Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Yale rose, making space for 015 to take action, and righted the accidentally knocked-over shampoo bottle before turning on the bathroom dryer.

"Where should we place him?"

015's voice sounded from outside the door, catching Yale off guard.

He turned his head to see 015 supporting the female drone in the center of the room, both looking back at him, creating an oddly harmonious scene.

"Well, then..." Yale stumbled over his words, blurting out without thinking, "Let's put him on the bed."

Wait a moment.

He quickly realized his mistake, slapping his forehead in frustration and closing his eyes briefly.

Had he spent too long in the bathroom that water had entered his brain? Why on earth would he suggest the bed?!

For Yale, the bed was an extremely private space.

Since he was very young, he had slept in his own room, never allowing anyone to touch his bed, let alone rest or sleep on it.

It was too late to lay down waterproof sheets now, and if he did so in front of the female, it would undoubtedly make the latter feel rejected, making the situation even more complicated.

Yale stepped out with a slight dilemma, only to see the female sitting cautiously on the bed, bending over to dry his hair, making sure not to let any water droplets fall onto the bedsheet.

"Male Sovereign."

Hearing the footsteps, Xi Ze, with a towel wrapped around his head, turned his face slightly, looking towards the male, barely suppressing the upward curve of his lips as he whispered, "Tonight..."

Yale absentmindedly hummed in response, reaching out to tousle the female's disheveled hair. "Are you dry? Be careful not to catch a cold."

His mind was still preoccupied with the bed issue.

This shouldn't... He was quite sensitive to the word 'bed,' so it was almost impossible for him to have blurted out permission just now. Yet, he had indeed given his consent.

Were they in a close relationship where sharing a bed was acceptable?

For the first time, Yale confronted this question, his brows furrowing as he fell into deep thought.

Indeed, they had done some peculiar things, but each time, it was under duress, not a natural progression driven by emotions.

Xi Ze probably wasn't willing either; he had simply grown accustomed to societal expectations.

Putting aside the unintentionally established relationship of Alpha Master and Omega servant, they should count as... friends, right?

Or perhaps, after experiencing certain events together, they had a more unique bond—close friends?

Yale pondered for a moment and found this definition rather fitting.

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "If you feel better, you should…" go back out and continue sleeping.

"..."

Yet, the soft and slightly damp hair wound around his fingers. The Omega pursed his lips, obediently pressing his hair against his palm, allowing those fingers to tousle and massage it wildly, akin to a fluffy puppy puffing up its fur.

Especially when those golden eyes lifted, striving to look in his direction, with the damp tips of his eyelashes slightly drooping... he resembled a puppy even more.

Yale's breath hitched, leaving the rest of his words trapped in his throat, unable to be uttered.

After a moment of hesitation, he sighed in concession.

...With such terrible weather outside, the couch really wasn't a comfortable place to sleep. He would make an exception just this once.

"Let 015 help you change and get ready for rest."

Remembering that the tools were still scattered outside, Yale walked into the living room, only to be unexpectedly chilled by a gust of cold wind.

The balcony door had somehow been left ajar, allowing a fierce wind laden with snow to billow the curtains, revealing a corner of the dark, oppressive night outside.

The storm raged on relentlessly, showing no sign of abating.

He went over to close the door securely, but for some reason, a sudden tremor ran through him, followed by a vague sense of unease.

"Is there something outside?"

015's voice suddenly sounded, startling Yale.

He quickly drew the curtains shut, leaving not even a crack open, before turning around and asking, "Nothing much. Have you finished getting ready?"

"Yes, I'll take care of the mess on the floor. You should get some rest."

"Alright, remember not to sleep tonight. Keep an eye on your surroundings in case anything else happens."

...

Yale closed the room door behind him.

Xi Ze had already changed into clean clothes and was lying on the outer edge of the bed with the covers half pulled up. He opened his eyes upon hearing the sound, looking over in Yale's direction.

His body contours undulated softly, exuding a sense of strength and warmth, along with the scent of shower gel, like a nest or a cozy bed that one could pounce upon and indulge in recklessly.

