Blood by Corona (R)

[amaresu]

I have been more than a bit remiss in posting recs. Sorry.

Fandom: BEING HUMAN
Pairing: George/Mitchell
Length: Short/Medium
Author on LJ: entangled_now
Author Website: libraryofsol
Why this must be read:

Author's summary: George knows by now, the shape and smell of Mitchell without looking.

One of the lovely things about Being Human is how George and Mitchell take care of each other. This is a brilliant look at an instance where George has to take care of a Mitchell who is hanging on by a thread. Corona captures the ways that George knows Mitchell beautifully and without any wasted words.



And George knows by now, the shape and smell of Mitchell, without looking. And usually it's a familiar enough smell that it drifts into the house, in a completely benign and harmless way, for all its faint taint of chill and death.

But today George stiffens, and turns away form the TV.

Because today Mitchell smells like blood.

He pushes the front door shut behind him with one pale hand, and then strips his coat off, black wool sliding down his arms, he doesn't even bother trying to catch it, he just lets it crumple on the floor.

The blue material of his uniform is red wet across the chest, and down one arm. Droplets are scattered across the back of one hand, and there's a great messy smear against Mitchell's left shoulder.

"Oh my god what happened, what did you-"

"Nothing," Mitchell's voice is hard and thin, it's half lost. "I didn't do anything. There was an accident, a coach crash, I had to carry-" he swallows, and whatever else he was going to say seems to lodge in his throat.

There's a smear of red on the pale skin of his neck, tiny droplets decorating his jaw, and George can tell by the wet crinkle of fabric on his chest, that the blood has soaked all the way through.

Blood