Hugo gripped and shook the door handles lined up in the corridor several times, just as Leonardo had done. After pushing a couple of times with no movement, he immediately moved to the next door. This was already the third time he'd come up empty. He could have given up, but this time he changed his method.
He pulled out the handle entirely with force, then kicked the door ruthlessly with his boot.
Crash—!
The door with its lock mechanism torn away swayed precariously before colliding with the opposite wall. As the noise echoing through the corridor spread in all directions, the wandering murmurs quieted down. Hugo didn't care. After checking left and right once, he forcibly pushed Leonardo inside and stepped into the room himself.
Click, as they were cut off from the outside, Leonardo leaned his back against the inside of the door. Hugo placed one hand on the connected door frame while still gripping warmth with his other hand.
The door handle, crumpled like paper, fell powerlessly to the dark wooden floor and rolled around. Leonardo, trapped between the door and the man, was very concerned about whether his fingers entangled with his might be trembling.
However, when he became close enough to the other person for their breaths to brush against each other, all distracting thoughts flew away completely. He was only confused about the reason for his pounding heart. Was it from running around, or because of this person?
Where the torn-off door handle had been, a hole smaller than a fist was created. Light came through there, and everywhere else was completely dark.
The room they had infiltrated through illegal means was quiet. So this situation of being alone with the man he had drawn became elevated to an uncomfortable degree, like a moment of illicit affair.
Hidden by broad shoulders, or captivated by deeply lined eyes, he had no capacity to examine the interior. It wasn't very spacious, but that didn't matter. At this moment, the world consisted only of the space between them.
As their senses, having grown accustomed to the darkness and become sensitive, began to explore each other, the hand that had been gripping the door frame came down and swept beneath the golden eyelashes.
"...Ah."
A reflexive sigh flowed between Leonardo's teeth. His eyelids, faithfully responding to the touch, trembled finely and tickled his fingers. A faint flush had spread across his flushed eye corners, but Hugo couldn't see it. Nevertheless, Hugo was swept up in a strange sense of déjà vu. It was because of this that he rubbed away tears that hadn't even formed with his thumb, and unusually frowned.
As if trying to confirm, he gripped the end of the cloth covering his face and pulled somewhat roughly. Rustle, rustle, the soft fabric easily slid down along the golden hair.
The loose hat that didn't fit at all fell with a thud to his feet. He also hooked his finger around the mask hanging over his nose bridge and pulled it down. At the hasty yet careful touch on his nose bridge, Leonardo felt his skin not just tingle but throb.
Though he was swept up in the strange feeling as if clothes were being removed, he didn't resist. When he was freed from the veil that had been covering him, he only raised his head to look up at his partner.
"...."
Leonardo was the one who was breathless, but the sigh flowed from Hugo. His forehead, which had been full of tension, relaxed once before bluish veins stood out prominently.
It was a clear and beautiful face that darkness or hems of clothes couldn't hide. Light coming in from his waist spread over the fine facial lines, creating a faint outline. The two golden eyes embedded within it were directed solely at him.
His protruding Adam's apple moved up and down, and Hugo, creasing his eyes, crafted the most indifferent voice possible.
"Found you."
The reason Leonardo's spine instantly went cold wasn't only because of his hoarse voice, contrary to his intention. Was it because of the afterimage from that day, or perhaps admiration and exhilaration toward the man who had found him once again?
Whatever the reason, Leonardo couldn't help but smile. It was close to a bitter laugh, but it was enough to break down the tightly drawn atmosphere.
It was like warm afternoon sunlight that could melt even the person facing him. The blue eyes were also influenced by this and shone with a mysterious color.
Having pulled away the black curtain that had blocked his view, Hugo rubbed Leonardo's entire cheek with a rich touch. The skin caught in his large hand was moist and soft. Just as he felt it was a little hotter than the temperature he remembered, he gripped the golden hair touching his index finger and twisted it as if interrogating.
"Is this because of your promise with me?"
At the quietly whispered voice, Leonardo's spine trembled finely. Was this also the effect of that chemical? Just hearing the voice up close made all his nerves excited and his lower abdomen uncomfortably constricted.
It was a situation where they had suddenly encountered each other and made contact for less than 3 minutes. Bothered by his strangely sensitive reactions, Leonardo pressed his back even though there was nowhere left to retreat.
At the same time, he leisurely raised his eyebrows as if relaxed. It was asking what he meant, but he soon understood the meaning himself.
"Ah."
