"Shhh . . . it is okay."
Haruki recognized that voice but he wondered what gave the person so much courage to speak to him as though they were speaking to a child. What gave the person the right to tell him whether it was okay or not?
He was sure he was not going to die however he could not deny the effect those words had on him as he relaxed into the arms lifting his body. This has to be a dream.
He could not differentiate what was real and what wasn't as he would drift in and out of consciousness. It continued for so long but he could not help but feel safe under the care of the person whose voice did not stop reassuring him.
"You will wake up in a while, I just hope you won't go to work like you did or I might lose my head to your men who would want to avenge their boss," the voice came.
The person was scolding him but the warmth wrapped in that voice pulled him away from the dreamland that always gave him solace in his state of unconsciousness. The person's voice and words prevented him from living the life he wished he was living at the moment with his parent.
He wanted to tell the person to shut up and give him a moment of silence to see his mother's beautiful face, to hear his father's laughter . . . but why did that voice sound almost equally peaceful and protective of him?
He forced his eyes open and a blurry figure hovered above him and when that person moved away from him, his hands reached with great difficulty towards the person and gripped whatever his hand touched.
"Are you awake?" the person hovered above him again as he tried hard to see the face of the man.
He parted his lips to speak but no sound escaped his lips as he continued to focus on the face to see the person properly. His eyes got tired as his grip loosened. He fought to keep his eyes open but lost the fight against his body.
A warm hand brushed his forehead lightly before resting gently against his skin. His body felt like it was sinking deep into a warm pool as he lost consciousness again.
When he opened his eyes again, the room was dark and he could not make out any shape in the darkness of the night. Without the strength to turn the light on, he remained still staring into the darkness until the heaviness of his eyelids led him back to sleep.
***
When he finally woke up from the dreamless slumber that lasted for an eternity, he stood up feeling better since he had no urge to wince from the injury. When he looked around the room, he could notice a few strange things. The prominent one among them all was the body covered in a blanket lying on his sofa.
He walked to the person not forgetting to take a knife with him although he was sure enough that the person was not a foe or he would have been minced meat from the moment he collapsed in the bathroom.
The body moved and the person moved the blanket from their face before turning to look at Haruki. When his gaze met those brown eyes, which looked tired and sleepy, he relaxed slightly, and ignoring the person, he walked into the bathroom almost hurrying away.
"You are awake?" the man asked walking towards Haruki.
Without responding, Haruki closed the door of the bathroom. He wondered why the man had bothered to ask since he would not be walking into the bathroom if he was not awake. When he looked at the injury in the mirror, he sighed in relief. It looked better than the last time he saw it although it still showed signs of infection.
There was a knock on the door before the door was pushed open. From the reflection in the glass before him, he could see the man walk in with his hair looking like it was woven into a nest by a bird in the middle of the night but he hated to acknowledge that it did not affect that handsome face.
Haruki loved beautiful people and art and once he sees one that he wishes to acquire, he does not hesitate to do that however, the gentleness despite the masculinity of the man's beauty made him hesitate. It made him want to avoid the person at all costs as the person screamed danger in the many languages he could speak.
The man's gaze met his and he stopped in his track before bowing to Haruki. So, he still knows his manners, Haruki thought as he ignored the man's show of respect.
The man walked closer and said, "You should rest today too or I don't know what to do if the wound gets infected again." The man was not as confident as he was when they first met and he could sense a plea and tiredness in the man's voice as though he had given up the fight, whatever it was.
"For how long have I been out?" Haruki asked the man as he turned to face him.
"Perhaps two days and nineteen hours," the doctor replied.
Haruki's brow furrowed slightly. He had never gone out of consciousness for more than a day so being away from work and his life for more than two days was a great surprise to him, he refused to believe the man's words as he walked out of the bathroom into the room to get his phone.
The information on the screen of his phone was enough confirmation of the man's words. He called his assistant immediately. He did not want to imagine what he would have missed in those days he was unconscious.
"Boss," his assistant came from the other end.
"Get over here," he said with a tired voice that almost sounded like a sigh.
"I think you should not work today. By tomorrow, I'm sure the injury would have healed enough for you to get on with your daily life," the doctor advised from behind.
Haruki ignored the man's words without a second thought. He did not want to bring himself to imagine what he had missed. He walked into the bathroom to clean up when he was assured that his assistant was on his way.
The man was nowhere to be found when he walked out of his bathroom. He looked around the room which showed that the man had laid the bed and cleaned up where he slept.
He walked out of the room dressed in a casual outfit. He stopped and looked down wondering if the housekeeper came when he perceived the aroma of a meal.
What greeted him was the sight of a tall man with a crown of brown hair and an apron as he moved around with ease and so much attention. It was a sight he never imagined to be mesmerizing as he stopped at the door watching the man in silence.
"You don't have enough energy to waste standing there, how about you sit down on one of these stools."