Another first day

Ch.21.Marry.Me.

The explosion is violent enough to send us and the home's owner down the stairs outside, my body tumbling down to the ground below, my eyes searching immediately for my partner, who pushes himself up off the ground with a low groan, eyes meeting mine before he's over me.

"Shit. We need first aid, now, you're bleeding." He presses his fingers to his ear, speaking harshly, a little too much, considering Hunnigan had really nothing to do with what just happened. "Hunnigan! She needs medical! Now! She's bleeding, bad, we need to-!"

"Are all infected neutralized?"

"Yes, goddamn it, now send us help, woman!" He's pissed, rightly so, the mission more important than our well being. He's being dramatic, I'm not bleeding too bad, though it hurts like hell, whatever was on that things barbs burns worse than antiseptic.

"Your car is waiting at the entrance. First aid will be administered there."

"Fuck this!" He brings his hand down from his ear, scratches along the side of his throat drawing my eyes, not too deep, but still dripping blood. He reaches down, grabbing me up and into his arms, jogging down the walkway. "You doing okay, princess? You alright?" I nod lightly, eyes trained on the scratches.

"You got scratched." He laughs dryly, peering down at me, eyes cloudy with worry.

"Yeah, and so did you, because I couldn't do my part."

"Kill everything before I got back? Come on, Leon, don't feel guilty. We did it." I grab onto his face, tilting it down, giving him a bittersweet smile, happy to have made it out, sad that this is what it's come down to, having to feel glad we get to live another day.

"We did it, princess." We arrive at the car, door held open by our driver, who doesn't look very happy when Leon places my bloodied body in the backseat, not bothering to do up my seatbelt before rounding the car, my door closed gently by the driver, who gets into the front seat, peering up at us through his mirror.

"First aid is under the passenger seat." That's all it takes, Leon leans over hurriedly, ripping a small box from under the seat, opening it up on his lap, grabbing out some antiseptic towelettes, shuffling closer before setting the box in his unoccupied seat.

"Turn toward me, sweetheart." I do, heeding his command, the bloodloss leaving me a little fuzzy, only mostly coherent. The first press of the wet gauze to my skin nearly makes me scream, my loud groan making my poor partner look pained to drag it along the mark, my fingers digging into the skin of his thigh, but it's necessary, and we've taken care of each other enough times to handle it, causing the other pain, even if it does still make me sick.

"I'm... Sorry about your injuries, miss. I will notify the medic to come pay you a visit in the morning, he's not in at this time of night." I've never met the medic, most of my injuries inflicted by my trainer, who would go absolutely ballistic if he heard of me getting medical treatment I "don't deserve".

"Thank you- Ah, Fuck, Leon!"

"Sorry." It's low, sad, my eyes pulling up to meet his, his expression terrible, tears brimming in his eyes, jaw tight with tension, throat bobbing with a loud swallow, his throat dry. "I'm sorry, princess. Just- Just let me finish, let me see your back, okay?" I feel tears prick at my own eyes, his pain unbearable, caused by my carelessness, my rash decision making, something I've been scolded for on a million occasions, a habit that will probably end up getting me killed.

"Leon?" He shakes his head, lips pursed, trying to will his tears away, the freshness of our lives being back on the line too much, his hands shaking against my skin.

"Please, princess, just let me fix it- I need to fix it, please." He's desperate, his breath ragged, pretty blue shining with tears as I turn, his light sob not lost on me, his hand holding lightly to my shoulder keeping me still as he drags the gauze over the claw mark across my shoulder blade, a sniff making my heart wrench.