16 A wasted opportunity!

Julian raised a brow, "If you say so." He reached into his doctor's supplies and pulled out a wooden bit and handed it over.

The Inquisitor glared at the thing but took it and placed it between his teeth. "Hurry," his voice a bit muffled, coming from behind the bit.

"Alright big guy. But I'm going to tie you down first."

With a huff, he nodded. Cloth and rope were extracted from his supplies and Julian made quick work of tying Leonel down tightly. A part of him mused about teasing the younger with excessive ropework and tied around sensitive areas too tightly.

Alas, he was in a working mindset and only did what was necessary, perhaps with just a few extra loops taking the Inquisitor's strength into mind. Once everything was tight and secure, he made Leonel test his bounds.

"You okay with that?"

Again, Leonel nodded.

Julian hummed and turned his attention back to the ugly wound spreading across Leonel's stomach. "Good boy," he said as though speaking to Dog, which earned him an annoyed grunt that Julian ignored. "I'll begin now. Hold tight." He hovered a hand over the wound and drew focus into his circuits. A blue glow erupted from his palm, pulsing with life.

There was a time he could purge corruption in his sleep but now he was gritting his teeth, trying to gather all his mana from the scarred circuits within his body. Little tendrils of blue light left his hand and reached into Leonel's abdomen. The Inquisitor jolted from the sensation, and then his fingers curled into the sheets, eyes screwed shut.

Leonel refused to cry out but his teeth sank into the wooden bit. Julian took in a sharp breath to focus his spell, weeding out the bits of corruption and burning it out with his mana.

Sweat beaded on Leonel's brow, it felt like his veins were being extracted from his body with a sharp scalpel, his blood turned into fire. Each breath drew in sharp pain, making his brain spot with white. He was pulling at the restrained, a muffled cry pierced his ear and Leonel's mind was so saturated with agony that he couldn't even recognize it was his own.

Julian ignored all of this and focused only on the corruption littered in Leonel's body. He clenched his jaw and hissed out, "stop moving around!" Even though he knew that Leonel's mind was already lost in deafening pain.

His mana strained, exhausted and soon Julian was out of breath as though he'd been climbing a mountain. But he hadn't. And was only cleansing minor corruption. In the corner of his mind, he wondered if he should have used a Blue Stone for added assistance.

Alas, it was unnecessary. Drained of the last drop of mana, Julian dropped his arm in exhaustion. He let out a long, tired sigh. Adjusting his glasses he took a good look at his work. And smiled, satisfied. The brunt of the corruption had burned away, leaving only small bits that Leonel can probably heal on his own.

He slapped that big muscled thigh and reached down for a knife, "Okay, big guy it's all done down. You'll be as good as new in no time. Not too bad, right?" The end came with an added snicker but it was only when Julian had picked up his knife and began cutting into the ropes that he realized that Leonel was unresponsive.

He paused, inspecting the young man's state. He was breathing, which was good, just passed out from the pain. Julian removed the bit still wedged between the Inquisitor's teeth and scowled at the string of drool before setting it aside. His face was glossy with sweat and needed to be wiped down. Julian decided to be generous about that and took out a piece of cloth to wipe the Inquisitor down.

For a moment, he wondered if he should just leave Leonel bound like this, just for fun. His left arm was free and dangling off the side of the cot but otherwise, he was strapped in nicely.

Judging from the last time, it probably wasn't that difficult for the Inquisitor to rip himself free… Unthinking, he cut the ropes loose. Ah! Wait no, he should have left Leonel strapped in. A wasted opportunity! He chided himself. Oh well. At least he was in the cot and Julian can have his hammock back.

While he was getting up, he noticed that his right arm had become bloody again. The spell had ripped open the wounds from this morning. How annoying! He'd have to change the bandages already. Clicking his tongue in annoyance he was ready to storm off.

But he was stopped, his clothes caught on something that held him back.

"...Look, I know that I'm absolutely irresistible to you young lads, however, I haven't the time or mind to entertain you solely. Release me! I have things to tend to."

Instead of being released, he was yanked backward. An embarrassing squeak left his lips as he fell struggling to maintain enough balance not to fall right on top of his stomach that had just been healed. That was how his arse met the edge of the cot's wooden structure, a pained curse left his lips. He wasn't allowed to get up, the damned Inquisitor pulling him even further down until he was sprawled right on top of a wide muscled chest.

"You…I should have left you tied up. No, I should have told those brats you were dead in the forest and left you there to rot!" He spat and wiggled but Leonel's grasp was iron. "How dare you treat me like this?"

Blue eyes were upon him, half-lidded, and bore none of the sharpness they usually did. Julian realized with a start that this fool was not fully awake nor aware and instead was caught in a half-conscious state, moving as though in a dream.

Fuck! To think he'd still be so ridiculously strong. And now Julian didn't have a sliver of mana left to defend himself.

Mysteriously, Leonel took a hold of Julian's wrist. The injured arm was pulled forward, causing Julian to fall even more flush to Leonel's chest. He could feel the slow, heaving breathing. Up and down, up and down.

The hand circled around his wrist slowly lowered, causing Julian to hiss in pain as digits glided over wounds. The Inquisitor brought the arm to his lips and kissed it, lips coming away a little red with Julian's blood.

What. The. Fuck.

And the poor doctor found his heart racing. Without a thought he hit the Inquisitor on the head as hard as he could.

A loud knock. If Leonel was awake he'd make a witty remark about it that sounded empty.

His head fell, lulled against the cot, out cold. Julian let out a long sigh of relief. What was even that about!? "Awake or asleep, this brat brings me nothing but trouble." In this world, kindness was worth nothing but heartache apparently!

But Julian was a person who treated kindness in the same way as cruelty, neither more beneficial nor important as the other. With an annoyed grunt he was ready to peel himself away only to realize that he couldn't stand up.

He was stuck.

His wrist was still caught.

"...Perhaps you think this is all a funny joke. It will do you well to remember an old man's needs. I, unlike you, cannot hold my bladder with as much skill," he said shamelessly.

But the fingers were still as tight as iron cuffs.

Leonel's breathing was as quiet as a sneaking cat's, his long lashes shut. Was he really asleep!?

Frustrated, Julian used his free hand in attempts to claw at the fingers trapping them but they were as stiff as stone. He screamed in dismay but Leonel did not react at all.

A long time ago, Julian was told about a story from the east about a principle called karma. He'd laughed it off to overly idealistic folly but now if someone were to recite the meaning to him again, he'd readily believe it!

After all, this was pure torture!

"If you don't let go, I'm going to draw a moustache on your face," he threatened. This was impossible, because his pen and ink were out of reach.

"I'll braid your hair into a woman's style." That, might prove a little difficult with only one arm.

"I'll have my way with your body then…!"

"..." Leonel only lied there peacefully, defenseless and unconcerned.