It was heart-wrenching. Watching him shiver and squirm away from the rag that Carlisle tried to clean him with. "Shhh..." He soothed softly and sat down beside him on the bed, slowly as to not jostle him. It was when he rolled away that Carlisle could see his mages mark. It stretched down from his shoulders to lower back, a stark contrast against his pale skin. Carlisle reached out to gently let his fingers trail over a couple of them. Marks that signified a life that he was so clueless about. Magic.

Seeing Ea wielding fire had been...startling. It was beautiful but at the same time terrifying. Magic was something Carlisle knew so little about. His life had only been briefly touched by it and then always by strangers who would enter his life for but a moment. But Ea, there was something about the man that he wanted. Needed. It was insane really to be so enamored by someone he barely knew.

He should have probably finished cleaning him but he didn’t have the heart to make him colder. If he wanted to sleep then he would let him. He didn’t see a reason that would make it dangerous for the man to sleep and recuperate. He was shivering, something Carlisle had seen before in burn victims that would strangely enough feel as if they were freezing after being roasted. He stood from the bed and pulled the heavy aging blanket over the trembling mage before moving away to remove his shirt. Hissing softly as he brushed one of the small burns on his palm.

He considered changing into his own clothes entirely but a glance back at Ea made his gaze soften. In perhaps what was a bold move, if not intended in a sexual manner. Carlisle stepped back over to where Ea lay and pulled up the corner of the cover before slipping beneath his. His tan chest pressing against the brilliant black mark on the other mans as his arm lay gently over his hip. He made no move to advance his actions in any way and lay his head down on one of his pillows with a soft sigh. Providing warmth for Ea while at the same time grounding himself.

Exhaustion was a powerful force and before long Carlisle slipped into sleep.

Carlisle has slept, probably deeper than he should have given the events of the day. With his arm loosely curled around Ea's stomach and the bare skin of his chest against his back he had slept surprisingly sound. How long had it been since he had slept with anyone? Well...he knew how long it had been since he had just had a fling, since he found Erin. But actually just sleeping and waking to see the person he had fallen asleep with still there....it was nice. A soft growl crawled from his throat when the body against him began to move. He just wanted to sleep. To enjoy the delicious warmth of Ea's skin and enjoy the dreams it inspired. Not think about the people he had watched die.

But when Ea rolled onto his back, his shoulder pushing into Carlisle's chest, the doctor's dark eyes sprang open. As soon as the pained word fell from his lips Carlisle sat upright. His short black hair was mussed and his own flesh appeared dirty from the soot and smoke. But nothing like Ea. Of course, Ea had been the cause of the fire so that could have something to do with it. Carlisle pressed the heel of his hand into one of his eyes with a soft hiss. They still ached from the smoke. "We need to get you to a healer." Carlisle said softly. Not looking at Ea as he spoke. No doctor wanted to admit their shortcomings and while Carlisle could put his arm into a sling to take pressure off of his shoulder. Possibly immobilize it if the plate was indeed broke. Then Ea would be healing slowly. It seemed ridiculous for him to have to deal with pain for longer than needed. He was a mage after all, surely he knew someone with healing magic.

"Should I take you to Lledrith? I wasn't sure." He was looking down at his lap as he spoke. He didn't know what to say to Ea. After the ball...his fire. He wasn't afraid, but he was perhaps disappointed that Ea had let himself get so carried away. That his anger had driven him to be so reckless. Unless it was what he had intended. That was a different matter entirely. He cleared his throat softly and slid from the bed. Shuffling over to his dresser he fumbled around until he found himself a shirt and a pair of his pants, not the obsidian silk like fabric he had worn to the ball. He slipped the shirt on and buttoned it. Pausing when changing his pants to turn around so that he wasn't facing Ea. Once his clean slacks were slid over his slender hips he dug out another change of clothing. This one for Ea. It was nothing extravagant but it had to be better than the tatters the man wore.

