Fuse sat in the back of the car with Karn. An hour ago, Fuse was walking back to his dorm when his program device vibrated in his pocket. When he pulled it out, it was blinking with a green light. He raced to the gym, totally ready for his second mission, with Karn as his bodyguard. After Karn arrived, they were put into the back a black car with tinted windows that made it impossible to see out..
Since the night he returned from Lay’s Bar, Fuse and Karn had yet to have a sit down and talk about where their heads were at regarding this weird relationship dynamic they had. It mostly came down to timing. For most of the day, both were pretty wrapped up in classes, and by the time they were alone in their dorm room, the bodyguard program had worn them out like an overused tissue.
Fuse sat up as straight and still as a board, preparing for an attack at any time. The butter-smooth drive slowly rumbled as the wheels ran over a gravelled surface. A sudden bump caused the back of the car to bounce, his head barely missing the ceiling.
Where are they taking us?
The car came to an abrupt stop, jerking him forward and slamming him back into his seat. The back door swung open. A guy dressed in black sweats, wearing a face mask snatched Fuse’s wrist and dragged him out of the car. A second one slipped past the two and wrenched Karn out.
A chill traced down Fuse’s body. Goosebumps covered his arms. Peering over the top of the hill, all that could be seen for kilometers were trees and a single road. To his right was a worn-down warehouse, entirely made of corrugated iron, with a few stacks of wooden crates outside the door. In one of the crates was a large, rusted piece of metal.
Fuse jumped at the surprise shove from behind and turned to see a man in the black mask pushing them towards the building. Unsettling prickles began to crawl over his skin as he was thrust towards the black entryway. The mystery surrounding this mission gave it an uncomfortable edge.
Fuse and Karn were directed into the dim interior. The abrupt slam of a metal door shook the wall behind them. The moon was filtering streams of light through the window but was mostly hidden behind the tall stacks of crates. Dozens of wooden shelves ran down the length of the building, full of boxes, rope, and old equipment.
“Come behind me.” Fuse placed a protective arm in front of Karn, shielding him for whatever the hell was coming their way. A familiarly heavy tension filled his lungs. Though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, there was something off about this mission, and it wasn’t because they hadn’t been prepped for it.
“As much as I’ve dreamt about you saying that to me.” Karn apparently couldn’t resist playfully squeezing Fuse’s ass. “It’s my turn to bodyguard you.”
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Fuse said, swatting Karn’s naughty hand away. “Stay behind me.”
Taking a tentative step forward, Fuse scanned from left to right, checking for signs of movement. Not a stir came from the shadows covering the walls and floor. No sounds of shuffling feet or ragged breaths. The only thing he could hear was his nervous pulse throbbing in his ears.
Just as he approached the opening of an aisle, an ‘attacker’ leapt from the shadows. Fuse was startled but quickly regained his composure. He ducked as soon as she swung her foot towards his head and shoved her leg into one of the narrow shelves. For a short moment, her shoe was wedged between the shelves, but as soon as Fuse went to grab her leg, she twisted out and kicked him into the opposite shelf.
Catching himself against the splintered shelves, he silently grunted upon the painful impact. This girl was definitely more seasoned than the previous attackers the program had him training with.
Giving him no time to adjust, she lifted her foot again. Fuse rolled across the shelves, avoiding her impressive kick. He snatched a metal pole from the shelf and blocked her next attack. Her eyes narrowed as he swung pole towards her like it was a bat to a baseball.
After swiftly dodging his latest swing, she caught the pole with an iron-tight grip. Fuse grabbed the other end and kicked her in the stomach. She crashed into an empty crate, her head slamming against the neck of the aisle as she fell in.
Shocked by his own brute force, he checked to see that he’d only knocked her unconscious.
“Shia, do you think she’s okay?” Immediate guilt curled in his stomach.
“Of course. I’m sure this happens all the time. They wouldn’t have her fighting if she wasn’t tough.” From the end of the aisle, Karn walked over and chuckled. “I didn’t know you had the heart to beat up a girl.”
“It was an accident!” Fuse glared, hating Karn’s evil jab. “Besides, I treated her just as I would any other attacker.”
