Aurelia glances at her watch; seeing the time turn midnight.
She feels the exhaustion tugging against her bones as she steps out from the foliage after completing a mission; defeating a Class B creature that resembled closely like a bison. It is a daring mission especially when the creature decides to bulldoze against her, throwing her against a tree trunk.
Pain is pounding against her left arm and right shoulder but she tries to ignore them as she drags herself to her motorbike which she had left parked by the road. She sits by the curb, allowing her legs to stretch as she fishes out a cigarette pack and a lighter. She lit one with shaky hands and took a deep breath filled with cancerous smoke.
Blood is dripping down her left arm and staining the ground. She makes no move to staunch the blood. Wincing as she pulls a drag of smoke, she hears footsteps crunching to her left and she turns to see the familiar silver-haired Hunter approaching her. She doesn't bother asking why he is there.
He appears randomly in places; especially whenever there are powerful cores at play.
Xavius has a smile on his face as he walks to her but then turns serious when he takes note of her disheveled state. His icy blue eyes widen in alarm as he notices the gaping wound on her left arm and hurries to her side. He kneels and seeing that she doesn't move away, merely allowing him to approach her, he holds her arm to check on the wound.
"Beautiful Asteri, you're bleeding."
"So it is."
"Are you going to the hospital?"
"I'm not going to," she says. "My doctor will freak out and I don't think I can take his coddling tonight."
Xavius says nothing to her statement and holds her arm gently, wrapping a cloth tightly around the wound swiftly to staunch the blood flow. She watches him work silently, seeing how gentle he is although he hunts creatures for a living. He looks down at the blood pooling on the ground and checks on her complexion.
"It is unwise if you don't," he says, extending a hand to her as if asking her to take his hand.
She gazes up at him, furrowing her brows in frustration as wisps of smoke escape her lips. Signs of an impending headache begin to gnaw at her temples. Despite her repeated assertions against hospital visits, his insistence only serves to amplify her irritation. Isn't it abundantly clear that she has no desire to step foot in a hospital?
"I said I'm not going," she repeats. "I'll be fine. Give me a few minutes and I'll head back."
"Keys."
She glares at him but says nothing. The headache is starting to affect her vision, and her right eye is beginning to hurt. He looks at her pointedly, expecting her to give him her motorcycle keys but she doesn't move. He frowns at her and lets his hand drop to his side as he kneels in front of her, looking at her closely.
"You're too close."
"You dislocated your shoulder, didn't you?"
Aurelia opts for silence, inhaling a lungful of cancerous smoke before exhaling with a heavy sigh. She turns her gaze towards Xavius, who awaits her response with unwavering patience. His persistence mirrors that of her doctor, a reminder she finds rather disconcerting.
"Promise me you won't tell Zayne."
He nods and leans forward, pulling her into his embrace as he begins to feel how bad her shoulder is. She buries her face into his neck, muffling her groans. Telling her to take a deep breath, he starts a countdown and snaps her shoulder into place at two earning a scream from her.
He uses her uniform jacket to wrap her arm into a makeshift sling and sends her to the hospital, pausing as he sees her tattooed skin. By the time they arrive, she is weak from blood loss and Xavius has to carry her in on his back; admitting her into the A&E.
At the back where most of the patients are being treated for various injuries or sickness, she sits on one of the stools where another attending doctor is checking on the wound and giving her fluids to replenish herself when Zayne comes in. She tries not to blanch upon seeing him enter; how can he know so quickly?
It is very hard to keep her injuries quiet when the panel hospital is where Zayne works.
"How is she faring, Dr Smith?" he asks as he approaches them, his silver eyes looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Zayne is dressed in his blue scrubs with a white coat thrown over his shoulders to indicate that he is the attending surgeon on duty. There is a row of pens on his breast pocket.
Aurelia is sipping on orange juice when Zayne ruffles her hair, a gentle look crossing his face and it disappears when he listens to what his colleague rattles off; turning more serious once he is done. She tries to alleviate the impending lecture by diverting the focus to the quiet Hunter hanging by her shoulder.
"Oh before I forget, this is Xavius, he's my partner at work," she introduces quickly. "Xavius, this is Zayne. My primary care physician and childhood friend. Get acquainted."
Both men regard each other quietly. Both are standing at the same height but bearing different builds; Zayne is broader and wider in size while Xavius is lithe and wiry. They are the opposite of each other; light versus cold, white versus black. Aurelia looks at them, sipping on her juice box noisily. She is very curious to see what will happen between the two.
"I heard you were the one who helped reset her shoulder and brought her here," Zayne says as he extends a hand in greeting. "Pleased to meet you."
