Fallen General's Omega (BL)
Chapter 108: Peace

Chapter 108: Peace

I watch Noelle intently as he continues to tend to the wound on my left leg, his gentle hands moving with such precision and care. His face is focused, and I can’t help but admire the way the soft afternoon light bathes him in a warm glow, making him look even more ethereal than usual. He’s the love of my life, and in moments like this, the quiet simplicity of his presence feels like a blessing I don’t deserve.

Just then, Grape, this infamous bird, flutters into the greenhouse, breaking the stillness. I gesture for Grape’s personal maid to leave, not wanting an audience for this small piece of peace Noelle and I have found together. The bird lands on my outstretched forefinger, its weight a familiar presence. I raise an eyebrow at the puffed-up creature and smirk.

"Aren’t you too fat?" I tease, watching as Grape preens proudly, cooing as if I’d just paid it the highest compliment. Only Grape would interpret an insult as flattery. Does he even understand me, I look at it. Probably does.

Noelle chuckles softly at the interaction, the sound like music in the quiet space, and for a moment, I’m transported back to last winter, to the hill where we spent months together, isolated from the world. It was the first time in my life that I had felt something akin to peace.

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Last Winter

The world outside the window was nothing but a blanket of pure white, snow stretching as far as the eye could see. The cold was biting, and on days like this, the injury in my leg throbbed incessantly, a dull ache that had become a part of me. But even with the pain, there was peace. Real, tangible peace that I had never known before.

I heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching and turned just as Noelle entered the room, carrying a cup of hot water and a pouch of herbs. I grimaced at the sight, already knowing what he was going to make me drink.

"Don’t be like that. It’s for your own good," Noelle said, his laughter light, teasing. His presence was a comfort, a balm to the ache in my leg and the one in my heart.

I scrunched my face, trying to convey just how much I despised the taste of those herbs. "You can’t seriously expect me to drink that," I muttered, but even I could hear the petulance in my voice.

Noelle just rolled his eyes at me, the corners of his mouth quirking up. "Don’t be a big baby, Thorne."

A big baby? Me? I chuckled softly at that, the sound foreign in my own ears. Spending time with Noelle had shown me parts of myself I never knew existed. I had never had anyone take care of me before—never had anyone who wanted to. And now, with him, I was discovering what it felt like to let go, to not always be the strong one, the untouchable one. It was... freeing. And terrifying.

But mostly freeing.

Grape flew into the room then, the small bird landing squarely on my head, settling in as if it had found the perfect perch. I sighed, pretending to be annoyed, but the truth was, I had grown fond of the bird’s antics. "If you poop on my head, you’re sleeping outside," I muttered half-heartedly.

The bird nestled in further, making itself comfortable, and I could almost feel it smirking at me—just like Noelle often did.

"He knows that’s an empty threat," Noelle said, laughing as he brought the steaming cup of herbal concoction toward me. I grimaced again, leaning away like a child refusing medicine.

"I don’t wanna," I mumbled, half-pleading.

His green eyes narrowed in mock sternness. "Thorne, you’re acting ridiculous. Just drink it. Right, Grape?" I looked to the bird for backup, but the traitorous creature stayed silent, clearly on Noelle’s side.

Reluctantly, I gulped it down, the bitter taste lingering on my tongue.

"There’s a good boy," Noelle said, his voice softening as he leaned forward to kiss my forehead.

I froze, my heart stuttering in my chest. It was such a small gesture, but to me, it meant everything. As he left the room, I turned my gaze back to the window, the snow outside blurring with the unshed tears in my eyes. I wasn’t crying. I wasn’t. It was just the cold, the winter air making my eyes sting. That’s what I told myself, anyway.

---

Present Day

The light shines just right on Noelle’s face now, casting him in the same golden glow that I’ve come to associate with everything beautiful in my life. I love him so much. It’s overwhelming at times, this feeling that swells in my chest, this warmth that I don’t know how to name. I watch him as if he’s the sun itself, lighting up my world.

"You’ll pierce a hole through my head with that staring," Noelle teases, his lips curling into a knowing smile.

"You’re so pretty," I blurt out, the words slipping past my lips before I can stop them.

Noelle looks at me, his smile softening, and for a moment, it feels like my heart is going to leap out of my chest. How does he keep doing this to me? I don’t I will live long with how my heart is being overworked.

"Want to go to the temple of Elaris after this?" I ask, trying to sound casual.

"Hmm, why?" Noelle responds, glancing at me with that signature curious tilt of his head.

"No reason, just an offering." I say, hoping to downplay the urgency in my voice. The truth is, I need to go before the goddess Elaris takes away this joy from me, after all I’m not the nicest of people.

Noelle raises a brow but shrugs with a soft hum. "Okay," he says, his tone nonchalant, but I can tell he’s intrigued.

I swear Noelle is like Elaris’ favorite child. The way he effortlessly grows plants with just his touch, his ethereal beauty that seems almost otherworldly—it’s like he’s been handpicked by the Goddess