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Scales and Scars 7

If you'd ask a Marine what the worst thing In the world would be, you might guess it's an assault across open ground or being surrounded by enemies on all sides, maybe something as simple as a near ambush. All those would be wrong, the absolute worst thing that can possibly happen to you…. Is a hospital bed.

Yea, a hospital bed. You can't PT, you can't move around, you can't be with your brothers. The moral drain is terrible on a Marine, and even as a civilian it gnawed at Marcus. He had been in that bed for three days, three whole days. He pulled some stitches on the second day trying to get up to use the bathroom when didn't want to wait for a nurse to assist him. He was given a stern talking to by the head nurse, the ER technician by the name of Elizabeth. She chewed him out for twenty minutes straight. She even had the gall to say RANGERS of all things were better patients than Marines.

“Fuck Rangers!”

Was all he could think of as she gave him the ass chewing of a lifetime since he had left the Marines. Which must have showed on his face to Elizabeth as she had left with an exasperated. “Crayon Eaters!”

Which left Xun alone with him, the small eastern dragon doctor who had supposedly, as he was told by the rest of the staff, saved his life. Then extracted a bullet from his torso and sewn an artery in his leg back together. The doc had decided to take over the task of putting his stitches back in. The drake probably thought the red head would stab Marcus with a needle in the throat. But Marcus was pretty sure she wouldn't, and civilians never understood the loving internal ribbing the branches gave each other.

So by the time the third day rolled around, Marcus was going crazy. He wanted out, Mister Bone's wild ride was officially too much. But the Docs were happy to keep him in his medical prison. The only bright side was Korinthia’s visits on her days off or on. The Dragoness had stopped by almost every day, with a bowl of noodles and some bubble tea. She knew the way to a man's heart, food. He wondered if it was the same for Drakes, like some universal guy thing that transcended species.

The Doc had also given him a timeline. Finally, he was gonna be out in a few more days. Marcus had also had enough of the hospital clothing, and had prepared a list for Korinthia to swing by his house and gather some clothes and a real tooth brush. He desperately needed new underwear, pants, socks and a shirt. That alone would be a moral boost; some clean familiar clothes would go miles. Though he had seen Korinthia peeking at him when he was in a hospital gown. He hated the baggy, annoying thing since it left his ass exposed in the most literal sense.

Marcus was working through a bowl of jello, a sickly green jello that was supposed to have some sort of lime flavor. But the synthetic flavor came across like a lime rubbed in rubber. When a knock came on the door, it was Xun.

The small eastern dragon was holding a file held in his talons on his right paw, doing that odd three legged gate that he'd do when he was carrying something.

“Hey Doc, gonna let me out early?” Marcus asked through a mouthful of the lime jello. Before swallowing down his little midday snack.

Xun didn't respond, his eyes flicked over to Marcus, and his tail flicked the door shut. The small drake dropped the folder on a chair and pushed it up beside Marcus’s bed. The little drake normally had a little snark or some humor. But something seemed off from Xun, and Marcus eyed the little guy with curiosity. Xun just ignored the look and got the chair positioned after a minute or two, and then hopped up next to Marcus. He opened up the folder and sighed deeply as he stared into the folder.

Marcus had this feeling of dread starting to build, what did they find? What was wrong with him? Did he have some wild disease that's incurable now?

Marcus opened his mouth to speak again, when he was cut off by Xun. “Helena”

That word… That name was like a hammer blow. He was almost too stunned to answer for a minute, and then after a moment Marcus responded.

“How do you know that name?”

–Several years ago–

“You're being stupid, you can get another scholarship, you're a brilliant student” he said to her, desperation and anger tinged his words. But the sleek and beautiful black scaled dragoness shook her head. She had this smile on her face, and an almost motherly expression. like she was talking to a kid, like he was a child that just didn't understand. She was right he didn't understand, how could she, how could she just up and leave. Run away from school… from him….

