Bajhe drivers are not the best drivers in the world. Very energetic to get to places though. At this point in his life he has gotten used to it, but it must be experiencing a whole new world for Nym. "You are saying that right now, but you want to travel the world? Beggars can't be choosers, you know.", he laughed, "If you can't handle insane traffic, then I'll be driver, hm? At least at that point I should be fine." He should not have not felt so sleepy, he could have driven more. After that short nap, Rael still feels tired. Both of them need rest though. Taking turns to drive is a good idea.
"Actually if you keep going down this street and take a left, we can stop and take care of all of that.", he promised. Being at the blue wisteria tree, they are not that far from his place now. He'll have to change the driver's plate if they have enough time; maybe once the car is parked he can quickly change it. "How about you keep driving till we get to my place, which isn't that far. Then I'll take the next part and we'll just keep switching from here on out. Looking at today's portion, we'll only have to switch once again. Does that sound good?"
She scowled at him and huffed, though still didn't actually seem mad, just a little embarrassed that he was picking up things she hadn't thought about yet. "Shut it worm, I haven't completely thought through my travel plans yet." Nym spared a glance at him, careful to look back at the road so she didn't crash, "I thought you were planning on settling down? You know once we reach the border, you don't have to look after me. I'll consider your offer to join me, but first we'll see how well we handle each other's presence for days on end."
Nym had to hide a yawn as she nodded along to the next part, "I'll drive to your place. Switching from there sounds fine." At the mention of being able to rest again, even if it was just by being the passenger in the car, her body anticipated sleeping. She knew she wasn't going to be able to for who knew how long, but that didn't stop the few yawns she had to hide as she drove. "But first, directions to your place? Before we inevitably get lost?"
It was only natural for him to shake his head at her grimace. At this point he has gotten used to it. Her expression is oddly likeable in a sense. Amusing too. Rael crossed his arms, returning her scowl with a pouty look. Like he will manage to find a safe place to live in order to settle down. "I do, but what if you get into trouble again? How will I explain to my spouse that I, the spy's soldier buddy, have to go somewhere to rescue you?" , he wondered, "Heavy traffic and roofs, Nym, you should avoid those so you can have fun on your adventures."
Inevitably get lost. Rael just rolled his eyes in response to that. No matter what they are not going to get lost in this country. Even if he was out cold, they wouldn't get a mere mile off of where they need to be. If they were, he wouldn't be sitting in this car with her right now. "Really sweetheart? No way we are getting lost in Bajhe with me. Keep going down this road then make a left; from then on it's just a literal hop skip away. At that point, if you get lost, just look for a gray building. It should be on your side." Afterwards, he used his left hand pointing it straight then basically repeating everything he just said.
He raised the back of his hand to cover as he yawned. Letting it rest on his knee, Rael rolled down the window. The weather was still horrible as before. Thankfully the rain was not as heavy as when they entered the city. Carefully he leaned to take a look out making sure there was not a single soldier walking down the road. Not it is likely, yet it is only a guess. The whole area was empty despite only being right outside of downtown. His eyes slowly scanned the area twice. "Good", he whispered as he pressed the button making the window go up.
(Lmao Rael has the entirety of the city and probably Bajhee memorized and Nym is still talking like there's a chance they could get lost)
"I'm sure your spouse will understand the situation, I'll write you a letter to give to them when you get married, that way they'll be informed of the relationship we have," She replied, rolling her eyes, "I plan on avoiding those two things at all costs. Or at least the traffic."
Nym listened to his directions silently, interested by the switch of her nickname. First, it was Sunshine, then my Bella, and now Sweetheart. Even if the last one was meant more sarcastically, she was still counting it. At this rate, he was going to be calling her Love in a matter of days, which even if it was a name that she did quite like, this relationship had to be strictly platonic. If she fell for this stupid, tall, brown-eyed boy just because of his nicknames for her, it wouldn't end well for either of them when they inevitably had to part. Falling for someone was a weakness, that she had learned all too well. And she refused to have a weakness that could be found out so easily.
Thoughts like this swarmed in her head as she drove and she almost missed the turn, snapping back to reality with a frown as she signaled and turned, now focused on scanning the road for the building he had mentioned. "This one?" She asked, pointing to a gray building out her side of the car, slowing down her speed as they reached it so she could stop if this was indeed the right building.
