Isaac stared down the hallway through which Benedict had disappeared just moments earlier. His gaze lingered on the empty doorway, as if he could undo the scene if he only looked long enough. But the images would not be driven away.
He couldn't find words for the chaos in his mind. Even less could he come up with a fitting insult for Noctis.
What the hell did I just witness…?
Ashamed, he covered his eyes with his hand and exhaled heavily. His shoulders sank, as if the situation had exhausted him physically more than his gunshot wound.
Beside him, Noctis hummed softly, completely content.
"Noc…," Isaac finally began, slowly lowering his hand. "…what exactly did I just have to watch?"
Noctis' face slid into his field of vision. That smug, self-satisfied grin only made everything worse.
"Well," he drawled with relish, "that's simply what we look like when we make love."
Isaac jolted upright. "But why did you show him that?!" His voice wavered between outrage and sheer embarrassment.
Noctis merely shrugged indifferently. "I warned you that you wouldn't like my plan."
Isaac sat in his armchair with a perfect view of the couch where what was probably the most embarrassing moment of his life had just taken place. And yet, he couldn't deny that, in some way, he had also liked seeing Noctis from that perspective.
His stomach tightened.
But why had Benedict had to see the same thing?!
Noctis winked at him as if he could read his thoughts and pulled out a black card. A golden spider adorned its surface—delicate and menacing at the same time. The symbol of the Ace of Hearts shimmered in the light. Not that it played any particular role—Isaac had designed the entire deck himself.
"I'll never be able to face him again without seeing those images," Isaac muttered, burying his face in his hands.
His elbows rested on his knees. Immediately, his gunshot wound flared up again with a sharp pain.
"Good," Noctis said dryly.
Isaac blinked in irritation.
"Because I want him never to show his face to you again," Noctis continued, his voice now colder. "That's the only reason I gave him that little nightmare."
Isaac let out a long, weary sigh. "Couldn't you have… shown him something else?"
"No." This time the answer came without hesitation. "That was the only way to show him a version of you that isn't hurt. He had to see it with his own eyes."
Noctis knelt in front of him, as if his previous tone had never existed, and gently rested his head on Isaac's lap. His eyes looked up at him innocently.
"Or would you rather I had killed him?"
Isaac immediately shook his head. "No."
His hand moved through Noctis' hair. Maybe that really had been the only option. Still, he hated that Benedict had seen them together like that.
"I just hate that he saw us like that," Isaac sighed quietly.
"Me too," Noctis replied just as softly. His gaze lowered briefly. "No one but me should see you like that." A hint of possessiveness crept into his voice. "But it had to be convincing."
Silence settled between them. For a moment, Isaac simply looked at him—this man who protected him, provoked him, and pushed him to the edge of his patience all at once.
And despite everything, he didn't withdraw his hand from Noctis' hair.
Noctis' fingers slowly traced over Isaac's injured thigh.
"Since you used the card… everything seems to be working as planned?" Isaac finally asked, studying him closely.
Noctis gave a slight nod. "Who would have thought that I could control all of this so easily through your magic," he murmured. "Not just this card. The others have also been… extremely useful."
So he had already used some of them? Somehow, that pleased Isaac, because he had put a lot of effort into painting the cards and designing them so that Noctis could use them freely for a certain period of time.
He had infused his magic into the cards and didn't need to maintain anything. They only had to be activated by Noctis and voilà—he could create illusions. What Isaac had seen just minutes earlier was proof enough that the magic worked exactly as he had intended.
However, he didn't like the satisfied expression in those golden eyes. Whatever Noctis had done with them.
"Do I even want to know what you used them for?" Isaac asked with a quiet sigh.
Noctis tilted his head, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "To hurt people, of course."
The answer came so casually that it left Isaac speechless for a moment.
Before he could respond, Noctis straightened and leaned in to kiss him. The kiss was gentle, almost soothing. Isaac instinctively raised his hand and placed it against Noctis' cheek, holding him there for a moment. Their gazes met—close, inescapable.
"At least thanks to you, I don't have to worry about the cops anymore," Isaac said softly. "Thank you."
Noctis' lips curved into a faint, barely visible smile before he kissed him again—this time far more demanding, more intense. There was a claim in it that left no room for doubt. When he leaned back again, something in his expression had changed.
The warmth was gone.
Now he clearly showed what he would have preferred to do to Benedict. At the very least, he looked like he was losing patience.
"He was staring at you, Isaac," Noctis growled quietly. "He was practically devouring you with his eyes." His voice sharpened. "And I swear to you, he would have gladly joined in."
Isaac blinked in surprise. Involuntarily, he thought back to Benedict—to the expression on his face, to the unmistakable reaction of his body. He had seen the bulge in his pants more than clearly.
"He was lucky he left," Noctis continued, his voice now dangerously calm. "Otherwise I really would have had to hurt him."
Isaac's eyes widened slightly.
So I didn't imagine that…
An uneasy feeling spread in his stomach.
"But… why would he react like that if he—"
Noctis suddenly slammed his fist against the armrest of the couch. The dull thud made Isaac flinch.
"Because that idiot has fallen in love with you!" he hissed. "It turned out exactly the way I told you it would."
"B-but I didn't do anything to make him—"
Noctis grabbed his chin and gently but firmly forced him to look at him.
"Isaac," he said quietly, almost too quietly, "you simply don't understand how you affect others."
His grip was firm, but not painful. His eyes searched Isaac's, holding him in place.