Suddenly, a loud sound rang followed by the blast of a bullet into the adjacent crate. A chilling shock froze his heart and lungs at the deep hole wedged in the crate.
There was no way the program would use real bullets. That was too much of a liability. But Fuse was certain that this was real ammo. Blood raced through his veins like water breaking out from a dam. This had to be mafia related.
Fuse shot up and shuffled in front of Karn again. Anger bubbling, he glared at the direction the bullet came from. To his disappointment, there was a large crate blocking his view. On the bright side, that meant whoever just shot the bullet didn’t have a great view of them…right?
He didn’t know exactly what was happening, but one thing was certain—they needed to get the fuck out of there. There was just one problem. It was impossible to outrun a bullet.
It was too dark to make out many of the items on the shelves, he felt for anything that could be remotely useful. All he came across was wire and rope. Useless.
Karn stood up and started marching away.
“Where are you going? Stay here.” Fuse grabbed Karn’s wrist as he began walking away.
Karn turned to him, heavy sternness in his expression. “We need to get out of here.”
Bang!
“Shit!” Fuse’s hold on Karn tightened as a bullet hit a few shelves away. Though it was a risk to move from their spot, their options had backed them into a corner. Either fight or flight. A light tremor in his hand, he let go of Karn, submitting to his idea.
After a firm nod, Karn stealthily crept back to the door, Fuse sticking to his back like glue. Karn jiggled the doorknob and pressed against the door. He grunted, rattled it some more, but it was no use.
“It’s fucking locked.” Karn ran his fingers through his hair and faced Fuse with a sheen of fear in his eyes. His trembling breath brushed past his lips, chest quickly rising with panic.
In the past, Karn seemed so confident in the face of danger. Perhaps, Karn was feeling out of his element, in an unfamiliar environment and trapped in a room with at least one armed man. Or, maybe, he’d misread Karn all along.
Fuse wanted to share his panic and scream, ‘What the hell are we going to do?’ But he had prepared his entire life to fight and survive in high-stress situations. He had to get Karn out of there without a scratch. In order for this to go smoothly, he needed Karn to feel as safe as he could in Fuse’s protection. He needed Karn to trust him.
Putting on a brave front, Fuse swallowed his fear and placed a reassuring hand on Karn’s shoulder. “I saw a window on the other side of the warehouse. We can escape that way.”
Karn eased under his touch. “You’re sexy when you bodyguard,” he murmured breathlessly.
How can he be flirting at a time like this?
Fuse opted to push Karn’s advances away by simply not directing it. “Whatever you do, don’t leave my side.”
At the very end of the warehouse, crates were stacked beneath a large window. It was a long, risky distance. But it was their only chance.
He took a short moment to summon the years’ worth of training instilled in him. After letting out a breath, he started towards their hope to escape.
Through the tall shelves of crates and outlines of what looked to be tools, he led Karn down the stretch of the warehouse. Fuse stopped in his tracks at the end of an aisle and peered from side to side before crossing. When he figured that the coast was clear, he proceeded on.
Bang!
A bullet flew past his leg. It came from the thick beam a few feet away. Fuse stepped back into the aisle and grabbed the closest item on the shelf. Without a second thought, he hurled the foreign object at the beam. A masked man jumped down, gun in hand.
Fuse snagged another metal object and threw it at the gun. The man fired the weapon at the closest shelf upon impact before it fell across the floor.
Adrenaline roaring through his body, Fuse raced towards the assailant. The gunman, surprised at Fuse’s sudden action, tried to reach for the gun but seemingly abandoned that idea as Fuse closed in.
A streak of moonlight was cast over the man’s pale face, his lip curling into a snarl. He shifted into a fighting stance and lunged towards Fuse. At the sudden throw of his fist, Fuse blocked the attempted punch and right-hooked his jaw.
The gunman staggered back, growling at the powerful attack, and rubbed his chin. With pent-up rage, Fuse kicked the man in the balls for daring to shoot at him and Karn. Though the man cried and dropped to the ground, holding his groin, Fuse wasn’t finished with him yet.
He stormed towards the bastard and struck the man’s head with an iron-fisted punch. The gunman face-planted next to the gun, knocked out cold. Serves him right.
