Archive of Our Own

Year 1349.

Today, Tingen’s sky was gloomy, the sun hidden behind gray clouds. In the break room, where Klein was taking a nap after lunch, the strong wind clattered against the windows, making the couch feel even cozier.

Klein wasn’t sleeping deeply, so the moment the door opened, he heard it, but decided not to move—after all, this was his hard-earned nap.
In Blackthorn security company it wasn’t unusual to take a nap after lunch, so he figured that someone might have come here to rest as well.

However, to his chagrin, the person walked straight to where he was lying and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Klein? Are you awake?” A soft voice resounded just above him, too close for comfort.

And Klein recognized that voice immediately. Even with his eyes closed, he could already imagine the green-eyed, black-haired poet’s face inches away from his.

Nonetheless, Klein didn’t answer, hoping that he would go away, just as one ignores life’s problems.

Leonard cocked his head, then furrowed his brows and shook Klein a little harder.
“Klein…I know you’re awake.”

‘If you know, then you should also understand that I’m pretending so you won’t bother me,’ Klein thought, his brows twitching.

“What do you need, Leonard?” Klein asked with his eyes closed and his fingers interlaced over his stomach.

“Are you busy?”

“I’m sleeping.”

“That’s not true, though.”

‘And whose fault is that?!’ Klein’s eyes snapped open, urging Leonard to ask his question.

However, he hadn’t imagined the poet’s face being so close to his own.
Probably realizing the same thing, Leonard hastily moved back and cleared his throat.

“Do you want to play a card game with me?”

Klein didn’t even bother to hide the dumbfounded expression on his face by using his Clown abilities.

Leonard, with his hand still resting on Klein’s shoulder, explained, “Royale and Seeka asked me to play a new card game but it’s played in pairs, and I need a person to team up with me.”

Klein sighed, scowling at being interrupted during his nap time. However, for some mystifying reason, he accepted.

After all, Leonard was looking at him with such puppy eyes that Klein knew that if he refused, he would dream of a depressed and pouty poet the entire night.

Just as Klein was about to sit up, Leonard beamed and pulled him up by the hand.

In another room, Seeka and Royale were waiting. In front of them, on the low table, lay a deck of cards.

Leonard and Klein sat on the couch in front of them.

“I found my other half!” Leonard happily announced.

‘You sure have a way with words,’ Klein lampooned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the white-haired Seeka grinning.

The rules were simple—they would play in pairs and whoever loses had to do something the other pair asked.

Upon hearing that, Klein, disappointed, asked, “Aren’t we betting money?”

It wasn’t like he was a gambling addict, but with Leonard on his side, who wasn’t that bad at playing with cards, they might have a chance of winning.

And honestly, the idea that if they lost they had to do whatever the two women said made him shiver.

Seeka smiled as she cut the deck and distributed the cards.
“It’s more fun this way!”

‘No, it’s just more fun for you in particular…’ Leonard, Royale, and Klein collectively thought.

The game started pretty well for Leonard and Klein, they were pretty lucky with cards and it was easy to work with Leonard.

Klein stole a glance at him. The poet had his beautiful green eyes focused on the cards in his hands, and between his brows there was a small crease as if he were trying to concentrate as best he could.

These pleasant thoughts about Leonard ended the moment they ridiculously lost.

‘How?! Weren’t we winning?’ Klein snapped his head to Leonard, looking at him as if he had just been betrayed by his partner.

“Don’t look at me like it’s my fault!” Leonard snapped back—for the first time, he felt flustered as well.

He feared these two women, especially Seeka’s ideas.

The white-haired nighthawk cleared her throat with an amused grin on her lips, while Royale sighed in exasperation about what was about to happen.

Seeka pointed at them, making the two men straighten their backs immediately.
“You two…”

They gulped, loudly.

“Have to swap clothes,” she declared.

Leonard and Klein stared at her with a dumb expression, wondering if they heard correctly.

Klein, thanks to his clown abilities, was the first one to respond, “Isn’t this a little…too much?”

