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sábado, 10 de febrero de 2024

[Fanfic] Tower of God - Heritage of Desire: Chapter 2 (WangnanViole)

De hecho, hace mucho rato que tengo escrito esto y que además estaba ordenándolo para subirlo aquí, pero pos la vida no me dejó hacerlo XD El trabajo es una mierda, sobre todo este año que pasó u.u Pero este mes lo tengo de vacaciones, y quiero aprovechar de escribir aunque sea un poco. Ojalá sacar un cap nuevo aunque sea de este fic, y tal vez terminar un one-shot o algo. Al menos o.o No quiero subirme las expectativas, porque también estoy traduciendo y dibujando harto, además de que también quería releer los cuentos de FNAF y hartas cosas más XD Al menos tengo que arreglar el siguiente cap de esto, que ya está listo hace rato, y subirlo aquí o.o Deséenme suerte XD

*****

Heritage of Desire
by RPMizu
 
Chapter 2: Sights of cuteness


That was the first private talk the two had, but of course, it wasn’t the last. Since catching a glimpse of that awkward yet beautiful smile, Wangnan couldn’t stop thinking about Viole. He started observing every move the other makes, while trying to get his unusual interest go unnoticed, of course. He doesn’t know if he is succeeding though. He feels so foolish every time his heart skips a beat upon suddenly hearing that quiet voice in the middle of a conversation with the other members of their team. If he wasn’t so silent all the time, maybe Wangnan wouldn’t be so nervous each time the other decided to speak up, even if it was just for a little remark.

And maybe Viole was unknowingly decided to give him a heart attack. There were at least two occasions in which Wangnan felt like dying from the strange reactions this mysterious boy provokes in him.

The first happened one day first thing in the morning. Everyone was still asleep, but Wangnan woke up early for the first time in ages. To tell the truth, he just had a nightmare about Nia and woke up with his chest feeling oppressed and a few silent tears crossing his cheeks. Sighing deeply, he went to the bathroom and washed his face, grumbling a bit but fully awake now. Why did he have to still dream about that? Feeling sorry for himself wouldn’t bring Nia back, nor would erase the suffering he went through. Perhaps if he did kill Lurker, he would feel better… No, he was convinced about what he had said, especially what he said to Viole. The thought of Viole made him feel strangely better, somehow. Maybe it was the memory of that tiny, awkward smile…

Suddenly his stomach started to growl, so he went to the kitchen of the rented house. The house Viole rented for them, he remembered himself. How could he afford such a nice house? It is big enough for their whole team of eight people to be able to live in comfortably. Sure, they don’t have individual rooms, but they don’t have to share a room with, like, four people or something. Overall, it’s awesome. It has a big kitchen too, and that’s exactly where he was heading to.

There he was, the reason for his raising blood pressure. Wangnan knew Viole usually wakes up earlier than everyone else and he thought it may be for training, but apparently that wasn’t the only reason. There he was, humming a little to himself (wow, Viole did that?) while making breakfast. It still amazes him that Viole wanted to take part of the housework sharing like it was the natural thing to do, even though Wangnan guessed everyone would have allowed him not to do anything because a) they were afraid he might get mad if he was forced to do housework, or b) Viole really shouldn’t have to do anything since they should all be grateful he allowed them to live in the house he rented in the first place.

But there he was, making breakfast for everyone and seemingly so absorbed in his task that he didn’t even notice Wangnan coming into the kitchen. His singing could use some work, but his voice still sounded so soft and… cute. When Wangnan coughed a bit to get Viole’s attention he saw something even cuter.


“Ah, Mr. Wangnan…! Sorry, did I wake you up?” Not only did Viole call him by that sweet way he has to address people, he was also… wearing an apron. And it wasn’t just any apron too. It was one with an extremely cute design, with little chestnuts on stripes, top and bottom of the fabric. When and where did Viole even get that adorable piece of cloth? So inappropriate for a slayer candidate, yet so fitting for Viole. “…Mr. Wangnan?”


Shit, he has to say something and not only stare like a fool at the bizarre yet adorable sight in front of him. “Ah, ehmm… good morning?” Now that was lame. What was Viole asking him again? Ah, right. “N-No! I woke up on my own just now, don’t worry.”

Viole simply nodded in silence, and continued to work on his chore. He seemed kind of relieved though. Wangnan used to think Viole was a scary monster, but that was far from being true. In fact, Viole is very gentle, even though he is still quiet as hell. So now Wangnan doesn’t fear adventuring himself to go near Viole and watch what he is preparing.

“Amazing, you are even cooking what each of us like. It would be much simpler to just prepare one dish for everyone, don’t you think?” Was it Wangnan’s delirious mind or Viole is actually blushing a bit? It was really pale though, but he thought the pink color was there. If only those long bangs didn’t cover almost half of his face.

“I just… like cooking, that’s all.” That’s all the answer he got, and sadly that didn’t give away if Viole was indeed nervous or embarrassed.

So, he decided to push further. That, and also curiosity took the best of him. “Viole, where did you get that apron?” He needed to know. It was too adorable to let it pass.

“Ah, you mean this?” Viole took the border of the apron between his fingers, distending the fabric. “My Master gave it to me. I told him I was cooking by myself sometimes, and he said it would look good on me.”

Well, that man, whoever he was, was right. It was unbearably cute, and it would be more so if those fricking bangs didn’t get in the way and he could properly see Viole’s face. However, the word he used… somehow made Wangnan think of inappropriate things. Stupid horny brain. “Master? You have a Master even though you are a slayer candidate?”

“Yes, of course. He is my martial arts teacher.”

Oh, so that man is the one responsible for Viole being such a fighting machine. Well, he has good taste. Viole seemed to want to say something more, but stopped at the last second. Noticing this, Wangnan waited for him to continue, but apparently he wasn’t going to say it, whatever it was. Damn, now he will have to live with his unsatisfied curiosity.

Suddenly, Wangnan realized something and didn’t stop to think about his next actions. “Ah, look! You are putting your hair on the frying pan. Careful, Viole.”


His hand moved on its own before he could think through what he was doing. He brushed the hair away from the frying pan and moved all the length of that Rapunzel-long ponytail to the side, over Viole’s right shoulder. He didn’t mean to do something so intimate, to touch his hair without asking permission or at least a warning, but the result was even worse. A pale neck was exposed to Wangnan’s eyes. It was the first time Wangnan felt… temptation around Viole. He is dangerously tempted to touch that exposed skin, to feel it with his fingers, with his mouth. With his fangs.

“Thank you, Mr. Wangnan.”

Viole’s quiet voice made him return into reality and get a hold of himself. What was he about to do? Wangnan shook his head vigorously and thankfully Viole got concentrated again on his eggs and toasts, so he didn’t notice this gesture. Since when did Wangnan have impulses of touching Viole? And so inappropriately, at that. What was he even thinking? But that skin was still there, and Wangnan had to force himself to avert his own penetrating gaze. It was difficult, though. His eyes were glued to the alluring image of that long hair over Viole’s shoulder, exposing that appetizing neck.

He found his chance to get away from Viole, before doing something stupid again, when a yawning Yihwa entered the kitchen. Wangnan ran away into his room again, like the devil was chasing after him, leaving a confused Yihwa and an oblivious Viole behind. Now that he thinks about it, Yihwa sleeps with Viole… So lucky, damn! Ok, he would have serious trouble if he indeed slept in the same room with Viole, considering all the trouble he had that time to not just bite into his neck. Still… she is so lucky. He would gladly take that kind of sweet torture if he could.



The second time was when their whole team decided to go out together to buy their groceries, because everyone wanted different things and they wouldn’t come up with a decent shopping list. For Wangnan, who has been watching Viole closely since they formed their current team (and probably from way before that too), it was obvious that Viole was feeling a little anxious. He was clutching his hands and walked behind all of them, but not that further away either. If Wangnan didn’t know better, he would have thought Viole was afraid of getting lost. But that couldn’t be true, right? Everyone was so absorbed in their conversations that they didn’t even notice his strange behavior, so Wangnan couldn’t ask anyone about it either. He would just expose himself either way.

They bought everything they needed and way more, although they had three or four fights because of it along the way. And then, the kids demanded to stop by an electronics shop on the way home. That’s when it happened. There was a video game console plugged-in in the middle of the store, so people could try games and feel tempted to buy them, and it seemed to attract not only the kids’ attention, but also Viole’s. Prince took the controller first and started stomping goombas in some new Mario game. Miseng stood by his side, cheering on him. And Viole… Viole was standing next to them too, but he was just observing closely, in total silence. Miseng, who was the first one to lose fear around him (they say children are more perceptive than adults with those kinds of things), took him by the sleeve, seemingly breaking the trance Viole was in.

