Chapter 15

A few dim rays of morning light leaked through the gaps in the curtains and shone on the figure lying on the bed.

Yael's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he opened his eyes with some difficulty.

He stared at the ceiling for a while before coming to his senses. His voice was slightly hoarse, "...What time is it?"

The blue light of the laptop next to the pillow flickered, and the speaker said in a clear voice, "Good morning. It's seven o'clock in the morning. Do you want to get up?"

After staying up late, his temples felt a little sore, and Yael rubbed them with his fingertips to dispel the remaining sleepiness.

"Crack—bang!"

There was a slight noise outside the door. He looked a little depressed, threw back the quilt and got out of bed.

When he strode out of the living room, he saw Xize half-kneeling on the ground, his face pale, his forehead covered with sweat, and a dazed 015 standing next to him.

"What's wrong?" Yael frowned, stepped forward and grabbed the female insect's arm, trying to pull him up from the ground.

"…Nothing, I just wanted to take a shower, but 015 suddenly ran out of power and fell."

Cizek held down Yael's forearm, but just like his thin wrist, the touch of his hand was not hard and strong, at least it was completely different from the thick skin of the female insect, which seemed to be very easy to break.

Thinking of the male insect's fragile skin, which would cause large bruises if touched casually, he subconsciously loosened his hand.

But the severe pain in her knee caused her center of gravity to lose stability, and she fell heavily onto the sofa.

Yael was also pulled off balance, and he stumbled forward a few steps before falling down.

"etc……!"

As he got closer and closer to the sofa back, Yael closed his eyes in panic.

The next second, his waist was grasped by a strong arm, and he was pulled into an embrace just before he could hit him.

"careful."

A deep voice rang in his ears, and his chest, which was pressed against his face, resonated and vibrated, as if ringing in his ears, causing his ears to feel hot for a moment.

His face was sunken in the softness, his abdominal muscles were tense and bulging as he held them up in panic, and the touch under his palm was distinct, but he seemed to be trying his best to relax and let the hand hold him steady.

"…Are you okay?"

Xi Ze was also a little uncomfortable with it. The touch in his arms was soft and delicate. Compared with the thick skin and flesh of the female insect, it looked thin and frail, and so light that it seemed like it could be easily broken.

"No, it's okay."

Yael's blinking speed became unnaturally fast, and he found himself completely wrapped in the female insect's arms, with his entire body enveloped by scorching heat.

He realized that the female insect was protecting his head with one hand and holding his waist with the other, like a snow leopard biting an elk by its horns and easily pulling it out of the sticky mud.

The military lady in front of him seemed to be used to playing the role of a strong protector, but at the same time, he couldn't even do the most basic thing of standing up.

Poor and disabled, he has to rely on the "weak" to survive.

Yael felt a slight shudder, and for a moment he even had a strong desire to imprison the female insect by his side and hold it tightly in his hands, which made his Adam's apple roll.

"Hey...Is it okay?"

But he still had some sense. He closed his eyes and regained his senses, then stood up while holding onto the sofa. He had just fallen and hit the female insect head-on. He wondered if the wound had been compressed.

"Fortunately, I'm not that fragile." Xi Ze's voice was hoarse from waking up in the morning, and he followed the male insect's movements and let go of his hand.

The female insect lay on the sofa in a somewhat awkward posture, but her expression was calm and composed.

Those unfocused eyes fell in the air, occasionally resting on Yael's face, still retaining the good habit of looking at the other person when speaking.

After last night's nightmare, something seemed to be changing invisibly.

Yael lowered his eyes and stared at him.

He did not find anything unusual in that calm expression, but suddenly discovered that the female insect in front of him was much more fleshy and bloody than when he first picked it up.

The emaciated and miserable appearance that suggested death at any moment was no longer apparent, and his original temperament and character were revealed.

The female insect's thin face was slim yet stern, and her originally stiff and straight back now had a slightly curved curve.

He was wrapped in a messy quilt and pajamas, appearing quiet, soft and heavy in the morning light, like a collapsed and silent mountain, growing new green with the nourishment of time.

It was at this moment that Yael truly realized——

He had rescued Caesar from that snowy night.

Far away from death and violence, humiliation and pain, new flesh and blood and life slowly and tenaciously grow.

