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 Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:32 am
Yu knocked on Priam’s door, he’d promised to check-in, and he wanted to make sure that Priam was healing, physically at least, as well as Sterling. Both of them… maybe all of them needed to talk to a professional. Still, for his own conscience and respect for space, he knocked on the open door frame and waited to be invited. “H-hey…. You up for a visit? I mean, you wanted to… check, things… and kinda so did I. Also….kinda wanted to talk to you about soup?” It sounded awkward as hell after he said it, to be honest, Soup, like people thought about that. “K…Kitchen therapy… basically.” He admitted.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:55 am
'Taking it easy' was something Priam was both mastering and failing at. Physically, he could rest. He'd spent plenty of time in bed. Mentally, not so much, and he found that he kept working himself up over everything. Yu's knock on the door snapped him out of some winding mental path; he had been zoned out, staring at his phone on an article he'd stopped reading ten minutes ago. He smiled immediately at the very welcome intrusion and blinked his sore eyes.
His arm was carefully bandaged, more because he didn't want to see it than because it still needed to be wrapped. Truthfully, it was starting to itch now that he could feel pain--it never stopped hurting--but some primitive part of his mind told him that if he couldn't see it, it couldn't be so bad. He had it propped up on a pillow, like it might as well have just been a dead limb altogether. The dogs usually thrived when Priam nested himself in bed, but there was a squirrel in the front yard that had kept them busy for almost forty five minutes straight, now.
"You can talk to me about soup any hour of the day, Yu. You're a most welcome addition to my life. Come sit down with me for a minute," he said, and patted the bed next to him. His phone was discarded, face down and ignored; Yu had his full attention. "Are you feeling all right? Is anything hurting?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 10:24 am
He moved to sit beside Priam, a worried glance at the arm. “I’m fi…” He started to say and cut himself off. “It hurts some, but I’ve had worse… It’s mostly… it feels odd and … pulls?” He tried to explain the surreal feeling of ‘stitches’ and ‘glue’. He lifted his chin in a sort of ‘nod’ towards Priam’s arm. “How’s it um…feeling?” He gave a quirk of a smile. “Most uh… most people get matching tattoos. Not… scars.” he offered with a shy grin, hoping to make light of the situation, and not make it worse. “Sorry…” He added a moment later. “Uh… I was wondering after you check that they didn’t like…sew a witty quote in, that you might want to help me make soup. Two good arms, one kitchen… something to thank Ilya for…everything.” He took a breath and let it out.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 10:41 am
Priam wore a patient look that shifted into something proud when Yu really answered.
"I'd love that," he answered, and Yu could have told him he needed help taking out the trash and Priam's answer would have been the same. The kitchen was guaranteed to be a much more pleasant experience, and to be invited in while Yu was cooking made Priam feel special.
"I'm sure Ilya would appreciate it, too. I was going to send him flowers for everything he's done, but to be honest, I thought I might put it off a bit longer if it meant he wasn't getting up to answer the door for something silly like that."
He reached over to gently pat Yu's leg, an effort at comfort while making sure he didn't jostle anything that might be hurt.