“Mr. Viole, do you want to play?” Wangnan was going to intervene, to tell Miseng not to bother Viole, but the boy didn’t seem angry in the slightest. In fact, he looked confused.

“…Do you play with this thing? How?”

Wangnan froze in place, and Prince only laughed loudly at the unexpected ignorance. “You don’t know what a gaming console is, Viole!? How is that even possible!?” Yeah, it was strange indeed. Maybe Viole didn’t grew up in a rich family, so he didn’t have the chance to get every console like Prince probably did, but even Wangnan, who grew up poor his entire life, knows what a console is at least. What kind of life did Viole had until now? “You are so strange. Hey, since I’m so generous, I will show you. Here!” Prince tossed the control over to Viole’s hands, and the silent boy just stared at it for a few seconds. “There, play by yourself! You’ll love it!”

“But Prince, Mr. Viole said he doesn’t even know what this is. Here, I’ll teach you.”

Miseng took Viole’s hands into hers and helped him start pushing the correct buttons to make Mario jump on platforms and enter pipes. That’s when Wangnan saw it, and it melted his heart. Still serious as ever, Viole looked amazed by the game, like it was a marvelous new experience. Pure-hearted curiosity showed in his face, even with those fucking bangs still covering his eyes, and his lips parted to let out a quiet whoaaa in full awe.


“Fun, right?”

And with Miseng smiling next to him, the sight was too cute for Wangnan to take, so he looked away for a second, only to find Arkraptor also looking with absolute tenderness at the two, although he looked like a dad looking at his children and not like a confused stalker like Wangnan probably did.

“They are cute, aren’t they?” His heart stopped for a second when Goseng appeared by his side out of nowhere, with a teasing smile on her lips. “Miseng has always been cute, but with Viole this is something new, huh?” That’s what she thinks but Wangnan knew better, because he had already seen Viole smiling, and even if it was faint and just for a second, it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. So no, it wasn’t new to him but he was still affected like a fool. “You are staring too much at him, you know? I wonder how he hasn’t noticed.”

“I-It’s not like that…”

“Oh come on, Wangnan. I’m a woman; I easily notice stuff like that. But he is the one being stared at, he should have noticed by now even if he is oblivious to romance as most men are.” What is Goseng saying? Romance? Has Wangnan been seeing Viole with that in mind? No no no no no. Did he? Even if he is cute as heck and has Rapunzel hair, Viole is still a guy. And a FUG slayer nominee, at that. He couldn’t see Viole that way, he mustn’t. “But maybe it is not only technology that he knows so little about, but life itself. Maybe he is just being innocent.”

“S-Shut up, you don’t know what you are saying.”

“Yeah, right. Fool yourself, but you can’t fool me.” With that, Goseng went to talk with Yihwa, and Wangnan prayed she wasn’t telling the girl the same things she told him just now. Wangnan felt his face burning up a little.

And there he is, Viole being completely oblivious to his inner turmoil once again, playing along with Prince, silently but with noticeable enthusiasm, and Miseng cheering on both of them. It not only surprised Wangnan that Viole didn’t know something so basic as to what a gaming console was, but also how well he handled himself with the kids. Viole could be a good dad in the future.

For some reason, that simple thought made Wangnan feel strange. Angry. Why? He shook the uncomfortable thoughts away and came near the gamer trio with his usual upbeat attitude. Better to join in the fun than feeling upset for no reason.

Of course, when they left the store, they went out with a brand new game console in a shopping bag, courtesy of Viole’s seemingly unlimited credit card.


However, it didn’t end there. That heartwarming scene led to another one that very same night. After dinner, Wangnan set up the console and everyone joined the fun in the living room. At Miseng’s petition, Viole bought a game called Fall guys, which was an online battle-royale platformer game, where you play as an adorable fruity-colored jellybean. They decided to pass the controller between all of them after each full round of the game, and after a while everyone had their preferred customization for their jellybean. This event taught everyone that not only Viole didn’t have any idea of what video games were, but Horyang didn’t know much about them either, and was terrible at playing, so the children surrounded him too in order to teach him how to play properly. The ones more easily frustrated were Arkraptor and Yihwa. Especially Yihwa. They had to take the controller away from her in many occasions, before she burned it up. Prince would have been the most easily angered if he weren’t as good as he was at the game, of course.

And surprisingly, Viole learned really fast how to play decently. He started by imitating what Prince did, and soon enough he was doing pretty well, although not as good as Prince or Miseng, who apparently wasn’t only good at card games. But what caught Wangnan’s attention was, of course, how happy Viole seemed, even if his expression didn’t change one bit and he was as silent as ever. There was something soft surrounding him, like the shinsu in the air responded to his new calm and happy state. And it also managed to calm Wangnan’s heart and leave him smiling perpetually.

But all calmness went to trash when, after hours of playing, the other adults went to sleep and only Viole and the kids remained in the living room. Wangnan readied himself for bed, and after brushing his teeth, he went back into the living room to tell the remaining group to go to sleep soon. That was when he found said adorable scene: the three of them fell asleep when Prince was turning off the console, and both kids were snuggling against Viole’s sleeping figure. Wangnan’s movement stopped completely and he only could stare at the image in front of him. “Wah…”

Shaking his head to recover some of his lucidity, Wangnan tried to take the controller from Prince’s hands to no avail, so, frowning a bit, he shut off the console while trying not to disturb the boy that was still gripping at the controller with so much strength. Then, he stopped to stare again. Maybe he should take them to their respective rooms. They shouldn’t sleep uncovered like this, they might catch a cold. Those were the thoughts that lingered in Wangnan’s mind at the time, which were trying to cloud other, more inappropriate ones.

So the first one he took in his arms was Prince, who was already falling off the couch anyways. The next was Miseng, but the little girl was too tightly attached to Viole and didn’t want to let go. “Ok, Miseng, I know Viole must be warm and comfortable, but you have to go to bed.” Wangnan whispered in a slightly fatherly voice, but got annoyed immediately after because the girl still didn’t let go at all. “Please, I don’t want to wake you or Viole up…!” Finally, Miseng let go of Viole and, grumbling a bit in dreams, let herself be carried to her bed. Goseng was already sleeping, so she didn’t noticed how Wangnan tucked Miseng in bed and then ruffled her hair lovingly.

Finally it was Viole’s turn, and Wangnan couldn’t help but gulp loudly upon seeing him again, stretched out on the couch. Viole’s long hair was a mess and he had an incredibly peaceful expression. Wangnan dared to wipe aside Viole’s bangs so he could appreciate his entire face. There it was: a peaceful, almost too innocent sleeping face. It would have been even better if he could see those golden eyes once again.

He took Viole into his arms and carried him to the room he shares with Yihwa. Thankfully, the girl was soundly asleep, so she didn’t see him carrying the slayer candidate on his arms like Viole was his newlywed bride or something. That would have been embarrassing, although easy to explain. He was just trying to be nice and care for his teammates, nothing more and nothing less. So he left Viole on the bed, and gazed at his sleeping figure once again. His slightly parted lips looked so tempting. He really is beautiful, even if those stupidly long bangs insist on covering his face. Wangnan can’t help but swallow loudly again and then trace those lips with the tips of his fingers. “God, Viole…”

Before he could do any more regrettable things (were they?), he jumped back just in time when Viole’s body moved abruptly and a bang almost hit Wangnan straight in the face. “What…!?” When Wangnan managed to focus his sight again, Viole was sitting on the bed, looking on alert and a little frightened. Then, the boy opened his eyes completely and lowered the next bang that was already on his right hand, a hand that then went to his mouth, which was opened in surprise. “Mr. Wangnan…?” He still looked sleepy. He probably reacted on instinct when his lips were touched. Stupid Wangnan. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to attack you. Are you okay…?”

Wangnan could only laugh awkwardly. At least he didn’t seem to know what Wangnan almost did to him. What was he trying to do, actually? It was just… his lips looked so appetizing… “Ah, barely, but I’m okay! Don’t worry, I should have expected it. You are a FUG, after all.”

Viole flinched a bit at that sentence, and then hugged his pillow against his chest, like he was protecting himself from something unconsciously. The reaction made Wangnan a little sad, and immediately regretted what he just said. “But… I should have reacted earlier… You carried me here, right? I shouldn’t have fallen asleep if I was with the kids, in the first place. How…?”

