Bermuda

Ero, who had bolted out of the locker room in a panic, leaned back against the door and panted for a while, struggling to catch his breath. As he stared blankly at the empty wall across from him, the scene he had just witnessed began to rise again, clouding his vision like drifting smoke.

The two figures in the damp haze of steam. Those cold, piercing eyes that had looked straight at him. Eyes like a reaper’s—sharp enough to freeze him to the core in an instant. There was no doubt—he had known Ero saw him. The thought But why? flickered through his mind, but he immediately slapped his own cheek.

Don’t think. Don’t think.

That’s not something you’re supposed to be curious about.

Repeating that to himself, Ero barely managed to regain his composure and immediately headed for the supply room in the participants-only area.

“You have to return everything after use. And since the other match is about to end, we can’t extend it for more than thirty minutes.”

“Yes! Thank you, thank you! I’ll make sure to bring everything back!”

With his usual easygoing charm, he secured an extension for the shower room and even borrowed a pile of miscellaneous items before heading back out. Channeling the spirit of a covert agent, he returned to the locker room door and swapped the sign from “Cleaning” to “Under Repair.” He even set up a barrier to block entry, then lingered nearby, pacing anxiously. When participants came looking for the showers, he dramatically warned them about rust-colored water and physically blocked their way, making a whole fuss.

A few minutes later, completely drained, he trudged back to the waiting room, more exhausted than he had been right after the match.

Click—

“What took you so—”

Gillian, who had been about to complain about how many bottles he’d already finished waiting, stopped short when he saw Ero’s condition.

“What the hell happened to him? He looks like he aged five years all of a sudden. Where’s Lion?”

“Did the two of you shower together?”

“E—Excuse me?!”

Beatrice’s sudden curveball caught him completely off guard. Ero, who had been about to answer without thinking, flailed his hands in shock.

“Th-That’s impossible! As if he’d shower with someone! H-Haha...”

“They said we can leave now. What’s taking him so long? Why is a man making a lady wait?”

Now wearing her wig again and changed into a second dress, she stared into a mirror and spoke irritably. At that moment, Orca cut in.

“I’ll go get him.”

“N-No! You can’t!”

“Why not?”

Ero practically recoiled, rejecting the idea outright. Anyone but Orca. He had no desire to see him turned into frozen tuna.

“It might take a while, so why don’t you all head out first! I know a good place—I’ll take you there myself!”

Forcing his tone brighter, Ero hurried his teammates along, ushering them out one by one. He wiped at nonexistent sweat, overwhelmed.

Even if they don’t realize what I’m doing for them...

Sob... hyung, please enjoy your time!

***

“Still... it’s fine, right?”

Leonardo asked again, his tone casual but probing—less seeking permission and more testing the waters. Hugo fell silent for a moment, as if struck from behind by the question.

Sorting through the situation in his head, he slowly straightened from where he had been leaning. Then, with an expression that was unmistakably displeased, he adjusted his lips.

“...Didn’t you say you’d always meet me after your matches?”

Strictly speaking, he had only assumed as much—but in context, it was the same thing. Though he tried to sound indifferent, the question was unmistakably pointed. Why was there another prior engagement that wasn’t him?

Leonardo, who had lifted his head to meet him, rolled his eyes slightly before answering vaguely.

“Well, yeah, but... you didn’t say anything about meeting today. I was just going to stop by for a bit.”

There was no lie in that. It was exactly what he had told Ero earlier. If anything, the fact that he had come looking for him without even a verbal promise should count for something.

And yet, Leonardo found himself feeling as though he were the one being made to explain himself.

You could’ve said something first. Then I wouldn’t have made other plans.

Grumbling inwardly, he pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze. That was when something particularly prominent in front of him caught his eye. Pressed against those thick thighs, rising at an angle, it strained visibly against the fabric, its shape unmistakably defined.

“......”

Leonardo’s throat bobbed reflexively. The size, the form, the heat radiating faintly through the fabric where it brushed him—it had a striking presence. Bigger than he remembered. It looked nothing like what he had felt with his own hands in the dark.

Given Hugo’s build, he had expected as much—but still... just how big could it get? The thought was a little frightening.

Forcing himself to look away, Leonardo lifted his gaze as if nothing had happened, sensing the persistent stare on him. What he saw now was Hugo’s cold face—no longer even trying to mask it.

Wow... that’s intense.

If this had been during a fight, he would’ve seriously considered running. But now, instead of fear, something else crept in—a strange sense of anticipation. Hugo’s earlier behavior had already given him clues.

