By Zephyria Ashley hesitated at the dizziness he felt for the first time. Koi, who had been held by Ashley, also noticed something strange and raised his head, startled, and reached out his hand.
“A-Ash, are you okay?”
Koi asked him in a fluster. Ashley tried to say he was okay, but his mouth wouldn’t move. It wasn’t just his mouth that wouldn’t move as he thought. His whole body became as heavy as lead, and he couldn’t move a single finger as he pleased.
…What is this?
As he wondered, the inside of his eyes began to sting as if they were being pierced. Ashley swallowed a groan and covered his eyes.
“Ash!”
Koi shouted urgently. Ashley covered one hand over his eyes and raised his remaining hand to stop him.
“I’m, okay.”
“Ash.”
“Sorry, Koi. …Let’s, continue talking next time.”
Ashley finished speaking with difficulty and staggered away. Flustered, Koi stood there and watched his back, then belatedly tried to chase after him. But before that, Bill found him first, and his friends surrounded Ashley.
“Ash, what’s wrong?”
“What’s the matter? What is it?”
“Ash, get a grip!”
There was no room for Koi in the gap between them as they surrounded Ashley and left in an instant. Koi could only watch them move away, his heart pounding with anxiety and worry.
*
“What? Leaving early?”
Koi, who asked Bill about Ashley’s condition when they briefly ran into each other during class change, was surprised by the unexpected answer and asked back what he had just heard. Bill sighed and scratched the back of his head as he replied.
“Yeah, his condition suddenly got so bad. It’s strange, he seemed fine even when he first came to school this morning.”
He corrected himself after saying that.
“He did look pale. He seemed different from usual, so I asked him if anything happened yesterday, but he said nothing did? But I don’t know why he suddenly became like that. Don’t you know anything?”
“Ah, no…”
Koi shook his head in confusion.
“I don’t know, either.”
That was true. Ashley’s condition deteriorated rapidly when he was with him, but he left with his friends as he was, and Koi was left behind.
“You don’t know the cause either?”
Koi nodded in response to Bill’s question. He sighed again and turned away. Left alone, Koi had no choice but to move on to the next class.
This class was also a time to listen with Ashley, but he was nowhere to be seen. What on earth was going on? Koi was so worried that he couldn’t concentrate on the class at all.
Eventually, even during the physical training in the Cheerleading Team after class, Koi kept thinking about Ashley. But the ice hockey team guys, including Bill, didn’t know the situation after that, and Ashley couldn’t even be reached by phone.
He’s not even answering his cell phone.
Koi, who had tried calling one last time after practice, silently stared down at the cell phone that had gone to voicemail.
It was rationally right to go home as it was. He was just another friend to Ashley, just another stranger. There was no point in stepping forward for nothing.
But.
Koi kept thinking about Ashley, who was suffering alone. His appearance, feverish and unable to eat soup properly, flickered before his eyes and he couldn’t stand it.
In the end, he turned his bicycle and headed for Ashley’s house.
I need to check it out myself.
*
The mansion where Ashley lived was dark with no lights on. The mansion, which had already fallen into darkness and crouched down in black, looked like a huge monster. Koi felt a sense of dread at the darkness of the mansion, which he had never felt before, but he mustered his courage and walked towards the front door.
The surroundings were as quiet as death. His fear grew even more at the silence he had never felt when he spent time with Ashley. Nevertheless, he did not back down and run away because he thought that this darkness and silence would have been Ashley’s daily life.
He must be alone in this mansion even now.
According to what Ashley had said, there were no employees at this time. Ashley was all alone in such a large mansion.
Koi steeled his heart and carefully entered the mansion. He was holding a bag containing cream soup, mushroom soup, and cold medicine in his hands. He naturally left out the vegetable soup.
He wanted to buy something more delicious, but that was all he could afford with the money he had. Hoping that it would be of help to Ashley, Koi climbed the stairs one by one. The distance to Ashley’s room felt endlessly far. And finally, he reached his destination.
*
Haa, haa.
The rough breathing made the dizziness even worse. Ashley was lying down with his eyes closed, gasping for breath. He had left school early with the help of his friends and came home, but he had been in this state ever since he barely lay down on the bed.
Even lying down, he was so dizzy that he kept feeling nauseous. He curled up in a ball and didn’t move, just gasped for breath.
His whole body was burning hot. No matter how bad a cold he had had, this was the first time he had had such a fever. On top of that, strangely, an unknown sweet scent kept wafting around him. He thought this scent was somehow familiar. It was definitely a scent he had smelled somewhere. It was definitely the same but different. …Who was it, this? He thought in his hazy mind.
‘Who’…?
“Augh…”
The moment he thought that far, his eyes stung as if they were being pierced. Ashley covered his eyes with his hands and groaned. It felt like his whole body was burning. He was going crazy from the heat, but on the other hand, he felt a languidness spreading throughout his body and didn’t want to move a single finger. Only one thing came to mind.
He wanted to pour out this heat somewhere.
Koi.
Ashley whispered his name between panting breaths. Koi, Koi, Koi. His eyes kept hurting and his whole body was so hot that it was tingling, but his name kept lingering in his mouth. I want to hold you, I want to kiss you.
Ah, if I could hold you and pour everything inside you.
A deep sigh and a suppressed groan flowed out. It was the first time he had felt such intense desire. If Koi was in front of him, he would not hesitate this time. He would undress him, lick his skin, suck on it, and leave marks all over his body. Even if Koi burst into tears, trembled in fear, and begged him not to do this, he would not listen. You, you, you. Ashley thought repeatedly. His mind was already filled with only that one thing.
I’m going to make you my Omega.
“Ash…”
Suddenly, a familiar voice pierced his mind. Ashley blinked his eyes as he lay on the bed, panting.
He couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality, or if he was still wandering in his imagination. He didn’t move, and after a while, he heard the voice again.
“Ash, it’s me. Koi.”
The moment he realized whose voice it was, Ashley’s mind went completely blank.
“Ash…”
Koi hesitated and entered the room. As was the case with the interior of the mansion, this room was also not lit. As he stepped into the room where only the faint light of the night was coming in through the window, Koi carefully called his name.
“Um, sorry for coming suddenly. I called you, but you didn’t answer…”
Koi, who had said what he had prepared, hesitated and asked again.
“Um, are you very sick? Is it another cold? I bought some soup and medicine just in case…”
Koi closed his mouth and waited for Ashley’s reaction. He still didn’t answer. Ashley hadn’t said a word so far.
Maybe he’s angry at me.
Koi’s heart ached, but he couldn’t just back down after coming this far. Instead, he took another step.
“Ash, um… can I come closer?”
He carefully asked for permission, but again, he didn’t hear an answer. Koi slowly walked towards the bed one step at a time.
Maybe he’s asleep. Koi thought. Ashley had been unable to come to his senses because of the fever before, but he had only opened his eyes when he brought him soup.
He must be really sick.
Feeling a heartache along with a feeling of pity, Koi continued to move. There was a bulging lump on the bed. Ashley was definitely lying under the blanket.
Koi was thinking of lifting the blanket slightly to check Ashley’s face and then boiling soup or doing something else. But in fact, more than that… he just wanted to see his face so badly. Koi took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
“Ash…”
He was whispering and carefully grabbing the end of the sheet when suddenly an arm popped out from inside, and unexpectedly, Koi was pulled and fell onto the bed.
“…Ah!”
He screamed in surprise and crashed onto the mattress. When Koi belatedly raised his head, Ashley was above him, breathing roughly and looking down at him.