207: 5.17 Flashbacks

5.17 Flashbacks

"Like what you see?" Lu Yizhou almost bit his tongue as soon as the sentence slipped out of his mouth. He didn't mean to tease Terra at all, it's just that his expression was so soft and vulnerable and he was staring at Lu Yizhou's lips as if wishing to kiss him within an inch of his life. How could Lu Yizhou resist? He was but a mortal, heavily soaked in desires to touch and be touched in return, even though it only applied to no one but his lover.  1

Terra's eyes jerked up to meet him and oh, Lu Yizhou could see the flash of desire there, so vividly reflected by the way his golden eyes darkened and his lips parted without realizing. Terra's face was still quite swollen from crying, his eyes were bloodshot and his hair in a long frizzy mess. He was the loveliest sight Lu Yizhou had ever seen. His blood thrummed under his skin and he swallowed. This… This wasn't what he was planning for when he decided to stay. He merely wanted to make sure that Terra was okay, to talk to him, to learn how his personality was in this world. But… 

The hand on Terra's small back slid up to hold the back of his neck, squeezing lightly and Terra's lashes fluttered in response. He gripped tighter on the fabric of Lu Yizhou's shirt as shudders ran down his spine. Then he blinked a few times, confused at his own strange reaction.

Lu Yizhou instantly stopped and cursed at himself. He had been too focused on how pliant Terra was under his hands and failed to recall the guide's predicament. Terra had been living in the wild for a large part of his life, only accompanied by nature and caresses of air on his skin. It was no wonder that he had no idea about how desires worked, it was no wonder that he had looked so confused. Lu Yizhou gently scraped Terra's scalp with the tip of his fingers, rubbing circles in a comforting motion again and again. "Is it okay if I touch you like this?" he murmured, even though his body yearned to lean forward, bury his nose into Terra's hair and inhale as much as he could until the guide's scent lingered on the tip of his nose all day.

Terra blinked at him.

Lu Yizhou's fingers were stuck in a knot and he hummed. "Do you have a comb?"

It took Terra a while to register Lu Yizhou's question and once he did, he merely cocked his head in silent confusion. He was so adorable that Lu Yizhou couldn't resist an amused huff. There was no way Doctor Wyatt wouldn't provide him with basic living necessities. Terra must have been so unaccustomed to tidy himself up to care. "Am I allowed to comb your hair for you?" He asked again just to make sure.

Terra merely offered him a slow blink. For someone who had lived with a cat for years and also had a cat omega for a spouse, Lu Yizhou could somehow read him despite the lack of reaction. "Thank you." The corner of his lips curled up as he tucked Terra's hair behind his ears. When he stepped back intending to search for a comb somewhere, Terra tightened his hold on his shirt and furrowed his brows.

Lu Yizhou instinctively reached out to smooth the lines. "I am not going anywhere. I will just go to the bathroom for a while, okay?" 

Terra considered him for a moment before letting go, clearly reluctant. His bottom lip jutted out in a semblance of a pout and this time, Lu Yizhou couldn't resist any longer. He bent down to drop a kiss on the crown of Terra's head and perhaps lingered a bit more to take in his sweet, addicting scent. The guide froze in an instant, eyes widening as he reached out to touch the spot where he had just been kissed. Lu Yizhou smiled once more and walked to the bathroom when Terra was obviously distracted. 

Terra's bathroom was the same as his, thus it took no time at all for Lu Yizhou to locate the cabinet and rummage through it. There was an unopened box of emergency kits, various medicines that were clearly untouched, bottles of soap, shampoo, conditioner and there it was, in a box with a clutter of scissors, nail clipper, cotton balls, rolls of gauze, and cotton swabs mixed together was the comb he was looking for. Lu Yizhou searched a bit more for hair oils and grabbed a wet cloth before he came out only to find his lover huddling to the corner of the wall where he hugged his knees. His eyes were fixed on Doctor Wyatt who was leaning against the door frame.

"Breakfast will be served soon. I am just swinging by to check on you—" His words halted when he caught sight of Lu Yizhou who had just come out of the bathroom and in an instant, he gave a very bitter glare as if Lu Yizhou had stolen his family heirloom and sold it cheaply.

Lu Yizhou merely pretended he saw nothing and sat on the chair by Terra's bedside. He showed the wet cloth, the comb and hair oils and beckoned the guide over. "Can you come closer a bit?"

Terra looked at him, Doctor Wyatt, back to him before he gingerly scooted over, still hugging his knees to his chest. Lu Yizhou started by gently wiping Terra's face with the wet cloth, making sure that he didn't exert too much strength before he took a small part of his hair, applied oil and started to comb from his scalp down to the tip. He held the hair firmly every time there was a knot so that Terra wouldn't feel the pain. The guide's body swayed back and forth and his eyes fluttered close in comfort only to snap open every time he almost fell asleep. 

"It's okay." Lu Yizhou finished the left side of the hair until it was all smooth and glossy before he tugged on Terra's shoulders, guiding the younger man to lean on him. "Come here."

Gingerly, Terra tucked his head deeper to Lu Yizhou's neck and heaved a sigh that seemed to melt away the tension on his body. He went relaxed and putty, leaning all his weight on Lu Yizhou and curled up even more, almost as if he wanted to hide entirely in Lu Yizhou's arms. Of course, there was nothing Lu Yizhou wanted more than this. He shifted so that Terra could be in a more comfortable position before continuing with his task.

