine should have been fine by now. He was dying--actually dying[She needed help. But who? Who would Haine let near him when he was bleeding so badly? Who could help? While she

[rain_of_bullets]

[He knew jack about bird's anatomy, but unless he'd hit an artery or something, they shouldn't keep bleeding like this. They weren't normal wings. Instinct told him that if he pulled something out of a wound, it would only bleed more though, so he'd thought to ride it out and wait. Stubborn pride and the need to tell the Malnosso Fuck you, this is MY body won out, landing him in this mess.

His arm shakes and slips again, hands balled into fists. What a joke. He doesn't even know what to tell Nill. Go get help? He don't need help. He's a fuckin' zombie, isn't he? Some kind of monster...]

Shit.

[He hisses under his breath when she puts pressure on them, but shakes his head, stubbornly refusing treatment.]

I'll be... fine. I jusss- need-a-minute.

[manmade_angel]

[Despite Haine refusing her help, Nill keeps at it. She doesn't mind the blood, she's used to it by now, but it still twists at her stomach to see so much on Haine, and realize that Haine's body wasn't doing what it was supposed to. Nill's jaw trembles as she tries to keep herself from crying, but it all seems so hopeless. Haine doesn't need a minute--he's had so many minutes from the looks of things.]

[They need help, but Haine won't have any of it. What should she do? Her hands start to shake, even though she keeps trying to hold the towel to Haine's wounds.]

[rain_of_bullets]

[It's a pain to try to be strong when his body feels like it's falling apart on him. But worse is seeing Nill like this and knowing it's his fault for making her worry.]

Hey.

[It's quiet at first, but more commanding and firm the second time, as he turns his head to look at her.]

Hey. I'm not... gonna leave you.

[She needs direction and for as many times as he's had to help patch up Badou, he's not had much experience with it firsthand. He doesn't want to ask for doctors, not like before, but if he doesn't get this taken care of soon, he's going to start losing consciousness and it's only a hop skip and a jump from there to a long long nap.]

You're good at sewing up holes... yeah?

[myfatherspath]

[Some people, particularly certain grumpy white-haired young men, might consider Naoto a bitch. Despite that unqualified opinion, she's much more forgiving than she seems, though she does keep a reserve of snide remarks. A trail of blood from the house never means anything good, though she hadn't expected it to lead to Haine. She folds her arms and sighs, rolling her eyes with exasperation that doesn't quite hide her concern. After all, he can be an asshole sometimes, but he doesn't deserve to lie around in a puddle of his own blood.]

I'd really like to say you had this coming.

[But then...Nill. Why does everyone in that house seem intent on making the poor girl panic? Naoto temporarily ignores Haine...it's not like it would be the first time. She doesn't plan on letting him suffer too much, but she doesn't plan on letting Nill suffer either.]

Nill, do you need some help?

[manmade_angel]

[No, actually she's terrible at sewing up holes. It takes her forever and they're never very neat. But sewing up the holes in Haine's wings? She couldn't possibly do that. He would bleed more before Nill could make it stop, maybe even make it worse. And if she made it worse, it would be her fault that Haine had left her.]

[She's about to shake her head, tell him she can't sew these shut, she'll just mess it up and hurt him, when Naoto finds them. Nill does need help, in the most serious of ways. She nods emphatically, drawing the towel away so Naoto can see what the damage is. Teary-eyed, she silently asks Naoto if anything can be done.]

[rain_of_bullets]

[He wants to tell her that it's fine. Not to worry about it. He's died enough times already and even if there is something different about it, it's pretty damn hard to keep him dead.

He tries to focus when he hears the other voice and the sound of her footsteps. Great. Just what he needs. As if Naoto hasn't stuck her nose into enough of his life as it is. She's the last person he'd ask help from. So maybe it's a good thing Nill is there to ask for him.]

We don't... need you.

[Haine tries to sound insistent as he lays there, breath quickening as his heart tries to keep up with the loss of blood, pumping the rest around uselessly. He makes another attempt to get up, wings flitting restlessly. He manages to get his elbow underneath him and starts trying to roll over or pull himself forward.]

[myfatherspath]

[Unsurprisingly, Naoto rolls her eyes once again. She's met a lot of stubborn people in her life, and Haine's nearing the top of the list. And yes, she's aware of the hypocrisy: she'd resist just as much if their roles were reversed. But isn't the point. She also wouldn't voluntarily shove pieces of metal into her body.]

I'm not helping you. I'm helping Nill. You just happen to be around for it.

