teaism | pls don't judge me I have so many injured guren icons okay

pls don't judge me I have so many injured guren icons okay

[Compared to this, the talking furniture from ages ago seemed almost pleasant. The door clicks shut behind them, and Guren almost wants to drop down right here. It's the first building they've come across in a while now— some sort of cabin in the woods that's falling apart just like the rest of the town they'd started in. Guren was bleeding from a variety of areas— a number of spots on his torso, his head, his face, his thigh— and that doesn't even start on the broken bones he's sporting, but he had a demon to take care of those injuries.

The man he was trying to support next to him was a different story. Hadn't they said something about not wanting to test if he could die and come back...?]

Look at me, Dex. [Guren wasn't trying to hide his worry now. He'd arrived too late, or at least that's his perspective. He shows up and something is nearly finished toying with Dextera like he's some sort of doll— something grey, with wings. Guren couldn't grasp what was happening, but interrupting had shown him that he was nearly outmatched. Nearly. With some biting words, he'd slain the creature(?) just before he was about to be offed himself. It was risky, to say the least.

But they're indoors now. Indoors, and there have to be supplies they can make use of somewhere. He staggers his next step forward as he tries to lead Dextera in, coughing blood against the back of his own hand. He's noticing that even his own injuries are staying longer than usual, somehow...]

Damn it...

[But he needs to know how Dextera is doing. How much can he handle? Guren doesn't want to find out his limit right now. One hand grips at Dextera's shoulder. They've been supporting each other the whole walk here, and he's trying not to weigh him down. His other hand, though the back of it is bloody now, rests against Dextera's chest carefully.] Sit down here.

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[What a powerful feeling. It's difficult to hold back when this is what he feels. Lust is there, of course, and he's a little ashamed that it's so strong, but it isn't where it ends at all. His heart is overflowing, or that's what it feels like, and his own eyes almost want to do the same thing and spill out. He manages not to let that happen.

But Guren is breathing a little hard himself. Damn it. What are they supposed to do at all, with this? What he wants is so entirely selfish, even if Dextera is interested, too. Even still, he finds himself kissing again at Dextera's bottom lip.

"You're so cute, Guren." There are arms behind him that he knows only he would be able to see, slipping in around his shoulders as if she can just share the bed. Her hair is everywhere, her lips are by his ear, and he tenses. "You want him so badly that you're starting to shake... Ah, is that how you were with me, too?"

The kiss breaks again before he can even fully get into it, and his eyes flick down, out of the way.

"Why don't you just take him right now? I bet he won't mind the pain. Just look at him..." But that slender hand slips past him like it wants to brush Dextera's cheek, as well, and even if Guren knows that wouldn't do more than give Dextera a weird feeling (he might have one even now, with Mahiru focused on him), Guren still reacts.

His hand pulls back from Dextera's face to swat back at her, and her image fades away like smoke with her laugh echoing in his mind.

And now he's left rolled onto his back, too far away from Dextera again (and too close to falling off this bed), looking like an idiot.]

[ dextera doesn’t immediately know what’s happened. it’s his first instinct to think that it’s his fault—but there’s a strange feeling in the air that’s gone before he can try to make sense of it, and he wonders if it’s her. he doesn’t know much about guren’s demon, unable to interact with her in any way, but he’s gotten good at noticing when guren acts just a little different. a little haunted. ]

Guren.

[ (mahiru is probably right, anyway—he wouldn’t protest, through the pain, but that’s not exactly an ideal encounter for either of them.)

he frowns, concerned, and he props himself up so he can seek guren’s face with his eyes. he inhales, holding it there—now that he’s laid down once, it pricks at him to move, but guren feels more important than a momentary discomfort. ]

Was that...?

[It's already too late, so Guren won't try to turn his face away or hide anything. He's staring at the ceiling a little too blankly, and when Dextera's face comes into view, his eyes slide over to him. He's moving again? He's going to end up hurting himself.]

Yeah. It's just a nuisance, so don't worry about it.

[He sighs, and it's not nearly as heavy as it needs to be, but he really doesn't want to worry Dextera over drama that he can't even begin to explain. He pushes himself up, leaning over to take Dextera's shoulders carefully.]

