Varian and the Seven Kingdoms (Varian's Seven Trials)

Do Not Disappoint Me

A day had passed since the Dark Kingdom, and the group was on their way to Hugo's home Kingdom; Vooruitgaan, which he seemed less than thrilled about. They stopped just outside a village to take a short break to gather supplies and rest after the last trial.
Nuru had finalised her star-chart skirt which she expressed a lot of excitement in testing that night. While the sun was still shining, she was outside, brushing up on her sword-work. Yong was helping Nuru, mostly yelling encouraging things at her. Varian was occupied writing in his journal about the trial while Hugo made some 'tweaks' and improvements to his wrist-bracer.
"What y'writing?" Hugo glanced over, a smirk threatening to surface.
"I'm writing about the moonstone magic that was left over and utilised in the trial."
"Don't forget to write about how I saved the day." The smirk broke through and Varian rolled his eyes.
"With all your bragging, I couldn't forget if I wanted to...but, you did kinda save our lives back there. Thanks." Varian smiled and Hugo's cheeks went a little red. He focused on what he was doing at the worktable.
"Hey, V, can I get your help with something?" Hugo put a wrench in his mouth as he used both hands to pry open the bracer. Varian stood up and moved over to the desk.
"Could y'hold this open?" The blonde asked, the wrench still in his mouth. Varian gripped the metal plating where Hugo held it, their fingers brushing.
"Got it?" Hugo asked.
"Got it." Varian confirmed and Hugo let go, taking the wrench from his mouth then fiddling with something inside the bracer while Varian held it open for him. He watched the blonde work, a concentrated look in his eyes. Distracted, Varian's grip on the plating loosened and it snapped close, catching one of Hugo's fingers. He winced at the pain and Varian's eyes widened,
"Sorry- I- I'm so sorry- my bad." He watched as Hugo sat back, holding his finger tightly in his other hand, "Are you alright?" He asked, anxiously.
Hugo looked at his middle finger; it stung with a sharp pain, and it was bleeding where the metal had caught it. He shook his hand slightly in some attempt to dull the pain, and he laughed.
"Gave ya one job, Stripes." He grinned.
Varian watched as blood dripped from the boy's finger, and he felt uneasy at the sight of it.
"Heh." He forced a breathless laugh, "I'm sorry...I- I'll get some bandages." Varian moved over to the trunk and Hugo watched him search through it. Olivia squeaked from the desk and Hugo was distracted by her, as she taunted Ruddiger for no apparent reason, as she had been for most of the day.
"Ay, leave 'im alone, Liv." Hugo told the mouse quietly. Olivia squeaked in retaliation and Hugo scoffed. Ruddiger then chittered in annoyance and before Hugo knew what was happening, the raccoon jumped up onto the desk to chase the mouse. He sighed as Ruddiger followed Olivia around the caravan. Once Varian had found the bandages, he walked over to Hugo with them, "Sorry, again, about this...I promise I'm usually a lot better at this sorta-" Varian tripped over Ruddiger as he ran under his feet, and Hugo stood to catch him, trying his best to keep his bloody finger away from the boy.
"Thing." Varian finished, staring at Hugo's chest. He looked up to see a pair of concerned green eyes looking down at him,
"You good, Goggles?" He asked. Varian's face grew red and he pushed Hugo away, laughing uncomfortably,
"I'm great! But, uh, you- you, your finger..."
"Doesn't hurt that bad." Hugo smiled.
"We should get it patched up anyway." Varian tried to smile too.

As soon as he had tended to Hugo's finger, he left the caravan before the blonde could ask for any further help. Varian closed the camper door swiftly behind him and let out a deep breath.
"Are you ok, Varian?" Yong asked, making the boy jump.
"Yeah, no...I'm fine- just needed some air- hey, I'm gonna go into town and stock up on supplies." He replied and walked off, leaving Yong staring after him. Nuru joined the young boy,
"Is Varian alright?"
"He seems kinda weird." Yong responded, and Nuru sighed.
"I hope they're not fighting again." The Princess crossed her arms.
The caravan door opened and Hugo popped his head out,
"Stripes ok?"
"He's acting strange. You didn't do something, did you?" Nuru raised a brow.
"What? No- he was helping me out with something and my finger got a little mangled." He held up his bandaged finger.
"Can I see?" Yong asked, excited.
"Maybe later," Hugo told him then looked back at Nuru, "Y'think he'll be ok? Pretty sure he's got a thing about blood- he was real nervous back there."
"I'm sure he's ok." Nuru smiled, and it quickly shifted into a smirk, "Do you want to help me practice?" She held up her sword.
"Sure. You're on, Princess." Hugo grinned.