Seeka firmly shook her head, “Trust me, ‘too much’ would have been something else.”

Klein didn’t even want to ask what that ‘something else’ referred to, because he knew he would deeply regret it.

Just as Klein was about to find another excuse, the poet next to him spoke, “What is it, Klein? Are you scared?”

Klein glared at Leonard, only to see a bright flush on his cheeks.
‘Bold of you to say that while you’re as red as the moon!’

Seeing that his dear friend Leonard was so flustered, Klein grinned.
“Fine, let’s do it.”

Leonard’s expression fell—he was clearly waiting for Klein to oppose and refuse.

Klein barely managed to hold back a chuckle.
He had never seen Leonard being this embarrassed, how could he ever let such an opportunity go to waste?

“We will wait outside. Call us when you’re done.”
Having at least the decency not to look at them changing, Seeka and Royale walked out of the room.

Klein immediately got to work, untying his shoes.

Leonard looked at him with mixed emotions. However, the soft pink on his cheeks never faded.

Klein, feeling the gaze on him, sighed softly, “The sooner we start, the sooner we finish,” he took off the other shoe, now wearing only his socks.

“But your clothes won’t fit me,” Leonard protested, looking at Klein’s shirt.

Indeed, their sizes were different, but Klein wasn’t wearing anything too tight. If anything, the only problem would be Klein’s trousers being a little too short for Leonard.

However, they would still fit.

The corners of Klein’s mouth twitched.
“You’re not that much taller than me, and we just need to momentarily swap them…you’ll be fine.”

After a few seconds, Leonard finally slipped off his boots and shrugged his coat from his shoulders. He stood up to take off his trousers, but his fingers froze on the hem at his waist.

He shot a look at Klein, who was loosening his tie while looking at him.

“What?” Klein asked dumbly.

“Can you please turn your head!”

“Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed?” Klein asked with a smile.

“Of course not, it’s just decency.”

“Then next time don’t strip in front of my face…”

In silence, while looking away from each other, they stripped off their clothes.

Now only wearing undergarments, Klein mused, ‘Why is he so shy about it? We’re both men, nothing we haven’t seen before…’
With this thought, Klein turned around to hand his clothes to Leonard.

At that moment, Leonard turned around as well with his clothes in his hands.

Because Leonard’s shirt was always half unbuttoned, it wasn’t that strange to see him shirtless. He had muscles and abs but they weren’t exaggerated and he was more on the lean side like Klein. His skin seemed smooth, without any imperfection, his legs were long and straight.
‘He really has good genes, even his body is flawless. I wonder how he’s still single…’ Klein pondered. He believed that his colleague could have any woman or man he wished for, but he still decided to stay single.

Leonard, under that burning gaze, faltered, his cheeks quickly painted a soft red once again.

Klein caught himself staring and immediately cleared his throat. As he took Leonard’s clothes from his hands, their fingers brushed together.

They began to put on the other’s clothes piece by piece and Klein finished first. One had to know that Leonard wore only a shirt, pants, and a coat, so it was much faster to get dressed.
Leonard’s clothes were a little larger on him but, just as he thought, the problem was mainly with the longer sleeves and pants that he decided to roll up. He neatly tucked the white shirt in his pants and buttoned it until the last button, which was halfway down his chest.

‘Why doesn’t this failed poet buy proper shirts?!’

Aside from that, Leonard’s clothes still maintained the warmth of his skin and his scent—a very nice and soothing scent. Klein had to restrain himself from sniffing it right in front of him.

Meanwhile, Leonard was still struggling with the tie around his neck.

Klein stepped closer, gently reaching up for the tie.
“Here, let me,” he said in a gentle tone, wrapping the tie around his neck and fixing it with ease.

Leonard stood still, looking down at the crown of Klein’s head. His dark hair looked fluffy and soft. It was probably the first time he had seen Klein this close. His expression didn’t betray any emotion while focusing only on tying Leonard’s tie.
‘Mm…he’s using his clown abilities. I wonder what he’s thinking…’ Leonard, resisting the urge to rest his chin on the fluffy hair, thought.

