Chapter 125

* * *

...Huh?

Vaguely, there was an acrid smell. The realization that the familiar scent was the smell of the cigarette he usually smoked came next. As he slowly lifted his eyelids in his hazy consciousness, he saw a man sitting right beside him.

Dane...?

Greyson blinked his half-open eyes a couple of times. Was this a dream? ...Or reality?

He needed to wake up and check, but he just couldn't wake up from his sleep. As he just blinked his eyes in a state between sleep and wakefulness, Dane, who had noticed his presence, turned his head. Their eyes soon met, and seeing Greyson's blank face still drunk with sleep, he smiled faintly.

"Did you sleep well, pretty one?"

It's a dream.

The moment he heard his voice, Greyson was certain. There was no way Dane would smile at him and speak in such an affectionate voice.

It's a happy dream...

Greyson soon closed his eyes. He didn't want to wake up from the dream. As his consciousness drifted away again, his limp hand, as if it had a will of its own, fumbled across the mattress and then climbed up Dane's body. The purpose was obvious. He grabbed the chest that he had held and not let go of throughout the rut, and smiled broadly.

At the hand that was kneading his chest even while falling asleep, Dane let out an exasperated sigh, "Huh." He was about to knock on Greyson's head by curling his fingers, but he stopped his hand in mid-air and looked down at Greyson. Just then, Greyson's ears moved briefly back and forth. Dane paused his hand for a while and eventually lowered it. And Greyson fell into a deep sleep again, as if fainting.

* * *

"What? Is that really true?"

Receiving an unexpected report, Koi was flustered and raised his voice. From the other end of the mobile phone, a familiar voice continued to flow. Koi held his breath and listened to her words, occasionally repeating answers like "That's right," "I see..." The conversation ended, and Koi let out a short sigh and then nodded.

"Yes, I understand. Thank you for telling me, yes..."

After exchanging some formulaic greetings, he ended the call. Silence suddenly fell. Koi paced around the reception room with a serious expression. Outside the window, the Eiffel Tower was visible. He had also come to France, following Ashley who had come on official business. Having received a report about what had happened while he was away from America, Koi's mind became complicated.

As he was slowly walking from one end of the reception room to the other with a face full of concerns, he suddenly heard the sound of a door lock being released. He stopped walking and turned his head, and soon Ashley entered through the door.

"Ash."

Koi approached him with a bright smile, as if he had been waiting. Naturally, after tightly embracing each other and exchanging kisses, Ashley took a deep breath. He was smelling Koi's pheromone scent. After standing still for a moment, waiting for a series of time to pass, Koi opened his mouth.

"Did the work go well?"

"More or less."

Ashley answered casually while burying his nose in Koi's neck. Koi smiled bitterly and lightly scolded him.

"What do you mean 'more or less'?"

"They were just talking nonsense, so it's fine."

Ashley still spoke in an uninterested tone. In the end, Koi could only smile and shake his head. Then, as Ashley rubbed his neck with his nose, Koi hunched his shoulders and burst into laughter, saying.

"It tickles, stop it."

Koi, with laughter still on his face, held Ashley's face and kissed his lips. Ashley also smiled and lightly bit his nose. Since there was no sign of him letting go of his waist, Koi carefully brought up his business in that state.

"Um, I have something to talk about."

"Tell me."

Usually at times like this, unwelcome news would flow out. Ashley waited for Koi's words without showing his mood. He hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself and opened his mouth.

"I received a call from Ms. Burnice."

"Burnice."

"Yes."

To Ashley, who repeated the name that came out of Koi's mouth, Koi nodded as if to confirm.

Burnice was the secretary of Dominic Miller, who had been Ashley's father. She had reported on Ashley's condition or handled related matters under his orders, and after Dominic's death, she had continued to work as Ashley's personal secretary until now. Currently, she was in charge of overall management of the children, so receiving a call from her meant that there was some problem with the children.

To Ashley, who was silently waiting for the next words, Koi continued.

"It was about Greyson..."

Ashley didn't particularly urge him, who was hesitating. Despite the fact that numerous ominous thoughts were already coming and going in his mind. As he waited patiently, Koi finally seemed to make up his mind and revealed.

"Greyson went to a party."

Ashley frowned for the first time. What was the problem with that? Wasn't it rather late? How long had it been since he told him to extract pheromones? As if sensing the question in Ashley's mind, Koi continued.

"He extracted pheromones with an injection."

The arm that had been holding Koi until then was felt to twitch. Koi continued with a worried expression.

"Ms. Burnice said that Greyson went to the party but only extracted pheromones with an injection and just returned. She immediately followed him and confirmed that he safely entered the house, but she said he seemed to be in rut. She said he hasn't come out of the house for three days since then... Oh, Ms. Burnice contacted the fire station. She said he would be taking a few days off due to the aftereffects of the rut."

Until Koi's explanation ended, Ashley showed no reaction. He just stared intently at Koi. Without even blinking.

"...Why?"

After a long while, he moved his lips. Soon after, Ashley continued with a frowning face, as if he couldn't understand at all.

"Why would he do such a thing?"

Koi took a deep breath before answering. And he pulled out the conclusion he had shared with Burnice.

"Because he found someone he genuinely likes."

Ashley didn't respond immediately. After staring at Koi without moving for a while, he let out a short breath, "Ha."

"The guy who tried to graft Chase onto a dog when he refused like that is now behaving like this?"

At the cynical words that came back without fail, Koi hurriedly explained the reason.

"Now Greyson has come to know what it means to like someone."

Ashley's face was full of disbelief. Koi continued to desperately persuade him.

"You know, Ash. Greyson's emotional organ is broken. But we don't know whether Greyson really can't feel, or if he feels but doesn't realize it. If Greyson just hasn't realized it... then this time, he'll really be different."

"Talk sense."

"Ash, please listen to me."

Koi pleaded, grabbing Ashley's arm.

"He's following exactly what you did when you were young. Don't you remember? After we broke up, you got injections to extract pheromones."

Ashley closed his mouth. Encouraged by his silence, Koi continued enthusiastically.

"Even though we never told him about it, he's doing it on his own, figuring it out by himself. Isn't that amazing? What do you think that means?"

He raised his voice, unable to hide his joy.

"That Greyson is feeling emotions for Dane!"

"Koi, calm down."

Ashley restrained him in a cool voice.

"I know Greyson better. There's no hospital I haven't been to with him, no doctor I haven't met. Greyson doesn't have emotions, he doesn't have them at all!"

"We could be wrong!"

At Koi's outcry, Ashley was surprised and opened his eyes wide. Koi is contradicting my words? Looking at his face, which was blank with shock, Koi desperately repeated his words.

"Please, Ash. Think again. I know you did your best. But maybe we've been making efforts in the wrong direction."

Soon, moisture welled up in his eyes. Koi asked with tears in his eyes.

"Isn't it tens of thousands of times better for us to admit our mistake than to conclude that our child is wrong?"

Ashley didn't say anything for a while. He just looked at Koi's contorted face, who was trying hard not to cry.

"...Ha."

After a long while, he let out a sigh. Ashley suddenly confined Koi, who was expecting an answer, in his arms and whispered in a low voice.

"I can't lose you."