All You Need Is Love (MewGulf AU)

🌞Chapter 18🌻

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Mew didn't say a word until they reached the nurse's office.

"Are you there, sir? It's Gulf, from the senior class."

Gulf tapped on the door, but there was no answer.

"What's up?" The handkerchief pressed against Mew's mouth muffled his voice.

Gulf searched the office and found a note on the nurse's desk. "It say's back in thirty minutes."

"Then let's go back to class."

"We can't do that. Here, gargle and then spit out all the blood in your mouth."

Mew obeyed Gulf's instructions for the time being, gargling with the water available in the office. The first time he spat, the water was bright red.

"Wow." Gulf pulled away from the sight quickly and Mew raised his eyebrows.

"Don't act so grossed out by a little blood." Mew glared at Gulf pointedly out of the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah, well, you got pretty pale too, when you saw the blood on the handkerchief," Gulf shot back. "But I can't handle blood..."

Mew's eyes widened momentarily, then he looked like he was going to burst out laughing even though he still had water in his mouth.

He managed to spit the water out and then doubled over with laughter. "Don't make me laugh when I've got water in my mouth, man."

"Did I say something funny?"

"Nah, it's just you're the first person who wasn't too afraid to talk back to me."

Once Mew had a good laugh, he finally stood back up. Feeling Mew's direct gaze on his face, Gulf's heart pounded like never before.

"It wasn't anything special."

"I guess not. But I'm a special person," Mew grinned. The superior slant of his smile annoyed Gulf and he glared up at Mew's face.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He yanked Mew's arm and forced him to sit down, then took cotton and disinfectant from a drawer in the nurse's desk. He started searching for gauze and tweezers. "I'm not discounting the possibility that you've got a high-tech robot body under your artificial skin."

"I guess it's sort of like that." Gulf was a little startled by how calmly Mew responded to his joking suggestion. "At least, I bet everyone else in the class would buy it."

"Why not me?"

"Don't make judgments about people when all you've got are a bunch of speculations and rumors. That's an order! Was that it?"

Mew mimicked Gulf's speech to the letter, even his pronunciation. Gulf flushed brigh red. "You heard that?"

"How could I not? You were screaming. I bet they heard you in the classes next door too."

"Oh God. This sucks."

Gulf groaned. He put all the supplies he'd gathered on a tray and sat down in front of Mew.

"What, upset about having to babysit the new kid?"

"That's not what I meant."

Gulf glanced back at the shelves, wondering if he should swab the inside of Mew's mouth with oxydol. After a careful search, he finally found some canker sore medicine.

"What did you mean then?"

"Can you open your mouth for me?"

"Open my mouth?"

"Let me see the cut. Do you still taste blood?"

"I told you I'm fine. What's so bad about a little blood?"

"It's not good for you. Now let me do this."

Gulf reached out obstinately for Mew's chin, but Mew shook him off. Gulf reached out again and was shaken off once more. This back-and-forth continued for several seconds, but Mew's temper was shorter than Gulf.

"I said I'm fine!" Mew grabbed Gulf's wrist and yanked him toward him furiously.

"Hey!" Gulf lost his balance at this comoletewly unexpected development. His body followed his hand, and he fell forward, colliding with Mew's chest. "W-what the hell?"

Apparently, Mew hadn't expected that to happen either. He lost his balance and fell flat on his back on the floor, Gulf caught up in his arms.

"Agh!"

There was a dull thud, and Gulf felt an intense pain in his forehead. He pressed his hands against it.

"Are you okay?"

"I banged my head."

Gulf rolled his back to take stock of the situation.

"Why did you do that?"

"You didn't have to knock me over too, you know." Mew glowered and pushed himself up off the floor. He also pulled away the arm supporting Gulf's head. Seeing him casually remove his arm, Gulf suddenly realized that Mew had protected him.

TBC