Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 216: Free. Light. Beautiful.

Chapter 216: Free. Light. Beautiful.

Sky froze, lips parting slightly.

Chris stumbled over his words, his voice low and uncertain. "W-We don’t have to, like... kiss in public. Or— or do couple-y stuff out where people can see. Hell, we could even... I don’t know, be a secret, if that’s what you need."

He paused, swallowing hard, his fingers twitching slightly where they rested on Sky’s arm.

"I just..." He exhaled shakily. "I need something. A name. A label. Anything that tells me I’m not the only one feeling all of this. I know I promised not to rush you. But then..." he stopped.

Sky was watching him. And it annoyed Chris a little—how he could look at Sky and still have no idea what was going on behind that perfectly blank face. He had mastered the art of straight-faced mystery. It was frustrating.

Chris looked almost embarrassed but his mouth kept moving before his brain could catch up.

"I mean—we don’t even have to do, like, couple stuff at all," he blurted. "No sex. None. I swear. I don’t want to have sex with you—no, wait, I would have sex with you, I mean—God!"

He slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide in horror. "Oh my God. I’m an idiot. A complete idiot who should probably shut up now."

His face flushed bright red as he groaned and dropped his head onto Sky’s shoulder, muffling a mortified, "Please kill me."

Sky let out a low chuckle, but it lacked his usual sass—it was quieter, tinged with something vulnerable.

Well, he was laughing. That had to be a good sign, right?

Sky’s fingers played absently with the fabric of Chris’s shirt. Then, barely above a whisper, he asked, "You don’t mind it? M-Me?"

Chris slowly lifted his head, locking eyes with him. "No. I don’t mind it. You."

Sky stared at him for a long, silent moment, then his voice barely rose above a whisper, "If..." he closed his eyes and exhaled then opened the again. "Let’s say... I say yes... you can’t take it back." Sky said quietly, his voice almost inaudible.

"You can’t wake up tomorrow and change your mind."

There was a shift in his tone, soft yet intense—a mix of a warning and a promise, heavy with meaning. It wasn’t just insecurity in his voice. It was the part of him that Chris was starting to understand—the obsessive, fiercely loyal side that clung to what it wanted and never let go.

"Look Chris," Sky looked serious now. He faced him. Fully. "I don’t think I... I know how to not get into this hard," Sky admitted, almost like a confession. "So if I say yes... y-you’re in trouble." His voice was quiet.

He sounded vulnerable. Like he wanted Chris to change his mind and tell him to forget about it. But at the same time, he looked like there would be a problem if Chris took his words back. A serious one.

Chris raised an eyebrow, his voice calm but teasing. "Am I not already in trouble?" he asked, his eyes searching Sky’s face.

Sky stiffened slightly, his gaze flickering with something unreadable. Chris pressed on, "Would you be okay with me having someone else now? Even without any titles over our head?"

Sky’s breath caught, his eyes narrowing. The shift in him was subtle but there. It wasn’t just jealousy—it was something deeper, more possessive. Something that made Chris feel the full weight of his words.

Sky looked away, then back again, softer this time. "I don’t want to trap you," he said honestly. "I don’t want you to be wary of me. Because... I know myself. And I wouldn’t want you to deal with any of that—"

"You want me, don’t you?" Chris interrupted.

Sky bit his lower lip. He didn’t say a word but Chris was waiting.

Chris narrowed his eyes. "Stop trying to seduce me with that and answer the damn question." He gently reached for Sky’s chin, tugging it so he’d stop.

Sky huffed. "Chris, do not ask me stupid questions. I came to this whole-ass strange place for you."

Chris almost laughed.

Typical of Sky to not use words.

"We’re fully exclusive then. If you... want." Sky said softly. In that tone. That uncertainty.

"’If you want’?" Chris pushed back to him.

Sky sighed, then gave a small nod. "I... well, I want it. I guess."

"You guess?"

Sky blushed, groaning. "For fuck’s sake, Chris—"

Chris laughed. "Okay, okay. I’ll let you be."

They stared at each other. Smiles playing on their lips but not fully blossoming.

It was... cute.

"I will... stop being nice with everyone else." Sky said, almost like a vow.

Chris tilted his head, his brow furrowing slightly. "You don’t need to do that," he said gently, reaching out to touch Sky’s arm.

But Sky shook his head. "I will. I don’t care about anyone else." The words were simple but packed with an intensity that made Chris’s heart flutter unexpectedly. It was oddly sweet in a way that both comforted and unsettled him.

Chris smiled, but part of him already knew—eventually, he’d have to suggest therapy. He wanted Sky to be whole. Free. The most authentic version of himself—free from the weight of everything that held him down.

Shifting the topic, Chris asked, "Just out of curiosity... would you like it if your friends and Rain... came here for a while?"

Sky’s expression shifted, eyes alert. "Here?" he asked, his voice edged with uncertainty.

Chris nodded. "Maybe not here here, but... one of the parents’ vacation homes on the outskirts. I know you may hate this... but they are kinda like my friends in extention and I may be able to just book something and have them all fly here cause I miss them. There would be Wilson too. And Rachel."

He was blabbing again.

Sky didn’t answer immediately. He looked at Chris and Chris was sure his face must have given it away. How desperate he was for Sky to say yes.

He wanted Sky to be with people who made him happy and comfortable. He would have also added Mei too but he didn’t know the full story about them yet and he didn’t trust that boyfriend snatcher even though she was cute. So nope.

"No royal butlers?" Sky finally asked, teasing.

Chris laughed. "Nope. Somewhere without royal butlers. But we’ll be the butlers ourselves. The less asshole-ic kind. Like Leon."

Sky’s eyes glinted with amusement. "I guess I can live with that," he said, a smirk forming on his face. "I can even teach them how to use a fork cutlery."

"To do what? Stab someone?" Chris asked.

"Tempting..."

They laughed.

It was free. Light. Beautiful.

Like the image of Sky Chris had painted in his head.

Free.

Light.

Beautiful.

I love you.

Fuck!

He almost said it again.