A/N: Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1.
WARNING: SEMI-AU, OOC, LANGUAGE, SUGGESTIVE THEMES
Chapter 2: Chicken Soup
Heat came to, groggy.
"What happened…?" he asked, clutching his head as he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. He touched it and noticed a bruise forming on it and he hissed.
"Damn…"
He attempted to have his mind focus but all he remembered was him being at the tower with Sera and…then, having an argument with her…and then…all went dark.
He frowned.
He blinked several times, trying to get his optical nerves to function, "W-where am I?"
"Hey there sleepyhead." a gentle and caring voice said.
Heat stiffened as he instantly woke up, both physically and mentally. Whereas before, he was groggy, now he was alert, having his warrior's spirit roused in him so unceremoniously.
He widened his eyes and they immediately fell upon the female who spoke to him. He blinked and then let his eyes travel to his state. He was in a warm bed and his clothes had been changed.
He raised a curious eyebrow; who had done all of this…? She did…? His face blushed red at that. He had thought in the beginning that he was at the infirmary…but only now, did he realize that he was in the safe and private confines of his bedroom.
However embarrassed as he may be, he would not allow Sera to see that. Never. Not in a million years.
He looked at her, with an unfazed expression, "What are you doing in my room Sera?" he asked.
She pouted playfully at him, "What, is that the thanks I get after having to bring you here…after you collapsed in the tower?"
Heat stiffened at that.
C-collapsed…?
No! That couldn't be right! He couldn't have collapsed! No way! Right…? He frowned as he gathered his mental faculties, trying to decipher the phantasmagoric images in his head that were his memories.
No! Damn it! He couldn't remember a thing!
'Fucking…bitch…' he thought in incredulity. There was just no way that he collapsed. No way! He continued to stare into Sera's silver eyes and there noticed the amusement dancing within her pools.
No way…
He suddenly felt a lump in his throat.
He swallowed it.
It was then that he finally believed it, 'I…I passed out…'
At that moment of glorious yet ominous epiphany, all the color from his face drained and his body became as cold as ice and as stiff as a corpse.
He wanted to do but one thing at the moment.
He wanted to crawl under the largest rock he could find and never come out.
'I…I want to die…' he thought as he choked on his own saliva, feeling nothing but absolute disbelief and horror at his discovery.
Sera resisted the strong urge to burst out laughing in front of him. It seemed that her blow had been strong enough to juggle his memory. He didn't remember anything that had transpired between him and her atop that tower…
He didn't remember that he did not collapse and merely suffered a deathblow on the head.
She sweat-dropped at that. Well, it really didn't matter. Would he rather know that he had been knocked out by a girl like her? Or would he rather know and believe that his body had given way and had succumbed to the alluring caress of rest?
Well, if she knew Heat at all, and she did, she would know that he would settle for neither situation. Both were considered preposterous to his ears. Both were unacceptable. That was why she had to choose for him.
She had to choose the lesser evil.
Which evil?
That he collapsed rather than him being knocked out.
Why?
At least, if she told him that he collapsed, then, it would be by his hand and his hand alone that his fate had been sealed and not because of someone else. It was his body that gave way. And no one external had a hand in it.
However, if it was because of her blow to his head, then his self-esteem would be severely affected. His efforts would be for naught once more and his sense of morale would plummet.
No. She couldn't do that to him.
And so, she smiled at him caringly, "Are you alright…?" she asked as she sat by his bedside.
Heat blushed but suppressed it and blinked, "Erm…Sera, you…aa…did you…" he stammered, trying to grapple for words to convey his message to her.
Sera nodded and smiled, "Yes. I did. I couldn't let you continue to be wet and cold Heat. You'd…you'd get ill…and I…I don't want that…" she finished in a soft tone, being like a whisper, gentle and meek, her eyes shyly leaving his and being fixed onto her hands on her lap demurely.
Heat blinked and felt a smirk coming up on his lips. She could have chosen to deposit him at the infirmary but she didn't. She brought him instead to his bedroom. She had cleaned him, dried him and had changed him…
And now, she was there by his bedside, having waited for him to come to…
His heart skipped a beat. She was…She did all that for him…? And the fact that she was still there, speaking to him said a lot of things. It said that she really did…care for him…deeply.
And for that, he was grateful.
"Sera…" he trailed off, his eyes never leaving her face, his hand finding hers.
