CHAPTER 95: COME CUDDLE WITH ME!

Mika slowly pushed the door open, stepping inside the home he was staying in as quietly as he could. His body wasn’t exhausted in the way that came from fighting or running; no, this was the heavy, draining kind of fatigue that seeped into the mind after centuries in the lucid realm.

All he wanted was to collapse on the bed, bury himself in the sheets, and finally enjoy a dreamless, ordinary sleep.

For once, that sounded heavenly.

He tiptoed across the living room, careful not to make a sound. ’Charlotte and Yelena must already be asleep...’ He thought, suppressing a sigh of relief. ’Good. I can sneak upstairs and crash without anyone noticing.’

But then—

"Where exactly do you think you’re sneaking off to, young man?"

The voice was smooth. Feminine. Gentle...but commanding.

Mika froze in place instantly, his entire body stiff. He didn’t need to look to know who it was, but dread still made him slowly turn his head.

There, lounging lazily on the edge of the sofa, was Yelena. A half-full glass of wine rested in her hand, and the dim glow of the television flickered across her features. She looked like she had been casually watching a movie, but her eyes were locked onto him with a playful, suspicious glint.

And what truly made Mika’s throat dry was her attire.

She wore a silk nightgown, the fabric slipping smoothly over her frame, clinging in all the right places. The neckline dipped low, showing off just enough cleavage to distract him completely, and the gown barely covered her long, pale legs stretched out across the couch. She was relaxed, casual, but in that moment she looked dangerously enticing.

Mika swallowed hard, his fatigue evaporating in an instant...Sleep was the last thing on his mind now after seeing such a sensational sight.

Still, he forced himself to cough lightly and feign composure.

"Ahem...I could ask you the same thing, you know, Yelena." He tried to keep his tone firm, but his eyes betrayed him, flicking once, just once, down her neckline before snapping back up. "You’re the adult here, aren’t you? Supposed to be setting an example for your daughter."

"...And instead of being asleep at a decent hour, here you are, out late, watching TV, drinking wine."

He gave her a disapproving look, trying to seize the upper hand. "Really, Yelena...that makes you out to be a bad parent."

For a moment, silence hung in the air. He thought he might have deflected her questioning.

But Yelena only tilted her head, her lips curving into a knowing smile. She set her glass of wine delicately onto the coffee table in front of her and leaned back slightly, her gown shifting in a way that made Mika’s breath catch.

"You’re wrong." She said softly, her voice warm but carrying an edge. "It’s exactly because I’m an adult that I can do whatever I want."

Mika blinked. "...Huh?"

"That’s the beauty of adulthood." Yelena chuckled. "I’m not bound by curfews, or house rules, or anyone else’s expectations. If I want to watch a movie in the middle of the night, I can. If I want to drink wine before bed, I can. If I want to cook dinner at three in the morning..." Her eyes glimmered with amusement "...I can. That’s adulthood, Mika. Freedom."

Hearing this, Mika’s lips twitched. But only for a moment. He quickly crossed his arms and gave a smug smirk.

"Then I guess that makes me an adult too. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. Which means..." He lifted his chin. "...I don’t need to answer your questions, either."

And with that, he stepped closer. Not because she had beckoned him or because he was submitting to her authority, no.

He did it for himself. To close the gap. To stand where he could see her more clearly, drink in the way the silk gown framed her, the subtle curve of her body, the heat of her presence. His tiredness was gone now, chased away by something else entirely.

But Yelena didn’t flinch. She didn’t even look surprised. Her smile remained, cool and amused.

"What you’re saying might be true." She admitted, her tone light, almost indulgent. "You have grown up from being the little boy you once we’re." Her eyes flicked down, then back up, her expression unreadable. "But here’s the thing, Mika."

Her hand moved suddenly, snapping forward to grab his wrist. Her fingers tightened with surprising strength, holding him in place.

Her eyes then locked onto his, and in that instant, the playful warmth vanished. Her gaze turned cold. Serious.

"You’re in my house." She said flatly. "And in my house, you follow my rules. Which means you answer my questions."

Her grip tightened slightly, enough to make her intent clear.

"So tell me, my little adult.." She said, voice dropping, sharp as a blade. "What exactly were you doing out so late?"

"At dinner, you said you were going to bed early. That was the reason you let me leave. So why..." Her eyes narrowed, suspicion flaring in their depths. "...were you sneaking into the house as if you’d been outside the entire night?"

Her gaze hardened further, no trace of playfulness left now. It was dangerous. Demanding.

"You’d better give me an answer, Mika."

The room was silent except for the faint hum of the TV. Her grip held his wrist in place, her eyes boring into him like she was stripping away every excuse before he could even form it.

And Mika knew, Yelena wasn’t playing anymore. He knew if he didn’t give her something believable now, things would spiral in the wrong direction fast.

So, he let out a deep sigh, lowering his shoulders slightly as if resigning. "Alright, fine...I’ll tell you the truth."

Yelena tilted her head, her grip not loosening an inch. "Go on." She said softly, though her tone was razor-sharp.

"Well, I did say at dinner that I was sleepy, and I meant it." Mika gave a small, weary laugh. "I thought if I went up to bed early, I’d be out cold in minutes. But...I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m in an unfamiliar room. Or maybe it’s because I don’t have my favorite pillow, you know, the one I’ve used since I was a kid."

