continued from -----> @refcrmist
It’s 3 am, and Brin’s asleep.
It’s 3 am, and Brin’s asleep, until they’re not- until there’s a frantic pounding at their door that has them roused, bare feet padding lazily across hardwood floors. Past their elderly lab pup that snoozes peacefully on the floor in the hallway, hardly aware of the sound around her at all. Usually, Brin would just let the knocking continue, groan and tug a pillow over their head until the noise subsided, but... There’s just something. There’s a heaviness to whoever’s hand is at the door, an urgency, and it’s enough to twist Brin’s half-asleep mind into a tightly wound, slightly anxious ball. Attempting to blink themselves conscious, Brin opens the door before they can think better of it- and what they see on their doorstep immediately confirms the vague dread that’d been tugging at their gut.
Ravi. Broken. Blood. Wired eyes, cold hands gripping Brin’s too hot skin, all the air leaving Brin’s lungs at once from the shock of it all, the just... The horror of seeing someone they care for- no, love- someone they fucking love, mangled. Hurt, beyond immediate repair. Brin’s now alert gaze is everywhere all at once on Ravi- chest heaving as a panic settles in, breathing fast because no amount of oxygen is quite enough. Brin really keeps trying to say something, anything, but any time they open their mouth to speak not a sound comes out; it’s Ravi pulling away from their arms and settling against the door that scares a few words out of the scattered brunette, “No, hey!” closing the small gap between them with a quick step, gripping onto both of the other man’s shaky, dirtied hands with their own. Holding them tight, close to their chest, pained expression screwing up even further when they feel tears pricking behind their eyes. Seeing Ravi like this... Brin’s mind was going in a thousand different directions. They were mortified- closing their eyes tight for only a moment in a weak attempt at hoping that when they opened their eyes, Ravi would be okay. Unscathed. They’d open their eyes and Ravi would just be there, smiling, asking Brin why they looked so distressed. But. Of course, that wasn’t the case.
Swallowing the thick lump in their throat, Brin’s cloudy eyes are retrained on Ravi. Gathering enough sense within themselves to carefully tug Ravi away from the door by the hands they were still holding onto for dear life- wrapping their arm around their loved one’s shoulder as they guided them both towards Brin’s bathroom. “I-I want you to just... Don’t talk right now, save your energy, just- please, please let me take care of you.” Brin tried to hide the quivering in their tone, was trying to be strong, but it was... It was difficult. Brin never wanted to see Ravi in this condition; made them sick to their stomach, their core. And all they wanted to do in the moment was make sure Ravi was looked after. It was all Brin knew to do. It was all Brin wanted to do.