“It's a little late for this conversation dear.” She said, and Xun hissed at being called dear and snapped at her.

“What do you MEAN too late!?!” He growled in frustration, knowing he wouldn't like the answer. He saw the black scaled dragoness’s features soften a little, and she spoke softly but confident. Like she was the doctor and he was the patent now. To be consoled and supported through some illness. The illness of betrayal was the only one he could self diagnose.

“I already signed, there's no getting out of it now.” She said in that soft sweet voice of hers. Xun practically had an aneurysm as the dragoness he had spent the last three years in medical school with. The two of them were on track to become surgical doctors. And she was the dragoness he dated for the last two years, and lived with for a year. Now gave him the worst news of his life up to that point. The betrayal welled up inside in the form of indigent rage. Tears almost welled in his eyes as emotions roared through him. Love, Hate, Anger, Betrayal. All fighting for a seat at the wheel.

“You… Did… WHAT!?!” He shouted and snapped his jaws at her. He was so mad, she was throwing her life away for the fucking Navy…. Of all things, The Navy! She was going to go live on some ship in the middle of the ocean. Her talents wasted making no more money than a McDonald's employee.

All Helena did was sit there letting him rant to her, while she curled her tail around her own paws. Like a regal cat statue in a garden she watched him until he stopped. Expecting a response, and she let out a rumble of annoyance.

“It's not your choice, it's not your life, it's mine. The scholarships have run out, the money isn't there for me to continue. But the Navy will give me that option.” She said, the logic was there, the reasoning sound. But that made it all the worse. Helena was gonna leave him. That's all he saw, the end of them…

—

Xun looked away from Marcus, the small eastern drake looked like he was struggling to piece the right words together. After a moment he let out a long sigh and looked back at Marcus. There was a look in those eyes, a mix of emotions but one stood out the most…

Regret…

“She was a friend…” he said and then sighed, making a click of his tongue.

“Okay, more than a friend at one point.” Xun admitted, and Marcus shifted a little in the bed. Though he knew how Helena was, and she had a physical beauty that no one could deny. Then pair that with her caring honest personality. It would have been hard not to fall in love with her.

“Okay, but how did YOU know her?” Marcus asked now, and he was a little curious. The shock of someone saying the name of your dead lover had faded a little by then.

Xun smiled a little, like a happy memory had crossed though his mind before it faded away. The dragon then spoke a little more confident in himself

“Well um, we dated for a bit in med school” Xun said with an almost sheepish smile, the drake tilted his head to the side to look away.

“We uhh… broke up… when she joined the Navy….” he said and Marcus just watched him for a minute. The dragon just kept talking and opened up, letting words flow.

“I… I thought she was throwing away a chance at good money and a stable relationship… I made it the Navy or me, and she chose the Navy.” He looked back at Marcus, his eyes bore into him, with tears in them.

“I only thought she would barely make any money… not that she… that she would never come home.” he said the last bit, and Marcus still felt a little confused at why he would come to him and how he made the connection between them.

“So how did you connect me with Helena?” Marcus asked, and Xun looked away and poked his fore claws together. After a few moments of Marcus not letting up his gaze that bore into the small eastern dragon. Xun with his head still turned flicked one eye over to look over at Marcus before he sighed, defeat evident in it.

“I measured the bite scars and then compared them to her dental records…. plus a friend in the VA helped me piece it all together.” Xun said as he turned his head so both blue eyes focused on Marcus. The little dragon seemed a little less regretful now, like there was some sort of small victory in piecing the whole thing together. But it faded pretty quick from his features, and he sucked in a breath before exhaling.

“Was it quick?”

“Was wha- oh!... ummm” Marcus leaned back and looked at the ceiling as he debated telling him the truth or what he assumed Xun wanted to hear. The loss of a loved one could be a crushing thing, and it was obvious that Helena's death had a massive impact on Xun.