It was the life that went against the dead green plants that made his struggle and efforts bear fruit for the first time… and made the hopeless road ahead seem to have some foreseeable hope.

A softer and gentle warm current permeated every part of his body, soothing the desire to destroy that had just arisen.

Yael curled his eyes and said, "Let me take you to take a bath."

…

The bathroom in this house is very clean, but it is still old and small, and there is no space for a bathtub or a shower bed. The female insect usually sits on a small stool to take a bath.

"When I move to a new house, I will choose a bigger bathroom with a bathtub for easy bathing."

Yael half-supported and half-carried Caesar to sit down on the stool with difficulty, and said casually.

But thinking about the little savings I have left, I feel that this idea is simply too far away.

Then Yael was stunned again. When did he take it for granted that he included Caesar in his future plans?

A hand pressed down on the back of his hand, and Yael came back to his senses. The female insect in his arms turned around and whispered, "...It's ready."

The tips of Nishize's ears hidden under his hair turned slightly red, and his hands on his knees tightened and relaxed at a loss.

Although he was usually naked when applying medicine, he was still not used to exposing his body in front of male insects.

Whether it was because of her previous experiences or because of her reserved and upright character as a military woman.

Yael took the shower off the shelf but didn't hand it to Caesar. He hummed long and hard, and for some reason didn't want to leave. "Wash it for you?"

Xi Ze glanced at him quickly, hesitated for a moment, and nodded, "...Okay."

The hot water spurted out with a "bang", splashed onto the ground and soaked Yer's trouser legs.

He tested the temperature with his hand, turned off the water valve, bent down and rolled up the piece of fabric.

The female insect folded the clothes and placed them in a plastic basin beside her, which, like the small wooden stool, was specially prepared for him.

The other side of the bathroom was not a wall, but milky white frosted glass. The hazy morning light was like milky white duck down, gently sticking to the female insect's body and blurring the beautiful lines.

He looked extremely docile, retracted his spikes, lured the insect that was attracted by the honey color to come forward, and took all the lush and softness into his palm.

Yael felt a little dry in the mouth.

"What's wrong?"

The male insect behind him didn't move for a long time. Xi Ze tilted his head and asked in confusion.

Yael suddenly came back to his senses and subconsciously opened the water valve. Clear water droplets splashed out with a "whoosh" sound, covering the female insect's head and face.

“Ah, sorry, sorry…!”

He hurriedly moved the shower away, but saw Caesar wipe the water off his face and chuckled in a good-natured manner, "It's okay... Let's get started."

I don’t know if it was an illusion, but the female insect’s shoulders and back seemed to relax a little, not so tense and stiff anymore.

Yael paced back and forth for a while and felt that the situation was a little tricky.

He thought for a moment with a serious expression, then picked up the shampoo from the shelf and asked, "Wash your hair first?"

…

The bathroom was gradually filled with hot steam. The floor was covered with white foam, which was washed away by the water and kept falling. The sweet orange scent almost overflowed.

Run your fingers through the soft hair, squeezing out new foam.

He is such a good boy.

Yael thought absentmindedly as he squeezed the foam into two trembling points, like a cat's erect ears.

Then, he placed his fingertips on the slightly protruding bone at the back of the female insect's neck, rubbing it for a while before moving his fingers down to press against the fragile, throbbing artery, and felt the female insect shudder all over.

"Um……"

The female's voice is soft and hoarse, with a soft, moist nasal sound.

Yael paused in his movements, and felt the sound penetrate his chest, gently twisting it, causing a slight tingling sensation in his heart.

"What's wrong? Is there water in your eyes?"

He wanted to stop showering, but the female insect shook her head and said, "It's okay."

Yael didn't notice that there was a strange fragrance mixed in with the water vapor.

It's like tea leaves that have been slightly scorched, stretching out their wrinkled edges in boiling water, gradually evaporating a bitter top note that is not obvious at first, but by the time you notice it, it has already filled the small space.

Yael blinked slowly, sensing something was wrong in the excessive heat, and his expression changed slightly, "Are you in heat again?"

Under the skin at the back of the neck, a hidden gland was faintly hot, and a delicate sweet fragrance was emanating from it.

Caesar had opened his eyes without knowing when and turned his face towards him. Yael covered the back of his neck and looked at him in bewilderment.

