Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 171: Do you want to date me?

Chapter 171: Do you want to date me?

"I want you to be comfortable," Chris continued, his voice barely a whisper. "Not just with me. But... always. That’s all. Just... for you to be comfortable." He paused. "Is that... okay?"

Sky didn’t answer immediately. His grip around Chris tightened slightly, his breath warm against Chris’s shoulder.

Chris also didn’t move. He didn’t dare to. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to break the moment or let it stretch on forever.

Then, after what felt like forever but was probably just a minute, Sky spoke, voice quiet, a little hoarse. "That’s... okay."

Chris exhaled, something in his chest loosening. His fingers, which had been hovering awkwardly at Sky’s back, finally pressed against the fabric of his hoodie, gripping lightly. "Good."

Sky chuckled softly, a breath of air against Chris’s neck. Chris almost thought Sky would kiss his neck but instead, Sky spoke quietly. "I didn’t think you’d be this sentimental."

Ah! Look who was talking.

"Shut up! You’re the one who ambushed me with a hug out of nowhere," Chris said playfully, pinching Sky’s side gently and making him wriggle as he let out a short laugh. But he still didn’t pull away from the embrace. Be breathed him in.

"I had to." Sky said quietly, referring to the ’ambush’. "I... just didn’t want to forget to say it. And... I didn’t want to—"

He sounded awkward. He didn’t complete his sentence but Chris knew what he wanted to say.

He could not say the things he wanted to say to Chris while looking directly at his face.

A shy Sky.

It was adorable.

Chris hesitated, before murmuring, "And if you did forget, would it have still mattered?"

Sky didn’t immediately respond. He nuzzled his head a little closer to Chris’s, his breath ghosting across his ear. "Yeah," he whispered, his voice thick with sincerity. "It would have."

Chris stared straight ahead, his heartbeat annoyingly loud in his ears. He didn’t know what to do with this—whatever this was. It was delicate, fragile, and real. He could joke, brush it off, shift back into their usual teasing rhythm. But something told him Sky was waiting for him NOT to do exactly that.

So he didn’t.

Instead, he tightened his hold on Sky, his fingers pressing a little more firmly against the soft fabric of his hoodie. "Then don’t forget next time either," he murmured, his voice equally soft.

Sky chuckled, a low rumble against Chris’s chest. "I won’t," he promised, his voice laced with a quiet intensity.

Silence stretched between them. If anyone saw them, they would probably wonder if they were crazy. Two guys just standing there in the middle of the room in each other’s embrace for a long time. They might as well start playing a song and slow dance.

"I... I don’t usually hug people like this," Sky mumbled, breaking the silence. His voice was thick with vulnerability.

Chris chuckled softly, a warmth spreading through him. "Like what?" he teased gently, enjoying the feeling of Sky’s arms around him. He didn’t mind.

Sky shifted slightly, his grip tightening for a moment before loosening a fraction. "Like... this," he repeated, as if the word itself held some profound meaning. He cleared his throat. "I mean... I don’t think I’ve ever hugged anyone like this."

Chris’s heart did a little flip. He could feel a blush creeping up his neck. "Is that so?" he murmured, trying to keep his voice even, despite the flutter in his chest.

Sky nodded, his head still resting on Chris’s shoulder. "Yeah," he said quietly. Sky wasn’t done. His next words came slower, more hesitant, but laced with something unmistakable. "...And I don’t... plan on hugging anyone else like this."

Chris stiffened, his body betraying him. His ears burned and even his fingers twitched where they still lingered at Sky’s back.

Oh.

Oh.

Chris wasn’t stupid. He knew what Sky was really saying. It wasn’t just about the hug. It wasn’t just about a moment of comfort or gratitude.

It was a confession.

Sky’s fingers curled a little tighter at the back of his hoodie. His voice dropped even lower as he asked, "You... wouldn’t do this with anyone else, right?"

Again, the question caught Chris off-guard. He knew exactly what Sky was indirectly asking him.

Exclusivity.

