“…!”
Lucas, who had been surprised several times today because of Iberis, swallowed hard. He widened his eyes in disbelief at what he had just heard. His chest swelled as his heart pounded fiercely. Conversely, his solar plexus tightened.
“Just now, what did you, I mean, um…”
Is this how someone who has witnessed a miracle feels? Lucas, uncharacteristically, stumbled over his words. Ridiculously, for a moment, he even had the absurd thought that his desperate longing might have created an auditory hallucination.
“I said I like you.”
The first time is always the hardest; the second is easier. Iberis once again clearly expressed his feelings to Lucas, who was looking at him with a dazed expression. If he didn’t believe it, Iberis could say it as many times as needed.
With a gentle eye-smile, Iberis squeezed the warmth in his hand. Then he raised his other arm to cup Lucas’s soft cheek. He felt Lucas flinch when his fingers brushed the corner of his eye, but he didn’t stop.
“I like you, Lucas.”
After realizing that his ability could harm others, Iberis had avoided physical contact with people as much as possible.
This long-ingrained habit manifested even when he was with Lucas. Although he knew it was okay to touch him comfortably, Iberis rarely initiated skinship. But not this time.
Iberis’s actions were so proactive that anyone who knew him would have been surprised. Not content with just caressing Lucas’s cheek, he took the initiative to kiss him.
“I can’t promise to be a good lover… but I can promise to cherish you.”
Smooch. After a brief kiss, Iberis gently closed his eyes towards the golden eyes engulfed in a dazzling blaze. He whispered with their lips still touching.
“I can’t promise to always make you happy. I can’t swear I won’t make you cry. But I’ll try my best. So that you can smile every day.”
Inwardly vowing to survive even one more day to stay by his side, Iberis slightly tilted his chin up and pressed his lips firmly once more.
“I’ll entrust you with all of my future, so give me your time too.”
For as long as I live. Once again, Iberis muttered the latter part inwardly so Lucas couldn’t hear. Slowly parting his lips, he quietly waited for Lucas’s response. Even though he knew he wouldn’t be rejected, his mouth went dry and his heart beat erratically.
Lucas savored the loving gaze upon him and the breath tickling his lips in silence. As he faced the moment he had longed for over the past few months, he felt breathless and his mind went blank. An unprecedented joy washed over him as he realized this was reality, not a dream or illusion.
“My time… was already yours, Major.”
A muffled voice, as if submerged in water, flowed from his barely moving lips. Lucas learned that one’s throat can tighten even from happiness. He pulled his hand from Iberis’s grasp and interlaced their fingers one by one.
In response, fingers covered with small scars interlocked with his. The moment Lucas realized that Iberis had truly grasped his hand, an electrifying thrill shot up his spine. His chest was also filled with wondrous joy.
For 10 years since living under the identity of Luke Illum, since the day he decided to dedicate his life to avenging his parents and healing his sister, Lucas had no time purely for himself. But that was okay. It was the path he had chosen.
However, it wasn’t without difficulty. As he walked the path of revenge with no end in sight, not knowing when he might succeed, Lucas gradually lost himself. Living a life of deception, interacting only with the minimum number of people who knew his secret, was far from easy.
Whenever he felt confused about his identity, Lucas reassured himself that he could return to being Lucas Lowell Blake once his revenge was complete. But sometimes, he wanted to give up everything.
Would he truly be the same Lucas Lowell Blake when he finished his revenge? Would everything he had built as Luke Illum become fake?
The longer he lived as Luke Illum, the more tired Lucas became. Then he met Iberis, someone with even more lifeless eyes than his own.
Ah.
Lucas sighed at the sudden realization. The reason he couldn’t leave Iberis alone, why he wanted to keep interfering even knowing it was meddlesome, was because Iberis resembled himself.
Although their situations were different, Lucas instinctively felt that if he continued like this, he too would crumble like Iberis. He wanted Iberis to live.
At the time, he didn’t know exactly what subconscious motivation drove him, but looking back now, besides his sense of duty as a doctor and guide, he also wanted to feel vicarious satisfaction watching Iberis overcome his terminal condition.
Yes, the initial reason was quite selfish. But it didn’t take long for those feelings to change direction.
Through his time with Iberis, Lucas realized how lonely he had been. How starved he was for the kindness and warmth of others.
