The doctor took Viktor's wrist gently, and his hand was rough and calloused and warm. Viktor fought the urge to tear his hand away. Doctors terrified him; he never felt safe with them, and they always seemed to be harsher to fairies. The doctor examined Viktor's swollen finger stump carefully, expression firm and reserved. Viktor's heart was tripping over itself in fear.
The old man let go of Viktor, then fixed him under a serious gaze. Viktor smiled at him, chewing the inside of his cheek.
"Sorry, kid, we're going to have to drain it."
Viktor nearly had a heart attack. 'Drain it?'
"Best if you sit down."
Pulse racing and in a daze, he obeyed. He wondered briefly if he could just bolt away, but suspected that that wasn't the best idea. The doctor seated himself beside him.
"Yuri, could you bring me my bag?"
Viktor was surprised for a moment, but then realized that the man was speaking to the blonde fairy he'd brought with him. Apparently he shared the same name as Yuuri. "Yuri" rolled his eyes dramatically, then began dragging the bag over. His wings strained with effort as he tried to fly backwards while pulling it. It was ineffective, and he was forced to drop to his feet for better leverage. It only budged an inch with each heave.
"Do you need help?" Yuuri asked.
"I'm fine!" Yuri snapped.
Eventually, he managed to bring it over.
"Thank you," the doctor muttered, although there was softness in his tone.Yuri's blue-green eyes landed on his missing finger, and he growled. Viktor felt guilty, like he had done something wrong.
"What the fuck did you do to him?" Yuri demanded, whirling around to face Yuuri.
"I, uh-" Yuuri looked mortified.
"Yuri…" the doctor warned. Viktor was afraid that the blonde fairy would get punished.
"You give him beautiful clothes and a lavish room, then go and do horrific things to him?!" Yuri seethed. "And then you call in a doctor and pretend that it wasn't you who hurt him?" Anger, a rare emotion for Viktor, began to boil inside of him.
"I didn't do this to him!" Yuuri blurted out, clearly distressed.
"Likely story," Yuri snarled. Yuuri looked on the verge of tears. Viktor couldn't take it anymore. He stood, smiling coldly at the little brat.
"Yuuri is a very kind master," he chirped cheerfully, but there was an edge hard as iron underneath. "He purchased me only yesterday, and has shown me nothing but kindness." Then, beaming, he finished with, "So please refrain from speaking to him so poorly. Alright?" At the last word, he tilted his head to the side. He then sat down and casually adjusted his skirts.
Apparently, Yuri had understood Viktor's passive-aggressive message. He scowled, then sat down with a huff on the other side of the doctor. Yuuri gave Viktor a grateful look, one that made his heart feel like it was melting. He smiled, then turned back to face the doctor.
"Alright, let me sterilize this…" the doctor muttered to himself. Yuuri sat beside Viktor, who could feel his warmth and felt a little stronger. Their arms kept brushing against each other, sending tingles down Viktor's arm. The doctor withdrew a syringe from his bag, and a small box. From the box, he procured a large needle. Viktor shuddered, and let out a small noise. It might have just been his imagination, but it seemed like Yuuri leaned in closer to him.
The doctor lit a match, and ran the flame over the gleaming needle. Viktor swallowed at the prospect of it piercing his sensitive flesh. The doctor snuffed out the fire, then attached the needle to the syringe and waited for it to cool down.
Yuuri offered his hand, and Viktor stared at it in confusion. 'Does he want to hold hands with me?' Glumly, he pushed the thought away. Of course Yuuri didn't, why would he want to hold hands with a dirty slave?
But then, just as he had that thought, Yuuri gently said, "You can squeeze my hand if it hurts." Viktor stared at him, barely able to mask his surprise.
"Alright, are you ready?" the doctor inquired. Viktor pressed his eyes shut and nodded, although he was most definitely not ready. Suddenly, he felt the needle go into his tender skin. His eyes flew open in pain, and he gritted his teeth. Gingerly, the doctor started lifting the plunge on the syringe, and it began to fill with yellow fluid.
Viktor had to look away. The agony was so great that black spots swam in front of his vision. With his left hand, he instinctively reached for something, anything to grab onto. His hand landed on Yuuri's, and he grasped it tightly. Viktor squirmed slightly, trying to think about anything other than the sharp pain.
Finally, all of the pus had been extracted. Viktor dared to look over, and saw the sore, red wound. When his wits returned to them, he released Yuuri's hand as if it was searing hot.
