ɪɴʙᴏx [ᴇxᴘɪᴀᴛɪᴏɴ]

[chemex]

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[chemex]

[He moves closer, crouching and reaching out to set his hands-- on Akechi's thighs, just above his knees, telegraphing the movement in case he can't handle the contact.]

Let me try something. [He closes his eyes, leaving one hand on Akechi's knee and bringing the other to his face in a familiar motion. He swipes his hand across his eyes, leaves his hand there, and then swipes a few more times before he opens them, not quite looking at Goro for a moment.] Sarasvati. [He closes his eyes again, mumbling a healing spell and letting it bathe Goro in a figurative glowing green.]

[It's not obvious how stressed he is, but hooboy this is more than ample emotional duress for Persona usage. Looking slightly worn when he next opens his eyes, he looks up to meet Goro's.] Did that do anything? [He doesn't expect Diarahan to completely heal a bullet wound, by any means.]

[murderingjustice]

[The contact is almost too much. His expression twists in discomfort and all he wants to do is pull away, but there's really no escape from this pain. With his eyes closed Akechi can only focus on evening out his breathing, fighting against the urge to retch himself empty. But then a familiar soothing shower washes over him and he immediately recognizes it as Diarahan. Thank Yaldabaoth for personas.

The healing spell lifts worst of the pain. No longer is he engulfed in the hot, shearing pain and the color slowly returns to his face. His breathing is still heavy and ragged but at least it doesn't feel like he's about to die with each breath.

Akechi sits still for a half of a beat, before he leans forward -- quietly wincing at the dull ache as the skin around his wound is pulled, and buries his face in Akira's hair.]

Thank you. [His voice is barely louder than a whisper.

And now that his world is not painted by the agonizing pain he can turn his attention to Akira. He can't see his face from this angle but he observes his partner's body language, reading into the way his shoulders are hunched and the stress within his frame. He and Kotone had came up with a hypothesis about the nature of their powers here. One would need to put themselves in great danger for their Persona to manifest. So, to think that Akira was able to reach his here...

Yeah, the thought makes him want to laugh but all he can muster is an amused huff in his hair.] It's fine, Akira.

[chemex]

[He releases a breath he didn't realize he was holding from the point Akechi folded forward into his hair, skimming his hands up the outsides of his thighs to carefully wrap around the back of his hips and set his head against Goro's knees.]

[He chews over a few things to say, and ultimately doesn't settle on any of them, just making a soft sound of general disagreement.]

[murderingjustice]

[Akira doesn't need to say anything. The silence tells him more than enough, really. It's awful and gnaws another hole within his soul.

He allows them to stay there in the position for a moment, breathing in Akira's scent and waiting for the lash of anger that just doesn't come. Eventually the pressure around the wound becomes too much and Akechi has to withdraw.]

I need to clean up. Help me?

[chemex]

[His head is a mess of things he wants to say, but he sticks on each of them and trips up, staying silent instead. "What if it hadn't been fine?" "What if someone else had called me at work to tell me you were dead?" "It's only fine because you'll be okay,"]

["It's not fine at all."]

[His eyes get hot despite being closed, and he scrunches them closed tighter as Akechi sits up. Releasing his hips, Akira sits back on his haunches and nods. He doesn't dare look back up at him yet, instead standing and dusting off his pants needlessly. He struggles for a moment, starting to walk away and stopping at least three times before he manages to unstick his mouth long enough to actually talk.] Bath or shower?

[murderingjustice]

[Akira might not face him but that doesn't mean Akechi doesn't see him. This quietness is somehow making him feel worse about his condition. It's like a slap to his face, really highlighting the consequences of his actions.

A soft sigh escapes from him when Akira moves, both relieved and and pained. ]

..Bath. [he agrees eventually. Anything to keep him from standing.

Then, with trembling fingers he begins to unbutton his shirt, starting from collar and clumsily moving down.]

[chemex]

[He's trying to avoid making you feel bad, here, Akechi--]

[He reaches out, telegraphing the motion and stopping just short of actually touching him.] Stop, I'll help you. Let me run the bath.

[A beat, and he sinks back into a crouch, not sitting down fully so he can get up easier.] ...please. [He needs to help him with this. He needs Goro to understand that-- he's not okay, he's freaked the fuck out by once again being force-fed the mortality of everyone he cares about, but since Akechi is okay, in a manner of speaking, he needs permission to help him recover. To be a part of seeing him heal.]

[murderingjustice]

[This is starting to remind him from the last time he was injured. Although a broken finger cannot hold a candle to his current state, fever or no fever. But back then Akira had been so determined to take care of him through the night. And honestly? Akechi doesn't know what to do with that. It makes him feel weak and vulnerable.

A failure.

He doesn't want to meet Akira's stressed gaze.[

No. [He swats the air clumsily.] I told it's fine. I can do this.