"Will you be scandalized if I ask you to take off your shirt so I can see? If you don't want to, we can work something else out." He hadn't seemed offended at the mention of scars, and he found that when mentioned, his arm seemed to hurt worse. He reached to scratch at it and had to stop himself, letting out something that sounded like a relieved sigh. He forced his hand back. "--Mine's being a bit of a pain, if we're being honest. I'm sure it's healing well enough, but I wouldn't complain if it could just go a little faster. It's so itchy. I'm afraid to move my fingers at all. It probably wouldn't tear things open, but. I've been so nervous about it. You think we'll have matching scars?" he asked and, though he hesitated, he rolled up his sleeve and began to carefully unwrap the cloth he'd been using to hide the injury. "--I don't think this is going to be pretty, you can look away if you want," he said offhandedly, because he was already feeling a bit sick thinking about it.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 10:52 am
“Hmm… My adorable boyfriend asked me to take my shirt off. Scandalous.” He said with a small smile. “And uh…yeah… Yeah we’re gonna have darn close ones at least.” he offered. “The same arm too… at least yours is more badass than stupid.” He scratched absently at the edge of his jaw. He shifted and cursed, pulling off his shirt, it was the most oversized one he owned so it helped, even if he looked a touch ridiculous in it, a massive ‘grateful dead’ shirt. “Here…I can show you the arm too…” He offered, picking at one of the Leather bracelets he hated to remove. It snapped together, so easy to put on and off, it was a different kind of reluctance that kept them on. He undid it and flexed his arm. before turning it to show the long gash that ran just above his wrist bone and twisted slightly around his arm. “See? Word to the wise, If you’re gonna punch out a window for…any reason? Put something around your arm.” There were other marks there too, finer lines but not as wide or turning as that one. “You know… they make leather bracelets like this, once the itching stops, we could get you one. They can even stamp patterns into the leather.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 1:23 pm
Adorable boyfriend. It drew a smile to his face, and though a part of him wanted to be embarrassed about it, he enjoyed it too much to let that happen.
"Mine isn't badass," he said, but it wasn't much of an argument; he continued to carefully peel off the bandages. They didn't stick, and his arm was bruised and too many shades of red and purple and blue for him to like--but it was healthy, at least. There was something stomach churning about the idea of skin being stitched together, but...better it be closed than open, he supposed.
He held his arm up to compare, and found himself resting against Yu as he did so.
"I'll try not to punch any windows," he mused, and wanted very badly to just smush his cheek against Yu's shoulder. His eyes trailed along the scar, and he knew he didn't have to worry about it, it was already healed. Yu had other injuries he should concern himself with, and yet it was impossible not to let his eyes settle on this old one. "I don't think a leather bracelet would look as good on me as it does you."
He reached out his good hand, the one he trusted not to break if he curled his fingers, and traced Yu's scar lightly, contemplatively. When he tracked up his arm once, he went back down, fingers tickling over the finer lines.
There was no judgment in Priam's movement, it was like his eyes were moving over the page of a book he loved, as if he could imprint it all into his mind and hold close to his heart.
"Have you ever wanted to get a tattoo to cover yours up?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:06 pm
“Nah trust me, It’s pretty damn badass. I know what it is to have….faced down Michael.” He stifled a small ticklish laugh as fingers traced the old marks, but let them be inspected. It was a story, and he might forget the words to it soon, so now, of all times was the time he had to share, no matter how the story sounded. “I mean, some yeah… But tattoos are… expensive. I think I’d start on my arm first if I get one. I have this… idea for one, not names, NEVER get names, that’s some kinda jinx, everyone I know says so.” He shook his head. “But… Something to represent, us I guess.” He admitted. “Why… you gonna go for a tattoo? That’s pretty badass… it gets itchy too though.” He took off his other bracer and showed off the simple black lines reading. ‘Made in China’. “Also… if anyone like, asks you about it, you tell them you punched out a window to save like, a kitten, or puppies, a whole armload of puppies. EVERYONE will believe it because you’re awesome -and- kind.” He nodded sagely.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:19 pm
It was hard for Priam not to laugh. He was amused at the words, at the way Yu seemed to respond to the gentle touches. "The puppy story is almost believable, I do have a soft spot for them," he considered, but something about his tone guaranteed Priam probably wouldn't ever tell that lie, no matter how cute it was.
He leaned over and kissed the 'Made in China' tattoo, maybe because he didn't want Yu to see how it was nearly enough to make him laugh.
"I'll have to wait and see, to make sure I don't need surgery. If a nerve got mangled, well," he let out a little sigh. "Then, I suppose I'll spend a little more time at the hospital before I get to go back to work. But...I don't know. I never imagined myself as a tattoo person. Or a piercing person, and yet, here we are."
He hadn't taken off his shirt to prove it, but Sterling might get the wrong idea if they were both in there, shirtless.
