#we can't even think about dentist appointments for more than a few minutes without getting panicky and dissociated

[thethingything]

I'm now realising we've basically paid £90 to sign ourselves up to go straight into an intensely triggering environment but like, our wisdom teeth will not stop hurting and our gums and the side of our face are swollen and tender and make us nauseous if we press on them and my very intense fear of dying of an infection or some shit kicked in and I forgot just how scared I am of that until last night and anyway wow I am having one hell of a time

[echo-three-one]

Chapter 25

Make some dentist appointments after this chapter. (I'm not sure it applies to all)

Sorry for being late. It's my little sister's birthday today and I opted to eat food.

Table of Contents

Off the Grid

"Alex"

MacTavish Residence, Glasgow, Scotland

The worst part of being stomped on the face is that at the end of the day, your girlfriend would end up seeing it. This was what Alex was worried about the moment he heard the helicopter approached their location. But a part of him wanted to just lay down by the bed under Samantha's care. 

Alex expected Soap to be the first one greeting the women, but he wasn't around. He guessed that after all the chasing and the climbing, he opted to take a rest instead of facing them tired. The house was very accommodating on it's own. He didn't need to worry about entertaining everyone else.

Just as he expected, he already saw the frown on Samantha's face as soon as her eyes met his. The same frown from his imagination was manifested before him.

"Alex, Are you okay?" she ran towards him and touched his bruised cheek. Alex tried to look okay but he couldn't help but hiss at the pain.

"A little. I couldn't lie to you now, can't I?" he managed a chuckle. Samantha held his hair and that signaled Alex to lower himself a little so she could kiss him on the forehead.

"Let's get you healed up." She muttered.

"Not until I'm done helping unload these." He suggested. Samantha wanted him to skip out on helping but Alex's face was eager and she didn't want to argue with that.

"Fine."

"My room is the third door by the stairs… that is if you want us to stay in one room together."

"Of course I do, Alex." She smiled and blew a kiss on the air as his lip was too bruised to receive it.

Alex couldn't help but smile. He could feel his insides do a little dance of joy while he's carrying luggage to the second floor, placing both their bags beside each other. Inside their room, that they're going to share.

He knew they'd done this before, but the idea of getting the room all to themselves was different. They are able to move freely without worrying what they might do. And he wanted to hug her, kiss her and whisper soft words in her ear without making everyone else around them all judgy.

Dinner flew by and Roach took the girls out for a tour, Alex took this time to shower before Samantha would come nurse his wounds. He stood in front of the sprinkling hot water, his face looked up, letting the warm shower revitalize his tired muscles. It was no doubt relaxing as he closed his eyes, cleared his thoughts and let his mind ease a bit.

They're safe, Samantha's got her memories back, and they're together now. The New York attacks were over and both Shepherd and Nero were off the grid. They're planning something big and all they could do was prepare for the worst. He doesn't have to shoulder anything as of now and he should rest and recover.

After a few minutes of meditation, Alex was interrupted by a smooth touch that embraced him from behind. He could feel her skin sink against his as she tightly held him, her cheek leaned on his back.

"Alex." Samantha whispered, he couldn't barely hear it against the sound of the shower.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" she sobbed. Alex raised an eyebrow and held her hand, turning around to meet her beautiful face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, the question echoed against the glass walls and bounced to the rest of the bathroom.

"On the ride here. I took a nap… then I remembered something. Before I even got to that Russian hotel I…" she sobbed. Alex pulled her closer and hugged her, she didn't have to worry. They're going to fix this together.

"I gave them the I.P. Address…" she cried. Her tears mixed with the sprinkle of the shower. Despite being already wet, Alex still wiped it off with his thumbs.

"You didn't do anything wrong… You didn't give it away… They forcibly took it from you." Alex told her, his face was angry toward Shepherd. One day he'll finally get his revenge.

"B-but…" she tried to retort, but Alex cut her off by kissing her soft lips, his tongue immediately entered her mouth as soon as she gave him permission. He kissed her hoping it would soothe her worries away, making her feel that he was there no matter what. Her moans made him comfortable that he's doing the right thing, that he's telling her that he's going to be there. So he pushed her toward the cold bathroom wall, tilted his head and showed her what he really felt towards her.

The next morning Alex and Samantha were tasked to fly Nikolai back home. The guy was missing the colder environment and since they didn't have anything at the moment, it'd be best to let him go for now. The team still owed him a cargo plane which was left back at the S.A.S. base. They'll have to deal with that after all of this is over.

