TMUW 5 - Wound

I took advantage of the opportunity to bring some belongings to my condo while Lucas was still asleep. He seemed to be sleeping soundly after sweating from the noodles he had.

I planned to come back after showering so I could prepare some food for him. Perhaps later Iris would visit him, and then I could stay quiet here in the condo.

After showering and getting ready, I headed out. My plan to cook was postponed when I passed by a restaurant not far from my condo.

It was already noon by the time I reached our house. Instead of going straight to see Lucas upstairs, I decided to prepare some food first.

I yawned and stretched. I hadn't had a proper sleep since last night when I woke up. Lucas had a fever, and it was alarming. If things had been worse last night, we might have ended up in the hospital together.

I knocked on the door before entering. He wasn't in bed. He was probably in the bathroom, so I decided to wait inside and check my phone. However, after a few minutes of sitting there, Lucas hadn't come out yet.

I knocked on the bathroom door. "Lucas?" I called. "Are you in there?" I asked.

I waited for a response, but there was nothing. I grew anxious and knocked harder.

"I'm coming in," I said, opening the door.

A clean and empty bathroom greeted me. Even the shower curtain was drawn aside. I searched every corner, even the crevices, but Lucas was nowhere to be found.

I pressed my hand to my forehead and exited the bathroom, heading to the garage to see if he had left. He was still sick, so leaving wasn't the best idea. It would be better if he stayed.

His car wasn't in the garage, so I knew he had left. I went back inside and glanced at the food I had prepared. I tried calling Lucas phone, but there was no answer, so I left him a message.

To Lucas:

Where are you? You left again.

I sighed and sat down. I ate, thinking I could take some food for Lucas in case he hadn't eaten yet.

I left the rest of his portion in the fridge and went upstairs. I opened the door before entering his room. I neatly arranged his bed and did some light cleaning. Empty alcohol bottles and plastic wrappers from snacks were scattered under his bed as if he only disposed of them there when he was done.

Sighing, I grabbed a garbage bag from downstairs and began picking up. I couldn't resist scratching the tip of my nose with my dusty hand, which caused me to sneeze. I shook my head to relieve the itch.

My attention was caught by a box. A ring box? I had accidentally knocked it into the corner, and the broom wasn't enough to reach it.

I wanted to open it, but I decided to leave it on the nightstand. I wondered what would be it look like, maybe a nice engagement ring? It was definitely not ordinary. Of all the ring boxes I had seen, this one stood out as unique.

Perhaps it was customized, as the intricate design was engraved on the box. Iris would be thrilled for sure, but I wasn't sure what would happen when they actually got married.

I shrugged and moved on to my room. I was still yawning, my tiredness catching up to me. As I hugged my pillow, sleep quickly embraced me.

I was startled awake by a loud noise downstairs, followed by what sounded like something shattering. I remembered that I had forgotten to lock the door downstairs.

My heart raced, fearing that Lucas might catch me off guard again if there was a burglar inside. I pressed my left ear against my bedroom door to listen, but I didn't hear anything else. My anxiety grew. I was alone at home.

I grabbed the baseball bat that was behind my door and slowly opened it, trying not to make any noise.

If I could levitate, I would have done so, as I wanted to avoid any noise. I was frozen in my tracks when I saw Lucas staring at me with a puzzled expression.

I gave a half-hearted smile and discreetly hid the baseball bat behind my back. I acted as though nothing had happened.

He just smirked at me. "Taking it to the condo?" I offered as an excuse, then slowly pulled out the baseball bat from behind. He seemed to have noticed it.

With the bat still in hand, I went downstairs. I frowned when I saw some minor bruises and cuts on his body. What caught my attention was his arm, which he was dabbing with cotton. It wasn't just a regular cut; it seemed to be bleeding and wouldn't stop.

"What's that?" my eyebrows furrowed as I pointed at his wound.

"Allergy," he replied sarcastically. He managed to maintain his sarcastic tone even in his condition.

"You're not even fully recovered yet!" I commented, examining his forehead. "Oh!" I pointed at it.

He gave me a sharp look as I accidentally applied a bit too much pressure to his forehead, causing him to recoil.

"I didn't mean to," I quickly apologized.

"If you're done moving your stuff, you can leave now," he said, picking up his belongings.

I sighed and pulled him back. "Ouch!" he exclaimed.

I raised my hands in surrender. I didn't intend to touch the wound.

"It's your fault too! You're leaving when I'm not finished talking," I retorted.

He rolled his eyes and turned away. How delightful. I tagged along behind him.

"Lock the door in case a thief comes in and you end up swinging that baseball bat," he instructed.

I nodded and closed the door, then followed him into his room.

I watched him as he cleaned his wounds. When he was done with the ones on his face, I silently took a cotton bud to gently wipe away the blood. I dampened it with alcohol to clean it thoroughly.

"It hurts!" he complained.

I pressed down a bit harder, causing him to grab my arm to stop me. "I'll cut off this arm of yours," he threatened.

"I'm going to disinfect this wound with alcohol, see?" I teased in the same tone.

"Just leave already!" he shooed me away.

I didn't reply, instead, I removed his hand to ensure he wouldn't cover the wounds, preventing me from working on them further.

I applied a band-aid to the deeper cut on his arm. It seemed to have some depth, so I wouldn't be surprised if he claimed he purposely got into a confrontation. He probably faced the demons' lair alone again, even with a fever.

"I bought some food earlier. I'll just reheat it," I said. "I called earlier, but you didn't answer."

"I'm not hungry. Just leave. I need to rest," he replied, turning away from me.

With my hand still on my waist, I observed him. He had his back turned to me.

"Don't stand there. I can still sense your presence," he said voluntarily.

My eyebrows shot up. "You have quite the sixth sense. That's how demons are, they say," I commented, and then turned away.

I turned off the light in his room before leaving.

I sighed and went downstairs. My plan not to stay here for another day had once again fallen through.

"It's your fault for not being fully recovered from your fever and still managing to get wounds on your body. What else can I expect? That's Lucas for you," I mumbled to myself before flopping onto the sofa.