(That makes a lot of sense, but wouldn't that also give him, like, brittle bone syndrome? It's really easy to get hurt when your bones snap like twigs)
"Okay! You're talking, that's good! Keep doing that!" Ilya smiled encouragingly at him as they took a sharp right into the fairy owned half of the forest. "I'm Ilya, by the way! It's nice to meet you, even if the circumstances aren't the best. What happened to you, if you don't mind me asking? You're pretty wrecked." Another right, then a left, and then a trip down a winding path and they would be at Ilya's house.
(Yeah he's fragile, but he heals quicker than humans do. His wings were completely crushed, though, so the bones didn't heal right)
"A demon fuckin' grabbed me while we were fighting… he… he saw my wings and carried me up into the sky, and… and dropped me…" Nathaniel said quietly, focusing on the trees as Ilya carried him to keep himself conscious and grounded.
(aww, poor kid.)
Ilya stiffened at the mention of demons, accidentally squeezing Nathaniel a bit to tight to be comfortable. These woods were fae property, the forces of hell should be staying well away. "You poor thing! No wonder you look so beaten up, even angels have trouble fighting those little bastards." Ilya cleared te final turn, knocking three times on an oak tree that swung open like a door, revealing a cozy cottage inside. "This is my house, by the way. I told you already, but I think you were half unconscious."
"Yaaaay…" Nathaniel winced when Ilya squeezed him, but he kept quiet. Everything hurt right now, and he was pretty sure he'd broken multiple ribs from the fall. He might've fractured a few things as well, including his skull, which was probably the cause of his splitting headache. All he could hope was that he'd heal soon and go back to wandering aimlessly. Really, his only hobbies were fighting and making weapons.
Ilya settled Nathaniel down on the couch, wincing as his blood started to stain the fabric. That was going to be a pain to wash out later. Still, there was nothing to be done about it, so he summoned a first aid kit with a gust of magic and carefully approached Nathaniel. "I know this is a bit forward, but would you mind taking off your clothes? I have some stuff in here that might help you heal faster but I can't reach the cuts with fabric in the way."
Nathaniel didn't really care, considering he was concussed and barely knew where he was. He pulled off his shirt and lay back down. He was actually fairly well built, considering all the fighting he liked to do. However, he had a more soft appearance than the sharp, angular forms of well muscled people. He had his wings folded as well as they could fold on his back.
Ilya took in his chest dreamily before he caught sight of an angry slash on Nathaniel's shoulder and remembered what he was doing. He mentally slapped himself, unscrewing a tub of ointment and smearing it over the cuts with careful fingers. This was not the time. "So what's an angel like you doing out in the fairy forests? You do know it's not exactly safe for you to wander here."
"Well, you see, I got kicked out. That means I do what I want." Nathaniel muttered, his voice slurred. Basically, he'd fallen for his sexuality and general uselessness. He'd been in the angel army for a bit before he crippled himself, at which point they tried to find a purpose for him, failed, and then just sent him to earth.
"I doubt you want to be walking through here," Ilya replied, gently tilting Nathaniel's head up to dab at a cut on his cheek. "Most fairies aren't as calm as me. You could've been trapped in a revel or taken into someone's home as a slave if I hadn't found you." He finished tending to the wounds on Nathaniel's chest and tapped gently on his shoulder to get his attention. "Can you flip over onto your stomach?"
Nathaniel groaned softly, but flipped over anyways. His wings hung limply at his sides, and he had several more cuts here. His sides looked a little uneven due to his broken ribs, but at least he was too tired and disoriented to realize what hurt and why.
Ilya hissed at the damage, rubbing Nataniel's shoulder soothingly before he set to work. "I really hate to make you jostle yourself, but can you try moving your hands and feet? I need to know if anything's broken." He paused, running a hand gently over Nathaniel's side to feel the damage. "I mean, besides your ribs."
Nathaniel kicked his legs weakly and moved his arms. "I think my shoulder might've cracked, but everything else is fine…" He muttered, burying his face in a pillow. Bruises were already starting to form on his shoulder and side.
"And your wings too," Ilya added, pushing one carefully out of the way to dab ointment on his side. "I'm no expert, but I think we might have to break them again to set them correctly." He screwed the lid back onto the jar and set it to the side, grabbing a roll of bandages. "I'd like to do your ribs first, though, if it's alright with you. I'm much more familiar with broken ribs."