After casting a death-glare at the assailant, he picked up the gun and held it by his side. He caught sight of Karn hiding behind the shelves.
“You okay?” Fuse asked.
“Yeah…are you?” Karn stepped out and shifted his gaze around Fuse, as though he was inspecting him.
Fuse nodded and approached Karn, gun held out in front of him in case of another surprise attack. “There might be others, so stay behind me.”
“I should be protecting you,” Karn protested.
“Now’s not the time for arguing. Just listen to me,” Fuse said sharply in a tone that held no room for argument.
Without warning another gunshot sounded and a bullet grazed Fuse’s shoulder. The feeling of a red-hot piece of iron burning his skin took his breath away momentarily. He held in the need to yell and cuss, not wanting to alert Karn.
Karn grabbed Fuse’s wrist and dragged them towards an aisle with shelves full of crates.
“Did he get you?” Karn peered at him in concern through the dim light.
“I’m fine. Let’s—”
Fuse was cut off by the sound of gunshots and a couple more bullets hitting the crates behind them. Fortunately, the person aiming at them didn’t appear to be a good shot.
Before Fuse could gather his thoughts, Karn raced down the aisles, pulling him along. Bullets peppered the space behind them along the thick, wooden crates. Desperation burned in Fuse’s lungs as he avoided getting hit.
They finally reached the end of the aisle. The shooting had thankfully stopped, hopefully indicating that their attacker was fresh out of ammo. As Karn eased towards the window, which was now only ten feet away, Fuse pulled him back into the aisle.
“I’ll go first.” Fuse wasn’t convinced that it was this easy. There had to be a catch.
“I should go first.” Karn frowned.
“How about neither of you go first?” A man suddenly appeared from the side, a smirk on his scarred face as he pointed the gun at them.
Fuse scowled and stood in front of Karn, his bodyguard instincts kicking in.
“Boss warned that you’d be tough prey to catch.” The man cocked the gun and chuckled. “I knew he was wrong.”
Cocking his own gun, Fuse quickly pointed it at the shooter. “Guess he used chump as bait.” Fuse snarled. Not one to waste time, Fuse pulled the trigger.
The gun jammed.
Fuck.
Panic beginning to race, Fuse tried the trigger a few more times, but nothing happened. “Your fucking men can’t clean their weapons properly.”
“Most likely not, but I don’t have a problem.” The man placed his finger over the trigger.
Without warning, Fuse kicked the man’s gun, but he kept a firm hold of the weapon. Fuse grabbed the guy’s arm and the muzzle of the gun and forced them upwards. The man pulled the trigger reflexively and shot at the ceiling with an ear-piercing bang!
Fuse and the man struggled over control of the firearm. As he let out a low growl, the man tried to kick Fuse in the gut, but Fuse blocked the attempt and kneed him right in the stomach. The assassin grunted but refused to fall.
While they were busy fighting over the weapon, Karn grabbed a crate and slammed it over the guy’s head, splinters of wood shattering everywhere. At the brute force attack, the man loosened his hold of the gun. Fuse took the opportunity to kick it out of the assailant’s hand and into his.
Not even thinking, he shot at the man’s foot.
“Ah, fuck!” The shooter cried out.
Fuse turned back to the window straight ahead, tucking the gun in his waistband. It wasn’t a fatal wound, but it would keep the asshole from following them.
Karn and Fuse pushed past the man wailing on the ground. They shoved the crates aside for access to the window. Karn stuck his fingers under the window and tried to pull it up, but it was no use.
“Hold on.” Fuse picked up a nearby metal pipe.
As soon as he launched the heavy object through the window, they both ducked away, avoiding the glass shattering everywhere. Fragments of glass scattered by their feet and pitter-pattered across the floor. Fuse knocked out the remaining glass stuck in the sill.
He crawled out the window, avoiding a jagged piece of glass that hadn’t broken off. Ignoring the butane-torch pain from where the bullet had grazed him, Fuse hooked his arm over the window to support himself as he hopped out of the building. As he somehow landed on both feet in the grass, he took a step back to give Karn room and glanced down at his wound.
“Ah, Fuck!” Karn howled as he climbed out of the window.
