FMRV | Chapter 53

The bouquet bb3a927638 thrust forward c3d26e60fa blocked his d30f8e86b5 vision. In that moment, 5df2f573d5 Luke quickly worked f1538ce54a his brain. Was that really Theo b5b85631e7 he just saw? Could it just be 33ad8ce333 someone who looked like 50fb152fa1 him? But a face 77f831bc5a like Theo’s wasn’t b734afeea2 exactly common, so 6755cc09ad it would make effc2a99bb even less sense 737d98f43b for it to 641341be97 be a look-alike.6b6c5d80f303dd8a

And then 02f3d4fe45 there was 4ffaf76ecc that voice e9c4eee94b and the 30f3853e17 way he 1290466b77 spoke—it was f2d60f6d66 unmistakably Theo.755064ab7e985b0a

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Which brought up 11a5677054 another problem: what 826fd5724b was he doing b555a8947d here? He couldn’t possibly have ab9bc6c7d0 come looking for Luke. After leaving the 07cf627e40 army, Luke had 1129b9f350 been extremely careful 9cf4a50e7b about keeping his 9e6336e37d whereabouts a secret. He couldn’t come up d435ad56ef with any reasonable explanation.618be682853ab959

“Are you just going 7324144345 to stand there like d5f8087ce2 that?”cab0a5918eb48c8b

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Theo casually took the feb47f8355 bouquet from Luke’s outstretched a27b036d84 hands, revealing the view 4d2368673a Luke had intentionally blocked.e4a20c0086055c73

“Ah, right.”9eeb89986015b72c

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Luke awkwardly 760ee60af6 laughed, dusted a1acdd8699 off his 3415f5bbbc clothes, and aae3fa877d stood up. Far off acc5f34149 in the f2c0336f6b distance, Woods, cb2851a6a7 who had a467faf8b0 been thrown 04c5010656 aside earlier, 17accbaa62 lay completely 3bed76f0c6 silent, as 1c7e5d0536 though he’d 671d1caad9 fallen asleep.dcdc07626057331b

“Why are af8e4ffefc you… No, f4295db7f8 wait. Hey, what are 87597a8d25 you doing here?”2e4bc150c72ea47a

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Luke raised his d97cd1bea7 voice, unable to 1028102874 hold back his 17dbd95680 confusion. Theo glanced briefly b9a272e7b6 at the bouquet cfee43da0b in his hand 8fdc060e49 before looking up 9667e68096 again. Even under 9fbb357952 the dark b988fa1567 night sky, c8320d8e83 the soft 95c32b3229 lavender hue 6daf08f9e6 of the 4c9e6542c6 flowers stood 744af56483 out, as 154af3fd79 did Theo’s 4e78068e3d silver hair.950145a8c57ac3d4

The face 6805776d89 before him, a83d003c37 meeting his 6b54e26525 gaze for b8647fccda the first 00856641b7 time in f64bd2feb0 ages, hadn’t e493c84799 changed much 30fa759092 from back f01fc01698 then. Theo tightened his 537da104a0 grip on the 10d70700a1 bouquet slightly, letting 2e7f7ba37c out a quiet 4758d97485 sigh only he 2d7d6a3504 could hear.556449fc6c66626c

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“Your welcome 4435e07784 seems rather a8a75258bd rough for 6e1e9fba06 a reunion, 4d8b308866 doesn’t it?”25199aa0718585b2

“What are you talking 0f1e6cf4c9 about? When did I ever 0098ab2beb welcome you? Now give me that.”ad37720d93ba093f

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Luke reached 33d52b9673 out to 40cf194180 take the f1d2851201 bouquet, but ca3a942eef Theo lifted 3cbb13f19d it out 4e21fcea97 of reach. Luke glared at 11a7133e84 him, feeling the 51f46c34bd injustice of the 741effa933 height difference. No matter 5ea6c4a197 how far 9bd2b135d8 he stretched 2cf879943d or even b32a146105 stood on e0b00eaad6 tiptoe, the 3622a8c161 flowers were 71bb49338a well out 09e425cb1d of his 251f09a8ad grasp. As always, Theo’s face c729256da3 remained calm, infuriatingly unchanging.ca4f5c8e179970e4

“Taking back a 96858f5862 gift is against c561fa2a8b proper manners.”6c30dd2736410995

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“I never 150b67be64 gave it 905b9c0073 to you 1e5bab85b8 in the 6389db0da0 first place.”c7c44b96d4120b5b

