Based on a prompt from otpprompts [Post-Nr. = 53766825203]:

Imagine person A of your OTP gets in a fight and is beaten badly. Person B comes across Person A, who has been left bruised and bloody. Person B insists on taking care of Person A even though Person A is trying to be tough, possibly to impress Person B.

Coverart by ahikuboruchi (on tumblr) [Post-Nr. = 86019818951]

Enjoy :)

As Shion returned from his work at Inukashi's to the cold underground room he called home ever since his escape from No.6, he first started the kerosene heater, as usually, and let the heat spread before he took off his coat and began to prepare dinner while shuddering a little from the chill. He hopefully would be able to welcome Nezumi with a warm home and the smell of food later when he came back after a long day in the theater. The thought made him smile while he cut the remaining vegetables from yesterday into bite sized pieces and heated the water on the stove.

When it started to boil, Shion dropped the chunks with a knife into the pot and put the flame down a little. They usually would add chicken or something similar to the soup to make it a bit more nutritious but they already ran out of meat yesterday. Shion would have to go to the market tomorrow to restock their food supplies.

But for now, there was nothing more for him to do than to pass the time reading the book he started last night and pay attention to the soup so it wouldn't boil over. By the time the food was ready, Nezumi would probably be back, so at least the opening door would bring him back into reality for the case he lost himself too much in the words. Shion didn't really know how long he was immersed in the story of a perfect society – a society such as No.6 liked to claim to be and that worried him a little – but the excited chatter of their little roommates interrupted his thoughts.

"Hamlet?" Shion threw the mouse which stood on both hind legs on the table to be at least to some extent on par with him a confused glance. Then his eyes flew to the stove. How long did the soup cook already?

"Oh, crap!" Hurriedly, Shion marked the page where he had stopped reading and put the book down before he jumped up and rushed to the heater. Scrutinizing, he took one of the waiting spoons and stirred the liquid which was slightly thickened by the potatoes but was relieved to find the vegetables even and dinner not ruined. But … Nezumi still wasn't back …

It wasn't like him to be late. Perhaps he had been held up at rehearsal? Or he had to take a detour – in the West Block you could never predict when a tangible dispute broke out. And either you were in the middle of it and hastened to get out of the sometimes even literal line of fire or you did anything to avoid the occurrence; unless it was a personal matter. One shouldn't interfere too much with the affairs of a stranger around this area, at least Shion had learned this much during his brief stay here.

Nezumi knew that better than anyone else Shion knew – he had taught him to assess these situations and to avoid them after all. He surely would be alright … With this thought, Shion turned down the flame of the kerosene heater and let the soup boil on low heat. The vegetables shouldn't overcook while he waited for Nezumi's return; not to mention that he didn't want to imagine his lamentation should the vegetables boil to a pulp …

Shion sighed and looked apologetically to the three impatient mice. "I guess the dinner has to wait a little while longer then, right?" Shion couldn't hold back a laugh as agitated chirping and chattering flew towards him. "Why do you scold me? Complain to your master when he finally comes home!" As if to agree with him the three fell silent almost instantly and resigned to their fate. Nezumi would probably still get an earful tonight …

Another sigh escaped Shion at the thought of the other boy. Was he really alright? But what could he possibly do anyway. The last time he had precipitately bolted out of the safety of their hideout and had gone to Nezumi's rescue he had only received reprimand for it. And it really wasn't like he could even help Nezumi in an emergency. Actually, he probably would be more of a burden. And it wasn't as if he even knew at all where to look for him either.

His only clue would be the theater but he was certain that Nezumi had already left it. One disadvantage about living in an underground room was that it was hard to estimate the time. Only the three mice seemed to always be able to tell the time, so Shion had learned to calculate it based on their behavior. Not a particularly reliable source considering that they just woke them at sunrise and demanded their rations in the evening …

With another sigh, Shion sat back on the floor, leaning against their shared bed with his back, and picked up the book again. He tried to regain his focus on the words on the pages but caught himself staring absentmindedly at the door over and over again, pondering whether he shouldn't just go out and look for Nezumi.

