Vicious Darling

[19]

Chris’s head spun momentarily at the words uttered by those well-shaped lips.

“I’m… fine.”

“Is that so?”

Yuri spoke as if pleased.

“Come to my room tonight as well.”

“Pardon?”

Chris’s face turned sour. They had been sharing a room for a long time, so there was no need for such a statement.

So, coming to the room meant…

‘Does he want to have sex?’

Chris unknowingly took on a dumbfounded expression.

Thanks to their consecutive intimacies, the guiding was sufficient.

If yesterday he received a reward for behaving well, today there was nothing particularly noteworthy.

‘All I did was wake up and… attend the meeting.’

“Don’t you want to?”

Yuri’s brow furrowed slightly.

“No, that’s not it.”

Chris fumbled for words.

But it was of no use. Born without a talent for speaking, he only managed to prolong the silence while floundering.

“The guiding is… sufficient.”

In the past, they wouldn’t have sex consecutively unless absolutely necessary.

Sometimes they would end with just fellatio to extract maximum efficiency with minimal contact.

Yuri was someone who loathed being a Guide and had a strong aversion to guiding.

He only took responsibility for Chris, his sole Esper… but that was it.

“Guiding? Ah.”

Yuri narrowed his eyes.

“I understand the gravity of the mission. But I’m in perfect condition, so Yuri doesn’t need to push himself.”

Chris reported in a disciplined tone.

Yuri looked at his dog as if he were pathetic before speaking.

“…You’re under a great misunderstanding.”

“Pardon?”

At Chris’s stupid response, Yuri clicked his tongue.

He reached out and grabbed Chris’s collar, pulling him close.

A flash of irritation crossed Yuri’s face as he saw Chris being pulled along as lightly as a dandelion seed carried by the wind.

“You’re so light it’s a waste of your build.”

“But if I use my strength… you might get hurt, Yuri.”

Chris said seriously.

For quite some time now, Chris hadn’t used any strength at all against Yuri.

He met Yuri in a rampaging state and began his life in the winter continent with him.

Chris, who was close to a blank slate, disliked his Guide going out of sight.

Because of this, when he didn’t know any better, he would readily grab Yuri’s wrist and pull him, and he wouldn’t let go of the man who tried to push him away saying he had to go to work.

Yuri was a delicate person, both then and now. His skin easily bruised and marked.

Terribly, Chris loved the traces of himself left on Yuri’s body.

‘…Not all Espers are like this, are they?’

Then one day, he saw Yuri return after being hit by a drunk.

Naturally, Chris went berserk.

“W-who?”

Even as he stuttered out the words, he couldn’t hide his raging murderous intent.

Objects around him began to float and shake violently.

Chris had an adult’s build but acted like a child not even five years old. Whether due to growing up in a laboratory or his memories being scrambled from the aftermath of his rampage, Chris behaved more like a beast than a human.

Yuri glanced at Chris throwing a tantrum as usual and replied indifferently.

“I got a hefty compensation, so it’s fine. It didn’t even hurt much.”

It was then that Chris realized most of the bruises on Yuri’s body were made by himself. The bruise on Yuri’s arm in the shape of his handprint was still dark blue even after several days.

It was none other than Chris himself who had made Yuri numb to pain.

“This, this isn’t right…”

The objects Chris had levitated fell.

Crash.

The lamp that fell haphazardly shattered. Chris flinched involuntarily.

“Are you done venting?”

But Yuri didn’t get angry or irritated with Chris. He just silently picked up the fragments with his bandaged hand.

That back view was etched vividly in his retina.

Perhaps due to the shock at that time, Chris, who had been acting like a child, became a completely different person.

He stopped waiting by the door for Yuri to return and learned things he had been putting off.

How to wash himself, how to read, how to mingle with people, how to work…

Above all else, how not to hurt Yuri.

Emerging from his reminiscence, Chris bit his lower lip hard.

He had learned a lot, but it was still not enough.

Chris owed Yuri far too much.

“Afraid of hurting me?”

Yuri, who had asked this, stared intently into Chris’s blue eyes.

Chris tensed up without realizing it.

Even though Yuri wasn’t a psychic Esper, when their gazes met like this, it felt as if he could see right through him.

“Asking you to come to the room. It’s not for guiding.”

Yuri’s hand, which had pulled Chris to the desired position, released his collar.

His hand slowly went down and pressed firmly on Chris’s lower abdomen.

“Because I promised to penetrate you here last night.”

Chris’s lower abdomen trembled at the intimate whisper.

He seemed to remember hearing such words when he had clung to Yuri, feverish and not knowing what to do.

“…I’m just keeping my promise.”

Chris’s Adam’s apple moved slowly as he swallowed hard out of tension.

Yuri’s hair brushed against his cheek as he tilted his head curiously.

He smelled good.

“If you don’t dislike it.”

Yuri’s eyes were clear as he took a step back.

Chris unconsciously leaned forward at the gaze that had become emotionless, as if unaware of any desire.

