19 #2
The contact of Sky’s skin immediately sent shivers running through his spine. It was as if he were being electrified. He was debating whether to retract his hand or not, but knowing Sky, he would put more wounds on his face if he resisted. Jude yielded submissively.
Jude lowered his gaze to his open, trembling palm, where a few shallow scratches marred his skin. Sky’s hands, way bigger than his, engulfed his small one.
Sky soaked a cotton ball with antiseptic and began cleaning the wound.
He remained silent throughout, even repeating the same steps more than necessary.
Jude noticed the process beneath his watch.
Sky first cleaned the cuts with alcohol, then applied povidone-iodine before finishing with a layer of antimicrobial cream, even though the iodine alone would have been sufficient.
Used to the sting of isopropyl alcohol, Jude did not even flinch. At times, it almost felt like he was accustomed to pain that he sometimes yearned for it.
Sky then gently pressed the cotton over the cut and the surrounding skin, carefully cleaning it before dressing it with a sterile bandage. He continued by tending to the wounds on his arms and a few on his shoulders as well.
“Strip your shirt,” he commanded, and Jude instantly panicked.
He was slightly taken aback by the realization of how close they were.
Sky’s eyes pierced through his soul.
“No, I don’t have wounds inside,” he lied, even though he could feel that there were new ones there.
“Don’t fucking lie in front of me.” Sky scolded him and looked at him very intensely; his face hardened.
“I don’t want to,” Jude refused.
“Faster the fuck up, before whatever little patience I have runs out, Jude Finn,” he dictated coldly, which left Jude no choice.
Jude lowered his gaze, looking like a child being reprimanded.
“Where’s the bath—”
“The fuck! Strip the fuck already!” Sky growled.
A jolt of surprise ran through Jude, and he instinctively rose to his feet at once.
He swallowed nervously as he stared at Sky, fear flickering across his face.
The moment their eyes met, his expression shifted completely.
Despite every part of him wanting to refuse, he realized he had no choice but to remove his shirt in front of him.
A strained grunt escaped his lips as he carefully pulled the fabric over his head, the movement irritating the fresh cuts and swelling on his body.
The moment his bare upper body was exposed, he noticed Sky go still.
The shock in his eyes was impossible to miss.
Sky was the only person who had ever seen his naked upper body like this.
A body that was covered in wounds, bruises, and scars.
“It wouldn’t look like this from just what happened earlier. What the hell happened to your fucking body?” he asked seriously, his gaze keen as it moved over Jude’s frame.
It felt as though Jude was being judged for something he had done wrong.
Jude sat down, and as much as he wanted to scoff at his remark, he refrained from doing so.
“Nothing,” he answered.
“Why are there so many old ones?” asked Sky.
“It’s nothing.”
“You tell me right now, or you’ll die?” he warned.
This time, Sky was being dead serious, and Jude wanted to laugh in his very face.
“You have done most of this, remember?”
Jude did not want to sound sarcastic, but it ended up that way. He did not know where that courage to say that to him came from. Jude could see how he was taken aback by what he said.
“Fuck!” Sky cursed and raked his hands through his hair as he bent down, propping his elbows on his knees.
Confused by his behavior, Jude questioned himself: Why is he acting like this all of a sudden if this is what he wanted? He should not be surprised. He should be happy, even celebrating.
Jude’s confusion deepened when he looked up again and saw worry clearly reflected in Sky’s eyes.
Maybe I was imagining things again. Why would he react like this when he already knew what he did? he thought.
Jude flinched when Sky’s fingertips unknowingly glided across his skin, a flood of tingling sensations racing through his body before he could suppress them. Sky’s hand stopped at a spot on his back. He leaned in to inspect it, his jaw clenching and his brows knitting into a deep frown.
Sky said nothing else. Instead, he quietly cleaned the fresh cuts, removing every trace of blood before disinfecting the wounds and finishing with a thin layer of cream. This was something new about Sky Granger. He did not expect him to treat him this way.
