bakerstreet | ( nursed back to health shipping meme. )

[The Turk is momentarily surprised as the harness he was holding is suddenly lacking a body in it but he's back on track quick enough. The harness and sword are ignored as the man turns to make a strike out at Zack, realizing a second too late what was happening.

Hitting the ground, the Turk barely winced before he was attempting to get back to it, rolling himself to his side and kicking out at the former SOLIDER in an attempt to catch Zack in the side of the head.

Up on the bridge, the Captain had heard the commotion and was in the doorway Zack had been heading for, shotgun cocked as he tried to get a clear shot.]

[ When the Turk hits the ground with a satisfying thud, Zack's already working on getting his own feet back under him. There's just one problem and that amounts to the worst headache he's felt in a while from pulling a stunt like that. It slows him down- just enough that that kick does connect. He all but bangs against that wall again and this time, he's doubling up that pain as his head again suffers the brunt of it.

He's laying on the ship's floor now clutching tight to himself as he attempts to fight back double vision, but pain, pain, pain. Too much at once! He knows he has to move though! Damn it, move! ]

[The Turk rolls himself to his knees and starts to push himself up to get at Zack, prepared to knock the man out and keep him that way until they hit shore--

But the sharp crack of a gunshot changes everything.

Lowering his rifle as the Turk hits the ground clutching his shoulder, the captain sneers and glances at Zack. His gaze lingers for a moment as if studying the ex-SOLDIER before he's looking at the Turk once more as he lifts the rifle.]

No idea what this is all about but enough's--

[Whatever he was planning to say is cut off as a dagger finds a place in the man's gut, another hitting his shoulder and a third his upper thigh. The rifle clatters to the ground as the captain stumbles back just as the Turk starts to get up, another dagger drawn.

But his attention is all Zack's now.]

Edited 2016-06-08 02:09 (UTC)

[ A part of him had thought it all over in that moment, had thought he'd gone and messed up again and that Turk was going to be dragging his ass off to who knew where for them to do who knows what to him. A part of him wondered if they would be satisfied with that, if maybe then at least they would leave Cloud alone.

But those scattered thoughts stop the moment he hears that shot go off, clear as day, and hears the yell of the Turk. It's enough to get him to move again, shuffling and scrambling until two feet are under him again and he's using that off balanced momentum to hurry forward, to lose it just as he reaches his buster and fall forward. In the end, it's to his advantage though as he hauls the sword up and back-

-before swinging it hard like a bat, fully intent of hitting the Turk out of the park- or well, ship in this case. ]

[It's clear the Turk wasn't prepared for Zack to react the way he did, wasn't prepared for the other to fight back given how out of it he had seemed just moments before. So when that sword is swung like a bat there's nothing the Turk can do to block the blow--

Out of the ~~park~~ ship indeed.

Cloud picks that moment to make his appearance, having tripped up the sailors in the lower decks and made his way back up to try and find Zack. The bleeding captain is momentarily ignored as the blonde beelines to his friend to catch a hold of him, worry flickering across his expression as he tries to get a grasp on what just happened.

Who the hell had attacked the captain like that?]

Are you alright?

Edited 2016-06-10 00:44 (UTC)

[ The bright side? That Turk really does end up being sent flying. The downside? That's all it takes for Zack's balance to go scattering again, grip on his sword easily lost. It crashes hard onto the deck and he's just about to follow, spun up in dizziness, when he feels hands on him.

He's about ready to retaliate when that familiar voice reaches his ears. He might not fully understand him with how said ears are ringing, but it's still enough to stop him from reacting in violence.

Of course, it might also have something to do with the way his stomach suddenly twists in knots. If Cloud's not fast enough, he'll find himself on the receiving end of a none too pleasant moment of sickness. All over him.

Sorry, Spike. ]

[Note to self: Playing baseball with people does, in fact, work.]

Zack--

[He was going to say something to help ease the other more, because he can feel that tension and he knew that the other was about to react badly. Well, react in anger.

Because the reaction is definitely still a bad one and Cloud doesn't think to move out of the way because he's far more concerned with keeping the other upright. So his clothes get a new addition and he's immediately wincing but his grip never falters.

Clothes could be washed.]

Easy. [It's said softly as he manages to shift his grip and slid one of his arms around the other man's waist to get a better hold on him. It also allows Zack to lean against him more.] Deep breaths, alright?

[ Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

He's taking them now. Or at least trying to. His mouth's sour with the taste of acid that makes him grimace. He takes that offered support more because he has to than anything, full body weight upon Cloud. But even so, he finds himself fighting through nausea and through weakness, stubbornly grunting out: ] -Turks.. The captain..

[ He shakily points toward the man laying on the deck. He'll bleed out if no one helps him soon and that's if he's not dead already. And the man did just save his ass. ]

[If it were any other time and place, Cloud would have just kept his arm around the other and helped him along--gotten him to a safe place. But there's a lot going on right now and the mention of Turks has him on edge all over again. And then there's the captain--

Right.

