Dante stared at his reflection for a moment before getting dressed and heading to Helios' room. Looking at his own image in the mirror was like a quiet reminder of everything he had been through and survived. He ran his fingers thoughtfully over the scar on his chest, near his heart – a gunshot wound he had miraculously survived, marking the beginning of a new chapter in his life.
But it wasn't the only scar on his body. Over the course of his long career, he had fought many battles, and his skin was a map of what he had endured. A silent witness to his resilience. These scars were more than just reminders of past fights; they were proof of his strenght and his will to survive.
Dante preferred close combat.
In close combat, the likelihood of sustaining severe injuries was very high and not only once he had sustained deep cuts and stab wounds. He wore each scar with pride. They were proof that he had given everything and survived. Even though it also meant that his opponents, in their attempt to kill him, had ended up dead themselves. When he fought with his fists, he was so focused on his opponent that everything else became irrelevant. In battle, he felt at home. It was the air he needed to breathe, and nothing proved to him more that he was alive.
Of course, he wasn't incompetent at range. He knew how to handle firearms, but hand-to-hand combat was what truly excited him. Maybe that was also why he approached his morning routine with so much dedication. It had become a core part of his life, helping him keep his skills at a consistently high level.
His morning routine had now been extended to include the training grounds at the Vale estate. So, after his usual exercise, he headed there to meet with Davis. However, contrary to his expectations, they weren't fighting against each other like the day before. Instead, they each fought against a different guard. Maxwell had apparently deemed it important for them to regularly switch sparring partners, as each fighter had their own style. That made sense. Dante would have liked to fight Davis again, but there would surely be other opportunities – in a few days, they'd likely face each other once more.
Davis was truly strong. Dante liked and respected him. The guy was excellent at what he did. And he carried out his duty with everything he had. Dante rarely came across someone who, despite the constant risk, approached their work with as much dedication and determination as Davis did. Even in the face of sudden and unpredictable death, he never questioned his work.
But at their next sparring, Dante was going to crush him. A mischievous grin spread across Dante's face. He could barely wait to give Davis everything he had and beat him in a direct competition. It wasn't just the urge to defeat him, but the desire to show Davis what he was really made of. After their practice fight, his fingers itched to face him again.
This morning, however, he fought against another guard, one who couldn't compare to Davis. His technique was clean, and his reactions were faster than expected, but it wasn't enough. Dante practically destroyed him without seriously injuring him. The difference in their strength had been just too great, and Dante knew the guard didn't stand a chance.
Maxwell had praised him after the fight, and Davis had looked at him with a nod of approval. Grinning, Davis had challenged him to another fight with a grin, teasing that Dante clearly hadn't given his all in their practice fight.
Dante was proud of his abilities, but at the same time, he hoped he hadn't overdone it. This new environment still presented many questions. How much should he really show? And most importantly, how should he behave here? It was a constant balancing act between what he wanted to reveal and what he had to hold back. In this world, strength and the ability to survive were paramount.
He knew the guards, who tried every day to stay alive, mostly did their jobs for the paycheck to support their families. But on a daily basis, it was essential to stand one's ground, and the job he had taken on would not be the last challenge waiting for him.
Every mistake in the field could cost him his life. But that was the reality they lived in. And they had all chosen to take on this dangerous job. It was the world they existed in—a world where you could never be sure of safety, not even for a moment.
Dante glanced at the small tin containing the salve with the hemostatic agent that Helios had given him the night before. Helios' demonstration had been truly impressive: instant blood stoppage right after application. It was almost too good to be true.
Dante had seen many different methods of stopping bleeding during his career as a mercenary, but he had never encountered such a potent medicine as this salve. Despite its obvious effectiveness, he remained skeptical about the medicine. Helios had used the salve himself, which likely meant it was safe. Still, Dante had decided not to use it. He trusted no one, especially not a company he had only recently become acquainted with. He would never use anything Aeternum Pharmaceuticals offered him—except for the paycheck.
Dante sighed and smoothed his shirt. Finally, he made his way out. That morning, he had run into Thomas in the foyer by chance, and it seemed that Helios had an appointment with his patient around noon. She was the one for whom he was developing the special medicine intended to reactivate muscle cells. Dante couldn't really imagine how the process would work. It sounded almost too simple—like flipping a switch to turn the "on" or "off" state. But he knew it was probably far more complicated than it sounded.
