My Boss is Felix: Alternative Miraculous Ladybug Tale

Ch19: Scarlet

"No," he said firmly.

"What, do you want me to let you bleed to death on the street?" I said, raising my voice just to speak over the sound of rain and passing cars. When I tugged his arm, he nearly collapsed.

He was clearly not in his right mind with his glazed eyes and white lips. The blood loss had inhibited his thinking. Usually, he was sharp and ahead of the game. Instead, he seemed to be losing energy and strength. Even more concerning, it sounded as if he was struggling to breathe.

"Okay, fine. I'm taking you to my house then," I said, tightening my grip.

He gave into my force and let me guide him. Thankfully we weren't too far and I knew both my parents were catering an event. So, I wouldn't have to deal with all the questions that came with bringing home a dying man.

When we made it to the bakery (aka my home), I felt around a nearby potted plant for the spare key. It was buried deep within the mushy soil. After unlocking the door, I guided Felix up the staircase. We left behind trails of water, mud, and blood. I'd have the clean that up before my parents came home.

I suddenly stopped in from of my door. He ran into my back. Wait. My room was a disaster! I hadn't cleaned it in forever! I had at least three weeks' worth of dirty shirts, underwear, and socks blanketing my floor, along with all my 'fashion projects' draped over my desk and couch.

But Felix was getting worse and I couldn't keep him out here any longer. I needed to get him sitting down and stop the bleeding. I'd rather take him to our personal kitchen (or even the bakery's kitchen) to avoid my room altogether, but since blood was a biohazard, I thought it'd be best to keep it away from the bread and desserts. If one part of the house was going to be contaminated, it might as well be my room.

As I hesitantly opened the door, the smell of a day-old pizza filled the hallway. That's right. I had forgotten to throw away last night's dinner and let it sit on a paper plate. Hopefully, he wouldn't notice.

Well. My room was actually worse than I remembered. Especially considering that I had left a pile of bras in the middle of my unmade bed, on the couch, and on the back of my desk's chair (let's just say it was a rough morning).

I shot Felix a nervous glance to see how he was responding. His eyes were open, but his gaze looked hallow as if his body was merely an empty shell. He was like a dying wet puppy - his hair stuck to his forehead and neck, his lungs still rattled, and his teeth and gums were seething with blood.

If I were cruel, I would tell him that he looked pitiful. Something he once told me. My, how the tables had turned.

"Let's sit you down," I said, guiding him by his broad shoulders to the hot pink couch. Scooping all the bras in one arm, and tossing them onto my bed with the other, I sat Felix down, completely aware that this couch would be permanently stained after this.

Then I rushed to my room's bathroom and grabbed a tissue box, Vaseline, and a hand full of cue-tips. Positioning myself right next to him, I gripped his defined jaw and lined his nostrils with Vaseline that I had placed on a cue-tip. Next, I pressed a tissue against his tipped up nose and secured the back of his head with my hand. His hair was so damp and smooth from the rain and felt so good between my fingers.

Focus, I told myself. Don't think about how close we are on this very small couch.

If his hair was this wet, the poor guy must be freezing. Worst of all, I knew he was already struggling to breathe and these tissues over his nose weren't helping. Occasionally, the blood would accumulate in his mouth causing him to cough it out. I felt terrible for him. It all sounded so painful.