Work Text
Fuel hissed as he sat against the tree, holding his leg with his scarred hand, tears in his eyes. An incredibly large gash was placed just under his knee, blood running down the rest of his leg. It was a stray piece of metal, one they probably missed from clearing up the forest after Porky’s rule. Lucas winced at the sight, not that he was scared of blood- he’s seen worse- but the fact that he’s never seen Fuel in so much pain.
Lucas bent down next to him, trying his best to assess Fuel’s injury, but it was kind of difficult when everything was covered in blood. Lucas grit his teeth, looking at the ground around him before he found what he needed. He picked up the sharpest rock he could find, using his other hand to hold his shirt. He used the sharpest piece of the rock to cut off a piece of fabric from his shirt. The edges were jagged, and would probably be a pain to fix when he got home. He glanced back at Fuel; his head was down and his breathing uneven.
“Fuel, hey.” Lucas spoke, his voice was soft. Fuel looked up, tears running down his face, “Is that a squirrel?” Lucas gestured to the other side of Fuel, and when Fuel directed his attention away from Lucas, that when he struck.
Lucas held the piece of fabric in his hand, using a strong hand to hold it over the cut. Fuel screamed, the tears falling from his eyes doubling tenfold. The fabric soaked up the blood quickly, much faster than Lucas thought it would. After a few moments Lucas moved the fabric away from the cut, hearing a small sigh of relief from Fuel. The cut was still bleeding, but much of it was soaked up by the fabric. Speaking of the fabric, it was soaked with blood, causing it to drip onto the grass below. Lucas discarded it, throwing it somewhere behind him.
Now that the cut was mostly clean, he was able to examine it more clearly. It shouldn't need stitches, but even Lifeup wouldn't be able to fully heal it. Lucas furrowed his brow, before placing a gentle hand just over the cut, making sure not to touch it. It caused Fuel to wince, but Lucas didn’t move.
“It hurts.” Fuel spoke, barely over a whisper.
Lucas nodded softly, “I know…”
“I wanna go home.” Fuel sniffled.
Lucas looked up to meet his eyes, they were full of pain, looking at Lucas as if he were desperate. It’s almost… nostalgic
Only days after everything started, his mothers death, Claus’ disappearance, Porky’s official claim on the Islands, and after Flint had saved Fuel from the house fire. Fuel and Lighter had nowhere to stay, so Flint agreed to house them. Lucas didn't know if it was his fathers desperateness to have someone close to him again, or just Flint being Flint, but either way they were there to stay.
Seeing Fuel again, right after the fire, it was almost scary. Half of his body was covered in burns. Parts of his face, some of his leg, and his entire arm. Rumors spread of them having to cut it off just to save him. Some nights Lucas couldn't sleep, kept up by Fuel’s sobs and cries of pain. He’d wished he could have done something, eased that pain if not just a bit.
“You’ll be home soon, ok? I just can't have you bleeding out right now.”
Fuel nodded, and Lucas smiled. He focused back on the cut, a light green glow emanating from his hand. The cut closed up slowly, but not fully. There was still a lot of red peaking through, and a bit of blood still flowing, but the corners of the cut closed up well. Lucas waited a few more moments before pulling his hand away.
“You shouldn’t need stitches, just a bandage.” Lucas smiled at him, and Fuel let out a sigh of relief.
Fuel wiped the tears off of his face and grinned back at Lucas, “Thanks Lucas!”
“Does it still hurt?” Lucas questioned, placing a hand on Fuel’s knee, right above the cut.
“A little bit,” Fuel moved his unscarred hand over Lucas’, “Not as bad as before, n’ I can probably walk back home fine.”
Lucas hoisted himself up, holding a hand for Fuel to take, “Well, I’m gonna walk you home anyway.”
Fuel nodded, smiling, and took Lucas’s hand. It was difficult to balance for a moment, but eventually he got the hang of it. He held onto Lucas as they walked, slowly at first, but eventually both of them got used to the pattern of their steps.
It wasn't a long walk back to Fuel’s house, and they only had to scare off three snakes, a new record! Lucas walked Fuel to the door, slowly letting go of him.
“It might be a little numb for a bit, Lifeup tends to have that effect.” Lucas explained, and Fuel nodded along, “Just don't forget to put a bandage on it, if it gets infected it’ll just get worse.”
“I’ll be alright!” Fuel raised his hand, making an okay sign with his fingers, “You don’t gotta worry about me!”
Lucas sighed, “And yet I always do.”
Fuel laughed, putting his hands down. He leaned in close to Lucas, giving him a peck on the cheek before quickly retreating, opening the door to his house, “Bye Lucas!!”
Lucas brought a hand up to his own cheek, almost giddy, “Bye Fuel…”