Chapter 49 - Warmth

Zhu Kang stumbled out unsteadily.

His eyes were half open and dazed...

Aaron ran to him. "Kang.. .." the young man collapsed in his arms. His heart almost stopped in fear.

With trembling hands, he gently touched his cheeks. "hey..."

Kang did not respond...

His body was bone-chilling cold.

"You're okay. I'm here. I'm here.. You're okay..." He tightly embraced him massaging his arms and legs.

Kang clung to him like a baby muttering something.

"What is this?! Eryst where is she!! That fucking…."

"Uncle.. first let's take him to the infirmary," Altren helped warm up his palm.

Aaron nodded. "Y-yes.. yes he needs a doctor." Lifting him up, he ran like a crazy person.

"Doctor! Doctor! Here!" he threw open the infirmary door and rushed to the bed. "doctor!"

"What is it.." a tired-looking man sat up from one of the patient's beds. "why are you shouting so much my ears drums ate bleeding?,"

"He…..He's cold.. help him. Do something.."

The man immediately rushed to him and checked his vitals. "'his pulse is weak, his temperature is very low… I believe he is having hypothermia." He tore his shirt, exposing his slight blue chest. "Bring me warm towels. Anything that can warm him up. Bring the insulating sheets,"

Hypothermia.... hypothermia....

Aaron collapsed on the bed side chair.

"Uncle hey…"

"Go bring the insulating sheets!" the doctor glared at him.

Altren obeyed his command and brought everything.

The doctor hurriedly covered Kang in the insulating sheets and wrapped him up tightly. He then placed the warm bottles near his face and his vital organs.

"What the hell is he not wearing a protective suit? It's mandatory to enter class 4, you all know that! Teenagers.. tsk they do so many shitty things just for laughs," he mumbled, patting Kang's cheeks slightly.

Aaron dazedly held his hands. "C-can you save him…"

"We need to raise his body temperature. It looks like he has a very weak body. what type of powers did he manifest?"

Aaron could not answer. Because he did not know….

"What is his age?"

"20…."

"When did he manifest? Do you know his blood type..."

Aaron shook his head. He did not know… he did not know any of those things. Tearful eyes focused on him.

Kang's breath was so silent and weak.

"I don't know… I don't know anything…."

"Okay, jeez, it's just normal questions. You don't have to cry for that." The doctor proceeded to give some massages. "he is not drying okay. just a little cold. When his body heats up, he will be all okay. That blond kid went to get heating patches. That will work wonders. I'll go see if I can find a healer amongst the supers. Just wait with him, hmm…"

Aaron nodded.

The doctor was at the door when a small whisper came from behind.

"He just needs to be warmth, right?"

The doctor paused. "Yeah keep rubbing his palm and the soles of his feet. He will be fine,"

"Okay.." Aaron tore his shirt up and climbed into the small hospital bed.

Gently he pulled Kang into his embrace.

a small amount of steam arose in the air when his cold body touched his heated one.

All along he considered his powers a curse… but at this moment, it felt like he got these powers just for this.

Just to save you…

A bright light emitted from his body, heating up the whole space.

Kang mumbled something and hugged him tightly. He cutely nuzzled his head on his chest.

"it's okay.. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you. I'm here for you, Kang.." he gently kissed his forehead. His skin felt freezing on his lips.

"hmmm…" Kang trembled slightly, trying his best to get close.

He sat up and pulled him into his arms. Swiftly, he adjusted the insulating sheets over him, keeping the heat inside.

"shh… it's okay. it's okay now… I've got you.."

Altren ran back to the infirmary. But paused by the door. He felt the warmth emitting from the room. He cracked the door and peered in. his uncle was holding Kang like a little baby in his embrace, softly crying.

He felt a small pang in his heart.

At that moment, he did not know what that feeling was.

'…my uncle can keep him warm… these are useless.' he glanced at the heat patches. he kept them by the door and left.

"Warm…." Kang moaned with a small smile on his face.

Aaron chuckled softly, wiping the tears from his face. "yes, you love warmth, don't you, my little koala? I'll keep you warm forever"

Kang mumbled something else, nuzzling his cold face on his shoulders.

Feeling his cold skin, he could not hold back his anger any longer.

'Eryst… I'll kill you… I'll kill you….'

Right then, a figure appeared next to him. "I can feel you cursing me in your mind.. ohh would you look at that. You like him, don't you?" a sickly sweet voice whispered close to his ear.

Aaron bit his lips, holding back his anger. If his power exploded, Kang will definitely get badly burned. "GET. OUT. NOW."

"Boohoo I thought you wanted to talk to me. I had my reasons, Aaron, you know me. I'm always right…my intuition told me he is a villain.."

Aaron placed his chin on his head, smelling his comfortable scent. It calmed his anger a bit. "not now… go out… I don't want to hurt him.."

"Tsk, you've become boring," she sat down on the nearby bed, shaking her legs leisurely. "I have a reason, you know,"

"Not now Eryst…GO!.."

"Why not? I want to talk to you while you have him in your arms. If not, I would be a burnt chicken. He he…" she giggled.

"no sane person would do this to their comrades… you.. you are a monster,"

Suddenly, her smile disappeared. "Monster? What a hypocrite. I'm doing all this to protect our school."

"Almost killing him!! is…"

Kang frowned slightly and moaned.

Aaron held back his voice. "Killing him is your way of protecting? Your ways do not differ from a villain,"

"haha.. hahaha… you make me laugh. I was testing him, obviously."

"Test? TEST! I left for a minute…. and I come back to him half dead!! This was not a test. This was a fucking act of hatred…"

Eryst just smiled at him sweetly. "it was protocol.. it's mandatory to test the fresh blood or else we might get some villain sneaking in. especially the older ones who know what they are hiding. They need to be tested, Aaron. Or else we will have a wicked man squeaking all our activities to the villains..."

Aaron took a deep breath, inhaling his scent. Even that could not hold back his anger this time.

"Fuck protocol!!!! He did not even have a protective suit on, yet you sent him into that fucking classroom Eryst. We are heroes. Even if he was a villain, we don't treat him like that!"

"Villains deserve it!" she stood up tossing her perfectly combed hair back. "Don't pity villains Aaron. They are the ones who killed your sister. One minute they sweetly talk to you, the next, you're left dead in a ditch."

Aaron panted. His powers were fluctuating badly.

"Ohh looks like you want to kill me. Sad. I'm going to take a break from school and hide until your anger cools down. Bye sweety. See you later," she disappeared out of thin air.