Chapter 108: The less people who know, the better
"I am just going to ask this for medical purposes, but did anyone do this to you?" The Doctor asked as Sam helped Cass undress. Cass let out a low chuckle as more of his bruised and damaged skin was revealed, along with the terrible state his hands were actually in. The Doctor did their best to keep their expression neutral, but it was clear that even they thought he was in poor condition.
"I can assure you, this was all done to me by my own hand." Cass said. It was clear that they assumed maybe Draken had a role to play in this, but Draken didn’t pick up on what they were implying. Instead, the dragon looked glum and horrified by what he was witnessing. He was standing still, allowing Sam to take over the spot that he had beside Cass so that he could help him.
He was only a few steps away, standing between the coffee table and the other loveseat. Steam was rising from his nostrils, and if he was trying to hide what or who he was, he was doing a piss poor job.
Cass wanted to laugh, but it was clear that no one else found this situation humourous. Sir Forsythe was in a similar state as Draken, but without the steam. Byron was maintaining his composure, but just. His dark eyes wouldn’t leave Cass’ swollen wrists and hands.
"What were you doing to harm yourself like this?" The Doctor asked and Cass felt his heart begin to race. Draken, noticing this change, sharpened.
"Cassian, what happened? You seem worked up." Draken asked, his voice a little loud, but his words were genuinely concerned. That, or he was a great liar.
He might have believed that to be the case if it was Vespertine, but Draken was too...honest to be good at that kind of deception. Too animalistic to beat around the bush like that.
"Are you alright?" The Doctor asked carefully and Cass closed his eyes. He was relatively okay, given the situation. This was just embarrassing to admit out loud.
"Byron, Sir Forsythe, could you leave for a moment? I would like everyone to, but I know that is asking too much. Sam or Draken will let you know when you can come back in." Cass said, opening his gaze and meeting the almost betrayed gazes of the two men.
"Are we...did we displease you?" Byron asked. Cass slid his gaze to Sir Forsythe. While he wasn’t saying it out loud, he could tell that the man shared the same thought.
"No. It’s just embarrassing, and the less people who know about my private life, the better." Cass said. "That shouldn’t surprise you. It was only recently that someone besides Sam could enter my bedchamber." When Cass put it like that, it appeared that the two men relaxed.
"That...does make sense. Sorry my Lord. I didn’t mean to question your orders, I just..." Sir Forsythe trailed off. "I just know I messed up quite badly when it came to the dire wolf attack that I was worried now was the time you took it out on me." Sir Forsythe said and Cass blinked several times.
"Sir Forsythe, do I look like I keep those who don’t serve me around if they don’t do as I ask?" Sir Forsythe seemed surprised by the question before he answered slowly.
"Well, I would say...not close to you." Cass nodded.
"And what are you, Sir Forsythe?" Cass asked and Sir Forsythe’s mouth opened, before he closed it. He cleared his throat.
"A...guard?" He asked carefully and Cass sighed. He really wished he had use of his hands right now so he could throw something at the idiot.
"You aren’t just a guard, Sir Forsythe, you’re the only guard who I kept from the estate, who is a knight, and who I tease. You are also the only knight who has been asked to punish others, as well as fetch Doctor’s from their homes or places of business. Does that answer your fears, or do you need more of my abysmal comfort?" Cass asked dryly and Sir Forsythe’s face flushed. He bowed deeply.
"No, my Lord. Let’s depart, Byron." The two made their way out of the room. Cass turned his gaze to Draken, who kept his gaze on the door long after the men had left.
"They are far enough away that I can’t hear Byron, so you can speak." Draken said and Cass was glad that this Doctor wasn’t reacting to anything that they heard. Very professional. If things turned out okay, Cass might try to hire them for his own personal use.
It would be nice to have an actual Doctor on staff.
"Well then, let’s get this embarrassment out of the way." Cass said with a tight smile, before he exhaled shakily. "Since becoming an adult, every month, for about a week’s worth of time, I come down with a condition." Cass started. "That condition leaves me...sometimes, but not always, in a state similar to this. This is actually more on the extreme side. I was injured about a month ago, a head wound." Sam, hearing the prompt in Cass’ voice, pushed back the hair on Cass’ forehead, showing off the wound.
The Doctor frowned, reaching up and gently probing the healing wound.
"My goodness. This is quite extreme indeed, but it appears to be healing well." They murmured.