Klein, composed on the outside, was fuming on the inside. He thought that it wasn’t fair that this poet looked so beautiful even in Klein’s clothes, which meant that the problem wasn’t Klein’s attire, but his face. Leonard was wearing ill-fitting clothes and still managed to look gorgeous, what did he even need all that attractiveness for?

He tightened the tie, almost choking Leonard, and straightened the longer part against his chest.

“Done.”

“Thanks.” Leonard gave a small, almost shy, smile in return, his green eyes trying to avoid staring at Klein’s exposed chest.

It was strange, truly, seeing Leonard so flustered almost seemed out of character. However, Klein also thought that it was adorable, and because of that, he couldn’t bring himself to make fun of Leonard.

He huffed, fixing Leonard’s hair with his fingers. “Be careful with my clothes, they’re expensive.”

Leonard met the amber gaze and replied with an incredulous expression.
“What do you even think I’m going to do in them?”

Klein shrugged, heading to the closed door and, before opening it, shrugged. “You never know.”

Seeka, upon seeing Klein’s appearance, gaped.
Even the ever calm Royale opened her mouth in surprise.

Seeka’s surprise soon turned into a grin, her head immediately reaching for the small notebook she always had with her.
“I just got a nice idea for a novel! It will never be on Fors Wall’s level, but it will definitely be interesting!” The white-haired woman began to mutter incomprehensible things as she wrote on blank pages.

Just as Royale was about to say something, Kenley’s voice came from behind her.
“Klein, Leonard, go to the Captain’s office, he said it’s urgent…” he trailed off, looking at the two men who were wearing each other’s clothes with a strange, yet interested expression.

Klein immediately turned around, meeting Leonard’s green gaze.

“Stop looking at me like it’s my fault!” Leonard cried out.

Klein sighed.

‘Ah…’

The enemy he feared the most was about to arrive.

Social death.

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“You knock,” Klein immediately said, pushing Leonard towards the door.

“A-are you a kid?!” Leonard didn’t resist the push, knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

As soon as they stepped in, Dunn rubbed his temples with his thumb and index finger.

“I don’t even want to ask.”

‘Captain! You’re the best!’ Klein internally wiped the nonexistent tear forming at the corner of his eye.

“A lady has assigned us a new job. A missing cat near the Khoy River.”

“And this is an urgent matter?” Leonard incredulously asked.

Dunn replied, giving him a slight nod.
“The lady is pretty old and she keeps saying that she can’t live without her cat. She’s currently waiting at the entrance lobby with Rozanne.”

“But…can’t someone else do it?” Klein looked down at his clothes, then at Leonard.

Why did they always end up in trouble together?

“We have one of the cat’s belongings,” Dunn handed Klein a collar with a golden bell and the name Mr. Whisker sewn on the fabric, “You can use Dowsing Rod Seeking to find him.”

Leonard raised his hand, asking the one million-pound question, “And what am I needed for?”

“You two make a good team, please accompany Klein.”

“Exactly, Leonard!” Klein smiled brightly, hooking his arm with Leonard’s and guiding him towards the door, “We are a perfect team!”

If he had to drown, he would at least pull Leonard with him!

Social death is more bearable when shared!

“Ah…Captain! Help! He’s smiling strangely! Capt-“

The door closed, muffling Leonard’s pleas for help.
Dunn shook his head in amusement, sitting back at his desk and straightening a piece of paper in front of him.

-Dear Daly,
What is the meaning of sharing each other’s clothes…-

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Leonard and Klein headed to the entrance, where Rozanne and the Old Lady were.

As soon as he spotted them, Leonard put on a polite smile.
“Good afternoon, ladies.”

The Old Lady had white-gray hair and blue eyes. Despite her age, her features were refined and her face didn’t have many wrinkles. She probably had been a beautiful woman when she was younger. Her clothes seemed expensive and well made.
That, for Klein, could only mean one thing—a wealthy client!
Blackthorn Security Company’s business wasn’t going well, so, if they managed to successfully complete this task, they would at least earn some money.

