Livy only felt something tugging at him with an irresistible force and pulling him towards the light.
Then, his eyes were filled with a vast expanse of blue, as if he had reached that critical point between the sea and the sky.
āAhāā There was something filling up his lung cavities, and Livy, who had been brought back from the dead, breathed in vigorously.
When his eyesight finally regained its focus, he realized that piece of blueā¦ā¦was Claudeās eyes.
Livy stared at him without blinking, even as an oxygen mask was laid over his mouth and nose.
He couldnāt speak, nor did he know what to say.
He watched as the creases in Claudeās eyebrows slowly smoothed out, like a gathering of clouds being blown apart by the winds.
The corners of Livyās lips quirked up.
Slowly, he raised his left hand, miming a āyoā.
Shaking his head, Claude snorted.
Whether he was ridiculing himself or just exasperated with Livy, no one knew.
ā»ā»ā»
It wasnāt the first time Livy had been admitted to the ICU.
However, for him, the acridity of the hospital disinfectant felt a thousand times fresher than the mustiness of the hot and stuffy sealed cabin interior.
After all, it was a smell that reminded him he was still alive.
During this period, Claude stood quietly in front of the control roomās massive monitor, looking over the mine which had been turned into a desert. It was unknown what he was thinking.
<sup>1</sup> Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
āYou acted calmer than Iād imagined; I thought youād go out in the Pure-Hued Lady to save Livy.ā Maurice sat in the swivel chair behind him, spinning around in a circle.
Claude was silent.
āIām curious; did you ever think that the water in Livyās body would evaporate from the heat before we could get there? After all, none of us were 100% sure that the sealed pods would actually be able to withstand the force and temperature of the particle cannon.ā
Claude was still looking out at the desert, and when he leisurely turned his head, Maurice suddenly felt a cold pressure.
āLieutenant Colonel Maurice, if you have time to spare now, why donāt you go and debug the Pure-Hued Ladyās systems?ā Claudeās hands were in his pockets; it was the exact same posture Livy typically liked to partake in, except when Livy did it, it looked lazy and casual, but when Claude did it, it was full of oppression.
āAhā¦ā¦thatā¦of course, Livy has come back alive and wellā¦ā¦itās obvious that you do not intend to change the pilot, eitherā¦ā¦ā Maurice got up from his swivel chair; he knew if he didnāt go to work now, he probably wouldnāt be able to keep his head.
ā»ā»ā»
Lying on the hospital bed, Livy was unable to sleep. Once again, he was shrouded in darkness: it was the hospitalās rules. After 10PM, all of the wardsā unified lights went out.
In the past, Livy used to like the solitude that could be found in the darkness ā that is, the feeling of being at ease and not having anything to hide, but, after experiencing the darkness that was in the sealed cabin, Livy only felt that the current darkness now held a fearful color.
He couldnāt see the future nor could he find a way out.
The door of the ward slowly slid open, and someone stepped inside.
The lights in the corridors wavered.
Livy turned his face but only caught a glimpse of his visitor when the ward door closed again, and his surroundings were once again enshrouded in darkness.
āHey, I didnāt think anyone would come in to see me this late.ā Livyās voice was a little hoarse.
āWhy.ā A cold voice pierced the air, and the whole night turned refreshingly cool.
Such a voice, it could only belong to Leslie.
āWhat do you mean by āwhyā?ā Livy smiled and propped himself up. He leaned against the head of his bed.
At times like these, he would have liked to see the other partyās expression, but he knew that to see any expression similar to āgratefulnessā on Leslieās face was no better than pure fantasy.
āThereās no point in you protecting me like this; Iām not going to like you anyway.ā
Hearing this declaration, Livy suddenly understood why Leslie had come to visit him at such a time; it was because he required the cover of darkness more than himself. Such cringeworthy words could only be said under the cover of darkness.
āFrom the time I knew you were a man, I didnāt think about liking you for a second. Incidentally, the reason why I saved you wasnāt because we were comrades-in-arms; Iām not that noble.ā
āThen, why?ā
Livy, whose eyes had finally adjusted somewhat to the darkness, was now able to see Leslie who was leaning against the wall with crossed arms.
Livy couldnāt remember when ā or which lady, for that manner ā but a woman who he had dated in the past told him that this posture usually meant resistance to accepting othersā views and/or excessive self-protection. For Leslie, it should be both.
āBecauseā¦ā¦Iām bewitched by your beautiful face.ā Livy deliberately replied in a coquettish voice, as the direction of their conversation was making him feel extremely uncomfortable. He wouldāve rather had Leslie throw a few cold and sarcastic jabs at him and then leave.
āDonāt try to anger me.ā Leslie prowled over with deliberate and measured steps, and the air slowed like raw silk unraveling from a cocoon. Reaching Livyās bedside, Leslie sat down beside him and leaned over.
Other than vision, Livyās other senses had become uncannily sharp; he seemed to hear Leslieās faint breathing, the sound of his hair sliding through the airā¦ and when he felt Leslieās palm hovering over his ear, Livy suddenly felt inexplicably oppressed.
āWhat are you doing so close to me all of a sudden?ā Livy was about to push him away when the other party snatched his wrist and pressed him onto the bed.