“If you’re curious about c8adb72241 why I’m here, why 399d42bafd don’t you just ask 934c269e96 directly?”7efc8f7ac324a2cd

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What? Luke furrowed his brows, 22181e1e23 following Theo’s gaze to bdefdd8502 where it had shifted. There stood Pale, c309b927e5 looking nervous and 1800544f75 out of place.6db0e8fb0ad2238b

Ah. So something had happened. It was obvious now. Seeing Pale standing 37709e4254 there, looking like 96e3c21a08 a puppy caught f8958b8a56 in the rain, 6ee4d6f358 it was impossible 96fd5e7cff to miss.f1b2308c2e262a9a

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“Pale, stop bb7f6845e3 standing there deba2ff71d like that 813595be39 and come 95337e94a9 over here.”97af3d30024c418b

“Y-yes…”1bdc0bc6a6fcf15d

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When Pale d9ef70d30e obediently stood 8d40f5908b by Luke’s ee5358feb0 side, Theo 9c9edf4bda glanced between eec7f82d79 the two 09efc1b182 of them. In the army, c02023222b the two had 927bdf5828 been caught up f508f7813a in a series 61950a220b of unpleasant incidents a7e91a0dca together. Even if it 87901da5b4 had been for 0580e6bd2f the sake of f6c4e234d0 the mission, Luke 4c79a531a1 had certainly put 738a878700 Pale in some 3ef5038cc2 uncomfortable positions. Pale had 9bd3d0562b even once 42a9f22cc7 confessed outright 8dcbc76526 that he 11b52902f1 didn’t like 303fe55d26 Luke.b913686b8fb7cf5b

“Have you two made 2d08f6319f up?”bb0c54e43ee73450

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“Made up? Not a chance. I called him 0f24a009ca here to make 3db1c6856e him work for 4d235a8c2e me. It just so happened cdc2e74c18 that he was nearby 7ef74a6e4c on a little trip.”832d42de13046ac9

Luke slyly omitted the 55ea73623d part where Pale had 1b168e899d taken leave specifically to a3bc1f9244 visit him all the e2e6b1881c way out here. If he admitted d7b63dfa2f that, it might 40c8acda15 make their relationship 2802b25338 look too close.b1013fc8eaee4279

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“So, you’ve 5ecce9297a put him 86a0dd6a3f to work 13b59a1afe again, even 09721e949c sending him 1466a575cd to handle ff77924945 the monster a41a818e9a report for e6fe48f883 you.”88e937047ef76c86

So it 0a22d7add4 was about 5f6c259a0f that issue. Luke sighed bccb4b9f2c lightly, running 5930156b5d his hand 852e450096 through his 85fd191975 hair. Glancing at Pale, 1f25378992 who looked increasingly 470e2b1157 anxious, Theo wondered ecf895b502 if he might 8be971d5b5 have misjudged the e6fe92bd15 situation.2c5275b3f26ba376

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“I came 7af7634976 here because e32f10e8bf of that 051e08add6 issue, not 1022555e3b for personal 08e0471716 reasons.”307e7edf61a7989d

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure. Anyway, let’s go 408f9206ae inside. No point standing around 57f962aeb6 out here.”656736c6beafe57b

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Standing in front 3caf5e89b6 of the house a7f7201b2a like this could e5fd200750 attract attention from 73d5d370a7 passersby, especially since 06807f1b4b Theo, with his 6d6ac18b94 striking appearance, was 8713cb86bd clearly an outsider.6482f22764406c1f

As they f70172c76d turned to dc6a9690a0 head inside, 2f0b3f1533 Luke spotted e64e67e0f6 a drunken ff6909434c man passed bda1ed9411 out near d7c7cf8125 the door. Shivering in the cold, b2ead53e65 he hugged himself in a3c0aa3367 his sleep, making a a948beeec9 pitiful sight.8db74489590b6f2e

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“Ugh, Luke… come here…”037e896a3882f8b7

Luke’s expression stiffened. A chill of disgust 129471557e ran up from his 2d6cd5b976 toes, as if a 369eb4f29b bug had crawled over e0840e088a him. The drunk wouldn’t b94ab25ce7 remember a thing bf6f0e1e17 anyway, so should 16550d05cb he just shave 4dec3cb9a7 his head completely? Or maybe e355db0667 make sure 2827a14ff6 he never 4140a31260 drinks again 18fc45956e by disabling 0f8c6bbd5b something permanently?eef864771f287a38