She immediately looked up at him as she felt his hand on hers. Silver met red and there, time froze. Sera could feel her cheeks burning as hot blood rushed to her head as she continued to find herself paralyzed by his strong and intense…piercing gaze…
"Heat…"
She blinked as she felt him squeeze her hand, "Thank you Sera." was all that he said.
Sera shook her head and laughed lightly, "It…It was nothing…" she said in her old meek voice, "I…I know that you…you would have done…the same for me…" she trailed off, embarrassed at her own shameful and girly display.
Heat smirked as he sat up, his hand never letting hers go. Yes. She was right. He would've done the same for her if their situations had been reversed.
Although he knew that he would've probably done a lot more for her than she did for him. He grinned inwardly like an idiot as his imagination, albeit his perverted imagination, ran away with him…
He could just imagine undressing her…and…then…
He suddenly shook off the thoughts. What was he thinking?! This was Sera…! Sera…!
'Yea but you have to admit that she has a body that…well…kicks ass…!' he thought, once more getting his perverse side to be roused from its inhibitions. At that, hot blood coursed throughout his veins once more.
"Are you alright Heat?"
Her voice broke him from his reverie and there red met silver. He blushed but quickly suppressed it and looked away, grappling for words to say to her to mask his sudden feelings of aloofness in her presence.
"So," he sniffed lightly, "how long have I been out?" he finished with a light cough.
Nice save! That would alleviate the growing feeling of awkwardness in his room! He may be a bit insensitive but he wasn't stupid. He had felt from the previous moments that the air between them had changed.
It had changed so much that he thought he was beginning to choke! There was something in the air that he couldn't quite put. Well, all he knew was that whatever it was, it was bothering both him and her.
Sera wanted to giggle as she saw him blush. He was so cute…
He was like a kid…
But still, he was her friend…There was nothing between them. She really shouldn't overanalyze things. And so, she focused instead on what he had said prior. Sera stiffened as she heard him sniff. Yes. He was having that proverbial illness…
The common cold.
Well, she was happy that it was all that he had contracted. He had no fever…no convulsions…no flu. That was a relief. She smiled at him; he really was…strong.
"Not longer than an hour."
Considering his state of exhaustion and fatigue, she was surprised to have found him awake after a mere hour's rest.
Heat nodded his head, "An hour…That's a long time." he muttered more to himself than anyone else, feeling slightly disappointed. At that thought, he hissed as he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. Oh yes.
That.
He had to ask Sera about that.
Why did his head hurt so much?
He opened his mouth to talk but she had stood and cut him off, "Wait here Heat. I'll be right back. And don't get up yet. You need your strength…"
He watched with a curious elevated brow as she walked away…Where was she going? He blinked; his kitchen? Why?
Troops like them scarcely ever cooked their own food as they ate technically the universal goo at the mess hall. But there were times when they would like to cook their own meals. He was just lucky to have gotten a room installed with its own kitchen.
He smirked.
It was one of the perks of being a member of Embryon's elite team after all. His room was twice or even thrice the size of the standard soldier's. In fact, many of them don't even have their own rooms and had to content themselves with having a roommate and sleeping on a bunk bed.
He shuddered at that. Well, he was once like that.
'Not anymore.' he thought with outmost relief.
But then, again, what was Sera doing? He rose to get off from the bed but the sharp pain from his head and his strained back prevented him from doing so…
He hissed and fell back on his bed.
"Damn it."
Well, he was still going to ask Sera about that.
But that wasn't his real concern. What he was concerned about was how in God's name he had been weak enough to collapse atop that tower. Not only that though. He didn't merely collapse; now, he was suffering from a disease. He frowned at himself disgustedly.
How the fuck was it that he, the Embryon's finest still managed to contract such a virile and persistent disease!?
What disease?
What else?
The common cold.
He cursed himself at that. He was having the common cold. It was something he swore that he would never get. Damn it.
And so, he assessed his currently precarious situation once more. He collapsed. He was brought to his room by Sera; a girl no less. He was being taken care of and had been changed. He was having the common cold.
Right.
Heat could feel his worth and pride plummet.
How ironic was that that the Embryon's strong, if not the strongest, warrior could not even form a strong resistance to something as mundane as the common cold!? How?! It wasn't empirically possible damn it!
And to think that he was boasting about his power…
He gritted his teeth as he grasped his blanket in his hands tighter. He wanted to get out of there. Right now.
xxxxx
Sera hummed happily to herself as she prepared his meal. She smiled as she put the bowl on the tray along with his glass of water.
