etrayalogs | Dialysis for Dommies

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Dialysis for Dommies - Closed

WHO: Clive, Cid, and Romano
WHEN: Early September
WHERE: The Hospital
WHAT: Cid getting his lithification treated
NOTES\WARNINGS: Medical stuff, discussion of terminal illnesses, partial nudity, others added as needed

[Honestly, the fact that Cid actually agreed to let Clive take him to see Romano for his first treatment now that the machine to help treat his lithification was ready surprised him. He expected the man to be cagey about it, to maybe try and sneak off and do it without him, but he didn’t. Didn’t even hesitate to ask when they were going when Clive said he was going with. It was actually pretty nice.

Not that he would say any of that out loud. It would either be awkward or he would get endless shit for it. He wasn’t particularly inclined to sit through either of those scenarios, so to himself it stays.

Clive had long since given up on fighting Cid to wear a helmet, so he didn’t drive quite the way he wanted to, but that was fine. Today was about getting from point A to point B and back, not having a good time. Maybe they could do that later, depending on how everything turns out.

Excitement and apprehension warred for dominance in Clive’s chest as they pulled up to the hospital. He held the bike steady as Cid climbed off before following suit.]

You ready?

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I’m driving on the way back. I’ll show you how it’s done.

[He knew when Clive brought it up that it’d be impossible to evade him. So why bother? Cid gives a brief chuckle.]

Certainly. Not like I’ve got to do anything. That’s all on our good doctor Romano.

[It wasn’t the longest drive over, even with how hang-wringing Clive was choosing to be about it all- but where Cid wasn’t showing his apprehension on his face, he felt a bit of it in his bones. He didn’t know what to expect, after all. He barely ever tolerated everything Tarja did, as it was.]

Come now, we shouldn’t leave him waiting. [As he strides in, utterly casual about it all. He plucks a smoke from his pouch and sticks it between his lips as he walks with purpose into Romano’s wing.]

Doctor! [he offers in greeting, voice carrying through the office.]

[ Robert has convinced himself that he didn't do a nice thing, and if he did it wasn't a nice thing for anyone specific. He had the points and a problem he could solve with them, that's it.

By now he knows how to use the magic dialysis machine and has as much of a solid understanding of what it does as he's going to get. The machine looks like a chemotherapy chair ran through a steampunk filter; lots of knobs and gears.

Robert leads them towards the exam room with it. The room also has a traditional exam table, with a paper gown folded on top of it, a privacy screen, and a couple of arm chairs. ]

Patient. [ That's as much of a greeting as "Doctor" and that way he doesn't have to acknowledge he knows Cid's name. ] Patient's buddy. [ There's a nod at Clive, whose name escapes him at the moment. He does remember Clive's immune to the illness, an interesting fact he's committed to memory in case this treatment proves ineffective.

With everyone greeted, he points at the gown. ]

You can leave your clothes there, put on the gown, opening to the back.

[ Having the man strip is partly because he's a dick, but mostly because if something goes wrong and the treatment causes a heart attack or something, not having clothes on the way will make reaction times faster.

There's a helperbot on standby who turns around politely once Robert's done issuing instructions. ]

[Clive can’t help the little smile as the two greet each other. He wonders for a moment why Romano doesn’t use Cid’s name, but then again, Cid didn’t use his in greeting either. He nods.]

Doctor.

[Clive would take zero offense at learning that Romano didn’t remember his name. He might find it amusing, considering his username, which had been displayed prominently throughout their entire conversation, was the reminder, though.

Clive crosses his arms and leans against the wall. He debates looking away to give Cid privacy, but frankly, they had seen each other naked enough times, and Clive was long past being shy about the fact that Cid knows he finds the man attractive. Is he going to oggle? No. He would rather not do that in front of Romano.

He does, however, give Romano an assessing stare while Cid has his back turned. Cid trusted the man, and Clive trusted Cid, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t haul off on someone if he had to.]

Remove my clothes-

[he shoots Clive a look as he gazes at the folded paper gown that he does not even identify as clothing, immediately feeling somewhat suspicious of Clive. How much did he know about all this?]

[He sticks his unlit cigarette in his mouth to free up his hands. He picks the gown up and watches it feebly unfold itself in his hands. He mumbles to himself as he shakes his head.]

