@ultprincess asked : " oh! i am not hurting you, am i? forgive me, ultimate nurse i am decidedly not. " she shoots a nervous smiles up at gundham as she continues to re-wrap his arm.
coat and sweater sitting beside him on the bed, scarf resting atop the pile, gundham watches as sonia wraps the bandage around his forearm, covering the newest of his injuries (a small bite wound on his wrist, ointment al- ready rubbed on it), as well as the myriad of older ones or long-healed scars. it is not that he is incapable of bandag- ing himself: he had, in fact, been in the midst of doing so when sonia stopped by — and, in stopping by, had scared him quite badly. however, it is also something of an exercise in frustration to try and bandage one’s own arm, including ( more often than not ) getting a mouthful of cotton when it slips from one’s teeth, or having to start all over because of one misstep.
still, gundham has never been one to ask for help — es- pecially when it comes to bandaging the various injuries that come with stopping animals from fighting, or what- ever small mishaps happen throughout the day. to allow someone to assist him would mean allowing himself to be touched and, quite truthfully, he would rather suffer the various frustrations instead of that.
it is not that he worries that they would hurt him — far from that. it is that he worries he may hurt them. his blood is tainted, and there is always the fear in the back of his mind that somehow, some way, he will hurt them, poison them, injure them, and they will see him for what he is.
sonia’s question makes him start, mismatched eyes glancing her way. it is almost a welcome distraction, but…
it brings him back to what he has been trying to avoid think- ing about: the fact she is so close to him, her touch is so gentle, so kind, and she is taking such great care, and she has not once asked about the assortment of scars that crisscross their way in ghostly spiderwebs across his arm. she did not flinch away, did not ask questions, and she is unharmed, even as fingertips graze exposed flesh. ( her hands are so warm, she takes such great care, she is sitting so close—! )
shit, she asked me a question! i forgot to answer!
how long had he just been staring at her?! gundham raises his free hand to partially hide his face in his scarf, only to realize that he had removed it when he had begun to bandage his own wound. heat rushes to his pale cheeks, and he looks away, nerv- ously clearing his throat.
“ ah, no, ” he responds, casting a quick glance in her direction be- fore averting his eyes once more. “ i am— pain is nothing i am unfamiliar with. the flames of hellfire and jaws of demons…are quite familiar. ” a faint smile quirks his lips, his gaze meeting hers once more. “ you have nothing to worry about. you are…incredibly gentle. ”

















