Fang War

7 ☽

When Adonis entered the parting doors of the hospital, he stops short at the sight of her.

She's sitting in the waiting room, directly ahead of him, ready to leave. There's an impatient bounce to her leg as if she'd stayed here a week and not a measly forty-eight hours. Her bruises are oddly faded. Her eye that had been swollen shut is smoothed to perfection.

Approaching, wary of his own sight, he gently plops her gym bag at her feet. The damn bag had been holstered over his shoulders the entire ride during his escape and in his ride back here from his apartment. Thankfully, for his accelerated healing, the sore spot was nearly obsolete and he rolls his shoulder against the ache that pulsated there.

"How did you get that?" She asked.

"I went to that gross hotel you stayed at. Figured you wouldn't be going back there after what happened. Tried to do you a favor," Adonis replied, flatly.

No, she wasn't having it. He saw the fire hit her eyes before her anger met her mouth.

"What?! No offense, but who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Someone I don't want to be," he sighs, "A lot of things I can't really explain."

She rolls her eyes and says, "I am going back there, actually. Just waiting for my ride..."

It's almost ten. Zachary is late. Scratch that, she knows he's not coming at this point. Nine o'clock he said. It wasn't happening. Still, Adonis didn't need to know that.

"I thought you said you didn't know anyone in Seattle..." Adonis pries.

"Jesus Christ, Adonis! I don't even know you, what the hell are you doing?" She snaps.

His tongue rolls bitterly over his teeth before he replies, "I don't know how to say this without sounding creepy, but you are now very much my business..."

"There's no way to say that that wouldn't make you sound creepy..." she trails off as she finally takes in the display of his own state.

His leather jacket has tears in it. There's glass gathered in the creases like he'd been in an accident.

"What happened to you?" Heart sinking, Lila wonders what happened to her inappropriate nurse as he bulldozed himself into her personal belongings and life.

The money...all of it was still stashed there. She'd have to go back. By herself. Her lips pursing at the thought, she casts her eyes away as if to hide her growing anxiety.

"I'm going to need you to come with me," Adonis offers, having his own fears on whether he should help this girl, or cast her out.

Staying away from her was not the best option, clearly, until he found a way to get her somewhere hidden. With her so exposed and blatantly reckless, he suspects all trails of Lila will lead to him.

He's lifting her gym bag back up and without thinking, goes to help her up too.

Pushing him away, Lila snarls, "I've got it, Romeo."

Standing, she's unsure of where he's taking her, but with no other options, Lila's following Adonis. She had nowhere to go. Nowhere to stay. This, was convenient for her, even if Adonis developed a bit of a weird crush. The second it's not convenient for her, she'd make another option that was.

Peering into her bag as she walked, she can't dig through it enough to check for the cash as Adonis holds it. Finding some, but not all of it there, Lila begins to panic as a scream from deep inside her wants to break free.

***

They're walking through the city and Adonis notices how her eyes search the cars that pass.