Take Me Instead! (Oriel)

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The past two days had been absolute torture for Phoenix. Seeing Oriel wrought with so much life-threatening agony had sent him into more panic than he thought possible - as much as he fought to keep close to his lover's side as the ambulance came and whisked him away to be treated after that sick, insane fucker Erik bit him, he had been forcefully pulled away and kept away even as he screamed and wailed in terror and his own agony. He fought like a demon to break away, but his weak, frail frame was no use against the strong, determined bodies of the people just doing their jobs. He even sprained his shoulder during the scuffle, finally losing his fight as he was wrestled to the ground and kept there until the ambulance was far out of sight and he wouldn't be able to catch up even while flying.

He had begged to be taken to the hospital, pleaded on his knees to any staff that would listen, but since Oriel was being kept in the ICU he wouldn't be able to see him anyway. Phoenix was left to pace around in a daze, switching between self-pity at being alone and screaming to the air, even going so far as to demand any god that would listen that they take him instead, if Oriel was dying.

If Oriel died... He would go back to being an emotionless corpse again. He might as well be dead himself.

Thankfully, finally, he got the news that he could visit his Oriel, and the well of emotions that he had been pouring out stoppered up, long enough so that the ride to the hospital was quiet and calm. Oriel would be fine. He had to be. This was good, right? It meant he was stable enough to be seen...

As soon as Phoenix made his way to the room, though, the dam broke down again, and he stumbled to the boy's side, sinking to his knees as sobs wracked him once again. "Oriel," he gasped between breaths, trying to ignore the terrifying amount of tubes and other machines all around the place. He had always hated hospitals, mostly because he knew he would likely end up in one himself sooner rather than later. Oriel himself looked terrible, but Phoenix did his best to not pay attention to that and only rested his hands on the boy's bedside, unsure if he should take his hands in his own even if all he wanted to do was smother himself against his chest and wail.

He ignored the pain in his shoulder as he fumbled to try to get out a coherent sentence, but all he managed to get out were whimpers and useless words. Finally, he managed to swallow and whisper,"I tried t'come sooner, but they w-wouldn't let me... I've been worried sick, I thought..." He hiccuped another sob. "I thought you were goin' t'die!"

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The past two days had been absolute torture for Oriel. Between getting bit by someone who was supposed to be his good friend and being betrayed by the same person, add to that the physical and emotional pain it brought to him, Oriel was surprised he was even still around to feel like shit over the whole ordeal.

The hospital stay had been horrible. Oriel wasn't even sure he remembered most of what happened after he passed out in Erik's room Monday afternoon, most of it was a blur. He just remembered feeling cold, and hot at the same time. His insides burned, his muscles ached. There was a lot of noise and the next thing he knew he was looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling, in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar people….

Waking himself right into a panic attack didn't do much to help his recovery.

They had to re-set his wrist, which had severely worsened during his fight with Erik, and then even more during his wake up freak out. His leg felt like it was on fire, his ankle like it weighed 100 pounds. The coloring wasn't too nice either, it looked like it'd been beaten with a sledgehammer. Felt like it too. And that was probably the only thing that kept Oriel from running out of the hospital as quickly as he could, garbed in only the thin little gown they give to all patients.

He sat and growled at the people running around him, checking up on his leg, making sure the venom hadn't progressed too much and that it was responding to the anti-venom - which the bastards waited a whole fucking day to even give the boy, stupid doctors, mumble grumble…. Some bitch nurse came by three times a day with food, and twice with a bucket of horse-pills. Something for the pain, something for anxiety, and something to help him sleep.

So, needless to say, Oriel was pretty doped up on medication by the time he was declared well enough to move from ICU and into the normal wards. And by the time Phoenix was allowed to come see him. In fact, he had only taken his last dose of hydrocodone about an hour ago, so he was feeling the full effects of it when Phoenix came rushing into his room, practically throwing himself at Oriel and going on about something like dying…?

