Bedside Manner

"Bedside Manner" is a BOTGD 2 Act 1 thread written on June 11, 2019.
==Summary==
Dario is set up to be worked on by a healer in the farm's hospital hut. He thanks Milae for saving him and Milae is avoidant of most of the questions Dario has. He grows extremely emotional, and Dario grows more affectionate in comforting him, giving him a few kisses to impress upon Milae that he has feelings for the goat. Dario asks for Milae to spend some time close to him, and Milae patches up his wounds and the two fall asleep in the same cot.
==Full Text==
Yun Milae: “You two went and–he did what!?”
“Shush! Jin, he’s probably resting. Shush. It was just a half-breed, I don’t know where he came from. He obviously held some kind of grudge. I don’t know.”
“Hmph. Shame he got so beat up. I was kinda hoping to kick his ass, too.”
“Loki’s dirty hooves, I swear, if you touch him–”
“Okay, okay, I’ll lay off. You don’t have to get all ‘swan wife’ on me.”
If Milae had visible skin, he would be flustered beyond all known shades of red. “Excuse me!?” he sputtered.
“Does that not translate well in West talk?” She made two beak shapes with her hands and touched her fingertips together. “It’s when swans–” 
The goat flailed a hand at her, breaking up her signage. “Jin! Shut–just–stop. Go. I want to see him by myself.”
“Have fun. He’s gonna be sore as shit soon, I’ll send Mia back here in a bit.” She strode away, back towards the main farm building, and Milae shook his head wearily and knocked on the door of the hospital hut with the tip of his staff.
“Dario?”
Dario Hjort: Odin, I swear to every god in existence, this damned back…
Dario remained in the same position as where he was originally placed when Jin assisted him to this cot. He was lying on his stomach, as to allow for the wounds on his back to not make contact. They would require some constant care before he was able to continue his search for Vox. Cold air breezed softly against his bare back, stinging the open gashes that were due to be tended to any moment now.
“Milae, please, come in.”
Milae: He peeked his muzzle through the door opening and craned his neck into the room, glad once again that his face was covered in fur, because it immediately heated. Why am I like this. This is awful. He scooted inside and shut the door behind him, holding his staff nervously, close to his body, with both hooves. “Are you okay?” His eyes lingered on the vicious wounds in his back. He felt the cool beginnings of a carefully calculated revenge start creeping into the back of his mind. Focus.
Dario: Dario turned his head slowly as to not make any sudden movements in his spine. He felt that same grin creep onto his face when he saw Milae’s eyes upon his own, thankful to see him upright and in good condition.
“I… I really wanted to say thank you. You didn’t have to do any of that for me.”
He winced slightly, realizing that too much verbalization was just bringing back the burning in his rib cage.
“I- Milae, I do have to know… why me? You barely even know who I am.”
Milae: Milae’s heart stuttered and nearly stopped at the question, and he dropped his gaze to the ground, clearing his throat. There was silence for several long seconds. He picked at the clean bandages on his forearms, feeling the beginnings of an itch in his scars.
“Well…because…you were in danger,” he said lamely. “And…I had to.”
Dario: The deer motioned for Milae to sit on the cot that had an open space where his back arched… at least, to the best of his abilities with limited range of motion. He could tell that the goat was as nervous as he was, and a little bit of physical comfort couldn’t hurt at a point like this.
“Well, I’m grateful… for everything. Even if you could have gotten yourself killed for me.”
Milae: He took a breath and padded forward, the wood floor clopping under his hooves as he slowly crossed the room. He stood in front of Dario’s cot, but didn’t sit. He had his face downturned all the way, his eyes hidden by the mop of fur between his horns. He tried not to think about the abandoned timeline, of the searing pain, of the fading darkness he’d endured to bring himself back from certain fatal damage…so that he could be in good enough shape to walk Dario to the farm. He scratched at his bandages a little harder. “It was…it was nothing,” he mumbled.
Dario: The deer strained to turn ever so slightly to face Milae better. His demeanor was entirely different from before they arrived at the hatchery; the air felt heavy with a weight that couldn’t be explained.
“Milae, you’re thinking about something. What’s wrong?”
He held out his arm as far as he could physically reach it, barely allowing his fingers to run through some tufts of fur on the goat. He wanted to know that he could be trusted, regardless of the short time the two had known one another.
Milae: The goat’s ears twitched wildly and after hesitating, he leaned into Dario’s hand slightly, shutting his eyes. Dario, you damn empath. You were always like this. “It’s nothing,” he repeated.
Dario: The texture of the goat’s fur felt so natural in Dario’s hand. He scruffed it in an attempt to relay a desire to relax the goat, making slow scratching motions to calm him.
“If there is one thing I’ve learned in our time together, it’s that you-” he stopped suddenly, feeling his back begin to spasm. It was to be expected, but painful nonetheless.