She turned to leave when she stopped and remembered something. Oh yes. She smirked evilly. She knew Heat.
He wouldn't make this easy…
'Well, it's not that I'm not prepared…' she thought to herself as she shrugged her shoulders and started to walk out of the kitchen.
Yup.
She was prepared.
xxxxx
Heat's contemplation was suddenly cut short as he saw Sera return a moment later with a tray in her hands and a smile on her full lips. Heat's chest constricted as he beheld her appearance, completely forgetting his thoughts of self-pity.
Now, as he thought about it, there was just something in the situation about him being in bed, her being in his room seemingly so at home with a tray of food made just for him that made Heat want to stay in that position forever. She seemed so…girly…
Yes. That was the word. Girly.
It wasn't a secret that the female was once thought to belong at home…
And there, with her being in his room, bringing him food…Aa…It just seemed to him, in that moment that she was a female who belonged to him…A female who resided with him in that room…A part of his room; a part of himself.
He felt his lips tug upwards at that thought. But as quick as the thought came to mind, it departed just as quick.
He shook his head.
"Here," she began, setting the tray over his lap, "you'll need this." she spoke gently.
He looked at the bowl in front of him suspiciously and then met her eyes boldly, "What the hell is this?"
It wasn't that he wasn't appreciating what she was doing…But it just occurred to him that if he should continue to play the "patient" while she the "nurse", it would severely undermine his position as the male in their relationship…and he couldn't have that. No. Never.
He was supposed to be her protector and her preserver…
And not the other way around.
He was supposed to be the strong one for the both of them!
Sera contemplated his question carefully. Argilla had told her that the fastest way to a man's heart was through his stomach. Well, that was why she had taken it upon herself to brush up on her cooking skills…
It was strange though…
Back then, back in that life of hers…long ago…She recalled a similar incident. It was an incident that filled her with nothing but warm and fuzzy feelings within her chest and heart. It was when she had been ill…Her mother had been there to nurse her back to health…It was then that she remembered that thing, that something that she was fed…
Well, whatever that thing was, that was what she was giving Heat now.
She just knew that it would make him feel better; most especially for his cold. It was the only medication for such an illness, her mother used to say with a chuckle…That and plenty of rest.
She smiled at Heat as she sat back down by his bedside.
"It's chicken soup." she said gently, smiling cheerfully, eyeing carefully, watching for his reaction.
Heat blinked, "What?"
"Chicken soup." she repeated, nodding, "It's the best when you're having a cold." She then frowned, "You're very lucky Heat. You're lucky that that's the only sickness that you caught out there! And to think that you have been there for five days and six nights straight!" she finished in a scolding voice.
Again, Heat found a smile beginning to form within his lips. She knew that he had been there for that long a time…?
That was…sweet of her.
He blinked; but now that he was there…he couldn't prove to her that he was as strong as he claimed. Damn.
It was sheer hypocrisy.
To her, there was only one man that was within that position. The position of pure strength; the Alpha Male.
Serph.
Her…
'Her damn twin.' he thought with contempt.
He couldn't believe it. He was competing with her own brother. Well, he wasn't just Sera's brother. He was their leader. Damn.
How was he to compete with that? He didn't really know the answer to that; but all he knew was that he was going to be the strongest in Sera's eyes.
That was all that he needed to know; that was all that he needed to believe. However, being bedridden the way he was now, he realized that his personal quest had been put on hiatus…
And due to that, he was worried.
He was worried that when he did finally recover, he'd be out of the race. What race? The race to gain absolute power of course!
He was worried that she would think of him as…weak. He was weak; he was the one dependent on her at that moment, wasn't he? If it weren't for her, he would've died…
His eyes fell from her cheerfully smiling face and down to the bowl of soup in front of him. Chicken soup eh?
This was supposed to cure him…?
She chuckled and that chuckle broke him from his nightmarish contemplation, "Go on. Eat up. You need to be on your feet soon."
When he continued to stare at the food and the spoon for a few more seconds, he was surprised to see her hand moving along the tray, "Here." she said as she took the spook and scooped the soup from the bowl, lifting it to the level of his face, bringing it closer to his lips, "Open, open Heat!" she playfully said.
Heat wanted to blush at the outmost embarrassment at that moment. He swore to the gods that if anyone walked in on them and saw his position that he would hunt that person down, gut him and use his guts and entrails as a trophy.