Oriel stared a moment at Phoenix, his eyes wide as he processed the information. Then as a delayed reaction, he grinned brightly and exclaimed, "Phoenix! You're here! My Phoenix! I missed you…!" Oriel started to lean forward to grab Phoenix in a loving embrace, but then jerked back again as a random sharp spasm of pain shot through his leg. "Fu-uck…" he breathed, "That hurt..."

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Phen continued to sob and sniffle at Oriel's bedside, wiping uselessly at his cheeks that just kept getting damp all over again. Someone should have told him that Oriel was drugged up - or maybe someone had, and he ha just been so adamant about getting to the boy's bedside as fast as possible that he didn't catch it. So it was with a terrified heart that he waited for Oriel to respond to him, unsure what to make of the pause between his words and Oriel's reply. Did he have brain damage? Had the bite done something to his head?? He really needed to ask someone about these things...

Finally Oriel responded, and he gave another little sob at his greeting, standing back on shaky legs and gazing down at the injured boy. "I'm here," he repeated quietly. "God, I missed you too!" He winced as Oriel tried to lean forward and ended up just hurting himself, fluttering his hands nervously. "Don't move, baby," he sniffled, leaning down and carefully wrapping his arms around his lover, trying not to move anything. He ran his hand through Oriel's hair and leaned back enough to give him a soft, short kiss. "How... How are you feelin'?" he murmured, taking Oriel's hand lightly as he nestled himself on the edge of the bed. He was sure he looked an absolute mess, having not slept the past two nights, leaving him with red, baggy eyes and a hollowness to his cheeks, but he couldn't take his gaze off of his boyfriend.

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Oh, Phoenix was such a little worry-wort, Oriel was fiiine, just fine. Ok, maybe not completely fine, his leg still hurt when he moved it, it spasmed randomly like it did just now, looked none too pretty, add to that his wrist was back to square one and the only reason Oriel was getting any sleep at all was because they(the doctors) forced drugs down his throat(they didn't, he was desperate). He felt pretty nasty too, hadn't showered since before he got there, so his hair was matted up behind his head, there were red marks covered in sticky black goo all over his arms where they repeatedly tried to get IVs hooked up to him(apparently Oriel had rolling veins or something like that).

And of course, his loopy, floating head probably didn't help matters, but it was enough that Oriel had to look over Phen for a little bit to see how bad his lover looked. "….You look terrible…" he commented with a confused/concerned furrow of his brow as Phoenix came in for a hug. But oh, Phoenix's touch he loved it, he loved those kisses(it was only one), he didn't want Phoenix to go so he gripped onto Phen's shirt like a kitty telling you "no."

"I'm…I'm alright, I think. My leg hurts…" Oriel nodded while tried to think. His eyebrows shot to the ceiling as he continued to explain his "wellness". "My, uh….I'm pretty sure they took my head off and threw up there," Oriel pointed to the ceiling, "…somewhere….over the rainbow. An' my legs, took those off and threw 'em over there," he pointed to the end of the bed where one of his (good) toes was poking out. He wiggled it. "And then they took my chest out and threw it over there." He pointed both hands in opposite directions. "An' this is where you're s'posed to say, "Well, that's you all over!"." He looked at Phoenix, staring at him seriously for a moment as if he expected the boy to play along.

Oriel laughed instead, shaking his head. "That sounded a lot funnier in my head." He looked at Phoenix, his beautiful Phoenix…."It seems like ages since I last saw you…."

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Honestly, Oriel could have looked like anything, and Phoenix would have still thought he was the most beautiful boy in the world. So yes, his fingers didn't move as easily through Oriel's tangled mane, and his arms, his gorgeous arms, were all spotted and blotchy (which made Phen cringe, thinking of all those needles...), but his eyes still sparkled with that lively (if slightly loopy) light, and that was all that mattered. He was probably starting to get some scruff too, though Phen paid it no mind as he just worked at getting his crying under control and telling himself that Oriel was fine.

