By Zephyria 
“Haaaaaaah.”
Dane was completely exhausted and sighed deeply. He didn’t know how many rides he’d been on. Grayson had dragged him onto this and that, and before he knew it, half the day had flown by. Not that the rides were anything special. They were family-friendly, the kind that only scared kids. After going up and down on a few of those, Grayson dragged him off to see the parade. By that point, Dane just wanted to go home.
What the hell is all this?
Dane sat on a bench, blankly watching the many people passing by. Grayson had excitedly run off toward the parade to take pictures with the princesses. That was a relief, at least. He could rest for a while.
It’s not like he’s going to have sex with a princess, what’s with the pictures…
“Damn it.”
He muttered the curse under his breath. Just then, Dane felt a strange sensation and turned his head, meeting the eyes of a child who was looking at him. He frowned, and then a man, who seemed to be the child’s father, approached Dane.
“Excuse me, are you Dane Striker?”
The question was asked cautiously, but filled with expectation and excitement. Flustered, Dane blinked and answered without thinking.
“Yes, I am.”
“Oh! It is you!”
“Oh my god, Dane Striker! We’re your fans!”
“Dane Striker! Dane!”
As soon as the answer left his lips, the woman and child who had been standing behind him rushed forward, shouting. They jumped up and down, seemingly at a loss for what to do, as if they had met the most famous pop star in the world.
What is going on?
He blinked, bewildered, as the man quickly pulled out his cell phone and shouted in an excited tone.
“Can we take a picture together? Please, I’m begging you!”
He couldn’t refuse when they put it like that. It had happened occasionally when he shot the firefighter calendar, so he readily nodded. Of course, the reaction was much more enthusiastic than back then, and he was still dumbfounded.
“Thank you, thank you!”
The family took a picture with all of them, then one each, and then one of Dane alone, before thanking him again and again.
“What you did was truly great. We admire you.”
“My child says they want to be a firefighter when they grow up. You’re an American hero.”
“A medal for Dane Striker!”
He could do without a useless medal like that. Of course, if the medal came with a pension, he wouldn’t refuse.
The problem was what came next. People who heard the family’s noisy shouts began to gather around them one by one.
“What? Dane Striker? That firefighter?”
“The hero who defused the bomb? Where is he? Where?”
“He’s here! This man right here!”
Soon, cheers erupted and people began pouring in. Ignoring Dane’s reaction, who had turned pale in an instant, they clamored to get closer.
“Get in line! I was here first!”
“Oh my god, he’s really handsome. I’ve never seen such a handsome man!”
“He’s got that face, those big pecs, that great body, and he’s righteous too!”
“You’re Captain America! Save the Earth!”
“Hero! Hero!”
“Dane Striker!”
“I love youuuuu! Marry meeeee!”
Amid the deafening shouts and the wave of people, Dane felt his mind go blank.
Desire Me if you can
“Haaaaaaah…”
Dane rested his arms on his widely spread legs, leaned his upper body forward, and let out an even deeper sigh than before. His face was beyond pale, now turning blue.
He felt like he was going to throw up.
He truly thought so. He had endlessly taken pictures, shaken hands, hugged, and even been kissed. Eventually, he gave up and just let people do whatever they wanted with his body. He should be grateful that he was allowed to sit on the bench because he wasn’t feeling well.
The sun, which had been high in the sky when he met the first family, was already beginning to set. Where was that bastard, leaving him in this mess? Should he just go home alone…? Just as he was thinking that, a hot dog suddenly appeared in front of him.
Too exhausted to be surprised, he listlessly raised his head and saw Grayson looking down at him, holding out the hot dog.
“That was rough, huh? Eat this.”
Dane took the hot dog and put it in his mouth without a word. Grayson sat down next to him and offered a drink with ice. Dane took that too with his free hand. The cool carbonation seemed to recharge him a little. Only after he had regained some sense did Dane ask with a frown.
“You were watching, weren’t you?”
“Yep.”
Grayson answered nonchalantly.
“You were very popular.”
“Ha…”
Dane was so dumbfounded that he could only let out a sigh. Why was this guy so relaxed?
“Did you, perhaps, from the beginning…”
He was about to ask if he had expected this, but Grayson finished the sentence first.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”
What was with this guy? Dane just blinked. Seeing the look in his eyes as if asking what he was thinking, Grayson said with a smile.
“You’re the most famous person in America right now, so it’s only natural this would happen. How does it feel?”
“I want to kill you.”
Dane said through gritted teeth. He wanted to grab him by the collar, but he couldn’t because he was holding a hot dog in one hand and a drink in the other.
Was this guy planning this too?
Grayson’s smiling face came into view as Dane frowned deeply. Annoyed by his expression, Dane ground his teeth and growled in a low voice.
“I told you not to make expressions you don’t mean in front of me, didn’t I?”
Dane spat out the words gruffly. Grayson replied nonchalantly.
“I mean it.”
He added with a smile.
“I’m genuinely smiling, I am.”
Dane stared at him without a word. Could it be true? He had been suspicious all along, but maybe this guy really was…
Thinking that, he felt a surge of anger again. So this guy was genuinely enjoying this?
“You threw me to the hyenas and went off to have fun? You ungrateful bastard…”
“But everyone was happy, right?”
Grayson asked with a smile. Dane paused, and he continued calmly.
“Everyone wanted to meet you. They wanted to take pictures with you. They’ll remember every moment with you for the rest of their lives.”
Dane couldn’t say anything. He wanted to say it wasn’t that big of a deal, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Seeing him scratching the back of his head, Grayson said quietly.
“Everyone loves you.”
Dane blinked in surprise. Meeting his gaze, Grayson opened his mouth.
“There are many different kinds of love in the world. Romantic love or parental love aren’t the only ones.”
He urged in a calm voice.
“Feel the love of the people who care about you, you can understand it now.”
The two looked at each other without a word. A different kind of silence hung between them than before. Not tense, awkward, or heavy, but, if he had to put it into words, somewhat warm…
Then, there was a sound like air escaping from a balloon, followed by an explosion. At the same time, the two looked up at the sky.
“The fireworks have started,”
Grayson said. The setting sun dyed the sky red, and colorful lights spread across it. People stopped and exclaimed in admiration. Dane was still sitting on the bench, looking up at the sky. Explosions rang out one after another, and new shapes of fireworks continued to decorate the sky. He blankly looked up at the fireworks that brightly illuminated the darkening sky and burst themselves.
He felt something warm in the corner of his heart. Forgetting that he was drinking his soda, he just stared at the sky, and Dane thought about what had happened during the day.
…Could it be?
He suddenly thought.
Maybe this guy is right…
“Dane.”
Just as he was thinking that, Grayson called his name. In a calm and quiet voice, as if to say, “Let’s go home now.”
“…Let’s break up here.”
Dane’s eyes, which had been fixed on the sky, slowly moved to the side. The light of a firework that had just exploded brightly illuminated Grayson’s profile, which was still looking up at the sky, in various colors.