The med-bay was quiet. It usually was, the Team didn't get injured enough for it to constantly be in use, part of the only reason we were in here at the moment. The hard, metal frame of the cot bit into my leg, cold pressing through my pants and into my skin. I tugged my jacket a lighter bit tighter, silently wishing I had the cold resistance the others did.

Orin muttered under his breath, a soft and steady flow of words as he gathered Kaldur's hair atop his head. A hair tie looped once, twice, leaving it in a bun. With one hand on the back of his head, Orin lowered Kaldur onto the cot. It was a nearly reverent movement, and I would've called it as such if I hadn't heard and seen how Orin's treated him.

Kaldur's IV line swung. I glared into the bag, into the myriad of drugs keeping him under. I didn't know why Orin wanted me here. Maybe it would've made sense if they were awake, but they weren't.

There were four of us in a room, and only two of us could say anything. Not exactly a place where a therapist is of much use. And, I thought with a tinge of bitterness, it's not like Orin seems particularly inclined to say anything.

And so it fell to me to break the silence. "What was that for?" I asked. He didn't glance at me. "The muttering, Orin."

"I do not have to explain myself or my actions to you."

"I'm just as responsible for him as you are."

"No, you are not. It was a blessing, nothing more," he said with a simple gesture that sent metal crashing to the floor. The empty bowl rattled and wheeled around, while the various medical tools simply clattered. Neither Percy or Kaldur stirred. Orin sighed. He leaned over, fingers brushing and then rolling the penlight into his hand. He sat it on the stand, put on blue gloves, and picked it back up. The button clicked. Orin's fingers neared Kaldur's gills, and I bit my lip to silence myself. Blood nearly spilled into my mouth as he lifted one.

He shone the light into it, before letting it fall. "It dulls pain." Up came the next one. Near instantly, he shot up. "Shit!." The chair crashed to the ground. I winced. Muttering obscenities, Orin dug through the medicine cabinets. Bottle after bottle, prescription and over the counter medicines, over half made by Bruce, they sat abandoned on the counters. Orin ran a hand through his hair. The door to another cabinet swung open; the tension fell from his shoulders. "Thank Poseidon," he breathed. 

I didn't know what was going on. So I stood there, dumbly, as Orin ran water into a pitcher and measured whatever he found into it. His fingers drummed against the counter. Finally, I broke down and asked.

Orin lifted the pitcher, taking careful steps. Water sloshed against plastic. He sat it on the cart beside Kaldur, and he picked up a pair of tweezers. I nearly asked again, but then he said, "Atlanteasn, at least those who have gills, are susceptible to parasites. Apparently, Kaldur never thought to have anyone check him after his visit to home. And I suppose I should have made sure he did, but he should know better. Fucking-- This is the worst possible thing to happen right now, Dinah." He pressed his forearm over his eyes. "I should have checked earlier."

My jaw clenched, and so was every other muscle really, I stared at him. I could count the amount of times I'd heard his voice waver like it was on one hand. When there was an attack on Atlantis he couldn't stop. When he broke down two months into the kidnapping. 

When he told me Kaldur tried to kill himself. 

Despite the way his voice shook, his hands were steady. It almost looked as though he'd done this time after time. He might've, my mind supplied as I turned my face away. I didn't want to see the things he was puling out of Kaldur's gills. A shudder tore through my body. Bile began its slow climb up my throat. Out of mind, shove it in a box. Just...compartmentalize. 

 And yet I couldn't.

I swallowed. "I can understand sedating him, but why her?" I asked, jerking my head towards Percy. 

"I am surprised he has not told you."

"I'm not even going to pretend to know what you're talking about." 

From the corner of my eye, I caught his frown. "To touch someone else's gills is a sign of utmost trust. I am not one who has that permission, and to force her to let me touch them, it would only hurt her more."

My mouth went dry. I inhaled. I looked back at Kaldur, at his relaxed face, free from all the weight he's carried since the rescuse. He-- He trusted me enough to do that? No. No. There was no reason I'd know anything about that. And with his gills still so damaged, it was far more likely that he was trying to hurt himself. Trying to get me to hurt him. 

The bile and nausea came back full force. Stumbling back a step, I pressed a hand over my mouth. He said it wouldn't be my fault if he-- Was he--

Was he trying to make me see that?

"If they tried to get someone to touch their gills," I said, while keeping my voice as steady as possible. "But that person refused, what would that mean?"

The clock ticked, and time passed without an answer. Orin said nothing. I stared at his back before turning away. Fine, don't answer me. Percy's breathing was steady, a soft rise and fall of her chest the only sings she was alive. My eyes fluttered closed. The dark behind my eyelids was all too similar to the empty void growing in my chest. I sighed. How did this happen?

How did things get to this point?

Why torture two kids?

A sharp growl, gasp, and a shout, all followed by crashing metal. Fear raced through my entire being, and I whipped around, ready to do something. There was nothing to be done though. There wasn't an enemy, only a terrified boy pressing himself to the wall. Blood trailed down Kaldur's arm, dripping onto tile. The needle was somwhere on the floor, but I wasn't too concerned. No, the priority now was how Orin was rushing to him. 

I didn't get a chance to tell him no, to tell him why that was a bad idea. It could make him panic more. It could cause him to lash out. But I wasn't sure Orin would've even listened. 

"Calm down!" Orin grasped Kaldur's face in his hands and tilted his head back. "Calm down," he repeated softer. "You are safe, my son." Kaldur's response came in the form of babbling. The words flooded from him, mouth moving faster than the words could emerge. Orin responded with a hum and then words spoken in Atlantean. Sniffling, Kaldur's hands fell from his arms. "There you go," said Orin, smoothing his thumbs over Kaldur's cheekbones. "I just have to finish tending to your gills, and then we will be talking about this matter."

Kaldur trembled, hands shaking where they rested by his sides. "My king--"

"No. This matter is nonnegotiable. You are only lucky that I will not take it up with your mother." A biting tone resided in Orin's voice. I narrowed my eyes. Kaldur shied from him, pressing himself further against the wall. Glowing soft green, the bracelet around his wrist drew attention from two sets of blue eyes. Orin, as hard on Kaldur as he was, allowed his shoulders to fall. He sighed, leaned forward, and pressed a soft kiss to the boy's forehead. "You are an idiot."

A soft, small noise passed through Kaldur's lips. I thought something would happen. I expected something to. Maybe Orin would scold him over that, he'd yell at him while he was still panicking. So I took a step forward, ready to intervene, only for Kaldur to collapse into Orin. His arms wrapped around, latching onto soft blue cotton. Orin rested his chin atop blond hair. He placed a hand on his back and tapped his fingers. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. 

Square breathing, I realized as Kaldur began to match his inhales and exhales to the first and third sets. I filed the information away for later, marked as concerning, and I let the tension leave my body. Even after his breath steadied, Kaldur left his arms around Orin, and Orin continued to support him.

For the briefest moment, only in my vision, did the bracelet flash orange.

Well, this has been fully edited so...

If someone would like to give me their sleep, that would be amazing

Also comments are always welcome because they keep me going more than coffee, which really isn't hard since coffee puts me to sleep, but comments are nice!

See yah