A/N: Oh look, an update!
"Doc!" Silas called again, one hand frozen under my chin and he stared down at me.
"Thiwath?" I tried to sound out his name, but my tongue felt like a foreign object trying to fit inside my mouth.
"That's a lot of blood," Silas murmured quietly, but my alarm rose as I quite clearly heard him.
"A wot?" I yelped, pushing his hand away and trying to feel the damage. A quick stinging sensation made me pull it back.
"Sang!" Dr. Sean breathed out, kneeling next to me. He took a gentle, but firm, hold of my jaw and turned my face towards him for inspection. Despite the situation, I couldn't help but take the opportunity to blatantly ogle his face as he went into doctor mode.
Dr. Sean was...beautiful. I know the boys didn't like being called that, especially Luke, but I couldn't think of a better word to describe some of them. His skin looked so soft, soft enough to pet. My hand started lifting up on its own accord from its tight grip on the grass before his sparkling, green eyes made contact with mine.
"Pookie? You still with me?" His lips twitched into a smile, but I was only partially embarrassed that it seemed he knew where my thoughts had ventured. With a wink, he turned towards the boys hovering near-by.
"Silas, get my bag from Victor's car! It should be the closest," Dr. Sean uncharacteristically barked at Silas, who was starting to look a little green as he stared at my mouth. "Luke, go to the cafe across the street and ask for some ice. North, go man the grill before we start a forest fire. Everyone else, back up and give Pookie some room to breathe, please."
"I am not leaving Sang baby while she's injured!" North protested, stepping even closer to us and glaring at Dr. Sean.
"Mr. Taylor, you'll go back to the grill right this instant," Mr. Blackbourne cut in smoothly, his dripping with authority.
Most of the boys had been trying to keep North from jumping on Luke again, but Luke took off in a dash towards the street. Silas was moving a little slower as he made his way for the parking lot. I didn't see him, but I heard North stomp off while muttering obscenities.
"Mr. Morgan, please go make sure Mr. Taylor stays by the grill and doesn't just throw the food out to come back here," Mr. Blackbourne ordered.
"Dr. Green gets to deal with a sweet Sang, and you're sticking me with the angry bull?" Victor questioned, looking so cheated I had to smile despite the pain. He shot me another glance before jogging after North.
"Dr. Thean?" I asked quietly, looking up at him. He was acting strange for a doctor whose patient was injured.
"Relax, Pookie," he winked, leaning in closer to whisper. "You've got a little cut on your lip, and you bit your tongue. That explains the swelling. Nothing to worry about, but this is a bit more blood than the boys are used to seeing on you."
"I'm okay?" I asked to make sure, still feeling paranoid after how Luke and Silas reacted.
"Well, you're okay enough to start daydreaming about me, aren't you?" His smile turned flirtatious.
"Your thkin...," I started to say, then thought better of it as my voice trailed off. Dr. Sean was the last person to need an ego boost.
"I'll let you off the hook for now, Pookie," he laughed, drawing the others attention to us from where they were in deep conversation a few feet away. "Only because you're my patient. Don't think I'll forget about this later."
I tried to imitate my best North grumble, which just made Dr. Sean laugh more.
"Sean, may I ask what is so humorous about Miss Sorenson getting hurt?" A smooth, deep voice asked behind me as I straightened my shoulders in response.
"Is she okay, Doc?" Kota asked, coming up behind me and placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I turned towards him with a reassuring smile, but maybe the blood wasn't very reassuring because his grip tightened.
"Does she need to go to the hospital?" Nathan joined us, sitting in the grass a foot away from us.
"Relax, everyone," Dr. Sean sighed, turning towards our audience as Silas came barrelling down the hill with a red first-aid kit. "Sang is fine, just a little shaken up. She has a small cut on her lip and she bit her tongue. With a towel and some ice to help the swelling, she'll be good as new!"
Dr. Sean took the bag from Silas with a "thank you," and he started searching through it. I looked around at the boys and saw them starting to relax. Except for Mr. Blackbourne, who stood with the same amount of control and awareness as usual.
"Here you go, Pumpkin," Dr. Sean cooed, gently wiping my face with a small towel. It stung and I winced a little, but couldn't help giggling at his tone.
"There's my happy Pookie," he winked, putting the towel down and opening a small tube. Squeezing some ointment onto one finger, he gently applied it to my lip. "This should help the sting."
