* * *

“Remy!”

Ashton, who had been swimming alone for a while, stopped and waved at him from afar.

Remy, who had been quietly enjoying the view, was startled out of his trance and flushed red.

“Aren’t you coming in? Haven’t you rested enough?”

“No! I told you, I’m not going in. Play by yourself!”

“But it’s really nice in here. Come on. I won’t bother you.”

Ashton raised his hands in a show of sincerity, trying to coax him. Remy snorted at the sight.

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and I’m the real idiot!”

Remy gritted his teeth.

“You’ll get bored sitting there.”

“No, I’m perfectly fine, thanks.”

“Aren’t there bugs everywhere?”

“What are you, a child? I’m not afraid of bugs!”

“Your clothes must be wet and cold.”

“Wow. The water must be even colder.”

“Actually, staying in the water keeps you warmer.”

“No way. My clothes are almost dry now, and it’s perfectly comfortable.”

His resistance was relentless.

“Don’t be like that…”

“Ugh, fine! I’ll come in, okay?!”

But stubbornness stood no chance against Ashton’s persistence.

Maxing out his annoyance levels, Remy finally gave up on resting and dipped his foot into the water.

Arguing all day with Ashton seemed like a bigger hassle than just going in to humor him.

‘Ugh, it’s freezing!’

Having dried off once, stepping back into the water felt colder than he expected.

His toes tingled slightly as he waded in, but Remy pressed on, walking slowly toward the deeper part where Ashton waited.

Of course, Ashton’s endless nagging was the main reason Remy relented, but there was also a small part of him that wanted to swim again after watching Ashton.

Before he ended up in this frustratingly frail body, he used to enjoy swimming.

“Welcome, young viscount.”

“Could you please shut your mouth?”

“Come here. I’ll hold your hand so you don’t slip.”

If only he didn’t talk.

With a deep scowl and all the reluctance in the world, Remy grabbed Ashton’s hand and stepped into the water.

As luck would have it, he stepped on a smooth rock and slipped, ending up falling into Ashton’s arms.

‘What the hell is this?!’

Cursing his weak body, which couldn’t even walk steadily in water, Remy looked up at Ashton.

Seeing Ashton’s lips twitch as if to hold back a grin, Remy opened his mouth, ready to insist this was all a misunderstanding—that he had zero intention of falling into his arms.

“What’s this? Were you that eager to be in my arms?”

Of course, Ashton beat him to it, smirking as he spoke.

Remy could almost hear his blood pressure rising.

“Who the hell wants to—!”

“It’s fine if you do, but could you move your hands off my chest? It’s making my heart race.”

“What?”

Only then did Remy realize where his hands had landed—squarely on Ashton’s broad, firm chest, each hand pressing against the slick, wet skin.

“I didn’t mean to!”

Panicking, Remy snatched his hands away, only to reveal what his hands had been covering—something he really, really shouldn’t have seen.

‘What the—why is even his chest sexy?!’

His mind erupted in silent screams.

Covering it again would seem insane, but leaving it exposed only made it harder to look away.

The dark brown skin stood out even more against his wet body, and his large frame only amplified the effect.

His pecs were… absurdly noticeable, like the rest of him.

In that brief moment, Remy felt an overwhelming sense of defeat.

‘I’m losing it. Why can’t I stop staring? Am I really such a pervert that I’d ogle another guy’s chest?’

“I’ll hold your hand since you can’t swim. Just kick and follow me.”

The comment made Remy bristle.

“As if I’m some kid—!”

“Kids these days are better swimmers than this. Even omegas, at that.”

“…!”

“Take my hand before you start complaining about being tired again.”

Remy suddenly realized something: Ashton could probably talk his way into free meals anywhere.

With that kind of smooth-talking, he’d never starve.

“Good. One, two. One, two. That’s it.”

In the end, Remy went along with Ashton’s instructions, grudgingly kicking in sync with him.

It was embarrassing and irritating, but it was also oddly fun.

Not to mention, it took less effort this way.

“Remy, you’re actually not bad at swimming. You float pretty well.”

“You’re just noticing that now?”

“Then why were you pretending you couldn’t swim?”

“When did I ever? You’re the one who insisted I couldn’t!”

“Really?”

Without warning, Ashton let go of Remy’s hands.

Caught off guard, Remy flailed briefly but quickly stabilized, managing to float on his own.

His body, fragile as it was, still knew how to stay afloat.

“Ha! Did you think I’d sink without you?”

“Nope. I was just setting you up.”

“For what?”

“Backstroke. I’ll support you from below—give it a try.”

When engaging in long periods of swimming, backstroke was far more comfortable and less exhausting.

On top of that, floating on the cool water while gazing up at the sky felt like paradise itself.

After some hesitation, Remy decided it couldn’t hurt to give it a try and pushed himself upright.

With Ashton’s assistance, he flipped onto his back and floated to the water’s surface.

Ashton stood beside him, hands supporting his waist, as Remy began to drift slowly, buoyed by Ashton’s arms.

“How is it? Nice?”

“Yeah, it’s nice.”

The water was refreshingly cool, while the tall trees filtered the sunlight to a gentle warmth.

Floating leisurely on the water’s surface, Remy felt an overwhelming sense of relaxation and joy.

Always content with the little things in life, Remy began humming, declaring that this was the pinnacle of happiness.

‘I should’ve done this earlier. It’s amazing! But… isn’t Ashton bored? Standing there the whole time must be dull.’

“Ashton.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you going to just stand there like that?”

“Yup. Why?”

“Isn’t it boring for you?”

Ashton chuckled at Remy’s innocent question, which made Remy scowl deeply.

‘What’s so funny? I was being considerate, and he’s laughing at me? How annoying.’

“Why would I be bored? I get to keep looking at you.”

“…Am I a picture book or something? What’s there to keep looking at?”

“You’re much more interesting than that. You’re beautiful. And lovable.”

“How can you say something so cringe-worthy with a straight face? Doesn’t it embarrass you?”

“Why would I be embarrassed? I’m just telling the truth.”

Remi decided it wasn’t worth arguing and clamped his mouth shut.

“It’s true. Watching you is so entertaining. It makes me happy.”

“Why? Because I’m fun to tease?”

“Exactly.”

Ugh! The previously relaxed Remy thrashed in the water and stood upright, splashing Ashton in retaliation.

Ashton, who had been standing idly, responded by flinging water back at him.

In no time, the two were locked in a full-blown water fight.

“Ah, crap! I surrender! I surrender!”

The victor, of course, was Ashton.

“Enough already! I said I surrender!!”

Dripping wet like a drowned rat, Remy raised his hands in defeat and yelled.

Only then did Ashton stop splashing him.

Though tempted to pull Remy into a hug and dunk him back into the water, Ashton held back, figuring he’d already pushed his luck with the water play today.

He didn’t want Remy to get sick or exhausted.

“Ugh. I’m done. I’m getting out.”

This time, Remy made it clear he wasn’t going to be coaxed back into the water and began moving toward the shore.

“Wait up. I’ll come with you.”

Ashton followed, wrapping an arm around Remy’s waist.

Remy flinched as the warmth of Ashton’s arm seeped into his damp skin.

* * *