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Huh. Last time he checked, Lighter was sure he had no pets in his house.
What truly roused him awake in the morning had been the sounds of revving motorcycles passing by his yard, a sound he had gotten used to in the Outer Ring. Still, its sound was sometimes enough to wake him up and start the day.
Normally, he would start his day by stretching his body in bed, but a heavy weight gathered near his side and over his body. This weight also seemed to breathe like Lighter, deep breaths in a trance and unaware of anything in the world. It was warm though he suspected most of the warmth actually came from himself.
Recalling yesterday’s endeavour proved to be…difficult.
The pounding headache and extreme thirst only pointed towards one thing: he got drunk. Super drunk. Enough to give him short-term amnesia and a horrible hangover to deal with the next day. But at the mention of drinking, some of the memories did return in his mind. Right, he was with the Sons of Calydon and the proxies. A celebration was involved, and per Outer Ring’s traditions, Nitro-fuel cans were passed left and right to everyone that still had the stomach to drink.
Before Lighter could continue searching for his lost memories, the creature beside him stirs. His eyes widened upon feeling a mop of hair tickling at his bare chest. HIs head snapped down to properly look, face to face with a mop of silver hair that still faintly smelled of lavender. Then, Lighter realized those were this man’s arms wrapped around him, one to hug his arm into a lock and the other sprawled out over Lighter’s chest.
His own brain short circuited upon realizing that first, this person is none other than Wise. Second, Wise is also half naked like Lighter, and their bare skin is obviously touching and rubbing against each other. And third, he still has no idea what happened the night before.
Before Lighter could continue spiralling into panic and self doubt, Wise shifted his body before craning his head up to Lighter, squinting in the semi-bright room before breaking into a sleepy smile. “Oh, look who’s awake.”
“Wise.” He said in lieu of a greeting, or maybe acknowledging in his head that this is reality and not an alcohol-induced dream. “I thought you went back to Sixth Street.”
“I didn’t get too drunk, but definitely not sober enough to drive back. Belle decided to stay the night with the girls so…might as well.”
“Right. Makes sense, but uh…” All Lighter knows is he needs to ask whatever the hell happened yesterday, and how a string of events lead to him and Wise in bed together. Not that he was complaining about the latter, but it worried him due to the lack of remembrance and Wise’s surprisingly calm expression. Even of the fact that they’re both in bed half-naked.
“Wait, you really don’t remember what happened yesterday?” Wise asked. “I knew your tolerance wasn’t as good as mine, but that bad?”
“Maybe I did drink past my limit yesterday…but yeah. A lot of the stuff after that is pretty blurry. I remember we were celebrating a commission well done, and we were catching up after everything that happened in Failume Heights. Shit, Burnice poured me alot…hey, why are you laughing?”
He tilted his head, noticing Wise’s shoulders shaking in place, with a hand over his mouth and his gaze suspiciously averting from meeting Lighter’s eyes. Lighter carefully pushed himself up until his back touched the headboard, with Wise moving to sit up as well. A clearly amused smile sits prettily on his face.
“So you really don’t remember? Then I’m glad we’re having this conversation now and avoiding any misunderstandings.”
“...Wise, be honest. Did I do anything weird last night? And did we-you know…”
A chuckle that sounded like beautiful chirping birds came out of Wise. “Assuming you’re asking if we had sex, then no. I assure you all we did was go to sleep.”
“Oh.” Lighter let out, unsure if it’s one of relief or disappointment. “Then you’re in my bed because…”
“Lighter, it was you who asked me to sleep in the same bed as you.”
Then supposedly, in a way, that does make sense.
It didn’t help absolve Lighter of the mortification and shame running across his entire body, wishing he could hide it behind his sunglasses. But here, he was vulnerable in both the literal and emotional sense, bare open for Wise to see all. And all he could mutter out was, “Sorry about that…”
“No, it’s fine! That side of yours was endearing.” Wise assured him. “I could help jog your memory down, if you’d like?”
“Surely it couldn’t have been worse than that…right?”
“Well, that depends on your definition of ‘worse’.”
—
The night before…
Big, flashy celebrations were not exactly Wise’s thing, but there was something warming to the heart when it’s with the close bonds he and Belle had forged throughout their careers as proxies. For how long they had been away and residing in Suibian Temple, they missed the streets of familiar shop owners and the people residing there.