"Here...I know they aren't much. I don't really dress as nicely as you." There was the hint of a smile there but it quickly fell away. "Do you need help?...Changing I mean." A tinge of pink kissed his cheeks at the thought but he knew he was being silly and felt guilty for even harboring such thoughts. The ball had ended horribly. People were dead and maimed. Ea was hurt, his shoulder possibly badly. For him to even think such sinful thoughts spoke badly of his character.

There was an odd tension between them. One that hadn't existed after their talk on the balcony but now sat with them, suffocating and stifling. Ea's denial of using healing magic surprised him though and one of Carlisle's brows rose in surprise. "I see..." He didn't understand really but as someone who knew so very little about magic, in general, he just took Ea's word for it. Plus...he trusted him. Even after seeing him so erratic and dangerous. He trusted him. His face revealed the immediate guilt he felt when Ea's question about kicking him out reached him. "No thats-thats not what I meant." He frowned and nervously rubbed the knuckle of one finger with his opposite hand. His palms stinging a bit as the burned skin stretched.

A small embarrassed grin came to his face at Ea's comment. He cleared his throat softly and searched for a fitting response. "I don't mind..." He moved slowly, treading water until he sat down slowly on the bed beside Ea. But instead of in front of him he sat slightly behind. "I don't want you gone, Ea....I didn't intend for you to think that. I can immobilize your shoulder. I just assumed you would go to a healer." He fell quiet after that. It wasn't all of it. But the truth...what if it shoved him away. What if a simple admission that a magic he had only seen in small amounts had been terrifying in such a large savage display.

Ea's question came then and Carlisle shook his head although he was behind him. No, he wasn't hurt really. Just small burns that would heal in a couple weeks. Mere blips while many had lost their lives. "No. I'm alright." He reached out to gently brush his fingers over Ea's injured shoulder. "This will hurt." He said softly. Cupping one hand over the curve of Ea's shoulder he would gently grasp the mage's arm and move the appendage. The aim was to feel what was going on inside. But he moved the arm slowly, as gently as possible. Waiting and hoping he wouldn't feel the crunching sound of bone. The tissue was swollen and he knew that he needed to take the weight off of it. From that, he could ascertain it wasn't broken, but the blow had deeply bruised him certainly and the bone would likely ache for weeks as it healed.

"I don't feel anything broken. But I wouldn't blame you if you wanted a second opinion." And reluctantly he pulled his hands back and away from the man that he wanted too badly to touch. Physical proof that Ea was alive and not just another body laying on a ball room floor. "I was afraid." Carlisle spoke suddenly. His words disjointed from the conversation they had just been having. "I couldn't help you, I couldn't help anyone. All I could do was watch. Your flames were..." His voice fell away then and the silence stretched for a couple moments. "Thinking back now I feel so foolish. These gigantic flames were beautiful, but they were so damn hungry." He toyed with the blanket they sat on as his mind churned with worry and thoughts.

"And even as these people were being burned alive by your flames all I could think about was 'I hope Ea is alright'." He laughed softly then, not a true laugh but a sound that came when nothing else would. "And...maybe that makes me a horrible person." He reached out then, his long fingers gently brushing Ea's long coppery locks away from the mage's mark that covered his back. And slowly he leaned in, his lips gently brushing the inked flesh. Once, and then twice. The second time a bit higher, near Ea's neck. "Maybe we both are. But at least I know someone that can tame the fires of hell." A hesitant smile then, his chest rising and falling as this startling and terrifying revelation was made.

"Don't leave me, Ea."

He worried that he had offended Ea. That his crude words that were nowhere as eloquent as a princess could be would fall short of what he wanted them to portray. But then Ea's arm was moving around his shoulders. His hand sliding up against his neck, that delicious warmth that he was already starting to crave. His eyes fell shut until the kiss on his forehead caused them to open in surprise. Lids lowered as Ea rested his cheek against his and Carl began to reach out. To wrap his arms around the man in return but stopped himself when he remembered how battered the man was. The fact that even the softest tough might be painful prevented him from doing what he desired to do.

