Black & Blue & Blood All Over (Oriel)

[Deleted]

Phoenix knew Oriel well. Oriel had a soft spot for the elderly. He had an equally soft spot for the young. The young and unfortunate. Acting ‘big brother’ came naturally to him, even though technically he was the younger one between he and his sibling. He was the youngest out of everyone in his circle of friends, actually. He couldn’t help liking to take care of people. He hated that that was one of the things that drew him to Phoenix, because he was someone who desperately needed someone to take care of him. Oriel didn’t think they’d ever outgrow that dynamic in their relationship…but at least he could work on not being so dependent on that dynamic. “Maybe…” he mumbled. Oriel would think about it….he was scared of working with kids, though. Scared of corrupting them into assholes like himself. They were so impressionable, they didn’t need to pick up Oriel’s bad habits. Oriel smiled at the kiss on the nose. “Only you…would think that,” he said with a crooked, but loving smile.

Oriel chuckled. He was getting used to the pain that came with it, so maybe it wasn’t so bad trying to loosen up a little, if for Phoenix’s sake. “Yeah….get that, uh…that short cut you know I like.” He slid his hand down to the side of his lover’s face and gave it a couple, gentle taps. “My handsome man.” Oriel winked and sent him an air kiss. Not that Oriel didn’t like Phoenix’s long hair. There was just something about pulling on those short strands, brushing his fingers over those cropped fuzzies, that drove him wild. Maybe that’ll help with his recovery? It was a thought…

If it weren’t for his weakened state, Oriel never would have been bested by the little black ball of fur on his chest that was quickly subdued by Oriel strong and brave boyfriend, and sent away to the floor. “My hero~” he cooed, a little deliriously at Phoenix. Oriel adjusted himself so he could drink the water. It was glorious and life giving and revitalizing and delicious. “I ‘unno. Somewhere in between, I think?” he replied to Phoenix’s worried inquiries. “Feel a little out of it,” he admitted. Hopefully that wasn’t indicative of anything terrible.

Oriel was prepping himself to be smothered with kisses when the old man came in through the door, and he sighed in disappointment. “Next time…I’ll let you kiss my owwies next time,” he said with a small point of his finger. Though hopefully, there wouldn’t be a next time. Derek took a seat on the coffee table beside the couch, sorting through the things he’d gotten from the drug store. Derek leaned in to inspect Oriel’s black and bloodied face, starting with his nose. “Well…he didn’t crack the bone either, so that’s good news too. It shouldn’t take much to fix.”

He could actually do it now. In fact, that’s exactly what he did, reaching forward with his hands and pushing the bone back into place with a crack. And consequently, a cry of pain from Oriel. “F-fffuuuck…” he moaned, his eyes starting to tear up again. Derek continued to play doctor, ignoring Oriel’s protests. “Don’t touch it, don’t blow your nose or rub it,” he explained. “It should heal on it’s own. If there’s any excessive swelling after a few days, we’ll talk about going to the urgent care.” Derek kept working, cleaning the boys face and patching up the cuts and contusions surrounding his eye. He’d ask for a few things from Phoenix on occasion as he worked, focusing more on that than any further conversation. Yeah, the boy would be fine, he thought.

[Deleted]

Phoenix honestly often forgot that he was older than Oriel. Even though he had matured slightly over the last year or so between graduating, getting a job, and reuniting with his dad, he was still incredibly dependent on his fiancé, and didn’t believe he could cope without him. And he was alright with that, when Oriel wasn’t horribly injured and made Phoenix panic! “Well, it’s somethin’ t’think about,” he said gently, brushing his thumb carefully over Oriel’s cheek. And of course he would always think his Squishy was beautiful.

He smiled weakly as the younger boy touched his face. “I’ll get it cut tomorrow,” he promised. Anything that would make Oriel happy, especially in the state that he was in. Phoenix giggled a little and blushed; he would never think he was handsome, no matter how many times Oriel called him so. He usually was just too lazy to get his hair cut, although it was sort of nice to have it to hide behind when he was feeling shy, too. At least he could still take on the beast that was Haru. “I’m not a hero, you’re just too nice to be firm enough to get Haru off of you,” Phoenix chuckled, still holding the cup while Oriel drank. His small bit of mirth slipped away and was replaced with concern at the younger boy’s admission. “I… I’m sure that’s normal,” he replied, though his voice was strained. “You hit your head, after all.” Or at least, someone hit his head. Phoenix’s lip began to tremble again and he cupped Oriel’s cheek. “I wish I could make whoever did this pay…” he mumbled, surprisingly dark.