Doctor Wyatt witnessed everything with wide eyes. W—What the hell? Had they forgotten that he was still here?! He coughed. "General Kai, if I may."

Lu Yizhou merely gave him a cursory glance and returned to combing Terra's hair with single minded devotion. Whatever he wanted to say, he could say right here or none at all. There was no way Lu Yizhou was going to stop what he was doing.

The veins on Doctor Wyatt's forehead throbbed. This dark sentinel, how dare he! Didn't he know that Doctor Wyatt could kill him in his sleep with a syringe?! He huffed in annoyance. "Breakfast will be brought here soon and as your doctor, I would like to do a compatibility test on you two. It's nothing serious." He added after observing that Terra had gone a bit tense. "You only need to let a bit of your spiritual element out, enough to be read by the machines. It won't even take five minutes. Terra?"

To Doctor Wyatt's dismay, the guide turned his head away to hide into Lu Yizhou's shoulder! Goodness — Doctor Wyatt was going to die of heart attack sooner or later if this continued any longer! He inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times and tried to project calmness and determination. "If…" He emphasized strongly. "If your compatibility with General Kai goes higher than 85%, you will be eligible to form a bond with him. I assume you might want that."

Terra's eyes went as wide as saucers and he abruptly looked up at Lu Yizhou only to realize that the sentinel was already looking back at him. Lu Yizhou frowned at the hesitance and vulnerability in Terra's eyes. Was he afraid that Lu Yizhou would reject him? That was such an absurd thought. There was nobody Lu Yizhou wanted but him. 

"If you allow me…" Lu Yizhou combed the last bit of Terra's hair and tied it into a high ponytail, pulling out a few thin strands to frame his face. Perfect. He nodded to himself before looking straight into Terra's eyes, making sure that the guide truly heard and understood what he said. "...it will be such an honor for me to become your sentinel, Terra. I won't force you. You may give it a thought for a few days. I will have you however you want me. I promise."

I promise…

Terra's vision blurred for a split second and there he was again, standing in front of the man in light blue robe, his heart ached so badly that he wanted to die. "Promise…?" He asked in a wobbly voice.

"Promise." The man reassured in a firm and gentle voice. A kiss landed on his forehead and in the next second, the image vanished. He was back in the hospital room, tucked in the dark sentinel's embrace. Terra's already pale complexion turned even more ghastly. W—What was that?! It had happened twice in a row and both times it was so clear as if… as if Terra had experienced it himself. Terra shook his head to erase the bizarre thought.

Lu Yizhou exchanged a worried look with Doctor Wyatt. Terra had been looking distracted for a while and lost in his own thoughts. Displeasure coursed through Lu Yizhou when he saw his lover's thin frame and his overly pale face. He rubbed Terra's arm back and forth, trying to transfer warmth and bringing him out of his reverie. "Terra?" Lu Yizhou gingerly held his trembling hands, a frown appearing between his brows. "Don't be anxious. I won't force you to do anything. I swear on my life."

Terra swallowed thickly. He reached out to hold Lu Yizhou's pinky finger and squeezed.

Lu Yizhou bent down to peer into Terra's eyes. "Terra?" 

The guide glanced at him through the curtain of his eyelashes, his golden eyes glistening with unshed tears. The sight made Lu Yizhou feel as if someone had just punched him straight on his gut. What was wrong? What had made him so anxious and distraught? Lu Yizhou recalled the information of how a guide's emotion could easily influence the people around them if it wasn't properly controlled, but the same could also be applied to sentinels. A steady sentinel could offer their guide comfort thus Lu Yizhou threw the jittery to the back of his mind and tried to exude nothing but calmness and protectiveness. I am here for you, he tried to convey.

Fortunately, the method seemed to work because Terra's shoulders gradually sagged in relief. The hand that was holding onto his pinky finger tugged lightly.

"Hmm?" Lu Yizhou bent down to accomodate him and Terra instantly reached out to hug his neck, gripping so tight as if his life depended on it. Lu Yizhou's arm coiled around his waist by reflex. Too thin, he thought in displeasure. He could feel Terra nod minutely and it took Lu Yizhou two seconds to realize that he was replying to Doctor Wyatt's earlier question.

The poor doctor was pinching his brows with a constipated look. He wasn't paid enough to witness this so early in the morning! That's it, he had to get away from here as soon as possible lest his eyes got burned. "That's settled, then. After breakfast, a nurse will come to escort you two to the examination room." That was quite unnecessary in Doctor Wyatt's opinion. He could already imagine how high the two's compatibility went, judging from how intimate they were. But still, nothing was better than numeric evidence. He gave a cursory nod toward the sentinel and guide who were still locked in each other's embrace and fled from that place.

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Mini theater

When Doctor Wyatt returned to the lounge area, the group that had been waiting for him instantly surrounded him with eagerness and curiosity that rivaled the most exceptional paparazzi. "Doctor, how is it?! Were they really kissing?! Can we expect a wedding soon?!"

Doctor Wyatt recalled how sticky Terra was with General Kai and felt some sort of betrayal. His eyes turned red. "Scram!"

"Aww Doctor, it can't be… Are you crying?!"

Doctor Wyatt furiously scrubbed his eyes and hollered. "Get back to work!"

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