“I don’t dislike it.”

“Good. Then.”

Yuri smiled strangely at that eager attitude and turned around.

Although he didn’t say a word to follow, Chris immediately trailed after Yuri.

Yuri strode forward as if he had no doubt Chris would follow.

There was still work left to do, but night would soon fall.

The time when he could have Yuri all to himself.

Throughout the storm-like day, Chris had been greatly tormented by Yuri’s hand holding a fountain pen, his wrist that occasionally appeared and disappeared under his sleeve, and the white skin of his neck visible through the rustling gaps of his hair.

***

Near the end of the day’s work, a blue light rose from the terminal.

The light blinking several times gave viewers an ominous feeling.

Chris checked the sender.

Northern Light, Anong.

“…It’s a contact from Northern Light.”

“Answer it.”

At Yuri’s instruction, Chris manipulated the screen.

Then Anong’s face appeared.

Chris felt something off about Anong’s face on the screen. It wasn’t just because of Anong’s disheveled hair and slightly wrinkled clothes.

Behind Anong, a partially destroyed wall and the blue sky beyond it were visible.

-Hello.

“What’s the matter?”

Anong’s face showed signs of fatigue at Chris’s direct question.

-I called to let you know about that.

Anong straightened up and spoke with a serious face.

-Today, there was a B-class Esper rampage. It was an elemental ability user, one who could manipulate wind. We tried to subdue them inside the building as much as possible, and the result is as you can see…

Anong slightly adjusted the camera angle to show the wrecked office interior.

The partially destroyed wall was the least of it.

Mercilessly crumpled cabinets, shattered windows, and even dark red stains that looked like human blood.

-It’s a mess.

“Why did it happen like that? Espers affiliated with the Union should be able to receive sufficient guiding.”

Anong smiled bitterly at those words.

-…We traced the guiding log, but they hadn’t come at all for nearly a month. There were no specifically assigned missions either, so everyone thought it was fine. But that’s not the problem, Chris.

Her voice lowered considerably.

-Guiding drugs were found in the Esper’s dormitory.

“That’s…!”

Chris’s eyes widened.

“Why would a Northern Light Esper, who can receive sufficient guiding, resort to guiding drugs?”

He couldn’t understand it at all.

They wouldn’t even feel the need in the first place, so why seek it out?

Moreover, those who had claimed to be Rosenhauser’s subordinates in Northern Light had all been cut off.

Yet guiding drugs were being distributed within the Esper Union?

“It’s not strange at all.”

Yuri was calm.

Like someone who knew things would escalate to this point.

“Didn’t Rosenhauser have Northern Light in the palm of his hand? He probably leaked it internally when the guiding drug was nearing completion.”

-The purpose?

“He might have tried to addict them and draw them to his side. Wind Espers are rare, after all. Those who couldn’t get the drug after Rosenhauser’s downfall must have been desperately searching for a way.”

“That’s…”

Chris swallowed hard.

Yuri warned indifferently.

“It would be best to conduct a full investigation before it’s too late. The fact that Thorns Order can distribute such things even within the Esper Union means they can exert that much influence.”

-We plan to proceed as soon as we settle the internal unrest.

“No, that’ll be too late.”

Yuri sighed almost imperceptibly.

“Espers always think they can do anything. That they can clean up after things happen. But drugs are a different story.”

Chris looked down at the floor, his lips tightly shut.

Right now, there was a doctor in Baekyah’s infirmary treating drug addicts.

“It completely tramples on effort, will, and mental strength. And if there are other users in Northern Light, they’ll guess why this commotion occurred. They’ll see this chaotic situation as an opportunity and hide all the drugs they have.”

The implications of Yuri’s words were enormous.

Isn’t he saying that unexploded bombs are walking around in the heart of the Esper Union, of all places?

And unexploded bombs that no one knows when or how they’ll go off.

It might be fortunate that the rampage started inside the building this time. Because there’s manpower to subdue a rampaging Esper, and no civilian casualties occurred.

But what if the rampage happens outside Northern Light? And if they can’t stop the accident in time?

One could tell without seeing that enormous damage would occur.

Not only that, people will come to perceive Northern Light’s Espers as dangerous.

Before the Esper Union was established, there was almost a war between ordinary humans and ability users.

The movement to define those born with unusual powers as mutants and completely erase them from this world lost strength with the appearance of the Union. But there were still humans who voiced such opinions.

If their voices grow louder, it will become increasingly difficult for Espers to live.

-…I really don’t want to believe it.

Anong muttered, pressing her eyes hard.

Her voice was thick with fatigue, perhaps having made similar guesses as Chris.

-How did they extend their reach even to the Union? I thought they were just remnants, but is that not the case?

“If you’ve been careless all this time, I’d like to tell you to wake up now.”

Yuri’s words were cold.

“The enemy has already set foot on the Union’s threshold. You know where they’ll go next, don’t you?”

-Understood.

Anong sent a straight gaze.

