Chapter 137. Decoding
The drone had come an hour ago. Adrian had cleared the marble table of everything but a microscope, a digital sequencing device, and several glowing samples suspended in dense containment vials. The room was quiet, save for the occasional hum of cooling vents and the soft clink of metal tools as Adrian laid them out one by one.
The serum vial shimmered ominously beneath the sterile light—a sickly, opalescent hue with veins of violet and gold curling within, as if alive. It pulsed slightly with a heat of its own.
Adrian had already donned a lightweight lab coat over his sleepwear. His long black hair was tied up hastily, and dark circles had begun to form beneath his silver eyes. He hadn’t eaten since morning.
Ethan stood at the doorway for several seconds without saying a word.
He watched his husband from the threshold, his tall frame partially backlit by the hall lights. Adrian didn’t glance up. He was laser-focused on aligning a magnification lens to the digital scanner.
Ethan stepped inside quietly, careful not to knock anything over. In his hands was a mug of hot tea, gently steaming—sweetened lightly, just the way Adrian liked it. He set it beside the microscope with the same reverence he might give to a sacred offering.
"Adrian," he said softly.
Adrian adjusted a knob and squinted into the lens. "Hm?"
Ethan placed a hand gently on Adrian’s shoulder.
"You need to take a break," he said.
Adrian didn’t flinch, but the breath he took was tight.
"I can’t," he replied flatly.