There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 655: Side Story 2. Dance of Flame and Shadow - 14

Chapter 655: Side Story 2. Dance of Flame and Shadow - 14

"Yo, good job, Cap!" Esther patted the berserker’s shoulder with a wide grin. "The pay this time is extra nice! I heard you were going the extra mile to make sure it was safe safe. Thanks!"

Agni, however, ignored her as he walked past with a blank expression. His eyes were so dazed and unfocused that Esther wondered how he could still reach his quarters in that state.

"Did something happen there?" she tilted her head, but when she turned toward the other espers who came in that mission, they just shrugged. So she turned toward the only one who had become the source of Agni’s concern these past few months. "You know something?"

Ron stopped beside the senior esper, watching Agni’s dazed back with a small smile. "Maybe?"

Esther narrowed her eyes and arched her brow. As someone who had been teasing both of them for fun, it didn’t take long for her to have a guess. She smirked and flicked the young esper’s forehead. "What a brave soul."

"Help me then," Ron quipped. "Don’t let him kick me out of this place."

Esther couldn’t hold her laugh--Agni was right; this kid was a sly one. "Well, aren’t you glad we don’t have a personal connection?" she chuckled. "Personally, I welcomed free sla--I mean, personnel."

Ron rolled his eyes as he walked away, ignoring the older scout’s laugh. But his steps were lighter than before, and his expression had a sense of ease. Of course, Agni was dumbfounded earlier, and the berserker immediately told him ’no’ and ’what the fuck are you thinking?!’.

Yep. It was a clear rejection. But it was also clear that the berserker was against the idea because he didn’t want Ron to stay in the Deathzone, not necessarily because he didn’t want to have any relationship or because he disliked the young esper. Most of it was probably because he was Nolan Hertz’s son, and the idea of accepting the advance of his former boss’s son was generally uncomfortable.

So yeah--for Ron, it wasn’t a rejection at all. His young heart would only give up if the berserker threw him out for real and said he hated Ron. Otherwise, it was a fair chasing game.

Nothing changed much then; Agni was still trying to send Ron away, and Ron was still stubbornly sticking around. But the motivation behind it was different this time, and Agni was the one being bothered instead of Ron. Before, the berserker would come every few days to ask Ron when he would leave, and Ron would say ’never’ before running away.

This time, Ron was the one who came closer, and Agni was the one who tried to run away; he would avoid the young esper whenever he could. Strangely enough, he didn’t completely avoid the young esper; if there was something he needed to convey, especially about work and training, he would do it himself.

This professionalism was both endearing and annoying, since Ron’s moral compass did not allow him to mess with the older man when he was in the middle of work. Tsk. So much for trying to woe a hard-working man.

Was it because the berserker was a proper adult already? Ron had never fallen for someone that much older before, so he had no idea. He wondered if all people above thirty had a way to differentiate personal business from professional ones.

How annoying. It would be nice if he could make that uncle get flustered even once.

"What? How to get under his skin?" Esther tilted her head, patting his lips with a pen. "No idea!"

"Ugh..."

She laughed at Ron’s pursed lips. "How would I know? He never got riled up unless it was a fight, but he also stopped doing that after becoming the Captain," she shrugged. "In the first place, he seems to be more stimulated by fight and danger than sexual attraction."

"What? He has a low sex drive?"

"Hey, that’s personal!" Esther laughed. "But he never used sexual guiding, if you want to know."

"Oh," Ron pressed his lips. He did want to know.

Esther laughed and ruffled the younger scout’s hair. Gosh--a kid’s love was so adorable. How pitiful it was that he had to fall for someone rough like Agni Khan, but...

Isn’t that why it is interesting? Esther thought while laughing inwardly. It was fun seeing the Captain secretly have a mental breakdown and getting bewildered that someone fifteen years younger took a fancy to him.

And everything Ron did was honestly refreshing. It was like seeing a young flower bloom in a gloomy place. The closest people had to romance in the Borderland was occasional sex, either between espers or with guides. Even when one tried to seduce another, it was more for physical satisfaction. For her, Ron’s feelings were a breath of fresh air in this murky environment.

"If it’s about getting under his skin, though..." Esther glanced at the younger scout. "You’ve been doing it plenty."

"Huh?"

"No--you’ve been the only one able to do it, I think..." Esther stroked her chin. "Mm...yeah; maybe not to the point he becomes flustered, but he got railed up when he you’re arguing, didn’t he?"

"Well..."

Esther smirked, and Ron bit the inside of his cheek to prevent a grin from forming.

