MCDWTBS Chapter 51
by VolareEdwin’s voice was very light, more of an involuntary moan and gasp from a sudden halt rather than a cry of pain. He was used to suppressing himself, having spent years navigating battlefields and the Church’s control. He knew that a pause in breathing or a careless blink could lead to dire consequences.
Most of the time, he could endure the pain of his limbs being torn apart without changing his expression, without revealing the slightest hint of weakness. However, the pain his body was currently enduring was too much. His consciousness would sometimes drift away, only to be trapped back inside his shell, causing him to completely lose his composure.
The little Chong… The male insectoid’s pheromones and his presence were all-pervasive. His palm would occasionally brush against the smooth tip of the dark mental tendrils. These tendrils had a terrifying undertone, as dark as the abyss, with not a trace of light. Edwin knew how immense their power was, but around him, these tendrils were as soft and flexible as before. Their touch was like dew gliding over a bird’s feathers, extremely gentle.
This inevitably reminded Edwin of the past, the most vulnerable yet most relaxed, joyful, and hopeful time of his life. He thought of his little Chong. Even though everything had changed, his little Chong had indeed kept his promise and never left.
A dense, stinging pain arose in Edwin’s chest. He averted his eyes slightly and met Serra’s helpless, flustered gaze.
A glimmer of tears stained the male insectoid’s caramel-colored eyes. His face was exquisitely handsome, his bone structure already defined, yet his brow and eyes still carried the unique youthful air of a teenager. His age fell between a frail youngling and a mature male insectoid, possessing a just-right naivete that no female insectoid or Sub-male could refuse.
His skin was still as fair as when he was a little Chong. The soft cheek fat had receded, and the young male insectoid’s intense pheromone scent easily spread. He knelt beside the female insectoid, helpless and distressed by the pain the female insectoid was enduring, his heart full of pain, his fingers digging deeply into the edge of the medical treatment facility. But, as he had promised, he did not touch the female insectoid in the slightest without permission.
“Male parent, does it still hurt?… I’m sorry, I’m sorry I said something stupid. I know you’re still in a lot of pain. The energy inside your body is very chaotic. I don’t know what to do… I’ve saved the relevant body data. Doctor Crison and I will analyze them and do anything to make you feel better, okay?”
Serra said carefully, holding a bowl of chicken noodle soup in his hands. The stewed, tender chicken had been made into spiral-shaped thick pasta, soaking in the fragrant chicken broth with the chicken fat skimmed off, along with the soft stewed carrots, potatoes, and onions, exuding a fragrant aroma.
Edwin endured another wave of pain. All the bones and organs in his body were rapidly reshaping because of the changes the male insectoid had made to his genes. The female insectoid had been relying on nutrient injection for survival for many years, and his original digestive system was practically non-existent, having long lost its desire for food. But now that his organs and flesh were being rebuilt, Edwin found himself craving food again like when he was a youngling.
Like the food in the male insectoid’s hands, the pheromones and energy emitted by the male insectoid as he approached also made the female insectoid feel a deep craving. This craving gnawed at his heart, threatening to destroy the dignity that Edwin maintained at any moment, tempting him to crawl to the male insectoid’s feet and beg for caresses.
Even worse, Edwin subconsciously knew that as long as he wanted, even with just a slight hint in his eyes, Serra would give him everything without reservation, as his male insectoid, as his only master and support now and in the future.
But he didn’t want to, he couldn’t. Serra was his little Chong, not his male master, and could never be his male master.
The pain of craving was more disturbing than simple pain. Veins popped out on Edwin’s forehead, and a layer of crystalline sweat covered his smooth forehead, plating his pale, exquisite face with a layer of shimmering light. Serra felt extremely distressed. He carefully manipulated a tendril to pick up a soft flannel cloth and wiped away the sweat from Edwin’s forehead without touching him. He gently scooped up a spoonful of chicken noodle soup and forced an appeasing smile to coax Edwin:
“Male parent, eat a little, okay? The body data shows that your stomach needs some food. Sometimes eating has nothing to do with maintaining vital signs. Simply feeling full is also good. Maybe it’ll make you feel better… I made chicken soup.”
The tendrils carefully lifted Edwin’s back, while Serra gently touched Edwin’s lips with the spoon, patiently waiting for Edwin to slowly accept a spoonful of soup. The caramel-colored puppy eyes instantly lit up:
“That’s great, male parent… In my hometown—um… I mean, I heard from other Chong that eating some chicken noodle soup when you’re feeling unwell helps a lot. Even if it can’t alleviate the actual pain, the nutrition and the feeling of being full from the hot soup will still soothe your nerves.”
Serra fed Edwin spoonful after spoonful. His own aching heart also felt somewhat relieved because the female insectoid accepted his food. He knew Edwin could hear him now, so he didn’t stop his rambling, hoping these trivial matters could distract Edwin’s attention from the pain a little.
“When I was little… when I was a very young youngling, my male—male parent, my biological male parent made this kind of food for me to coax me when I was sick. Later, he left me, and no Chong cared about me when I was sick anymore—I mean, sincerely cared about me. Until I met male parent.”