Then came the explanation of fire, Ea's words making him see the flames as some type of monster he created that inevitably developed a will and mind of its own. "I understand." He replied. Not joking or making an excuse. He did fear those flames that had scorched bodies. And he did fear Ea but for a reason entirely separate from the magic he wielded. He didn't understand this overwhelming urge to be near him, to learn more. To just bask in his presence like some sort of commoner before a king. It was a feeling he had never experienced before. But he had also never met anyone like the fiery mage.

Once Ea had pulled back and stated he wasn't leaving Carlisle nodded then laughed softly. One of his hands rubbing at the stubble on his face in a half-hearted attempt to cover the wry smile on his lips. "No one has managed to make me feel so small and insignificant but so very important at the same time. I'm certain that your magic extends further than your flames, Ea." And then in a move that was very much unlike the tame sweet little doctor, Carlisle slipped closer. Afraid to touch the mage for fear of hurting him worse. That shoulder still needed bandaging. But he didn't want to break this moment, not yet at least. He edged closer and almost, almost gave in to the temptation to kiss the man who had so occupied his mind for weeks. But he stopped himself...barely.

"I should make you a sling..." He said softly. "...and let you wash some of that soot away." He reached out to ever so gently let the tip of his fingers slip over one of the bruises that were rising on Ea's face from the blow from that guard. His brow wrinkling and a different look coming to his dark eyes. "When I saw that guard hit you I wanted to give it back to him tenfold. Maybe I should learn to wield a sword...something actually of use in times like these." Twice now he had failed to protect the people he cared for the most. He couldn't keep depending on everyone else to take care of the dirty work. But could he really use a sword against someone? Could he stomach hurting someone? Killing them? He didn't know.

"I imagine that things will be tense between the races now....everyone blaming everyone else." His concern for Ea was evident although he didn't directly speak it. Ea was a well known mage, and even before the ball had ended the mages were being blamed for the catastrophe. Not just one, but all. Grouping everyone together as a dangerous uncontrollable force. Realizing he had let himself stare for longer than was really appropriate Carlisle cleared his throat and turned away. Slowly pulling himself up so that he could stand and set about getting materials for a sling as well as toting water for a bath. He was lucky to have a lever of sorts that could allow him to pump some water out as needed downstairs. It was the carrying the water upstairs that took more time. But the work was a good distraction from what was really on his mind. Something he really shouldn't have been thinking of in the face of so much devastation and death.

Once the small tub was filled enough for a bath Carlisle came back to where he had left Ea sitting. "Do you need help standing? Or bathing? I mean I can go downstairs! I understand if its-" His voice broke away and a smile replaced it. Shaking his head to stop himself from blathering on even more he reached out and offered Ea his hand.

Carlisle didn't immediately reply to Ea's question. Instead, he licked his lips then rolled them momentarily between his teeth. Holding back his response as he set about finishing what needed to be done. Stepping over he worked at cutting a long pale piece of material so that it could be tied and adjusted to suit Ea's height and needs for his arm. When Ea neared the tub, moving on his own Carlisle sat the things down and stepped over to linger close. Half afraid that as battered and stiff as he was falling would be easy. The idea of a staff was a good one and Carlisle nodded. It was something to consider, less lethal but good for immobilizing someone. At least from what he knew.

"Here, let me help you." Carlisle said, this time not asking but stepping forward and holding out his hand for Ea to take with his good arm. Something to hang onto as he sat just in case he slipped or felt weak. "I hardly think there is room for both of us. You get clean then I'll worry about me." He smiled but it was a timid one. He didn't know where the boundaries lay now and Ea being injured complicated things as well. At what point was he being selfish? At what point was he being rude or throwing up a wall between them? It was a situation he had never been in before. One that he wasn't sure how to navigate.

Given that Ea hadn't been timid about being naked Carlisle sat down on the aging wood floor beside the tub. One hand offering a sponge and the other a small cup or bowl of sorts for pouring the water. "I have your necklaces..." He said, partially because he assumed Ea would want them back and partially because it was better than a pregnant silence. "The ones you put around my neck out on the balcony. They are on the dresser over there." A shrug of his shoulder in the general direction of it.