He wiped uselessly at his cheeks again as Oriel commented on how he looked, though he knew (or at least hoped) Oriel was just concerned rather than judging him. "Ain't been sleepin' well," he replied in a murmur. "My bed's all cold and I can't shut off my brain." He shouldn't have said that... He didn't want Oriel to worry about him too! "But I'll be fine, you just... Work on gettin' better, okay?" Phoenix let out a very weak chuckle as Oriel latched onto him, easily giving in and leaning down to give him a longer, deeper kiss, which spread to a flurry of kisses on the boy's cheeks and up to his temple. "Fuck, I've missed doin' that..." he breathed, nuzzling his face into the crook of Oriel's neck.

Phen listened carefully as Oriel explained how he was feeling, his brow furrowing in concern at his delirious explanations. By now he had realized, even with his slow brain, that Oriel was on something, which was why he was acting the way he was. He didn't understand where the boy was going with all this, but he let out a little sad giggle and gave him yet another peck. "I don't know what you're talkin' about, but you look like you're in one piece t'me," he replied softly, running a hand down Oriel's chest and resting it just above his bellybutton.

His heart squeezed then, seeing the look that Oriel gave him and what he was saying. "I'm so sorry, I tried t'come sooner..." he mumbled, looking down at their intertwined hands. "But they said I wouldn't be able t'see you anyway." He hiccuped once more. "I... Brought you somethin'," he added, fumbling with a box he had deposited on the table when he came in. He opened the lid to reveal a couple of the boy's favorite treat. "Thought it might.... Help the healin' process," he joked weakly.

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If Oriel was getting any scruff, then he didn't notice. Then again, he didn't have a mirror so he couldn't tell. He only shaved maybe two or three times a week….so it was possible. Oriel was more worried about his hair, it hadn't had it's daily virgin blood washing since…..Saturday maybe? Four days…. wow.

Phoenix on the other hand looked like a little bunny, with those little beady red eyes, it was adorable, he could just pinch those cute little round cheeks….and that's what Oriel was concentrating on when Phoenix was pouring out all his angst about his cold bed and not being able to sleep and his brain running like a refrigerator down the street. "Ok…" he said, nodding a little vacantly. Oriel took the kisses, his lips breaking into a silly smile as they continued all over his face and then down his neck, giggling all the while. "Hey, that tickles."

Oriel rolled his eyes, thinking that Phen just needed some more culture. "Yeah, I'm in one piece. Sure don't feel like it though…" His brows pushed forward again and arched his head at his Phoenix. "My head's a little floaty. I'm not sure I like it. But it keeps the pain down, so that's good." He laughed and giggled again, smirking down at Phoenix's hand trailing down his torso. "That fucker really did a number on me."

Oriel continued his stare, taking in the beauty that was his Phoenix, thinking that he could just drink in that wonderful sight all day, until his attention was quickly diverted by a familiar white box, following it first with his eyes, then with his head. His face beamed to see his favorite red-gooey danishes sitting there on the table next to him. "Danishes~! Oh, I love you~! Can I have one now?" Oriel didn't bother waiting for an answer and reached awkwardly with his good hand into the box and plucking one out. It was devoured immediately.

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Phoenix realized after a while that Oriel was too out of it to understand the trauma that he had been going through, and made a note to keep it all to himself until the boy wasn't drugged up on pain medications. Oriel didn't need to know anyway... Phen could deal. Maybe. Even as he thought it, his stomach gurgled, but he ignored it and just continued to stare through bleary eyes at his lover. "I'll tickle you even more once you're out of here," he promised quietly, giving his head a good scritch or two.

He pouted dumbly at the eye roll, wondering what it was he wasn't getting. He'd have to ask Oriel about it later... "Is there anything I can do t'help?" he murmured worriedly, actually looking all over Oriel's body under the blanket to make sure he did have all his limbs. Phen took a shaky breath and rubbed circles around Oriel's stomach, his gaze landing once more on the boy's face. "I'm sure they're doin' all they can t'make you comfortable," he mumbled. Oriel's laughter, though delirious, made Phen feel a little lighter, but the mention of Erik brought a very dark scowl to his face. "I don't know what I'm gonna do about him," he growled. He also felt guilty over the fact that Oriel got bitten over something Phen had said, but he didn't know if expressing that right now would reach past the fuzz in Oriel's head.

