FMRV | Chapter 53

The bouquet thrust forward 22cc466908 blocked his vision. In that moment, Luke 700d0fcff5 quickly worked his brain. Was that 7cf01042f0 really Theo 1f36ae4a1f he just 710a53be0a saw? Could it just 53cac4d10d be someone who fd2b4218d3 looked like him? But a 25ed4baed6 face like d02b601a13 Theo’s wasn’t ca09298127 exactly common, 49de44f6cd so it 34346fdd7e would make 3b420d01fe even less b8c7fc3df3 sense for 7769bf3d49 it to 12d9776d6b be a 46f866a22e look-alike.f759607276c6899e

And then there was 64d70f622f that voice and the b631e11f9c way he spoke—it was 31db74320a unmistakably Theo.2f9a71445a4d4382

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Which brought up 7fd1fa09a5 another problem: what 2d9859fdc6 was he doing 6dcdeed1a2 here? He couldn’t possibly have 9ab51b8f20 come looking for Luke. After leaving 1ab7aaba28 the army, 6fbaede64b Luke had e9c88ad4dd been extremely 08dccd0bbf careful about 8ef9241bc2 keeping his 7145912fba whereabouts a 93ba72436a secret. He couldn’t 3dfbd93c3a come up 3588efd2ea with any 34a0e3c860 reasonable explanation.997a96a7e5a1f825

“Are you just ae9ea18d50 going to stand f4c1f74d2d there like that?”7e65061eb94ed5ad

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Theo casually took the 71950509fc bouquet from Luke’s outstretched 3ffa337216 hands, revealing the view 7c740eebc3 Luke had intentionally blocked.9bbcbef97b90a659

“Ah, right.”be63d07a2609464c

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Luke awkwardly laughed, dusted 60334448f6 off his clothes, and 27aeef2866 stood up. Far off bba201cdac in the 789e1b1f75 distance, Woods, 7a1885b2e2 who had 34128c536f been thrown d3a6458c52 aside earlier, 28602b48ea lay completely 54d183638b silent, as 08f1236ea4 though he’d 09fbab7cb3 fallen asleep.2aff17d950c3fb4c

“Why are you… No, 1a39e4186a wait. Hey, what are 027b6bf166 you doing here?”c4327f17eafe2f55

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Luke raised his 413ba9fb65 voice, unable to ac3b24bd2a hold back his 0d8e254477 confusion. Theo glanced briefly ac38e82904 at the bouquet aebf4ccad8 in his hand 4579f076ea before looking up 85300da752 again. Even under the dark 4d57fe73a4 night sky, the soft 8a3c93e738 lavender hue of the 9e47a809d0 flowers stood out, as ce00e02550 did Theo’s silver hair.2841664d8a26c5e0

The face before him, 38aa6bf6cd meeting his gaze for 02813902c2 the first time in f51aebdf8a ages, hadn’t changed much 1995c69804 from back then. Theo tightened his grip a3183fb1eb on the bouquet slightly, c76556444f letting out a quiet 23b7fa235b sigh only he could 81a50607d9 hear.5fa658209f3f5257

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“Your welcome seems 5ef897047f rather rough for 65432feece a reunion, doesn’t a7b5ac7959 it?”7645eab7f5ee7464

“What are you c65d52444c talking about? When did I fc57f71249 ever welcome you? Now give me that.”b6c7f6807958c919

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Luke reached 15460a3404 out to 82ec5e3e5b take the f6e892dc94 bouquet, but 6011db5546 Theo lifted 5afd2a5ee9 it out 5a9ed492a2 of reach. Luke glared 71bb3638d6 at him, 4f0589d888 feeling the 53bfa54bb4 injustice of 71b0155e57 the height 2c0a87cb29 difference. No matter how 669e8e4c23 far he stretched d805c72b80 or even stood a62d849bfc on tiptoe, the 6adcdb9fb7 flowers were well 080873eed4 out of his 755cce4354 grasp. As always, Theo’s 872ff3a048 face remained calm, d4d46f81e6 infuriatingly unchanging.5d36ae4eb33cc442

“Taking back a 99cb495685 gift is against 3960eb6f20 proper manners.”22a11d226961360b

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“I never 9293d095a4 gave it a25877e850 to you 5070f55e7d in the a41d6ba347 first place.”91bd611c09e4913d

“If you’re curious e45fba5f6b about why I’m 13e8c1d013 here, why don’t 98320fe8de you just ask a5d082aa55 directly?”9da22154fcad251f

