Chapter 33

Strictly speaking, he wasn’t wrong, but Cherriot’s presence wasn’t something that disappeared simply because a cap covered his eyes. During the walk here, Yuri had seen countless gazes naturally reach toward Cherriot. Charm didn’t come from the face alone. It could be felt from small things, too: long legs stretching coolly, a broad back full of curves, a light-footed stride, a fresh smile hanging at the mouth.

“Even without seeing your face, it seems easy enough to tell you’re handsome.”

Just as Psyche had been drawn to Eros in darkness so complete she couldn’t see a step ahead, what was visible wasn’t the only thing that could capture a person. The moment Yuri calmly put exactly what he had felt into words, the coffee Cherriot was shaking stopped. Eyes round, Cherriot parted his lips as if caught off guard. After calmly looking over the suddenly frozen Cherriot, Yuri reached for the coffee he was holding.

Yuri’s hand slipped between Cherriot’s fingers where they gripped the cup sleeve. The white skin, full of sunlight, was packed with heat. It was so warm that Yuri’s lukewarm body temperature felt cold by comparison.

When Yuri’s hand overlapped his, Cherriot finally flinched and loosened his grip on the coffee cup. Receiving it from him, Yuri glanced indifferently at the number written on the sleeve. Since the barista didn’t know who had ordered which drink, the fact that he had deliberately chosen the Americano was somewhat meaningful, but Yuri’s curiosity ended there. He removed the sleeve, then stepped toward Cherriot, who was still frozen, and dropped it into the small opening of Cherriot’s bag. He considered tearing it up and throwing it in the trash, but the other person might be watching, so there was no need to be cruel on purpose.

“Let’s go.” Yuri tapped Cherriot’s shoulder and passed by him.

Cherriot, who had been standing there without saying anything the whole time, finally hurried after him. “What was that just now?”

Cherriot quickly came up beside Yuri and asked. Because he ran to catch up and pressed close, Cherriot’s forearm brushed his for an instant. The sensation of muscle so firm it felt almost hard, and smooth skin over it, was strange. Too conscious of the arm that had touched his, Yuri looked that way, then frowned and faced forward.

“Were you flirting with me?”

“I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about.”

“You said I was handsome.”

Yuri slowly closed his mouth. Thinking about it belatedly, he could see how it might sound that way, but if he kept this conversation going, more useless words were likely to come out.

“Damn, what do I do? I’m so happy you’re openly hitting on me that I’m dizzy.”

Hitting on him?

Yuri had never done such a thing to anyone who wasn’t an Omega, let alone another Alpha, and he had no intention of doing so. It was almost fascinating how Cherriot could attach that much meaning to a single sentence and interpret it that way. “I did no such thing.”

“So you’ve thought I was handsome all this time. I wasn’t sure my looks worked on Wolfie, but now I know.”

“I believe I said I did no such thing.”

“Ah, Wolfie. You’re too dangerous. You’re shaking my mood around with just one sentence.”

Cherriot’s behavior, spouting whatever he pleased without even pretending to listen, left Yuri speechless. Yuri stared at him silently, then quickened his steps and left Cherriot’s side. Then he added a small warning. “It seems you’re no longer afraid of me.”

No sooner had Yuri put some distance between them than Cherriot immediately caught up. As if that weren’t enough, he snatched Yuri’s wrist just as he had in the café and grinned. “The way we’re going isn’t over there.”

Cherriot, who had until now let Yuri walk wherever he pleased, now pulled him along as if this alone wasn’t allowed. Without giving Yuri time to shake off his hand, Cherriot held him firmly and began running toward a narrow path overlooked by long trees.

“Are you kidding me, you—!” Yuri’s warning was drowned out by the pounding of their feet on the ground. Despite his irritation at the absurdity of it all, Yuri found himself being pulled along by Cherriot’s formidable strength. Listen well, my ass. Acting on his own whims like this, and he still had the audacity to claim he had followed quietly. Watching Cherriot’s back as he ran at his own pace, Yuri cursed silently. Yet, he didn’t want to let go of his hand. If he did, he feared he would halt Cherriot, who was running with pure joy.