The gradually more and more insistent becoming chirping of the mice also gave him a vague idea of how late it already was. Eventually it got so bad that he turned off the stove to not overcook the vegetables in the end despite all the care taken and fed Hamlet, Tsukiyo and Cravat a few bread crumbs so that they would finally give him a little peace and wouldn't get on his nerves any further. He looked thoughtfully down at them while the three were eating.

"I'm going to search for him …" Shion said quietly to them whereupon all three raised their little heads and stared at him with their big round eyes. "It's late and it's not safe out there, all alone. Something must have happened, right?" He didn't get an answer but Shion didn't need one anyway. His mind was set. With hasty steps, he went to the entrance, threw the coat which he had left near it over himself and clasped the handle. Just when he was about to open the door he felt four little paws climb up the fabric and spotted Cravat who had made himself comfortable on his shoulder.

"You watch out for me not getting lost in the dark, huh?" The mouse squeaked once as if to confirm his suspicion. And as much as Shion wished that it had just been a joke from his part – he had never roaming around West Block alone at night. He felt safer with someone at his side who knew the area like the back of his hand. And he didn't doubt Cravat's skills to guide him back to their hideout for a single moment.

"Let's not waste any more time, then!" He opened the door with a creaking noise and shut it carefully behind him when Shion saw a movement in the corner of his eyes. Startled, he recoiled and spun around, trying to screen through the darkness and tell whether some of the homeless residents of the West Blocks managed to open the aboveground door but relaxed immediately when he recognized Inukashi's dog that accompanied him to the hotel and back every day.

"You're still here?" he asked in surprise as tired eyes fixed on him. As if in response to his voice, the dog whined shortly and Shion could see indistinctly that he wagged his tail. As if he asked what he did out here at this time of the evening … "Nezumi still isn't back and … I'm worried. I'll go look for him." Shion had hardly finished the sentence when Inukashi's brother rose, leisurely stretched once and took a few steps towards him while he expectantly looked at him with his big brown eyes.

Shion needed a moment to realize what the dog offered him. "You … want to help me?" In response, he received an enthusiastic barking which educed a relieved smile from him. "Thank you." Inukashi's dogs were almost all exceptionally intelligent and furthermore knew the city well. Not to mention that this particular dog had seen both him and Nezumi often enough to probably trace both of them down on the basis of their smell. If he thought more about it, it was almost uncanny that Inukashi had thus indirectly finagled a way to be able to determine both his own as well as Nezumi's whereabouts relatively efficiently at any time …

If he should ever find out that Inukashi had really intended so when he had assigned his brother to him, Shion would probably thank him now. But for the moment, he shook off that thought. Nezumi was more important – no matter what means he had to use to bring him back home safely. As Shion opened the secret entrance to their hiding place he buried all these disturbing thoughts and feelings, trying to calm down using the cold night air which hit him because of the wintry season.

Shion pulled his shoulders up and buried his face in the collar of his coat before he set out towards the low and crooked buildings of the West Block. As unlikely as it might be that Nezumi was still in the theater, it was his only clue and Shion would be damned before he aimlessly searched the streets of the city and thus lost even more time. It was already bad enough that he had waited so long to search for Nezumi. Whatever had happened it must have been on the way from the theater to their shelter. So he would start there.

He couldn't imagine that Nezumi would preferably go through the market street or other large main streets on his way home. Eve was almost a celebrity in the West Block and therefore, the probability that Nezumi would be recognized and delayed was much higher on the crowded streets. On the other hand, he avoided the small and unrepentant streets because they offered a perfect hideout for thieves. That's what Nezumi had always drummed into him. As contradictory as Nezumi sometimes was, he had an unsurpassed sense for the dangers around him and how to avoid them effectively. Hence, there weren't too many routes he could have taken from the theater to Shion's knowledge – if he hadn't been stabbed from behind and robbed in an alley.