“-you usually aren’t this short on words. I want you to know that you can trust me. You’ve made me feel… safe, if that makes sense. I want to be that for you as well.”
He wasn’t even making an effort to hide his intentions at this point. The deer was slowly coming to terms with his outward gestures of interest, and wished so badly to receive reciprocation from Milae.
Milae: “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Milae’s throat caught as he finally admitted that there was something else going on, and he was upset to feel another round of tears welling in his eyes. He slowly knelt by the cot to keep Dario from straining to reach him, clutching his staff, and he turned his head so that his cheek rested in Dario’s palm instead.
Sylar slashing Dario’s vitals. Sylar slamming Dario up against a tree with a disgusting crack. Sylar slowly, hatefully, choking the life out of Dario while Milae sprinted as fast as he could to tackle him away, but being too late, seeing the life leave his eyes…
“There’s…there’s too much. I can’t.”
Dario: The deer could feel the hurt welling up in the goat; he wouldn’t push the issue any further. He continued to play with his fur on Milae’s cheek, wiping away the tears with his thumb. It wasn’t the time or place for Dario to bring further suffering to the goat.
“It’s fine, Milae. When you’re ready… I’ll be here.”
He leaned his head forward to meet where his hand currently occupied, and replaced it’s position on Milae’s cheek with a kiss.
“You’re kind of stuck with me now, so you’ll have plenty of time when you decide to talk about it.”
Milae: Milae jerked back slightly at the contact, out of shock; his neck pulled backwards like a bemused bird and he lifted his chin, looking ever more similar to a lost sheep with his stunned animal gaze and twitching ears. His breath kept catching shallowly in his throat. More tears welled up in his eyes, but now it was from both aching sadness and emotional overload.
“I d…I…uh…” He sniffed and hid his face by looking downward again, chin almost touching his chest, completely embarrassed. His fur was surely searing to the touch by now. What the Hel do I do!? “Stuck with you,” he repeated dumbly, unable to process what was happening to him. “Y-yes.”
Why was he so gods-damn smart talking to everyone except this stupid deer? It was almost…frustrating, but in a way that made his pulse race and his heart burn and every scar carved into his arms and chest tingle with…something.
Dario: Dario knew how flustered he made the goat, and managed to muster a chuckle at the expense at a little pain in his chest. He placed his hand under Milae’s chin to bring his eyes to meet his own. He wanted nothing more than for the half-breed to feel the projected emotions of longing and admiration that took control of Dario’s actions. Without any reservation, knowing that the first one didn’t cause him to flee the room, he took the time to plant another slower, more intimate kiss on the goat’s forehead with eyes closed.
“You may not feel how I do, and that’s perfectly alright. I don’t expect you to understand why I feel like this, only knowing you this short amount of time… Hel, I’m not even sure I do.”
He maneuvered himself back onto his stomach, but kept his face towards the half-breed that kept his attention like a moth to a flame.
“You are something different, Milae. Ever since I met you at the handcart, I wanted to know more about you… and I hope… I really do hope you give me that chanc-”
He closed his eyes tightly, the pain in his spine now becoming overwhelmingly impossible to speak through.
“I- Milae I’m s-sorry… my back, I still need this fixed.”
Milae: Frightened at how hard his heart was thundering against his chest, Milae nodded hastily and stumbled to his hooves, clutching at his staff. “Yes! Yes, yes, right, I will fetch Mia, and…uh…” His mouth stopped working again. “W-we can…you can rest, and…” One of his hooves scratched against the other under his cloak nervously. He felt like he was burning, all over now. Say something, Milae, say something!
Would you kiss me again? The words cycled their way to the front of his mind and he hurriedly shoved the thought back, absolutely mortified. Not that! Anything but that! He’s cut up like a piece of game! No more kissing! His hooves clutched desperately at the edges of his cloak as he pulled it around himself, the weight comforting, if isolating. “I’ll…go get her,” he gulped, shuffling backwards slowly, away from the cot and towards the door.
Dario: “Milae.”
Dario’s single word stopped the goat right as he made it to the door, echoing faintly in his head. The deer shuffled his body slowly across the cot, leaving just enough room for a separate figure to fill the void. The pain was most definitely prominent at this point, but he felt that closure for what had just transpired was more important.
“Please, you’ve left me enough times already. I think you had it right… we can rest.”
He made a point to not make any further movements; he kept his eyes firmly planted towards the goat with a pleading gaze. He had the upper hand in regards to sympathy.
“…please. Just for a few minutes, she will be in soon, regardless.”
Milae: Milae was sure he was going to catch on fire, or be blown away like smoke, or melt like ice. Or maybe a combination of the three. His wide, shining eyes stared at the cot, and then flicked back to Dario, and then looked to his wounds. His fists tightened; there was a slight flare from his scars, and he wasn’t sure if it was visible from outside the bandages, but he prayed that it wasn’t.