Marcus sighed and looked back down from the ceiling his eyes fell on the hopeful eyes of the little Eastern drake. He deserved to know, and he knew it was only fair.

“A long story short, no and yes… I know that's probably not what you want to hear. But it's the truth, it might also be the most overused thing you've heard. But she was a hero, in the truest sense. Her actions are the sole reason I'm still breathing.” Marcus said, his voice firm and even for the first time in a long time when it came to talking about Helena. She had haunted his dreams for months, and then she had freed him.

Xun nodded his head, and looked away from Marcus staring at a blank spot on the wall. Marcus couldn't see the dragon's eyes, but the tremble of emotion in the dragon's next words couldn't be hidden.

“Tha.. Thank you for being honest” Xun stumbled a bit at the beginning, and then took a breath before he spoke again. He was a generic doctor when he spoke again.

“Well, you'll be free to discharge at the date specified. I wish you a full and healthy recovery Mr. Marcus.” Xun said before he politely left, and Marcus could tell that the revert to autopilot was the little guy coping with the news.

As Xun left he debated internally on the idea that a lie might have been more useful. But he couldn't get over the slimy feeling he got when it came to stretching the truth about a fellow brother or sister in arms. As Xun slipped out of the room, Marcus could hear sniffles from the dragon as his facade fell away. Making Marcus’s heart hurt for the poor guy as he saw him going through exactly what he went through not long ago.

—

Few Hours later Marcus’s Apartment

Korinthia struggled with the key ment for human hands, her wings pinned tight to her sides. The building was very obviously built for humans and not her kind, nothing more and nothing less. The dragoness let out a frustrated growl as the key tumbled from her forepaw, and clattered on the waxed polymer tile floors.

The creak of hinges paused her as she was in the middle of grabbing the fallen key. Her head turned toward the sound to see the door across the hall had peaked open. The wrinkled and pale face of an older lady peered out at her. The taught chain above the woman’s head showed the lady’s wariness. But the woman’s hazel eyes had a sharpness to them that indicated age had not yet dulled the mind. Korinitha smiled politely, only for the woman to shrink back from the parted door before steadying herself. Korinthia had to inwardly remind herself not to show so much fang with her smiles, forgetting that humans can be a little timid about such things.

“Um… Hello?” Korithia said, her statement coming out more like a question then she meant it to.

“Hello…” The old lady responded, with that tell-tale tremble of age in her voice, and the woman looked down at the key on the floor then back up at Korinthia with narrowed eyes.

“Why are you trying to get into that young man’s room?” She asked, a suspicious edge had entered her shaky voice. Some of that shake had left it, replaced by that edge which seemed to reinforce her normal voice.

Korinthia looked down, trying to formulate an appropriate answer, it was an honest question. Which deserved an honest answer, but she didn’t know how to word it. Something that wouldn’t arouse too much suspicion regarding her and Marcus’s relationship.

“He’s umm… well…” Korinthia trailed off as she continued to search for the words, the woman’s eyes narrowed more into suspicious slits as the dragoness fumbled and struggled for words. Korinthia’s shoulders sagged as she let out a tired breath, her talons tapped the waxed tiles nervously.

“He’s in the Hospital… He got hurt… He got hurt protecting me.” She finally said, the last bit in more evident strength, and the older lady watched her for a few moments before she relaxed some.

“Marcus is a good young man, always looking after me” She said and then shut the door, the abrupt ending of the conversation made Korinthia pull her head back into an S shape. Surprised, she didn’t know if she said something wrong. But after the rattle of chain and click of locks before the door opened told her that she was just overthinking the situation.

The older woman exited her apartment, in the slow shaky walk that accompanied the more experienced members of society. The elderly woman used a cane, and took shaky steps, even the cane shook a little as her supporting hand shook. Korinthia watched on with tensed fore legs, ready to snap a paw out to catch the woman, and then watched pensive as the woman knelt down slowly. The pop and click of old joints was very evident, and Korinthia felt guilty as the woman plucked up the key she had struggled with for the past ten or so minutes.

