The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 121: Trying To Ask Me Out?

Chapter 121: Trying To Ask Me Out?

Lane never thought he would be THIS excited to leave a dungeon. Especially an ACTIVE one. Dungeons were his thing, you know? Fighting monsters was exciting. He had always liked fighting, even long before the Gates appeared. He used to get into fights a lot as a kid, until his parents sent him to train in martial arts - perhaps the only considerate thing they ever did for him, even if it wasn’t actually out of consideration. And with dungeons, he finally had a place where he could indulge in this interest of his to the heart’s content...

But now, he was DYING to leave.

And it wasn’t because of the stench. Or the fact that it was a scouting mission, so they didn’t get to fight much.

No, the real reason... was Damien.

After that conversation they had, things got... a bit awkward between them. Sure, Damien let him sleep on his lap that time, as well as during the next long break when they set up a camp. And they acted as usual.

At least on the surface. But the tension caused by that subject Damien brought up still remained unresolved. Well, how could it not, when the topic got dismissed? It would probably dissipate with time, but...

For now, it made Lane incredibly jumpy. Yes, whenever Damien approached him, or even looked at him first, he had that urge to flee. Not that he was no longer interested in the man - he still wanted to bed him just as much as before, if not more, just...

’Just’ he didn’t himself know ’what’.

The only thing he could do was to go bug the man first, and tease him to no end, so that he would be too embarrassed to give Lane those serious, intense, penetrating glances with those beautiful emerald eyes of his.

Out of it all, Lane could barely focus on anything else, such as the teddy bear monsters and the threat - or opportunity - that they brought with them.

Only once he was out, about to separate from Damien, even if just for a short time, that he was finally able to breathe right.

"We finished ahead of schedule," Damien informed everyone as they got out of the minibuses back at the Association Headquarters. "Therefore, you now have three and a half days off. See you on Monday for our next dungeon inspections."

Everyone exhaled with relief at his words. Work had been really busy, so much so that they didn’t have a single day off in over two weeks now. Such was the nature of the job - they all had it written in their contacts, that in case of emergencies, they might be required to work for many days straight - but it didn’t make it any less exhausting and disappointing. The Awakened were still human, after all - they also needed time to relax and unwind.

"Owens, a moment?"

Lane’s shoulders flinched. He was about to sneak out, but Damien called him before he managed to do so. "Yes, Team Leader?" Despite the nervousness he suddenly felt, he curved his mouth in a smile as he turned around to face the man.

"Just a few words," Damien gestured at him with his head. "In private."

Lane followed him - just a few steps away, as it turned out - and Damien quietly said,

"I have a lot of paperwork to complete, so I will be busy during our time off." He hesitated for a moment, before adding, "I might be able to find some time on Sunday though."

"Ah, okay?" Lane tilted his head.

They stood in silence for a good while, Lane growing progressively confused.

Wait, could it be...

"Are you trying to ask me out on a date?"

Damien didn’t answer instantly, a bit taken aback. Then, the slight surprise turned into disappointment. Not very visible on the man’s forever frowny face, but Lane was familiar enough with him to read his expression. "We don’t have to. It’s just that, before we entered the dungeon, you said... You wanted to take me somewhere?"

Lane tilted his head again, question marks popping above his head.

Before they entered the dungeon?

...Ah!

"Right, sorry! Yeah, I sure did!" he laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, it just slipped my mind, with all that happened in the dungeon and all."

"It’s alright," Damien’s expression returned to normal, his shoulders relaxing a bit. "Is it still on?"

"Yes, yes, of course! But... ’Some’ time might not be enough for what I have planned. I’d probably need your whole day."

Suspicion flashed through Damien’s eyes, but he still seriously pondered over it. "I’ll try my best. Is it alright if I let you know on Saturday?"

"Yeah, sure! I don’t have any big plans, so as long as you give me heads-up the evening prior, I’ll be available!"

He did have things to do, of course. Lane was a surprisingly busy man. Especially now, when so much was happening in the Capital with the Gates activity. Two Restricted Zones were created, and they weren’t going away - that was a good start, but precisely because things were going so well, Lane should work hard so that his efforts wouldn’t get wasted... He had already gotten side-tracked a lot - and Damien was completely at fault for that - but...

One more day to chill out and have fun surely wouldn’t hurt, right? It’s not like he could barge into dungeons on his own to plant Fertilizer, not unless he wanted to get caught, so he might as well take Damien out on a little shopping spree. Two days were more than enough time to read through the reports he received, and submit his own for his team to analyze.

"Alright then," Damien nodded his head, his frown easing a bit.

"Mn."

An awkward silence fell between them again. They stood like that for a good minute or two, staring at the ground or somewhere to the side, anywhere but into each other’s eyes. While the mood between them wasn’t exactly bad... There was a sense of unease on Damien’s end. Lane, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically jumpy.

It was annoying. All this tension, it bugged him to no end. He was always so chill, going with the flow, without much worries... So why was he so anxious now, when he wasn’t even in any real danger?

Lane clicked his tongue, rubbing his arms. No, he couldn’t carry on like that. Whatever weird thing was happening between them, he had to do something about it. Get back in control.

Hearing Lane’s tsking, Damien lifted his head... Only for Lane’s mouth to crash right into his. He glanced to the side, to where the rest of the team were, but Lane had grabbed onto him, and pulled him behind the nearest minibus, pressing Damien against its side. It was dirty, enough for people to draw on it with their fingers, but neither man seemed to mind. Not like they were any cleaner. Damien tried to push Lane away, or at least he grabbed his shoulders as if he intended to do so, but as he didn’t apply any force, Lane only pressed him further...

"Gah!" Damien gasped for breath, a thin string of saliva hanging in the air between them as they separated. Lane really went on in, pushing his tongue in and claiming Damien’s lips so intensely as if he wanted to devour the man. "You..."

Whatever he wanted to say - scold Lane for being inappropriate in public, most likely - before he could even utter two words, Lane interrupted him. "Now that’s better," he smirked, ostentatiously licking his reddened lips. "I’m gonna go now, see you on Sunday!"

And then he dashed, leaving Damien behind, with his back still pressed against the minibus. Which was now a bit cleaner, with a large white patch on the side.