WMMAP - [S1] Shelter You - (愛)してる

Chapter 29: You Before Me

With his eyes abruptly opened, Lucas intuitively reacted to the superimposed contact. "Calm down," said Felix who was sitting alongside him in the backseat, subjugating Lucas's grip with his own effortlessly. 

Realizing he was not in the danger zone anymore, Lucas slowly loosened his remaining strength. He allowed air to escape his mouth, trying to adapt to the excruciating pain that was kicking in when his body became fully sentient. His eyes scanned the unfamiliarity of his surrounding, especially the vehicle. 

"This isn't my car..." 

"Your car is behind us." Felix pointed to the back with his thumb and Lucas followed the direction. When he turned back to the front, he eyed the pills in Felix's palm. "Some anodynes." He explained before Lucas could ask. 

"Pain relief? Do I look like I need one?"

"You do."

Lucas managed to let out a peal of weak laughter. "I don't." Glancing out of the window, he saw the depth of the night had finally reclaimed its place. "Where are we going?" He asked. 

Felix sighed and put away the pills. "Where we can patch you up." 

"Then?"

"Then I can send those guys to Alpheus. So rest for now. I will wake you up when we get there."

"Take me back to my house."

"Different route. It will take another two hours to get there."

"Take me back!" He snapped and started to unbuckle the seatbelt relentlessly. Handling the situation with professionalism, Felix was unamused by Lucas's tantrum, pressing Lucas back to his seat. "You need to stop moving around." He advised. 

Lucas snorted. "Not the first time I have had a small cut like this." Felix let out another deep sigh. Before he could utter another word, Lucas was already rampaging again. 

"You there! Stop the car!" The driver looked at his commander through the back mirror. Felix just waved his hand and nodded slightly, gesturing him to keep driving.  "Felix." Lucas breathed Claude's bodyguard's name between his teeth. "I will only say this one more time. Take me back. Now!"

"What are you gonna do? Jump out of thE CA—!!"

A sudden burst of air invaded the atmosphere and the color was drained from Felix's face. Shocked by the boy's stupidity, he was. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" His arms secured tightly around Lucas's neck, hauling him back from the car's door as the speed of the vehicle slowly died.  "Stay still! You are bleeding!" 

"I am perfectly fine!" 

"Stop overestimating your body like this when you know your life right now is like a ticking time bomb!!" Felix retorted. But when he realized that the boy was grappling to breathe again, he extricated his force, and the moment he did, Lucas's elbow was already heading to his ribcage. Lucas couldn't even deliver the blow. The only things he got were his wrist bound behind his back and his skull glued to the cushion of the seat.

"Stop it! Look at your condition right now!"

"But I can still punch a hole in your throat."

"You are going to die if you keep moving like that! Would Lady Athanasia be happy if I informed her of your death!?" 

Once those messages sank in, Lucas's movements kissed the depth of the ocean. Felix on the other hand, grew uneasy with each passing second that Lucas had stayed silent and he had no choice but to withdraw his hands.

"What is so important about going home?"

"I'm not gonna tell you anything..." Lucas replied while miserably picking himself up.