Chris’s lips parted slightly. He also knew his answer. Of course, not. But the way Sky was asking him, the way he wasn’t looking at him, the way he kept his face buried against Chris’s shoulder like he was afraid of being seen—made something warm and restless stir inside Chris.

Chris exhaled softly, allowing his fingers to trace slow, barely-there circles against Sky’s back. "You’re asking me if I go around hugging people like this?"

Sky tensed. "I’m saying—"

Chris laughed under his breath. "You want to know if I’d let someone else hold me like this?"

Silence.

Chris let it stretch for a moment before tilting his head slightly. His lips were close to Sky’s ear now. Too close. If the tip of his tongue slithered out, it would touch Sky’s earlobe.

"Would it bother you if I did?"

Sky sucked in a sharp breath.

It was the type he did when he was trying to control himself whenever they both had a verbal fight.

And then, in a voice lower than before, rough and quiet but firm, Sky said, "I wouldn’t let you."

Chris’s amusement faltered a bit and he blinked, something inside him lurching unexpectedly at those words.

Sky wasn’t asking anymore.

"Oh?" he murmured, tilting his head slightly. "You wouldn’t... let me?"

"You heard me," Sky muttered under his breath.

Sky still hadn’t let go. If anything, his grip around Chris tightened even more, as if he was trying to fuse them together, to make sure Chris felt every word he was about to say.

"...In case you had any plans to do this with someone else," Sky murmured, his voice quieter now, but carrying a weight that sent a slow shiver down Chris’s spine. "You should start clearing them all out from tonight."

Chris’s fingers twitched where they rested against Sky’s back. His heart picked up speed. He was beginning to get used to that tone.

Meh.

That was a lie. He still wasn’t used to it. It always left him confused.

He should be creeped out but he always found it... interesting. It made him happy.

Was he a psychopath?

"And if I don’t?" Chris challenged.

Once again Sky didn’t speak up immediately.

But the silence didn’t linger for a long time before he acted.

Sky finally, finally pulled back from the endless embrace—just enough to look at him. His face was too close.

Way too close.

A slow, almost lazy smirk tugged at Sky’s lips, but his eyes were unreadable, something sharp flickering in them.

"...You don’t know me, Chris. I can find them."

Chris’s stomach dipped. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or freak out.

Sky—his sweet, easygoing, teasing Sky—had just threatened hypothetical people that didn’t even exist.

And for some reason, he believed he would. Looking at the sharp gaze in his eyes.

Chris wet his lips, feeling his face heat up even more. He had never been in this kind of situation before.

And right now, he was even confused. Was it possible that Sky liked him more than he had imagined?

The thought excited him. He liked it.

Chris let out a shaky breath, finally smirking despite himself. "Damn," he muttered, tilting his head slightly. "You really are a little possessive, huh?"

Sky’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then, instead of denying it, he just looked pointedly at Chris as he said, "You knew that already."

Chris’s heart definitely skipped a beat.

Shit.

Chris let Sky’s words settle between them, feeling the heat crawl up his neck. Find them? Was this guy serious?

The possessiveness in Sky’s tone had been unexpected—thrilling, even—but Chris wasn’t about to let it slide without pushing back just a little.

Chris’s smirk was slow, deliberate. He tilted his head slightly, his fingers ghosting over Sky’s waist, sending a shiver down the other boy’s spine.

"Alright," he murmured, his voice dipping into something almost dangerously soft. "Let’s say I clear them all out. Every single one of them." He leaned in just enough to close the space between them, enough for Sky to feel the warmth radiating off him. "What do I get in return?"

Sky stiffened, his grip faltering slightly.

Chris caught the hesitation, and his smirk deepened. Gotcha.

He let the question hang, heavy between them. Then, with the barest hint of amusement laced in his tone, he added, "Do you... want to date me, Sky?"

The words sent an immediate, electric jolt through Sky.

His reaction was instant. Too instant.

Sky’s eyes widened, panic flashing across his face before he ripped himself away from Chris like he’d been burned. His step back was sharp, almost clumsy, and his ears turned an unmistakable shade of red.

Wasn’t he just being all creepy? How could a simple question turn him into... this?

Chris watched him closely. Not sure if he was supposed to be amused.