Wangnan smiles softly at his confusion. “Maybe you are starting to feel safe around us. I mean, they are kids. You don’t have to be on alert if it’s them, you know.”

“No, I shouldn’t let my guard down, not with anybody.” It felt like Viole was trying hard to convince himself about this, and Wangnan’s smile dropped at that. “But I fell asleep with them hugging me. And then you… You managed to carry me here without me waking up until just now. If it were anybody else, I could be… I would be dead.”

“But it’s me, Viole.” Without thinking it through, Wangnan approached the bed and sat beside Viole, who flinched a bit again but didn’t move. Maybe he was invading his personal space, but Wangnan couldn’t help caressing Viole’s cheek softly with his fingertips. It may have been Wangnan’s misjudgment, but Viole seemed to lean a bit onto his touch. Just the thought of that being possible made Wangnan blush. “We are a team now. You don’t have to be on guard with us.”

“But…!”

With that Viole fell silent. However, Yihwa was waking up, and Wangnan didn’t react on time. Flamethrower, as he called her before they established as a team, was looking at them with an annoyed and at the same time confused expression. “What are you doing…?” She frowned now, completely irritated by the image in front of her. “Mr. Wangnan, did you try to attack Viole on his sleep!?”

“W-What!? No, of course not! Is that what you think of me!?” Surely he was completely red by that time, but Viole didn’t seem to understand the real implications of Yihwa’s words, thankfully. He just apologized again for him being the one attacking Wangnan when he woke up abruptly.

Wangnan didn’t feel capable of handling any more embarrassment, so he bid farewell to his two confused teammates, wished them a good sleep and ran to his own room, where Prince was still in unfathomable slumber. He covered himself completely with his bed sheets and took a deep breath, trying to calm his accelerated heartbeat. If Viole hadn’t woke up at that moment, what would have happened? Wangnan had touched his lips, which were so soft and warm… And then, when he woke up, he looked so afraid of having showed himself defenseless. Wangnan didn’t want Viole to feel unsafe, to feel scared. He wanted Viole to feel secure around them, around him… What kind of life had he been living until now, for him to react that way? Being with FUG must be harsh. So Wangnan set himself the goal to, at least, know more about Viole, so he can try making him feel at home, like he and their other teammates were starting to feel too. Although the memory of Viole looking so adorably vulnerable tormented him all night, he did feel better about the whole issue. Yeah, he knew what he had to do now.


So, after all of those strange sights of cuteness, Wangnan couldn’t help defending Viole when Yihwa started talking bad about him one morning, out of thin air. He was still half-asleep, scratching his tummy while walking onto the kitchen to get some watermelon as Goseng suggested. “I don’t think Viole is the kind of guy who does stuff like that.”

“D-Do you have any proof the rumors aren’t true!?” Yihwa’s loud voice, even if she was speaking politely as always, made his head hurt a bit. Of course she would still be suspicious about Viole, since he is a FUG and she is of the Ten Great Families, but still. Viole doesn’t even leave the house that much for those rumors to be true, in the first place.

“You know, now that I’ve spent time with him, he doesn’t seem bad… He’s gentle…” And cute, but that would remain hidden within his private thoughts. “And he lets us live in the house that he rented! He even does an equal share of the housework!” And he wears that adorable chestnut apron while cooking. “Moreover!!! You’re such a bad cook that he even does your share of cooking! Shame on you.”

“Urgh… That’s true… but…” Maybe he went a little too far with that one, but it’s not a lie, and Arkraptor nodded to every word in agreement, so if Yihwa wants to feel offended, so be it. She is the one being suspicious of Viole, who surprisingly (or maybe not so much at this point) has been nothing but kind to them. He is still too reserved and mysterious, but he is really generous too.

So Yihwa just walks out burning (literally) with frustration, after saying she will be the one following Viole if he was out looking for somebody. Well, maybe Wangnan should be following him too, since he did say he should learn more about the slayer candidate, but he shouldn’t be such a stalker like Yihwa is being right now. He will get his information in another way. So Viole went to meet somebody… Who could it be?

Wangnan spent the next few hours inevitably ruminating about it, to no avail. Of course, he doesn’t know anything about Viole at all, so he can’t even guess who that might be. So he was really surprised (and scared) when a serious yet beautiful girl with an eye patch and a man with an incredibly strong and dangerous aura came home with Viole, even if the man wanted to seem friendly and even brought fruit for them as a gift.

On one hand, poor Goseng is clearly terrified to be in front of these two FUG members. She is peeling an apple with trembling hands, while looking down the whole time. Arkraptor, on the other hand, remained with Yihwa, who was recovering from… passing out? Apparently Viole had to knock her out to prevent her from attacking this man. Well done, because this man is a high ranker and also a FUG. Who in their right mind would try to harm a man like this one? Yihwa, Yihwa would, because she is that stubborn in her anti-FUG stance. And then Horyang was out with Prince, to check on their opponents for the upcoming test. So that left only Wangnan to deal with this situation. Surprisingly enough, Miseng seems completely fine, unlike her older relative. This kid sure is incredible.

So the three FUG members are in front of him right now, each with a plate with watermelon slices. Hwaryun, as the red haired girl introduced herself, remains serene and quiet, while the man introduces himself as Jinsung, Viole’s martial arts teacher. So this is the so-called master that gave Viole the infamous (for Wangnan) chestnut apron. At first, Jinsung asked if they were bullying his precious Viole, seemingly worried about those nasty rumors that are circulating about him. Also, he somehow noted that Viole’s hands were dry or something, and questioned if they were making him do household chores. Yeah, that would be because of him washing the dishes with a few drops of bleach mixed in the water. That made it safer, he had only said, and looked strangely sad when he did. It caught Wangnan’s attention, but he didn’t dare ask about it.

And this whole time Viole remained silent, looking to the ground as if he were utterly uncomfortable with the situation at hand. The reason revealed itself soon enough. Without being asked anything, Jinsung started blabbering about how extraordinary his pupil is. They all know Viole is undeniably more powerful than normal regulars, but this man made it all the more clear. At one point of his enthusiastic and loving monologue, Viole just went out the room. Wangnan saw him leave through the corner of his eye, and lamented (again) that those long bangs didn’t let him see if Viole was embarrassed or pissed off at his master. Probably both.

At some point, Jinsung stopped talking and looked for Viole. And, of course, didn’t find him. “Huh? And where’s Viole?”

Wangnan is grateful he doesn’t have to be the one to answer. “He left… When you started saying stupid things.” replies Hwaryun, while eating her fruit nonchalantly.

“Maybe he is on the roof. He likes to be alone there.” mentions Goseng, now apparently way calmer than before. Maybe seeing Jinsung acting all father-like regarding Viole made her feel safer. Said man quickly says his goodbyes and goes to the roof as told, and Goseng takes Miseng in her arms, caring her to sleep somewhere more comfortable. How can Miseng sleep so defenseless in front of this people? Yeah, now they seem good enough, but still…

Wangnan’s suspicions are confirmed when Hwaryun opens her mouth again, now that they are alone in the living room. “You’re lucky. He decided to let you live. Congrats.”

According to Hwaryun, FUG picked up Viole on the floor of tests, because he is… an irregular. So that’s why he is so powerful and weird, like a monster. And that’s why FUG took in such a young regular. Because, well, he is not a regular, and that means he is capable of… killing Jahad, FUG’s greatest wish, and maybe what Wangnan has to do too. He is not sure right now though. Now all he wants to do is to go up the Tower with his loved ones, with his team, with Viole, and change the Tower for good, as he said to Lurker and Viole that fateful night.

“But… why did he become a slayer? Does he have a personal vendetta against Jahad?”

The answer broke Wangnan’s heart and, at the same time, made him understand all the little bits of information he had gathered about Viole: the lonely stares, the kind yet unwavering distant attitude, his unbreakable resolve to pass the floor tests, and his wish to not have a team at all in the first place. “FUG knows what’s important to Viole. As long as that’s in their hands… Viole can’t get away from FUG. If he fails the test or refuses to live as a Slayer… all of his old friends will die. Viole wants to protect them.” A small, kind of sadistic yet perpetually calm smile appears on the pretty girl’s lips. “Surprised? Did you really think we were nice people?”


At night, Wangnan can’t seem to fall asleep. Jinsung and Hwaryun decided to stay for a while, so he lent his bed to the girl, and he and Jinsung are now staying on the couches in the living room. Staring at the ceiling, Wangnan replays his conversation with Hwaryun all over again. He couldn’t help his outburst. “How could anyone do that!? To use that kind of cruelty to reach your own ends!! Because he is an irregular, you force him to live a life he doesn’t want, and to be hated by everyone!! How could you do that!?” While saying that, he couldn’t shake the image of Viole smiling awkwardly and just for a mere second that fateful night. And he couldn’t forget the sense of loneliness that surrounded Viole all the time. It all made sense now. And it hurts Wangnan to no end.

