Clown watched the crackling fire slowly consume the charred logs sitting within its own flames. There was something theraputic about just watching the wood slowly ebb into nothing but ash and soot.
Right now he was sat inside the circus thinking about the events of that day. How couldn't he? After all, a lot had happened.
Vitalasy may have been the one to start attacking him but he respected his boundaries and had fled the scene due to his broken mask. Well, at least that was what he messaged him on his com after the fight. Some excuse. We all know he really ran away because he was aware of his imminent defeat.
After Vitalasy had vacated the scene, Clown nearly yelped in pain as he tried to stand up out of the crater he was currently in. Cradling his right arm in his left, he examined it. His right arm was broken or at the very best fractured - he suspected that he had landed on it during his fall. That was unlucky - he didn't have anymore Golden apples on him and even then they wouldn't properly heal the bone. No, he'd have to wait until he got home.
He surveyed the rest of the injuries he had received during the battle, both to his armour and to himself. His armour wasn't too badly damaged so that was a bonus. His mask on the other hand, he needed to get that fixed.
Smoke from the explosion wrapped around him, restricting the clean supply of air he had access to. Coughing and spluttering, Clown decided that he wasn't that badly injured, that was until he glanced downwards towards his torso.
A deep read slash of crimson had started to stain the diamond covering his body. He brushed it of, it couldn't be that bad... Right? If he was being totally honest he didn't think his definition of bad would be the same as Branzy's but he would be fine - well at least he hoped so. Besides, the golden apple he ate during the fight had healed most of the damage.
Speaking of Branzy where was his friend? He could have sworn he saw him during the battle. Limping towards where he last saw him, he quickly scanned the faces of the few people who still remained ahead of him.
No Branzy.
Spinning around, Clown couldn't make anything out through the haze - everything looked the same.
"Branzy... where are you," He managed to rasp out weakly.
A moment of silence ensued before a slightly worried voice carried through the wind, "I'll be right there! Don't move."
Where his voice came from he didn't know, but what he did know was that Branzy was going to totally freak out after seeing him.
What was he going to do with that man...
Although he was rather ashamed about it, he had to admit that at first he was only using Branzy (ok but who would deny the chance of free labour?) but now he would say that that had changed. Branzy was his friend, his best friend, albeit he was one of his only friends but still... Their friendship had evolved. He knew he could truly trust and depend on Branzy.
His mind jumped to the mysterious arrows towards the end of the battle.
Who was the archer?
Was he the target?
Was Vitalasy the target?
Was it both of them?
Was Subz the perpetrator?
Clown hadn't seen him during the battle so maybe...
His train of thought was interrupted by a silver haired man who came noisily tumbling out of a nearby bush.
He whipped around as fast as a blade cutting through the air and spotted his friend lying on the ground, twigs and leaves infesting his fluffy hair. "I'm here!" he shouted, wincing at the same time.
"Branzy what?- Branzy what are you doing!? Why were you in a bush? " confusion laced his voice as he watched his friend.
Branzy looked startled by his question,"Me? Oh, I was just uh-" like a dear caught in headlights. Clown watched him as he continued to fumble over his words. He was probably overreacting but Branzy was acting very suspicious right at that moment. Now that he was thinking about it, he could have sworn that was the direction the arrow came from...
Deciding he was just being irrational, he settled on it being heightened nerves from after the fight. He sighed, "You know what? I don't want to know..." He offered a scarred hand out to him (the one that wasn't broken) which Branzy graciously took.
"I was worried about you," Branzy muttered towards the ground.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," reaching up towards his friends head with his left hand, he started to pluck the twigs and leaves out of his hair, "Here you have something stuck in your hair." Glancing up at his friend, a smile tugged at Branzy's lips shortly followed by a frown when he noticed Clown's injuries.
Branzy gently pushed Clown's hand away, "Let's just go back to circus, we need to get you cleaned up."
He nodded curtly, setting of with the silver haired boy. (HELP WHY DID BOY AUTOCORRECT TO BABE JUST NOW?)
~~~
Sitting on one of the many chairs that they had lying around in the circus, Clown was obliged to stay still. As soon as they had gotten back, Branzy had immediately gone into 'overprotective mother mode'. He'd ordered Clown not to do anything rash while he went to go get a medkit.
