By Zephyria 
For a while after that, the pleasure’s prolongation continued.
Unfamiliar moans, sounding as if they didn’t belong to him, echoed in his ears.
‘Haa, ugh, ah….’
It wasn’t particularly long, but the scent of chestnut blossoms lingered like an afterimage throughout the memory. By the end, it was hard to tell if his legs were soaked in water or bodily fluids. Though he had reached a point where it didn’t matter which it was.
‘Hu, Hugo, ah—.’
As if confirming each other’s presence, they kept calling each other’s names,
‘…Haa, Leo.’
And in response, they felt a profound sense of how deeply they desired one another.
It was a conversation of the body that could never be dismissed as mere pretense. Even if they hadn’t become one in spirit, it was one of the few moments where they had laid themselves bare to the very bottom. Eventually, the strength left his legs and they began to tremble; he barely managed to stop His Excellency, who tried to hook his arms under his knees to lift him up.
Had he not, they both would have been swept away to an uncontrollable place. He didn’t want to be a poisoned chalice to a man who often forgot the passage of time when he was with him, even if he couldn’t be of any help.
More than anything, the speed at which he was falling was too fast; he feared he might become unable to stop this relationship, which could potentially be harmful.
“…I wonder?”
Whether this emotion, burning as much as it had been suppressed, would remain valid even in the abyss.
“Leo.”
A cool fingertip tapped lightly on his forehead. Leonardo, who had been sitting blankly while staring into the mirror, snapped back to his senses.
“Huh?”
“What are you thinking about?”
Following that, a gentle touch and a towel brushed through his hair, grooming it.
A sturdy man stood behind him. And he was personally drying Leonardo’s hair.
“You looked spaced out.”
“…Ah, uh.”
Moreover, this time it wasn’t a request, but a voluntary gesture.
Leonardo touched his forehead where the cold fingertip had landed. Then, he glanced at the man visible in the mirror. A shirt that had been drenched and then dried into a wrinkled mess, a cuff with a missing button, and navy blue hair covering his forehead.
There was none of the dignity of the Commander from his memories of the days spent in the Legion Commander’s private room. Yet, despite having just come from the act they had performed, he exuded an innate purity. Except, perhaps, for the corners of his mouth, which were red and swollen from Leonardo’s teasing.
“…….”
Leonardo stared blankly at the marks he had left before awkwardly changing the subject.
“Just, I’m a bit tired.”
“Tired?”
The man’s gentle expression stiffened. The hand that had been slowly moving stopped.
Leonardo, who had intended to simply agree, realized he had brought up an unnecessary topic.
“Ah, no. Not tired, exactly….”
As he had thought, ninety percent of the reason he was spaced out was Hugo’s fault, so it wasn’t a lie. However, he didn’t want to fuel His Excellency’s terrible anxiety. Furthermore, he had acted bold, thinking he would naturally have the upper hand in this area… but he didn’t particularly want to admit that he had been caught up in the other’s formidable endurance.
Rolling the answer in his mouth, Leonardo eventually looked up with a glare.
“It’s because of you.”
Honestly, his buttocks and thighs felt sore, as if he had been beaten. Having engaged in intense exercise immediately after a match, muscles he rarely used were protesting across his entire body. I told you not to overwork me.
Besides, even regardless of that, wasn’t he always at a disadvantage in aquatic battles? While water poured into his nose and mouth, his limbs had been bound. In that moment, the man who clung to his back and toyed with his entire body had eventually taken his very breath hostage. Gripping his chin and locking eyes, the man had whispered.
If you want to breathe, just like then—.
‘Kiss me.’
In the fragmented memories, he had bitten the man’s lips, craving oxygen.
One foot couldn’t touch the ground, making it impossible to stand properly, and simultaneously, the timing of his release was controlled by the man. During that experience—long if you will, short if you won’t—one thing he could be certain of was that this man had a very dominant style.
“I’m exhausted because you bullied me so much.”
“I’m honored.”
Unlike the recollection, a faint smile played on the man’s firm lips. Along with a slightly excited tone, the touch stirring through his hair became even gentler.
“I suppose I should take responsibility.”
He seemed like a completely different person from the one he had seen under the shower lights. The words he spoke outwardly were extremely restrained and devoted, but his interior was slightly more primal and persistent.
Irritated by the brazen response, Leonardo retorted bluntly.
“Is that something you should be saying?”
Hugo pressed his thumb against a furrowed golden eyebrow.
“The fact that I can touch you like this and influence you is a special thing. I must bear the weight of it.”
Leonardo was momentarily speechless.
