Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 448: Worthless Boy
The sun had yet to fully rise, casting a dim light in the room as faint orange rays seeped through the gap in the curtains.
Mu Yuze lay on the bed, his mind still groggy and disoriented. His entire body felt sore and sticky with sweat, and the pajamas clinging to his skin were very uncomfortable. Even then, he could not summon the energy to move and resign himself to laze around on the bed for a while.
What had happened?
He blinked a few times, and his muddled mind gradually cleared. A surge of memories from the previous night flooded his mind. He recalled going to the Twilight Haven together with Zhong Yun and seeing He Juan there, being intimate with an omega whom he claimed was just a colleague. The sight had made him so awful that he threw up everything he had eaten for dinner. After that, Zhong Yun had chased after him, they had fought against some thugs, and then...
Recalling how he had collapsed to the couch as soon as he entered the house, Mu Yuze’s eyes widened and the last traces of drowsiness evaporated from his system.
That was... manifestation period? Had he manifested?
The entire room was filled with the sweet scent of lavender and peppermint, and though Mu Yuze had never smelled it before, he did not feel that it was unfamiliar, because he instinctively recognized it as his own pheromones. He couldn’t help but fall into a daze. He... had really manifested into an omega? The mere notion of it was so unbelievable that Mu Yuze could not wrap his head around it.
But in retrospect, he should have seen it coming, shouldn’t he? The signs were as clear as day – the fatigue, dizziness, sudden surges of heat – but he had always dismissed them as symptoms of a common cold.
Wait a moment, last night...
More and more memories flashed through Mu Yuze’s mind, and driven by intuition, he tilted his head to the side to find He Juan sleeping on the sofa chair beside the bed, his head hanging low and arms crossed over his chest.
Mu Yuze’s breath snagged on his throat and he slowly propped himself up, careful not to make any sound that could rouse He Juan awake.
His eyes greedily drank in the man’s sleeping countenance, as it was extremely rare for him to catch He Juan in such a defenseless state. In his memory, He Juan’s silver eyes were always razor-sharp and his lips were always hooked into a beautiful smile, exuding an imposing and alluring charm.
But now, the man’s expression was slack and soft, his sharp gaze was nowhere to be found as they were covered by thick fan of lashes, with his lips parted slightly with each breath he took. Dark shadows hung beneath his eyes, and exhaustion had etched weariness onto his features. It was evident that he had stayed up all night to watch over Mu Yuze.
When he recalled how He Juan had patiently dealt with his temper tantrums, comforted him, made sure he was hydrated, wiped his sweat for him and even went as far as to inject rut suppressor into himself... Mu Yuze couldn’t help but feel the bittersweet feeling spreading across his chest. Sweet, yet tinged with an aching sadness.
He unconsciously tightened his grip on the blanket. His throat seized, the corner of his eyes reddened and turned moist with tears.
How could there be a man like He Juan in this world? He was good, so good that Mu Yuze could not find fault in him. So kind, so gentle, so perfect... so out of his reach.
Even though the distance between them was less than three meters, somehow it felt as if a deep chasm separated them, one that Mu Yuze could not cross in this lifetime.
’Juan-gege, He Juan... do you know? In this world, there is a worthless boy who likes you so much, so much that he wants to tear open his chest and present you his bloody, pulsating and hideous heart overflowing with obsession and adoration. And that worthless boy is named Mu Yuze...’
’Now that I have become an Omega, have I become worthy of you? Even just for a bit?’
Too lost in his own thoughts, Mu Yuze failed to notice how the undertone of his pheromones had shifted to align with his sorrow, joy, and melancholy. Having not learned how to control his pheromones yet, they continued to pour out of him in waves and permeate every inch of the room, piercing straight into He Juan’s sleep-addled brain like a jolt of electric shock to his nerves.
He snapped his eyes open, and his gaze immediately landed on the boy, who could not conceal the myriad of emotions in his eyes in time.
"Xiao Ze?" He Juan’s brows furrowed as he detected the sour scent in the air. Alarmed, he immediately rose to his feet and approached Mu Yuze, reaching out to measure the boy’s forehead. His voice was extremely hoarse as he asked, "Do you feel pain anywhere? You don’t have a fever anymore, but why are you crying again? Little crybaby, what makes you sad this time? Hmm?"
Mu Yuze’s pale cheeks reddened at the reminder of how fussy and troublesome he had acted last night. Picking up the change in his own scent, panic surged through his chest. "Stop... h–how do I..." Nobody had told him that his pheromones would betray his true feelings. W–What should he do? He must not let He Juan find out!
"Sshh, it’s okay..." He Juan sat down on the bedside and pulled Mu Yuze into his arms, caressing his back in a soothing motion. "There’s no need to restrain yourself. Your gland is still young and sensitive, so let it adjust naturally first. Don’t be afraid. Nothing is wrong with being an Omega. Let’s take it slow for now, okay?"
Mu Yuze’s body had stiffened at first when He Juan embraced him, but then he gradually realized that He Juan had mistaken the sadness and panic he was feeling as aversion to his secondary gender.
Oh, if only He Juan knew how long he had been waiting for this moment...
Mu Yuze finally allowed himself to relax and lean into He Juan’s embrace. Now that he had become a full-pledged Omega, he could finally revel in the impact of He Juan’s pheromones on him. The scent of whiskey and rosewood, which had always been nothing but comforting, somehow made his heart race this time.
He stretched out his hands and tightly grasped onto the hem of He Juan’s shirt, his throat choking up, "Gege..."
"Hmm?"
I like you. I like you. I’m an Omega now, can you see it? I have really become an Omega just for you...
Alas, no matter how many times he shouted those words in the silence of his heart, he lacked the courage to voice it aloud. Lacked the courage to sacrifice what they had right now. Because if He Juan were to leave him... if He Juan were to abandon him this time, he would really die. All he could do was cling to He Juan like this, like the pathetic coward he was.
Overwhelmed by emotions, he could only utter again and again, "Gege... gege..."
Again, he failed to realize how his desperate longing to keep this man by his side had materialized into his pheromones. They surged and enveloped He Juan from head to toe, as if they sought to seep into his marrow and bloodstream, as if they wanted to fuse into one with him.
It was akin to an irresistible hook that tugged on He Juan’s heartstrings. And coupled with the mate bond between them, the effect became all the more deadly.
He Juan felt his heart skipping a beat.
