Night 68: Stairwell by Nurse's Station 1-B

[knightspirit]

[ from here ]

Now came the hard part, at least as far as getting there was concerned. Though Kyousuke was beginning to heal at least a little—or just getting too used to the pain for his own good—moving around could still be tough if he wasn't careful, and stairs aggravated that.

For now, he gripped onto the railing, using it as a crutch to make his steps as even as possible, while forcing his face to stay as smooth. He'd just have to clench his teeth again; there was no use complaining about it.

Comments

[forsworn]

"Strange," Kratos commented as they reached the stairs. That was about all he could say about Tsurugi's experience, and frankly, that summed up what he thought anyway. It was another thing to be investigated, although the chances of them learning anything more were even slimmer than those of the other things sitting around in the "To Be Explored at Length" part of his mind.

He watched Tsurugi struggle up a few steps, as if considering whether or not to notice, but then moved swiftly to catch up with the boy. "Do you need my assistance?" He'd only bothered to ask because he could sense that Tsurugi was of a similar mold as he: he appreciated and often took advantage of the option to decline aid. Kratos had no problem with carrying Tsurugi up the stairs, and felt it might be better for the boy's health if he did, but he would ask anyway; it could be a matter of pride too.

[knightspirit]

Was it that obvious? ... No, Kyousuke shouldn't have expected to be able to gloss over it to begin with, no matter how well he held himself. Unlike anyone else, Kratos knew exactly how bad these injuries had been, so playing them off would be impossible.

Help, on the other hand, was another matter. "... It's fine," he responded. "It's only a little more."

It wasn't like he was so stubborn he'd refuse a hand no matter what it cost him—that would just be idiotic—but this was one case where he absolutely couldn't accept. Not from this man. ... He'd already done too much.

[ to here ]