"If I got a tattoo, I think...I would want it to represent us, too. But...to be honest, I thought it would be hideous when it healed." He couldn't reach down and stroke his own cut, so instead he stroked Yu's scar again. "But it doesn't seem so bad when I think about matching you. I don't believe I'll even think of Michael, when I look at it. I'll just think of you. So." He smiled a bit, tired and soft, but peaceful. "If you get a tattoo, I'll have to get one to match."
He hummed. "...Or maybe I'll just get a tattoo of a star anytime another wish of mine comes true. You and Sterling have already answered so many, I might be able to cover up my whole arm already."
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:15 pm
He felt his ears heat, at the gentle kiss to his wrist. It was such a weirdly sensitive spot, but he didn’t hate it, at all, it made him catch his breath. “H-here… let me see.” He said and reached out gently to take Priam’s hand. Gently pressing each fingertip. “Can you…feel them? I think that's supposed to be a good sign. Also…stars aren’t a bad idea… you could totally have the scar be like the sweep of a shooting star. Which would be fitting too, because you’re like a wish yourself.” He was….so bad at being ‘romantic’, that sounded so dumb the second he said it. Way better inside his head. He had to give a grin though. “…The idea of you getting the tattoo I want on my shoulder Is kinda something though.” He grinned. “I was gonna get like… a snake and flowers. with like…stars in the flower petals, and the snake is like, the…night I guess.” That…also sounded potentially dumb now that he said it out loud, but he still thought it looked cool when he imagined it. “Snake tattoos, and piercings… I really am into bad boys.” He grinned. “Bad boys who rescue puppies, and horses…. really cuddly horses.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 5:55 am
Priam thrived on that little response and tucked away the knowledge that Yu had sensitive wrists as something to investigate further at a later date.
There was peace when Yu held his hand, when he gave each fingertip a little attention.
He could feel it. It was a reminder that his whole arm hurt, but the softness in Yu's gestures, his words, soothed it.
"You're a romantic," he teased, because he loved it. "And a creative one at that. If you find someone who can do the tattoo you want, we'll save up and we can go together. I mean, if I do go to get a tattoo, will you hold my hand? In case I get scared," he insisted, "and because I love you."
He wiggled his fingers, just a bit, and that hurt, but they moved. Slow and reluctant, but maybe because the subconscious, doctorly voice in his head said 'don't strain yourself, give it a little more time.'
He leaned into Yu and his complacent smile lingered. Priam still had to check on his injuries, and tilted his head so he could glance over them. Yu had enough scars that Priam thought he could probably spend hours tracing them. Priam wondered if they bothered him, if the attention made him self conscious, so he found a bare spot on his shoulder and kissed that, too.
Marked or unmarked, Priam loved all of him.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 10:41 am
“I don’t think anyone could ever have accused me of being a romantic until I met you guys.” He admitted - he felt the blush spreading from his ears to his cheeks. “And I’ll absolutely save if you’ll go with me, it might be… affirming to see someone else get inked. I know I got mine because someone else did, they wanted me to get something from the flash book… they do like, cheaper tattoos some places on Friday the Thirteenth. They did mine because it was just…lines. Super fast and the guy did a lot with fonts.” He was rambling because he could because it was something to do while he admitted to himself that yes, at this moment he felt vulnerable, but he also didn’t feel…bad about that. He felt safe enough that Priam would stop…if he said stop. He was home… The kiss made him smile too, scars and freckles alike made odd constellations of a sort on his back, stories of an ‘ancient’ kind with their legends lost. “Let me know if um… I need to move or something.” He added. He wasn’t really sure how doctors liked to inspect injuries or stitches. Red and bruised as they all were, The shoulder was at least not as bad as it had felt at the time, a gouged out pocket of skin and enough muscle that it was damn inconvenient, but Blivitite’s sword hadn’t been meant for stabbing, not really. It could, but he’d have had to have been less desperate at the time than he was to do it ‘properly’. He hoped it didn’t look too bad, he didn’t want Priam to worry.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 7:24 pm
The smile seemed like it was taking up permanent residence on Priam's face. "No, I can move. You just stay comfortable," he assured, and took a moment or two more than he needed to plant a few more kisses where he knew he wasn't going to cause any pain or discomfort. Finally, he drew away and forced himself to focus on business.