“I’m not surprised he’d go off and get himself hurt trying to play a knight in shining armor. Even for a pretty dragoness like yourself” The woman said with a wry knowing smile and a curl of her lip. Making the dragoness swallow as she realized she might have said too much or given off too much of a girlfriend vibe.

“You see, men don’t line up to save little old ladies like myself from the trials and tribulations of life anymore. Oh but when I was younger, Hehehe…” She laughed happily with a broad smile. Her wrinkles were more evident when she smiled along with the crows feet at the corners of her eyes. But the smile was warm and happy, which off set what age had stolen away in its slow march.

As the woman slowly got up, Korinthia tried to reach out a paw for the woman to steady herself on, but the older lady waved it away with a snort.

“Thank you, but I’m not that old, yet” The woman said with a grumble, but still had a smile on her lips. It took the woman a few long moments to get back on her feet along with the sound of old joints. The pops and clicks of age were evident, but the woman didn’t express any discomfort. Just determination, something Korinthia could admire. Now with the key in hand the woman walked over to the door and slid the key in with annoying ease, and unlocked the door with a subtle click of a dead bolt. Then pushed the door open and started her way back across the hall, leaving Korinthia near the open door.

“Don’t leave it a mess Missy” Was the woman’s parting words before the door closed behind her, and the click and rattle of chain signaled the older woman securing her domain. Korinthia nodded her head and mumbled an affirmative under her breath. Then turned her head to look into the apartment. She didn’t just walk right in, instead Korinthia scented the air with a few deep breaths. The smell of dust, Marcus, and old unused furniture filled her nose.

These were such thing’s a dragoness would do before entering a drakes den, and was something that would give the ness a notion of what type of drake she was dealing with. Would she only smell him, or would she smell the scent of several other females? Much to her relief she could only smell dust and Marcus’s own scent. After a moment of internal argument she tucked her wings in and squeezed into the apartment, right into the living room and kitchen combo. Entry door behind her, and only one other door across from her, which meant it probably led to a bedroom. Marcus’s bedroom….

Korinthia scented the air again, and looked around at the sparsely furnished living room. One old couch clad in a tasteless cherry blossom print. A medium sized flat screen TV and nothing else, the kitchen didn’t have many appliances or anything that might scream cook. The room obviously lacked any touch of a woman which held its own confirmation that Marcus wasn’t the type to swing with many women or chase any tail he saw.

The dragoness padded across the carpeted floor, careful to keep her claws retracted so they didn’t mar the carpet or get a talon caught in it. She bumped the bedroom door with her snout and it slowly swung open. To reveal a poorly decorated bedroom, nothing on the walls. The bed was clad in simple navy blue sheets with a forest green quilt. A cheap wooden dresser, and a small closet with a sliding door.

Korinthia walked over to the closet and slid it open, she found neatly pressed clothes. Nothing wildly fancy, mostly fitness centric clothes like something a gym rat would normally wear. Then beside that something she didn’t normally see. Two sets of two camouflage uniforms one green and the other tan. Blouse hung on the hanger over the pants almost like a suit. Then beside that still in the dry cleaner dust cover plastic was a Marine Corps dress blouse and pants. Navy blue with red piping along the edges, and gold buttons. White dress belt around the midriff, golden belt buckle with globe and anchor insignia.

It wasn’t hard to imagine the man in the uniform, he would look sharp. Very handsome she concluded with a rumbling purr at the thought of seeing him all dressed up in it. On the shelf above the hung clothes was the white dress cap. Along with a woodland and desert marpat patrol cap two each stacked neatly on eachother. Then next to those was a cardboard box, one that person would keep files in. Thick walled, high quality cardboard not your simple brown cardboard box.

Korinthia looked at it for a long moment before she reached up and pulled it down. Setting it on the floor and pulling the lid off, a small voice in the back of her head told her this was a massive breach of personal space and trust. Buuuut… the curiosity was too much.

