Icing on the Cake Chapter 31

The more Yuri talked with Cheriot, the more he realized that with his own common sense, he wouldn’t be able to understand a single thing the man said. Whether it was an apology or a thank-you, every word that left his mouth felt unfamiliar. Cheriot’s words were like the pebbles scattered across a sandy beach—smooth and each a different color.

“Whether I like it or not, I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

“As far as I’m concerned, when you see something beautiful, it’s nice to share it with someone else.”

Well, Yuri couldn’t grasp what that feeling was. Just like earlier when he’d heard about people who travel far away to see spectacular sights, he only felt like he was groping through fog.

“What do you want to do first when we get there? That was a solid ten-plus hours of driving, you know.”

Even though Cheriot had been the one to drive through the night, he asked that question. Yuri thought about correcting him on that fact but let it slide, not wanting to hear some ticklish remark in response.

“I’ll contact Alexei first and check the situation. Judging by the messages he left, it seems he’s made some plans.”

His missed calls and texts had been weighing on his mind anyway, so he planned to get in touch as soon as they reached the village and got a signal. Alexei had surely uncovered a lot during the night, so there would be plenty to hear.

But… how was he supposed to tell Alexei about what had happened last night?

Alexei was the kind of man who saw things through to the end, no matter what he was tasked with. Back when he was under Igor, everyone feared him for his tenacious, bulldog-like nature, and after he became a fixer, that same sense of responsibility earned him trust.

So even if Yuri told him to drop the job midway because he’d revealed himself to be bad news, the odds were high that Alexei wouldn’t listen.

But Yuri wanted him to stop working Cheriot’s case. Unlike himself, Alexei was someone precious—a man with many people who would mourn him if he got hurt. He didn’t want him taking the same kind of risks as before.

“No, not that kind of thing.”

When Yuri frowned and stared at him, Cheriot reached into the snack bag he’d set on the center console. Pulling out a bag of gummy candies, he tore it open by gripping the middle and splitting it wide so the bag gaped like an open mouth. He fished out a small, yellow bear-shaped gummy and popped it into his own mouth.

“I want to jump into the lake and swim first, then lie out in the sun and drink beer. And if I fall asleep, I’ll just sleep soundly until the next morning, right?”

Cheriot made Yuri imagine things he didn’t need to imagine. For a man who simply ate, slept, and moved as necessity dictated, contemplating such trivial actions held no meaning.

…Well. He did want to wash up. He hadn’t properly cleaned himself in over a day, so a shower would probably make him feel better.

That was about all Yuri could come up with.

“I don’t care what you do, but don’t wander off out of my sight. They said there aren’t many people here, but you never know when something unexpected might happen.”

“Got it, Mister Wolfie.”

At the nickname “Wolfie,” Yuri raised one eyebrow.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Wasn’t it a mutual agreement? I’m Cherry, you’re Wolfie.”

“You can call me Campbell.”

“Anyone can see Cherry is a pet name, so it’s only right that I get to use one for you too!”

When Yuri furrowed his brow, Cheriot pulled out another little bear-shaped gummy and held it up near Yuri’s lips. In the blink of an eye, Cheriot’s hand brushed against his cheek.

“Here’s a little prey to calm you down, Mister Wolfie.”

Yuri was repulsed by the hand that came so close, as if offering him food. Turning his head away sharply, he warned in a menacing tone.

“Get that away from me.”

“Alright, alright. Next time, I’ll find something a wolf might actually like.”

Cheriot tossed the little bear gummy he’d meant to give Yuri into his own mouth. The quiet sound of him chewing the candy filled the space, along with an artificial fruit scent. Buying snacks had been a good choice. Cheriot had already polished off not just the gummies but two chocolate bars as well.

For a moment, Yuri thought the man might quiet down, like a child pacified with a treat, but Cheriot paused mid-chew and opened his mouth again.

“Oh, I almost forgot something really important!”

“Out with it.”

“We need to stock up before we go in. It’s a small town—no liquor stores, no supermarkets. We have to buy what we need from places we see along the way. Inconvenient, but we can’t help it.”

“You’re thinking about drinking in a situation like this? You’ve got quite the carefree disposition.”

“Well, since we’ve come all this way to a nice scenic spot, I can’t exactly spend the whole time scared out of my wits. Oh, right. I also need to stop at a pharmacy.”

“A pharmacy?”

Surely not for my wound, he thought foolishly, but fortunately Cheriot shot that down.

“I mentioned it in passing, but my rut is coming up soon. It’ll be hard to find a sexual partner, so I need to buy suppressants. Then again… if you’re not bothered by what other people get up to, I could look around the village for someone to spend the rut with.”

The explanation was so blunt it bordered on obscene, and Yuri clamped his mouth shut. With that elegant, aristocratic look on his face, how could the man so easily spout such vulgar talk?

This wasn’t the first time Yuri had thought it—Cheriot was utterly unrestrained in his actions. Flashing his naked body so brazenly, cracking dirty jokes without a second thought…

Still, it didn’t disgust him to the point of repulsion. Yuri had dealt with plenty of men who were vulgar to their very souls, and they’d spewed far filthier talk than Cheriot. Compared to them, Cheriot’s behavior seemed no more than the remarks of a childish boy.

A rut, huh…

That was certainly a problem.

No alpha wants another alpha skulking around in heat nearby, so when Yuri was with the organization, it was an unspoken rule to disappear from sight during rut. Igor and his son Ivan were particularly revolted by alpha pheromones, and Yuri had sometimes been scapegoated for not keeping his scent properly contained.

For that reason, in Yuri’s world, a heat cycle was a shameful, private flaw—something to be handled quietly, never spoken of openly. Not like Cheriot, who could so confidently blurt it out and give others room to imagine the details.

“We’ll stop at the pharmacy first.”

Imagining Cheriot’s pheromones shifting made Yuri feel strange. Revulsion rose up first, then, oddly enough, came the image of Cheriot changing clothes back in the hotel room. Perhaps that unwanted glimpse of his nude body had left too strong an impression.

A completely unnecessary thought flickered through his mind: Whoever has to deal with that is in for a rough time.

Cheriot’s was frighteningly large. Given his build, it was only natural that his member would be proportional, but still, what Yuri had seen was excessively hefty. If that was his size before full arousal, then once he was truly excited, anyone—no matter who—would have a hard time handling it.

Yuri had been with many omegas, and he’d learned that sheer size didn’t always please a partner. Though not as freakishly large as Cheriot, Yuri himself was well beyond average. Because of his size, the omegas who took him sometimes experienced pain, and in those cases, Yuri would satisfy them manually and send them on their way.

If he spent enough time loosening them up, they’d produce enough fluid for penetration, but Yuri hated foreplay and intimate preparation. If he had to go through all that just to have sex, he’d rather take suppressants and ride out his rut alone.

Foreplay was nothing but a trick. They’d met solely to satisfy their urges, yet pretending there were feelings involved—kissing, trailing lips over skin as if this moment meant something—it disgusted him.

But… Cheriot clearly seemed the type to indulge excessively in making his partner melt. With the way he casually tossed out sweet words, Yuri was sure of it. Surely he’s not also talkative in bed? Nothing kills the mood faster than that.

Then Yuri realized, belatedly, that he’d been making disturbingly detailed assumptions about Cheriot’s private affairs. The very fact that he’d had such thoughts felt indecent, and he wrinkled his brow, twisting his lips. Seeing his expression, Cheriot spoke up.

“You okay?”

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. A wave of shame washed over him, as if he’d been caught in the middle of his own improper fantasies, and heat rose to the areas touched by the sunlight.

“What do you mean by that?”