There were a few beats of silence until the danishes were brought up, and seeing the look on Oriel's face was enough to lighten Phoenix's heart again. However, his hands fumbled with the box and back into his lap at just what Oriel said, and he gaped for several long moments, long enough that he didn't register what the boy had asked until he was already reaching into the box and nabbing one of the desserts. "Y-yeah, of course," he stammered finally, although by that point the danish was half-gone. "That's what I brought them for." Even if it was Oriel's drugs that made him say those three little words out loud, Phoenix's head was floating as high as Oriel's probably was. He snuggled down closer and rested his head against his lover's chest. "I love you too," he murmured, fingers trailing down Oriel's side. "So much."

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Oriel kind of noticed and was kind of paying attention to the things Phoenix was saying, and the fact that Phoenix wasn't looking too well himself, but it was the processing that wasn't happening. He heard it, he saw it, but it wasn't registering that it meant that there was something wrong. Though give it a couple more hours and Oriel would probably be a lot more lucid than he was right now, and he might remember the conversation.

Though if he did, he'd start to feel terrible about how dismissive he was towards Phen, leading him to a whole other kind of worry and anxiety.

"Yeah, the doctors and nurses are pretty on top of things," he paused and looked towards the door sharply, then back at Phoenix, "Though I'm pretty sure the night nurse has been taking pictures of me while I'm asleep. Creepy, huh?" When Phoenix started looking under the covers he might see a couple of bruises behind the gown on his torso, but the real damage was on his right ankle and shin. It looked horribly patched black and blue, as if it'd been bruised heavily. and was covered in small blisters. The parts that weren't discolored were flushed red like a rash. There were blue marker lines dashed across his foot and up his leg to his lower thigh, each dash with a time of progression written beside it.

Oriel moved the blanket to cover it up again. He didn't need Phoenix to see that.

Despite being out of it, Oriel's mood did get serious when the subject turned to Erik, the little snake bitch who put him here in the first place. But…despite that, Oriel didn't hate him. Hell, he didn't even blame him. Oriel was the one who lost his head and went on a rampage. Oriel wasn't even sure why he did it. No he knew why he did it, he just couldn't believe that he'd let himself explode like that again. Outside of his encounter with Kodi, Oriel thought he'd gotten these…outbursts…under control…somewhat. "….I need to apologize to him." He looked up at Phoenix. "And you…this is my own fucking fault."

There were a few moments of lucidity before the danish box snatched it away again, with Oriel declaring something that he was barely cognizant of doing. Though hearing the same thing from Phoenix…and they way he was snuggling up against Oriel(such that it made it difficult to finish eating the danish, mind you), had Oriel's drugged up head and heart doing backflips. He ran his braced up hand over Phen's head, his fingers sticking out just barely able to touch that smooth shiny hair. "I know…" he said gently.

Oriel pushed for Phoenix to get up off of him and smiled lovingly at his love. He stared deep into those coal black eyes and said, "….Danish?" He offered the half eaten one to Phen, his smile tweaking even wider.

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"Good," Phoenix murmured, glad that it seemed like Oriel was getting well-cared for. Even though he hated hospitals, he knew he had to be thankful that they could take care of his boy. Phen glanced towards the door as Oriel did, then looked back and smiled faintly. "That is creepy," he determined. "Probably thinks you're as beautiful as I do." He chuckled weakly, rubbing his thumb against the back of Oriel's hand. He pressed a kiss on one of the bruises on Oriel's chest, trying not to show just how terribly alarmed he was at the small peek he got of the boy's leg; he didn't do a very good job at hiding it, though. He let out a little whimper and clutched Oriel's hand tighter, lip quivering at the blotched, bruised limb. That had to hurt terribly; he couldn't even imagine. A fresh trickle of silent tears coursed down his face. He might as well have been the one hurt himself, he felt so awful about it.

So much for trying to be strong. He was fighting another meltdown.