Slowly, they were able to reconnect with their friends through simple activities sharing quality time together. They invited the Cunning Hares over for a movie rerun, met up with Belobog and had a hand in testing their newest machinations, treated Zhu Yuan and her team to noodles after their shift ended, and had tea with Victoria Housekeeping served with tasty finger foods. Their current agenda brought them back out all the way to the Outer Ring in the heart of Blazewood, the Sons of Calydon readily greeting them in open arms.
They did meet up before this night for a commission Belle had a hand in helping them with, so tonight’s drinking fest is also partially to celebrate the occasion. Wise still made sure to keep a safe pace with downing the Nitro-fuel, watching after his sister who was currently having an arm wrestling match with Caesar (Belle won, though only because Caesar got distracted by a blast of Nitro-fuel that almost got on her jacket).
The girls occasionally checked up on him, especially Burnice who offered more drinks non stop. Out of them all, Lighter never left Wise by himself, not that he was complaining. They didn’t chat as much and spent more time saving their breaths. Still, Wise would not have traded this peace over anything else, basking in the night sky and cool breeze.
Unlike Wise, Lighter had a bit too much by the end of it. Belle had chosen to stay the night with the girls, leaving Wise to guide the drunken man to his home. He still recalled the directions, and thankfully Lighter still had the energy in him to walk. It was just a matter of ensuring he doesn’t trip over his feet and ruin his beautiful face in the process.
“Almost there, Lighter…Oh, careful with the ditch.” Wise said, or rather had repeated a few times. One arm is wrapped securely around Lighter’s, semi-dragging and holding him up to ensure he doesn’t go tumbling down. Throughout the entire walk, all Wise could hear were grumblings too incoherent to make sense of or simply Lighter repeating his name at times.
“Wise…” He’d called out, followed with a whisper that is somehow still hard to discern despite how close their faces were to each other.
Wise sighed, spotting the familiar building in sight. “I know. We’re almost there- watch your step, there’s a big rock…”
When they reached the front door, Wise fished out the keys from Lighter’s pocket in his jacket, unlocking the door with one smooth motion and dragging both of them in. He briefly released Lighter to lock the door behind them, slightly concerned if letting go would send Lighter plummeting straight to the ground. To his own relief, Lighter managed to take off his boots without falling, and when Wise turned back, he was supporting himself by the wall. Granted, behind those sunglasses he probably looked dazed or actually had fallen asleep upright, but Wise made it his mission to ensure Lighter’s safety and comfort despite the assurance of waking up with a killer hangover.
So he dragged him by the arm, pulling him away from the small living space and kitchen combined and into the bedroom. Wise then held him on both shoulders and pushed him down onto the bed. For a man with a stronger build and the fearsome reputation of Champion, here he’s being manoeuvred around too easily under Wise’s guidance.
“Sit here for now. I’ll go grab some water and pills for you in the morning.”
This time, Lighter whined something coherent, looking up at Wise with pleading eyes. “Yer’ leavin’ already…?”
“Lighter, I’ll still be in the house.”
“Oh…”
Trying not to coo at this surprisingly cute side, Wise made do with a simple pat on his head. “Be a good boy and wait here, I’ll be right back.”
Wise has only been here for a couple of times, but his memory of being here last time remained fresh in his mind. He memorised the order Lighter kept his house in, both from observation and from the latter informing himself about his own choices. He kept his medicine box in the bathroom, filled to the brim with stocks of bandages and ointments to treat wounds. After retrieving the painkillers, he headed for the kitchen. His glasses were in the cupboard above the sink, and Wise filled the cup with plain water from said sink.
When he returned to Lighter’s room, the man had been in the middle of removing his shirt, the leather jacket and red scarf already discarded to the floor. Wise couldn’t help his eyes that lingered over the torso, semi-distracted by his toned abs maintained over years of training, yet trailing higher was the large scar over his right shoulder.
The last night they had spent together was when Lighter told him his story. From start to finish.
