Two men, seemingly embracing in an unusual position, was not a common sight. And with one man tightly gripping the other’s hair, it was enough to make passing pedestrians glance curiously as they walked by.
Theo couldn’t hide his astonishment as he stared down at Luke. His pale cheeks, flushed red from the alcohol, framed a deeply furrowed brow, as though something was bothering him immensely.
It had been a hectic evening. From the moment Benjamin mentioned that Luke had stopped by the branch’s medical wing, Theo had been consumed with worry. Was Luke’s injury so painful that he needed to visit the medics? Concerned, Theo had immediately gone after him, only to discover that Luke had already left the branch.
The next logical step was Luke’s house. Surely, he must have gone home. But when Theo arrived, Fayl’s response only deepened his anxiety:
“The captain... I mean, Sir Luke? He stepped out earlier and hasn’t returned yet.”
If Luke had left the branch straight away, he should have been home by now. Yet, he hadn’t returned. With unease swelling in his chest, Theo began scouring the entire village. By the time the search extended to Conenium Square, the sun was setting.
It was then that he spotted a head of silver hair in the distance. Relief washed over him, but it was quickly replaced by irritation at the sight before him.
The man standing next to Luke reeked of alcohol, the same one who had caused trouble outside Luke’s home before. He had an arm slung around Luke’s slender waist and was smirking unpleasantly as he massaged Luke’s shoulders. Luke, meanwhile, looked thoroughly drunk, his head drooping limply as he leaned against the man.
What happened next was a blur. When Theo regained awareness, the man was sprawled far away, and Luke was safely in his arms. Relief flooded Theo once more, though frustration soon followed.
He had worried himself sick, running all over the village, only to find Luke drunk and disheveled.
"You said you couldn’t take your eyes off me! But you looked away! You looked away from me!"
Luke’s drunken outburst caught Theo completely off guard.
"Luke, what are you even saying? When did I—"
"Don’t you dare, Commander. A commander shouldn’t be a liar! You said you’d take responsibility for my injury, and then you just up and left without a word!"
Moderate drinking could help alleviate stress, but once past that limit, inhibitions disappeared, leaving only raw emotion. And Luke, in his drunken state, was nothing if not honest.
Luke unleashed every bottled-up feeling he had since Theo left the house, his voice rising with each word.
"Even animals repay kindness when you feed and shelter them! But you? The moment I asked you to help wash my hair, you ran off! Was it that disgusting for you? Is my hair that dirty, huh?"
Despite his drooping eyelids, Luke’s hands clung fiercely to Theo’s disheveled hair, shaking it aggressively as he ranted.
"Luke, I think there’s been a misunderstanding—"
Understanding finally dawned on Theo, and his face flickered with realization. But before he could explain, another issue arose. Luke’s loud voice had drawn the attention of several onlookers.
Theo, still in his military uniform, wasn’t exactly inconspicuous. If any of these bystanders recognized the commander, the rumors would spread like wildfire.
"Luke, let go of my hair for a second."
"No!" Luke, still agitated, clung tighter, as though trying to vent all his pent-up frustration.
Theo sighed deeply, muttering under his breath, "I’ll have to ban you from drinking altogether."
He could have easily pried Luke’s hands off, but he didn’t want to risk hurting him. Instead, Theo leaned down, looped his arms around Luke’s legs, and lifted him effortlessly. Luke’s body folded slightly as Theo hoisted him securely over his shoulder.
"Hey, put me down! What are you doing?"
Luke weakly pounded on Theo’s back with his fists.
"Stop moving, or you’ll fall. Let’s get you home first."
With Luke slung over his shoulder, Theo quickly exited the square.
That night, a small rumor spread across Conenium Square. It was said that a beautiful man had shared a sweet, intimate moment with a soldier in uniform.
***
Fayl, on an extended vacation in the western region of Calum, was enjoying his time to the fullest. Tending to Luke’s garden was a surprisingly pleasant activity, and spending time with the man who had saved his life was both fulfilling and comforting.
Of course, there had been shocking moments—like when he first learned that Luke was the infamous faceless mercenary, or when he encountered Theo, and later when Luke appeared with his hand heavily bandaged.
“Uh...”
But nothing he had experienced so far compared to the shock of the current moment.
“C-Commander? What on earth...?”
Standing before him was Theo, his hair disheveled as if it had been yanked in every direction, and a person slung over his shoulder. Fayl cast a nervous glance at the individual Theo was carrying. Could it be that the benevolent Commander had lost his temper and knocked someone unconscious?