Phen tried to get strength from just holding his hand, listening to the sound of the heart monitor by his bedside. He was fine. He was going to be fine. He had to be. Even though Oriel was already planning on apologizing to Erik, though, Phoenix's heart was full of rage, wishing he was stronger so he could beat the piece of shit to a pulp for what he had done to his lover. As it was, he could only spit words of venom and glare at the snake shifter, plotting revenge that he knew would never actually happen. "You don't need to apologize t'someone who did this t'you," he hissed. Though he softened as Oriel's apology moved to him, and he fumbled his fingers against Oriel's gown. "You don't need to apologize t'me either," he murmured. "I'm fine." Lies, lies, lies.

He was happy that Oriel was obviously enjoying his treat so much, though; he couldn't be upset when his lover was munching so adorably. "I'm gonna make you fa-at~" he sang quietly, his mind brought back to the night when he had first declared his love for Oriel (or at least, the first time he had thought Oriel would hear him). Phen's cheeks dimpled just a tad against the boy's strong chest, feeling his hand run over the back of his head. "I'm gonna be here for you for everythin', okay? You're gonna get through this in no time. An'... I'll have a big surprise for you when you get back." He had no idea what that would be yet, but he'd think of something.

Phoenix shifted up as Oriel moved him, going cross-eyed at the offered food right in front of his mouth. Of course he couldn't say no; and he was starving anyway. Blinking up through his lashes at his lover, he leaned forward and took a few nibbles, letting the sweetness fill his mouth and slip down his throat, while his stomach gurgled expectantly. "I'll get you more if you want," he told him softly. "Whatever you want." His hand came up to brush against Oriel's cheek again, curling a limp strand of hair behind his ear.

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Oriel didn't care for hospitals either, but it wasn't the fact that it was a hospital that bothered him, it was the unfamiliarity of it. It was more than a couple of times that Oriel started freaking out, disoriented, confused, unsure of where or who anyone and everyone was. He felt like he was always getting crowded by strange people and just when he thought he'd gotten used to one, they'd change shifts and someone new would show up. They said he had another episode shortly after they brought him in; Oriel didn't even remember that one.

Then there were the nights. It'd only been two, but the first one he'd gotten nearly no sleep at all. He refused to take any pain medication or anything else the doctors shoved in his face. He'd been smart mouthed, he'd been difficult. There were tranquilizers, which seemed to calm him down, or at least put him to sleep for a while. Then he'd wake up a couple hours later, realize where he wasn't, and panic all over again.

But Phoenix didn't need to know any of that. And Oriel didn't plan on telling him.

"Well, who can resist this handsome face," Oriel retorted with a sideways smile. Though he did raise an eyebrow when he saw the tears start to fall. "Phoenix….Phoenix, it's fine," Oriel reached out and tried to pull Phen back down towards him. "It looks worse than it feels, really." Lies. That was the drugs at work there.

Oriel took a long deep breath as he…tried to listen to what Phen was saying. "Yes…yes I do." Maybe the both of them were a little…a lot out of control. It scared him. If Erik hadn't done what he did, then Oriel might've done something worse…who knew? "…….have you seen him….at all?" Oriel really was worried. Despite everything, Oriel still considered Erik his friend. They'd…get over this…right? Eventually? He thought that he and Kodah would get past their falling out, but that obviously didn't happen.

He needed to stop thinking about this.

"A surprise? Well, I best get out of here quick." Though he didn't know when they were going to let him out. It hurt to walk…another thing Phen didn't need to know. Oriel smiled, watching as Phen accepted the pastry. "Ok…. I want to see you more. Everyday." He nuzzled his face into Phoenix's hand. "Until I get out of here."

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If Phoenix did learn about how badly Oriel had been dealing with everything... Well, he would just refuse to leave. He'd beg the hospital and Hammel staff to let him spend the night there; he'd sleep on the floor if he had to, if he was able to sleep at all. Ah, hell, who was he kidding? He was going to beg to stay anyway. He didn't want to go back to his cold bed and empty, worried days without Oriel there. He wondered if they would take pity on him and allow it...

