[ Requested by Anon ]

The dim light of the makeshift medical bay flickered overhead as Vine Staff busied herself with a small array of supplies laid out on a pristine, albeit battered, table. The air was heavy with antiseptic, but it did little to mask the faint traces of blood that clung to the linoleum. Medkit lay sprawled on the table, half-heartedly glaring at the ceiling, the diamond-shaped eyepatch that covered the stitched remnants of his left eye only adding to his disgruntled demeanor.

“Honestly, Medkit, what were you thinking?” Vine Staff’s tone was laced with a mix of annoyance and genuine concern as she poured antiseptic onto a cloth. Her pink kimono rustled as she moved with practiced grace. “You can’t just run into danger like that, expecting to walk out unscathed.”

“Maybe if you spent less time planning and more time acting, you’d know the fun of a good risk,” he retorted dryly, even as she dabbed at the gash on his forearm. The sting elicited a grimace from him, and he shot her a disgruntled glance, one that lingered as he struggled to mask the flicker of vulnerability in his remaining eye.

Vine Staff rolled her eyes, the three thorns on her horns jutting forward defiantly. “Fun? Is that what you call this?” she said, gesturing to the bloodied bandages. “Hang on, this might sting a bit. Just hold still.”

Medkit grunted but complied, settling back against the crinkled paper covering the table. The tension between them crackled with familiarity, the kind born from countless skirmishes and shared post-battle silence. Much as he acted the grump, she knew he valued her presence; it was just buried beneath layers of his sarcasm and irritation.