Moon Theory (ABO)Ch60 - surely, he’s a fool

“The weather is cold,” Allaire says as she places a plate of raw fish in front of him – sushi, it used to be a specialty decades ago, but the thought of eating freshwater fish straight out of contaminated waters now brings certain nausea. The woman lightly pushes over a cup of water, taps her manicured fingers on the table and continues, “I turned on the generators last night to heat up your room. Did you have a good sleep, mon chéri?”

Noah listlessly stares in front, entirely lost in thought. Suddenly, he finds the chopsticks extraordinarily interesting. A very elegant Japanese design, high quality and sleek wood. Procured from unknown places, undoubtedly antiques of their time. zbZAB5

He hums in acknowledgment, not hearing a thing she’s said. “Mn.”

“The ceiling lights should have been repaired for you too,” Allaire says while passing him soy sauce. “I didn’t want our little Noah to be stuck in such a cold and dreary environment all the time.”

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“Mn.”

“And then we have a lot of new guests running around the halls and recreational rooms.” She motions to some strangers sitting far away in the corner of the dining room. A father and son, they seem to be, who are engaged in muted conversation. There is awkwardness in their posture – stiff backs and disjointed limbs so skinny that the skeleton shows. A tumor swells out from the man’s parotid. “The infectees deserve to live nicely before they succumb to their illness. We only allow non-threats, of course. We had to, ah, take care of a few of the aggressive ones the other day. Morphs are unpredictable.” cMq1Dh

“Mn.”

“We’ve been having quite a few of them recently,” Allaire ponders with a frown. “Customers and merchants alike. Word has been getting around too quickly and at this rate, I am unsure if we’d be able to maintain a sanitary environment. We’d also have to do bulk purchases of alcohol, gloves, masks, general safety equipment… you know the drill. Weapon parts, too, so Hyun can test out some prototypes. He’s been working on smoke tranquilizers – which reminds me, have you gotten ahold of what he asked for?”

“Mm,” Noah hums softly as he finally snaps out of certain reverie. He takes the chopsticks, picks up a piece of fish and starts to nibble on it slowly. The setup is rather luxurious for a breakfast – Allaire had really catered to aesthetics for him, neatly arranging the fish and white rice, placing freshly brewed tea to the side. After months of living in destitution, Noah can really appreciate finer dining.

Except, he’s very obviously in a trance as he chews on the fish – one of the very few things he can digest – and very, very slowly takes a sip of tea. Eyes lidded low, facial expression blank, a soft dust of pink on his ears.

Allaire reaches over to cup his forehead. “What’s wrong?” she asks with concern. “Do you have a fever again? Perhaps your injuries have worsened?”

The action makes him slightly shifty. He shakes his head and answers, “It isn’t anything.”

“Hmm…” Leave it to Allaire to be abnormally perceptive. She looks around the dining area, sweeps over the canteen-like setup, past the simple little chairs and wonders, “Where’s your overprotective boyfriend? I thought for sure he’d wag his lizard tail and plaster himself by you.”

“My…?” Noah’s brows furrow in distress. “We aren’t like that.” NLUDdK

Allaire lets out a chuckle. She leans forward to whisper into his ears conspiratorially, for him to hear alone. “Sweetheart, I’d wager my whole fortune he has fallen for you.” Her glossed lips lifting into a small grin. “And Noah, your emotions are very clear on your pretty face.”

“…” Noah looks down. “Colonel Yang can kill me with one twist of his hand.”

“Will he really?” Allaire pats the top of his head. “I’ll also wager that he would allow you to kill him first. The man is a fool, Noah. His personality needs a little fixing but when it comes to you, he’s—oh? Speak of the devil.”

In the moment that Allaire leans back on her chair, a muscular arm snakes around Noah’s neck, gently pulling him for attention. Colonel Yang appears with full vaunt, his biceps up for display and all, his (Noah’s) shirt clinging onto the contours of his torso. Yang Rong leans forward, his dog tag dangling from the collar, and says teasingly near his ear, “Didn’t wait for me?” zBob5Z

He smells of peppermint and light agave, some note of vanilla and… something subtly bitter that immediately has Noah retracting away. “…Why would I?”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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“Not used to seeing someone on my bed,” Noah retorts angrily. “Colonel Yang, I told you to do it elsewhere.”

