Daphodile

Cuts

I step back, distancing myself from him, and wipe my eyes- ash, makeup, dirt and blood remnants going from my face to my hand, taking a second to look him over fully.

He was covered in dirt while ash and sparkling pieces of glass were stuck to his torn clothing and skin and his arm sported that terribly deep gash. The only difference between us, as far as I could see in the moment, was the fact that he has less small cuts because of the amount of clothing covering most of him; but his arm still needed some serious help.

I clear my throat, pointing my eyes at his left shoulder, "Alex, your arm."

He diverts his attention down and his eyes widen slightly, "I guess I was so full of adrenaline and worry about finding you I didn't even notice getting cut." His fingers trace the outline of the large cut and blood stains his fingertips.

I shake my head, "Give me a second. Don't touch it."

I glance around the room and realize everything was dirtied and destroyed and the staircase was inaccessible from the debris in its path. There was nothing clean I could use to cover his wound.

Suddenly I look down and get an idea. I turn around and bend over, gripping the end skirts of my own dress and lifting the tattered silk gown to look for the cleanest part. A loud fabric rip quickly fills the empty space as I tear off a large strip of red dirtied silk and turn back around.

Alex was observing the whole time understanding my plan, a sparkle of something behind his eyes as he watched me.

"Thank you." He says and holds out his arm, blood staining the dirtied white shirt. It looked worrisome, but I kept a regal look on my face, trying not to make him anxious about the severity of the gash. There was already so much to worry about.

I go to take the strip and wrap it around the wound, but he pulls back, confusing me.

"Alex I have to-"

"Hold on just a second, Princess" he says, his hands moving onto what was left of the buttons on his long sleeve. He starts undoing them, slowly revealing his chest underneath that was surprisingly much cleaner than the rest of him.

You could see his smooth tan skin and the sharp cut of his abdomen, and as he kept undoing buttons, the fact of how truly handsome he was under the clothes could be seen even with the bruises beginning to appear. I looked away and waited for him to finish. A lady shouldn't stare.

"Alright Princess, go ahead, it's as clean as I can get it for now."

I curtly nod my head, understanding he had to take his tattered and dirtied shirt off to clear the wound; even I want to rid myself of this destroyed dress.

Even in an intense moment such as this I had to keep my eyes trained on the wound instead of his abs and torso. My heart fluttered at the sight of him undressed, and my eyes wanted so badly to outline his body and memorize every muscle, but I kept my control and wrapped the silk strip around the wound. I hadn't seen any men undress in such a manner and it made me anxious.