There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 657: Side Story 2. Dance of Shadow and Flame - 16

Chapter 657: Side Story 2. Dance of Shadow and Flame - 16

When Ron opened his eyes, the first thing he realized was that his bed felt different from usual. It was stiffer but also...warm? The kind of warmth one got from crouching in front of a fire during winter.

This is nice--he thought, and despite opening his eyes, he had no intention to move. Laying there, thinking back about last night, Ron gradually heard a steady sound of heartbeat under his ear, and the memory rushed like a hurricane.

Whoa...did he do all of that? Wasn’t he practically pouncing on the older man? It was nice though, being able to say what he wanted to say. Thankfully, he wasn’t so drunk that he had no control over his words. It would be disastrous if he ended up stripping or something...

"Get up if you’re awake."

Ron’s train of thought was stopped by the hoarse voice of the man he had been using as a mattress. He raised his head and grinned sheepishly. "Don’t want to," he chose to use the circumstances to his advantage.

When else would he be able to sleep on top of his crush? Well...pretty soon, he hoped, but just in case...

He laid his head back down on the hard but also thick chest. "This is more comfortable than my bed."

"Rascal."

Agni lightly smacked the back of Ron’s head, but the scout just giggled and embraced the opportunity he might not have in the future. This must be the extension of the berserker’s care because he was drinking last night, right?

"...just this once," Agni sighed in defeat.

See? This might not repeat again in the future...unless Ron could get what he wanted. But moderately dreaming was his virtue, so he realistically knew the probability of Agni accepting his advances was still low.

Still, he took what he could and giggled like a kid. The berserker was big and warm, reminding him of his father when he was still a child, so he wanted to feel a bit spoiled. Agni even patted his back slowly as a bonus, so Ron almost felt like it was his birthday.

That being said, the berserker also grumbled about Ron acting like a brat and whatnot, so he got a bit annoyed and grumbled back. "Then why didn’t you move me last night?"

"I tried," Agni rolled his eyes and flicked the appearing forehead beneath a messy brown fringe. "You cling to me as if I were your precious acorn or something."

This uncle...really had no tact, didn’t he? Ron felt heat creeping into his cheeks. He pursed his lips and replied boldly. "Well...you are."

Silence filled the room as they were lying on the floor; Ron was waiting for the older man’s response, and Agni narrowed his eyes in deep thought.

"...I’m a nut?"

And that was his response after Ron waited nervously for a minute. "Hey!" the scout raised his head and smacked the broad shoulder, pouting.

Agni just laughed at his own effort to deflect the obvious repeated confession, but he also liked seeing Ron acting like a kid. The kid tried so much to be mature as he had to enter the adult world without his parents’ guidance, so it felt good seeing him pouting and sulking and acting like a brat--even though Agni would still grumble about it.

But this man, who was very adamant about rejecting a youngster’s feelings, maybe should consider his action more. Certainly, him laughing freely and patting said youngster’s head would only flame the feelings further.

Ron watched the berserker’s laughing face in a daze, silently observing the way the rough visage softened and the dark eyes sparkled a little bit. It would look even better if they had sunlight since they were lying beneath the window, but alas--there was no sunlight in the Borderland. Swallowing quietly, Ron parted his lips.

"...can I sleep here aga--"

"No."

The reply was swift and stiff, making Ron’s swelling heart deflated. He twisted his lips and made a sulking face in the hope that he could squeeze that little chance he thought he had, but the older man was adamant.

"You think I’ll let you while your dick is poking me?"

Ron flinched, and his face became even redder. He raised himself and rolled away from the older man. "Shut up! It’s normal to have a morning wood!"

Agni was actually more surprised at Ron’s reaction than the hard-on pressed against his hips a few seconds ago. "Heh--you’ve been going on and on about seducing me, but you get flustered from this."

"It’s...it’s different!"

"How?"

Agni arched his brow and watched the scout’s face become redder and redder until he thought the kid might actually be a berserker like him. The usually smart mouth opened and closed repeatedly like a broken device, before the scout stood up and pulled the end of his shirt down.

"...old man!"

The kid yelled out unreasonable stuff before storming out of the Captain’s bedroom like a maiden being touched for the first time. It was even more unreasonable because Agni did not touch the kid at all--if anything...wasn’t he the one who got pounced on?

Agni was so dumbfounded that he stared at the door blankly for a minute. A chuckle came out of his lips as he muttered. "Cute..."

And then he paused, blinking repeatedly as his brain processed what he had just thought a few seconds ago. The next second, he smacked his mouth and grumbled with a deep frown. "What the fuck are you thinking, you stupid bastard?"

* * *

Haa...fuck. Was he finally getting swayed?