“P rjlv la kjr lwqbrrlyif,” atf wjc afiir tlw klat j iluta ogbkc. “Qtfgf kbeiv P ub? Qbeivc’a P yf qjrrfv boo jr j qfgnfga kjixlcu jgbecv klat jc fgfmalbc?” J d1PA

“None of my business.” Noah glares at him. “You’re already passed off as an idiot, so an additional tag to your name isn’t going to lower any more of your already negative reputation.”

“…” Yang Rong is at a loss for words. He recovers instantly, however, to save what’s left of his dignity. “Noah, are you really going to be like this? You were the one who allowed me into your bed last night. You harassed me in your sleep as well. I can count ten times you’ve kissed me on—alright, alright, don’t look at me like that, little kitten. I’ve only enhanced a narrative. The real story is you grazed against my c—”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Noah slaps a hand on top of his mouth, effectively shutting him up – though if Noah had options, he’d wish for Yang Rong to turn into a corpse. A murderous, flustered glare is all he gives before he turns away and resumes eating his meal, ignoring the way Yang Rong continuously taps him for attention.

“Little kitten,” he says, softening into a cajole. Noah’s grown very familiar with that distinctive quality in his tone – low and pleasant, enough to make his ears tingle. “Rong-ge was wrong. I won’t get off to you again without permission. In apology, I will give you this.” jAbWtE

Yang Rong slides a white lily across his chest, placing it gently inside his pocket. Then, a short moment later, he places two more and adds, “To apologize for last week. Rong-ge had also gotten off to you twice.”

“…”

Yang Rong slides another one in. “It was thrice.”

“…” A long moment of silence later, Noah asks, “…Did you steal these?” StOJwv

“You think too lowly of me, Noah,” Yang Rong says proudly, moving over to sit next to him. “I’ve only very nicely coerced a young child to hand me them. Pretty, aren’t they? Very suitable for—”

“Pretty,” he replies, taking them out his pocket and placing them on the table. “Although white lilies can be indicative of death and passing.”

“…” Yang Rong comes with an excuse. “These are different kinds of flowers, then. I overheard the, ah, lily of the valley can rejuvenate relationships. Meager knowledge passed down to me by Old Hannes.”

“Lilies of the valley are also highly toxic and able to induce strong headaches, nausea and fatal heart syndromes.” VA71Yf

Yang Rong immediately takes the flowers and tosses them away onto the floor.

Allaire barks a loud laugh, entirely amused by the fiasco. She gets up from her seat, waves a hand and says, “You two stay here. I am going to get Hyun.”

The colonel recovers instantly again as soon as she leaves. He picks up a piece of sushi and holds it near Noah’s mouth. “Here. I’ll feed you.”

Rather – the man is very insistent on feeding him, pushing the fish against his lips in such a speed that Noah can’t even reject. He only sighs inwardly and opens his mouth to take a bite, not missing the way Yang Rong’s finger grazes against his tongue. cG259B

They settle in silence after that, Noah slowly chewing and Yang Rong devouring his own portion of the meal, taking chances occasionally to slip more food into Noah’s mouth.

Awfully domestic – too domestic that Noah finds himself distracted by the tranquility of all this. From the corner of his eye, he catches Yang Rong’s dog tag glinting under fluorescent lights, the scratched engraving reflecting off harshly. The dirtied chain has seen countless battles and tussles, very unlike Yang Rong’s current appearance. Clean white tee, pajama pants that are truthfully tight by his crotch.

“Hmm?” The man turns to him with a smile. Green eyes that have lost their hardened edge – Noah had remembered them to be more honed and dangerous. “What is it, Noah? The more you look at me like that, the more I’m inclined to weigh my handsomeness.”

“Yang Rong,” Noah says suddenly, “when will you leave?” DA4RNu

Because for all that Yang Rong is too comfortably lazing here, Noah doesn’t forget one second that the man is a colonel of war. He has obligations beyond sharing a meal with him in a canteen, beyond staying here in a shelter, in the slums – and it doesn’t fit his overly trained physique, his rigid upbringing.

