Summary: Yuri limps back to camp with a badly-dressed wound. Ashe insists on fixing him up.
Tonight's deal could have gone better. Could've gone worse, but having to leap into a river to avoid the noble they ripped off and cutting his knee up on sharp rocks is not the way he'd have had tonight go. At least the guy he worked with this time helped him out, gave him his scarf to make a bandage with.
It's not a good bandage. He's using a stick for a splint to make sure he doesn't bend his bad knee, the fabric's wet and even after washing it in the river a few times probably not that clean, and he didn't bring any salve with him. The bleeding's finally stopped, but the cut is deep and it takes him almost an hour to hobble back to camp. The stick he was using as a crutch breaks halfway there.
Ashe is waiting for him when he gets back, of course, with that same disapproving look on his face. By now, Yuri knows it has nothing to do with his methods.
"It's just a scraped knee."
"You're bleeding. You shouldn't have been walking on that." Ashe unties the scarf, which is soaked halfway through by now. He turns pale, but doesn't go green or pass out. "What happened?"
"Sharp rocks." He shrugs. "It's no big-"
"It is a big deal." Ashe sighs. "I'll see if Manuela is still-"
"Don't. Let her sleep." It's not that Yuri doesn't like the healers they have working with them. But Manuela has a tendency to scold, Linhardt passes out at the sight of blood, Marianne gives him the most pitying looks, and Mercedes' smile has always scared him a little. Ashe frowns, then immediately leads him towards his tent.
"Then I'll take care of it. I keep bandages on me for things like this, and I've been gathering herbs from every place we've made camp so far."
He's not kidding. He's got a few dozen bundles and pouches of herbs in his pack, and the first thing he does after making Yuri sit down is grab the ones he needs. Prepared and well organized, that one. He's always been, but it feels like he's even been even more since Yuri joined the ranks.
"I'm, um...going to have to take your clothes off," Ashe murmurs. Yuri shrugs.
"Do what you need to." He's soon sitting on the bed in his smallclothes, Ashe draping a blanket over his shoulders before he dabs the cut with a damp towel.
"Well, it's not as bad as I thought, it's all one clean gash," he murmurs, "but it's a deep one. You might need stitches, and I don't know how to do that. You'll have to see Merceres for that tomorrow." He's rubbing salve onto the cut, it stings a little and it has a strong scent. Then he's dabbing some leaves against his skin.
"You're really good at this field medicine thing."
"Lonato taught me everything I know." Ashe wraps the bandage tightly, tying it off just below the cut. "There. That should more than hold you until you can see a healer tomorrow." He digs around in his pack, pulling something out. "Here's a clean nightshirt. Might be a little small on you, but you can borrow it for the night."
When he started lecturing him about his dirty dealings, Yuri assumed Ashe was disgusted and no longer cared to associate with him now that he'd been a proper knight. Then he found out it was the complete opposite, and he still doesn't know how to feel about that.
He'd missed his old friend, the one who always wanted to take care of him and make things better even when he didn't know the half of what was going on at House Rowe. But he's a criminal, a murderer, sinking lower while Ashe has remained as pure-hearted and perfect as ever. Worse, he knows there's no pity or obligation involved. Ashe is incapable of lying about things like that, when he says such flowery and idealistic things it's because he believes them.
The worst part is, Yuri's starting to feel okay with it. He fell for that cornball line, and it's been a slippery slope downhill from there.
He puts on the nightshirt, shaking his head when he finds Ashe about to lie down on the floor.
"I'm not taking your bedroll all for myself."
"But you're injured. I'm not making you sleep on the floor." Ashe bites his lip, running a hand through his fluffy hair. Why does he have to be so adorable? "I'll be fine."
Yuri shrugs.
"Suit yourself, then." He lies down, watching Ashe wrap up in a spare blanket. "Hey...can you lie closer, at least?" His cheeks go warm, he can't believe he's about to ask this. "So I can-"
Ashe pulls himself up to the side of the bedroll, wriggling his hand free. Yuri reaches for it, and Ashe laces their fingers together. Shit. Every time he thinks he can't fall deeper, the floor drops out from under him. Ashe's hand is so warm, the closeness is just right, he's glad the healers were asleep so Ashe could be the one to take care of him.
"Thanks." He smiles a little. "And for the bandage."
"No problem." Ashe squeezes his hand. "Sleep well."
He will.