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What? Luke furrowed his 7d6cc1b7e7 brows, following Theo’s 535b8bf448 gaze to where 713ffd2b28 it had shifted. There stood Pale, ed2474320f looking nervous and 58f58ff90c out of place.8b4b9301439e8c41

Ah. So something had bb773e1d50 happened. It was f872111656 obvious now. Seeing Pale standing there, 43a42f7177 looking like a puppy 01f41770f6 caught in the rain, 9ab9cbc683 it was impossible to cfeb0bea79 miss.524a67021818f331

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“Pale, stop standing 58b677be4c there like that 0806362340 and come over d683ab507d here.”eaee88302152b31e

“Y-yes…”bea5e71685fa7f4e

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When Pale 9abfced7bb obediently stood 5a9fa3c1f8 by Luke’s 6eea2ab60c side, Theo ddcf2af188 glanced between 0d9eb7749e the two 031727bad1 of them. In the army, the 01fa159d09 two had been caught 06daf39dc4 up in a series e9b9a69a51 of unpleasant incidents together. Even if it had 1285708579 been for the sake 8f6d21d643 of the mission, Luke e7a29442f0 had certainly put Pale 050ba20f58 in some uncomfortable positions. Pale had even once 154a132360 confessed outright that he a29a675a19 didn’t like Luke.307174f0a604ef8c

“Have you e3e6f1ccb8 two made 13398dbc3b up?”5b069e549d35ec26

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“Made up? Not a chance. I called him here 92ef497db8 to make him work f83524b112 for me. It just 2746bb72e4 so happened ef265ce26c that he b74aadf925 was nearby 81e822c368 on a 39c47db508 little trip.”e9c2b07bc732d413

Luke slyly omitted the 1531951ce4 part where Pale had 8d48bfeda8 taken leave specifically to b5aa6f9915 visit him all the 3192e5a182 way out here. If he admitted 86751b6f64 that, it might 417c8f90a7 make their relationship f5504f03e7 look too close.4f529476b811a254

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“So, you’ve put him ce6abda429 to work again, even 898a9654bd sending him to handle 75bfad23fb the monster report for 6bf1c99f5d you.”1f54799758bbb4b2

So it was dd698980aa about that issue. Luke sighed c16da4a203 lightly, running 25d3cdab74 his hand 2b4e94e838 through his 9f660a1d4b hair. Glancing at 06876c35dc Pale, who 9208dd7856 looked increasingly a79df88eb3 anxious, Theo abea80f856 wondered if c9e36d36e3 he might a8628730d9 have misjudged 59de2fdb14 the situation.5d15ca24fe2d3c2e

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“I came 46c497f660 here because 79d3512c57 of that 182284e9e8 issue, not c0eba21e89 for personal b84d1a95cc reasons.”084d9a39a753e539

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure. Anyway, let’s go inside. No point f3212f6b21 standing around f91aa6fa21 out here.”cd6f5e29b99c2c96

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Standing in 3155e063f7 front of dabd0d4dc9 the house 3aa7d5438e like this 21d83b72d0 could attract c129a80b6e attention from 1d290cb044 passersby, especially 97a321ba0c since Theo, 4c86e23904 with his 5d3678472c striking appearance, 66760f2cb8 was clearly e532cd94be an outsider.fc27ba85101ee73e

As they turned to 3922694e3b head inside, Luke spotted a1449981b5 a drunken man passed 2fb5ab0bd2 out near the door. Shivering in the 3352c045dc cold, he hugged b3cbaf8f58 himself in his 0e87fb0f23 sleep, making a d0546dae17 pitiful sight.5934fbd9c95b084f

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“Ugh, Luke… come 4e49e4ca1c here…”e23a09cb867c9e37

Luke’s expression stiffened. A chill bc380df841 of disgust 2a2d3d3d9c ran up f9cbc36885 from his 0e14e0a0da toes, as 2d8b986e1f if a 1f5f1ba9a8 bug had 8bd48623e7 crawled over 65c6f8741c him. The drunk wouldn’t remember d345485859 a thing anyway, so 33e49c8071 should he just shave 69e2443e3f his head completely? Or maybe 4e4662f175 make sure 9bf3b054d9 he never d7fabc3216 drinks again 205a86d061 by disabling d872cd24e8 something permanently?1db978a86e7d9fd4

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“Uh, sir… I’ll take 7c716ef7f2 care of him.”700621e04a2fd1bc