The wind blew after Cherriot as he ran chaotically through the small forest path. The fresh air touching Yuri’s skin mixed the scent of the forest with Cherriot’s pheromones. Unlike when he was trapped in a narrow space, the running Cherriot seemed to symbolize freedom itself.

After they passed dozens of differently shaped trees, and just as the floor of the path began to be covered more and more in wild grass, the sun blocked their way in dazzling brilliance. When the strong sunlight spread like rays and pierced his eyes, Cherriot slowed. Following Cherriot as he gradually stopped running, Yuri stopped too.

“Look at this, Yuri!”

Cherriot’s joyful laugh spread through the air. Letting go of Yuri’s hand, Cherriot moved forward and dropped the bag he was holding onto the ground. Yuri, who had briefly frowned at the intense light, slowly lifted his eyelids and looked at the sight spread before him.

… Ah.

A vivid blue overlapped Yuri’s blue eyes. Sky-colored lake water rippled and spread before them like the sea. The lake they met in the middle of a deserted forest looked like an oasis hidden by fairies. And Cherriot seemed like the owner of that oasis.

After setting his bag down on the grass, Cherriot took off his T-shirt without hesitation. When the light gray short-sleeved shirt disappeared, his dazzlingly solid torso was revealed. Cherriot’s skin, reflecting the sunlight, had an ivory hue, and whenever he moved, his well-formed muscles shifted vividly with life.

The moment he stripped off his shirt, Cherriot jumped into the lake. Yuri had no time to stop him. Leaving his slippers where they were, he plunged into the water in one clean movement, refreshing enough even to watch. He went in so deeply that not even his hair was visible. Standing still in the forest under the shade of the trees, Yuri stared blankly at the lake as if chasing Cherriot’s afterimage.

Everything that had happened the moment they arrived had taken place in such a brief instant that, for a moment, Yuri wondered whether he was dreaming. With Cherriot, who had been chattering noisily beside him, suddenly gone, the forest was peaceful enough to feel lonely. Though it wasn’t perfectly quiet, with birdsong and the sound of wind touching the branches, the thought that he had been left alone came strongly.

Frowning his pale brow, he lifted a hand and swept back his hair. After pushing his hair back several meaningless times, he turned his gaze to the coffee in his other hand. Because he had run to match Cherriot’s speed, the coffee had spilled by half.

“…”

Instead of drinking the coffee he had bought because he wanted it, Yuri turned his gaze forward. Several seconds had passed, and Cherriot still hadn’t come out of the lake. No matter how he searched the water for a reddish-gold head peeking out, he saw nothing.

Yuri, who had been in the shade, took one step toward the lakeshore. Is he dead?

At the ominous thought that suddenly passed through him, Yuri frowned. Had Cherriot jumped recklessly into the lake without warming up, cramped, and begun struggling? Had his heart stopped? Such worries rose.

He was an athlete completely accustomed to using his body, but for some reason, Yuri was uneasy if he didn’t check. After hesitating, Yuri eventually took another step. Once he began walking, his body moved naturally. Leaving the forest shade and arriving at the pebbled edge of the water, Yuri glanced once at the ownerless slippers, then slowly opened his mouth.

“Cherriot?”

His voice spread through the air.

No answer came back.

“Cherriot.”

Yuri called him again. His voice was a little louder than before. Still, the surroundings were quiet, and nothing rose from beneath the water.

Frowning, he pressed his lips shut and let out a long breath mixed with impatience. It makes no sense for him to die swimming after I went to the trouble of keeping him alive.

Irritation and anxiety mixed, then soon became deep concern. Even while thinking that couldn’t be the case, the thought that Cherriot might be waiting for help down there made him impatient. Yuri, who had never voluntarily entered water before, hesitated only briefly before heading into the lake. He quickly loosened the laces of the black combat boots, took them off, stripped off his black shirt, and put his foot into the lake water.