“What’s wrong?” Fuse checked him, the fear of Karn being shot sending his brain into an anxious frenzy. He took a frantic sweep of his body and noticed a red slit along the front of his white shirt. That fucking glass.
“We’ll worry about me later.” Karn hissed as he took a step. “Let’s get out of here first.”
Fuse looked over the heads of the trees. The walk down the mountain was not going to be fun. Who knew how many men that guy was going to call for backup. This was a death trap.
Karn raced towards a red-hot motorcycle sparkling under the moonlight.
Unless they had a key, the motorcycle was useless. It wasn’t like either of them knew how to hotwire it.
Fuse decided to look for another way out, searching around for a vehicle with an engine running or keys in the ignition. If all else failed, they’d have to escape on foot.
“Hop on!” Karn shouted, already straddling the bike.
Tugging his head to him in confusion, Fuse walked to him in awe. “Where the hell did you learn how to hotwire a motorcycle?”
“The internet.”
Fuse couldn’t tell if that was a joke or not. Judging by Karn’s taut expression, he was struggling to hold himself up with the pain in his abdomen. Fuse almost insisted that he drive instead but knew that his upper arm would be more of a driving hindrance than Karn’s cut. He slipped his arms around Karn’s waist and sat behind him.
Karn took off like a rocket and raced along the forest path they’d obviously driven in on earlier. Eventually, they hit a small town and found a pharmacy nearby. After they bought some medical aids, they rested by a bench off the side of the road. Karn made a quick call to his men for a ride as Fuse gathered the medical supplies.
Fuse gently lifted Karn’s shirt up. His heart sank as he saw the nasty cut along his abdomen. He should’ve made sure all the glass was gone before he had Karn crawl through. Pursing his lips, he wiped the blood off his abdomen, needing a clear surface to disinfect. Then, he grabbed the bottle of antiseptic and popped the cap open.
“Stay still. This is going to sting a bit.” Fuse dosed a cotton pad with antiseptic.
“I can handle a little—” Karn jerked his shirt up higher and grunted as Fuse began dabbing the pad against his open wound. “Shia. Is that hydrogen peroxide or hydrochloric acid?”
Fuse rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of sympathy as Karn winced underneath the soft light from the streetlamp. A moment later he let out another soft whine. Fuse felt really bad but resorted to humor to cover his awkwardness, “Do you need a pacifier?”
“No.” Karn pouted, but a naughty glint flared in his eyes. “But I do need nipples to suck on.”
That deserved more pressure to his abdomen.
“Ow!”
“You’re a dirty baby.” Fuse tossed him a disapproving frown and lightened the punishment, setting the red-stained pad aside. “I should wash your mouth out with soap.”
“I’d prefer a spanking,” Karn quietly chuckled, tugging a pained grimace as his amusement caused his gash to open.
Debating the thought of giving him a playful slap, Fuse decided against it, and gathered a tube of ointment. He bit back a groan as he reached for a cotton swab, his arm still hurting from that damn bullet. At least it’d only skimmed past him. He feared what it would’ve felt like to actually get shot.
After scooping a generous amount of the ointment on the swab, he carefully applied it to Karn’s cut. He’d used this brand before, and from his experience, it worked miracles. “Better?”
“Much.”
Karn’s heavy breathing relaxed as Fuse dabbed the ointment into his injury, the numbing component likely taking effect. A tiny wave of relief washed over Fuse. It was a good sign that Karn was feeling better already.
When he finished putting the bandage on his abdomen, Fuse shrugged his jacket off to check out his own injury. He scowled at the wound on his arm. The pain wasn’t a ten, but it certainly was trying to be.
“When did you get that?” Alarm heightened in Karn’s voice as he tucked his shirt down. He shuffled to the other side of the bench and rolled Fuse’s sleeve over his shoulder.
“A bullet grazed me when that asshole was shooting at us.” Residual anger built back up just talking about it. “It’s not a big deal.” It just hurt like someone was holding a hot iron to his skin.
“Not a big deal?” Karn tilted his head and gave him an incredulous look. For a mafia member, he seemed rather worried about a little cut. “You got shot!”
“Grazed.”
