[Book #1 of the 'Lover Boy' series]
"Who did this to you?" Ni-ki asks, his eyes darkening. Ria tries to close the door, the boy blocking it with his foot.
"Go home, Ni-ki." She says quietly, letting out a tired sigh. Ni-ki shakes his head, pushing...
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☼ Chapter Five ☼
Playing Doctor
Ria's mind races as she opens her apartment door, leading Ni-ki into her home. She sits him on the couch, setting his school bag next to him.
"Ria, how was- oh, my goodness." Ria's aunt walks into the room, dressed in her scrubs for work.
"I'm sorry, Auntie, I didn't want to send him home like this." She says, grabbing ice from their freezer. Her aunt waves a hand at her, sitting on the couch next to Ni-ki. Ria can see that she's switched into full nurse mode, her aunt helping the boy sit up straighter on the couch.
"He has a cut on his nose, did someone hit him?" Her aunt asks, looking up at Ria from her spot next to Ni-ki. Ria rushes to Ni-ki's side, worried. She hadn't seen a cut, but she knew how he had gotten it.
"Oh God, Sunghoon and his stupid rings." She groans, peeking under the sweater that he was still holding against his nose. Ni-ki looks between Ria and her aunt, clearly not used to having such serious attention on him.
"Sunghoon? Did he punch this boy?" Her aunt asks, her eyes wide as she looks at her niece.
"I'll explain later, I promise. This is Ni-ki, by the way." Ria sighs, slowly putting the ice in her hand on the back of Ni-ki's neck. He reacts to the cold but stays quiet, still just looking between Ria and her aunt.
"You need to get to work, I can take care of this." Ria says, ushering her aunt towards the door. The older woman narrows her eyes, putting a hand out so that her niece can't push her out of the apartment.
"We'll talk about this later, young lady." She says, grabbing her purse. Once she's gone, Ria returns to the couch where Ni-ki is still sitting with ice on his neck.
"Ria?" He says, his voice still muffled by the sweater. "Why is there ice on my neck?" He asks, jumping when Ria shifts the small ice pack.
"It'll help slow down the bleeding, don't tilt your head back. You have to sit straight up like this, and keep your head straight." She orders, using her hand to position the boy. He looks at her with wide eyes, following her movements as she moves to the TV stand where her aunt kept their First Aid Kit. Ria sits on the table in front of Ni-ki, their knees touching. She leans forward, putting a hand under the boy's chin.
"I'm just going to make sure nothing else is wrong, try not to blink." She instructs, shining a light in his eyes. When he has the reaction she needs, Ria nods. Ni-ki watches her, sitting perfectly still as Ria continues to go through the Kit that sits in her lap. She looks up at him, moving to the couch next to him. Ria puts a hand on the back of his hand as it holds the sweater against his nose, very slowly moving it away from his face.
