Chapter 192: We Have A Special Relationship
Yelena looked into his eyes, really looked this time, and for a brief, dizzying heartbeat, she forgot how to breathe. His eyes were always dark, black as polished obsidian—but right now they seemed bottomless. She could see her own reflection in them, every flicker of breath, every shiver of movement, perfectly mirrored back at her.
’How can something look so deep...and yet so clear at the same time?’ She thought, lost in his gaze. ’It’s like staring into an abyss that shines.’
For her, Mika’s eyes had always been beautiful, but now they looked almost sacred, an entire world contained within two pools of shadow and light.
A paradise that could vanish if she blinked. She could’ve stayed there forever, drowning in them—if not for his voice cutting softly through her thoughts.
"Yelena..." Mika murmured, his tone low and mischievous. "What if I told you I have a way to make sure you never feel jealous again?"
That caught her attention immediately. Her eyes refocused on him.
"What if I said..." He smiled faintly, almost secretively. "...that even in the future, if I kissed Nadia right on the cheek again—I could tell you something, something that would make you not jealous at all?"
"Something that would make you feel so secure that you’d know you’re above them. That no matter how much affection I show them, you’ll always think, deep down, that you’re the most special?"
The idea lit a spark inside her. Yelena blinked, the words sinking in, twisting through her pride and her heart. It was dangerous bait, and it worked.
Yelena was, by nature, competitive. She always had been. Especially with her sisters. They were her greatest rivals, her dearest family, her constant measuring stick in every field, from battle to beauty to affection.
And when it came to Mika? The thought of having a secret edge, a claim over him that no one else did, was intoxicating.
But beyond that, she was tired of this jealousy. It wasn’t her. It felt foreign, ugly, and it gnawed at her more than she’d admit. She didn’t want to feel it again, especially not toward her own family.
So she leaned forward, still perched on the desk, eyes locked on him with fierce determination.
"Then tell me." She said, almost pleading. "Whatever it is that’s on your mind, just tell me. I don’t care what it is, Mika. I just...I don’t want to feel jealous anymore."
Her voice softened, her expression turning almost vulnerable.
"Unlike you, I don’t find myself adorable when I’m jealous. I just feel...weird. Awful, even. So please, just tell me what you’re thinking."
For a moment, Mika looked like he was going to answer immediately. She too expected his usual teasing reply, or at least that confident smirk he wore when he was about to gloat about something clever...but instead, Mika hesitated.
His playful expression flickered into one of awkwardness. He scratched the back of his head, avoiding her gaze.
"Actually..." He muttered. "...never mind, Yelena."
"What? What do you mean, never mind?" She blinked in confusion.
"I actually shouldn’t have said anything. It’s honestly kind of awkward." He sighed, looking genuinely sheepish, or at least pretending to be. "I just blurted it out in the moment to make you feel better, but now that I think about it..." He rubbed his temple with a nervous chuckle. "It’s really not something I should’ve brought up."
"What?" Yelena frowned, her confusion deepening. "You can’t just say that and stop halfway!"
"I’m serious." He said, looking away again. "Forget it, okay? I shouldn’t even be talking about something like that with you."
But she didn’t let go. Her hand darted forward, catching his wrist, pulling him back toward her.
"No, Mika." She said firmly. "You’re not escaping this conversation. Tell me what it is."
He looked at her, startled.
"I don’t care how awkward it is." She pressed on. "I need to know. Do you have any idea how horrible jealousy feels? If my sisters found out about this, they’d never let me live it down. Nadia would smirk in her mind, Fauna would tease me into oblivion, and the other..." She groaned. "...I don’t want to even think about it!"
"So, Mika. Tell me. Right now." Her grip on his hand tightened.
He sighed again, looking almost pained. "It’s not that simple, Yelena. It’s...awkward. And honestly, I really shouldn’t—"
"I don’t care if it’s awkward." She interrupted firmly. "You and I, we’ve already been through enough weirdness together, haven’t we?"
Her voice softened, her cheeks tinting faintly pink.
"After everything we’ve done...everything we’ve shared...I don’t think there’s anything left for either of us to be embarrassed about. So, no more hiding. Just say it."
