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lanceeselhombre · 2 years

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Stitches

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⚠️ Spoilers for the 2.7 interlude archon quest and a TW for injury, stitches, needles, etc ⚠️

———

As Aether sat down by the fire Kuki had lit to roast some more lavender melon, the last of the sudden, bone-deep exhaustion that had crashed over his body following their latest expedition for an exit finally faded away. That same, steady sensation of nothingness, of being suspended in a state between needing nothing and yet feeling as though he should immediately took its place, and the traveler wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or concerned as a result. He was leaning more towards concern, if not because of the lack of a way to measure the passage of time, which only added to the eerie sense that something wasn’t quite right in this place, then because of the recently injured addition to their group, who was seated alone against the far wall in tense silence.

That wasn’t to say that he wasn’t relieved that they were finally together and that the yaksha was in one piece, but those feelings had been short-lived considering that their current situation was no less dire than before. Not to mention that those gashes looked deep, and while he trusted Xiao’s discernment that they were purely flesh wounds, that didn’t mean that they didn't need treatment. The injuries didn’t seem to bleed in the same way that they would if the other was human, though Aether had a sneaking suspicion that the faint blue wisps of vapor still rising from them were to a similar effect.

Seeing such serious wounds on Xiao sent little spikes of dread through the traveler’s heart. He had been in several battles with the yaksha before, yet this was the first time he had witnessed the warrior sustain an injury. If not even a domain full of miasmas and an encounter with a bygone god could land a scratch on him, then what did that mean for the enemy that had landed these blows? Just how dangerous was this place?

Aether shook the thoughts from his mind before they could get much farther than that. It would do them all no good to drag himself down into a pity of fear, and in any case he had much more important things to focus on.

Like the fact that Xiao had insisted that he was fine when he clearly wasn’t.

Even though he wanted to ignore Xiao’s insistence and immediately patch him up, the traveler let him be for a few hours (or at least, what felt like a few hours- it could very well have been minutes or even days), not wanting to disturb his…meditation? sleep? Whatever it was, the adeptus appeared tense and deep in thought (or maybe it was a dream), and Aether couldn’t bring himself to interrupt what was likely much-needed rest. Despite his own concern for the other’s wellbeing, the yaksha’s demeanor remained unchanged, and Aether really couldn’t tell if that knit expression on his face was due to his open wounds or not.

With nothing much else to do besides sit around in the meantime, Aether kept his eyes on Xiao, monitoring the yaksha’s still form. Or really, he spent his time with his eyes flittering between the other’s right shoulder and cheek, where the visible injuries were (archons only knew if there were more).

The unfamiliar and strange kaleidoscope of blues that filled the gashes made it difficult to tell what might be blood, flesh, ligaments, or bone; the only thing the traveler could tell for sure was that of the three gashes, the highest one on his shoulder was the worst. Its edges were ragged, the wound being about three centimeters wide, eight centimeters long, and two centimeters deep, and would definitely need stitches. The one below it didn’t look as bad, only being a thin, three centimeter long cut that didn’t appear too deep. The one on his cheek was the least worrying, appearing to be nothing more than a superficial nick.

How could Xiao say that he was fine, given those injuries? Aether couldn’t possibly imagine how painful they must be, or how they were affecting the movement of his arm…

It hadn’t been long after he finished sizing up the wounds before he had stood up from where he had been resting near Itto and Paimon, determined to patch Xiao up. No matter how much the yaksha insisted he was fine, under no circumstances was it okay in Aether’s mind to leave an injured- especially that injured- person untreated.

Luckily, he carried bandages and a suture kit in his bag for moments like this, so all he needed was some water to sterilize everything with and he could get to work. Finding a way to boil enough water had been a creative process, which involved finding out he could use his serenitea pot as a normal water vessel and using a stray cup to strain water from the nearby shallows into it through his scarf. He had then carried the container over to the fire and set it down amongst the flames, all while the awake members of their group watched in silent, curious confusion.

Perhaps this would be much easier if he simply entered his adeptal realm and sterilized things there, where he had a proper stovetop and dishware, but he didn’t dare risk it. However, there was no guarantee that traveling to the pocket realm would be safe given the current state of chaos enveloping this space. He couldn’t risk it.

The first member of the group to question what he was doing was expectly Itto. “Ya know Shinobu still has some water on her, right?” The oni spoke up suddenly, his voice echoing loudly in the small space. He still hadn’t seemed to remember to keep his voice down, and it was a wonder that he didn’t wake the little pixie sleeping in the crook of his arm.

“The water isn’t for drinking,” Kuki said beside him, answering so the traveler didn’t have to. She seemed to have caught on to his plan, and like she had already done several times since they met in the chasm, was distracting the oni from unintentionally making things harder.

