[attr="class","postbody"]
Raph huffs an affectionate laugh, bending to press a hand to Mint’s forehead and brush shaggy, blue hair out of his eyes. “Of course I’m worried,” he says, quietly, like it’s a secret, then clears his throat and steps away to unpack groceries and clean laundry. “I’ll take you up on that, mitten. Just to make sure ya don’t bleed t’death.”
[break][break]

[break][break]
The thing that bleeds the most is time. One night bleeds into two, into four, into a week. Raph is cautiously optimistic. He putters around the apartment, fixing things, making Mint food, facilitating the acquisition of controlled substances to ease Mint’s pain. Cleaning, laundry and food runs, and nights on the couch speed things along (he doesn’t want to sleep in bed with Mint because he doesn’t want to hurt him, and he doesn’t want Mint to think he’s just here for the hookups. He isn’t. He sleeps just fine on a celibate, if slightly lumpy, sectional.)
[break][break]
It’s an idyllic sort of peace, almost matrimonial, if not for the very obvious maturation of Mint’s assorted wings. Raph sweeps up discarded baby feathers and offers to preen his pins for him (it's very satisfying) while insisting Mint eat a balanced and nutritious diet, and not just ramen and pizza. Cautiously, he begins to let his guard down, lets himself get into a groove he’s not fit into in a long, long, time.
[break][break]
Until he walks in from errands one day and finds Mint experimenting on himself.
[break][break]
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

[attr="class","oocnotes"]
mint frost[break]

• is THIS the timeskip you were looking for

[attr="class","postbody"]
Raph knew a little bit about crossroads. Hanged men and devils and deals, and all that.
[break][break]
The way he looked at it, it was like this: he wasn’t a good god-fearing League boy, no matter how many switches the sisters laid against his skin. He did bad things and he hurt good people, and while that wasn’t unique-- didn’t make him a real Rocket, anyway-- the real crux of it came to when, eventually, dahlia goode and all her powers that be called for the roundup and penned him, and the dregs like him, in for conscription, like unwanted, feral Rapidash.
[break][break]
What was he gonna do, fight Mint? The man-- beast? Demigod?-- he loved?
[break][break]
Yeah. he could say that now, if just to himself. And the answer was absolutely the fuck not.
[break][break]
Mint was changed. Mint was something different. Mint was, Raph expected, the closest he would ever get to praising something holy. So this is where he threw his dice and made his deal. Mint was the crossroads-- not Rocket, not the League. And it was fear that kept him here, but not an ‘afraid for your life’ kind of fear. More of a reverent fear. The fear that besieged Job when he dared question God about his troubles, if that story had been at all applicable here. Just to be able to ask the question.
[break][break]
More applicably, the fear the first man to see lightning felt, probably, or the fear felt by sailors on the sea, when the dark clouds gather and promise strong winds and fast travel, but also certain danger.
[break][break]
Mint was his sea.
[break][break]
There was, of course, the literal sea, working itself to a frothing rage just behind them, tendrils of seafoam lapping at their ankles. Raph resisted the urge to reach down and pat it-- I don’t mean to insult ya, bud, but a body’s only got room for enough worship in his life. Tiri floats just above it, the water directly beneath her sluggish with partial freeze from her icy aura. Raph was just happy he wore his waterproof boots.
[break][break]
He wasn’t fooling himself into thinking he was any kind of power here. All his life, he’d been good at about one and a half things, and most of that was body-blocking, which was less of a skill and more of a physical feature, and here would probably cause more harm than good, and most of that to himself. His team, with a few exceptions, were young, and fresh, and his ultimate goal for this first leg of whatever hell of a marathon they were embarking on was to not need to be carried, and to pull his own weight. He was a follower, not a leader, and true to the Bigwig form whatever higher power had based him off of (not to get too meta, here), was at his best when given direct orders to carry out.
[break][break]

[break][break]

[attr="class","postbody"]
“I’ll leave the rest right here. You can have another dose in 4 hours.”
[break][break]
All he wants is for Mint to take a fucking breather and relax. To find some peace. To heal, physically if not mentally. The better, more knowledgeable part of him knows that’s unlikely, but he wants to believe its possible, so he leaves Mint tucked in on the couch with Esper in tow and bundles up piles of bloody clothing and blankets and rags and shoves off to a lady in Slateport he knows doesn’t make eyes at a little extra blood. Or a lot, in this case.
[break][break]
On the way back he stops and picks up a couple of things: lots of peroxide, scrub brushes for cleaning, and a car full of essentials to make Mint’s life a little easier on him. His shopping trip takes him an extra hour or so, not including the time to waddle up to Mint’s apartment with all his bags in tow.
[break][break]
“How you feelin’, mitten?”

