From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 196: A Safe Place to Land (part 2)

Clyde and Micah sat in the car in complete silence.

Micah still felt drained from the earlier episode, tugging at the edge of Clyde’s coat every now and then.

Clyde stared straight ahead. Every so often, his eyes flickered toward Micah, checking him to see if he was okay or not. His mouth opened once, then closed again, the words not coming.

That hug... he hadn’t planned it. It had just happened. But there was no denying what it had meant to him. Everything he had been feeling, all the panic, the protectiveness, the fear of losing Micah, had burst out in that one moment. He had wrapped his arms around Micah like a lifeline.

And now, he didn’t know how Micah had taken it.

Would he think he had overstepped the line? Breaking the boundary between them? The hug...

Clyde looked at his hands. That hug had held all his feelings for Micah, his heart, laid bare.

But Micah was too young to understand that. And honestly, Clyde preferred it that way. Perhaps Micah disregarded that hug as something out of the spur of the moment.

Clyde took a deep breath. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.

Micah remained silent.

The past few minutes were something he thought would never happen to him. He thought he had a strong mentality. That he had coped with his reality. That he could accept being just a fake character inside a messed-up novel. That he could handle being a minor villain with no happy ending. But what triggered his overflowing emotions was a little cold shoulder from Clyde. He had burned out like an overheated fuse.

When he saw Clyde, when he heard his voice, smelled his scent, it was like his heart was pulled back from the edge. Like he had found his archer. The one who could rely on...

That was not right. Clyde was just a stranger. He was not even in the novel. He didn’t know anything about the man.

Micah’s ears turned red. He had let the man princess carry him in front of everyone. What was wrong with him?

"Hey, are you alright?" Clyde’s voice snapped him out of his embarrassment.

"Huh?" Micah blinked.

"I asked where we should go?" Clyde repeated.

Micah paused, looking down at his hands, clutching Clyde’s coat a bit tighter.

Where should they go?

His thoughts were muddled. Jumbled.

Should he go to the hospital? See a doctor? Psychologist? But what would he even say? That he thought he was a character in a twisted story? That he knew things he shouldn’t?

He surely would be diagnosed as a delusional psycho. And they would throw him into a psycho ward before he finished his sentence.

What novel? What torture and manipulation? What four male leads?

The only thing he could say would be that he was swapped at birth. But it was hard for him to open up about it to a stranger.

His panic attack... Was it really because of that?

Micah peeked at Clyde. Could it really have nothing to do with Clyde?

Micah didn’t know. And was scared to know.

Clyde watched Micah for a minute then spoke. "Hospital?"

Micah shook his head. "No... I want to go somewhere quiet. Somewhere I can rest."

Clyde did not insist on it. If it was before, he would have dragged Micah to the hospital, like the time his stomach made him nearly collapse. But this time... he wouldn’t impose his opinions on Micah.

No. Micah needed emotional support right now. Did he even have anyone else who could give him that?

"What about Ramsy’s estate? Or a cousin’s place? A friend?"

Micah hesitated but still shook his head. "No, I don’t want to make them worried."

Clyde raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying that. Worried? From what he had seen, Micah never spoke about his family. Never agreed to call them when he was in trouble. Clyde had a feeling that if Micah showed up bleeding, they might just call a doctor and leave him to be.

It seemed more like Micah kind of avoided his family. But he didn’t say that out loud.

Micah sat still for a few seconds, fidgeting with his finger. "Could we... Could we go to your place?" Micah said hesitantly, dodging Clyde’s eyes.

Clyde’s heart skipped a beat. He turned his head to look at him. Micah didn’t meet his gaze. He was staring at his own hands, cheeks slightly red, ears flushed.

"Why?" Clyde asked, voice low and rough.

"I know it seems strange... but I slept better there than at my dorm or my apartment..." Micah’s voice trailed off, feeling embarrassed.

Clyde’s throat tightened. His fingers gripped the steering wheel with so much force they turned white. Micah trusted him. Micah felt safe with him.

He wanted to say something witty. Make a joke. Tease him.

But nothing came out. It was different from before.

Warmth spread through his chest instead. He felt his heart might burst any second with happiness.

Clyde didn’t care what role he played in Micah’s life. A friend, an uncle, or a half-stranger half-jerk. None of it mattered.

What was important was that Micah wasn’t afraid of him like others were.

Micah was ready to rely on him. And if he needed somewhere safe to land, he would give him that. Every time.

He would never let that expectation be destroyed. He would do everything for Micah. Clyde wanted to see him smiling, full of energy, getting into harmless trouble.

Not like today... fragile, exhausted, hurting. Clyde’s heart ached. He never wanted to see Micah like that ever again.

Clyde turned the key in the ignition, hands steady. "Alright," he said. "Let’s go."

He looked over, just in time to see Micah leaning his head against the seat, eyes already beginning to drift shut.

Clyde reached out and gently pulled the coat tighter around him. He brushed a stray lock of silver hair away from his face, fingers lingering for a just moment. He stared at Micah’s pale face.

"I won’t let you down, Micah. Not ever. I promise," he muttered under his breath.

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