Alex didn't have anything to do regarding this task, Samantha just made a few special calls and the next thing they knew, they were already waving goodbye to the Russian.

"Glad we have him on our side." Alex chuckled, hovering his arm as it reached her farther shoulder. Samantha leaned toward him as soon as she caught him doing the gesture, as they took short steps, Alex's leg clumped against the cement.

"You okay with that leg?" Samantha wondered, looking down then back to Alex.

"I got used to it, really. It's not much of a bother once you get used to it." He smiled, wiggling the fake leg, almost showing off at how good he was using it. 

"Is there something wrong with it?" He asked. Samantha's cheeks started to blush red and Alex had no actual idea what was going on in her mind.

"No no. I'm just curious. That's all… Still… it must be hard walking like an incomplete part of a whole." She consoled to which Alex replied with a laugh.

"What's funny?" She asked as Alex used his already clinging hand on her shoulder to pull her closer for a kiss.

"You already complete me, Samantha." He said. His face was too serious to be joking and yet Samantha laughed.

"You know what?! All these corny and cheesy dialogue is my thing. You complete me too, Alex. I…" she paused, staring at Alex's eyes. Alex quickly saw through her gaze, there was a particular sparkle in her eyes. The same sparkle he'd been noticing every time they got intimate. It made his heart beat so fast that he could almost predict what she's going to say next.

He placed a finger on her mouth to stop her from talking. He wanted to say it first. He wanted to be the one whose life changed because of her and not the other way around.

"I love you, Samantha Coleman." he said. Tears. Tears were the first thing he saw once he let out those words. 

"How dare you… finish my sentence." she croaked. She had the idea of cracking a joke between the sweetest of moments. He really liked that about her.

"I wanted to say it first." He whispered, inching his face closer once again. Samantha's eyes were already half closed and Alex knew what he needed to do. He planted another chaste kiss on her soft lips, but this time, Samantha surprised him by gently biting his lip, making the former CIA flinch. He chuckled and kissed back once again, pushing her toward the gazebo until they found her pinned on one of its tougher beams.

"Oh." She giggled as Alex's hand trailed on her side, squeezing her soft skin gently. Alex's smile beamed wide as he knew her reaction. 

"Are we really going to cause a scene here? Mr. Alex-?" She teased, her train of thought paused after not knowing his last name.

He chuckled in a lower register, low enough that he could feel Samantha react to it.

"It's Alexander Collins. But please, just call me Alex." he muttered, planting a kiss on her neck, Samantha moaned inappropriately, sending Alex on an excited rush.

"All right Mr. Collins. I think we should stop now. Our audiences are feeling a little uncomfortable right now." she turned to France, Maxine and Roach, who were watching 'respectfully'.

Alex waved and smiled apologetically, noting the almost embarrassed expression on Maxine's face, the slightly smirking Francine and Roach's hidden thumbs up.

"I'm sorry guys. We'll be off now." he said, escorting Samantha back to the house.

The day went by and Alex was more than happy that he got to spend the rest of the day with Samantha. Hell, even the thought of waking up spooning her was more than heavenly. 

Now, he lay gently on his bed while Samantha was out to cleanse his bruises.

"Ow. Careful nurse, I'm quite vulnerable..." he winced playfully.

"Now, now, my little patient. This will just hurt a little." She played along, wiping a soft cotton ball on his bruised cheek.

"Will there be any sort of injection? I hate injections." he groaned, fake sobbing.

"Oh? You hate injections? I personally thought you were amazing administering them?" She teased, slightly blushing at her green joke.

Alex quickly caught wind of her joke about injecting and immediately burst out laughing.

"I can't believe you said that." he said, laughing in between his words, almost choking.

"Kidding aside… I almost forgot something…" She said, setting aside her medical tools. She got up and gently straddling on his body, making Alex groan a little and hold on to her waist.

"What could you have possibly forgotten?" he asked, his face full of curiosity.

She leaned in closer to him and whispered three words that made Alex smile in delight.

"I love you." she whispered and a kiss followed. Alex knew from that moment on that he was more than willing and ready to spend the rest of his life.

Next Chapter : What's Behind Door Number Two?