[attr="class","oocnotes"]
mint frost[break]

• kindness the ultimate weapon

[attr="class","postbody"]
He’s definitely had sexy dreams about Mint ripping someone’s throat out with his teeth. Once or twice it was his own throat. He hadn’t told Mint that, o’course, because… well, did he really need to know? Raph suspected in some way or another he already did, anyway.
[break][break]
“Well, I’m gonna go get yer laundry done and I might clean the bathroom a bit before the blood really sets in and ya don’t get yer security deposit back... but I thought I'd stay, yeah.” he drops a kiss onto Mint’s head, sighing tersely. “You ain’t foolin’ anybody. Ya need to rest, whether you want to or not. It’ll be easier once we get on top of yer pain.”
[break][break]
He knows that whatever Mint’s got going on in his brain is still going on, just buried. The man’s still so secretive, even after all this time, like he’s afraid to let anyone else in. Raph bites back a beleaguered sigh, relegating himself to figuring the physical hurts until Mint is ready to let him help with the mental.
[break][break]
Raph can't help himself. He leans back in and kisses Mint one more time, then pulls back like he got shocked. “Goddamnit. Go on, you.”

[attr="class","oocnotes"]
mint frost[break]

• kindness the ultimate weapon

[attr="class","postbody"]
Mint’s a guy on a precipice, again, Raph realizes. Wow, two in one night. Raph lets him posit it out, lets the wheels turn.
[break]
[break]

“Kinda?” he says, thought it comes out as a slightly deranged giggle. “I mean, yer covered in blood-- unfortunate that it’s your blood-- and yer now the beholder of unspeakable power-- or something. If you weren’t in so much pain I’d prob’ly be insatiably horny right now.”
[break]
[break]

He’s joking. A little.
[break]
[break]

“Mostly because… well, it’s you.” It is both the finisher to his last statement and the explanation behind his lack of filter.
[break]
[break]

Mint rises up on his toes, and Raph helps by leaning down; their lips meet, soft, gentle. Raph tilts his head and presses, tongue brushing against the seam of Mint’s mouth, before--
[break]
[break]

“Ah, uh, you-- you need to eat and sleep, mitten,” he mumbles, voice gone deep and grumbly, as he maneuvers Mint back towards the couch. He almost let himself get carried away-- so easy to do, with Mint-- and it was kind of embarrassing how easy he was when it came to this man. “Let’s get you right, yeah?”

[attr="class","oocnotes"]
mint frost[break]

• kindness the ultimate weapon

[attr="class","postbody"]
It’s funny, how they each shoulder their burdens. One ouroboros of guilt, a snake that connects them, mouth to mouth and hip to hip; a libra scale of culpability and regret, snapping back and forth on its supports so hard the chains threaten to break.
[break][break]
Mint presses against him and Raph lets his arms come around him, an instinctual motion, the unavoidable, gentle closing of the flytrap.
[break][break]
“It’s okay, Mint,” he says, and he feels more sure of himself, sounds more sure of it, this time, “really.” Whatever he’s about to say next is silenced by the way the pantry door opens-- unaided-- and a heavy package of water lifts out of it, clears the island, and drops with a dull, loud thud on the floor next to them. Raph stares at it, body stiffening, but doesn’t jump; there’s a strange chill that passes through him-- likely the result of his very mortal, very feeble brain trying to process something that purely doesn’t make sense-- and he snorts with a small laugh, nosing into Mint’s hair.
[break][break]
Mint pulls away from him and Raph lets him go with some reluctance, arms hovering for a bit before dropping.
[break][break]
“I’ll be honest with you, mitten, I’m scared shitless. In a good way!” He holds his hands up defensively. “You’re like somethin’... otherworldly.” He wants to say heavenly but he remembers how prickly Mint had gotten when he’d described his little wings as seraph-like, earlier. “It’s beautiful, an' freaky, an' god-awful, an' kinda hot, all in one. Like… like looking at the ocean, y’know? Or the night sky. Like it’s… too big to really picture. Wrap my head around.”
[break][break]
Raph’s fingers react to Mint’s like heat-seeking missiles, fingers intertwining, palms flush.
[break][break]
“Yer something amazing an' I’m dumbstruck in awe of you. But that ain’t new.” He crinkles his nose, laughing. “I've always felt that way about you."

