"What the hell did you do?!" Frank hissed, hands splayed to his sides in a display of annoyance, "what's going on??"
Ray sighed heavily, able to hear Mikey still retching in the bathroom. "I bit him."
"YOU WHAT?!"
"I bit him!!-"
"Why would you do that?! Do you HAVE A BRAIN?!"
"Yes I have a brain!! Frank, I- shut up, he's gonna hear you— of course I have a brain, I just— I— he wanted me to, and— he wouldn't stop asking, and—"
"Didn't you tell him no?!"
"I TRIED!" Ray's voice finally snapped, sick of the accusations, "Frank, I tried, I did, I— he wouldn't stop, and— I thought about what it would be like, and— he argued with me for hours, and—"
"That doesn't mean it was a good idea," Frank argued, face twisting as he could hear Mikey retch harder, "just— you screwed up, big guy, you messed up," he shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose hard.
"I know," Ray said desperately, clutching his arms to his chest, "I know I messed up, I know— will he be okay..?"
"He's a twig, Raymond," Frank groaned, "he's got no muscle, he barely eats, he's gonna have one hell of a time."
Ray looked down. "..I can help him eat,"
"Not right now you can't, he'll puke it all up," Frank leaned on the door, "just... ugh. Yeah. Okay. You need to help him, kay? He needs help, and a lot of it," he closed his eyes and bit his lip as Mikey let out a choked sob.
Ray nodded quickly. "I'll help him. I promise. I'll help him. I can do it. I can," he ran a trembling hand through his hair, "just— I need advice, okay..? You know much more than I do, and- you know more about what we need— how do I help him?"
Frank rolled his eyes. "You could have helped him by not biting him," he snapped, then calmed, "..he needs plenty of food. He's in danger of being used up if he doesn't eat. Other than that, get him rested, give him painkillers if he needs them, and probably invest in some noise canceling headphones for when his tail comes in," he sounded sarcastic at the end. But, then, he always sounded sarcastic, didn't he.
Ray nodded a little. "Yeah- yeah, okay. But.. Frank..." he reached out to touch Frank's arm as he turned to leave, "..he'll be okay, right...?"
Frank sighed and walked forward, wrapping his arms around Ray's broad chest, patting his back. "Hey. I know I mess around a lot, but.. yeah. He'll be okay, you remember how bad it was for you and you're still here," he felt Ray's tail stir, "he'll be just fine. Call me if it's too much for you, huh big guy?" He gave Ray a little smirk and Ray did his best to nod, giving as much of a smile as he could muster.
They'd get through this.
Surely.
He let go of Frank, watching him leave, dark brown tail swishing behind him before disappearing out the door and shutting it behind him. His attention came back to Mikey as he heard the crying trail off.
Mikey had begged that Ray stay outside, had seemed very upset when he tried, a hurtful experience for Ray to bear as his loved one went through something he couldn't alleviate the pain from. He just had to sit and wait, and thus, he'd called Frank, worried and needing someone to talk to. He'd needed advice. He'd needed anything. He just wanted to help.
He twisted the knob to the door gently, peeking inside, and there sat Mikey, frail body pressed to the corner where Ray's bathtub met the wall, knees drawn to his chest and face red, a small amount of bile remaining in the toilet. Ray padded inside to flush it, noticing Mikey had taken his glasses off and left them on the counter, leaving him slightly visually impaired.
"..Mikey?" Ray asked gently, voice soft and gentle as he could make it, "..Mikey.. you okay..? Has it stopped..?" And he could see Mikey's shoulders bunch in a small shrug. Ray sighed.
He dipped down to his knees, opening his arms and feeling Mikey slide into them, his bony frame knocking into Ray's skin. It was a calming sensation.
"..you're burning up, Mikes.." Ray whispered, stroking a hand over his sweat-slicked forehead, biting his lip when Mikey leaned into his touch, "..do you think you could take a bath..? A shower..? Or do you need to go back and sleep...?" He was sure he could have been pushing his boundaries as to how much Mikey could respond, but he'd even take an indication of a number.