Sweetheart isn't a bad nickname, right? Rael did not think much about it initially. The realization slowly trickled in once he began to think about it again. Really he was just going with whatever others used to call their lovers but turned it into a sarcastic joking kind of way. Except my Bella is not the kind of soft nickname you can do that with. All the other soldiers did the same thing, sometimes they even used more bizarre obscure ones to call each other.
This is much different from the army. Of course, they are friends even if they only have known each other for almost a whole week or so. He is not calling her these nicknames because of a potential possibility that he is interested in her. No. Not at all. He is not going to even think about the actual word, love. That is crazy. It's already crazy enough how he has come to some senses and agreed to help Nym escape all while still being alive. Mentally, he cannot formulate a plan or predict how that particular situation can play out. If worst comes to worst, it will only hurt them both. When they go through that border, it's probably it. Rael does not want to start something which can mess up things and make him a burden for her. Hurting Bella is out of the question.
Hearing the turn signal go off, his head shot up. His eyes took a very quick glimpse to his left. For a second there he was about to zone off again. Thankfully they finally made it though. Step one point five, completed. All this worry dealing with making it out and through the city is somewhat gone now. "Yep. One and only", he responded. Reaching behind the seat, he took out the uniform laying it on his lap. At this point he does not want to have on or along with him. Might as well leave it behind.
She nodded in return and stopped along the curb next to the building, shutting off the car but not getting out. "How much time do you think there is until we should get moving again?" Nym glanced at the gray building, studying it for anything out of the ordinary, but thankfully she found nothing. That had to mean it was safe to go into the building, right? At this point, she didn't have much choice anyway. The offer of a shower was much too tempting.
Nym turned to look at Rael, grabbing her prison uniform from the back seat where she had thrown it. Better to get rid of this here than carry it with them anyway. She bunched it up into a ball, then slowly got out of the car with a small sigh, taking the keys with her.
It was like an attitude switch as she got out of the car and she was almost instantly on guard, even if there was nothing there. Nothing seemed to chance appearance wise, but she got quiet, and she was casually looking around much more, studying her surroundings. Being a spy taught her many things, and the first was to always know your surroundings. That alone would help her immensely if something happened.
Rael took off his seat belt then sat up. Opening the door, he placed his foot on the ground but did not get out. Even though he already looked around the area, he still felt like it was necessary to do it again. Sirens are not going off. His phone is completely silent. No rustles are coming from nearby bushes. Those old military men are probably trying to keep this as quiet as they can. Assuming if they exactly knew where him and Nym are, they do not really have much time. "Let's say an hour by the time we get up to the third floor.", he nodded, "Third floor, third door on the left." It is hard to have an exact idea of how much time they have, but he does not want to spend a lot of time here.
Being outside without uniform on is something he never experienced before. Every last bit of this moment is full of worry in some case. Goosebumps arose while his posture became more relaxed. Using all his energy to focus on every single detail will lead him to burn out. Rael shook his head then closed the car door. They do not have all the time in the world to do this. Just like with the initial escape, this was done under desperation of time and opportunity.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he quickly checked the time. "Ready to go in?", he asked as he put it back. Giving Nym a small grin, Rael rushed over to the entrance door. He wrapped his hand around the handle opening the door. Sticking his head inside, he noticed that no one was in the entrance or hallways. Looking back out, he gave a thumbs up.
Nym followed Rael to the door, pausing outside against the wall and waiting for his signal. She didn't like being out in the open like this, and it made her feel like anything could go wrong. As soon as she got the thumbs up, she slipped into the building, slightly less on edge. They were making progress. That was good.
"I suppose it's locked?" She asked quietly as she glanced around for stairs or an elevator. It really didn't matter, but if she was given the choice, stairs sounded quite nice. At least there she didn't have to worry about being trapped in a metal box that could have a camera in it. "Either way, I'll meet you up there," She replied in the same quiet tone before nodding to his phone, "I would recommend you get rid of that if possible. We don't need to be followed."
It was eerily quiet in the building, but Nym didn't really mind. It was better than packed hallways or ones filled with chatter. It made it easy to start walking once she found the stairs, one step after another.