“It depends,” the man replies, propping his arm on the table. He turns to Noah – the two of them bear undecipherable expressions. “Will you come with me?”

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“…To where?”

“A good question,” Yang Rong says with a small chuckle. “Would it be strange if I told you that I do not know?” 2Q84ok

How unusual for the man, always so assertive, to be thrown in quagmire. Noah, too, feels certain complication in being subjected to the tender gaze – straightforwardly tender, without any of the tease nor hidden motives that follow. He opts to lower his vision so he wouldn’t be caught, but Yang Rong speaks his name like a pretty charm.

“Noah.” The magnetism of his voice is so powerful, Noah finds himself automatically turning. And then Yang Rong’s softened eyes are such a light shade of green, Noah finds himself off guard. “I only know that I want to be with you.”

Noah shakes his head. “…Colonel Yang, there are many things you do not know about me.”

“I am not opposed to learning.” ZLbV6O

He hesitates. “I do not trust you.”

“Whatever you want to know, I will say.”

“Colonel Yang,” Noah lets out a long, shuddering breath, “I am afraid of you.”

Yang Rong says with full, unblinking sincerity, “I won’t hurt you.” tAceBW

Noah resumes picking at the food with his chopsticks. Only the slightest pink of his ears indicates anything off, and then it’s back to silence. Yang Rong keeps staring (Noah is extremely aware), his sculpted features dashed in less of noir and more of soft white hues, the overhead lighting doing justice to his unimposing posture.

A multitude of thoughts overwhelms him, and Noah tunes out everything, ignoring the buzzing lights, the hum of the heater, the hushed conversation of the father and son in the vicinity. He also actively ignores the colonel’s soft murmurs – the latter had begun to go on a needless spiel again, talking about nonsense, commenting on this and that…

“Noah,” he says, “if you like fish so much, how about Rong-ge catch a few interesting ones for you? I’ve heard that the piranha mixes by the 39^th District are packed in protein – extra heads and tails, a few more eyeballs or so. I’ll even get the bones off for you…”

Noah only remains passive – he probably lets out a soft hum in acknowledgment, but it’s more to get the man to stop talking. VeughI

“And then little kitten, if you really need to eat raw foods… you can try eating me, hmm? I am also packed in protein. Why don’t you have a bite?”

“Mm.”

“…Hm? A very pleasant response coming from you. Are you listening, Noah, or are you ignoring me again?”

“Mm.” ojdiPY

A low chuckle and then Yang Rong begins to murmur other things that he can’t quite catch – but they must not hold good implications, considering the man has a growing smirk on his face. “Have a taste, though I’ll be especially pleased if you… Hmm, by the way, Noah…”

Noah must’ve paused for too long because when he zones back in, a purely dynamic figure flashes in front of him like a surging wave, catching him so unalert that Noah springs backward onto the colonel’s body. His back hits the hardness of the latter’s chest – even Yang Rong is surprised by the sudden contact – and Noah hasn’t registered what in the world just happened.

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He is confused and entirely frazzled as a figure hovers above him, blocking the entirety of his sight.

“—?!” Noah drops the chopsticks in his hand. They clatter onto the tiled floors, breaking him out of absolute reverie. Xhte p

It is when Colonel Yang takes the opportunity to sneak an arm around his waist that Noah finally looks up, meeting gazes with a young man. A dark black eyepatch covers the entirety of his left eye and his only visible right eye is narrowed.

“—Noah,” he says, his tone unamused, “you are finally listening to me? I’ve been calling out to you for the past minute, but you seem more interested in indulging whichever lover you brought back here.”

Noah blinks slowly after calming his rapid heartrate. “…Oh. Hyun. You’ve come.”

Author’s note: some of you may know about CG’s new event!! in celebration of 10k discord members, translators and authors are offering prizes for fanfics and fanart! there’s a comprehensive list of all the novels and prizes you may enter for….. including this dumb author’s moon theory (゜▽゜;) Y0sM9F

my (2) prizes are:
– 2 additional MT releases on CG
– 1 NSFW MT scene on CG (open to your suggestion and theme)
– MT nudes (jk??)

a-anyway, that’s all i have to say eeee—