Jazz hands!! I am all about the angst fluff today apparently :D Hope you all like it!!
It took a good forty-five minutes before Casey was satisfied enough to remove Chuck from the cold water of the shower. The younger man's skin was much cooler than it had been earlier and the agent knew that if he left in the water any longer he'd run the risk of hypothermia.
He scooped Chuck into his arms once more and stood slowly, his legs and feet tingling as the blood began to flow back into his extremities. The shower was turned off and Casey grabbed a few dry towels from the little pile he'd thrown on the floor earlier. Tossing them over his shoulder, he stepped out of the bathroom and rounded the corner into the bedroom, setting Chuck on the bed gently.
Casey slipped into the closet and stripped his wet clothes, changing into a dark grey t-shirt and black sleep pants before returning to the bed. He wrapped a towel around Chuck's shoulders tightly, rubbing his arms and back briskly to prevent him from getting any colder. The younger man's head rested heavily against Casey's shoulder, his eyes barely open as he struggled to remain conscious; a fight he was quickly losing. Noticing the way the computer tech was slumping further and further into him with each passing second, Casey gently pushed him back onto the mattress and brushed the wet hair away from his face.
The wet boxers had to come off and Casey blushed faintly at the idea of having to be the one to do it since Chuck was barely conscious. He retrieved a pair of dry boxers from the dresser and set them on the bed next to his injured charge. Fighting against the blush that had stained his cheeks, Casey looked down with a half-smile. "Sorry about this, kid." He muttered, quickly stripping the somewhat startled computer tech of his remaining clothing and tossing it across the room near his shredded shirt and jeans. Keeping his eyes on the ceiling, Casey shoved the younger man's legs into the boxers and pushed them up to his hips.
Chuck blinked slowly, wanting desperately to sit up to help out with the process but knowing that was damn near impossible at the moment. The drug had taken its toll on his body and now everything felt like it was weighed down with lead. Simply keeping his eyes open required a greater amount of concentration than he thought completely necessary. The boxers brushed over the raw wound on the back of his leg and he moaned softly, the injury throbbing suddenly and sending a dull shockwave of pain up to his hip.
Casey's eyes narrowed in concern and he studied Chuck's face carefully. Noticing the pained look that crossed his glassy eyes, the agent looked down at his leg, a stream of fresh blood trickling from the jagged tear. He bit his lip, having almost forgotten about the wound. It definitely needed stitches and Casey was more than capable of doing them but he was hesitant to hurt Chuck further. Still, an unhealthy dose of blood loss wasn't going to do him any good either. Sighing softly, Casey cupped the younger man's face gently, his thumb brushing across Chuck's cheekbone.
"Chuck," He began quietly, keeping his voice soft and soothing. "Your leg needs stitches. Now I can do it, but it might hurt a little bit, okay?" That was a lie; stitches hurt like a bitch.
Chuck made a soft noise in the back of his throat that sounded almost like a whimper and Casey felt his heart shudder a little. He would rather do anything in the world than hurt him again but he knew it needed to be done. After a second, Chuck took a slow breath and nodded. "I trust you…" He whispered, the effort of talking making his voice sound strained.
Casey nodded but kept his hand against the younger man's face for a few more seconds. Chuck unconsciously leaned into the touch, his breath ghosting across Casey's palm. "Chuck…" He said quietly, his voice thick in the back of his throat. "I'm never going to let anything like this happen to you ever again. Do you understand?"
With an effort, Chuck managed to nod, his glassy eyes focused up on the agent. Casey smiled softly and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead before standing and disappearing into the hall, pulling a small first aid kit from the hallway closet. He returned and sat on the edge of the bed next to Chuck, taking his leg in his hands gently.
Chuck's skin was still cold from the shower so hopefully it would deaden some of the nerves around the wound as he stitched it closed. He helped the younger man shift into a more comfortable position and covered the rest of his body with the thick comforter. The local anesesthic was applied to the area around the wound an Casey waited for it to kick in before he started. Removing the needle from the package carefully, he looked down at Chuck one last time and squeezed his shoulder gently. "If it hurts, just tell me and I'll stop. Okay?"
The younger man nodded weakly and hid his face in the pillow, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. Taking a steadying breath, Casey leaned closer so he could see the wound better and carefully slipped the needle into the skin. He worked quickly and carefully, his hands working mechanically from having had to stitch himself up on several occasions. Every once in a while, Chuck's leg would twitch instinctively and he would moan into the pillow, his hands gripped into tight fists in the sheets. Casey would pat his leg gently, whispering soft reassurances under his breath. When the last one was finished, Casey carefully tied off the thread and covered the wound with some gauze to keep it clean. It took sixteen stitches all together but the wound was closed and the blood had stopped so that was all that mattered.
Putting the first aid kit on the bedside table, Casey slid onto the bed next to Chuck and pulled the trembling young man into his arms. Chuck was panting from the pain, his face scrunched in an effort to relax. The agent felt his stomach clench again and wrapped his arms around his back and held him closely, stroking his hair softly as the younger man's breathing returned to a semi-normal rhythm.
For several minutes, neither man said a word, the presence of the other was the only thing they needed. Chuck's hand tangled weakly in Casey's shirt and he blinked slowly, eyes fixed on the dark fabric. "I thought I saw Andrew…" He whispered quietly, voice breaking a little as he said the name.
"What?" Casey looked down and the computer tech, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.
"I thought I saw him Casey…I thought I saw Andrew…" Chuck took a shuddering breath and shook his head slowly. "But that's not true, right…? I mean he's not real…" His voice was begging, pleading for the answer Casey wasn't sure he could give.
"No, Chuck." The agent answered softly, tightening his hold ever so slightly. "It wasn't real."
A few tears prickled behind his eyes and Chuck looked up, holding Casey's concerned gaze for a few seconds. "Am I real…?" He asked brokenly, the tears trickling down his cheeks. "I don't even know anymore…"
Casey felt his mouth go dry and he swallowed hard, not knowing exactly how to respond. After a second, he brought his mouth right next to the younger man's ear. "Yes, Chuck. You are real; I have no doubt in my mind." His lips brushed across Chuck's temple and he breathed in his scent. "You've been the only thing right in all I've done."
Chuck frowned faintly as something flashed across his mind. "My father…" The younger man's dark eyes filled with tears again and he hid his face, his shoulders shaking a little as the memories flooded back. He remembered the drug, the man who rescued him, and the certainty that it was his dead brother. He remembered finding his father and Casey fighting in the hallway, his father preparing to shoot Casey and the fear he had felt inside at that moment. He remembered pulling the trigger first. Everything came back and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Chuck clung to Casey for dear life, his fists clenched tightly in his shirt as he sobbed.
Casey knew what had happened but there was nothing he could say or do to make it any better. So instead, he held the younger man close, tracing small, directionless patterns into his back. He knew it was going to be tough for Chuck to remember everything but he also knew there was no way to prevent it either. However, both he and Sarah weren't about to let him deal with it alone like he had before. Casey's chest was soaked with Chuck's tears but he didn't care, he just held on.
Wow, I think I just gave myself a cavity O.o More fluff to come!!