"Where is Luke with that ice?" Kota asked from above me as he looked around the clearing. I followed his gaze, but didn't see Luke's blonde head anywhere. I brought my hand up and pulled his hand off my shoulder, gripping it in my own instead. His gaze met mine with a soft smile before taking a seat next to me on the grass.
"Silas really scared us, Ten," he murmured, looking down at my mouth. His expression wasn't as worried, but his other hand was gently caressing each of my fingers individually, and I knew he was counting.
"Thowwy," I mumbled, annoyed I couldn't say anything properly. The boys had all calmed down by now, but I wanted to reassure them without sounding like a toddler.
"I swear to fucking Jesus Christ, you are grounded for the rest of your life, Trouble!" Gabriel burst out. I swung my gaze to him and saw my Meanie pacing around in the grass. His hair was tousled, something he would never allow to happen without extracting painful revenge on whoever caused it, and he wasn't looking at me. "North was right about the fucking bubble idea. Maybe I'll have him build you a cage and I'll swallow the key, so we don't have to deal with this shit!"
I rolled my eyes at him, but smiled fondly. Gabriel didn't mean it, he just wanted to yell for a little.
"You couwdn'th do my hair ith I was wocked up, Meanie," I giggled, and he stopped pacing to look over at me. His expression was slightly alarmed, which made me giggle more.
"Well, shit...ah, I'll have North build a window to put your head through!" Gabriel declared, walking over to give me a kiss atop my head. "We'll make it sink level. Fucking perfect."
"Mr. Coleman, bring her over to this bench," Mr. Blackbourne ordered from behind me, and I rolled my eyes. I opened my mouth to protest, but for some reason it was doubly embarrassing to speak to Mr. Blackbourne with this lisp. Turning towards him, I raised a skeptical eyebrow.
I have legs, you know, I quickly signed to him before taking Gabriel's offered hand. Mr. Blackbourne's gaze flickered down to my legs as I straightened my skirt, and I could've sworn he was smirking.
"Oh, trust me, Miss Sorenson. I know," he murmured, before leaning forward to examine my lip himself. His lips turned down in a slight frown before he straightened up. "Go to the bench with Mr. Coleman until Mr. Taylor gets back with your ice. You shouldn't be sitting on the grass."
I shook my head, feeling it pointless to argue that we came to the park to play. I suppose grass stains were Mr. Blackbourne's idea of Armageddon, thought, so I let it slide.
"Let's go, Trouble," Gabriel nudged me forward, ushering me towards the bench. I huffed a sigh before shuffling forward with him.
"Try not to talk, Pookie," Dr. Sean followed on my other side, the first aid kit swinging from his shoulder. "It'll aggravate the cuts, and they'll just take longer to heal."
I nodded my head in acknowledgement as we approached the bench. Sitting down near one end, I motioned for Gabriel to sit beside me. He slid into the spot and put his arm atop the bench, behind my shoulders.
"Oh, and Sang?" Dr. Sean looked suddenly grave, and I tried to halt my panic. "That also includes moving lips too much. I'm sorry to say it, but this means no giggling or kissing until the swelling goes down."
Dr. Sean looked so serious and remorseful, that I felt the unexpected urge to burst into giggles. I was unable to stop myself as the giggles started bubbling up inside of me, and then I exploded with them.
"Pookie!" Dr. Sean exclaimed, grabbing onto my shoulders while Gabriel jumped back in alarm.
"Sang, I'm being serious," Dr. Sean chided, rubbing his thumbs in soothing circles on my shoulders as he tightened his grip, but I saw his lips twitching. "You're going to make the cuts worse."
"S-sowwy," I stammered when the giggles finally started to cease. My tongue hadn't shrunk at all yet, and I was getting pretty desperate for this ice.
As if on cue, Kota shouted out Luke's name as he came racing towards us. Dr. Sean's ointment was helping the sting on my lip, but it still burned a little bit. I was grateful for the arrival of ice.
"Here you go, Sang!" Luke announced, panting for air as he skidded to a halt in front of me. Gabriel stood up so Luke could sit beside me, and I held out a hand for the ice. He stated to hand the cup towards me, but then I got a better look at it. There was a...spoon?
"Luke?" I asked, confused as I took the cup in my hand. I felt another giggle start to bubble out as I realized what Luke had handed me.
A snow cone.