"No." he openly protested, shaking his head as he put a palm in front of her.
"But…You need this!" she openly whined.
He glared at her, "I don't need some stupid soup to make me feel better Sera. I'm fine." he said as he shrugged his shoulders, trying to get off the bed.
Sera frowned, "No you're not! You're sick…"
He growled at her as he heard the condescending word "sick" and pierced her eyes with his blood-red orbs, "I'm fine." he told her with a low and dangerous tone that made her skin crawl.
"Now go and let me change. I need to be back on duty." he told her sternly. He had entertained this pitiful charade of them playing house long enough.
He made to move when suddenly the pain at the back of his head prevented him from doing so. And in that instant, he found himself shoved back on his bed, staring straight into her scolding eyes.
"You're ill Heat. You're not fit to go out there!" she told him, pouting. Her pout tempted him to relinquish his foolishness about his definition of machismo…
But no. He must remain ever vigilant!
"I can. Now, just go away and leave me alone." he told her.
He then regretted his words as he saw her eyes beginning to water, her cheeks drooping, her chest heaving up and down rapidly as she probably found it hard to breathe. They remained unspeaking for a few more moments before he saw and heard her hiccup.
Damn.
He made her cry.
He immediately felt guilty.
Sera saw this as her window of opportunity. She knew that he couldn't resist that routine…
She smirked inwardly and widened his growing feeling of guilt.
"And…and to think that…I made this…e-especially…for you…" she said, whimpering a bit as she had her hand on her trembling lips, looking away from him shyly.
His heart softened, 'Damn…Sera…' He hated seeing her that way…That was the sole reason he wanted to be strong in the first place. He had wanted to be her shield…Her barrier that would sustain her…and her happiness away from the harsh realities of life.
"Sera…Don't…Don't cry." he instructed her, his voice though stern was low and gentle. No deal. She wasn't letting up and was continuing to sob.
'Too easy…' she mentally grinned to herself like an evil elf.
Heat mentally panicked. What if she hated him forever!? What then!? What if she decided to never speak to him again!? His stomach churned at that thought and he let out a pained expression…and an even more painful groan.
It was just this time that he would ever consent to this sort of thing…
He sighed; it was just for her…For her and her alone.
Sera stole a glance at him and saw that he sighed and shrunk back on his bed. He gave up!
'Yay for me!' she mentally said happily.
Their eyes met for but a moment to ascertain things. He grunted at her and turned away, crossing his arms. She giggled. He had indeed given up!
With renewed vigor, she set the tray on him once more, carefully and took the spoon, filling it with the soup.
"Here comes the choo-choo train!" she playfully said as she moved the second spoonful of the soup near his lips.
He groaned as he heard her. Choo-choo train…? 'Oh my God…I think I'm going to be sick…' Well, sicker than he already was.
Heat would rather die than live through this sickening display. He wasn't acting like a man! Heck, he wasn't even a man at that moment! He was…
He was a freak! A freak of nature!
Who in the Junkyard would ever acknowledge a warrior being spoon-fed this way by a woman!? A woman?!
It was simply unheard of!
He knew that it was for Sera…but…there was just that stubborn part of him that still revered his machismo principles. He glared at her and pursed his lips together in a grim line, telling her that he didn't want it.
She glared at him in return, much to his surprise, "Here's the choo-choo train Heat." she hissed, stressing on the words "choo-choo train" and pressed the spoon against his lips assertively.
He refused to budge. Hadn't he humored her enough!?
She narrowed her eyes into slits. Argilla said that the fastest way to his heart was through his stomach; well, she was going to go through his stomach and that was that!
She would not be deterred by his obnoxious antics!
He was being difficult, was he?
Then, she would just have to convince him to not be difficult, ne? How? Simple! The power of her charms and her feminine charisma. Well, the other aspect of her charms and feminine charisma.
"Open up and eat this otherwise I'll have to hurt you!" she growled, holding a rod in her other hand.
Heat blinked. When did she get that rod!?
He didn't budge, testing her. His eyes widened though as he saw her tighten her hold on the rod. He gulped; maybe he should reconsider…
At the moment, he almost had no strength and his head was throbbing like mad. He supposed…that he had no choice.
And so, with a groan, he lightly parted his lips. His head was thrown back as his inertia had willed it as Sera shoved the spoon into his mouth roughly.
"There! That wasn't so difficult!" she giggled cheerfully as she continued to spoon-feed him.