‘Suck it up.’ Fuse had been trained using that mantra. Karn seemed to live by completely different rules. He put care into everything, no matter the size or importance. His concern felt so out of place to Fuse. A more appropriate response might’ve been comfort, but Fuse couldn’t help feeling awkward.
Karn shook his head as he picked up a small piece of cloth and looked at his injury. “This is going to need stitches.”
Fuse grit his teeth as Karn dabbed the cloth around the wound. Though he was being gentle, the touch felt like the weight of rocks as opposed to a feather.
“What the hell happened back there?” Fuse asked, trying to distract himself from the throbbing burn in his arm. “Is there some mafia stuff going down?”
“Yeah.” Karn stared at the red staining the cotton, lips pressed firmly together. “I think I know who it is.”
“Who?”
Karn paused, as if deciding whether to tell him or not. “Sharp.” He picked up a jar of petroleum jelly and lightly applied it to Fuse’s arm. “But I don’t want you interfering. I’ll take care of it.”
“Why is Sharp after you?” Concern prodded its way into Fuse’s mind. Though his thoughts were clouded in pain during their first meeting, he’d gotten the impression that Sharp was not a guy anyone wanted to be the target of.
“It’s not your business.” Karn pulled out a roll of gauze and looked at him with a mix of authority and sternness. “Stay out of it.”
Fuse glared at him. His patience snapped. “I know you don’t trust me, but I deserve to know why he was shooting at me.”
As Karn was about to tape the gauze to his arm, Fuse pulled back. Karn raised frustrated brows at Fuse and let out a small huff. He grabbed Fuse’s arm and gently tugged him forward.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll have everything resolved,” Karn said tightly.
“Shouldn’t you have resolved things before it got to this point?” Fuse couldn’t hold back his annoyance. It was probably unfair of him to say that, but the rush of adrenaline forced him to speak before the breaks of his conscience could stop him.
“It’s not that cut and dried. This guy is as predictable as the lottery.” Red light from the cars passed by bounced on Karn’s face, heat emphasized in his tone.
“Fire and shootouts? That doesn’t sound out of the mafia ordinary.” Fuse tucked his sleeve down as soon as Karn finished bandaging it, gazing sharply at him. He scooted to the opposite end of the bench, sitting in his own boiling puddle of irritation.
“Ai’Fuse.” Karn slid next to him and lightly squeezed his thigh, warmth spreading across Fuse’s cheeks at the faint intimacy. He tried to ignore the heat in his heart but fell victim to Karn’s hypnotic gaze. The man brushed his thumb across the inner-part of his thigh, sensitive flesh shivering under the stroke. “I treated this lightly before because all he hurt was a building,” Karn started, his deep stare boring into Fuse’s pupils. “But now he’s hurt you. I will never forgive him for that. And I will make sure he regrets it.”
What was this strange stirring in his chest? Although Fuse was put under the embarrassing spotlight of care, he didn’t object to it. He clenched the edge of his seat and broke away from Karn’s winsome eyes.
When it came to protection, Fuse was always his own shield. He could handle whatever was thrown his way, be it his father’s cutting words, rib-cracking punches, or the torment from kids at school. No one else intervened or helped him. And as difficult as it was, Fuse knew he was prepared for whatever life threw at him.
Through his years of self-protection, he’d never thought to be this tender. To be this attentive. To be vengeful to those that wronged him. Sure, he was angry, but he channeled all that anger into motivation. He wouldn’t let people get to him. Instead, he’d shut them up by exceeding their expectations.
“Shit.” Karn shook his head and settled into the bench. “Just seeing your arm makes me want to fucking kill him.”
“You’re going to kill him?” Fuse froze. He squirmed in uneasiness under Karn’s hold on his leg. The mafia was no joke, but killing was so…wrong.
“No.” Karn sighed, tapping his finger on Fuse’s knee in thought. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. Killing him would just start a retaliation toward my clan. I have my own men to protect.”
“Like P’Tanawat?” Fuse set his hands in his lap.
“And you.”
Fuse jerked his leg out from Karn’s touch, scoffing at the proclamation. “I don’t need your protection.” He didn’t need anybody’s protection.