"Miss Sorenson, it looks like lunch is ready," Mr. Blackbourne pulled my attention away from the purple treat in front of me as I looked up into his steel eyes. "We'll leave you and Mr. Taylor to ice your lip before you join us. Don't worry about the food, I'll make sure there's some left for both of you."
I tried to convey my thanks to Mr. Blackbourne in the eye-speak that the boys use, and I think he understood what I was trying to say before he walked away towards the picnic tables. I knew he was leaving Luke and me some time to talk before joining back with the group, which I was grateful for. Luke was still on edge, blaming himself for my injury when it wasn't his fault.
"Owen is correct, Pookie, I can smell the hot dogs from here!" Dr. Sean grinned, grabbing onto Gabriel's shoulder and pulling him away. Kota, Nathan, and Silas followed behind after saying they'd see me soon. I scooped up a piece of the snow cone and held it against my lip, slipping my tongue out to lick it. The coolness felt great on my lip, and my tastebuds danced at the flavor.
"I'm sorry, Sang," Luke breathed out as soon as the others were out of hearing range. I rolled my eyes at him, causing his own to narrow. Scooping another piece of the ice, I let it sit on my numb tongue before setting the cup on my lap.
Stop, Luke, I spelled out with one hand, looking at him with the most serious, stern look I could muster. It's not your fault.
"My collarbone cut you," he said dejectedly, his eyes lowering to focus on my lip. The ice was melting on my tongue, and I quickly scooped another spoonful into my mouth. "And I didn't catch you."
Accident, I signed, shaking my head at him. Mr. Blackbourne surprised us.
"Yeah," Luke sighed, looking off towards the picnic tables. "I've never heard him yell like that."
I nodded my head in agreement while taking another spoonful of ice.
I feel fine, I signed, sending him a small smile. Just wish I could talk.
"Well, let's just sit here for awhile and get some ice on that. You'll be jabbering on and on like usual in no time," Luke smiled, and I enjoyed the view as it lit up his face. A mischievous look slid onto his face as he wiggled his eyebrows at me. "We'll have to invent new, more fun ways to shut you up."
I huffed playfully while shaking my head at him, but allowed Luke to take the cup from me. He scooped up a bit of ice, and I opened my mouth as he gently eased the spoon inside. I let the ice melt on my tongue, and we repeated this process for about ten minutes as Luke joked around about what everyone would be saying at the picnic tables right now.
"Do you think Baby is okay?" Luke grunted, impersonating North and asking the same question for the fourth time. "Stop eating the fruit! That's for Baby!"
I cackled with giggles as he exaggerated North's scowl, clutching my stomach with one hand. It's a good thing Dr. Sean was out of hearing distance, or he'd reprimand me for not following his instructions.
"Mr. Taylor!" Luke sniffed, tossing his nose into the air and holding his shoulders back. "You must stop asking about Miss Sorenson, this very instant! There is enough fruit for everyone!"
"No, Mr. B!" Luke hunched his shoulders brought his eyebrows down as he squinted in an elaborate glare. "There's only five pounds of fruit! Sang Baby needs it or she'll die!"
"Luke!" I gasped, begging him to stop with my eyes because I could barely breath through my giggles. He grinned down at me, eyes sparkling, as he held out another scoop of ice. I settled down my laughter enough to handle it, and I accepted the spoon into my mouth. I swished the ice around in my mouth, letting it coat all of my tongue.
"How are you feeling, Cupcake?" Luke's eyes turned serious as he gazed down at me. I swallowed the ice and tested moving my tongue around a bit before answering.
"Better," I answered, and grinned when I was able to speak without a lisp. The grin stretched my lip, and I winced while my hand flew up to the cut. "Well, my tongue feels better. The lip still stings a bit."
"Ah," Luke grimaced and scooped up a little more ice. "Let's put some ice on it."
"Thank you, Luke," I smiled, making sure to keep it small so it didn't bother the cut. I accepted the spoon from him and held it up to my lip. There was still plenty of snow cone left, and I'm guessing he'd gotten a large size. Luke put his arm back around my shoulder, and I leant my head against him. He gave me a gentle, comforting squeeze and I practically melted against him. It almost felt like we were on a date. Like we'd gone to dinner or a movie earlier, and now we were taking a romantic walk through the park.
Luke's lips softly kissed the top of my head, and I looked over to my other boys at the picnic tables. They were still eating, but I'd seen each of them look over here at different times. I stifled a giggle when I saw that North had turned around on his bench to face us this entire time, besides the few times we saw him barking at others.