The current atmosphere... was just too peculiar.

Yale took a deep breath, forcing himself to look away. He fetched a new set of pajamas from the wardrobe and headed for the bathroom.

"I'm going to take another shower. You can go ahead and sleep; no need to wait for me."

"Okay." Xi Ze whispered, sliding down under the covers.

It was half an hour later when Yale finally emerged. The male insect was lying on the bed with his back to Yale, his contours hidden beneath the soft blankets, breathing evenly and deeply.

Heaving a quiet sigh of relief, Yale tip-toed over to switch off the light.

Click.

The room was plunged into a silent darkness, with only the howling wind and the whispering snowfall outside providing a monotonous soundtrack.

Yale carefully stepped onto the bed, vaulted over the male's waist, and gently pulled back the covers to lie down.

The bed should have been cold, but the male's body temperature was slightly higher, radiating warmth through the blankets and seeping into Yale's skin.

The distinct breath of another being was audible, even more prominent than the sounds of the wind and snow outside, lingering persistently in his ear.

...Too close.

Lost in thought, he stared at the indistinct pattern on the curtains and forced himself to shut his eyes, attempting to disregard the presence behind him.

He even tried counting sheep to fall asleep, but –

Completely unable to sleep!

After a few minutes that felt both short and endless, just as Yale was about to get up to take some sleeping pills, a soft rustling sound came from behind him.

He initially thought it was the female insect turning in its sleep. However, in the next moment, a warm breeze brushed against his back, and the heated blanket suddenly wrapped around him tightly.

Yale's breathing remained steady, and the movements of adjusting the blanket behind him were gentle and cautious. The warm cocoon gradually melted the chill in his fingertips.

In contrast to the coldness outside the covers, the idea of getting out of bed for medicine became increasingly challenging.

...Forget it, he'd just sleep like this.

With the added warmth, a thin veil of drowsiness finally descended upon him.

The scorching heat source behind him wasn't far away. He could faintly sense the hot breath on the nape of his neck, but that tiny gap still allowed a draft to seep in, making it impossible to fully bury himself in the warmth.

Yale frowned slightly, curling further into the blanket.

"..."

The male's breathing turned deep and slow, as if he had already fallen asleep. In contrast, Xi Ze remained unusually awake.

In truth, he had deceived the male. Reconstructing his mental landscape was not so simple or swift.

At the very least, after surviving the most turbulent and perilous period, the disrupted memories and emotions did not subside; instead, they became even more chaotic and intense.

Twisted, unrecognizable faces flickered before his eyes, accompanied by a piercing buzzing in his ears that felt like it could pierce through his temples. His senses were in disarray, and waves of searing pain surged from every part of his body, leaving him uncertain whether they were real or mere illusions.

He suppressed his breath, swallowing any sound that might escape, and carefully rolled over to face away from Yale, not wanting to disturb the male.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side, its slightly cool palm pressing against his forehead as if checking for his temperature.

The male's voice sounded, muffled with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Xi Ze's Adam's apple bobbed, and he reached up to touch the hand on his forehead, giving it a gentle squeeze, "…It's nothing, just a bit of insomnia."

"I'll get some medicine for you."

Yale withdrew his hand, preparing to get out of bed, but the female stopped him with a muted protest.

"Not in the mood for medicine... How about we chat for a while? Maybe we'll get tired naturally."

Seemed like a reasonable suggestion. Yale pondered for a moment before nestling back under the covers. "What should we talk about?"

Xi Ze endured a sharp pang of pain and pretended to be mulling over sleepily, "Let me think..."

He wanted to share something, but as he picked and chose, he realized his past life was so devoid of variety—filled only with war and occasional tedious power struggles. Speaking of them would only add to the boredom.

After much thought, he selected a less complicated and unpleasant memory to serve as a bedtime story for his male partner.

"On one return trip, we found the jump point malfunctioning, so we had to cruise back slowly. But that allowed us to witness some breathtaking sights."

