Bandaged Up
Hiei Jaganshi / OC
There was a loud banging at the door. Door? A rough fabric dragged against his cheek as he turned to block out the sound. A growl bubbled up from his throat. When had he fallen asleep in this bed? He couldn't remember. He had told the fox the tree outside was much better suited for his needs. There the knocking was again. The covers pooled at his waist as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. There was a sharp sting that traveled from his palm to his collarbone. He flexed his fingers: once, twice, thrice. The pain quickly subdued to an uncomfortable ache. For all things considered, Hiei felt pretty good. Good and hungry. He was promised full course meals, wasn't he?
The door opened, and he watched as her shoulders cringed with each creak of the worn wood. A damp cloth was draped messily over her shoulder, and she came bearing food and medical supplies. Her frizzy hair was bundled up into a tight braid, baby hairs tickling the tops of her sweaty cheeks. So, Koenma really had gotten her here. Hiei caught himself briefly wondering if she had been present for any of his previous matches. The thought quickly darted from his mind after feeling the weight of his food tray rest against his knees.
"Hey," the sheepish sound escaped from her pouted lips. She was attempting to balance the array of ointments and bandages, which Hiei assumed was a gift from the toddler prince. She dropped the spread at the foot of his bed, reaching to pull the wet cloth from her shoulder into her hands.
"The room was locked." He murmured, using his hands to pick up a bite size of the meat-like substance and shoved it past his lips. A polished set of utensils clanged against the side of his dish, distracting him for only a moment before he was back to tearing the tender pieces of meat apart and smearing it with… gravy, was it? For human food, it wasn't entirely unpalatable. He glanced at the tools. And then at her. He brought the plate up to his parted lips, a smirk biting at the edge of his lower lip as he shoveled the food directly into his mouth. He felt a heat tug at his chest as he watched the irritation cloud her naturally bright eyes.
"I knocked." She attempted to grab at the dish, but his fingers only tightened around the tray and his smirk grew. Hiei's eyes flung open with a start. She had placed the cold wrap at the top of his bandages, applying a small bit of pressure. One of his hands pressed firmly into the worn bed sheet, while the other held a bruising grip on her forearm. His trimmed nails dug shallow crescent marks into her skin, but he restrained from his initial reflex to break bones. A deep frown tugged at her lips. She let out a deep, frustrated breath, secretly hoping his labored breathing would slow to match hers.
She didn't move to take her arm away, yet her eyes circled the growing redness emerging from underneath her skin at his touch. Her eyes lazily trailed up his chest to meet with his. Slowly, she moved her arm to grab the new bandages.
"Spirit World's finest. Lady Genkai says these bandages can heal anything. Thought it was worth a shot?" When she received no reply, a pout returned to her lips. She scooted closer and, with deliberate tenderness, rested his wounded arm in her lap. Hip to hip, the fire demon was close enough to feel her breathing, sense her little heart thumping away in her chest.
"I saw your fight." And there she had his attention. Battles and food, that's the only thing that seemed to interest the guy. "I actually went out of my way to see it. I thought," she glanced up from her work and was surprised to see his eyes squinting back at her. "Now don't let this go to your head." She waited a moment for emphasis. "I mean it." She gingerly unattached a particular section of the bandage that had healed to his burned skin. She felt his body tense and saw his fingers rip at the sheets.
"I thought, 'Just because he's shit at patience… and communication… and all around teamwork as a whole… Fuck it, maybe he'll at least be some fun to watch.'" A coy smile played at her lips, and despite the fuming irritation he felt at her words, the sight still brought a tingle to his chest. It was infuriating, to say the least. She was certainly a good distraction.
He hissed at the cold fingers probing his skin, the ointment swirling around in soothing circles. A sweet hum floated throughout the room, obviously a nervous habit but Hiei couldn't deny the sense of comfort that followed. He hadn't noticed him leaning in closer, his clenched fist leaning against her kneecap. He told himself it was to moderate her work, but he wasn't really looking at his arm anymore. He watched her eyebrows furrow with intense focus. He watched her upper tooth gnaw at the corner of her chapped lips. Her nose crinkled at the wisp of hair tickling her nostrils. What if he were to-
A deep, guttural growl cut through the easy mood in this scene. His arm was ripped from her grasp, cradled between his other limb and his shaking chest. His muscles were tense, eyes blazing. She didn't have any time to mask the fear from her face, and her hands stayed tightly wound around a cool, metal object. It was a sort of branding tool, he swiftly discerned. She had pressed the heated instrument to the base of his wrist, marking both his skin and wraps with the unusual symbol.
"It's a sealing charm." her quiet murmur met his ears. In the time it took him to survey the damage, she had composed herself, collecting the materials strewn around her lap. She mumbled a quiet apology as she worked. "Don't be a pansy. Would you have wanted me to warn you?"
Hiei didn't respond, just scrutinized her every movement with that shiny ruby gaze. His legs were folded in amongst themselves, itching to flee from this shabby hotel bedroom and into the open forest nearby. He was vaguely aware of his fingers absently tracing the new marking on his body.
"So, if that's all…" she trailed off, disposing of the empty food containers and used dressings. She slipped a small booklet out of a pocket near her hip, flipping through a list of names and activities. The diapered prince always did like to keep her busy. He made no effort to stop her as she leisurely made her way to the door. She spared a final glance, his heart once again tightening against his explicit resolve to remain unaffected in her presence. He didn't understand. Why was his mouth running dry? Why couldn't he just-
"Tomorrow." The word came out a tad strangled, and his eyes clamped shut at the sound. She allowed a single eyebrow to perk at his remark. A mild anger bubbled deep within his chest, the same place those shameful pulls always seemed to originate from. The room fell silent once again.
"My match!" He almost whined. Why did he need to explain himself? Of course, she'd been following his matches. She'd said so herself! Why was she making him say this? What a pain. What an appealing, trifling pain.
"Oh, you would like me to come?" He could hear the amusement in her tone, the triumphant tint. He refused to respond. He didn't need to. He merely needed to hide the growing heat burning at his cheeks.
"Forget it!" He moved at that unbelievable speed again. His good arm easily overpowering her, forcing the door shut with her on the other side. His breathing was ragged, clothing disheveled. How did she manage to do this to him every god damn time?
"See you there." He barely caught the giggle, eyeing once again the new scar he was already beginning to accept.