Helios had spent hours researching the day before. During their break at the lab around 3 p.m., Thomas had joined them, bringing snacks, coffee, and tea.
Helios' lab had been truly impressive and very different from Davis' lab, which Dante had seen the day before. While the labs of the Aeternum Pharmaceuticals staff were sterile and functional, Helios' lab felt like a collection of exotic ingredients and tools.
It said a lot about the young man who worked there. The lab was clean, but after half a day of hard work, it also appeared somewhat messy. Everywhere, there were books on botany, anatomy, and the medicine of both humans and animals.
Not to be forgotten were the numerous notebooks, which testified to Helios' tireless research. There was so much knowledge in this room, and Dante couldn't help but imagine how much he could discover here. He would have loved nothing more than to rummage through Helios' documents undisturbed – perhaps he would find something that could be useful to him.
During the break, he had talked with Davis and Thomas, but despite his efforts not to disturb Helios at work – which he thought would be rather rude – Davis and Thomas hadn't exactly been quiet. Eventually, Dante had quietly asked if they shouldn't leave Helios to his work and spend their break elsewhere. But his request only triggered laughter from both of them – not exactly quietly, mind you.
Dante had glanced at Helios in surprise, but the young man continued calmly moving through the room, reading his documents with the intense focus of someone completely undisturbed by everything around him. He murmured softly to himself, completely absorbed in his work, and didn't even seem to notice how loud the others were getting.
It wasn't until Thomas handed him a cup of coffee, which he absently accepted without a word while continuing to read, that Dante relaxed a bit. It was as if the rest of the world didn't exist for Helios while he was working.
Davis had already told him before that Helios was a genius, and after witnessing him so deeply focused on his research, Dante could now truly see it.
After their brief break, they returned to their posts. They checked the hallway and then patiently waited for Helios to finish his workday – which, in fact, took quite a while.
Although the day itself had been rather uneventful, Dante had learned quite a bit about the Vale family, especially regarding the relationship between father and son, and Helios' other connections.
It was clear that Helios was highly regarded and loved by his family. Davis and Thomas especially seemed to have a deep affection for him. The young man, who seemingly had nothing on his mind but his work, was surprisingly easygoing and unpretentious when dealing with others, despite his generally distant manner.
Although Dante found him pleasant as a person, with every conversation he had with the young pharmacist it became increasingly clear to him that there were worlds between them. While Dante had much more life experience and had encountered situations that Helios had probably not faced in his lab Helios was a true fountain of knowledge. For a man so young, that was almost frightening.
___
Around 11:45 AM, they arrived at the Cresent family estate. Helios wore a dark suit with a dark blue shirt, and his glasses sat firmly on his nose. His hair, as usual, was slightly tousled.
As on the previous two days, Helios looked really good. He seemed to place a lot of importance on his appearance, but today, he radiated a particular elegance—a kind of self-assurance that wealthy people often exude.
If Dante hadn't been so well-informed, he would have almost suspected that Helios was visiting the young lady of the house for reasons other than medical ones—or at least for reasons that had nothing to do with medicine.
Helios' reception was more than respectful. Along with part of the finest household staff, the lord and lady of the house, as well as their two sons, were present. Helios was treated as if he were a person of the highest rank.
It was unusual to see a young man, barely over twenty, being received with so much respect by an experienced man like Mr. Cresent. The head of the household even personally escorted him, showing him the way to his daughter. Helios followed quietly with his suitcase in hand.
Dante wondered what was in that suitcase. Most likely, it contained ingredients from Helios' lab—or perhaps already prepared medication. But for this particular illness, Helios still needed to create the appropriate remedy.
As they made their way to Helios' patient, Dante casually scanned the surroundings, as usual. He kept an eye on everyone who got too close to Helios and checked every corner where someone could be hiding.
Given the number of people present, it was unlikely that Helios would be attacked. But he knew it was always better to be cautious.
Helios had instructed that two guards should wait for him in the foyer, while only Davis and Dante were allowed to follow. A brief glance at Davis revealed that he, too, was keeping a close watch on the surroundings. Davis flanked Helios on his right, shielding him from the windows, while Dante walked behind him.
Once again, Dante marveled at how relaxed the young doctor was as he walked down the hallway, casually discussing the illness of Mr. Cresent's daughter. For someone who was constantly in danger, Helios seemed unusually naïve.
Dante listened to the conversation while continuing his work.
"Did she have any health issues before the collapse?" Helios asked calmly. "My records show that she generally had a rather frail constitution."