Shion faltered when the thought appeared in his head out of nowhere. What if really something bad happened to Nezumi? What if he would never see him again? What if he hadn't been strong enough to survive? Shion would have to continue living alone … Here … Was he even able to? Living on without Nezumi? Or would he simply loose his mind? Without Nezumi who brought him back down to earth and opened his eyes again and again for the cruelties of the world? Without Nezumi who gave him comfort and support in the same breath? How could he ever –

The whining of the dog next to him pulled him back to reality. It was scary what kind of dark emotions the thought of a world without Nezumi aroused in him. As if he couldn't stand the whole world anymore when Nezumi wasn't living in it, somewhere out there … He shook his head vehemently to clear his mind again. He had to find Nezumi. At all costs. No matter what he would come across. Not matter what would happen to him. And although he had all the help he could wish for – it just wasn't enough; never enough.

"Sorry. Let's keep looking, okay?" whispered Shion and was about to leave with quick steps in the direction of the theater – Just to get away from the place of the black thoughts – when he saw from the corner of his eyes how his companion suddenly pricked up his ears and held his nose in the air. Shion gasped as he immediately turned to him and watched the constant twitching of the nostrils while the ears lined up in a new direction excitedly.

Did he catch a scent? Or heard anything? Before Shion could utter a word, the slim silhouette suddenly shot forward and followed the small street before it turned abruptly into a narrow alley. Shion only ran after him when the dog began to bark loudly and almost ran into the wall when he stumblingly rounded the corner. "What is it? Did you find someth–" Shion stopped short when he saw what the dog was sniffing behind a big pile of scrap wood while whimpering. "Nezumi!"

The hunched down figure flinched before he quietly murmured his name – as if he didn't really recognize him but only his voice, maybe even only the anxious words, and assigned it to his name. Nezumi's voice sounded rough, tense and exhausted – Shion refused to call it weak – as if he had already sat longer here in the cold and slipped in and out of consciousness. This was his fault. If only he had gone to search for Nezumi earlier!

Shion could barely stand the pain in his chest at the sight of Nezumi and felt tears welling up in his eyes while he involuntarily clenched his teeth before he forced himself to calm down and preserve a calm façade. He couldn't loose himself in his own feelings now. He had to help Nezumi and bring him to safety; and it wouldn't help to trouble and upset him even further in his already battered condition should he notice how disturbed Shion was.

He quickly knelt in front of Nezumi and stilled the trembling in his hands before he gently grabbed his shoulders. "Nezumi?" His voice trembled, betraying his efforts. Shion wasn't sure if it was a good idea to force Nezumi back to consciousness with his voice and touch but when he would remain so apathetic he knew that he himself would panic sooner or later. He just had to know if he was alright …

When Nezumi's closed eyelids opened and revealed the silver irises, the wave of relief that flooded Shion was quickly replaced by a feeling of falling. Without hesitation, Nezumi threw his weight forward and brought Shion out of balance who fell helplessly on his back with the other boy above him. At the same moment, Nezumi's hands closed around his neck and in the motion shook off his light grip around his shoulders.

Shion didn't even try to defend himself against Nezumi. It probably wouldn't have made sense anyway, even if he hadn't been completely solidified when he could look more closely at Nezumi's face in the light of the stars and the half-full moon. His left cheek had taken an unhealthy blue-green hue, undoubtedly caused by a blow to the cheek bones. Probably from a fist, even if Shion wasn't sure when he discovered small abrasions between the purple discoloration and on his chin. Nezumi's brow was covered with dried blood, presumably from a wound on his forehead, and he could make out light read marks on his neck that looked clearly enough like fingers and a hand to Shion.

"W-What …?" Shion began but broke off when Nezumi's hands closed tighter around his throat and took his breath away. For a moment, Shion wondered if Nezumi would perhaps really strangle him before he woke up from his delirium. But then he sat up, not even really knowing where he got the strength to defend himself against Nezumi's grip which wanted to keep him on the ground with all his might, and reached out, gently caressing the maltreated cheek. "Who?" he ground out sharply even though his words hardly had any space in his throat and only broke out of him stertorously.

