if I fall and hurt myself [closed]

[would_be_knight]

Characters: Fakir (would_be_knight ) and Ahiru (wings_of_hope )
Location: Their apartment in DCH
Rating: G?
Time: November 3, afternoonish
Description: Angst, comfort, home-remedies, ducks

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[wings_of_hope]

Lately, the stress was getting to the redhead. She knew she was overreacting about what happened, but... it just wasn't easy to forget. Every time she went to pick something up, she would sometimes falter and drop it, as if afraid that she would suddenly fly into something chaotic spaz again and throw across the room or through a window or...

Yes, she was being ridiculous and she knew it. She couldn't be afraid of things forever. How was she ever going to prove to be a worthy partner or get comfortable with talking to people normally again and going out and doing things if she kept losing the nerve?

And she'd been enough of a burden on Fakir as it was. He'd say it was fine and blah blah blah he would heal and she shouldn't worry blah blah... but that wasn't true. Not only was she a burden, but he wasn't healing. At least not quickly. She'd noticed this morning again at breakfast that his eye actually looked worse.

But she couldn't keep going like this. So what if he said he was fine? When did Fakir's words ever stop her before? He was stubborn, but so was she! And if he wouldn't take care of his eye, then... then she should do something.

Determined to confront him on the matter, she went in search of the knight, and found him in the bathroom, looking at the mirror. Frowning and gathering up her resolve, she walked over to him.

"It's not better. Your eye." She knew she didn't have to explain more than that. He could easily tell when he was staring at his own face like that.

[would_be_knight]

And just as soon as Fakir thought of her, Ahiru barged in. Looking away from the mirror, he arched an eyebrow (the one over the uninjured eye, incidentally) at her. "You shouldn't walk in on people in here." It wasn't much of a reprimand, really--it was closer to teasing, though his deadpan remained firmly in place. If he'd really cared, he would have closed the door in the first place.

The real problem had nothing to do with Ahiru walking in on him and everything to do with her worrying about stupid things. She'd always worried about stupid things, but it had recently gotten much worse. It didn't help that Fakir wasn't especially adept at being reassuring.

"It's only been two days."

[wings_of_hope]

The redhead flushed ever so slightly at his comment about walking in before she pointed at the door. "W--Well you shouldn't have left it open, then!"

And it wasn't like she walked in on anything, anyway. He was dressed! But he didn't seem that upset about it at any rate, so she let out a sigh, crossing her arms.

This wasn't time to get distracted, anyway. His eye needed attending to, whether he agreed or not.

"Two days for it to get worse," she huffed. "If you don't want to go to the clinic or something, then let me help."

In part, because she still felt a great deal of guilt for causing it in the first place. To her, in a way, it was kind of like making amends if she could help him. Even a little.

[would_be_knight]

Fakir half-snorted. "You shouldn't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

No, he wasn't even mad. He was taking a jab for the sake of taking a jab; old habits died hard, particularly when he wasn't making any kind of effort to get rid of them in the first place.

And again, she was worrying about that stupid black-eye, just as he'd suspected. "It's just a bruise, morn. Don't get so worked up."

[wings_of_hope]

"You say that like you never have," she muttered under her breath, her eyes still holding somewhat of a glower in the blue luster.

But she needed to not get side-tracked, no matter how easy it was to get into an argument with him.

Or so she thought, until he spoke again.

Hmph. 'Don't get so worked up'? She could easily imagine what it would be like if their positions were swapped. He'd be fretting and probably being so ridiculous as to make her apply more stuff to it every few hours or bed rest or unneeded stuff.

"Let me put something on it." She wasn't taking no for an answer here. As she thought, he'd be just as stubborn if their roles were switched here. "And it could keep getting worse if you don't take care of it."

[would_be_knight]

Ahiru's grumble went unacknowledged. Fakir didn't particularly feel like having that discussion, though it was something of a relief that Ahiru was acting this way. Things just felt more normal when she acted the way she did before that had happened. He hated it when her voice got soft and meek.

Turning away from her, Fakir glanced at his reflection again as he tied back his unruly mass of hair. "What do you think you're going to do? I said it would be fine. You have to wait."

[wings_of_hope]

What was she going to do...? Well... she hadn't gotten that far yet. She just knew that she wanted to help. But...

"I'll--I'll think of something." There was plenty of stuff in the cabinets. She'd just look for one that was good for bruises! It couldn't be that hard.