Must be taking the piss... Are you all just going to watch?

[As he sets it aside and starts working on his belts. He looks between Romano and the machine to distract himself.]

Sure you know how to use this thing?

I wasn't. There's a screen right there.

[ Robert busies himself powering up the machine. ]

I read all the instructions that were in a language I could read, and stared very intently at all the pictures in the ones I couldn't.

[ He can use it as well as anyone will know how to use it. The system does seem to be very close to dialysis so he's not terribly worried yet. ]

The more advanced the condition, the more dramatic the immediate improvement should be, but it apparently slows down as you get better. Which arm are you the least attached to? It'll be sore for a few days.

[Clive was, but he's not going to say that. He takes a couple steps forward and pulls the screen between Cid and the rest of the room, pats the helper bot on the head in silent thanks for not being a weirdo like he was, then goes to stand near Romano.

He is trying very, very hard to not side-eye the man's flippancy, but based on the short conversation they had and the others that he read, this seemed to be Romano's style of interacting with people. Very little seriousness, lots of joking. Much like the man behind the curtain.]

Do you know how many treatments he might need?

[Clive looks back at the screen.]

Cid, have you shown him how advanced the lithification is, or is he going into this partially blind?

[It's mostly a tease. Mostly. There is a lightly exasperated fondness in Clive's voice.]

Well, if I die, I suppose I’m in the best possible place for it.

[getting out of medieval clothes could only go so quickly, even as practiced as he was.]

As if he knows how bad it can be. But aye, he’s seen it. Should have seen the clothes they had us to wear for a mission back a handful of months.

[Cid sighs.] My left, if you must. What are you doing to it?

I'm stabbing you with needles. Take a seat whenever you're ready.

[ Two needles, but he can explain that when they get there. There are a lot of questions he has no answer for and it'll be easier if they think it'll be worse than it actually will be.

He addresses Clive next. ]

I have no idea of how many treatments it'll take, I'm new to the condition and the treatment.

[Clive gently reminds himself that death isn’t permanent here. That if something bad happens, Cid will be back. There might be a cost, but costs were things that could be dealt with, one way or another. He pushes back the unhelpful part of his mind that tries to hand him the memories of when Cid last died in front of him far, far away. This was not that.

Romano seemed competent, had clearly at least studied the machine based on how confidently he was working with it, and had experience with Cid in some capacity. Everything would be fine. Best-case scenario, everything would be great. Hell, if things went as well as Romano was saying they could, Clive might just kiss the man himself. ]

And I missed it? What a shame. [Clive intentionally leaves half a beat of silence.] Did you keep them?

[Joking aside, Clive gives his attention back to Romano.]

Fair enough. It’ll be a learning experience for all of us.

[Clive has every intention of pulling a chair closer to where Cid will be receiving his treatment the second everything is situated and he knows where he will be least in the way, but until then, he makes sure to stand where Cid can see him from the machine, arms crossed and leaning against the wall.

He tries not to be too intense in how his eyes track everything that Romano is doing, but it’s Clive, so he isn’t terribly successful. Overly attentive was his default.]

They’re in Stonhyrr- somewhere.

[The last absurd piece of leather armor drops to the floor as Cid audibly seems to struggle with the paper gown. ]

How the hell- [Right, Romano said the slit to the back. He shuffles it around and it seems exactly as wrong as before. ]

[He pulls the curtain with an arm across his chest to keep it in place. ]

Are the needles going in my ass? What’s with this?

[Despite Cid’s handsome figure, it does nothing for the awkwardness of the paper gown. The paper ties are untied. He pinches them closed and shuffles to the chair.]

Edited 2025-09-07 13:03 (UTC)

The needles go in your arm. Do you want a robe?

[ Somehow he didn't think Cid would care about partial nudity. He's assuming he's sleeping with this other guy. ]

I think the machine will work, but if you collapsed while dressed you'd be dead before I could treat you.

[ That's probably an exaggeration, but he's only got one arm, the helperbots don't react that fast, and he has no idea of how reliable this second boyfriend is in a crisis. If he had to deal with any stupid tiny buckles while Cid was coding, he'd lose his mind.

