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Who: Ravi & Shou
What: So that familiar voice from his first post just showed up as a patient.
When: June 27th, Thursday
Where: LCUH ER

[Right. So.]

[He has a number that gives him access to an inexplicable network full of other people who also have numbers that connect them all together. He remembers a couple things that never actually happened to him. His roommate is convinced he's slowly turning into a vampire or something? Oh, and the kitten can talk now, too.]

[Schizophrenia does not typically wait until your 30s to manifest, but that's the simplest explanation for all of this.]

[Oh well. Just going crazy over here, nbd, don't mind him. He goes to work Thursday night like everything is perfectly normal. (Everything except the barely-suppressed undercurrent of panic at the fact that he is going crazy, that is.)]

[Somewhere during the shift he walks into an examination room to get a patient's vitals before the doctor sees them, and--

[Oh. It's this guy again.]

[Ravi pauses in the doorway briefly before he finishes entering the room and shuts the door behind him. This is...going to get awkward. Sigh.]

[He glances at the chart on his clipboard, checking the name. Now he remembers why it seemed familiar.] Shou? [he doesn't even need to confirm, but he's preemptively socially awkward and falling into routine to combat it]

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[Shou getting into fights was not new. Shou had always got into fights thanks to his stubbornness, the stubbornness of the other person and outside forces like women or alcohol. Tonight it was a mixture of alcohol and stubbornness that made him end up with a split lip, a cut a little too close to his left eye, and a ripped shirt from the same knife that tried to take out his eye. The other guy was in much worse shape since pulling a knife was considered bad sport in Shou's mind. Of course that meant he had to get his cuts looked at even though the only problem he had was how the one next to his eye wouldn't stop bleeding.

Earlier a nurse had scolded him for playing with his phone, so he was busy assembling a small log cabin made out of the tongue depressors in one of the drawers by the sink. He was delicately adding cotton balls at the corners of the cabin when he heard his name and looked up.

Oh. This RN. He liked this RN. Shou stretched a little on the exam table, accidentally knocking over his creation, and smiled. This was going to be fun.]

Hello pretty.

[He opens his mouth to speak but hesitates, not sure how to respond to that. that's not even accurate!! you can't just call someone pretty when they know they're not!]

...A fight, again? [yup he's just...gonna ignore it]

[hey, wait a second]

[that voice...?]

[Aw, but Shou likes his eyes - there were warm and brown. So what others might find him a bit normal but Shou always looked first at a person's eyes.]

Well, I could have driven my car into a wall, but I think everyone is getting tired of that.

[oh my god]

[THAT VOICE]

[THAT'S WHY IT WAS FAMILIAR]

[Ravi isn't even listening to Shou's actual words. He's just staring, stunned.]

[Does that mean he was hallucinating the voice because it was something residing in his subconscious? Or...was it...actually Shou...somehow...]

[oh, right, work, um]

Ah...so... [pause, looks him over] Lacerations only? Anything else?

[Shou blinks at Ravi for a moment and then lifts up his shirt, displaying all the hard work he had put into developing his muscles. They may not be six-pack abs, but they had some definition. There was also a few more cuts, one of which looked as if someone had started to stab but a sudden motion turned it into a slash.]

I don't think it lasted enough to puncture anything...

[He dropped his shirt and crossed his legs before double checking his hands. His knuckles looked bruised but nothing else was bleeding heavily so Shou decided that he was in good shape. He would be in better shape if he was home in bed.]

I guess it's just cuts.

[DISTINCTLY UNCOMFORTABLE]

[he is trying to focus on just the injuries but dammit Shou why do you have to be so attractive?! and why can't he have a body like that, while we're at it?]

[he shifts his weight, looking very firmly past Shou's shoulder instead of at him, and nods.]

Let me--get a doctor. One moment.

[he reaches behind himself for the doorknob, misses, then turns to look on the second attempt, pulls the door open and slips out]

[DEEP BREATH]

[then down the hall to bother the nearest doctor, meanwhile trying to decide whether or not to bring up the...'secret numbers club' (inward cringe) to see if that was actually Shou.]