More than his teammates... Hugo seemed to want to be closer to him.

Or perhaps, to make their relationship known.

Thinking that way, the more he replayed Hugo’s actions, the sweeter the thought became.

Is he jealous?

The thought didn’t linger long. Leonardo reached out on impulse, placing his hand lightly over the back of Hugo’s.

“You don’t want me to go?”

Tilting his head slightly, he asked in a soft voice. Hugo’s gaze, which had been deliberately cold, wavered for just a split second—too brief to catch unless one was looking for it. Leonardo didn’t miss it. Rising slightly on the toes that didn’t quite touch the floor, he continued the deliberately suggestive contact.

“Well... if you grant me one request, I could stay a little longer.”

His ankle brushed lightly against Hugo’s knee as it swayed. His lowered lashes curved softly. Team bonding was important—but he wasn’t about to let an opportunity like this slip away.

Hugo didn’t answer at first, choosing instead to observe in silence. But the gaze of the beautiful man looking up at him was far too tempting to ignore for long. In the end, he relented.

“What request?”

He wanted to see just how far this bold creature would go. As if responding to that expectation, Leonardo leaned back on his hands and pressed his ear lightly against Hugo’s shoulder.

Sitting at an angle, he smiled up at him—like presenting a fully set table and inviting him to take the first bite.

“Either you take care of me... or you show me how you do it yourself.”

Silence fell for a moment. Only the occasional drip of water and the hum of air moving through the vents filled the space.

But the atmosphere wasn’t awkward. If anything, the tension stretched and swelled, thickening in every direction.

It sounded like he had given a choice—but Leonardo’s real intention lay with the latter. Propose something outrageous, then offer something slightly more acceptable, and the latter starts to seem reasonable. A simple psychological distortion.

The thought alone sent heat pooling low in his abdomen. His tongue flicked briefly over his lips.

Hugo didn’t laugh aloud, but the shape of his mouth clearly suggested it. His brows drew sharply together in that familiar way he had when focusing. As his answer came a moment too late, Leonardo—pretending not to be embarrassed—glanced again at his arousal and pressed further.

“You said you’d teach me last time. I’m curious.”

How you do it.

Leonardo slid his fingers between Hugo’s, whispering again.

Held by that lingering warmth, Hugo studied him more carefully than ever, his gaze deep and measured as he tried to read his true intent. Maintaining what composure he could, he lifted his free hand and checked his watch.

Leonardo’s match had come earlier than expected, so there was some time—but not much.

Calculating the remaining minutes, he asked without looking away,

“Did you take all your medicine?”

The question seemed sudden, but Leonardo quickly realized what he meant. The medication in the pouch—Hugo had known his entire regimen. His brows lifted, and he nodded eagerly, like a child expecting praise.

After glancing at him, Hugo lowered his arm again.

“Now that I think about it, I have a schedule too.”

Leonardo’s eyes widened.

“What? That’s a lie.”

“It’s true. I have a meeting.”

“You just made that up.”

“Why would I do that?”

Hugo countered with a faint laugh. His reaction was childish enough to draw a reflexive chuckle—but the meeting was real. After the first preliminary match, Loren had warned him not to be late.

If anything, he had no right to question this golden-haired Cinderella either.

“So you’re leaving now?”

Just moments ago he had been offering choices, and now Leonardo frowned, asking with clear disappointment. Hugo fell silent again as he looked down at him.

For a brief moment, he was seized by the urge to grab that hair and force him to keep looking up—so he couldn’t turn away.

But if he did that, he would run.

Reaching that conclusion, Hugo let out a self-mocking smile. Still, he traced those audacious lips with his thumb. Then he removed the tie pin from his shirt and brushed it lightly against Leonardo’s lips.

“What should we do?”

Golden eyes rolled in confusion. A moment later, as his lips parted slightly, the metal pin slipped between them.

“...Mm?”

Perhaps amused by the muffled sound, Hugo’s gaze darkened further. Softening his eyes, he carefully smoothed Leonardo’s hair with both hands, exposing half of his forehead—just enough to better see the flush that would soon bloom there.

Then he retrieved the pin and fixed it just above his left ear.

The silver laurel branch at the tip gleamed against the cascade of golden hair, as though it had always belonged there.

“Beautiful.”

He had always known gold and silver suited each other—but even what he had imagined fell short of reality.

After admiring him for a moment, Hugo’s smile slowly faded.

“Now I actually feel like taking care of you.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them. As his low voice trailed off almost like a sigh, Leonardo’s blinking eyes widened in an instant.

“...Huh?”