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Reigen isn’t surprised when Shou shows up at his doorstep. He feels terrible, heartbroken, maybe, but he isn’t surprised.
The little hybrid won’t look up at him, opting instead to hang his head low with his ears drooped. He looks exhausted.
Reigen sighs. The rain was starting to pick back up, and it wasn’t doing either of them any good to stand in the doorway getting soaked. “Come on in.”
Shou doesn’t reply, only slinks past him. In the yellow light of the cabin, a long gash along his side is made visible. Reigen’s breath catches in his throat. The blood soaking Shou’s fur barely stands out, color diluted by water and the already orange hair, but it’s there. By the looks of it, the wound was still bleeding, too. It could only be a few hours old.
“Oh, kid…” Reigen’s voice escapes in a soft mutter. There’s a lot of emotions welling up inside his chest and at the back of his eyes, more than he’s willing to name, but he keeps himself steady. The last thing the boy needs is for someone to cry over him.
He follows Shou deeper into the main living space, veering off to the side to grab anything he might need. There’s a basket propped against the wall, and Reigen pulls out a handful of materials. He closes the lid just as Shou falls heavily into the nest with a small sound.
“Oh no, not yet young man,” Reigen tuts. He tries to hide his overwhelming concern with a light tone. “We gotta get you cleaned up before you get an infection. Besides, you’re gonna get blood all over my stuff.”
Shou groans at him, weakly, but still pushes himself up to sitting. He still doesn’t raise lift his eyes from where they were seemingly stuck to the floor. Regien’s brow creases. But, he doesn’t say anything more yet, deciding to fill the basin he grabbed with water from a canteen and dip a towel into it.
Shou stays silent until Reigen wipes the last of the blood from his fur. His voice is so small that he nearly misses it.
“Why do you keep helping me?”
Reigen’s paws stop midair. “What?” He frowns - Shou still isn’t looking at him. “Why would you say that?”
“What do you have to gain from this?” The dragonet finally turns his face towards him, and Reigen understands what he was trying to hide. Tears. Pooling and welling over the corners of his eyes. “I can’t-“ Shou inhales a shaky breath. “I’m not going to… Reigen.” He falls silent for a moment, blinking rapidly, tilting his head towards the ceiling. Avoiding his eyes. “I’m not worth it.”
The unspoken words ring loud in his ears. I’m not going to survive this. There isn’t any hope for me. Give up on me. Reigen’s heart squeezes so hard that it shatters. He reaches his arms out and pulls the boy into a tight hug, his tiny frame crumbling against Reigen’s chest.
“You’re just a kid,” he says. “An incredibly strong, resilient kid, and I’m proud of you. But, no one should have to go through what you do, especially not at your age.” Shou shoulder’s shake in his hold, and he squeezes tighter. “I don’t need to gain anything. I just need you to be safe.”
“I,” his voice is muffled against his fur. “I don’t know.”
“I’ll help as long as I’m alive, kid,” Reigen promises. “My door will always be open. You’re going to get through all this, I assure you. And hey! Before you know it, you’ll be free! You’ll never have to think about anything bad again.”
“I… hope you’re right. Thank you,” Shou finally shrugs Reigen’s paws off from around him, rubbing his eyes against his arm. He looks up at him, a watery smile across his beak. “For everything.”