Klein reassured the nervous lady with a smile, “Do not worry ma’am, my partner and I will surely find Mr. Whisker.”

The lady finally looked up at them, relief painted her expression the moment she saw the two seemingly reliable young men.

Rozanne, on the other side, was stunned by the two partners’ attire—she was having a hard time biting down the laugh that threatened to escape her mouth.
She was about to say something, but then prioritized the Old Lady. After all, she always had time to mock them later.

After exchanging pleasantries and asking a few questions, Leonard and Klein headed out.
It was raining outside and the place where the lady had last seen the cat wasn’t nearby, so they boarded a carriage together.

Klein wrapped the collar around his cane, and began to divine the cat’s location.

Leonard silently looked at him. The ends of Klein’s dark hair were slightly curled up due to the humidity brought by the rain.

The rain got stronger, pattering heavily against the carriage windows.

As Klein told Leonard the right directions and when to turn, the latter informed the carriage driver.

Klein couldn’t comprehend the reason, but even in this strange situation and unusual circumstances, being with Leonard brought him a sense of peace.
This colleague of his had some quirks: he was bad at poetry despite calling himself a poet, he believed himself to be the protagonist of this era and even had secrets. However, in the end, he was a good guy with a kind heart who worried about the people he loved.

“You know, I was thinking that I should write a poem about this situation.” Leonard’s soft voice snapped Klein out of his thoughts.

Probably because of this pleasing environment, perhaps because Klein could continuously smell Leonard’s soothing scent on the clothes he was wearing, contrary to Leonard’s expectations, Klein answered even more softly,
“I would like to read it when it’s finished.”

Leonard’s green eyes widened. He had expected a snarky comment, a witty comeback.

Yet Klein said he wanted to read it.

He wanted to read Leonard’s poem.

Leonard eagerly nodded. He couldn’t wait to complete this mission, return home, and start working on his poem.
“You’ll be the first one to read it.”

Klein let out a small laugh, his eyes meeting Leonard’s.
Indeed, this poet was truly a good and earnest person.

After a while, Klein told the carriage driver to stop. The rain had calmed down a little and it was more bearable than before.
With Klein’s guidance, they headed to a nearby park, where the Khoy River flowed nearby.

“The cat should be around here…” Klein looked around.

The park wasn’t that big. There were sparse trees around and it was rather empty due to the bad weather.

Leonard patted Klein’s shoulder and pointed to a tree.
“Look! There!”

The black and chubby cat was resting on top of a tree, his fur drenched.

Of course, the tree was the closest to the Khoy River, and the branch were the cat was lying was right on top of the water, meaning that if the cat fell, he would fall right into the water.

“Want to go fetch him? You’re taller.” Klein smiled to the poet next to him.

“Didn’t you say that I’m not that much taller than you? And besides, there’s a chance I’ll ruin your clothes if I go,” Leonard replied with the same smile.

‘You smart poet!’
Klein sighed, looking up at the tree.

He was a Sequence 8 Clown and he had more balance than Leonard, so it was only right for him to go. Besides, Leonard had just made a good point.

Klein valued efficiency quite a lot, so he didn’t complain and gestured for Leonard to come closer.
“Help me up.”

The closest branch was at least 2 meters away from the ground, Klein could easily reach it without any help, but if someone could help him, why not ask?

Just as he was about to ask Leonard to use his hands to make a small stepping stone, Leonard bowed down, slipping his head between Klein’s thighs from behind and making him sit on his shoulders as he straightened up.

Klein, startled, immediately braced himself on Leonard’s head by gripping his black hair tightly.

“What are you even doing?!” Klein’s polite tone unabashedly cracked as he kicked his legs in the air to get down.

“Stay still! Or we’re going to fall! Just get on the tree, it’s easier and faster this way!” Leonard gripped Klein’s calves to not make him fall.

“A little warning would’ve been nice…” Klein grumbled under his breath, reaching out for the branch that was now in front of him.

The tree’s branches were pretty robust, supporting Klein’s weight just fine. Now that the rain had ceased, the wind grew stronger, making his coat and hair flutter behind him.

