“I see… We’ll need to think of a response strategy for this.”
Iberis’s expression hardened as he grasped the situation through Brenda’s warning. He knew Livio was trying various tricks to turn around the situation that was becoming unfavorable to him, but he didn’t realize he had already won over the unit commanders. Indeed, he was an opponent with formidable skills.
“I have compiled information about the unit commanders who have sided with the Mars Guild, which I’ll submit along with other reports later.”
“Yes, thank you. You’ve worked hard in many ways while I was away. Good job.”
It couldn’t have been easy to lead the unit without any problems as his proxy for the past few weeks. Iberis praised Brenda generously. He even patted her shoulder in commendation. Having realized from the incident with Regina that this level of contact wouldn’t harm the other person, he could act more boldly than usual.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just did what I had to do.”
Brenda couldn’t hide her joy at Iberis’s praise followed by unexpected physical contact. The corners of her eyes crinkled, and her lips curved into a wide smile.
“Maybe it’s because you’ve been working hard… but it seems like you’ve lost some weight? Your cheeks look sunken.”
Iberis, who had been looking at the grinning Brenda with satisfaction, showed interest as if he had noticed something. The dark circles under her eyes were so severe that he hadn’t noticed other changes until now.
“Me? Um, I think you look thinner, Major.”
Brenda cupped her cheeks with both hands as if to deny it, and looked Iberis up and down. He had always been on the slim side, but somehow he seemed to have lost even more weight.
Where else could he lose weight from?
Brenda tilted her head, recalling how other unit members who returned from vacation all came back plumper. Although he probably couldn’t relax fully due to the incident at the award ceremony, she thought he should have gained weight after going on vacation.
The fortunate thing was that Iberis’s complexion and expression were much brighter than before. His hair and skin were also glossy and radiant. Except for his thinner frame, everything else looked very good.
So Brenda quickly let go of her worries. With a doctor and guide as a lover, surely he would take good care of himself. The corners of her mouth rose higher as she glanced at Lucas. She was reminded of the recent news article about their romance that had hit the unit.
“Ahem, you must be tired from your journey. Please rest well today.”
Brenda cleared her throat and composed her expression, adopting an attitude suggesting Iberis should go in now.
“Hmm? Weren’t you going to submit reports?”
“I’ll bring them to you later. Look at them tomorrow, tomorrow. Today is still part of your vacation, after all.”
“But…”
Iberis trailed off at Brenda’s attitude of constantly trying to send him to his quarters. Although there didn’t seem to be any major problems, he was curious about what had happened during his absence.
“The Lieutenant is right. Let’s rest in your quarters for now. It’s not too late to look at the reports after you’ve washed up, eaten, and recovered from your travel fatigue.”
At that moment, Lucas intervened in the conversation, putting his arm around Iberis’s shoulder.
“Alright.”
Iberis finally nodded. When both Brenda and Lucas simultaneously recommended rest, he couldn’t insist any further. He was also slightly tired from the long flight and car ride.
“Then I’ll move your carrier to your quarters. Oh, your luggage has increased compared to when you left for vacation?”
Brenda, who quickly opened the trunk, let out a small exclamation. It was natural since the duration of his stay had increased, but seeing the trunk full of luggage made her smile, thinking that Iberis must have had a good vacation.
“There’s more than I expected, I can’t do it alone. I’ll need to call someone.”
“Is there really a need for that? The Captain and I are here… We can all move it together.”
“What are you saying? People like me should do this kind of thing. That’s what an aide is for, isn’t it?”
Brenda jumped as if she had heard something absurd.
“Isn’t it abuse of power if a superior orders subordinates to carry personal luggage…?”
“It’s only abuse of power if you force subordinates to do something they don’t want to do. Above all, I want to do this for you. Leave this to me and go in quickly. It’s cold out here.”
The N-area, located in the northern frontier, experiences winter earlier than other places. This meant that even in autumn, the temperature was lower and the wind cooler compared to other regions like Paris and London. Brenda, seemingly concerned about Iberis who was dressed lightly, gave a subtle eye signal to Lucas as if telling him to take Iberis inside quickly.
“The Lieutenant is right. If we stay out any longer, you might catch a cold.”
