Chapter 251: Weird behavior

He had considered something like that before, too, but it had always seemed a little too extreme to be true. Of course, the government allowed human experimentation, but that didn’t necessarily mean they wanted to destroy the world. More than anything, it suggested that they wanted greater control.

Hosts seemed to be on par with second generations, if not even more versatile. Having them in an army would be more than beneficial.

However, now that he thought about it, something about the theory didn’t make sense.

’Would world leaders really be willing to share their resources, if I can even call them that? The more one country possesses, the greater its chances of gaining control over the entire world. Why would they willingly give other countries the same advantage?’

Just as Blake was about to delve deeper into his thoughts, Myles suddenly covered his eyes with one hand.

Then, before Blake could even react, Myles got up and lifted him into his arms.

"For today, that’s enough."

Blake blinked beneath the hand covering his eyes, but he didn’t argue.

Besides, he was admittedly a little tired.

The other also didn’t seem to be against it.

He let Myles carry him to his room, resting his head against the other’s shoulder as they walked.

Once they reached the bedroom, Myles carefully placed him on the bed before walking away to find him a change of clothes.

Blake watched his back.

’Still, that makes no sense either.’

His eyebrows drew together as he resumed his train of thought.

’The solution to a government that wants to destroy the world is to destroy it yourself? That can’t be right!’

"Stop thinking."

Myles’ voice interrupted his thoughts so abruptly that Blake nearly jumped.

He looked up to find Myles standing beside the bed, holding a clean shirt and a pair of pants.

"...I’m not doing anything, okay?"

"You’re thinking."

"Those are two different things!"

"Not when you do it."

Blake stared at him.

What was that supposed to mean?

He opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again. There was little point. Myles would probably just cover his eyes again if he continued.

With a heavy sigh, Blake scratched the back of his head.

Myles approached him and held out the shirt.

"Raise your arms."

Without thinking, Blake did as he was told.

Myles pulled his shirt off, and Blake immediately brought his hands to his chest.

"Ah!"

He froze.

’Oh, right, I don’t have breasts anymore...’

For a moment, Blake remained motionless, his hands hovering awkwardly over his chest as the realization caught up with him. Then, his cheeks warmed, and he slowly lowered his hands.

’Why did I even do that?’

It wasn’t as though Myles hadn’t seen him like this before. Still, the reflex had been so immediate that he couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed.

Myles, on the other hand, didn’t comment. He simply slipped the clean shirt over Blake’s head and helped him get his arms through the sleeves, adjusting the fabric around his shoulders afterward.

"There."

Blake looked down at himself, tugging lightly at the hem. He really didn’t need to do that...

"Thanks."

Myles didn’t respond. Instead, he lifted a hand and gently cupped Blake’s cheek.

He paused, then tilted his head slightly into Myles’ palm, studying his face with a curious expression.

"What is it?"

Myles hummed, that was all.

He didn’t explain himself or even seem particularly interested in answering. After another moment, he withdrew his hand and held out Blake’s pants.

"Can you put them on yourself? Or do you want help?"

Blake couldn’t help laughing.

"My legs still work, you know."

"That wasn’t my question."

"I can do it on my own, I’m not that tired."

His cheeks were still faintly flushed as he took the pants from him.

Myles stepped back, giving him room, though his gaze remained fixed on Blake, and continued to remain fixed on him.

He noticed it almost immediately.

At first, he tried to ignore it. He pulled on his pants, adjusted the waistband, and made sure everything was sitting comfortably. But the longer Myles stared, the more conscious he became of it.

Finally, Blake glanced up.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you staring at me?"

Myles didn’t answer.

Blake narrowed his eyes at him, but eventually gave up. If Myles didn’t want to talk, there was no point trying to force an answer out of him.

Once Blake had finished changing, he approached him again.

Before he could ask what he wanted this time, Myles wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pulled him backward, pressing Blake’s back against his chest.