Klein pressed his hand to his exposed chest, feeling the cold seeping through the thin shirt, and internally cursed Leonard for his outfit choices.
‘Seriously, how does he never get cold…’

Klein, using the balance and flexibility of a Clown, reached the cat on the farthest branch.
“Hey, come here. Mr. Whisker, pspspsps.”
Klein kept pspsps-ing at the cat, who was blatantly ignoring him.

Leonard barely managed to stifle a laugh.

Klein took a careful step towards the cat, the branch below his feet cracking ominously as it got thinner with each step.
“Hey kitty. Please come here, your owner is waiting for you.”

The cat, alerted by Klein’s closeness, hissed at him.
Klein thought he was someone who got along pretty well with animals, so he totally blamed this particular fat cat for acting so difficult.

The cat didn’t seem to let his guard down, so Klein resolved himself to use “force”. He quickly lunged forward, swooping the black cat into his arms and retreating immediately where the branch was thicker.

The cat began trashing in his arms, meowing and hissing with his claws out.
Klein held him close to his chest, hoping that he would stop, and jumped down the tree, landing smoothly on the ground.

“It was easier than expected.” Leonard gave a thumbs up to Klein.

Of course, to Leonard, it was “easier”, Klein did basically everything alone!
He decided that, for now, he wouldn’t bother to snap back at his poet—he just wanted to go back somewhere warm and change out of these clothes.

Leonard looked at the scowling cat, then at Klein’s face.

“What?” Klein, already highly peeved, inquired.

“N-nothing. Umm, do you want me to hold the cat?”

Klein glanced over at the suit Leonard was wearing and shook his head.

“It’s fine. Let’s-“ Before he could finish his sentence, Mr. Whisker lunged at his face.

Klein instinctively stepped back, but his right foot met nothing but air.

He promptly threw the cat on the grass, before falling butt-first into the shallow water.

Splash.

Fuck.

Seriously!

Wasn’t he supposed to be the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck?!

The good luck smacked him on the face, waved at him, and left without looking back!

“Klein!” The voice of the worried poet entered his ears.

Just as Leonard was about to step into the water, Klein cried out, “Stay out of the water!”

Leonard was touched—Klein was truly considerate.
Then, upon second thought, he figured out he was more worried about the clothes he was wearing rather than Leonard himself.

Nuances.

Leonard picked up Mr. Whisker, who seemed to have calmed down, and sighed softly, extending one hand to Klein.
Klein grabbed Leonard’s warm hand, letting himself be pulled to his feet.

His body was completely drenched and the shirt clung uncomfortably to his skin, making him shiver with cold.
Klein shook his head, flicking away the water from his soaked hair like a dog.

He looked like a ticking bomb ready to explode at any moment, so, for once, Leonard figured that teasing him wasn’t a good idea and instead patted his shoulder and guided him forward.
“Let’s get back before you catch a cold.”

Klein hummed in agreement, looking at the cat in Leonard’s arms.
“He seems to have calmed down.”

“Perhaps he was just scared?”

“Or maybe he feels safer with you.”

They ended up walking back to Blackthorn Security Company because the carriage drivers wouldn’t let Klein enter while he was soaked from head to toe. At some point, Leonard had even offered his jacket, which was actually Klein’s, but Klein refused, telling him that he didn’t want his clothes to get dirty as well.

After a long walk, they finally got back. The sky had completely cleared and the sun was already setting on the horizon, casting a golden hue across Tingen.

Rozanne took in Klein’s appearance.
Again, she decided to push the questions to another moment.
Again, she was having a hard time stifling a laugh.

The Old Lady was still there, and as soon as she saw her cat, she moved surprisingly fast for a woman her age.
Leonard handed the cat to her with a smile on his face.

“My Mr. Whisker! Thank you! Really! I’m truly grateful for your help!” The lady hugged the cat tightly as tears of joy fell from her eyes.

Seeing the reunion, even Klein couldn’t help but smile.
Completing a mission successfully always brought a sense of accomplishment.