Mika blinked, as if caught off guard by her straightforwardness. For a moment, he stayed still, then sighed again, slower this time.
"...You really want to know?"
She nodded, determination flashing in her eyes.
He hesitated, frowning as if reluctant, but inside, his mind was already working, spinning. This was the moment he’d been waiting for.
If he told her outright, she’d reject the idea immediately. But if he played the hesitant, reluctant one, then she’d want the truth, she’d ask for it.
And so, with a quiet sigh, he finally gave in.
"Alright, Yelena..." He said softly. "..since you really want to know, I’ll tell you."
Her eyes lit up, excitement flickering across her face as she sat up straighter, leaning forward expectantly.
"The truth is..." Mika smiled faintly, hiding the scheming gleam in his eyes. "What I was going to say isn’t that different from what you were just talking about."
She blinked. "Huh?"
"It’s about our closeness." He explained, still speaking slowly, carefully. "You see, the reason you don’t have to feel jealous...is because of the bond between us."
"The kind of intimacy we share is something I don’t have with anyone else. Not Nadia. Not any of your sisters."
Yelena tilted her head, her blush deepening slightly at the word intimacy, though she didn’t look away.
"What does that even mean, Mika? What does how close we are have to do with my jealousy?"
Mika let out a strained groan, rubbing the back of his neck as if trying to physically ease the tension gathering there.
"I really thought this would be enough for you to understand, Yelena." He muttered, half to himself, half to her. "Didn’t want to be so direct with it, but..." He glanced up at her, eyes low, voice softening as he said. "Guess I’ll have to make you properly understand."
Yelena tilted her head, nervous and curious all at once, as he smiled faintly, a small, sly curve of his lips.
"You know how close we’ve been lately, right? Ever since we started spending time together again. You’ve noticed it, how different it feels between us and how we do thing that we normally never do."
At that, Yelena froze. Memories flooded back, of last night, of his voice whispering against her skin, of every stolen breath and unspoken word. She swallowed hard and nodded quickly, cheeks warming.
"Y-Yeah." She mumbled, trying not to meet his gaze. "You...You definitely haven’t done those things with anyone else. I was the only one."
Then she hesitated, suspicion flickering through her embarrassment. "That is the truth, right? You haven’t done any of that with my sisters?"
"Of course it’s true." Mika chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "You were the first person I saw after everything changed. I haven’t even met the others properly yet."
Her shoulders relaxed with a quiet sigh of relief.
"Good." She whispered.
"Now..." He continued. "Can you list the ways I’ve treated you differently? The...intimate ways?"
Her face reddened so fast it made him grin. "W-What? Doing it was already embarrassing enough, but now you’re asking me to say it out loud?" She stammered.
"You don’t have to say everything." He murmured, brushing her knuckles with his thumb. "Just vaguely enough so both of us know what you mean."
She hesitated, biting her lip before whispering.
"Well...first, you kissed me in places where you wouldn’t kiss others."
"But you let me." He laughed softly.
"Only because it’s you..." Her cheeks flamed, and she muttered.
"And then..." She continued, voice trembling. "You spoke to me in a way that you’d never speak to my sisters. It would be...disrespectful, rude even. I’m the only one who’d ever accommodate that kind of dirty talk."
Her body grew warmer by the word, and she dropped her gaze to his hands resting between them. Slowly, she brushed her fingertips across his fists.
"And...these hands of yours, Mika...they touched parts of me that you could never touch on any of my sisters bodies. They’ve been...intimate with me."
He chuckled softly, watching her avert her eyes.
"Touched you where, exactly?" He asked, teasingly quiet, leaning in until his breath brushed her cheek. "Maybe you could show me...place my hand there?"
Her eyes widened. "W-What? N-No, that’s too—"
But his gaze, steady and coaxing, melted her protest. She swallowed, trembling slightly as she reached for his wrist and guided his hand behind her, pressing it down over the curve of her plump bottom.
"Like here..." She whispered, voice nearly breaking. "You touched me right here, Mika. On my butt...you grabbed me, squeezed me—"
"Exactly." He smiled slowly, his gaze locking onto hers. "That’s what I mean, Yelena. That’s the difference. That’s what makes you unique."