Notification Squad my Beloved

@samatedeansbroccoli @smokeywhalee @enderio @whimsywispsblog @ricinbach @beemybee

[seoulsborne123]

Fluffshot: Caretakers

Summary: Naru and Lin find themselves playing nurse for their favorite brunette. Warning: package contains queasy Naru, jealous Naru, smug Naru. ---- She slumped over the table, lightly banging her forehead against the cool wooden surface, and gave a forlorn sigh. It was just her luck that the only responsible adults (read: drivers) involved in her life just happened to all be suddenly called out of town when she needed them the most. And she had already locked in the appointment, too, after agonizing about the decision whether to go through with it or not. She'd been losing some sleep over it, mulling over the pros and cons of undergoing such a procedure, and just when she'd finally gathered her courage and got past the first step, Fate suddenly jumped from the sidelines and spat in her face, 'Just kidding!' She cradled her head and groaned in frustration. "Mai. How many times have I asked you not to slack off during work hours?" She shot back up and squeaked, "Yes, Boss! Won't happen again!" Mai held her erect position for a few seconds, just waiting for her narcissistic boss to eventually lose interest in her antics, but instead she felt his questioning gaze lingering upon her. As usual, the boy was refusing to speak any words that would usually be required to start the conversation he obviously wanted to pursue. It frustrated her how he simply waited for an explanation, expecting her to satisfy his curiosity without him having to put much effort on his part. She knew how this was going to pan out: he would stare her into submission, force her to tell him her problems, he would listen and make some insulting comments, and once satisfied about knowing what the problem was about, simply stalk back into his lair. Mai really didn't want to oblige him and wished to make some pointed remarks, to call him out on his bullshit attitude, but the overwhelming sense of defeat was making her wits dull. "Ugh. I have an appointment tomorrow morning with the oral surgeon to have four wisdom teeth removed, but they require someone to stay there and wait for me. I initially planned on asking Yasu, but they said it had to be someone who can drive me to and back." She looked at him to gauge his reaction but so far, he hadn't moved a muscle. "So naturally Bou-san would have been my first choice, but he suddenly got called out to do an exorcism out of town. Ayako is completely booked up with patients tomorrow, and John won't be back until two days from now." The unspoken question hung in the air but Mai didn't want to voice it out in fear of flat out refusal. However, Naru was staunchly refusing to read the atmosphere and Mai had to internally roll her eyes. "Well, so I was wondering if I could ask you for a huge, huge favor?" "I don't drive." Mai closed her eyes. "Y-yes, I know that. But Lin-san does, and I was wondering if you guys would be okay with giving me a lift tomorrow and helping me get back to my apartment?" Naru raised his brow. "Why don't you ask Lin yourself?" She cowered a bit in her seat and mumbled, "I… I'm too afraid to ask him directly. And I was thinking I'd feel better if you were there too, because Lin-san would be very intimidating and I don't want to bug him when I get drugged up. I don't know what sorts of things I would say. I might end up annoying him." When she looked up, she grimaced. Naru's face was very blank, but she could tell from the aura seeping out of him that he was quite miffed. Before she could guess as to the reasons of his glare, Naru suddenly responded (and Mai could have sworn it was with a tone that was almost petulant), "And you think I'm less intimidating? And that it's okay to annoy me?" "E-erm… I'm saying that I… that I feel more at ease with you around," she reluctantly answered with embarrassment. She looked away and took a deep breath, then turned back to him and haughtily pressed, "So? Will you, or not? I have to make a decision now if I should call them to reschedule." Naru's next words surprised her. Of course he had to preface it with a reluctant sigh, but still it was a sign of an indirect acceptance. "What time is the appointment for?" "T-Ten in the morning! The procedure itself wouldn't take long. I was told it'd most likely take thirty minutes." "Fine. We'll pick you up then." He turned to leave, but stopped when Mai called to him one last time. "O-oh, Naru?" "What is it?" She gave out an uncomfortable chuckle and answered sheepishly, "I'll probably be needing to take Monday and Tuesday off." -00000- Naru simply observed in the sideline as Lin struggled to help the uncooperative semi-conscious girl get situated inside the van. Once the ordeal was over, Lin gave Naru a passing glare, one which the boy simply shrugged off, and settled himself in the driver's seat. Naru took the seat beside Mai and realizing that Lin chose to not finish the job of putting on her seat belt, breathed out in mild annoyance and reached