"You can't fix my wings. They've been useless since I was nine years old." Nathaniel rolled onto his less beaten up side so Ilya would have access to his broken ribs. "I don't really think there's a way to even make them work again. I'd have to learn how to fly all over again, too…"
"Nothing's unfixable, Nathaniel," Ilya chided, pulling him into a sitting position. He wrapped Nathaniel's ribs with a steady hand, occasionally tapping his arms or twisting him if he needed to change the angle. "Still, I can tell they'd present a unique challenge, so I won't touch them." He finished tying off the bandage, gently raising Nathaniel's injured shoulder to start wrapping it.
Nathaniel yawned, deciding to talk to keep his eyes open. "I got shot out of the sky by a human duck hunter when I was nine." He pointed to what looked to be an old bullet wound in the joint of his left wing. "I fell out of the sky and landed on my back. Almost died, but ended up just completely crushing my wings. Couldn't even tell what pieces went to which bones in the X-Ray. There really wasn't much that could be done."
Ilya frowned, not letting his distress get in the way of helping. "That's terrible, Nathaniel. I'm sorry you had to go through all that." He finished tying off the bandage, smoothing his hands down Nathaniel's sides to make sure everything was done properly. "There we go, all fixed up! Let's get you to the bedroom so you can lay down somewhere comfortable, alright?"
"Can I sleep now or no?" Nathaniel stood up unsteadily, but soon sat down again as black started filling his vision and he didn't want to pass out yet. He was breathing heavily, just trying his hardest to stay awake. During the short amount of time he was standing, it was apparent just how little he was.
Ilya shook his head insistently. "I'm afraid not. You're not going to sleep until I can make sure you're going to wake up." He leaned down in front of Nathaniel, looping the boys' arms around his neck. He braced his hands under Nathaniel's thighs and carefully lifted him up. "I'm going to carry you back to my room, okay? Hold on."
"But I wanna sleeeep…" Nathaniel whined, letting Ilya carry him. At least he was incredibly light, even for having hollow bones. He had to fight to stay awake when he was laid down on a bed, staring tiredly at the ceiling.
"Just stay awake for a couple more hours," Ilya said, unwrapping Nataniel's arms from around his neck and tucking him in under the covers. He stared into Nathaniel's eyes, trying to figure out if his pupils were dilated from pain, a concussion, or the dim lighting. "How's your head? Do you want me to grab you some painkillers?"
"Feels like it's being cleaved in half by an axe, so not the worst pain I've ever felt. Painkillers would be nice…" Nathaniel continued staring at the ceiling, keeping his mind occupied with random things because he wasn't supposed to sleep.
Ilya nodded and breezed into the bathroom, returning with a glass of water and two small white tablets. He pressed them into Nathaniel's hands. "Here you go. Can you talk to me? It's easier to tell when you're about to slip off if I can hear it in your voice."
Nathaniel swallowed the painkillers and yawned again. "What're you wanting me to talk about?" He asked, sitting up and leaning against the backboard.
Ilya sat down at the foot of the bed, crossing his legs and settling into a more comfortable position. "How did you wander into fairy woods? And what made you decide to fight a demon when you can't fly?"
"In my defense, I didn't actually know they were fairy woods. The demon showed up and was taunting me, so I started beating his ass. I'm good at fighting on land, but I'm helpless in the air. He saw my wings, grabbed me, and carried me up pretty high before letting me fall." Nathaniel set the water on the side table.
Ilya stifled a laugh with his palm as he tried and failed to imagine someone as fragile as Nathaniel fighting a demon. No wonder it had gone badly. "What on earth made you think you could take a demon? You're, like, a wet kitten in terms of immediate danger."
Nathaniel huffed, crossing his arms. "I have to stay in practice… to prove I can still fight. I've fought demons before, but it's a little harder when I'm crippled and unarmed and he's got a sword."
Ilya laughed even harder at his huffiness. "He had a sword and you still decided that was a fight worth having? Do you even have a preservation instinct?" He paused, sizing Nathaniel up. "Y'know, you can always come spar with me, if you'd like. It's much safer than antagonizing demons out in the woods."
"He was pissing me off…" Nathaniel mumbled. "And thanks for the offer, but I don't think I'm really in any condition to spar right now, much as I'd like to."