No--had he been swayed from the start? Did he, Agni Khan, have ever cared so much for someone before? Whatever the reason, getting worked up because someone was drunk felt too much, especially because, as everyone kept saying, that someone was an adult.

He kept calling the scout ’kid’, ’kid’ to put some boundaries in his own mind, but did that explain how he let the kid sleep on top of him? Agni could hardly believe he even used a flimsy excuse like the kid refused to let him go.

"You’re a berserker, for fuck’s sake!" Agni groaned quietly in his office.

He could just forcefully peel the boy off him, no matter how strong the kid was clinging to him. How strong could a scout be against a berserker, anyway? And even after that, he let the kid keep lying there after waking up, just from a single pout.

And he even thought the kid was cute?!

What excuses did he have this time?

Was it guilt? Did he let the kid enter his boundaries because he felt guilty? Agni had no idea. It had been so long since he had someone aiming for him. Even if there were, they mostly did it for his body--which he knew wasn’t the case with Ron.

Well, seeing the physical reaction that morning...not entirely, at least.

"Ahh, how nice..." Esther dropped a stack of financial reports in front of the berserker. "I wish I had a cute boy for me to think about during work hours."

When did this woman arrive? How long had he been out of it? Agni blinked and shook his head slightly, grimacing at the rows of numbers he had to peruse. Budgeting in the Borderland was nothing but a nightmare about which part could be fixed now and which sector should be sacrificed.

"Ugh...I don’t want to see any of this now," he shuddered and shoved the stack away.

"What can we do? It’s almost the end of the year," Esther shrugged. "Do it, or we’ll get a budget cut again."

"Fuck--"

A budget cut was even scarier than a Deathzone mission, so Agni gritted his teeth and buried himself in another desk work with Esther. He welcomed it somewhat, however, since he could distract his mind from a certain kid running around his head.

At least, he was able to until someone made a disturbing remark.

"Phew...if only I had a cute boy ready to throw himself at me too~"

Esther stretched in her seat during the break, sighing into the stifling air. It was a real complaint, but also a little jab at the Captain, whose eyes twitched and snapped back with a glare.

"Are you crazy?"

"Why? It’s perfectly normal," Esther shrugged. "I’m a human with desires too, Khan."

Agni clicked his tongue. This was all because Ron ran away from his room that morning, and all kinds of rumors were spreading. Ron had no intention to deny nor confirm anything--that sly kid--and no one believed Agni when he said nothing happened.

Apparently, everyone thought it was just a given that if someone pursued you, you have to be grateful for it. Especially someone young and decent-looking.

"Ah~ in a dreary place like this, messing around with a young body would be the best!"

Like Esther there, as if she didn’t have a group of guides willing to give her sexual guiding any time she wanted. She was definitely saying it to tease him, baiting for some reactions--and despite knowing this, Agni couldn’t help but frown.

"Hey--"

"I mean, we don’t know when we’ll die anyway," she ignored the Captain’s deep frown--or perhaps even intentionally causing it--and grinned. "Might as well take what is being offered, right?"

Agni remarked sharply. "People aren’t offering, Esther."

"Pfft--but if they are offering themselves?"

"They have feelings, you jerk," the berserker clicked his tongue. "Don’t play with people’s hearts like that."

"Is that so? I don’t really care though," Esther shrugged. Indeed-she never cared about anything beyond physical in a relationship, but very much like seeing people struggling with romance. "But it seems like you do

Agni sighed inwardly. Just when he managed to get rid of the thought for a few hours, this woman had to go and bring it back.

Could she at least wait until they finished with the report?

Watching Agni make so many stressful faces, Esther laughed inwardly. "Just give it a chance, Khan."

"I told you--"

"I’m not talking about the kid," she cut the berserker with a smile. Agni tilted his head and narrowed his eyes inquisitively. "You," she pointed at the man with a folded file. "Give yourself a chance. In my eyes, that kid knows himself better than you know yours."

Agni pressed his lips. He hated it when people stripped his soul bare without his consent. He’d call for counseling if he wanted to do that.

"You’re thinking too much I can read it all easily," Esther sneered. "Stuff like how he’s your boss’s son or that he’s young--forget about that."

Fuck--was it really that easy to read from his face? Was this why the kid never back down from his rejection?

Esther put the papers on the table, returning Agni’s wandering eyes to her again. She looked at the berserker with a genuine gaze instead of a teasing one. "Nolan’s not here, and he’s an adult. Respect his decision to pursue you."

"...It’s not that easy," Agni muttered after a few seconds.

"It is, actually," she shrugged. "But do whatever you want. It’s fun seeing you looking like a lost wanderer at sea."

The sea of romance, after all, was rough and treacherous.

Agni clenched his fist to hold back from hurling all of the papers in front of him to Esther’s grinning face. Far from clearing his head, she just made it even muddier.

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