“Fayl, don’t misunderstand. This is Luke.”
“Pardon?”
“More specifically, Luke, who’s drunk.”
As Fayl’s mouth opened and closed in silent confusion, Theo muttered a polite "Excuse me," and strode into the house. Sure enough, the person over his shoulder was none other than the silver-haired Luke.
“What... what happened?” Fayl stammered.
“He was too drunk to manage on his own. I’ll take him to his room. Fayl, could I ask a favor?”
“Yes, of course, anything you need.”
Theo gave Fayl a simple request before heading up the stairs to Luke’s room. Once there, he carefully laid Luke on the bed.
“Ugh...”
Luke frowned, curling up uncomfortably. Theo grabbed a pillow and gently placed it under Luke’s head before covering him with a blanket. Satisfied, he returned to the first floor.
“Commander, here it is.”
Fayl approached, holding a cup filled with a golden liquid.
“Thank you. That’ll be all—you can go rest. I’ll take care of Luke.”
“Yes, sir.”
With a warm cup of honey water, known to soothe the stomach, Theo returned to Luke’s room. When he entered, Luke, who had been curled up on the bed moments ago, was now sitting up, staring blankly around the room.
“You’re awake?”
“Damn it, my stomach hurts...”
Luke scowled out of habit. Judging by his tone, he was awake, but the alcohol hadn’t entirely worn off. His pupils were still unfocused as Theo approached.
“Drink this.”
Theo placed a chair by the bed and sat down, holding out the cup. Luke stared at it, unimpressed.
“No.”
“It’ll help your stomach feel better tomorrow. Drink it.”
Luke turned his head away dramatically, like a stubborn child. The act, while exasperating, was oddly endearing. It was rare to see the usually confident and unflappable Luke in such a state.
At that moment, Theo couldn’t help but think he didn’t want anyone else to witness this side of Luke.
“Luke, just drink it already.”
Theo moved to sit on the edge of the bed, closing the gap between them. Perhaps it was the firm tone of his voice, but Luke reluctantly grabbed the cup with a grumble and downed its contents.
“And by the way, you’ve misunderstood something,” Theo said.
“What?”
Ignoring his earlier protest, Luke finished the honey water to the last drop, setting the empty cup on the bedside table before leaning back with a sigh.
“Yes, I left intending to stay at the branch dormitory, but it wasn’t because I found you uncomfortable. And it definitely wasn’t because of your request to help wash your hair.”
Theo had never imagined that Luke would think such a thing.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Then why? You must’ve had a reason to leave without saying a word.”
Luke rubbed his temples, as if the pounding headache from his hangover was making it harder to focus. Theo hesitated, his gaze drifting to the corner of the room as he cleared his throat awkwardly.
“There wasn’t much of a reason... It’s... personal.”
As Theo spoke, memories of the day he helped wash Luke’s hair flashed vividly in his mind: the humid, steamy air of the bathroom, the slippery feel of oil on his hands, and the way Luke’s furrowed brow had held his gaze. He’d tried to suppress those thoughts ever since, but they came rushing back unbidden.
Theo lowered his head, running a hand over his face.
“It’s just... a personal issue.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“Well, as long as it’s not because of me, I’m fine with it.”
Luke shrugged, seemingly satisfied, and laid back down on the bed.
“So, you came all the way here to tell me that?”
“Yes.”
Luke’s eyes began to close. Theo placed his hand on the bed and leaned in slightly, watching as Luke settled himself to sleep.
“Why, though? Were you upset that I left without saying anything?”
Theo’s unusually playful tone cut through the quiet.
“Are you crazy? Why would I be upset over you...”
Luke’s voice trailed off. Slowly, he opened his eyes and locked gazes with Theo’s dark ones hovering above him.
“Oh... looks like I was upset.”
“Hm?”
“Yeah. Guess I was upset. Ugh, gross.”
Luke shuddered as if to shake off the thought, pulling the blanket over himself. He turned away, mumbling that he was going to sleep and didn’t want to be disturbed.
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The room fell silent, save for the steady ticking of a clock and, eventually, the soft sounds of Luke’s breathing. After drinking the honey water, he seemed to have drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
“...Hah.”
But Theo was far from at ease. He remained seated by the bed, replaying Luke’s last words in his mind. His heartbeat synced with the ticking of the clock, until it sped ahead, irregular and rapid. Covering his face with a hand, Theo let out a muffled sigh.
“This is bad... What the hell is this...”
Under the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the curtains, Theo’s earlobes burned a faint shade of red.