Suddenly, the body above him breathed a sigh of relief and the pressure on his larynx waned. Then, all the remaining energy seemed to leave Nezumi as he weakly dropped to the side. Before he could touch the ground, Shion threw his arms protectively around him and pulled him closer. For a moment he feared that he had passed out – he would never be able to carry him all the way back to their hiding place – but when he heard Nezumi's heavy breathing and noticed the now much more alert silvery eyes that were firmly fixated on him, he stifled a relieved laugh.

Shion couldn't help but lean his face against the back of Nezumi's head for a moment and enjoy the feeling of the soft hair against his skin. Nezumi shook him off, grumbling as he tried to sit up and stand on his own two feet. Shion knew better than to give in to the temptation to extend his arms to him and want to help him. Nezumi would only waste valuable energy trying to push him away.

Shion stumbled hastily back to his feet nevertheless and stayed close to him. He wouldn't allow Nezumi to get even more injured in a fall. He could only see the bruises on his neck and face; he had no idea what it would look like under his clothes. As far as he knew, Nezumi could very well have suffered bruised or even broken bones. And he would be damned if he would allow Nezumi to hurt himself any further with his pride – even if he himself would have to suffer a few contusions.

When Nezumi had straightened up with heavy breaths and precariously stood on his own legs again while he leant heavily against the wall next to him, Shion couldn't hold back the words that burned on the tip of his tongue anymore. "What happened?" He had been prepared to be ignored or to get a mocking remark about his curiosity – maybe even to be called on to use his own head like Nezumi told him so often – but not the harsh "None of your business" which hit him in the cold air like a strong wind and made him shiver as well.

"But …" before he could finish the sentence, Nezumi pushed off the wall and walked with uncertain steps in the direction of their home under Shion's increasingly worried gaze. With a shake of his head, Shion suppressed any thought of trying to somehow make it understandable to Nezumi that he was just worried and followed the black-haired silently.

He had been worried sick. He had feared for Nezumi, had even briefly considered that Nezumi could have died out there on the streets. Died while Shion cooked their dinner safe and cozy in their little home and waited for his return. He felt ill when he thought about it. How much time he had wasted just sitting around and doing nothing. He had thought he was beyond this passiveness; gave up the habit of waiting for the solution of a problem rather than seek it himself … Was he still just as weak as he was back then in No.6?

Shion knew that he couldn't share any of these thoughts with Nezumi. He didn't want him to know how weak Shion still was even after all these weeks here in the West Block when he himself struggled with injuries through the streets in order to get safely back home. How could he ever burden him with his useless feelings?

Suddenly, Nezumi's legs gave in underneath him for a moment and let him stumble. Shion was immediately beside him and wrapped an arm around his back to support him with a grasp under his armpits. But before he could even try to heave Nezumi back up or to shift his weight a little on his own body, he felt himself being pushed away from the warm figure next him and tripped from the force behind it. Nezumi had hardly time to recover from the recoil himself.

"I can walk just fine by myself …" His voice was weaker than before but no less biting. If Shion should try to force his help on him he would probably only make things worse. Nezumi would struggle and defend himself and exhaust the strength he would need for the way home. So Shion signingly put up with Nezumi's stubbornness and instead kept a good eye on him for the rest of the walk.

After a while, Shion noticed that Nezumi began to breathe harder and to hold his right side every now and then – as if his ribs hurt while breathing. Shion hoped fervently that he was wrong. Bruised ribs were uncomfortable but not life-threatening, although they would affect Nezumi for several weeks. A rib fracture on the other hand …

It was too early to worry about it. He would have to palpate Nezumi's chest to decide whether it was a fracture or just a very painful hematoma but he would never allow him to do so. Whether he liked it or not, Shion had to have faith in Nezumi's own judgment. He knew his body the best and knew how much he could endure …

And Shion just wanted to make Nezumi's pain as bearable as possible. Although he hadn't eaten since the early morning and came home hungry, his appetite was completely gone. He doubted that it would come back soon – the very sight of the bruise on Nezumi's cheek would let his gut contract with guilt.

