[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 242: Let Me Hold You

Just as he was about to say something in protest, Xion hesitated.

He opened his mouth, ready to protest or deflect, but no words came.

Because... why was he resisting?

He liked Darius. He trusted him. Maybe too much for his own good, but wasn’t that the point of love? Letting yourself fall, just a little?

Maybe it was time to stop treating every act of affection like a trap.

He might be naive about some things, but he wasn’t a fool. He knew relationships were messy. There would be conflict, miscommunication, maybe even heartbreak down the line.

But... why not take the risk? Why not try to indulge in it?

After thinking it through, it was as if a weight had lifted off his shoulders.

When he met Darius’s gaze, it was patient — full of warmth and quiet fondness that couldn’t be fake.

And maybe, for now, that was enough. Even if the future was uncertain, even if nothing lasted forever, even if he might end up with a broken heart... he didn’t want to run anymore.

"Fine. Let’s sleep together, then. I’m too lazy to find another bed," Xion said, rolling his eyes with mock exasperation. "Good night, Your Grace."

He flicked his hand and the lights dimmed. Then, without another word, he plopped onto the mattress and scooted to the other side of the bed, leaving a big gap between them.

After a few seconds, the still stunned Darius saw Xion pulling the blanket up to his chin with nonchalance and closing his eyes.

The Archduke was sitting there, his gaze fixed on Xion who just casually agreed.

However, the faint pink on his ears gave him away.

It also brought Darius a delightful surprise and he couldn’t stop the quiet laugh that bubbled in his throat.

This was better than any dream.

He settled beside Xion, not even bothering with the blanket. All his attention was on Xion’s back. It was slim and fragile, like something that would break if he held too tightly.

He had only meant to tease Xion a little. If Xion had refused, which he fully expected, he would’ve slept on the couch. He’d even placed his duvet there.

But now...

’Be gentle with your lover, especially if he is weaker than you.

Observe their actions carefully.

Listen to their words and try to understand their perspective. What’s natural for you might be overwhelming for them.’

He’d crammed those lines from the relationship guide like a scripture.

And he was trying to follow them. He really was.

But what could he do when Xion’s adorable reaction made him crave more?

He wanted to touch him, wanted to move his fingers over his skin and caress him, feel every inch of skin, kiss him... fuck him.

Darius forcibly held back his desires. Be patient, be gentle, be kind. That’s what Xion wants his lover to be.

He repeated that like a mantra, but his mouth had other plans, terrible plans.

"Xion," his voice sounded as if he were begging, "can I hold you?"

The moment the words left his lips, Darius wanted to smack himself.

What was he doing? What if he scared him off again? Wasn’t it enough just to be near him, to breathe the same air, to lie on the same bed?

I am far too greedy for you, my love.

Xion, oblivious to the storm behind the question, simply assumed Darius wanted to cuddle.

Although he was shy, he still murmured in a barely audible voice. "Mm... okay."

It was all the permission Darius needed.

He moved closer with aching slowness, careful not to startle him. He reached forward, gently pulling Xion back until their bodies touched.

His hand settled at Xion’s waist. He felt the smallest flinch beneath his palm and then, the faintest lean back.

He trusts me so much. Darius swallowed hard, attempting to wet his suddenly dry throat.

The heat radiating from Xion’s back seeped into his chest, like fire under skin. His body screamed to do more than just hold Xion, but he restrained himself. Barely.

Instead, he shifted just enough to nuzzle against the back of Xion’s neck, letting his nose rest there for a second, breathing him in like he was his oxygen.

The scent was faintly sweet, like vanilla and something warm and clean. It was enough to make Darius dizzy.

Then, slowly, he dragged his nose along the length of Xion’s nape, almost reverent in the motion.

Xion shivered.

His whole body tensed at the contact. His fingers fisted over the blanket as he tried to will his breath into something steady.

Yet his mind turned hazy, body humming from the sudden intimacy.

He had always been alone. Even Noxian wasn’t allowed to sleep with him.

Touch had never been easy for him. Not since the incident in high school. Even now, though he had mostly healed enough to work with patients, enough to function, there were still places inside him that felt weak.

And the way Darius was holding him made him overwhelmed. He suddenly regretted agreeing to the request. freёnovelkiss.com

But then he heard it. Darius’ heartbeat was equally loud, thunderous, pounding against his back like a second pulse.

Xion stilled in surprise, then exhaled shakily. So he wasn’t the only one to feel so... dominated.

Somehow, knowing that soothed him.

The tension bled from his body, and he relaxed fully into Darius’s embrace.

Just then the archduke who had been silent spoke in a faint voice, his lips brushing the shell of Xion’s ear with each syllable: "Good night, my love."

Xion’s eyes fluttered shut. "Yeah... good night," he whispered, his voice came out just slightly hoarse than usual.

He expected the arm around his waist to let go. That didn’t happen.

If anything, it tightened around him along with those long limbs that slid around him.

Darius used his whole body to swallow Xion in his embrace. Chest to back, ankle to ankle, like a python coiling around its most precious thing.

It was overwhelming, suffocating... and yet, Xion found it strangely comforting.

He lay still, waiting for the grip to ease. However, before it ever did, sleep came for him. Soon, he drifted off to the lands of slumber.

Thus, he never saw the way Darius’s green eyes darkened in the night, or how he bent forward to press the softest, most reverent kisses into Xion’s hair, like a devotion.

A prayer he didn’t know how to say out loud, only to offer it with his lips.