#DS8Uncovered #LuMa #BearCouple #DaggerSeries
CHAPTER 16: FIGHT
LUNA'S POV
I looked at the digital click on the bedside table. It's past five in the morning. Baka kahit ang araw ay hindi pa gising sa mga oras na ito. But I was awoken by an intense feeling of nausea. There's no way that I could just sleep again and hope that it goes away.
Sa kabila ng nararamdaman ay nagdahan-dahan ako sa pagtayo mula sa kama para hindi ko magising si Magnus na mahimbing pa rin ang tulog. When I was upright, I hurriedly walked, which turned into a run when I felt like my stomach was turning upside down.
I closed the door behind me, and I fell to my knees as I hurled out the dinner I had consumed last night.
I understand that this is a side effect of my medication. This is not the first time that this has happened to me, but it's the first time that it has been as intense as this. Gale wasn't kidding when he said that I needed to prepare myself.
The ones I had before already exhaust me more than they should. Pero nagawa kong sanayin ang sarili ko roon para magawa kong masabayan ang bigat ng trabaho na meron ako. Now I need to adjust again, and I don't know if it's going to be easy.
I was doubled over again, retching violently, when I felt a hand at the back of my head.
Inabot ko ang tissue roll na nasa tabi ng toilet at pinunasan ko ang bibig ko bago ko nilingon si Magnus. "G-Go back to sleep, Mags. You don't have to see this."
He just looked at me with a stubbornness that I'm familiar with since I happened to act the same as well.
Magnus gathered my hair and pulled it away from my face. "I'll get you some tea and toast."
"I don't feel like eating."
"Kailangan ng laman ng tiyan mo."
I keep my face neutral when I meet his eyes. "Hindi pa ako ready sa mature roles, hubby bear."
"What—" His face reddened, extending down his neck. "That wasn't what I meant."
Despite my current predicament, I couldn't help but chuckle at how scandalized he looked at my insinuation of him trying to put a baby in my stomach.
"I'm kidding." I pressed the flush of the toilet as I moved to get up. Hindi naging mahirap iyon dahil nakaalalay na agad si Magnus sa akin para maitayo ako. "Susunod na lang ako sa'yo. I want to brush my teeth."
"Sabay na tayo."
"Ang clingy mo naman ngayon, Mags," biro ko sa kaniya.
He narrowed his eyes at me, and then he grabbed his toothbrush hanging next to mine. "I need to brush my teeth too."
Nangingiting kumuha ako ng toothpaste at pinasa ko iyon sa kaniya. Paminsan-minsan ay nagkakatinginan kami habang nagsisipilyo. I gave him a toothpastey grin, which he returned with a scowl. So grumpy.
When we're done rinsing our mouths, I give his shave a pointed look. "Aren't you going to shave?"
"Do I have to? Hindi naman tayo papasok."
Right. House arrest ako ng isang linggo. Iyon ang gusto ng pamilya ko at iyon din ang suhestiyon ng mga doktor. They want to make it two weeks, but that's where I put my foot down.
"Hindi naman kailangan kung ayaw mo. Nakakapanibago lang kasi sanay akong naka-superman mode ka."
"Superman?"
"You know. Clean-looking." And as handsome as him. Maybe even more.
Walang salitang kinuha niya ang shave niya. Lumapit ako sa kaniya at sinilip ko ang ginagawa niya nang buksan niya ang drawer para may kunin doon. Muntik pa kaming magkabanggan nang dumiretso siya ng tayo at sobrang lapit ko sa kaniya.
"Sorry," natatawang sabi ko. "I'm just curious."
Itinaas niya ang shaving cream. "Do you want to try?"
"I don't have a beard or a mustache." Tumuro ako sa ibaba. "And I don't have any hair—"
"For fuck sake, Luna!"
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa gulat. "What?" Itinaas ko ang binti ko ng bahagya. "I'm not lying. Wala talaga akong buhok sa binti. It's a blessing since most of my brothers are as hairy as a gorilla."
"I... I meant if you want to try it on me."
Pinakatitigan ko siya. Kung pula na ang mukha niya kanina nang biniro ko siya ay mas lalo siyang namumula ngayon.