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“Uh, sir… I’ll 1df51f3467 take care of aee8d13575 him.”3432f08328c3a261

Sensing Luke’s escalating irritation, b904002b2d Pale quickly volunteered. Snapping out of 1862975940 his dark thoughts, d37e340e93 Luke directed Pale c16c0efe29 toward the village 021c4f8ef7 head Chess’s house. Pale dragged a8e5ee86f9 the still-drunken be85f503bf man away, b9441d37d4 disappearing into 8d8e56c72f the distance.1be5e42e770a0f5b

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Luke glanced at Theo 19818c39ee before heading inside. Theo followed, his aa69897d4a gaze lingering for ede6c21d2d a moment on 0290a5af94 Luke’s retreating figure 22a9c102a9 before taking in 5fc3fb48a2 the house’s interior.45917b1984c95fe4

“A lover?”d1aee3ce7751451e

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“What?”6532366ac98b7de4

Luke’s voice rose sharply dd8fdbea77 as he turned to 21d77c459c face Theo with a f3e239d29a startled look. Despite his provocative 27b9cfd58c statement, Theo remained 1efc18e8e5 perfectly calm.ecdd3c35c9f9d924

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“From the way e965321506 you two were 23d7acc52f acting outside, it f02aac6415 seemed like you c79fe86f07 were rather close.”9514041678daa422

What nonsense was he 3ea73ba7f1 spouting now? Oh, Theo 550719a984 must have 4226a01586 misunderstood Woods’ d07adf8047 drunken antics. Not knowing how much 64d5055afa of a drunken mess f060025c2b Woods was, it was 7fa7adbdc2 understandable why Theo might 0d0c0d8cfe make such a mistake 275ba16bde from a distance.09cec3f14588ff46

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When Luke didn’t immediately 6fe5caa87a respond, simply staring at 5b85a3dd21 him, Theo’s eyebrow twitched 1ecdf888f2 slightly.dd3915a06d78052a

“He even called 8efcfc854e for you in 332f48fa20 his sleep. Shouldn’t you have better 41182fd884 standards when it comes 69527e8ae0 to choosing who to de9830e706 associate with?”5abce983eddb3f13

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“Hey, why don’t you bf7e0bd5ca tell that to him aba1c19ab6 directly?”988c87cb9a51829a

Chuckling, Luke entered bb514895de the sitting room 63615ee39f with Theo following. He pointed to the 0b8c0966b6 sofa, motioning for Theo ff20e4d255 to sit, before heading 7050cc5795 back toward the door.4fd66df8dd07d5b5

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Just as Luke b7c67b3432 grabbed the handle b703358799 to leave, the 3269eca46b old wooden door 3e1febbf46 creaked open slightly 221b0b6441 before closing again 7916cdd97b with a loud d6d936d311 thud.e632dc5e852bdbb3

A shadow loomed over 5f11e1a0af it. Theo had come 7e796088f4 up behind him 281286a95b and pushed the 47a539baad door shut again. Startled, Luke 984b23af4c turned around 49dc2a274c slowly.b3c16ddd9aefd397

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Theo was looking down da9852b44d at him, his expression 3ed92887b5 unchanged except for the d3f7b04164 slightest shift in his 247b09ae10 brows. His imposing frame, 7cd5aef31c combined with the 083bbd6acc hand on the 6ef0a2538d door, made Luke 5cd9899753 feel as if 1ff5b7f1b7 he were trapped.5522aada3df1c56d

“What are 31d312b44b you doing? Are you c0f4be4d2a picking a 46eee05f69 fight?”657a7f8b71b4e3a1

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“Answer me.”85434a5bacdb4e67

“What?”b57751e2f010b354

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“You still haven’t 9e32670999 answered.”be29478c43739b67

Luke frowned, 16074791a1 trying to 6fea3085e9 decipher Theo’s c2354f4a24 meaning.2f858789e8ae0609

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“Are you really involved 6efb4af305 with him?”185daed2f0453101

Finally understanding d6f434b89a the question, 760523c113 Luke let 317c45022b out a d1470aa579 low hum.1379d879c5393c1d

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“Are you crazy? Why would 18af82510d I ever bb1b8b5ae9 be involved d6a0e86d1f with a f0b1f3906d drunkard like c0cf284bcb that? I have standards, 1e447be4bb you know.”e9976169e9bf5f19

The tension 6c6d2542fd in Theo’s a30c796e25 hand eased, 2ce6c92926 his furrowed f1f94cbfd8 brow relaxing.6c27fd4599ea196f