Seeing he can no longer sleep tonight, Wangnan stands up from his couch, and frowns when he hears Jinsung praising Viole in his sleep. He acts so much like a father figure, yet he is one of the people that are using Viole for their own selfish wishes. It probably confuses Viole as much as it confuses Wangnan.

He decides to go out to the roof, to take in some fresh air and clear the thoughts in his head, but there he finds Viole looking at the fake night sky. “What? You are also awake, Viole?”

“Mr. Wangnan?” That soft yet serious voice makes him nervous once again, although this time is for a different reason. Now that he knows Viole’s secret, he doesn’t know how to confront him, what to say. He decides to joke about his master’s snoring first, and how he was dreaming about his precious pupil.

“The night view is amazing here. It would be nice to have a drink here.” It also feels really romantic, but he won’t be saying that, not when he is alone with Viole. Yet maybe being alone with Viole is exactly what made him think about that.

Wangnan shakes his head vigorously, and then stares at Viole’s profile, serious and lonely as ever. What could he be thinking? Is he missing his friends? Is he desperate to be with them again? Or at least know they will be safe, not in constant danger? If he fails the test… his old friends will die. Hwaryun’s words resonate inside Wangnan’s mind. Viole is doing all of this, being alone and hated by everyone, putting himself in danger in every test, training at the hands of FUG, all of this for those people, who Wangnan doesn’t even know. Viole’s friends.

“Viole.” The boy glances at him, looking kind of curious, even behind those long bangs Wangnan has started to hate. “I’m sorry I thought you were a bad guy. You’re an amazingly good guy.” He doesn’t even explain why he is saying this now, but hopes Viole will understand. “If I were your friend, I wouldn’t regret risking my life for you.” The towers with red crystals on top illuminate Viole’s face, which show his big golden eyes for a second. “Let’s pass the next exam no matter what… Friend.”

As he says that last word, Wangnan turns to look at Viole, who seems utterly confused. Wangnan slaps himself mentally for not being clear in what he wanted to say, even though he meant every word he said. After hearing Hwaryun out, he is sure he really would risk his life for someone like Viole. Someone so kind, willing to sacrifice everything for the ones he loves shouldn’t have to fight alone, shouldn’t have to live in fear and loneliness. Without thinking and letting himself be led by his feelings alone, Wangnan approaches Viole, who still looks confused and curious, and wipes those fricking bangs away from his eyes. There they are: big, bright, curious honey-colored eyes. It feels like they are pulling him in, like magnetism.

So he lets himself be guided by his instincts again, and, before he knows it, his lips are touching Viole’s softly, only superficially. He sees Viole opening his eyes in surprise and staying completely still. After a few seconds, Wangnan pulls away, but the soft, sweet sensation still lingers on his own lips. So, again without thinking it through, he goes out for more: another soft touch on Viole’s mouth, and this time, Wangnan dares to kiss Viole for real. What the heck is he doing? He just said he wanted to be Viole’s friend and now he is kissing him? But Viole is now reciprocating the kiss, his lips imitating the movement of Wangnan’s own, and his golden eyes are closed, like he is anticipating… more. No, that can’t be.

With great regret, Wangnan breaks apart from Viole and stares at the boy’s face. He is looking at Wangnan in wonder, as he doesn’t even understand what just happened. Wangnan doesn’t blame him. He himself doesn’t understand it either, and he is the one who started the kiss. He wants to say something, blabber some excuse at least, but he can’t. He is petrified in place, not knowing at all how to react now that he clearly took advantage of Viole’s lonely state. The boy, however, smiles briefly, faintly, just like he did that night, and Wangnan feels his heartbeat race once again.

It’s a blessing that Yihwa entered the roof right there, because Wangnan didn’t know how to deal with Viole now, and surely wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation to kiss him again if Viole allowed him to. So he went to reflect his own feelings on Yihwa, harassing her with accusations of being jealous of Hwaryun, for example, or how she clearly wanted to be alone with Viole. And the boy just stays silent, apparently too confused or tired to ask anything further.

But it’s a fact now. He is, indeed, head over heels for Viole.



- END CHAPTER 2-

martes, 28 de noviembre de 2023

[Fanfic] Tower of God - Heritage of Desire: Chapter 1 (WangnanViole)

Hace rato que tengo esto escrito, y no lo subía aquí XD Tengo más cosas también que subir, así que espero ir haciéndolo de a poquito. Tengo muy abandonado este blog :c Pero bue, como quería retomar este fic (no sé si lo lograré u.u) pos me puse a arreglar este cap y aprovecho de subirlo aquí c: Es el comienzo de una historia WangnanBaam/Viole, que nació por culpa de una idea que tuve al escribir el cap de Wangnan en mi otro fic, "Better than cigarettes". Ya se entenderá más adelante porqué(???) O tal vez no XD Este primer cap es solo un prólogo, por eso es tan cortito, y sigue casi totalmente lo que pasa en el manhwa cuando estos se conocen. Ya después le iré añadiendo harta cosa, pero igualmente es canon continuity nod. 

*****

Heritage of Desire
by RPMizu
 
Chapter 1: Prologue


At first, Wangnan was utterly afraid. He had to look out for himself, and only for himself. After all, if he lost again at the 20th floor, he would have to sell all of his organs, and would die miserably, without accomplishing anything, without anyone knowing. All alone. So when Wangnan saw that man upon opening the door to the test area, he immediately knew he had to avoid confrontation if he wanted to pass, or simply continue living. It was a small, somewhat fragile figure, cloaked in black, with long, rather messy chestnut hair covering part of his face. It wouldn’t intimidate anybody if it weren’t for the corpses already laying at his feet, and the powerful aura surrounding him. The shinsu of a monster.

Wangnan could only breathe properly when the mysterious boy decided to ignore him and sit down a feet away from him, apparently refusing to fight for now. Wangnan doesn’t know why a monster like this one silently agreed to leave him unharmed, but he won’t dare questioning it.

He had to look out for himself, but his heart betrayed him once more. He couldn’t bring himself to hurt any of the people who crossed that door after him, either because he wasn’t strong enough and it would be foolish to fight them, or because he didn’t have the cold heart to do so. Who would let a little girl come this far? It was unfair for her opponents.

But then the mysterious boy stood up and spoke for the first time. A soft voice which didn’t belong with someone so frightening. It was cold and strained, like he was tired of everyone and everything. “There is no reason to vote, because you will all fail the test because of me.”

That voice moved something inside Wangnan’s heart. Why did he stay quiet all the time and decided to fight when it was disadvantageous for him? One move and everyone understood why: because he was confident in his abilities, he thought he could handle all of them at once, and he was right. FUG, Glasses had said. If that was true, then he was indeed a monster. They only came out alive because of luck. Time ran out just after the FUG boy cured himself with some weird red tentacles. He walked through the room as if nothing happened and took the elevator.

“Take him first. Who would want to ride with that guy?”

Although Wangnan said that out loud, he soon discovered himself watching the silent monster boy a little too much. He was so intriguing. Who is he? Why is he here? Why didn’t he kill them regardless of time running out? And to make things worse for his curiosity, the little girl, Miseng, approached the FUG boy with snacks, which he surprisingly accepted without a sound. This is so, so weird. So much Wangnan is unable to avert his eyes from the boy. Especially when everybody proved how powerful they are, and then this boy, who is even a little smaller than Wangnan himself, went to the shinsu machine and with only a touch of his hand he scored six times the number that was the highest score at the time. Brutal. Who in the world was this guy?

Viole, said the machine. Viole…

And then his future was to be decided precisely by this scary man. Viole had to choose the people who would pass this part of the test, who would be his comrades in the next section. So Wangnan did what he had to do. He threw away his pride and humiliated himself in front of Viole. He didn’t expect everyone trying to do the same, or to use other tactics to sway him in their favor. But what he least expected was Viole not even laughing at him for doing what he did. He just looked at them and said, in his quiet and soft voice, that he didn’t need comrades, because they weren’t qualified to be beside him.

Of course, the Flamethrower girl interpreted it as he was saying they were incredibly weak compared to him, and Wangnan couldn’t really blame him if that was the case, but that wasn’t it.

