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[abrightboy]

This is Bright. Leave a message.

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[abrightboy]

...Oh. He never asked me that. Maybe I seem more accident prone or... something. [Something like less wolflike.] I promise I won't get rid of it. [He takes Will's (new) hand carefully and places a very gentle kiss on the inside of his wrist.] Do you... do you want to... do something about this or... ? [Or can he take you home?]

[empathicfault]

[ Will shakes his head before Malcolm gets to the 'or'. ]

I don't think I trust myself to, right now. I seem a little...woozy, or something. I should probably clean up, huh? Sorry about your suit.

[ Yes, he knows it's silly to worry about that right now. That's why his smile's a little wry. ]

Help me up? I don't wanna lean on it yet. Just in case.

[abrightboy]

My suit? [He really hasn’t noticed. He gets up and takes Will’s good hand, pulling him carefully to his feet, then sliding his arm around Will’s waist, in case he needs steadying. But he’s not letting go if he doesn’t.] Take it easy. Lean on me.

[empathicfault]

[ Once Will's up, he doesn't really need the assistance. But he's taking it anyway. There's a small exchange where he's cleared to go- and may have, in fact, been ordered to go rest. And then they're on their way to Malcolm's cabin. Will keeps his arm over Malcolm's shoulder. ]

Thank you for coming for me.

[ He says it quietly, giving it weight with his tone. He knows Malcolm would. But every time it happens, something in the back of his mind is slightly less surprised. ]

[abrightboy]

[Malcolm tilts his head to hold his gaze for a moment, then he smiles, just a tiny bit, but his tone is serious.]

I’ll always come for you. [He leans into him to kiss his jaw.] Always.

[When they get to his cabin, he takes Will to the couch and settles him there, giving him a soft but more lingering kiss before going into the kitchen to make tea.]

Do you want me to go get your dogs?

[empathicfault]

[ Will looks almost blissful as Malcolm kisses his jaw, a content smile spreading on his lips. ]

I know.

[ And he feels like he really does.

Will fusses at Malcolm when he guides him to the couch- they actually don't have to clean blood out of things right now. But Malcolm has the point that they should make sure he's fine and Will takes the towel (and the kiss) given, without protest. It's nice being cared for, sometimes. ]

Maybe after the tea? You should take a break, too. Buster's in my cabin and Winston's at the kennel. They should both be fine for now.

[abrightboy]

I’m okay. [He scoops tea into the diffuser.] Kikimora hasn’t stabbed anyone today, so I’ve had a light one so far. [A weak joke; he smiles awkwardly at Will, then relents with a shrug of his head.] Once we get some tea in you and clean you up and get the dogs here, I’ll curl up on you for the rest of the night. [A promise.]

[empathicfault]

[ Will rolls his eyes at hearing about Malcolm having a 'light one so far', but he's smiling. ]

All right, so- what if I say I just want to hug you for a few minutes under the pretense of having tea together?

[abrightboy]

[Malcolm looks up immediately, looks down at the box of tea, then over at the kettle, not yet at a boil, then back over at Will.]

Don’t really have to finish boiling the water, do I? [He doesn’t really wait for an answer before plucking the kettle off the hear and going back to the living room to curl up against Will on the couch, clinging to him tightly. ] So… did it grow back from scratch or did you reattach the one he cut off?

[empathicfault]

[ Ahhh, okay. Perfect. Will curls around Malcolm, although he's careful not to stray from the towel too much. He breathes deep for a bit, letting his heart rate settle. ]

It- [ Will chokes out a slightly bitter laugh. ] That bastard stole it. No idea why. So this is a new one. It was fascinating to watch, but it...

[ He trails off. That sort of body horror is usually reserved for his nightmares. ]

I'm...glad you weren't there, honestly. It was a lot.

[abrightboy]

I’m sure I’ll see it later tonight. [Ah, night terrors. He kisses Will’s shoulder, his jaw, his cheek.] Maybe it’s a trophy. He does sound pathological. [He leans up to kiss his temple.] If you want to hunt down his stash, I’ll help you. …Tomorrow probably. I think… you should stay here with me for the night. [He needs to just know Will is safe for the next 8 or 10 hours or so.]

[empathicfault]

[ Ah, of course the night terrors. Will frowns and kisses Malcolm where he can while he's getting kissed. It ends in an extra bit of squeezing close, as if he could meld with the man and take his horrible nightmares away. At least Will can be there, a friendly face when Malcolm wakes up. He runs his unbloodied hand through Malcolm's hair, gently combing through it.

And it's only now that he's thinking more clearly that he realizes an added benefit to feeling so clingy for Malcolm- it also means Malcolm isn't out there getting demoted. He remembers how he sounded on the communicator. So he easily nods at the suggestion. ]

I think I should, too. Make sure I'm really back to normal.

But...uh, I don't know what I'd do with an extra hand. He's welcome to it, I guess? Not like it's going to do him any good when he gets caught and locked down.

[abrightboy]

It’s not weird, him having a piece of you? We could cremate it or something. Only if you want. [Malcolm nuzzles at his neck.] Good thing you started keeping some stuff here. I can grab anything else you need when I go get Buster.

[empathicfault]

[ The nuzzling is nice. Will only moves to encourage it further. ]

It was already weird when he rushed me and cut off a piece of me. But it's not me anymore. Can't say I care too much what happens to it from here.

Thanks, though. I've got everything I need here anyway. [ He squeezes Malcolm for emphasis. ]

[abrightboy]

Malcolm smiles against his neck. “Yeah?” He hesitates, then murmurs “Well… maybe you need some help in the shower…?”