He'd worry about that when he got there.

"I don't think anyone can," Phen replied solemnly, gently pinching one of Oriel's cheeks. He sniffled and wiped at his cheeks again, hating himself for being so weak in front of Oriel when the boy needed his strength most, but didn't resist as Oriel pulled him close again. "It doesn't look fine," he mumbled worriedly. He couldn't imagine what it had looked like before if it had gotten better since the first day. "I hate seein' you hurt!" Phoenix would have gladly switched their positions, if only he could see his lover happy and healthy again.

He swallowed when Oriel retorted to his words, shutting his eyes meekly. "Well... It's up t'you..." he murmured, still thinking Erik didn't deserve anything but a fist to the face, and worse. Even though he had seen Oriel at his worst while he was beating Kodi on the ground, he still couldn't see his lover in anything but a positive light. Phen sighed at the question. "A couple times..." he mumbled. "I might've... Screamed at him a time or two...." When he wasn't busy wailing by himself in his room or sobbing in some corner. Hell, he might end up in the hospital himself from just an overload of stress and not taking care of himself.

"You better," he agreed, smothering his face even more against Oriel's chest. "Two days has been long enough." Though by the looks of things, it would be a while longer before he was released. "Of course. I'll come over an' stay as long as they let me," he promised. "And even then, I'll beg t'stay longer." Begging, he had gotten so good at it over the past few months...

He continued to lay his upper body over the length of Oriel's, just listening to his heartbeat and stroking a hand through his hair. After a few minutes, a nurse appeared and promptly asked the boy to not lay on the patient, thank you very much. She checked some of the machinery around Oriel and, apparently satisfied, left shortly after, whereupon Phen nuzzled his face into Oriel's neck again. "Can I get you anythin' else?" he asked softly. "Food, drink, entertainment?"

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Oriel would like nothing more than to be back at the dorms with Phoenix by his side. He wanted to get out of there, he hated being in this place, having to get used to a new place all over again. Hell, just having Phoenix there with him now was making him feel more at ease than the stupid drugs were. If Phoenix could stay the night and never leave, then Oriel would prefer that over this…what'd they call it? Daia-some-pan?

Oriel squinched his cheeks up when Phoenix pinched them. "Really? Even sitting here looking like shit?" He leaned his head back against the propped up bed. "Fuck….I really need a shower…."

"I promise," he continued the lie and would stubbornly continue it until it became true, "It's fine. It don't hurt that much." At least not when he didn't move it and took the damn pain relievers. Oriel didn't want Phoenix to worry more than he probably already was. It probably would have been best if Phoenix was kept away for another day or two, when Oriel wouldn't have to lie to him like this but…Oriel was still glad he came. He was already starting to feel more normal, having the social interaction at least ensured that he didn't turn into a vacant staring potato that growled every so often at people who got too close.

Oriel's scowl was less prominent than usual, but it was still there, though looked a lot more like a pout than a scowl. "Just…stay clear of him, for the moment. It ain't worth it, the guy's a fucking time bomb." The last thing Phoenix needed was to get in another altercation, especially when things were still so freshly heated between them. "I'll fix it when I get out of here." Though how he was going to do that, Oriel had no idea.

Yes, that's what Oriel wanted to hear. This stupid place would definitely be more tolerable if he could see Phen at least once a day, if not just all the time. Oriel slipped his hand into Phoenix's and tightened his grip. "Bring food," he asked with a puppy pleading look. "And we'll make it a date. A hospital date! Does that sound good?"

Oriel smiled expectantly at his adorable Squishy muffin butt. A smile that only grew as he continued to drink in Phen's warmth and weight laying on his body, a pleasure which was so rudely interrupted by the nosy nurse who Oriel swore just gave them a disapproving death glare. Oriel just returned it, watching the fat bitch as she wandered and did who knows what do the beeping shit that surrounded the bed. Their eyes met and he snarled, which only got him a look of bewilderment which Oriel, of course, ignored completely.