"I brought it up because I had some rather serious memory loss from it. One of them was...what happened every month. It wasn’t until I experienced for the first time, again, that my memories came back. Hence, the worse condition." Cass said and the Doctor sat back, Cass’ hair falling back into place over the healing wound on his forehead.
The Doctor could tell that something else was going on, and glancing towards Draken, they frowned.
"Is this all of the damage? Or is there anything below?" They asked and Draken’s gaze widened. Cass’ cheeks flushed a deep, deep red.
"Below? What are you implying?" Draken was getting upset for Cass, but it was only making Cass’ embarrassment worse.
"Draken, shut the fuck up." Cass growled, and Draken, surprised, paused. Even Sam seemed surprised by Cass’ words, but he knew the state that Cass was in. When he shared a look with Sam, Sam frowned but shifted.
He helped Cass undress until he was naked, sitting on his loveseat in his own damn office. He was humiliated, and Draken was staring at him as if he was trying to take every last inch of him in. He would have considered it sexual harassment if the man didn’t look like he was going to start crying.
"How did this happen?" Draken whispered, horrified, while the Doctor seemed rather intrigued.
"You did this yourself?" They confirmed, not touching Cass as they looked him over. Cass nodded, able to do so. The pain had dulled, probably due to the healing tonic. "Are you in pain? Did you take anything for the pain?" Cass nodded again.
"I have a healing tonic that I take. It helps a bit, but since I can’t receive healing from holy powers, it causes some issues." The Doctor nodded, no judgement in anything Cass said.
"While I mostly deal with those who can’t afford healing from the temple, that does not mean I am unable to help you. If you wouldn’t mind showing me this healing tonic, I-"
"It shouldn’t be something you’re familiar with." Sam interjected, and both the Doctor and Cass looked at Sam in surprise.
"Why do you say that, Sam?" Cass asked, seriously curious. Sam, realising what he’d done, flushed a deep red. He dropped his gaze, staring at his hands.
"Forgive me my Lord. I spoke out of turn. I am just worried. I don’t even know what is in the healing tonic, so I am just worried what they will think if they see it." Sam’s hands shook and Cass was just even more surprised.
It sounded...like he was making excuses. Why? It was a strange powder, Cass would admit, but why would Sam want no one else to see it? Was it because he got it from the bookstore that was clearly a front for something else? Was there something else that he knew that Cass didn’t know?
Narrowing his gaze as he looked at Sam, who was growing paler by the second, he turned towards the Doctor.
"It’s bright red powder that is added to water and mixed. When that happens, it turns black and viscose. Comes in a little metal tin. I’ve been using it for a long time." Cass told them and the Doctor nodded.
"Well, your servant is correct. I’ve never heard of anything like that before, but I’m not the know all and be all of medical healing. If it works, who am I to judge it?" They shrugged and Sam, who had clearly been expecting a different kind of response, jerked his gaze up towards them. The Doctor smiled. "As long as you aren’t trying to poison your Lord, I don’t think I have any right to interfere." Sam was immediately horrified.
"I would never even consider such a thing! I love working for my Lord!" Sam’s impassioned shout had Cass snorting.
"Then don’t behave as if you are trying to kill me again, Sam. Even I worried you were going to betray me." Sam’s eyes watered.
"I-I would never do something so awful. I am so sorry I made you even doubt me." Sam murmured and Cass shook his head. The Doctor opened their bag, shuffling through the contents before pulling out a small metal tray and laying out a few items.
"Is it alright if I touch the injured areas? I know some of them are quite...sensitive, but I shall be gentle." Cass appreciated the ask.
"I will overlook the touching of a noble." Cass joked, but Sam and the Doctor froze. "It was a joke. I was joking." Cass said and Draken huffed.
"You sounded too serious for that to be a joke, Cassian." Cass really wanted to give Draken the middle finger. He couldn’t do that with either of his hands, but he had another avenue. He thought hard and long at giving Draken a mental image of him flipping him off.
Draken’s eyes widened, before he turned his gaze towards Cass. Cass was quite pleased that it worked out, while Draken let out a bark of laughter. He was shaking his head, his expression lifting as he stared at the other man.
"You always have a way of surprising me." Draken murmured fondly and Cass didn’t like the sound of that. He looked away from the dangerous dragon, turning back to the mysterious Doctor who was about to examine him in detail.
Don’t look at him. Don’t acknowledge him, especially as someone else was about to check out your...private parts. Cass was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to get a hard on until next month, given what he’d done to his dick. He hoped the Doctor had some good salves or some shit. Something to help with the rugburn he’d given himself.