The water touching his toes was colder than he had expected. Goose bumps climbed up his spine and spread over his skin. Ignoring the water temperature, cold enough to make his heart tighten on its own, Yuri slowly walked in. The lake’s waves were fiercer than he had expected.

Once he left familiar land and entered the water, keeping his balance was more difficult than he had thought. It had nothing to do with how strong he usually was. “Cherriot, stop joking and come out. ”

When the water reached above his knees, Yuri called Cherriot again. The low voice ringing through the air felt unfamiliar, making him wonder when he had last called someone this loudly. But Cherriot still didn’t come out. Now he had no choice but to believe something had truly happened, and Yuri clenched his molars and went deeper into the lake to find Cherriot. He couldn’t swim, so he couldn’t rescue him directly, but for now, he intended to get close enough to see what was happening in the water.

The water that had wet his thighs soon came near his waist. The lake was large and flowed like a river, so its depth was more than enough for someone to drown in, and an instinctive fear surged up. It was anxiety toward an unfamiliar environment he couldn’t control. If he made even a small mistake here, he would lose his footing and fall. Then, far from saving Cherriot, he might end up dying with him.

Even knowing it wasn’t a rational decision, Yuri drew in a deep breath, then bent his body as he exhaled. The moment his whole body sank into the water, a chilling cold covered him. As he looked around within the limit where his feet could touch the bottom, Yuri discovered green eyes looking up at him from below.

The man, who had been cutting through the water and rising with his long arms stretched out cleanly, looked startled when he saw Yuri’s face. Thankfully, Cherriot was alive.

Making Yuri’s worry that he might be dead feel absurd, Cherriot looked entirely comfortable and free even underwater. Seeing Cherriot swim leisurely toward him left Yuri at once dumbfounded and deeply relieved. Because of that, the tension that had drawn tight through his whole body loosened. The sole of his foot, which had been standing on the slippery pebble bottom, stepped into empty space for an instant, and his balance collapsed.

Without time to fix his posture, Yuri fell into the water. Cold lake water entered his parted lips, and his throat moved with a gulp. He opened his mouth again to breathe, but the water wouldn’t be spat out and only rushed in.

His arms flailed to grab something, but they merely cut through water and caught nothing. Panic arrived with the water forcing itself toward his lungs. He knew that not being afraid in any situation was the way to survive, yet faced with an accident for which he had not been prepared, Yuri panicked.

His pale cheeks turned even paler. The fear that he might die like this overwhelmed him. Even though he had thought he had lived long enough and could die at any time, Yuri didn’t want to die.

Someone, save me, please.

The thought flashed through his mind.

In that instant, a strong force locked around his waist. The hand that had been desperately sweeping through the air urgently grabbed the person who had come to him. A firm, hot body held Yuri tightly and rose upward.

“… Kh, hhk… , ha, haa…!”

The moment he came out of the water, Yuri coughed violently. As he spat water and gasped for breath, a hot hand stroked his cheek gently and firmly.

“Yuri, you’re okay. Shh, that’s it. Breathe,” Cherriot murmured softly by his ear, his voice unusually calm. Following this steady reassurance, Yuri panted heavily, drawing in breath repeatedly. His eyes, filled with tears, felt dry and refused to open properly, so Cherriot gently rubbed them with his thumb. “You were scared, weren’t you? It’s okay. I’m holding you up.”

As Cherriot wiped the water from his eyes, Yuri steadied himself further. His gasping body no longer sank, thanks to Cherriot’s firm support. Yet, perhaps still gripped by fear, Yuri clung tightly to Cherriot’s shoulder, unable to let go.

Cherriot continued to reassure him without complaint. “It’s okay, Yuri.”

The gentle whisper gradually calmed Yuri. Finally regaining his composure, Yuri slowly opened his eyes, which he had been squeezing shut, and assessed the situation. Cherriot was supporting his waist and hips.

When Yuri flinched in surprise at the firm yet smooth sensation beneath his feet, Cherriot comforted him. “Keep standing on me.”

