After Transmigrating, I Raised Cubs in the Insectoid Clan - Chapter 25

The kitchen was filled with the rising steam of vegetable porridge. Samuel turned on the range hood and opened the window a crack. After gathering the bowls, chopsticks, and spoons, he re-entered the kitchen and stood beside Suter. “How much longer?” he asked.

The suggestive mark on Samuel’s neck was exposed to the air without any concealment, positioned perfectly within Suter’s line of sight. Suter’s gaze was fixed on that patch of skin as if stuck there by honey. At the curve where the long neck met the collar, the dark red hickey glistened with a hint of desire under the lights. It was a spot Suter had carefully chosen the previous night after much consideration. He wanted a place that Samuel himself would not easily notice, yet one that would be visible to everyone else whenever Samuel lowered his head, declaring ownership to the world.

“It is almost ready,” Suter said.

There was a hint of excitement suppressed in his voice, though he deliberately kept his expression neutral, pretending as if nothing were out of the ordinary. His peripheral vision remained glued to Samuel like a cat that had successfully stolen a treat, both afraid of being caught and unable to resist showing off the mark he had left.

Samuel saw everything but chose not to expose him. Instead, the smile in his eyes deepened. He slowly took a hair tie from his wrist and gently combed through Suter’s slightly messy hair with his fingertips, tying it into a loose little tuft. The ends of the hair poked up, mirroring Suter’s hidden, restless thoughts. Then, Samuel suddenly wrapped his arms around Suter’s waist from behind, mimicking Suter’s usual posture, and pulled him into his embrace. Suter stiffened in surprise. Before he could react, Samuel tilted his head and kissed the soft flesh of Suter’s cheek. Suter had finally gained some weight recently, making his cheeks soft to the touch and giving him a more vibrant appearance.

Suter’s breath hitched. Samuel’s sudden intimacy caught him off guard. His body reacted before his mind did, and he tilted his face up, instinctively seeking Samuel’s lips for a kiss. Samuel gave a low laugh, the vibrations of his chest traveling to Suter’s lips. He cupped the back of Suter’s neck, his thumb gently stroking the sensitive skin, indulging Suter in this hurried, eager kiss.

During a break for air, Samuel rested his forehead against Suter’s temple. His fingers gently massaged Suter’s lean waist as if soothing a cat that might bristle at any moment. His voice was low and calm, carrying a casual warmth.

“I have made an appointment for someone to come and check the appliances today. While they are here, I am having all the air conditioners replaced.”

Suter’s fingers paused for a moment. The flame on the stove died out with a soft click. He turned around and stared at Samuel, trying to decipher the intention behind those words.

“Do you not always feel that the temperature in your room is too low?” Samuel continued. “Installing a new one might improve things.”

Suter’s eyes darkened and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to suppress an emotion that was about to break free. “I want to sleep with you,” he said.

Samuel pursed his lips, a flash of helplessness appearing in his eyes. There it was again. He was all too familiar with Suter’s gaze, a look that was stubborn, slightly aggrieved, and yet held a faint trace of aggression, like a large feline claiming its territory.

“I think for now we still…”

“Still need to get to know each other for a while longer,” Suter interrupted, his tone carrying a hint of a sulk. He suddenly leaned in and lightly bit Samuel’s lower lip, holding it for a moment as a small punishment.

Samuel did not mind. He simply let out a helpless sigh and slid his hand up Suter’s back, offering a soothing kiss. It was a light kiss, yet it served as a signal of permission, prompting Suter to immediately push further and deepen the embrace. Samuel had grown accustomed to Suter’s almost obsessive ways of seeking proximity, from the way Suter stared at him through any reflective surface to the constant demands for kisses and hugs. Suter would even squeeze into his arms while Samuel was trying to work, as if only skin to skin contact could confirm Samuel’s presence.

Initially, Samuel had tried to refuse, believing that such intimacy should be approached more carefully. Suter clearly did not agree. In Suter’s eyes, touching was as natural as breathing; it was an instinct and a necessity. Although he never said it explicitly, it was clear Suter saw nothing wrong with it. To him, it was a perfectly normal way to express affection.

After a brief internal struggle, Samuel decided to adapt to the local customs. After all, he and Suter already possessed the equivalent of a marriage certificate. Living under the same roof, it was only a matter of time before they shared a room. Furthermore, over the past few days, Suter had been quietly slipping into his bedroom every night to sleep beside him. While Samuel could not be entirely certain, the exhausted feeling of sleep paralysis he felt every morning and his consistently swollen lips were evidence enough.

Samuel closed his eyes, mentally adding a ring and wedding preparations to his schedule. If Suter did not want a grand affair, they could have a private ceremony at home with just the two of them. Everything would be done according to Suter’s wishes.

