Shhh—
Cold water flowed between Ye'er's fingers, chilling his pale knuckles until a vivid flush appeared there.
The sticky residue had already been washed away, but that strange sensation still lingered stubbornly.
A secret itch remained between his fingers, making Ye'er want to keep rinsing them under cold water or scrub them hard.
The female Zerg's sudden estrus had thrown all his expectations into chaos, leaving him thoroughly confused.
They had not even managed a proper conversation, yet the progress bar had inexplicably leaped far ahead. Worse, what Ye'er had just done did not seem all that different from the proposition Xize had made earlier.
But the knowledge he had urgently crammed the previous night flashed through his mind—
By social convention, helping one's own female Zerg through estrus was a male Zerg's responsibility. Whatever purpose Ye'er had had in bringing Xize home, he had an obligation to fulfill that duty.
Ye'er braced both hands against the sink, closed his eyes, and drew a deep breath.
Forget it. One step at a time.
…
Once the female Zerg's pheromone scent had faded from his body, Ye'er left the bathroom and returned to the living room.
The female Zerg was still as Ye'er had left him, curled quietly on the sofa with his back turned.
The estrus had come violently, but because it had been discovered and relieved in time, it had not been allowed to spread unchecked. The tide had slammed on the brakes just before breaking through a crumbling dam, then retreated gently and slowly.
Xize looked somewhat dazed. The faint redness at the corners of his eyes softened his features.
He looked like a snow leopard lying with its belly exposed, body covered in old and new wounds, tiredly licking a paw as it rested.
"Are you all right?"
Ye'er hated to break the quiet, but he had to confirm the female Zerg's condition. "Are any of your wounds bleeding?"
Xize opened his eyes without a sound but did not answer, perhaps still not fully recovered. Only when Ye'er reached out and pressed a hand to his shoulder and back, trying to check the injuries, did he react.
"…Dirty." He flinched sensitively and said hoarsely, "Don't touch me."
Ye'er paused, looking at him in surprise. He keenly sensed the female Zerg's wavering. It was as if a crack had appeared in that towering, heavy wall of defense.
"But you have to change the dressing. Otherwise the wounds will get infected."
He chose his words carefully and tested, "Or do you want to take a bath first? I can have 015 help you."
"…No need."
The female Zerg sounded even more hesitant than Ye'er. After refusing, he pressed his lips together and fell silent for a moment, then added quietly, "Thank you."
Ye'er did not know why his attitude had softened, but this was clearly a good opportunity to discuss certain things calmly without triggering a violent conflict.
"What are you worried about? Can you tell me?"
Xize froze faintly.
What was he worried about?
The collar clamped around his throat had brought him close to suffocation several times, while his entire heart could be crushed effortlessly in one hand.
Yet his violent struggles had been suppressed as easily as harmless coquettish resistance, while the male Zerg had remained calm from beginning to end, always leaving himself room to withdraw.
And now he was asking, puzzled, what Xize was worried about.
That was exactly what he was worried about.
Xize tugged the corner of his mouth in self-mockery. His vision was filled with impenetrable black, like an eternal night that would never see dawn again.
…And yet he could not deny that his heart was full of gratitude at the most inappropriate time.
The male Zerg had not whipped him until blood sprayed everywhere, nor turned and left him to endure the estrus alone. Instead, he had soothed him clumsily but gently, and had not been stingy with his male Zerg pheromones.
That alone was already difficult for Xize to believe.
And during the muddled tide of desire just now, pleasure had become so intense that it turned into pain. For a hazy moment he thought he was still being tortured in an interrogation room.
When an unfamiliar tide rose over his head, he had cried out in shame beneath overwhelming suffocation, suppressed fear and secret longing tearing his soul in two…
Once he became lucid again, every ugly moment replayed frame by frame in his mind.
Amid the crushing shame and self-disgust, perhaps the only thing worth feeling grateful for was that the male Zerg had acted as though he heard nothing during it and said not a single word afterward.
"…"
Xize breathed wearily and silently.
The male Zerg sitting beside him never hurried him, but waited quietly and patiently for an answer.
All at once, Xize released the breath he had been holding and voluntarily raised a white flag in their silent confrontation.
"…At least tell me what price I need to pay."
His voice was low and hoarse. "And why exactly did Your Excellency pick me up?"
"Whether I can afford the price or not, at least let me understand before I die."
They had circled right back to this. As expected, it was the core question that could not be avoided.
Ye'er paused, then gradually became serious. He thought back to his feelings at the time and considered for a moment.
"I really did save you on impulse. Whether I was taking you to the hospital or deciding to bring you home, it was only because I wanted to. No Zerg was directing me from behind the scenes. I can guarantee that."
Ye'er spoke slowly, glancing at the female Zerg from the corner of his eye before lowering his gaze again.
"I can't say I had absolutely no purpose. I'm not a philanthropist. It's just that the reward I want isn't material."
"In other words—I want emotional value from you."
Ye'er's eyes curved. "I ran into you three separate times. Every one of those encounters was almost absurdly coincidental, wasn't it?"
"Life here is too dull. I needed something new to bring some freshness and vitality into it."
"I wanted to save you and slowly nurse those wounds back to health. I want the happiness and satisfaction of watching things gradually improve. In a sense, I think that also counts as each of us getting what we need."
His gaze drifted away from the female Zerg toward the empty little balcony not far away.
There had originally been a cold-resistant, drought-resistant plant there, something like a cactus, which Ye'er had specifically bought and planted.