"There was a nebula shimmering with a deep rose hue, shaped like a heart, pulsating rhythmically as if it were alive."

"I had never seen such a nebula before, so I casually activated the recorder to capture it. Later, when we returned, the recorder was submitted for analysis and review at a specialized facility."

"To my surprise, it was this insignificant incident that caused quite a stir."

Xi Ze chuckled softly, still vividly recalling the astonishment on the astronomers' faces.

Their faces were flushed red like monkey bottoms as they exclaimed, "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! Someone must be playing a prank!"

"They always proclaim that the universe holds no more secrets, asserting that no new discoveries will be made for a century. Yet, this claim was shattered only a year later by a casual recording made during an ordinary return trip. It's quite... amusing, don't you think?"

Losing their sense of awe and having their vision obscured by arrogance, they couldn't perceive new things and could only remain stagnant.

Yale listened to the tale with bated breath, chuckling softly when it ended. "So what happened next? Is that nebula still untamed?"

"It was later named 'Vera's Heart,' symbolizing the heart of the divine."

The female's tone was deep and gentle, carrying a hint of amusement that even he himself didn't notice.

The piercing pain in his mind gradually eased, as if the act of telling the story had organized his jumbled memories. The chaotic mental energy in his mental landscape calmed down.

After some thought, Yale coughed softly.

"As a return favor, let me tell you one too. If there's anything that defies common sense, just disregard it. It's not a big deal."

"It's not particularly interesting... I mentioned before that I have a puppy, right?"

"It was a stray dog I found on the street. I won't go into details, but I named it Tangyuan. After almost a year, I came home from school one day to find the door wide open and Tangyuan nowhere to be seen."

"After frantically searching for days, I finally found it three days later, starving near the dumpster where I first discovered it. It rushed to me as soon as it saw me..."

Recalling the scene, Yale couldn't help but feel a mix of anger and amusement.

Xi Ze smiled and probed further, "Why did it run out suddenly?"

"Well, the neighbor across the street had cooked braised pork, and the aroma tempted Tangyuan. It wanted a piece, but its sense of direction is terrible. It wandered around in circles and got completely lost. During that time, it nearly got caught again for sterilization."

Despite his complaints, Yale found himself lost in thought, eventually whispering after a moment's silence, "It's now adopted by a friend. I wonder if it's still as greedy. Thankfully..."

He wanted to say that he was glad he entrusted it to a friend, because had he passed away unexpectedly, Tangyuan would have undoubtedly ended up back on the streets, scavenging for food in dumpsters once more.

A surge of intense longing welled up within him, causing his eyes to grow warm and a tinge of bitterness to rise to his nose.

Perceiving the male insectoid's melancholy mood, Xi Ze reached out blindly to pat his shoulder through the blankets, attempting to comfort him clumsily, "If you ever get the chance, you can visit it anytime. Or... should we bring it back to live with us?"

"No problem, it's not a bad thing either."

Yale blinked, suppressing his emotions, then suddenly asked, "By the way, what are your plans for later?"

They both understood what 'later' referred to, but had avoided discussing it until now. It wouldn't hurt to talk about it now.

Xi Ze fell silent for a moment.

"There are indeed some things I need to do..."

Countless considerations and deliberations swirled on the tip of his tongue before he finally lowered his gaze, pretending to be casual as he said, "Or perhaps I could first confront the culprit who caused me all this misery?"

"Then you'd better recover quickly."

Yale's tone was as natural as if he were asking what was for dinner, "So you can kill those guys."

"..."

Perhaps startled by Yale's ruthless remark, Xi Ze remained silent for a while before saying in disbelief, "I thought you would advise me to endure or forgive, after all..."

How gentle and understanding the male insect was, as if he could comprehend and tolerate all sorts of vulnerability and hardship, unwilling to witness scenes of conflict and bloodshed.

"What misunderstanding do you have about me?"

Yale frowned. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Do you think I'm some kind of saintly father?"

Retaliating with sharpness against harm and reciprocating affection with warmth—this was his guiding principle.

Xi Ze almost sighed. "You're right."