“I’m Jue Viole Grace, a nominee for FUG slayer. I live to kill… Jahad and his family.” Wangnan thought he saw a glimpse of his eyes, only for a second. They were big, golden, sad eyes. “…You can’t be my teammate. I’m your enemy.”

Thankfully, the administrator made Viole agree to play a game with him, which gave them a chance to pass the test as well. But Viole, he said he lives to kill Jahad and his family… Then Wangnan, to him too… He clutches hard at the red ring hidden in his clothes.

An enemy of Jahad…

But Viole didn’t do anything besides almost giving him a heart attack when he found that very same ring after they took their baths. Again, he could see those golden eyes for just a second, and now they were filled with coldness. But the questioning got cut off when the annoying kid (Prince was his name?) came in trying to challenge Viole. The slayer candidate simply returned the ring to him and said: “Be careful not to lose it. It looks precious.”

Why? Why did he let him go? Didn’t he just say earlier that he lives to kill Jahad and everyone related to him? So, so confusing. This only makes him think about Viole more and more. So he tries to distract himself by playing cards with the others, the ones he thinks he can trust. Wangnan knows this is the Tower, and he shouldn’t trust anybody, but they seem nice. Even the silver-haired guy who lied about being a father in order to gain Viole’s favor, seems actually nice. And now, watching that man playing with Miseng, Wangnan is not so sure he lied after all. Everyone has their own stories. So when Glasses talked about getting out of the Tower and living together, in peace, everyone questioned their own paths. Wangnan is still determined to go up the Tower, but it’s true he would like to just live together with some friends. Maybe these people will become his new friends.

And Viole? What was his story? How did he get into FUG? Is FUG’s objective really his motivation to go up the Tower, or there was something more? Would he… would he want the same as them, to live in peace with friends? Seems unlikely, but Wangnan can’t stop himself from imagining Viole with them as well. No, he is a monster. Stop thinking foolish things, Wangnan.

And then, in the middle of the night, the administrator’s game started. They had to compete with Viole, and although they obviously had the advantage in numbers, Wangnan was sure they didn’t stand a chance in direct confrontation, so they settled with gaining allies, connecting their rooms, and take over Flamethrower’s room. But, to his surprise, Viole didn’t choose confrontation either. He went directly to the administrator and apparently didn’t even harm anyone on his path there. Maybe he didn’t because that would be wasting time, but confronting them would have been so much easier than fighting a ranker. Then why?

But things got out of hand quickly. The annoying kid got betrayed by his followers and Nia… Nia was killed by that scammer bastard, while Wangnan could only listen to his agonizing screams over the pocket. Yes, Nia betrayed him, but he did it just to fight for what he wanted to protect. His lovely Nia didn’t deserve… a fate like that.

The first thought that came to Wangnan’s mind was that mysterious boy. Viole. Right now, he doesn’t care if they all fail the test, but that Lurker bastard can’t get away with this. And he needs Viole, he is the only one who can help right now. “When people are desperate, they are capable of making a deal with the devil”, the administrator had said. And indeed he is desperate. Wangnan snapped and shouted things he hadn’t said in front of anyone before. How he just wanted to eat delicious sweet and sour pork with his friends, and how he wants to change the Tower. When he threw the connector to Viole’s hand, he thought he saw a glimpse of his eyes again. This time, he was surprised. And again, a lingering sadness could be grasped there too.

And with Viole’s help, he did defeat Lurker. He punched the fucker again and again, but in the end Wangnan couldn’t bring himself to kill him. Even Lurker had his reasons, just like Nia. If he didn’t forgive him, it would make the things he told Nia before he passed away a lie. If he was able to forgive Lurker, the world would forgive Nia. That’s what it seemed like to Wangnan, at least.

“I will change! I’ll become the king of this Tower!! I’ll change everything in this Tower… that made you like this!! I’ll ensure that no one else ends up like you or Nia ever again! That’s the dream that drives me to go up the Tower!” He can sense Viole flinching at his back, but that doesn’t stop him, although that reaction lingers in his mind. “Even if people laugh and say it’s impossible, even if I fail thousands of times and get betrayed, I’ll never give up!”

After that outburst, all energy got drained out from him, and the only thing he managed to say was: “Thank you, Viole.”

He had forgotten about the test all together, but at the last minute, as Viole wasn’t paying attention (probably still too shocked by his outburst), he swapped the connectors and tricked him into passing the test with them. Now they are officially a team, but it was because he deceived Viole, the most frightening regular in the Tower. So of course he was terrified when Viole came up to the roof when he was alone at night. But all Viole wanted to know was: “Why… did you forgive him?” His voice sounds curious, but also... sad again. He is not condemning him for being stupid and forgiving a bastard like Lurker. “What do you want to change about the Tower so desperately?”

He just wants to know, so Wangnan gives him a sincere answer. “W-well… Nothing that great…” Viole’s questions are making him incredibly nervous, although he tries not to show it. “I-It’s just so frustrating. This Tower… creates walls between people. I just… I want to make a place where everybody can smile under the same roof. I want a wider sky.”

Still a little nervous, Wangnan looks up at Viole. For a second, the wind blows away his bangs and, for the first time, he can see Viole’s eyes clearly. A faint but incredibly adorable smile adorns his lips and his big, golden eyes accompany that expression perfectly. Their color is like warm honey, and Wangnan feels himself drown in that honey. “I see…” It’s all he says, with that soft voice that now feels covered in honey too, before leaving the roof.

After being left alone, Wangnan senses his face burning up and he covers his head with his arms. “Oh my god… What was that?” He never thought he would think this about someone like Viole, but he was so… so cute.

At that time Wangnan didn’t notice how whipped he was getting for Viole.


- END CHAPTER 1-

domingo, 13 de agosto de 2023

[Fanfic] Tower of God - Collection for KhunBaam week 2023: Day 1

Hace mucho que no publico nada aquí, así que decidí al menos publicar los fics que he escrito de ToG que aún no pongo por acá. El primero de ellos será el reto de este año de la semana de KhunBaam, que mágicamente logré hacer a tiempo porque me preparé un poco antes, en mi semana de receso, y también porque lo hice en la modalidad infernal, es decir, con un límite de palabras por día, lo que al final por alguna razón hizo que fuese más fácil terminarlos pronto o.o

Ah, y este año no hice todos los días en una misma continuidad como hacía antes, si no que son puros one-shot independientes entre sí. Aun así, hay algunos que no son independientes 100%, porque se conectan con otros fics (uno que ya escribí y otro que aún no escribo XD).

Este puntualmente es en medio de la parte del hotel de los Lo Po Bia, si es que en algún momento nuestros mijos tuvieran un momento para descansar XD

*****

Collection for KhunBaam week 2023
by RPMizu

Day 1: Sleep / Dragon


The battle ended, at least for now, and they are finally reunited. Baam, the crocodile and himself; the three of them can rest in this fancy hotel room for the night. This place is still enemy territory, of course, but they can relax for a while regardless, right? There are still have some hours left before the Family Leader summons them again, and it is enough if only Khun stays alert until then, so the other two can rest. Khun wants his most precious comrades to sleep for as long as they can. Yeah, that includes the alligator, even though he would never say it aloud.

So that is what Khun does; he sits on the border of the bed, watching Baam’s sleeping figure, with Rak’s mini form tightly hugged against his chest, which goes up and down in a calm and hypnotizing rhythm. A chuckle escapes Khun; Baam looks so peaceful, and Rak looks comfortable too, but who would not be if Baam is the one hugging you? Well, that might be Khun’s perspective only, biased by his affection for Baam. Smiling warmly, Khun moves aside Baam’s bangs so he can clearly see the serenity on his face.

“At least the worst already ended…” Khun whispers, trying not to wake up his two friends.

He wants to think it is true, but is probably not. The wife war has not even started yet. They managed to sneak into the Lo Po Bia hotel unharmed, but Traumerei still wants Baam married into his family. Khun knows Jinsung did not have many options to help Baam, but still, this idea is ridiculous. Having a tournament to marry Baam, who is a slayer candidate and also an irregular. Even if Baam is incredibly charming, and there are quite a few people (women and men alike) that Khun knows are quite a bit interested in him, most people will not want to get involved with either of those concepts. Therefore, unless they already know Baam, not many people would want to take part in something this stupid.

“…Well, I would want to.” Khun whispers again, letting out a soft sigh.

It irritates Khun that the women here gathered out of political interest and not for Baam, even though Khun would be more than glad to be him the one who takes Baam’s hand. But he will not say that to anyone, obviously, so he cannot actually take part of the tournament. And even though he is confident in his own strength, monsters like Yuri and Tiara would destroy him. It was not fair from the beginning. Well, he trusts Jinsung has something planned so Baam will not have to actually marry any of these girls. And if he does not, then Khun will have prepare something.