Lucas tightened the scarf around Iberis’s neck and took out a backpack, carrier, and a few shopping bags from the trunk. With the bag slung over one shoulder and the carrier and shopping bags in his right hand, he wrapped his other arm around Iberis’s waist.
“I’ve got the important things, so let’s leave the rest to the Lieutenant.”
“Isn’t it heavy? Let me carry some too.”
“It’s fine.”
Lucas shook his head and pulled Iberis closer to him.
“We’re finally back.”
“Yeah…”
Hearing Lucas’s murmur, Iberis looked at the quarters with fresh eyes. Perhaps because it was the first time he had been away for so long, he felt strange. Suddenly, he realized that he had missed this scenery.
They say love changes how you see the world, but he didn’t expect to feel something new even in this. Despite having spent years in N-0 unit, Iberis had never once considered this place home. For him, home wasn’t just a place to rest his body, but a sanctuary where his heart could be at ease.
That’s why in Iberis’s life, the only home had been the poor apartment where he lived with his mother during his childhood. Although it was a single room in a crumbling building, that was when he was happiest, both physically and mentally.
But now it was different. Iberis glanced sideways at Lucas, who was walking in step with him. Just having someone to return with transformed what was, until yesterday, merely a lodging for sleep into a home. It was a remarkably strange sensation.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hm?”
“It seems like you have something to say.”
“No, it’s just…”
I’m glad I met you, Iberis mumbled in a barely audible voice. He gently covered Lucas’s hand that was holding his waist.
“Luke, hold my hand.”
“Okay.”
Iberis laughed softly at Lucas’s action of immediately holding his hand and interlocking their fingers as soon as he finished speaking. Although the air brushing his cheeks was chilly, strangely, he didn’t feel cold at all.
* * *
Is this what all workplace romances are like?
Iberis pondered, feeling a wave of heat enveloping him. He was struggling to maintain his composure as the flesh exploring his mouth and the fingers caressing his chest kept threatening to make him lose his mind. He desperately clung to his senses as he clumsily entwined his tongue with Lucas’s.
Although he had become much more accustomed to it compared to the beginning, Iberis still invariably malfunctioned when the kiss deepened or lengthened. At such times, even breathing became difficult, and his tongue movements became awkward. Nevertheless, he persevered, trying his best to keep up with Lucas.
When he pressed his tongue against the one ravaging his mouth, rubbing it and making wet sounds as he sucked, Lucas let out a satisfied, husky moan. Then, as now, he would press his body close.
Creeak.
As more of their weight settled, the medical bed made a creaking sound. Startled by the noise, Iberis opened his eyes, but quickly closed them again, ignoring the office scenery visible through his hazy vision. He kept feeling guilty about whether this was appropriate during work hours.
Of course, if he said this, Lucas would retort that guiding was also an official duty, so what was the problem? But it felt different.
In fact, before they became lovers, Iberis thought similarly. That was how he could justify doing things that would be embarrassing to tell others every day in Lucas’s office, thinking, “Well, it’s still work.”
But once they officially started dating, guiding, which had been one of his duties, no longer felt like work. It was work, but it felt more like playing hooky and having a secret rendezvous. Perhaps because of this, this time felt more embarrassing than before.
“Mmnh…”
Iberis let out a groan at the seemingly endless kiss. Regardless of how good it felt, it was still tiring. The flesh filling his small mouth sometimes violently stirred his mucous membrane and poked at his throat. When that happened, he felt his breath catch, and the world seemed to spin.
Unable to bear the dizziness, he gripped Lucas’s shoulders tighter, and the hand that had been kneading his chest began to tease and stimulate a sensitive area. Then, well-manicured nails pressed firmly against the raised nub.
“Ah!”
As the nails dug into the delicate flesh, a moan escaped from Iberis’s parted lips. When he arched his back at the tingling pleasure rising in his chest, he could feel Lucas laughing into his throat through their connected lips.
Finding this incredibly annoying, Iberis lightly bit the thick tongue, to which Lucas tilted his head and pushed his tongue in even deeper, as if challenging him to do more.
“Mmph…”
Wondering where else it could possibly go, Iberis hunched his shoulders at the heat invading his tightly stretched lips. When the pointed tongue tip finally poked his uvula, he let out a cough. Just as he pulled his head back, unable to endure any longer, the alarm signaling the end of the guiding session rang out loudly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
