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“What? You still want to patrol around the resort to keep an eye on the guests? That’s fine with me since I’m still staying over at Alice’s room with Yuzuha together… Unless you’re still scared of those third-rate hologram props that you can’t sleep alone in your room~?”
Wise rolled his eyes as he walked down the darkened streets in Fantasy Resort’s shopping area, his phone held up with the torchlight function, recalling his younger sister’s teasing. Maybe he should have taken up Manato’s offer to share the room to tide him over for tonight….
Belle was half-right, though it wasn’t as if he was going to tell her to gloat even more about it. They had handed the thugs over to NEPS, who were paid by Willis to plant the holographic device around the resort and prove their hollow claims that the place was haunted.
Even so, the incessant rumors of the resort being haunted only brought a new wave of guests into paranormal stories in the summer. Whether it was a good thing or not for Therese’s family to resort to hosting these kinds of customers, business was business, and Wise felt the need at least to dispel the rumors they heard from Inter-knot.
“For now, one or two rounds around Sailboat Drinks Stand and Beach Event to do quick recon, then it’s time to turn in the bed,” The older Phaethon tried to encourage himself quietly. Yet, the sight of those terrifying holographic images was still imprinted in his mind.
He was going to hide all those horror genre movie tapes away from Belle when they returned to the Random Play store after everything was settled here.
“Um, excuse me!” An energetic voice called out to Wise.
The silver-haired man turned around to see a pair of women dressed in simple summer tank tops and dresses—one in soft yellow with orange floral motifs, the other in pale blue with white cloud patterns.
“Are you from the resort staff?” The woman in yellow asked, slightly out of breath. Her eyes were wide, but not frightened—more thrilled, as if they had stumbled onto something exciting.
Wise blinked, still adjusting from the shift in tone, and gave his usual polite smile to his customers in the Random Play store. “Uh… Not exactly. However, I’m assisting with security matters at the resort. Did something happen?”
“Well, could you tell us where the aquarium is?” The woman in blue leaned in with the same thrill of excitement as her companion.
The older Phaethon blinked his eyes again, shifting his body position so that he was facing the pair of women directly with a now confused look. “The direction to the aquarium is straight down behind where I’m standing. However, it’s currently closed. Is there something going on?”
The woman in blue showed a surprised look and turned to her friend. “He said it’s close, but… Should we just check with him?”
Growing even more confused at the strange secrecy, the woman in yellow finally answered almost all of Wise’s questions he had in mind. “Might as well. We know that the aquarium is closed, but we just want to head to the Splash Café’s sitting area on the third floor. There are rumors of a handsome pale-looking gentleman whose skin is as white as a ghost standing by the rail looking at the full moon like a husband mourning for his wife!”
“A what now?” Although Wise’s stomach immediately pooled with dread, he braved against his own phobia to look at the woman’s phone screen when she showed it to him. The Inter-knot post showed an image of a blurry figure standing at the location she mentioned.
A pale and tall figure wearing what the silver-haired Proxy could roughly guess would be a dark-colored suit close to black, similar to ones worn for attending a funeral. However, regardless, there was nothing notable about the mysterious figure in the photo, and an influx of comments continued to ponder the identity or even hope for a chance to marry this widower.
Wise felt his right eye twitch as he read through some of the more enthusiastic comments. ‘Ghost husband,’ ‘single and hot widower in the neighborhood,’ and ‘romantic spirit’ seemed to be the trending tags. The rational part of his mind wanted to dismiss this as another hoax, but after everything they’d already dealt with at the resort, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this might be connected to something bigger.
“Listen, I really don’t think you should—!” He tried to dissuade, but the woman in yellow was already pulling up more photos.
“Look, there’s another one from tonight!” she exclaimed, showing him a second image time stamp just an hour ago. The shadowy figure was more precise this time, definitely humanoid, standing motionless against the moonlit backdrop of the aquarium’s outdoor terrace.
The woman in blue clasped her hands together dramatically. “They say if you see him, you’ll find true love within a month! Some people have been camping out there every night for a week now.”
Wise rubbed his temples. Of course, people were camping out anywhere except in the room they checked into. Because nothing says ‘romantic encounter’ like potentially dangerous supernatural phenomena at a resort that had just been cleared of fake ghost equipment.
“Okay, look,” The older Phaethon said, trying to inject some authority into his voice, despite feeling anything but confident. “I’m going to have to ask you both to stay away from the aquarium area tonight. We’re still conducting security sweeps from the previous incident, and it’s not safe for guests to be wandering around closed facilities.”
The two women exchanged disappointed glances, but the one in yellow perked up again. “But you’re going to check it out, right?! As part of your security sweep?”
Wise hesitated. He really, really didn’t want to investigate another potential supernatural occurrence tonight. But if there were already guests trying to get access to the area, this figure was real rather than another elaborate hoax, then someone needed to ensure people’s safety.
“I...” The Proxy sighed heavily, already regretting what he was about to say. “Yes, I’ll check it out. But only to make sure the area is secure. And you two need to promise me you’ll head back to your rooms.”
“Promise!” They chorused, though their eager expressions suggested they might not be entirely truthful. Wise would have to message Therese to keep an eye out for these two women if they tried to return here again.