[attr="class","oocnotes"]
mint frost[break]

• kindness the ultimate weapon

[attr="class","postbody"]
“Right. Arceus wept.” God, that sounded painful. Sounded like sheer agony. It wasn’t fair that it was happening to Mint. No power in the world seemed worth that amount of torture.
[break][break]
As Raph divvies out pills in his hand, Esper arches into the scritches, purring louder, and louder.
[break][break]
He’s about to stand to go to the kitchen and get water when Mint says his name, and Raph feels guilt ball in his chest, sinking low to his gut. Here the kid’s been having the worst time ever-- quite literally-- and all Raph can think is boo hoo, he hasn’t hung out with me in a while.
[break][break]
“Don’t worry about it, mitten,” he says, though it doesn’t come out as reassuring as he means it, because he's ashamed he's brought it upt at all. Mint’s wings, of all things, respond, loud and clear. “Woah, hey. Settle down there, fellas.” He stands at the same time Mint does, steps close to hover over him, and takes one small, pale hand in one of his own. “Well, you did scare me, a bit.” He places the pills in Mint’s palm and folds Mint’s fingers in. “But… it worked out, right? Eventually I always get… anxious, an' I invite myself over, an' you let me come in, an' it’s fine like that. If that’s just how we are, I mean.”

He swallows, mouth dry. “I’m happy with that.” A wide palm comes to Mint’s shoulder, thumb along his collarbone, gently suggesting he sit back down on the couch. “Let me get you some water.”

[attr="class","oocnotes"]
mint frost[break]

• kindness the ultimate weapon

[attr="class","postbody"]
Mint acquiesces to the pain relief with no fight. It’s enough to make Raph go slackjawed, just watching him as he talks. “Oh.” It takes him a minute to catch up, but he nods, slowly, realizing he'd just lectured the man for no goddamn reason, and didn't he feel a fool? “I, uh. Sorry. Genuinely thought you would fight me on that.”
[break][break]
He bundles everything away for safekeeping. “You ain’t putting anything on me. I’m your-- friend, and I care about you, and it’d be the same if you were sick with somethin’ else.” He pulls out his phone to google codeine dosing mg/kg. “Besides, I have entirely selfish reasons. The sooner I get you feelin’ better the sooner…” his voice catches, and he clears his throat. “...the sooner you stop hidin’ from me.”

[attr="class","oocnotes"]
mint frost[break]

• kindness the ultimate weapon

[attr="class","postbody"]
Esper cocks his head, pushing up and back into the headscratch, fur ruffling; he gives a little purr, wanton for the affection. He takes after his dad in more ways than one.
[break][break]
Raph knows a guy who knows a guy, who works with a guy, who he did a favor for a while ago, so it isn’t long before he has funds transferred and a pickup ready to go. He dispatches Halcyon from a hallway window, then heads back to Mint’s apartment.
[break][break]
“Right, okay, I heard somebody say corn on the cob?” It’s Paldean street corn done in little thirds, so he sets two in a bowl with mashed potatoes, a helping of sauced, pulled proteins, a breadroll, and a pat of butter. “Look, Espy, Mint’s fancy. He’s got real plates.”
[break][break]
The Espurr has slid down the couch to sit next to Mint; Raph walks over and offers the cat a buttered roll, then pushes the coffee table closer to the couch to set the food on.
[break][break]
“Get some food in you, you’ll feel a little better. While you’re asleep I can take the laundry down. I know a place with a lady that don’t ask questions when you got more bloodstains than the average bear.”

