Nickel POV

“Nickel,” I heard Liam whisper as he gently shook me. His relaxing scent wafted to my nose. “Nickel… Kitten, it’s time to get up.” I snuggled deeper into the covers as the floral smell beckoned me to sleep. I was never a morning person even at the facility. No one I bunked with bothered to wake me up so often I missed breakfast; was punished for it by sitting out on dinner. 

“I’m tired,” I mumbled. The covers were pulled from me making me shiver from the cold air. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see Liam standing over me with his usual annoying smile. “Breakfast is ready. Be down in 15 minutes. We’re taking a jog after that.” He winked before taking his leave. My face reddened from the gesture. He sure knew out to piss me off.

I huffed out of annoyance with the plan to simply lay back down but once I did my stomach grumbled. Upset with my body’s need for food, I swung my legs over the side of the bed. When my feet touched the cold hardwood floors it sent another set of shivers down my spine. Nonetheless, I still made my way towards the bathroom. My black hair was a mess and my face had red lines on it from the awkward position I slept in. There were white streaks going through my hair, something I had ever since I was young. 

They were one of the reasons I had been named Nickel in the first place. My father thought they appeared to be the color of his favorite coin to collect. All payments were done digitally and money was no longer in circulation though my father seemed to have a collection of bills and coins he stored from when he was a child. I smiled remembering how he loved to tell me about his childhood. I pushed the hair out of my face, exposing my mono lidded eyes before quickly preparing myself for the day.

Exiting the bathroom, I grabbed some black pants tailored specifically for a hybrid so there was a small hole for my tail. I didn’t necessarily like any of the top options being that they were all hoodies but I put on a pastel pink one that looked nice. When I was dressed, I went downstairs into the kitchen. There was a fruit salad, strawberry jam, and scones on the table. “H...hey,” I whispered. Liam seemed to be making something when he turned around. “Go ahead and eat,” he smiled cheerfully, “I’m making us protein shakes for after our run. I tried to make breakfast lighter today so you don’t cramp up.” I nodded as I took my seat and dug in. Afterward, we grabbed our coats and slipped on some nicely fitted boots to prepare for our jog. “Ok, you ready?” Liam asked me after we had stretched outside for a few minutes. I nodded my head and he began running at a relatively fast pace.

I was able to keep up and made sure not to lose him in the woods. Actually, I could’ve run faster, but why would I want to do that? Then, when I was least expecting it Liam sprinted to the left, deeper into the woods. I leaned against a tree for a second to catch my breath before going full speed in that direction. I kept running and running trying to find him until I realized I was lost.

“There is no way he runs faster than me,” I whispered to myself. I then tried thinking of where he could be. Maybe I had passed him? Or perhaps he darted into a different direction, but that doesn’t make sense. “L...Liam!” I called out as loud as I could. There was no answer. “Liam!” Still no response. I was going to go back towards the path but I didn’t even know where that was. “LIAM!” I choked out, not used to yelling. 

A wave of anxiety hit me when I began to wonder if he left me on purpose. During my training years, the group instructors would leave me out in the woods for days just to see if I could survive. I did but there were times I thought I wouldn’t. Shaking my head from the unlikely thought, I stood up and decided to wander around to find his scent.

Eventually, I caught a whiff of it and heard the sound of snow crunching under boats a good distance from where I was. I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I ran towards the fragrance and sound. Liam came into view, standing near a frozen-over lake. At the sound of me running, he turned around and walked towards me. “Kitten, sorry bout that I-,” before he could finish I jumped into his arms. He stumbled back only slightly and wrapped his arms around me as well. When I felt him hug me back I pushed away out of embarrassment. “Why the frick did you leave me like that!” I shouted angrily, but still relieved I found him.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I was just messing around too much and thought that you had kept up. I should’ve checked behind me sooner.” My gaze stayed glued to the ground. “I’m sorry,” he said again, slipping his hand into mine. I let him begrudgingly and tried to calm myself down. There was no real reason to be mad. That's what I kept telling myself but it really bothered me that he left me behind without thinking to look back. He began leading me back home and I took note of our surroundings so I wouldn't get lost again. 

When we arrived he turned to me before opening up the door. “Let’s just take it easy for now,” he said clearly trying to get me to stop being upset. That also meant no more psychical training for the day so I couldn’t complain. He opened the door. “Go wait for me on the couch, please.”

I took my boots off and placed them on a small shoe holder next to the door. I went to the couch and sat there waiting for him. Even though I was listening I was still upset at him. He came back with the protein shakes he made earlier and passed me mine. I stared at it in apprehension.

“Come on, just try it,” Liam spoke after seeing my reluctance. I took a sip and it was actually pretty good. Tasted like banana and peanut butter. “Still mad at me?” he asked, giving me a smile. “Tch, I guess not.” He grinned. “I’m going to grab my computer, to work on some things with you. I’ll be back in a moment.” I nodded and continued my drink. When he left I noticed his scent become slightly stronger. It wasn’t that big of a deal since I had a sensitive nose so I didn’t question it.

