Work Text:
Doc fled the mineshaft, dragging Ren with him. The spiders were still on their tail, and, before he could get to it, a third spider bit into the unconscious man being pulled behind him. Throwing Ren into the corner of the cave, he pulled his sword from his belt, swinging at a couple of lone spiders, and then began to block off the small cave end, so far from the strip mine that had gotten the pair to this demon of a cave. After swinging around at a couple more arachnids, he put the sword away, and set a torch on the cave wall, giving the room a bit of light for him to see by.
Only then did he realize how bad Ren looked. His face was trickling with blood, scratch marks running along his cheeks and nose, and bruises lined his forehead from where Doc had recklessly pulled him around the corners. His arms and legs were dirty, with gravel and blood and small cuts and whatnot. His upper arms too were bruised, providing Doc with the guilt of having hurt his friend, and then at once he thought to check his health.
Wiping away blood, he saw what might have been okay if the duo still had food and potions and okay armor, but for them, on the brink of desperation, it wasn't good. 2 hearts, and poison for another 15 minutes. Nobody else was online, but he couldn't leave Ren like this. Slowly, he pulled out his last healing potion, praying for it to take good effect quick, and then poured a quarter of it into Ren's mouth. He breathed out as he saw the cuts begin to close up.
While waiting the couple minutes for the potion to take effect, he finally took his own armor off, and then Ren's, and then, rethinking it, pulled out a piece of leather to stop the bleeding on what was left of the cuts. The quarter potion wouldn't help all that much, but it would help enough to give him an hour to heal here and then to head to the surface. It was the best option, as neither he nor Ren was healthy enough to continue caving.
Slowly, he let Ren drift down until he realized how uncomfortable it must be for the other man, and moved so that his arm was under the man's head, as if a pillow on a rock-hard mattress. It was almost comfortable, had they not been half-dead on a cave floor in the freezing cold. Ever so slowly, Ren leaned into him, not even concious but still knowing how to make Doc feel as if he was out of this goshdarned cave already. For a few minutes they laid there, until the health potion really kicked in, and Ren stirred in his arms, almost awake.
When he woke up, his hand immediatly flew to his face, feeling the cuts where the cave spiders had attacked him, and then to his back, feeling Doc's arm, and then his eyes flew to Doc, realizing that he was there, and for once Doc had no topic to ramble on about to pass the time, he just waited for the other man to talk to him, to tell him something. Except he didn't. The silence felt comforting, but scary, and slowly but surely, Doc just set his head on Ren's, feeling his heartbeat course through him, feeling comfort in the fact that Ren was alive and so was he. Ren hummed in reply, giving him a subtle sign that it was okay, he was good.
It was only then that Doc pulled out his first aid kit, to treat the bites where the spiders had injected their poison. By now, Ren only had a few more minutes of it, but still Doc wanted to disinfect hte cuts that he had disregarded in the first minutes. It was almost as if he needed to make sure Ren was completely okay, not just partial. So, he pulled out whatever you disinfect stuff with and, making sure to clean each poisonous cut in depth, took care of his buddy, knowing that in any situation, Ren would do so for him.
Aterwards, he leaned right back into Ren, almost cuddling, but that was not a word Doc had ever hoped to use in accordance to himself. Yet slowly he found himself drifting to the ground, with his arms around ren, checking his health bar, yet he was still healing well. 6 and a half hearts, and still, Doc worried he was hurting him as he moved his arms, adjusting to be around Ren's torso, in an awkward hug that sort of suited the situation. Ren was still yet to say a word, but he kept nodding and smiling, so Doc proceeded.
He felt as if he could hear every thought Ren thought, the borderline between them weak, both physically andemotionally. He was closer to Ren than he had ever been,and yet he felt so far away. He moved closer, wincing as his hands brushed the bruises Ren had gotten only minutes earlier. He knew it hurt Ren too, because as soon as he touched the bruises, the other man pulled away. Looking at him in the light, a tear rolled down his cheek, which Doc was quick to wipe away, leaning in again, and, when Ren whimpered at his touch, he finally broke the silence with a 'you good?' to which Ren nodded and smiled.
THe physical response felt a lot more real than intuition, so, without thinking, Doc pulled Ren closer,their legs touching as Ren healed and Doc helped. Cautiously, he thought to grab Ren's right hand with his left, the other man's warm palm bringing light to his face. Doc slightly squeezed his hand, to which Ren giggled, and then he knew he was doing something right.
The noise slight noise led into a quiet hum of lava bubbles and mobs outdoors, which, despite the way Doc was on edge because of said mobs, made it feel a bit more safe and comforting. He brushed back Ren's hair with his open hand, and then rested it on his check, as Ren's hand warmed at the touch. Doc suddenly fell into Ren's touch, slowly rubbing circles into Ren's hand, smirking in success, while Ren yawned in protest
Sniffling, he pulled his face into the back of Ren's neck, scrunching his nose, leaning in. He let his lips brush the top of the other man's forehead, words in a flutter of 'i'll always take care of you' and 'i love you' and 'please just be okay'. The other man shifted in accordance to the touch, pulling into the embrace, out of the cold air. Doc smiled, squeezing his hand a second time, symbolic that he was still here. A spider hissed in the distance.
He pressed closer, his arm moving down to Ren's torso, and tightening, strengthening the bond, the closest the two had ever been. Steadily, he laid his lips on Ren'a forehead, leaving a kiss, and then, when he nodded in approval, leaving a few more. Aren't clutched for his hands, pulling at them, to which Doc did nothing, just squeeze his friends hand once more.
For a while longer they lay there, unmoving, until Doc flipped over, pulling Ren with him, and set him against the wall of the cave, pulling a pickaxe from his belt and the rest of the healing potion. Ren drank, and then Doc, and then, without hesitation, he started mining, finally ready to bring his friend better care.
#obamacareforren