By “next time”, Phen thought Oriel meant “later”, so he nodded in agreement. Of course he would smother his lover in healing kisses. But for now, his attention was mostly directed on his dad as the older man stepped in and began his inspections. “R-really?” he replied hopefully, eyes lighting up a little. “But… But why is it crooked…?” Because it definitely was, Phoenix had gazed deeply at Oriel’s face enough times to recognize even a slight change. However, he jumped a little as Derek suddenly reached forward, and yelped at the crack and Oriel’s cry of pain. “Wh-what are you doing??” he demanded, immediately rushing closer to his fiance’s side with horrified eyes. “You should have warned us…!” But apparently his dad was in “professional” mode, so Phoenix grudgingly let the issue drop and just did what the man told him to. He did, however, hold onto Oriel’s hand as much as time allowed, and murmured some soft, sweet words into the younger boy’s ear whenever Derek was turned away. “You’re so strong and brave,” he praised, smiling through his worry. “You’re gonna be healed up in no time.”

[Deleted]

Yeeeey! Oriel now had something to look forward to! His super hot man of a fiancee with the short cut he loved. Oriel grinned like a child to show his approval. “Okaay~” he said a little like a dope. Yeah, his head was still foggy, but what could he do? If he didn’t do the silly, then he’d just do the grump from the pain.

“B-but if I’m mean, she’ll haaate me~” he pouted with those (swollen) bambie eyes. Oriel didn’t like being hated, not even by a little kitty-kat. Oh, well. Oriel took another sip of the water before declaring it enough. He rested his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes for a moment. No, he was not sleeping. “Yeah….just feels….a bit….” Weird. Like he wasn’t all there. He wondered if he’d even remember this tomorrow? The last time Phoenix told him he was completely out of it was when he was high on pain relievers at the hospital, and Oriel remembered next to nothing about that. Just that…Phoenix was such a sweeeetie~

Oriel opened his eyes again and shook his head. “Nah…ain’t worth it, Squish,” he said, trying to discourage the pixie from pulling out his darker side. He really didn’t want Phoenix to find out who was behind this incident. So better to just let it be.

After Derek fixed his nose, Oriel spend the rest of several minutes wincing in pain as the sting slowly subsided. Of course Derek paid it no mind, nor to Phoenix’s protests, and just continued to work. “You’re lucky all he broke was your nose. The wrong angle and the bone could’ve shot strait up into your brain.” Because that was supportive and encouraging. Pretty soon, the boy was patched up under gauze and tape, and a pad over his swollen eye. He’d taken care of the larger stuff. The smaller cuts would heal on their own, they just needed to be cleaned regularly. After checking on Oriel’s state of mind - he was still feeling a little woozy, so would have to keep him awake a while longer - he gathered up the supplies and left the two boys alone.

Oriel nodded. “Thanks…” Even though this guy was a real wanker, Oriel trusted him a lot more than the docs at the hospital. Oriel turned to Phoenix and squeezed his hand. “Yeah. A few bumps and bruises ain’t going to keep me down, so don’t you worry, Squish.” He sent Phoenix a kiss through the air…because it was too much work to lean over and give it to him.

[Deleted]

Phoenix rolled his eyes and shook his head at Oriel’s concerns. “You kiddin’? Haru loves you, she’s just being a little stinker,” he chuckled. He didn’t know if that was true or not, since he hadn’t had the kitten for all that long, but the two seemed to get along just fine. He just knew Oriel was paranoid about accidentally hurting her since she was so small. He kept an eye on the younger boy, making sure he wasn’t dozing off. “It’s okay,” he soothed, not really knowing if it was okay at all. He could only hope. “Maybe dad’ll get you some meds for the pain while he’s gone.” Phoenix didn’t know if that was the right thing to do, but it made sense to him.

He growled (not at all intimidatingly) at Oriel’s insistence, but let his head drop in submission. “If you say so…” he mumbled unhappily. It just didn’t feel right… He wanted to protect his Squishy, not just cower behind him all the time…

He clung on tightly to Oriel’s hand as his fiancé recovered from his nose being fixed, looking in alarm at his father when he mentioned how horribly it could have gone. “Oh my god,” he mewled, clinging even more tightly and closely to his lover. “Oriel, you are never ever ever gettin’ into another fight, okay?” he demanded. Phoenix couldn’t stand the idea of that happening! He fluttered around his dad as he continued to work, asking the occasional quiet question and making sure Oriel was doing alright. After a while, though, Derek apparently thought he’d done all he could do, so Phoenix settled down beside the couch once again and nestled his head against Oriel’s shoulder.

“Yeah…” he breathed quietly. Phoenix was worried, though. How many times now had it seemed like Oriel got into near-death (or at least dangerous) situations? “Just… Please… be more careful, okay?” he whimpered. “I c-can’t lose you, not now…” If anything happened to Oriel, Phoenix wouldn’t have a reason to live. At least, that’s how he saw it. He closed the distance between them and gently pressed his lips to Oriel’s, then curled up against him again as well as he could from where he was sitting on the floor. “I love you, Squishy…” he murmured. “More than anything or anyone.”