He's not a complete asshole, though. He'll get the man a robe if he wants one. ]

[Clive takes pity nearly immediately on seeing Cid’s awkward shuffle and pushes off the wall to go and help him with the ties. Gently, so as to not tear the paper, Clive closes up the back of Cid’s robe, fighting the impulse to run a finger down Cid’s spine as he goes. He wonders if Cid is ticklish…

Any thoughts of the state of anyone’s ticklishness go straight out of his mind at Romano’s words. He looks at the man with a sharp jerk of his head, but stills. Trust the doctor. Clive takes a deep breath and sighs it out.]

Have you done the procedure that you said is like this one where you come from?

[Things he should have asked before.

And yes, he is great in a crisis thank-you-very-much.]

A robe- Didn’t you just say I’d die if I’m too dressed? No. No, it’s fine. I’m fine.

[It’s not the nudity. It’s the absurdity of what clothing there is there. He sighs as Clive fixes his gown for him. He mutters a thanks.]

[He takes a seat properly now, adjusting into it until he’s comfortable. He has no idea what to do with his arms, but he allows them to hang loosely on either side of him.]

Surely he has. He’s from a time where all of this sort of stuff is familiar to him. Isn’t he?

[ Is that what he said? That's what he gets for exaggerating. ]

Yes, I've worked with similar machines before. The machine takes your blood, cleanses it, and returns it to you.

[ Robert pulls a wheeled stool with his leg and sits down next to Cid, getting the needles ready. ]

The bots are bringing you lunch once we get started. [Then he addresses Clive.] I can have them bring you one too if you're hungry.

[Clive nods at the thanks and gives Cid’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, letting it linger a moment before taking a couple of steps back to give Romano space to work. Despite being nervous about the outcome, he was interested to see how all of this worked. How a machine could clean someone’s blood was beyond him, and how that might reverse lithification is even more of a mystery. But then again, a lot of things in this place were.

He tries not to hover too much, both out of curiosity and worry. They are currently very happy bedfellows in Clive’s mind, but he does manage to stay far enough away to not be a nuisance.]

That would be very much appreciated, thank you.

Clean blood, eh? [he repeats as he rubs his jaw. He’s not sure what he was expecting. He was hoping someone would wave a wand, but he had a feeling he’d have to be cut open somehow.]

[He’d never seen blood get put back. But as a hearty lover of inventions, he was happy to try. Romano had managed to garner his trust, after all. Even if the look of all the implements on the tray rankled a bit of instinctual fear deep down. None of the objects looked like a knife. So that was a plus- And then Clive squeezes his shoulder, and he sighs, letting out a bit of tension he hadn’t realized he was holding.]

Well, as long as it puts it back, eh?

[He gazes at Romano, finally seeing this man in his element. He always enjoyed this, seeing men do what they were trained to do.]

[ Robert would argue that this isn't his element, but he does seem to know what he's doing. He's hooking up Cid to a heart monitor first thing, but that's painless, it's just a clip that goes on his finger.

He turns the monitor on. He should've done some basic tests first to establish a baseline, but Cid seems human enough it's probably safe to assume his numbers will be the same as a reasonably fit human his age. ]

Needles next, put your arm on the armrest hand up and please don't flinch. I have to do this one-handed.

[ Back in Chicago he didn't do any actual physician work after he lost his arm, but Solmara got him back in the habit. ]

[Clive watches Romano set up all of his implements, the machine that seems to be reflecting the beating of Cid’s heart with numbers he doesn’t know the meaning of, the needles. He steps back in and crouches to Cid’s right, offering his silent support. He keeps close enough to give a steadying hand should Cid want it.

He speaks to Cid quietly, not wanting to distract the doctor from his work.]

It might sound a bit obvious, but remember to breathe.

[He wasn’t sure why people reflexively held their breath when they expected something to hurt, especially when steady breathing made things hurt less, but he didn’t pretend to understand how the body worked.]

[Cid leans back and puts his arms on the arm rest. He’d hasn’t been given more specific instructions, but… If he’s trying to get to his blood, he wants the arteries, right? He turns his arms palm up.]

Relax, Clive. You think this is the first time a doctor’s poked me? Robert, is he in your way? If you need him to move or do something, just give him an order.

