Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 249: A Teasing Game Turned Dangerous

"...This..."

Laxus murmured at first, voice barely audible—

Then suddenly—

"THIS IS TORTUREEEEEE!!"

He screamed.

Tears streamed down his face as he cried out in absolute agony.

Rocco panicked, frantically waving his hands.

What?! What was happening?!

He had no idea why Laxus was in so much pain—

But one thing was clear.

Laxus was suffering.

Badly.

Not knowing what else to do, Rocco tried to cheer him up with what little he had.

He took the clumsy, misshapen flower crown he had made and plopped it onto Laxus’s head.

Laxus gasped.

And in response, Rocco gave him a soft, sheepish smile.

"I don’t really get it, but... cheer up, okay?"

"I’ll give you this flower crown."

"You’re really pretty, Laxus. It’d be a waste if you kept crying."

Then, Rocco took the perfect, beautifully crafted flower crown Laxus had made—

And placed it on his own head.

"Let’s trade," he said playfully, grinning.

The moment he did—

Laxus’s expression crumbled.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

"...Geez, geez!!"

"Rocco... why...?"

"Why won’t you realize it yet?!"

"It’s so obvious! Anyone can see that you totally love me...!"

"Hm?"

"Well, duh. Of course I do. I love you tons, Laxus."

Rocco tilted his head, utterly confused.

What was Laxus even talking about?

Wasn’t that already obvious?

Laxus groaned in frustration, shoulders slumping.

"That’s not what I meant...!"

It seemed that Rocco had said something strange again.

Looking up at Laxus, who was holding him tightly and sniffling, Rocco wore a troubled expression.

Laxus had been mumbling things like "This is torture," "He’s a little devil," and other phrases that made little sense.

Since there was nothing else he could do, Rocco resigned himself to Laxus’s tight embrace and stayed still.

After a while, Laxus seemed to calm down somewhat and finally lifted his face, murmuring softly.

"...Rocco, you’re dependent on me... and because you’re afraid of being hated, you want to distance yourself, right?"

His tone was slow and gentle, like someone explaining things to a child.

Rocco nodded.

That was exactly it.

Hadn’t he already explained that?

He tilted his head slightly, and Laxus responded with a faint, powerless smile.

"Then... why don’t you want me to hate you?"

The moment Laxus asked that question, Rocco’s chest thumped loudly.

It was as if something had struck deep within him, something he hadn’t even realized himself.

He instinctively placed a hand over his chest and blinked in confusion.

Laxus let out a soft chuckle, his relaxed gaze unbearably captivating.

Maybe it was because he was looking at such an impossibly beautiful face from such a close distance.

Feeling his heart pound faster, Rocco hesitantly placed his small hand over Laxus’s much larger one, which was resting against his stomach.

With a voice as quiet as a whisper, he started, "That’s...", but no more words followed.

Seeing Rocco struggling to find an answer, Laxus let out a small sigh and smiled helplessly.

Then, he gently cupped Rocco’s cheek, tilting his face upward.

"Rocco, do you like kissing me? You don’t hate it, right? You’ve never refused before."

"Uh, w-wait...!"

"And sometimes, when no one’s around, we touch each other, don’t we?"

"When we press against each other, you always make such a cute, blissful expression. Lately, you’ve even started asking for more."

Laxus whispered seductively into his ear, his voice teasing and full of mischief.

The way he spoke sent a shiver down Rocco’s spine.

His entire body felt hot—so much so that he was sure his face was as red as an apple.

He opened and closed his mouth, but no words came out.

Laxus, still holding his cheeks gently, leaned in closer with a faint smile.

Ah—

Rocco’s brain registered what was about to happen, but his body didn’t resist.

He had gotten far too used to this pattern.

The moment he reflexively shut his eyes, he felt something soft pressing against his lips.

"Mm... mnh..."

This time, it was just a light, fleeting kiss.

Usually, Laxus wouldn’t hesitate to invade his mouth, teasing and overwhelming him until his entire body melted.

But now, he pulled away almost immediately.

Rocco, feeling dissatisfied, pouted slightly as he followed Laxus’s lips with his gaze.

Noticing his sulking, Laxus chuckled and playfully poked Rocco’s protruding lips with his finger.

"Haha, you’re so cute when you pout. Is it not enough? Do you want more?"

Rocco furrowed his brows at the teasing words and turned his face away in protest.

Seeing this, Laxus finally panicked and began gently patting Rocco’s head.

"I’m sorry! Don’t be mad!" he pleaded with teary eyes.

Rocco glanced up at him.

Seriously—how many times had he told Laxus not to mess with him like this?

With his cheeks puffed out in protest, Rocco huffed at Laxus, who was awkwardly patting his head.

"Laxus, you’re mean."

"—!!"

A slight flush spread across Laxus’s cheeks as he averted his gaze in embarrassment.

The moment Rocco mumbled those words, it almost felt like he heard a dramatic bam!—as if an invisible arrow had struck a heart.

No, that was definitely just his imagination.

Still, it made him curious, so he tilted his head and looked up at Laxus.

Laxus, now bright red, was clutching his chest with one hand and trembling slightly.

What’s wrong? Did his heart hurt? Was he okay?

Feeling worried, Rocco reached up and gently patted Laxus’s head.

"You okay?"

Laxus’s eyes, which had gone bloodshot for some reason, snapped toward him.

His whole body stiffened, and his expression became teary-eyed.

"Ah—D-Did I do something bad?! I-I’m sorry!!"

All Rocco did was puff out his cheeks and call him mean, yet somehow, it seemed like he had triggered something in Laxus.

His usual gentle, easygoing smile had completely vanished.

Instead, his eyes now looked like those of a predator, just moments before pouncing.

It was that—that look.

The same intense, almost primal gaze that he had seen in wild animals right before they attacked.

The air around them grew thick, heavy, and dangerous.

Oh no.