MCDWTBS Chapter 27
by VolareEdwin saw Serra standing hesitantly in place, like a curly-haired puppy cautiously extending its short legs to approach its owner, yet worried about being hurt.
Edwin’s chest was filled with a sour and swollen feeling. His gaze was fixed on the little male insectoid, and the tenderness in his heart made his fingertips numb.
His body was still very weak. Even though his mental sea had been repaired by the young male master, and the energy in his body, supplemented by top-grade energy fluid, allowed him to get out of bed and walk, that was all he could manage.
But he still approached the hesitant male insectoid as quickly as possible, opening his arms to embrace the insectoid.
“I… I want Young Master Serra to eat with me.” Edwin’s heart was beating fast, pounding against his chest. He could feel that Sison in the distance was looking at him with extreme shock and disapproval. He also knew that his behavior was enough to land him in front of the family tribunal dozens of times, and to be subjected to hundreds of extreme punishments for disrespecting a male insectoid, but he did not regret it at all.
He did not regret it, not only because he knew that the male insectoid in his arms was different from other male insectoids and would never punish him, but also because he had finally understood what those tentacles that carefully combed his mental sea in the dead of night, the insectoid who slept contentedly against his chest, and the countless times the male insectoid had protected him, truly meant.
He possessed the most precious thing, a scorching heart offered to him by a special male insectoid, held in the palm of his hand.
This was such a precious thing, so precious that Edwin could not understand it, nor had he ever asked for it. Even when he really had it, he couldn’t recognize what the heart of a youngling was. He only knew that he had to protect the youngling to be a qualified successor male parent, and that he had to be selfless to deserve the male insectoid’s care.
But when the male insectoid ran away crying, and only dared to carefully beg for a hug with his tentacles in the dead of night, he realized that he was terribly wrong.
A heart needs to be exchanged with something more profound. And the words he had spoken, begging the male insectoid to punish him, those pleading words, threw the male insectoid’s heart into the mud and trampled it.
His words made the male insectoid feel that in his heart, the male insectoid was no different from other male insectoids. Their so-called benevolence and favor to female insectoids and sub-males were all to exchange for the female insectoids’ and sub-males’ obedience and lives, and even more so, for morbid entertainment, just to see the sub-males and female insectoids indulging in the illusion of favors and foolishly, just to see the comical sight of their hearts breaking after the illusion shattered.
But his Young Master Serra, his little insectoid, was not like that.
Lying in the medical treatment facility waiting for the moment when the tentacles would awaken, Edwin was constantly recalling the bits and pieces of his time with Young Master Serra. He really felt like he had had a big dream, and every moment he spent with Young Master Serra was like stepping on clouds. When he lost it, he suddenly realized that ever since they met, Young Master Serra had never asked him to do anything other than be himself.
But he pleaded for punishment from Young Master Serra, only because he himself felt guilty.
He spent a long time thinking, thinking until his heart ached, what could he give Young Master Serra? What could he do to salvage everything, to make Young Master Serra show him a smile again? He thought very hard. In his barren insectoid life, he lived under the strict control of the church. The only commendable part was his experience in interstellar warfare, but that was of no help in salvaging his male insectoid.
He could do anything for the male insectoid.
Suppressing the tears in his eyes, Edwin tightened his arms, squeezing out the meat bun that the chubby insectoid was holding in his mouth. The warm sauced meat bun rolled on the ground and was cleaned up by the robot. Only then did Serra come back to his senses, restraining his urge to bury himself in his chest, and stammered:
“Male, male parent,” the chubby insectoid was a little overwhelmed by the large chest muscles. He subconsciously wanted to stick his chubby face to it, but his only bit of adult self-esteem stopped him.
“You want, want me to eat with you?”
He asked a little cautiously, seemingly unsure if this was the true meaning of the black-haired male insectoid, and also afraid that the black-haired male insectoid would suddenly blurt out something like “Please punish Young Master Serra.”
His chubby paws curled up and carefully pressed against Edwin’s chest, raising a pair of caramel-colored eyes, looking timidly at the male insectoid, with a hint of disbelief in his eyes.
“Yes, Young Master Serra. I want you to be with me.” The male insectoid’s heart became more determined amidst the stinging pain. His heart ached for the young male insectoid’s anxious appearance. He couldn’t care about much else, and in Sison’s extremely disapproving gaze, he lifted the soft, chubby youngling off the ground.