She blinked at his last words. "...Wait for what?"

[would_be_knight]

"You said all that, and didn't have a plan?" Fakir almost snorted again. It wasn't really surprising, though--how much did Ahiru ever really think through.

"Wait for it to heal," he said, and then attempted to edge around her and leave the bathroom.

[wings_of_hope]

She didn't really need a plan just for that. Right? Right. He was just... just being like Fakir.

As he tried to pass her, she tried to shove him back. "No, if you won't go to the clinic and get it healed and you keep doing training anyway, then I'm gonna fix it."

How, exactly, she wasn't sure yet. She doubted the healing items and things here were like the ones she used for her numerous bruises and cuts she got back in Kinkan from her many clumsy stunts. But as long as she could find something similar, it would be fine.

"You just wait here," she told him, trotting off to the kitchen to dig through the medicine cabinet.

[would_be_knight]

Scowling when she tried to stop him, Fakir moved to get around Ahiru again. "I'm not going to the clinic for a bruise, and it's not going to stop me from doing anything." Did she really think it was something bad enough to impede him?

He followed her into the kitchen, ignoring her command. Once there, he headed for the refrigerator and started to pull out the makings for a ham sandwich, paying no mind to the redhead rummaging through the medicine cabinet. He couldn't let her stupid obsession get in his way all day.

[wings_of_hope]

As she figured, once he came into the kitchen area after her, he didn't wait. And if it was just any old bruise, then that wouldn't be such a problem, but it was on his eye and it really stood out.

Sighing, she pulled down a cream from the cupboards that looked like it was meant for bruises and rashes. Glancing over the label, she looked up at him. "Then why not at least take care of it? It's on your face. Not your arm or leg or something."

When she was Tutu taking care of his wounds back at home, she supposed she had cheated, since... well, he was unconscious at the time. And he was very much conscious at the moment, and against her idea.

[would_be_knight]

Fakir could hardly care less what his face looked like. Having a bruise there was, in a way, more convenient than if it were on his arm or leg; it didn't impede his movement.

But he had to remind himself that having it on his face meant Ahiru could see it, and he was acutely aware of how Ahiru felt about all this. She was probably still blaming herself, like Naruto.

... He couldn't have that.

Sighing, Fakir crossed his arms over his chest and turned around to face her. "... Fine. But you have to eat lunch when you're done."

[wings_of_hope]

Ahiru blinked at that, not having expected him to relent on the matter. And she was almost tempted to press a bit further, but she squashed that urge the moment it formed. She shouldn't push her luck.

Forming one of her real smiles, she nodded, coming closer with the small container in hand. He wasn't asking much at all. "Okay, it's a deal."

...Fakir was a bit tall, though, as she quick to realize upon standing in front of him. She might smear it somewhere else by accident if she didn't have a good view.

"Can you sit down?"

[would_be_knight]

Feeling more than a little silly to be doing all this, Fakir sighed again, and went over to the kitchen table. Pulling out a chair, he sat down, his arms still crossed over his chest.

"Just hurry up."

If anything, it was worth it for her smile. Maybe she'd calm down if she felt like she was helping, even if it was pointless to worry about it in the first place.

[wings_of_hope]

She liked the fact that he was actually cooperating now, even if it was obvious that it was very begrudgingly. And maybe if she did well enough at this, he would let her help out with things more often.

Anything to feel like he wasn't just looking solely after her all the time. Whether or not he would admit it, she could tell that it affected him.

Once he was settled, she came forward, undoing the cap on the cream as she went. It was almost funny to think of how much less intimidating he was ever since things started to change. Both at home and here... his scowls and the like just didn't seem to always reach his eyes with the coldness she used to think was there.

With the cap screwed off, she dipped two fingers into the opaque white cream, moving to run it just under his eye--but not too close yet. The directions had said to apply a thin layer and rub in thoroughly. She only hoped it wouldn't hurt him too much.

...And that she didn't poke his eye out by accident.

"Mm, can you close your eyes?"

[would_be_knight]

The cream was cold against his skin, and the pressure applied to the bruise inevitably hurt. It wasn't that bad, though, and he didn't allow himself to wince.

Frowning, he did as Ahiru asked and shut his eyes. It actually made it a little less awkward, not to be looking at her while she had her fingers in his face.

"How long will this take?"