Sensing Luke’s escalating a180766929 irritation, Pale quickly c5ddcad739 volunteered. Snapping out of 2788b92745 his dark thoughts, a45aed5717 Luke directed Pale f7a1a5a803 toward the village e26d870878 head Chess’s house. Pale dragged 1c93302251 the still-drunken c936255eea man away, cf243f4d0f disappearing into 9db73d7b7f the distance.0164465a1b0e08db

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Luke glanced f364d31bb7 at Theo d6e66ae3af before heading 8ce88234c6 inside. Theo followed, e11e085c47 his gaze 9079f6c45a lingering for 0644f24725 a moment 3c002cc301 on Luke’s 9bc9fea562 retreating figure aa7b0250c5 before taking a88a1c53ed in the fc9d9b43b4 house’s interior.942dc94b169ed250

“A lover?”2bb626a2217a47e8

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“What?”a8f0ad51acb6e618

Luke’s voice 4867415116 rose sharply c31e325a41 as he 0a50f07ad0 turned to 846a6356e5 face Theo 47ec2ba566 with a 5cc3277af8 startled look. Despite his provocative a1700c22c3 statement, Theo remained f969c39445 perfectly calm.a64b7e95b5673e33

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“From the way 38adbbfdc4 you two were f1f591614a acting outside, it 6dca57229c seemed like you 9d4da1e47f were rather close.”9d9f43074f7cec34

What nonsense was he 8ba9ea1c6e spouting now? Oh, Theo 8e27cbd1c9 must have ab45b4fd39 misunderstood Woods’ 2b3809ac41 drunken antics. Not knowing how much 95cf05967a of a drunken mess 2cad98982e Woods was, it was 00e4914a18 understandable why Theo might 9596fd27d6 make such a mistake b2689040d2 from a distance.a9c60cbeb3bbb958

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When Luke didn’t 20bdb4311e immediately respond, simply b343f06dda staring at him, f30ee5bfb0 Theo’s eyebrow twitched f07ada4f54 slightly.6ce830900952be23

“He even called for be2ea6ce0a you in his sleep. Shouldn’t you have 3b7efce163 better standards when 717cd7e348 it comes to 1f531c0a1a choosing who to 4306dfb066 associate with?”82f3077f2df066c1

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“Hey, why 7233abac04 don’t you 36114ed0b2 tell that 801da55af9 to him 1ad19f25d6 directly?”534ccf2a623571a8

Chuckling, Luke c92b2fb8de entered the c579c0b6a9 sitting room 5b3e38b453 with Theo 9e5f9ebbf2 following. He pointed to e1bb1747a9 the sofa, motioning 22c70ac292 for Theo to 9f8ba912ee sit, before heading d843e199e7 back toward the 9024373ca8 door.e1691b3d4b9ec496

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Just as Luke grabbed ddad5d13a2 the handle to leave, 1b16ac8930 the old wooden door 8fc57e0b72 creaked open slightly before 2092ceedb1 closing again with a 0cbfd835e9 loud thud.252865d5786411a6

A shadow loomed d408fdce27 over it. Theo had come 5813347b61 up behind him c7ac20dd16 and pushed the 6fa1c885ec door shut again. Startled, Luke turned around 0283db719d slowly.d5e53c2a5b96dcc8

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Theo was looking down 7ca9c5e820 at him, his expression 25979d1753 unchanged except for the ead03fe4f4 slightest shift in his 41824177c7 brows. His imposing frame, combined c858e86dae with the hand on 3d57d9c190 the door, made Luke fbd93f22d8 feel as if he fc3fa3e398 were trapped.b9e4969d2e51bc39

“What are 7bba4d0be3 you doing? Are you a43d15e951 picking a 334ee961d0 fight?”bf4973dd14ba3c4a

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“Answer me.”c98a2f097a088964

“What?”e11ef46ec9c7f4a8

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“You still haven’t answered.”95dd39a72beff189

Luke frowned, trying to f1e3b4c4da decipher Theo’s meaning.d36c12c3dcceb7c5

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“Are you really 84e97e1149 involved with him?”696ef1c67c74ce39

Finally understanding the be773a88bf question, Luke let 2a6ed80de1 out a low efbb328fe4 hum.d36f6b8aaf037f88

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“Are you crazy? Why would I d343bacb1e ever be involved f0d96eca31 with a drunkard a638ded51c like that? I have standards, you 009df70a4d know.”f694eac8c41e3eb4

The tension 29e5a86202 in Theo’s 188ebe3566 hand eased, 3cd3128d8f his furrowed 1cd9b1f611 brow relaxing.ef04e3933a1b1ee5