The only downside was how it reminded her of Outhila, or more specifically, the building she was trained in. Before she knew it, she was spiraling into a memory. Another training exercise. Her goal was to escape and do it fast while avoiding her classmates who were to act as guards. It sounded easy, but it was difficult as hell. Already she had abandoned her boots, tucking them into a spare room. Walking around in her socks may have been quieter, but she traded it off for grip. And when a group of three guards rounded an unchecked corner, it was a tradeoff she hated. The chase didn't last long before she was pinned to the ground, then brought in front of the group to be made an example of. "Failure isn't an option." The words were the last she heard as she blacked out, echoing in her mind as she blocked out the memory of what had happened.
Without her realizing, she had paused as the memory overcame her, only snapping back to reality a minute later, shaking her head to clear the haze.
When you spend most of your days at war with another country, you never have much time to spend at home. Anything is better than living with his family though. Rael nodded taking a quick glimpse down at the phone. "Yeah. I think you have the key, it should be other one on the loop with the car key.", he nodded, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I'll see you there, shortly." The building only had one elevator as well as one staircase. Usually he preferred using the stairs since no one used them. His feet felt heavy from all the weight and stress he has put on it. Without much thought, he begun to make his way towards the elevator.
Standing inside, he leaned against the wall after pressing the button for the third floor. He kept twirling the phone between his fingers. All the memories he wanted to remember laid inside this rectangular piece of metal. The memories that always seem to fade away when he wished to reminisce about them the most. If only they did not have to do this now. There would have been enough time for him to take care of this in a more reassuring matter. All the photos hung up on his walls, the ones he kept on this phone, and anything that's on paper. All he had left.
Something felt off to him. An unexplainable feeling hit him. He was not sure whether he was feeling this or some sort of spirit was projecting it onto him from another person. A wave of dejection settled over him. Rael lost the need to keep standing, suddenly falling onto the floor. The phone fell out of his hand with the screen facing up. Looking over, he kept staring at his reflection. His first reaction was to roll his eyes then sigh deeply. Not much for him to do at the moment. It'd be very foolish of him to let it all out especially at a time like now.
By the time the elevator doors opened again, he convinced himself to stand back up. Taking the phone, he remained still for a couple of seconds. His feet trudged along as he made his way over. Not a sign of Nym anywhere as he got closer to the apartment door. Rael started to glance around as he walked. Would it be too much to look for her or stand at the staircase? Or would it be too little to wait at the door? He covered his face using his hand still as a statue in the middle of the hallway pondering.
Nym reached for the railing as she shuddered from the memory, taking a second to remember where she was. This wasn't Outhila. This was Bajhee. She was heading home with Rael. Shaking her head, she sighed and forced herself up the stairs. They had limited time, and none of that could be wasted on her stupid memories.
That didn't stop the unease that followed her as she climbed the stairs though. She paused when she saw Rael finally, frowning at how he just stood in the hallway. "You alright?" She asked, her words holding a confused but softer tone as she watched him. Digging the keys out of the pocket she had tossed them into, she fumbled for the key, eventually finding the one that looked most like it would open the door out of the selection of keys.
She waited until Rael walked with her to the door before trying it, surprised to see that it was the right key. After opening the door though, she didn't go in, just slowly opened it and motioned Rael in. Better to be safe than sorry she supposed. Though it felt rude to have Rael be the one that got hurt if there was actually something there.
Perhaps he should have just waited by the door. A few more steps wouldn't have hurt him; if only he could manage to pull himself together. Whatever he is going through is not from the incessant punching he'd gotten earlier. His eyes looked off the side as he gave a nod. "Yes, I'm good. Just brain fog.", Rael sighed while rubbing the back of his neck. He gave a small grin then walked alongside her to the apartment door.
To be honest, Rael had enough energy to stop the urge to ask for an embrace. The look on Nym's face made him abandon the whole idea completely. Not in a scary kind of way, more so concerning actually. It might just be something he imagined. Asking about it right now is only going to waste some time they have here. They'll be spending a bunch of time in the car anyways. And yet, her expression reminded him of the one she had that time in the cell right before she broke down in a way.
He shook his head trying not to think much about it. Picking up on her signal, he ambled ahead. Out of habit, he had his hand against the wall then leaned over to check the place. He always did a brief check every time he came home, only this time, it was more important to do so. No one is here except for them. The place was very dim without the lights on. Rael stepped inside then flicked the switch. Taking a few steps backwards to face Nym, he beckoned her to come in.