-We’ll do our utmost to root out guiding drug users and apprehend Thorns Order.

Slowly, Yuri’s lips curved into an arc.

“Now we’re finally on the same page.”

The interior, with the screen transmission cut off, somehow felt darker than before.

Chris stole a glance at Yuri’s profile.

“Are you alright?”

Although Anong wouldn’t have seen it, he was clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles had turned white.

Worried that his nails might dig into his palms at this rate, Chris sent a concerned look.

“I’m fine.”

Yuri spat out as if annoyed.

“It’s nothing new, since I’ve been doing this all along.”

But his eyes were wandering to a distant place.

The image of Yuri preparing for the aftermath even after Rosenhauser’s death came to mind.

He thought that Yuri was like a knight wandering an eternal battlefield.

“Come here, Chris.”

The thought was brief as his Guide extended his hand.

Chris approached as if entranced towards the palm offered by the one sitting on the bed, knelt down, and licked that skin.

“We should keep our promise before it gets too late.”

Chris hid his desire-filled eyes under his eyelids as Yuri’s foot slowly pressed between his knees.

It was time for the momentarily postponed pleasure.

***

After the incident with the rampaging Esper at Northern Light, Yuri more swiftly wrapped up preparations for the Thorns Order search.

Chris was also spending his days busily in tandem.

When he returned to his personal office and opened the door, he saw a gray-haired Esper leaning back in the chair with his feet up on the desk.

Chris swallowed a sigh and strode in.

“Oh, Chris! Is it because you’re about to leave, your face…”

Chase, who had turned around happily at the presence and started speaking to him, paused.

“Your face… is so smooth and shiny!”

Chase, who had intended to tease as usual, inadvertently exclaimed in admiration.

Indeed, Chris’s face was as smooth as a peeled egg.

Chris, who did look in the mirror occasionally, knew why Chase was surprised. And the reason for it.

‘Well, that’s because Yuri…’

His condition was at its peak thanks to the overflowing guiding that seemed almost unnecessary.

But the more frequently Yuri pulled him into bed, the more Chris’s anxiety increased.

‘Why?’

Wasn’t he the type to avoid unnecessary sexual relations?

He feels himself becoming increasingly addicted to that precarious pleasure felt from Yuri’s touch. Nevertheless, Chris struggled to gather his reason and prepared for the worst. Telling himself that this was just Yuri being capricious, and not to be too disappointed when his calls ended.

‘Maybe he needs something to distract him because of the Thorns Order issue.’

There was no way he could discuss such things with Chase.

“Don’t say ridiculous things. Sit down quickly.”

Chris, containing his emotions, gestured with his chin towards the seat across from him.

This was Chris’s office.

Chris, who was always attached to Yuri, rarely used this room. Chase, who was excessively noisy, sitting in the bleak and empty room that was too troublesome to use even as storage, made his eyes tired.

The reason Chris had come here, separated from his beloved Guide, was for the handover.

“I’ve classified the patrol routes according to the districts. These are the influential locals friendly to Baekyah.”

“Hmm. The house-guarding dog has a lot to worry about.”

Chase made a nasal sound and brushed back his hair.

“It’s most fun to jump into fights and stir things up.”

Chris sighed softly.

“That’s because you’re not the one cleaning up afterwards.”

At those words, the man’s yellow eyes curved sarcastically.

“Is that my business?”

“Chase Dalton.”

Chris called his name in a warning tone.

“If it’s not Gwen, there’s no reason for you to live among people.”

However, Chase, unperturbed, injected poison in a slightly lowered voice.

“…Isn’t that the same for you?”

“…”

“If it weren’t for our boss, you wouldn’t have pretended to be human, right? Am I wrong?”

Chase asked persistently.

“That’s why I thought it was strange when you suddenly left and went missing. You don’t trust anyone.”

“That’s right.”

Chris quietly affirmed.

“But I trusted Yuri.”

People who followed Yuri gathered around him as he struggled to survive in this barren land. Before they knew it, Baekyah was formed, and he grew enough to eliminate Rosenhauser, the behind-the-scenes manipulator who had the world in the palm of his hand.

Watching that back, Chris realized.

That Yuri could do perfectly well without him.

If that was the case, he wanted to do what Yuri wanted most, one last time.

“What? How boring.”

Chase grumbled and leaned back as Chris admitted it too readily.

“Why are you picking a fight?”

Chase opened his eyes wide as if to say, what are you talking about?

“A fight? I don’t know what you mean.”

“Normally, you wouldn’t bother to dwell on facts you’d find too troublesome to mention, but you’re harping on about it. Do you think I wouldn’t know what that means?”

At Chris’s words, Chase clicked his tongue.

“Try using even half of that perceptiveness normally.”

“Just tell me the reason. Dealing with you while you’re constantly irritated is inefficient.”

No matter what Chase said, Chris maintained his rigid attitude.

“During the last meeting, you and Gwen came in cozily… What did you two talk about?”