The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]

Apparently, Jax had just spread a sleeping mat on the floor just a few steps beside the bed.

The two of them stared at each other as though one of them had clearly misunderstood the situation.

Jax, whose hands had just released the pillows onto the mat, looked up innocently.

”Did I grab the wrong one?” he asked. ”If I did, I’ll go and switch it out.”

”No.”

Killian pinched the bridge of his nose.

”I’m asking why you’re putting something like that on the floor in the first place.”

The poor redhead looked confused.

”Uh... so I can sleep?”

”You’re sleeping on the floor when there’s a perfectly functional bed right there?”

Somewhere along the conversation, the Killian who had spent the past several minutes overthinking every word that came out of his mouth had completely disappeared.

The embarrassment was gone.

In its place stood a man looking at Jax as though he’d suddenly grown a second head. This was the rational Killian who had spent years taking care of a whole pack of idiots and had heard enough.

Realization finally dawned on the redhead.

A sheepish grin spread across his face.

”I figured you’d be uncomfortable if I suddenly took over your bed after showing up unannounced, so I thought it’d be better if I slept down here.”

Killian stared at him for a long moment.

”Well, you sleeping on the floor after everything that happened today would make me uncomfortable.”

He folded his arms.

”And do you honestly think sleeping down there is somehow going to make any difference after everything that’s already happened?”

There. He’d finally said it.

They still hadn’t actually unpacked what had happened back at the lounge, and frankly, he was well aware that it was probably the reason he was so jumpy that he looked as though he’d been electrocuted. But even if they hadn’t sat down and talked about it yet... that didn’t really change what had already happened, did it?

The young official jerked his head toward the bed.

”Get your ass over here.”

Honestly.

It was as though that rascal had made it his life’s mission to raise Killian’s blood pressure at the most unreasonable hours.

Unfortunately...

The instant Jax’s face lit up like a festival lantern, Killian Nox, eldest son of the prestigious House Nox, should’ve realized he’d made a terrible mistake.

No matter how pitiful they looked.

No matter how adorable they seemed while wagging their tails.

There were simply some pups you never called over unless you were fully prepared for what came afterward.

Because somewhere between taking those few innocent steps forward and stopping in front of him, that harmless puppy had somehow transformed into an absolute beast, now looming over the gawking idiot that was Killian.

Without the slightest hesitation, Jax reached for the hem of his hoodie. He slowly pulled it over his head, completely at ease, before running a hand through the slightly mussed strands of his hair. The hoodie disappeared into a space button with one practiced motion.

Killian was certain it was the very same piece of clothing Jax had been wearing when he’d arrived.

And yet, somehow, it no longer felt as though he’d simply put away a hoodie. It felt more like he’d quietly tucked away an entire personality before casually closing the distance between them.

__

He didn’t even bother putting on a shirt under that jacket.

The actual cabin owner felt the atmosphere shift so abruptly that he somehow ended up sitting on the edge of the bed before he even realized he’d moved. His knees suddenly felt about two centuries older, refusing to cooperate after being confronted with something his eyes clearly weren’t prepared to process from this distance.

Objectively speaking, this wasn’t even anything new.

Just something anyone would’ve encountered after living a life centered on any sort of training. Heck, he saw himself naked every day and nothing should be spooking him out.

Moreover, he’d seen Jax shirtless before. In fact, he’d seen way more than just his shirt off and had nearly died after the fact.

So why was this different?

...Because this was his room.

His private space.

A place that not a lot of people have really entered, much less made themselves comfortable in.

For some reason, that distinction made everything feel entirely different.

Unfortunately, that also happened to be the worst possible time to get caught up in his own thoughts.

Seeing that Killian appeared to be having what could only be described as an out-of-body experience, the obedient redhead decided to do exactly what he’d been told.

He got his ass over there.

Quite literally.

Before Killian could even react, Jax climbed onto the bed and smoothly nudged him farther back until he had no choice but to scoot over.

The whole thing happened so quickly that the weak-kneed young official genuinely wondered whether that rascal had secretly awakened some sort of added movement ability.

One moment they had both been standing.

The next...

They were tucked beneath the blanket with their heads resting on the pillows.

Even worse, Killian somehow found himself being spooned by the giant who had just commandeered his bed.

”???”

He was so thoroughly bewildered that his mind simply stopped trying to understand how any of this had happened.

All he knew was that he was now pressed flush against a body that radiated an alarming amount of warmth.

Considering how ridiculously well-built Jax was, Killian had the distinct impression that the redhead could grate him against all those muscles if he really wanted to.

Then the shock finally wore off.

Unfortunately, what replaced it was somehow even worse.

Extreme awareness.

Had the bed always been this small?

Why did it suddenly feel as though there wasn’t an inch of space left?

And that blanket... Since when had it come with a built-in heater?

Now, it would’ve been one thing if all that awareness had merely been directed at his surroundings.

But it wasn’t.

Instead, Killian was intensely fixated on him.

On them.

And he couldn’t help but become painfully aware of every single place where their bodies touched.