over the girl to click her in. Finally they got moving. Naru was content to sit in silence, but unfortunately for him, Mai, who had just undergone surgery and was incredibly doped up on painkillers and anesthesia, was in a strange mood. Several times she tried to reach into her mouth with her fingers, and every time Naru had to pull her hand away. She would listen, but then she'd forget what she'd just done and she'd try to reach in again. Finally Naru had had enough. "Mai. What in the world are you trying to do?" he asked irritably as he, once again, pulled her hand away. Thinking it'd be best to keep the hand occupied, he grasped her hand tightly in his and pinned it down to his side. "My mouth feels funny," she slurred. Naru wanted to spit out, 'you look funny', what with her puffed up cheeks, half-bloodied gauze peeking out of her mouth, and heavily-lidded eyes, but instead he swallowed his retort and waited for her to elaborate. "I can't… I can't." Naru wasn't sure what Mai was trying to tell him, but when he watched her closely, he saw her tongue swishing around inside her mouth, trying to feel out the gauze. He cringed at the possibility of her pulling out the gauze by accident and exposing her wound, which would no doubt cause her extreme pain once the painkiller runs out. "Stop that," he snapped tersely. "Don't move around your tongue so much." "B-but I can't! Naru… I don't have a tongue!" she lamented. "My tongue… the doctor took it." She leaned her head on his shoulder, unable to hold it up any longer from exhaustion, but still she kept talking. "Why? Why'd they steal it? It's expensive. I can't afford another one…" She started sobbing softly. Beside him, Lin broke out in a silent chuckle. However, not one to be amused by illogicality, Naru pointed out, "Mai, you have your tongue. How else are you speaking?" "No, Naru," she stressed, as if she was trying to talk to an imbecile, "My tongue's been stolen! I don't have one! See?" she stuck her tongue out. Naru groaned. "Your tongue is unsightly at the moment, Mai. It's bloody. Stop talking too much, you're aggravating your wound." "What about my tongue?" Naru sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Your tongue is insured. We'll get you a new one tomorrow," he finally relented. Thankfully, this placated the brunette and she sighed contently and nodded, finally closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. A few minutes passed in silence until Lin broke it by saying in a hushed tone, "I will drop you both off first and I'll drive back to pick up her prescription." "It's a waste of time. Can't you just swing by now and pick it up?" "She looks exhausted, Noll. It'd be best if we can get her home as soon as possible. I'd still have to wait for the pharmacy to fill out the prescription." When Mai nuzzled deeper into his chest, Naru looked away toward the window and muttered, "Fine." -000- The minute he saw her stir in the bed, he closed his book shut. Mai had been sleeping deeply since the car ride back home and Lin had to carry her up the stairs into her apartment, bridal style. After Lin assured him that he'd be back as quickly as possible, Naru locked the door behind him and found himself a comfortable position by the foot of her bed where he can keep an eye on her. She opened her eyes and blinked several times, staring at the ceiling in confusion. "Mai, you're finally awake." His voice jolted her. She snapped her eyes down and stared at him dumbly and mumbled, "Oh, that's right. That went by a lot faster than I'd imagined. I could have sworn I was just sitting in the dentist chair a few minutes ago." She sighed and gave him a warm, thankful smile. "H-how long have you been here? And how long will you be staying with me?" "Good, it seems you're coherent now." Then to answer her questions, he said, "It's been half an hour since we've brought you home. Lin went to the pharmacy to get your prescription. We will be staying until Yasuhara-san comes to relieve us in three hours." Mai blushed. "I see. Please don't feel like you have to wait until he gets here. I can stay for a couple hours by myself, so once Lin-san gets here… well I'm sure you're both very busy." Naru gave a small shrug. "We've cleared our schedule. Besides, there will be a small matter of logistics. You aren't to get off your bed and start walking on your own, so unless we left the door unlocked on our way out, Yasuhara-san won't be able to come in for his next shift." He gave a momentary pause before adding, "And I would not advise leaving the front door unlocked even for a few hours while you are completely unable to defend yourself." Mai suddenly felt a slight pang of pain in her jaw and she gently massaged it. Distracted by the dull ache, she replied nonchalantly, "That's not a problem. Yasu actually has a copy of my key, so you can lock the door." "You've given Yasuhara-san a copy of the key to your apartment?" She nodded carelessly. "He swings by often, anyway." He was unsure why he disliked the sound of that. "Bou-san, too," she continued. "Sometimes