Liam came back and I set my drink down as he placed a small tablet-like thing in my hands. When I tapped it, a projection was reflected in the air. I opened my mouth in aw. Liam chuckled and scooted closer to me whilst I messed with the buttons displayed on the tablet and watched what they did on the holographic projection in front of me.

“Let me just pull up this test I want you to take.” He tapped at a few things as a question popped up on the hologram. “I want you to answer these questions to the best of your ability. Once you answer, you can come back and at the end submit it. After that, I’ll decide what areas I need to refresh you in. If you don’t know something skip it.” I nodded understanding. He showed me how to scroll through questions along with other things to know regarding the use of the electronic. When he finished, I began answering.

Some were math-related, others were reading comprehension. Some things asked me to write sentences in other languages or recall historical events. I got through all 200 questions in about an hour. The scores came up immediately after I finished. My overall grade was a C and I had completely failed the math portion. I was disappointed in myself. I should’ve kept up with my studies for the past several years but I didn’t see it as important. In defeat, I went to Liam who was sitting on the chair in his room reading. Upon entering I inhaled the floral smell again. It was calming and I found myself taking deep breaths of it. It was a mix of mint, lavender, and pine. God, whatever body wash he used was amazing.

“Already?” he said when I handed him the tablet which revealed the hologram once more. I turned my head away from him, assuming he’d have some not too kind words to say; but I was met with a completely different response. “You did great!” I heard, taking me aback. I looked up at him as he came towards me. He was about to pet my head but stopped.

“Can I?” he asked. I hesitated, unsure if I should let him. “Just, this once.” He pet my head, scratching right behind my ears almost making me purr but I held it in. “You did better than I thought. I’m surprised since you haven’t taken any classes recently at least to my knowledge,” he cooed. I smiled unconsciously at the praise. “I’m going to help you out in the math section, perhaps review some concepts you might’ve forgotten as well. That sound good?” I nodded as he pulled his hand away, leading me to sit on the edge of the bed.

Liam went over the questions I had gotten wrong on the test and reviewed important topics. Every time I got a question right, he would pet me ignoring what I said earlier; but I’d be lying if I didn’t like it. At first, I was tense but eventually became accustomed to his touch. Even when I made mistakes he’d walk me through why I got it wrong in a calm manner. The only problem was it was getting harder and harder to focus. I think Liam could tell too. I constantly asked him to repeat his explanations and was zoning in and out. Liam’s scent coated the room and it seemed to be getting stronger but I knew that wasn’t possible. Initially, the fragrance was soothing but it started to make me feel extremely tired. I tried to keep my eyes on Liam in order to focus. If anything the action made me more distracted once I became lost in his bright blue eyes.

“Ok, this is the last one I promise,” he said bringing up a history related question. I nodded my head which had begun to feel light. I tried to take in his words but couldn’t seem to. Suddenly, the hologram of the question disappeared and Liam moved closer to me. “Let’s just save that one for next time. You don’t look too well,” he cupped my cheek with his hand and I let him. His thumb was gently grazing over my skin and I leaned into his cold touch. Everything felt hot as I became light-headed. “Nickel, are you feeling sick?” My breath hitched as I answered with a yes. “Th...the smell in here. I ne...need t...to leave.” 

I moved to get up when Liam pulled me back down into his lap. “Can you describe how you’re feeling and the scent please?” He questioned. His arms wrapped around my waist and the position made me feel out of control. I fidgeted until realizing he didn’t intend on letting go. “Um, it smells floral. Li...like fresh linen, pine, other things.” I couldn’t help but grin. Though I felt odd it was still a pleasant aroma. “ I’ve been feeling… increasingly ti..tired, my body’s hot, and I feel di..dizzy. Liam pressed my head against his chest before standing up, holding me in his arms bridal style. I felt too feeble to protest.

We went downstairs to the kitchen where he poured me a glass of water and grabbed a bottle of medicine from the cabinet. “Wha...what’s that?” I questioned as he set me on the edge of the counter. “Nothing important,” he claimed before taking the medicine himself. Even in my haze, I knew that was weird. He was definitely hiding something. He grabbed another bottle from the pantry and gave me a pill. “This might help a bit.” I took it without hesitation and he began making a cup of tea for me. I stayed on the counter pondering what was going on as I kept my eyes on Liam. 

Thanks for reading! Please like, subscribe, comment, share, and join the discord! Really sorry for not posting anything. I've been making a lot of revisions to the story. Also, if you're coming from my other story, is there anything you didn't see in that one that you'd like to see more in this? Or anything about my style of writing you think I could change? My friend said she wanted this to have more smut lmao but idk bout that... unless 👀lol. 

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