Yu wanted kitchen therapy, and they weren't going to make soup if they stayed in bed like this.
God, he was so cute with that blush. Priam couldn't imagine he hadn't had people fawning over him before now. Everything about him made Priam want to love him.
"We don't have to go get discount tattoos," he said, smiling softly. "If we're going to have them for our whole lives, we might as well splurge. The insurance will be coming in soon," he mused. "...I figure...if we're really in this, all of us...I might as well put that money back into us. Your car needs repairs. We need repairs. I don't know what renovations you two have planned, but I can help fund those. I mean, I should at least be paying rent or something. So, somewhere between all of that, we'll find a good tattoo artist. Who can do exactly what you want."
He shifted positions and moved so he could examine the worst of Yu's injuries, memorizing each miniscule flaw and imperfection, scouring every piece of torn or stitched or bruised skin for signs of infection or poor healing.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:23 pm
The stitches looked done well enough, it seemed likely some of the work had been glue too, not nearly as stinging as its civilian counterpart, medical glue was quite useful for some of what was needed to hold things together. It… did look a little like he hadn’t been -the- best patient to treat. But he’d never said he was. “I can … probably handle the car, I just… have to get it out of the impound.” He admitted. “Which I should probably do before we uh… well before I run the risk of forgetting I have a car I guess.” He chewed his lip. “We could see how you feel about tattoos, get one of those um… someone at the kitchen got this ‘temporary’ ink, but it lasts ages. They make temporary tattoos so you can see if you really like what you’re getting into or if it will just be odd to you after a few days. It might not be colorful but, we could see how you felt about something that doesn’t wash away to start with?” He offered. “Then if you’re sure we can look into tattoos, I wonder…I wonder if Sterling would join us.” He worried at his lip again, the fresh cuts hurt, the old scars that they intersected added their own pulling sensation where a few spots were thicker. It wasn’t bad… but it was strange. Nice too… to trust warm hands and soft kisses.
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 6:09 am
Priam examined the injuries with an almost amused expression. On one hand, it hurt him to see them, if only because he cared so much for Yu that he felt his own skin throb imagining what he must have gone through. On the other hand, the doctors had done a good job and it was almost too amusing to imagine Yu's scowling face as he squirmed under their treatment.
"Oh, nonsense," he said softly of the car. "If you forget, we'll just buy you a new one and you won't know otherwise. Something cute, like you. Little Volkswagen Beetle."
He stroked healthy patches of skin and planted small kisses as he went, not wanting Yu to have time to think about being self conscious or afraid.
"I think you'll heal up nicely. Everything looks like it's doing its best, so if you just take it easy, I'm optimistic that this will all be behind us soon. Yu, you have so many freckles! I love them." He kissed a smattering of them.
"When my arm heals up a little more, we can try temporary tattoos. I'm sure Sterling would at least play with them. He seems like he likes to go big, though. Kitchen renovations, a library." He seemed a little amused. "I could see him going all in. Head to toe tattoos," he teased, but squeezed Yu's hand.
"Everything looks like it's healing all right. But I'm a little sad to say that you can put your shirt back on if you want to. I think you're healthy enough for that kitchen therapy."
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 8:26 am
“I will die on the floor if you try and get me a new car.” He said trying to convey how serious he was about that. “The ovens alone were….” he shook his head unable to find the word for how it made him feel. The combination of guilt and pleasure and cherished and scared that he’d never live up to that kind of treatment. “A lot, like… amazing a lot but… yeah, and I still haven’t broken it in so… Kitchen therapy!” He nodded and beamed when that was approved. “We should um…figure out like… more library space but have a secret door for you, or something. A turning book case so you have like… a little reading nook. If you’re into that…I mean.” He admitted.
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