Right there on the top of the stack of papers and some books was a picture, in a wooden leather bound frame. It was twelve marines standing and kneeling shoulder to shoulder with two dragons on the ends. One dragon was a black scaled dragoness, the other a red scaled drake. As she scanned the picture looking at faces she eventually found Marcus. He was right next to the black scaled dragoness, a big goofy smile on his face. The picture made Korinthia give a somber smile as she got to see a little glimpse of what Marcus was like before everything that happened on that middle eastern street.

Then next to that picture was the starkest reminder of his loss, in the shape of a heart. Colored in a deep rich purple, Korinthia read what could by some be called ‘Flavor’ text for the award. “Awarded to Jocek, Marcus for wounds received in the line of duty”

There was more of course, but Korinthia didn’t want to read the rest. She couldn’t help but feel guilty for getting him hurt once again. She gingerly replaced the lid, giving the picture one last look. He looked so happy and Korinthia just hoped she could make him smile like that again one day. So happy and unafraid.

The dragoness went about gathering up Marcus’s list of things, a toothbrush and toothpaste, then a change of clothes. Along with one prize for herself, it was a red hoodie that had “U.S.M.C.” emblazoned in gold letters. She put the clothes and toothbrush and paste in her tail bags before she left the apartment. Careful to put everything back the way she found it.

She found it much easier to relock the door with the key left in it, and she placed the key in a secure pouch. The dragoness tucked her wings in close and made for the stairwell. To squeeze her way down four flights of stairs and out into the late setting sun. She knew that the hospital would be closed to visitors, even ones with care packages.

She still spread her wings and leapt into the air, her little beacon on. It was a bright red light on her back that pulsed evenly so that other flyers would know she was there. Powerful wing beats pulled her up between the city towers, and then above the towers of reflective glass. Into the last rays of the setting sun, and she banked slowly as she rose up on the last of the cooling updrafts that came up off the asphalt below before it cooled down. Heading back home for the night, she found that it was a short flight. Marcus didn’t live wildly far from her, which made sense when she thought about it. Since he had found the Noodle shop on a run, and not a car ride or bus.

Korinthia was soon landing on her lit balcony pad, the sun had dipped behind the horizon during her short fifteen minute flight. Her talons clicked on the smooth stone as she trotted to a stop. Fine glass doors on a motion sensor slid open, and the dragoness stepped into her apartment. The stark difference in Marcus’s lifestyle and her own all the more evident. Her apartment felt like a wide open space when compared to the human’s tight apartment that was like a kobold warren from a fantasy book.

She took the time to shrug off her black leather harness and then wasted no time on retrieving her prize. It wasn’t uncommon for a dragoness to keep things that smelled of their mate. Or potential mate, and Marcus's hoodie had been in his possession for quite some time. For despite the chemical scent of detergent she could smell his scent. It was practically embedded permanently in the soft cotton fabric. With the hoodie held tight in her jaws she made a beeline to her large nest.

She wasted no time curling tightly in a ball in the soft luxury of the nest, and she buried her snout in the hoodie and cried. It had only been a few days since the accident, but with Marcus awake, alive, and on track to being better. Stress seemed to flood right out of her. In the form of hot tears, and with the hoodie close she could close her eyes and almost imagine him there. She could imagine his hands as they ran over her snout, and his breath on her cheek. The soft tone she imagined he would comfort her with and she slowly began to relax. Until finally she fell into the black void of a deep sleep, something she hadn’t had for a long couple of days.

—

Xun sat in his office, the lights off, staring at the shadows on the far wall and door. He was curled up in his chair and his talons kneaded the leather cushion under him, the small yet sharp claws punched small holes into the seat cushion. Slowly ruining a couple hundred dollars, a couple hundred dollars he at that moment didn’t care about. Memories all good and bad swirled back along with regrets. Leading to questions of what he could have done better? And he should have tried harder. If he had just put a little more effort in, just maybe she would still be here.