It hurts, doesn't it? If you're not careful, one of those wounds could start bleeding again. Get comfortable.

...

[ it doesn’t feel good to just leave guren like this. even if dextera isn’t going anywhere, it’s letting the conversation die that feels like he’s abandoning him.

however, he settles back down, knowing that guren is right. he probably already is bleeding. ]

At least give me your hand.

[Please don't be bleeding... Guren is going to worry if they end up sleeping and he wakes up to more blood. Dextera can't afford to lose much more like that.

His hand, though. It's a little different to hear it asked for like that, instead of just having it taken or gestured at. He offers it to him with a faint smile.]

Sorry. [He adds that now, since the moment was so thoroughly ruined. He'd probably worried him. Guren shifts to lie down like they had been before, close and comfortable, even with his hand offered out.]

But I probably should have stopped to let you breathe, anyway. [Haha... he went so hard for the smooches]

[ of all the ways dextera could completely lose his breath, smooching is among the best. if it hadn’t been interrupted, by guren or the demon that hangs over his shoulders, there’s a non-negligible chance that dextera would have let himself pass out going for it.

he takes guren’s hand, lacing their fingers together and closing his eyes. it’s not comfortable, exactly, but he’d rather be like this than apart for a second longer. ]

It’s fine.

[ he means it. if guren is all right, that’s what matters. ]

Give me some time... I just need to heal.

[ He had a feeling he wanted to hold his hand, but doing it like this is still different. Guren immediately laughs warmly, giving his hand a light squeeze and running his thumb up and down where their fingers link. It’s nice. He’ll let his own hand rest at an awkward angle to make it easier on Dextera. Hopefully. ]

So you want me to kiss you again when you’re all better?

[ He will, of course. He’ll do it all the time, if he can. Whenever he gets the chance... ] Hurry up and heal faster.

[ He’s worried still. But maybe like this... they can get some rest, and then Guren can brave the fog to see what medicinal plants he may be able to find and bring back. ]

Hmm.

[ dextera turns his face away from guren, but there’s an airiness to it that suggests he’s only teasing—playing coy, when guren accuses him of wanting to be kissed.

there’s no hiding it, though. even if he could turn away completely, the smile is audible even in the lilt of his voice. ]

[ He’s so cute when he’s himself that Guren can’t believe he was more meek at first. Or... hesitant, maybe? He’d slowly opened up, and the more Guren saw, the more he liked. Now, there’s this coyness that has him laughing, leaning closer to press a kiss right by his ear. ]

Maybe I’ll hold back unless you ask me, later.

[ But he couldn’t even hold back now, could he? He chuckles, and even if his thoughts are still heavy in the back of his mind, and Mahiru is still very real, he’s able to relax. ]

[ dextera feels more like himself, around guren. losing his memories made him reserved, made him afraid—but guren has never taken advantage of that any more than a normal person would, and dextera was able to respond with his true self in kind.

now, it’s paid off. he squeezes guren’s fingers instead of speaking, finding his energy to answer draining out of him the more he lies here with his eyes closed. eventually, he’s thinking nothing at all, slipping into a well-earned rest.

this one is plagued with no nightmares, perhaps due to guren’s sure and steady weight at his side, their fingers laced together. ]

[ So both of them are able to sleep well, this once. It’s a relief, and when Guren wakes up, he’s glad to feel that Dextera is still breathing beside him. But as much as he wants to stay here like this, comfortable, he knows he has to wake Dextera up.

He squeezes lightly at their still joined hands, moving to sit up. His eyes linger on Dextera’s face for a moment before he dares to lean down for a chaste kiss. Then his hand slips away, and he’s out of the bed, moving around. He has to get to those wounds!! If Dextera isn’t woken by all of that, he probably will be at Guren coming to the other side of the bed, pushing clothes out of the way so he can address those wounds.

