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Chapter 7: Bandaged and Bruised
The HOMRA bar loomed ahead in front of her, and Rin nearly fainted with relief. Her hair hung in tangles around her shoulders, some sections matted with dried blood. With her bloody arm and shirt she was sure she looked positively terrifying to any passerby, but she had lost the will to care about twelve blocks back. The long walk had pushed her past the point of exhaustion, and now all she longed for was her cot on the third floor.
She reached for the handle to the front door, but her hand froze only a few inches away while a feeling of dread crept over her. There was no way Kusanagi would leave the front doors to his beloved bar unlocked.
Rin's clenched fist dropped to her side, and she turned sharply to face the street once more. She was so exhausted that she felt as if she could burst into tears out of frustration.
A trashcan tipped over in the alley to her right, and the crash, along with the cat that darted out from behind, startled her out of her dark mood. She peered into the alleyway, which was still shrouded in shadows despite the rising sun, and her eyes widened. She could just make out the dark outline of a side door leading into the back of the bar.
Pushing herself away from the front door, and nearly tripping over her own feet in the process, she hurried down the alley and threw herself at the door. She exhaled loudly with gratitude as the door swung open at her touch. Glancing back once more over her shoulder at the sunrise, she dragged herself through the threshold, and then pulled the door shut behind her until it latched with a soft click.
Rin took two steps into the empty bar, her footsteps sounding louder in the silence of the room. She glanced up at the clock that hung above the bar: 6:20 a.m. Despite not knowing them long or that well, she hardly expected any of the HOMRA boys to be up at such an ungodly hour.
Moving forward, she winced as her injured arm bumped into one of the tables, and couldn't contain the hiss of pain that escaped her lips. She glanced at the stairs to her right, which led to the first and second floors. All she wanted at that moment was to climb into her bed and sink into the covers for the next twelve hours or so. However, she turned away and limped across the bar to the first floor bathrooms to tend her wounds.
She closed the door as far as she could behind her without completely shutting it, not wanting to risk waking anyone from the noise. Turning back to the mirror, Rin cringed at the sight of her reflection. Making sure once more that no one was behind her, she pulled off her shirt to take a look at the bruise on her shoulder where Misaki's bat had clipped her. It was an angry purplish-red color, and grimaced at how swollen it had already become.
Focusing her attention on her other wounds, Rin was anxious to rinse the crusted blood from her body. She was grateful the tap water was warm, and began the process of rinsing the blood from her snarled hair and from the sabre wound near her shoulder. The water quickly turned a light shade of pink, and Rin panicked that she was going to stain the sink.
As she poured soap into the basin and began furiously scrubbing, a soft knock sounded at the door. Her eyes flew wide, and she snatched her shirt and pulled it to her chest just as Tatara cracked the door open.
"Tachiban- ah, erm, I'm sorry, I-I just…heard footsteps and… saw the light was on," The blonde haired man mumbled and averted his gaze, a blush dusting his cheeks.
Clutching her t-shirt tightly to her chest, she stuttered, "N-no, it's alright. I was j-just cleaning up." She was certain her face was bright crimson.
At her words, Tatara glanced up at her as if he was just taking her in for the first time. His brow furrowed when his gaze landed on all of her injuries on her right arm in particular. Rin glanced down and could see a dark stain had appeared once more on the bandage wrapped around her forearm, and she realized her gash must have ripped open again.
"Tachibana-san, would you like some help? I'm pretty good with doctoring up wounds." He smiled lightly at her. "I've had to take care of all of Misaki-san's skateboarding scrapes."
Her fingers tightened around her shirt, but she nodded, her eyes glued to the floor. Tatara stepped inside, shutting the door behind him, and walked over to her. He clucked his tongue in concern, and Rin raised her gaze so that she could see his face. He was completely focused on the bruise on her shoulder, his gaze never wavering or skimming over her barely concealed chest. He looked up at her, causing Rin to glance away embarrassed, and gestured at her bruise. "May I?"
Rin nodded once more, seeming to have gone completely mute at being so close to a man with such little clothing.
She jumped a little when she felt his hands prod lightly at the area around the bruise, but making sure to never touch it. "We'll have to get some ice on that soon, or it's going to swell even more. Misaki-san forgets he's not hitting one of the guys," Tatara smiled lightly.
"It's fine," Rin shrugged under his fingers, frowning. "It doesn't matter if I'm not a guy. He shouldn't treat me any differently than any them."
Tatara cocked his head, studying her sullen expression for a moment, before turning his attention to the sabre wound at her shoulder. She had roughly scrubbed away most of the dried blood, but Tatara still seemed unsatisfied with her treatment. He reached over her shoulder, opening the medicine cabinet behind the mirror, and pulled out a small first aid kit. He grabbed some antiseptic cream and gently dabbed it on the wound.
While she still had her shirt pressed as tightly against her as she possibly could, Rin relaxed a fraction under his touch, appreciating the feeling of someone taking care of her for once.