The lady moved closer to Klein, bringing the cat in front of his face.

“Come on, Mr. Whisker. Thank them, too.”

Klein carefully extended his hand, placing it on the soft, wet fur.
This time the cat didn’t seem scared and, instead of jumping at Klein like before, he purred.

Klein scratched him behind the ear and under his chin with a soft smile on his face.

Leonard’s green eyes were fixed on him, his heart might have skipped a beat.

After the Lady left, Rozanne lifted a hand to cover her mouth, unable to hold back her laughter any longer.
“Pfft…w-what happened?” She really tried to stay serious but the corners of her mouth kept curling up despite herself.

“Long story short, we lost a bet, swapped clothes, almost risked going blind because of a cat and fell into the river,” Klein said with a calm expression.

“You fell, not me,” and a certain poet felt the need to specify.

Klein’s brows twitched.

Rozanne burst out laughing as tears pooled in her eyes.

“Worry not, partner. The important thing is that everything ended well.” Leonard cheered him up by wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

Klein’s head imperceptibly leaned towards Leonard and waited for Rozanne to stop laughing before inquiring, “Is Captain in his office?”

Rozanne replied, wiping the tears from her eyes, “Ahem…oh…no, he left a while ago. He had some matters to take care of. But he told me to tell you that once you were done with this mission you could head home.”

“Alright, let’s go get changed first.”

However, the poet didn’t move.

Klein raised an eyebrow, already having a bad feeling.
“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t have a change of clothes…” Leonard quietly admitted.

If Leonard didn’t have a change here, the fastest option would be to give Leonard his wet clothes and then head separately to their houses.
However, Klein would feel too bad letting Leonard go home in clothes that, technically, got wet because of him and, even if he didn’t show it, he felt guilty about it.

Klein simply nodded, heading towards the door.
“Let’s go to your house then.”

Leonard looked at him with widened eyes.

‘Don’t look at me like I just said something obscene!’ Klein lampooned.

“That way, I can also take a quick shower, so I won’t get my own clothes dirty.”

Apparently, Leonard was convinced by just that and followed Klein outside—his heart racing.

Rozanne saw them off and immediately went to look for Seeka.

The wet road glistened under the golden rays of the sun, the air still retaining a bit of humidity.
At this hour, fortunately for them, there weren’t many people around.

As they walked in silence, Klein suddenly stopped, grabbing Leonard’s arm and pulling him closer.

“Look!” Klein pointed to a pie displayed in the shop window.

Leonard followed the finger, there, there was a Desi Pie with a small tag with the word “new” written on it.
Leonard had read that Desi Pie, as the name suggested, was a type of pie from Desi Bay, renowned even in Backlund, the Land of Hope.

“I never thought I could actually taste it here in Tingen!” Klein subconsciously held onto Leonard’s arm tighter.

After this long day, seeing Klein’s eyes sparkle like those of a child made Leonard’s heart swell with affection.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, a surprised voice came from behind them.

“Klein?”

Klein looked back, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Holding a bag of fresh bread in her arms, a young girl with long brown hair and dark eyes wearing a simple dress, stood there.
Next to her, a man older than her with a receding hairline looked at the two men equally confused.

“Melissa! Benson! I…uh…”

They couldn’t have come at a worse time. Klein was wearing Leonard’s clothes and anyone who knew him even a little bit knew that the clothes that Leonard was wearing were, in fact, his own. Besides, Klein was still wet and to add the cherry on top, Klein was basically hugging Leonard’s arm and they were caught looking at cakes like a lovely couple!

Klein wanted to bury himself somewhere and never come out again.

A beat later, Leonard recognized the names and figured that those two people were Klein’s siblings.

Benson lightly cleared his throat.
“I thought you were working, Klein.”
Benson, Klein’s savior, didn’t ask about their compromising situation.

“Today I finished early, I’m going to Leonard’s house, then coming right back home.”
And because of Benson’s kindness, Klein let his guard down, revealing more than needed.