"Wait up..." A huge grin spread on my lips. "Did you think I was talking about my—"
"No."
Aww. He's so shy. "Just so you know, I'm also bare down there."
Pabagsak na ibinaba niya ang mga hawak niya at akmang tatalikod na siya pero natatawang pinigilan ko siya. "Sorry, sorry. I'll behave now." Inabot ko ang shaving cream niya. "I'll do it for you."
Tumingkayad ako para lagyan siya ng shaving cream pero sa pagkabigla ko ay bigla na lang niya akong hinawakan ko sa magkabilang beywang at binuhat. He planted me right on top of the bathroom counter next to the wash basin.
"What is happening?" I asked him, blinking rapidly.
"Masyado kang maliit."
Nalukot ang ilong ko. "I'm tall for a Filipina."
"You're half-Filipina."
Binuksan ko ang lalagyanan ng cream at padabog na nilagyan ko siya sa mukha no'n. "Masyado mo akong minamaliit. If I wanted to be a model I would have."
"I know."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked as I reached for the shave.
"Of course you could have been a model. Kahit ngayon pa kung gugustuhin mo. You're beautiful."
Muntik kong mabitawan ang hawak ko sa lumabas na mga salita sa bibig niya. Did he... did he just call me beautiful?
"Why are you looking at me like that? It's not like you don't know you're beautiful."
Napalunok ako at pilit na pinatili kong neutral ang ekspresyon sa mukha ko. "I just didn't expect to hear it coming from you."
"Haven't I ever told you that before?"
I scoffed. "Ikaw? You don't even want to acknowledge my existence."
He pressed his lips together. "Then I apologize for that."
Naiintindihan ko naman siya. He was trying to move on from his unrequited love, and I was a reminder of who Lucienne chose since it was my brother she married. "Okay lang. At least nagagandahan ka na sa akin ngayon."
"You were beautiful even before."
Pinili kong idaan na lang sa tawa ang lahat kesa pansinin ang malakas na pagdagundong ng dibdib ko.
"You were the most beautiful woman I ever met."
"Okay na sana eh," nangingiting sabi ko. "Dinagdagan mo pa. Hindi na tuloy ako naniniwala."
Nagsalubong ang kilay niya. "Why?"
"You were in love with Lucienne. Paanong ako ang magiging pinakamaganda para sa'yo eh may sintang pururot ka sa sister-in-law ko?"
"Who's the most handsome man for you other than your brothers that you ever saw?"
Ngumiti ako. "Siyempre ikaw."
He cleared his throat. "Aside from me."
"Si Henry Cavill?"
"Do you think your exes are good looking?" Naguguluhan man sa tinatakbo ng usapan ay tumango ako. Dumilim ang mukha niya pero nagpatuloy siya. "If you're still in a relationship with one of your exes that you consider to be good-looking and Henry Cavill suddenly appears in front of you, will you say that Henry Cavill is still the most handsome man you ever saw?"
I finally got his point. "Well... yes."
"The same goes for me. I might have had feelings for her before, but that doesn't mean I'm blind. Lucienne is beautiful, but I wasn't lying when I told you that you're the most beautiful woman I ever saw."
HINDI KO MAIWASANG mapatalon sa pinapanood kong palabas sa Netflix. Akala ko immune na ako sa mga nakatakot na bagay mula nang makilala ko si Lucienne pero hindi pa rin pala.
I'm not really as cowardly into horror stuff as most of my brothers, but that doesn't mean that jump scares don't have an effect on me. Mabuti na lang talaga nakakagawa ako ng palusot kapag naiisipan ni Lucienne mag-aya sa mga horror attraction.
"Here."
Kinuha ko kay Magnus ang inaabot niya sa akin na tasa ng tsaa. I prefer coffee, but he already gave me one, grudgingly, I must say, this morning. Hindi ko kasi gets talaga ang tsaa minsan. Para lang akong umiinom ng dahon. Mag gusto ko pa ang tea na tsismis.
The contents of what I'm holding almost spilled over when my body bucked involuntarily when another jump scare popped up on the screen.