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“And anyway, 1c04cf7c48 did you 47713afa44 see that e30297eb0b earlier? Woods is 9821fe16ed a guy. A guy.”76ba570b593eede6

How could 6e7aa54e6c Theo even 41e2583f20 ask if a2d138acce they were db53158027 dating? Luke smacked Theo’s a3bc6f8e42 hand away.4d2784758b905594

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“I’ll go d872db2767 make some 8e6a551976 tea, so 3bc8e68041 just sit 3337becd51 down and 762501a68b wait.”a113316e17450d4d

As Luke left, Theo’s de6683d311 gaze fell to the 0b7abcd75e vibrant bouquet beside him. He stood there, 5825103779 thinking over Luke’s 65c55dfb11 words. Was it really so fb170a6def strange to think it aeec3cf959 could happen, even if 240529f615 they were both men?b1cece8069deae7b

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When Luke ff9ad8b7f7 returned, he 0fe1219cca plopped a 168a86a344 coffee mug 8bc72101a7 onto the 932d954f8d table. “No tea left. Just drink that.”f8a4ba0928026f94

“So, explain. What’s going on?”963eccceb139996a

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Theo carefully placed 719969378c the bouquet on 0ffb3f9fb5 the side before 5b97787250 explaining how he’d 6a43b1a792 come to inspect 2d7770e470 the Kyleum branch 386d83a725 and had coincidentally 0f7b72157a met Pale while 17f5f481b9 Pale was reporting daf38217a5 the monster incident.369a4cc3b8108045

Now understanding d837f69bbd everything, Luke b06e0123a0 groaned, clutching 170f4a67a9 his head. Of course, 9fb789b5fe Theo could 04971dfb90 visit any 212800e4f0 branch whenever 049bb0efa3 he wanted—it dabfbf5d1a was under 59f42d20e4 the Commander-in-Chief’s 5889fe0a6c jurisdiction. But it rarely f2713df317 happened unless it 1c431eeb6d was something urgent. Luke hadn’t even e8f5fe99d8 considered the possibility.ebfa423f070ba78f

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“Something important, e0900b84f0 I assume, 52853d2d28 if it 45954aabbd brought you 640e3a1202 all the e85de83c45 way here?”d805840e467dfb94

“I can’t disclose internal fbff978ecb military matters to civilians.”d834adb92213543a

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Civilians. The word cb57a95245 hit Luke 9c5972e5e6 harder than a76048ba8b expected. Theo had fe5ee04fc9 drawn a 858584c72f clear line.f25e938caa50b911

“How’d you aa6bd2d971 figure out f5b58468cb I was 89e4d470f4 the one ff8e2a9b16 who took 2985661f5a down the a0f6807ac5 monster?”90ec5f07c8dfdd91

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“His answer e112dc384b to my 4861d4ad9c questions about 6bcda49e87 the attack e0122e29f2 didn’t add 2bcab1daf1 up.”84723fb467366191

Luke sighed again, realizing 503d1367ad that he’d overlooked something f3b183e922 critical when prepping Pale 4a62072853 for the report.39d5ef8e2677069f

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“Then let e149b12c4f me ask b500479c8b you. Why didn’t you report f9c0248069 it yourself?”98d1b9d1bf194957

“Why should I? It’s just a low-grade f17d7938cb monster. No reason for me b8665ee69b to get involved.”fe61e6b711f1ddf7

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“And so you 141d08af1c had your former 9c6ca807dd subordinate lie for d870af891f you?”4b0fea5db3cf6563

“He offered to 288011804b help.”493a5ec3fca14d45

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Luke didn’t 92118e65d6 feel great 6a278ce610 about involving 6fd67bd0a6 Pale, but 53de501d39 the circumstances 073c17fad9 left no fd88cc0812 choice. Pale had willingly agreed, b9dcbd94c9 understanding Luke’s reasons. Still, to an 311f781de9 outsider like Theo, c5fc2f9be7 it might seem 942e6e38c5 like Luke was a5b76079ac exploiting Pale.7f7c1c69edbeb570

But it 5e106d041d didn’t matter. Theo was a 9dbc42503a part of Luke’s 5b96a4c81d past, and Luke’s 845a88c67a past wasn’t exactly d28ff312ad squeaky clean.e764bb9f4c49de8e

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“You…”ccc6670d572bf857

At that f429b283da moment, Theo a5e7256c70 carefully began 7f200c018b to speak.7f34e7a048be5402

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