What if he had looked for him sooner? Maybe he could have protected him? Shion tried to bury all these ifs and buts deep inside himself. They would lead to nothing. He couldn't change the past and it did nothing to brood over it when in the here and now he could do something for Nezumi. He was egoistical enough to wish that Nezumi would trust him and open up to him but he was also egoistical enough to protect him and care for him against his will if necessary.

He figured that Nezumi would probably resent him for all these things but wasn't he himself just as selfish? Wasn't it selfish that he demanded that Shion remained in the safety of their hiding place while he endangered himself in order to earn their livelihood and subsequently wanted him to stifle his worries? Wasn't it selfish to rely on only himself when his own live had become that important to another person? Wasn't it also selfish to worry him even more by being so repellent and stubborn?

Shion noticed that the slope of the terrain slowly increased which could only mean that hey had already reached the immediate vicinity of their hiding place. More specifically, the hill they traversed every day to come into the West Block. Nezumi seemed to notice the change in the soil too and he quickened his pace, Shion registered with a frown. He shouldn't overexert himself like this. But before he could express his concern, the other suddenly stopped in his track and pressed a hand to his right side again – this time much stronger than before as if to compensate the movements of his chest with it.

"Shit …" his breathless voice wafted over to him while Nezumi slightly slumped forward and propped himself up with his left hand on his knee. Shion hastily caught up with him. "You okay?" He wanted to lay a hand on Nezumi's back and support him but held himself back in the last second when the other shot him a glare.

"Never mind!" The aggressive tone of voice reminded Shion of the growl of a wounded animal that had been cornered and didn't know which way to escape to. He fancied the comparison as quite appropriate. Nezumi tended to become violent when someone pestered him too much and took every other alternative away from him – Shion had already learned that the hard way several times. Even if his aggressiveness not always expressed itself in physical violence …

As if to confirm his own words, Nezumi forced himself instantaneously to straighten up as Shion took a step back to give him room to breathe and walked up the rest of the hill going so fast that Shion had to run after him. Still, he could clearly make out the suppressed pain in Nezumi's face. Why was he so bent on not leaning on him even for only a single time? Went his desire for independence really so far?

When they finally returned to the safety of their hideout, Nezumi threw himself onto their shared bed without a single second of hesitation, his back to Shion who watched him. He had been surprised that the other had apparently managed to walk downstairs without much difficulty but the heavy lifting and lowering of his shoulders spoke a different language. He probably didn't want Shion to see his face – whatever he might hide there. Still … the tense posture of his body hurt Shion at the mere sight of it and he had no doubt that Nezumi could still feel his injuries.

Sighing, Shion sought in the lower compartments of the bookshelves for their towels and the first-aid kit from which he took all the bandages that he could find. Then he took the bowl from the bath with which they usually rinsed themselves before showering and their second cooking pot. He packed everything up so that he could tuck all the things under his arm and went back up into the fresh air. When he opened the door, he could hear how Nezumi moved on the bed and quietly muttered something he didn't understand but obviously didn't find the strength to sit up and see where Shion went at this time of the night.

Shion filled the pot as well as he could with the few clean snow from the last winter storm that wasn't already thawed or degenerated into mud and covered it with the towels. Then he went to the nearby spring to fill the bowl with the ice-cold water and put it into the remaining space in the pot on the towels after he dipped the gauze into the water. Groaning, he picked everything up with both hands and staggered back with cautious steps.