The apartment was very spacious for one person. It felt empty even after the few years he has lived here, sort of. Once he unzipped his jacket, he paced around getting things together. He sat his first-aid kit on the kitchen counter along with the phone. Beside the kit was a towel and rag. Rael pushed it forward before taking apart his phone. "I'll just be here.", he stated before pointing to the right, "Bathroom is over there."
Nym leaned against the wall as he walked in, waiting for him to motion her in before doing so. At first glance, the place was pretty bare and large. Bigger than the space a single person would use. She didn't comment on it though, just looked around and followed him to the kitchen. This single apartment would've been enough for two people at least.
"I'll shower as quickly as I can…then you can and we can work on making sure you're actually alright once the blood is gone," She said, wandering towards where he had pointed. Sure enough, there was a glorious bathroom. One glance in told her it was a nice place, somewhere she wished she could spend longer in just to be in a nice bathroom. And so she walked in, checking to make sure it was clear before she let herself relax. Even the thought of a shower sounded nice, and now she was going to have the chance to for the first time in a while.
She looked around as she thought, first at the actual shower, trying to turn it on and failing quite miserably. It seemed stupid to have to ask Rael to help. Still, she did so anyway, or more accurately, sighed loudly, popped her head out of the bathroom door and called in an exhausted and embarrassed voice, "Hey scrawny…can you come turn the shower on? I can't get it."
"Okay, but focus on yourself first,", he said, "I'll be waiting." Rael kept forgetting about all the blood on his face. By this point all of it should be dried and very easy to take off, but there might be a bruise. His mind somehow refused to take into account every bit that happened. The memories of being a literal human punching kept flashing in his mind, but it felt so surreal to him.
Taking off his cap, he set it off the side. All the pieces from the phone were laid out in front of him, or at least all the pieces he could take apart. Leaving it behind is more feasible, yet he just had to take out the data card. Really if any officials came by to look for anything, the phone would be the first thing they'd want to find ideally. But there is not much classified information or any evidence about the government on it. He opened up the first aid kit, then placed the data card in a plastic bag.
Rael could not help but notice something in the corner of his eye. Tilting his head, he glanced over before raising an eyebrow. "Bella don't worry about it, give me a second." He gave a shrug then got up out of his seat. It was not very confusing to him, turning that damn thing on was like rocket science even if you have used it a thousand times.
When he got to the bathroom door, he kept his head and eyes tilted down. He mumbled a soft "excuse me" then put his hand on the shower handle. The dryness of his hand was not helping. After two tries, Rael turned to the sink. By the time he got his hand wet, he decided to go back to trying to turn it on again. It took him a few more tries till it finally turned on. Some water sprayed on the back of his neck causing him to jump in his spot.
"All you need to do is turn it to the left if you want more hot water. Then just turn it to the right when you're done.", he smiled trying to wipe off his neck, "Okay?"
By the time Rael came to help her, Nym had slipped off her jacket and shoes, but she didn't go any further as she watched him mess with the shower. She couldn't help but smile a little when he jumped though, nodding her head, "Thank you, showers are always confusing if they're not one you know well."
Her smile faded slightly as she watched him, finding herself sighing again. She couldn't just let him walk around with that much blood on his face still. It was rude and she felt terrible doing so. Even if her training told her to focus on getting herself ready first, her gut told her otherwise. Rael deserved to be helped first even if her gut hadn't told her to help him. After all, he was helping her, and in return, she was doing what? Taking his time and resources, and also she had been the one to get him turned into a human punching bag because of her lack of answers for him to turn in.
Nym shook her head, turning to the shower and shutting it off slowly as she spoke, "Rael, here…my shower can wait. I'm helping you with your face first. Before you can ice whatever bruises you have, you have to clean the area, and from the hits that were landed on your chest at the prison, I would think trying to do so yourself would be painful."
One foot was out the bathroom door while the other jerked halting to a stop. When she started to speak, he turned around to face her. "No no no, it's okay. I can wash all of it off in the kitchen. Take your shower, I'm-", he lost the rest of what he what was going to say after looking into the mirror. Is he really okay though? The dried up blood makes his face look a modern art piece; a disastrous one. He could not help but sigh staring back at his reflection.
