Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]

Chapter 235: Chapter 235 - We Should Have You Practice

”We should have you practice,” Shao said calmly.

Jai’s head turned fast, eyes locking in Shao’s direction—but Shao never once looked back at him.

Not even a glance.

Jai’s chest tightened. His teeth pressed together hard.

”I said I can do it, so I will do it,” he snapped, voice sharp.

”It’s better to practice,” Shao replied again, like he hadn’t heard him the first time. Like it wasn’t up for debate. Like Jai’s words meant nothing.

He still wouldn’t look at him.

Jai’s anger flared hot. He could feel it rising behind his eyes, burning down the back of his throat. The man was completely ignoring him. Like he wasn’t even in the room.

”You—!”

”Hey, hey,” Yunfeng came up quickly, sliding in beside him with a hand lightly on his arm. ”What he said is true. We should have you practice. It’s not a bad thing, Jai.”

Jai grumbled under his breath, pulling his arm away. ”Yeah, yeah...”

He didn’t want to hear it. Not from Yunfeng. Not from anyone. He wasn’t angry at Yunfeng anyway. He wasn’t even sure why he was this angry.

The room fell quiet.

Then came a knock at the door.

The sound made everyone freeze. It was sudden, loud in the stillness—and because this was just a dorm, there was no way to tell who it was. No peephole. No screen. Just the sound.

Yunfeng held up a hand, silencing everyone. He walked quietly over to the door and leaned in, sniffing.

No pheromones. No scent he could place. Whoever was outside didn’t smell familiar.

”Who is it?” he called softly.

”It’s me. Qiu Yue,” came the reply.

Yunfeng relaxed a little and opened the door just a sliver. ”Oh. It’s you.” He pulled it open wider and ushered the young doctor inside quickly.

Qiu Yue stepped in, looking around the room with faint confusion. He was holding a familiar bag in one hand and adjusting his glasses with the other.

”Umm... why is everyone here?” he asked.

Shao walked up and took the bag from him without hesitation. ”Thanks.”

Qiu Yue looked at him, puzzled. ”What’s going on?” he asked quietly.

”Things are wrong here,” Shao answered simply. ”So we’re planning to leave. But turns out the military’s trying to shut us in.”

”Oh.” Qiu Yue accepted the explanation without any further questions, nodding slightly.

Jai, who had been watching all of this from the side, felt something sour settle in his chest. His eyes narrowed.

’One delivers the bag and the other whispers and chats with him. Tsk. Annoying. So fucking annoying...’

He turned his face away.

Everything had been decided. Their next steps were clear, at least on the surface, so the group began to quietly split off to their own rooms for the night. The tension remained, thick in the air, but unspoken now—carried only in glances and half-finished thoughts.

Shao, however, chose to stay behind.

He settled in his own room—on the lower bunk, arms crossed, eyes distant. He hadn’t said anything, just quietly claimed the space like he always did.

Yunfeng glared his way.

”What is your problem?” shao grumbled, dropping onto the bottom bunk across from him.

Yunfeng didn’t wait. ”Because you smell,” he said flatly.

Shao raised a brow. ”I took a bath.”

”Not like that.” Yunfeng frowned, glaring harder. ”You smell too much of pheromones. I don’t like it. I don’t want Muchen getting close to it.”

Shao blinked once, then let out a long, tired sigh. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes briefly, visibly restraining something.

”Kid,” he muttered, voice heavier than usual. ”I have nothing against Muchen. He’s my best friend. Always has been, always will be. If you start suspecting me for things I haven’t done, I’m only going to have to punch you in the face.”

The rare note of frustration in Shao’s voice made Yunfeng fall silent for once.

Across the room, Muchen, who had been quietly listening with his head down, pinched Yunfeng’s arm. ”Stop,” he whispered, looking at him with a meaningful glance.

Then he turned toward Shao, concern lining his gentle features. ”Shao... is something up with you?”

”No,” Shao replied instantly, curt and clipped.

Muchen didn’t buy it. He stood up, ready to walk over, but Yunfeng grabbed his arm from behind and hugged him stiffly, holding him back like a sulky child.

”Yunfeng,” Muchen warned gently.

”If you keep acting like a kid, I’m going to punch you in the face right now,” he growled under his breath, eyes narrowed.

Yunfeng pouted but finally let go, arms dropping to his sides. His face twisted into that familiar expression that read: I’m sad, but I’ll tolerate it. The look made Muchen chuckle despite himself. He turned and walked up to Shao, then sat beside him on the lower bunk, close but not crowding.

”So what’s going on?” he whispered, his voice low enough that only the two of them could hear.

Shao didn’t answer right away. For a few long seconds, he just stared ahead, his breathing shallow, like he was trying to put something invisible into words.

Then he sighed—deep and tired. ”I’m... something’s wrong with me,” he whispered.

Muchen’s smile faltered. ”What is it?”

The fear in Shao’s voice was small, but real. Muchen had never heard that tone from him before. Not in the years they’d known each other.

”Did you get hurt somewhere?” Muchen asked quickly. He leaned forward, concern rising. ”Is something hurting?”

Without waiting for a reply, he began checking Shao’s arms. He rolled up his sleeves, then reached down and lifted the legs of his pants, looking for bruises, cuts—something.

”Hey!” Yunfeng shouted suddenly from the other side of the room. ”What are you doing?!”

Muchen sat up straight, teeth bared in irritation. ”For god’s sake, Yunfeng, if you don’t shut up, I will kill you.”

Yunfeng froze, mouth still open, but no sound came out this time. He slumped back onto the mattress in silence.

Shao let out another sigh, softer now, and leaned back again, staring at the bunk above him.

”I’m out of control,” he said, voice quiet. ”I feel like... a beast. I can’t explain it. I don’t like this, Muchen. I don’t like what I’m turning into. I want it to stop.”