They were sharing nitro-fuel cans in this very house, the television turned on just for the white noise in the background. Wise couldn’t remember who had begun sharing first, or for how long they had talked throughout the night. Despite all the friends they have made over time, everything of his past were only conversations between him and Belle, no one more. Yet there Lighter was, patiently listening to Wise recalling his time in Helios Academy, his memories of Carole Arna, when it was just him and Belle…
And Lighter sat there with him on the couch, silent as a rock yet Wise knew he listened. Whenever his voice cracked, a hand reached over to his, reminding Wise he wasn’t alone.
That night felt a long time ago, it may as well not be in the same timeline that Wise imagined.
His feet gently stepped into the room, before carefully putting the items down on the bedside table. Wise asked him in a soft tone. “Feeling comfortable?”
“Mhm…” Lighter mumbled while nodding. “Thanks… for hangin’ out with us…”
“What are friends for?” Wise smiled, and it should have just been that. But the nitro-fuel continued pumping in his blood, rational thought and social norms be damned. A hand landed on Lighter’s head with a soft pat, gently caressing through the surprisingly-soft locks of hair. “Hope your head goes easy on you in the morning.”
Lighter’s face had already been flushed from all the drinking, though Wise’s impulse seemed to have dialled up the redness. Even rendered him speechless. “Oh. Uh. I- uh…”
Wise laughed, drawing the hand back. “I’ll be crashing on your couch by the way. Rest well, Lighter. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Wait, W-wise.”
Just as Wise turned his back away from him, Lighter’s hand flew straight to grab at Wise’s own, stopping him from leaving the room. He turned, facing Lighter’s pensive expression looking up at him. It was a far cry from his lost, dazey look from when he had dragged him into his own house.
“...Yeah? What’s wrong?”
“Wise…what are we?”
…Huh?
“Huh?” Wise actually let out, eyes widened with an awkward smile.
“We-haven’t seen each other in so long…and look at you, got so many friends while you’re off, heh…” Lighter rambled on, before suddenly looking up with pleading eyes. “Am I just a side chick to you?”
“A what-now? I mean- Lighter, can’t we have this conversation in the morning…?”
“But it pains me, darling. Knowing so many girls got their eyes on you…” Lighter sighed. “Caesar had a crush on you, same prolly goes for that fox lady in section 6, and that lady with the umbrella is definitely into you. Shit, that void hunter from the temple’s also into you…”
“Caesar…and uh, you mean Miss Miyabi? We’re just business partners, I swear! And Vivian happened to be a fan of Phaethon way before we properly met. And Xiao’Guang is a good friend, but I just met her!” Wise quickly fixed the statements. He didn’t know what to expect when Lighter had suddenly started a ramble after earnestly asking Wise if he saw him as a side piece.
Which he definitely didn’t!
…But then again, if Lighter was asking him as honestly as a drunken man could, then did Lighter perhaps have seen him in a different light this entire time?
He heard Lighter hiccup, then continued his own lament. “Not just the girls. Fuck, even the other guys. The wolf butler, that lazy Section 6 agent, that cat Pubsec officer, who else…”
“You’re even jealous of Lycaon, Harumasa and Seth?” The sheer absurdity drawed out a laugh from Wise, finding the situation a bit more amusing than he thought. “Lighter. Just friends.”
“Even if you guys are just friends, a part of me is still kinda…sad? Never thought you’d be so popular with almost everyone in Eridu. Fuck, if you’re not even a proxy, I bet you’d still be popular.” He chuckled to himself. “What am I even saying…I should be happy, seein’ you’ve got so many friends and companions lookin’ out for you. It ain’t fair to say I want you all to myself. But…”
Wise stepped aside to sit beside Lighter, their hands momentarily parting until Wise took a seat on the bed. This time, Wise gently took Lighter’s hand, asking softly.
“Is this really how you feel, Lighter?”
“...Maybe it was love at first sight, or the times we spent sparked something in my heart…” Lighter laughed mirthlessly. “Call me selfish, but that’s how you got me feeling, proxy. I only wished you’d feel the same.”
He wasn’t looking at Wise anymore, staring dazedly to the floor in a bid to avert his gaze from Wise. Whether he had suddenly felt sheepish from pouring out his guts to Wise, it was hard to tell. Nonetheless, he wished to handle such a heart with care and warmth. Just as he felt in the presence of Lighter.
