#graphic partially medically accurate description of relocating a shoulder

[ambiguous-sanskars]

Hey y'all I'm super late to the party but I finally watched RRR and needed to write something~ This is a little canon-divergent post-whipping scene where Ram decides to visit Bheem in his jail cell and tell him everything. First shot at writing anything for this fandom, hope y'all like it!

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“Bheema.”

Bheem jerked awake at that voice - and then immediately regretted it. With consciousness returned the searing pain coursing through every fiber of his body. His bloodstained dhoti clung to his legs, and for some reason that made it hard to breathe. His chafed wrists had begun to heal, and the clotting blood had glued them to the ropes that bound him. He tried tentatively to move an arm and cried out in pain.

“Shh. Your left shoulder is dislocated. Don’t move,  I’ll help you.”

Ram stepped out of the shadows. Bheem struggled against his chains, trying to move away.

“No, don’t-” Ram’s voice cracked. “Bheema, please.”

Bheem froze. “What do you want?”

“I’m trying to help you.”

“Why?”

“They’ll kill you.”

“You- what about Malli? Why didn’t you-”

“I’ll tell you everything. Just let me untie you for a minute. It will help with the pain.”

Bheem stayed still as Ram knelt at his feet, unlocking the cuffs around his ankles. Then Ram stood and pulled out a pocket knife, using it to slowly peel the ropes away from Bheem’s wrists. Bheem choked back a whimper.

“I know, I know it hurts. I’ll be gentle. Lean on me, Bheema. Take deep breaths. You can do it.”

Bheem pressed his forehead into Ram’s shoulder, breathing through clenched teeth. 

Ram decided to distract him by telling him the truth. By the time the second rope had come off, he’d told Bheem everything - his training, his parents’ deaths, his mission, the atrocities he’d committed in the name of liberation. He explained, shamefaced, how he’d used Bheem as a pawn to get this position. He fought down a wave of nausea as he tried to justify not helping Malli sooner.

And then, when he had cut off the last bit of rope and officially run out of reasons to avoid Bheem’s gaze, he looked up.

Bheem was staring at him in horror. Ram didn’t know what else he’d expected.

“So anyway,” Ram continued. “I’m getting you and Malli out of here. I’ll have to kill the governor to do it. He doesn’t suspect me. If it stays that way,  I’ll survive and return for the weapons. If he puts two and two together…” Ram let out a shaky sigh. “God, Bheema, please say something. Anything.”

To Ram’s astonishment, Bheem got to his knees. With his uninjured hand, he clasped Ram’s feet.

“Annayya,” Bheem choked out. “I tried to kill you. Forgive me.”

“Bheema!”

“I did not understand your great purpose. I did not know what you had gone through to get here. At every step I made things harder for you, and you still came back for me. You are so merciful, Annayya, so good-”

“Enough,” Ram managed, fresh tears springing into his eyes. He took Bheem by the shoulders and lifted him to his feet, watching him wince at the injuries Ram had inflicted on him not even a full day earlier. “How can you say such things? And after what I did yesterday?” Ram tenderly brushed a hand over the lash marks on Bheem’s side, causing him to shudder. “If anyone should beg for forgiveness, it is me.”

Bheem shook his head, leaning weakly into Ram’s arms. “Annayya, I should have understood you, like I always have. I should have trusted you. Forgive me.”

Ram brought a hand up to cradle Bheem’s head, trying to steady his own breathing as Bheem sobbed quietly into his shoulder. He would get them out of this alive, Ram vowed. And when he did, he would apologize to Bheem properly. He would make sure that as long as he lived, Bheem never knew pain again.

But for now…

“Bheema,” Ram began, hating what he was about to do. “We have to relocate your shoulder, okay? Will you let me do that?”

Bheem nodded, looking at Ram with implicit trust. It made Ram sick with regret.

“Okay, here, lie down. This is going to hurt, Bheema, but you cannot cry out. There are guards out there not twenty meters from us. If they find me here, neither of us will make it out alive, understand?”

“Annayya…” Bheem whimpered, finally letting fear into his eyes in front of Ram.

Hot tears streamed down Ram’s face, but he knew what he had to do. He climbed over Bheem’s supine body, using his knee to brace Bheem’s clavicle. He positioned his right hand over the dislocated shoulder, and pressed his left hand tightly over Bheem’s mouth. He counted to three and then pushed with all this strength.

Bheem’s body spasmed under his, but Bheem did not cry out. Ram quickly clambered off Bheem and crawled on his hands and knees to a corner of the cell, retching silently. He had committed innumerable acts of torture before, but nothing had ever gotten to him like this.

Suddenly, he felt a warm hand on his cheek.

“Annayya,” Bheem said softly, turning Ram’s face towards himself. He shook his head, wiping away Ram’s tears with a gentleness of which Ram felt wholly undeserving.

Ram got to his feet, taking Bheem’s hands and walking him back to the bloodied chains and ropes. 

“Bheema, I need to tie you back up. Not properly, just enough to avoid suspicion. The ropes will be loose, and I won’t lock any of the cuffs. Tomorrow, when they come to get you, you will be able to break free easily, okay? Remember the plan. Wait until you are by the forest to escape.”

As Ram went about securing the chains, Bheem’s eyes filled with tears.

“Annayya,” he begged, unable to bury emotion with reasoning. “Annayya, don’t leave me here. Please don’t leave me.”

Ram made a wounded sound. His hands continued fastening the ropes.

“Annayya, I swear I will listen to everything you say. Have mercy, take me with you.”

“Quiet, Bheema.”

“Annayya, I’m sorry. Forgive my past transgressions. Don’t punish me by leaving me here alone. Annayya, please!”

Ram dropped the ropes in agony, gathering Bheem into his embrace. Bheem clung to Ram’s trembling frame, understanding how Malli must have felt when he left her behind. Understanding how utterly helpless Ram must be feeling now. He took a deep breath.

“Go,” Bheem whispered into Ram’s shoulder.

Ram pulled back, taking Bheem’s face in his hands. He pressed a long kiss to Bheem’s forehead. Then he stepped out of the cell and locked it.

Ram gripped the metal bars and caught Bheem’s teary gaze.

“Bheema, do you trust me?”

“Always, Annayya.”

“Then believe me when I say that this time tomorrow, you and Malli will be free.”

Ram turned to leave.

“Annayya, that is not enough.”

Ram froze.

“Promise me you will be with us.”

“Bheema-”

“Swear it. Swear it on my life.”

“Bheema!”

“Please, Annayya. I will never ask you for anything else. Just this. Just you.”

As long as he lived, Ram thought, he would never understand what he had done to deserve Bheem. He reached through the bars and placed his hand on Bheem's head. 

“I swear I will be with you. All three of us will make it out of this alive. And then, Bheema, I will see to it that suffering never touches you again.”

With that, Ram turned and disappeared into the night.

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@fangirlshrewt97 your writing for this fandom inspired me to try so I figured you might be interested? Please lmk if you don't want to be tagged!