Chapter 17: Parting

I awakened to find myself on the floor, rolled up in my blanket as I rubbed at my bleary eyes.

It took awhile for my eyes to focus but I recognised the place I was in as my room. I sat up and yawned, noticing how the room door was open.

I rubbed at my head before getting up to get ready for the day when Big Aries... I mean... Aries was lying on my bed, curled in a fetus position.

"W-what are you doing here?!" I asked as I threw the blanket onto him.

"Nngh.... What.... Oh... Sol... Nnh... What time is it...?" Aries asked as he pushed the blanket off his face to see my face before lying back on the bed.

"I don't know the time. What I mean to ask is why are you on my bed? Naked?"

"Na-- Oh... Honestly... I have no idea." Aries replied as he sat up and covered his waist.

"Nevermind... can you put on some clothes? Since when have your sleeping habit begin to change?" I muttered as I peeked at Aries' chiseled abs.

Wow. Delicacy in the morning. What a feast...

"Err... With or without the blanket?"

"Just take it!" I exclaimed as I picked up my pillow and tossed it at him.

"Alright, alright." Aries laughed as he wrapped the blanket around him snugly only for him to rush to my side in a hurry.

"W-what?!" I replied in a fluster as he suddenly pinned me against the wall and held onto my wrist.

"This. Where did you get that from?" Aries asked with a serious look on his face.

"Uhh... I... uhh..." Little Aries isn't here? Strange... But I guess it's fine to leave it at that.

"I... I burned my arm when I spilled some hot water on it last night." I blurted out.

"Why would you need to wrap your hand in bandages if you scalded yourself?"

"Uhh..."

"Are you lying to me now?"

"I... I didn't mean to! It's just... you tend to overreact."

"... I'll see whether I need to overreact to this myself. Let me see the injury. Did you scrape yourself somewhere or..." Aries trailed off as he undid the bandages and say the bite mark Little Aries left.

"A-Aries?" Why isn't he saying anything all of a sudden? It's getting a little scary.

"We better head to town to see a doctor." Aries said as he wrapped the bandages back and left the room right after saying his piece.

He looked pretty upset. Will he be angry if I bring up the fact that I was planning to keep Little Aries? Perhaps it would be better to keep it a secret for now. He looks very angry... I can see a dark aura around him.

***

"Let's go." Aries said as he looked like he was excessively dressed for a trip to the hospital.

"Don't you feel hot in those?" I asked pointing at his outfit.

Aries had put on a cap and drawn on his hood while wrapping another layer of jacket around his waist. He also wore a pair of sunglasses and a face mask as he stood by the door.

"It's just a precaution."

"Yeah, yeah. I know you're famous and all but the face mask makes you seem like a pervert when you are so heavily dressed and already wearing a turtleneck sweater which you pulled all the way up your mouth."

"It's not to hide from the press or anything it's to protect y--..."

"What? You mumbled the last bit."

"It's nothing. Let's go." Aries said as he took my hand, leading me out the door.

"I... I already took some precaution but I'll do this for your ease of mind." I said as I watched Aries lock up the lab and check it at least twice before placing the key in his pocket.

"Shouldn't I be the one holding the keys?"

"You're injured. Act like it." Aries replied as he smoothly took my hand into his.

"W-what's up with this?" I asked as I looked at our hands that were linked together.

"Just a precaution. You get lost if I take my eyes off of you for a second. Not to mention you trip over nothing, get injured when I'm not around and blow stuff up."

"I think blowing stuff up sounds misleading..."

"Am I wrong though?" Aries asked as he gave me a knowing look. I had to glance away because I blew up a lot of gadgets in my lab and whatever I told him would work out which I had brought to his home to show off would explode as well.

"Okay, fine. You're right. As always. I guess I'll just have to comply." I sighed as I looked at Aries who merely grinned and tightened his grip on my hand.

***

"Why do you look so disatisfied when we have done everything you wanted me to do?" I asked as I peeked at Aries' face. He was in a foul mood despite the fact that he had me done all the possible check ups and forced the doctor to sign the papers approving the health check with his black card which I had no idea where he got it from.

"I feel like the doctor is a quack."

"Eh? But he had all those awards and PhD hanging on the wall..."

"How could he say nothing was wrong with the injury and that only some spread on medicine would work?!"

"Do you want to feed me a huge bunch of medicines then?" I replied with a sigh as I imagined the tantrum Aries might throw if he did not have his way and had no one to stop him.

"No... what if you overdose?"

"... But you say his prescription is wrong?"

"I just find that his diagnosis of that terrible wolf biting you and it being a minor wound a problem. What if you had rabies?"

"I had a jab at home so I took it. He also ran a few tests that came back clean. Besides I am also vaccinated against them. Don't worry too much. I'm sure he made the right diagnosis."

"... If he didn't... I will bring this hospital down."

"Now, now... since we just need to get the prescribed medicine and head home, why don't you wait here for me?" I said as I calmed him down.

He wasn't joking. I remember a time when I ranted about this overly friendly man at work who casually touches other men at the workplace when I was an intern. He only ranted a few lines but specified the name of the company and the man... Said man disappeared the next day. It was like he had never existed.

"Is it done?" Aries asked all of a sudden as I nearly jumped from my skin.

"Ah... yes. Why didn't you wait there?"

"It was taking a bit of time. I was worried if they were wasting your time on purpose?" Aries asked as he glared at the pharmacist.

Hey, hey! Why are you trying to pick a fight?!

"M-my apologies! He woke up on the wrong side of the bed today!" I smiled sheepishly at the pharmacist as I grabbed Aries' arm and dragged him away from the counter.

***

"Aries... why do I feel like you're still upset?" I asked as we walked up the hill to my lab.

"I'm not."

"Then... why were you so irritable today?"

"... I wasn't."

"..."

"..."

"Now you're the one lying to me." I frowned as I stopped Aries by standing in front of him, forcing him to look at me.

"I'm not."

"You are! It's plain to see by the way you are triggered by almost everything that didn't go your way today!" I exclaimed as I glared at Aries.

"... Ah. You're right. Mostly everything was out of my control today. It was so frustrating that I couldn't stand it."

"..."

"Even you were unwilling to tell me the reasons behind that bandage until I forced my hand! However... what I couldn't stand was how I was not there to prevent it from happening."

"Aries..."

"Sol. Was there ever a moment where you would have told me about the injury without me forcing it out of you?" Aries asked with a solemn expression on his face.

"I... Of course there would be..." I hesitated as I found his words to sting my heart. I did plan to keep it from him...

"... With your answer alone... Sol... You know what?"

"What?" I asked as I looked at Aries downcast expression.

"I think we should keep our distance for while."

"Eh...?"

"Let's part ways here. Oh... right, the keys." Aries fumbled through his pockets before placing the keys in my hand.

"Take care while I'm gone." Aries said as he took off his jacket and placed I around my shoulder.

His back turned and seemed more distant in the setting sun. It also felt a little lonelier and smaller.

"A-Aries! Wait!" I yelled as I tried to think of the words to say.

"..." Aries stopped in his tracks as he waited for me to finish my sentence.

"W-what about your condition? Or the tests?"

"... I'll manage." Aries replied as he raised his hand and left, leaving me alone on a road we usually walked together.