#and denzell is giving strong queer vibes (to me at least) so until proven otherwise I am holding out hope for him and john

[doyelikehaggis]

25 Days of Sleighpairs: Lord John Grey x Denzell Hunter (Outlander) + “Comfort”

It was a long, tiresome night. Being on the run had a rather exhausting effect; although, John wasn't entirely sure if it was down to that or the injuries to his face. Whatever the cause, they proved effective in sending him into a blissful, dreamless sleep. He had not the faintest idea how long he had been out for, but when he roused, he found Dr Hunter's heavy eyes on him.

A small smile graced his lips when he realized he was awake, but it slipped into professional concern as he immediately made to move closer. 'Are you in pain?'

John wasn't entirely sure how to answer that; he thought he might be, as there was a dull ache in his head, but it also felt completely detached from his body. It was like he was split in two.

'Not as much anymore,' he said truthfully.

Dr Hunter still touched his face tenderly. He didn't dare remove the patch from his eye, seemingly not wanting to disturb its healing. But he touched every other inch of skin around it, gently inspecting the cut on his forehead and cheek. John couldn't do anything but sit there and watch him. Not because he was too weak, no, because he was startled by his delicate touch.

In the last few days, he had gone between yearning for human contact, feeling despairingly starved of it, to being overwhelmed by the touch of another.

His chest was still battered and bruised and stinging from the marks Claire's nails had raked across his skin. Jamie hadn't been any gentler, but he had expected nothing less, he supposed. He still wasn't sure which hurt the most, whether it was the brutal beating or his shattered heart. It had already broken before he had thrown the first punch; that damage had been done the moment he had started to believe that Jamie Fraser was dead.

Even now, he could feel the sharpness scraping his chest, cutting up his insides like he was made of paper. But he could also feel Dr Hunter tenderly, attentively checking him over, maybe more so than was entirely necessary, but what did he know?

'We should leave soon,' Dr Hunter told him, his voice low so as to avoid the possibility of being detected in their hiding spot in the woods.

'Yes, of course,' John said agreeably. He then looked at him properly, taking in the shadows under his eyes. 'Have you slept at all, Dr Hunter?'

He shook his head. 'No. Thee was restless, and I was worried.'

'You should rest.'

He still seemed hesitant, but, as a healer, it was evident that he knew they would not get much further if he was too exhsuated to see straight. He nodded, and he lay down on the cave floor beside John, who watched him. He remained facing him.

It was a strangely comforting gesture, made even more so by the way that he reached out for John again, fingers brushing his hand between them. In his delirious state, he wondered the meaning behind it, if there was one at all. Then he slipped back off again, cocooned in warmth from the closeness of another.