4 Leaf Clover - ᴹˣᴹˣᴹˣᴹ

9.

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Elio hadn't spoken to his other two partners for a few hours - after the dinner, even though his partners endeavoured to express and tolerate the circumstances, they nonetheless hadn't made a straightforward apology. Yuki was based in his room, silent, not even the sound of the news playing beyond the door and Finley was sitting in his room with the door wide open, wishing for somebody to come inside.

Elio had to stroll past his wide open door to reach Clover's room. It had been a few hours since he left Clover to his own devices, hoping the boy would appreciate his first shower for a while. Elio had consumed his time thinking - Clover didn't look too poor for someone homeless. He understood the kid had preserved cash from his job but for lack of facilities, the boy was doing better than Elio had seen.

Clover's hair wasn't too tangled when he rescued him, but the blood from his eyebrow had trickled into his hairline which made his hair a little mucky. The blood from the back of his hair was swabbed down by the nurse thus Clover didn't even question how his hair had appeared at the back. Clover's skin was probably the most alarming, after being saved, Clover's skin was marked with mud and stained with grime. Clover was fortunate he could wipe down at the station.

Elio thought he was a good-looking young man with every heart-breaking circumstance. He also thought Clover was forgiving, too kind, for the things he's been through and the way individuals have treated him. As a police officer, Elio comprehended that people like Clover just need to know somebody is there to assist them for them to be better and do better. Clover was a little foreign, but Elio sensed something for him, perhaps he couldn't live with the accountability now that they learned each other's names.

As Elio stepped into Clover's room, he comprehended the boy had come out of the shower a while ago. The boy's hair was longer now that it was untangled, it ran halfway down his neck, the front pieces tucked gently behind his ears. It was a deep brown, shifted from a sandy brown by the moisture. Elio grinned as he peeked at Clover who was wrapped in Finley's old pyjamas.

"Do you want me to dry your hair?" Elio asked, walking further into the room.

Clover flinched slightly at the intrusion but seeing it was Elio brought him to ease. Clover nodded his head, his mouth parched from lack of speaking for the last few hours. After showering, Clover stared into space. It felt like 10 minutes, everything that had occurred flickered through his brain, and he relived all of it. His hair stayed dripping on his back and his bed, but the events were too bright in his mind to ignore.

"Okay, sit on the floor," Elio's voice seeped into the darkness of his mind and he moved to sit on the floor between Elio's legs.

The deafening noise from the hairdryer made Clover flinch, he had forgotten just how noisy one could be. Elio asked if he was alright and Clover nodded, appreciating the sensation of the warm air blowing into his hair, allowing it to fly around and dry quicker. He sat there patiently, enjoying the feeling of Elio's fingers occasionally running through his hair. Once his hair was done, he ran his fingers through it, relishing in the softness which wouldn't last for long once he leaves.

"Much better," Elio announced as he put aside the hairdryer.

"It's longer than I thought," Elio said, the time he left home, his hair was barely brushing his neck but now it was protecting the skin there.

"Well, we can cut it before you...leave," Elio suggested, disliking the fact he had to leave so soon.

"I don't know, if I maintain it, it could help me look more professional," Clover shrugged, looking at Elio for advice.

"I guess so," Elio shrugged back, "Why do you need to look professional?"

Clover debated telling him - he was already knee-deep in legalities with his lineage and running away. Elio was already conscious of everything that had happened and Clover felt protected enough to confide in him. He never planned to stay at the store he currently worked in, it was just a starter, a lengthy one but eventually, Clover wanted to work as a therapist. His parents disregarded the idea, called them a waste and that business was the way to go. Therapists were 'fraudulent' to his family.