As soon as the door opens, before he even gets a chance to say hi, Arinn hears the sharp intake of breath and knows something is wrong.
Sure enough, Alex enters cradling his hand, a pained look on his face. Arinn rushes to him, takes the keys dangling off of his fingers, helps him out of his shoes and jacket, and closes the door.
Then he takes over cradling Alex's hand - two fingers of which are badly swollen and warm to the touch.
"Oh, babe," he mumbles as he looks the injury over. At even the slightest touch Alex flinches, biting his lip to hold back the sounds of the pain he must be in.
"What happened?" Arinn asks gently. "These look broken..."
"Accident at - ah - at w-work. New guy hit a button too soon. I - I think you're right..."
"Alex," Arinn says, still gentle but stern now, too. "Why are you here and not at the hospital?"
"...I hate hospitals," Alex admits, turned away.
Arinn knows Alex doesn't have a great history with hospitals. While he has never gone to one himself, and can't exactly relate, he does feel for Alex. But he also wants - needs - for him to be okay.
"I'll go," Alex adds quickly when he sees the look on Arinn's face. "Just not alone?"
The hesitant upturn of his voice belies a fear deeper than just going to the hospital - one of abandonment, of being left to suffer alone like his family and 'friends' once did to him.
Arinn brushes the lightest of kisses across the back of his boyfriend's trembling hand.
"Let's put a pack of frozen peas on this before we go..."
(Yes, he will file for workers comp)