Chapter 186: You Two Are Driving Me Crazy!
Yelena’s whole body slumped as she muttered under her breath.
"This isn’t fair...it’s two against one...I hate both of you so much..."
But just as Yelena whispered her defeated words—Mika slid up beside her in one smooth, mischievous motion, his shoulder brushing hers, his grin far too confident.
And before she could even turn her head to snap at him, his hand darted down and landed a sharp smack on her butt.
Slap!
"Hmm!♡~"
The sound cracked through the room like a firecracker. Yelena jolted as if she’d been shot, her whole body tensing before she stumbled forward, slamming right into his chest. Her cheeks burned, both from the suddenness and from the unmistakable jiggling sensation that followed.
Mika then leaned down, his mouth right by her ear, voice low and threatening in that way he knew made her knees weak.
"Even though you say that you hate me, Yelena..." His hand slid over the curve of her backside, squeezing possessively as his grin widened. "I for one love you very much. But, Yelena, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell those little ’truths’ anymore."
He gave another firm squeeze, making her bite back a whimper.
"If Nadia actually came over here..." He murmured, still in that deceptively light tone. "...things would get...disastrous. Unless you want me shipped off somewhere, you’d better keep that lovely mouth shut for now."
Yelena’s breath hitched, her spine arching slightly against his hand. It wasn’t pain that ran through her, more like an electric jolt, a pulse that made her toes curl.
"F-Fine, I’ll be quite. Now let my butt go..." She squeaked, her face hot as she instinctively nodded, obedient and flustered all at once.
Satisfied, Mika finally let go, and she exhaled shakily, relief and residual heat swirling inside her.
On Nadia’s end, a faint frown appeared. "What was that sound just now? It sounded like something exploded."
Mika, without missing a beat, straightened and waved it off casually. "Probably Charlotte at the dining table." He said smoothly. "You know how clumsy she is. She must’ve dropped a plate or something."
"Of course." Nadia nodded immediately. "She used to break plates all the time as a child. It must be the same."
Meanwhile, Yelena stood there, still reeling from that single strike, the lingering warmth on her butt a reminder that she’d just been completely outmaneuvered. Her instincts screamed to fight back, to barge into the conversation, but the memory of that precise, teasing swat made her clamp her lips shut.
One more step out of line and she knew he’d do it again, maybe even worse, and in front of Nadia’s feed? No way.
Her hands balled at her sides as she muttered under her breath. "You infuriating jerk..." but deep down, the shiver that ran through her betrayed how effective his little "reminder" had been.
Mika ignored Yelena entirely, even though she was staring at him with a flustered, narrow-eyed glare that practically screamed "I’ll deal with you later." He didn’t even glance her way; instead, he shifted his attention to Nadia on the screen, his expression slipping into an easy, confident smile.
"So..." He began, folding his arms casually. "What exactly is this all about? I know this meeting wasn’t supposed to have me in it, but since I’m already here..." He tilted his head slightly. "Is it alright if I sit in? Or is this one of those top-secret things where you throw me out halfway through?"
"Of course you can, Mika." Nadia’s eyes brightened in a way it did in Mika’s presence as she went on to say in a fond manner. "If you wanted you can even sit in any sort of meeting in the entire world, no matter how secretive it may be. I can easily arrange that for you."
Her gaze softened slightly as she went on.
"I even have a few meetings lined up later anyway, one with the President of a leading guild, a couple with royal families. If you wish, you can attend those too. I’ll make the arrangements."
Yelena twitched visibly at the way Nadia said it, like Mika was some pampered prince. Mika, of course, only grinned wider, basking in how blatantly she spoiled him.
But then Nadia’s expression shifted. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she leaned closer to the camera.
"But before that...you forgot to give me something."
Mika blinked. "Huh?"
"Something you always give me whenever we meet after a long time." Nadia’s tone stayed completely serious.
For a moment, Mika stood there blankly, scratching his cheek. Then realization dawned on his face, and he snapped his fingers.
"Oh! Right. I totally forgot."
Before Yelena could make sense of what was happening, Mika walked straight toward the large holographic screen. He spread his arms wide and, to her absolute bewilderment, pressed himself against it in a big, earnest hug.
"What—what are you doing?!" Yelena couldn’t help but ask in confusion, at why he was pampering a screen.
But what came next was even more insane. Nadia, on the other side of the call, rose smoothly from her chair. She walked over to her webcam setup, wrapped her arms around it, and pressed herself against her own screen, mirroring Mika.
She was actually hugging her monitor.
Both of them were locked in a ’virtual embrace’ their bodies leaning against the screens like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Are you two out of your minds?!" Yelena exclaimed, waving her hands at them. "You’re hugging screens! Screens! Do you hear yourselves?!"
But Mika only glanced at her over his shoulder with a sly smile. "You wouldn’t understand, Yelena. This is what we always do when we meet after a long time. A hug’s a hug, no matter the distance."
"But you’re not even meeting each other!" Yelena sputtered. "You’re in two different places! How is this even a hug?!"
Mika just tightened his arms around the screen, eyes closing theatrically. "Doesn’t matter. Some things go beyond logic."
"He’s right." Nadia’s voice came through calmly from the speakers. "There are bonds you can’t expect everyone to grasp." Before then telling to Mika, saying, "Yelena’s always been curious like this Mika, but there are some things she simply won’t understand, and that’s alright. Not everything is for everyone."
"Stop talking about me like I’m not even here!" Yelena snapped.
