Fic - Lost In The Woods - Part 2
FanFic100 prompt: 052 - Fire
Pyramid_Dares: Set 2, Level 7 - Fireplace
My Tables 'O Links -- Pyramid table, FanFic100 Table
Word count: 1,297
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Dorian/Klaus
Summary: Things heat up, so to speak.
By: Margaret Price
Previous Parts: One
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lost In The Woods
Part Two
Before The Fire
Klaus wasn’t sure how long he faded in and out of consciousness while the Earl diligently worked on his wound. Pain would bring him back to the surface but he could not find the strength to remain there. Each time he would be greeted with words of comfort before sinking back into the blissful oblivion of unconsciousness.
When at last he was finally able to open his eyes and focus on the room, he saw Eroica sitting on the floor several feet away. He had his back against a chair and was hugging his upraised knees, staring into the fire. This took the Major by surprise, as he had expected to find him looking at him with his usual gooey expression on his face.
Klaus took stock of his position. He was lying on something soft on the floor. A rug, perhaps? A heavy quilt was covering him and he had a pillow beneath his head. He moved a hand to his wound, discovering at the same time that he had been stripped of all his clothing save for his under shorts. Bloody pervert, why the hell did he do that?
When he turned his head more, he saw his clothes draped on the back of a wooden chair near the fire. Then it was obvious why they had been removed. And equally obvious why he was swaddled in blankets.
“Ero…” This was as far as Klaus got, his voice becoming a low croak at the end.
Dorian actually jumped when the Major spoke. He turned sharply to look at him, a small smile coming to his face when he saw that he seemed more or less alert. “Would you like some water, Major?”
“Ja.” Klaus found himself answering automatically. He wondered what liberties the Earl had taken while he was unconscious, but wasn’t up to asking. That could wait until he was strong enough to hit him.
Dorian wasn’t surprised when the first thing the Major did after having a drink was to start asking questions.
“How long…?”
“Have we been here? Or have you been sleeping?”
“Both.”
“We’ve been here a few hours and you’ve been sleeping almost that long.”
Klaus struggled to remember all that happened after arriving at the cabin. The first thing he remembered was the rain, which still seemed to be coming down by the sound of it. He recalled telling the Earl to get firewood, which he had obviously done judging by the pile of logs beside the fireplace. After this was a blank. It had been daylight then and now it was completely dark outside.
“How’s the shoulder?” Eroica asked, breaking into the Major’s thoughts.
“Hurts.”
Dorian nodded. “I found some morphine ampoules in the first aid kit you had tucked into the bottom of that backpack.”
“Did you bother to use any?”
This question actually caused the Earl to smile. If the Major felt well enough to question his intelligence, then he was definitely improving. “Yes, I used one. That’s probably why you slept so long.”
Klaus gave a small grunt of agreement. The rest had definitely done him some good.
“I found that signal box, too,” Dorian said, holding up the object.
“Did you activate it?”
The accusing edge took the Earl by surprise, but he did not let it show. “No. I wasn’t sure of the procedure.”
Klaus silently counted his blessings. “They won’t be able to start a proper search until its light.” He paused, hearing the sound of the pouring rain on the roof. “And an airlift is out of the question in this weather. We don’t want to give away our location to the wrong people.”
“No, that we don’t,” Dorian agreed, putting the alert beacon aside until morning. He turned back to the Major, studying him a moment before asking, “Do you think you can handle something to eat?”
“Dunno.” Klaus studied the Earl back, shifting position slightly on the floor and wincing as he did so. “How you gonna cook with no electricity?”
Dorian grinned, holding up something else he had found in the backpack. “MRE. Meal, ready to eat,” he said brightly.
Klaus gave another grunt. “Don’t get too excited. That’s probably World War Two surplus.”
“So long as it’s edible,” Eroica said as he opened the box. “I’m too famished to care at the-” He frowned down at the contents of the package. “Oh…”
The Major wished he had the energy to laugh at him. “There isn’t any sort of portable camp stove, is there? It would have a small fuel tank on it.”
“I didn’t exactly look for one.”
“Then look now. And see if there’s any canned goods.”
Dorian’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Because I can walk you through how to use it so we won’t be forced to eat that muck.”
Dorian practically jumped to his feet. “You don’t have to ask me twice,” he said, snatching up the torch at the same time. He vanished into the kitchen, where he started foraging for whatever he could find.
