The Last Esper [BL]-Chapter 39: Dysfunctional family

Eun-woo’s eyes were fixed on Rhys’s, his chest rising and falling wildly. He wanted to bond with him. He wanted him with everything in him. That warmth between them, that invisible force that compelled them to touch, to unite, was there, pulsing with yearning.

"Yes, I want to," he said, his voice shaking. "But not now."

Rhys blinked, confused. The faint glint in his eyes changed. He didn’t turn away, but pain flashed briefly across his face.

"Oh..." he whispered. "I thought..."

"It’s not that I don’t trust you." Eun-woo leaned closer, placing a hand on his chest. "Quite the opposite. But Jae... he helped me discover that I can control my powers without a Guide. That’s how I stopped your bleeding. All by myself. Without anyone else."

Rhys looked down at his injured arm.

"Maybe you can do it now," he said. "But when a Rift appears, it will be different. Stronger. More chaotic. And I don’t want you to face that alone."

"I know," Eun-woo nodded. "And that’s why I want to try it first. To see how far I can go without relying on anyone. Because if I’m going to bond with you, I want to do it because I want to, not because I need to."

Rhys watched him silently for a moment.

"Then I’ll try too," he said with a faint smile. "I’ll do more research. I’ll learn what I need to learn to become the kind of Guide you need. If I am... I want to be the best for you."

Eun-woo raised his head. He smiled.

"Thank you."

"When we’re ready," Rhys said, extending his hand. "We’ll bond."

Eun-woo interlaced his fingers with Rhys’s and nodded. He said nothing more.

They stayed in that position for hours. Their hands remained clasped over Rhys’s chest. Eun-woo closed his eyes, letting the sound of Rhys’s heart lull him to sleep and remind him that he was alive. That he had saved him.

Rhys glanced at Eun-woo, feeling every breath that caressed his collarbone. He allowed his head to fall to the side, his temple touching Eun-woo’s soft hair. The pain was still there, throbbing in his arm, but this closeness numbed everything.

The night slowly faded. The darkness gave way to the golden light of dawn, which was beginning to filter through the cracks in the window. The entire room seemed bathed in amber.

Rhys narrowed his eyes, then let out a soft sigh and began to carefully shift his legs, as if trying to stand.

"What are you doing?" Eun-woo muttered, without opening his eyes.

"I’m going to get breakfast," Rhys replied, trying to sound casual, though the movement made him wince.

Eun-woo frowned and gently held his waist.

"Don’t go."

Rhys let out an amused laugh.

"Since when are you so affectionate?"

"Since I discovered that you are a comfortable source of heat and if you get up, I won’t be able to sleep anymore."

Rhys pretended to think about it as he sank back down beside him with a dramatic sigh.

"Well... I guess breakfast can wait."

"Thank you," Eun-woo said, snuggling up to his chest without shame.

Rhys smiled flirtatiously.

"So you’re using me as a human cushion?"

"You said you’d handle whatever came from me, right?"

Rhys let out a laugh, low and hearty. He gently stroked Eun-woo’s shoulder with his knuckles, his head lolling to one side.

"Sometimes I forget how weird you are."

"You’re weird too."

"And yet, here you are."

"Yes, I’m here," Eun-woo murmured with a smile on his face.

For a few more minutes, there was no need to move, just to be. Rhys kept his eyes half-closed, feeling Eun-woo’s warmth beside him, the softness of his fingers still entwined with his.

Then the door burst open with a bang, shattering the calm. Rong Ye appeared in the doorway, disheveled, barefoot, and with a furious expression.

"Rhys! Get up and control Caelan!" he shouted.

Rhys didn’t move. He just narrowed his eyes even further and snuggled up against Eun-woo, making it clear to Rong Ye that he wasn’t planning on getting up.

"Ugh... Eun-woo, there’s a pervert at the door. Do something."

"Rhys!" Eun-woo replied, though he couldn’t contain a small chuckle.

Rong Ye walked further into the room.

"This isn’t funny! Stop playing around and help me! Caelan won’t stop bullying me. When I woke up, he was sleeping next to me! In my bed! This is insane!"

Rhys barely raised an eyebrow and turned just enough to see Rong Ye from the bed. His lips curved maliciously.