Itto turned to his second-in-command, confusion clear on his face. “What else we gonna need more water for?” He asked.

Kuki silently waved him closer to quietly explain in his ear. Whatever she said, it quieted the oni down, and the traveler was grateful for it.

The teapot began to whistle as the water inside started to boil. Aether took the top off of it to quiet the sound, leaving it in the fire for a little longer. He then pulled the suture kit from his bag and began to unpack the materials he would need.

He was especially careful with the needle, which he clasped firmly with a pair of forceps before carefully lowering both pieces of metal into the still boiling water. A second pair of forceps followed, as well as a small pair of scissors. Ideally, he would also thoroughly clean his hands, though that wasn’t possible given the circumstances. He would just have to be incredibly careful to not touch the wounds, even indirectly.

The blonde glanced over at Xiao occasionally as he set up, surprised to see the lack of reaction from the adeptus. He would have expected some form of resistance by now had the other been listening, which meant that his mind was elsewhere and his guard was down. The display was nothing if not disconcerting coming from the one heralded as the vigilant yaksha.

When Aether felt that it had been long enough, he covered his hand in a wet piece of cloth and lifted the teapot out of the fire. He left it on the ground to cool while he brought the rest of the materials over to Xiao, doing so quietly so as to not disturb him. He had learned previously that the adeptus startled when abruptly pulled out of deep trains of thought and didn’t want him to accidentally knock something onto the ground. If anything got dirty, he would need to start over, and he only had so many supplies on him.

When Aether determined the water was cool enough, he brought the teapot over as well. He then sat down next to Xiao, close enough to suture comfortably but not so close as to be invading the other’s space. Once comfortable, he picked up the forceps holding the needle to begin threading the suture material.

Despite his determination to make Xiao let him do this, he was still admittedly anxious to make his case to the adeptus, especially with everyone else watching in silence, and so he busied himself for another moment after threading the needle, preparing the bandages to give him time to think about how to present his case. When he was done, he looked to the yaksha’s shoulder again, psyching himself up to speak.

The fact that there was still vapor coming from the slashes across his shoulder was worrying.

“Xiao,” The traveler called quietly, and the yaksha immediately opened his eyes to meet his gaze as if he had been awake and waiting for the other to call his name. The quick response had the blonde questioning again if the adeptus had been sleeping at all.

Amber eyes lowered themselves to the instruments in Aether’s hands, then down further to the cloth and teapot holding the rest of the supplies. “What is this?” The adeptus asked, though the traveler took the slight unamusement in his tone to mean that he already knew.

He kept his response short and simple. “I’m going to give you sutures.” The blonde purposefully didn’t ask; he was going to be doing this whether his companion liked it or not.

Seeming to recognize the determination and worry on his face, Xiao paused midway to a rebuttal, thinking better of the harsh approach. “There is no need,” He dismissed evenly, his tone lightening in the yaksha’s version of reassurance. “Wounds worse than this have healed on their own.”

“Xiao, we’re stuck in a hole for the foreseeable future. You can’t risk getting an infection,” Aether reasoned with him. “You’re the strongest person here. We need you to keep your strength up. So please, let me help you.”

He didn’t actually know if adepti could get infections, but if they couldn’t, he prayed Xiao wouldn’t mention it.

The adeptus still looked like he wanted to argue, yet instead of doing so glanced behind the blonde, likely looking at the others for their reactions. Aether was sure he saw nothing but agreement on their group mates' faces, judging by how quickly the defiant spark faded from his eyes. He let them fall closed, mouth pressed thin, seeming to think about the offer in earnest.

After a long moment of silence, the yaksha let out a relenting sigh, and Aether knew he had been convinced.

“Stitch wide,” Xiao said in lieu of a proper agreement, and the implication in those words that the adeptus was familiar enough with stitches to give such a suggestion shouldn’t have been surprising to the traveler. “My flesh does not hold sutures well.”

A relieved grin spread across the traveler’s cheeks. “Alright.” He would keep that in mind.

“Do you want something to bite down on?” Aether offered, only to receive a head shake from the yaksha.

“I have suffered much greater pains than this. That won’t be necessary.”

That response made the blonde pause, reluctant to continue this way; he didn’t want Xiao to crack his teeth. At the same time, he didn’t want to provoke the adeptus into retracting his cooperation, so he didn’t insist.

“Can I move your arm?”

“Yes.”

The traveler carefully lifted the other’s arm, curling his legs up to his chest to make a place to rest it on. Now up close to the gashes, Aether realized that there was a surprising lack of layers to the injuries. In cuts this deep, he should be able to see skin, fat, and muscle, yet there was only a single connected expanse of blue. This close up, the color even seemed to sparkle, almost like a night sky full of stars.