[comes back with the doc, brief exam to confirm there's nothing more serious going unnoticed, she informs Shou that he'll need stitches and where, and then Ravi speaks up to volunteer to put the stitches in]

[teeechnically she's not supposed to let him do that because RNs aren't allowed to do sutures, BUT... she gives him a glance that says as much, then shrugs and leaves him to it. ER docs are busy folks.]

[Ravi is left alone with Shou and will not be disturbed until he's finished. Perfect.]

[but then he turns to Shou and realizes what he has to say next and freezes up. mmmmaybe he should've let the doctor handle this actually it's not like he'd never get another chance to talk to Shou alone. is it too late to call her back in? he shifts his weight as though preparing to turn back toward the door, then hesitates]

[fuck it, he can do this]

Ah...take off your shirt and lay down.

[please don't respond to that with flirting oh god this is so awkward]

[Shou smiles at Ravi's fumbling with the door but doesn't bother to start laughing. he's gotten use to how much he made the poor RN fumble and stumble about, though it's still pretty good on the ego to see that he can make even guys get flustered. he just didn't have a clue about Ravi being gay, otherwise he might have gone a little easier on the poor guy.

MAYBE.

with the doctor poking at his cuts, Shou actually made faces and pouted at the appearance of ouchies. he expected her to stitch him up. instead Ravi's statement had him blinking in confusion, his lower lip sticking out.

wait what? but now there they were, and Ravi told him to remove his shirt. a shake of his head and Shou did so, blond curls fizzing and his pout re-established. his favorite shirt, ruined.]

Whatever you say.

[well that was relatively painless, thank goodness. he lets out a quiet breath of relief as he goes to the sink. washes his hands, puts on some gloves, comes back to shou's side with a tray of suturing supplies]

[obligatory warning for the disinfectant: ] It's going to sting a bit.

[he's starting with the stab-that-changed-its mind wound on Shou's chest, since it seems to be the most serious. the one near his eye is next.]

[once he's actually working, it's easy to put all other thoughts out of mind and focus on doing what he needs to do. except...he volunteered for this so he could ask about the network... he mulls it over while he works and rehearses a few different conversation-start attempts in his mind before he finally settles on something.]

Ah, so--I think I spoke with you last night.

Sting away - I do like a little roughness from time to time.

[sometimes the flirting just comes naturally and sometimes it sounds creepy as all. this time it sounded a lot better than the last time, though shou was going to blame it on the alcohol. it's always better to blame it on the alcohol like when he wore twenty yards of lace and a fig leaf masquerading as a business suit.

especially when the fig leaf was not doing a proper job of covering things.

he shivered at the cold disinfectant, his nose wrinkling at the smell and waited for the stitches. he really hoped he didn't have any lasting scars, especially the cut by his eye. that will just ruin his features. or maybe he would look like a pirate. thinking about if he could get an eyepatch with rhinestones from the hospital, he didn't actually catch all of what ravi was saying at first.]

Eh? Last night? [he had been chilling out last night and browsing the network... huh.]

Like how?

Edited 2013-07-06 20:36 (UTC)

[...SHOU. and you were doing so well!! there is only a brief hesitation on Ravi's part, though. he hides his embarrassment by hyperfocusing on what he's doing.]

A forum.

It was your voice only, so I can't be sure.

[there, that is a suitably innocuous 'not crazy' way of putting it.]

[he blinked for another moment, the flirting fading away as he just processed what he just heard. Ravi? in the club? well, that would make things rather interesting now wouldn't it?

maybe he will have a better time with teases once he figures out which one he was.]

Call me crazy, but are we talking about the exclusive club for discerning people?

[if shou starts using the network to flirt with him ravi is moving to the south pole and quitting life forever]

[that's basically confirmation. he gives a relieved half-sigh, breathing out some of his tension with it.]

That's a better name than what they called it. [sort of nervous attempt to answer with a half-hearted joke]

[and deny shou his fun? how cruel.]

