Luke's eyes widened in shock. The soft pressure on his lips sent alarm bells ringing through his head, and the mont he grasped the situation, he shoved Theo’s shoulders hard.
"Hey! W-what are you doing...!"
But Theo barely budged—his solid fra was unmoved by the push. Instead, as if unfazed, he simply tightened his arms around Luke’s waist, tilting his head and pressing their lips together once more.
"Mm—!"
Luke tried to push him away again, even weakly thumping his fists against Theo’s shoulders. But rather than recoiling, Theo only held him tighter, pulling him firmly into his embrace. Sowhere along the struggle, Luke’s hands, which had been pushing against Theo, began to slow. The rigid tension in his body started to drain away.
With his eyes shut tight, Luke gave up on shoving Theo away and instead clenched the fabric of his uniform. Initially, Theo had only brushed their lips together, but ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) now, he was moving with quiet deliberation, as if savoring the touch. One hand rested securely around Luke’s waist, while the other gently cupped his cheek as if he were the most precious thing in the world, sending a ticklish sensation along Luke’s skin.
Luke remained frozen. His ears rang with a strange buzz, and despite keeping his eyes shut, his vision flickered with flashes of light. Theo’s fingers trailed lightly over the shell of his ear, coaxing him, reassuring him, guiding him into his warmth. Luke, who had initially resisted, slowly relaxed into his arms.
Theo tilted his head, deepening the kiss, capturing Luke’s lips between his own with deliberate slowness. Their lips parted slightly, exchanging heated breaths, the cool night air contrasting against the growing warmth between them.
The entire world was still—no noise, no lights, no interruptions—just the two of them caught in this unmoving tableau.
"...Haa."
Theo finally pulled back, his gaze locking onto Luke’s lips, now wet with his own lingering touch. His dark eyes glead with a hunger that made Luke's breath hitch.
"Luke."
Their foreheads pressed together, radiating heat between them. At the sound of his na, Luke hesitated before lifting his gaze. His amber eyes flickered with confusion, sothing hesitant and unfamiliar stirring within them. That tiny, unguarded expression was enough to send Theo spiraling.
As Theo leaned in again, the sound of approaching voices shattered the mont.
"Your Grace!"
It was Gwen, along with the household servants.
Luke panicked, imdiately shoving Theo backward—this ti, Theo actually stepped away.
Gwen appeared in the distance, holding a small lantern, his gaze scanning the area in search of them. The flickering fla illuminated his shocked expression as he finally spotted them standing there.
"Your Grace! Sir Luke! You were here?"
Luke laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Gwen sighed heavily, clearly exhausted from worry.
"You have no idea how much you startled us when you suddenly ran off like that."
"Uh... I just wanted to get so air. Sorry for not sending word."
"As long as nothing happened, that’s all that matters. Now, let’s return to the mansion."
Gwen raised the lantern higher to light the way, the flickering fla trembling in the wind. Luke hesitated for a mont, glancing toward Theo—only to jolt and quickly avert his gaze when their eyes t.
"This is the first ti I’ve ever resented Gwen," Theo muttered as he followed behind Luke.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
After returning to the mansion, Luke briefly exchanged words with the attendants before rushing to his room, avoiding eye contact with Theo entirely.
It was running away. And Luke was running.
Monet owed at him in greeting, but tonight, Luke had no energy to entertain the cat. He stord into his room, slamd the door shut, and collapsed against it, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor.
His heart was hamring wildly in his chest, as if he had been running for hours.
"What the hell was that...?"
Luke raised a hand to his lips, brushing his fingers over them. The heat still lingered, as if Theo had left an imprint behind.
It was his first kiss.
And it was with Theo.
Was that real? A dream?
"Cute and beautiful. If I could have you from head to toe, I would."
Theo’s voice, smooth and deep, echoed in his head, turning his thoughts into chaos.
What did I say when Leo asked that question...?
"If the Commander confessed to you, would you accept it?"
"Theo doesn’t like that way, so why would he confess?"
Luke squeezed his head between his hands. Wait... wait, wait, wait—was he actually serious?!
The realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Did he kiss because... he likes ?"
His voice ca out in a whisper, but the mont the words left his lips, his face burned bright red. He groaned, flopping face-down onto the floor. His mind went blank. The only thing left in his head was Theo—his face, his voice, his touch.
His entire body felt feverish.
Like he had caught a sickness.
Monet, seemingly determined to wake Luke up, leaped onto the bed. She attempted to climb onto his face, only for Luke to block her with an outstretched hand.
"ow."
"Yeah... yeah, I’m getting up."
Luke sat up with a weary expression.
If this counted as waking up, that is.
Because he hadn’t actually slept at all.
The entire night had been a battle of his own thoughts—convincing himself that Theo did like him, then backtracking, then going over every single conversation they’d ever had.
And the worst part?
The mory of their kiss kept replaying in his head.
Every ti he thought about it, he ended up kicking his blankets like a fool.
Now, utterly exhausted, he dragged himself downstairs in search of water.
And, of course, the mont he reached the first floor, the world spun slightly—his vision blurred, and his step faltered.
Before he could fully lose his balance, a familiar hand wrapped around his waist, steadying him.
"You seem to be making a habit of almost falling over."
Luke looked up, his body stiffening. He swore he heard sothing creak in his neck.
Theo was watching him intently, his expression filled with concern.
"Are you alright? Your ankle—"
"..."
Luke had been exhausted. His mind had been foggy, his head aching.
But the mont he saw Theo’s face, everything suddenly felt clear.
"You’re still half-asleep, aren’t you? Maybe you should go back to bed. I’ll take you to your room."
"Hey."
Luke suddenly gripped Theo’s sleeve tightly.
All night, one single question had been circling in his head.
He wasn’t the type to agonize over things for too long.
If he wanted an answer, he should ask the person directly, right?
"Do you really like ?"
Luke didn’t dance around it. He didn’t sugarcoat it.
He just asked, point-blank.
Theo didn’t respond right away.
Instead, he blinked once, as if the question itself was absurd. His brows furrowed slightly, his face unreadable.
And that was all it took.
Luke felt heat creep up his neck. A new emotion—one he wasn’t sure how to na—began to rise in his chest.
Shit. I misunderstood, didn’t I?
His grip loosened.
"Ah, forget it. You don’t have to answer. I must still be half-asleep and talking nonsense."
He forced a laugh and tried to pull away.
"Luke."
Theo’s voice stopped him.
"You tell ," Theo said. "Do I look like the kind of man who kisses people he doesn’t care about?"
Luke turned his head sharply.
Theo’s expression was serious.
"I thought it was obvious," he continued. "But I guess I still haven’t made it clear enough."
"..."
Then, Theo leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Luke’s forehead.
Then his eyelids.
Then the tip of his nose.
And finally, a light, lingering kiss on his lips.
Each ti, a quiet, embarrassing sound escaped.
Luke, completely overwheld, flailed his hands uselessly in the air.
"I’ll be more thorough from now on," Theo murmured, his lips curling into a smirk. "Since I’m new to this, too."
At that mont, the morning light stread through the window, illuminating them in a golden glow, like a spotlight on a stage.
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