Cherriot maintained his balance while allowing Yuri to stand on his thigh. With one arm, he held Yuri’s waist, and with the other, he cut through the water to keep them both afloat. Standing on Cherriot’s thigh, Yuri could vividly feel the strength and solidity of Cherriot’s body, which supported him without losing balance.

“……”

For a moment, Yuri said nothing, focusing on steadying his breathing. Perhaps due to swallowing so much water, his chest felt queasy, as if he were seasick. Cherriot’s skin, pressed close to him, was so warm it was almost unsettling. The thigh muscles supporting his feet were hard as stone, and the chest against his was slippery.

The sensation of the hand around his waist was peculiar, too. The fingers stroking the hollow of his spine were ticklish, causing heat to rise in his head.

After confirming that Yuri’s breathing had settled, Cherriot asked softly, “Have you calmed down a bit now?”

Looking down at the green eyes gazing up at him, Yuri parted his lips. “…Yes.”

Cherriot soaked in water was dangerously beautiful. Because of the reddish-blond hair clinging to his forehead and cheeks, his skin looked even whiter, and his already distinct features were shadowed like a sculpture. When the green eyes beneath his wet eyelids stared at Yuri endlessly with worry, Yuri’s insides churned as if they might spasm. Even after he had spat out all the water, dizziness rose like motion sickness.

“You said you couldn’t swim, so why did you come into the water, idiot?”

Perhaps to reassure him, Cherriot scolded him. Yuri could tell at a glance that it wasn’t sincere, but because Cherriot said that without knowing the anxiety Yuri had endured for those few minutes, Yuri suddenly felt wronged.

“You…”

He moved his lips, then closed his mouth again. His voice had trembled strangely. It felt as if his airway had tightened from nerves, like when he had first spoken to an Omega as a child.

“Me? Did I do something wrong?”

But Cherriot urged his answer, tilting his head as if telling him to say it. Yuri felt the strength enter the hand around his waist far too vividly. He was dizzy.

Because of those green eyes that wouldn’t look away from him, it was hard to think of anything else. “You were in there too long. ”

“Hm?”

“In the water… too long,” Yuri continued with great difficulty. Each word made him feel as if he couldn’t breathe, so he had to draw breath again and again. The moment he finally finished speaking, Cherriot’s eyes widened.

“You came in because of me?” Cherriot, his gaze fixed on Yuri, asked quietly.

Yuri glanced down at the Alpha, who gazed back at him unblinkingly. He found himself appreciating Cherriot’s intense look. This is far preferable to being alone in the forest.

“Yes.”

Cherriot’s chatter, though excessive, was more comforting than the oppressive silence Yuri was accustomed to. He longed to hear Cherriot’s voice over the usual birdsong.

“I thought you’d drowned.”

The words escaped him like a sigh, revealing his sincerity before he realized it. Suddenly, a hand gripped his cheek, its long, thick fingers exuding strength. Yuri understood immediately. As the arm around his waist tightened and the thigh he stood on became firm, he knew what Cherriot intended.

Heat radiated from Cherriot’s green eyes, now darkened by the water. As Cherriot’s face drew closer, reflecting only Yuri, he anticipated what was to come. A fleeting thought crossed his mind to stop it, but his body remained still. If he pushed Cherriot away, he would plunge into the water.

Yes.

Because I would fall into the water.

At the same time Yuri thought that, their lips touched.

Cherriot swallowed Yuri’s lips as they released a breath like a small sigh. Because they were wet, the lips that met in a rush slipped briefly and touched his cheek, then licked along that cheek and returned to his mouth. When Yuri let out a tense breath through their perfectly fitted lips, Cherriot’s breathing grew rough.

The fingers supporting Yuri’s waist bent, scratched his back. Yuri didn’t know what had provoked Cherriot, but with his whole body, he felt that Cherriot was deeply heated. The moment he recognized that, his body grew even stiffer. It had been so, so long since anyone had wanted him this openly.

“Wolfie.”

Yuri had no idea how to respond.

“Open your mouth.”