Klaus leaned back and drew a deep breath. A few feet away, the fire crackled away, giving an occasional loud pop. He found himself grateful that Eroica wasn’t the idiot that he always accused him of being. Nor was he completely useless in an emergency. He had kept his head during the shootout, pulling the officer to safety after he had gone down.
Klaus shifted again, trying and failing to find a comfortable position under the thick quilt. He moved his hand up to feel the rough bandage on his shoulder. His whole left arm was numb and he wondered fearfully if he had suffered nerve damage that could potentially end his carrier. Hopefully it was just a side-effect from the morphine.
“Major, you’re a genius,” Dorian announced happily as he returned to the room, breaking into the man’s melancholy thoughts. He placed a camp stove on the floor in front of the Major. Then he quickly returned to the kitchen where he retrieved some cooking pots, canned goods, and a can opener. “No whisky this time round.”
“Too bad,” Klaus grunted. “I could use it.”
Dorian grinned, taking a seat opposite the Major. “Just tell me how to work this thing and I’ll have dinner ready in two shakes.”
* * *
Between the Major’s instructions and the Earl’s startling cooking skills, dinner turned out to be far more palatable than either expected. Although, anything would be better than the rations they had vetoed earlier.
After a bit of a struggle, the Major was able to sit up enough for the Earl to help him reposition himself so that he could lean back against a heavy chair, several pillows helping to prop him up. Another blanket was thrown over his shoulders, covering his upper body and exposed chest. Before this was done, Eroica made a quick check on the bandage, noting that only a small amount of blood had seeped through.
“Either you’ve run out of blood, or we’ve finally got the bleeding stopped,” Eroica remarked as the officer pulled the blanket around himself.
“Both, I think,” Klaus grunted. He leaned back onto the pillows, closing his eyes a moment as the Earl fussed with his blankets. Then he frowned. “What did you bring in that lot?” he asked, looking over at the canned goods. “I smell something…sweet.”
Dorian had to fight not to laugh. “That’s the honey, Major.”
“What honey?”
Dorian explained about the honey, receiving an admiring look at the same time.
“Where the hell did you learn about that?”
“I have no idea,” the Earl replied as he moved to the camp stove where the food had been warming while he was getting the Major into a sitting position. “And I think…dinner is served.”
* * *
Continues in Part Three - The Enemy Of My Enemy
Pyramid_Dares: Set 2, Level 7 - Fireplace
My Tables 'O Links -- Pyramid table, FanFic100 Table
Word count: 1,297
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Dorian/Klaus
Summary: Things heat up, so to speak.
By: Margaret Price
Previous Parts: One
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lost In The Woods
Part Two
Before The Fire
Klaus wasn’t sure how long he faded in and out of consciousness while the Earl diligently worked on his wound. Pain would bring him back to the surface but he could not find the strength to remain there. Each time he would be greeted with words of comfort before sinking back into the blissful oblivion of unconsciousness.
When at last he was finally able to open his eyes and focus on the room, he saw Eroica sitting on the floor several feet away. He had his back against a chair and was hugging his upraised knees, staring into the fire. This took the Major by surprise, as he had expected to find him looking at him with his usual gooey expression on his face.
Klaus took stock of his position. He was lying on something soft on the floor. A rug, perhaps? A heavy quilt was covering him and he had a pillow beneath his head. He moved a hand to his wound, discovering at the same time that he had been stripped of all his clothing save for his under shorts. Bloody pervert, why the hell did he do that?
When he turned his head more, he saw his clothes draped on the back of a wooden chair near the fire. Then it was obvious why they had been removed. And equally obvious why he was swaddled in blankets.
“Ero…” This was as far as Klaus got, his voice becoming a low croak at the end.
Dorian actually jumped when the Major spoke. He turned sharply to look at him, a small smile coming to his face when he saw that he seemed more or less alert. “Would you like some water, Major?”
“Ja.” Klaus found himself answering automatically. He wondered what liberties the Earl had taken while he was unconscious, but wasn’t up to asking. That could wait until he was strong enough to hit him.
Dorian wasn’t surprised when the first thing the Major did after having a drink was to start asking questions.
“How long…?”
“Have we been here? Or have you been sleeping?”
“Both.”
“We’ve been here a few hours and you’ve been sleeping almost that long.”
Klaus struggled to remember all that happened after arriving at the cabin. The first thing he remembered was the rain, which still seemed to be coming down by the sound of it. He recalled telling the Earl to get firewood, which he had obviously done judging by the pile of logs beside the fireplace. After this was a blank. It had been daylight then and now it was completely dark outside.