As the two women headed back toward the main resort buildings, Wise stood alone in the darkened shopping area, phone light casting eerie shadows around him. He pulled up his own Inter-knot app and searched for posts about the ‘aquarium ghost.’ What he found made his blood run cold.
The sightings had been occurring for three days now, always with the exact figure, always in the same location. But what concerned Wise the most was that the first sighting had been reported two days before they apprehended the Willis’s hired thugs.
This wasn’t part of his schemes to steal Fantasy Resort from Therese; it was something else entirely.
Wise looked toward the aquarium building, its silhouette barely visible in the distance, and steeled himself for what was probably going to be the worst night of his life. Belle was never going to let him live this down if she found out he’d gone ghost hunting alone.
“Just a quick look,” The older Phaethon muttered to himself, starting to walk toward the aquarium. “Confirm there’s nothing there, file a report, and then barricade myself in my room until morning.”
The sound of his footsteps echoed unnaturally in the empty resort pathways, and Wise couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him from the shadows. He headed up the stairs towards the aquarium’s entrance.
Nothing unusual was found after Wise scanned the area; the lock on the aquarium shutter had not been tampered with, and its position was the same as it had been after Ege closed up the place. He then turned to the right, walking past the next staircase, to inspect the ground level of the Splash Café sitting area.
The warm-toned fairy lights around the Splash Café patio glimmered faintly—powered down to their dimmest settings, but still alive enough to catch the gleam of sea mist in the air.
Wise narrowed his green eyes and swept his phone’s light over the café furniture. The plastic chairs were stacked neatly like sleepy sentinels, and the small round tables hadn’t been moved since earlier that afternoon. Everything looked… Normal.
Too normal.
And yet, the cold prickle at the nape of Wise’s neck remained. He moved slowly back to the staircase he walked past and headed up to the third level. Overhead, the half-corrupted full moon hung like a silver coin in the sky, casting watery reflections on the glass windows of the café.
Wise paused when he reached the corner of the terrace where the ghost had allegedly been seen by the railing overlooking the ocean.
He crouched, inspecting the floor for any signs of a trespasser. No signs of footprints, scuff marks, or even a dent in the dust layer that had begun to gather since the café closed earlier that week for maintenance.
But as the silver-haired man stood up, something sharp and metallic glinted faintly in the corner of his vision.
Wise turned and headed towards the glint that was calling for his attention, lowering his head to view it closely.
A coin.
A single, antique-looking gold coin was balanced on the edge of the railing. Perfectly upright. Impossible for the wind not to have knocked over by now.
He stared at it, heart thudding hard against his ribs. A trick? Or…
Wise reached out, slowly with his right index finger and thumb.
Just as his fingers grazed the coin, a voice echoed faintly behind him—too familiar, too playful behind the deep velvety voice, but unmistakably a real living being. “Oh~? I didn’t know you were now into this sort of thing, ‘manager.’”
“Uwa—!!” Wise flinched and pulled his right hand to slap it over his mouth before he decided to scream and wake the whole resort up from his fear.
Not because of the ghost or the coin that summoned this ‘ghost’ in particular. But because the silver-haired Proxy recognized that voice immediately, and that was somehow worse. He spun around so fast he nearly lost balance, phone light swinging wildly across the terrace until it landed on the figure leaning casually against the doorframe that led into the darkened upper section of the Splash Café.
Long blond hair. Pale skin. Sharp, two-colored eyes gleaming like mischief are contained behind a masquerade. And wearing—of all things—the usual dark purple shirt, half-wearing a dark-colored blazer with a crisp silver-violet tie imprinted with rose thorns, and dark colored dress pants.
Hugo Vlad, standing there as if he were the ghost himself.
Wise’s jaw slackened for a beat too long before it snapped shut once his fear-fogged mind finally clicked all of the clues towards that single truth. “You—! So, you’re the so-called widower ghost?!”
Hugo arched a brow, a smug little smirk playing on his lips. “Widower ghost? That’s new. I quite like it. I’ve been called worse.”
“You knew people were photographing you,” Wise growled, stuffing his phone into his shorts pocket and groaning into his hand at how his older boyfriend had the gall to stir another unwanted chaos in another part of New Eridu, “And you ‘let’ them spread rumors?!”
“I don’t control what people post on Inter-knot,” The blond-haired hummed with a pleased tone, strolling closer now. His gait was leisurely, almost feline, with each step echoing lightly against the wooden terrace tiles. “Though I admit… Once I realized how poetic they were getting, it seemed rude to deny them a little mystery.”
The silver-haired younger man’s eye twitched again, his head turned to the side slightly to narrow his gaze at his lover. “Do I want to know how you’ve been loitering around here in full view of security cameras and guests for three nights just to stir up another local ghost story…?”
“Loitering is such a harsh word,” Hugo replied with mock-wounded pride, placing a hand to his chest. “I prefer ‘haunting with flair.’ If I’m allowed to provide my side of the testimony, Vivian has heard from the Inter-knot posts that you and your sister are currently working here. And of course, as being the ‘no. 1 fan of her Lord Phaethon, she insisted that we should spend our rare moments of respite in this lovely resort. Besides….”