"Unfortunately, yes. My little Violet has always been very delicate and often fell ill quickly," replied the father. "There were times when she couldn't even hold her teacup, so it would slip out of her hand. Because of that, she hasn't had any contact with her friends for quite some time."
"That fits the clinical picture," Helios said thoughtfully. "Does she have any other organic issues?"
"No, thankfully not," Mr. Cresent answered quickly, his voice thick with relief.
"Is her regular doctor also present?"
"Yes, I specifically ordered him to come here. Will my little Violet be able to walk again soon?" the father asked, hope colouring his voice before he let his shoulders slump. "I've heard that others have died from this disease and..."
Helios interrupted him.
"I need to examine her first," he said coolly. Then he sighed and glanced at Mr. Cresent out of the corner of his eye. "Don't forget who you're speaking to. I will find a solution that will help her."
Mr. Cresent straightened up again. "You are the best in medicine. I thank you for taking care of my daughter."
Helios gave him a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "It just so happens that I have a bit of time," he said calmly.
They stopped in front of a door where the Cresent family butler knocked and announced their visit. Helios turned over his shoulder and gave both Davis and Dante an intense look with his piercing green eyes.
"You wait out here," he ordered.
Davis met his gaze with equally intense eyes. "At least one of us should come into the room."
Helios exhaled slightly irritated, then looked at Dante. "You come with me, do your job, and stay in your position," he said before stepping into the room.
Which meant he didn't want to be disturbed.
Davis gave Dante an encouraging nod. "I'll monitor the hallway. If anything happens, I'll come in immediately."
It felt a bit strange being the last of the four guards accompanying Helios. If an emergency occurred, he would be on his own until Davis arrived. The other two guards were far too distant to react in time—if they even noticed an attack.
Dante quickly followed Helios into the room. It was hard to tell at first if Helios was in a bad mood or if he was just impatient about something.
The room was large and spacious, offering more space than any accommodation Dante had ever had. It was decorated in soft shades of pink, fitting for a young lady. Helios walked purposefully towards an armchair, where a pretty young woman with long blonde hair sat. She had steel-blue eyes and elegant features.
When she looked at Helios, she blushed and quickly lowered her gaze.
"Are you the one who will heal me?" she asked shyly, sitting up a little straighter.
Helios placed his suitcase down and knelt in front of her.
"My name is Helios Vale," he introduced himself calmly. "And yes, I am the one who will heal you."
"N-Nice to meet you. My name is Violet Cresent," she replied hesitantly.
Helios gave her a smile that made her blush even more.
"Shall we begin?" he asked, handing her a pen. "Hold this up until your arm goes numb."
Meanwhile, Dante remained at his post, casting occasional glances out the window. Otherwise, he watched Helios as he worked. The young man asked precise questions, took frequent notes, and had Violet perform tasks repeatedly to see how long she could endure.
As the doctor entered, Helios continued with more questions – about illnesses Violet had as a child, potential hereditary diseases in the family, and many more details.
While Helios spoke with the doctor, Violet kept looking at him, only to quickly avert her gaze with flushed cheeks. Occasionally, she tried to engage Helios in other topics, but he ignored anything that wasn't related to his work. Dante couldn't help but feel sorry for Violet. Each time Helios ignored her, she appeared sad and disappointed.
In the end, Helios took a blood sample, carefully packed everything into his suitcase, and stood up. Although he hadn't spent much time with Violet, it seemed he had obtained all the answers he needed.
"If her condition worsens, contact me," he instructed Mr Cresent smoothly.
"When will we hear from you?" Mr. Cresent asked with a hint of desperation in his voice.
"In a few days, once I have the first results," Helios replied, turning to leave. Before he exited the room, he turned around once more. "Have a nice evening."
They then left the Cresent estate and drove to the lab, where Helios immediately locked himself in and made no mention of when he would leave the lab again. Dante had once again taken his position in front of the lab with Davis, and the two waited for Helios to finish his work for the day.
"So?" Davis finally asked into the silence.
"Hm?"
Davis flashed him a smile. "He's good, right?"
"He's at least extremely focused on the task," Dante said. "Do you think he'll make it? It sounded like the young woman wouldn't survive this illness."
"Helios accomplishes everything he sets his mind to," Davis replied confidently. "She'll survive and be able to walk again. He won't allow anything else."
Dante looked at Davis thoughtfully. "You really think highly of him, don't you?"