“The problem is that I can’t come up with anything yet.”

His hand pets Baam’s head now, earning a contempt smile and a somewhat relieved sigh in response. Khun cannot help smiling back. Baam is the only one who makes him smile like this. He is his treasure, the reason for his existence.

“If Baam wasn’t here, I would probably die.”

That is why he has to protect him, keep him away from the political machinations of the damned Great Families. The only thing Baam wants is to live in peace with the people he loves. However, if Baam sees people suffering, he will get involved in these affairs to help those people, even if he hates conflict. That is just who Baam is.

So Khun has to protect Baam from his own recklessness. Which is definitely ironic, since Baam is by far the most powerful on their team, and even so, Baam is still the one who needs the most protection, against these capricious and selfish high rankers who want to own him for his power.

Right now, Baam is a sleeping dragon. He even has a dragon inside him, doesn’t he? The serpent dragon Leviathan, one of the only things Traumerei seems to fear. Khun wonders why though. Baam absorbed it with ease, and does not seem to have trouble keeping it under control. He has already absorbed fragments of Enryu’s thorn, two Thryssa demons, countless souls that White gathered… does he still have Black March inside him? Khun lost count already, of which and how many things Baam keeps inside of him. He is a black hole that absorbs power. No wonder people are afraid of irregulars.

But Khun has never considered Baam to be terrifying, not in the slightest. For example, even in his sleep, the shinsu around him reacts to his calm emotional state. Most people would think he is a monster for that, because with that affinity, irregulars can make shinsu unstable if they were upset. However, Khun finds it incredibly cute. It makes the whole room feel relaxed. How can he not see it as adorable? It is as if bubbles of happiness are floating in the air.

“If only this moment would never end…”

For that purpose, he has to come up with a safety measure, in case Jinsung does not have anything planned to get out of this situation. Khun huffs, letting out his stress. How is he going to do it? He has no idea, but he has to do something. He has to protect Baam, he has to keep him safe from the Family Leaders and these annoying wife candidates. If only he could win the tournament and take Baam’s hand…

No, he needs to forget about that. Baam only sees him as a friend, and Khun will never say otherwise either. He will take his feelings to the grave if that means not confusing Baam. Khun shakes his head vigorously, trying to dissipate the gloomy aura around him. Instead, he should focus on the shinsu around Baam, which immediately makes him smile once more.

“There’s still some time left.” Khun pets Baam’s head again, and his smile gets more prominent as Baam leans against his touch. “It won’t be problem if I sleep for an hour or two, right…?”

Khun positions himself on Baam’s other side, keeping Baam’s back against his chest in a tight embrace. This way, they make a Baam sandwich, and both he and the alligator can serve as shields for Baam if anything happens. There is no other implication to what he is doing, of course. It is not as if he wants to feel Baam near him to be able to sleep in peace. Definitely not. He just needs to protect his sleeping dragon, from anything that wants to harm him.

He can hear Baam letting out a soft giggle, and then he relaxes against Khun’s body. This is perfect, simply perfect.

If only this moment would never end.


-END of Day 1-

miércoles, 1 de marzo de 2023

[Fanfic] Tower of God - Collection for KhunBaam week 2022: Day 7

Y ahora que justo termino mis vacaciones (ayayaya ToT), termino este reto que debería haber terminado desde hace mucho rato XD De hecho, lo revisé en mi hora de almuerzo, antes de publicarlo XD No sé si haré la semana del 2021, pero me gustaría para poder decir que participé en todas las semanas de mi OTP desde que me uní al fandom c: Y también tengo que escribir el fic que referencio en el día 6 de este reto, que añadí una referencia ninja y no tengo a donde dirigir a la gente que quedó con la duda XD afdahsg por fin terminé~ *baile feliz*


*****


Collection for KhunBaam week 2022
by RPMizu

Day 7: Water / Surprise


“Mr. Khun!”

For like the twentieth time today, Khun can feel Baam’s body pressing against his back, as he continues to program on his Lighthouse. The intense smell of sweat, mixed with Baam’s natural aroma and the powerful scent of shinsu, invades his nostrils. But since it is Baam, Khun does not protest. Instead, he shuts down some of his screens, leaving only the ones without concerning information, and pets Baam’s head, which rests on his left shoulder. This earns him a soft giggle.

“Did you finish training?” Khun says in a soft tone, while his other hand continues to type. He can feel Baam nodding against his shoulder.

“Yep, I’m finished for the day. Master Evankhell let me go.”

“That’s great. It’s not so late yet, so you should use your spare time to relax for a while.” Then Khun looks back at Baam, his fingers getting away from the keyboard. “Well, maybe you should take a bath first.”

A mischievous grin appears on Baam’s face, and Khun fears the worst for a second. He is not used to see that expression on Baam, but he has seen it multiple times on Leeso or Rak, and it always ends badly for him. But it is Baam who he is thinking about, so there should not be any problem, right? Baam is not a troublemaker like those two… Well, maybe he is sometimes, when he is being insanely reckless, but now there is no indication that will be the case.

Jeez, he is overthinking again. It seems this is all Khun does lately, and Baam is the one to blame, with his strange behavior.

“Let’s take one together! I already prepared the bathtub!” Baam says in a happy tone, grabbing Khun by the arm and proceeding to drag him to the nearest bathroom.

Khun does not even have time to protest, or even process what is happening, and they are already inside the bathroom that is next to his room. It is the biggest one on their rented home, which serves as a control center for their war preparations. The huge bathtub is already filled with flower-scented soapy water, and there are bottles with different oils lined up on its border.

“Did you prepare all of this?” Baam nods two times with clear enthusiasm.

Again. Baam is doing him favors he has not asked for, again. A few days ago, Khun talked about this strange situation with Leeso and Hatz, but they did not reach any conclusion either. Why is Baam doing all these things for him? It is so confusing. Of course, Baam said he was in love with Khun, so that may be the reason, but that is all a misunderstanding on his part, right? Baam does not know anything about love, after all, and he is just confused because he likes Khun very much, and does not understand the difference. But it is not love, it cannot be. It is cannot the same desperate feeling that fills Khun’s chest every time he sees Baam. It simply cannot.

Hearing Baam giggling while scribbling down something on a little piece of paper takes Khun out of his somewhat depressing thoughts. “What is that?” Khun cannot help his curiosity. However, he knows he will not receive an answer.

“N-Nothing!”

There it is, the nervous giggling again. It is the most adorable sound Khun has ever heard, and the most intriguing too. What is the meaning of all of this? At least Baam seems to be having fun, so it is alright. And that piece of paper, which intrigues Khun to no end, gets hidden inside of Baam’s backpack once again. Damn it.

“L-Let’s get into the tub, shall we?”

Khun lifts an eyebrow. Not only Baam is obviously trying to distract him from his secrets, but he is also proposing something really concerning. “Both of us?”

“Of course! You get in first, and I’ll turn around.”

Like that solves the problem. Not seeing each other taking off their clothes will not change the fact that they will be naked together inside that bathtub, even if the foam will not let them see anything clearly. Nonetheless, Baam turns his back at him and covers his face with his hands, like a little kid playing hide-and-seek.

So Khun simply lets out a deep sigh and starts taking off his own clothes. After that night Baam asked him to sleep together and he had to run away from him to control his own wild desires, Khun decided he would along with anything Baam asked of him from then on. Baam looked so mortified when he was left behind, even if the day after he tried to smile as if nothing had happened. Khun cannot let him down again.

He just prays this will not end in disaster once again.

Khun folds his clothes neatly and leaves them next to Baam’s backpack, then immerses his body in the water. Well, it might be a dangerous situation for Khun’s sanity, but right now all he can think of is how the warm water eases the tension accumulated in his muscles and takes away his endless apprehensions. He had spent all day gathering information for the upcoming battle, and then programming different possible scenarios with it and their corresponding ways to counter them. Of course he is exhausted. So he might have to thank Baam for planning this for him.

“Ready? I’ll go now then.”

However, all relaxation ends when Baam starts taking his clothes off too. Khun will not cover his face like a little child, but he does look away immediately, although something inside him is telling him to keep staring at the scene that is developing so gratuitously in front of him. Damn, Baam, why is he always so clueless and tempting? Khun will never understand. Or maybe he is just exaggerating because he is pent up again. Now he misses his time in the Hidden Floor, the time he spent with Baam’s copy, although all of that was a horrible mistake he has to forget at all costs.