The older man leaned closer, resting one arm on the railing and his face against the palm, smiling in a mix of affection and teasing. “If you were short of Dennies, you could always ask, my dear~ I’d be more than happy to support you and your sister for the rest of your life.”
Wise felt his cheeks warm despite himself, but he wasn’t about to let Hugo deflect with charm this time. “That’s not the point! Do you have any idea how many people have been camping out here hoping to catch a glimpse of their ‘romantic ghost’? Someone could’ve gotten injured while we’re still trying to let the rumors die down.”
“Hurt?” Hugo tilted his head, his expression shifting to something more genuinely curious. “How exactly would they get hurt? I’ve been remarkably well-behaved. No approaching guests, no dramatic appearances, just... Atmospheric presence.”
“Atmospheric—?” The older Phaethon pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have a fan club of people wanting to marry you based on one blurry silhouette photo. Also, there were two women just twenty minutes ago, ready to sneak past security to come up here! What if they’d fallen off the terrace trying to get a better photo? What if someone had gotten so excited they’d had a heart attack?”
Hugo’s smirk faltered slightly, and for a moment, Wise caught a glimpse of something more serious beneath the playful facade. “Then I’d convince them otherwise on the truth behind those rumors they saw. But…”
At the same time, the mischief gleaming in those grey-blue and red eyes returned tenfold as a devilish smirk curled on the phantom thief’s face. “Are you really concerned about those two women? Because it sounds suspiciously like jealousy from how your voice sounded when they called me a ‘widower ghost’.”
Wise’s mouth opened—and then closed again with a sputtering breath, a defeated groan escaping him. He turned away, resting both hands on the railing as he hunched slightly forward.
“... How did I ever fall for someone like you?”
Hugo stepped up closer beside him, his tone shifting into something softer. “Because someone like me… See every part of you. Just as you see all of me.”
The silver-haired younger man flinched, but didn’t pull away. His grip on the railing tightened.
“… You didn’t tell me you were coming,” He said after a long silence, voice barely audible above the sound of the waves far from where they stood. “Not even a message.”
Hugo’s smirk transformed into a tender yet amused smile, raising a hand to smooth the black bucket hat on his younger lover’s head. “Vivian had wanted to surprise both of you. But Belle beat her to the punch when she spotted us at the Splash Café the night before. She did say that she would tell you, however... I suppose she planned to tell you later once the problems have been resolved.”
Wise lifted his head to look at Hugo with a mixture of confusion and mild irritation. “Belle knew you were here? And she didn’t tell me?”
“Well,” Hugo’s fingers continued their gentle ministrations downwards through his lover’s silver hair, “Your sister can be quite… Strategic when she wants to be. I believe her exact words were ‘let him sweat a little first before I tell him his dramatic boyfriend is playing ghost for attention.’”
“Of course she said that,” The older Phaethon muttered, but there was no real heat in it. He leaned slightly into Hugo’s touch despite himself. “So this whole ‘mysterious widower’ act was just you being bored?”
“Partially,” The phantom thief admitted, his other hand coming to rest on the railing beside Wise’s. “Though I must say, the view from this terrace really is quite remarkable at night. And the solitude was… Peaceful. I’ve had some things on my mind lately.”
Something in his older lover’s tone made Wise turn to study his face more carefully. Beneath the usual theatrical confidence, there was a hint of something more vulnerable—a shadow that didn’t quite fit with his typical dramatic flair.
“What kind of things?” Wise asked quietly.
Hugo was silent for a moment, his mismatched eyes focused on the moonlight dancing across the water. “How interesting that life goes. One minute dancing with death, and the next thing we know is here we are, leisurely enjoying the sea breeze.”
The admission hung in the air between them, raw and unexpected. Wise felt his breath catch slightly at the genuine thoughtfulness behind it. Soon, his lips curled a faint, amused yet affectionate warmth from his smile. “It sounds like you’re even more of a workaholic than I am. That’s probably why Vivian dragged you along for the vacation if she only wanted to see Belle and me.”
The older thief’s laugh was soft, almost rueful. “Guilty as charged. She’s been quite concerned about my... Intensity lately in the plans. Said I needed to remember how to enjoy simple pleasures again, rather than just throwing spite at the TOPS.”
He glanced sideways at Wise, his expression growing more tender. “Though I suspect she had ulterior motives beyond just relaxation and trying to repel women who believe are her rivals for your sister’s affection.”
“Oh?” Wise raised an eyebrow, though he didn’t move away from Hugo’s gentle touch on his cheek.
“She’s been insisting that I need to ‘nurture my personal relationships’ more actively in part of the Mockingbird alliance with the legendary Proxy Phaethon. Her words, not mine.” Hugo’s fingers stilled on Wise’s face, smiling sheepishly when he recalled the annoyed pout on his surrogate younger sister’s face. “I think she was worried I was becoming too consumed with work to properly... Appreciate what I have now.”
There was something vulnerable in the way the thief worded it as if he was admitting to a failing he wasn’t entirely comfortable acknowledging.
Wise studied his profile in the moonlight, noting the slight tension around his eyes that suggested Vivian’s concerns might not have been entirely unfounded for her older brother figure. “Have you been becoming too consumed with your work…?”