Rael sat down on the edge of the bathtub. Despite feeling sharp pain in his abdomen, he slouched while keeping his eyes staring at the floor. Everything Nym said is true, but it is not like he is going to ignore all of it till later. Ten minutes or so left to wait would not be terrible or anything. They are not waiting to get a bullet wound treated or anything. Sitting in the chair at the table was not unbearable as it was to get off of that cell floor.
The first aid kit was sitting on top of the table. Kitchen and bathroom both had things that could help with the bruises and such. "Do you want me to stay here or should I gather things?" He really did not want to have her run around the place trying to gather things. Some are more obvious than others, but still. They only have so much time here anyways. Really, he was thinking about making some sort of quick meal they can take with them while waiting for her to finish showering. Guess that can wait.
"You stay here, just tell me where things are and I should be good," She replied, making sure her jacket was tucked safely away before she started running the sink, waiting for the water to warm, "I'm not sure how bad your wounds are, but I think washing them off is going to be the best bet at the moment. Then I can go get things that will help specifically."
Nym was far from a certified nurse, that was her sister, but that also didn't mean she knew nothing. She had spent years bandaging herself up when training, and this couldn't be all that different. Besides the fact that she had no clue how much it was going to hurt.
She washed her hands as she talked, then looked around for a wash rag as well as a towel to dry her own hands off. "I'm quite sure you'll need some bandages though, to keep whatever wounds you have from getting infected. Having my guide through the country doesn't sound smart."
Nodding in response, he kept his eyes looking at the floor. Rael tried to remember how to treat wounds and what is needed, yet his brain felt like television static. All he could mentally list out was pain medicine and the first aid kit. Areas of bruises have to be rested and elevated; does not seem likely they will be able to do that. If he recalled correctly, they should have treated it right after it happened which also was not likely.
"Ice packs should be in the freezer and the first aid kit is on the table. It is possible there is some elastic bandages in the kit or maybe they're in a drawer over there.", he said, "Pain relief medicine is in the cabinet on the far left from the stove."
Rael lifted up the left side of his tank top a bit. The colonel really knew how to beat the living day out of someone. Seemed like the bruises were beginning to turn from red to purple. Some already were a light or dark purple. It was hard to determine if his abdomen was worse than his face. Just looking at them made him feel as if he was publicly humiliated. "I should've killed him.", he mumbled to himself before letting out a defeated sigh.
He bit his bottom lip while fixing his top. There is no point in getting embarrassed about it. Beatings like that happened every day; he's even watched some before. It is very different from a first person point of view. Thankfully he has Nym there helping them, at least he's not alone so it isn't that bad.
(Just realized I majorly didn't english in my last post lol…sorry)
She listened to his directions, though simply nodded. At the moment she was most concerned about having him wash the blood off of him. Nym let the sink water run as she tested the temperature, taking a nearby washrag and getting it wet in the warm water before handing it to him. "Here…wash off the best you can while I get the supplies."
Shutting off the water, she barely heard his words to himself, though she didn't comment, just paused momentarily and went about gathering the supplies. She took everything he had listed, from the first aid kit to the medicine he mentioned. Who knew what he would need. While doing so, she studied his apartment more, unconsciously taking note of things like the windows and the quickest escape route if needed.
Her mind swarmed with thoughts of what had all happened so far today, and she regretted immensely how they hadn't even locked the cell door behind their wreckage. Everything was done so hastily, she knew it was impossible to remember everything, but in hindsight, it was still frustrating. The past was over though. There was nothing they could do now but get to the border and through without any mishaps.
Nym pulled herself out of her thoughts as she set everything on the bathroom sink. It was time to try to remember how to treat wounds that weren't her own.
"Thank you", he whispered while taking the washrag. Rael waited till Nym left the bathroom to start rubbing all the dry blood off. It was not too long till the whole piece of damp cloth was completely red. Carefully, he got up to rinse it again then went back to getting off the remaining blood on his face. Even after wiping most of it off, he did not look like what he did early in the morning. Sure he can be more disheveled than he is right now, but he wasn't expecting to be so beaten up.
Hopefully he asked her to get things that will actually help. After all, he could not think straight for almost a whole hour. Maybe the elastic bandages in the first aid kit might do something beneficial. Sadly he was not able to think of anything else in the pack that can be of use to him, although it is likely there could be several things. Perhaps they could put some other things inside and take it along with them. He cannot predict what might happen down the line, yet he would not want them having to go for a long time while being hurt.