"Here comes the airplane!" she cooed sweetly, "It's going for a landing…!" she said with a small giggle.
Heat suffered nothing but utter humiliation in her hands. Whereas before he merely wanted to crawl under a rock and be forgotten by the outside world, now he just wanted to die; an honorable death, mind you.
A warrior's death.
Sera was happy. Now he was seeing things her way! Finally! She gave herself a mental pat on the back as she held the rod in her hand tightly. She had a feeling that Heat would try to make this difficult.
She was thankful that she listened to her instincts…
He swallowed the soup with feelings of disdain. This was the most uncompromising position that he had ever been in…
Needless to say, he wasn't enjoying himself…
Or was he?
With all the embarrassment aside, he felt as though he was at home…He felt at ease of having her there…with him…He knew that they were close. She was the closest individual to him in that hellhole…
He knew that she meant a lot to him…
She was special to him…
That was why he did everything that he did…He did it for her. He did it in her name. And now that he was actually thinking about it, he had to ask himself as to why.
Why?
He had eluded the question before…
But now that they were alone, in his room, with her feeding him gently, doting on him as if he were a child…
He wanted to know why he did the things he did. Why her? She was special, yes, but how special was she to him…? What sort of relationship or affinity did he want to have with her…? If it was friendship, then, he needed not do anything any further as he had seen long before that she possessed his loyalty and that he possessed hers.
The pressing and nagging matter was that, he knew that it wasn't mere friendship that he wanted from her…It was something else. It was something elusive…Something deeper…something…
'Something more meaningful…' he thought with a twinge of sadness in his soul.
He blinked as he savored the flavor of her soup in his mouth for a second longer before swallowing it completely. Hm, now that his attention was in the food once more, he nodded in favor of its flavor.
It was…
'It tastes great.' he told himself with disbelief and a bit of disgust. What kind of a man cared for good-tasting food anyway!? The sissy kind. He groaned at that thought.
Sera couldn't help but smile as she beheld Heat's face. A moment prior, she had seen the faraway look that he had on his face…She knew that he was in deep thought, hence, she dared not interrupt him.
But then, his eyes softened. She saw the look of surprise on his face as he once more swallowed what she fed him. She was happy…She knew that he was enjoying it.
Argilla's advice was working!
But aside from that, she felt a pleasant tug at her heart. There was just something in her that was telling her that with her feeding him the way she was now, with her doting on him…showering him with attention, taking care of him…
Something within her told her that this was what she was meant to do…
She felt as if…
She felt as though that she was meant to take care of this man…
This man whom she called friend. A man whom she called friend, comrade whom she longed to call lover…husband.
She sighed at that thought.
Was it true then, that some things were…always out of reach…? With her current situation with Heat, she supposed that it was true…Her thoughts were cut short as she heard her patient sneeze.
Sera giggled as he sneezed loudly.
"See? I told you that you need this!" she laughed, gesturing to the soup as she reached out for the tissue box.
He grumbled something inaudible in his breath and grabbed the disposable tissues in her hands before blowing his nose loudly albeit uncouthly.
He felt so utterly disgusted with himself. But then again, 'I don't give a damn.' he thought pompously as he continued to blow his nose away as loud as he could care to. He couldn't care any less if she thought of him as unrefined or uncouth or whatnot.
He wasn't there to give her a damn show!
Take it or leave it. Be grossed out or not.
He stole a peek at the filthy tissue in his hands and raised an eyebrow. It looked like he caught the cold alright as he beheld the proud sticky, slimy greenish goo within. Well, that and the occasional booger every here and there.
'That's a lot of shit right there.' Heat thought with a laugh, being a complete pig about himself.
'I wonder if it's as sticky as people say…' he mentally trailed off as he played with the flimsy tissue in his hand, putting the two ends together and then pulling them apart again over and over, molding the sticky green mucus within, making a slurping and squishing sound.
He laughed at that.
It seemed that it really was as sticky as people say!
Sera sweat-dropped as she realized that her patient was no longer of this world and was within one of his own making. She shivered in disgust though as she realized what he was doing.
He was scrutinizing the mucus-filled tissue?!
And from the looks of it, he was liking it too!
She could see how his red eyes shone with amusement, twinkles clearly visible. She shuddered; was this the man whom she loved…?
This disgusting and boorish man…?
'Eww…! Yuck! What is he thinking!?' she asked herself in total shock and disbelief. 'Oh my! He's playing with it!!' she mentally screamed, feeling slightly nauseated.