Hugo was quiet for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the moon’s reflection rippled across the dark water. “Perhaps. There have been several high-stakes heists, and I suppose I’ve been throwing myself into them more completely than usual.”
“Why?”
Another pause, longer this time. When Hugo spoke again, his voice was softer, more hesitant. “Because when I’m working, I don’t have time to think about... Other things. About how precarious this all is. About how easily it could all disappear.”
The silver-haired man felt something tighten in his chest at the admission. “Hugo…”
“I know it’s irrational,” The blond-haired thief continued, still not looking at him. “But sometimes, in the quiet moments between jobs, I find myself wondering if I’m living on borrowed time. If something this good can really last.”
The confession hung between them, stark and honest in a way that was unusual for Hugo. Wise found himself speechless for a moment, struck by the realization that beneath all the theatrical confidence and dramatic flair, his boyfriend had been quietly battling his own insecurities.
“Is that why you’ve been coming out here at night?” Wise asked gently. “To think about all this?”
“Among other things,” Hugo said with a slight smile, finally turning to meet Wise’s eyes. “Though I have to admit, the romance enthusiasts on Inter-knot weren’t entirely wrong about the appeal of standing dramatically in the moonlight. It does lend itself to introspection.”
Despite the serious nature of their conversation, Wise felt his lips twitch with amusement. “Only you would accidentally become a local legend while having an existential crisis.”
“It’s a gift,” Hugo corrected dryly, but his expression grew more serious again with a smile, and he picked up one of his younger lover’s hands. “But since that legend has brought you to me, would you allow this helpless and lonely gentleman to borrow your night? I would assure you that you’d have a pleasant dream in your sleep~”
Wise stared at his lover for a moment, processing the sudden shift from vulnerable confession to theatrical proposition. The moonlight caught the mischievous glint in Hugo’s mismatched eyes, and the Proxy could see he had seamlessly slipped back into his more familiar dramatic persona.
“Are you seriously trying to seduce me using your ghost persona?” Wise questioned with skepticism, though his tone held more amusement than exasperation.
Hugo’s smile widened, unrepentant. “Is it working?”
“That’s...” Wise paused, considering. The romantic setting, the moonlight, the gentle sound of waves below, and Hugo’s thumb tracing soft circles across his knuckles—it was undeniably compelling. “You’re incorrigible.”
“I prefer ‘creatively romantic,’” Hugo corrected, bringing his younger lover’s hand up to press a soft kiss to the back of his hand. “Besides, we’re alone under the stars, and I have three days of missed time with my beloved gem to make up for. Surely that warrants a small romantic gesture?”
The older Phaethon felt his cheeks warm at the gentle kiss, his resolve wavering, and he sighed eventually, shaking his head. “Fine. Where exactly are you proposing we spend this ‘borrowed night’?”
Hugo’s triumphant smile told him his boyfriend had already won. “Firstly, we shall spend time together like a normal couple does. A walk on the beach.”
“Oh, okay, sure. That sounds kind of relaxing to do with no one else—Whoa, Hugo!!”
Wise yelped when he found himself immediately carried up by his older lover, both of his arms instantly wrapped around his companion’s neck. Hugo only then simply showed a rougish grin at his flustered Proxy. “And try not to speak, or else you’ll bite your tongue on ‘Hugo Flight Experience.’”
“No, wait, Hugo—We’re not—!!”
Before the silver-haired younger man could push himself or scold the phantom thief, the latter had already stepped onto the ledge and jumped off with a substantial leap.
The night air rushed past them like a cold whisper, the wind tousling their hair and tugging at their clothes as Hugo launched into the air with the reckless grace of someone who trusted too much in flair and gravity-defying romance.
Wise let out an involuntary yelp, arms tightening instinctively around Hugo’s neck as the thief then launched out a grappling hook tucked behind him, and it caught with a satisfying ‘thunk!’ onto one of the tall light poles lining the outer part of the resort boardwalk.
The line pulled taut just in time, and with an elegant arc, Hugo swung the two of them through the warm summer night like they were part of some outrageous stage act. Wise could only hold on tightly, face buried against Hugo’s shoulder as they dipped over palm trees, swooped across the shimmering surface of the ocean, and finally landed—miraculously in one piece—on the far side of the beach.
Their landing was more graceful than Wise had expected—Hugo’s stupidly long legs absorbing the impact before setting him down gently on the sand like a practiced performer concluding his grand finale. The grappling hook retracted with a metallic zip, disappearing back beneath Hugo’s blazer as though the whole thing had been a magic trick.
For a long moment, Wise didn’t move. He simply stood there, still clinging to his partner’s shoulders, trying to will his heartbeat to return to something resembling normal.
“... Never,” Wise gritted through clenched teeth, “Ever do that again without warning me first.”
“I thought you liked surprises,” Hugo teased, unbothered as always. “Besides, you’re always so calm and composed—I like seeing you a little breathless.”
“Couldn’t we have taken the stairs like how a normal couple does?!”
Hugo took off his blazer and hummed cheerfully to place it over his younger lover’s body, and took off his own shoes. “Where’s the fun in that? Also, it appears that I have noticed you’re underdressed for the occasion. The nights in Waifei Peninsula can be quite cold, especially during the summer season.”
