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He did it again.
Fan gasps between sobs and frantically wipes the blood from his arms. His partner came back earlier than expected, throwing him into a risky situation. The red haired boy throws aside the bloody tissue and begins rapidly wrapping medical bandages around both arms. They aren't tight enough to stop the blood from coming but he's too distracted to care. He throws on a yellow hoodie as he wipes his eyes and attempts to act casual.
The door to their shared bedroom creaks open. Fan stuffs the bloody tissue under his pillow, along with his pocket knife.
"Hey Fan! Sorry I'm a bit early, I hope I didn't-" Paintbrush stops mid-sentence as they see their partner, face red and covered in tear streaks. "..startle you." They finish their sentence awkwardly.
Fan, now realizing that their partner noticed that they were crying, looks away. He's ashamed. He's got a wonderful partner, his own place, what could he possibly be upset about? Maybe he's just ungrateful or-
He's snapped out of his thoughts as the blonde begins speaking. "Fan- are you okay? You're bleeding. What happened??" The red head looks at them before looking at his arms, beginning to tremble. Tears began to roll down his face as he struggles not to sob. How could he ruin his hoodie like that? And now he's sobbing in front of his partner. Fan pulls at his hair as his breathing quickens, becoming shakey and uneven.
Paintbrush quickly but calmly walks over to him, moving the pillows surrounding their boyfriend out of the way. The blonde spots the tissue and pocket knife and is quick to understand. They sit next to him, silent for a few seconds as he sobs.
"Fan? Is it alright if I touch you?" They ask quietly, almost as if speaking too loud would break the boy. Fan nods, Paintbrush promptly grabbing his hands and pulling them away from his hair gently.
The boy was a mess, tears streaming down his face as he struggles to breathe. The taller can't help but look at him sadly, rubbing circles into the boy's hands while holding them firmly.
"Hey, take some deep breaths, okay? Try to copy me."
Paintbrush begins taking deep breaths, prompting Fan to mimic them. He looks up at them and attempts to follow their breathing, hiccuping every now and then from his crying. As the minutes pass, he begins to calm down. His eyes wander to his sleeves, now covered in his own blood. "I- Paintbrush, I-" he attempts to stutter out an apology, an explanation, anything.
Paintbrush shushes him and moves their focus to their arms. "May I help you clean these up?" They ask gently. Fan looks away in embarrassment. How could he let his partner see him like this? He was ashamed of himself. The blonde, noticing his reaction, is quick to offer reassurance. "Fan, it's okay. I'm not mad. Let me help you okay?"
The boy gently nods his head. "Thank you, buddy. Can I pick you up?" Fan nods his head again. Paintbrush carefully lifts him up and carries him to the bathroom, setting him down on the counter. They grab the first aid kit from under the sink and set it down next to the red head. "Alright, arms up!" He raises his arms as his partner gently removes the bloodied hoodie.
Paintbrush unwraps the bandages, checking his arms to see what would be needed to bandage it. They grab some cleaning supplies and begin gently cleaning his cuts. Fan winces as he flinches at the sting. The blonde continues as they begin to whisper soft reassurances to the boy.
Fan stares off into space, his brain slipping smaller and smaller as he is taken care of. Paintbrush finishes up with the cleaning and wipes his arms dry.
"Okay. I'm gonna put some bandaids on, alright?" The blonde asks. The red head doesn't respond. Paintbrush looks up at their partner, noticing how zoned out he was. It was a tell tale sign of him slipping. They decided to take another approach.
"Puppy or fox bandaids?"
Fan turns his head to look at his options. He opens his mouth to speak but nothing comes out. He instead decides to point at the ones he wants.
"Puppy it is then!" Paintbrush happily states, glad to see that he's more interactive. They carefully begin placing bandaids on each cut, ensuring that they are placed properly. The smaller watches as each of his wounds are covered, beginning to feel better. He felt warm and safe.
Fan's head began to feel fuzzier. The overwhelming emotions mixed with being taken care of make him slip further and further. He rubs at his eyes. He was so tired! Why couldn't he just go to sleep? He just wanted his stuffy and some cuddles and-
"Aw, bud, are you sleepy?" The little is snapped out of his thoughts by the question. Paintbrush had noticed how he rubbed at his eyes, along with his teary eyes and pout. They quickly put the first aid kit away and pick the boy up. "How old are we feeling tonight, little guy?"
The red head looks looks down at his hands as he thinks. He looks at the blonde and puts up two fingers.
Paintbrush coos at him in response. "Aww, we've got a little baby on our hands, huh?" They chuckle as he buries his face into their shoulder. They try their hardest not to embarrass him but he's just so cute!
They walk to their room and gently drop him on the bed, earning a few giggles from the little. The taller grabs the pocket knife off the nightstand and quickly hides it, making sure Fan doesn't see it. They'd talk about it when he's in the right mindset. They throw away the bloody tissue and sit next to the boy.
"Alright bubs, time for bed. Let's get you some pajamas on." Paintbrush stands up and walks to the dresser, pulling out two onesies. "Puppy or dino for tonight?"
Fan thinks for a second before pointing to the grey puppy onesie. "Wan' puppy!"
Paintbrush puts away the dinosaur onesie and helps the little change into his pajamas. The boy rubs at his eyes. The fur of the onesie was so comfortable, it just made him even sleepier. He leans against his caregiver, using grabby hands to ask for cuddles. The blonde, understanding what he wanted, climbs in to bed next to him.
"Let's go to sleep. Do you have everything?"
Fan stops to think. He gasps as he remembers what he's missing. "Doggy!! Missin' doggy!" Paintbrush glances around the room, looking for the little's stuffed animal. They spot it on the ground, quickly picking it up and giving it to the boy. Fan, now content, lays down in the bed.
"Want me to tuck you in?" Paintbrush asks. He nods as he hugs his stuffy. They lay down next to him and pull the blankets up. They tuck him in, making sure to leave enough blanket for themself. The blonde opens their mouth to ask another question before turning to look at him. They decide not to say anything more, seeing as he was already fast asleep. They begin to drift off into a comfortable sleep themself.
"Goodnight, bud. Sleep well."