“You know, I don’t know what I did to deserve so many friends and companions.” He first admitted. “All of you mean a lot to me and Belle, never forget that. But…I didn’t dare to share anything about myself until you, Lighter.”
“Wha…?”
“It’s the truth. You make me feel…safe. I don’t mean it in the literal sense, but I could just be myself with you. Not thinking of my responsibilities as a proxy, manager, or even an older brother…you make me feel like me. Wise. And I want you to know how much that means to me, so thank you.”
WIth a touch of sudden braveness, his other hand reached up to cup Lighter’s cheek, feeling his unusual warmth radiating against his own skin. He couldn’t help his heart feeling giddy when Lighter leaned closer to his hand, almost like a cat begging for pets.
“So I’m not a side chick…?” Lighter timidly asked, looking at Wise with big, puppy eyes.
He couldn’t help but chuckle, before leaning in to leave a chaste kiss over the crown of his head. “Never. I’d want you all to myself too, Lighter.”
Lighter’s brain seemed to short circuit after that confession, almost leaving Wise concerned if he truly broke him for real this time. He sat there unresponsive, eyes wide and mouth ajar and staring at particularly nothing.
“Uh…Lighter? Are you-ah!”
Wise yelped when Lighter grabbed him by the waist, before pulling him into the bed and the embracing arms of warmth…
—
“...And then you kinda refused to let me sleep elsewhere, so I ended up sleeping here.” Wise concluded the recap with a bright smile. “Any questions?”
His answer came with Lighter staring at him with a horrified look, inhaling sharply. “So yesterday wasn’t a dream.”
“Nope.”
“I really did say all that.”
“Correct.”
“And…you responded with…?”
“Drunk or not, my feelings towards you remain the same.” Wise nodded, a sense of deja vu washing over him when he took ahold of Lighter’s hand with both of his. “What I want to know is if you really meant everything you said the night before.”
Lighter gulped, “Well- I was gonna tell you at some point. Just…not like that. I thought about it long and hard since you went to Failume Heights. I tried to put it in words, maybe planned a few times when and where I’d tell you and just got it out of the way… Can’t believe all that went down the drain.”
Wise chuckled freely, beaming at Lighter. “So it’s true?”
“Oh, it’s very real, manager.”
At some point, Lighter’s hands snaked around Wise’s waist, and Wise’s reaching towards his arms, before pulling him by the neck for a surprise kiss. Lighter happily accepted the initiative in spite of how caught off guard he was, bringing Wise closer until he was sitting on his lap. He kissed him desperately as if all of this would disappear like a dream, or maybe he is still dreaming and wanted to just hold on for this fantasy just a bit longer.
But Wise doesn’t disappear. Lighter doesn’t wake up by his lonesome when he closes his eyes, savouring the heat radiating off from another person’s company. When his eyes opened once more, Lighter was on his back against the bed once more, and Wise sat atop of him. His hair still tousled from just waking up. When he pulled away, his smile was akin to the gentle grace of an angel, and all of it was directed to Lighter.
“Wow.” Lighter let out, involuntarily. “You’re beautiful.”
To his amusement, Wise had the decency to look flustered, shrugging it off with a nervous laugh. “You-you can’t just say that out of nowhere!”
“Oh, so now you’re shy?” He chuckled, gently pulling Wise towards him until he’s laying right on top of him, with Wise’s cheek pressed flat against Lighter’s bare chest. Wise didn’t fight back, immediately melting into Lighter’s embrace, letting out a content sigh. Lighter didn’t take a single look at the time, but let it be that way, he thinks. Losing track of time with the one he loves in his arms sounds more than ideal.
“This feels nice.” Wise eventually said, sliding off from Lighter to lay beside him. The bed hair framed his face perfectly as he smiled up to Lighter. “I still can’t believe you were jealous of my clients and friends.”
“Hey. I was drunk and emotionally vulnerable. Be nicer to me.” He pouted, earning an endearing laugh from Wise and a quick kiss on his nose.
“Then lucky you, I’ve only got my eyes on you.”
Lighter doesn’t remember what exactly happened after hearing Wise say that, only the feeling of contentment as they fell back asleep on the bed.