Lucio had hung up the phone immediately after telling Ansel where he was but Ansel didn’t mind. He was already rushing toward Oakley Hall, shoving his phone into his pants pocket and hugging his jacket to himself once more. Most of the students roaming around the dorms were oblivious, not paying much attention to the handsome gentleman who walked with an anxious, determined pace. A few recognized Doctor Essen, however, and thought it strange to see a professor, known for his calm demeanor, behave so oddly. As Ansel had no desire to see or interact with anyone other than Lucio in that moment, the curious stares went ignored, and Ansel rushed up to the third floor where his young paramour resided.<br/><br/>The door was unlocked, so Ansel unceremoniously let himself in. He locked the door instinctively behind him, not wanting anyone to intrude. He didn’t know if Lucio had a roommate, but knowing the Englishman, Ansel guessed that the young man would have wanted his own space, away from any prying eyes and probing questions. For that, Ansel was grateful.<br/><br/>Although Ansel hadn’t gone all that far, his chest was heaving as if he had just run a marathon. His doubly injured hand was throbbing and it hurt to try and flex his fingers. The man sighed as he turned to see Lucio lying there on the bed. Without taking a moment to think or explain himself, Ansel stripped himself of his jacket, revealing the blood-stained button up underneath, and rushed to Lucio’s side.<br/><br/>“I’m sorry, sweetness,” Ansel whispered, climbing on top of the bed, on top of Lucio, and burying his face in the boy’s neck. He didn’t pause to think about the stains on his shirt, or what Lucio might think, or the look of his bloody and bruised hands. All he cared about was being with Lucio. “I can’t do this, being away from you. It’s excruciating. Every moment you are not in my arms it feels as though a piece of me is missing.” Ansel pulled away for a moment to gaze down at Lucio, and instantly his heart ached. The young man, normally so beautifully put together and healthy, looked as fragile and sickly as Ansel had ever seen him. An unappealing sallow complexion paired with a weak countenance, and somehow Lucio’s normally lean body looked like it had lost a few pounds, pounds that Lucio desperately needed. Ansel’s bloodshot eyes stared at the dark bags underneath Lucio’s. He had been torturing himself just as Ansel had.<br/><br/>“I want you to be with me. I want you to be mine. I’m a wreck without you.”