Shades of grey

Bright lights invaded Hellboy’s opening eyes, and sharp, antiseptic smells assaulted his flaring nostrils. He sat up quickly, the past flooding in.
“Calm down, H.B.” Abe Sapien Gripped his friend’s arm, reaching out from his post in a bedside chair.
“Where am I?” Hellboy rubbed his eyes, mentally bracing himself for pain that never came. “Are my guts back where they should be?” Panic edged his deep voice, raising it slightly.
“You’re in the infirmary, in the B.P.R.D. You remember, your former home? And yes, your innards are fine. The doctors just put them back where they belonged and your healing powers took care of the rest.”
“Thank God….” Hellboy flopped back to the narrow bed, left hand resting across his belly, glad to feel the familiar musculature and nothing else.
“Good job, by the way.” Abe smiled in that strange, fishy way of his, managing to look extremely concerned and somehow distant at the same time. “You know, Manning made the guards leave one camera on….”
“That Fuck.” Hellboy growled, not terribly concerned at the moment.
“I wanted to help, but they wouldn’t let me through to you.” Abe sighed, the gills in his neck fluttering gently.
“Better that way.” Hellboy sat up again and attempted to get out of the small bed that barely held his massive form, realizing just in time that he had no clothes on him.
“Abe?”
“Yes?”
“Where’d my pants go?”
The amphibian laughed. “They had to cut them off of you, I’d guess. Easier to put you back together that way. But I brought you fresh clothes from your room. Figured you’d only stay in here till you were able to get up.” He grabbed a bag by his feet and tossed it to the demon. “I’ll give you some privacy.” He stood and stretched, and walked from the small room, grinning with relief. In the day and a half since Hellboy’s knock-down, drag-out fight with the skin changer, and his subsequent surgery to repair the damage from said fight, Abe hadn’t left his side. Now that the Demi-Demon was awake and aware, all the weariness and worry was replaced by euphoria. The amphibian had seen a lot happen to his oldest friend, but nothing had ever kept him down this long.
Back in the infirmary, Hellboy dressed quickly in boxers and a pair of loose khakis, forgoing the black “I love to rock” shirt in favor of a bare red chest. All throughout the dressing process, he kept checking and rechecking all of his parts to make sure and double sure that he was really, truly alright and healed. “Hey Abe! You can come back now!” He hollered, sitting back on the bed. The metal frame groaned, and he wondered how it had managed to hold him for so long without collapsing. As Abe walked in, a thought struck Hellboy.
“Are we going to bury her? Cause I won’t have the lab boys getting their grubby mitts on her.”
“Bury who?”
“Who?!” Hellboy cocked an eyebrow. “The Skin-Changer. The woman who saved my life?”
Abe Smiled faintly. “I dunno, H.B. They usually don’t bury live people…..”
“She’s alive?” Unexplained joy raced through him like an electric current, setting his nerves tingling, and causing a large grin to appear on his face.
“Barely, but yes. If I recall correctly, they just did operation number four on her about an hour ago.” Hellboy’s grin was infectious, and Abe caught himself returning it.
“Where is she?” Is she here? C’mon, we gotta go see her!” Hellboy bounded to his feet, rushing to Abe and grabbing his shoulders.
“Calm down. She’s in the room next door. And don’t get your hopes up. She hasn’t regained consciousness in two days, and was on life-support till the last surgery. I don’t want to rain on your parade, but the doctors don’t have great faith in her living too much longer.” The cold man’s smile disappeared as quickly as it had come, and he refused to meet his friend’s eyes.
“I don’t care. I want to see her.” Hellboy’s steely tone brooked no arguments. Abe had known him long enough to realize that when he used that voice it was best to just agree.
“Right this way.” He gave a sarcastic little half-bow and led the way through to the adjacent room.
“Aw fuck….” Hellboy muttered as he saw his savior, and closed his eyes, grimacing. Machines whirred and hummed. Lights blinked gently as he approached the bed where she lay, hooves clicking on the linoleum.
Hair so blonde it was almost silver framed her face and neck in a nimbus of light. Pale pink lips were parted gently, her graceful neck tilted slightly towards him. And those amazing eyes, eyes that pierced and caught, eyes that were such a dazzling, pale blue…Were closed.
“It was the silver.” Abe said quietly, coming up behind him.
“What?” Hellboy didn’t look away from the woman, but stood and stared, transfixed.
“Your bullet. When it hit, silver shrapnel exploded through her body. It’s working like a strong, slow poison. The doctors tried to remove it all, but they keep missing bits and pieces. Maybe this time they got it all, but who knows? They thought that three operations ago….” Abe’s voice was low, mournful, as if she was already a corpse.
“You’re right. Who knows? I’ll just hope they did….” Without thinking, Hellboy took her slender hand in his own, marveling at the pale perfection of her skin, at the delicate bone structure.
Abe just shook his head
“Damn….Have you ever seen a girl this pretty?” Hellboy’s voice was a raspy rumble, the closest he could come to a whisper.
“No, I guess not. But I don’t get out much….” Abe sighed, crossing his arms.
“She saved my life.” He stroked the back of her hand with his massive stone one, only half-hearing his friend. Hellboy was entranced.
“H.B., you’re not one to delude yourself. Please don’t start.”
