lucetilogs | when johnny comes marching home

But it really shouldn't be—

[Moving ahead of him turns out not to work so well, as the shift in her balance makes her lose it just long enough for her to bump the door frame in the darkness. It's a tiny thing, really, but the pain that results is far out of proportion to it and for an instant she just freezes in place, not moving, not even daring to breathe.

And then the moment passes and her shoulders stiffen just a bit as she refuses to let it stop her; she continues to move forward, if slowly.]

[ He doesn't notice her freeze in place. It's natural for her to need to stop in place, right now. He just keeps his own hands strong and steady for her, so she always has a balance, and follows close behind her. He'll catch her if she starts to go down. Being this close to her back makes him realize how much that is a possibility. ]

[It is a definite possibility: determination can only take her so far, after all, and she's never had to deal with injury to her all-too-vulnerable wings before. She makes it almost there before she loses the battle against weakness and fever and takes a step that doesn't quite hold her weight, sagging against his much-needed support.]

[ Shinpachi shuffles himself in quick and supports her better. ]

Just a few more steps, Ayu-nee. You can sit against the wall and rest a little while I run the water.

[It takes a moment for her to respond, but even with her eyes closed she forces a small smile in an attempt to reassure.]

I'll be all right. I just... sitting down would be nice.

Right. Here, let me help. [ He leads her to the wall near the tub. The nearer she is, the less she'll have to move to get into the tub. ]

I'll keep you from falling. Be careful of your back, alright? Don't lean too much on it.

No fear of that.

[Ayumu manages a trace of amusement in her tone, though it's clear she's straining to do it. She has no intention at all of even jostling her back, if she can help it; just walking was bad enough, much less touching the wound.

She falls silent again for a moment, concentrating on movement and balance, but there is something about the situation that hasn't escaped her. It's not as though she's particularly shy, but— things are different around the men of the Shinsengumi. When she speaks again her voice is softer, a little reluctant.]

You're all right with this?

[ Shinpachi just moves along with her, realizing how much he's sobered from this experience. He's trying to figure out how to get her sitting without touching her back.

He looks at her a moment before grinning a little in jest. ]

I'm lucky to be the one awake!

[ He shakes his head, then. ]

I'm fine with it. You need help, and I'm taking responsibility.

[With the way she's leaning more and more against him, he probably doesn't have a lot of time to make a decision; her fever is only getting worse the more she pushes herself, but she still isn't going to stop.]

Just... don't tell the others. How bad it is.

[ Shinpachi considers things a moment then leads her to the bath instead. ]

If we just do it all in the bathtub, you don't have to move twice.

[ He tries, again, to smile for her. ]

You have my word as a captain.

[She follows where she's led readily enough, since there really isn't much else she could do even if she'd planned to protest. At his promise, though, she smiles slightly in return and nods. Bad enough that one of them has to see her like this, but if he at least doesn't give all the details to the rest... she can be reassured by that.]

Thank you, Nagakura-san.

[ Shinpachi nods in response, then helps her step over the edge of the tub to stand in it. He holds both of her hands and looks her over. ]

Can you undress yourself or do you need help?

[ That question may have an obvious answer, but he feels obliged to ask. ]

I'm certain I can manage....

[Her tone says that she thinks the question silly, and of course she can undress herself. At the same time, though, when she frees a hand and reaches for the tie at her waist she's not only unusually clumsy with it, she also almost loses her balance entirely.

She has enough control not to look as embarrassed about it as she feels, at least, but it's probably still obvious.]

[ He isn't sure of it at all, to be honest, so he keeps firm hold on the hand that doesn't wriggle free. Then, she almost falls, and he sighs a bit before giving her a slight smile. ]

Offer's still open. You can sit if I do it.

[There's only silence in response for a moment, then Ayumu closes her eyes and nods slightly.]

...if you would.

[ He nods and holds her hands firmly again. ]

Sure, of course I will. Go ahead, sit. I'll keep you balanced.

[Ayumu draws in a breath and almost seems to be holding it as she slowly lowers herself down; she has to hold quite tightly to his hands as she does, but it's such a relief to be sitting once she makes it that she can't help the faint almost-sigh that escapes her.]

I don't really care to see these clothes again, though... you can cut them free, if needed.

[Which it might be, where they're matted with mud and blood and rain. After all that she's been through in this outfit she doesn't really want to try to salvage it.]

[ He nods, understanding. He leaves her be, for the moment, leaving to get a knife, just in case, before coming back and sitting it on the side of the tub. He kneels down, though a little wobbly from lingering drunkenness, and reaches to start peeling cloth away. ]

[When he returns she's half asleep, leaning against the tub on her uninjured side. She opens her eyes again slightly as he kneels down, and though apparently having difficulty focusing on him she still tries to straighten enough to help him with the process.]

[ He waits for her to wake before he starts to cut the stuck bits. She would probably be pretty startled by it. He is making all attempts to look strictly at cloth and focused patches of skin. ]

[She would have been, certainly; even with being half-awake Ayumu is still clearly uneasy, her wings giving an involuntary little twitch when he gets close to them. As the injured one is still bound it can't move very much, which is fortunate given how much it hurts even to move it a tiny bit, enough that she even flinches at it.

In a vague attempt to cover for that moment of weakness she looks down and starts to unfasten the ties at her waist, the movements still slower and clumsier than usual but much easier now that she isn't standing.]

Ssshh, it's alright. I'm being careful, promise. [ He tries to keep her reassured. He's afraid if she ends up fidgeting too much he WILL hurt her, especially as he gets closer to those wings.

He feels a little better that she's untying her sashes. That's a little far for him. He already knows he has to take her chest binding off next and that is a quite a bite to swallow down. Still, with some work, the top part of her outfit is off and he can see the state of her a little more easily. ]

[She makes a faint noise to acknowledge that she heard him, apparently not up to coherent speech at the moment. With the fabric out of the way he'll be able to see one uninjured wing and the other a too-short bulge under blood-stained damp bandages. Other than the cut on her back that severed her left wing she suffered no significant injury, but that one, especially in combination with the rain and mud, was clearly enough to leave her severely weakened.

Ayumu finishes dealing with the fastenings and lets her hands rest on her legs, her eyes closing as though she's falling asleep sitting up.]

Hey, hey... [ He shakes her slightly. ] Stay with me, Ayu-nee. I think these'll come off easier if we just soak them off. So, here, let's get your clothes out of here and start the water, okay?

[ He doesn't want to do anything without telling her. He doesn't want to startle her. ]

I'm not... going anywhere.

[She opens her eyes a little, the corners of her mouth curving up in a slight smile intended to reassure. Even with her careful control, though, it's possible to tell it's forced.]

Whatever you think is best....

(no subject)

2ndunitcaptain - 2011-08-05 21:13 (UTC) - Expand