I think you've got to blame the culprits. I don't think most of us could ever figure out a good name for the club.

[well he certainly can't, but then again his lack of creativity for names is nothing new.]

[maybe he will jokingly start calling it the exclusive club for discerning people.]

The culprits?

[pause while he finishes off the sutures for the chest-wound]

I'm going to do the one by your eye, now. Sit up, please.

[swapping out the needle for the disinfectant and waiting for Shou to move into position]

[and, as though there was no interruption at all: ] You mean the ones responsible for giving us those numbers?

Well, when I got invited, I started calling it that. I'm not sure if the name was there before, but it seems like it stuck.

[he looks down at the neat row of stitches, running a finger along the skin and sighing to himself. well, he can't say that he has flawless skin for a long time anyways. sitting up, he glances over at the needles.]

Will it scar too badly? [it's by his eye! they're his second best feature!]

Eh, I think those responsible for the invites aren't exactly in charge save for giving us a place to chat.

[what. he has you to blame for the name, shou? damn it, now he feels dumb for criticizing it to his face.]

[ravi is pro at avoiding eye contact and somehow manages to do it even while he's disinfecting a wound right next to shou's eye.]

Ah, I'm very good at this, actually. Follow the after-care instructions properly and it will heal up fine.

[he picks up a new needle and very carefully begins stitching up the wound]

Do you think there is someone responsible? I don't see how they could get those numbers into our heads.

[don't. there are more reasons to feel dumb than saying it's a silly name. like fending off more of shou's flirting.]

Are you part of the after-care instructions?

[he hums a little to take his mind off of having something sharp so close to his eyes.]

The Sage that we are here to fight off the invaders. That we're part of something. I think that given what I've seen so far, that whoever gave us the numbers, already had us marked from birth and was just waiting for the right trigger.

[NO SHOU HE IS NOT PART OF THE AFTER-CARE INSTRUCTIONS OH MY GOD]

[Ravi is just staring intently at what he's doing and wishes this cut was not on Shou's face because that means he cannot pointedly avoid looking at Shou's face]

[so flustered he forgets to verbally fend off the flirting]

Ah, well, that makes sense. [actually it doesn't make sense at all???? how would they be marked from birth, why, what invaders, what are they part of?!]

The invaders are aliens? Someone suggested that last night.

[WHAT WHY NOT?]

[Shou smiles a little, not moving in fear of pointy thing so close to his eye but he mentally shakes his head because he has no idea what Ravi is agreeing to.]

We think so. They certainly sound like they regard humanity as a kind of pest in their garden.

[gardeners...]

[sigh he really needs to get around to looking up that stuff. it's just so much to take in all at once. not that he dislikes having that FAQ there to lay everything out for newbies, but it's just too dense to digest right away.]

Ah, it all sounds like a bad science fiction movie.

[aaaand done. He pauses to double-check his work. the sutures are very neat and the edges are perfectly even, it'll heal up to a faint white line at the most within a month or two.]

[he stands back, setting the needle on the tray and pushing it aside.]

I'll bandage up the rest for you and then you can go.

Pretty much except the heroes are mainly normal people.

Or they were.

[he sighs a little, reaching up to touch the row of stitches before stopping himself.]

So... You're not going to make sure I get to my bed in one piece?

['or they were.' he hasn't given much thought yet to the, uh, changes that certain people in this 'club' have professed to be undergoing. roommate thinks he's turning into a vampire... ]

[that aspect of the situation won't seem real to him until he experiences it for himself. until then, he'll remain skeptical.]

[...........SHOU]

[HE IS HAVING SERIOUS THOUGHTS HERE, STAHP]

[Ravi just gives him a deer-in-headlights smile for a few seconds. THERE IS SOME PERFECT, WITTY RESPONSE TO GIVE HERE AND HE IS A COMPLETE BLANK, NOOO]

[in the end he just shakes his head and gives a nervous shrug] That's not in my scope of practice.

[neither are sutures]

[shhh]

[he decided to go dramatic, sighing and stretching out in such a way that it puts his abs on display. He also attempts a slight pout as well.]