The trip. Everything was planned out for them from routes to stops to places they can stay for the night. He even tried to map out the places where soldiers or officials might be. And yet, something inside him gave him worry. Not intense enough to make him scared at the moment, but enough to piqué his curiosity. It would not be too surprising if they had run into some sort of conflict once. Rael let out a sigh. More time they spend worrying, the more time they will have to make up in order to get to where they need to be. This was not something they have multiple chances to take after all.
Folding the washrag, he placed it on the edge of the sink. Next he pulled the first aid kit closer to him so that he didn't have to use too much effort. In the cabinet there was some aloe vera he kept just in case. It's better than nothing right? Rael did not think much aside from taking care of these injuries. Like a robot, he mindlessly went to work or tried to without wincing a lot.
"So," She started, setting everything up before glancing at him, watching as he grabbed the first aid kit, "What can I help with now? I would offer to take care of your face if you wanted to ice, if you want me to that is." Nym went to roll up the sleeves of her jacket as she spoke before realizing she had already taken it off, causing her to hopefully drop her arms down to her sides in a casual manner.
Nym leaned against the sink as she waited for instruction, quickly slippin into thought. Mostly it was thoughts about the entirety of the plan to get to the border. She knew Rael had gone through it and planned thoroughly, but there was still a part of her that doubted. This was a plan to go against the only government he had followed. One he had been involved in for ten years. Could she really trust his intentions?
A part of her chimed in with the thought that he had already helped her get out of that stupid cell. It was a reasonable thought, though she still wasn't sure. He had literally taken a beating for her as well. That had to count for something. Until she had serious reason to doubt him, either way she was stuck with him. All she could do was hope that he wasn't going to turn on her.
Help? Rael stopped what he was doing and put down the bandages. A few moments ago he took his shirt to take care of the bruises on his chest. It was a lot of trial and tribulation rather than treating. Getting what was needed already made him feel grateful enough. Perhaps he should not have gone with treating his injuries right away?
There is not even much for him to do himself. They only have less than fifty minutes if they want to get out of here before anything happens. Gazing up at her, he noticed her trying to roll up her non-existent sleeves. He curled his lips back trying to hold in his laugh while going back to tying the elastic bandage around his chest. Recalling her question hit him once he felt a sharp of pain coming from his face. "Ice would be great.", he nodded following with a sigh.
Something felt quite off as he looked at her. To him, it appeared that something was troubling Nym, but he cannot really assume what though. She does seem to be okay. Maybe it is only just worry. "Is there something on your mind, my bella?" , he asked. Rael glanced away for a quick second before offering a light smile and taking her hand. "Are you okay?"
She paused when he asked her about what was on her mind, hesitating as she tried to decide what to tell him. Nym felt him grab her hand as she came to a decision and though the touch was comforting enough that she wanted to tell him what was on her mind, she simply shook her head.
"Just worrying, nothing to fret about, scrawny," She replied, deciding that a half-truth was better than an entire lie. Then, she quickly changed the subject, though she found herself not letting go of his hand. "Now, I'm not sure if the ice pack I found in your freezer is going to be big enough to ice your chest, but it should work on your face."
Nym didn't look at him while grabbing for the ice pack already wrapped in a thin towel, handing it out to him with her free hand. She didn't even meet his eyes for a while or even glance at him, as there was a part of her that was somehow painfully aware of the lack of a shirt. A thought that she quickly brushed away before she could blush like a schoolgirl. She was a spy. And Rael was injured. Shirtless, but injured, and those two things balanced out her imagination enough that she could focus.
Rael could not pull his gaze away from Nym as he sat there. The corners of his lips gradually went down as he lost focus of it. Every few moments he would glance down at their hands then used his thumb to gently caress the side of hers. Taking his attention back to their conversation, his lips parted open slightly as he tried to remember what he wanted to say. He frowned a little when noticing the swift change of discussion, yet just went along with it. They have plenty of time to talk if she'd like to.
"It's alright, I probably will take care of my chest somewhere while you take your shower.", he said. The ice pack felt frigid despite being covered with a towel. Once he pressed it against his cheek, a shiver went down his spine. Gods how it felt so weird to feel something else besides a warm stinging sensation. After awhile, it finally settled down. He hummed softly while pressing the ice pack on another spot. "Thanks to you, my bella, I feel better already."
