He hadn't properly examined Gavin since his return, but he certainly seemed to be in a lot of pain. Tiny returned to his extraction model before slinking through the vents quietly and slipping into Gavin's bedroom. The swish of the rain against the glass and the rolling thunder helped to disguise his entrance as he dropped smoothly from the vent. He moved slowly, blending into the shadows with his black casing. He was cautious as he scanned Gavin's vitals to ensure he was sleeping peacefully. His heart rate and breathing pattern both confirmed that he was. The extraction model stood to his full two metre height and gently placed his smaller form on the other side of the bed. He needed space to work.
He slowly tugged the covers away. Since it was still hot, Gavin had only worn boxers and a T-shirt to bed. This worked out well for the extraction model. His claws weren't exactly made with clothing removal in mind. There was always a risk that he'd shred the light material by accident. Luckily, the damage was all in Gavin's torso this time, so he didn't actually need to fully remove the boxers or T-shirt. Since he was there, he carefully examined Gavin's legs. His chest cavity ached as he noted the wasted muscles. His legs had once been so strong and powerful. Now, they were so much thinner and weaker.
The same was true of his arms. His flesh was far softer than it had been before with his regular workouts. The muscles in his upper arms had shrivelled to almost nothing. It was just soft flesh. His bones were also more obvious, especially his wrists and around his collarbone. The notch at his throat was far more prominent than before, creating a hollow dip in his throat. His cheeks were also somewhat gaunt, especially since Chloe had helped him trim back the lengthy stubble earlier. His hair was still longer than before, though the extraction model didn't entirely disapprove. It was soft and carried the scent of his shampoo.
The extraction model was careful as he climbed onto the bed. He had to avoid Gavin's legs. One rested straight, while the other bent outwards at the knee, leaving his thighs half open. That was less than ideal. He'd have to straddle one thigh in order not to move him too much. He didn't want to accidentally wake him. The only comfort he had was that Gavin would remain on his back, unable to roll over due to the pain and the pillows propping him up. The extraction model raised his tail and coiled it at his side as he crawled into place.
He was slow and gentle as he used one clawed hand to tug and tease the material of his T-shirt higher. It was important to work slowly. The smallest of tugs could jostle Gavin's wounds and wake him. He was sleeping soundly enough, and the drugs were fresh enough that he was so far undisturbed. His ravaged flesh was slowly revealed. The edge of the ugly bullet wound almost seemed cauterised. It was red and uneven, like the edge of a crater. The wound itself was very much like a crater.
The surgical scar wasn't quite the same, but it was a long, angry red groove. His skin had knitted back together, but still looked tender. The extraction model revealed the full extent of the damage as he eased Gavin's boxers further down, right to the line of dark curls, and examined the freshest scar. The one from the catheter. It had started to heal nicely. The small hole had scabbed over and showed no sign of infection. The extraction model intended to keep it that way.
He was lucky that he'd been designed for a diverse range of missions. Espionage, assassinations, extractions, and rescue operations. That required him to be extremely resourceful. It had also led to Elijah including several less common features in his design. He could create and excrete numerous poisons and venoms, as well as emergency medicines. He had a powerful antiseptic salve, as well as an advanced wound healing medication. It wasn't a miracle drug that would heal his wounds in an instant. However, it would aid the flesh in knitting back together better than most over-the-counter salves.
The extraction model started with the antiseptic. It filled his saliva glands and gradually flowed over his long tongue. He was slow and tentative as he opened his mouth and lowered his tongue to lick Gavin's tender flesh. His touch was light at first, keeping him alert for any sign of Gavin stirring. He lathered the bullet wound first, swirling the tip of his tongue in the crater before dragging it down the long slice on his abdomen. The only time Gavin twitched was as he moved to tease the freshest wound, but even then, he didn't wake up. The discomfort was to be expected, and the extraction model lingered as little as possible.
He drew back as he swapped out the antiseptic for the thicker healing salve. This was more like a thick gel that would need to be massaged in. Luckily, his tongue was fairly rough, with tiny hairlike barbs for gripping. If used gently, he'd be able to massage the gel into Gavin's worn flesh. Unfortunately, pressing too hard would tear the flesh from his bones, so he'd need to work carefully. He ensured his tongue was adequately coated before he began.
He rested his hands on either side of Gavin's waist as he leaned down and used his tongue to stroke and tease circles into the rounder bullet wound. The edges felt warped against his rough tongue, and he could confirm that the flesh had indeed been charred upon entry. The harder press made Gavin take in a low breath. A warning for the pain. The extraction model remained vigilant but insistent as he moved to the longer scar. He lathered one long stroke down before using the tip of his tongue to soothe circles all the way to the top. This seemed to disturb Gavin less than the last wound.
The ultimate challenge was the most tender wound. The extraction model scanned carefully before lowering himself to work his tongue against this newest injury. Gavin hissed at the ache, even in sleep. The extraction model drew back as he felt Gavin's body stiffen beneath him. He tensed. His breath caught and stuttered in his chest, and his heart sped up, slamming against his ribcage. The extraction model knew what that meant. He moved slowly, pushing himself up until he was kneeling. He felt somewhat anxious as he lowered his luminous eyes to meet Gavin's.
Gavin's dirty green eyes were wide as he stared up at him in fright. His lips quivered; voice stuck in his throat. He visibly flinched in the darkness as the lightning flashed and started panting, eyes wide and unblinking as he patted around the bed. Searching. A whimper was trapped in his throat as he continued feeling around with shaking limbs. The extraction model remained perfectly still. Gavin was terrified. His heart was racing. Adrenaline told him to run and freeze at the same time, resulting in violent quivers. That didn't help the pain in his abdomen.