"Careful." Magnus tried to take the mug away from me at the same time that I leaned down to take a sip para sana mabawasan ang laman no'n. "Sorry."
Binigyan ko siya ng masamang tingin bago ako uminom. Nang matapos ay hinayaan ko siyang ilayo na iyon. I was about to turn back to what I was watching when I heard something coming from my side. Nilingon ko ang lalaking katabi ko at nagsalubong ang kilay ko nang makita kong pigil-pigil niya ang tawa niya.
"Kamag-anak ka na ba ni Lush ngayon at pati sa horror natatawa ka?"
He ran his hand across his face, trying his best to hide his smile but failing. "You..." he cleared his throat, only it sounded more like a boom of laughter. "You looked like a fish trying to breathe above water."
"You know, if looks could kill, I'll be a widow right now."
He guffawed as he lost his inner battle not to laugh at me. Sa kabila ng pagkairita ko sa sitwasyon ay hindi ko mapigilang hindi siya pagmasdan. He looks so light and carefree, which is not something I'm used to seeing in him. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him like this.
"People often say to grouchy people like you that you should smile more."
His laughter died down but there was still a smile on his lips. "Hmm."
"But you shouldn't."
"Why not? Before, you'll do anything to make me smile."
"Okay lang kung sa akin ka ngumingiti. Kapag sa iba hindi pwede." Hindi lang siya ang nagulat sa sinabi ko kundi maging mismong ako. It's been a long time since I joked with him about something like this without people around. "Joke. Malaki ka na. This is a free country, you can do whatever you want."
"It's a free country, but I'm not."
"What?"
"I'm not free." Sumandal siya sa sofa at tinutok niya ang mga mata sa pinapanood namin. "I won't smile at anyone, even if it's a princess from whatever country she comes from. I'm a married man." Nilingon niya ako. "I'll do as my wife says."
"E-Ewan."
I tried my best to focus on the movie series, but my heart was rattling so much that I couldn't think of anything but the man casually sitting beside me. Nanigas ang katawan ko nang pagkaraan ay kumilos siya dahilan para mas lalo siyang mapalapit sa akin. He stretched one arm behind us, and he settled down as if he were in the most comfortable position.
Nilingon ko siya at bahagya kong nilayo ang ulo ko dahil sobrang lapit niya talaga sa akin. "Uhh... wala ka bang trabaho?"
"Wala."
"Weh?"
He turned his head to look at me, and I inhaled a huge breath at how that movement cut more distance between us. "I'm paying them to be greatly efficient in their jobs. If they can't handle Quetzal just because I took a quick break, then I think I have an answer to whether they deserve the positions they have."
"Ang lupit mo namang boss."
"I never claimed to be anything otherwise."
"Buti hindi ka nilalayasan ng mga nagtatrabaho sa'yo."
"Just because I'm strict doesn't mean I'm being cruel to them. I'm paying them fairly, I don't expect them to take on things that are more than they should handle, and I don't make them cry like some people."
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at napasinghap ako. "How?"
He shrugged. "Alex talks a lot."
Kakalbuhin ko ang kilay ng lalaking 'yon! "I'm not being cruel to them either. I don't sugarcoat words, and I hate tardiness."
"The same goes for me." His eyes searched my face, and the corner of his lips went up. "We're a match made in heaven. Team LuMa all the way."
My mouth dropped open. "W-Wha... what? Team what?"
"LuMa. Luna and Magnus. LuMa rin kasi luma na tayo. Nauna pa tayong nagkakilala bago nakilala ng mga kapatid mo ang mga asawa nila. And also... LuMa as in lumalaban." Hinuli niya ang kumawalang buhok ko at inipit niya iyon sa likod ng tenga ko. "Because we won't stop fighting, right?"
The fluttering inside my chest quieted down instantly and was replaced by the all familiar ache. "Paano kung mapagod na ako?"
"Okay lang. Kapag pagod ka na pwede ka namang magpahinga. Ako na lang ang lalaban para sa'yo."
"That's above our agreement, Mags. More than you should be hassled with," I told him softly.
