Had he ever been this flustered in his life?
Not when he had misjudged a low-tier monster only for it to suddenly unleash near-advanced-level strength.
Not when Theo constantly pulled inexplicable stunts that left him baffled.
Not even when he discovered that Welharun had been preparing to stab the empire in the back.
Compared to all that, this mont was beyond comparison. Luke was utterly overwheld.
His mind went completely blank. He knew he should say sothing, but his lips wouldn't move. His thoughts just… stopped.
"You’re shocked, huh? I get it. Of course, you’d want to keep it a secret."
Leo nodded knowingly, as if he understood everything. But how the hell did he co to that conclusion? What secret was he even talking about? Luke wasn’t flustered for the reason Leo thought.
"Ah, but don’t worry. I’m not the type to run around blabbing about these things."
Leo thumped Luke’s shoulder reassuringly, proudly declaring that, if nothing else, he had a soldier’s discipline when it ca to keeping his mouth shut.
If Luke hadn't cared about maintaining his dignity, his legs would have given out right then and there.
"W-Wait a second."
"Hm?"
"W-What did you just say…?"
Luke, for once, stamred. His voice sounded drained. Leo simply tilted his head innocently.
"Just now? I said I’d keep it a secret, so don’t worry."
"Not that part."
Leo thought for a mont, then smiled brightly.
"Oh. That you and the commander are dating."
"…."
At that mont, Luke realized just how powerful words could be.
For a second, he wasn’t sure what he should say. But then, a single thought slamd into his mind, so obvious it was almost insulting.
"That’s not true."
"What isn’t?"
"We’re—w-we’re not dating!"
Luke’s voice shot up in pitch as he practically yelled, making Leo flinch. His golden eyes darted around before he nodded as if reaching so conclusion.
"Co on, Luke. You don’t have to hide it from ."
Leo seed convinced that Luke was just panicking because he’d been caught in a secret relationship.
Luke groaned, ruffling his hair in frustration.
"Do you think this is a joke?"
As he sighed deeply, Leo’s confident smirk faltered slightly. His expression twitched.
"Wait… are you seriously saying you’re not?"
"Yeah. I’m seriously saying that."
Just talking to Leo for a few minutes had left Luke feeling like he’d just returned from a monster hunt.
The sheer absurdity of the situation was exhausting. He had been flustered at first, but now his brain felt fried. His legs gave out, and he slumped into his chair.
"How the hell did you even co to that conclusion in the first place?"
It wasn’t even a question of whether they were dating or not—Leo had spoken as if it were a fact.
Luke lifted his head and glared at Leo, who flinched like a guilty puppy caught making a ss.
"Well… I an… I didn’t think that way from the start…"
"Then what changed?"
If possible, Luke wanted to crack open Leo’s head and see how his brain worked.
Sure, he had always known Leo was a carefree guy who just went with the flow, but this was on another level.
"When the commander first brought you back, I was worried. I thought you two would go at each other’s throats like before."
Leo tactfully left out the part where he had also looked forward to it.
"But the more I watched, the stranger it seed."
"…."
"You two didn’t fight at all. In fact, you looked closer. Almost… comfortable."
Luke didn’t deny that. He and Theo didn’t fight anymore. There was no reason to argue over pride or rankings or recognition like before. It made sense that Leo would notice the change. Others had probably seen it too.
"But what does that have to do with d-dating?"
Luke stumbled over the word.
Even if people noticed their relationship had changed, wouldn’t the natural conclusion be Oh, they’ve gotten along better or They’re on friendlier terms now?
Jumping straight to they’re romantically involved was just ridiculous.
And on top of that, they were both n!
"Luke."
Leo’s eyes glead mischievously as he dragged a chair over and sat down in front of Luke, the way academy cadets would huddle together during break ti for mindless gossip.
"Do you know the two things people can’t hide?"
Leo held up two fingers.
Luke eyed him suspiciously.
"What are they?"
"Sneezes… and love."
"…."
"I don’t know what happened between you two back in Calum, but it’s clear you let go of the past and got closer."
Luke, as if hypnotized, nodded.
"But from what I’ve seen, your relationship isn’t just friendship or camaraderie."
"What are you trying to say?"
Leo explained patiently.
Whenever Luke and Theo were together, there was a certain atmosphere—one that wasn’t typical of colleagues or friends. It had the sa undertones that Leo had seen in actual couples.
And the mont that truly confird his suspicions? Just earlier, when he had witnessed Luke and Theo’s window conversation.
Luke was still overwheld.
He knew he viewed Theo differently than before. He had even declared to Theo that he was going to figure out exactly how and why.
But that was as far as his thoughts had gone. He had never once considered how others might perceive them.
So was this how Leo—and maybe others—saw their relationship?
"Whoa, Luke, your face is turning red."
"…Shut up. It’s because you keep saying weird shit."
Luke glared murderously, but Leo just laughed.
"If you’re really not dating, that’s kinda disappointing."
Leo slumped dramatically, sighing as if the world had let him down.
"Idiot. Theo and I are both n."
"And?"
"…What do you an, ‘and’?"
"Love doesn’t care about that."
Luke had no imdiate rebuttal.
The overwhelming confusion that had gripped him earlier began to fade.
At first, he had been completely dumbfounded by Leo’s assumption. But after listening to his reasoning, he could sort of see why Leo might have thought that way.
And the fact that he could understand Leo’s perspective made his heart race in a way he wasn’t prepared for.
Dating soone? Is that even sothing I’m capable of?
He knew, logically, that human beings could fall in love.
But Luke had never considered himself part of that equation.
He had always been too focused on keeping Theo alive and ensuring the story played out correctly. That had been his priority, his only goal.
As a soldier, as a mage, his life had been fulfilling in its own way.
There had never been room for things like romance.
And now, for the first ti in his life, thanks to Leo’s ridiculous words, he was thinking about it.
"So when are you two gonna start dating?"
"What?"
The question hit Luke like a hamr to the head.
"If you’re just ssing with , drop it."
"I’m not."
Leo clapped his hands together as if he had just co up with sothing fun.
"Alright, let’s try this—"
Luke suddenly felt a strong sense of foreboding.
"If the commander confessed to you, would you accept?"
"…."
Luke blinked, utterly thrown off.
"C-Confess?"
"Yeah."
"That’s… sothing you only do when you like soone."
"Exactly."
"…Theo doesn’t like , so why would he confess?"
"…."
For the first ti in this conversation, Leo was the one who looked stunned.
"What? Why are you looking at like that?"
"Luke… you are so clueless."
Leo let out a sigh that sounded almost pitying.
Muttering to himself about how this explains everything and how no wonder nothing’s happening, Leo finally stood up.
"Well, I get the situation now. I probably shouldn’t say anything else. I’m just an observer, after all."
"What the hell does that an?"
Leo ignored him.
"Ah, Luke—if you do end up in that kind of relationship, you better tell first."
And with that final bombshell, he walked out.
Luke, left behind, couldn't move for a long ti.
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