“Huh?”
“She’s going to die, Hellboy.”
“Go fuck yourself, Abe.” He growled, unsure why the girl drew him so much. And not caring, either.
“Fine. Have fun.” Abe turned and stalked out, mumbling.
Hellboy gently released her hand, but only to pull a chair up to the bedside and sit in it. “Don’t give up. I’m rooting for you. You can’t die….” He looked over his shoulder, making sure the door was closed. It was. He reached out and ran a finger down her cheek, tracing her jaw line, and marveling at how soft her alabaster skin was, like raw silk. Almost unconsciously, his gaze began to travel down her body, which was covered only by a thin, white sheet. He could make out the details of her form quite easily. Full, firm breasts. Taut stomach. The sharp planes of her hips. Long, sleek legs….He caught himself, and quickly jerked his eyes back to her face, only to have his sight drawn to where the sheet began, right below the creamy expanse of her shoulders.
“God, she’s perfect….’ He thought, brushing a strand of silvery hair back from her face, tucking it behind a tapered, slender ear. Again, he caught himself reaching out and stroking her face, but didn’t stop himself this time. He traced a slow path up to her ear, thinking briefly that Katie was right, she did have elf ears, and that they were damn cute….
As he gazed at her pale sleeping form, at the pink lips, the delicate chin, her barely hidden body, he felt himself begin to get hard. He pulled his hand back quickly, ashamed. That was the usual feeling that accompanied any of desire; Shame. Due to his demonic appearance, most women would have nothing to do with him sexually. They considered the mere thought of it disgusting, a step above bestiality. Only one woman had ever allowed herself to be with him, one Anastasia Bransfield, and that had ended mainly because of the reactions their relationship garnered from others. Shame, and embarrassment. That’s what usually followed when Hellboy felt in any way more than just friendly towards a woman. He had heard it all more than once. But what always hurt the most was the complete and utter revulsion in their eyes….Yet somehow this was different. He couldn’t picture that kind of emotion in those flawless crystal eyes.He sighed deeply, clasping his hands in his lap.
“Cold shower time, huh?” He rumbled softly, noting that no response came from the Skin-Changer.
“You’re really going to die, aren’t you?” He grasped her hand again, bowing his hand. “And without even telling me your name….”
Sadness engulfed him, all hope fleeing from his mind then, but apparently his dick hadn’t gotten the memo. It lay like a steel rod against his thigh.
“Ah, what the fuck….You only live once.” He stood suddenly, almost knocking the chair over, and bent down, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.To his surprise, he felt movement, and tried to draw away, but a delicate hand clasped the back of his neck, pulling him back. A darting tongue slid softly past his lips, exploring, tasting. Hellboy was almost too shocked to react, but instinct took over, and raw desire soon after that.
Growing more bold, he touched his tongue to hers, inhaling her faint flowery scent, and tasting an unimaginable sweetness. She broke away gently, and Hellboy braced for the anger and disgust that was sure to come.But calm blue eyes and a faint smile were all that met his astonished golden gaze.
“Well, if it isn’t my Prince Charming?” Her voice was weak, but still beautiful, soothing and sultry at the same time.
“I’m S--” He started to stammer an apology, but a slim finger was pressed to his lips, and that wonderful voice continued.
“I was drowning in dark water….I felt myself growing colder and colder, and floating farther and farther away. Everything was black ice….I think I heard your voice then, like a distant storm….And you kissed me, and warmth returned. Light chased away the darkness…The black began to fade….The warmth had a color….Red. You chased the darkness away.” She smiled, and Hellboy was again almost overwhelmed by her unearthly, eldritch beauty. He looked away shyly, and if his skin wasn’t crimson already, his blush would have turned it redder than Hell….
“You saved my life twice….” She reached out, and ran her fingers along his square jaw, sending shivers racing through him, from the stumps of his horns down to his cloven hooves.
"Almost killed you, is more like it." He mumbled, still staring at the floor, but grasped her hand in his, engulfing it.
"You did what had to be done. If you had done anything else, my brother would have slaughtered us both."
Hellboy marvelled at the contrast between the paleness of her skin and the deep redness of his own, and managed a small reply. "I'm still sorry."
"Don't be." Her voice had a bit more strength to it, and his hopes skyrocketed.
"What can I ever do to thank you?"
A flash of pale skin intertwined with crimson tore through his mind, but he quickly and shamefully pushed it away.
"Just tell me your name and we'll call it even." In a move more bold than he ever thought could be possible at the present time, Hellboy kissed her hand, and was rewarded with a gentle laugh.
"I'm Cree-Rends-The-Shadow, but most just call me Cree."
"That's the most beautiful name I've ever heard...." Hellboy thought, wondering at how it sounded exotic, yet somehow familiar all at once. "Hi. I'm Hellboy." His own name had never sounded so boorish or so stupid than at that moment, and again he felt a wicked blush rising to his face and neck.
"I know. You have much renown with my people."
"Really?" He met her gaze suddenly, more out of surprize than nerve, and was pinned by those amazingly pale eyes.
"Yes. You do alot of good. When one destroys so much evil, it can hardly go unnoticed."She squeezed his hand slightly. "You left us no choice but to pay attention to you."
"Wow. I though all supernatural creatures hated me."
"Only those that have reason to."