Longer Writes

Hurt (Pt. 2)

Imra sat on Garth's bathroom counter, out of reach from swiping claws and gnashing teeth as her friend washed grime and gore from what was apparently his roommate. Not that that was the weirdest thing he'd said since she was called. Or the strangest thing she'd seen since she got here.

The whole apartment looked like a horror movie set, red smears starting from the shut and locked window and tracking around the couch before pooling in the corner between the door wall and the kitchenette. Not to mention it smelled like burning iron and bad meat, the scent settling thick in the back of her throat and refusing to leave.

So, yeah, watching Garth wrestle a sodden grey mound into submission long enough to spray Dermoplate over the whole of its back leg was more mildly amusing than concerning at this point. She'd help, but Brin had made it clear he didn't want any more hands anywhere near him.

"B, I know it stings but-B! CHILL! Gimme two more minutes and I'll fuck right off, okay? Jus' lemme wrap yer damn foot!" Amazingly, the beast went still, whimpering softly at the last spray of antiseptic on his open wound. "Gauze, please?"

Imra handed it over in mute amazement, something Garth must've noticed.

"What? He's not stupid, just wolfy. There's still an engineering major between those ears. Couldja come down here with the wrap, please?" He tugged the plastic packaging off the fluffy cotton rectangle, unrolling it and sizing it up compared to the mangled leg.

"I am getting the feeling he does not like me all that much. Are you sure?"

"He likes ya plenty. Well, more than the other guys, at least. Tha's beside the point though, I need four hands t'do this." Imra stepped onto the sodden bathmat below the counter and sidled around Brin's broad back towards Garth, careful not to slip on the wet ground.

"Okay, I needja t'hold this-" he tapped the tightly wrapped cotton bundle with his pointer, only letting go when she'd gotten ahold of it "-and I'm gonna get this going." He tugged the bright orange edge of the sticky wrap loose and tied it at the wolf's knee to start, securing it at the bend before going down in tight spirals.

When the first one ended, he tucked the start of a new one under the last round before starting up again. There was just enough on both rolls to keep it at two, but it was cutting it close by the time he was separating the toes.

Brin was acutely aware of when they finished, but trying to get up on his own took more effort than anticipated, and he collapsed back down in seconds.

"Easy, my guy, just hang on. You can go to bed once you're actually dry, and no, shaking doesn't count. Plus, there's still that cut on your neck." Garth stood and reached for a towel, throwing it over top of Brin and ignoring his protesting grumble. "Yeah, I know what I said, but yer the dumbfuck that got himself hurt." More whining growls as the human started to ruffle the wolf's fur with the towel, and Garth rolled his eyes. "Keep complainin' an' I'm gonna leave ya here t'dry yourself off."

Brin stopped his outright bitching, but still made fussy, yelping growls whenever he didn't agree with something. It was actually kind of cute, in Imra's opinion, watching the two bicker like an old married couple...even if one of them was currently inhuman and therefore incapable of human speech.

"Are you good here? Or do you need my help for something else?" Brin startled into Garth's legs at Imra's voice, nearly sending the man toppling over his side.

"FUCK!" He barely managed to catch himself on the wolf's ribs, glaring accusingly at him. "Yer a flipping wrecking ball, y'know that, right?" Brin bared his teeth and Garth did it right back, sticking his tongue out before he turned his attention to Imra.

"We're good. Thank ya so fucking much though, I had no idea where I was gonna get a buncha vet-grade med supplies this early. I'm gonna pay ya back first thing tomorrow, on th'honor of...I don't know, my mitties? No, I don' like them very much. Left foot?"

"On the honor of your Billy goat beard, then. See you tomorrow, bud." She shook off her sneakers and made her way out of the bathroom through Garth's room; hop-scotching her way through their common room and out the door.

"If those dumb shits don't get together after this, I am going to eat my hair tie."