🐾にゃんこから、あなたを好きになるまで&守護から恋心へ - Ch23

💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 Relief in Reunion Luka stood quietly behind Gakupo, watching him sit on the edge of the bed, anxiously searching for her. His gaze moved back and forth between the foot of the bed, beside the pillow, and the floor. He even leaned down slightly, trying to check if something was hiding under the bed. His messy purple hair fell over his forehead, his face still carrying traces of sleep he hadn't quite shaken off, yet unable to hide his obvious panic. Luka tilted her head. She didn't understand why he'd suddenly become so anxious, nor why he kept calling her name. She was right here — she hadn't left, hadn't hidden anywhere dangerous. She took a small step forward, her nose almost touching his back. Gakupo still didn't notice. He raised a hand to rub his face, murmuring softly, "Luka... where did you go?" The worry in his voice made Luka's ears twitch slightly. She looked at the edge of the bed, then at the person in front of her, and finally, as if deciding to remind him, she lifted her head and let out a clear— "Meow." Gakupo froze. The sound had come from right behind him. He slowly turned his head, his tense expression freezing for a moment the instant he saw Luka. Then, as if finally confirming he hadn't been mistaken, his shoulders visibly relaxed, and he let out a long breath. "...There you are." His voice was low, still carrying the fright from before, but also the relief of finding something lost. Gakupo turned fully around, his gaze carefully checking Luka over, confirming she was still standing safely on the bed, hadn't fallen, and hadn't touched her injured spots. "Thank goodness," he said softly. "I thought you'd fallen off." Luka blinked her blue eyes. She couldn't understand his words, but she could hear the emotion in his voice. The urgency from before had vanished, replaced by a gentle ease, as if nothing else mattered as long as she was safe. Gakupo raised his hand but didn't touch her right away. He simply held it in the air, just like the night before, giving her room to choose first. "You scared me..." He looked at her, laughing helplessly. "Why did you end up behind me?" Luka didn't answer, just moved closer to him. The bed dipped slightly under her weight as she carefully avoided her injured spot and walked slowly to his side. Seeing this, Gakupo immediately shifted his body back a little, making enough room so he wouldn't accidentally bump into her. "Slowly," he said softly. "No need to rush." Luka stopped in front of him and looked up at him. Gakupo held her gaze for a moment, then, as if suddenly remembering something, looked back toward the edge of the bed. He reached out and touched the edge of the mattress, his brow furrowing slightly. "Were you trying to get down?" Luka's ears twitched. She glanced back at the edge of the bed, then turned back to look at him. Gakupo caught the movement. He fell silent for a moment, finally understanding why she'd been pacing back and forth on the bed, and why she hadn't simply jumped down. The bed was too high for her, and with her injuries, she couldn't possibly land as easily as a normal cat. "So that's it," Gakupo said quietly. He didn't blame her, didn't show any impatience — he simply extended his hand, palm up, in front of her. "If you want to get down, let me carry you, okay?" Luka looked at the hand but didn't approach right away. Gakupo didn't rush her either, just held the same position, patiently waiting for her to decide. After a moment, Luka lowered her head and gently touched his palm with her nose. Gakupo's eyes softened. "Okay, I understand." He steadied himself first, then carefully cupped her with both hands, moving slowly and steadily, avoiding her injured spots. Luka's body was still a little stiff as she left the bed, her claws instinctively gripping his clothes, but she didn't struggle. Sensing her tension, Gakupo slowed down even more. "It's okay, almost there." He set her down on the floor, made sure all four of her paws were steady on the soft mat, and only then slowly let go. Luka stood in place, looking up at him. Gakupo remained crouched by the bed, his eyes following her the whole time, as if ready to catch her the instant she wobbled. "Next time you want to get down, just call me," he said, then couldn't help adding, "Don't wander around on the bed by yourself — it makes me think you've disappeared." Luka only heard that familiar, gentle voice. She didn't know what he was saying, but she remembered the moment just now when his expression shifted from panic to relief the instant he turned and saw her. So she let out a soft cry. "Meow." Gakupo looked at her, as if he understood something, the corner of his mouth curving up slightly. "Yeah, I'm here." He reached out and gently stroked her head. "As long as you're here too." --- Indonesia Luka berdiri diam di belakang Gakupo, memperhatikannya duduk di tepi ranjang, mencarinya dengan cemas. Pandangannya bergerak bolak-balik antara ujung ranjang, samping bantal, dan lantai. Ia bahkan sedikit membungkuk, mencoba