The male insectoid let out a startled “squeak,” and his chubby legs flailed as he lost his balance. His chubby paws spread out and pressed against Edwin’s heaving chest.
The new Duke Noah, who had previously argued with reason in front of the most powerful insectoids in the entire empire, who had the power of life and death, and who was rumored to be an almost demonized ancestral male insectoid, was now like a real youngling, lifted by the scruff of his neck, leaning on the male insectoid’s chest with attachment and harmlessness, obedient to the point of surprising other insectoids.
“Male parent, I’ll eat with you. What else do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”
The little male insectoid was almost flattered. The brown curly hair on his head was a little more puffed up than usual. If he had a tail behind his butt, it would have been wagging like a propeller at this moment.
This was the first time Edwin had asked him for something! This was the first time Edwin had explicitly told him that he wanted Serra to accompany him!
What motivates a man instantly is being needed, and what charges up a youngling instantly is the warm and inclusive embrace of a male parent!
Even though the man’s dignity and will were still resisting stubbornly, the chubby insectoid’s body had already melted into Edwin’s arms, skillfully flattened into a little insectoid pancake. He buried his chubby face in Edwin’s bulging chest muscles, secretly taking a deep breath or two, before his apple-red face carefully raised his eyes to look at Edwin’s face.
The black-haired male insectoid’s face was filled with heartbreaking tenderness, lowering his eyes to look at the chubby youngling, his heart aching for his cautious appearance. He picked up the insectoid and turned to walk towards the suite where the robot had set up the meal. Sison silently watched this astonishing scene in the darkness, and then sighed softly, his figure disappearing behind several doors.
Although he didn’t understand how Edwin had managed to grasp the Young Master Serra in his palm without even realizing it, it was an excellent situation for all of their female insectoids and sub-males. He would leave them enough space, because Edwin’s vitality was all tied to the Young Master Serra’s protection of him.
The two insectoids, one big and one small, returned to the suite where they had first met. The robot had already set out dinner. The male insectoid sat honestly across from Edwin, eating absentmindedly, raising his eyes to look at Edwin for a long time every five seconds.
Under the table, dozens of jet-black tentacles crowded together, filling the space, surrounding Edwin. One of them was a little more audacious, already secretly circling his ankle through Edwin’s trouser leg.
Edwin’s movements paused, and the male insectoid in front of him ducked his head with a whoosh, burying half of his face in the bowl, the guilty brown curly hair on his head trembling incessantly.
But after a few seconds, the insectoid carefully raised his head again, peeking at the black-haired male insectoid’s expression, and Edwin realized for the first time that the numb and cold heart in his chest could also turn into a warm current.
“Young Master Serra, stay with me tonight, okay? I… I’ll tell Young Master Serra a bedtime story.”
Edwin once again awkwardly made a request, a pair of azure eyes flickering with a gentle but irresistible light, staring intently at the male insectoid. Serra’s little face turned red, like a round apple. He stared blankly at Edwin’s slightly pale but gentle as moonlight face, feeling lightheaded in the beautiful, almost unreal, gentle gaze, about to… float up.
He really floated up. The mental tentacles surging randomly in the void twisted ecstatically, completely forgetting their secret lurking movements, layering on top of each other and wrapping around Edwin’s torso, all the way to Edwin’s lean waist. Several tentacles rolled and intertwined, vying for the position on Edwin’s chest.
Serra came back to his senses and “thudded” back onto his chair in Edwin’s worried gaze, landing on his butt. He covered his flushed face with his chubby paws, embarrassed, and said in a muffled voice:
“Male parent really, really wants me to stay with you, like in the past?”
Before Edwin could answer, he quickly said, as if to cover up, “Actually, male parent doesn’t need to force himself to do things he doesn’t like just to cater to my preferences. I’m not really a youngling, I’m an insectoid with a disability, but my mind isn’t as fragile as a little insectoid’s. Male parent doesn’t need to coax me.”
“I know that male parent doesn’t actually want the life he has now. If he could, male parent would prefer to be on the battlefield protecting his compatriots, would prefer to pursue his ideals and justice, rather than relying on the whims and charity of male insectoids.”
