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Of course, the spire was silent.
Aside from the faint gusts of wind outside the small windows, nothing could be heard throughout the tower. A perfect pot for Truthless' mind to simmer in. And simmer, it did - he lied down in his bed, and stared at the ceiling. It had been swirling, slowly marbling in on itself. Truthless watched, letting the cold evening wind give him chills. He said nothing.
All he felt, in that moment, was stinging. It came and went, occasionally leaving him with nothing else to think of. It let itself reside in his upper thighs, in thin lines engraved into his skin. He sighed. The stinging distracted him for a while, sure, but the reason behind it wasn't much help.
The ceiling continued to swirl. To twist and contort itself, dark and inky like a night sky. Small, star-like lights glimmered from time to time, twinkling ever so softly. It was calming, for a while, when Truthless had not remembered where he was. To him, in this moment, it was simply a pretty, calming sight.
He rested his eyes, the wind from outside the spire had settled into a cool breeze. He let it carry him. He imagined drifting off to sleep back home, in a sunny field. Maybe his sheep would keep him company. Maybe his friends would stop by, would make sure everything had been alright. He let the thoughts consume him for a while - let the idea of warmth soothe his cold, achy skin. It rested itself on top of him, sinking into his bones.
The doorknob rattled.
His heavy eyes opened slowly. He wanted to be surprised, he was simply too tired.
"My Recluse?"
Truthless sighed. He tried to cover his lower half.
"Nilly, dear.." the Sage stepped inside, gently pushing the door out of the way. Truthless let out a sigh. He couldn't lift the blanket.
He was so, so tired.
The Sage shut the door behind him and sat down on the side of the bed. He placed his hands in his lap. For a moment, he said nothing, as he looked at his Recluse's aching body.
"...Do you want to talk about it?"
Truthless shook his head.
"I understand."
He curled up beside him and draped an arm over him. He tucked his head beneath his chin, as he rubbed gentle, rhythmic circles into his arm. Truthless didn't dare look at his Sage. It was far too embarrassing to look at him when he was like this.
Neither said much; the silence in the room continued to weigh on the Recluse, his chest heavy as he breathed slowly, synced with the Sages circling fingers. He felt warmer, at least. The wind outside the spire had settled, as soft rain took its place.
Eventually, Sage spoke up,
"Darling," he murmured. Truthless tilted his head.
"Come with me, dear."
The Sage helped him up. He let Truthless lean on him as they walked to the bathroom, where he sat his Recluse down on the counter. He rummaged through the drawers and cabinets, until he found a small box of bandages.
"Are you well enough to heal yourself?" Truthless shook his head. His partner nodded and twisted the knob attached to the faucet. He took a small cloth and wet it under the running water.
"This shouldn't sting," he said softly. "Squeeze my hand if it does."
Truthless nodded, and Sage began to gently pat the cuts with the cloth. It didn't quite sting, but the feeling wasn't entirely pleasant. Excess water trickled uncomfortably down his legs before Sage could dry them off.
He took the box of bandages and began to unwrap them. He placed each one carefully. Maybe it had been childish to make sure every cut was entirely covered - Truthless' thighs were thoroughly wrapped in small, sticky band-aids by the end of it. But in a way, although it was silly, it felt nice.
Before Sage placed the bandage on top of the final slit, he bent down, and placed a feather-light kiss on his partner's thigh. The Recluse's face reddened ever so slightly. Embarrassing.
"My dearest," his Sage mumbled, as he placed the final bandage down, "you're all patched up now, see?"
Truthless nodded. He felt so silly, so unused to being pampered and cared for, before Sage came along. He didn't have much time to think about his words before being patted on the head. "Come along now," Sage continued. "It's about time you come eat something."
The Recluse felt fuzzy. He rarely had a chance to think when Sage took care of him. It felt dreamy, almost, being cleansed and stitched back up and fed like a doll. He couldn't help but enjoy the fog - he never had to think when Sage was around. Things were so simpler like this.
Sage and his Recluse sauntered toward the kitchen, letting the haziness of the spire allow them to drift through the dim hallways. The soft tapping of rain could be heard outside, the melodic pattering letting Truthless be consumed by his misty headspace.
Once the two reached the kitchen, Sage helped his Recluse sit down at the counter. He quietly got to work, as he let cans of tomato soup drift through the air and towards his pot. As he cooked, Truthless only watched as the Sage prepared his dish with relaxed precision. The smell of the soup quickly flooded the air.
Two bowls were poured once the food was finished, and Sage took his seat next to his Recluse. He set his own spoon down, and dipped his partner's into his bowl.
"Say ah."
How embarrassing.
He opens his mouth.
Sage swapped between feeding himself and his Recluse. He cooed at his other half, murmuring praise whenever he finished his bite, and gently stroked his hair as he was fed. It was still so hazy, so silly to look back on. Perhaps if anybody else had been there, things would have been different. But then, it had just been the two.
Truthless had stopped once he was halfway finished with his bowl. Sage didn't push. It was more than enough for him, after his Recluse had "forgotten" to eat the past few days. He tidied up the kitchen, and led his partner back up to their room.
Once they returned to the cool, dimly lit room, the Sage had sat Truthless down. He talked his partner's ear off, as he gently toyed with his hair. He brushed it thoroughly, yet made an effort to be gentle. It was tangled, knots occupying nearly every strand. It wasn't entirely clean, either. But he knew his Recluse was doing the best he could.
He braided and unbraided his hair, tied various ribbons into it, combed through it with his slender fingers. Truthless' eyelids drooped.
"Are you tired, my Recluse?"
Truthless nodded.
Sage untied the ribbon in his partner's hair, who he then picked up and laid down in bed. His Recluse buried his face into the pillow, letting the warmth surround him as Sage sprawled out beside him. He wrapped his arms around Truthless, softly running his hands over his hips.
"You know, my love," he spoke gently. "I love you."
The Recluse softened. His aching body relaxed, and he sank into the mattress.
He finally looked up to meet his Sage's gaze, before placing a soft, hesitant kiss on his cheek.
"So shy, aren't you?" The other giggled, and kissed the top of his partner's head in return. Truthless sighed happily, cuddling up against his Sage. He let his eyes fall shut, and rested his head against Sage's chest.
"Awe. So sleepy, my dear..." he mumbled, petting his Recluse's hair. "Why don't you rest for a while? It's getting late."
Truthless nodded against the Sage's chest, his breathing slow and steady as the rain outside the spire began to pick up. It drummed against the roof like a quiet lullaby, letting the Recluse slowly fall asleep.