Let Me Heal You

-And Be Damned-

Ru extended his hand—a challenge, an offering—but Killian’s gaze dropped lower. Ru looked where Killian was looking, at his own hand.

"Huh?"

Before Ru could yank his arm back, Killian caught it—gently, impossibly gently—fingers cradling his hand from below. His other hand hovered near Ru's cuff, not touching it yet.

“You’re hurt.”

There they were: cursed burns coiled around Ru’s wrists like serpents of ash. The skin looked blistered at the edges, blackened veins spiderwebbing inward—as if the fire had been lit inside him and burned its way out.

Ru stiffened. He'd forgotten about them. Or maybe he'd just grown used to the pain.

Killian's thumb hovered above the worst of it, not touching—not yet. "Let me heal you," he murmured.

A beat of silence.

Then, impossibly, "May I?"

Ru's breath caught.

Permission. He'd asked for permission.