"Now show me," he demanded again.
Elias sighed, trying to reason with him, "I just did this bandage half an hour ago. Peeling it off right now would be a waste-"
Louis interrupted him, not caring if he sounded like a petulant child or a grumpy parent. "I don't give a damn about the bandage. I want to see if you're fine. So, give me your hand." He held out his hand again, gesturing for Elias to give him his.
Left with no other argument at the face of Louis's stubbornness, Elias reluctantly stretched out his hand. "...Here."
Louis hummed approvingly to himself as he took the other's thin, pale hand in his own slightly larger ones. He carefully pulled off the bandage, taking care not to touch the injured spot directly. However, irritation flickered in his gaze as he saw the wound.
"...How on earth did you even do this?" he muttered, his gaze intensely focused on the injury. "This blister is the size of a tomato."
Elias quickly defended himself. "Okay, first of all, it's nowhere near that big. You're clearly exaggerating. And second, accidents happen-"
"Accidents happen, my ass," Louis grumbled. "I don't even want to know how you managed to hurt yourself this badly while cooking," His long, slender fingers carefully traced the injured spot. His expression was stern, intense, but almost fond. He warned, "Don't peel off the skin pocket over it."
Elias was in disbelief. Was this guy seriously talking to him like he was a child? He knew that, obviously! He huffed, "Of course I won't. I'm not stupid."
"Debatable."
"..." Elias grumbled under his breath, 'Who is this annoyed grandpa, and what have you done to my sweet, bubbly Louis?'
Whether Louis heard him or not was unclear, as he didn't respond. He silently redid the bandage, an almost... soft look on his face. His mask of charm had almost slipped. He knew he could've handled this with more charisma, but the moment he saw Elias hurt, all he felt was irritation and protectiveness.
He stood up, looking down at Elias. "You. Stay here. Seeing as you're this hopeless in the kitchen, I'll cook."
Hearing that, Elias's Asian genes kicked in. Technically, Louis was still a guest—how could he let him cook? He wanted to protest but knew it would fall on deaf ears. If Louis was stubborn enough to make him redo a bandage he'd just done half an hour ago just to see the wound, there was no way he'd listen to this protest. So he just nodded, a slight pout on his lips. "Fine... but I can help you chop vegetables? I'll feel bad if I just sit here."
Louis rolled his eyes at the pout, letting go of Elias's hand. He chuckled when Elias said he wanted to help. He hummed, pretending to consider the proposal for a moment before sighing internally. He was too much of a sucker for that pout. Curse his weakness.
"Well..."
Previously, Elias had felt embarrassed, but now he was just plain offended. Was Louis seriously contemplating whether he could be trusted with a knife? He wasn't a toddler! He grumbled, "It's incredibly offensive to me, as a 32-year-old man with a doctorate, a PhD and an MS degree that you're even contemplating this. Even worse, for a whole minute." (AN: MS- Master of Surgery)
Louis chuckled at that, his lips tugging into an amused smile at Elias's grumbled words. It was adorable how easy the blonde was to rile up. He liked the other's offended expressions and tantrums a little... too much. He shrugged, a smirk on his lips. "Well, excuse me if I think someone as hopeless as you wouldn't be able to manage a knife," he said in a purposely mocking tone. He knew Elias would get mad at that. He just wanted to see him throw a tantrum. But still, he had a charming front to maintain. So he decided not to push too far and relented.
"...Alright, alright, no need to glare at me like that. You can cut the vegetables. Just... don't hurt yourself again, or I'll be very tempted to tie you up and never let you into the kitchen again."