In his discomfort, Khun leans on the bathtub border, turning his back on Baam. That way, Baam can also get into the bathtub without being observed by Khun. Soon enough, there is the sound of waves produced by Baam’s body slipping into the water. Now that Baam is inside the tub, and considering there is foam everywhere which does not allow seeing anything beneath it, Khun could turn around and face Baam. However, he knows he will see Baam’s wet hair and his body covered in foam, and that would be enough to make him fantasize again. So he chooses to keep his back turned against Baam and relax for a while.

His attempt to calm down is successful for a few minutes, since he can hear how Baam is taking care of his own body. He was covered in sweat produced by a long day of training, after all. Hopefully this helps Baam relax too, and it seems to be working, since there is also a quiet and happy humming coming from behind Khun’s back.

However, all possibility of Khun relaxing completely died when he felt Baam’s body pressing against his back, taking him completely by surprise. How can he move in the water without making any noise? No, that is not what matters. Khun can feel his own heart pounding like crazy inside his chest. Sure, Baam has been hugging him at the most unexpected times all day, and for the past few days; still, Baam getting all touchy-feely while fully clothed was one thing, but him doing it while completely naked is another thing entirely. What is Khun supposed to do? Not fantasize with fucking Baam in this very same bathtub; that is for sure. But he cannot help it when he feels Baam’s warmth pressed against his back, his arms wrapping around his torso, and his breathing touching his left ear.

“Baam… What are you doing?” Khun manages to say when he overcomes the lump in his throat.

“Mmm? You weren’t looking at me, so I wanted to surprise you.” Oh, and he sure did. “And I wanted to be near you.”

“Are you worried about something? You have been pretty… physical lately.”

“N-No, that’s not it. Well, I am worried about things, I’m not gonna lie.” So he is scared. Khun cannot help feeling bad for thinking about sexual things nonstop while Baam is hugging him because he is anxious and needs reassuring. “But I just wanted to be near you, Mr. Khun, that’s all. I can’t?”

Khun swallows slowly when he hears the concerned yet adorable tone in Baam’s question. “Of course you can. You can hug me as much as you want.” Even if he has to bite his own hand in order to not jump on top of him and take him right there. Baam’s feelings are more important than his own frustrations.

Speaking of frustrations, for some reason Khun thinks he heard a frustrated pout near his ear. “Baam?” However, when he tries to turn around and face the other, he is stopped by Baam’s hands on his shoulders.

“No, Mr. Khun, stay like that. I cannot wash your back if you turn around.”

“What?”

No, no, no, a naked Baam massaging his back would be too much, even with his high levels of self-control. But he promised himself to go along with anything Baam wanted to do, right? He cannot disappoint Baam again. So Khun remains immobile while hearing the sound of a bottle popping open. Soon, a somewhat cold liquid slips across his back, making him shiver a little. The coldness is soon replaced by a pair of hands, covered with soap and oil, wandering all over his back and shoulders. Those hands soon start applying a little strength in specific spots there, trying to undo the tension gathered in those places. It is a little painful, as most massages are in the beginning.

“Does it hurt?” Baam sounds concerned, but he does not stop. Khun has given Baam massages in the past, so he must know by now that this is normal.

“I’m alright.” is all Khun says. Truth be told, the slight pain might distract him from the fact that is Baam touching his body. A naked and wet Baam. Well, even that is not helping much, in the end.

This is especially true when the pain begins to fade, and is replaced with an incredibly pleasurable and relaxing feeling. Baam really learns through his body, eh? This must be the first time Baam gives a massage, but he is fairly skillful in what he is doing. He must have learned everything through the massages Khun usually gives him when he is exhausted from training. Just like his combat abilities, he can learn new skills exceptionally fast through experiencing things with his own body. That means he can learn… other things too this way, right? No, Khun, stop being a horny dumbass.

“Does it feel good?” Baam’s shaky and airy voice does not help either. God, he can only pray for Baam not to notice the evident erection underneath the foam. However, everything went to Hell when Baam laid his chin on Khun’s left shoulder and stared down. “I can help you with that too if you want. I’m not sure I’ll be good at it, though.”

Baam’s fingers walk across his chest, and then slide down through his belly, slowly, teasingly, almost reaching his pubic hair. And that was Khun’s limit. With a big splash, Khun stands up and comes out of the bathtub, not caring that he is exposing his naked body in front of Baam. He quickly grabs a towel and dries himself up. He has to get out of here.

“Mr. Khun? I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean to upset you…”

When he sees Baam is about to do the same thing as him, Khun stops him. “No! Baam, please, stay there.” Fortunately, Baam obeys, although the sad look on his face breaks Khun’s heart. He has done it again. “Thank you, Baam, but I have to finish the plans I was working on.”

That is such an obvious lie, but he has to say something to excuse himself. Just looking at Baam now, with loose, wet hair, the foam just slightly covering his naked figure, and those pleading, big eyes… is enough make him go crazy. So he exits the room in a hurry, after taking that image in and engraving it in his memory. The last thing he can hear is a quiet “Don’t go…”

*****

A few days later, and even though Khun disappointed him a second time, Baam seems to have recovered from it and once again is full of enthusiasm. It is not surprising, though, since it has been this way ever since the “Baam doing nice things for Khun” situation started. Regardless as to why Baam is doing what he is doing, at least he seems to be having fun, so that counteracts Khun’s mistakes a little, right? He hopes so.

And today, Baam catches Khun off guard once more. How many times has it been already? Lately, Baam has been full of surprises. “Mr. Khun!”

As Baam’s arms wrap around his shoulders, Khun feels his heart jump for a second. However, he chooses not to say anything about how Baam has made a habit of his to sneak from behind him and hug him suddenly. Because it is not like he does not like Baam hugging him, after all, so he will not complain. He loves having Baam near him, and he is the only one allowed to hug him, but it still makes his heart stop for a second. Maybe one day he will get used to it.

So instead, Khun closes the book he is reading and pets Baam’s head softly. “Hi, Baam.” He is met with a bright, lovely smile. It is such a great smile. If this strange situation makes Baam smile like that, then Khun will not dwell in trying to find out the reasons behind it anymore.

“I have free time today. Master Evankhell wants me to rest for the day.”

“That’s great, Baam, and that’s exactly what you should do. I’ll warn the alligator to not disturb you today.”

His comment makes Baam chuckle. He is serious about it, though. Baam has been working really hard and deserves to rest now that the monster called Evankhell had some mercy on him. So Khun will make sure Baam is not disturbed by any of their annoyingly loud comrades, especially since he once again disappointed Baam the other day. This time Khun cannot afford to fail.

His determined thoughts get interrupted by Baam suddenly sitting next to him and grabbing his arm. “Do you have something scheduled for today, Mr. Khun?”

“Mmm…” He tries to remember but nothing comes to mind. Well, Leeso did ask him to help with something this afternoon, but it is probably nothing important. “Nope, nothing.” At least nothing important enough to bother Baam with it.

“Great! We’ll go on a date then!”

Khun does not have time to even say “what?” when he is already being dragged through the hallways and outside of their residence. The situation inevitably reminds him of that time were he invited Baam to go out together, and Baam thought it was a date. Now he deliberately is calling this a date. Well, this time he will not correct Baam; he already made that mistake that time and it made Baam sad. And after all this time, with all the things that have been said between the two of them, Baam probably knows the difference between a date and going out with a friend, right? Therefore, he really means it, that it is a date…

It becomes crystal clear that his assumptions were right as the day goes on. Apparently Baam is trying to recreate the date they had that day. The shopping, the coffee shop, the movie theater, and finally the walk around the park while eating ice cream. Khun chose not to mention this, as to not make Baam more anxious than he already seems. Jeez, Baam was to supposed to relax and take it easy today, but instead he still seems to be doing his best to make Khun happy, as he is been doing for more than a month now. Khun can only guess what is going on in Baam’s head. Maybe he wants to convince Khun that he really is in love with him and that it is not him misunderstanding his own feelings? Maybe. If that is the case, Khun’s doubts must be really hurting Baam. A spark of guilt lights up in Khun’s chest with this thought.

Still, he cannot believe Baam is really in love with him, even if Baam might be trying so hard to convey that to him. He does not want to get his hopes up, and after taking advantage Baam’s copy at the Hidden Floor, he cannot make that mistake again, not with the real Baam. He has to be sure that Baam’s feelings are real and not just confusion on his part, before making any advances. But how can he be sure? Only Baam can know for a fact what he is feeling, after all, and Khun is underestimating Baam’s ability to understand his own self. Jeez, why this has to be so difficult?

