Just the Two of Us

"Is that-is that blood?"

The trembling voice of Phoebe Love interrupted Mikhail's concentration. He had held up the hems of his shirts to inspect the twin circular wounds underneath his ribcage. Warm blood trickled down his navel to seep into the waistband of his deep blue sweatpants, which were smudged with grass stains.

It was not that the injury bothered him. In fact, each hole was only the size of a quarter. Having been clawed across the chest when he was younger, a warning bite was like a bee sting to him. The bear had nipped him to protect her child in the middle of their match when he collided into it, and he knew it was in her nature, so he did not hold a grudge when she hurried off with her baby while he bled.

But the look of horror crossing Phoebe's features stunted his response. She gawked at him, hobbling up the rusted ramp to the center GPC where he sat with his back against the metal door. Crouching next to him, she stared at the rich red blood contrasting with his golden brown skin, her eyes wide. She raised her hands, her fingers twitching inwards as if she was trying to grasp a pair of invisible drumsticks, and he flicked his gaze between her and his injury, uncertainty plaguing his usual confidence from how worried she seemed.

"No?" he offered, slowly lowering his shirts.

"Wh-? Dude!" Phoebe threw her hand out at his injury. "Those look pretty deep. You could seriously get a bad infection."

He double checked. While his skin was clearly punctured, it was not as bad as she claimed. If the bear wanted to injure him, then she would have sunk in her teeth far deeper and ripped out a chunk of skin, bone, and muscle. He was about to tell her that when she started digging in her pockets, her mouth twisting into a scowl as she fished out a pair of Band-Aids.

"You're lucky I carry these around in case of an emergency," she said, setting one in his other hand. "Hold on to that for me. I'll take it back in just a minute."

He cocked his head. "There is no no need-"

Her finger shot up and cut off his retort. "I don't have any proper disinfectant, but there's antibiotic cream right in the pad, so that's gonna have to work for now." She furrowed her brows. "And I'm not gonna let you say this isn't bad. Like I said, you're risking infection."

"Is just a warning bite from bear," he insisted, frowning.

She rolled her eyes, tearing off the plastic seals. "That's still bad. You know, I totally respect that you wrestle bears, but their mouths are full of germs," she retorted, and Mikhail mulled over the fact, his humming making her lower her shoulders. "Stay still, okay? Any wound should be taken seriously. A warning bite could turn out to be pretty bad if you aren't careful."

Hunching forward, she narrowed her eyes on the top puncture wound. Pinching the sides of the bandage, she pressed the pad on to the wound and smoothed the flaps on his skin, leaving behind not a single crease. Mikhail sucked down a breath, the pain suddenly hot from the pressure. Phoebe pulled back and asked if he was okay, her voice pitching. He nodded, forcing his mouth into a grin. She hesitated but relented at his smile and turned over her hand. Mikhail dropped the second bandage on to her palm, barely grazing their fingertips together. She repeated the process, her concentration unflappable even with the growls of bears in the surrounding woods and the horrors happening within Sasha Nein's underground lab right below them. This time, Mikhail gnawed on his lower lip to prevent himself from yelping, but instead of pain, he felt warmth emanating from her hands pressing into his skin, soothing the faint pulses.

"All done," she announced, gripping her hips. A smile played on her lips. "That looks better, but-" She lowered her gaze to the thin bloody streaks leftover on his skin. Disappointment wiped her smile away. "Sorry. If I had a napkin or something, then I could help with that, too."

"Still good," he said, nodding. He lowered his shirts and covered his injuries. He smoothed down the wrinkles and set his hand on his thigh. "Much better, in fact," he added when he noticed her fiddling with the plastic strips.

Stuffing them back in her pocket, Phoebe straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat. Mikhail watched her eyes dart around, unsure of what she was searching for before she fixed them squarely on his wounds. He sensed she was still bothered by them, but Phoebe suddenly crossed her arms and locked eyes with him, her deep violet irises burning like the fires she created out of thin air.

"You need to make sure you're safe, Mikhail. Look out for yourself, okay?" She gripped his shoulder and squeezed, her resolve unshakable. "I don't think the counselors wanna find you half-eaten in the forest because you infuriated a momma bear."

As she chuckled at her joke, Mikhail's gaze fell on her fingers. Across her knuckles were darker green splotches like blots on a splatter painting. They reminded him of what his knuckles would look like after a good fight, bruised and dark, but they clearly weren't the same. While his injuries would heal over time, hers would remain. Burn scars that severe remained no matter how meticulously she treated them, and despite the throbbing in his side, he knew it was nothing compared to what she must have endured.

Mikhail set his hand over hers, and her giggling was abruptly silenced. He patted her knuckles, saying, "Will make sure I am protected next time. Perhaps, to make sure it does not happen, you will join me?"

"Me?" She pointed at herself, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards.

He nodded, his hat wobbling slightly from his excitement. "Better precaution to have partner. Tag in, yes?"

"And wrestle a bear? I, uh-" She snickered. "-I don't think I can do that."

He removed his hand when she glanced at it. "Then, you can watch. Will be good to have an audience again, like having friends from home when I wrestle." He flexed his arm and patted the taut muscle, his grin sharpening with boldness. "The match will be much more fun with you cheering for me."

Phoebe's cheeks darkened, which only brought out the hazel flecks of her eyes. She quickly shook her head, tittering and pointing to his wounds. "I'll consider it after you get better. Then and only then, okay?"

"Next time it is," he said, and he let his gaze fall on her hand still clutching his shoulder, his heartbeat fluttering a little faster.