Typically when Blue wanted something, Eivind was more than willing to give into the younger male's desires and allow him to dictate what they should do. Blue didn't consider it manipulation, nor did he consider Eivind weak-willed in the slightest. The older male just had a habit of bending to his suggestions because he cared more about making Blue happy than he did arguing or getting his own way. Blue didn't think that this situation was going to be any different. When Eivind snapped back at him, his voice loud and firm, all Blue could do was stand there dumbly, his eyes staring blankly as his mate put his foot down, refusing to acquiesce to Blue's little tantrum.<br/><br/>"Well, who says it's not working?" Blue yelled, shaking himself out of his momentary stupor so he could return Eivind's booming voice with a trill all his own. "You don't know everything! You're not a doctor!" Blue crossed his arms over his shoulder and scoffed, a sour look lingering on his face as he directed his attention to something, anything else other than Eivind. "Look, if you were injured out in the middle of nowhere and I had to drag you back to the pack, I would. But that's not what this is, okay? My body is just acting up right now. In a few days I'll feel fine again and we can go frolicking through the forest like horny satyrs."<br/><br/>He groaned in frustration when Eivind<i>still</i>refused to give into his demands and ran a shaky hand through his shaggy dark hair. He wasn't even completely aware of why he was arguing with Eivind. Some part of Blue knew the older male was right. He was in pain,<i>a lot</i>of pain, and each passing day did nothing but exacerbate the problem. Going back was the most logical solution considering their current circumstances. But to Blue, going back to the pack because they had to, not because they wanted to, read to the boy as some kind of failure, and he worried that the other wolves would think so as well. They had left because they didn't want to be forced to adhere to the pack's rules. By leaving, they had very loudly declared that they didn't need the pack, they didn't need their opinions or laws. They only needed each other. Returning with Blue nearly immobilized with pain clearly contradicted their bold claims, and Blue didn't want anyone to use that against them. Especially Eivind. Wolf after wolf had made some kind of comment about how Eivind couldn't take care of Blue on his own, that he wasn't a capable man. Freyr. Sieger. Even Synnove, despite seemingly being somewhat supportive of their claim to one another. Everyone seemed to have a bad thing to say about Eivind. Blue didn't want to give them another reason to look down on his mate.<br/><br/>"I sound like shit right now?" Blue snarled. "Well fucking excuse me, I only got mauled by a crazy werewolf and now my lung is trying to collapse on top of itself. Excuse me for not sounding like a damn angelic choir." He threw up his hands and began stomping toward the front of the cave, shaking his head as he awkwardly moved. "Just do whatever the hell you want. I'm tired of this conversation." He pushed past the moss and out into the sunlight, shielding his eyes against the bright rays.<br/><br/>"Stubborn asshole," Blue mumbled, shambling forward a short ways until he stopped, trying to hard to catch his breath. "Fuck," he wheezed, settling down in the grass, out beneath a tall evergreen situated near the entrance to their cave. He rested himself against the trunk, leaning his head back until he was staring up into the tall, thick branches.<i>Is it so hard to understand that I don't want to be dragged around like he's my personal sled dog? What is so difficult to grasp about that? He's so damn obstinate. </i><br/><br/>Blue sighed. As best he could, anyway.<i>He just wants to take care of me. I know he does. I'd want to take care of him, too. But I don't want them talking shit about us. About him. He doesn't deserve that. He deserves better.</i>