“L-listen…” He paced back over to Dario’s side and forced himself to relinquish his staff, stiffly propping it up against the wall. “Not like…not as you are.” He dug through his bag, still flustered, but gaining a bit of traction on a new line of thought. “Those talons are nothing to sniff at. I won’t risk infection, from blood or, or fur getting…uh…” He trailed off and shut his mouth, finally pulling out a barebones medical kit, bandages strapped to a flask of clean water.  He felt as he did while exploring a new timeline, discovering secrets and asking questions, and the feeling he got playing his part as the cheeky, initiative-taking adventurer overwhelmed him again, but different this time. Heady. Reckless. The part of him that feared no consequence was taking over. He mutely unwound the bandages, uncorked the flask and began taking charge of Dario’s care, at least for the time being, to keep the wounds clean and closed. Dario’s skin was warm, a little too much from the inflammation of his injuries, but Milae managed to avoid making too much contact with anything other than the numb tips of his cloven fingers, to keep himself focused.
“There.” He leaned back, dusting off his hooves, and then immediately his legs turned to jelly as he looked up at Dario’s face. “Now…uh…”
Dario: Though he couldn’t tell if the bandaging and care was a stalling tactic or not, the newly replaced bandages and covered wounds instantly brought relief to the stag. It would take a while for the pain to truly subside, but this makeshift medical attention was just enough for the moment; it helped that his mind was too preoccupied on the figure of the small, timid half-breed before him.
“Thank you, Milae.”
Dario made the most minor of shuffling on the cot, not making any real difference in his original position, but to remind the goat that he was not going to lay alone. He wanted to keep up the appearance of confidence in his moves, but the shaking from his hands and feet were definitively showcasing his nerves of having any sort of close physical intimacy with another being, especially with one he was so blissfully fond of.
“Please, rest. You’ve done enough for me today… we have nothing but time on our hands. Let yourself relax for a few moments.”
Milae: Jittering with nerves, Milae took half a step forward, looked down at himself, and then reached up to undo the front of his dusty, dirty cloak, turning to lay it aside on the empty cot beside them and then slowly backed up a step and sat in the curve of Dario’s body. After a moment, he lifted one hoof, and then the other off the scuffed floorboards and tucked them beside Dario’s legs. He hid his hands in between his legs, feeling incredibly vulnerable, and unsure of how much further to go. He made a hesitant, barely-audible noise somewhere in the back of his throat, and tried to do as Dario said and relax. It was quite difficult. His life didn’t allow for much leisure time…or rather, he didn’t allow it for himself, even though he could likely afford to.
Dario: Dario shifted his body to accommodate Milae to the best of his ability, given his current condition.  He took one arm and draped it over the goat’s side, lightly placing his hand over his forearm. He rubbed his thumb and index finger along the length of the half-breed’s arm without much pressure to try and relax him, while taking his other hand and running his fingers through Milae’s hair. It was far thicker than he was prepared for, but it was nice to be able to just showcase some level of closeness to him. The goat deserved it for all of the good he brought the deer. He could feel Milae shaking and suppressing any noises that could have potentially escaped in that moment, but he wouldn’t let go of him. This was his turn to protect his partner.
“It’s okay, Milae. You can rest, I’ve got you.”
Milae: Oh, gods…it was like magic. It was everything he ever imagined his touch to be, everything he’d gotten only glimpses of through nine lifetimes of being one of Dario’s closest friends.
He pushed his muzzle in between the crook of Dario’s neck and shoulder, inhaling and taking in his travel-worn scent. Another wave of tears threatened to fall, but he managed to choke it back this time. He reached out a shaking hoof and hesitantly placed it on Dario’s side, using his light grip to pull closer, feeling the tension of the day slowly drain away. His eyelids drooped as his shaking stilled, the feeling of fingers through his fur sending him straight into something that felt like a heavenly drug. Eventually, Dario’s breathing slowed, and his hand simply rested between Milae’s ears, and Milae himself found it hard to keep his eyes open as Dario’s heart thudded against his own chest, competing with his constant anxious flutter, lulling it into something slow and steady.
Jin knocked softly and cracked the door open, peeking inside, and her and Mia beheld the two half-breeds curled up next to each other, fast asleep. Mia raised her eyebrows at the sight of Dario’s lightly bandaged wounds, and as Jin went to take a step towards the two of them, she grabbed her arm, whispering, “Let them rest. I’ll check on him tomorrow.”
The two women shut the door softly, and the candle on the table across the room burned low until it snuffed out completely, leaving the room in quiet darkness.
Category:BOTGD 2
Category:Act I
Category:Events
Category:Yun Milae
Category:Dario Hjort
Category:Jin Gao
Category:Mia