"I did something stupid." From the voice that spoke such a thing brought him to rolling his eyes, it was done so with fondness, but Oren, who had been standing before him, still laughed at his expression and the Healer looked upwards as though there was something up there to give him the needed strength to deal with this ones shenanigans, "What did you do Zaveriel?"

And he turned. His eyes went wide at the blood seeping through the fingers pressing to his left side, and he rushed forward immediately, "How did this happen?"

"I was shot?"

He looked up to meet his eyes, "Is that a question or an answer?"

"Both?"

"Explain." He applied pressure to the wound and guided him by the shoulder to an empty bed "At once."

Zaves grimaced at the pressure, hissing in pain, and resisted the urge to squirm away lest he be smacked over the head even in his wounded state. Raphael just loved him that much that he would.

"Well he said he'd do it if I didn't stop making monkey jokes about him."

"Who?"

"The hunter? The older one, whatshisname, they honestly all look the same to me."

Raphael looked up at him again, "Short or tall?"

"Short."

He yelped as he was smacked over the head, "Why would you antagonize him, you little idiot."

"Because it's fun to! Anyway, yea, then I said he didn't have the balls to with Gabe there with me."

"And where is the Messenger now?"

"Only I came back. He stayed. Said they were going to have a quick little chat."

The Healer pulled the cloth away to look at the damage done, sighing at the extent, or lack thereof, and dipped another cloth in nearby basin of water to clean away the blood blocking his complete visual of what he was working with. He gazed over it with a well trained eye and hummed.

"It cleanly in. It didn't go through, thank Father, and it won't do any lasting damage, thank Father again, but I'm going to have to remove it."

They didn't necessarily have the tools appropriate for the job, seeing at the firearm was not a weapon they used themselves, they really had no need of them, but he had a pair of forceps and reached for those.

He met his old wards gaze ones more "I won't lie to you, Zaves, this is going to be painful."

"Do it. I can take it." He clenched his eyes shut tightly "I'm a man!"

"You are not a man."

"I'm a man child."

He smiled, "There's something we agree on." He braced him up on his good side with his free hand, poising the forceps over the bullet wound entrance "Ready?" a hand curled around his bracing him and he gained a nod of consent. It pained him to hear the hiss of pain, the gasp that followed, and then the soft groan, when he dug the forceps into the hole. His fingers curled over those clutching at his and he twisted around slightly, tightening his grip around those small fingers when he whined softly in pain, after what seemed like a lifetime he managed to grip the bullet and pull it out cleanly.

Once removed, he reached for a small jar on the counter behind him, yellow in color that held a scent of cinnamon and clove. He undid the cap and dripped a few drops of it into the hole, patting the young messengers thigh when he hissed softly, "The hard part is passed now, we only have to bandage it."

The Healer washed away the fresh blood that came with pulling the bullet out, and pressed a strip of gauze over the wound, followed by a thicker piece of cloth, and stuck it down with some medical adhesive.

Zaveriel sat up, grimacing in discomfort, raising his arms to allow his old guardian to wrap a bandage all the way around his chest before he pinned it off and pulled his tunic back down.

"Better?"

"Good as new."

He chuckled at the youngers' resilience, raising an arm as the messenger stood from where he sit on the bed, "Give me a hug, my little fool."

Zaves smiled and stepped into his embrace, curling his arms around the Healer in turn, swaying with him side to side. The ache subsiding at the comforting feeling of having the strong arms curl around him and pull him close into soft emerald robes.

"I haven't been yours for a long while."

"You will be mine for always. No matter where you go."