He had made one promise with this person before they parted. Not to use forbidden magic in front of him.
The atmosphere from that time flashed through his mind like an afterimage. The lips of the man who had assumed a sweet future drew his gaze unfailingly today as well.
'So that I can recognize you.'
Was the golden hair that maintained its pure color a sign of him? The ascetic-looking eyes and the hand play tormenting his hair persistently asked.
Leonardo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reflected on his behavior over the past few months, making all sorts of excuses to cover his face with masks and hats, yet still trying to refrain from using 'that magic.'
Honestly, there were more than a few situations that almost became troublesome. Today was like that too.
If he had lived as someone other than himself when wandering the world as before, the probability of being tailed and the risk of having to silence someone would have been significantly reduced. But even knowing there were forces watching him, he convinced himself it was to prevent variables that might occur during matches and ultimately participated in the league in his true form.
It was the product of complex desires: wanting to present himself to the world as himself, and wanting to enjoy the freedom he had given him.
Could he be certain that the promise with this man wasn't at the foundation of all those choices?
Leonardo's inner self shook its head.
It was also because of this that he had deliberately taken on the transparent alias 'Lion.'
His troubled golden eyes went down to his feet. Pondering how to answer, he raised his previously lowered hand and traced up along the other's forearm. His touch passed over the man's broad shoulders and swept the firm jaw line with the back of his hand. Then, as he had done before, it slipped to the heated nape of his neck.
People in the world could never imagine it. That this cold man's nape was actually this hot.
Believing it was a secret only he knew, he smiled softly. Leonardo gently asked back.
"Then what?"
Strength gradually entered Hugo's closed lips. The intention felt from the touch caressing his nape was quite evident.
Surely it should be the guy who was caught in the trap he had set. Yet he felt like he was being dragged along while trying to find gold dust in muddy water. He had no intention of resisting.
Hugo mocked his own foolishness from a few hours ago when he had worried about what expression to make when he met Leonardo again, what would be good for a first greeting. No matter what famous poet's masterpiece he had prepared, it would have been useless. Ridiculously, now he couldn't think of anything.
Instead of answering, he changed the stance of the hand that had been caressing Leonardo's cheek. The grip that had been suppressing his ego yielded to the desire that was breaking through and gently pressed against the soft lips.
As if remembering what he had carefully taught, the reddened lips responded to him and parted slightly. But they were soon buried without a trace in the approaching man's passion.
"I definitely heard it from this direction?"
Three reporters who had been wandering around at the sound of something like a door breaking came running. They stood in the center of the corridor and looked around.
There were no people, and no open doors. But the fact that such a loud sound had occurred definitely meant someone had been nearby. Since they were the ones who had run from both ends and met in the middle, they could tell just by looking at each other that they hadn't encountered anyone while coming.
Then their speculation was that the target was hiding somewhere in this corridor.
"Didn't they go inside somewhere?"
"Let's try opening them one by one."
The three scattered members spread out in different directions. Each pushed and pulled the door handles lined up in a row.
However, click, click. Only the sound of metal locking mechanisms rubbing against each other echoed continuously. The search continued for about a minute.
Just as they were about to move on, scratching the backs of their heads thinking this might be another wild goose chase.
"Huh?"
When they had almost reached the end of the corridor, one particularly suspicious-looking door was spotted. It was the only one without a door handle attached. The reporter who discovered it first shut his mouth tight and walked stealthily toward it as if entranced. Soon he surveyed the surroundings and read the situation.
Though they had run together, he didn't want to share premium information with others.
The reporter bent one knee and sat down, examining the hole where the door handle should be.
Could they have broken down the door and gone inside? Even after searching everywhere else, this was the only door without a handle attached. He brought one eye to the hole. The interior was dark so he couldn't see well, but suddenly he felt a faint presence from inside.
"...?"
This time he brought his ear close. While doing so, he also stroked the irregular dents on the door surface with his hand. Irregular vibrations occurred. The momentum was fierce, as if something was continuously pushing against the door.
'Is someone there?'
The indoor air was extremely dry, but humid and hot energy flowed out from inside. Occasionally, the sound of clothes rustling could also be heard. Someone was definitely there. But it could also be someone from the operations headquarters, so it was difficult to move rashly. Of course, he had no idea what they were doing in such a place without even turning on the lights.
The uncertain reporter instinctively took out the portable recorder he always carried. After pressing the button to activate it, he was about to carefully insert it through the empty door handle gap.