His mind searched for something else to say. Something not related to the tragedy that had rocked so many lives. "Remember a while back when you stopped by with that doll for Erin? The elderly mage Arlyn was with you. I remember he told me I should be careful, that you went through people rather quickly." He wasn't asking for an explanation and laughed softly. "It was very awkward, we weren't even...hell I don't even know what we are now."

Carlisle took the sponge and was happy to have something to do. His fingers gently brushing away a couple strands of the mages long hair that had fallen from his grasp. He dipped the sponge into the water and began to gently but firmly rub it over Ea’s back. It was after the mention of Arlyn that Ea followed with a reply, one that caused the gently brushes of the sponge to stop momentarily before continuing with the same steady pace. His mind however was moving much faster. He had presumed that Ea was more experienced than himself. But it sounded like his hand full of partners were a far stretch from what Ea had experienced.

It didn’t really bother him that Ea had many partners, he did however worry that to a man who had experienced what so many had to offer that he would fall short of expectation. It had probably been about a year, maybe a little over since Carlisle had slept with anyone. Relationships had also not been something Carlisle did. But not because he avoided them. Rather because he hadn’t met someone he just felt like he had to have around. There was also the factor that he was a busy man, his patients were important to him. He also, with his busy schedule, had a tendency to forget dates and plans that were made in lieu of his duties.

But the way Ea phrased things made Carlisle wonder if perhaps he was hinting at ‘them’. Maybe it was his way of letting the doctor know that if anything he would be just another warm body. It was unsettling not knowing but maybe his nerves were just letting him get the better of him. No one had managed to capture his attention like Ea before. He couldn’t help but worry that it was already ending. Once Ea’s back was clean Carlisle reached down to let the sponge float in the water. His eyes moving up to the long red hair. Tangled as it was it would be some work but he was certain they could get it clean as well. Carlisle had even purchased a mixture only a few days ago from one of the merchants in the marketplace that would help remove tangles from hair without needing to cut it. The need had come about when Erin had mushed some apple into her hair and then fallen asleep. Surely it would work on Ea’s hair as well.

He reached up to gently take the mages long hair from where he held it up off his back and began to sift through it with his fingers. Gently, carefully, in search of knots. Ea sighed and Carlisle’s fingers sprang back away from his long locks as if he had been hit. Thinking he had done something the mage didn’t want. But the explanation that followed caused the doctor to go still. He wanted to try…what? A relationship? With him? Not just friends…that was what he had said. Carlisle didn’t respond for a couple minutes as he contemplated the weight of what they were getting into. Ea wasn’t someone who had relationships, Carlisle wasn’t the most eligible of bachelors.

Still without uttering a word Carlisle climbed to his feet and moved so that he was leaning over the tub. One hand holding each side as he leaned in, hovering over Ea and the water that was now an almost soft gray color. ”I don’t want to just be friends either, Ea.” He said softly, huskily. One hand moved to cradle Ea’s cheek as he leaned in. His lips finding the fire mages, the heat of the other man’s lips unusual but welcome. He didn’t pull back although he likely should have. Ea was beaten and battered. He still needed to find materials to make a sling for his arm. But he didn’t move away. He pulled back just enough to speak. His lips still brushing the other man’s. ”I haven’t had many partners, Ea. And only one man. I’m busy, forgetful, and often times foolish. Erin mean’s the world to me even if she is not of my blood. And…I haven’t stopped thinking about you since you walked into my shop with that child in your arms what felt like months ago.”

”I don’t care how many partners you’ve had, Ea. But I do worry I won’t measure up.” His lips fell to Ea’s jaw line. The hand that had cradled his cheek skimmed over the skin of his neck and down his chest where he paused. An embarrassed smile coming to his face along with the tint of blush. ”-but...maybe now isn’t the time for such things.”