(Warning: minor injuries, bruising, broken bones, foul language)
Arlyn let out a relieved sigh when the top of the stairs was finally within reach... only to almost fall back with a yelp. Luckily, both her and the woman she was supporting had a firm grip on the handrail.
"Damn it, Arlyn, I've even warned you!" Sam's voice was full of exasperation, leaning down while balancing on her good leg with her lover's help to pick up the thigh-high boot she was forced to drop earlier to prevent the mishap.
"Sorry, sorry." The singer replied sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck once they were safely at the front door. She couldn't even be bothered to move her hair out of her face.
With her instincts all but screaming that her girlfriend wouldn't take kindly to fooling around with the lock at the moment, Arlyn handed over the keys without a fuss. She also shifted her weight to support more of the worgen's.
"Tides, what a night." She sighed, stretching a bit once they were inside and her partner removed her arm around her shoulder.
"You can say that again." Sam huffed, unable to hide her exhaustion.
Getting back here all the from the Flask & Rum in their present state was quite taxing, after all.
Now that she was free to hop along the confines of the apartment and use the walls and furniture as handholds, Sam kissed her lover's cheek as thanks for the help so far.
The worgen made her way to the nearby couch to get rid of her remaining boot, her sigh of relief swiftly turning into a pained hiss as she propped her injured leg up on the furniture.
"Just stay there and unwind a bit, I'll grab the crutches and the first aid satchel. Be back in a moment!" The singer commented while removing her own footwear. She didn't even wait for an answer as she padded barefoot towards their bedroom, her fingers tracing along the wall.
"Oi, can do that myself, you should sit down!" Sam retorted, grunting as she tried to stand. "Just... gimme a minute."
"It's not my leg that got wrecked, love. Besides, it's no trouble at all! I have kept this place in the same organized chaos for years, I could get around and find everything even with my eyes closed!" Arlyn retorted cheekily, almost raising an eyebrow at the worgen's unsuccessful attempt to get up, but stopped herself at the last moment.
Still, the growl she received made her regret the witty remark instantly.
"Sorry, just... you're just as hurt as me, no need to pretend you're fine. Could understand why you did it back in the tavern, but it's just us here." Sam couldn't help but sigh at Arlyn's doleful pout, accepting her defeat and leaned back into the couch.
"I... yeah, you are right, sorry as well. It will really only take a moment though, then you can take care of me as well, okay?" The singer nodded, a hand subconsciously tracing her split lip at the reminder and winced at the pain. Still, she hummed out a happier note at the approving grunt.
True to her word, she made a quick work of the supply run, but not without getting stuck in the doorframe once as she accidentally held one of the crutches in the wrong angle, blocking her passage.
"Hey, it's not funny!" Arlyn huffed, arms crossed after she handed over her quarry to her girlfriend and was pulled down next to her by a pair of strong arms.
"Sorry, sorry, you're right. " Sam rolled her eye playfully though, since she could get away with it right now.
"You are forgiven." The singer gave in after a brief silence, resting her head on her partner's shoulder.
"Don't get too comfortable, love, am patching you up first. All you need to do is filling the cold compresses with your ice magic and lay down your head in my lap."
"But-!"
"No 'but's, my knee can survive a few minutes longer without a splint. Besides... am aware you hate healers, but gotta find one after we wake up so I can walk again as soon as possible. Daresay you could use one too, but won't force it."
"I'm actually glad you'll get fixed up, hopefully I won't have to hear you cry out in pain like that again anytime soon... As for me, I'll think about it." Arlyn exhaled before replying, but did as she was asked.
She finally moving her hair out of her face once she was enjoying the lap pillow, revealing a pair of completely swollen shut eyes. She was essentially blind since an hour or two ago, and would remain so until the swelling went down enough so she could open at least one eye in a few days.
Thus, the difficulty of getting home from the tavern was actually worse than any onlooker would think.
The question 'how bad do I look' was on her lips, but her lover's stifled gasp was all the answer she needed. Well, shit.
The way Sam's fingers caressed her cheeks with utmost care almost made Arlyn tear up, but the sudden cold spreading over her busted eyes forced out a curse instead.
"Fishguts! You should have warned me!" She grumbled, but got used to the sensation quite quickly. A perk of being a frost mage also attuned to the Tides, apparently.
"And you should've been more careful! I know you faced enemies far more deadly than a drunked bastard and his group, but there was seriously no need to take that mailed fist in the face for me! Could've dodged it even with a fucked up leg..." The worgen's free hand twitched, wishing she would've mauled the perpetrators instead of merely knocking most of them out, but hindsight was a bitch as always.
"I couldn't just stand and let them insult and beat you after you stopped the asshile from trying to grab me! And the cowardly way one of his pals smashed your knee with his weapon after you've spent the big guy down his ass with just a punch... I just couldn't stand and do nothing, and since freezing the place or summoning Tymest would have wrecked the tavern, that didn't leave me with a lot of options!" The singer retorted, adjusting one of the compresses so it covered more of the massive bump keeping her left eye sealed. At least the right one didn't feel that bad, a small mercy.
"That doesn't mean you have to get your face pummeled for my sake! Am worried enough when you come back after the usual brawls, but this wasn't like that and you know it! And seeing you like this, gods... am tempted to find the fuckers and tear them to pieces the moment I can walk!" Sam growled, but it was an empty threat and they both knew it.
"I can only imagine how I look, but I'll be fine soon enough. So don't feel down or think you have failed to protect me, or some similar bullshit, okay?" Arlyn relented after realizing there could be no winner in the argument, reaching up and cupped her partner's cheek after she finally found it.
Thankfully, she could feel the tension draining out of her lover at the touch. Feeling encouraged, she gathered the compresses before sitting up and claiming Sam's lips for a quick kiss -a small reward, and a promise of more later-, before returning to her earlier position in her lap and continued to nurse her peepers.
"Also, thanks for pretending I could still see so Gramps allowed us to come back home without too much fuss. I seriously thought he would grab the pistol he keeps stashed under the barpult and start shooting. His opinion matches yours regarding my fun at the brawls on the lower floor, but his voice was downright terrifying when he showed up. Maybe it's better I couldn't see shit by then, because I'm sure he was livid."
"Wouldn't have worked without hiding your face with your hair, to be fair... But yeah, by Goldrinn, I thought he would have my hide alongside the bastards' when he noticed you were on the ground. The crack when he whacked the guy with the butt of the gun... it didn't come from the weapon." The worgen shuddered a little at the memory. "Am pretty sure I've dodged the figurative bullet there only by a hair's breadth."
"No, he knows how important you are to me, he wouldn't risk it. You are family, so if anything, I think he was mad that someone dared to hurt both of his daughters." The singer offered with a smile, a pity she couldn't see the expression on Sam's face.
"Hah... maybe." was all the reply she had received, but the emotions in those two words were clear as day.
Neither of them was bothered by the silence that settled into the room afterwards, content to just be and feel the closeness of the other.
Arlyn continued to rub Sam's cheek while the worgen was busy taking care of her injured leg, but would occasionally lean down to place a kiss on the singer's forehead in turn.
"Come on, let's go to bed. We both need the sleep." Arlyn finally offered after she was sure Sam's leg was patched up as well as possible for now, and got to her feet before helping her lover to stand as well.
"Just one last thing. Let me wrap your eyes, am sure you don't to repeat the experience of trying to rub them open the moment you wake up, right?" The worgen added, and did her best to be as gentle as possible while using the gauze once she got permission.
"You'll never let me live that down, right?" Arlyn groaned halfheartedly and reached out to pull Sam in for another kiss.