His face relaxed again once she left and Oriel returned his attentions to his Lovely Squishy. "Striptease!" he exclaimed, looking down at Phen. "But I don't think they'll let you do that here….so….kisses?" A much more reasonable request.

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"Even now," Phen promised, nodding affirmatively and tweaking Oriel's nose. Even if his initial attraction to Oriel had been purely physical, it had grown over time to be much more than that. Phen was infatuated with Oriel himself, not just his appearance. "Have they let you wash your face or anythin'?" he asked, furrowing his brow. His fingers fumbled in Oriel's hair. "I can help if... You want..."

He pouted again, not believing what Oriel was saying, but sighed and decided it would be best to let him think that he did. "If you say so..." he mumbled. Phen would continue to worry anyway; he was an expert at worrying, especially over someone that meant so much to him. "I'm gonna spoil you so much while you're here," he promised. "You won't even get t'think about your... Leg... While I'm around." Even if that was all Phen was thinking about himself. Seeing that bruised and battered-looking limb etched in his mind.... Stop. He shook his head, taking a breath and managing a weak smile. "Okay?"

His smile faltered when Oriel spoke about Erik, but he nodded agreeably, even if he still wanted to beat the shit out of that asshole. "I'll try," he mumbled. Honestly, he really didn't want to end up getting bitten too, and he had no idea if Erik would try something like that again so soon. "You're not gonna do it by yourself," he snapped quickly, giving Oriel a firm stare. "I ain't leavin' you alone with him again." Not after this.

Phoenix sighed and relaxed again as Oriel's hand slipped into his own, giving a squeeze in return. "A hospital date," he repeated quietly, his lips twitching into a smile. "Sounds good t'me. Any requests? You must be cravin' somethin' if all you've been gettin' is hospital food..." And he'd do all he could to get Oriel what he wanted.

"Babe..." he huffed a small, amused chuckle as Oriel snarled at the nurse, taking one of his hands in both of his own. "She's only doin' her job," he murmured once she was gone. "You shouldn't growl at them." Even if Phen was sure he'd do the same if he was in Oriel's position. He began to pet Oriel's hair again, glad to see him relax. "Striptease?" he repeated, flashing a small grin as he began to tug his shirt up, raising it up to mid-chest before letting it drop again. "Wouldn't want t'give these old people a heart attack," he sighed. At the latter request, his cheeks dimpled and he leaned down, teasing his lips against the corner of Oriel's mouth, only barely filling his request.

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It really had little to do with them "letting" Oriel clean himself up, at the moment, Oriel was unlikely to be able to stand through a whole shower. And they didn't want him to aggravate the sores with soaking in dirty water, that would just be asking for an infection. The nurses cleaned it, but other than that, Oriel hadn't done much and wouldn't be able to do much, at least not without help. His dopey grin got even dopier. "Mmmmm….sponge bath. I could go for one of those…from you." He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of Phoenix's fingers running through his mussy hair.

Oriel giggled again, rolling his head against his pillow to look at his lovely Phen. "It's hard to think of other things when you're around anyway," he declared lazily. Even when he was at school, as soon as Phoenix came around he became Oriel's entire focus, his entire life. It was hard to do anything without twisting it around to be about Phoenix. He reached up and poked Phoenix on the nose.

As for the matter with Erik…Oriel still wasn't sure what he was going to do about that. The whole situation just made his heart heavy and made him want to crawl in a corner and avoid the whole thing forever. Maybe if he ignored it long enough, the whole problem would just fix itself and things would go back to the way they used to be? Not likely. Oriel managed a smile when Phoenix offered to go with him and he nodded. "Thanks….I….I wan't you there with me," he admitted softly, though it might have just been the drugs talking. "I'm scared to do it myself. I don't know how I'll react, how he's going to. But I don't--" Oriel squeezed his lover's hand tight as his voice choked suddenly. "I don't want to lose another friend because of something stupid I did…."

He could feel a wetness on his cheeks, and he wiped it away on the fabric of his brace. "Sorry," he croaked, then he cleared his throat. "These drugs or whatever they got me on're fucking with my head, I don't know what I'm saying half the time."