"My greatest fortune is probably that you don't let anyone get close to you except me."
The words hung heavily between them. Isaac's thoughts raced.
Inevitably, he thought back to Benedict's reaction before he had left. Instantly, nausea rose in him. So the cop had fallen in love with him. Had the kiss he'd given him during his panic attack not been help, but something more?
Damn…
How the hell had that happened? He hadn't openly flirted with him, nor had he given him any signals. So why would the cop fall in love with him? Hadn't Isaac done everything he could to get closer to him as a friend?
Noctis was everything he needed—both as a friend and as a partner and lover. He wouldn't have minded becoming friends with the cop, but anything more than that…? No. He definitely didn't want that.
Isaac gently brushed his hand over Noctis' cheek. "You're everything I need. I don't want anyone else by my side—when will you finally understand that?" he asked softly.
A quiet sigh escaped Noctis.
"That's exactly why," he murmured, "I make sure no one gets too close to you."
He kissed Isaac again on the lips.
"And that damn cop," Noctis added as soon as their lips parted, "won't get any closer to you than that damn counter in the café."
Isaac's fingers tightened slightly in Noctis' clothing.
"Running into him again is going to be… uncomfortable," he admitted.
"More for him than for you," Noctis replied with a crooked grin.
Isaac let out a dry, short laugh that quickly faded.
"But how am I supposed to get his notebook, then?"
"You're not."
Isaac frowned. "And how am I supposed to find out what they're planning?"
Noctis carefully ran his hand over Isaac's leg, yet Isaac still flinched in pain. His expression darkened slightly.
"With that wound, you're not going to do anything for now," he said calmly. "I'll get it for you."
Isaac snorted softly. "Why do I have the feeling that a dead man will be left behind afterward?"
Noctis shrugged. "Accidents happen. Besides, you already gave me permission for that—if you remember correctly."
Isaac snorted softly and ran a hand through his hair. "No. Seriously, Noc, we shouldn't kill him," he said at last with a tired sigh. "Are you really still thinking about that stupid bet?"
Noctis' lips curled into a crooked grin. "I always think about everything that has to do with you. Even if it's not important right now… it seems I've won the bet."
Isaac rolled his eyes but couldn't quite suppress a faint smile. "How can you be thinking about that right now?"
Instead of answering, Noctis leaned in and kissed him again—this time slower, almost deliberately provocative.
"Instead of a date," he murmured against Isaac's lips, "I want to go on a vacation with you. Somewhere no one knows us. A few weeks of just… you and me. Having fun, no obligations. No matter how chaotic the planning gets."
Isaac didn't need long to guess what Noctis meant by "fun." Heat rose to his cheeks, and he briefly looked away, as if that might hide his thoughts. But then he met his gaze again.
"Okay," he said quietly.
A grin spread across Noctis' face, and for a moment he looked like the happiest man in the world. But Isaac pressed a finger to his lips before he could kiss him again.
"But only if the boss agrees," Isaac added seriously.
Noctis pulled a face, as if the best idea in the world had just been ruined. A low growl escaped him, but he finally nodded reluctantly.
Isaac glanced at the clock and sighed again.
"And until then… maybe we shouldn't cause any more 'accidents.' What I pulled today is enough for the next ten years."
Noctis' eyes flashed briefly. "Boring."
"Reasonable," Isaac corrected dryly.
Noctis rolled his eyes. "Fine, have it your way." Then he brushed his thumb over the back of Isaac's hand. "The vacation will be better than any bet," he murmured.
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "It better be."
"I'll make sure it's unforgettable," Noctis grinned.
"Very good," Isaac smiled.
Then his gaze drifted back to the clock. More time had passed than he would have liked.
A heavy sigh escaped him.
"Maybe it's something I won't have to worry about much longer anyway…," he murmured.
An unpleasant tightness spread through his chest. Unease. Pressure. The sense that something was coming to a head. Noctis' gaze sharpened.
"You really want to go to him?"
Isaac gave a short nod. "I have to."
Noctis exhaled slowly, visibly restraining himself.
"You don't have to do anything."
"I already told him I'd come," Isaac replied. "I can't just leave him hanging now."
Noctis moved closer until their foreheads touched. His voice was quiet, but insistent.
"You nearly collapsed in the shower. You flinch at every touch and can't even stand on your own. How exactly are you planning to go see him?"
Isaac closed his eyes for a moment, gathering himself—or at least trying to—then opened them again.
"With a portal," he said calmly. "Restoring the connection isn't a problem."
"Fine," Noctis said at last, rising smoothly. "Then make it a ticket for two."
Isaac blinked in irritation and looked up at him. "What? Why do you want to come along?"
Noctis raised an eyebrow as if the answer were obvious.
"Because your phone is broken and you probably won't even make it to the boss on your own? Or are you planning to crawl there?" he scoffed. "Besides, I haven't forgotten what he did to you last time."
Isaac opened his mouth to object—or at least to say something in response. But the words caught in his throat. Slowly, he closed it again. Noctis' lips curled into a narrow, challenging smile.
"You don't seriously think I'd let you do this alone, do you?"
For a moment, Isaac simply looked at him.
What did I ever do to deserve you and your everlasting love…?
A dull pull spread through his chest, somewhere between guilt and quiet gratitude. Noctis had already helped him more today than Isaac could ever repay. Without hesitation. Without asking for anything in return.
He just hoped everything would turn out well. Maybe the boss would even show some understanding for the situation.