The realization of him being shirtless did not hit him yet. Sure he did take it off just a couple of moments ago, yet it did not register anything. A few minutes went by till he noticed how she wasn't looking back at him. When he went to put the ice pack on a bruise on his chest, Rael knew right away. Letting go of her hand, he used his to cover himself. Perhaps a small warning a little while ago might of been a wise choice. Really he never has been majorly concerned about taking it off in front of others, but now felt completely different.
Should he just go and treat himself at the kitchen table? That way she can take care of herself too. But he appeared to be stuck where he is right now. Setting the pack down, he threw his shirt over him then went back to using it. "I'm sorry about that." Keeping his look at the floor, he adjusted the shirt with his other hand.
(Happy late holidays!)
"It's fine," She replied, her hand dropping to her side while she averted her eyes, "I figured you wanted some privacy, even if I'm here to help you." It felt…colder in the room now that he wasn't holding her hand, but that was a fact that she quickly pushed away. She couldn't come to enjoy holding his hand, no matter if she did like it. If she got attached, then getting to the border was going to be painful when they inevitably had to part their ways. Even if he was her friend, there was not much of a chance he would be allowed into the country.
Nym rolled her shoulders and sighed, turning back to the remaining supplies spread out on the sink, "Well, depending on if you need help with anything else, I can either stay here, or I can go try to find something for us to eat before we leave. Then when you're done, I can shower and we can be on our way."
Even as she spoke, she still didn't focus on Rael. There was a sliver of her brain that desperately wanted to see him shirtless again, and that small part was throwing images she didn't need to focus on into her mind. Instead, she busied herself with arranging everything,
Rael couldn't deny the fact he started to feel odd after letting her hand go. It was not that he did not feel something beforehand, it's just that his heart dropped a bit once it happened; very much different from anything he's felt in the past. Honestly he would not mind to hold Nym's hand again or hug her. Something about holding her made him sense some sort of calming and happy sensation.
How can he be this way now? They do not have much time together. Chances of him being able to be with her after getting to the border are very slim according to his assumptions. Besides, he has no clue how she feels about him. His first impression was not a good one at all. And he did not think to ask her if it was alright to take his shirt off too. But still, he does not know what else to do to stop himself from feeling this way. The gods better have a reason for this. He does not want for them to fall in love only for it end up being a painful memory looming over their minds for the rest of their lives.
Somehow he was able to get himself out of his own thoughts. Licking his lips, he tried to remember what it is he wanted to say. First he had to think back to what she said before formulating his own words. "No you can stay, it's alright." , he reassured, "I just didn't realize that taking off my shirt might've made you uncomfortable."
"Hold on a moment." Slowly getting up, he made his way over to the sink. His left hand was still holding onto the ice pack. Standing beside Nym, his eyes scanned at all the other things before they focused on her. Rael leaned a bit forward and softly pressed the back of his hand on her forehead. Then he dragged it down to her cheek where he decided to keep it for a few seconds. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem a bit warm right now. We can always go back to dealing with me later."
(Happy late holidays to you too! :D)
Her mind didn't stop moving as she arranged the smaller supplies, laying everything out neatly. It was enough of a distraction that she didn't immediately blush when she felt Rael's hand touch her forehead and slide to her cheek. She did meet his eyes though, even if it was for a brief second.
"I'm alright Rael, just a little warm," She replied, hoping it was a good enough bluff. In reality, she was getting quite flustered being so close to him, though she couldn't figure out why. Nym had been around guys before, and she had never once felt like this around any of them. She had never felt this flustered, and this was the first time she felt this…safe around a male. Yes, Rael taking his shirt off might have been part of the incident, but that couldn't have been the only thing. "Let's get your injuries dealt with first. Starting with you keeping ice on your bruises."
Nym's eyes danced around as she spoke, from his face to the room around them, occasionally meeting his eyes. Even as she mentioned getting back to his injuries, she didn't pull away from his hand. If anything, she pressed into it a tiny bit, hoping he didn't notice.
He could have sworn that she leaned into his touch, just barely. His heart thumped differently than previously. Though maybe it was only his imagination. Might be, it was hard for him to tell. Actually he felt kind of warm himself too. It was quite hard to take his attention off of Nym and go back to taking care of his injuries. To him, it did not matter. Just looking at her made him feel much better already.