It took a few minutes for Oriel to calm down and before long he was right back to his loopy self. "Yeah! It'll be fun! And next month, when I get s'more money, I'll take you on a real one somewhere." He did laugh again, thinking how silly Phen's assumption was. "Aw, you know me, I'll eat anything." It was true, there was little that Oriel couldn't eat. The only problem with hospital food was that they didn't give you enough.

Oriel raised a brow at the nurse as she left then the other when Phoenix tried to calm him. "I swear I've seen her before….somewhere…doesn't she have, like, shifty eyes or something?" Oriel going on a tirade of nonsense again. "I bet she's popping pills or something."

Though his eyes closed again to mere lazy slits one Phoenix went at his head again. "I love it when you do that…." And his smile only spread when the "striptease show" started, even if it didn't go anywhere. God, his boyfriend was so funny! "They'd just be jealous. 'Cause I got this Squishy all to myself." He puckered his lips in eager expectation, but frowned and pouted when it didn't come how he expected. "No faaaiir….meanie…."

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Phoenix perked up at the possibility that he could do more to help. "You know I'd be happy to," he told Oriel, looking around as though there'd be a washcloth just laying somewhere that he could dampen up and get some of the muck and oil off of Oriel's skin. He had no idea if they would actually allow that or not, but dammit, if Oriel wanted it, he would try! "I'll ask 'em the next time someone comes in," he promised. He also didn't want to risk making things worse somehow - knowing him, he'd probably end up giving Oriel an infection by doing something without asking first.

His features completely softened as his heart melted to hear such words come from Oriel's mouth, and he had to resist glomping himself onto the boy, instead snuggling down once again and giving him a multitude of kisses up and down his neck. "I feel the same about you," he mumbled against his skin, edging his lips over the lobe of Oriel's ear and giving it a little nibble. There was no point in saying that Oriel was Phoenix's life too - that was obvious.

"Good," he replied as his lover spoke, nodding again. "An' if he turns into a snake again, I'll dust him so fast an' hard he won't know which way is up." This coming from Phen was just another sign of how mad he was - he would only use his ability aggressively as a last resort. But he sighed, and relaxed again, hearing the pain in Oriel's voice, and squeezed him in return. "We've... We've all done dumb things, okay? All we can do is hope for the best." He.... Didn't know how he felt about trying to be friends with Erik again. Not only was he upset about what he had done to Oriel, but he had not forgotten what he had said that had sent Oriel over there in the first place. I'm not a thing... he thought darkly, fingers clutching against his lover's gown unconsciously. I'm not...

He looked up as Oriel stirred, and gaped as he saw the tears on the boy's face. "H-hey, it's gonna be okay," he mumbled, wiping away any remaining dampness with his thumbs. Phoenix tilted his head to the side, brow creasing in concern. "It's fine, sweetheart." He pawed gently at Oriel's shoulder. "You can cry if you need to." God knows I've done a lot of it....

Sighing and shaking his head, he slowly brightened again at the thought of.... "... A real date?" he breathed, eyes sparkling. Had they ever really done that before? His mind already began to wander before he snapped back to the present, focusing on his boyfriend once more. "I'd really like that," he smiled meekly. He pouted, though, at Oriel's next comment. "I guess it'll be a surprise then," he decided, dabbing a thumb against the boy's bottom lip.

He chuckled lightly at Oriel's snarky words. "I wasn't paying attention," he replied honestly. "Was too busy starin' at you." Trying to catch up on the two days when he hadn't been able to.

"I know you do," he smirked, cheekily deepening the scritches. "And I love watchin' you meeeelt~" Phen eventually brought his hand away to entertain his boy, cheeks flushing at Oriel's response. "Allll yours," he agreed, continuing to tease his mouth against the edge of his lover's before his whine tugged at Phoenix's heart and he finally took him in, hand slipping behind Oriel's neck as he let himself fall deeply into the gesture, kissing Oriel for as long as the boy wanted, or until a nurse came in and broke them apart.