After a moment of silence, he whispered, "Alright, kill them all, then take the male ruler to live on the main planet, okay?"

It was as if something strange was creeping in.

Yale rejected the suggestion without hesitation. "No, you can kill them if you want; that's your freedom. I'll stay here, not going anywhere."

He spoke with absolute conviction, leaving no room for further probing from the female insect.

After that, they fell silent again, and the awakened night descended once more, warmly and tranquilly settling upon them.

Yale rolled over, burying his face in the blankets, abruptly ending their inexplicable late-night conversation.

"Alright, it's quite late. Let's get some rest."

Thirty minutes later.

Yale tossed aside the covers, ruffling his disheveled hair. He gazed at the neighboring male insect who was also wide awake, speechless.

"This can't go on. We should take some medicine."

He got up, switched on the lamp, and pulled open the drawer by the bedside.

The small space was packed with various potions. Yale crouched there for a minute, mustering the courage before finally retrieving the sleeping pills.

His sleep had never been great – as a child, he'd often be awakened by beatings, causing his nerves to become increasingly sensitive and tense. Eventually, he found himself unable to sleep at all.

Even after escaping that oppressive environment, peaceful slumber eluded him. Before taking his sleeping pills, he would always mentally prepare himself – a habit he had formed over a decade.

He stood up again to fetch two cups of hot water, handing one cup with the medicine to the male insect.

"It's almost dawn, but thankfully it's the weekend, so there's no need to go to work."

Recalling something, Yale furrowed his brow. "But I have an appointment at a new hospital tomorrow afternoon, so I need to get plenty of sleep."

"Can you…" Swallowing the medicine, Xi Ze hesitated, biting his lip before swallowing the rest of his words.

"What?" Yale, about to climb into bed, looked up at him. "Go on, tell me."

Rubbing his nose, Xi Ze seemed to feel that his request was unreasonable, and he awkwardly whispered, "Could... could you hug me?"

The air suddenly grew still, as if time had frozen. He unconsciously softened his breathing.

His heartbeat, like a drumming, disrupted his sense of time—it might have been several minutes, or just a few seconds.

"If it's not okay, then..."

"Sure."

Yale pondered for a moment before agreeing readily.

Though he didn't understand why the Omega sought this request, after such intense pain, perhaps a comforting embrace was indeed necessary for a peaceful sleep.

Those golden eyes drooped at first, then abruptly lit up upon his agreement, like a dog eagerly awaiting affection.

Despite being a fierce and stoic beast akin to a snow leopard, somehow, without notice, his aggressive nature had subsided. By the time Yale realized, all that remained was silent submission and gentleness.

He reached out, threading his fingers through the Omega's fluffy white hair, gently stroking in irregular intervals. Occasionally, his fingertips brushed against the soft corner of the eyes, leaving a faint pink trail.

It was likely that even Xi Ze himself was unaware that every time he received such tender treatment, a subtle expression of both fear and longing would surface on his face. It wasn't very noticeable, but Yale could always read it.

A shallow cut grazed the Omega's earlobe, unnoticed until now. Yale applied gentle pressure with his fingertip, "Does it hurt?"

Xi Ze looked at him blankly, instinctively nuzzling into his palm like a contented leopard, purring softly.

Yale chuckled softly, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to the Omega's neck, where a cold metal collar clamped tightly around his vulnerable throat.

This object...

After that argument, they had never broached the subject again. But the Omega couldn't have ceased caring. Even if he had sheathed his claws, he wouldn't willingly break his own spine, bowing as a submissive omega slave.

How on earth was he supposed to remove it? Yale's brow furrowed, but he only allowed himself a brief moment of contemplation.

The priority now was to soothe the male insect.

He blinked, looking slightly lost as he opened his arms and experimented with different positions, none of which seemed quite right. "Hmm... How do I hold him?"

Yale felt like a mother hen in the game of 'Eagle Snatches Chick,' except the creature before him was no vulnerable chick, but a massive eagle capable of swallowing him whole.

His attempt at humor managed to amuse himself.