And so, the routine resumed as usual, with Agni diligently spending more time than usual inside his office, and getting a heart attack when Ron came inside to ask for coffee. The kid would even find him when he was making rounds, so it seemed like he had a spy inside the system--tsk.

It would be easy if the kid only did some flirting, but Ron would ask him relevant questions about Deathzone that were useful for scouting, so it could be counted as ’work’ and he couldn’t just get away without being petty and cowardly running away from a younger man’s advances.

His pride as an older man just couldn’t take it.

But now he knew avoiding the kid was not working, and since he didn’t want to act like a coward, he stopped doing it altogether. Instead, just like how Ron ignored him when he told the scout to leave the Borderland before, he decided to ignore the advances.

Let’s just think of it as a child’s play--Agni decided and steeled his heart.

With that, the Unit personnel witnessed the familiar scene of the red bull and his brown squirrel bantering as usual--

"What do you mean I can’t get your coffee anymore?!"

"Because it’s a Captain’s privilege."

--although the content was a bit different.

"Then return the position to me!"

"It’s non-reversible."

"Stingy! No--you just don’t want me to go to your bedroom!"

"Why are you still going if you know?"

"Why don’t you want me to go, huh? What are you doing there? Were you masturba--"

Agni clasped the kid’s mouth and glared at him...which was weird. Talking shit and dirty was something usual in the Borderland, so why did it feel different coming from this kid?

Oh, right--must have been because the kid was a kid. How could he let Nolan’s boy spew that kind of thing in public?!

Ron slapped the hand away from his lips and narrowed his eyes. "How suspicious," he said cynically. "What are you doing keeping people away in the morning?"

"Shut up! I’m doing nothing!" Agni hissed.

"There’s no problem if I’m going then," Ron shrugged. "Unless you’re being stingy with your Captain’s privilege."

The corner of Agni’s eyes twitched at the sneering, mocking tone at the end of that sentence. "Fuck--do whatever you want."

"Alright, I will!"

When he saw the kid skipping cheerfully away, Agni felt like ripping his hair out. Once again, he was reminded of how sly this kid could be.

"What squirrel?! A fox! He’s definitely a fox!" He groaned as he resumed the journey to the command room. No matter how much he tried not to get affected, he still got baited in the end. "Haa...who do you take after, kid?"

It was annoying that he couldn’t get rid of Nolan’s kid, but what annoyed him more was himself. Because, like it or not, it was always flattering to have someone courting you. Not to mention someone so young. As a man, as a human, as a berserker weak in emotions, Agni couldn’t help but feel a bit proud and...happy. Ugh.

He shook his head and told himself over and over again that Ron was Nolan’s kid, that Ron was still young and shouldn’t rot there, and more importantly...

"Is it some kind of daddy issue?" Agni tilted his head. He was so different from Nolan, but he was still the one most similar in background, and the only one who knew the kid’s old man. He heard people grew attracted to people similar to their parents...or something.

Haa...at any rate, it was problematic.

Still, Agni also couldn’t ignore the kid because he wanted to take care of Nolan’s son. Since it was too late to prevent the kid from doing something foolish--certainly, Nolan would flip out if he knew his kid had fallen for a ruffian like Agni--he wanted to at least make sure the kid got ample care.

But that required him to check on Ron from time to time, so things like avoiding and ignoring could only last for so long. He wanted to leave such matters to the other personnel if he could, but even the most trustworthy people there couldn’t be trusted.

Like that one evening when Agni found them getting drunk with Ron. He stomped his way to the group and snatched the swaying kid. "Who the fuck made him drink? How can you let a kid be this drunk?!"

Esther chuckled and waved her hand. "Pfft--what are you talking about, Cap? He’s an adult already."

Ron nodded proudly while poking the berserker’s shoulder aggressively. "...’m an adult!"

"Hear, hear!" the espers cheered and raised their bottles.

It was a rare evening when crates of alcohol were finally sent to the Borderland to celebrate the Federation’s founding day. Agni grumbled that they should have sent them more serums and equipment instead of booze, but of course, the bastards of the Borderland prefer their rare indulgence.

"Shut up!" he was annoyed enough because the request for more equipment got denied again, so he harshly pulled the kid away from the drunken adults. "Being an adult doesn’t mean you can drink irresponsibly"

"Old man! You’re a stinky old man!"

Agni clicked his tongue and manhandled the young scout, carrying the obnoxious kid on his shoulder before walking away. "Aaagh! This is kidnapping!"

The espers laughed even louder, even waving some rags and white shirts as if sending the two on a voyage. Despite what he said, however, Ron wasn’t struggling much and was just holding onto the berserker’s back, grinning secretly as Agni carried him to the Captain’s room.

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