When he does realize Dex is awake, he at least smiles. ]

Morning. [ it’s almost domestic ]

[ dextera is a light sleeper, though exhaustion drew him down a little further than he usually goes. he’s dazed upon waking up, but his mind quickly catches up with him—guren’s hands are here and there and his clothes are being shifted because dextera is wounded. right.

he doesn’t say anything right away, maybe forgetting that his voice came back to him. habit is hard to break, after all. either way, he acknowledges guren’s greeting with a shy smile of his own.

as guren will find, he’s... still pretty beaten up, but at least there’s not much new blood. being next to guren kept him from moving too much as they slept—it’s just soreness, now, settling into his bones, and the tightness around his wounds that definitely means he needs to pay attention to them. ]

Ngh—

[ he tries to move to help guren access his injuries easier, and he’s rewarded with pain for his efforts. good morning!! ]

[Hm, yeah. That's bound to hurt. Guren still feels guilt while looking at all of these injuries, but he won't focus on how sad he feels for him right now. That doesn't help. Instead, he's peeling off old washcloths and whatever bandages he'd found and eyeing what's underneath.

A glance to the window in the room tells him that it's even foggier outside this morning than it was yesterday. He's still not sure what that means, but it doesn't feel right, and that tells him enough. These wounds aren't doing too bad for the next day, considering what little they've had to work with, but he still wants to do more to help with them. Like clean them off... and maybe something for the pain.]

I might have to go out myself. [He says it after he checks out the third one, eyes flicking up to Dextera. He knows he probably won't like it, and Guren is worried it'll mean he'll try to move around himself, but...] It won't take too long. Maybe an hour or two.

[ guren is right about dextera not liking it, and he dislikes it with a quickness that might be a little unexpected, even for guren—he forces himself to sit up, as if he’s completely planning to go out with guren and hunt for whatever’s out there to help him heal up.

they’re his wounds, his fault. he shouldn’t be relaxing in bed... but as soon as he moves, a grimace crosses his expression. even so, it’s because they got split up that this happened in the first place—dextera is reckless in this particular way, unwilling to just let guren go without a fight. ]

Hey—!

[Dextera is going to give him a heart attack. Guren tenses at that movement, hands hovering like he's not sure if gripping at his arms to keep him still will help or hurt. Eventually, he decides to rest them there anyway.]

I said stay put! How are you going to follow me in this condition? It's too dangerous!

[Why can't people ever just LISTEN to him, gosh.]

I—

[ well, his voice is still there, but now he's feeling sorry so he's a little quieter than he was the night before. not to mention the fact that he almost certainly pulled something open with that little stunt. ]

I can move. You shouldn't go by yourself.

[ he was better at listening when they first met... now he has, like, opinions and feelings. ]

[Ugh... He would have gone while he was still asleep, but waking up to no one after a promise about not leaving... that would have been too much. Now, though, how can he trust that Dextera will stay put and be okay back here? Should he take him with him...?

But he can't move at all!!]

You can't move. Look— [He takes Dextera's hand, suddenly, sliding it under his own shirt and jacket to where one of his many deep wounds had been. Not the one Dextera had healed, specifically, just to prove a point.]

I'm completely healed. [There's not even a scar or a cut to feel under there, and it's that way with all of his injuries now. As if he hadn't been hurt to begin with. If the blood weren't there, no one would know better.] But moving for you is only going to make those wounds bleed.

[ oh... he is healed, which is incredible. he's as good as new, and dextera's hand lingers a little longer than is necessary just to marvel at it. it's not new knowledge that guren can regenerate himself, but it's strange to see evidence of it when he was so damaged just the night before. ]

...

[ this time, his silence is a choice. he's going to sit here and worry if he lets guren go out there on his own, but he's also painfully aware that he's a liability like this. ]

Bring me back an animal. It'll help.

...An animal?

[That's... not what he expected to hear. His fingers brush over Dextera's wrist as he pulls his hand back and straightens the collar of his shirt.]

Like a pet? [...

He doesn't get it, but he doesn't have to, either.]

That's fine. Here... [Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a stopwatch he came across, tapping at the screen a few times to make sure it works before holding it out to Dextera.] Two hours. If I'm not back by then, then you can come after me. That way you'll know I'll be back by then for sure.