Xavius takes the hand offered and they shake hands. Aurelia watches them curiously; noticing the way Zayne's silver eyes are analyzing the man before him while Xavius's icy blue eyes remain unreadable. They both turn to look at her and she realizes that she is going to be in deep trouble soon.
Two men stand as if they belong in Athens, carved as if from marble, exuding pride. Their chiseled faces boast angular jawlines, endowed with a handsomeness and beauty that could make any woman kneel in reverence. Aurelia attempts not to choke on her orange juice; their staring is enough to make her understand who is revered here.
She is in trouble.
Remembering something, she turns to Xavius. "I thought you promised me you wouldn't tell Zayne I dislocated my shoulder," she says with a frown. "You blabbermouth."
Xavius is taken aback at her words while Zayne chuckles. He looks like he has committed a grave crime. He looks offended. How can she say that about him? "I thought you meant the other thing," he says in defense.
She pales upon his words. "You -"
"What other thing?" Zayne interrupts. An inquisitive look appears on his face as he turns to look at Aurelia and then at Xavius. "What did you promise not to tell me?"
Aurelia jumps up quickly to stop Xavius from answering Dr Zayne's question, grabbing his cheeks with her less injured hand. "Keep your mouth shut, you jabberer!" she hisses. "You promised me!"
"Aurelia."
She whirls to face her doctor, trying to keep her secret intact. Despite her insistence, she dislikes lying and she dislikes being found out. "Nothing, Zayne," she says quickly, trying not to fidget under his stern gaze. "Can I go now?"
"Don't lie to your doctor, Aurelia."
She frowns. She feels irritation seeping into her bloodstream and grows frustrated with them. Treating her like a frail child. Undermining her words and throwing her under the bus. She turns to the attending doctor who sits by the side quietly, watching the scene unfold.
"You get me out of this hospital now."
He got up immediately. "Follow me."
Half an hour later, she sits outside the hospital as if contemplating on what to do. Her motorcycle is parked by the carpark lot and she can't drive it herself, not when she's on an arm sling. She's loopy on medication too. It would be careless of her to operate a machine, too.
She lights a cigarette and watches the smoke waft up the cold night air. As she contemplates on what to do, she hears someone clearing their throat and freezes when she notices her doctor standing on her right.
"So, this is the secret you were hiding from me."
"Why are you here?" she asks as she leans against the chair, continuing to smoke since the cat is out of the bag. She resolves herself to get lectured about the dangers of smoking when she has a heart problem. "I thought you had surgery to attend to."
"I still have a few hours before they start the surgery," he says nonchalantly. "My fellow will call me once she's done prepping."
She nods.
"Aren't you heading back?"
"I will once I figure out what to do with my motorbike."
They both fall silent and then Aurelia turns as she feels his hand grabbing hers, taking the cigarette out of her fingers and he inhales the cancerous smoke. Her eyes widen at his action, she figures the doctor will take care of his health. She watches him; committing how he holds himself and the way he holds the cigarette to memory.
He is ethereal, god-like.
"Head home, you can come back and take your bike later," he says and hands a white card over to her. "Here, it's my spare parking card."
She takes the card from him but he doesn't let go. Instead, he grabs her wrist and pulls her into his embrace, keeping her close to him while being careful of her right shoulder. She feels his chin on her head and a soft sigh. She nuzzles her face into his chest, breathing in his icy and cologne scent.
It is the same cologne he has used ever since she complimented him once years ago and since she is sensitive to other scents, he hasn't gotten any other scents. She should buy another for him, she muses.
"Am I being too strict on you, Aurelia?" he asks. "Is this why you've been keeping secrets from me?"
"No."
"Then why?"
"I just didn't want you to worry about me," she says. "I know my job is dangerous and I see how you react every time I come back injured. And I don't like … I don't like seeing you being scared for me."
She feels him squeezing her and his mouth on her forehead. His powers are billowing off him and she shudders before she allows her powers to envelope her. Fire versus ice, two different elements comparable to each other.
"It is my job to be worried about you, Aurelia," he says. "If I don't, no one will. And I doubt you'd return to me intact if I don't."
She laughs despite the seriousness. "You know me so well it's scary sometimes," she says.
He sighs suddenly and then she feels him moving, taking his mobile phone out of his pocket to answer a call. Knowing that it is his fellow calling him, she takes a step back but he stops her from moving, keeping her in his embrace.
"I'll get you a cab home," he says after he hangs up. "I want you home, showered and rested."
She sighs as she presses her face onto his chest. "Yes, Doctor Zayne."
He chuckles. "Good girl."