Ambivalent

7. Saved

Rune

I expected the pain, but it didn't come.

Half opening my eyes, I saw Akara blocked the knife with his arm. The blood was dropping on the white floor with a steady pace and the sight made me nauseous.

With horror, I saw Akara take out the knife from his arm without a sound, breaking the pace of the dripping blood.

Seeing it, the psycho gave it a second thought and chose to run away. Akara wanted to follow him, but I grabbed his leg, preventing him. He was already hurt, so it wouldn't be wise.

"Are you okay, young master?" Akara asked as he crouched down in front of me.

I nodded in a daze, my gaze stuck on the nasty wound on his arm, "let's go to hospital," I said when I found my words.

"No need, it is not that serious," he said, rising to his feet. Then he reached down and pulled me up as well. I hissed with the pain my back caused and Akara's expression grew demure. "Let's go," he said, worry colouring his words, and directed me out of the bar after he grabbed some tissues to press on his wound.

No matter how much I insisted, Akara refused to go to the hospital and helplessly, I told my address to the taxi driver.

Other than the driver's furtive glances, the road to home was silent. Being a stone statue, Akara was sitting with a cold face, not showing any sign of pain while I was holding the front seat, trying not to contact the backrest. Ironically, Akara looked more worried for me than himself.

Pathetic, I know, but the pain was too much for my fragile ass.

"You should rest, young master," Akara said as soon as I closed the door behind us.

I gave him a stern look and without saying anything, I dragged him into my room. He jibbed in front of the door, probably remembering my words about not entering my room, but he gave up when I pulled him harder.

Under his shocked gaze, I pulled the first-aid kit which was worth at least five kilogram. Making him sit on the bed, I said "don't look at me like this, I get hurt so easily."

Akara didn't reply, but I saw his mouth twitch slightly. Not pondering on the reason, I carefully got rid of the tissues he cruelly pressed on the wound and cleaned it while blowing on it.

"It doesn't hurt, you don't need to blow," he said with a flat tone and I quirked an eyebrow.

"It doesn't hurt?" I asked again to confirm. He was stabbed for God's sake!

He simply nodded and reached for the bandage. I blocked him and the action brought our faces dangerously close. Like a squirrel seeing a flashlight, I froze and returned his gaze which mesmerised me with the intensity it held.

Suddenly he flinched back and my trance was broken. "I-I will do it," I mumbled as I grabbed the bandage with my shaky fingers. I wrapped the wound professionally and unwittingly kissed the bandage, "get well soon."

Akara's eyes widened in the face of my inappropriate behaviour and he jumped on his feet. "Thank you, young master," he said and rushed to the door, but he turned around mid-way. "Let me check your back."

"No need!" I exclaimed, shivering with the thought of his hands on my skin. What the hell is wrong with me?!

"You looked so in pain, so let me check if it is really that bad or..."

Or you exaggerated was the omitted part of his sentence. I knew it well because it was the same drama whenever I hurt myself around others. Still, their teasing never bothered me as much as Akara's. Brimming with anger, I unbuttoned my dark blue silk shirt and let the fabric slide off me. Then I turned around and showed Akara my back.

I heard him sucking a deep breath behind me, "y-your back..." he murmured.

"All covered by purple bruises, right?" I asked rhetorically as it wasn't the first time. Even a small crash was enough to damage my skin, let alone a harsh one like I received in the restroom.

He didn't say anything, maybe too abashed for his previous teasing. Gently, he pushed me towards the bed, face down. "I will apply some ointment," he said, almost begging and I didn't know what to do, other than burying my face on the pillow.

The bed pressed as Akara sat on the corner and I felt the cold liquid spreading on my back by a pair of warm hands. Even without looking at him, I could feel how careful he was when he touched me. Whenever I hissed or flinched, he was retracting his hands hastily, taking a shaky breath. Rubbing... retracting... he applied the ointment every inch of my bruised skin, making me too conscious under his fingertips.

"You should rest now, young master," he said softly and attempted to get off the bed, but I held his wrist.

"Sleep here tonight," I said with worry. He had a mattress in the other room, but still a bed was better than a mattress. Also, I was afraid of him getting a fever at night.

Hesitancy was apparent on his face. He fidgeted a bit as though he was trying to decide what to do.

"Or I will sit on the floor and nurse you," I added to affect his decision.

It worked. Slowly, he lowered his head and met my gaze. "I will change my clothes then," he mumbled and I let his wrist go.

While he was changing his clothes in his room, I changed into comfortable shorts and lay back again without a t-shirt. Before long, the bed shook again as Akara lay down on the other side of the bed. Then I turned off the lights and darkness engulfed us. "Thank you for... everything," I whispered in the dark as it was easier to do than in the light.

"I am so sorry for... everything," he replied, and thinking he meant the two incidents when I hurt, I didn't ask further.