Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 174: Otherwise...
"Ugh..."
Mu Yuze was startled awake from his sleep as soon as he heard a grunt of pain coming from above his head. His eyes snapped open and any traces of drowsiness instantly drained away like hazy mist blown by a violent typhoon. The first thing he saw was a column of neck that was slick with perspiration. Then he heard a harsh breathing echoed loudly around his ears and perceived the tightening of the arm slung over his waist. On a closer look, they were also trembling faintly.
Alert, he immediately propped himself up to check on the man who was sleeping beside him. "Juan-gege?"
He saw that He Juan’s eyes were still tightly shut and the creases of his brows were deep enough to create a canyon. His hair was damp with sweat, strands of it sticking to his face. He looked like he was in a whole lot of pain.
Mu Yuze’s heart seized sharply. Realizing that He Juan was having a nightmare and it was getting more severe with each passing second to the point where the heartbeat monitor was issuing an alarm, he held the man’s shoulders and shook him, calling out anxiously. "Gege...? Gege, wake up!"
It took him a few attempts to bring He Juan out of his nightmare. Even when the Alpha finally opened his eyes, Mu Yuze still could not be rest assured. On the contrary, the anxiety in his heart surged to a new peak, causing him to break out in cold sweat.
It was all because the Alpha’s eyes were rimmed red and there were traces of violent destruction and agony that he had not managed to conceal.
It was familiar... so achingly familiar. It brought him to the time when He Juan was still under the effect of AX–03. Mu Yuze felt his blood run cold when he recalled He Juan’s deranged state.
No, no... he couldn’t let it happen. Not anymore!
"Gege...?" His voice shook slightly when he whispered. He reached out to cup He Juan’s face and looked deeply into his eyes. "Gege, can you hear me? It’s me, Mu Yuze..."
A few seconds passed before He Juan’s pupils gradually regained their focus. As soon as he registered that the one in front of him was indeed Mu Yuze – alive, breathing and... his gaze traveled down to the bandage around the omega’s neck and he instantly sucked in a shaky breath. So not everything was a dream. Toward Mu Yuze, he had really—
His eyes were bloodshot as he clung to Mu Yuze’s waist and buried his face to his side. "Xiao Ze... Xiao Ze..." he uttered nothing but Mu Yuze’s name, again and again, just like a child awoken from a nightmare and sought the comfort of his parents. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
His broad figure that always exuded a sense of solid security was currently trembling. He looked so wretched, so fragile as if the slightest touch would be able to shatter him to pieces.
When had He Juan ever shown such a vulnerable and miserable state to others?
Mu Yuze could not imagine how He Juan was as a child because when they first met, He Juan was already a poised, composed and steadfast man despite only being in his twenties. It was as if this person was born with an innate calmness and maturity that gave off the impression as if he could hold up the sky even if it collapsed one day.
But now...
Mu Yuze’s throat tightened in pain. Looking at He Juan like this, his chest was suddenly seized with a fierce protectiveness that came out of nowhere. Oh how he wished he could put the man in his pocket and hide him from the whole world...
But at least, he was relieved that He Juan seemed to remember him just fine and did not go berserk anymore.
Mu Yuze did not try to move him. Instead he leaned against the headboard and gingerly placed his hand on top of He Juan’s head. Just the notion that he would one day be able to comfort and soothe He Juan like a child had his heart racing with an indescribable thrill. Just as he was thinking of what to say, he inadvertently caught sight of a silhouette outside the door that was opened by a crack.
Mu Yuze’s body tensed up in vigilance before he realized that it was none other than Su Xieren.
He immediately figured out what was going on. Su Xieren must be on tonight’s shift and he had come here to check on He Juan after an alarm was issued by the heartbeat monitor. However, after experiencing He Juan’s hysterical state earlier, he was hesitant to barge in just like that. As such, he could only stay outside and gauge the overall situation with his eyes.
Their gazes collided in midair and Mu Yuze made a gesture that he had everything under control. Nodding, Su Xieren quietly closed the door and turned away. Only then could Mu Yuze let go of the tension on his body and focused on He Juan who was still hiding like an ostrich.
He finally moved his hand atop of He Juan’s head, gently and awkwardly, he ran his fingers through He Juan’s silken and damp hair. He did not dare to exert any strength at all for fear of aggravating the swell of his brain that had not abated yet. He had never done something like this before and thus his movement was clumsy and stiff. Nonetheless, He Juan seemed to like it a lot because he could perceive how the man’s body had ceased to tremble and how the taut muscles on his rigid back visibly relaxed.
The heartbeat monitor slowed into rhythmic pulses and Mu Yuze could finally put down his heart that had been hanging precariously by a thin string.
He could more or less guess what He Juan was dreaming about. He thought that... after the intimate talk they had done earlier, He Juan would be able to let the matter go. But it seemed like he had been too naïve. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was only a little past 10 pm. He Juan had not even slept for a full three hours yet. How was he supposed to recuperate at this rate?
Heart aching, Mu Yuze asked in a soft voice, his hand did not stop stroking He Juan’s head. "Do you want to sleep for a while, Gege?"
He Juan’s reaction was immediate. His shoulders tensed and he shook his head, soft yet determined.
The hospital gown was thin and with He Juan’s face buried on his side, Mu Yuze could clearly sense the high bridge of He Juan’s nose brushing against his hip and the warmth of his exhales. He pursed his lips, a little ticklish. He told himself that now was not the time to be distracted. Juan-gege was still suffering from the aftermath of the nightmare. His Alpha was having a hard time and he... he could not just sit still and watch! He had to do something!
Mu Yuze reached behind to gingerly touch his swollen gland. He let out a regretful sigh, murmuring, "If only I can use my pheromones—"
He had not even finished his sentence yet when He Juan abruptly snapped his gaze up, sharp and agitated. "No! You... You are not allowed to let your pheromones out! Otherwise..." he choked on his words, his voice trailing off in a shaky whisper. His arm around Mu Yuze’s waist tightened as though he was trying to convince himself that the one in front of him was a real, breathing person and not only a figment of his imagination. Pain overflowed from his silver eyes. "Otherwise what am I going to do if something bad happens to you? I won’t forgive myself... I won’t be able to forgive myself..."