There was a knock on the door, but Xun simply ignored it, his shift was over, no one should be bothering him. He continued to watch the city lights play on the shadows of the walls in the dark office. The lights shown through the slits of old blinds. Just white noise for an overtaxed mind. That swam with misery and overpriced intoxicants.

The knock came again, and yet no answer came from the small eastern dragon, his claws just hilted in the cushion. Annoyance now mixed with misery and became a toxic and angry mix not healthy for others. Then a click, and the door swung open. Making the dragon’s face furrow into a frown. The door was supposed to be locked, and there were only a few spare keys held by management who weren’t present at this late hour. So how?

The light, bright, harsh, and stinging filled the room. Illuminating Xun, and the over priced bottle of brown liquor. Redbreast aged to a pleasant 18 years old, very smooth and easy to drink. Which made the task of drowning one's sorrows all the more easier. But standing in the door twirling a lock pick set on a fingertip was the new ER Tech. He searched his liquor-addled mind for her name and finally it came back. Elizabeth…

The short, and yet stout woman walked into the room with a long stride, dressed back in her normal clothes. A black hoodie with “Rangers” emblazoned in a golden tap on the front of it. The woman had her long red hair pulled back in a ponytail, she strode up to his desk and glared daggers at him. Xun had never been under such a withering glare, and he shrank into his chair. The woman slammed both her hands down on the desk palms open. The mostly empty bottle jumped and toppled to its side, spilling the last little bit of liquor across the rich reddish brown of the desk. His paw reached out to right the bottle on instinct only for it to be slapped away. Elizabeth leaning over the edge of the desk.

“W-What-”

“What am I doing? You disappeared, halfway through your shift to your office, then stayed there four hours past that shift cooped up in here not answering your phone or people knocking on your door.” She growled palm slapping the desk with every word dragged out, as she explained exactly why she was there. While Xun curled in tight to a pathetic ball, which did little to protect him from the verbal accosting he got.

“Your friend was all like ‘Oh he’ll get better, Just give him time’. Which! If you can’t tell yet I’m not about, because I’ve seen friends make stupid decisions after doing stupid shit. Soooo here I am to pull your drunk ass out of this office.” She said and walked around the desk and reached down, seizing Xun. The startled lanky dragon tried to squirm but his motions were two slow and reactions too dulled by alcohol. So his struggles were more like limp thrashes and flops until he went fully limp and she simply held him to her chest almost like a little girl carrying a cat. If that ‘little girl’ was an Ex 68W Combat Medic and US Army Ranger, and the ‘cat’ in question was a drunk eastern dragon with several doctorates and spiralling depression. The world’s and interesting place said many a man and a dragon.

“We're gonna get some food and YOU are going to explain to me what the hell is going on.” Elizabeth said as she turned and started to walk off with her prisoner hanging limp in her arms. Eyes narrowed, much like a disgruntled feline, and he didn’t argue… Well, there were some drunken mumbles and slurred words but she didn’t dignify those with a response.

“I know a little diner just around the corner, should be open. Eggs and bacon will make you more sober. And some coffee of course.” The woman said as she walked down the halls, a security guard passed them with a very quizzical look but didn’t say a word.

Xun in his drunk, and depressed mood somehow fixated on one thing, one feeling. Elizabeth’s breasts planted square against his back as she held him tight. Also being drunk, and not in a normal mindset he mumbled out. “Your boobs…. They feel nice.. Warm and soft…”

The human woman stumbled as she almost paused mid step and took a deep breath, the dragon was still drunkley staring ahead completely oblivious to the fact that he was indeed in a poor position to say such things. One hand came up and lightly pressed his snout shut. “You're drunk, depressed, and not thinking straight so I’m going to let that pass.”

She started to walk again and after a single minute Xun stuck his hind paw right back in his maw.

“They do feel nice though…”