Summary: Sean headbutts Kieran after an argument, giving Kieran a bloody nose and bruised cheekbone. You step in to help Kieran clean himself up.
Pairing: Kieran Duffy x f!Reader
Word Count: 2507
Rating: SFW
Warnings: Minor descriptions of blood and violence
Tags: Arguments, Nosebleed, Bruises, Fluff, Friends to lovers, First kiss.
Notes: Based off that camp interaction where Sean goes BONK on Kierans' poor nose.
EDIT: The bathing Kieran fic is HERE, nsfw warning tho :^)
Male version | Read on AO3
You'd overheard Sean and Kieran bickering from across the camp. Sean was as always, calling Kieran an O'Driscoll, winding the poor boy up for being something he's not.
You'd not spoken to Kieran much. He seemed very timid and kept to himself. Most of the gang bullied him like their life depended on it, so you weren't surprised that Kieran kept his distance and didn't bother trying to be-friend people.
Sean was one of the many few who would purposely go out of his way to torment Kieran, following the poor boy around the camp, shouting at him at every opportunity he got. He used Kieran as his personal punching bag. Kieran would sometimes just accept it and walk away, but today Kieran was fighting back.
"You better stop that," Kieran hissed at Sean.
Sean laughed to himself. "Else what?"
"I'll get ya for it, that's a damn promise," Kieran snapped.
By now, most of the gang members were watching the two argue. A handful of them were calling out to try and get the two to stop, though no one had fully stepped in.
"Whatever you say, O'Driscoll," Sean teased, grinning as he saw Kieran's face go red.
"You know, I ain't no O'Driscoll," Kieran replied as if his words were going to get through to Sean.
Kieran approached Sean as he spoke, pointing his finger at him, huffing. Sean grinned again before suddenly headbutting the poor boy. A loud crack was heard and Kieran fell backward onto the floor.
Miss Grimshaw was the first one to march over and begin screaming at Sean. Sean walked away, Grimshaw on his tail. Sean tried to brush her away, making up excuses as to why Kieran deserved what he got.
You had automatically approached Kieran to see if he was okay. Kieran was sat on the floor, his hand clutching his nose. He slowly stood up, watching blood drip down his white shirt.
"You okay?" you asked him, placing a hand softly on his back which accidentally startled him.
"Oh!" Kieran said as he spun around to see you stood there, a concerned look over your face. "Yeah, I'm fine," Kieran lied.
"No you ain't, your nose is bleedin'," you replied. Kieran sighed and looked at the ground. The poor boy looked like a dog that he been scolded far too many times for things he never did.
"Yeah. Hurts pretty damn bad if I'll be honest," Kieran replied, not looking at you. His spare hand picked at his neckerchief and managed to take it off, using the rag to press against his nose. He wiped his bloody hand down his already ruined white shirt.
You huffed at him. Messy boy.
"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up," you told him.
"Oh, it's okay, Miss. I'll be fine," Kieran replied, finally looking up at you.
"No, you won't. Bet you don't even know how to get blood out a shirt. C'mon," you insisted as you softly took him by the arm, leading him over to the lake. On the way, you stopped by your tent, grabbing a few items to wash his clothes with, along with a rag to press against his nose rather than his neckerchief.
Kieran sat down beside you on the pier. His nose had mostly stopped bleeding, but his face was covered in smeared blood, along with a bruise starting to form under his right eye.
"I need your shirt," you told him.
"Erm.." Kieran paused for a moment, seeming rather nervous.
"I won't look," you say as you looked away. You overheard Kieran quietly laugh, followed by the sound of him undressing his upper half.
"Here you are, Miss," Kieran said, holding out his shirt and neckerchief. He had put his hat back on, along with his unbuttoned blue shirt. You could see the outline of his ribs and collarbones, his body was so scrawny and thin. Poor boy.
You tried not to stare, taking his clothes and leaning forward on your knees so you could begin washing them in the lake. The two of you were silent for a while, only the sounds of you scrubbing in the lake could be heard. Eventually, Kieran spoke.
"Erm.." he quietly muttered, catching your attention. You looked over your shoulder at him. Kieran looked away.
"Thank you... I really appreciate it, Miss," Kieran quietly said, clearly embarrassed about the whole situation.
"You know, you can call me (Y/N)," you smiled.
"Well, (Y/N), I appreciate you helpin' me," Kieran said as he looked at you. He had removed the bloody rag from his nose.
"You should probably wash your face," you told him. You didn't mean for it to come across so blunt. His eyes widened.