At the time, he had thought he would live for as long as that plant lived. But he seemed naturally incapable of keeping small things alive. The little plant, famous for its vitality, died in less than half a month, so he bought another…
One pot after another followed. In the end, fifty-four tragically dead plants filled the corner of the balcony.
Struggling to stay alive without even one emotional anchor was terribly lonely. Ye'er suspected that when he impulsively brought Xize home to care for him, part of him had also harbored the absurd thought: Plants die too easily. Surely a female Zerg with frightening regenerative ability will survive if I pick one up?
He wanted Xize to live well—to fight desperately and stubbornly, using any means necessary to remain alive, like weeds that could never be completely uprooted or cut down, exploding into vigorous growth the moment they saw a little sunlight—
So that merely watching him would give Ye'er courage to keep living too.
Ye'er called for 015 to bring the suppressant. "That's roughly it. There really isn't anything else. I don't want to lie to you."
Only when the cold needle pierced his skin and injected the medicine did Xize finally come back to himself.
So… that was it?
The male Zerg was raising him like a paper character in a game, or perhaps like a pet, gaining satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment simply from the process itself.
The promise that Ye'er would not vent endless desire on him or devour his life and flesh sounded almost too naive, but… it was not without gentleness and beauty.
At least for Xize as he was now, it was the best possible path.
"Or… can you cook?" Ye'er asked suddenly after considering for a moment.
Xize froze again. "…What?"
"015's cooking module is broken. Everything it makes has a faint burnt taste, but I don't really want to replace it."
Ye'er imagined what things might look like once the female Zerg recovered. "You can stay here. Once your injuries heal, you can be responsible for three meals a day to offset rent and food expenses."
"Think of it as me hiring you in advance as a cook, or for some other work. You exchange labor for food and housing. Once all the debt is repaid, we can discuss whether you want to stay or leave."
His voice was firm. "That is a fair transaction."
After the male Zerg finished speaking, the air suddenly went silent. It was almost possible to hear the heart beating and trembling inside the chest.
Xize opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked and no sound came out.
Between the two roads of "being thrown outside to wait for death" and "selling his body in exchange for resources," the male Zerg had offered him a third.
Was the Zerg in front of him really a male Zerg? It was far from the first time Xize had sincerely doubted it.
"What do you think of that proposal?"
The female Zerg's expression was strange. Ye'er suddenly thought of another possibility and asked in disbelief, "Don't tell me you're terrible at cooking too?"
Xize recovered from his stupor and pressed his cracked lips together. "No. I'm a very good cook."
"Then that's fine."
Only after Ye'er's wandering mental power sensed the hostility gradually drawing inward did he finally relax.
Belatedly, he realized his back was covered in cold sweat. A gust of air touched it, making him shiver all over.
It felt like balancing on an impossibly thin steel cable while carrying a porcelain vessel covered in thousands of cracks across a cliff ten thousand meters high, barely managing to reach solid ground.
The lingering fear remained, but calm slowly followed.
*
The stained sofa cover was soon washed, dried, and fitted back over the cushions.
The sofa was too small and uncomfortable to sleep on, so Ye'er carefully measured its height and bought another long sofa. He placed the two side by side, barely expanding the cramped space into something resembling a bed.
Xize was still severely injured and his legs were inconvenient. Even without chains, he could only remain confined to the sofas.
Fortunately, 015's charging station was directly beside them. The little robot housekeeper spent a long time charging there every day, so Xize could call it directly whenever he needed something.
And after that night—
Ye'er came yawning out of his room into the pale morning light and saw the female Zerg on the sofa adjusting the collar of his pajamas.
"Why are you awake even earlier than I am? You don't even have to go to work."
He sat on the other end of the sofa, propped his chin on one hand, and watched Xize with a lazy smile.
Xize's daily schedule was strict and regular. Everything he did was clean and efficient. Almost every time Ye'er woke up, Xize had already tidied himself.
Beside him lay the quilt folded into a perfectly squared military block.
It was an especially soft, fluffy silk-cotton quilt, yet in Xize's hands it had obediently acquired crisp edges, like a new recruit beaten into shape by a strict officer.
Ye'er patted the squared quilt with great interest. The blanket that had been subdued into obedience immediately became springy and soft again, wobbling like jelly beneath his hand. "Hm?"
"Good morning, Your Excellency."
Xize turned his face slightly. His expression was neutral but no longer hard or cold, merely somewhat unnatural.
He pressed his lips together and said in a low voice, "I'm only used to waking early… I can't change the habit right away."
It was also only after that night that Ye'er belatedly realized—
The female Zerg was not especially wooden or dull by nature. Quite the opposite. He was cautious and perceptive, with the steadiness and seriousness typical of a military female, merely so proper at times that it became excessive.
A personality… very easy to tease. Ye'er's lips curved with interest.
For now, though, he could only think about it. Xize was doing a little better than when Ye'er first brought him home, but his severely damaged body was still hovering on the edge of collapse and needed careful nursing.
"Your Excellency?"
Xize had heard no answer for a while and turned his head in confusion.
"Huh?" Ye'er was still lost in thought, staring absently at Xize's brows and eyes. "What did you say?"
"I said…"
Xize was about to repeat himself when his voice abruptly stopped—
The male Zerg reached out and stroked his hair. Fingertips carrying faint body warmth brushed over his temple and paused on a newly healed scar along the rim of his ear.
"I forgot to say it," Ye'er said softly, his eyes filled with a smile. "Good morning."
Author's Note:
Hey, girlie, have you been charmed by the warm bed~ (dog-head holding a rose—