However, a bony hand suddenly grasped his wrist, followed by a strong pull—

Yale stumbled forward unprepared, his knees sliding into the open orifice of the male, while his face sank into a soft, creamy mass.

Inhaling involuntarily, he was instantly enveloped by a familiar, sweet, and subtle aroma.

So... springy, so soft.

His waist was encircled by two powerful arms, and a warm heat radiated from the front of his body. The male held on so tightly that Yale found himself completely trapped within the embrace, unable to break free.

Yale blinked slowly, sensing Xi Ze bury his face into the crook of his neck, taking in a deep breath that bordered on a sigh.

The body in his embrace didn't feel frail; instead, it was supple and lean, akin to the vibrant and tenacious Red Jade Vine. It seemed as if a gentle touch could cause life's sap to flow from its veins.

Yet, Xi Ze repeatedly eased his grip, unwilling to cause any pain.

"..."

The soft silver hair brushed against his cheek, and the warmth from another living being seared through the thin gauze and sweater, melting the frozen tundra of his heart in silence.

Perceiving the sincerity and solemnity in this embrace, Yale hesitated for a moment before reaching out to caress the female's shoulder blade.

The fabric of the pajamas beneath his fingertips was soft and thin. The skin underneath was fragmented by the gauze, but it couldn't conceal the plump and attractive muscle contours or the distinct, slightly protruding spine.

He rubbed down along those ridges, reaching the shallow indentation at the small of the back where his palm could naturally rest, then effortlessly encircle that slender waist.

They were exactly like humans, Yale realized suddenly.

His gaze involuntarily shifted to the back of the male, where the loose collar allowed a glimpse of the exquisite patterns of his insectoid markings.

Deeper still lay the delicate wing pouch nestled within the butterfly bone, designed to house the wings when not in use.

Yale reached out and touched that spot, finding the sensation peculiar. The pouch was thin and soft, fragile yet exquisitely sensitive.

Xi Ze trembled almost imperceptibly but made no move to evade. He allowed Yale's fingertips to gently caress the area, even brushing over the nerve-dense crevice.

The male had had his bone wings removed at the root, leaving the pouch empty. There would be no sudden unfolding of wings to take flight, nor would he be startled by a partial transformation unless provoked.

This harsh truth unexpectedly brought him an unprecedented sense of relief, like a tightly wound string within him had quietly loosened.

Yale closed his eyes and opened his arms, returning the embrace to the male insect with complete openness.

...

Indeed, the bedtime hug seemed to be a mystical yet effective technique, or perhaps the sleeping pills had taken effect. By the time Yale nestled back under the covers, he was too drowsy to keep his eyes open.

The storm outside the window appeared to have subsided, no longer fiercely tapping against the glass. In the encompassing darkness and warmth, a thick drowsiness surged forth like gentle waves, slowly submerging his consciousness.

Yale's breathing gradually deepened.

Half-awake, half-asleep, he seemed to hear a soft and hoarse whisper above his head.

"I haven't figured out how to confess those things yet... Give me some time, okay?"

His dream was disrupted, causing him to frown. Unconsciously, he turned over, filling the tiny gap between them completely.

Suddenly filled with warmth, Xi Ze tensed up. After a moment, he carefully pulled the blanket up higher.

Yale let out a contented sigh.

This position enveloped him entirely in warmth. The breath that had brushed against the nape of his neck now rested by his ear, harmonizing with the low thud of a heartbeat in front of him – an intimacy that danced on the edge of propriety.

The faint scent of blood mixed with a subtle sweetness clung to Xi Ze's nose, intertwining with the cold, snowy breeze in an unexpectedly pleasant aroma.

He let out a soft hum, burying his slightly chilled face further down, fully immersing himself in the fluffy softness.

The scorching warmth was soothing, but there seemed to be a stiffness there that made him involuntarily nuzzle his head against it, mumbling something indistinctly.

Author's Note:

Yeye: I'll turn you all into bean paste.jpg.

Please don't wait for the story to fatten up TvT