“I may not be able to fully understand male parent’s pain, but I understand male parent’s kindness and bravery. I know that confining a bright soul in shackles is extremely cruel. I know that male parent is terrified of not being able to control his own destiny. I understand everything, male parent. Any insectoid, whether he is a female insectoid, male insectoid, or sub-male, whether he is a son of God or a servant, couldn’t do better in male parent’s situation, because male parent is perfect.”
“And I will definitely do everything in my power to change male parent’s current situation and treat male parent’s body. I promise with everything I have, with my life. This is my one-sided vow, and male parent doesn’t need to give anything or do anything in return for me. You know what? I don’t need male parent to force himself to fit my preferences.”
The male insectoid bit his lip. He lowered his head, avoiding Edwin’s gaze, and tears welled up in his eyes again:
“I don’t actually like being held by male parent to sleep that much, really.”
Edwin’s eyes widened slightly at these words, his heart skipped a beat, but soon, he found that the tentacles in his arms were shrinking sadly. They no longer competed for the position on Edwin’s heart, but stuck to Edwin’s chest in a lump, trembling pitifully.
Edwin was never a quick-witted insectoid. He was not as adaptable in his interactions with other insectoids as he was on the battlefield. Schools, armies, and the church cultivated them into war machines, and off the battlefield, he was like a broken old motor built by his male parent, always unable to receive the male insectoid’s complex and fiery emotions, which made him flustered and guilty.
Sometimes he thought that if Young Master Serra had chosen a male parent like Sison, who was so smart, or Emino, who was so understanding, it would be better, unlike him, who was like a piece of wood off the battlefield.
But even wood has a day to sprout and spring. Edwin lowered his head and looked at the tentacles in his arms, which were so aggrieved that they were almost crying, and gently opened his arms to hug them:
“Young Master Serra, but I like holding Young Master Serra to sleep. I still remember the bedtime stories that Young Master Serra told me. I like being close to Young Master Serra, feeling Young Master Serra’s breath rising and falling on my chest, feeling our heartbeats merging into one. May I?”
The male insectoid’s eyes suddenly lit up. He raised his chubby face and looked at Edwin for a long time, confirming that there was not a trace of embarrassment or pretense on the male insectoid’s face. Then, like a piece of white and chubby mochi, he “patted” himself onto Edwin’s chest.
“Male parent, are you telling the truth? Do you like being with me?” His voice was once again filled with childish crispness, but soon, he stammered, “Male parent knows what ‘like’ is? ‘Like’ is when male parent feels happy, content, without pressure, without annoyance when he’s with me. It’s not the sense of responsibility to protect me or be good to me, and it’s not because I heal male parent, and male parent feels dependent or grateful to me. Those are two different things.”
“I know.”
Edwin hugged the soft, chubby insectoid into his arms, raised his hand, and gently ruffled the insectoid’s messy brown curly hair:
“I have never compared Young Master Serra to other male insectoids. I have never thought that Young Master Serra would punish me. I just don’t understand why Young Master Serra is so good to me, even though… even though I can’t do anything well.”
His gentle voice paused, and the blue veins could almost be seen on his fair neck. He tilted his head slightly towards Serra in his arms, his black hair cascading down, his gaze as soft as a tidal murmur:
“But I understand now, Young Master Serra. The ‘love’ and ‘like’ you talk about don’t need so many reasons. Your care for me, even if I can never repay it, doesn’t require me to extract my own life as compensation. Young Master Serra is different from other male insectoids. Young Master Serra… is just Young Master Serra, a unique existence.”
“Being your male parent is the luckiest thing in my life, Young Master Serra.”
He lowered his head, his beautiful and delicate face shimmering with a halo, looking almost like the image of the Virgin Mary in the temple. The virgin’s greenness and the mother’s tenderness were strangely combined in his body, almost making Serra stare blankly.
His heart protested a little, wanting to tell Edwin that he had never regarded him as a male parent, wanting to say that Edwin in his heart was far more than just a male parent, but his language system was already disordered in Edwin’s embrace and gaze. He stammered, and finally buried his red little face in Edwin’s chest.
These minor details weren’t that important. Serra thought with a muddled mind.
Edwin needed him, Edwin wanted him, and as long as he was clear on this point, he would have no regrets. Who cared if he was a saint, a youngling, or a puppy in Edwin’s eyes? He could be anything.
Even if he was a puppy, from today onwards, he, Serra, was a puppy with an owner.
Woof woof.