When he sniffed it Johnny flinched, but he lay still and let Taylor rest his head over his ribs. As Johnny slept, a rush of emotions bounced across the bond—mostly Taylor’s, but as Johnny dropped deeper into unconsciousness he could feel them pushing through too.
Relief, confusion, and a fear that sank so heavily into Taylor’s chest it was as though his bones had frozen inside his body. Taylor scrunched his eyes shut, letting it wash over him. He could bear it, all of it, for Johnny.
It wasn’t until several hours later that he felt a hand brush through his fur, an arm around his shaggy scruff. “Hey,” Johnny whispered, voice weak as he pressed his face into Taylor’s chest.
In human form Taylor could finally see the mess of blood and bruises. The swelling under both of his eyes, his arm… his goddamned arm had a dent in it. Taylor whined, curling tighter around Johnny’s naked body. He felt so small like that, so vulnerable.
There was a soft knock on the door, making Taylor’s lips curl back. When he looked up there was a nurse standing just beyond the threshold.
“I… um… I’m terribly sorry but the doctor wants to set and dress Mr Ateba’s arm. She’s worried that the longer you leave it, the less likely it is to heal correctly.”
Johnny’s warm breath puffed against Taylor’s chest. “It’s okay,” he said, stroking Taylor’s ears. “I’m safe now.” He ran his fingers over Taylor’s muzzle. “You made me safe. It’s time to turn back.”
He didn’t know how long they stayed in that room, or at what point Johnny touched the pressure point behind his ear that made him shift back. At some point they were handed hospital gowns, which Taylor helped Johnny into before being wheeled through the hospital and into the X-ray room.
The radiologist let him stay, but when they returned to the loud, chaotic ward in A&E, Taylor couldn’t help but pace around the perimeter of the cubicle and stare at Johnny incessantly.
“Seriously, dude. It’s getting a bit much,” Johnny said, his voice raspy. He had his arm strapped into a bright blue sling, his bloodied fingers poking out from beneath a massive bandage. “I’m okay now, my teeth are just a little rattled.”
“Bullshit,” Taylor growled, scraping a chair across the linoleum floor as he pulled it next to the bed. His hospital gown split up the sides as he dropped into the chair with too much force. Gritting his teeth, he tried not to make it obvious he was holding his bruised ribs.
“I saw you, JP. Surrounded, beaten to shit. So, don’t tell me it’sa bit much.”
Johnny swallowed, which looked painful. “Sorry,” he said, raising a hand off the bed. He had a cannula sticking out the back that pulled every time he moved. “I know. Sorry I scared you like that.”
Taylor baulked. “Scared?Scared?JP, I ran five miles in six minutes. What the fuck happened? Why were you out there on your own? Who were those people?”
Johnny rubbed his face. “Jesus, okay,okay.” He wrapped a hand around Taylor’s, the cannula tubes rattling as he squeezed. “I got complacent, alright? Policing Dingly Heath has made me complacent as shit. I went with Wendy to check out Applewood Heights after William said his dad was hanging around with some shady people. I saw someone that looked like Sylvester Pearce—which, by the way, may or may not have been his actual evil twin—he ran, I followed, and they jumped me. And if you’re really that desperate to give me a lecture, could you at least hold my hand and feed me grapes as you do it.”
Taylor shook his head. “You’re a cock.”
Johnny sighed, closing his eyes. “And you’re a massive throbbing bell end.”
“Twat.”
“Cunt.” Johnny smirked, cocking an eyebrow.
“That’s just unnecessary.”
Grinning, Johnny patted Taylor’s hand. “Sorry. Been a rough day.”
Taylor’s plastic chair creaked as he leaned back. “You’re telling me. Usually you’re the one saving my arse.”
Johnny hummed, stroking Taylor’s knuckles. “It was pretty hot, can’t lie. Seeing you charge in all crazy.”
Taylor scoffed, slouching even deeper into the chair. “Do not make a pass at me from your hospital bed, JP.” He ran his tongue over his teeth, trying to ignore the warmth curling around his ears.
Johnny shrugged, a mischievous smile crossing his face. “I would blame it on the pain meds but that shit ran out ages ago.”
Tutting, Taylor bent forwards to brush his lips over Johnny’s bruised fingers. They were pissing him off, in all honesty, smelling of blood and surgical wipes. Taunting him, reminding him that he should have got there sooner.
He dragged his nose along the rough material of the arm brace and the scratchy cotton of Johnny’s hospital gown. Taylor’s chest rumbled as he pushed his face into Johnny’s throat, eyes fluttering shut as he inhaled.
He felt Johnny shiver, his scent spiking with arousal. Taylor groaned against his skin. “No getting turned on, either. This is for me, not you.”
Snorting, Johnny tipped his head back to allow Taylor better access. “Stop turning me on, then.”
Taylor sighed and pulled back. “I think I preferred it when you were still hiding your feelings.”
