Care

"Do you want to leave?"Mary asked while looking at the broken wooden fence, Lucius broke it when they were running away from the angler fish-like experiment.

Lucius nodded, slowly like he wanted to say something.

"Is everything alright?"Mary asked, noticing his response."Do you want to find the pen I gave you first?"

He half nodded and suddenly shook his head aggressively.

"What's the matter!?"Mary yelled while approaching him.

He looked at Mary and bent down. He used his uninjured hand to poke his blood-dripping hand. His pointer's tip was now covered with crimson blood.

Then, he drew on the ground, using his blood. Mary wanted to stop him but seeing his determination to tell her something, made her stop.

She squatted down next to him, silently looking at his pointer, moving across the ground. After a few seconds, the blood art was done.

It showed a neatly drawn box. Mary stared at it intensely, trying to guess what he mean. Out of nowhere, a memory struck her, it was the box they opened before, leading them here.

"Do you mean, the thing leads us here so we have to search for something here?"Mary said, trying to guess what he meant.

He nodded, uncertain, and pointed at the blood, drawn box.

Mary stared at the art again for a second and asked, her eyes widened.

"Do you mean, we have to find another box!?"

He nodded and looked at the water.

"Did you see the experiment dropped anything while you killed it?"

He shook his head and placed his hand to cover his eyes.

Mary tilted her head sideways, looking confused.

"You can't see in the water?'Her voice came out uncertain.'Then, how did you save me?"

He released his hand away from his eyes and shook it, gesturing that she guess wrong. He pointed his pointer to his blood-covered hand and hissed.

"...Do you mean blood covered your sight?"

He nodded, smiling.

Mary gazed at the water and walked closer to the pond. Lucius saw her approaching and dashed to her side, coiling up around her, blocking her way.

"What are you doing?"Mary asked while trying to push his tail away but it wouldn't budge."I want to try finding the box."

He shook his head and released his tail, revealing an opening. He placed both his hands on her shoulders and turned her around then, pushed her to the opening, leading her further away from the pond.

Mary tried to stomp her feet on the ground and stop his push but it was useless. Then, he let go of his hands from her shoulders and used the tip of his tail to push her to a wooden, old sun lounger.

Mary stumbled and almost hit her head on the sun lounger but she manage to stop herself from falling by using her hands. She stood up again and glanced at Lucius, angrily.

"Hey! Lucius! You shouldn't go on your own! You're injured and you've done enough for me! Isn't it time for you to rest!?"

While Mary continued to shout at him, he acted as if he didn't hear a thing and continued to slither closer to the pond.

Mary felt her blood boiling as he ignored her. She sat down on the sun lounger and shouted.

"Don't act like you didn't hear me! It was obvious you did hear! You could even listen when I whispered!"

Lucius dove into the water, still ignoring her.

"Fine!" Mary shouted out of frustration."If you don't want to care!Then...I won't too! Get all injured if you want!"

Mary lay on the sun lounger, hands crossed as she see him diving into the water. It was impressive as he now knew how to swim.

Mary lay there while thousands of worried and angry comments, floating through her mind.

Why does he always have to be so stubborn? Even though I'm weak but I can still help in finding things or other non-dangerous works. Why can't he let me help even a little? I know I'm weak but still! Why can't he understand that I'm worried about his wounds getting worse?... You idiot.

Mary covered her eyes with one arm and shut her eyes, laying there while thoughts kept flowing through her mind.

After a while, she heard a hiss in front of her. She looked up and saw Lucius. His hair was soaking wet again same goes for his shirt and tail.

In Lucius's hand was a small box that was in the middle of his palm. He stretched his hand out and waited for Mary to take it.

Mary stared at it, her eyes widened with shock. Then, she reached her hand out and took the box.

"I didn't expect you to find it-"Mary said, silently in disbelief." and you even know how to swim...I guess I underestimate you."

"But still!"Her voice grew louder and Lucius flinched from her sudden change of tone."You really need to take care of your injuries what if they got worse!? You'll seriously die from infection if that happens!"

Lucius stared at Mary, his ears and head down, apologetically. Mary sighed and petted his head, casually.

"Just be careful, okay?"

Lucius nodded, smiling again, his ears stood up and the tip of his snake tail wagging like a dog. Mary chuckled, looking at how fast his emotion changed in a second. Then, she continued to be serious.

"Give me your hand."Mary demanded while placing the box into her pocket and holding her hand out.

Lucius placed his hand above Mary's palm and it covered her entire hand. The blood was still dripping from his hand.

"Follow me."She said and guided him to the pond.

She placed both their hand into the water and gently used her hand to stroke his injuries.

After a while, Mary took his hand out of the cold water and wanted to cover it with a cloth but there was nothing. Mary looked at her shirt and said.

"Lucius hold your hand first. I'll wrap your hand with my clothes."

Lucius saw Mary moving her hand to her shirt and he hissed. Mary glanced up, confused and Lucius gestured his fine hand to his drenched shirt.

"You want me to rip your shirt?"

He nodded.

"Oh...Okay."

Mary placed her hand on his shirt. His shirt was wet and was sticking to his skin so his muscles were revealing. His shirt was thin as well so it felt like Mary was touching his muscles without a cloth in between.

Mary flinched and held her hand away from his shirt.

"You do it by yourself!"She said, blushing.

Lucius tilted his head, confused but didn't care much. He switched his sight to his sleeves and opened his mouth, revealing his deadly fangs. He ripped one of the sleeves with his fangs and leaned in on Mary while the cloth dangled from his mouth.

Mary looked at him, blinking twice, dumbfounded. Then, took his cloth and wrapped it around his wounds.