Dealing with various sorts of wounds

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Continued from here.

Spike held up the towel. "I'm holding it."

Comments

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Yes, good job," Wesley said dryly, going to the side of the bed and kneeling down to examine the wound. "It looks better. Why don't I get it bandaged, then you can have some more blood?"

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

What Spike really wanted was a shower to wash off the blood making his skin itch, but he was willing to concede that he wasn't up to it. He sighed, which set off a cascade of bones grating in his torso, and nodded.

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"If you'd rather not -- if something else might help more -- then feel free to say," Wesley said in response to the sigh.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Think I've already mentioned the stiff drink, but blood's probably a better idea," Spike said.

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"No reason you can't have both," Wesley said lightly. He padded several guaze squares over the wound and taped them into place. "Stay here and I'll go get some blood. Do not get up." He paused, then added, "Remain sitting."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Spike grinned at him. "You know I'm going to do what I like, right? Doesn't matter how specific your orders are."

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"I thought it was worth a try," Wesley said with an answering grin. "On the other hand, if you tear that wound open and start bleeding again, you're the one who's going to feel as if he went twenty rounds with a bus." He considered this. "Rather than fifteen."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Suppose I shouldn't complain if you want to wait on me hand and foot," Spike said.

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley snorted. "Believe me, if I do, it won't last long. I'd advise you to take advantage of it while you can."

He headed for the kitchen, where he warmed some of the blood he'd brought back with him, then poured half of it into a mug, bringing both container and mug with him back to the bedroom.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

As soon as Wesley left the room, Spike let his shoulders slump and his head drop. He stared at the blood-soaked towel in his hands and tried not to move. The blood had helped with the trembling and the fuzziness in his head, but he still felt weak... and stupid. He had made plenty of enemies when he had joined Buffy's side of the fight, but he hadn't expected them to gather together so quickly upon news of his return. Returning to Wesley's after a long day of renewing old acquaintances and scraping together a small amount of money, it hadn't even occurred to him that he might be attacked. It had been a very stupid oversight.

He straightened up when Wesley came back into the room.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Setting the container down on the bedside table, Wesley sat down next to Spike, careful not to jar the bed, and took the bloodied towel from him before pressing the mug into his hands. "You look exhausted," he observed. "In a little while I'll change the sheets and you can try to get some sleep."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Don't think I'll be able to sleep," Spike said. He took a long swallow of blood. "Thanks."

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Just returning the favor," Wesley said. The sight of the bloodied towel bothered him, reminded him vaguely of how he'd cleaned himself up in the damaged apartment where Faith had...

He wasn't sure if Angel's betrayal had hurt more then, or now.

"I'm just going to..." He gestured toward the bathroom, where there was a hamper for dirty clothes, and got up.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"You've been..." Realizing that he was in danger of saying something more honest than he would like, Spike shook his head and pressed his fingers gently to his swelling eye.

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley noted the gesture, and when he came back from the bathroom he found a disposable ice pack in the first aid kit, activated it, and offered it to Spike. "Looks as if you'll have a glorious shiner for a few hours, at least."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Great." Spike winced as he placed the cold pack against his eye. Guess you won't like looking at me now very nearly passed his lips, and he took another sip of blood to keep his mouth busy. Having my head smashed into a wall must've rattled my brains loose.

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley watched him carefully while trying to seem as if he weren't. It was incredible the way vampire healing worked -- it never failed to fascinate him -- but in this case it seemed to be going more slowly than usual, probably because of the blood loss. "Can I get you anything else?" he asked finally.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"I'd love some spicy buffalo wings," Spike said with a smirk. "No, you've done more than enough."

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"I can go out and get more blood if what's in the house isn't enough," Wesley said, even though he was quite sure he'd said the same thing earlier. Then, "You eat buffalo wings?"

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Spike said. "You got a problem with them?"

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Not at all," Wesley said. "I didn't realize... Angel doesn't..." Flustered, he stopped.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Not all of us have our heads so far up our asses we've forgotten how to enjoy ourselves," Spike said. "I may be dead, but I can still appreciate a good flowering onion."