Usually, saying that he would go to a colleague’s house wasn’t strange, especially if they were friends, but in this situation it was completely suspicious, leading to many misunderstandings.

The world seemed to freeze for a moment.

To make it worse, Klein hadn’t let go of Leonard’s arm yet.

Melissa was the first to break the silence.
“I…W-we didn’t know that you…” She moved her gaze to the handsome man with green eyes and then back to Klein, “It’s fine, you know that we love you anyway! Y-you can take your time today…umm…but when you come back home we need to talk!” She then grabbed Benson’s wrist and pulled him away.

“W-wait! It’s not what you think!” Klein reacted belatedly.

Melissa stopped, glancing again at the bright red face of Klein’s lover.
Klein looked up at Leonard too, his eyes widening in disbelief.
“Stop blushing!”

“It’s just hot! It’s because of your clothes!”

In front of the two bickering men, Melissa and Benson thought of the same thing—Klein Moretti, their Klein, the scholarly Klein, that Klein, had actually found a lover.

Klein caught their gazes and panicked.
“It’s all a misunderstanding!”

Benson smiled, patting his shoulder.
“There’s no need to lie, Klein. We’ll talk about it later, okay?”

Melissa nodded in agreement and gave Klein a sympathetic look, walking away with Benson.

“Wait…” Klein’s arm was stupidly extended towards their retreating backs.

Leonard silently slipped out of Klein’s grasp, rushing inside the bakery to buy Desi Pie.

The luck of the King of Yellow and Black struck again.

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Melissa looked back with a worried expression.
“Do you think he’s going to be alright?”

“Well, he’s with his…partner. I believe Klein is wise in choosing a lover and besides, that man didn’t look like a bad person.”

“You’re right. He even blushed, hehe, it was kind of cute. Right, we forgot to ask his name.”

“Didn’t Klein call him Leonard?”

“Mm right…we should completely support Klein. He had never been interested in finding a partner and I don’t like the fact that he felt the need to hide it from us.” Melissa tightened her fist, her eyes shining with determination.

“Of course. He’s our brother, it’s only right we show our full support.” Benson nodded with the same determination as his sister.

“Do you think the Evernight Church accepts same-sex marriages? What about children? Are they going to adopt them? Mm…they will probably need to go to live together. They should buy a new house for two first.” Melissa began to ponder the future—she might become an aunt soon!

Benson quickly admonished her, “Their relationship seemed pretty new and I don’t think Klein is someone who rushes important things. He’s still young, there’s still time for him to choose with calm.”

Melissa shot him a glance from the side.
“What about you, Benson? Isn’t it time you finally found a partner, too? You wouldn’t want your younger brother to get married before you, right?”

Ah.

Benson fell silent, silently wishing for Klein to be here to help him escape from this situation.

He internally sighed, wiping the small tear at the corner of his eye.
“They grow up so fast.”

Melissa looked at him with a strange look on her face.

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Klein soaked in hot, steaming water in Leonard’s bathroom.
His head was tipped back against the bathtub, the water reaching his neck.

After that small incident, Leonard had calmed him down by offering to pay the Desi Pie and even buying him a cup of sweet iced tea to drink while walking home.

Despite all of the misfortunes that had happened today, Leonard had always been awfully considerate of Klein.

And even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud, Klein had a ton of fun today. It reminded him of the days back on Earth—going out to play with his friends until the sun disappeared on the horizon and going back home with dirt on his clothes or even wet because they decided to swim in the river.

‘When I’ll find a way back to Earth, Leonard would probably be one of the people I’ll miss the most…’ Such thoughts uncontrollably ran through his mind.

After getting out of the bathtub and drying his body with a clean towel Leonard had given him, he put on the clothes Leonard handed back and headed downstairs.

Leonard was cutting the Desi Pie and putting it on small plates. He was only wearing a simple white shirt and dark trousers with socks on his feet, his expression relaxed.

The warmth the bath had left, Leonard’s demeanor, and this cozy house made Klein’s heart warm up with affection—everything was so homely.

“Right on time!” Leonard sauntered to the couch, placing the plates with Desi Pie on the low table and patting the spot next to him.

