Warning: Major Character injury
Ship: Viktor/Cedric
Spring Bingo: A1 - Needle
Trope Bingo: B2 - The Healer
Shipping Bingo: 2C - Admiring the View
Chimera: Love/Hate
Ship: Cedric Diggory/Viktor Krum
Team: Finders Seekers
Stacked with: ToS; Fence; Shower; BAON; SN; T3; Star; Sp/Tr Bingo; Ship War; Chim; CM
Individual Challenge(s): In a Flash; Bucket Listing; Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Medic MC; Rian-Russo Inversion (Y); Ethnic & Present (Y); Setting Sail (Y); Zed Era; Hufflepuff MC; Durmstrang MC; Old Shoes (Y)
Representation(s): Budding Relationship; Injured Viktor; Medic Cedric; Cedric ADHD; Medical Care as Intimacy
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenge(s): Middle Name; Nightingale; Tomorrow's Shade; Second Verse (Found Family; Nontraditional; Sneeze Weasel); Chorus (Wabi Sabi; Bee Haven; Fizzy Lemonade; Machismo; Peddling Pots)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenge(s): T3 (Terse; Tether); SN (Rail; Spare); CM (n/a)
~o0o~
A cough wracked Viktor's body. He choked on it and fought for air. After that last battle against the Death Eaters he thought for sure he was dead. Why wasn't he dead? Last thing he remembered was lying face down in the mud. Now, he was on a cot and he was warm. His body still ached horribly, but he wasn't covered in mud.
"Shh."
A gentle hand touched his chest and a liquid was drawn out of his mouth. His breathing eased and he was finally able to open his eyes. He saw the handsome face of Cedric Diggory looking back at him. Yes, he was still handsome, even after the injuries he sustained at the hands of Voldemort back in their school days. Nobody had seen him since the Ministry recognized Voldemort's return three years ago. The war had been raging ever since.
"Cedric," Viktor rasped.
"This is going to hurt," he said. "I've numbed the area the best I could."
Viktor glanced down but couldn't quite focus on the injury. He knew that it was in his shoulder, he could feel that much. Cedric went in with a pair of tweezers, his prosthetic hand steady.
"They're getting clever," he said. "Using weapons rather than just relying on magic alone. I think they're covering them with werewolf saliva so the wounds can't close on their own. As I save dittany for only the worst ones, I'm afraid I'll have to do this the Muggle way. If it helps, I can keep talking to you."
"Where have you been?" he asked. "I… I have been worried about you."
The pain was nothing compared to the pain he had suffered at the hands of Karkaroff. He kept his eyes on Cedric's face. He had sharpened a lot. Like he wasn't eating enough. Viktor winced slightly as the tweezers entered his wound.
"Training," Cedric replied, setting them aside and bringing out a curved needle and some thread. Was that silver? "I knew that You-Know-Who wouldn't hide forever, so I've been training under Healers. I candystriped at a Muggle hospital and learned quite a bit. For two years, I've been following major battles and picking up the injured." He shook his head. "Wizards give up so easily."
"You don't."
"Yeah, well, I'm me." Cedric finished sewing up the wounds. "What about you? What have you been up to?"
"I was smuggling the at-risk to safer areas through Quidditch," Viktor replied. "As it has been cancelled, I was pulled to the front. There is a warrant for my arrest as I am only one who knows where refugees are."
"Very brave." Cedric cut the thread and finally looked Viktor in the eyes. His heart jumped in his throat. "Rest. I'll be nearby."
As Cedric busied around his medic tent, Viktor watched him. He never had been one for subtlety. If he found something beautiful, why avoid looking at it? It had unnerved Hermione Granger, but even so, Viktor couldn't help it. He knew how fragile life was and if you had something good, it was important to look and put your all because you never know when it would end. He had liked Cedric, too, but hadn't admitted to his feelings until he was out from under Karkaroff's oppressive thumb. He was already on thin ice for "daring" to have Romani heritage, how would the man have reacted if his star pupil had even indicated he liked men?
"Admiring the view?" Cedric teased, some of his old humor showing through.
"And if I am?"
Cedric glanced back at him. "I'd be flattered."
Viktor nearly shrugged, but thought that would be a bad idea.
"Where are you going next?" he asked.
"Oh, you know, here and there. I've been keeping my ear to the ground. Listening to Potterwatch. I won't be moving until you're doing better though."
"Will you be needing any company?" Viktor felt his heart quicken. "After all, it cannot be easy doing all of this on your own."
"Depends… you got medical experience?"
"Had to. Durmstrang is cruel school." He winced at how odd those words sounded coming from his mouth. He hated English. "Ten kilometer runs in the mornings, hours of ballet. I was only ballerino at school, you know. So I was target. Had to learn to tend to own wounds as the nurse would ignore my injuries and send me away."
"Yeah, I've heard school nurses can be like that." Despite everything, Cedric smiled. It didn't quite reach his eyes, but it was difficult to feel pure happiness these days. "I think I'd like the company."
~o0o~