I suppose I can manage.

[the dramatics last a second or two before he sits up and leans in close to pat Ravi on the shoulder.]

At least you aren't alone in the club. There should always be someone willing to give you a hand.

[staaaaaaahp]

[stop being so pretty and stop shoving it in his face and stop being a patient so he could actually accept the offers]

[he is very pointedly not looking at Shou and trying to maintain a polite smile except it is so hells of awkward. the lean/pat catches him off-guard, he tenses and snaps his gaze back to Shou.]

Yes. It's good to know, thank you.

[he backs up a step or two] Let me go talk to the doctor and get you checked out.

[turns, scurries out]

[RAVI YOU FORGOT TO BANDAGE UP THE REST OF THE INJURIES, FUCK]

[hi he's back wow this is the most awkward, forgetting very important shit because you are distracted/flustered is super embarrassing]

[he goes immediately to dig through the cabinet drawers for gauze and medical tape and whatever else he needs what else does he even need uhhh maybe he should get another nurse in here to do this, shit]

Ah--sorry--all this, it just slipped my mind--

[he could always ask him out over the club's hookup. heck Shou isn't afraid of the possibilities of someone learning his secret idenity since he never was that careful.

though it might make for interesting morning afters. since the medical history Shou has.

not it's a bad one.

Shou waits, humming while he starts rebuilding his cabin out of tongue depressors. and when Ravi came in again, he just waves one at him.]

Can I keep these?

[pause, looks over his shoulder to see what shou's talking about]

[here, have his exasperated face, shou. patients aren't supposed to touch those! how did he miss that the first time? (oh, right, because shou, that's how.)]

Take them. We can't use them anymore.

[he turns back to the drawers to make sure he's got everything and then walks back to the exam table where shou's sitting. he just stands there and waits for shou to stop contaminating sterilized equipment and let him work]

[it's the abs and the flirting after all Shou is a very good distraction. he also sticks the one he was waving around in his mouth and smiles.]

Thanks.

[and he happily hums around the tongue depressor as he continues to build before noticing that Ravi is there waiting. cue him blink at him in perfect innocence. big blue eyes, lush lips around the tongue depressor and blond hair all over the place.]

...oh, band-aide time?

[that patiently-waiting that Ravi's doing is actually a little bit passive-aggressive. when shou finally sees him, he gives an 'oh, how kind of you to notice' kind of sardonic smile. it's mild and subtle, but it's there.]

Yes. A few minutes only, and then you can go back to the tongue depressors.

[lesson learned: never volunteer to handle shou solo ever again. too pretty, too forward, too aggravating.]

But I can take them home, right?

[just a little stuck on the idea. he does get that way after a few drinks in him. well maybe more than a few to be honest.]

Okay.

[and with that, he puts the tongue depressors to the side and stretches out so that all the little nicks and cuts were on display. oh and everything else really.]

Yes. [Very firm and patient, like you'd be trying to explain something to a small child.]

[he is going to do his best not to stare at Shou's amazing abs while he bandages him up. it's a hard-fought battle but he emerges victorious.]

[he is very relieved to be finally done with this. dealing with shou is stressful. just a bit.]

Okay! Is there anything else you need before I go get you checked out?

[he tries to hold still while the bandages were put in place, he really does. once that is done he sighs and stands up, gathering all the tongue depressors together into a pile and then looks for something to carry them all in. can he take a glove to use as a purse?]

Your phone number?

[DEER IN HEADLIGHTS SMILE]

[he backs away, grabs Shou's file from the counter, and fumbles for the door again. he can't even think of a polite refusal to give, so he's...just...leaving.]

[oh my god the next time he sees shou on the network is going to be SO AWKWARD.]

[well. that was an interesting smile. Shou shrugs to himself and grabs a glove, shoving the tongue depressors into it to carry on home. after talking to the doctor, he'll go home and sleep and when he wakes up, he will really wonder about those. i mean why did he feel the need to take them home?]

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/so many errors in past tags sob

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