Nik was gripped by a sharp, relentless pain in his chest. For the past fifteen minutes, he'd been vomiting uncontrollably, his body burning with fever and muscles aching as if he'd been beaten. His legs felt numb and weak—so much that he had to lean heavily against the wall to keep from collapsing.
I should have accepted Dmitri's offer toaccompany me, he thought bitterly. The place where he was wasn't far from the meeting room, but with how weak his muscles felt, he wasn't sure he could make it back on his own.
Yesterday, he was stressed and ended up sleeping with someone and injected the serum– his only escape to feel something real.He knew the serum came with side effects: dizziness and nausea...But this time, the symptoms were more intense, and only decided to hit him during the meeting.
BLAHH— he doubled over and threw up again, sweat beading on his forehead and causing his once– silky hair to cling in messy strands against his skin.
He cursed under his breath, chest heaving as he struggled for air. His phone was in the meeting room, out of reach and he had no way to call Alexei or Dmitri for help.
Trying to catch his breath, Nik heard footsteps approaching behind him. A voice, calm and concerned, called out " Hey, are you alright?" not loud enough to draw unwanted attention but clear enough for him to hear.
Nik didn't answer. He hoped the silence would be enough for the man to back off. The last thing he wanted was for someone to see him like this. So he stayed silent, hoping the quiet would discourage whoever it was.
The footsteps stopped, and a warm hand settled gently on his shoulder. The unexpected contact startled Nik—before the stranger could speak, he shoved him away. Not hard enough to knock him down, but firm.
"Whoa! What's with the attitude?" The stranger raised his hands in surrender.
Nik lifted his head to see who'd disturbed his peace, but as soon as their eyes met, a jolt of familiarity hit him. Those eyes, that hair—that face. He'd needed only one glance to remember, but Nik buried his recognition beneath a hard glare.
"Are you mute or something?" the man pressed.
Nik exhaled sharply, his expression flickering between exasperation and defiance. Still, he refused to reply.
Does this guy think I'm dumb? He doesn't even recognize me, he thought, clenching his jaw.
"Okay, I think you're dumb after a—" The stranger's taunt cut off as Nik felt the remnants of his stomach lurch. He barely turned his head before he retched violently.
The man sighed. "Look, stop being stubborn. I'm just trying to help. If you don't want it, fine—I'll leave you here to struggle." He turned to leave but froze at the faint tug on his shirt.
"I just need water. And a mint," Nik muttered, barely audible.
The stranger turned back, a smirk tugging at his lips. "So you're not dumb after all." He fished a mint from his pocket and tossed it to Nik, then handed over a half-empty water bottle. "Barely touched this. You're welcome."
As Nik rinsed his mouth and popped the mint in, the man crossed his arms. "Sure you don't need the infirmary?"
"No, I don't!" Nik snapped—then staggered backward.
"You can barely stand, you know." The stranger steadied him, grip unyielding. "Hell, you don't even have the strength to shove me away now."
Nik tried to pry himself free, but his limbs were leaden.
"I'm done fighting with you," the man said, releasing him. Nik braced for him to walk away—but instead, strong arms scooped him up like dead weight.
"I'm doing this my way," the stranger growled. "I'll be damned if I let your stubborn self collapse here."
"H—How dare you? Put me down!" Nik thrashed weakly.
"No..can do." The man adjusted his grip, unfazed. "Trust me, carrying a guy bridal-style wasn't on my bingo card either."
"Let me go!"
"Endure the torture till we hit the infirmary," he said, grinning as Nik seethed.
************
The man in Ash's arms finally stopped protesting—good, though the silence left Ash alone with his thoughts. How had he ended up in this mess? One minute, he was enjoying a smoke under a starless sky, cool breeze brushing his face; the next, he was hauling a half-conscious stranger toward the infirmary.
Why did he always land in these situations?
Maybe I should've walked away like I'd planned. But I couldn't ignore someone in need. Not because I am some noble hero—just because I knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of help. Even if this landed me in worse trouble than last time, I'd dealwith the consequences later, he thought with a sigh.Trouble seemed to stick to me like glue anyway.