The aboveground door was difficult because he had no hand free to press the switch correctly but finally somehow managed to push the loose stone far enough into the wall with his elbow that the mechanism triggered. The stairway wasn't much better. Shion wasn't used to descend steps without seeing where he was going and almost tripped over his own legs when he miscounted and found only flat floor with his feet. He didn't even try to open the door to their living room with the pot still in his arms but prudently set it down before he pulled the latch and gathered up the things again and carried them over to the bed. Then he went back to prevent that the cold crept into the room although there was already nothing left from the heat he had previously created with the kerosene heater in the evening. At least the snow wouldn't melt too quickly …

When Shion finally came to stand in front of the bed, he sighed. Nezumi was asleep – and had sprawled himself across the entire mattress. He was probably used to it like this … Shion doubted that it was the first time that he had come home in this state; the life of the people here was too hard and relentless for it to be. But at that time, he had been alone – all on his own and too enervated to take care of his wounds. He would wake up with pain in all his limbs and muscles if they wouldn't cool the bruises properly.

Although Nezumi usually never was a particularly firm sleeper – firmly enough to not notice how he often kicked him in his sleep or tossed him out of bed, as Shion sometimes held against him when Nezumi complained about what a clue- and defenseless sleeper Shino was – he was exhausted enough to not notice how Shion slowly pushed up his shirt until his chest was revealed.

He winced when he saw the dark spots and extended skin discolourations. The right rib area, the abdomen, the chest and apparently even the left hip bone were severely damaged but to his relief, nothing seemed to be broken. Shion was able to feel the kicks and blows again he had already received since his escape from No.6 at the mere sight of Nezumi's injuries. The pain at those times was probably laughable to those bruises.

Carefully, Shion wrapped some of the snow he brought into one of the two towels and put the ice pack slowly on Nezumi's belly. The black-haired was instantly wide awake because of the sudden coldness and sat up abruptly out of a pure reflex before he fell back on the mattress with a painful groan. Shion wasn't misled and dropped the bandages that were soaked with the cold spring water on the remaining bruises and on Nezumi's forehead with a few quick hand movements.

"That's damn cold!" he finally brought out through his chattering teeth and Shion could see a shiver run down his body. "These are against the bruising. And the pain should also go back" Shion said as he casually filled the second towel with ice and then held it out to Nezumi. "Here, for your face." When Nezumi took the cold pack from him, Shion got up to look for more blankets to keep his body warm. As good as cooling was suited for such injuries, it withdrew Nezumi's body heat and under no circumstances Shion wanted to risk a cold.

"And this is supposed to help?" Nezumi asked with a doubtful tone lacing his voice and a facial expression that Shion otherwise only saw on children who were getting applied a plaster on their bleeding knees from their mothers. He chuckled before he started to respond: "The cold causes the injured and healthy blood vessels around the wound to contract. Therefore, not as much blood can leak out into the skin which keeps the spread of the hematoma within limits." When Nezumi just continued to look at him without replying anything, Shion shook his head. "The bruises heal faster and it reduces the pain – isn't that enough?"

Nezumi shrugged. "Probably won't help my face that much." But he made no move to remove the towels or gauze. Apparently, Nezumi himself seemed to notice that the cold was good for him although he was still shaking. Hastily, Shion spread the only two blankets they had over him and leaned forward to place it a little tighter around Nezumi's body as he felt it raising at his side again and how his wrist which he propped on the mattress was clutched.

With a quick movement, Nezumi pulled him into the bed and pressed his belly against Shion's back before he let the blanket fall over them again. "Wah, that's cold!" he exclaimed, instinctively trying to get immediately away from the cold that seeped through his shirt with the water from Nezumi's gauze but Nezumi's arms wrapped themselves around his waist and chest vicelike and held him effectively in place.

Before he could complain any further and tell him to let him go, Shion felt how Nezumi buried his face in his hair and could make out a sleepy murmur that he almost wouldn't have heard: "What do you think whose fault it is that I'm so damn cold now?" Surprised, Shion paused and stared absently at the kerosene lamp which supplied the space with diffuse light as he tried to process what had been said. Then he felt a smile spread on his face.

Now Nezumi wanted his help, huh?