“You may not want my protection, but you need it.” Karn stretched an arm over the back of the bench and threw him a sly smile. “That guy almost shot you until I hit him with the crate.”
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have even been shot at.” Fuse snared.
Karn’s obnoxious smile faltered, a nerve apparently struck. “You’re right…I’m sorry.” His gaze fell to his feet. “You’d be a lot safer if I wasn’t in your life.”
Fuse bit his lower lip. Alright, he didn’t have to give Karn such a hard time. After all, he wasn’t the only one that was shot at. Karn seemed pretty shaken by the whole thing too.
“Probably not.” Fuse crossed his leg over his thigh and leaned into his seat, his back hitting Karn’s arm. “I’m going to be a bodyguard anyway. This is the best training I can get. Real life.”
“Still.” Karn’s breath shortened, as though he suddenly struggled to utter a word. “I don’t want you to get shot at.”
“I’m alive, aren’t I?”
Drawing out a burdened sigh, Karn slid his arm around Fuse’s waist and rested his chin on the top of his head. Fuse just sat there, accepting the warm embrace and strong scent of expensive cologne. It was an odd, yet comforting security, to be held by Karn.
He closed his eyes and nuzzled into the affection, his heart that had still been racing was starting to slow down. Though he’d been through intensive bodyguard training, nothing could mentally prepare him for the real thing. For some reason, Karn holding him was exactly what he needed. He just didn’t know that he would need it so much.
Fuse and Karn face a second mission. Where Karn will take the role of body guard. Of course these two have not managed to discuss their weird relationship dynamic.
Both have fears about revealing emotions or are unsure of what is de eloping. Although Karn has been more open.
I like
The butter-smooth drive slowly rumbled as the wheels ran over a gravelled surface..
I love your unique use of verbs. It is one of my favorite aspects of your writing.
Like these.
A chill traced down Fuse’s body.
Unsettling prickles began to crawl over his skin as he was thrust towards the black entryway.
Something is not right about this mission.
The mystery surrounding this mission gave it an uncomfortable edge.
It is dark and scary with the unknown black mask man shoving them into the building.
This was a very nice reaction by Fuse. He does not care about the mission where Karn is supposed to be the body guard.
He only cares that Karn might be in danger and stands in front of him to protect him.
This touches me. The rat is gaining redemption.
I love Fuse doing this.
Come behind me.” Fuse placed a protective arm in front of Karn, shielding him for whatever the hell was coming their way.
Now this reaction from Karn is typical Karn move.
Deflect a situation with flirting.
“As much as I’ve dreamt about you saying that to me.” Karn apparently couldn’t resist playfully squeezing Fuse’s ass. “It’s my turn to bodyguard you.”
Now oddly enough this reaction reminds me of my cat. The odd thing about this cat is that it only purrs when it is frightened.
So does Karn also flirt when his is frightened?
He must have picked up
danger as well.
Fuse is forced to fight the female attacker.
All evidence is suggesting that this is not a school attack.
This girl was definitely more seasoned than the previous attackers the program had him training with.
Fuse successfully subdues her to the point of knocking her out.
Again Karn pipes in with a flirty teasing reaction.
Karn walked over and chuckled. “I didn’t know you had the heart to beat up a girl.”
Fuse actually feels guilty.
The danger intensified with the entrance of bullets.
I love this image.
Blood raced through his veins like water breaking out from a dam.
This had to be mafia related.
Karn knows there is danger.
Karn turned to him, heavy sternness in his expression. “We need to get out of here.”
This is unusual for Karn. To show fear.
Karn ran his fingers through his hair and faced Fuse with a sheen of fear in his eyes.
His trembling breath brushed past his lips, chest quickly rising with panic.
Beautiful image.
So here is the question. Why is Karn showing fear? He has been trained to hide emotions.
Is he showing fear because he knows it is Sharp ?
Is he showing fear because he loves Fuse and doesn’t want him hurt.
I think both.
In the past, Karn seemed so confident in the face of danger. Perhaps, Karn was feeling out of his element, in an unfamiliar environment and trapped in a room with at least one armed man. Or, maybe, he’d misread Karn all along.
Had Fuse misread Karn all along ? Does Karn really lack confidence in danger ?
