#cold compression

Tav used his arms to force himself up, and a shooting pain ran from his back up through his side. "Fuck," He mumbled. He took off his shirt so he could further inspect the damage. He began to unwrap his bandage, and he could see streaks of red against his pale blue skin. Once he removed the bandage, Tav could smell the putrid stench of infection. 

To admit illness was to admit weakness. If Tav’s body wasn’t strong enough to overcome bacteria, then it deserved the pain it wrought. 

Tav cleaned the wound to the best of his ability, hissing as water and soap entered the wound. He almost bent over, gasping with agony. 

"Keep it together, Tav. You got this. It's just a cut." He wrapped his bandage around his abdomen, twisting it tightly to ensure air was not trapped. He tied off the bandage and put his shirt back on. He tried to stand up, biting his lip as the pain now radiated to his spine. "You can do this." He told himself, attempting to force more confidence into his impromptu pep talk, "You have a group of people who depend on you now."

Tav left his tent and couldn't help but notice his posture was weak. Glorious. He forced himself to stand up straight, pulling at the injury on his side. He kept his moan to himself before walking over to where Gale had set out their breakfast.

"Good morning, Tav. Are you alright?" Gale questioned, eying the Drow as he drudged over to him. He offered Tav a plate of eggs and sausage. He couldn't help but take note of Tav's distracted look and the way he seemed to favor his left side. 

"Better than ever," Tav reassured, taking the food. The smell used to trigger his appetite. Now, he wanted nothing more than to hurl up bile onto the plate. Before Gale could pester him with additional questions, Tav quickly stated, "Looks great, Gale," and spun around. He walked back to his tent to eat his breakfast in peace.

Gale frowned, crinkling his nose before going to fetch Karlach. Maybe she would get more out of her lover than he could. 

Tav was engaging in a series of mental gymnastics to convince himself to eat his breakfast when Karlach entered his tent. "Oh, good morning, Karlach-"

"How are you doing, soldier? Gale said you looked like you were going to fall on your feet," Karlach coaxed. She sat down next to Tav and inspected the barely touched plate of food. 

Tav liked it when Karlach called him a soldier. She wasn't using it in a demeaning, sarcastic way and she wasn't patronizing him either. "I'm fine," Tav insisted, shifting in his seated position. He stuck a piece of sausage with his fork and brought it to his mouth. He quickly chewed and swallowed against all his better judgment. 

Karlach looked him over. Tav could feel her eyes on his body. And for once, he didn't feel like he was a rothe up at auction. She was not sizing him up for his potential as a useful sorcerer or a prized paramour. 

"How's that wound on your side? I know it's been giving you trouble," Karlach led. She leaned back on her hands, glancing at the wound as though she could see through his clothes. 

"Oh, no worries. Slow and steady," Tav insisted. The piece of sausage was not a welcome guest in his gullet. He could feel it fighting to come back up and Tav forced himself to swallow again. 

"Uh-huh..." Karlach began, "So you wouldn't mind if I came in for a hug, then?" 

As much as Tav would typically be thrilled with an embrace from his tall, strong lover, he couldn't help but wince. The pressure would be agony on his wound. But maybe he could hide it. He was good at hiding things. Besides, after all, Karlach did for him, she deserved to have what she wanted. And if she wanted a hug, she would have one. Tav set his plate to the side and opened his arms, inviting Karlach in. 

Karlach stared at Tav as though he had two heads on his shoulder. The two of them were at an impasse. So Karlach moved in. She could see Tav's muscles tense as though preparing for pain. She stopped short of hugging him and quickly moved his shirt up to inspect his bandage.

"What are you doing?" Tav gasped, thrown off by her action. He tried to wiggle away only for the motion to cause stress on the wound.

"You've bled through your bandage, soldier," Karlach pointed out, "Hells, and no offense, it sticks like a dead squirrel." 

"I told you the wound was healing slow and steady," Tav lied pointedly. He tried to grab her hands so she could let his shirt fall back down. 

“Was the plan to simply will your infection away?”

“It was as good as any.”

“Your cult did a number on you, didn’t they?”

Tav paused when she brought up his upbringing in Menzoberranzan. He shrugged his shoulders in response, looking away from her in shame. "I'm sorry."

"The fuck are you being sorry for, Tav? The only thing you have to be sorry for is not telling me or Shadowheart sooner," Karlach scolded, more out of worry than anything. She couldn't let him die, especially something as torturous as wound poisoning. 

"Astarion has his blood, Gale has his orb, I have my engine...What makes you think you didn't deserve the same give-and-take?" Karlach continued. 

Tav wasn't sure how to answer that. In his world, if someone failed, they failed. In reality, he shouldn't even be alive now. They should have left him to die under the chandelier. 

Karlach sighed, pulling his shirt back down. She ruffled his white hair before kissing him on the forehead, "I'm going to get Shadowheart. And you're going to get some rest. I don't care if I have to sit on you to force you to stay still."

Tav cracked a smile, "I would like that actually."

Karlach laughed before standing up, "Settle down, horndog. I'll ride you once you aren't at risk for death."

"I don't think you riding my face would cause any damage to my side," Tav replied cheekily. 

"Once Shadowheart gives you a clean bill of health, not a minute before. So there's your motivation, Tav," Karlach declared, patting Tav on the head. Behind the jokes, she could see the dazed look in Tav's eyes. He was putting up a facade for her.