Samuel touched his lips to Suter’s once more and hesitated before continuing. “I also want to put some plush rugs on the floor. The kind with a heating function would be more comfortable.”

In truth, he was concerned that Suter might catch a cold while running between the two bedrooms at night. He had no intention of exposing Suter’s little trick. Instead, he indulged Suter, allowing him to do harmless things within his sight to gain a sense of security. This included installing a listening device on Samuel’s optical computer, modifying the electronic logs of the robot Xiao Su, and even giving Samuel sleeping sedatives.

Samuel knew everything. But he allowed it. Suter needed this sense of control, and Samuel was willing to give it to him.

“Once everything is installed in a few days,” Samuel said, his fingers sliding between Suter’s to lock their hands together firmly, “I will have Xiao Su bring your pillows and pajamas over. Is that alright?”

Suter’s breathing stopped for a moment. He froze in place as if a video had been paused, even his eyelashes were still in a state of shock.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Seeing Suter’s rare, stunned expression, a low laugh escaped Samuel’s throat. He leaned in and kissed Suter’s trembling eyelashes, tasting a hint of salt on that sensitive patch of skin.

“Or,” Samuel whispered, his warm breath reaching Suter’s ear as he slowed his speech, letting every word graze the eardrum like a feather, “the Admiral could be kind enough to let me move into his room instead.”

Cold light cast pale shadows on the metal walls of the laboratory. Heven rubbed his aching temples. The dark red blood sample on the lab bench had been spinning in the centrifuge for seventy-two hours. He raised his hand to turn off the buzzing equipment. The condensation on the glass tube slid down his fingertip, leaving a small damp spot on the lab notebook.

“Finally,” Heven sighed.

He stretched his arms, and his spine let out a protest of loud cracks. He glanced at the electronic clock on the wall and realized he had pulled another all nighter. Seven or eight empty nutrition packets were scattered under the desk. He held the most recently opened grape flavored one between his teeth, the sickly sweet artificial scent filling his mouth.

A rhythmic knock came from the door: three short and one long. It was the unique rhythm used by his adjutant, Levi.

“Come in,” Heven said indistinctly, the plastic tip of the packet crunching between his teeth.

As he tilted his head back, the harsh laboratory lights flowed down his jawline, casting a small shadow at his Adam’s apple. A few stray strands of blond hair fell across his forehead, resting near his dark circles like faint sunlight on snow. A pale purple liquid rose through the transparent straw. His half closed eyelashes cast web like shadows on his pale skin. A few tears, squeezed out from a yawn, clung to the tips of his lashes like morning dew on a spiderweb.

When the adjutant pushed the door open, Heven was tilting his head to squeeze the last of the purple liquid into his throat, his neck stretched into a graceful yet strained curve. The empty packet flew from his fingertips, tracing an arc through the air before landing precisely in the overflowing trash bin.

The moment the plastic hit the metal bin, Heven turned his face casually. His tongue, stained light purple by the nutrition supplement, swept over the tip of a canine tooth. The look he gave the adjutant was like that of a satisfied cat. A rare circle of lead gray at the edge of his irises glinted with a cold metallic light.

However, it lasted only for an instant. In the time it took Levi to blink, that non-human quality dissolved. When Levi looked again, he saw only a pair of amber eyes filled with a faint smile and laziness, as warm as honey under the autumn sun. The strange color from a moment ago seemed to be a trick of the light or perhaps a hallucination brought on by ninety-six hours of continuous work.

“Sir, you should rest,” Levi said. His gaze swept over the data boards on the lab bench. He frowned almost imperceptibly when he noticed the dark circles under Heven’s eyes. He stood by the door in a stiff military posture, his uniform buttoned to the very top. Even the metal buttons on his cuffs were polished enough to show a reflection.

Heven squinted his sore eyes and looked at his adjutant through the glaring lab lights. In the blur of exhaustion, Levi’s figure seemed to be covered in a soft, frosted glow. To Heven, the outline of the stiff military uniform looked like a hazy silhouette. Only the gold thread of the shoulder straps was relatively clear, looking like flowing sunlight. The handsome face, always set in a stern expression, was currently silhouetted against the light. Only the tight jawline and the thin lips pressed into a line were visible.

Heven vaguely recalled that his adjutant had not smiled once since he started the job.

“Finding some fun would make me less tired,” Heven said with a sudden grin. He kicked the empty nutrition packet box aside, and it hit the metal cabinet with a loud clang. He did not seem to care. He propped himself up on the lab bench and stood, the small white stool scraping harshly against the floor. Heven swayed slightly and casually tucked his loose blond hair behind his ear.

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