"..sleep.." Mikey's voice was thick, garbled with his sore throat. It almost didn't sound like Mikey at all... "rest.... Please," and Ray couldn't say no. He just hooked his arms gently under Mikey's and hoisted him up with a soft grunt, feeling Mikey lean on him for support, and it was strange— Mikey was light before, and now he seemed to have a certain weightiness to him, a certain drawl to his movements. Ray attributed it to exhaustion and the wolf beginning to form.
He carried Mikey to bed and laid him in the sheets, helping him lie down. His whole body was flushed red and glistening with sweat. It almost looked like a fever.
If only..
Ray bustled off, returning soon after with an ice cube, gently rubbing it over Mikey's forehead, to which Mikey let out a soft groan and seemed to relax. Ray continued down, cooling his chest and belly, eventually leaving the rest of the cube to melt on his hands. Mikey looked exhausted.
Ray slid into bed beside him and touched his arm.
"..you'll be okay," he whispered, "I promise.. I'm here for you, you just have to breathe.. focus on me.. I'm here.." and Mikey shuffled onto his side, pressing his red face into Ray's collarbone.
"..I'm sorry." Mikey said, as if he had something to apologize over, "..I... I'm so thin... I...."
"You'll be just fine. You just have to eat a little more, okay? Nothing much, just enough to keep you healthy," he skimmed his hand up and down Mikey's side, watching him shiver.
"..kay.." Mikey sniffled, as if he didn't fully believe it, but he didn't put up much more of a fight to sleep. He was out as soon as he was able.
Ray, meanwhile, stood guard. He felt a certain stirring whenever Mikey was distressed; an urge to help, to protect. Now was not an exception. His ears twitched to any movement and he hummed nothings to Mikey through the night. He was glad Mikey didn't stir.
Well, he didn't until later.
Ray had become faintly aware that the body he was snuggling had grown warm; maybe it was just a sign they needed a break to be apart or even just to shed the blanket, but he was proven wrong.
Mikey squirmed, writhing, making small sounds of distress and Ray immediately snapped to attention and held him a little tighter.
"..Mikey..? Are you okay...?" He whispered, soft and smooth, his ears twitching as Mikey made another soft sound, "..what's going on..?"
"..hot," was all Mikey squeaked, "..too hot... I.... Too hot-" and he curled his fingers in his shirt, trying to yank it off unsuccessfully.
"Mikey, honey, you need to relax," Ray soothed, "don't be so aggressive.. just take it off normally, okay? How bad is it?" He reached to press a hand to Mikey's forehead and he jerked a little. He felt almost feverish.
Mikey tried relaxing, pulling his shirt off in one smooth movement, but he was still hot— he realized quickly that the heat wasn't from any clothing. It was coming from within him. Something else entirely.
Ray gently helped him up. "..here," he said quietly, and started to walk Mikey to the bathroom. "It's cold in here, the tiles aren't heated," he let Mikey sink to the chilly tiles, ones Ray hoped would soothe the burn. He remembered taking a cold shower during this period of his change and he noted it down in his mind as one of their options.
Mikey soon soothed, even if just a little, rubbing his face and eyes, his hair a slick, sweaty mess. He looked like he'd just run a marathon. Ray leaned in to kiss his forehead and the taste of salt stung his lips.
"..I'm so sorry," he said quietly, swallowing and taking a breath, "..I... this is probably the worst part... I mean, there's stuff that hurts more, but you can take painkillers... this is just the worst for things you can't control.." he knelt, taking Mikey's hand and squeezing it.
Mikey just stared at the floor.
"..Ray?" He finally said, looking up enough to meet Ray's eyes, and Ray's heart skipped a couple beats for what he could be about to say.
"..I'm having regrets."