"I'm sorry," he told him, bowing his head. Hair slipped from behind his ear and into his face.
"Please don't apologize," Yuuri murmured softly. "You haven't done a thing wrong." Viktor met Yuuri's warm chocolate eyes behind those round spectacles, and saw the seriousness in his expression. It made Viktor's heart flutter like a butterfly, and his lips parted slightly. Yuuri tenderly moved Viktor's hair out of his face and smiled at him. Viktor forgot how to breathe momentarily as Yuuri's hand lingered by his face for a second.
All too soon, Yuuri lowered his gaze as well as his hand, and Viktor felt the strange sensation that he had lost something. The doctor took his right hand again and inspected his finger stump.
"Unfortunately, he is not a candidate for a prosthetic." He let go of his hand, and Viktor's heart sank. He really would never be able to play the harp properly again. He looked at his missing finger, then clenched his fist. It hurt terribly, but he deserved it. If he'd just behaved, he'd still have his finger.
"Viktor?" He turned and met Yuuri's concerned eyes. Yuuri opened his mouth to say something, but the doctor cut him off before he could begin.
"Yuri, come over here and dress the wound, please." Yuri stood up and walked over, dragging his feet and scowling at the floor. He yanked Viktor's arm up and closed his eyes, then took a deep breath in. His fingertips began to glow an aquamarine color, and he gently ran them over Viktor's stub. They felt soothing and warm, and the throbbing gradually lessened. Yuri seemed to have stronger healing abilities than most fairies. Viktor was very good at it, but he couldn't use his magic on himself.
Yuri pulled a roll of gauze, a cloth, and a small vial out of the doctor's bag. He poured some of the contents in the vial onto the cloth, then dabbed it onto Viktor's finger. It stung, and Viktor winced a bit. It kept burning for quite some time after it had been applied, and Yuri wrapped it up with the gauze.
"Thank you," Viktor told him when he was done, but Yuri frowned and took his seat again without a word, arms crossed.
"Here's a balm for those blisters." Reaching over Viktor, the doctor handed Yuuri a jar full of a white cream. "Make sure he applies it topically at least once daily." He then looked to Viktor. "And don't wear that damned corset!" The corners of Viktor's lips fell slightly. How was he supposed to be beautiful without a corset?
"And as for that finger…" The doctor handed Yuuri a glass bottle and a fresh roll of bandages from his bag. "Wash it with warm water twice daily, and then put a couple drops of this on it afterwards and wrap it up." Yuuri nodded, and Viktor was grateful that he had him there to remember all of this.
"He's malnourished as well, so don't feed him too much. Slowly work up his intake until it's normal, and feed him mild foods at first."
Yuuri dipped his head again. Satisfied, the doctor got up. Yuri copied him, and Yuuri left with them to see them out. Once they were all gone, Viktor let his false smile drop. His cheeks hurt. Sighing, he folded in his knees and rested his forehead on them, letting his hair cover his body like a blanket. He felt completely drained.
When Yuuri re-entered, he rapidly sat upright and forced the smile to return.
"Would you like some rice, Viktor? I think I have some somewhere…"
"Just a little bit, if that's alright."
Yuuri bit his lip, as if he was thinking about something.
"Viktor…" He stepped closer, worry welling in his eyes. Viktor racked his brain to try and recall if he had done something wrong. "You don't have to make yourself smile if you don't want to."
"Oh." Viktor let his veneer fall. He thought that people wanted fairies that were pleasant and smiling all the time? Ones that didn't show if they were sad or hurt. His old master liked to deprive him of his daily meal sometimes, and if Viktor let any sign of sadness or hunger slip through his facade then his master would demand that he be happy and smile.
"I'm sorry!" Yuuri quickly exclaimed. "I didn't mean that you should never smile, I just meant that you don't have to pretend for me. I love your real smile!" Yuuri's eyes went wide, and he covered his mouth. His face flushed red, and he looked to the side. Viktor found it very sweet, and genuine smile tugged at his lips. How very different this master was than his old one.
"I'd better go cice the rook- I mean, rice the cook- I mean cook the rice!" he stammered, then turned and stiffly walked out the door. VIktor grinned giddily to himself, feeling a sudden burst of energy, and wiggled his wings. He couldn't really explain how he was feeling.
(Please leave a review with your thoughts!)