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“And anyway, b378c9a769 did you 3cc745138a see that 6343ac8c2d earlier? Woods is a e8e7ec41b4 guy. A guy.”2ffb5f30488451b0

How could Theo 00dca29a86 even ask if 3cb3a17935 they were dating? Luke smacked Theo’s hand 7b19f98d21 away.c18d922b0784d08c

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“I’ll go make e80a55ed09 some tea, so 5b2c09cf65 just sit down cdea7aa0dc and wait.”1abd7f92473598a1

As Luke 15608ed4d6 left, Theo’s 1eb0cee7a6 gaze fell da2c30493e to the 9e78c17344 vibrant bouquet e91131ba3b beside him. He stood a710647e7f there, thinking 6d402b258b over Luke’s ff32e6804d words. Was it 93c0b819ef really so 781fb515e9 strange to a9c25bbb85 think it 10396da486 could happen, 1979341928 even if 15a7722bc2 they were 1ab35817bf both men?be550565546a4d29

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When Luke returned, he 9c85d6e119 plopped a coffee mug eea6959ddb onto the table. “No tea left. Just drink that.”97cc2d2e43579027

“So, explain. What’s going on?”70e8b43ff638d592

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Theo carefully 9f7e5ffaac placed the 953721c000 bouquet on 5995529885 the side 59d48cf4a4 before explaining e547a2d63e how he’d bd075488ef come to f57cd1770a inspect the c801831c8c Kyleum branch 3f778098c4 and had e422aa5c8c coincidentally met 1b85122684 Pale while c34affc675 Pale was 3ce709cdbc reporting the d194282db7 monster incident.84184154bbe38353

Now understanding everything, Luke 354443849a groaned, clutching his head. Of course, Theo 35eafe8ad2 could visit any 7dba239fb6 branch whenever he 9f9132a8aa wanted—it was under 21de1fd25c the Commander-in-Chief’s jurisdiction. But it rarely happened f5499c011b unless it was something e744602795 urgent. Luke hadn’t even b31b2285b5 considered the possibility.7b83f27dc44bdf2f

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“Something important, 5d971d7dd1 I assume, ba188f0535 if it 63bf7bcc24 brought you e146dc5428 all the 9a28f9e6f4 way here?”9ff683f3b7864cf4

“I can’t disclose internal 415b76b20b military matters to civilians.”f0ca99cff90edf00

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Civilians. The word hit d2131efd42 Luke harder than 7ac54f1509 expected. Theo had drawn 1ca40fc878 a clear line.dd4dc14634130f25

“How’d you figure out 01c69ba048 I was the one 80702bd617 who took down the 098ca3e53c monster?”62be953f1886d5f8

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“His answer to my e648da2ab0 questions about the attack 2c9184330b didn’t add up.”76497ec5656ed766

Luke sighed 75f30dad1b again, realizing 0fb7ea81bc that he’d 0c7fa59e63 overlooked something 9a25217c96 critical when 5fe4a5e5ff prepping Pale a8f12d4d4c for the a34f233097 report.193ddf082cad2225

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“Then let 0dbdd284f1 me ask b6b87e13fb you. Why didn’t you 301a1e40db report it yourself?”15703ddb6b30d08d

“Why should I? It’s just 238893179f a low-grade dda824a0eb monster. No reason for 89253f2ef1 me to get 309b0c7c85 involved.”138b7700ea1a9179

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“And so you had 7fd4be021e your former subordinate lie cd585c0964 for you?”63e1f2b5847c6f00

“He offered to d6e1407984 help.”08f07591d47ea8cb

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Luke didn’t feel great e1c0a094a3 about involving Pale, but c211d4ccad the circumstances left no 4165049ee1 choice. Pale had willingly dc4b2e2c8c agreed, understanding Luke’s 2dbe87e146 reasons. Still, to an outsider 66684e49ab like Theo, it might ac654625d1 seem like Luke was afa893bb2c exploiting Pale.b69e58eb17661cfe

But it 71a9a09449 didn’t matter. Theo was a ea84e393ab part of Luke’s f409ca7f29 past, and Luke’s c7f59bc38f past wasn’t exactly a4a5d46c51 squeaky clean.479b4dce514c826b

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“You…”9780f2f3d9f11d4f

At that moment, 3153f155b9 Theo carefully began b9f25c9062 to speak.3fa9d23c02c9a909

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