Luhn’a hissed lightly as Nerhgüi treated the cut on his forehead. One hand applied pressure to the cut, while the other gently cleaned away dried blood with a rag. Damn head wounds, always bled so excessively.

Nerhgüi lifted the bandage off the cut intermittently to check if the bleeding had stemmed. Luhn’a closed his eyes, letting himself relax into the careful ministrations of Nerhgüi’s hands. The rag traveled down his forehead, over his eyelids, and followed the curve of his cheek. The cool trail it left behind soothed inflamed skin. Luhn’a leaned into the touch.

Nerhgüi shook his shoulder gently, “Pray don’t fall asleep now. You took a heavy blow to the head.”

“S'fine. I’m fine,” Luhn’a reassured. He opened his eyes and smiled at Nerhgüi. Just trying to help.”

Nerhgüi lifted the bandage a final time. With a slight nod, he set the bloody cloth aside and grabbed a jar of poultice from the table. “Fortunately, stitches are not neccessary.” he commented.

While Nerhgüi was distracted, a few strands of Luhna’s hair slipped into his face. Luhn’a felt them catch on still tacky blood and sighed. Nerhgüi set the jar down carefully before combing the hair back out of Luhna’s face.

This is a dilemma…” he muttered, staring intently. Luhn’a squirmed under the scruntiny. Nerhgüi’s head barely moved, but Luhn’a could feel his gaze drift down to meet Luhna’s eyes. “May I braid your hair?” he asked.

Luhn’a tail lashed at the question. The “no” sat on his tongue. A reaction honed from years of fending off too familiar hands. But he studied Nerhgüi’s face, and he knew that if he answered “no”, that would be the end of it.

There were no ulterior motives here. Nerhgüi genuinely had Luhna’s comfort in mind. Luhn’a took a deep breath, and forced the fur on his tail to lay flat.

“Okay,” Luhn’a said.

Nerhgüi moved his chair to sit behind Luhn’a. It made his fur bristle. Every instinct screaming that his back was exposed. But this was Nerhgüi. If he could trust anyone to have his back, Nerhgüi had more than proven himself.

“Is aught amiss?” Nerhgüi hesitated.

Luhn’a shook his head. “No. Go ahead. I just-” he trailed off, trying to articulate the problem. He muttered, “Back. Exposed.” Hoping that was enough.

Nerhgüi scooted his chair to the left, until he was in Luhna’s peripheral sight. The anxiety welling in his chest eased, released by a sigh of relief.

“Is this better?” Nerhgüi asked.

"Yes. Thank you,” Luhn’a smiled.

Gentle fingers carded through Luhna’s hair. First searching for tangles to unknot, and then separating his hair into three distinct strands. Slowly, Luhn’a relaxed into the movement of Nerhgüi’s precise fingers through his hair.

How long had it been since someone had groomed him? How long since he had been able to trust someone to do it?

Luhna’s breath fell into a slow, even rhythm as Nerhgüi worked. Contentment curled up under his ribs and escaped in the rumble of a purr. Any other time, Luhn’a might’ve been embarrassed by the blatant display of affection. But Nerhgüi paid no mind to it, and so Luhn’a continued to purr happily as the strands were woven together.

Eventually the hands stopped. Luhn’a choked down a whine, chasing after the fading warmth before catching himself. Nerhgüi got up to retrieve something. When he returned, he tied off the braid in one deft motion.

Nerhgüi hummed, inspecting his handiwork. Seemingly satisfied, he moved his chair back in front of Luhn’a and reached for a jar.

Luhn’a tested the weight of the braid, shaking and tilting his head while Nerhgüi was occupied. He brought the braid over his shoulder, curious what Nerhgüi had tied it off with. The ribbon was a deep, rich red - reminiscent of Nerhgüi. The miqo’te fiddled with the ribbon, enjoying the slide of the fabric between his fingers.

Luhn’a stilled as a hand gently angled his head upwards. He trilled, pushing lightly into the touch.

Nerhgüi applied a cold poultice and Luhn’a startled as inflamed skin fought soothing relief. The ointment smelled of honey, with a bitter floral scent. A smart choice to stave off infection. Nerhgüi applied a clean bandage and secured it in place.

“That should be sufficient. If you feel dizzy, drowsy or nauseous, please inform me so we can find a chirurgeon.” Nerhgüi said.

Luhn’a nodded, kicking his feet idly. “I will. Thank you,” he smiled. Standing up, he added, “Now it’s my turn to patch you up.”