[Even if he didn't remember, Naoto had made a pact with herself before showing up here, and as much as she hated to admit it, Haine fell into the category of 'people she cares about enough to protect.' Luckily, that doesn't mean she has to be nice about it. She turns to Nill and gives a fairly reassuring smile before addressing the tearful girl.]

Don't worry, okay? He'll be fine. I know what I'm doing.

[And what she's doing is pushing Haine rather firmly back to the ground, where she can better see what he's done to himself. Naoto takes his wing with more care, but if he resists, her grip will tighten as she examines the metal-

[manmade_angel]

[Thank goodness Naoto is willing to help--when Haine refused initially, Nill honestly thought she was going to start crying in earnest. Couldn't he just put their fight aside for a moment so Miss Naoto could save him? Nill already knew they didn't like one another, but for her sake, couldn't they stop?]

[Her wings twitch nervously when Naoto starts pushing Haine down and examining his wounds. Get rid of the piercings? Would that help, or make it worse, though? Nill trusts that Naoto knows what she's doing, but she's so scared that it's too late. Swallowing, she tries to catch Naoto's attention, then mimes sewing and points to Haine's wing. She doesn't know if she can do it, but if Haine thinks it might work...]

[rain_of_bullets]

[Even if he doesn't say so, it's something of a relief that someone can help Nill, since he's pretty useless right now. Whether or not he's in pain hardly enters the equation; he's had worse. But whether he likes it or not, Nill trusts Naoto, and though she's probably one of the last people he'd pick, he's still pretty sure she's not going to knife him in the back.]

...

[However, when she pushes him to the ground, his body reacts on instinct, pushing back with what strength remains. The struggle hardly lasts before he's back on the pavement, but worse, that pounding in his head just won't stop. His breath quickens, bordering on hyperventilation, and his body shakes as she starts examining his wings.]

Let go! Fucking-

[Despite his efforts, he can't get away from her. The pounding won't stop. He can't keep away the flood of memories. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he can hear that black dog's laughter.]

[myfatherspath]

You'd rather bleed to death on the pavement?

[Naoto's voice is fiirm. She doesn't want Nill having any part in this, but the girl's hands are already covered with blood. Again, Naoto glances up briefly.]

We can't stitch anything until we take care of the bleeding and get rid of this metal. You were smart to being a towel.

[It's an attempt to bolster Nill's confidence, but even so it's true. Naoto begins trying to free the metal rings, struggling with the clasps and the damn chain.]

Can you keep him calm? Just make sure he knows that you're here.

[She can't say or do much herself, not without making his emotional state worse. Naoto's a girl, and Nill is...well, Nill. At last she has a chance to stop the shaking and even out his breathing.]

I need that.

[Naoto reaches for the girl's towel. Normally, she would be tactful and kind, but there isn't time for that now. She continues working on the rings, scowling as she does so. Only a few more to go.]

[manmade_angel]

[Calm, yes, calm. Nill notices the signs of Haine beginning to get a little unruly and nervous, so while Miss Naoto is working on his wounds, Nill has to keep him calm. She can at least do something to help, even if she isn't helping with the wounds themselves.]

[She sits down on the ground and takes a moment to orient herself so she's lying down next to Haine at his eye-level. At this point, she doesn't care if she's getting her dress bloody or dirty, she just wants to calm Haine down. Having a bunch of people leaning over you couldn't be very good, so Nill's down on Haine's level now. She reaches out to take his hand--It's okay, I'm right here.]

[rain_of_bullets]

[As if the years have done nothing to dull those memories, he can see it. Blood, smeared across his hands. Lily's smile, her hair curling around the corners of her face as she speaks his name with the last breaths in that tiny body. Her insides, warm and wet and slipping between his fingertips. The very same ones that tore her to pieces. For a few desperate moments, it's as if this world doesn't exist, and the only one that matters is that dark place full of blood and metal and old memories.

There's a hand on his though, small and trusting and so much like hers. When his eyes begin to focus, they meet Nill's, and even if it feels like someone's hit the mute button on everything around him except the sound of ragged breathing and his own heartbeat, she doesn't need words to speak to him. He focuses on that, rather than the tearing and tugging at his back or the dull throbbing pain.

He doesn't speak, but at least his breath begins to slow, though it's still ragged and labored. The panic, at least, has begun to ebb away.]

[myfatherspath]

[As soon as the struggling stops and Haine's breathing becomes more steady, Naoto calms somewhat as well. It's far easier to work on someone who isn't fighting. Asking nicely would have gotten her anywhere, and she hadn't felt like waiting until he lost consciousness