From Something To Everything (Bounprem)

172. Bruise

Having ensured Boun was asleep, Prem slowly got up front the bed. He couldn't sleep. He tucked Boun in properly and got out of the room.

As he walked out, he saw Fluke standing in the lounging area outside the room, as if waiting for him.

All the emotions he had been hiding till then came rushing back to him as soon as he saw his anchor standing not far away.

Fluke rushed over when he saw that Prem was about to collapse. He made it in time to support Prem who had already fallen on his knees crying like a baby.

"F- Fluke... t-they wanted to kill him. They wanted to kill my Hia." Prem trembled as tears poured down like rain. "How can people be so cruel?"

Fluke let Prem rest his head on his shoulder blades. He gently caresses his back wordlessly, letting Prem speak his emotions out. His dark blazer already had a huge wet patch on it from Prem's tears.

"W- When I saw them pointing the gun at Hia, I felt my brain go blank. All I could think of was getting Hia out of there." Prem went on rumbling.

If it was another day, Fluke would have commented that instead of shielding Boun, Prem should have directly attacked the assassin who was nearer to his initial position. But Fluke chose not to.

Prem lacked real-life combat experience and his actions were purely based on the protective instinct that rose from his love for Boun. Fluke couldn't blame Prem even if he found those actions impulsive as he knew that he himself would have been no different if the person standing at gunpoint was Ohm.

Almost an hour passed by and the two friends were still in the kneeling position, hugging each other.

Prem's sobs had considerably subsided.

Fluke cupped Prem's face, wiping the tear and snot on it with his sleeves. "You did great today. I am so proud of you." He said with a smile.

He wasn't lying. He was extremely proud of Prem. Not only did Prem make sure that his loved ones were safe, but he also managed to pacify the terror in them despite being horrified himself.

Fluke felt like a proud parent seeing how mature his friend whom he always treated like his son had become.

"Really?" Prem looked at Fluke with glossy eyes. Everyone else around him was scolding him for being reckless. But Fluke was actually saying that he had made him proud. This made his heart warm up.

Fluke ran his fingers through Prem's hair, like a mother and said with a smile. "Of course. Today you showed me how strong you are. Not only physically, but also mentally. You handled the situation the best way you could, Prem. Now, I have nothing to worry about."

Prem pulled Fluke into a bone-crushing hug once again, feeling as if he had seen light at the end of the dark tunnel.

"Now, now. Stop crying and listen to me." Fluke pulled away from the hug and held Prem by his shoulders. "You know what P' Boun had seen tonight, right?"

Prem nodded. It hadn't been easy to pacify Boun to sleep as he had witnessed him almost getting shot.

"I don't think I have to explain that P' Boun might have breakdowns tonight or tomorrow, right?" Fluke asked knowing that people with similar psychological conditions as Boun could easily be triggered by such horrifying incidents than normal people.

Prem nodded. Having dealt with Boun's conditions before, he had already anticipated such outcomes and was ready to face them.

"Good." Fluke smiled reassuringly. "You have been strong till now and you have to remain strong for both of you till the end." He patted Prem's shoulders. "Tonight, he might have nightmares or run a fever. You have to keep a close eye on him."

Prem inhaled deeply. He knew that he was going to face a war from now on.

"Before that let's get you patched up." Fluke helped Prem stand up as the latter's legs had turned numb after sitting on the floor for a long.

With Fluke supporting him on one side, Prem walked to the room where the medical staff was waiting for him.

Fluke glanced sideways in the direction where Tessa and Zen were standing. He had long sensed their presence, even before Prem came out of the room.

He let them witness everything so that they would accept Prem wholeheartedly as Boun's partner rather than accepting him for the sake of their child. He wanted them to let go of any prejudice they had about the couple's relationship.

Tessa and Zen followed the two friends to the treatment room at a distance.

Once Prem's shirt was taken off, a huge purplish bruise came into sight across his chest.

Prem didn't dare raise his head as he could already feel Fluke glaring at him for not seeking medical attention after such a huge injury. While pushing Boun out of the way of the bullet, his chest crashed into a slab-like structure which resulted in the bruise.

The medical team was examining Prem's injury when Fluke continued to monitor them with his hands across his chest. He made a mental note to have Prem enrol in an advanced compact class as soon as his injuries healed. He knew that it was going to be necessary if Prem wanted to stay by Boun's side in the long run.

"There is no fracture. Just some external abrasion " The doctor said after his observations.

"Khrab," Fluke answered while Prem sat there meekly like a little mouse, letting the doctor do his job.

The doctor prescribed him some painkillers and advised him to ice the area well.

As he watched the doctor walk out of the room, Prem was mentally preparing to be murdered by Fluke. But strangely Fluke was calm. He didn't even scold him for not taking care of his body.

Fluke came back in with a glass of water and ice wrapped in a towel. "Apply this on the bruise" He handed the ice to Prem.

Prem hissed when the cold towel came in contact with the injury. He wasn't unfamiliar with this feeling. but today, it felt strangely fulfilling to have gotten injured.

He smiled at Fluke when the latter handed him the glass of water to take the painkillers. But he soon realised his mistake and lowered his gaze when he met Fluke's angry eyes.

There was nothing more that Fluke took seriously about him than taking care of his body. As an athlete, he knew the importance of needing to be in good health.

He understood that his smile could only be seen as a provocative one at that point.

"I am sure that you are going to have a lot of free time once the shoot is wrapped up," Fluke said with a fake smile.

Alarm bells rang inside Prem's head as he watched Fluke's evil smile. Nothing good came following that smile.

"If not, I am going to make sure that you do have free time," Fluke stated, slamming the fever medicines that he had gotten from the doctor for Boun next to Prem. "We have some urgent business to settle after this."