An angry squawk and sharp rapping of the glass has him rushing to find Halcyon, who he pays back with an ear of corn. He returns to the livingroom with a brown, paper shopping bag; nondescript, inconspicuous. He flares it open and sets it on the ground. There’s the sound of rattling, like pills in a vial, and then he pulls out an IV bag, still wrapped in plastic, and checks to make sure all the connections are still sealed and sterile.
[break][break]
“I know a guy who works for a vitamin clinic, so this bit’s legal. The, uh, drip morphine, not so much, but that’s the best way to get it. Less nausea that way. But I got acetaminophen and codeine tablets, if you like that better, and a couple of others. Won’t mix 'em, mind, but I figure we can find what works an' I can getcha more if you need them. I usually just take two an' pass out but you weigh waaaaay less than me so we should probably look it up…”

[break][break]
He leans back against the counter and gives Mint a knowing look.
[break][break]
"Look, I know it's hard for you to let someone take care of you, I get that. But you're fucking miserable and there's no point to you continuin' to be fucking miserable, so if the next words outta your mouth are gonna be somethin' like I gotta deal with the pain I don't wanna hear it. Whatever's fuckin' happening to you, Mint Frost, you're still human. A human with... weird neck wings and probably magic powers-- I'm just shootin' a shot, there-- but you're still human, still flesh and blood."

[attr="class","oocnotes"]
mint frost[break]

• kindness the ultimate weapon

[attr="class","postbody"]
He’s not the most intelligent man but he knows Mint enough now to know when he’s standing on a precipice. Crying in front of Raph was enough for today-- lord knew how much effort that took out of him.
[break][break]
“That’s what they look like, t’me. Little angel wings. What do you wanna call em? Drumsticks?” He crinkles his nose and leans in to press a soft kiss to Mint’s forehead, then stands and steps into the kitchen.
[break][break]
“I got barbecue but I can always get somethin’ less rich, if you feel up to eating a little.” He’s filtering through packages of pasta salad, coleslaw, pulled pork, shredded chicken, esquites. “I can make you a plate.”
[break][break]
When Mint tells him what countermeasures he’s used for pain, Raph snorts. “So, nothing. Right. Lemme make a call. I got some favors to cash in, I can getcha somethin’ that works.” He’s already scrolling on his phone, stepping into the hallway. “Esper, help Mint with whatever he needs, ok, kid?”
[break][break]
The Espurr-- so intelligently, creatively named-- stands on the arm of the couch and stares at Mint with big, wide eyes.

[attr="class","oocnotes"]
mint frost[break]

• kindness the ultimate weapon

[attr="class","postbody"]
He thrums his thumbs over the delicate structures in Mint’s hands and watches kindness pull him apart. He doesn’t mean for it to be like this, but it happens-- because Mint is unused to kindness, and that is a special kind of evil in and of itself. It makes him angry at the world that made this beautiful, stubborn man.
[break][break]
Frabic rips, and more strange, wing-like appendages flash and flare, flesh-colored and mutilated. Raph swallows, feels his stomach flip, and then he blinks and the newness is gone. It’s over. It isn’t shocking anymore. It’s just Mint.
[break][break]
“Door was unlocked.” He and his Espurr share a brief look.
[break][break]
It takes very little prompting to hook fingers in the back of Mint’s ruined shirt and tug him, gently, into his chest.
[break][break]
“Well, now,” he says, arms coming around him, voice calm and low, “in the last few years I’ve lived through an asteroid, holes ripped in time an' space, an' cannibals from another universe. My best friends are a giant bird and a walking rock creature. Someone with lil’ seraph wings ain’t that big of a stretch, I think. They’re weird, sure, but not much weirder than… a bad haircut, or somethin’.”
[break][break]
He bends down slightly and hooks arms under Mint’s thighs, hoisting him up with ease.
[break][break]
“Besides, it’s you, and I like you.” He opens the bathroom door with his shoulder and heads into the living room. “You could grow a whole ‘nother head and I’d get used to it, eventually.”
[break][break]
Esper jumps on the couch dragging a blanket over to make a nest, which Raph lays Mint on, kneeling between his legs to bundle him in.
[break][break]
“What have you tried for the pain?” he asks.

[attr="class","oocnotes"]
mint frost[break]

• kindness the ultimate weapon