The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 93: Downing the Drinks

Chapter 93: Downing the Drinks

Lane spent a good chunk of his afternoon in the changing rooms, trying out all sorts of outfits for his ’date’ with Damien. Although Xavier was nowhere as handsome as his real body - but then again, who was? In Lane’s own humble opinion, no one - there was still a lot for Lane to work with. All that he needed was to find a good fit, and he should be able to sweep Damien’s off his feet.

Not that it was necessary... All that he needed for his purposes was to make Damien drunk enough so that he would lower his guard, and everything else was only optional at best. Still, he wanted to look attractive, because... Well, was the reason really important?

Finally, after a long search, he settled on a rather simple look. Black skinny jeans, ripped on the knees, hugging his legs, black leather boots, a white slim-fit T-shirt, and a black leather jacket. Then some accessories, a classy silver watch, a leather belt, and a silver pendant on a leather strap. Finally, Xavier’s black hair brushed back in a messy manner, and he was ready. A casual, effortless, I-just-threw-anything-on type of look, not at all as if he spent hours getting ready.

The place he chose was also more on the casual side. Damien seemed to be concerned about the money, and he wanted... that is, needed, the man to feel comfortable. Even though Lane was planning to foot the bill in the end, they haven’t agreed on that, so the prices couldn’t be too high lest they scare Damien off.

Still, although casual, it had its own atmosphere, with its dimmed lights and leather benches with high backrests that partially shielded tables from the view. Located underground, it was a bit stuffy, the air stale due to lack of good airflow, but on a slow Monday evening, it wasn’t all that bad.

They had a table reserved right in the corner in the very back, the most private seats one could possibly find. As expected, when Lane arrived, Damien was already there, reading the menu with a deep, confused frown.

As soon as he saw him, Lane’s steps faltered. It was such a delightful view, that he wanted to get a good look first... Alas, before he had a chance to do so, Damien lifted his head, and their eyes met.

"Hi, did you wait long?" Lane smiled, taking a seat opposite the man, his gaze unwillingly wandering down. To the buttons of Damien’s shirt, strained from having to stretch over the man’s muscular chest... It must have been bought a good few years ago, because it was at least two sizes too small. Unused to dressing up, Damien must have grabbed the best clothes he had, without taking into account how his body had changed over the years...

Feeling super thirsty all of a sudden, Lane unconsciously licked his parched lips. He was so distracted by the outline of Damien’s massive pecs visible through the thin material of the shirt, that he barely registered the man answering him, "No, I just got here a few minutes ago."

"Right! I mean, uh, that’s good." Lane forced his gaze away with difficulty, scolding himself internally. He couldn’t afford to be distracted or seduced, not tonight! This ’date’ of theirs wasn’t for his pleasure or entertainment. No, it was an important test! A test for Damien, on which depended how their interaction would be like in the future.

So, he put on a relaxed, easy-going smile. "Have you ordered anything yet?"

"No, I don’t know much about the alcohol. What would you recommend?"

"Hmm." Lane took over the menu from Damien’s hands, quickly scanning it. "Since you don’t know what you like, we should try a few different things... Let’s start with a set of shots to warm up, and next we’ll have Jungle Juice. Sounds good?"

Damien’s brows wrinkled in a frown. "Aren’t shots too strong? It’s my first time drinking, so..."

"Nah, you’ll be fine!" Lane laughed, waving his hand. "They might be strong, but the volume is low, so it’s not like you’re consuming that much alcohol... Plus, you’re an S-ranker, and you’re, ahem, pretty big, so you need more to feel anything. Trust me, you’ll be fine!"

Although not entirely convinced, Damien let it go. It was hard to say ’no’ when Lane looked so excited, so eager to order the drinks. Even when Lane pushed seven out of twelve shot glasses his way once they arrived - using their size and rank difference as an excuse to make Damien drink more - he still agreed to it.

And in just a few minutes, all the shots were gone. Downing shot after shot, Damien didn’t even realize that he ended up drinking nine of them in the end, sneakily pushed his way by Lane when he was distracted by the unfamiliar, burning sensation in his throat. He put down the last glass down with a clang, rubbing his throat, his emerald eyes still perfectly clear as the alcohol hadn’t kicked in yet.

"Here, drink this, it should help." Lane slid the cocktail Damien’s way, trying hard to suppress his smirk. It was going better than he thought. Maybe he could try to make Damien finish the next set entirely on his own...

Damien lifted the cup, taking a sip, and his eyes widened. It was fruity, and refreshing. After the shots, it didn’t seem strong at all. He picked up the pace, gulping it down, finishing almost the whole glass in one go.

Lane’s eyes curved into crescents, all smiles as he lifted his hand, calling the waiter. "Another two Jungle Juice, please," he ordered. His own cup was still almost full, barely touched, but it’s not like he was ordering it for himself...

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Damien exhaled deeply, putting down the glass, and turned his eyes to Lane.

"Ah, I just wanted to chat with you a bit... First of all, I wanted to apologize for the last time. In the Guiding Center, I mean."

Damien instantly tensed up, his fingers on the glass tightening. "...What about it?" He tried to sound calm, but the tension in his voice didn’t escape Lane’s attention.

"Well, it’s just that..." Lane shrugged his shoulders, his finger trailing the rim of his glass. "I thought you looked uncomfortable. Does it bother you that your younger sister is my main Guide?"

For a while, Damien remained silent, his eyes following Lane’s finger, as if hypnotized. So long, that Lane thought he wasn’t going to answer. Perhaps he was still too sober for that. Just as he was about to change the topic though, Damien finally opened up his mouth.

"A bit," he admitted quietly. "Not because she’s my sister though. It would bother me if anyone had such high compatibility with you... Especially now that you’re an Esper. Because I could never compare with that..." He let a sigh, covering up his eyes. "I’m sorry. I know it’s selfish of me..."

For some reason, Lane’s heart skipped a beat, and he adjusted himself in his seat, feeling giddy all of a sudden. "Hahah, don’t worry, we might have high compatibility, but you’re the hotter one," he said... But the chuckle almost instantly died in his throat, as soon as the words left his mouth.

What did he just say? I mean, Damien was way hotter than Samantha, or anyone else around for that matter, but... Wasn’t he supposed to pretend to be straight? And when exactly did they get flirty with each other? Well... Probably when Lane asked Damien out for a ’date’... But either way, wasn’t it too soon for that? He hasn’t decided whether he would reveal anything to Damien yet...

Seeing the way Damien looked at him though, he didn’t have the heart to take back the words or turn them into a joke. He just coughed a few times, trying to hide how flustered he was.

"Either way, what I mean is that you don’t have anything to worry about. Your sister is pretty and nice, but I’m not interested in her at all. And our compatibility is almost perfect, so there’s no need for me to play any tricks to raise the efficiency... So, just trust me, and have a drink, okay? Let’s enjoy ourselves." He smiled, pushing another drink Damien’s way.