Iberis, despite having a body so cold it could unintentionally harm others, had a heart warmer than anyone else’s.
Lucas helplessly fell for Iberis’s kindness, sometimes appearing foolishly considerate, and his pure humanity that occasionally drew wry smiles. This gentle and kind superior, unlike a hardened soldier, was like rain falling on the barren desert of his heart.
As things progressed, it became unclear who was healing whom. Just as Iberis regained his lost warmth through Lucas, Lucas regained his lost sensibilities through Iberis.
From then on, the mission took a back seat. The most important thing to Lucas was the person named ‘Iberis Hyun’. When he was with him, he could forget his loneliness for a while. For a moment, he could even feel free from the guilt about his parents and the responsibility for his sister. That’s why he couldn’t be satisfied with just that and ended up craving for more.
“Give me everything.”
Lucas pleaded as he pulled their interlocked hands to kiss each protruding knuckle of Iberis’s fingers, and nuzzled his cheek against the cool palm cupping his face. His greedy self couldn’t be satisfied with just having Iberis’s time.
“Not just your time, but everything about you, Major… Please allow me to have it all.”
“Alright.”
Iberis readily accepted Lucas’s plea. In fact, he smiled brightly as if he had been waiting for those words. Then he asked shyly.
“So we’re dating now, right? What do people say at times like this… Day 1 from today?”
“Yes, my goal is to live with you until we’re 125 and close our eyes at the same moment… So I look forward to the next 100 years together.”
“Huh? Why 125? Are we supposed to live that long?”
“They say we’re in the era of centenarians now. Since ability users are much healthier than ordinary people, we should live at least 25 years longer than average to break even.”
Lucas had already understood the hidden meaning behind Iberis’s earlier statement about “giving all of his remaining life.” Mentioning 125 years was an expression of his determination to never let Iberis die.
“Even so, 100 years is a bit much. And we just became a couple, you know? Someone might think we’re getting married.”
“We might not do it right away, but we will eventually, right?”
“…Huh?”
“Marriage. You weren’t planning not to, were you? After taking my virginity?”
“No, I mean, isn’t it a bit early to talk about marriage right after we start dating? Besides, we haven’t, you know, gone all the way yet.”
Iberis lowered his eyes, seeming embarrassed at mentioning their progress.
“We may not have gone all the way, but I think we’ve done enough that you couldn’t marry anyone else.”
“That may be true… But come to think of it, you only bring up premarital chastity at times like this?”
Didn’t he say before that it was just an excuse to prevent unnecessary approaches from people? Iberis grumbled, glaring at Lucas.
“And everything I’ve done with you was also my first time. If we’re going by that logic, you took my virginity too…”
“So we should take responsibility for each other then. Right?”
Lucas interrupted Iberis, asking with a broad smile. His attitude suggested he was determined to settle this now to prevent any future denials.
“You were so deflated just a moment ago… Now you’re fully revived.”
Iberis let out a snort, finding it ridiculous. Indeed, this kind of attitude suited Lucas well.
“It’s all thanks to you, Major.”
Having regained his composure, Lucas turned his head to kiss Iberis’s palm. Then he lightly bit it with his teeth.
“Anyway, Major, you seem to think your allowed time is short… but I disagree.”
“Huh?”
“For the sake of my own happiness, I will definitely make you healthy. So be prepared from now on.”
“…I want to be with you for a long time too.”
Iberis, who had been momentarily speechless, soon smiled broadly. His eyes, having regained the will to live, sparkled clearly like sunlit glass crystals.
“So make sure to cure me. I’ll diligently take my medicine and receive guidance from now on.”
“…Yes.”
Lucas was filled with a strange sentiment as he looked at the enthusiastic Iberis. An Iberis wanting to live – it was an image he could never have imagined a few months ago.
“I’ll cure you completely, even if it costs me my life.”
It was both a pledge to himself and a vow to Iberis. Lucas promised a hopeful future in a solemn voice.
“Don’t stake your life on it. What would I do if you died trying to save me?”
“That’s just how desperate I am.”
Lucas slid his lips down and this time left teeth marks on Iberis’s slender wrist. Feeling the body flinch at the sensual stimulation, he looked at Iberis, moving only his eyes. The moment their gazes intertwined in midair, their lips crashed together, with neither initiating it first.