The “male parent” Serra mentioned was actually his biological mother. He didn’t really know much about the original Serra’s biological male parent, and he didn’t have many memories of the original Serra’s childhood. But he vaguely remembered his biological parents when he was human.
His biological parents were both researchers who studied abroad in the late 1980s. Later, they returned to China after completing their studies and became professors and researchers, constantly running between classrooms and laboratories. They didn’t give Serra much time, and they died too early in a car accident, leaving Serra and the wealth they had earned to relatives who were very indifferent to Serra. But Serra vaguely remembered his mother cooking him a bowl of chicken noodle soup when he had a fever in his youth, gently tucking the corners of his blanket under the dim light.
Serra remembered the brief memory for a long time, probably because he could draw rare love from this memory, which became the driving force for his long-term survival.
“So male parent… Meeting you is the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me. I know all of this is very strange, but—but I really, really love male parent. I want to keep male parent by my side. For that, I will never regret it.”
The male insectoid’s voice was mixed with damp, suppressed sobs, but in the end, it gradually returned to calm and firmness. He continued to hand over a spoonful of chicken noodle soup, but Edwin, who still seemed delirious, gently turned his face away. His eyelids, flushed with fatigue, were half-closed, his gaze blankly fixed on Serra.
“Young Male Master, how long has it been since you last ate?”
Edwin asked softly. This was the first sentence he had spoken after accumulating strength during his long endurance of pain. Serra was defeated by this sentence. He hugged the large bowl with a lot of chicken noodle soup in a panic, and tears fell into the bowl.
“Male parent, don’t, don’t worry about me, I’m fine. You need to take care of your own body.”
He said haltingly, but Edwin’s gaze remained distant and firm, fixed on him, making his chest ache. He lowered his head, as embarrassed as a big dog who had just been picked up by its owner for the first time, and shoveled the chicken noodle soup that had his tears into his mouth.
“I’ll eat now… Male parent, wah… I’ll get you a bowl, a new one, later.”
Serra made a sobbing sound as he ate, violating all his table manners, scraping the bowl clean before raising his face, his eyes red, and said in a muffled voice:
“I’ll get male parent another bowl. Does male parent want to eat anything else? I also made peach resin stewed milk and chicken soup wontons…”
As he spoke, he was about to run to the small kitchen outside the suite, but a suppressed murmur suddenly came from behind him:
“Don’t go…”
Serra tossed the bowl to the robot and knelt in front of the medical treatment facility again, carefully looking at the female insectoid’s lightly furrowed brows: “Male parent, I won’t go, I won’t go anywhere.”
Edwin didn’t speak. Instead, he pursed his lips tightly, as if regretting his weakness just now. The food that had just entered his stomach warmly filled his body. He turned his face away, not daring to look in Serra’s direction, fearing that he would do something else that a male parent shouldn’t do:
“I don’t need any more food.”
He said softly, but Serra didn’t leave because of his resistance. He sat by the instrument next to the medical treatment facility, his pair of young, powerful long legs curled up, but he didn’t care at all:
“It’s okay, male parent. When you feel better, I’ll make you something else. Do you want to rest? Can I stay here with you?”
He asked carefully, and Edwin frowned, seeming to have a hard time deciding, showing all his entanglement on his face. Serra saw Edwin like this for the first time. He knew how stubborn and pain-tolerant Edwin was. He had never seen Edwin so disoriented, allowing himself to show weakness and entanglement. How could he not feel sorry for him?
“…If male parent doesn’t refuse, then I’ll stay. I want to be with male parent.”
Serra coaxed softly, his voice gentle: “Male parent, don’t worry, I won’t do anything. I’m just staying with male parent. This is a very difficult time, and I’m very happy to be able to spend it here with male parent… Every moment I spend with male parent makes me very happy.”
Serra frowned slightly, a wry smile on his face: “Even if… our relationship has become a little complicated, it doesn’t matter. As long as male parent allows it, I will never stop loving you, in any form, in any identity, I love you.”
Edwin’s body trembled slightly in Serra’s gentle voice, whether it was from the pain caused by desire or the warmth in the male insectoid’s words.
Love—he had heard this word from Serra more than once, a word that did not exist in the insectoid civilization.
“Love… what is it?”
When his will was at its weakest, Edwin asked, not knowing if he really wanted an answer. But Serra responded gently, carefully replacing him with a new soft blanket with a tendril, and pulled his shoulder over:
“Love is… an ethereal power, an ideal country with no rational basis.” He admitted, “It’s not some divine power, nor is it rare, but it’s something to live for, some reason that makes us persist in living in this world.”
“It has nothing to do with future prospects, reason, identity, or the past. It only represents that as long as I have a breath left, I will run to you, and nothing can stop me.”
“I love you, male parent. I can’t promise everything will get better, but as long as you allow it, I’ll be here and not go anywhere.”
Serra said softly, watching Edwin slowly close his eyes in his voice, perhaps sinking into another round of struggle and pain. His fingers curled slightly, tremblingly covering Serra’s hand on the edge of the medical treatment facility, and did not move away for a long time.
Serra looked at him cherishly, carefully holding that hand. The two Chong’s auras blended together again, the long, lingering scent of bourbon whiskey merging into the clear, cold indifference of metal copper, gently swaying like a tide.