A man who seemed like a block of ice to others often showed this childlike side only to him. He was affectionate, playful, and when entering more private realms, he unleashed his secret desires. While he was surprised every time by the variety of faces this man possessed, he indulged in the sweet imagination that he was the only one who could draw them out.
And it seemed the man was thinking something similar.
“You only allow it for me, after all.”
In a way, those last words sounded less like a confirmation of fact and more like a warning.
Did the man realize that a deep sense of possessiveness clung to the hand wrapping around his nape? Occasionally, magic that stung the skin caused goosebumps to rise.
However, Leonardo didn’t bring it up.
He surrendered his body as if it were a natural progression, and the man, who had volunteered to serve as his attendant, did so with utmost sincerity. It was simply the act of removing moisture, but there were so many touches that it felt like an extension of foreplay. Consequently, the hair that had been dripping with water was now nearly dry.
Wrapped in a fluffy towel like a cocoon, Leonardo wore a dissatisfied expression, yet he melted into the comfort the man provided. He idly fiddled with the tie in his hand before suddenly changing the subject.
“Aren’t you late? Is it okay for you to be idling around with me like this?”
At that moment, the blue eyes shifted to his wristwatch. In truth, even if he opened a temporary portal, time was a bit tight. But he didn’t want to make that obvious right now.
He had to make sure the man dressed properly so he wouldn’t catch a cold before seeing him off, and there was something he wanted to request before they parted.
“It’s fine,” Hugo answered simply. Even so, he subtly rubbed the area behind Leonardo’s ear with his fingertip. He left the scent of water—which anyone of the same attribute could not miss—on the spot where the pulse beat.
“More importantly, I feel bad for your team members. They must be waiting.”
Those were words not from the heart. Noticing this instantly, Leonardo paused while tightening the towel that was about to slip. He then looked at him with an incredulous expression and snorted.
“Someone who feels bad intentionally shows them a scene like that?”
“That’s why I said I would clean it up.”
“Forget it. That’ll only make things worse. I’ll handle it.”
Leonardo answered, leaning his hand on the edge of the locker room chair and crossing his legs. As a smooth calf crossed the field of vision, the blue eyes followed. On those long legs, even the common fine hairs were barely visible.
“Don’t go touching my team members for no reason.”
Hugo still had curiosity regarding body hair, but well, there would be another opportunity.
Withdrawing his lingering gaze, Hugo stared at his master, who sat in an arrogant posture in the mirror.
“Then, will you attend the dinner as planned?”
A slight strength entered the hand that asked while fiddling with his ear and neck. Leonardo pondered the intent behind that sensation for a moment. Then, he lifted his chin, tilting his head back, and asked.
“Why? Do you wish I wouldn’t go?”
Hugo refrained from answering, staring with lowered eyes. In his sight, a beauty with a clear face was looking up seductively. The neck and collarbone glimpsed in the opposite mirror were mottled with the fresh marks he had left.
Leonardo often utilized his appearance well, yet at times, it seemed as if he forgot what he looked like.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t ask if he were truly curious about the man’s intentions while looking so compromising.
Hugo stroked Leonardo’s straight neck and chin with one hand. He pressed the tilted golden crown of the head gently against his lower abdomen and fell into thought for a moment.
If dew on a leaf is pure, a crater lake is cool and mysterious. Industrial wastewater and toxins possess an artificial violence that destroys order. The deep sea holds the calmness of a silent abyss. In this way, ‘water’ differs in its properties.
And earlier, the clothes Leonardo had taken off smelled of a beast hiding wild instincts behind curiosity. An unpleasant and provocative stench that sought to explore subtly while hiding its claws.
However, this was merely a classification based on his ‘intuition.’ He couldn’t blindly attempt to control even Leonardo’s human relationships.
Hugo shook off the tangled thoughts and forced himself back into the guise of an adult. Then, rubbing Leonardo’s cheek, he answered in a generous tone.
“No, you should go, enjoy yourself, and catch up. It is a victory achieved together with your team.”
Golden eyelashes blinked in confusion. Feeling that flutter with his thumb, Hugo soon removed the towel he had been using to part the hair. He also picked up the wet robe that had fallen to the floor and hung it on the side of the chair.
“I’ll provide a carriage, so take it. It will be safer than having eyes follow you. If you feel a cold coming on, tell me immediately.”
Leonardo stared blankly at the man who was gradually tidying up the surroundings and preparing to leave.
He didn’t know what he had hoped for when he asked… but the answer had come back too easily, leaving him feeling unexpectedly disappointed.