"Ach, liebling, you'll give me a heart attack at this rate," Kurt said in a half-shocked, half-concerned tone. "Here, let me see that."

He gingerly ran a thumb over his fellow fae's bruising skin, frowning slightly. They were both outcasts; Kurt a Night fae, already shunned among his own kind for not fitting their ideal of beauty and now shunned among all fae kind due to his home Realm's rebellion, and the other a "Void" fae—that is, a half-breed, one with no home Realm at all who was shunned among fae and mankind alike.

They'd met as children, when Kurt found the other fae lost and wounded. Together they'd learned to navigate a world that didn't want them, living primarily in the space between fae and human realms, going wherever they needed for food and shelter. This was the most important person in Kurt's life, one he'd die for if he needed to, and so it broke his heart to see the bruises and cuts inflicted by callous human hunters.

"This is why I ask you not to wander off without me," he admonished, a hint of frustration in his voice. "I know you're not a baby, liebling, but the woods are dangerous. I can always take us away from danger in the blink of an eye, but I can't bring you back if you die." Kurt's frown deepened, and he brought a three-fingered hand to cup his fellow fae's cheek. "I just want you to be safe. Please, bring me with you next time."

It was hard enough as it was, living on the outskirts. Humans were dangerous. Fae were dangerous. Monsters and wild animals were dangerous. Even other outcasts were dangerous. Their brushes with death had been too numerous for comfort. Kurt wouldn't know what to do if the one bright spot in his life was snuffed out.

He sighed. "At least the hunters didn't follow us here. This abandoned village seems peaceful. I think we can rest here a while, get our strength back. I will forage for herbs, make you a potion, ja? You'll stay here, won't you? Can you promise me?" Kurt knew he was being overbearing, but still.