Cloud turns towards Zack and promptly kneels enough so that he can get an arm under Zack's legs and lift him up. His leg objects harshly to the added weight and Cloud shifts most of his stance to the other side but he's definitely going to pay for this later. The first couple of steps are shaky but he finds a good balance quick enough and makes his way towards the captain. Once there he kneels--more like his injured leg gives out and he sinks with it--to set Zack on the ground against the wall before he's moving to the captain to help the man out.

Aka pulling the daggers out and applying pressure to wounds.]

How many Turks were there? [Finally! Words!]

[ One moment, he's leaning up against Cloud. The next, there's a flurry of motion, flickering shapes and colors and his head's spinning and he's curling into Cloud before wincing at the unpleasantly close scent and recoiling instead.

It's only when his world's no longer shaking around that he opens his eyes, eyes he didn't realize he closed. But they're open now and he's squinting as if that will actually help him better hear those words. Belatedly, they connect and he murmurs out: ]

One.. Just one...

[One. Good. And it seemed like Zack had dealt with that one so they were alright for the moment.

He hoped.

The captain ended up resting against the opposite wall from Zack as Cloud went about getting him as patched up as he could with limited supplies. He was stable enough to murmur a few things here and there but he was definitely in a lot of pain and the blood loss probably wasn't helping in the least.]

...He won't make it to shore like this. [It's said under his breath as he presses a torn piece of the captain's jacket against one of the knifewounds.] Zack we're going to have to think of something else.

[ That makes two of 'em there. They might not be that lucky... but he hopes they are. Gonna keep his fingers crossed anyway.

But right there and then? They have more immediate issues to address. Mainly Cloud's final analysis of the captain's status and it's... definitely not good. Nothing good at all. They can't sink the ship.

They can't sink the ship. ]

Damn it.. [ He can't help but curse under his breath.. but there's no way- no way he'd go and abandon a life and let it be snuffed out like this. Not on his watch. No matter the dire circumstances. Cloud, himself, knows that too well.

He's already trying to roll options around in his head, but it's so damn hard to focus and he can tell his vision's starting to tunnel some. Shit, this is bad. ] We're- gonna have to... bail for now..

[ The captain's in terrible shape, he's in terrible shape.. They'll need to get it docked so the man can get treatment.. and so they can escape without getting killed at this point. Just because he's only seen one Turk doesn't guarantee that's all there are... ]

[Cloud's trying to come up with some sort of alternative, something else they can do so they can still sink the ship but there aren't a whole lot of options. They could damage the hull and let the ship take on water slowly--that would give the crew time to call for help. But the captain might now make it that long, not bleeding out like he was and Cloud had no idea what sort of internal damage there was; the spots the Turk picked to hit had to have been intentional.

A few curses escape the blonde as he ducks his head in a moment of frustration, eyes closed as he thinks things over--

Docking the ship was the best thing they could do.]

...We'll have to get one of the sailors to steer the ship. [Even if he had to threaten them, he'd get one of them to do it.

The blonde's eyes open as he turns his head to look over at Zack, worry filling his gaze again. Whatever he had to do in order to keep his friend safe.] Once we dock we'll slip away while they're getting the captain to shore. [And then once Zack was somewhere safe, Cloud would deal with the ship. Somehow.]

[ It takes all he has to listen to those thoughts, to give Cloud a nod of acknowledgement that- yes, he heard. Yes, he understands. Yes, that sounds like a good plan as ever. It's not ideal. It's not even close to what he wishes they could do. But it's all they can do. He knows that when his head starts lulling to the side, when his eyes start to slant closed.

He knows he has to trust Cloud then just as Cloud once trusted him as his thoughts swim away from him and darkness overtakes the rest of his vision before he even closes his eyes as much as he tries to fight it. Gotta fight it.. It's a losing battle. ]

Zack--hey, no, I need you to stay awake.

[Any other type of injury and Cloud wouldn't be quite as worried--unless it was something severe to the point of Zack being about to die. But a head injury? Especially when Zack seems to be prone to getting them?

He's not going to play around with that.

The captain is left where he is as the blonde shifts back to his friend's side, a hand coming up to catch his cheek to give his head a light nudge.]

Just for a little bit longer, Zack. Come on.

Mm.. [ The nudge gets his brows to furrow slightly in pain. On the bright side, his eyes do open again.

On the downside, they remain wincing. ] He-Hell... Did he really half'a... [ The train of thought's lost a moment later. His mind's in shambles and the only thing that stops him from falling into it again is the way he reaches up in an attempt to catch Cloud's hand like a lifeline.

...which of course he entirely misses. ]

[....Okay this particular blow to the head appears to have scrambled Zack up a bit more than Cloud initially realized. His worry increases ten fold at the realization and he ends up on his knees beside Zack so he can gently frame the other's face with both hands.]

