“You’re scratched all over!!” Mine gasped, rushing to the aid.

Addai, half torn by his beloved cat, waved his hand as if he denied the help. “I’m fine, don’t worry,” he said. Inside, he was a mess. All he wanted was to use the move ‘flee’ and go far away from there after such thing!!

Despite his bruised arm and legs stung, Addai stood up, carrying Umbra in his torn arms. But when he turned around, without looking at Mine’s face, he felt a fierce grab on his shoulder. Mine’s hands could be smaller, but he still had a deadly grip! Addai, forced to stop, prayed for Mine not to ask why he was there, nor ask anything.

“Let’s clean it, come here,” Mine fiercely looked at Addai. One hand grabbing his shoulders and the other holding the paper bag.

Addai glanced at the opened paper bag and the cookie crumbs on Mine’s face, his ears and face immediately bloomed into red poppies. Damn body! Control yourself! Addai cursed in his mind, not being able to hide his flustering anymore. However, he couldn’t even reply to Mine because his mouth was shut from embarrassment.

Mine worried at Addai’s red face and, on tip toe, reached for his forehead with the back of his hand. Mine’s hand was cold and Addai’s forehead was scorchingly red. Not only that, but Addai’s pupils were as round as marbles, leaving almost no space for his colorful and unique heterochromatic irises.

“Do you have fever? Come here and let’s check it properly,” Mine worried, landing his heels on the floor. “Umbra, may you go walking?” he asked to the cat in Addai’s arms.

The cat, twitching her whiskers, purred at Mine and joyfully hopped off her owner’s arms. She gracefully rubbed her body against Mine’s ankles while purring. Addai looked at Umbra in disbelief. What a shameless cat!!

Before Addai could unfreeze from his embarrassment and argue with his cat, Mine grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers. Addai felt his body shiver as if an electric current spread from his toes to the tips of his hair.

Mine dragged the other professor to the nearest infirmary he found. Fortunately, it was opened that day because Mine himself had the keys among his chaotic keychains. It was in the Pure Mana building, so they had to walk a little bit among the corridors. They were wide and tall, filled with details in something that resembled gold and beige and white marble, recalling the legends of the halls of Heaven. The building was the university's largest facility after the Herbology Center, and it housed several related sections, such as the Department of Deities and Divination, magical writing, enchanted parchments, and transfiguration, among others. Structures attached to the building also drew attention due to their peculiarities, such as the prayer room, whose walls were adorned with meticulous details, the small chapel with its own utensils, and the infirmary next to the equalization room.

The infirmary ward was modest, with only three beds available for students. Also, there was the nurse's table, medicine cabinets and utensils, the consultation chair, a minifridge, a sofa for rapid treatment patients, and the consultation bed. The most minute details - such as the smell of latex from the gloves in the closet, the alcohol, and the ointments - went unnoticed by the teacher who searched the drawer, looking for cotton wool and a bottle of antiseptic to apply to the scratches on both Addai's arms.

Each splash of water was a different pain, but Addai, perhaps due to his experience of receiving scratches from his cat, washed his arms properly with soap and water in the consultation room sink. Meanwhile, Mine packed the tools he would need to cover the deepest scratches, such as band-aids, antiseptics, cotton, and a healing ointment with a minty scent that he found.

“Sit on the sofa,” Mine asked, holding a cotton wool soaked in something that would certainly burn.

Addai felt his life pass in front of his eyes and stopped Mine’s hands’ trajectory. He looked at Mine and nodded negatively. “There’s no need for it. They’ll soon recover,” he said.

Mine frowned his nose, “really? It’s deep though.”

Addai nodded, “hm. I heal fast.”

The truth was: Addai couldn’t bear being touched anymore. He could feel his heart about to burst in any second! Not only that, but… that thing stung like hell.

But Mine found it not very convincing and gave the cotton to Addai. He crossed his arms and huffed, “Still, you need it. So, apply it yourself.”

Addai, defeated, took the cotton and slowly patted the wounds. Mine noticed that his coworker held on to not shiver or move his arm away while frowning and grunting. Examining each scratch, Addai applied the ointment to the deepest scratches and placed the bandages on top. Umbra approached and smelled the bandage, sneezing immediately afterward.

“It’s not a very good smelling, right?” Addai chuckled, and Umbra meowed melancholically. Oh… his companion could feel guilt after all… Addai sighed softly and scratched Umbra’s head and chin, “Hey… I won’t stop loving you because you screwed up my arms, stop being all gloomy,” he took her in his arms. “See? I still love you,” he kissed her nose tip.