“How’s the shoulder?” Eroica asked, breaking into the Major’s thoughts.
“Hurts.”
Dorian nodded. “I found some morphine ampoules in the first aid kit you had tucked into the bottom of that backpack.”
“Did you bother to use any?”
This question actually caused the Earl to smile. If the Major felt well enough to question his intelligence, then he was definitely improving. “Yes, I used one. That’s probably why you slept so long.”
Klaus gave a small grunt of agreement. The rest had definitely done him some good.
“I found that signal box, too,” Dorian said, holding up the object.
“Did you activate it?”
The accusing edge took the Earl by surprise, but he did not let it show. “No. I wasn’t sure of the procedure.”
Klaus silently counted his blessings. “They won’t be able to start a proper search until its light.” He paused, hearing the sound of the pouring rain on the roof. “And an airlift is out of the question in this weather. We don’t want to give away our location to the wrong people.”
“No, that we don’t,” Dorian agreed, putting the alert beacon aside until morning. He turned back to the Major, studying him a moment before asking, “Do you think you can handle something to eat?”
“Dunno.” Klaus studied the Earl back, shifting position slightly on the floor and wincing as he did so. “How you gonna cook with no electricity?”
Dorian grinned, holding up something else he had found in the backpack. “MRE. Meal, ready to eat,” he said brightly.
Klaus gave another grunt. “Don’t get too excited. That’s probably World War Two surplus.”
“So long as it’s edible,” Eroica said as he opened the box. “I’m too famished to care at the-” He frowned down at the contents of the package. “Oh…”
The Major wished he had the energy to laugh at him. “There isn’t any sort of portable camp stove, is there? It would have a small fuel tank on it.”
“I didn’t exactly look for one.”
“Then look now. And see if there’s any canned goods.”
Dorian’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Because I can walk you through how to use it so we won’t be forced to eat that muck.”
Dorian practically jumped to his feet. “You don’t have to ask me twice,” he said, snatching up the torch at the same time. He vanished into the kitchen, where he started foraging for whatever he could find.
Klaus leaned back and drew a deep breath. A few feet away, the fire crackled away, giving an occasional loud pop. He found himself grateful that Eroica wasn’t the idiot that he always accused him of being. Nor was he completely useless in an emergency. He had kept his head during the shootout, pulling the officer to safety after he had gone down.
Klaus shifted again, trying and failing to find a comfortable position under the thick quilt. He moved his hand up to feel the rough bandage on his shoulder. His whole left arm was numb and he wondered fearfully if he had suffered nerve damage that could potentially end his carrier. Hopefully it was just a side-effect from the morphine.
“Major, you’re a genius,” Dorian announced happily as he returned to the room, breaking into the man’s melancholy thoughts. He placed a camp stove on the floor in front of the Major. Then he quickly returned to the kitchen where he retrieved some cooking pots, canned goods, and a can opener. “No whisky this time round.”
“Too bad,” Klaus grunted. “I could use it.”
Dorian grinned, taking a seat opposite the Major. “Just tell me how to work this thing and I’ll have dinner ready in two shakes.”
* * *
Between the Major’s instructions and the Earl’s startling cooking skills, dinner turned out to be far more palatable than either expected. Although, anything would be better than the rations they had vetoed earlier.
After a bit of a struggle, the Major was able to sit up enough for the Earl to help him reposition himself so that he could lean back against a heavy chair, several pillows helping to prop him up. Another blanket was thrown over his shoulders, covering his upper body and exposed chest. Before this was done, Eroica made a quick check on the bandage, noting that only a small amount of blood had seeped through.
“Either you’ve run out of blood, or we’ve finally got the bleeding stopped,” Eroica remarked as the officer pulled the blanket around himself.
“Both, I think,” Klaus grunted. He leaned back onto the pillows, closing his eyes a moment as the Earl fussed with his blankets. Then he frowned. “What did you bring in that lot?” he asked, looking over at the canned goods. “I smell something…sweet.”
Dorian had to fight not to laugh. “That’s the honey, Major.”
“What honey?”
Dorian explained about the honey, receiving an admiring look at the same time.
“Where the hell did you learn about that?”
“I have no idea,” the Earl replied as he moved to the camp stove where the food had been warming while he was getting the Major into a sitting position. “And I think…dinner is served.”
* * *
Continues in Part Three - The Enemy Of My Enemy