Blake flinched.

’Oh. Wait, oh?’

He stared straight ahead, momentarily forgetting how to react.

Myles wasn’t exactly the type to give hugs often. He was attentive in his own way, and pretty picky about the way he showed his physical affection.

But this wasn’t one of their usual embraces.

’Holding me from behind... fells pretty intimate

I mean, we are dating, but this is a bit unlike him.’

Something was definitely wrong.

"Is there something wrong?" Blake asked quietly, reaching up to touch Myles’ arm.

Myles remained silent.

His face was buried in Blake’s dark-blond hair, and his arms stayed wrapped around him, holding him close without squeezing too tightly.

He waited, few seconds passing.

Still, Myles said nothing for a while.

Blake’s expression softened.

He gently took hold of Myles’ arm and began to ease it away. Myles let him do so without resistance, allowing Blake to turn around and face him.

For a moment, he simply looked at him. Whatever it was, Myles clearly wasn’t ready to talk about it.

So Blake offered him a small smile instead.

"Let’s lie down?"

Myles hummed in response.

Blake climbed onto the bed and settled against the pillows. Myles followed immediately, lying down beside him.

For some reason, he seemed to be in a sour mood.

At least, that was the closest Blake could come to describing it.

It wasn’t quite anger. Myles wasn’t even slightly frowning, nor was he behaving with his usual detached indifference. If anything, he seemed quieter than normal, as though something had been weighing on his mind for a while.

Blake turned onto his side to face him.

’What could it be?’

He tried to think back over the day. Had he said something wrong? Had their conversation about the plan upset him? Perhaps Myles had simply grown tired of worrying about him trying to discover his reason for wanting to destroy the world.

But none of those explanations felt quite right.

Myles had been acting strangely even before Blake had started thinking aloud.

And then there was the way he’d carried him here, changed his clothes, and held him from behind without saying a word.

Blake studied his face.

’He’s really worrying me.’

Eventually, he reached out and drew Myles closer, wrapping his arms around his head and gently guiding it against his chest.

"Are you tired?" Blake murmured. "Rest your eyes for a little while. What do you think?"

Myles shifted slightly. Then he lifted his head to look at Blake.

"Can I kiss you?"

Blake raised an eyebrow.

The question was so unexpected that, for a moment, he could only stare at him. Then he smiled and brushed Myles’ hair back from his forehead.

"Of course. Don’t worry."

He leaned closer.

Myles met him halfway, pressing his cold lips against Blake’s in a brief, reciprocated kiss. It lasted no more than a moment, gentle and simple, before Myles pulled away.

Blake’s smile lingered.

But when he looked at Myles’ face, it vanished.

His eyes widened, and he immediately covered his own eyes with both hands, as though he had accidentally seen something he wasn’t supposed to.

"W-what is it?" he stammered. "You’re starting to worry me. Are you sure you want to lie down? It’s not an issue if you don’t want to—"

"It’s harder now."

Blake stopped.

For a few seconds, he remained perfectly still, his hands covering his eyes as he tried to make sense of those words.

Then, slowly, he lowered one hand.

"...What are you talking about?"

Myles didn’t answer.

Instead, he reached forward and covered Blake’s eyes with his own hand.

Blake fell silent.

He could feel the warmth of Myles’ palm against his face, the gentle pressure keeping him from looking at him. It was a familiar gesture by now, but this time, it didn’t feel like Myles was trying to stop him from thinking.

It felt like he didn’t want Blake to see him.

And somehow, that worried Blake far more than anything else.

"Myles?"

No response.

Blake carefully reached up and touched the hand covering his eyes.

"Hey," he whispered. "You can tell me, you know."

Myles remained quiet.

Blake waited, his fingers resting lightly against Myles’ wrist.

Whatever had changed, whatever had suddenly become harder, Myles seemed determined to keep it to himself.

And Blake, as always, couldn’t figure out how to make him talk.