Wise looked back down at his own attire: a dark-silver hooded Vest Jacket, light grey with black compression swim shorts underneath, and purple-black sandals, which had also been taken off by his lover. He hadn’t really considered the temperature for his late-night patrol, but now that Hugo mentioned it, the sea breeze did carry a noticeable chill.
“I wasn’t exactly planning for a beach stroll when I stayed out for a patrol…,” The silver-haired Proxy muttered, but he pulled Hugo’s blazer closer around his shoulders anyway. The fabric still held his boyfriend’s expensive cologne that somehow managed to be both elegant and subtly alluring.
“Fortunately, I’m always prepared for romantic emergencies,” The phantom thief flaunted with that insufferable smugness that Wise had somehow learned to find endearing before his hands instinctively slapped that smile away. “Though I must say, you look rather charming in casual wear. Very... Approachable.”
“Approachable?” Wise raised an eyebrow as they began walking along the moonlit shoreline, the sand soft beneath their feet.
“Well, normally you’re in your manager attire—professional, put-together, slightly distant to anyone who might consider approaching Random Play’s esteemed proprietor.” Hugo’s hand found Wise’s as they walked, fingers intertwining naturally. “But like this? You look like someone I could sweep off their feet on a whim.”
“You literally just did sweep me off my feet. Against my will, I might add.”
“Details,” Hugo waved dismissively with his free hand.
Wise shook his head as he tugged the large blazer closer to his body to keep the wind away. “Also, I think I’m dressed perfectly fine. Belle thinks it’s a miracle I picked out something good for the summer to spend at the beach before needing to buy a new one. If anything, she worries I might just get roasted under the sun instead.”
The blond-haired older man mused with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Ah, yes, your sister did mention something about you being a vampire when it comes to UV exposure. Personally, I think you’d be a very charming vampire as my eternal mate. Tragic, elegant—and the kind that wins the broody romantic interest role in a drama series.”
“Please stop describing me like a walking trope,” Wise deadpanned, though his lips were beginning to curl into a reluctant smile. “Besides, I did tell her that Manato is going to apply sunscreen on my body tomorrow before the music festival starts.”
“Manato? This is my first time hearing about this... Friend of yours.” Hugo repeated the foreign name rather curiously.
The older Phaethon merely let out a light chuckle and answered. “He’s one of the members of the Spook Shack running on Inter-knot paranormal forums. He, Yuzuha, and Alice are a group of high school students with whom we had the opportunity to work on one of our recent commissions. Alice’s family is the one who bought this Fantasy Resort to help restore it to its former glory.”
“I see…” Hugo raised his other hand to rub his chin thoughtfully when he retrieved a particular information from his mind. “That young miss must’ve been the same girl from the Thymefield family who announced the free patent of her family’s anti-corruption medicine in the recent news.”
Wise nodded with his own thoughtful hum. “Yeah. Many things happened to her and all of us. It’s a good thing we’ve got this resort to relax while the three of them could enjoy their summer vacation before their next school semester starts.”
The older man was quiet for a moment, his expression shifting to something more contemplative as they continued their walk along the water’s edge. The gentle sound of waves lapping at the shore filled the comfortable silence between them.
“It sounds like you’ve all been through quite an ordeal,” Hugo said finally, his thumb tracing gentle circles over Wise’s knuckles. “I imagine helping them resolve the crisis they were facing wasn’t exactly a simple commission.”
“No, it definitely wasn’t,” Wise agreed, his voice taking on a softer tone as he remembered. “Alice... She had to make some tough choices. About her family’s legacy and saving Yuzuha, for whom her dad fought tooth and nail with his own life for her freedom. And Manato and Yuzuha were right there supporting her through all of it when she made her decision to bring the Thymefield family’s glory back in a new light.”
“Admirable,” Hugo murmured. “Though I have to say, I’m experiencing a small pang of jealousy at the thought of this ‘Manato’ fellow applying sunscreen to you tomorrow.”
Wise glanced up at his boyfriend, catching the theatrical frown on Hugo’s face despite the genuine hint of possessiveness in his voice. “Really? You’re jealous of a high school student?”
“I’m afraid I’m a ‘little’ jealous of anyone who gets to take care of you when I’m not around,” Hugo amended with surprising honesty behind his smile. “Though I suppose I should be grateful that you have people looking out for you.”
The admission made something warm bloom in Wise’s chest. He squeezed Hugo’s hand gently. “You could always apply it yourself, you know. Tomorrow, I mean. If you’re planning to stay for the music festival.”
Hugo’s expression brightened considerably, and the Proxy swore he saw those pointy ears wiggling faintly to express the joy. “Oh, yes, I do! You know how my dear Vivian would never forgive me if I missed an opportunity to see her Lord Phaethon on stage, and I...”
He paused, his voice growing softer. “I’d like to see you enjoy yourself. Really enjoy yourself with your sister, and not just manage everyone else’s enjoyment.”
They walked in comfortable silence for a while, the sand imprinted a trail of their steps beneath their bare feet, and the moonlight painted silver paths across the dark water. Wise found himself relaxing in a way he hadn’t in weeks, the constant mental chatter of responsibilities and worries gradually quieting.
