CHAPTER 456: PHOTO

It was a wild goose chase in the imagination of a certain redhead who just enjoyed watching.

But in reality?

It was much less goose, and much more wolf.

Because the supposed hunters—those quiet, patient, dangerously attractive wolves—were simply circling, waiting for their prey to get tired, cornered, and possibly a little sleepy.

Which was exactly what happened.

Because for reasons unknown to science and self-preservation, Luca and Ollie insisted on studying for the rest of the day like the fate of the galaxy depended on it.

Ollie, for one, felt like he was reliving a past life of academic torture—except this time it was voluntary, and every time someone suggested they could stop, he broke into a cold sweat. He was going to cry, possibly vomit, or both. But he refused to face the outside world, and by the end of it, he felt like this was going to top his old memory of being tortured by his dear brother.

On the other hand, Luca seemed perfectly fine camping out on the library floor even after the authorities confirmed it was safe to return to their dorms.

Because how exactly was he supposed to face Xavier after what happened earlier?

Short answer? He wouldn’t.

For when the small, exhausted creatures finally fell asleep in the quiet corners of the reopened library, they were very easy to collect.

And that was how Luca found himself waking up hours later to something broad.

Solid.

And bare.

A chest.

A very nice, very firm, very unmistakably Xavier-shaped chest.

"???"

"!!!"

Luca jolted awake like a startled chipmunk.

And promptly almost fell off the bed.

Strong arms caught him before he could go tumbling—arms he recognized instantly, which only made things worse.

"Ah—!" he squeaked, looking anywhere but directly at the owner of those arms.

The ceiling. The wall. The blanket. The corner of the pillowcase.

Anywhere but Xavier’s face.

Because what face? He didn’t see a face. He refused.

Xavier, for his part, said nothing at first. He just pulled Luca into a quiet hug, firm and cool, grounding like gravity itself.

"Eh???" The little chipmunk chirped, confused and soft in his bewilderment.

"I’m sorry," Xavier murmured against his hair, "I just...missed you."

Luca’s heart skipped. "M-Missed me?"

"You ran away," Xavier added gently.

"I—I didn’t run away!" Luca said instinctively, before wilting as he was just not built to lie. "Okay, maybe I did. But not—okay, I’m sorry!"

He looked like he wanted to disappear beneath the covers, ears red and twitching.

"And also... I—uh, I might’ve searched for things about you on the forums," he confessed, voice getting smaller as he tried listing the sins he needed to apologize for.

However, Xavier didn’t respond immediately, which only made Luca panic more.

But then, the prince leaned back just enough to look him in the eyes, gaze calm and clear.

"There’s nothing to be sorry about," he said softly. "I’m yours."

The surprised wife blinked.

"You can search," Xavier continued, "and keep all the photos and videos you want. You can even take more. Yourself."

Luca sucked in a breath. "But—"

"But?" Xavier echoed, tilting his head slightly, eyes sharp and focused.

And then, as his mouth opened in protest, the prince cut him off, smooth and genuinely not offended.

"Embarrassed?" Xavier tilted his head. "But I’m your husband. You’ve seen and touched more than anyone else ever will."

Luca turned bright red, images of everything he had seen and seriously touched flashing like his mind was unearthing things he had tried to repress.

"And," Xavier added, completely unfazed, "you can always do that again. Whenever you want."

His poor brain gave up.

His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. He looked like a flustered goldfish caught in a sauna.

The husband, very satisfied, moved his arm to access his terminal.

"And just so you know," he continued, pulling up a photo, "I have this."

He turned the screen toward Luca, who blinked, then squinted at the sight before him.

It was a young man, smiling, golden eyes bright, captured at the exact moment he’d successfully finished his testing within the range.

"That’s...me?" Luca whispered, stunned.

"Yes." Xavier’s voice was warm.

Luca didn’t remember the photo being taken. "When...?"

"Our first day back in school," Xavier said. "Right after you tested your materialized bandalore."

Luca’s fingers curled over the edge of the blanket, utterly confused. "Why are you showing me this?"

Xavier looked him straight in the eye.

"So I can ask your opinion on it."

Luca’s chest twisted.

"Is that embarrassing? Is it bad that I have this with me so that I can have something to look at when I miss you?" Xavier asked.

"N-No!" Luca blurted, turning three shades of red. "There’s nothing embarrassing about that at all!"

"Then why are you embarrassed about keeping photos of me?" Xavier asked smoothly. "Do I look bad? Am I hard to look at?"

Luca panicked. "No! You’re—you’re not! You’re the opposite of that!"

Xavier captured his flailing hand with ease and gently brought it to rest against his cheek.

"Then don’t be embarrassed anymore, because it’s the same for me," he said quietly. "You just said nothing is embarrassing about it, right?"

Luca stared at him, then down at the holographic projection of the terminal again.

There was a long pause before he mumbled, "I’m just...not used to seeing my face in photos or videos."

Xavier’s expression shifted. He felt somewhat lacking for not anticipating something like this, but at the same time, he was angry with the universe and with himself for missing something important.

"I didn’t really have many pictures taken before," Luca admitted. "And...even then, the face...it was a bit different from this."

Xavier went very still.

Then, without a word, he shifted his wife gently, resting his chin atop Luca’s head, one arm cradling the back of it like something fragile. He lowered his head and kissed Luca’s forehead.

Luca flushed instantly, small and stunned, against his husband, whose movements surprised him.

Then—click—Xavier took a photo and tilted the screen for the guy in his arms to see.

"We should take more photos," The budding photographer said softly. "Photos of you, photos of me, photos of us together. So you’ll get used to it all. Used to how we look together."

Luca’s heart clenched.

He was overwhelmed. Dazed. He didn’t even know what to do when Xavier asked, "May I use this one as my terminal background?"

"W-Why?" Golden eyes trembled, suddenly panicked at that question he’s only ever heard now.

"So I can see you every time I open it," The prince said, as if it were the most obvious thing. "Then maybe I won’t feel so annoyed every time it rings."

The surprised little chipmunk felt like crying. Back then, people didn’t even want to stand beside him in pictures—they said they’d be cursed. Said they’d die. So, save for the required ID photos for the government, he didn’t really have anything that had other people on it.

But here was Xavier...asking if he could keep Luca’s face, their faces, which were together in one photo, smack dab on his terminal.

"Are you alright?" He asked, noticing his wife’s silence and unsettled expression. "I should’ve asked before taking that photo. I’m sorry."

But the touched guy was fine. His heart was just full. Overwhelmed. Like he was going to explode anytime.

Luca shook his head quickly and suddenly clutched Xavier’s sleeve. "Me too!" he blurted as if scared he’d miss his chance.

"I want it too. That photo. I want to use it too!" He panted, his face all red as he practically screeched that out.

Xavier looked surprised for once, but only for a heartbeat. He quickly sent the photo over, and Luca accepted it like he was cradling something precious.

He stared at it for a long, long time.

Then looked up at the real thing beside him and smiled.

It was a sincere one that almost gutted the prince, who generally disliked having his pictures taken.

But that was yesterday. Today was clearly a new day, a perfect one to implement changes.

"We’ll take as many pictures as you want," Xavier murmured. "Enough to fill our terminals."

And he meant it.

Because from that day on, the Imperial Crown Prince would wear whatever silly hat, prop, or expression Luca wanted—and pose for every photo.

It would become a sight that witnesses would never forget. And one they’d hold onto when things got hard.