he comes by and cooks for me. Oh, John, too. " Naru frowned and before he could stop himself he muttered sullenly, "What, are you handing out your keys like candy?" Mai turned to him and looked at him quizzically. "No… Well I lost my own key once and I had to borrow the one I gave to Bou-san. John tagged along with me to the store to get a copy and since there was a deal going on, I ended up getting two copies and just gave the other to John. No harm done in that." Suddenly, Mai winced and gave a small whimper. "Mai?" "I-it's starting to really hurt…" Naru stood up from his seat and walked over to her. "The anesthesia is wearing off. Lin will be here soon with your painkillers. Do you think you can cope until then?" Mai knitted her brows in pain, but nodded weakly. -000- Sometime later, Mai started crying out in pain. Tears flowed freely as she whined pitifully, "It huuuurts so bad!" Naru was at a loss as to what to do. When Mai opened her mouth, he could see it was bleeding badly. He stood up in alarm and quickly guided her to the bathroom. He opened up the tap water, filled a nearby available cup halfway, and handed it to her. "Here, rinse your mouth out, but don't create any suction that might dislodge the clot," he tried to say calmly, but the brunette was on the point of hysterics and was inconsolable. "Calm down, Mai," he coaxed gently, awkwardly rubbing her back in circles in a futile attempt to ease her pain. She leaned over the sink and spat her bloodied saliva out, gently rinsing her mouth with the water, but the red tinge would not abate. Neither would the throbbing pain in her jaw. Naru took out his phone and quickly dialed Lin's number. "Lin," he said curtly, "Where are you? Mai's anesthesia has run out and she's in a lot of pain. She's bleeding quite profusely." "I'm almost there. Does she need her bandage changed?" The boy paused. He took a gulp and made a face, but decided to follow through anyway. Taking Mai by the shoulders, he asked her to open her mouth so he could take a look. What he saw made his knees weak and a huge lump in his throat started forming. He felt sick. Glad to have an excuse to turn away, he replied to Lin, "Yes, she needs it changed. It's soaked thoroughly." Behind him, Mai howled in pain. "You'll have to help her change it out, Noll." "What? How do you mean help?" his insides went cold. "Pull out the bandages and get her sorted with new, clean ones. The doctor packed some extra gauze in the bag." Naru cringed again. If there was one thing he was weak against, it was mouth wounds. Gene had undergone a similar surgery once and watching Luella changing out his bloodied bandages and seeing a bright, red, gaping wound inside his brother's mouth was enough to traumatize him for a lifetime. He croaked out, "Lin." Unspoken was the emphatic plead of 'please do not tell me to do that. You know I can't.' On the other line, Lin sighed. "I am about two minutes away. Just help her calm down." "Alright." Naru clicked the line off. "Mai, Lin is almost here with the painkillers. Does rinsing it out with cool water help alleviate the pain somewhat?" Mai nodded through tears. "I'll grab some ice for your cheeks. It might help soothe the pain," He told her gently, patting her back softly before walking briskly out of the bathroom and making his way toward the kitchen. He grabbed a handful of ice and stuffed it inside a Ziplock container, adding a bit of cool water, and made his way back. Then, suddenly realizing he had locked the front door, Naru was about to take a quick detour toward the living room when the sound of the lock turning hit his ears. Lin's figure came into view, carrying several bags in his hands. Naru frowned. Did she also give Lin a copy of her keys? When? And why would Lin need a copy of it? Ignoring the annoyance bubbling out of his chest, he stepped out of the way as Lin strode past him confidently, deciding it was best to let the onmyouji assess Mai's situation. He watched as Lin cupped Mai's cheeks very gently. "Taniyama-san," he said, his voice soft and placating, "I'll have to change out your gauze to get you cleaned up." When Mai nodded and opened her mouth, Naru took that as his cue to slip back into the kitchen to get her a glass of water for her medication. By the time he got back, she had calmed down considerably and Lin was already washing out his hands. He stepped inside the cramped bathroom with them and handed her the cup along with the pills, which she took gratefully from his outstretched palms and quickly quaffed down. "How long before this kicks in?" she asked between sniffles. "Within fifteen minutes you'll be feeling drowsy and pain-free again," Naru answered. -000- The two gentlemen found themselves in her small kitchen. In one pot, Lin was busy preparing chicken noodle soup (following his mother's recipe, except he decided to chop up the noodles into very small pieces) so that Mai would have something to sustain her during the next couple of days. In the other pot, he was making a simple black beans and rice dish for their dinner. "Yasuhara-san