"T-Ti-Ti-" His hand finally found what he was looking for. The extraction model watched curiously as Gavin shook his reconnaissance model in a futile effort to rouse him. His smaller body was currently empty. Gavin seemed truly alarmed as the small body remained inactive. "T-Tiny!" He whimpered in pain as he hooked an arm around the reconnaissance model's small waist and pulled it into his arms, whining fearfully as he clutched it against his chest. One arm wrapped around its back while the other cradled its small head against his shoulder. He bent over it protectively, leaving his own neck exposed and sending pain shooting through his torso. It didn't take the extraction model long to realise it was a protective position. He was protecting his smaller body from harm.
The extraction model was touched at the gesture; however, it was completely unnecessary. He was unsure how he could communicate that to Gavin without scaring him more though. He leaned forward on his knees, letting his chest whirr in a loud purring noise as he nuzzled and butted Gavin's head and shoulder. Unfortunately, Gavin took the purr to be a low, rumbling growl, and the nuzzle to be an attack. He whimpered fearfully and curled up even more. The extraction model shuffled back, distressed by the fear and pain he'd caused.
"Ph-phck, Tiny…E-Eli?" His green eyes darted to the closed door for an instant. He desperately wanted to shout or scream, but he was pretty sure whatever the thing on his bed was would bite his throat out before he did more than open his mouth. A small sob slipped out as the thing growled at him again. He flinched back, shaking his head as tears spilled down his cheeks. As the only edible person in the room, he was terrified, and Tiny wasn't moving. He wasn't waking up! Something had happened to Tiny! Something had happened to Tiny, and there was a monster sitting on his bed about to eat him. This has to be a phcking nightmare! Phck! Wake up! Phck-please-phck!
The extraction model slinked back a little further, lowering himself to Gavin's eye level so that he didn't tower above him. Their faces were less than a foot apart. Even in the darkness, Gavin could make out a human face. A human face that looked eerily familiar, though he was finding it hard to look past the long, black tongue and huge fucking teeth at that particular moment. He swallowed the aching lump in his throat, sobbing out another breath as he locked eyes with the creature. It was all metal plating, a lot like Tiny, only bigger. Much fucking bigger. With huge fucking claws and sharp teeth. He gasped as the extraction model moved again, backing off a little more.
That wasn't so bad. Gavin was still a trembling mess as he clung to Tiny's limp body. He didn't dare blink. The extraction model noticed it, too. His eyes stung as he fought to keep them open. He only blinked when the extraction model blinked. The extraction model was slow and calculating as he settled in place. He relaxed his posture slightly, noting that this also made Gavin relax somewhat. Tense meant he was poised to strike. He was dangerous. Relaxed meant he was less hostile, perhaps even peaceful. Gavin's eyes flicked to the side as the extraction model uncurled his tail and moved it away. Gavin licked his lips, watching the creature back further out of his personal space.
The extraction model kept eye contact with Gavin as he settled in place. Gavin continued to sniffle and tremble, but as time wore on, he slowly stopped. The monster hadn't eaten him. It had merely settled over his legs, watching him. Part of him still thought the creature was just waiting for him to slip up, but the other part wasn't so sure. He sniffled quietly, keeping Tiny secure in his arms as he blinked again. His eyes were tired and stinging from his fearful tears. He also felt really drained. From fear, but also his earlier exercise and the drugs.
The extraction model measured his breathing next. He started taking long, slow breaths. He didn't need to breathe, but when Gavin noticed he was breathing, he relaxed a little. Breathing seemed to make him less monstrous. It also subconsciously gave his body a pattern to follow. In…Out…In…Out. The extraction model took deeper breaths than Gavin could manage, which automatically made him feel drowsy as he tried to match him. Rather than slumping forward, Gavin's body started tilting back into the pillows. He kept jerking, trying to stay awake. He didn't want to be eaten in his sleep.
The final ploy the extraction model used was slow blinks. Since Gavin was subconsciously copying his eye movements, he started closing his eyes for longer periods. It was a gradual process, barely more than a second at first. Gavin didn't notice the time lengthening, but he did follow the pattern. The extraction model closed his eyes for a full two seconds. As he opened them, Gavin's eyes fluttered shut for a little longer. He whined softly as he opened them again. His green eyes were getting hazy, already sore and bloodshot with sleep and tears.
The extraction model closed his eyes again, grateful for the pattering sound of rain on the glass that he knew would lull Gavin to sleep. Gavin blinked again, but still fought to stay awake. They must have remained that way for an hour, silently exchanging slow blinks. The extraction model gradually lowered himself more and slipped a little further back. He sighed softly as Gavin finally drifted off for good. His arms had loosened around his reconnaissance model, though they hadn't fallen away completely. His head had fallen back into the pillows, tears still staining his pale cheeks.
The extraction model felt terrible as he got to his feet. It had never been his intention to scare him. He'd only wanted to help him heal. The extraction model was slow as he moved to stand beside him. One clawed hand reached down to stroke his damp cheek, wiping the fearful tears away. He pressed his lips against Gavin's temple in apology before gently lifting his smaller body and returning it to its previous place by Gavin's shoulder. The small body was a little heavy, and he didn't want to risk worsening Gavin's injuries. He finally tugged the duvet over Gavin's body, unwilling to risk waking him again with further contact. With a final gentle nuzzle, the extraction model slipped across the room and climbed back into the vents. He almost felt lonely as he settled in his nest. Luckily, he had his smaller body to return to.
Tiny chittered as he blinked his eyes open to check on Gavin. He was still sleeping peacefully. Tiny turned over and curled up again, bunching Gavin's T-shirt in his small, clawed hands. He gazed at his sleeping face for a while, wondering if he'd always be so scared of his true form. Something in his small chest ached at the thought.