Charles Smith x Reader

Eight

Blood covered your clothes as you bathed through the door of your home. The strangers weight pushed down on your back.

He was quite the heavy lad, and tall to add to that. You barely managed to take more than one step at a time while he hung over your shoulders.

Groaning and breathing heavily, he tried to help you by putting some weight on his feet. But his legs were weak and whenever he tried to find a good position he slipped, causing you to stumble due to the shift of weight.

"Easy!", you gasped with clenched teeth. "Here. Lay down, slowly... I got you."

Pulling a face, he allowed you to push him to the side so that he'd land on the soft carpet in front of the fireplace. A soft gasp escaped his lips as the warmth gently caressed his face.

He was drenched all over, both in his own blood and rainwater. But as you wiped a strand of black hair out of his forehead you noticed that he was also dirty. As if he had fought with something in the mud.

His eyes moved to examine your face. He had to swallow hard, strained by pain and the shiver that made his body tremble all over.

"Are you..?", you shook your head. "No, obviously you're not fine. Can you talk?"

His eyebrows moved and for a brief second there was this kind of anger visible in those deep brown eyes of his. Somehow the expression reminded you of Aponi's people. He must have been kind, wise even.

But in that moment he was nothing but a man who was desperate to survive.

"I-!", he sucked in a sharp breath as pain made him twist on the carpet.

"Alright, alright... Calm and easy. You don't have to talk. Just... show me where the wound is so I can help, okay?", with your hands raised in a calming manner you looked him deep in the eye.

For a man of his size and the expression that twisted his face, you had to admit that he looked soft. Like a friend one could always turn to no matter what and he'd greet them with open arms.

All of a sudden you wondered what it would feel like to be hugged by him. His arms were quite large. And his body probably had a kind of mass to it that would make a good pillow to rest your head on in the darkest of nights.

"Ch-Charles...", the stranger gasped, his voice trembling. "I- urgh! My shoulder... bullets... four I think... and... they stabbed- stabbed me... side... Those bastards..!"

"Alright. Alright. We can work with that.", soothing, you took his face into both hands so that he wouldn't be able to see how much of a mess he had already made on your carpet by just laying there. "Charles, I'm (Y/N). It's nice to meet you. Although the circumstances could be better..."

With a helpless smile you shed your coat and pulled up the sleeves. Then you ran to fetch some blankets from your bedroom to dry him as best as you could.

Charles was shivering all over. His forehead felt like it was on fire while you were barely able to hold his hands since his fingers felt like pieces of ice.

His body must have started to hyperventilate since the blood loss wasn't helping any bit. It was hard to tell how long he had been injured but your best guess was at least an hour, if not more.

"Listen, Charles. Charles!", you snipped two fingers in front of his eyes, which appeared to get heavier by the minute. "Hey, Charles. Eyes on me. Focus. You can rest once you're dead."

A thin smile appeared on his full lips. All of a sudden he looked so much softer. Almost like a boy who had no worries no more.

"I might be close to that.", a gentle chuckle made his chest shake.

Then again he had to suck in a sharp breath and pulled a face.

You smiled. Some of the tension inside your body eased. At least you now knew that he wasn't the kind of stranger that would try to murder you in your sleep.

He was just a man in need of help.

"Aren't you a funny one, mister?", you asked to keep the conversation going and him from blacking out". But first you gotta work with me a bit. I'll push a cushion under your shoulder. Roll to the side at the count of three, k?"

He sighed. His eyes fell shut for a second before he nodded.

"Got it..."

"Good. This will hurt. One, two...", you pushed your hands under his shoulder and threw all your weight against him. "Three!"

With a scream on his lips Charles rolled over to his other shoulder. Blood ran down his dark skin, dripping onto your carpet.

Irritated by the stench of iron, Clarence came running. His tail wagging, he drew some circles around the stranger who occupied his space and let out a growl.

"Not now, you old fool!", you pushed him to the side so that he wouldn't lick any wounds. "Go! Leave."

"Who- who's that..?", the pain in Charles' eyes was something you couldn't relate to and probably never would.

With a gasp, you lowered him back after pushing a cushion under his injured side.

"His name's Clarence.", you said while wiping beads of sweat from your forehead. "He's a bit of a jerk sometimes. Doesn't have the best sense of timing to meet new people."

Charles smiled. He looked so tried you feared he'd slipped from your grasp any second.

"Who's a good boy?", he asked and reached out to let your dog have a sniff.

Suspicious at first, Clarence took a deep sniff before gently head butting the stranger.

"He likes you.", you said, got up and took a bug ceramic bowl to fill it with warm water from your kettle. "Are you good with animals, Charles? Charles..?"

Heavy breathing answered.

The beating of your heart pounded inside your chest. As you threw a glance over your shoulder it stopped for a brief second.

He had drifted off.