"Unique?" Her breath hitched.
He nodded. "The others? I’ve only ever given them small gestures. A hug here, a kiss there. But you—" He leaned in, voice low and certain ".,.you’ve had something more. Something only you’ll ever have."
Yelena felt her pulse race. She didn’t even know why, but hearing that made her feel powerful. Special.
"So you see?" Mika said softly, tilting her chin up with his fingers. "There’s no reason to feel jealous. No matter how much affection I show your sisters, they’ll never have what we have. They’ll never know me the way you do."
She nodded, eyes downcast, conflicted between shame and warmth, but he wasn’t finished.
"And remember..." He said, voice low, intimate. "...there’s a place I kissed you, a very intimate place, that I’ve never kissed any of them, and never will. Do you remember what place that is?"
Her brows drew together, confusion flickering across her face.
"My neck?" She guessed. "Or my collarbone? You kissed me there...you were kissing and sucking me like, like you were starving, like I was something sweet." Her blush deepened until it reached the tips of her ears. "Almost like you were a bat and I was covered in honey."
He chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"No. But close. Think lower. Much lower." His voice thinned to a whisper, each word humming with quiet heat. "The most intimate place I kissed you last night."
Her lips parted as her mind raced—her cheeks going warm as the realization hit.
There was only one place, one memory so vivid she could still feel the lingering heat of his mouth there. Her breath caught, eyes darting away as she trembled.
"Ah." Mika’s smile deepened. "It seems like you finally understand, Irena." He said softly. "Now, tell me what you realized."
Her throat tightened. "I-IT’S...awkward." She whispered, her voice barely there. "You really want me to say it?"
"Come on." He coaxed, leaning closer again, fingers still firm on her bottom. "You were the one who wanted to talk about this. Don’t shy away now. You and I...we’re past that kind of modesty, aren’t we?"
Her pulse raced, and finally, in a trembling whisper, she admitted.
"It...it was my nipple, Mika. You kissed it last night. Just one. That’s what you’re talking about, isn’t it?"
His eyes brightened instantly, and a low hum of approval escaped him.
"Exactly, Yelena. That’s exactly what I was talking about." His excitement seemed to ripple through him, pulling her closer. "That’s what I’ve been trying to make you see. I haven’t given anyone else that kind of intimacy."
"With them it’s just hugs, kisses, maybe a little warmth, but you, Yelena..." His hands slid up her sides, tracing the curve of her waist. "You’ve gotten something extra. My touch with you, it’s deeper, hungrier. My kiss with you, more loving, more passionate. Even now..." He squeezed her bottom again. "...it’s only you who feels this from me."
Her breath stuttered, and she nodded faintly, unable to look at him as he went on.
"Even if I’m affectionate with the others, it’s not the same. They don’t have what we have. Do you really think I’ve ever kissed the nipple of any of your sisters?"
She shook her head quickly, whispering, "No, never."
"Exactly." His smile softened. "You’re the only one. The only one I’ve done that with." His gaze locked on hers. "Now tell me, how does that make you feel? Aside from being a little shy about it."
She blinked, thinking hard, and found herself surprised by what she felt. She’d expected disgust or shame, but instead, the thought warmed her from within.
"I guess..." She murmured. "It makes me feel...proud, maybe? Like I have something with you that no one else does. Something private. Special. Like..." She swallowed, smiling faintly. "like what’s between us belongs only to us."
Mika’s grin widened.
"Finally." He said, pleased. "That’s what I wanted you to see. With that thought in mind, you’ll never need to feel jealous again. You’ll know you’re already the closest."
She nodded slowly, her heart light, her earlier awkwardness fading beneath that new sense of belonging. She thought briefly how easily he’d changed her mind, and how strangely good it felt that he had.
Maybe he was just too good with his words...or maybe she was simply too weak for him.
And then, just when her relief settled in, he tilted his head and asked, almost casually,
"But at the same time, Yelena...don’t you think I should kiss that nipple again? Properly this time. Maybe give it a little sucking too, like get real deep in there so the memory stays right where it should, and you’ll never forget it?"