By Zephyria 
Suddenly, his heart seemed to shake violently, making a loud noise. Chrissy stopped in his tracks and looked up at Nathaniel. Deep purple eyes gazed steadily at him. Chrissy found himself unable to move under that unwavering gaze, as if Nathaniel were peering into the deepest secrets of his heart.
The hands that had been touching slowly drifted apart. The warmth of the hot coffee vanished, leaving Chrissy’s hand feeling empty.
Nathaniel’s gaze remained fixed on Chrissy. He took the paper cup Chrissy had been holding and brought it to his lips. Chrissy simply watched him drink the cheap coffee. The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed once. Only after pulling the cup away from his lips did Nathaniel finally speak.
“Not bad.”
At those words, Chrissy suddenly snapped back to his senses. Realizing he had been entranced by the man, he became momentarily flustered and hurriedly turned his head away, pretending to drink his own coffee.
Suddenly, a large paper bag caught his eye. It was the sandwiches Nathaniel had brought. Thinking it was a good time, Chrissy rummaged through the bag and looked back at Nathaniel.
“Which one do you want?”
It was a suitable topic to settle the awkward atmosphere. Nathaniel, seemingly noticing this, replied nonchalantly.
“The one you’re holding.”
Chrissy glanced down at what he had in his hand and lightly tossed it to Nathaniel. Nathaniel caught the B.L.T. sandwich with one hand, his brow furrowing for a moment before returning to an indifferent expression.
“Looks like you happened to give me one I dislike. That’s why I say it’s better to be clear with your preferences,” Chrissy advised, feeling a laugh bubble up inside him.
Nathaniel looked down at the sandwich for a moment before speaking.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not that I dislike it, but rather that I don’t particularly like it.”
Come to think of it, Chrissy suddenly wondered: was there anything in this world that this man actually liked?
Watching him silently drink coffee with the sandwich Chrissy had tossed him sitting on the desk gave him a strange feeling. Nathaniel Miller was perhaps the man who least belonged in this cluttered, narrow, and shabby prosecutor’s office. Right now, he should be in that vast, luxurious penthouse overlooking Central Park, eating food prepared by a professional chef and drinking vintage wines whose names no one had even heard of. He was not a man who should be standing here, eating cheap coffee and sandwiches.
This man probably never imagined he would end up eating such food in a place like this.
“Haven’t you heard that you should be careful about who you associate with?”
At Chrissy’s question, Nathaniel gazed at him with narrowed eyes, as if wondering where this was coming from. Chrissy spoke indifferently while unwrapping a chicken breast sandwich.
“If you hadn’t gotten entangled with me, you wouldn’t have had to eat a sandwich you ‘don’t particularly like’ in a place like this.”
Then, he shifted his gaze from the sandwich and looked up at Nathaniel.
“Don’t you think so?”
Nathaniel said nothing. He simply, slowly, brought the coffee back to his lips. Was it an affirmation or a denial? A normal person would have thought he was contemplating how to answer.
But this man was Nathaniel Miller. Just as Chrissy began to feel anxious at his quiet reaction, which seemed like he was lost in thought…
Suddenly, Nathaniel chuckled. However, it wasn’t the usual cynicism he displayed. In the moment it felt almost like a self-deprecating laugh, something suddenly caught Chrissy’s eye.
“…Your hand.”
As he murmured softly, Nathaniel cast a glance toward him. Chrissy continued speaking, his gaze still focused on one spot.
“Why is that hand injured?”
Only then did Nathaniel look at his own hand before returning his gaze to Chrissy, as if asking what he meant. Chrissy spoke without taking his eyes off the hand holding the coffee cup.
“I’m asking why you got hurt protecting me.”
He hadn’t asked until now. The reason why this man had acted that way.
Silence fell between them again, but it was different from before. Amidst a strangely probing tension, neither spoke, only gazing at each other.
Nathaniel was the first to speak.
“I wonder.”
With a faint smile lingering on his lips, he brought the coffee to his mouth.
“I don’t know either.”
Chrissy watched in silence as he gave such a deflating answer and drank his coffee.
“In my opinion…”
Only after removing the cup from his lips did Nathaniel continue. Chrissy suddenly wondered if he had been stalling for time to find the right words. Keeping his gaze on Chrissy, Nathaniel spoke.
“It seems I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
Chrissy’s brow furrowed slightly. This man’s answers were always like this. He never gave a clear answer, only leaving things ambiguous and unsettling his mind.
“You’re not the kind of person who gets hurt on behalf of others,” Chrissy said.
Nathaniel let out a short laugh. What on earth did he find so funny?
“Of course I’m not. You’ve seen me accurately,” Nathaniel said, his voice still laced with amusement.
Chrissy saw him set the cup down on the desk. Slowly, the hand gripping the cane stepped forward. The familiar thump of the cane hitting the floor echoed quietly.
Nathaniel approached. With just one stride in the narrow office, the two were suddenly close.
“Chrissy Jin.”
Nathaniel called his name in a low voice. A large hand reached out, touching his waist and slowly caressing it.
“How long must I wait?”
Chrissy did not answer his question. He didn’t pull back, nor did he push him away. He simply watched in silence.
The hand that had been wandering around his waist seemed to move behind him before pulling him in with force. Chrissy was pulled straight into Nathaniel’s arms, their bodies flushing together. He felt the man’s hard physique against him. The deep purple eyes looking down at him were stained almost black.
Ah.
The moment their lips met, Chrissy let out an involuntary sigh. He didn’t know if he closed his eyes first or if their lips touched first. What was certain was that he had probably expected this moment to come for a very long time.
No matter how much he had tried to avoid it.
The lips that had touched briefly now locked deeply. A tongue entered slowly, secretly caressing the inside of his mouth. It felt as if every single cell was awakening. A tremor, the first of its kind, rippled across his skin like a wave. Nathaniel, who had bitten his lower lip gently without causing pain, slowly released it and whispered.
“I knew it would end up like this with you.”
He moved his tongue softly, secretly caressing the inside of his mouth.
“You knew it too, didn’t you?”
Chrissy did not answer the whispering voice. Instead, he grabbed the back of the man’s head and pressed their lips together more insistently. He thought he heard Nathaniel’s laughter between their overlapping lips, but it didn’t matter. Only the thick scent of pheromones spreading around filled his head, along with the thundering sound of his heart.
It was when he leaned back, feeling as if his brain were melting, that Nathaniel, who had pulled up Chrissy’s shirt to stroke his bare skin, asked.
“You have condoms, right? In the drawer.”
Chrissy suddenly snapped his eyes open. As he looked at him in disbelief, Nathaniel laughed again.
“How did you know there were condoms in my drawer?”
“When we first met.”
When he asked, unable to hide his bewilderment, Nathaniel answered nonchalantly.
“You kept stealing glances at the drawer. I figured you had something hidden there.”
Chrissy’s face flushed hot. Flustered, he pressed him.
“How did you know it was condoms?”
He laughed again at the overreaction. To the man’s relaxed response, Chrissy’s temper flared, and he received this answer:
“Because if they weren’t, I thought I should put some in.”
Chrissy was speechless. Nathaniel tilted his head casually and said,
“I’m glad our thoughts align.”
Their lips locked once more, but Chrissy could no longer laugh.