Chapter 47

"Hey..."

Greyson, who had been looking around for Dane as soon as he got out of the car, shouted toward his back, which was already far away. Just as he was about to grab him and ask what that expression meant, Ezra spotted Greyson.

What's with him?

Following his gaze, he was horrified. All sorts of thoughts rushed into his mind like a panorama in an instant.

Miller was clearly trying to do something to Dane. They had been keeping the two apart until now, so what was going on? Could it be that he had discovered it was Dane who knocked him out during the fire that day? Impossible! There had been no sign of that at all. Then why was he acting like that? This was no time to be standing around, he had to stop that bastard first!

Ezra, who had thought countless thoughts in just a few seconds, urgently ran forward and shouted.

"Miller, Miller! Wait a moment!"

Ezra suddenly appeared and blocked Greyson's path. Forced to stop at this unexpected situation, Greyson was met with Ezra's forced smile as he spoke.

"Hey, would you help me out? I have something urgent to do right now."

"Why me?"

Greyson irritably pointed around.

"There are plenty of other guys, get someone else to do it."

"Ah, no! It has to be you!"

Ezra desperately grabbed Greyson, who was about to leave immediately. Feeling like a cicada stuck to an old tree, he began to blurt out anything.

"Y-you're the tallest among us. Do you know how much trouble we went through today because of you? Well, we did save a child thanks to you, but anyway, don't you think you have some responsibility? Huh? You won't do it? That's not right. You shouldn't live like that! In this world where people live, we should help each other and rely on each other, but you are just..."

Greyson looked down with an incredulous expression at the grown man who was clinging to his arm and whining. As if to say, what the hell is this?

"Let go first, I'll help you later, so let go."

"Nooooooo!"

"You..."

Greyson almost spat out a curse but it was already a meaningless act. Dane had already disappeared from sight.

"...Ha."

Greyson let out an exasperated sigh and stood rooted to the spot. Ezra, too, seeing that Dane had safely disappeared, subtly relaxed his body. Greyson, who had irritably run his fingers through his hair, looked down at Ezra with a grim face. As the terrified Ezra stepped back, he growled through clenched teeth.

"So, what's this favor?"

His purple eyes even flickered with a glow. Feeling that one wrong word would turn his joints to powder, Ezra hurriedly stepped back. Nevertheless, still feeling the killing intent, he smiled awkwardly with cold sweat.

"Uh, well, what was it..."

He looked around, but there was no special solution. Confirming that his useless colleagues were just staring blankly, he had no choice but to turn back to Greyson. To Greyson, who was still glaring at him with a cold face, Ezra laughed, "Wahaha," and said.

"I, I forgot. Wahahahaha!"

"You..."

The moment Greyson clenched his fist, Ezra disappeared with a full sprint faster than ever before. Left alone, Greyson shook his head in disbelief and then kicked the fire truck's tire with a curse.

***

"Anyway, take it easy."

The rescue team member who handed Dane cream for his bruised chest lightly scolded him. The injury from the altercation with Santiago's father had made its presence known from the car ride back after completing all tasks. Fortunately, it didn't seem like any bones were broken, but there was quite a severe bruise, which would likely be a headache for at least a few days. When he came out after receiving the cream, which was said to alleviate pain and somewhat reduce the bruising, the guys who had gone out on the call with him had already disappeared.

They must have gone home, naturally.

Dane also wanted to go home and rest immediately, but his body was covered in dust, so he had to wash it off somehow. It would have a very bad effect on Darling, who would rub against Dane as soon as he got home.

Dane roughly pushed the cream into his pocket and headed straight for the shower room.

***

Greyson sat on the locker room bench, irritably glaring at one side. The other guys had already finished showering and left. Except for Greyson and one other person.

Dane Striker.

Luckily, Greyson had found out that Dane had gone to receive treatment from a paramedic. And he hadn't appeared until now. Greyson could wait as long as needed. Time was something he had in abundance.

He was determined to hear what that expression meant. Greyson was resolved to wait for the door to open. But then.

At the faint sound of water, Greyson hesitated and turned his head. As he waited quietly, holding his breath, his ears that had detected the sound perked up.

Someone was in the shower room.

His hesitation lasted only 1 or 2 seconds. Soon he understood the situation. That damn Dane Striker had gone straight to the shower room. Naturally, Greyson headed to the shower room. As he walked quickly, almost running with large strides, the questions he had been thinking about continuously sprang up endlessly in his mind. Ten steps, five steps, one step.

Finally, as he flung open the door to the shower room, the sound of pouring water immediately struck his ears. In the shower room with empty stalls, the only stall with hot steam rising was the farthest one from the entrance.

Greyson glared at that stall with his arms crossed. Beyond the one-sided swing door that was only long enough to cover from chest to thigh, Dane Striker was washing his body. Greyson waited patiently. Until he finished washing his damn body and came out.

Infuriatingly, Dane took a long time to shower. Long enough to make Greyson suspect that he knew Greyson was waiting and was doing it on purpose.

He rubbed the provided shampoo in his hands until it foamed and then scrubbed his head for a long time, and after finishing washing his hair, he began to scrub his entire body. Greyson was so irritated that he checked his wristwatch several times. He wanted to fling open that ridiculous swing door and drag him out by the collar, but unfortunately, Dane was naked.

Since there was no collar to grab, should he grab his neck instead? Just as he was seriously considering this, as if sensing his thoughts, Dane turned off the faucet.

Greyson finally straightened his body, which had been leaning against the door at an angle, and watched him come out. Dane grabbed the top of the swing door, fitting for his tall height, and opened it. First, his long legs appeared, then his firm thighs, followed by his entire body. Thinking he was alone, he made no attempt to cover himself, and Greyson was watching all of Dane Striker as he turned around with his naked body fully exposed.

"You, what was that earlier..."

The moment he had been waiting for had finally come. Greyson opened his mouth to speak the words he had gathered in his mind. And then he froze right there.