"We never formally made a contract of what should be and what shouldn't be." Inangat niya ang kumot na nasa kandungan ko at inayos niya iyon. "And it's not a hassle. I'll be the one to decide about that."
"But—"
"I told you before, didn't I? No one can make me do things I don't want to do."
"Then why? It's not like you were promised a ton of money as a payment for this, nor do you need it since you have a lot of it. You get nothing from this, so why?"
There was so much in his eyes, so overwhelmingly intense, that none of it makes sense. At least not to me. "Hindi naman kailangang may makuha ako. I'm your best friend, right?"
Sa kabila ng pinag-uusapan namin ay nangingiting tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "Maraming magrereklamo kapag sumagot ako ng oo."
He chuckled. "Fine. Then you're my best friend. I don't need a reason to want to do this, LA. I just do. So we're not going to talk about this anymore."
"You can't expect me—"
"If you don't stop, I'm going to make you."
My eyes widened. Ilang beses ko na bang nabasa sa mga libro at napanood sa mga pelikula ang mga ganitong tagpo? "How?"
"Gusto mong malaman?"
Oo! "No."
"Too bad. I want you to know."
He launched at me. It was the only way to describe it. Pero imbis na halik ay naramdaman ko ang pagdaiti ng mga daliri niya sa beywang ko. Laughter was forced to burst out of me at the onslaught.
"Magnus Aquilan!" Natatawang pilit na lumayo ako sa kaniya. "You've lost your mind! Stop!"
Lalo pa akong umatras pero dahil sa maling pag-ikot ko ng katawan ko para iwasan ang nangingiliti niyang mga kamay ay bumuway ako sa pagkakatayo. I let out a shriek of surprise, but before I fell to the floor, I felt strong arms suddenly wrap around me.
"Are you okay?"
Idinilat ko ang mga mata ko at una kong nakita ang nag-aalalang mukha ni Magnus. He cautioned my fall, and he used his own body to do it by letting me fall on top of him.
"Luna?"
"I-I'm fine." Tumikhim ako at pinaningkitan ko siya ng mga mata. "What was that for?"
He smirked. "I told you I would make you stop."
Aminin self. Umasa ka rin doon ng slight. "Ewan ko sa'yo." Nagtangka akong tumayo pero napatigil ako nang mapaigik siya. "What?"
"You're putting weight on my thigh." Muli niyang pinalibot ang mga braso niya sa katawa ko at itinulak niya ang sarili niya para mapaupo kami. "You're heavy for someone as small as you."
"Sinabihan mo na akong maliit, sinabihan mo pa akong mataba."
"You're heavy, but you're not fat." Itinaas niya ang kamay ko. "You're too thin. You need to start eating more."
"You know that's not the problem. Kahit anong kain ko, the cancer will just eat them away."
His smile started to melt around the corners, but he stopped it before it fully did. "You look good either way."
"Kalokohan. Kahit buto't balat na ako?"
"Kahit pa maging kamukha mo na si Jack Skellington."
I snickered. "Hindi ko alam kung anong nakain mo pero huwag mo ng kainin ulit, okay?" Nagtangka akong tumayo pero nang manatili siyang nakahawak sa akin ay tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "Baka gusto mong tumayo na."
"Tinatamad pa ako."
"The word laziness doesn't exist in your vocabulary, Mags."
"Sinisipag akong tamarin," pag-iiba niya sa sinabi niya.
Sa aming dalawa, ako itong di hamak na mas makulit. After all, I was the number one distraction in his life back then when I was trying to inject my chaos into his usually peaceful life. Pero parang kaya niyang tapatan ang sakit ng ulong binibigay ko sa kaniya noon sa ipinapakita niya sa akin ngayon. Gumaganti pa nga ata.
We both stiffened when we heard a familiar sound. Halos sabay na namilog ang mga mata namin pero bago pa may makakilos sa aming dalawa ay tuluyan ng bumukas ang pintuan ng elevator at iniluwa no'n ang pamilya ko na sabay-sabay napanganga sa ayos naming dalawa.
"Hala!" bulalas ni Kuya Trace na napatakip sa mukha. "SPG! Ew!"
_____________________________End of Chapter 16.