Aether tore his eyes away with a short self reprimand. Now was not the time to be staring.

Despite seeing no grit in the wounds, the blonde still rinsed them out with some of the water before beginning to suture. Then, starting with the left side of the biggest and worst of the wounds, Aether carefully grasped the edges of Xiao’s torn skin and threaded the needle through both sides, then began tying the first knot. He stitched wider than he normally would per the yaksha’s request, only tightening the thread enough to bring the skin together. Hopefully the gentle approach would keep them from ripping.

After cutting off the excess thread, the traveler leaned back, examining the handiwork. The stitch looked good; there wasn’t much tension on the thread or the wound, and it appeared to stop the strange mist from rising from that closed section of the wound.

Citrine eyes then glanced up to see Xiao’s reaction, not quite trusting that the other could sit through the pain. Not that he underestimated the yaksha’s pain tolerance- he could only imagine the suffering he had endured- but getting repeatedly stabbed in an already injured area wouldn’t feel good for anybody. Of course it would hurt.

If it weren’t for the tense line of the other’s jaw, he would appear completely unbothered. He seemed to be taking the pain well.

Comforted by the sight, Aether continued with the next suture, beginning to fall into a steady rhythm as he worked. Thankfully, despite not being a neat wound, the edges of the gash came together nicely. The scarring would be minimal. Even Xiao’s tattoo would be lined up as if nothing had happened.

Reaching the widest and deepest part of the cut, Aether had to make the stitches narrower to account for the second wound below. He hoped it would cause any issues. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to hurt the integrity of the stitches or the yaksha’s skin. However, the stitches were beginning to pull on the secondary wound. The tension was widening the thin cut, allowing thicker streams of vapor to pour out of it, and the traveler would be lying if he said the sight didn’t make him cringe.

A hiss from beside him caused him to stop and look at Xiao again. The adepti’s previously neutral expression was knit together, teeth gritting in obvious pain. The blonde felt terrible for causing him so much discomfort, but steeled himself with a reminder that the end result would be worth it.

Still, he paused for another moment longer to give the adeptus a break. “Sorry,” He apologized quietly. “Are you sure you don’t want something to bite down on?”

Xiao wordlessly brought his left hand to his mouth, taking the tips of his glove’s fingers between his teeth. He pulled the gauntlet off in one smooth tug, then, after rolling it up to make a suitable cushion, pushed the fabric between his teeth.

At the expectant gaze the adeptus gave him afterward, Aether immediately resumed his work.

It wasn’t long after that before the largest gash was completely closed and he was moving onto the next. Suturing the second was more difficult than the first, considering he had to worry about not pulling on the first while tightening each stitch. As a result, he was extremely careful, ultimately deciding to forgo sutures at the thinnest space between the two cuts. The wound sat flat enough without them, supported by the stitches on either side.

Deciding he was done, the traveler put down the forceps, then picked up the bandages he had laid out beforehand. In an effort to be as thorough as possible, he placed a thin layer of gauze over the wounds before wrapping bandages around the entire circumference of the yaksha’s upper arm and shoulder. He knew Xiao wouldn’t hesitate to fight again if need be, even with the stitches, and he hoped that the extra effort would keep them from tearing in such an event.

He then moved onto the final cut, Aether gently brushing Xiao’s bangs behind his ear to examine the damage. Like he determined earlier, it was superficial: nothing a butterfly bandage wouldn’t fix. Putting one on was quick and simple, and he let the yaksha’s hair fall back into place afterward.

“All done,” The blonde announced as he pulled away. “Try not to move your shoulder too much.”

Given the okay to move, Xiao carefully pulled his arm off of Aether’s knees and looked down at the bandages covering his arm. His expression gave away nothing about his opinion of the traveler’s work as he tested his shoulder’s range of motion. Seeming satisfied enough, he let his arm come to rest in his lap, then closed his eyes.

Aether decided that he preferred not to know; Xiao could be unintentionally blunt and rude with that straightforwardness of his.

In any case, it was clear that the adeptus wanted to go back to resting, and he knew a dismissal when he saw one. With that said, the blonde gathered his things and got to his feet, planning to put everything away after giving his companion some space.

“Thank you, traveler.”

Xiao’s quiet voice was unexpected, causing Aether to startle slightly. Still though, it made him smile. He turned back to look at the adeptus, only to find his eyes still closed. Though, if he noticed the slight bit of color that dusted the other’s cheeks, he didn’t mention it.

“You’re welcome,” Aether hummed softly before leaving him to rest.

#tw injury #tw stitches #tw needles #read the tags on ao3 #my fics #other content #genshin xiao #genshin aether #genshin itto #genshin shinobu #genshin paimon #genshin spoilers #genshin 2.7 #genshin fanficiton #fandom fanfiction

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