[chemex]

[He shies away immediately, makes a quiet sound of acknowledgment, and walks away. He stays in the bathroom while the water heats, and then while the tub fills, wringing his hands and pacing in the tiny bathroom. It's fine, he said. Goro told him it's fine. So it's fine.]

[They don't have any towels that aren't white. They're going to stain. At least they're probably both pretty good at cleaning blood stains.]

[It takes about a total of five minutes for the tub to fill once the water is warm-- warm, but not hot, it's going to sting regardless. It's a small tub, so he'll have to be a little scrunched, but as long as he's submerged it should be soothing enough. It'll loosen any dried blood and help relax cramped muscles, and Goro probably wants to wash his hair. Akira rummages through the cabinet where Goro's fancy products are kept, puts a few choices in the corner of the lip of the tub, and picks his glasses back up, putting them back on his face before he steps back out into the hallway.]

[He doesn't actually come up with anything to say, just makes a soft hum of sound and tosses his head toward the bathroom door.]

[murderingjustice]

[That... Might've been unnecessarily harsh on his part. Akechi realizes that immediately when Akira moves away to get the bath ready. Gritting his teeth together he returns to the task of undressing which... goes as well as you'd expect. It's a slow and tedious process, but once Akira's back he's actually gotten his buttons undone and is in middle of awkwardly trying to shake the shirt off.

But now that his shirt is open there's a clear view to neatly wrapped bandage over his lower torso, covering his entire abdomen. And on the left side, below his ribcage is a hint of red, blooming through the white of the wrapping like a small flower.

Kicking his shoes off violently Akechi looks up at Akira, feeling his chest tightening a little at the sight of glasses. He doesn't say anything.

Instead he extends his arm out, asking for Akira's help to get up.]

[chemex]

[It's fine-- it's. It's fine. Akira knows how much Goro values his agency, his freedom, how hard it is for him to not see help offered as a suggestion he's weak or incapable. It's reflexive in the same way Akira's own offers to help regardless are. They're working on it.]

[He grits his teeth as his eyes immediately fall on the faint, but still bright bloom of red under his left ribs, flexing his fingers restlessly at his sides until Goro holds his arm out. He follows the motion behind his lenses instead of staring at the bandages, and moves forward to help him, but stops just short of actually touching him, again. He looks from his arm to Akechi's face, just for a moment, trying to work out in his head how to help him with minimal damage to either of them. Without hurting Akechi's pride, without chipping further away at his own damnable fragility over the subject. He clenches his jaw further, so much his temples ache, turning back to his arm and opting to stoop under it and loop it over his shoulders, similarly to how he'd gotten them up the stairs.]

[Words don't even begin to surface as things to be said, at this point.]

[murderingjustice]

[Not what he planned but there's no protest from him as Akira carefully pulls him up. Akechi takes a sharp breath and hangs his head low, leaning his body almost respectfully against.

Ok. He counts to three in his mind before gently nudging Akira, moving towards their bathroom.]

[chemex]

[And up they go. He keeps his opposite hand at Akechi's shoulder to avoid coming anywhere near the wound, and focuses on the bathroom and getting them to it with the same single-minded intensity he did the stairs. The shift in temperature and humidity as he opens the bathroom door is hopefully pleasant, and he shuffles to set Goro down on the lip of the tub, taking an immediate step away from him.]

[It takes him a second and a few false starts to speak.] Um. Let me know what to help you with.

[murderingjustice]

[The warm humidity of the bathroom feels good against against his skin, making the bath just appear more appealing and inviting. Without saying a word he allows Akira to position him on the edge of the tub, hands griping tightly on the porcelain.

In a way he appreciates that Akira isn't being pushy here, and instead waits for Akechi to take his time. Swallowing air, he keeps his head lowered, fighting back the sting of humiliation.]

With the rest. [He's still wearing his pants and he honestly would like to avoid moving his lower body as much as possible. Not to mention the bandage.]

Please.

[chemex]

[He nods, stepping forward moving mechanically to get his shirt off. He moves Akechi's arms as little as is feasible, pushing the fabric carefully until he's nearly in the bathwater behind him before he taps each wrist for him to shift his weight to pick up his hand from the lip of the tub. His pants are a little harder, but he unbuttons them dutifully and does the same-- pushes them down with his underwear until they're nearly in the water and against the lip of the tub. He crouches forward, then.] Lean on me and pick your butt up.

[murderingjustice]

[Once he's freed from the shackles of his shirt Akechi almost throws his arms at Akira, wrapping them around his neck. He continues to stay quiet while Akira undresses him, screwing his eyes shut and hiding his face. No this doesn't make it any less uncomfortable.

He does just as Akira instructs him, leaning forward and using the other's body as a leverage while lifting himself up, so that Akira can slide the rest of the garments off his body.]

[chemex]

[And he does, and then Akechi is Starkly Naked, for an entirely unsexy reason. The only thing still on him are the bandages wrapped around his entire torso, and Akira feels a wave of terrified nausea as he helps Goro settle back to the lip of the tub and looks at him. He exhales, the sound rattling slightly, and reaches out to comb a hand gently through his hair.] Doing okay?