This is such a lovely contrast from the last chapter.
In the last chapter Karn was trying to please and take care of Fuse. He also gained his trust.
Karn also tried to understand Fuse s coldness with emotional intimacy.
So now Fuse is assuming the role of taking care of Karn.
Because you care Fuse !!!
It also entails trying to understand Karn and to make Karn feel safe in trusting him.
Like Karn did previously with only thinking about giving Fuse pleasure and not about himself,
So Fuse now tries to forget his own fears and be brave and help Karn. He is not the thinking about himself.
Fuse wanted to share his panic and scream, ‘What the hell are we going to do?’ But he had prepared his entire life to fight and survive in high-stress situations. He had to get Karn out of there without a scratch. In order for this to go smoothly, he needed Karn to feel as safe as he could in Fuse’s protection. He needed Karn to trust him.
This is so caring.
Putting on a brave front, Fuse swallowed his fear and placed a reassuring hand on Karn’s shoulder. “
Karn eased under his touch. “You’re sexy when you bodyguard,” he murmured breathlessly.
How can he be flirting at a time like this?
Again how can he be flirting?
Is this a fear reaction or is it Karn worried about Fuse’s fear and trying to lighten it ?
Fuse turns into a cold machine with fear. Karn also distrusts and is fearful but does not show it. He uses humor to hide his fear.
Option three for Karn. He hides his fear with humor.
So this is interesting.
“I should be protecting you,” Karn protested.
Why is Karn once again letting Fuse protect him and do the fighting?
Fuse is in a dominant protective mode.
“Now’s not the time for arguing. Just listen to me,” Fuse said sharply in a tone that held no room for argument.
This is caring Fuse.
He held in the need to yell and cuss, not wanting to alert Karn. His gunshot wound.
Karn is getting more assertive and active.
Karn grabbed Fuse’s wrist and dragged
them towards an aisle with shelves full of crates.
They head for the window.
This was so caring.
What’s wrong?” Fuse checked him, the fear of Karn being shot sending his brain into an anxious frenzy.
An anxious frenzy of caring.
He took a frantic sweep of his body and noticed a red slit along the front of his white shirt. That fucking glass.
This was sad. Now both are injured.
Karn is calm with worry about me later. He is quite able to handle himself in danger.
I had to laugh :
On the internet.
Karn you are tricky.
Fuse couldn’t tell if that was a joke or not.
Here I can’t tell if it is a joke or not either.
Is Karn continuing to use humor to hide fear. And now to hide pain?
Judging by Karn’s taut expression, he was struggling to hold himself up with the pain in his abdomen.
Karn you are holding your feelings in.
So now we have injured Karn being taken care of by Fuse.
Notice that Fuse himself is injured but his first thought is to take care of Karn.
Fuse is sympathetic.
Fuse rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of sympathy as Karn winced underneath the soft light from the streetlamp. A moment later he let out another soft whine.
Fuse does not know how to handle this and feels awkward.
A more appropriate response might’ve been comfort, but Fuse couldn’t help feeling awkward.
Now here we go. fuse is now the one using humor to lighten the situation or awkwardness.
Fuse is awkward with feeling caring for injured Karn. He is not used to this.
I like this flip flop.
The two do have similarities with each other.
Fuse felt really bad but resorted to humor to cover his awkwardness, “Do you need a
This is cute flirting.
You’re a dirty baby . “
I should wash your mouth out with soap.”
“I’d prefer a spanking,”
Touché the two deserve each other.
Having taken care of Karn’s wound , Fuse looks at his bullet graze.
Karn is caring.
When did you get that?” Alarm heightened in Karn’s voice as he tucked his shirt down.
I love this passage. It clearly shows both characters.
Suck it up.’ Fuse had been trained using that mantra.
Fuse has been trained to be a robot and obey.
Suck it up.’ Fuse had been trained using that mantra.
This is perceptive of Fuse. He recognizes the goodness in Karn. The giving side.
Karn seemed to live by completely different rules. He put care into everything, no matter the size or importance.
I love this last line.
But Fuse looks at this caring personal as a strange bird who has flown into his cold life. He cannot understand why Karn feels so much. He is not used to being cared for.