“Hugo?” Wise said eventually.
“Mm?”
“Earlier, when you were talking about feeling like you’re living on borrowed time...” The older Phaethon hesitated, then forged ahead. “Do you really think what we have is that fragile?”
Hugo stopped walking, turning to face Wise fully. In the moonlight, his mismatched eyes were serious and intent. “No, but… That’s the terrifying part. I know, logically, that what we have is solid. However… Sometimes the fear speaks louder than logic.”
“What are you afraid of, exactly?” Wise asked gently.
Hugo was quiet for a long moment, his gaze drifting out over the ocean. “That I’ll do something to ruin it. That I’ll get so caught up in humiliating the TOPS, I forget what really matters. That one day you’ll realize you’d be better off with someone who doesn’t bring chaos and danger into your life.”
“Hugo...” The older Phaethon tiptoed and reached up to cup his boyfriend’s face gently. “You know that’s not going to happen, right? I chose you, not despite the chaos, but including it. You’re not some burden I’m tolerating—you’re the person I want to build a life with. That’s the fate I chose myself.”
“Even when I accidentally become a local legend while having deep, self-reflective moments of my life?” Hugo asked, his lips quirking into a small smile.
“Especially then,” Wise added with a huff, his smile growing wider with warmth, and he reminded him warningly. “Though maybe next time you could just drop me a message or get Vivian to instead of becoming a supernatural phenomenon?”
“Where’s the poetry in that?” Hugo protested, but he was laughing now, some of the tension finally leaving his shoulders.
“The poetry,” Wise stood on his toes and smiled, “Is in the fact that we can have this conversation at all. Like this—!”
SPLASH!
Hugo’s face now showed a rare caught off guard expression at the moment his younger lover pulled him down together into the shallow waters of the ocean. Both of their clothes were now thoroughly soaking wet, which made Wise let out a hearty laugh as he sat up. “See? That’s how you enjoy summer for us normal folks in the season!”
Yet, the phantom thief didn’t return the laughter for now. His face from the surprise was now completely charmed and enamored of his dripping wet boyfriend. The moonlight that shone on his damp skin made the silver-haired man look almost ethereal, water droplets catching the light like tiny stars scattered across his face and hair.
Hugo’s blazer hung loose and heavy around Wise’s shoulders, dark fabric clinging to his slim frame, and there was something utterly captivating about seeing his usually composed boyfriend so spontaneous and carefree.
“You...” Hugo breathed, his voice softer than Wise had ever heard it. “Are absolutely the most magnificent and breathtaking works I’ve ever known.”
The soaked and cool cheeks were colored red from the warmth, although both of them were still immersed in the ocean waters. “I… I just pulled you into the ocean, Hugo. There’s nothing magnificent about—!”
“Everything,” Hugo interrupted, moving closer through the shallow waves until he could feel others’ skin on his body. His thumb traced gently along Wise’s cheekbone, brushing away a droplet of seawater. “The way you look right now, the fact that you just threw caution to the wind...”
The intensity in the thief’s mismatched eyes made Wise’s breath catch. “Hugo...”
“You’re always so careful, so responsible,” The blond-haired older man murmured, his forehead coming to rest against Wise’s. “Seeing you like this, happy and spontaneous and completely in the moment... It’s everything I didn’t know I needed.”
Wise felt something flutter in his chest at the raw honesty in Hugo’s voice, smiling weakly from the nerves to let out a light scoff. “I can be spontaneous sometimes. Just that Belle needs someone responsible to keep her in line from her schemes.”
“Pulling your dramatically inclined boyfriend into the ocean while having a serious conversation about our relationship certainly qualifies,” Hugo agreed, his own smile returning. “Though I have to point out that we’re both completely soaked now.”
“Was that not the point?” Wise let out another light-hearted laugh, then splashed Hugo playfully with his right arm. “Besides, you’re the one who said that Vivian wanted you to enjoy simple pleasures again. What’s simpler than playing in the ocean?”
Hugo’s delighted laughter echoed across the water as he pulled one of his lover’s arms towards him, whispering huskily into his ear, sending shivers down his spine. “You’re absolutely right. Though I should warn you—now that you’ve started this, I’m not letting you win easily~”
Wise’s breath hitched slightly at the warm breath against his ear, pulse skipping as Hugo leaned in closer, their soaked clothes clinging to each other under the moonlight. The playful tension between them had shifted—deeper now, charged with a desire neither Wise nor Hugo needed to voice aloud.
The waves lapped gently at their legs, but the world had grown smaller—just the two of them, caught in the space between heartbeats. Wise looked up, meeting those mismatched eyes that no longer held masks or bravado—just longing. Trust. Devotion.
“Hugo,” He whispered, barely audible over the ocean’s hush.
Hugo leaned down to kiss him—not hungrily or desperately like how he usually did, but with a softness that carried the weight of everything left unspoken between them. It was a kiss that asked: ‘Is this okay?’
And Wise, with a hand cupped at the back of his neck, answered with a kiss of his own: ‘Yes.’