It's going to be alright, Zack. [He hoped. God just how bad had the fight been? He should have gotten there sooner--he shouldn't have stayed away so long.

His hands slip away for a moment so he can dig through one of the pouches on his belt to snag one of the vials he still had on his person. It wouldn't solve the problem completely but it would hopefully ease some of the pain.

Just until he could get to his pack.

One hand cups Zack's cheek while he holds the vial up with the other, putting it to the other man's lips.]

Drink.

[ One moment, his head's lulling down again. The next, his vision's filled with Cloud's blue eyes, calloused but gentle hands framing his face. He hears the reassurance more in the tone than the words themselves as his focus starts to give again-

enough so that the only real hint that something's being given to him is in the cold touch of the vial to his lips. He gulps it down, some of it spilling off the corner of his mouth. The more he drinks though, the more the ache starts to dull and the less his expression appears distressed. He keeps his cheek leaned against that hand a moment, letting the effects of that potion filter in through his person as he murmurs: ] Didn't think it was that bad.. Then that Turk..

[The tension that had built up in Cloud's shoulders starts to seep away as Zack seems to come out of his daze. His thumb strokes over the other's cheekbone, letting his other hand drop to his lap.]

You really need to stop getting hit in the head. [Seriously, Zack. There's only so much of this he can deal with before he's going to have a panic attack or something.] Think you'll be alright if I go drag one of the sailors to the bridge?

[They needed someone to steer the ship and get them to port. Cloud didn't have near enough experience to be able to do something like that; he could have faked it, sure, but he'd rather not.

Especially with two injured people on board.]

[ As his body seems to settle, he finally does manage to reach up and this time he does touch Cloud's hand. His fingers carefully skate across the back of it before he places it there, grunting just a little at that first comment. It wasn't like he was trying to get nailed like that. Just... shit coordination hadn't helped.

Still, at that question, he nods faintly, eyes growing more alert by the second. ] I'll be fine.. Go.

[ He might not hold his rank formally anymore, but he is SOLDIER. Once SOLDIER, always SOLDIER. He's had worse. He squeezes Cloud's hand all the same. ]

[Cloud nods slightly but he doesn't move away just yet. His fingers spread slightly to catch a hold of Zack's and he gives them a gentle squeeze. As much as he trusted that Zack could handle himself, no matter what, he couldn't help but not want to leave him.]

...I'll be back in no time.

[He has to get moving. He's already wasted enough time.

The blonde shifts back as if to stand only to hesitate. His gaze sweeps over Zack's face before he leans in, pressing a ghost of a kiss to the other's forehead.

Without another word he's heading back down the hallway he'd come down and back towards where he knew the crew members were. It wouldn't be hard to keep the others at bay while he brought one or two of them back here. And if need be, he'd use a threat or two in order to make it happen. It'd be about fifteen minutes before Cloud did return, hauling a sailor along by his arm and shoving him towards the bridge.]

Get us to port. Now.

[ Fifteen minutes feels like forever when anything could happen on that ship. So, least to say, Zack lets out a breath of relief when Cloud returns with the sailor. The sailor, themselves, seem none-too-pleased... at least until they see the- 'Captain!'. Then, they're wasting no time barreling to take over if not cursing out the two of them as they do so, angrily demanding that Cloud keep a watch on him or else. As much of a joke as the threat might be, there's a certain touch of dedication that Zack can appreciate with a thin smile as he watches the sailor.

Then, his eyes are back on Cloud, relieved, as he murmurs out: ] You gonna bug him for the ETA..?

[Having listened to the sailor ranting at him and making threats the whole way back, Cloud just takes it all in stride. He just gives the sailor a passive look at the demand and waits until the other is busy with actually controlling the ship before he's moving over to Zack.

His demeanor changes, the passive look slipping away into something softer as he kneels at his companion's side again.]

I will once he's got us moving. [If only to spare himself anymore threats for the moment.] You feeling alright?

I'll be okay... Been through worse, you know? [ Understatement, really.

Doesn't really change the fact that he's currently not trying to get up either. He knows he hit his head- badly. He knows he's in for one hell of a time once he tries to get his feet under him again.

...though he also knows staying out there might turn sour if another Turk is around. Doesn't change the way he reaches over to touch a hand to Cloud's cheek. ] Not going anywhere.. okay?

[That's..both comforting and not comforting in the least at the same time.

The blonde huffs softly, shaking his head at the comment before the motion stills as a hand touches his cheek. That touch is all it takes for his worries to ease just a tiny bit and one of his hands comes up to cover Zack's.]

Okay. I'm holding you to that. [You aren't allowed to go where he can't follow, Zack.] Do you need anything? [Before he goes to loom over the sailor to make sure he gets them to the right place.]

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