"Am I that bad?" Kieran asked.
All around Kieran's nose, mouth, and chin was red from where he rubbed the bloody cloth against it. He looked like he had shoved the lower half of his face in a watermelon.
"If I say no, will it make you feel better?" you joked.
Kieran pulled a face that resembled 'whoops,' and lent forward to begin washing his face in the lake. You overheard him whine under his breath, not realizing how bad the bruise under his eye was.
You finished washing his clothes, the bloodstain pretty much gone. You saw Kieran dry off his face with his sleeve, then began to button up his blue shirt with the few buttons left on it.
"I need to go put this on the line. I got something to help that bruise also," you said to him as you wrung out his shirt.
"Oh, lead the way," Kieran said as he stood up, offering you a hand. You accepted, letting Kieran help pull you up.
The two of you walked back into camp. You could see Sean glaring at Kieran in the corner of your eye and only hoped that Kieran was choosing to ignore it.
You flung his shirt and neckerchief over the camps clothesline then lead Kieran over to your tent. You invited him inside your enclosed tent; there was more than enough room for the two of you to comfortably sit.
"Here," you say as you give Kieran a spare shirt.
"Oh, I don't mind wearin' this. I don't wanna get your clothes dirty," Kieran responds.
"I've seen how conscious you feel. Just put the shirt on, it's your size," you say as you place the shirt on his lap.
"Thank you," Kieran quietly says.
Kieran begins changing once you look away, going through your stuff to find the ointment you were looking for. You quickly find it and turn back to see Kieran pulling his braces up over his shoulders, then placing his hat back on.
"Suits you," you smile at him. You can see him blush, despite how dark it is in your tent. You had given him a yellow plaid shirt to wear, the colour going well with his brown pants and hat.
"T-thank you," Kieran replies, rubbing the back of his neck.
"C'mon, let's get that bruise sorted before your eye swells up," you say as you try and shoo him out the tent. Kieran doesn't move.
"Miss (L/N), I don't mind doin' it myself. You've already done too much for me," Kieran replies.
"Kieran, it's fine. It's always nice to have someone take care of you. Now come on," you shoo him again and this time, he moves.
The two of you step out of your tent and you instantly notice a bunch of eyes look at the two of you. Kieran stands awkwardly with his feet turned inwards, looking at you for a sense of direction.
You look over at the campfire and decide not to go there as Sean was still there, prominently glaring at Kieran but thankfully not you. Sean knows you'd help him if he needed it, but will definitely question you as to why you helped Kieran the next time he saw you alone.
"Let's go sit by the horses, hm?" you suggest. Kieran seems eager and begins walking away. You closely follow.
You sit yourself down, your back leaning against the log. Kieran pokes at the fire, relighting it as you pour ointment onto a clean cloth. By now, it was dark and the temperature was beginning to drop. You enjoyed the temperate pick up as Kieran got the fire going. He soon leaned back against the log beside you.
"Here," you say as you turn to face him. Kieran doesn't have any time to react before you press the cloth lightly on his cheekbone where the bruise was forming.
"You gonna do everything for me, Miss?" Kieran jokes. This was the first time today you'd seen him actually smile, and probably the first time in a while.
"You ain't enjoying me care for you?" you joke back at him.
"Oh, I am. I just... wasn't expecting it," Kieran pauses for a moment, shuffling his legs till his knees rest close to his chest, his arms in his lap. "I ain't had anyone take care of me since my parents passed."
"Oh, Kieran," you sighed, feeling sorry for him. "Enjoy it then, hm?"
"I will," Kieran smiles. The two of you sit in silence for a little while. Your arm begins to ache from holding the cloth up against Kieran's face.
"Here, lie down," you say, patting your thighs as you move the cloth off him.
"You.. you want me to sit on your lap?" Kieran questions, laughing lightly as he gives you a puzzled look.
"No, silly! My arm aches. Lie your head on my thighs so I don't have to hold this up against you," you explain.
"Like I said, Miss, I don't mind sortin' myself out here," Kieran tells you yet again. You brush him off, encouraging him to get comfy. He jokingly rolls his eyes and shakes his head, making you laugh.
Kieran lies back on your thigh and tries not to make direct eye contact with you, feeling a little awkward. He wasn't used to any attention, so to have someone suddenly grab a hold of him and not let go had made him feel rather anxious.
He props his hat on the log, his hands resting on his stomach. He watches you pour more ointment onto the cloth then place it back down on his face. Kierans head is rotated slightly so he can watch the fire dance. You notice him fiddling with one of the buttons on his shirt, a sign of nervousness.