[murderingjustice]

[this is extraordinarily unsexy situation, indeed. But luckily Akechi is too preoccupied with not hurting himself to worry about possible repercussions this might have to their intimacy.

He let's go of Akira, hands finding their place against the warm porcelain as he nods as an answer.]

What about you? [His voice sounds so coarse, as if there was something stuck on his throat. Then, slowly he raises his gaze to meet Akira's, left hand finding its way to grab the frames of his glasses and pushing them up off his face. Look at him properly.]

You... You don't have to do the bandage. Just give scissors and I'll handle it

[chemex]

[Akira simply drops his gaze to the floor when Goro turns the question back on him, so he startles when his hand reaches up to push his glasses onto the crown of his head. It results in a startled, unguarded stare, the red rimming his eyes from stress on clear display. The alarm in his eyes dims, then, and he shakes his head, moving out of range of his hand.]

With how badly you're shaking? You'll cut more than the bandages. Can you stand for a minute?

[murderingjustice]

[Equally bloodshot red eyes stare right back at Akira's. Akechi opens his mouth to argue against him, but ends up settling in a displeased pout. Akira is right. He is really worn out by the events of the night, the brief battle with Saito, getting almost killed, getting patched up by Chuuya and now going through this with Akira.. It's as if the whole disaster has lasted an eternity already, not... A few hours or whatever.

With his whole body shaking and low growl escaping from his chest, Akechi pushes himself up from the tub. He's visibly swaying on his feet -- looking right he'd faint any second.]

[chemex]

[Akira just sighs, reaching out to take his shoulders and steady him. He leaves one for him to lean into, reaching for the bandages with his other and carefully peeling from the end point. He circles, shifting his hand on Goro's shoulder and the bandage to keep him steady and continuously pull the bandaging. When he reaches the wound itself, he slows, and when the bandages are completely removed he doesn't look at it. Both hands go back to Goro's shoulders and he guides him to sit back on the lip of the tub.]

Can I help you get in, or are you going to scorn me for that, too? [His tone is just... quiet. Impassive. He's so tired of his own reflexive desire to help constantly threatening Goro's reflexive need to be independent, he just... can't argue about it right now.]

CW for wound description..?

[murderingjustice]

[Well to be fair... The wound isn't all that bad looking? In fact it's somewhat small that when looked afar it'd be easy to mistake it just for a red spot on his side, maybe a harsh rash or something. But up close there's no mistake. The wound lost some of it's perfect circle shape when the bullet was forced outside rather than coaxed out through a surgery, it's still angry red and the black stitches only giving the color more depth.

But oh well, at least the Diarahan Akira casted earlier helped to calm the skin down from around it along with ceasing the any potential bleeding between the stitches, so there's that. Still, despite its gruesome and violent appearance it still doesn't look half as bad as its already healed sibling that's located right next to his heart.

Akechi takes a deep breath as he sits back down again, shaking his head a bit.]

No, you can do that. [he's too tired to fight Akira.]

[chemex]

[In any case, Akira isn't looking at it, or the scar on his chest, so it doesn't really matter what it looks like or what the Diarahan healed. At least he won't have to figure out how to clean potential watered-down blood stains off of the bathtub, too.]

[He steps into his personal bubble and leans into his shoulder, gently tipping him backward with one arm looped behind him to support him, and with the other reaches down to scoop his legs up. Akira doesn't completely lift him, afraid to compress his side, but he pivots him on the lip of the tub until his legs are submerged. From there he leans Goro backward against his chest, looping his arms carefully under him to lower him into the tub.]

Some of your stuff is there, [He gestures to the row of soaps in the corner. He doesn't leave, remembering Goro's vicious reaction to his poorly explained attempt at giving him space on his birthday, but he puts his back to the wall and tries to take up as little space, make as little sound as he can.]

[murderingjustice]

[Small blessings.

Anyway, Akechi once again wraps his arm around Akira's neck for the support while using the other one to lower him on the bath. It's an awkward process and he can't stop his body from tensing when he's being guided down.

The water feels nice and warm, soothing his tired body -- at least until it comes in contact with his wound and Akechi hisses audibly at the sting, body quickly jerking up.

It's ok. Nothing he can't handle.

Once fully in the tub he forces himself relax. He let's out a quiet appreciative "hm" sound at his products. Although, he's not sure how much he looks forward to introduce the soap water to his wound. So far being able to wash the dried sweat off is satisfactory enough.

A moment of heavy silence falls between them, leaving the bathroom only to be filled by the sounds of their breathing and the subtle sound of water lapping against Akechi's body.

Then, he closes his eyes and bends knees a little, folding himself as much as his body allows.]

What's in your mind?

[chemex]

[He shuffles closer and sinks to sit with his back against the edge of the tub.]

Brainless sentimentality, as you'd call it.