Mine saw how the phrase danced on Addai's lips as he affectionately stroked his sorrowful, purring cat. The contrast in his behavior was comical, if not tragic. The person in question often displayed a frown, an unwelcoming demeanor, and tended to use harsh and bitter language; but other times, Addai was sweet and gentle, with a relaxed brow and lips displaying smiles and dimples, his words still carried acidity but were also sweet.

“You do love her, don’t you?” Mine smiled.

“Dearly yes,” Addai smiled back unconsciously, showing his faint dimples. "Umbra is my family," he chuckled as she licked his chin.

"See, Umbra? This brute is capable of loving, so take good care of him," Mine advised, and Umbra twitched her whiskers.

“Of course I am capable of loving," Addai grumbled, caressing his cat's head as his cheeks burned a bit.

“Just a tad brute,” Mine chuckled.

“ >:(” Addai frowned.

While Mine tidied the cupboards he had messed up, Addai's eyes noticed his surroundings. As he gazed around the reception area, he observed the paintings of serene flowers and dreamy, abstract landscapes hanging on the walls. Everything was immaculate and tidy, from the few papers on the bulletin board to the pleasant air quality, complemented by his cat on his lap, purring contentedly.

The paper bag was still under the table, along with the mess Mine made to find the cotton, antiseptic, and ointment. Addai swallowed and, feeling his ears turn red, hesitated a few more times before asking something. “... Did you like the biscuits?” Addai coughed and asked, almost mutely.

“What?” Mine asked, turning to face Addai, holding a messy cotton ball.

A flush crept across Addai’s cheeks, and his hands unconsciously started fidgeting. He sighed and asked once again. “Did you like the biscuits?”

Mine beamed and nodded, "Yes! They're the best I've ever eaten," he grinned joyfully. “Wait- Ah! Umbra stole them from you, didn't she?" he gasped and took the paper bag, ready to give it back to Addai.

“I baked them,” Addai blurted out, eyes already unfocused and full flushed cheeks. “But they weren’t stolen. They’re for you,” he looked at Umbra, who twitched her whiskers.

“Oh,” Mine voiced, mouth turning into an ‘o’ shape before closing. This time, Mine was the flustered one.

He couldn't help but admire the meticulous craftsmanship of the decorations, and the biscuits were equally a work of art. His attention then shifted to Addai, who appeared to be an "eye contact allergy" at that moment. A warm smile graced his lip.

"Thanks," Mine warmly smiled. "Maybe with this you paid for all the hard times you gave me. Also, if you wanted to poison me, it could be perfectly done because they’re delicious.”

"Hm," Addai nodded, still avoiding eye contact.

"I really enjoyed them, but they seemed to be hard to bake," Mine sat beside Addai, whose eyes widened a little, “here, let’s share,” he opened the paper bag.

“But they’re for you,” Addai tried to say, but Mine placed his index finger on Addai's lips, shushing him.

"Yes, but once it's mine... I can do whatever I want so," Mine opened one of Addai's hands and placed a biscuit on it, "I choose to share."

“… hm,” Addai nodded, still avoiding eye contact.

Umbra nuzzled on her owner, coincidentally dusting off the biscuits’ crumbs - in fact she was vacuuming the crumbs. Addai chuckled at her spacey behavior and how shameless she was to almost snatch a bite.

“So, shall we take a walk?” Mine asked, looking at Addai.

“What?” Addai looked at him, his mouth stuffed with a white chocolate biscuit.

“Oh! Your ‘eye-contact-allergy’ is gone!” Mine teased and Addai blushed a little again and frowned. “Hahah! I'll stop nagging you for now," Mine laughed. “I need to find my cousin. I feel his test is over, so… shall we take a walk?"

"I look horrible!” Addai promptly protested.

"The Great Addai cares about his outfit..." Mine teased.

"OF COURSE!! I'm wearing my beggar clothing !!” Addai grumbled. "What if a student recognizes me?!"

“I'm kidding..." Mine laughed again.

Addai slightly pouted, gathering some courage before asking. "Let's walk another day. Somewhere better,” he said, cheeks slightly dusted with a warm shade of red.

“Sure, but I’ll choose the place," Mine crossed his arms. "I need to be even and surprise you," he grinned.

"... Alright," Addai faintly smiled.