The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 92: Asking Out

Chapter 92: Asking Out

The next morning, Damien was acting as usual. He didn’t mention his sister at all, or the messages they exchanged the day before. As they inspected three E-rank dungeons, he was just his usual frowny self, serious and focused on work, but still not neglecting to keep an eye on Lane.

For some reason, Lane felt relieved. The expression Damien had in his eyes the last time they met, parting in the Guiding Center, really rubbed him the wrong way. It was... uncomfortable. Very much so. Therefore, he welcomed the man’s relentless monitoring. It’s not like he was going to waste any Fertilizer on the low-rank dungeons anyway, so he properly behaved himself.

He waited until they returned to the Headquarters before approaching Damien. As everyone else left, going home to take some rest, he trailed behind their Team Leader instead, following the man.

At first, Damien just walked straight ahead, going to his office, judging by the route he took. Although he most certainly must have noticed Lane - Lane didn’t even try to act stealthily or anything - he acted as if he didn’t. Only when they reached the door to his office, did he finally stop and turn around.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked with his usual frown.

As in contrast, Lane had a wide smile on his face, a half-genuine one. "Well, I’ve been hoping to chat with you a bit."

Damien’s brows lifted a bit in surprise at Lane’s casual tone, but he didn’t comment on that. It’s not like he minded, anyway. Instead, he opened the door, gesturing in. "Then, please come in."

"Ah, not right now." Lane scratched his neck, his eyes dodging to the side, bashful. "I was thinking more along the lines... Going out for drinks later in the evening."

For a good moment, Damien just stood rooted in place, completely frozen. Even though his ability should have given him frost resistance. He just stood and stared in silence.

Lane kind of expected this reaction. Although it wasn’t exactly the first time he tried asking Damien out - he did it a few times before as ’Evan’ - recently, he had been trying to avoid the man rather than get close... Excluding all those guiding sessions as ’Aidan’, of course. Therefore, it was understandable Damien would be surprised, with this invitation dropping on him out of the blue.

So, he asked, taking a step closer, "Ah, is there a problem? Could it be that you don’t drink alcohol?"

Damien was still all motionless and tense, but at least he answered. "...I don’t."

"Why’s that?"

Once again, Damien just stared at Lane in silence for a long while. And Lane knew exactly why - they had this conversation before. Still, he maintained the eye contact, waiting patiently, until Damien finally said, "It’s a waste of money."

A smile twinkled in Lane’s eyes. "How so?" he leaned forward, looking up on Damien playfully.

"...The alcohol doesn’t benefit human body in any way, it’s harmful, actually. Not to mention, expensive."

"But it’s enjoyable. People drink it for fun. How can you say it’s a waste of money, if you’ve never even tried?" Lane was now leaning so close to Damien, that he could almost hear his quickened heartbeat.

...Or was it his own?

Either way, he continued, "If you’re worried about wasting your money, then I can pay. Problem solved."

"I can’t let you do that." Damien shook his head, pressing his back against the door frame, as if he wanted to squeeze into it. "I’m your Team Leader. As your superior, I should be the one to pay..."

Lane rolled his eyes, a smile tugging on the corners of his lips, stretching them even more. "Well, either way is fine with me. As long as you come." Taking another step forward, he was now only mere inches from the man. He did it all to pressure and agitate the man a bit, but now he himself started losing his cool... Damien was simply too hot to remain clear-headed in his presence.

Luckily, while he was excited by their closeness, Damien was no less affected. His cheeks lightly flushed, and he gulped loudly, his Adam’s apple moving up and down as he swallowed his saliva. "...Okay," he finally muttered, his voice somewhat hoarse and strained. "I suppose... I can give it a try."

’Yes!’ Lane jumped up inwardly in celebration. For a moment there, he was starting to feel anxious, worried the man might turn him down... But he gave Damien such a strong hint, using the same arguments as before, practically recreating the conversation the man had with ’Evan’, so he couldn’t afford to fail now. Well, of course, Damien had already figured him out even without this hint, so it didn’t really matter, but...

He smiled, pulling back a bit. "Alright, that’s great! Is tonight alright with you?"

"Yes, as long as we don’t stay out too late."

"Hmm." Lane pressed his lips together, stifling a chuckle that threatened to escape his mouth. "Of course, it’s just for a bit."

He didn’t lie, technically. ’Late’ was a subjective thing. And Lane was planning to go by his own interpretation of the word... But, there was no need to explain that to Damien. For now, the important thing was to drag him out.

"Then, it’s a date! I won’t disturb you any further, I’ll text you the address later. See you in the evening!" he called out, waving Damien goodbye, as he zoomed down the hallway, running away before the man had a chance to change his mind.

For a long time, Damien stood in the doorway, looking at the empty hallway, Lane’s last words still ringing in his ears.

It’s a date...?

That sounded very... well, maybe ’somewhat’ would be a better word, romantic. Of course Damien wasn’t naive enough to believe that Lane decided to pursue a romantic, serious relationship with him now, all of a sudden. It was far more likely that he had some ulterior motives, or maybe just wanted to hook up. But...

He still couldn’t stop the glimmer of hope from igniting in his chest.