Title: Wounds

Some wounds take longer to heal then others, the hurt runs to deep to simply slap on a band-aid and declare it fixed. That didn't mean they were impossible to heal, it just meant that the quick fix wasn't going to work. You needed more then just cleaning it, more then just making sure that infection didn't set in. Those kinds of wounds needed special, one on one, dedicated attention.

It wasn't long after the fight with Jasmlong that Tetsu once again found himself pacing outside of Eiji's dorm room. For the most part things were calm on campus, or at lest as calm as it was ever going to get. Everyone was back in their own bodies, Sen-chan and Umeko had returned from wherever they'd been sent (Tetsu hadn't been sure but he could swear he kept hearing Umeko mutter something about a Bob), and the portal had been closed promptly after their safe return.

He had thought, with the lull in activity, it might be a good opportunity to check on Eiji; to make sure that the other man was resting and his injuries tended to. That's why he was there, his own wounds forgotten, carrying an armful of first aid supplies. One of the first things Tetsu had ever learned at the Academy was that while a nurse was a very nice thing to have around it been best to keep some of your own supplies stored in your room. No point in bugging the nurse for every little scraped elbow or knee.

Nervously he raised his hand and rapped on the door lightly; he almost missed the muffled response and slowly pushed the door open. Eiji was standing in the middle of the room, his silver jacket thrown haphazardly over the back of a chair while his owner was lifting the edge of his shirt and trying to use a mirror to get a better look at the bruising along his side. It also allowed Tetsu the opportunity to see a nice amount of stomach muscle which was a bit of a distraction, though the sight of the already dark purple bruises sent his mind crashing back to reality.

"Those look rather nasty," he said, voice low as he worked to close the door and keep a good grip on his supplies all with his good arm; the wrist of the other having being sprained during his first attempt at subduing Jasmlong.

Eiji shrugged, still staring at the bruises in the mirror "I've had worse," he muttered trying to hide a wince as his prodding fingers pushed down to hard.

Tetsu saw it though in a moment he was at Eiji's side, the edge of the black shirt in his hands and the first aid supplies dropped unceremoniously on the floor in a pile. He peeled back the shirt, fingertips skating around the edge of the bruises which went across and over Eiji's side. Each one a dark blemish against pale skin, the sight made him sick to his stomach.

In no time Tetsu had peeled Eiji's shirt off letting it join the jacket, his own blue and white uniform jacket joining the pile since he found it easier to maneuver without the rough fabric pushing against his burned shoulder. The garment was dirty and torn anyway with its own matching sing marks in the shoulder area. After getting rid of the clothes he sat Eiji on the bed, taking a seat next to him on the edge after gathering the items he needed from the pile on the floor.

As Tetsu slowly and tenderly worked Eiji's eyes slid close, head leaning forward and lips open slightly. The salve was cool and felt good against his flushed skin, as Tetsu went to wrap a gauze bandage over the numerous bruises Eiji unconsciously leaned against him, eyes still closed and head resting against his shoulder.

The scene was picture perfect, if not for the gauze bandage and the fact that Eiji was resting against Tetsu's burned shoulder and putting weight on his sprained wrist. The whispered whimper and sudden rigid posture did not escape Eiji who pulled back and was surveying Tetsu with concerned eyes. Reaching out he pulled the arm that Tetsu was currently nursing and slowly ran his fingers over the injured extremity investigating.

"It's just a sprain," Tetsu muttered unable to pull his gaze from his hand in Eiji's grasp and felt a shiver, not from the pain, but the sensation from the gentle ministrations "Jasmine knocked me out of the way when she left the woods and I wasn't able to catch myself properly. Don't worry about it."

Eiji ignored him; reaching out with his free hand he snagged the gauze and made quick work of tending to the wound. Before wrapped hand back in Tetsu's lap he gave it a feather light kiss, his eyes locked with Tetsu's, the corners of his mouth lifted up in a small smirk watching the reaction. "Natsuki once told me that an injury will always heal faster if someone kisses it." While Eiji was convinced the yellow adventure had only said this in an attempt to get Masumi to dote on her while she was hurt, which he would have done anyway, he figured it also made the perfect line.

"Is that so?" Tetsu's voice was thick, when Eiji nodded Tetsu swallowed then moved before he could convince himself not to and placed his own feather light kiss along Eiji's fresh bandages. He pulled away any remaining butterflies in his stomach vanished when he saw Eiji slowly open his eyes and smile at him.

The evening progressed in similar fashion, they would tend to one another injuries, the bruises, the cuts, the burns, leaving a series of small kisses with the bandages and ointment all under the theory that it would help to ensure a speedy recovery. It was when Eiji was treating the burn on Tetsu's shoulders that his mouth moved from the injury and slowly traveled upwards leaving a small trail of kisses in its wake.

"Eiji, I…" he swallowed the lump in his throat, hands itching to grab hold of his long haired companion and pull him flush against him "I'm not hurt there."

Even if he couldn't see it Tetsu could still hear the smirk in Eiji's voice "I thought you liked my kisses Tetsu."

"I do."

When Eiji gave a small nip on Tetsu's earlobe he chuckled at the resulting whimper "Then stop complaining, you can worry some other time." He pulled away and gently cupped one hand against one of Tetsu's pale cheeks "But don't worry too much; you already seem to do enough for everyone here."

Tetsu gave a small smile the reached out to wrap his arms around Eiji and closing the distance between them with a soft kiss trying desperately to put everything he thought and felt into it as one hand tangled in Eiji's mane and the other rest against his bare back. Even after returning the kiss Eiji couldn't resist slipping in one more comment "See isn't this better?" before Tetsu shushed him this time with another kiss.

True there were wounds that would take quite awhile to heal, ones that you couldn't just scab over. But Eiji was more then worth it. As Tetsu melted against him the young Tokkyou promised himself that he'd do everything he could to help heal all of Eiji's wounds. No matter how many kisses it took.