Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 649: To Heal

The moon hung high in the night sky, its gentle rays spilling in through the gap of the curtains. Inside the bedroom, He Juan was leaning against the headboard, his eyes clear and alert with no slightest sign of drowsiness. On the contrary, Mu Yuze was fast asleep beside him, eyes gently shut and lips parted in a deep rhythmic breath. He was even drooling a little.

He Juan tenderly ran his fingers through Mu Yuze’s soft and silken hair, smiling at his mate’s adorable sleeping face. But soon, he withdrew his hand and carefully slipped out of the bed.

"Mmm..." a groan escaped Mu Yuze, his eyelids twitching as if he was about to wake up. But before it could happen, He Juan reached out and covered his eyes with a palm.

"Sssh, sleep tight," he hushed and released a little pheromones to help the omega relax. "Gege will not go anywhere."

Mu Yuze smacked his lips before settling back into a peaceful slumber, eliciting a quiet chuckle from He Juan. Dropping a kiss on the omega’s forehead, He Juan rose to his feet, grabbed his phone and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. His feet carried him across the dark hallway until he reached the living room. Instead of settling on the couch, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and stood there, gazing at the crescent moon that cast a soft glow over the dark sky.

He checked the time. It was a little past three in the morning, the time when most people would be immersed in deep sleep.

Despite the hour, he still dialed the unknown number at the top of his recent incoming calls, for he had a hunch that the other person was also in a similar sleepless state as him. And sure enough, the ringtone only echoed twice before it connected with a click.

Silence enveloped both ends, with neither taking the initiative to break it. He Juan could faintly discern the sound of faint breathing on the other side, and that alone was enough to stir an ache in his heart. If there was someone to whom he felt the most guilty for leaving, first and foremost, it was Mu Yuze, and second— Sirius.

He Juan counted with his fingers and estimated that Sirius had turned eighteen this year. He was no longer the eleven-year-old child who wept for his brother’s absence, begging He Juan to bring him back. He was already an adult – a young man treading the same path as his brother, destined to do great, if not more.

Yet for some reason, He Juan felt as if the one he was speaking to at this moment was still the old Sirius from seven years ago – the once cheerful and optimistic little boy whose life had been turned upside down.

"...Sirius," the name was uttered like a sigh— soft, quiet, with a hint of tremor in the end. "It’s been a while."

The silence lingered between them, only disrupted by the hastening pace of Sirius’ breath. He Juan closed his eyes and swallowed past the tightness in his throat. Despite the emotional storm wreaking havoc in his chest, he managed to speak with a semblance of normalcy, "Thank you... for reaching out. I’ve heard a bit about you from Ye Qiu, and it’s nice – to know that you’re doing well, to hear that you’ve been holding up these past few years..." he let out a bitter chuckle. "I suppose it’s extremely shameless of me to say this, isn’t it? After living blissfully for seven long years without remembering anything I’ve done..."

"XIU, you... fucking... bastard!" Sirius gritted out each word amid his sobs. The emotions he had painstakingly tried to suppress all came tumbling down like a rush of avalanche upon hearing He Juan’s words. He had so many things he wanted to say, but in the end, everything condensed into one simple sentence: "I hate you... I hate you so much...!"

He Juan laughed despite himself. "I know," he muttered softly. "I almost couldn’t recognize your voice. You must have grown up well."

Sirius burst out, "I hate you... No one knows Marius better than you, but... but I can’t even talk to you about him! Do you know how hard it’s been for me these past seven years? How lonely I am?! And you... you went and lost your memories! Bastard! Jerk!"

"Mn," the rims of He Juan’s eyes reddened. "My fault. You must have missed him so much, huh? Me too..." Sighing, He Juan gazed at the moon with a wistful look. "I missed him too."

"I won’t forgive you..." he sobbed. "Don’t think that I will forgive you so easily!"

He Juan chuckled, "It’s okay, I don’t expect you to."

The words Sirius threw were nothing but hurtful. They were sharp, blunt and attacked him right where it hurt the most. Yet He Juan found himself overwhelmed by a wave of relief, the curve of his lips rising higher and higher. Of course, it wasn’t because he was a masochist— but he understood that if Sirius truly resented him, he wouldn’t have been willing to talk at all. This outburst was just his attempt to reach out and heal. And He Juan knew their relationship would only turn for the better from now on. Either way, he deserved every curse and insult Sirius was hurling at him.

Sirius’ torrent of sobs eventually subsided into subdued sniffles once he was done venting his anger and grievances. His ragged breathing slowly calmed down. Unbeknownst to them, more than half an hour had already passed since then.

He Juan patiently waited until the young man regained his bearings before telling him, "You’ve cried so much. Drink more water, and don’t wipe your eyes roughly or they will turn swollen tomorrow. Do you have an ice compress? You can ask Chen Youzhi if you’re still staying at his place."

"Bastard, do you think I’m still a kid? I know how to take care of myself!"

"Wow, look at all these cuss words coming out of your mouth," He Juan remarked with a click of his tongue. "You really don’t hold back at all, huh? Seems like no one dares to discipline you now that Marius is not around." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"W–What kind of nonsense are you spouting?! I don’t swear often; just once in a while!" Sirius hurried to defend himself. "And speaking of rudeness, the person who answered your phone earlier is way ruder! Why would he pick up your call at one in the morning? Were you really sleeping??" He shot off a barrage of questions, causing He Juan to arch an amused brow.

Sleeping? Was that the excuse Mu Yuze gave earlier?

Chuckling, He Juan decided to go along with his omega’s cover. "Uh-huh, I was sleeping until just now. As for who he is, you know him as well. Remember the boy who was living with me back then? Mu Yuze? That’s him."

"Mu Yuze...?" Sirius murmured in confusion. "I kinda remember, but... it still doesn’t explain why he so casually answered your call! What? Did you two sleep together or something?!"

"Ahaha..." He Juan emitted a dry laugh, feeling awkward for discussing something like that with a person way younger than him. He cleared his throat and glossed over the question, "He’s free to answer my calls. He’s my mate, after all. Either way, I have nothing to—"

Click.

The call abruptly ended before He Juan could finish his sentence. "Huh?" He looked at the blackened screen, perplexed. Was it a connection issue?

Before he could redial, another call arrived from Sirius. He Juan picked it up. "Si—"

"W–What did you just say?!" Sirius exclaimed in shock. "He’s your— what?!"