Tortoise and Fox [BL]

2.9

"I'm sorry."

A burning pain seared itself into Li's shoulder, numbing and biting so deeply into his skin that he couldn't help but laugh from the pain. Black spots shook his vision.

"Haha..."

"Li!!!"

The black-haired youth collapsed, knees weak from the pain. Ume had a firm hold on him, but propped him up carefully, his presence disappearing. His eyesight blurred with tears, only to hear another voice scream.

"Fucking disgusting, to keep something like this devil around. O made the right choice—AHHH!"

Crack. A bone breaking.

Clatter. A gun dropping.

It all echoed and swirled, collapsing onto Li. His mind felt heavy.

"Li, Li. Why? Don't fall asleep, answer me."

He fought to keep consciousness, as the familiar presence returned. Strands of hair fell over his face, the silver tickling his cheek. A hand pressed hard on his wounded shoulder, sending intense throbs throughout his chest. Blood spilled intensely, soaking through his oversized clothes, pressing family onto his torso.

Sweat plastered his forehead, the black rose abnormally hot.

"Why...? Cause...I knew I wouldn't die, Tincan. After all, there's no way I'd do something like die for you, Tincan."

Li shifted, trying to move his arm, with avail. It was paralyzed with pain—he couldn't feel anything but numbness:

"Stop, Li. Stop moving. Please. I...I don't understand. I don't understand at all..."

"Haha..."

"Don't struggle. You need medical attention now."

Ume rendered Li immobile, carefully leaning in to apply pressure on the wound. He bound the torn cloth as tightly as he could, but even then, white bled into a deep, inky red.

"Tincan...kiss me."

His voice was strained and breathy, gasping with painful breaths. Ume froze.

"Li. You need medical attention."

Everything hurts, so the least you could do was...

"Kiss me."

Li insistently continued, trying to twist his torso once again. Ume blinked for a moment, unable to even consider processing a reason behind the request. However, he knew full well that Li would only hurt himself further by struggling.

"Understood."

The word bounced around, rattling Li's brain. Somehow, the youth had it in him to placate.

"Tincan, it's not an order."

"I know."

Ume leaned in closer, pressing his lips softly against Li's. The cool sensation reached past every assault on his nerves. His heart pounded hard, hands suddenly clammier than anything. In fear of hurting Li, Ume could only touch the side of his face with care, guiding the kiss. And before long, he moved away.

Li let out a painful, yet contented laugh.

"Don't move."

Ume ripped parts of his shirt, tightly binding Li's shoulder. The strong front was quickly defeated, as he succumbed to the raw, vivid sensations with ever tiny movement of his body. Tears ran down his cheeks in natural reaction—he cried in overwhelming pain.

"I'm sorry, Li."

"It hurts...it hurts so much—"

Ume lifted him up with the utmost care. One arm under the crook of his legs, while the other held his shoulders in place.

"I'm sorry. Hold on, Li."

Li could no longer rationally speak, the wound aching so much agony that he thought of death as a blessing. To make it worse, everything seemed to flood back at once.

The betrayal, O's betrayal. Of his trust. It hurt. Why couldn't they have... his thoughts meshed together. Weren't they friends...?

O...

His head was touched in a delicate manner, as he rested his side against Ume's chest, feeling it sway with every movement. There was no heartbeat, no rush of blood through every vein, no pounding thumps from being so nearby, the way Li had always experienced around him. No inhale or exhale, circulating breaths or warmth. But Li realized, this damn Tincan was definitely alive. He didn't really get why, but he knew.

Tincan...

No matter how hard Li fought to keep awake, he couldn't help it. Li blacked out completely. A soft feeling brushed against his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Li."

Don't apologize...stupid Tincan...