As Klein settled next to Leonard and gave the first bite, his eyes lit up.

The pie was fat and oily, but the lean meat, which was chopped into tiny bits, balanced the flavor, making it delicious.
The rich, meaty juice contrasted the dry crust, and the small pieces of apple gave it a sweet and sour flavor.

“It’s good…” Klein said, gulping down the piece he just chewed.

Leonard replied with a slight smile, “Mm…it’s not bad.”

They ate in a comfortable silence. Outside was already dark, but Klein wasn’t in a hurry to go back home—especially knowing what was waiting for him there.

“Sorry for the dirty clothes, Leonard,” Klein quietly said, breaking the silence.

Leonard replied with his signature easygoing smile,
“It’s fine, really. It was just an accident.”

Klein had even offered to clean Leonard’s clothes but the latter had stubbornly refused, saying that if he wanted to apologize, he could cook something for Leonard one day.

The corners of Klein’s mouth slightly curled up as he looked at Leonard.
He reached out, his thumb brushing the corner of Leonard’s mouth where crumbs of the pie remained.

Seeing Leonard’s stunned expression, Klein chuckled and leaned forward.
Leonard instinctively closed his eyes, as if awaiting something. In the next moment, he felt soft lips pressing against his forehead.

Leonard looked at Klein, speechless. He couldn’t understand how this development unfolded, yet he was genuinely happy that it happened.

Klein caressed his cheek with his thumb, a small smile on his face.
“What? Were you expecting me to kiss you somewhere else?”

Leonard gently held his wrist and huffed. “Would you do it if I ask you?”

Klein had decided that he wouldn’t indulge in love in this world, afraid that he would eventually hurt the other person when he found a way to go back home. The eventual parting with Melissa and Benson would already be painful enough, and he couldn’t bring himself to hurt Leonard as well.

So Klein decided the easiest way. It might be cowardly, yes, but at least he would protect Leonard’s heart.
Pushing his feelings aside was the only right choice if it meant not hurting Leonard.

“Mm…I’ll do it only when you’re done with your poem,” Klein pulled back only after giving him a small kiss on the corner of his mouth.

Yet a little indulgence couldn’t hurt, right?

Leonard let out a small, tender giggle, “You’re such a tease.”

Klein smiled in response, pulling the poet into his arms and Leonard reciprocated by wrapping his arms around Klein’s back.

“Do you want to stay here tonight?” Leonard’s voice was muffled against Klein’s shoulder.

“If I do, my siblings are going to question me even more tomorrow…” Klein mindlessly stroked Leonard’s nape with his fingers.

Leonard, who apparently decided to not listen, leaned forward, making the two of them lie down on the couch and trapping Klein under his weight.

Klein let out a small, amused laugh.
“Fine, fine…I’ll stay so don’t sulk.”

In the end, Klein and Leonard turned Melissa’s and Benson’s misunderstanding into reality.

Yet, in hindsight, they shouldn’t have taken things slowly, because time wasn’t something granted but rather a luxury.

They should’ve known that in the world of Beyonders, everything could easily go awry.

.
.
.

Year 1354 Southern Continent.

The man with waist-long black hair sat at his desk, his dark green eyes fixed on the poem he had just finished writing.

After Mr. Fool and Klein had fallen into a deep slumber, he was tasked with writing poems to help with The World’s awakening.
He hadn’t had the time to complete it back in Tingen.
Now, after five years, Leonard had finally managed to write the poem Klein wanted to read.

“It’s done, Klein.”

A drop of tears fell down on the paper, smudging the black ink.

“I’m sorry I took so long.”

A choked sob left his lips.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t read it back then…”

He leaned forward, his head dropping on his arm, using it as a pillow.
Through his blurry eyes, Leonard gazed at the gold coin Klein had given him, held between his thumb and index finger.

He huffed—half cry, half laugh.
“But…you’ll still be the first one to read it.”

-What had been exchanged that day wasn’t just clothes.
One had given the other his love.
The other had opened his heart to receive it.-