The rest were all talking with each other, and I saw Mr. Blackbourne stand up to throw his trash away. I felt a jolt to my memory, and frowned in confusion.
"Luke?" I asked, making sure he wasn't off in a daydream somewhere.
"Yeah, Sang?" He answered, his fingers lightly running up and down my shoulder.
"Why did Mr. Blackbourne yell your name earlier?" I questioned, remembering how loud he had yelled. I shifted backwards a bit and looked up towards Luke, but he looked just as confused as I felt.
"I...I have no clue," Luke said, shaking his head. "I didn't ask earlier, then it was just kind of forgotten."
"I wonder what he wanted," I mused. "I guess it wasn't very important, or he would've brought it up by now."
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Luke shrugged before pulling his arm off of me and standing up. "Hey, Mr. B!"
Both tables of boys turned to look at us as I grabbed the snow cone from Luke, but he waved them all down.
"Sang's fine!" He yelled, rolling his eyes. "Mr. B, can you come here a sec?"
Mr. Blackbourne threw the rest of his trash away and started walking towards us as the rest slowly turned back towards their food. All except for North, who looked like he wanted to get up as well.
"Are you alright, Miss Sorenson?" Mr. Blackbourne asked as he approached us, despite Luke just saying I was okay.
"I'm fine, Mr. Blackbourne," I assured him, then looked pointedly towards Luke.
"Mr. B?" Luke asked, looking from me to the ground, his voice hesitant. I remembered the contained anger in Mr. Blackbourne's voice as he yelled, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
"Yes, Mr. Taylor?" He prodded, stepping closer so he was next to us.
"What did you call my name for earlier?" Luke asked quietly from his spot on the bench. My eyes swung to Mr. Blackbourne as he cleared his throat.
"Mr. Taylor, I was calling you both back to join us," he said, his gaze momentarily flickering to me before focusing back on Luke. "Miss Sorenson is wearing a skirt."
I looked down at my skirt, wondering where he was going with this. It wasn't like Mr. Blackbourne to state the obvious.
"So?" Luke echoed my thoughts, his puzzled expression looking at my skirt as well. "She always wears a skirt."
"Yes," Mr. Blackbourne cleared his throat again, one of his hands going up to straighten a tie that wasn't there. He was nervous?
"Does your throat tickle, Mr. Blackbourne? Would you like some of my snow cone?" I offered, holding up said snowcone for him to take. Luke chuckled under his breath as Mr. Blackbourne shook his head at me.
"No thank you, Miss Sorenson, but I appreciate the offer," he responded before turning towards Luke. "She was running full speed in her skirt today."
Luke's face dawned with understanding, but I was just as confused as before.
"You called Luke's name because I was running? Why didn't you call my name? And what's wrong with running?" I asked in confusion, my head swirling with questions.
"I didn't want to scare you, Miss Sorenson," Mr. Blackbourne admitted, his gaze faltering before zeroing in on me. "As for the running...."
"I'm guessing you were flashing your panties for everyone, Cupcake," Luke grinned, looking suddenly gleeful, his arm going around back my shoulders and squeezing me. It took a moment to click, before my eyes widened in alarm at both of them.
"What?" I squeaked, my cheeks flaring with heat. "No I wasn't! Don't joke about that!"
"We were running pretty fast, Sang," Luke reasoned while sniggering, his eyes turning to Mr. Blackbourne for confirmation. I reluctantly looked as well, to see Mr. Blackbourne's lips set in a firm line.
"But...but I run like that all the time with you guys!" I protested, hesitantly looking around the clearing to see just how many people had seen my...my underwear. There were dozens of people out on blankets, walking dogs, throwing frisbees. I ducked my head in mortification.
"Not in public, Miss Sorenson," Mr. Blackbourne explained, and I could see his foot shift slightly in the grass. "Usually when we're at Mr. Griffin's or Mr. Lee's, or one of the other boys' homes. In private."
That did nothing to quell my embarrassment, but then something else clicked and my face turned even brighter with anger.
"You mean...." I swallowed, the snow cone starting to tremble in my hand and Luke reached out to take it from me. "You mean you've seen my underwear when I've run before? This wasn't the first time?"
Luke almost dropped my snow cone as he brought it back to his lap, and I looked up in time to see red tint Mr. Blackbourne's cheeks. If I wasn't so upset, I might've feinted at the realization that he was blushing.