But Nadia ignored her and turned back to Mika, eyes thoughtful. "Actually, could you do me a favor, Yelena?"
"A favor?" Yelena blinked.
"Yes." Nadia said gently. "Could you go next to Mika and...smell him for me?"
"WHAT?!"
Mika’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t break his calm, only glancing to the side at Yelena’s mortified face.
"Why in the world would I—why would you want me to do something like that?!"
Nadia’s tone was perfectly serious.
"Because whenever Mika and I meet, I always hug him. And when I hug him, I can smell him. He always has a pleasant scent, it calms me down. But this time, since I can’t do that myself, I’d like you to smell him for me."
"You can’t be serious." Yelena said flatly.
"I am." Nadia replied. "It would make this reunion feel more authentic."
"I, this is ridiculous—"
"Please." Nadia interrupted gently, her voice unyielding.
"Fine!" Yelena groaned audibly, pressing a hand to her forehead. "But only because you won’t drop it!"
She stepped toward Mika, who, of course, was still casually hugging the screen with an infuriating grin. Yelena hesitated for a second before leaning closer. Slowly, she sniffed once.
Then again.
And again.
Her eyes softened slightly, despite herself.
"He...actually smells nice." She admitted under her breath. "Sweet, somehow. Like, sunshine. Like a freshly washed blanket that’s been hanging out to dry in the sun all day..."
Mika chuckled quietly, clearly pleased.
"Ah." Nadia said, satisfied. "Then he smells just like he always does. I’d love to bottle that scent and keep it in my office forever, but I can’t, unfortunately."
"Please don’t say things like that so casually." Yelena muttered.
"But, Yelena..." Nadia continued smoothly. "...could you also do one more thing for me?"
"What now?" Yelena narrowed her eyes.
"Could you hug him for me as well?"
"You’ve got to be kidding me." She said while shaking her head
Nadia shook her head calmly as she said, "When we hug, I can tell how much he’s grown, whether he’s been eating well, taking care of himself. I want to know how big he feels now. Could you check that for me?"
Yelena sputtered. "Check, how big heI—"
But Nadia’s look brooked no argument.
Finally, Yelena sighed, utterly defeated. "Fine! Whatever!" She stepped forward, glaring daggers at Mika. "You’d better not enjoy this too much."
Mika’s smirk was immediate. "No promises."
With a flustered huff, she wrapped her arms around him. The moment she did, her face turned a deep shade of red. He was warm, solid, his scent filling her senses, and she realized, horrifyingly, that she could barely get her arms all the way around him, nothing like the boy she easily lift before which made her realise Mika was a man even more then before.
"I...I can barely wrap my arms around him. He’s gotten...bigger. A lot bigger than before."
"Good." Nadia’s satisfied voice floated through the speakers. "That means he’s been eating properly. I’m glad to hear it."
And hearing this, Mika’s expression softened. Despite Nadia’s calm, distant personality, her words carried genuine warmth. She cared, deeply, even if she rarely showed it outright.
A real smile spread across his face as he slowly pulled back from the screen, ending the "hug." Yelena quickly released him too, face beet red from the prolonged contact.
Nadia finally stepped back from her webcam on her end—only for disaster to strike.
As she let go of the monitor, the webcam slipped from her fingers. There was a brief shuffle, and then—
PLOP.
The webcam disappeared into her cleavage.
The screen glowed white, the feed nothing but a blurred softness until the camera refocused—right into the valley of Nadia’s cleavage. The pale of her skin filled the frame, smooth and luminous, her breasts pressed together by a tight purple bra that barely contained their weight.
"Oh dear," she said, her tone calm but teasing, her voice low and honey-sweet through the speakers. "My webcam dropped into my breasts. What am I going to do?"
Her fingers slipped between the soft curves, digging delicately as she tried to retrieve the tiny camera. The movement only made the view bounce and deepen, flesh shifting and pressing against the lens, every inch of her chest under her purple bra glowing under the light. Mika’s lips parted; his breath caught, eyes wide and glued to the screen.
"Ah—hold on—just a bit deeper."
Nadia murmured, laughing softly as her fingertips brushed the edge of the camera. The bra’s fabric stretched, revealing more of the creamy swell beneath, the faint sheen of warmth gathering on her skin.
Yelena’s horrified gasp cracked through the speakers, but Mika didn’t move—his gaze fixed, his grin lazy and thrilled as Nadia’s every motion made the white softness sway.
"NA—NADIA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Mika can see everything right now! Take it out! Take it out!"
Nadia, utterly unbothered, finally fished the camera out and set it back on her monitor. "Calm down, Yelena. It’s just Mika. I wouldn’t mind if he saw me completely naked. I could do this whole meeting without a single stitch on and I wouldn’t care."
Mika immediately brightened. "Then let’s do it. Let’s both get naked right now."
"I am feeling a little chilly." Nadia mused. "Maybe I should." She said before getting up like she was ready to strip down.
But before she could, Yelena exploded.
"NO! Be quiet, both of you! This is supposed to be a meeting, not a strip show! No one is taking their clothes off!"
Mika let out a loud, disappointed sigh, slumping back dramatically. Nadia simply sat back down, expression flat, and stared at Yelena.
"You always have to ruin everything...There’s nothing wrong with a mother and son showing off a little skin to each other." She said calmly to which Mika also agreed by nodding his head.
And hearing this, Yelena looked like she was about to blow a fuse, clutching her head with both hands as if to keep herself from screaming because of Nadia’s ditzy, unpredictable, and clumsy personality, that always drove everyone around her except Mika crazy...