A small whimper broke through his brooding. Nik—Ash still didn't know his name, but in this moment, he was just "theguy in his arms"—snuggled closer to Ash's chest, shivering. Cold? Ash adjusted his grip and picked up the pace.
"Gonna put you down for a sec, okay?" Ash murmured as they reached the infirmary. He set Nik on his feet, but the man swayed like a drunk. Ash's arm shot out to steady him. With one hand bracing Nik's weight, he knocked on the door. No answer.
"Hello? Anyone there?" Silence.
Of course it was closed—it was already pretty late.
Ash tried the knob—unlocked. At least someone's negligence paid off, he thought with a smirk. He flicked the lights on, scooped Nik back up, and gently laid him on the nearest bed.
"Let me grab some anti-nausea pills," Ash said before heading toward the cupboards in the infirmary. He searched quickly, pulling open drawers and shifting bottles until, after a few minutes, he finally spotted the right medication tucked behind a box of bandages.
With the pills in hand and a cup of water he had found nearby, Ash hurried back to the bed. Nik was lying there, eyes half-closed, his breathing uneven.
Ash sat down on the bed beside Nik. Gently, he slipped an arm behind Nik's back and helped him adjust into a sitting position.
"Hey, open your mouth," Ash said firmly but not unkindly.
Nik obeyed without protest, though his breathing remained uneven. Ash carefully placed the pills into his mouth, then brought the cup of water to his lips. Nik swallowed slowly, his eyes half-lidded with exhaustion.
Ash was about to stand up from the bed when Nik's hand clamped around his wrist like a vice.
"What's wrong?" Ash leaned in, his voice low, trying to catch the words that followed.
Nik kept his head down, messy hair falling over his face. "Hot… I feel hot," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. He bit his lower lip before adding, almost hesitantly, "Can you… hold me?"
Confusion flickered across Ash's face, but he didn't protest. There was something about this guy—something unexplainable—that made him want to give in, to be there for him. Against his better judgment, Ash felt himself drawn in, strangely compelled to stay close. He gently wrapped his arms around Nik.
Nik laid his head on Ash's shoulder, his warm breath brushing against Ash's neck.
As seconds passed, Nik's body heat seemed to seep into Ash, mingling with the softness of his breath — and without Ash realizing how or why, a sudden hardness grew within him.
Nik's warm breath brushed against Ash's ear as he whispered, "You're hard." The words sent an unexpected shiver down Ash's spine. Reflexively, Ash turned his head, and their eyes locked—so close their noses nearly touched. The heat between them thickened as Nik leaned in, reaching slowly for Ash's lips.
But Ash pulled back just in time, shaking his head. "No... you're not in your right senses," he said firmly, trying to keep control.
Nik didn't reply. Instead, he closed the small space between them, pressing his lips over Ash's, catching him completely off guard. His bite on Ash's lower lip was firm yet demanding, coaxing Ash to part his mouth. The tongues met—Nik's pushing past Ash's tightly pressed lips, quickly intertwining and exploring in a fierce, urgent dance.
At first, Ash resisted, his mind screaming caution, but as the kiss deepened, he found himself melting into it. He's not much of a great kisser, Ash thought, losing himself in the moment. Without breaking the kiss, Nik pressed closer, his body aligning against Ash's as he wrapped his arms tightly around Ash's neck. Ash's hands slid down to grip Nik's waist, pulling him even nearer.
Ash moaned softly as Nik's lips traced a fiery path down his neck, his warm breath sending shivers through him. Ash's hands gripped Nik firmly, steadying him—Nik was still weak, but determined.
Nik's own low moans mingled with Ash's as Ash pulled him closer, silencing the teasing kisses on his neck with a hungry kiss of his own.
Nik gasped between kisses, his fingers tightening around Ash's shoulders.
Breaking the kiss, Nik rested his head back on Ash's shoulder, both gasping for air.
"Hey," Ash whispered softly, but got no response. He turned to look at Nik and froze—disbelief washing over him.
"Fuck," Ash muttered under his breath, running his fingers through his hair.
Nik had fallen asleep.
****************
💌 Author's Note 📝
Hey, everyone! 👋
We're really sorry for the late update 😔.
Since this is our very first novel, we've been taking extra time to arrange everything properly 😣. We hope you can understand 💕.
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