Uichan deliberately acted bold, as if showing off his nerve. The next moment, Hyde reached out and lifted his chin. For some reason, Uichan felt as though the man’s gaze had stopped right on his lips.“If you won’t admit it until you see it yourself, then go ahead.”A large hand pulled him in by the back. Pressed tightly against Hyde’s chest once again, Uichan flailed against his shoulder.“W-what are you doing, Hyde!”“Quiet… you don’t want to wake your friend, do you?”It wasn’t a hug. Uichan’s upper body was practically hauled up over Hyde’s shoulder, as if he might be slung there and carried away any second. He kicked in panic. If he screamed, Park Rion would probably rush out, swing a ladle, and try to drive Hyde away, so he clamped his mouth shut.He clenched Hyde’s clothes tight in his fists, but something soft brushed his side—Hyde’s hair. Just when he thought about grabbing it and yanking, he suddenly felt the air hit bare skin and froze. Looking down quickly, he saw that his sweatpants had slipped off.“Are you still going to deny it? Look, that pretty leg of yours got hurt.”A tongue-click came from beside him. Hyde’s white hand slid down over Uichan’s drawers until it reached the bandaged thigh. Uichan grabbed his arm, afraid he might press down on the wound.“It’s probably La Épée’s doing. If it’s your leg… it must’ve been from the restraints.”“It was just— I let my guard down for a second… no, only half wrapped. It’s not that bad.”“Not that bad? With the smell of blood filling the place like this… really?”Hyde set Uichan back against the wall and trapped him between his arms so he couldn’t move. Uichan tried to pull his shirt down to cover himself, but Hyde’s hand wrapped around his leg, prying apart the knees and pulling him closer. Dragged in like that, Uichan looked up at him in shock.“Uichan. Why… are you flustered? Your eyes keep blinking like that.”“W-wait. Don’t press there… I just treated it, the bandage can’t come loose.”“I won’t undo it. Why would I hurt someone who even cut his hand trying to rip off the ropes?”“……”Hyde appeared today with yet another face. Normally it wouldn’t have bothered him, but today— for some reason, he looked strangely unfamiliar.“You got hurt because of La Épée, so I can’t just let that slide. What do you want me to do? Should I peel his skin off for you?”Uichan frowned at that. Of course, Hyde and La Épée had clashed several times before. Once, they fought for days without rest, and it ended in a draw.Whenever they met, the collateral damage rivaled a natural disaster. That was why the Hero Association no longer dispatched La Épée to any site where Hyde appeared. They kept destroying cities.And now he was saying he’d skin La Épée alive?“No, why would you… You wouldn’t even be able to, anyway.”“Why not?”“Every fight you have ends in a draw, so saying you could do anything one-sided doesn’t make sense. Just don’t. If you get caught, do you think La Épée would stop at peeling only your skin?”“Are you worrying about me, or about him?”Hyde let out a small laugh of disbelief. Listening to the warm sound of it, Uichan hesitated before speaking.“Then Hyde, about Mother Ship’s matter…”“That’s handled. I’ll talk to our siblings myself. As for you, Uichan—ah.”Hyde’s laugh suddenly cut off. He lifted his head, and their gazes collided at point-blank range. Uichan instinctively tried to close his legs, but Hyde’s knee blocked the movement.Smiling faintly, Hyde cupped both his cheeks. For some reason—yes—it felt like an electric current ran through him.“You need to be punished.”Hyde’s slowly approaching face looked like something out of a film. Without warning, the sensor light at the front door across the room flicked on, flooding one side of their faces with light.Maybe that was why—“…What kind of punishment? You’re not going to skin me too, are you?”“What did you just hear? I told you, I prefer peaceful solutions.”Hyde’s features were clearer than ever, and up close Uichan thought he looked faintly like someone else—before the thought vanished as Hyde’s grip on his cheek pressed tighter. Hyde’s fingertip lifted the corner of his mouth upward.“Just think of it as… sealing your lips.”His head, firmly held, tilted sideways. As his vision shifted diagonally, Hyde came closer. The thick, dense lashes brushed his focus, and just as Uichan thought they looked strangely delicate, Hyde’s finger slipped into his mouth. A salty taste spread. Their noses brushed.“Ha…”The act flared like fire; Uichan’s head tilted back until his neck hit the wall, and then something hot pressed down over his lips.It was like— a flower petal falling lightly over his mouth.At first, he didn’t even know what it was, just parted his lips in surprise. But then, the sensation of their joined mouths was too vivid, too warm to mistake. Every time Uichan gasped, Hyde waited patiently, guiding him, almost gentle.He traced and bit Uichan’s lips leisurely, then sucked the lower one in, sliding something thick and warm inside slowly, carefully. Uichan jerked; his hands went up and clutched the ones holding his face.“Hh… uh, ah.”Why? Why was Hyde—? The thought tangled messily in his mind, but his lower belly tingled as he unconsciously gave in to the expert rhythm. Hyde’s hand toyed with his reddened earlobe. Even that simple touch made him flinch.But why—‘…Does it feel familiar?’A sense of déjà vu. As absurd as it was, it felt like something from a dream—like he’d done this before. It was his first kiss with Hyde, yet it wasn’t awkward or frightening. That was strange too.Their tongues tangled. The heat guided him gently, tracing along his teeth, the curve of his palate, plunging deep into his throat. Whenever he almost coughed, Hyde soothed him again with uncanny skill.Unable to endure, Uichan grabbed Hyde’s collar and pulled him down, fumbling to push at his shoulders. The massive body barely budged, but finally the locked mouths parted with a rough breath between them.“Haa… hh.”Cool night air came in through the open window. Uichan’s shoulders trembled. Only then did he realize the state he was in—pants half-off, legs spread on either side of Hyde, even blood seeping faintly through the bandage on his thigh.“S-stop… please…”He scrambled to find his pants, but Hyde was faster. He lifted him lightly, dressed him again, and set him down like a doll. Uichan stared blankly; Hyde’s lips glistened faintly with saliva.Hyde’s eyes were tinged red. Wiping his swollen lips with the back of his hand, he noticed Uichan’s stare and smiled slightly.“Since I did something bad to you… ah, I guess we’ll call the rule even.”The words were nonsense. Uichan’s dazed expression hardened into disbelief, brow furrowing. It felt like he’d been toyed with. He shoved Hyde’s shoulder again; when the man slid back, Uichan stamped his foot angrily and stormed into the living room, shutting the door firmly behind him.Left outside, Hyde was the uninvited guest now. Watching the angry back disappear into the room, he finally laughed again. Then he pressed his lips with the back of his hand, and licked the edge of his mouth.“Still don’t get it?”So damn slow…Yet he couldn’t stop smiling. Resting his back against the wall, he propped his arms over his knees and lifted his head. Across the way, on a rooftop, a bird with glowing red eyes was staring at him.The moment their eyes met, the bird fluttered off in panic. Hyde clicked his tongue in mild regret.“I tried to settle one score… Heroes sure have long lives.”If Uichan had asked him to kill La Épée, he would’ve done it immediately. It wasn’t that he couldn’t—killing La Épée would be easier than lifting a finger.Everything was his game, after all.“…Why do these small fry keep poking their snouts in?”Four years ago, he’d met eighteen-year-old Uichan and stopped wandering aimlessly. If that boy hadn’t untied him back then, Hyde would’ve died without ever finishing his revenge.That child— that immature boy had saved him.So to him, Uichan was both his nest and the ground that woke him. He’d spent years waiting to see that child grow up.The smile faded from Hyde’s face. His eyes blinked slowly, deep in thought. But not long after, he turned his head—he’d sensed someone’s presence behind him.

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