The training room was indeed expansive, its clean lines leaving no room for distraction. Yet under Uno’s presence, the air itself seemed to narrow, bending around him as though drawn to his gravity. He stood at the center of the floor, black shirt clinging to his frame, the fabric outlining the breadth of his shoulders, the taper of his waist, the lean strength in his arms.

When he moved, it was like steel springing to life.

Uno’s first strike cut through the air. His fist slammed against Lev’s guard with a force that reverberated up bone and muscle, sending shock into Lev’s core. His stance remained immovable, rooted as though into the earth itself. Every blow landed without waste. The clean snap of muscle under strain, the ripple of taut lines down his arms and back, spoke of years honed on the battlefield. Pure control, pared down to essence.

Lev absorbed the impact, stumbling back a half-step. His lips curved faintly upward. What stirred in his chest was not pain, but a thrill. He really is strong… though even now, Lev could tell Uno was holding back.

Uno advanced again with his movements tight and measured. His posture was razor-sharp. His body was a flawless instrument of combat, each strike fueled by the steady rhythm of his breath. His thighs released and braced like coiled springs. His shoulders rolling fluidly with no stiffness, and muscles shifting like tempered steel beneath silk.

Lev feigned a collapse of stance. Uno was there instantly. A hand closed firmly around his wrist, twisting just enough to assert dominance without cruelty. His veins stood out faintly along Uno’s forearm. His bicep taut with effortless strength as he controlled the strike.

Momentarily trapped by the proximity, Lev’s gaze lingered too long on Uno’s face. The intoxicating scent of their sweat filled the space between them. Heat pressed against his skin where Uno’s grip burned.

“Again,” Uno commanded.

But Lev’s lips deepened into a softer, more dangerous smile. He tilted his head. A damp lock of hair falling across his temple. He tilted his head with a boyish smile. “Captain, you’re really good at fighting. I can’t seem to keep up.”

Uno released him abruptly, expression cold. “Then try harder. Don’t waste my time.”

Uno released him abruptly and stepped back. His silvery-gray eyes were cold and utterly unamused. “Then increase your effort. Stop wasting my time.”

Lev’s smile only widened, though his gaze carried a flicker of something darker. Watching Uno fight stirred a restless, consuming desire inside him. What would it take to shatter that composure? To make that discipline bend to me alone?

The thought coiled like a serpent through Lev’s mind.

Uno’s palm sliced forward to redirect Lev’s balance. Lev leaned into the force, closer than necessary, his shoulder brushing against Uno’s damp chest. For a second, the intense heat of their bodies was more disruptive than any impact.

Uno shoved him back instantly, his jaw tightening into a sharp line. “Focus. Do not drift.”

Lev tilted his head, his lips curving in a disarming smile. “How can I not, when the lecture is so immersive?” His tone was light and dismissive but his eyes glimmered with something else.

Uno ignored him and reset his stance. “Again.”

This time, Lev initiated the attack. It was a swift, challenging jab. Uno caught his wrist with insulting ease, twisting it just enough to force Lev into a low crouch. Lev used the motion, pivoting to slide in close, almost chest-to-chest. Uno blocked with a hard forearm, pinning Lev at bay against his collarbone.

Lev felt the fierce, rapid thrum of Uno’s pulse beneath the skin of his arm.

Lev’s long lashes lowered. His smile was faint and almost innocent on the surface, but his voice betrayed a deeper current.

“Your strength, Captain… it’s frightening.” He tilted his head, eyes dark with hidden delight. “No wonder the world looks at you with reverence.”

Uno’s gaze hardened. “Stop talking nonsense.”

Lev straightened and flexed his wrist. The faint ache left by Uno’s grip burned almost sweetly.

Training ended without weapons. Uno said they’d move to that next time. Lev only shrugged as his lips curved faintly.

They left the training room.

Lev watched as Uno opened the refrigerator. He retrieved a bottle of iced water and tossed it to him. Lev caught it effortlessly with one hand.

“Drink it.”

Uno, without waiting, walked to a side table to collect his pack of cigarettes. It was not the only pack he owned. Uno always left them in quiet corners of his home. One in the bathroom cabinet, another on the nightstand, even tucked into the patio railings. Scattered markers of habit as though his discipline in all else could not rein in this one indulgence.

Without a word, he stripped off his damp shirt and tossed it onto the sofa. His movement revealed the fluid lines of his back. Topless, he walked outside, Lev naturally followed behind.

The sun was at its full glory.

The pavilion sat nestled in a garden, sleek black frame softened by wooden slats. Sunlight filtered through in fractured beams, laying playful shadows across the deck. White pebbles lined the edges. The grass and trees swayed lightly in a green cocoon of calm.

Uno settled himself onto the seating with careless poise as he lit his cigarette. His bare chest gleamed with a fine film of sweat. The sunlight caught it, defining the perfectly disciplined muscles of his body.

Lev’s gaze clung openly unashamed. The cigarette smoldered between Uno’s fingers. Its ember glowed faintly as smoke curled upward.

His midnight-black hair which was damp and disheveled from their training, fell across his brow. It framed his chilling silvery-gray eyes threaded with hazel. They were piercing and magnetic eyes that stripped a person bare and found them wanting.

The faint, unreadable curve of his lips was not a smile, nor a frown, but a mark of deep internal thought.

Lev did not bother to hide his gaze. He traced the movement of the cigarette to Uno’s mouth, lingered on the sharp line of his jaw. The way the ember pulsed and faded between those fingers. He watched as if each drag were a deliberate and intimate performance for him alone.

Then his eyes slid lower, drawn by the quiet, powerful rhythm of Uno’s chest rising and falling. Lev’s throat tightened. He let his stare drift past the faint ridges of scars, across the taut lines of the abdomen, all the way to the low-slung waistband of Uno’s training pants.

Lev’s tongue was slightly out, licking his upper lip without breaking his stare. His eyes were playful and bold. He didn’t even want to hide it, as if he’s waiting for Uno to notice him.

“I don’t have food here. Let’s eat outside,” Uno’s voice cut the silence. He looked up to meet Lev’s gaze.

Lev smiled, tilting his head. “No need to bother yourself, Captain. This water is enough.” He waved the bottle in his hand. “I’m already… full.”

Uno’s brows drew together. Was this guy’s body weak because he kept skipping meals?

The question drifted away as another thought pressed in. Shit! This weekend. He had promised himself he would investigate that dungeon floor. He could no longer push it aside.

A quiet sigh slipped from him as he rubbed a hand over his face. His fingers dragging down in weary frustration.

When his hand fell, his gaze inevitably found Lev.

The boy was still watching him, steady and unblinking, as though he were waiting for something.

Uno’s jaw clenched.

Should he tag him along?