"Sorry..." Caesar answered in a hoarse voice.

Yael tried to ignore the restlessness in his body and put the shower back on the shelf. "Wait, I'll get the suppressant."

“Don’t…”

But the hem of the sweater was pulled by a hand. The next second, the hot breath sprayed on the back of Yue Yao through the thin sweater. The female insect breathed in disorder, "...Don't go."

The female insect was abnormally enthusiastic, but after hesitating for a few seconds, two arms tightly wrapped around his waist. He felt like he was being entangled by a clingy big cat and couldn't get away at all.

"Calm down."

Yael exhaled and turned around in the female insect's arms with great effort, "Cize?"

Xi Ze did not sit on the stool, but half-knelt on the ground.

It was like a snow leopard tentatively stretching its body. If there was a tail on its beautiful caudal vertebrae, it would have been swinging left and right, or had been stickyly wrapped around the male insect's calf.

The water droplets on the female insect's body rolled down, and the scars that ran across her body seemed to be covered with a layer of warm glaze, losing their terrifying feeling and becoming more...full and soft, opening gently to him.

He raised his head and looked at Yael, his brows slightly furrowed, his cold and handsome features softened a lot, his golden eyes slightly closed, and he chuckled in a trance.

Yael was stunned in confusion. A female insect... could actually have such an expression?

His heartbeat inexplicably quickened, his Adam's apple moved, and he said harshly, "Let go, I'm going to get the inhibitor."

"It's not estrus disorder... I just wanted to do this."

Cize's voice was hoarse and unclear, his face and neck were already red, and the bitter aroma of the tea became stronger and stronger, drowning Yell like a rushing torrent.

"What?"

Yael was still stunned. He placed his hands on the female insect's shoulders and back, and could clearly feel the wet body in his palms tense, yet trying to rub against his palms.

"I want to be your female insect, a real one... Can you treat me like a female slave?"

The hem of his shirt was seeping with moist breath, which dyed the skin red as it rose and fell, and also warmed up a little bit.

It took Yael a moment to react before he realized what he was saying. The word "bad" was already on the tip of his tongue, but before he could spit it out, he met the female insect's gaze.

"You don't hate me, do you?"

Xi Ze's expression was relaxed and calm, no longer containing the humiliation or despair as before. All the anger and resentment had been properly restrained.

He raised his eyes, and his gaze was like a deep spring shimmering with golden particles, reflecting a small figure with a pair of dark eyes like lacquer.

"Can I?" he asked softly.

In a flash, Yael understood the subtle difference.

Previously, the female insect was forced into a desperate situation and had no choice but to propose a deal, but now, for some reason, she took a step back on her own initiative and voluntarily became his female slave, wanting to consolidate the relationship between them.

This was not the scene Yael wanted to see.

After all, this willingness is not truly voluntary, but a forced compromise without a better choice. Even the original toughness and hardness are sacrificed, and under the slightly bent spine is deeper endurance and pain.

Agree, no agree, agree, no...

Yael was torn internally, feeling that no matter what choice he made, it would be wrong, but apart from these two options, there was no better way.

They couldn't always be stuck in such an awkward and indescribable atmosphere, with each of them putting up thick defenses against the other. However, whether he could control this oppressive and abnormal relationship was still an unknown. He was not sure...

He looked into the female insect's eyes through the mist that had not completely dissipated.

There lies a ray of light that has never been extinguished, or perhaps a passionate ambition that will be rekindled at some point in time.

"good."

In an instant, Yael decided not to hesitate any longer, took a deep breath and said, "Okay."

Hearing this, Xize was slightly stunned. There was no excessive bargaining or begging. The victory in the confrontation came so quickly that he was a little dazed.

The name hanging on the tip of his tongue was completely unfamiliar. He moved his lips, and after several silent attempts, he finally said in a low voice -

"Hero Lord."

Yael was suddenly stunned. His chest was lightly hit and he felt an inexplicable tightness and slight pain.

"……Um."

The author has something to say:

Although it is a large wild animal with a very alert attitude, it began to try to lick its owner's finger, hesitantly wagging its tail, and in an unskilled way, nudging it with the tip of its nose to show its coquettishness, and whining.

Yael: I seem to be a bit happy as a breeder (wife) (heart pounding) (unsure) (rubbing fingers)