āDo you think youāre a hero? Itās not the same as when we were kids anymore.ā
Leslie was nearly face to face with Livy; his breath ghosted over Livyās half-parted lips, which made Livy not know how to speak anymore.
āYour enemy is no longer the seniors who bullied me or those weird uncles. Even if you want to protect me, please consider whether or not you are qualified to do so first.ā
Livyās wrist hurt, and although he had long known Leslieās strength didnāt match his looks, this feeling of being at a disadvantage in front of another man made him feel exceedingly uncomfortable.
āI advise you to let go.ā Livy coldly lowered his voice; even if Leslie was his first love, it was a first love that had already been broken.
āWhy? Arenāt you supposed to be happy that now Iām finally willing to hold you?ā
Leslieās sarcastic voice still carried that mocking air which matched his toneā¦ā¦and evoked deep disappointment in Livyās heart.
Suddenly, heaven and earth were flipped upside down; Livy twisted Leslieās wrist, swiftly rolled over, and fiercely pinned Leslie beneath him.
āI used to like you; so what?ā Livy sat on top of Leslieās waist. His hands held the other partyās wrists to the bed.
āI protected you from those seniors and weird uncles because I wanted to. Not because I wanted to become a laughingstock in your eyes. And the fact that I liked you shouldnāt have become your reason to deceive me.ā
āWhen have I ever deceived you?ā Leslie, after all, was still a guy; with a shake of his wrists, he easily broke away from Livyās control and sat up. There was a strange intensity in his questioning gaze.
Because of the force of his movements, Livy had to sit up as well. The two were locked in a strange position, with Leslie sitting on the bed and Livy straddling Leslieās waist.
āWhat, you donāt remember?ā Speaking about that incident, Livyās hair was about to explode in frustration, āThat time, you asked me to meet you at the entrance of Luna Park, saying you had something important to tell me, and then I ended up waiting from eight in the morning until my mom pulled me home at night; where were you?!ā
āHow dare you mention that to me! Who the h*ll was stuck to me like a slug, huh? And on the day I asked to meet you, you were nowhere to be found! How dare you say you were waiting for me in front of the park! I waited from morning untilā¦ā¦ for a long time, and I didnāt even see you!ā Leslieās slightly cold eyes suddenly looked like a volcano about to erupt.
āYou? Wait for me? Someone with princess disease like you would wait for me ? Just look at the day I asked you to swim together; I also waited for you from morning until noon!ā Livy grabbed Leslieās collar; he almost couldnāt suppress the desire to beat him up.
Suddenly, the whole room descended into silence once again.
Two people stared at each other, as if trying to glean the truth from each otherās eyes.
After a long time, Livy cracked first, holding his stomach and laughing, āIā¦ā¦I suddenly remembered somethingā¦ā¦Luna Park has two doorsā¦ā¦which door were you at?ā
Leslie looked at the laughing Livy and frowned, āThe door with the castle.ā
āI was atā¦ā¦the door with a lot of cotton candy stalls.ā Livy finally stopped laughing and said with a straight face, āThen, you just said you were waiting for me, so how long did you wait?ā
āNot long.ā <sup>2</sup> [Lucia]: This wasnāt what you said before, my friend.
Leslie turned his head and was about to get up when he finally reacted to the fact that Livy was currently sitting on top of him, āBeat it right now.ā
āGee, donāt be in such a hurry; where will I get another opportunity to see my beloved little princess up close like this?ā
Livy once again put on a frivolous and somewhat smug smile, like a cat who got the cream, āThen, was the reason you asked me out to the park to confess your love for me?ā
Pulling out a cold smile, Leslie instantly pressed Livy down onto the bed. The collision of Livyās head against the mattress made him feel a little dizzy, and when he finally came back to his senses, Leslieās face was already very close to his.
āI was trying to tell you that I was really a guy and ask you to stop pestering me, slug.ā Leslie gritted this out word by word through clenched teeth.
āHey, how long did you really wait for me anyway?ā Livy was still smiling. Leslieās indifference and anger rolled off him like water off a duckās back.
āI was waiting for you to die.ā Leslie let go of Livy and stepped away from the hospital bed. He had his back to Livy, seemingly about to leave but stopped, āYou still havenāt told me why you blocked that missile for me.ā
Livy sighed, āAlright, come over here and Iāll tell you.ā
Just as Leslie was about to turn around, Livy unexpectedly appeared behind him like a ghost and energetically kissed him on the cheek.
āOf course itās not because I have a crush on you ā youāre so obsessed with this issue. It couldnāt be because you have a crush on me, right? Well, donāt worry, Iāll treat you well!ā Livy wore an exuberant expression, while Leslie froze in place.
Two seconds later, Leslie grabbed Livy by the neck, āIāll kill youāā
Livy was strangled until his eyes rolled to the back of his head; until the nurse on duty found them and pulled the two enemies apart in horror. Had she not done so, instead of being killed in action by the particle cannon, Livy would have died under Leslieās fury.
ā»ā»ā»
The next day when he woke up, in addition to the doctors and nurses who were on duty, within Livyās room also stood Miller. Underneath the sterile lights, the other partyās glasses glinted with a slight chill.
No doubt, Livy driving the Blue Crisis out into battle must have made this neurotic mathematician angry enough to burst!
<b>T/N:</b> Uh oh, I think Livy will be getting an earful from Miller in the next chapter, hehe. (*>čø<)