is very late," Naru mumbled to himself as he flipped a page on his book. With a slightly louder volume meant to catch Lin's ears, he asked out, "What time did he say he was going to be here?" "Originally, three p.m, but he got held up with his activities. He thinks he may get here around seven." Naru leaned back and closed his book, pressing his thumbs against his eyelids. It had been a long day. "Mai is due to drink her next dosage. Shall we wake her?" "Yes, she'll need to eat first." He ladled on a small serving into a bowl and headed off to her room alongside his young charge. Naru sat himself at the edge of her bed and shook her gently. "Mai. You'll have to eat so you can take your next dose. Mai." Eventually, the girl stirred under him, sleep and fogginess still evident in her eyes. The painkiller was still coursing through her system, dampening her mental state. "I'm hungry," she said weakly. Lin settled himself down on the other side of the bed, letting the smell of the soup waft toward her to gain her attention. "Ooh, it smells good. What's that?" "Chicken noodle soup. It will be easy for you to gulp down." The girl nodded and opened her mouth, temporarily taking Lin by surprise. He did not think she would ask him to feed her, but feeling sorry for her current state, he simply pulled the corners of his mouth taut, scooped up a serving, and blew on it to make sure it was not hot. Then his next action surprised him, but before he could think he took a little sip from the spoon to test its temperature and brought it to her lips once he deemed it acceptable. Beside him, he could practically feel Noll raise his brow in astonishment. "I had no idea you were on such friendly terms," Naru said stiffly. "And to think she was afraid of asking you to take her, when she'd already given you a key to her apartment and you're eating off of the same spoon." Lin was sure he could hear a bit of testiness in his voice, but his demeanor was emotionally blank. Noll was always good at masking his emotions. "Jealousy does not become you, Noll." This took the teenager aback, but he quickly recovered. "It's nice to know you'd finally developed a sense of humor." "I'm putting an effort into it. Though it's not as dry as yours." Naru rolled his eyes. Finally, feeling a bit sorry for the poor boy, Lin explained, "Taniyama-san does not know I posses a copy of her key. Takigawa-san handed me a copy in the case Mai got into trouble and made me swear upon my honor I would never use it otherwise." Naru didn't know why, but this statement somewhat placated him. "Presumptuous of the monk to do so." "But understandable." "Lin-san." Lin felt a small tug on his shirt and he looked down to see Mai's innocent, expectant look, softly demanding, "More." Lin gulped. Somewhere deep within him, he felt a tug of tender emotion that was quickly followed by guilt. He automatically gave Noll a sidelong glance. "Upon your honor," Noll sarcastically drawled out, obviously understanding something deeper in that small exchange. Noll's observation skills were always topnotch. Rather than try to clarify anything, Lin sighed and fed her another serving. There was a painful silence as she slowly took her dinner, Lin continually checking to make sure the soup was of the right temperature before giving it to her. After a while, she slightly pushed him away and scooted back to rest against her headboard, feeling quite content with the amount of food she'd taken. To his mortification, however, Taniyama suddenly smiled sweetly and slurred, "Lin-san, you're very handsome." She reached out and grazed her hands softly along his face. If he could, Lin would have blushed. Instead, he pulled back and said evenly, "Thank you, Taniyama-san." Mai nodded and her smile grew bigger. She suddenly shivered and pulled up the blanket and commented, "It's very cold in here." Naru was startled by this and breathed out to calm himself down, despite his mounting annoyance that was only getting further exacerbated when Lin turned to his direction with a knowing smirk. "There's just a draft coming from that direction, Taniyama-san," Lin had carelessly pointed, presumably toward the window, but it happened to be on the same side Noll was on. With an aggravated sigh, Noll stood up and offered Mai his hands, saying, "It's time to change your bandage again so you can drink your medication and go back to sleep. Come." Lin stood up as well. "I'll be cleaning up the kitchen then. I'll leave you to it, Noll." When Mai took Naru's outstretched hands, she blushed and her face radiated a brilliant smile. In a semi-hushed whisper, she said conspiratorially, "Between you and me, I think you're more handsome than Lin-san." Of course, in the stillness of the room, her attempts at secrecy failed and Lin raised his brow. Beside her, his young charge smirked in self-satisfaction and turned to him triumphantly, answering the inebriated girl back with a mock whisper, "I think so, too." Lin rolled his eyes and exited the room, shaking his head in silent amusement as a smile crept up his face.