What was the sudden change in behavior?
Otherwise, he still did not know how he felt at the moment.
After saying those things to him, blaming him for what he had done, he felt bad.
He should not have told him that. He should have kept it to himself.
He should have been more compassionate. He hurt his feelings, and it made Jude feel guilty.
Jude’s eyes landed on Sky’s hand, on his right lap. It was filled with cuts, wounds, and bruises, too.
“Can I treat your hands?” Jude asked out of the blue, surprising him as well.
Sky frowned in confusion, his eyes scanning Jude’s face as if trying to figure out what had suddenly gotten into him. Unable to make sense of it, he followed Jude’s gaze to whatever had captured his attention.
“There’s no need. It’s just a piece of shit.”
“No…I’ll treat it. It might get infected.”
“I said there’s fucking n—”
“Let me, please.” Jude insisted, his eyes eager, looking at him.
“Fuck! Fine,” Sky agreed helplessly.
Sky’s brows knitted even tighter as his piercing gaze reciprocated to Jude.
Now, Jude somehow regretted this.
Jude tore his eyes away from Sky and focused on the first aid kit laid open across the table.
A silent prayer echoed in his mind as his slightly trembling hands reached for a cotton ball and moistened it with antiseptic solution.
Everything took seconds to delay, especially when he reached out to hold his hand.
The roughness and heat of it made him feel uneasy.
Gently, he pressed the cotton on his shattered knuckles.
It sounded ironic, but Jude bit the inside of his mouth when he felt it was painful for Sky.
Sky remained motionless throughout. Jude looked up at him, but his face revealed nothing.
Letting out a quiet breath, Jude turned his attention to Sky’s other hand, treating the remaining cuts before carefully applying bandages over each one.
When Jude was done with his hands, he slowly trailed his eyes to scan his face, only to meet those beautiful golden flecks directly staring at him. Jude gulped as he stared at those eyes; his eyes seemed to seep into him.
Sky swallowed harder.
Breathless and rattled, Jude disconnected his gaze and got another cotton ball with medicine on it. As he raised his hand, it stopped midway when those eyes never left his gray ones.
Jude broke the stare and looked at his wounded cheeks.
With great hesitation, he dipped the cotton gently into each cut.
Jude’s hand looked so small in front of Sky’s face.
Jude kept his focus on the cuts, unwilling to look an inch up despite feeling the weight of Sky Granger’s unwavering gaze lingering over him at close range.
A minute passed, and he found himself focused on every cut on Sky’s face, treating them like a licensed doctor. He was so invested that he did not realize he was holding the other side of Sky’s face with his other hand until he reached his broken lips.
Jude suddenly stopped at the realization. His eyes fixed on his lips, stunned by the sculpture of it. Breathlessly, he finally looked up and found himself plunging into the abyss of those golden eyes.
“Enough!” Sky yelled as he turned to the side sharply to detach his face from Jude’s touch.
Jude ducked his head and looked at his hands in embarrassment. There was an awkward silence that enveloped the atmosphere.
He was about to shift his body in front when—“Stop moving. We’re not done yet.”
Jude held his breath and stayed still. Every second spent near him felt like standing face-to-face with death.
“Look at me,” Sky ordered.
Jude raised his head and followed Sky in confusion. When Sky disconnected his eyes, he watched him as he picked up a cotton ball and repeated the process of setting the medication. Once Sky was done, he turned back to face Jude. He forwarded his hand with a cotton ball, reaching Jude’s face.
“Don’t fucking move.” Sky cursed when Jude moved his head back.
“No, I can do it,” Jude refused.
“I’ll do it.”
“There’s no need, I’ll d—”
“I said I will fucking do it!” he said, voice raised. “Don’t be so stubborn, Jude Finn,” he said firmly, staring straight at him, leaving Jude with no chance to argue.
In truth, Jude was left speechless the moment he heard his full name come from his lips.