"And you didn't think to tell me?" I yelped, my voice breaking off at the end.
"Well, to be honest," Luke scratched the back of his neck and shrugged guiltily at me, "I was a little busy enjoying the view."
"Oh my gosh!" I cried, tempted to take some of the snow cone ice and hold it against my burning cheeks.
"I apologize, Sang," Mr. Blackbourne said sincerely, and I could tell just how remorseful he felt from the use of my first name. But the usual butterflies that came along with him calling me Sang were currently being smothered by the dragons that arrived whenever I was embarrassed.
"I can't believe this," I mumbled, hiding my face in Luke's shoulder despite the fact that he partially caused this.
"Sang, I know it was wrong, but you've gotta understand that I'm a sixteen year old guy," Luke said, his laughter subsiding. He sounded serious, but I knew he was still smiling. "When I see the hot girl, whom I'm undeniably attracted to and can't stop thinking about, running around with her panties on display, do you really expect me to tell her? When I know that would stop her?"
I sighed, knowing that Luke honestly believed that was a valid reason. The boy was delusional.
"And despite what you believe, Sang," Luke continued, using his other hand to run his fingers through my hair, "Mr. B. is only nineteen. He's still a horny teenager, too."
My blush exploded at Luke's audacity to call Mr. Blackbourne horny. Unable to stop myself, I sneaked a glance to see Mr. Blackbourne giving Luke an indecipherable look.
"Ha, I knew that would make you come out of hiding, Cupcake!" Luke smiled triumphantly, putting both arms around me in a tight squeeze.
"Despite Mr. Taylor's candidness with the situation, I'd like to apologize again, Sang," Mr. Blackbourne brought his gaze down to me, and I saw that he was in complete control again. "It was wrong of me not to tell you earlier. It was also wrong of me to act out and yell at Mr. Taylor like that. I caused both your collision and your injuries. I hope I can earn your forgiveness."
"Mr. Blackbourne, it was an accident." My brows furrowed together in confusion. What in the world was with these boys and blaming themselves? "It was no one's fault. It just happened. But why did you sound so angry?"
I was shocked yet again to see Mr. Blackbourne's cheeks tint pink, but it only lasted for a moment before he answered.
"I must admit that my inner caveman tendencies took over for a moment there. I didn't approve of anyone else seeing you like that. Not for one moment, Sang," he stated seriously, his last sentence ending in a tone deeper than one I'd ever heard from him before, and I tried not to lose myself in the way his steel eyes flashed while talking to me.
My jaw dropped at his confession. Mr. Blackbourne felt...jealous?
Unable to stop myself any longer, I scooped up some ice with both hands and held it to my cheeks before the blush could start. Luke erupted with laughter beside me, bringing his arm up from around my shoulder to clutch his stomach with both hands. I huffed at him while the rest of my body felt like it was turning to jello. Mr. Blackbourne took another step forward and crouched in front of me.
"I know I don't show it often, Miss Sorenson," he murmured loud enough to be heard over Luke's laughter, but quietly enough for just me to hear, "but I can be possessive when it comes to the people I care about and love. We may be taking this relationship slowly, for now, but you're ours. If that means getting a little territorial in the park, then so be it."
His earnest gaze penetrated mine, and I wasn't sure if I should feel thrilled that he felt so strongly towards me or worried that he was getting so proprietorial.
I shook off both feelings, deciding that I'd worry about that later. For now, I felt loved.
As Luke's laughter subsided, I held Mr. Blackbourne's gaze. Out of nowhere, I finally felt it. That eye language that the Academy boys use. I could understand what Mr. Blackbourne was trying to tell me without using words. We both shared unwarranted apologies for actions that weren't our fault. Even though I didn't need to, I apologized for showing so many strangers my undergarments. He sympathized with how embarrassed he knew that made me, and I thanked him. His eyes softened, and he told me just how much I meant to him. With a shaky breath, I broke eye contact before I let him know just how much I wished we were alone in private at this moment.
As Luke asked us what we were talking about, I looked back up and saw Mr. Blackbourne's gaze hadn't moved from me. I may have unintentionally shared one last thought with him before turning towards Luke.
It was my own fault for looking at Mr. Blackbourne's lips and wondering if they were still as soft as they were on Tuesday.
From the way Mr. Blackbourne's eyes darkened, I could tell my eye-speaking skills were coming along nicely.