“Mr. Khun.” Baam’s voice gets him out of his inner turmoil once again. So it was really unnecessary from Baam’s part to suddenly splash water on his face. “You shouldn’t be so distracted in our second date.”

A nervous giggle that makes clear that Baam is playing around because he is as anxious as Khun. “Sorry.” And Khun means it. He should not me making Baam more uncomfortable.

Without another word, Baam takes Khun’s hand and leads him to the fountain, so they can sit on the border side by side. He does not let go of his hand though, so Khun starts massaging it, unconsciously at first. Then he notices it is a little sweaty, which makes him smile lovingly. Baam is trying so hard. He might be... he might really be in love with Khun.

“…Why don’t you believe me?” Baam’s quiet voice takes him by surprise. It is as if Baam was reading his thoughts. “I know you like me. Everyone says so too.” Well, his feelings towards Baam are kind of obvious, he has to admit. It still makes him embarrassed, however, for Baam to be the one saying that. “But you don’t believe I like you back in the same way.”

“I…” Baam silences him with a finger on his lips and a quiet shush.

“Please hear me out.” A sigh that Khun identifies as the ones that Baam lets out when he is about to let go of his stubbornness. “For the past month and a half, I have been trying to do things to make you happy.” Yeah, he has noticed, alright. Still, he remains silent, as Baam asked. “At first I called them experiments, since I didn’t know if my ideas would work. I repeated the ones that got good results, and discarded the ones that didn’t. That is what I write in the paper you were so curious about.”

Oh, so that is what he has been doing. So he is been experimenting with Khun? That sounds strange; scratch that. “What made you think you had to do things for me?”

“Well, I have my reasons.” Now Baam lets go of Khun’s hand and starts playing with his own fingers, intertwining them, separating them, and intertwining again, just like he does every time he feels uncomfortable. “But I also wanted to let you know that I love you. Like for real. But you don’t believe me.”

Khun takes Baam’s hand again into his, putting an end to that nervous compulsion. “It’s not that I don’t believe you.”

“But you think I’m confused, or vulnerable, or whatever. I can’t blame you for that, though. I was confused at the beginning. But a lot happened and now… I know for sure.” A tight squeeze in his hand, and golden eyes that look down, evading his own cobalt gaze. “Mr. Khun, you were sleeping for two years. That’s enough time for me to think, isn’t it?”

“I know, I know.” Khun scratches the back of his head with his free hand. If he does not want Baam to get the wrong idea, he would have to be honest too, just like Baam is opening his heart now. “Like I said, it’s not like I don’t trust you. It’s me that I don’t believe in.”

With those words, Baam lifts his head and those big, honey-colored eyes look straight at him, making him even more nervous. “How so?”

“Well, you are wonderful, Baam. You don’t know how much I have loved you ever since we met at the Floor of Tests.” Baam’s face gets tainted a little red, and it is the most adorable thing Khun has ever seen. Still, Baam remains silent, waiting for Khun to continue. Since he is already confessing, it is now or never, right? “You are like a miracle to me. I have grown so much because of you. I have a real family now. I have a reason to live. You are my reason to live. Baam, if you aren’t by my side, I think I would die.”

Everything comes out so naturally that Khun now wonders why he hid his feelings in the first place. So he keeps talking, letting everything flow. It does not matter if Baam is really in love with him or not. It does not matter if Baam then finds out he was just confused. If this confession can make Baam happy, it would have been worth it. And when he finishes speaking, it feels like an enormous weight has been lifted from him.

“You really love me… I already knew, but it feels different to actually hear it…” Baam squeezes his hand once again, his eyes shining with glee. But then his lovely smile turns into an adorable pout. “Then why don’t you even kiss me?”

“Eh?”

“You don’t even kiss me! Even though I have tried to get you to kiss me, you don’t do it.”

What? Khun points at Baam, completely astonished. Talk about Baam being full of surprises. “So it was on purpose after all! And here I thought you were too innocent to be doing those things on purpose!”

Baam looks at him with a little confusion, tilting his head and blinking three times. “Wait, what things do you think I did on purpose? It’s not like I did it many times.”

So there were times that were on purpose and some that were not. Which was which though? It is so hard to tell with Baam. He is so innocent and yet so sexy. Or maybe that is just the perspective of a man that is head over heels for him since forever. Khun shakes his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his mind. But since Baam is asking about it now, that is exactly why he has not kissed Baam, with the exception of that night that Baam wanted to sleep together, when he lost control for a moment.

With his face feeling a little hot, Khun scratches the back of his head once again, avoiding Baam’s curious eyes. “You remember what happened when we tried to sleep together, don’t you? I haven’t kissed you because it’s… difficult for me to control myself.”

“I know.” The certainty in Baam’s voice makes Khun even more embarrassed. “I know, but… I also told you I wanted to do those things with you.”

Jeez, is that Baam does not know how to be shy? He says that like it is nothing to be embarrassed about. Khun looks around him, making sure no one is staring at them, and then speaks in a whisper. “But you aren’t prepared for that…”

“Make me prepared then!” Khun can just gulp at the outrageous thing Baam just said so loudly. “You don’t have to push me down and do me just yet. You can just kiss me from time to time like a normal boyfriend does!”

“I-I know, but…” God, this is awkward, though Baam does not seem to find it a bit awkward. He is just blurting these embarrassing things like they are nothing, while staring directly into Khun’s eyes with his big, innocent ones. “It’s hard when you are this cute…”

Now Baam does look a bit embarrassed, finally. Jeez, they really are just a couple of idiots in love. “J-Just kiss me, ok? You can do it now. You won’t do anything beyond that if you are surrounded by people, right?”

Well, that is a good idea. He definitely will not jump on top of Baam if they are in public. And it could help him practice to be a normal person, and not a hungry, horny beast. So he takes Baam by the shoulders and leans forward, cutting the distance between their faces.

“Wait.” One of Baam’s fingers gets between them, separating their lips just barely. “I said kiss, not devour, ok?”

Khun feels his face grow hot once again, and nods two times, slowly. Of course he will not do anything too intense in public, just like Baam said. Is this part of Baam’s plan too, the one he writes in that piece of paper? Maybe it is. He stares at Baam’s face. He has his eyes closed in expectation and a cute and trusting smile on his lips. Baam has tried really hard to make him happy, and to make Khun understand that he loves him for real. How could he disappoint this gorgeous creature yet another time? So Khun takes Baam’s face by the chin and gives him the kiss Baam so temptingly is asking for. A sweet kiss which last a bit too short compared to how Khun would have wanted it to be.

“Are you satisfied with this, Baam?” Khun says, a little too much air in his voice. Baam seems speechless for a moment, but then a bright smile appears in his slightly red lips.

“No.” Khun’s eyes open wide, and he is about to protest, but Baam’s finger on top of his lips stops him. “I need many more like that. You are going to make me prepared to be your boyfriend, right?”

Cute pinkish cheeks, a lovely and slightly awkward smile, hands tightly grabbing his arm. Baam is all that is right in this world. And this gorgeous creature is telling him that he loves him, that he wants to be Khun’s. Even if this ends badly, even if, in the future, Baam finds out he is in love with someone else, someone more worthy of him, Khun will not regret giving their relationship a chance. How could he, if he is this happy right now? And Baam seems to be feeling the same.

“The others will wonder where we are.” Khun hears Baam say, as he rests his head on Khun’s shoulder.

“Let them wonder, let them wait.” Khun pets Baam’s hair, and rests his own head on top of Baam’s. That adorable giggle and the sound of the fountain are all he hears. The sun is setting and there are fewer and fewer people around them by each passing minute. “This is our moment, Baam.”

“It is.”

Khun takes one of Baam’s hands and leaves a kiss on its back. “I love you, Baam. Sorry for not saying it before.”

“It’s alright. What matters is that we’re officially boyfriends now, right? Finally.” Khun clears his throat, and Baam looks at him a little disappointed. “We aren’t?”

“No, no, it’s just I haven’t thought about that. If you want to, of course. We are.”

With a wide grin, Baam lays his head on Khun’s shoulder once again. Relaxing at last, and with everything said between them, both stare at the ceiling as it turns red and then black, with little imitations of stars decorating it. It is beautiful, and it is the first sky that Khun sees alongside Baam as a couple. Maybe one day they will see the real stars together. Even with all his doubts still lingering in his mind, Khun hopes they continue being a couple when that happens. Then, and forever.


-END of Day 7-