The half-corrupted moon bore quiet witness as they broke apart, and Hugo gently took Wise’s hand in his to pull him when he stood. Without another word, he led him back across the sands, clothes dripping, fingers intertwined.
Neither spoke as they entered the quiet warmth of the seaside suite Hugo had checked into that afternoon. Only the sound of the door closing softly behind them.
-x-
Somewhere beyond the veil of sleep, voices filtered into the room—muffled, lilting, familiar.
A soft knock. Then the faint creak of the suite’s front door being opened.
“O–Oh! Good morning, Mistress Phaethon! What brings you all the way here this early in the morning?”
Wise stirred faintly under the sheets from Vivian’s voice, the warmth beside him a steady comfort. His body was too heavy to fully respond, but his ears twitched at the mention of Belle’s name.
“Hey, Vivian. Sorry to bother you this morning,” Belle replied, her tone cheerful but edged with that usual sparkle of curiosity and concern. “I was wondering if my brother had come over to your room last night. One of my friends, Manato, and I checked Wise’s room, but he wasn’t in. So I figured maybe… he’s here instead?”
There was a pause—then the shuffling of feet, maybe a door being gently nudged open farther.
“Lord Phaethon…? Hmm, I didn’t see him at all last night,” Vivian said, voice full of confusion as if she was also trying to recall anything from her memories. “But I did notice some of his belongings with Hugo—Oh!”
Belle let out a delighted laugh once it appeared as though they came to the same conclusion. “Hehe~ Well, I guess that answers that question! Anyway, would you like to join us for breakfast? Yuzuha and Alice told me I could bring you along. They even saved those dumplings from Yum Cha Sin!”
A dreamy sigh from Vivian followed. “Yes, I’d love to! Aah… a morning date with Mistress Phaethon~ Truly, a dream I never wish to wake from in this never-ending summer.”
As the sound of the suite’s main door clicked closed and the pair of footsteps faded away into the background, Wise gradually opened his eyes from his sleep.
Inside the large suite room with his bare naked body littered with faint marks, the silver-haired man yawned quietly before he heard a faint groan above him. He turned his head upwards and smiled fondly at the sight of Hugo on his side with his long, luscious blond hair loose and half-buried in the sheets.
His breathing was slow and even, one arm tucked beneath Wise’s head as a pillow substitute for his lover, the other wrapped around the younger man’s waist lazily as if instinctively keeping Wise close to him even in sleep.
The older Phaethon took a moment, just a moment, to look at him. To memorize and engrave the rare quietness in Hugo’s features—unguarded, boyish, peaceful, without the flirtation and dramatic side.
“… Gods,” Wise murmured under his breath, brushing a few strands of hair from Hugo’s forehead. “How do you always look like you belong in a dream and a disaster all at once?”
The older man shifted slightly, a content hum escaping his throat, but didn’t wake.
Wise allowed himself a small smile, hand lingering on the sheets where their fingers had last intertwined. His body ached in places he didn’t expect, but none of it felt wrong. He then pulled back and removed the older man’s arm around him reluctantly and sighed. “I should get a quick shower and join them before Belle decides to gossip with the others.”
He gently extracted himself from Hugo’s embrace, trying not to disturb his sleeping boyfriend. The phantom thief made a slight sound of protest in his sleep, reaching instinctively for the warmth that was no longer there, but settled back into peaceful slumber when Wise pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
Tiptoeing across the luxurious suite, Wise gathered his scattered clothes from the night before. His vest and shorts were still slightly damp from their ocean adventure, but wearable. He paused at the mirror and soon dropped everything on the ground with his eyes twitching in disbelief at the reflection.
The silver-haired Proxy wouldn’t bat an eye at one or two hickeys that Hugo left behind whenever they make love. He could easily cover them with clothes or pull up the collar of his shirt higher than usual to cover them.
But…
This wasn’t just one or two!
It felt like he went into a late-night Hollow raiding and getting mauled by a beast far worse than the miasma-induced Ethereals. Love bites scattered across the chest and abdomen, bite marks with teeth notable on the area around the right nipples and shoulders, and the large handprints on his waist belonging to a particular damn thief.
But most of all, what stood out to Wise the most was that they were all near the middle of his torso, which would completely expose him to the public to see if he didn’t zip up his vest jacket to hide.
“Hugo Vlad,” Wise muttered under his breath, staring at his reflection with a mixture of exasperation and reluctant fondness. “You absolute menace.”
“Why, thank you, darling~ I do try my best in this finest masterpiece I’ve made just for you,” Hugo purred with a voice of pride, possessiveness, and one that was completely awake while he stood behind to wrap his arms around his lover’s body.
The silver-haired man jumped slightly, not having heard Hugo get up from the bed. Strong arms encircled his waist from behind, and he could feel Hugo’s chest against his back as the phantom thief rested his chin on Wise’s shoulder, both now looking at their reflection in the mirror.
“You were awake this entire time?” Wise hissed, though he leaned back into the embrace despite his annoyance.
“Mmm… It was more of the moment you left my arms,” The blond-haired man murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the side of Wise’s neck, right over one of the marks he’d left. “How could I sleep peacefully when my beautiful muse was no longer where it belonged?”