After applying a Band-aid to her shoulder, Tatara unwrapped the bandages around her forearm…and Rin nearly fell over in shock.
The wound, which had been fairly deep to begin with, was already healed over at one end. Raw pink skin had sealed the wound shut near her wrist, but the deeper part of the cut near her elbow had cracked open slightly and was oozing blood. As Tatara began to wash the blood from the bandages, Rin stared open mouthed at her forearm.
There was no way a normal person could have healed a gash like that so fast. She jerked her head up to look at Tatara, who gave her a quizzical look. "Ne, Tachibana-san. Are you alright?"
"H-how did my arm heal so fast?"
Tatara smiled as he began to apply the antiseptic ointment. "Living under the Red King does have its perks. You can take a bit harder of a beating than others."
Rin stared at her arm and wiggled her fingers, just to make sure she wasn't going crazy. She watched silently as Tatara applied her new bandages and gave her a gentle pat.
"There you go, good as new. I'll go get you a fresh t-shirt from your room," He smiled, turning to go. "Can't have you wearing that mess again."
Rin jumped off the sink. "E-eh, no wait! This will do fine-"
Tatara raised an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous, Tachibana-san! You don't want to get blood all over your sheets, do you?"
Rin dropped her gaze to the floor and mumbled, "I only have one more shirt, and I don't want to ruin it by sleeping in it."
Tatara frowned for a moment, lost in thought, and then smiled. "Wait here one moment!" He turned and strode out the door, calling back over his shoulder, "I'll be right back!" He returned within minutes with a t-shirt tucked under his arm. He handed it to her with a smile, then politely turned his back so she could put it on.
Rin appreciated it because she was blushing a furious shade of red. The shirt was twice as large as her, reaching the middle of her thighs, but smelled fresh and clean.
"Thank you, Totsuka-san," she murmured.
Tatara peeked over his shoulder to make sure she was decent, then waved her off and put a hand on the back of his neck. "It was nothing. We're just happy you're home safe."
Rin rubbed the hem of the shirt between her thumb and forefinger, and a puzzled expression crossed her face.
He must have noticed her expression because he gave a soft chuckle. "Tachibana-san, you're a part of HOMRA now, and whether you like it or not you're part of our family. It doesn't matter if you've been part of it since the beginning of if you stumbled in last night, being a part of Homura is a bond that runs deep the moment you are branded." He reached forward and patted her on the shoulder, bending over so he could look into her eyes. His brown eyes twinkled, and he said, "It's no rush, but you should learn to be comfortable with the rest of us. "
With that, he patted her on the head and nudged her towards the door. "Get some sleep, Tachibana-san."
She nodded and opened the door, but turned to look back at him over her shoulder. "Um, thank you again, Totsuka-san," she mumbled.
He smiled brightly in return. "Any time!"
As Rin made her way to the stairs, a small smile flitted across her face. He had never asked her why she had disappeared or why she had returned so early in the morning. He had simply accepted it, and was happy that she had simply returned at all. The thought made her feel warm inside, as if she was finally accepted amongst the group.
Truthfully, she was also glad he offered her a clean shirt. There was something about putting on fresh clothes that made her finally start to feel clean. Plus, there was something about it that smelled distinctly male, and she wrapped herself tightly in it. While it may have been too big, she appreciated the warmth it offered her.
When the stairs came into view, Rin groaned internally. Her body felt heavy with each step, and her arms felt twice as long. Her feet dragged, causing her to nearly trip as she climbed the staircase and required her to keep her eyes on the ground. She was so focused on her efforts that she didn't notice Mikoto leaning against the first floor railing until she was almost on top of him.
"M-Mikoto-san!" Startled, she halted two steps from the landing. In the back of her mind, she wondered if the King ever slept. He was wearing his usual white t-shirt and jeans, and Rin couldn't help but take every inch of him in.
He lazily looked down at her, exhaling a puff of smoke. He made no response, just simply closed his eyes and tilted his head back to rest against the wall. Getting the feeling that he didn't wish to talk, Rin climbed the last two steps and moved to pass by him to head up the next set of stairs.
She was surprised to feel fingers slip into her palm and keep her from continuing forward. Glancing back, her eyes locked on her hand caught in his own, and then quickly moved up to look at his face. While his expression was unreadable, his eyes carefully examined the wounds on her arm. After a moment, his gaze moved to the shirt she was wearing, and Rin could feel her face heat up. His thumb rubbed delicate circles on the inside of her wrist, just below where Tatara had tied the knot to her bandages.
"Get some sleep," He murmured, letting her arm fall back to her side, and turned back towards the railing.
Rin swallowed hard and nodded, even though he was no longer looking, and climbed the last flight of stairs. Her face continued to burn as she climbed into her cot and under her covers. Her wrist, still warm from the touch of those calloused hands, was pressed against her cheek as she fell asleep.