With a frown and the feeling of maternal instinct taking over, she quickly grabbed the filthy tissue from his hands and threw it at the wastebasket by his bed on the floor, "Heat! Stop that! You're being such a disgusting pig!" she roared in anger; her tone a scolding one.
Heat blinked and crossed his arms as he then glared at her, "So? What's it to you!?"
He was acting like a child again but she really didn't care about that…To her, he looked…adorable.
She sighed, saying nothing and just shook her head.
"I just don't want you to be some pig Heat." she told him, lightly scolding him.
He turned to her sharply and opened his mouth to speak when he suddenly found a soupspoon shoved in his throat, shutting him up effectively.
"Shut up Heat." she told him with a playful glare, "Just be quiet and finish your soup."
He glared at her.
She chuckled.
His glare never really meant anything to her. It neither frightened her nor intimidated her. To her, he looked cute whenever he would do that…
And so, it was fine with her. He could glare and brood all he wanted.
Heat felt blood in his head rush again as she continued to gaze at him the way she did now…Again, they had resumed their mortifying play of nurse and patient. He sighed, silently praying for the gods to put him out of his misery…
Didn't they have any ounce of pity on him?!
Was this their way of punishing him?!
To suffer countless atrocities in the hands of a…woman?!
Again though, his raging feelings were subdued as he tasted her soup and heard her voice, "There we go…Aa…Now, you're getting the hang of it!" she cheerfully encouraged.
Soon Heat threw away his thoughts of male pride and focused instead on the current situation; situation and sensation. He was beginning to feel all the more rejuvenated as he ate more of her…erm, soup. He had never tasted it before…
No one had ever made anything of this sort for him; not even his own mother. He supposed that that was something that he couldn't help. He had been orphaned at such a young age after all…
And then, whenever they would get ill, the best option would be the infirmary. And…never did they give them anything of this sort…It was always pills, water and rations. Nothing more…He could even dare say that the treatment there was…artificial. Nothing was done "with love" so to speak.
Besides, not that he had ever had to spend a lot of time in the infirmary. He hardly ever got ill or wounded. Perhaps once or twice; but that was it.
And if he got a cold? He would duke it out without medication; just plenty of sleep and a lot of water. End of story. None of this chicken-soup chicken-shit. But going back to its flavor? It was…topnotch!
And so, he began to take his spoonfuls with a bit more exuberance, clearly looking forward for the next one, not really caring any longer if she was spoon-feeding him.
He hadn't even noticed his own behavior…But she did.
And at seeing him that way, it made her happy.
He sat there on his bed still thinking as to how Sera came about with this eccentric yet favorably pleasing skill. He knew a lot about her. Actually, he thought he knew a lot about her. But seeing that he was surprised about this, well, it stated to him that there were still things about his friend that she kept hidden from him…
Among the other things that he knew about Sera was that he knew that she wasn't really a good cook. She, like him was as alien in the kitchen the way a Maribel soldier was in the midst of their Embryon soldiers…
So, then…when did she learn how to cook like that…?
When the bowl had been emptied, he looked at her with a grateful stare and at the same time, a curious expression dancing in his red orbs, "Sera, when did you learn to do this?"
She smiled tightly, "I…I had been practicing…" she trailed off innocently, a small blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Oh…" was all that he said.
Sera shook her head; no, she really shouldn't be thinking of him in the way she was thinking of him at that moment. He didn't know anything about their pasts. No. She promised herself that she would wait for him until he knew…
When he did, finally, that was when she would…tell him…what she felt.
Not now.
He was but a mere child…fumbling in the dark for his lost toys…He didn't know what he was doing or what he was saying. He needed to sort things out by himself. And in that process, she shouldn't interfere…
Seeing that he was preoccupied with his thoughts, she nodded and grasped the tray once more. Their eyes met and she smiled, "I'll take this away…But Heat, make sure to finish that glass of water, alright?"
He nodded, "Alright."
She blinked; he didn't offer any fuss. He didn't make any condescending comment or challenge her statement. No. He just said alright…He just agreed. That was a change for him though. The old Heat would argue with her not because he had a valid point, but because he just wanted to. He just wanted to challenge her for the sake of challenging her.
He wanted to rile her up…
But now…
She looked at the expression on his face and saw the pained expression on it. He was thinking of something that was very important to him, no doubt. She bit her lip and walked away with the tray.
'Heat…'
xxxxx