Beauty and the Bodyguard

Chapter 8: Stirrings

When Shikhar asked Shubman to follow him to a room at the end of the hallway, Shubman thought nothing of it - until all he heard was pin-drop silence when he got there. Intrigued, he asked Shikhar what was wrong.

"We need some calm after such incidents - so no one dares visit us or interrupt. We never know what might trigger us. Shubman, you sure you want to go inside?"

"It's Ishan, Shikhar bhai - he's not going to hurt me."

"Alright - but remember - shout and run if this thing goes sideways."

Nodding, he entered the room and closed the door behind him.

The silence was creepy, as was the darkness in the room, but Shubman could faintly make out Ishan sitting on the bed. Remembering Shikhar's words, Shubman switched the dim lights on, revealing a face that would haunt Shubman for ages.

Ishan sat on the bed in the same clothes, but his shirt was now seeping red. His jacket was thrown haphazardly on the floor, and his shoes had the same fate. He had not washed his face, and Shubman flinched as he watched blood dripping off Ishan's face. What scared him the most was the lifeless look in Ishan's eyes - gone was the spark in his eyes, the laughter on his lips - Ishan looked like he was miles away from this world, so different from the Ishan he knew, which propelled Shubman toward Ishan before he could think about it. Ishan flinched at the sound of footsteps, but his eyes never once wavered from Shubman's face.

A little nervous, Shubman sat a little distance away from Ishan, not wanting to scare him. Ishan continued watching Shubman a little unnervingly, so Shubman did the only sensible thing he could - he took a nearby towel and brought it to Ishan's face.

He took Ishan's hands in his - they looked comically smaller in Shubman's large hands, but Shubman could not forget how Ishan had expertly twirled guns in those very hands and killed the people who had tried to hurt Shubman. He wiped the blood off them slowly, being careful to not aggravate any injuries Ishan may have received. Shubman could feel Ishan's eyes on him the entire time, but he continued wiping his hands, moving on to his face next.

Ishan did not seem to have gotten any major injuries, which gladdened Shubman, which means most of the blood was not his. Shubman wiped the blood off very carefully, but when he reached Ishan's lips, he accidentally pressed on an injury, at which Ishan let out a whimper.

"Oh I am so sorry, please shh shh I am sorry."

Shubman didn't know what he was doing, all he knew was that he didn't want Ishan in pain. He moved his ministrations toward Ishan's chest, where most of the blood had seeped from his face. But before he could move, Ishan held his hand in a tight grip.

Shubman looked up in surprise, but stayed still. He took a deep breath, and was about to say something, when Ishan brought his hand up and cupped Shubman's face.

His breath stilled, Rohit's warnings ringing in his ears, but somewhere he knew, this Ishan - his Ishan - would never hurt him. The Ishan that had protected him from the onslaught of goons, who had not let up anyone for mercy, who had declared 'you touch him, you die' and made good on his promise, would never hurt Shubman. Anyone else might be afraid at the picture Ishan made, the animalistic beast out for blood, but to Shubman, he would always remain Ishan, his protector, his friend.

Ishan caressed Shubman's face, as if reacquainting himself. Shubman let him, strangely captivated by the image of a haunted angel that Ishan made. The caress of fingers sent a shiver up Shubman's spine, goosebumps etching out on his skin. The next thing he knew, Ishan had hauled him closer by the collar and put his nose in the crook of his shoulder. Shubman stilled, unaware of how to react. He looked like a deer caught by a predator, so he stayed still, lest Ishan pounce. Ishan nuzzled against him, causing Shubman to let out an involuntary whimper. He was swimming in an ocean of emotions - fear and arousal went hand in hand, as Ishan continued his torture. He traced his nose from Shubman's ear to his throat, and Shubman was bewildered to notice that Ishan was....sniffing him? Confusion clouded his mind, adding to the fog already jumbling his emotions.

Shubman didn't know what to think - did Ishan know it was him? What was Ishan doing? Was it normal? The most frightening question of all - did Shubman care?

Shubman had read about animals sniffing their pack to reacquaint themselves....is that what was going on?

Shubman watched as the muscles in Ishan's face contracted with concentration, as he continued alternating between nuzzling and sniffing him. Shubman was just about to lose his mind, when –

"Shubi..."

Oh. God.

Ishan knew who he was.

Ishan knew what he was doing.

Ishan knew who he was doing it to.

Ishan had called him by his name.

Shubman was going to die of arousal.

Shubman's arms automatically wound up around Ishan, his arms tightening around his bodyguard instantly. He fit perfectly, which, Shubman was alarmed to notice, wasn't something he was panicking over. He began rocking their bodies gently on autopilot, till Ishan fell asleep.