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Enjoying yourself doesn't seem to be something you have a problem with," Wesley agreed, although he was looking at Spike's battered face again and thinking that sooner or later it might be beaten out of him. The thought was depressing.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"What's the point of living forever if all you're going to do is lurk in the shadows and brood?" The cold pack was giving him a headache, so Spike set it on the bed beside him. "The soul changed my definition of fun, but it didn't change my style."

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"There certainly aren't a large number of test cases, as far as vampires with souls go." Wesley sighed. His eyes were drawn to the bruises on Spike's torso, to how dark they were against his skin. Part of him wanted to reach out and run his hands over the marks, to somehow solidify this as reality, but he reigned himself in.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

The way that Wesley was looking at him with what seemed like disapproval in his eyes made Spike shift self-consciously. "Is that bag still in the bathroom?" he asked.

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Yes," Wesley said, getting up again. "I'll get it. Is there something in it you need?" He started for the bathroom without waiting for a reply, since they could easily carry on a conversation across the short distance.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Shirt. Jeans that aren't covered in blood." Spike pushed himself up off the bed and followed him. The room spun slightly, but he was much steadier on his feet, thanks to the blood.

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Halfway back with the bag in hand, Wesley met Spike at the bedroom doorway. "They won't be for long if you put them on looking like that," he said, reaching out a hand as if to help provide support, but stopping before he actually touched Spike.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"That's why I'm going to wash up." Spike frowned slightly at Wesley's hand, which was hovering in the air. "I'm not going to keel over."

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley dropped his hand and stepped back. "I could fill the bath," he suggested, rather stiffly. "Although I don't imagine you'd be able to keep that wound dry -- it's too low."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Spike thought grimly about maneuvering himself in and out of the tub. "I'll make do with the sink."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley wanted to offer assistance if it was needed, but he assumed he'd be refused, so instead he just moved back into the bathroom. He laid the clothes out where they'd be easy to reach and put a fresh towel and flannel on the edge of the sink. "Let me know if you need anything else," he said, still in that stiff, almost formal voice.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Are you trying to sound like a butler or are you just really tired of helping?" Spike asked.

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley blinked and dropped his gaze. "You don't seem to want my help," he muttered, aware that he sounded young and sullen.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"It's not your job to look after me," Spike said. "I'm sure you've got better things to do than tend to a vampire who was too bloody stupid to watch his back."

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley looked down at his hands, in that moment unable to imagine more important work for them than helping a friend. "You're not stupid," he said quietly, moving back to the sink and starting the hot water running. He dropped the flannel into the basin where it could get wet.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Wasn't thinking," Spike said, wanting to lean against something but not wanting to smear Wesley's walls with blood. He settled for wrapping his arms around himself. "I should've expected it."

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley went over closer to him and reached out tentatively, touched the waistband of Spike's jeans and caught his fingers in it, towing Spike gently toward the sink. "Come here."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Spike obeyed meekly, his skin tingling from the warmth of Wesley's fingers.

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Squeezing the excess water out of the cloth, Wesley started with Spike's face, gently swabbing away blood that had dried there, but avoiding the deeper cuts in case he disturbed the scabs that had formed over them. "The swelling seems to have stopped," he said, of Spike's black eye.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"The blood helped," Spike said, keeping still even when Wesley brushed over a particularly tender spot near his eye. He took advantage of their position to study Wesley's face, noticing the tightness around his eyes.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley took Spike's chin in his hand to help steady his face as he cleaned along his jawline, careful not to apply too much pressure. An image of dabbing dried blood from his own throat, looked at in the mirror, flashed through him before he could properly identify it, and he stopped for a moment. Then, willing himself to relax, he finished what he'd started.

"Are you sure you don't want any painkillers?" he asked, trying to distract himself.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Even if he hadn't been watching Wesley so closely, Spike couldn't have missed the tension that ran through his body. "Want me to finish this myself?" he asked, touching Wesley's wrist.

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[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Continues here (http://www.livejournal.com/community/reality_bends/11234.html).