memastikan apakah ada sesuatu yang bersembunyi di bawah ranjang. Rambut ungunya yang panjang dan berantakan jatuh menutupi dahinya, wajahnya yang baru saja bangun tidur masih menyisakan sedikit kantuk, namun tak mampu menyembunyikan kepanikan yang jelas terlihat. Luka memiringkan kepalanya. Ia tidak mengerti mengapa Gakupo tiba-tiba menjadi begitu gelisah, juga tidak mengerti mengapa ia terus memanggil namanya. Padahal ia ada di sini, tidak pergi ke mana-mana, dan tidak bersembunyi di tempat berbahaya. Ia melangkah maju sedikit, hidungnya hampir menyentuh punggung Gakupo. Gakupo masih belum menyadarinya. Ia mengangkat tangan mengusap wajahnya, bergumam pelan, "Luka... kamu pergi ke mana sih?" Kekhawatiran dalam suaranya membuat telinga Luka bergerak sedikit. Ia melihat ke tepi ranjang, lalu ke orang di depannya, dan akhirnya, seolah memutuskan untuk mengingatkannya, ia mendongakkan kepala dan mengeluarkan suara yang jelas— "Meong." Gerakan Gakupo tiba-tiba terhenti. Suara itu terdengar sangat dekat, seolah berasal dari belakangnya. Ia perlahan menoleh, ekspresi tegangnya sempat membeku saat melihat Luka. Kemudian, seolah akhirnya yakin bahwa ia tidak salah lihat, bahunya jelas mengendur, dan ia menghela napas panjang. "...Kamu di sini rupanya." Suaranya rendah, masih menyisakan kepanikan yang belum sepenuhnya hilang, namun juga membawa kelegaan seperti menemukan kembali sesuatu yang hilang. Gakupo berbalik badan, pandangannya dengan teliti memeriksa Luka, memastikan ia masih berdiri dengan baik di ranjang, tidak jatuh, dan tidak menyentuh bagian yang terluka. "Untung saja," katanya pelan, "Kukira kamu jatuh." Luka mengedipkan mata birunya. Ia tidak mengerti kata-kata itu, tetapi ia bisa merasakan emosi dalam suaranya. Kepanikan tadi telah hilang, digantikan oleh kelegaan yang lembut, seolah selama ia baik-baik saja, hal lain tidak lagi penting. Gakupo mengangkat tangannya, namun tidak langsung menyentuhnya. Ia hanya membiarkan tangannya tergantung di udara, seperti malam sebelumnya, memberi Luka ruang untuk memilih terlebih dahulu. "Kamu mengagetkanku..." Ia menatap Luka, tertawa pasrah. "Kenapa kamu bisa sampai di belakangku?" Luka tidak menjawab, hanya mendekat ke arahnya. Ranjang sedikit melesak karena gerakannya saat ia dengan hati-hati menghindari bagian yang terluka dan berjalan perlahan ke sisi Gakupo. Melihat itu, Gakupo segera menggeser tubuhnya sedikit ke belakang, memberi ruang cukup agar tidak sengaja menyentuhnya. "Pelan-pelan," ingatnya lembut. "Jangan buru-buru." Luka berhenti di depannya, mendongak menatapnya. Gakupo menatap balik sejenak, lalu seolah teringat sesuatu, pandangannya kembali jatuh ke tepi ranjang. Ia mengulurkan tangan menyentuh tepi kasur, alisnya sedikit berkerut. "Kamu mau turun dari ranjang?" Telinga Luka bergerak. Ia menoleh ke tepi ranjang sejenak, lalu berbalik menatap Gakupo lagi. Gerakan itu tertangkap oleh Gakupo. Ia terdiam sejenak, akhirnya mengerti mengapa Luka tadi terus mondar-mandir di atas ranjang, dan mengapa ia tidak langsung melompat turun. Ranjang itu terlalu tinggi baginya, dan dengan luka di tubuhnya, ia tidak mungkin bisa mendarat dengan mudah seperti kucing pada umumnya. "Jadi begitu rupanya," kata Gakupo pelan. Ia tidak menyalahkannya, juga tidak menunjukkan raut tidak sabar, hanya mengulurkan tangan dengan telapak menghadap ke atas, berhenti di depan Luka. "Kalau mau turun, biar aku gendong, ya?" Luka menatap tangan itu, tidak langsung mendekat. Gakupo pun tidak terburu-buru, hanya mempertahankan posisinya, dengan sabar menunggu Luka membuat pilihan. Setelah beberapa saat, Luka akhirnya menundukkan kepala, menyentuh telapak tangan Gakupo dengan hidungnya secara lembut. Tatapan mata Gakupo melembut. "Baik, aku mengerti." Ia menstabilkan tubuhnya terlebih dahulu, lalu dengan hati-hati menopang Luka dengan kedua tangan, gerakannya perlahan dan stabil, menghindari bagian yang terluka. Tubuh Luka masih sedikit kaku saat meninggalkan ranjang, cakarnya secara refleks mencengkeram pakaian Gakupo, namun ia tidak meronta. Menyadari ketegangan Luka, Gakupo segera memperlambat gerakannya. "Tidak apa-apa, sebentar lagi sampai." Ia menurunkan Luka ke lantai, memastikan keempat kakinya berpijak kokoh di atas alas yang empuk, baru kemudian perlahan melepaskan tangannya. Luka berdiri di tempat, mendongak menatapnya. Gakupo masih berjongkok di sisi ranjang, pandangannya terus mengikuti gerakan Luka, seolah siap menangkapnya kapan saja jika ia sedikit saja terhuyung. "Lain kali kalau mau turun dari ranjang, panggil aku saja," katanya, lalu tak tahan menambahkan, "Jangan mondar-mandir sendirian di ranjang, itu bikin aku mengira kamu menghilang." Luka hanya mendengar suara yang lembut dan familiar itu. Ia tidak mengerti apa yang dikatakan Gakupo, tetapi ia ingat ekspresi wajahnya tadi, saat berbalik dan melihatnya, berubah dari panik menjadi lega dalam sekejap. Maka ia pun mengeong pelan. "Meong." Gakupo menatapnya, seolah mengerti sesuatu, sudut bibirnya sedikit terangkat. "Ya, aku di sini." Ia mengulurkan tangan, mengelus lembut kepala Luka. "Kamu juga di sini, itu sudah cukup."