You lift the cloth up and brush some strands of hair off his face. Your hand goes back to his face, whilst the other remains on his head. You start to run your fingers along his hair, very gently combing it, giving him a slight head massage. He eventually stops picking at his shirt, slowly feeling at ease.
"You need a bath," you pick at him, noticing his greasy his hair is.
"You offering to wash me as well?" Kieran jokes with you, turning back to look up at you.
"You want me to?" You ask him, seriousness in your voice.
"?!" Kierans eyes widen and he's not quite sure what to respond. He fumbles about, a string of 'err' and 'uhm' coming out of his mouth.
"Like I said, I'm happy to care for you," you shrug.
"If I knew gettin' headbutted by Sean was gonna get a beautiful woman offering to bathe me, then I wouldda got him to headbutt me a long time ago. Hell! I wouldda got him to run me over with one of the wagons," Kieran states.
You laugh loudly, your laugh definitely being heard across the camp. Kieran laughs with you, noticing how your face lights up. He suddenly sits upright, startling you slightly. Kieran turns to you.
"I'm serious. Honestly, (Y/N), you're beautiful. You know that, right? When I..." Kieran pauses for a second, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away from you. "When I saw you comin' over I wasn't sure what you were gonna do. Hell, I was so nervous! I assumed the worst cause everybody in the camp is like that to me, but I didn't think you'd help me out this much. I really appreciate it."
"Awh, Kieran. You don't need to thank me, but I do appreciate the compliment," you smile.
"If you ever need a favour, I'll be there. Why, I owe you more than one," Kieran speaks directly at you.
An idea springs to mind.
"I've got somethin' you can do for me," you reply.
"Anythin, Miss. Whatever you need, I'll do it," Kieran insists.
"You could give me a kiss?"
"Wait, what?!" Kierans' eyes widen. "You better not be jokin' with me here."
"I ain't. I think a kiss is fair payment," you smile.
"Well, if that's really what you want, then I ain't gonna turn you down," Kieran replies. There's a nervous shake to his voice and he's struggling to make eye contact with you.
You cup his left cheek, avoiding the side with the bruise. He calms into your touch, finally looking at you. Your fingers brush over his scraggly beard, a lot softer than you expected.
Kieran shuffles so he's on his knees and pauses. He seems starstruck. His mind is still processing today's wild turn of events. Nobody could have predicted that Kieran was going to get beat up and kissed on the same day.
Kierans fumbling about with his shirt. He was always a nervy little fella, but being on the spot only made him worse. You began to feel bad for asking him to do such a bold thing.
"You don't have to if you don't wa-" Kieran cuts you off with his lips pressed against yours. His hand is on the back of your neck, fingers running along your hair. Your eyes slowly shut, softening into his light kisses. You can faintly taste iron on his lips, along with a stronger taste of tobacco.
He doesn't try pushing his luck, slowly pulling away. The two of you open your eyes; he's looking at you calmly but there's a tint of lust in his eyes.
"You happy with your payment?" Kieran jokes. You laugh with him.
"I think I may need more, you know."
"I can't deny you that, not when you've done so much for me." Kieran seems bolder as he sits directly beside you, stretching his arm behind you against the log. You rest your legs on top of his, your shoulder burrowing in the crook of his neck.
"Might have to bathe you too," you purr. Kieran squeaks and blushes.
"I'd like that, a lot," he admits as he lifts your head up gently with his hand on your chin. He kisses you again, this time confidently.
The two of you spend the night making out by the scout campfire. Kierans more than happy with this turn of events, despite the bruise on his cheekbone.
This is the fucking funniest camp interaction I’ve ever gotten for a lot of reasons
Bill trying to pick on John but no one really picks up on it
John saying he can’t decide whether he’s stupid or slow and then proceeding to be both in this entire conversation
Dutch refusing to just straight up say what he’s thinking and instead trying to be really mysterious about it but John is just too dumb to understand it
“Just what do you mean, Dutch??”
Dutch saying “I guess I should be going to bed”, when Abigail calls for Jack to go to bed, in an attempt to hint that he’s talking about love but instead just seeming really weird and like he thinks he’s Jack
Dutch just straight up calling John an arrogant son of a bitch to his face before storming off in anger
Also Dutch literally saying what he meant w all that cryptic talk but John still doesn’t understand anything and just sits there like ??
Bill all of the sudden wanting a cool scar, now
Arthur not being able to comment on the conversation or talking about it with any of the them like he normally can