"Okay, if there is anything, just let me know.", he smiled rushing his words, "After this, we have a lot of time to talk. Well that's if you want to. It's okay if you don't." Nodding nervously, he followed with what she said and kept using the ice pack. If there really was something going on, she would tell him, right? Is there something going on between them? At this point he is not sure. So many things were going through his mind right now, it was hard to know. From them having to get out of here soon to these feelings, he cannot sort out them evenly; they're all clumped together.
Gradually, his hand was taken away. It shook as it went down on top of the sink counter. Rael pulled his gaze away too only for them to randomly glance around then stared back into the mirror. Wait, come to think of it, he never really realized their difference in height. She wasn't that much shorter than him, but he hadn't thought of it till now. Oh he can only imagine placing a small kiss on top of her auburn hair then pulling her in for a hug.
The small gap between his lips closed when the thought came up. He transferred the pack from his left to right hand then placed it on the right side of his cheek. Rubbing the back of his neck, he stared down at the things on the sink. Rael was sure he took care of his chest enough for the rest of the trip for today. How much treatment he needs for his face is something he is not sure of. Bruises do take at least two weeks to heal. With a slightly annoyed face, his bottom lip puckered out. "Damn it", he whispered.
"Talking sounds nice," She replied with a shrug, offering a tiny hesitant smile, "Not right now…but later, I wouldn't mind it." Nym looked down at the range of things laid out, then up at the mirror, quickly looking away when she met eyes with Rael.
Something inside of her was giving her butterflies whenever she looked at him, and she wasn't sure if she liked it. It was a new feeling and paired with feeling flustered, it was causing her thoughts to scramble. Things seemed to straighten out when she was touching Rael, but at the same time it flustered her more, so she stayed to herself. There wasn't time to deal with whatever thoughts she had anyway.
Nym finally looked up at him again when she heard him whisper, the barest hints of amusement crossing her face. He looked cute when he was annoyed. Even with the growing bruises and puffy swelling from said bruises. He looked almost childlike with his lip out. "I'll go get you more ice packs if you need them," She offered, speaking up for the first time in several minutes, "Then I can treat the few actual wounds you have from being punched, and I can get to showering."
"Okay, whenever you want to.", he said. Lowering the ice pack, he slightly turned to face her. His hand nudged forward a bit but stayed on top of the sink counter. Right as she looked at him, he felt his cheeks warming up just a little bit.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he kept his gaze staring at the sink. The urge to stare at her was biting at him. Using his peripherals did not help nor did trying to use his icepack as a way to block his vision. Rael cannot help but be captivated by Nym. How she can be so mesmerizing like this out of nowhere is beyond him. Seriously. Maybe they can talk about it later. That is, if his mind is not running in circles trying to find what to say and the right thing to say.
Somehow he was able to come back into reality, but he still could not find himself able to look back at her. He had on the frustrated expression, he was not able to change it completely. Despite only thinking about Nym, he managed to think of the fact his bruises were going to be around for awhile. They still sting whenever he uses the ice pack on them. Not to mention they're still changing color. "Oh I'm fine with just this one, thank you. Let's take care of the injuries."
Was he amusing her? He could not but notice this when stealing another glimpse. Rael tilted his head back up to see in the mirror. Perhaps he is. His pout disappeared as he curled his lips back trying to not laugh. In an instant, he was able to bring it back only to lose it again. Damn, he really wanted to make her laugh but ended up making himself snort just thinking about it.
Nym glanced up when she heard him snort, wondering if she had done something wrong. She seemed confused to see him not pouting anymore, but she didn't bring it up, just pointed back to the edge of the bathtub, "Here, sit back down."
She grabbed the few things she figured she needed, all of which were simple. At least Rael's superiors hadn't done enough damage that anything was broken. Nym could handle broken skin and bruises, but anything more complex than that and they would've had a problem. Turning around with the things in hand, she stepped close to him and motioned for him to tip his head up.
Nym was silent as she studied his face, finding herself meeting his eyes for far longer than she had intended. His eyes were captivating. Even if they were black and blue, they were still stunning, and she felt lost in them. Quickly, she looked back away, shifting on her feet as she prayed to all the gods that she wasn't blushing. Rael was attractive, she wouldn't deny him that, but still, she couldn't think of him as more than a friend. He and his brown eyes were bad for her.