He's fine. You can be each other's emotional support twunk.

[ He's absolutely using that word because he doubts either of them will know it. He's also stabbing Cid with a needle— the helperbot on standby moves to tape it up as soon as it's in. ]

One more.

[ It doesn't hurt beyond the initial sting, Robert's a dick but he's very good at his job. ]

[Clive waits until both needles are safely in and secure before flicking Cid’s earlobe.]

Ha ha, very funny. I don’t take orders from just anybody.

[He’s still going to stay crouched by Cid’s chair, resting his chin on the very edge of the arm. This time, he is watching the lines attached to the needles in almost rapt fascination. What a strange thing, when his brain processes what Romano actually said. He sits up.]

I’m sorry, his what?

[Cid looks down at his arms. He takes a breath and goes to pay himself down for a cigarette, and then realizes he doesn’t have his clothes- and he probably shouldn’t be moving his arms either.]

He says that, but I’ve seen him happily take the runaround.

[He gives Clive a little smile so that he doesn’t take it too hard.]

I figured you might know. Sounds like a word you’d know. Hard to tell with Robert. Probably a backhanded compliment if he’s feeling ornery.

Don't move your left arm. I'm starting it now, you might feel light-headed.

[ The machine is noisy at first, but it thankfully quiets down once it starts going. They'll get to see Cid's blood leaving through a tiny tube, then coming back after running through the magical cleansing process.

He only straightens up and addresses Clive once it looks like nothing terrible will happen. ]

Twunk is a colloquialism for a young, muscular man that sleeps with other men.

It helps if they ask nicely. Usually.

[Clive returns the smile before looking back over at the machine. Yup. That was definitely Cid’s blood. Outside of his body. Hmm. Clive was wondering if he would have a bad reaction to seeing it, but nope. That’s a relief.

His gaze flicks over to Romano as he talks. He is practically physically incapable of not looking at someone when they are talking to him.]

Ah, gotcha. Thanks, Doctor. [He’s going to continue to do this until Romano either uses, asks, or remembers his name. Considering Cid has said it at least once, this game could be over before it began, but based on the few interactions Clive has witnessed Romano engaging in, they might be at this for a while.]

[He tilts his chin up to give Cid a just a touch this side of too charming smile.]

See? Told you you’re not old.

[Cid looks at it out of curiosity, and then looks away. It’s definitely strange. And he certainly feels strange, too. Must be nerves. Or something about the machine. He did warn him he might become light-headed.]

I can’t believe I let a man with one arm who is apparently completely blind stick a needle into me. I’m certainly not young.

Clive. [He nods towards his clothes.] My smokes.
[“If you ask nicely” echoes in his head.] Please.

This is a hospital.

[ Not that he cares, honestly. It's not like there are any other patients around.

But he does stand up to crack a window open. Robert doesn't smoke, he's been a doctor for too long to want to risk it.

Afterward he addresses his helperbot. ]

Fetch the lunch trays.

Ah, but you’re certainly not old, either. And that one-armed, apparently blind man did a pretty good job. You should say thank you.

[Clive pats Cid’s arm as he stands to grab said requested smokes from a pocket of the messily discarded clothes before walking back over.

A smile tugs at his lips when he opens the package to pull one out and the scent of that special blend of tobacco wafts up. He would probably be proud of that blend for a while. And the memories that came with it? A nice bonus.

He steps closer, offers Cid the cig, and holds out a cupped palm, ready to light it when the other man is ready.]

Are you going to stick around and eat with us, Doctor?

…Thanks, Robert.

[Yeah it’s a hospital, what’s your point? He smirks as Romano goes to open the window anyway.]

Yeah, got anywhere better to be? [As he puffs his smoke off of Clive’s lit palm.]

You think I'm going anywhere while we're doing an experimental treatment with a brand new magic machine? I'm staying until I'm sure there's no side-effects.

[ He'd demand to keep Cid under observation for at least a day, but he doesn't feel like fighting a losing battle. ]

The bots will bring me lunch too.

[Once his service as a human lighter is complete, Clive grabs a chair and sets it next to Cid's, watching the machine in a mix of fascination and mild apprehension.]

How did you even get this thing?

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Dialysis for Dommies - Closed

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