He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, giving her a sheepish look.

"But no matter what I did, I couldn’t sleep. I just lay there, rolling around, wiggling like an idiot. Nothing worked."

Yelena’s eyes narrowed slightly, studying him, weighing each word like she was trying to catch the lie buried beneath.

Mika continued quickly, filling the silence.

"So after a while I thought, fine, forget it. If I can’t sleep, I’ll go out and walk it off. I slipped outside, wandered into the forest for a bit, let the cool air hit me." He smiled faintly, shrugging. "It worked. By the time I got back, I was actually feeling sleepy again. I was on my way upstairs to finally crash...only to get caught by you."

He gave her a small grin, trying to lighten the tension.

"So? Is that enough of an answer for you or am I going to be grounded for sneaking out?"

Her gaze didn’t soften immediately. Instead, she stared at him, long and hard, her grip still locked on his wrist. Slowly, she asked,

"So you’re telling me...you really were just walking around? Not...doing anything else?"

Her tone was laced with doubt, suspicion curling as she added,

"You know, Mika...ever since a long time ago, you’ve had this tendency to sneak out at night. And usually, whenever you do, some sort of trouble follows, horrible trouble, that has led to horrifying situations."

Her voice dropped, her eyes narrowing further.

"This isn’t another one of those nights, is it?"

Mika gave a sincere shake of his head, even laughing softly, trying to disarm her with ease.

"No, no, not at all. Honestly, I was just walking. That’s it. Nothing more. If you don’t believe me, maybe I should start bringing back proof, like a handful of leaves or a rock or something." He grinned again, playful now, as though to show he had nothing to hide. "I swear, that’s all it was."

Yelena held his gaze for another long, heavy moment. Her sharp eyes moved across his face, looking for cracks in the mask, some flicker of dishonesty. But eventually, her grip softened. She let out a long breath, finally releasing his wrist.

"I see..." She said quietly. "If it’s like that, then there’s no problem." She leaned back against the sofa, picking up her glass again. "I suppose I can understand. I’ve had plenty of nights where I couldn’t sleep either."

Her lips curved faintly as she swirled the wine in her glass.

"On those nights, I usually go out into the gardens. The night air...it really does help."

Mika nodded along quickly, a small smile tugging at his lips. But inside, his thoughts were different.

He knew Yelena wasn’t someone who could be easily fooled. She had a sharpness to her, a way of picking apart lies until nothing remained. With most people, she could spot dishonesty in an instant.

But with him...things were different. She doubted, yes. She tested. But eventually, she always yielded, always trusted him.

It was heartwarming in its own way. She believed in him, believed him, in ways she never would with anyone else.

"So then..." Mika asked casually, tilting his head at her. "What about you, Miss Yelena? It’s already so late. Why are you up? Couldn’t sleep either?"

Yelena shook her head lightly, her eyes turning toward the TV screen, where muted colors flickered across the room.

"No. I’m just doing what I’ve always done." Her voice softened, almost fond. "I’m watching an old vintage movie. One I’d been meaning to watch for a while. I finally got my hands on it, and...well, here I am."

Then she turned to him, her gaze shifting from suspicion to something gentler, warmer. A fond smile tugged at her lips.

"Just like we used to do in the past. You remember, don’t you like we talked at dinner? I’d put on these movies late at night, and you’d always wander in and join me."

Mika blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in her tone and before he could say anything, her hand slid forward again, not to grip his wrist this time, but to hold his hand, fingers wrapping firmly around his.

The cheer in her voice rang clear, almost playful, but underneath was something else, something that longed.

"So since you’re already up." She said brightly. "I won’t scold you anymore." She leaned closer, her eyes sparkling with sudden excitement. "But instead, why don’t you join me?"

"...Sit with me, watch the movie. Just like old times."

Before he could even reply, her eyes lit up further, and the controlled, elegant composure she usually wore seemed to crack, giving way to something far more animated, almost childlike. Her lips curved into a wider smile, and her voice carried a warmth that trembled with genuine excitement.

"It’ll be just like before!" She burst out, leaning in a little, her eyes shimmering with the spark of nostalgia. "We can cuddle up on the sofa, with a blanket wrapped around us so we don’t even feel the cold."

"I’ll make sure it’s the softest one, I still have the old quilt tucked away in the closet. Remember how we used to fight over who got the bigger half of it? This time, I’ll let you win."

Her laughter spilled out, unrestrained, before she continued with growing eagerness.

"And I’ll even make snacks. Not just the boring ones, I’ll do popcorn, the buttery kind you love, and chips, and maybe even those little sandwiches I used to make when we were younger."

"You can pick anything you want, Mika. I’ll bring it all right to the coffee table, and we won’t have to move for hours...Doesn’t that sound perfect?"

Her hands fluttered as she spoke, as though her excitement couldn’t be contained, and she tilted her head, searching his face for any sign of agreement.

"Come on, Mika, doesn’t that sound fun? Just like in the past, you and me, laughing at the dumb parts, you teasing me whenever I got too scared, me pretending I wasn’t but hiding under the blanket anyway."

"...We don’t have to worry about anything else. Just us, the screen, the blanket, and the night stretching out as long as we want it to."

Her voice softened at the end, almost pleading now, as though the image of that memory-turned-plan meant more to her than she was willing to admit.

"Say yes, won’t you? Just one night, like the old times. I want that again. I want...us again."