* * *

The casual tone of Kaindel’s question made Isa blink in confusion.

When he noticed the flower in Kaindel’s hand, his face lit up in surprise.

“This is…”

“I thought of you and bought it.”

Kaindel admitted plainly.

It wasn’t the best moment to give a flower—not with the storm and the heavy atmosphere—but he didn’t care.

The impulse to give it to Isa had been clear amidst the chaos of his emotions.

‘It reminded me of you.’

With that understated confession, Kaindel handed him the flower and curved his eyes into a gentle smile.

It was a mischievous yet subtle grin, reminiscent of a playful boy.

Isa stared at Kaindel’s smiling face for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the white flower now in his hands.

He seemed to examine it closely, as if counting the petals.

His unclouded silver eyes usually revealed his thoughts, but as his eyelids drooped, shielding them, his mind became unreadable.

There was no reaction.

Kaindel had been so sure Isa would be happy.

Suppressing the frown that threatened to emerge, Kaindel waited.

Isa’s throat bobbed slightly, as if swallowing back some emotion.

He clutched the wilted flower tightly.

Just as Kaindel began to feel restless, Isa’s umbrella slipped from his grasp.

Raindrops poured onto both of them as Isa abruptly lifted his head.

His radiant eyes brimmed with an indescribable affection.

“Thank you.”

Isa’s voice was soft, yet it carried immense warmth.

For the first time, he smiled at Kaindel—a smile so full of joy that it left no room for fear or hesitation.

It wasn’t like the polite smiles Isa wore before.

This one was overflowing, almost overwhelming in its sincerity.

Kaindel couldn’t hear the rain’s steady drumming against the discarded umbrella.

His focus was solely on Isa.

He etched every detail into his memory—the raindrops sliding down Isa’s sharp jawline, the water clinging to his long lashes.

And, once again, that burning sensation flared within him.

“If you don’t like it, pull away.”

The words tumbled from Kaindel’s lips impulsively.

He couldn’t hold back the desire that surged within him—the want to claim Isa, to mark him as his.

It was the only way he could imagine quelling this ache.

As Kaindel moved closer, he sneered inwardly at himself.

The man who once declared he felt nothing for those of the same sex was now consumed by need, undone by a single smile.

What a fool.

Kaindel bent down, tracing Isa’s spine with his fingers.

The rain-soaked fabric of Isa’s shirt clung to his pale skin, revealing every contour.

With one hand, Kaindel secured the nape of Isa’s neck, pulling him closer.

His lips pressed against Isa’s, firm and deliberate.

When Isa parted his lips in surprise, Kaindel took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, exploring and claiming.

“Slowly… just a little slower…”

“Open your mouth wider.”

“Mmnh.”

“Good.”

Isa was clumsy.

All he could do was try to keep up with the storm-like movements of Kaindel, fumbling awkwardly.

He couldn’t even catch the saliva properly, letting it drip down, which felt wasteful.

Kaindel wiped the saliva off Isa’s chin and murmured soothingly.

Ending the kiss now felt too soon. He needed more.

As he explored the roof of Isa’s mouth and teased his tongue, he traced the soft flesh of Isa’s cheeks and the neat line of his teeth.

Kaindel wasn’t typically someone who indulged in such acts.

In fact, he was closer to disliking them. Physical intimacy with others brought him no joy.

Even hearing their breathless moans only filled him with revulsion, rather than stirring desire.

At one point, he had even questioned if he was incapable altogether.

Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

Suppressing a dry laugh, Kaindel swallowed along with the pooled saliva.

As he stole even the smallest breaths from Isa, he felt a growing heaviness in his lower abdomen.

It was a sensation alien to him, and it threatened to take him by surprise.

The rain outside only compounded the embarrassment.

The irony of being aroused by Isa, of all people, wasn’t lost on him.

If this had been yesterday, he would’ve dismissed it as a joke.

Eventually, Kaindel pulled back, prompted by Isa’s frantic gestures.

The timing was fortunate; the heat below was starting to intensify.

He wanted to linger longer, though.

The faint pink visible beneath Isa’s damp, semi-transparent shirt caught his eye.

If not for the increasing discomfort from his trousers, he might have continued, ignoring Isa’s growing frustration.

For some reason, the aversion he’d felt toward others disappeared the moment he touched Isa.

The thought of not acting sooner seemed regrettable now.

He was starting to understand why some people found enjoyment in peculiar preferences like these.

Though the idea of kissing any man other than Isa still made his skin crawl, he found a strange appeal in the fact that being with a man meant no concerns about heirs.

It almost seemed preferable.

Maybe just one more time.

Kaindel was leaning into Isa again, chasing the lingering heat in the air, when Isa pushed him away.

Steadying himself, Isa caught his breath, his face flushed a deeper red.

Then, with a soft yet firm voice, he asked:

“Why do you want to leave with me?”

“…Does the reason matter?”

“It does. To me, it does.”

“That’s complicated.”

Kaindel hadn’t anticipated such a question, and his confusion surfaced.

He clenched and unclenched his hands, grappling with the lack of warmth now absent from his touch. Isa wasn’t letting the matter go.

Why did he want to leave with him?

Because Isa lingered in his thoughts.

Because leaving without him felt wrong.

Because Isa’s quiet obedience, his way of intuitively meeting Kaindel’s unspoken wishes, was… endearing.

Those were the only vague answers Kaindel could muster.

He wouldn’t have been able to explain why he kissed Isa if he asked, either.

“I need you.”

After some deliberation, Kaindel settled on the simplest response.

He needed Isa.

It wasn’t entirely a lie, though it wasn’t the whole truth either.

Isa was key to easing the unrest that had been tormenting him lately.

“You’ll come with me, won’t you?”

“…Yeah.”

Isa looked at Kaindel for a moment, his gaze filled with a tangle of conflicting emotions.

He didn’t seem thrilled by Kaindel’s declaration of need, which struck Kaindel as odd.

But just as Kaindel began to question Isa’s lukewarm reaction, Isa faintly smiled and nodded.

It was the affirmation Kaindel had been waiting for.

Kandel truly thought everything was going smoothly.

The troublesome Isa, who had been pushing him away, had finally returned to his usual self, and the conflicts with his comrades had been minimized, making each day peaceful.

Aside from the fact that Isa’s stamina was so weak he sometimes needed to rest before sunset, the schedule was being followed as planned.

He gently looked down at Isa, who was nestled in his arms.

The campfire had long since burned out, leaving only the lingering warmth.

As Kandel tightly held Isa’s body, wrapped in fur, Isa tossed and turned as if uncomfortable.

Watching the slight frown on his face, Kandel stifled a quiet chuckle.

He had just returned Isa, who had been standing guard in his place alongside Daniel, and put him to sleep.

* * *