His concern felt so out of place to Fuse.
Fuse is definitely worried and asks questions. Karn admits it was dangerous Sharp.
However now Karn has his mafia blinders on and his shield is up.
He responds to all of Fuse’s probes with cold tight responses.
You don’t need to be involved. I will take care of it.
But I don’t want you interfering. I’ll take care of it.”
Fuse cares.
Concern prodded its way into Fuse’s mind.
Fuse hits rejection.
“It’s not your business.” Karn pulled out a roll of gauze and looked at him with a mix of authority and sternness. “Stay out of it.”
Fuse glared at him. His patience snapped. “I know you don’t trust me, but I deserve to know why he was shooting at me.”
Karn is now angered at the Fuse’s persistence. He then does a Karn move.
He grabbed Fuse’s arm and gently tugged him forward.
Karn is angry and trying to hide it. He is furious at at Sharp.
It’s not that cut and dried. This guy is as predictable as the lottery.”
Red light from the cars passed by bounced on Karn’s face, heat emphasized in his tone.
Nice image of anger.
Karn finally expresses his anger. And very touching is that he is angry at anyone hurting Fuse.
I treated this lightly before because all he hurt was a building,” Karn started, his deep stare boring into Fuse’s pupils. “But now he’s hurt you. I will never forgive him for that. And I will make sure he regrets it.”
This was such a lovely reaction. Fuse is not used to this affection.
What was this strange stirring in his chest?
Although Fuse was put under the embarrassing spotlight of care, he didn’t object to it.
I love spotlight of care. And
I love Fuse not objecting to it.
Sweet.
He clenched the edge of his seat and broke away from Karn’s winsome eyes.
I like winsome eyes.
These next two passages are so beautiful and revealing. I love them.
When it came to protection, Fuse was always his own shield.
This statement struck me with sadness. It is a very lonely life.
I love always his own shield.
This is sad.
He could handle whatever was thrown his way, be it his father’s cutting words, rib-cracking punches, or the torment from kids at school.
No one else intervened or helped him. And as difficult as it was,
He was so very alone. No one to help or to turn to. No one to stop the abuse.
This is the tragedy of abuse. Being so alone.
Fuse sees himself as able to handle it. Or he had to develop the shield to handle it.
Fuse knew he was prepared for whatever life threw at him.
Fuse is strong. He is resilient.
This passage on tenderness touched me.
Through his years of self-protection, he’d never thought to be this tender. To be this attentive.
This is beautiful moment of a self finally loving. Finally trusting someone enough to feel tenderness.
To be vengeful to those that wronged him. Sure, he was angry, but he channeled all that anger into motivation.
This is Fuse. Channeling anger at mistreatment into motivation.
He wouldn’t let people get to him. Instead, he’d shut them up by exceeding their expectations.
This is very perceptive. He shuts up people by exceeding their demands.
Fuse has spent a life of pleasing others. Of excelling in demands.
Karn’s obnoxious smile faltered, a nerve apparently struck. “You’re right…I’m sorry.” His gaze fell to his feet. “You’d be a lot safer if I wasn’t in your life.”
This statement scares me. Like Karn are you going to leave Fuse someday for this reason.
So it ends with such tenderness.
I love the ending.
Drawing out a burdened sigh, Karn slid his arm around Fuse’s waist and rested his chin on the top of his head.
This touches me. Karn seeking emotional intimacy. Trusting Fuse to just let him be affectionate.
Fuse just sat there, accepting the warm embrace and strong scent of expensive cologne. It was an odd, yet comforting security, to be held by Karn.
Fuse accepts the cuddling. The care. The affection.
Not only does he accept it. He nuzzled into it.
This is so tender.
He closed his eyes and nuzzled into the affection, his heart that had still been racing was starting to slow down.
I love this sentence.
This. I love.
For some reason, Karn holding him was exactly what he needed.
Fuse is learning about himself. Learning that he needs tenderness and affection.
It is beautiful.
He just didn’t know that he would need it so much.
And it was just simple affection. Not sensual, tender caring
This is precisely why I feel this warm glow from this chapter. There were so many touching moments.
It was a rich chapter of character development. I truly loved it.