"And what did you expect? It’s no secret that Caelan is interested in you."

Rong Ye paled slightly, then put a hand to his face, horrified.

"That’s a lie! And even if it were true, I would never date someone like Caelan!"

Rhys let out a soft laugh. He grabbed one of the pillows and threw it at Rong Ye, intending to scare him away. However, Rong Ye dodged just in time, and the pillow flew straight up, slamming into Caelan’s face as he appeared in the doorway.

"Shit!" Caelan exclaimed, staggering back a step as he pulled the pillow away from his face with a look of utter disbelief. "What the fuck!?"

Rhys put a hand to his forehead and laughed even louder. Eun-woo tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t help but cover his mouth with his hand as he held back the trembling of his shoulders.

"Oops!" Rhys said with mock innocence. "I was just trying to scare off the intruder. Didn’t know the stalker showed up in person."

Caelan raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms as he looked at him, visibly offended.

"Stalker?"

"You snuck into my bed while I was sleeping!" Rong Ye interrupted, turning to face him. "That’s harassment!"

Caelan looked back at him calmly.

"I just wanted to talk to you. You were the one who locked yourself in the room without saying a word. You seemed upset, and since we all know you have the worrying habit of trying to die in silence, I got worried."

Rong Ye opened his mouth to retort, but Caelan raised a hand to stop him.

"Yes, I forced the door. But it was to make sure you were breathing and not trying to jump out the window or slit your wrists."

Rong Ye was speechless for a moment, red with anger or embarrassment, while Rhys and Eun-woo exchanged glances.

Caelan smiled triumphantly and shrugged with feigned indifference.

"Besides," he added in a lower voice and with a half smile, "you didn’t seem bothered at first... until you opened your eyes."

"Because I woke up with someone breathing down my neck!" Rong Ye yelled. "I thought there was a damn ghost hugging me!"

Rhys couldn’t contain himself anymore. He put a hand to his face and laughed, while Eun-woo covered his mouth with both hands.

"A ghost with very good taste, apparently," Caelan said, without losing his composure.

Rong Ye clenched his fists and muttered something unintelligible before turning on his heels, muttering:

"I’m surrounded by idiots."

Just then, Jae’s disheveled figure appeared, wrapped in a blanket like a cape. He shuffled along, his expression one of pure annoyance, his eyes narrowed.

"Will you all stop acting like it’s noon?!" he shouted hoarsely. "It’s still early, and some of us are trying to sleep like normal people!"

Everyone in the room fell silent for a few seconds, staring at Jae as if they’d just been caught by an annoying mother. Rong Ye opened his mouth to retort, but Jae pointed a finger at him without even looking at him.

"Don’t say anything. You’ve been loud since the moment you opened your eyes! And you," he pointed at Caelan, "who sleeps in other people’s beds? And you’re also making a big deal out of it in the morning?"

"A big deal?" Caelan repeated indignantly. "I was just making sure he didn’t self-destruct in his sleep!"

"And you did very well!" Rhys exclaimed from the bed, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

"Rhys, shut up!" Jae pointed at him too. "You should be resting. You bled out a few hours ago, remember?"

Rhys shrugged, looking down like a scolded child.

Eun-woo, at his side, let out a stifled laugh, causing Rhys to glance at him with a knowing smile.

Jae rubbed his eyes hard, let out an exaggerated sigh, and muttered as he turned around: freewёbnoνel.com

"I’m going to make coffee. If I come back and you keep screeching like poultry, I’ll kick you all out of the house."

The threat hung in the air as Jae disappeared down the hallway, wrapped in his blanket.

There was a second of silence.

"Jae is so adorable," Caelan said softly. "He’s like an old man trapped in a child’s body."

"You’re basically a kid stuck in a grown-up’s body," Rong Ye shot back from the doorway.

Caelan smiled mischievously.

"And you..."

"If you say something cheesy like ’You’re cute when you’re mad,’ I swear I’ll stab you with a fork."

Rhys and Eun-woo burst into laughter.

"We’re definitely a dysfunctional family," Rhys murmured, shaking Eun-woo’s hand under the covers.

"I think I like that," Eun-woo whispered.

No matter how chaotic their dynamic was, they were together. And for now, that was enough.

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