[ he's going to eat it but that's fine because he's definitely not going to let guren get a load of that one ]

Two hours... I hope it doesn't take that long.

[ it's a while to wait and hope that nothing goes wrong, especially with how unpredictable the area can be, and the monsters that are twisted and grotesque and occasionally too aggressive. dextera takes the stopwatch, but he's frowning. ]

Don't die.

[I knew he was going to fucking eat it.

He smiles a little, now that Dextera has finally given in to this point. He'll make it faster to gather what he can, hopefully. The fog is worrying but he's rested, so it should be fine.]

I won't.

[Leaning down, he takes Dextera's chin gently and kisses him. It's a longer one this time, slow and full of emotion and maybe too much like a farewell kiss. He does intend to come back, but there's always risk, of course...

When he's done, he pulls away, his own hand lingering for a minute before he's moving to step back.]

Only leave that spot if you're in trouble. I'll be right back.

[ dextera likes to be kissed. he doesn't like that guren is treating this like a last kiss, though he tries not to dwell on the could-bes and what-ifs when guren hasn't even left yet. he's resilient. he probably wouldn't have even gotten so hurt if he hadn't been trying to protect dextera yesterday.

dextera starts the watch, before guren has even gotten a chance to get out the door. ]

You'd better be.

[Guren gives a smile to those words, that face, and that watch all before he steps out in a hurry. That cheater... but it's fair, he thinks, to lose a minute or two to a goodbye. He spends another minute downstairs gathering items he could use, and then at the door to the cabin, applying fuda that will mask its presence. You know, just in case.

He plans on being gone for only an hour, but various scenarios keep him away for nearly two. He's pushing the time on that stop watch by the time he gets close, and while he's trying to wrangle some sort of animal back with him, two hours has passed. He only has feeling to go on, but he knows that it's about now, that Dextera must be worried sick, moving—

The animal is some sort of large... rat, or something. It has an extra set of legs and a third eye, and Guren is sick and tired of its stupid prehensile tail trying to grab the supplies he's gathered in a basket in his arms. Arriving back at the cabin is a little loud, thanks to all of this. Guren drops the animal in the door, watching it immediately scurry away.]

You little—! [Augh, whatever!! It's in the house, he'll deal with it later. For now, he needs to see where Dex is, and so he steps further into the cabin, calling out.]

Dextera? [He's got a basket full of plants of various types as well as a big jug of water strapped to his back, so it looks like things were successful. But he's also got a deep cut on his cheek that wasn't there before, and his hands are both covered in smaller cuts, like frown a rose bush. His hair is messy, too, the biggest sin.] Hey, Dex!

[If Dextera is in too much pain to have gotten far, Guren is heading straight up to where he left him, anyway.]

[ dextera was already mobilizing around the one and a half hour mark, but he knew that if guren followed through on his promise he would be furious to find dextera seeking him with another thirty minutes to go. when the watch hits two hours, his stomach curls unhappily—worry sinking its tendrils into every nerve, until he’s willing to push past the pain to find guren.

guren finds him first, though. dextera is ready to head out the door when guren reaches the bedroom, and all at once, the fear drains out of him and he ignores the pull of his injuries and the supplies in guren’s arms to hug him around his neck.

a dramatic reaction for guren, perhaps, who has known exactly where he was all this time... but dextera has only had the worry and the silence to deal with. he’s not used to waiting, and he’s discovered very firmly that he doesn’t like it.

when he pulls back, he touches the cut at guren’s cheek. ]

You’re bleeding.

[ he’s not thinking about the animal that guren may or may not have brought back, but he does hear a terrible scratching from further in the cabin. ]

[It's not dramatic. He knows what he just put Dextera through. So, he moves the basket to the side so he can properly accept this hug.]

Yeah, I tripped and fell. [The biggest lie he could ever make, and he's hoping that even if Dextera isn't so gullible, he'll think that the light way he says it means that it's not a big deal. It's just a single cut, after all, deep but not serious.]

But you're probably bleeding again, too. I found plenty, so let's get you somewhere I can look at your wounds. [He covers the hand on his cheek with his free one, a silent "Sorry I was late" since he won't say it aloud.]

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