When he returned he started by asking Clown where he had gotten injured, almost as if he couldn't see the big gaping slice across his top half. Well, he would say 'ask: was a mild way of putting it. It was more like Clown was interrogated. Banzy knew him well enough to know he would try to play of his injuries of as nothing.
"Don't worry Branzy it's nothing major I've just been cut and bruised a bit is all..."
Point proven.
"Clown, Clown, Clown, when will you learn? I don't care If you got injured, we all make mistakes."
"No no, I'm being honest I'm perfectly fine, " he plastered a fake smile onto his face. Not good enough.
"If you call the deep slice across your chest 'nothing at all' then feel free to die from the blood loss" he replied much too snarkily.
"If you think I'm in a bad condition, you should see the state of Vitalasy, I gave him a scar he will never forget. Right across his face."
Branzy looked extremely unimpressed.
Clown finally accepted defeat, "Fine, fine I'll let you help me."
"I want to know where you were injured," Branzy stated firmly, not letting Clown leave his line of vision.
"Ok, well I have this cut across my chest, and I think I've got a few cuts and bruises on my arms, legs and back.
Branzy dropped the Medkit down next to him, rolled up the purple sleeves of his jumper and glanced back at Clown. "I need you to let me take of your armour and shirt for me... Is that okay?"
"W-why?!" Clown's voice was painted with apprehension.
"I can't treat your injuries if I can't reach them." Branzy replied in a calm, mildly wry voice.
"I can do it?"
"Yeah no, not with that broken arm you aren't."
Clown sighed and caved in, "Alright."
Branzy carefully helped Clown out of his heavy armour, the diamond surface was marred with red stains. Next, he proceeded to try and help him out of his shirt which proved difficult for several reasons. One being Clown's right hand was rendered useless and two, his drying blood was causing the fabric to stick to his skin.
Finally succeeding, Branzy riffled through the medkit. He pulled out a sterile cloth which he soaked in water. The silver haired man gently started to wipe of the excess blood from his skin, causing soft hisses to escape Clown's mouth at the stinging sensation. The white colour of the cloth slowly morphed into scarlett as Branzy slowly cleaned the wound on Clown's torso, he could feel the movement of his chest moving up and down as he inhaled and exhaled.
For a brief moment, Branzy glanced upward and caught Clown's gaze upon him. His eyes locked with amethyst ones.
Bashfully, he quickly looked away. He could have imagined it, but his heart seemed to start beating faster, pumping quicker, hammering inside of his chest. His cheeks seemed to have started burning under his mask, at that very notion and he didn't know why.
Branzy continued to remove the blood staining his skin. Clown's wounds throbbed and stung, as he tried his best to hold in his cries of pain.
When Branzy had finished, he discarded the now unusable cloths and rummaged into the medkit again. This time, a sling was produced and he unravelled it as fast as he could.
"Do you mind using your other hand to support your broken arm?"
"Of course. "
Delicately lifting his arm up, Branzy tied the sling around his fragile arm - they had to make sure the bone was set in the correct place when they used healing items.
Once Clown's arm was secure, Branzy once again ordered him to sit still as he unscrewed the cork to a healing potion. Clown looked at the ruby coloured potion mentally preparing himself before Branzy helped him drink the liquid. He swallowed it, a slight mellony after taste lingering in his mouth.
"I've finished patching you up, I'm not letting you out of the circus until you have properly healed."
The jester looked at his friend in mild disappointment, he wasn't surprised though, after all Branzy would be worried about him. "Ugh, fine."
Branzy still looked sceptical, "Promise?"
"Promise."
The amethyst eyed man looked at him approvingly, "Good. Do you want me to start a fire so it will be warmer?"
"Sure."
Branzy shuffled over to the fireplace, carefully placing wood and igniting it with a flint and steal. Slowly a fire sprung to life, the flames engulfing the oak logs. "I'm going to go on a walk," Branzy stated, heading towards the exit of the room, "make sure to get some rest, I'll be back soon."
"Ok."
Author's note: bro why is Branzy so sarcastic in this qwq
Word Count: 1731
Love you all xxx