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Knife wounds are a bitch.
Khun knows. He's kinda an expert on them. You see he's dealt quite a number and received more than his fair share. So he knows a nasty one when he sees one and he's not just saying so because of this searing pain but this one could really have ended him.
Then, again he's always been kinda eccentric. It's just the cards he's dealt. He didn't ask to be brought back with a flaming fish. Heck, fire and ice should not mix, Khun knows. Yet here he is, an ice user, cradled by flames like a dragon waiting to be birthed from the inferno. But he's always been an outlier, hasn't he? Ever the anomaly. He could taste the smoke scorching his lungs just as he could feel his flesh stretch and knit and itch.
Eight.
Seven.
Six…
He counts the seconds before healing is complete.
He has coming back from near death down to an art, you see. Down to a science actually. He's determined the length of time it takes for his wounds to heal, for bones to regrow and skin to close up leaving nary a scar. He can pin down the timeline to a near 97% accuracy and incorporate the process into his meticulous plans.
And just as the last of his wounds close up, right when the enemy thinks he is already out of the playing field and are more intent on harassing the front line, Khun launches a direct attack on the leading warship’s mainframe, takes control of their defenses, and deactivates every fucking shield that didn't belong to Khun's allies.
The plan is so casualties on both sides could be kept to the minimum. Khun’s distraction should allow the rest of their allies to gain the upper hand. They were supposed to subdue the rest and force a surrender.
But Bam has quite a habit of muddling Khun’s strategies no matter how much Khun tries to account for his variability. And yes, it seems he saw Khun fall but hasn't realized Khun is back up. Khun’s calculations did not include Bam becoming angry enough to just obliterate all the enemy warships. That is the worst tantrum Khun has ever seen him throw yet.
To think Khun went through all that effort.
And it's a little bit of a bummer too ‘coz Bam is over there now, looking quite murderous and rapidly zooming in on Khun's location.
"You died." An accusation.
It takes Khun a moment to find his voice. He clears his throat as best he can, certain that the grainy bits of ash lingering there need more than the dregs of his spit to clear.
"I didn't. People don't come back from the dead." Khun hates how his voice squeaks, sounding like a teenager high on hormones. Still, he's doing the best he can to break in the new vocal chords so a little slack would be greatly appreciated.
"You had a hole right here! You were bleeding!" Everything is shaking. Even Khun’s vision and it’s kinda making him dizzy. Actually, it’s Bam being his personal mini earthquake as he grips Khun’s arms, anger and frustration flaming fierce in golden eyes. "You were-! Tell me that wasn't part of the plan! Tell me…"
That I'm not gambling with my life? A snort would have burst from Khun but he keeps his mouth shut else he ends up biting his tongue and bears the brunt of being shaken like a sheaf of grain too green to be reaped. What should Khun say anyway? It was a gamble. And he's okay. Sure there were a few near misses but it all worked out in the end.
And Khun can't blame Bam for the little hysterical display with his blood still wet on the ground he is standing on, slick under his shoes.
"I thought… I thought I lost you." And there it is - the relief - Bam's whisper so incongruous to the emotions buzzing just beneath his skin and making the ambient air heavy as dread.
"They'd have to try a little harder than that." Khun tries for a smile, lopsided and careless, but it fades instantly when Bam's fingers dig into his arms. Khun idly feels the ridges of broken nails nipped to the quick and wonders since when Bam has taken to biting them.
"You can not die. You're not allowed to die. Do you hear me? Not you." Bam looks half mad. Like he's on the brink of an insanity that will consume the tower. And Khun realizes with a jolt that he put him there.
"Bam," he tries again, meeker than he’s sorry for, "I'm here."
Wide eyes glare at him, glinting golden in the light of warships exploding around them, seeking some reassurance that he’s not going to do anything remotely stupid as dying again.
“I’m okay. Really.” Khun allows the manhandling as Bam turns him this way and that to make sure that no injury has escaped his notice. Bam nods to himself when he deems his inspection as complete as possible without stripping Khun down to his skin. “See? Not a scratch.”
“Then, let’s go.”
“Bam!” Khun squawks as Bam grabs his waist and takes them both to the air. “You don’t need to-”
“Black Turtle! Is Blue Turtle dead again?”
“Again?” Bam’s frown deepens as he looks at Rak.
“Evidently not!” Khun does his best to twist around in Bam’s arms so he could glare at the meddling gator more effectively but Bam’s grip is relentless. Still, he tries harder because this certainly is not the time for Bam to learn about how many times Khun has flirted with death. “I am perfectly well. And Bam, much as I appreciate the thought, please put me down so I can conduct a scan and confirm that no notable resistance is remaining.”
“Khun, you might fall if you keep moving like that.” Bam admonishes him for all his wriggling and does not let up even an inch. There’s still a hard edge to his tone and Khun does feel sorry for making him so worried. And for inadvertently causing the massacre of the opposing side that is now weighing on Bam's conscience. “I made sure to take care of all of them so you don’t have to think about them anymore.”
“Bam…” Khun knows this is his fault and must make it right somehow. He takes Bam’s face between his hands and talks as gently as he is able. “We talked about this. You can’t let their deaths eat you up. This is war. Much as we didn’t want to, we had to choose a side and you can’t second guess yourself for things that have already been done.”
“I know.” Bam leans into Khun’s hands. “I remember. But it’s not them, I’m thinking about. It’s you I can not lose. It’s you d– getting hurt that I can’t bear. Is that bad? I couldn't care less for any of them because they hurt you. When I saw you fall, I wanted to make them suffer. I wanted them all gone.”
Bam wanted them gone and his shinsu destroyed every one of them. And with every kind of shield down, they were all sitting ducks. Khun shivers. Bam holds him tighter, burying his nose against Khun’s neck.
“No, Bam. That does not make you a bad person,” Khun murmurs in his ear as he returns his embrace. He will say anything, give Bam every reassurance, anything that he needs. “That just proves that you're not everyone’s god.”