Wise raised an eyebrow, gesturing at his marked torso in the mirror. “I look like I got into a fight with a particularly territorial Ethereal while patrolling at the resort.”
“On the contrary,” Hugo’s voice dropping to that husky tone that always made the younger Proxy’s pulse skip, “You look like you belong to someone who adores every inch of you.”
The possessive undertone in the older man’s husky voice sent a shiver through Wise, and he had to admit—looking at their reflection, Hugo’s arms wrapped around him protectively, the evidence of their passion clearly visible—there was something undeniably appealing about it.
“Hugo,” Wise reminded, trying for stern but unable to keep the warmth out of his voice, “I’m having breakfast with three kids, Belle and Vivian. Did you really need to be so... Thorough?”
“Thorough is such a clinical word, I prefer ‘passionate’ or ‘devoted’ to my lord and savior, ‘Lord Phaethon,” Hugo chuckled amusedly into his lover’s ear.
“I’d rather prefer ‘going to get me murdered by embarrassment,’” The older Phaethon muttered and shook his head, though he didn’t bother trying to fight and break free from the arms around him since they tightened the moment he budged an inch. “There’s no way I’m going to show Manato these before he tries to apply sunscreen on my body.”
Hugo’s expression in the mirror shifted instantly, his playful possessiveness taking on a sharper edge, and his smile was now a delightful smirk. His voice maintained that same honeyed tone but with an underlying current that made Wise’s breath hitch. “Ah yes, this young Manato fellow. I heard he is a canine Thiren, no? How... Thoughtful of him to offer such personal assistance like a certain lapdog we know.”
“Manato is just a kid,” Wise warned, recognizing that particular glint in his boyfriend’s mismatched eyes. “A helpful teenager even, who doesn’t want me to get sunburned.”
“I’m sure he is.” The phantom thief’s lips curved into what could generously be called a smile, though it had far too many teeth to be entirely friendly. “And here I was, thinking I’d solved that particular problem by ensuring you’d be properly... Covered from the UV rays.”
One of Hugo’s hands traced deliberately along Wise’s torso, fingers ghosting over the marks he’d left behind. The touch was light, almost reverent, but there was something distinctly territorial about it.
“You’re jealous,” The silver-haired Proxy rolled his eyes and groaned in exasperation, though he couldn’t quite keep the fondness out of his voice. Seriously, why did he ever fall in love with a possessive thief?! “Of a high school student.”
“I prefer the term ‘protective’, or a little jealous if I must admit.”
Little, his ass!
Hugo pressed another kiss to Wise’s neck, smirking wider as he watched another hickey bloom on the skin. “Though I suppose it doesn’t matter what we call it, does it? The result is the same.”
He then easily lifted Wise up onto the sink counter, the kisses that the phantom thief grew hungrier and more lustful. The hands moved with deliberate intent, one sliding up to cup Wise’s jaw while the other traced patterns along his waist.
“Hugo, I don’t have time—!” Wise started to protest, but his words were cut off as he positioned himself between Wise’s legs.
“We have all the time in the world,” Hugo murmured against Wise’s lips, his hands already working at the perked up nipples vying for his attention.
The older Phaethon protested again, even as his hands came up to tangle in Hugo’s loose hair. “They’re expecting me. And Belle will come looking if I don’t show up—Mm! “
“Then we’ll have to be... Efficient,” Hugo decided with a wicked grin, his lips trailing down his lover’s throat to press kisses along the marks he’d left the night before. “Though I should warn you, my dear, I have found a burst of inspiration to add some final touches to my masterpiece.”
Wise’s protest died in his throat as Hugo’s mouth found a particularly sensitive spot, his head falling back against the mirror with a soft gasp. The rational part of his mind knew he should stop this, should get dressed and join the others before his absence became too conspicuous.
But the larger part of him—the part that had learned to be spontaneous, to seize moments of happiness when they presented themselves—was already surrendering to Hugo’s skilled ministrations.
“Just... Quickly,” Wise breathed, his resolve completely dissolving as Hugo’s hands mapped the planes of his body with reverent precision.
“As you wish,” Hugo agreed, though his tone suggested he had no intention of rushing anything. “I have a feeling this is going to be... A memorable summer for us both.”
As Hugo’s lips crashed against his again, more passionate and demanding than before, Wise found himself caught between exasperation and overwhelming desire. But as Hugo’s hands and mouth worked their magic, as pleasure built between them with the intensity of the night before, Wise found that he didn’t care about any of it.
Let them wait.
Let them gossip.
Some things—some people—were worth being late for.
“I love you,” Wise gasped against Hugo’s lips, the words torn from somewhere deep in his chest.
“And I,” Hugo replied, his voice rough with emotion and desire, “am utterly, completely, devastatingly in love with you.”
The morning sun streamed through the suite’s windows, painting golden patterns across their entwined forms, as they lost themselves in each other once again. Whatever consequences awaited them at breakfast seemed inconsequential compared to this—this perfect, passionate, slightly ridiculous love they’d built together.
Later, much later, when they finally made their appearance at the resort restaurant—Wise’s vest zipped firmly to his neck, Hugo wearing an expression of unmistakable satisfaction—Belle would take one look at them and burst into delighted laughter.