Alaric seemed confident in the powder's ability to temporarily incapacitate Eivind without doing the wolf any significant lasting damage. Easing the powder into his mate's mouth was easy enough; Eivind trusted him implicitly. Watching Eivind's mouth move wearily, then turn sour as Eivind tried to spit the substance out left Blue feeling guilty, as if he had violated his lover's confidence. The human sighed and moved to stroke his lover's face once again, tossing the spoon away carelessly. "I'm sorry, Vin," Blue whispered, pressing a delicate kiss to the wolf's cheek, feeling Eivind lean into him. "I know it's unpleasant, but it'll help, and it won't last forever. I promise." Blue managed to toss a sidelong glance at Alaric, slightly resentful that he had neglected to convey to Blue how unpleasant the powder would be for Eivind. It was probably intentional. The wolf had to know Blue wouldn't be willing to put his lover in much discomfort, though just a disgusting flavor on the tongue wasn't all that bad compared to the cleaning Eivind was about to endure. Blue recalled how excruciating it had been for him to have Alaric poking, prodding, clensing, and sewing him back together. If Eivind couldn't feel all that, he was already much better off than Blue had been.<br/><br/>He watched as Alaric went through the process of tending to Eivind's wound, finding the visuals unpleasant but not willing to remove himself from his lover's side. It was strange for Blue to be sitting there next to Eivind, worried for his health as Eivind must have been so many times for him. Is this what the wolf had felt like all the moments he had been forced to kneel beside Blue, unable to do anything other than bear witness to someone else manipulating his mate's weakened body? Blue felt helpless as he observed Alaric's technique, doing his best to commit the wolf's actions to memory in case anything like this happened again and Alaric wasn't around to patch them up.<br/><br/>Eivind attempted to put up a bit of a fight, but with his limbs weighed down by the effects of the mysterious powder, all he could do was grumble and voice his discontent. Blue peppered kisses and affection along Eivind's neck and cheek, doing his best to soothe the older male's ire as infection was squeezed and drained from his thigh. The attention seemed to help somewhat; Eivind had always liked it when Blue was touching him, staying close, and even now that didn't seem to alter despite the wolf's crabby temperament. When Alaric had finished, Blue nodded in understanding. He'd clean up whatever he had to for his wolf, even if it meant wiping away at dribbling blood and pus. If Eivind was up to it, Blue would do his best to get Eivind into the shower, maybe pulling a stool in there for the wolf to relax on while Blue gently scrubbed him down. His body was filthy and in desperate need of some attention, but it would have to wait until after Blue got some food into his lover's stomach.<br/><br/>Alaric seemed ready to depart, gathering his belongings while Blue kept his eyes trained on Eivind. At the other wolf's words, Blue looked up, an irritated look on his face. "Yes, I obviously was," he hissed, though he quickly roped in his lingering exasperation. Despite his flippant attitude toward Blue when the latter voiced his worried suspicions, Alaric had come to help, and without him it was dubious whether Blue and Sig would have been able to retrieve Eivind on their own.<br/><br/>"Thanks for your help," he offered, though he couldn't stop himself from adding, "I appreciate what you've done, but don't put my mate's life in danger again. He could have died." A pause, drawn out and awkward as Blue's request hung in the air. "I'll take care of him now. Come back whenever you like."<br/><br/>Once Alaric had departed, Blue removed himself from Eivind, confirming that it would only be for a few minutes while he searched for something for the wolf to eat. Blue and Sig's shopping excursion had left their fridge and cupboards overflowing with food, and Blue quickly settled on some soup and fresh bread, something easy and digestible for Eivind's straining stomach. He returned to his lover with a bowl in one hand and a hunk of bread in the other, gently lowering himself to the floor and using a new, clean spoon to scoop up some broth and vegetables.<br/><br/>"Here, Vin, open your mouth. It's just soup this time." He pursed his lips and blew, cooling the liquid down before lifting it to the older male's lips. "When you're done eating, we'll go take a shower. I'll get all naked for you, just how you like me," Blue teased. He turned his attention momentarily to Sig, frowning slightly. "Are you gonna stay? I might need your help getting him upstairs, assuming he wants to move at all. And I'd just feel better having you here."