"He helped my little sister when she was really sick," Davis said honestly. "We had to grow up without our parents, and I was completely overwhelmed when she fell ill. If Helios hadn't been in the clinic that day... I don't know what would have happened to her. But I wanted to thank the man who saved my family someday. That's why I've been by his side for a year now, protecting him."
Dante looked at him, surprised. "When was that? Last year?"
Davis smiled. "No, I ran into him again by chance last year. It was six years ago. We were at the clinic Helios visited once a week. My sister was visiting me with her daughter when she suddenly collapsed. I just took her to the clinic without thinking twice, and there he was: a sixteen-year-old kid who thought he was a doctor," Davis laughed quietly. "I completely lost it and demanded a real doctor – my sister was really in bad shape. But Helios just coldly said he was the only one who could help her, and started mixing something together from his bag. I didn't find out until later that he wasn't actually a doctor but a pharmacist."
"You just went along with that?" Dante asked, astonished.
Davis had a satisfied gleam in his eyes. "Yeah. Honestly, I wanted to kick him out of the room at first. But my sister stopped me, and since she trusted him, I finally did too. She recovered pretty quickly, and a few weeks later the cause of he collapse was completely gone. She was fully healed. All because of Helios."
Dante could easily picture the scene, especially if Helios had been as determined and self-assured back then as he was now.
"I really admire Helios," Davis admitted. "He's unstoppable; no one can match him. If it hadn't been for him, my only remaining family—besides my sweet niece—wouldn't be alive."
Gratitude, then. It was a completely different reason than the one that drove Dante to work for this company.
"But this job is pretty dangerous," Dante said. "If they're your only family, wouldn't it break their hearts if something happened to you?"
"They'd probably follow me to hell just to punish me for leaving them behind," Davis laughed. "But Helios has saved everyone he's helped so far. I want to protect this man from any danger and make sure everyone gets the chance to spend more time with their loved ones, just like I did."
Dante watched Davis as he continued his words of praise about Helios. Every time he mentioned Helios' name, his face was filled with a warm expression.
"Maybe you should find a woman and be happy. This job is going to take you to your grave sooner or later," Dante blurted out. Davis laughed.
"Maybe I should do that. But right now, I'm pretty content with my life," Davis said, looking at the door to Helios' lab. Then he turned to Dante with a challenging look. "After all, I've been in this job for quite a while. Maybe you should leave while you still can."
Dante grinned.
"Nothing's going to happen to me," he replied.
"It would really be nice if someone could last longer than just a few days or weeks," Davis said, casting another glance down the hallway.
"Don't worry, I'm pretty tough," Dante promised.
"So, what made you come here?"
"The same thing that drives most people."
"The pay?"
Dante nodded. "It was too good to pass up."
Davis sighed. "Everyone starts here for that reason. Just do me a favor and try to stay alive, alright?"
Dante grinned at him. "Don't worry, you won't get rid of me that easily. But tell me about your sister. We're probably going to be standing here forever until he comes out of his lab."
"Could happen. Well then, perk up your ears," Davis smiled.
___
It was already dark when Helios left his lab.
He locked the door and seemed quite satisfied.
"You look like the project is going well," Davis remarked as they walked down the hallway.
"It's actually easier than I thought," Helios said. "However, the formulation of the medicine will take time, especially when I take all of Lady Violet's pre-existing conditions into account."
"You'll find a solution," Davis reassured him.
"As always," Helios replied before taking a look at Dante. "Are you settling in?"
"Yes," Dante answered stiffly. He hadn't expected Helios to speak to him.
Helios smirked. "Relax. You're way too tense," he said, pointing to Davis. "I'm fine with him acting like a pit bull as soon as we leave the building."
Davis sighed. "Someone has to keep watch. You attract trouble like no one else."
"And that, even though I don't do anything," Helios said. He then looked at Dante again. "Thanks for following my instructions earlier. I barely noticed you were there."
"I try to always follow my instructions," Dante said. "Thank you for the compliment."
"Anytime," Helios grinned and then turned back to Davis. "Do you think he'll ever learn to speak to me normally?"
It bothered Dante when Helios talked about him as if he wasn't there. Even though he now knew that Helios only did it to tease him.
So he kept quiet and continued walking stubbornly. There was no point in engaging in a discussion.
As they left the building, they were joined by two more guards. Dante didn't know them, and they didn't say a word. The calmness they exuded was almost eerie; they didn't seem nervous at all. Dante threw them a quick glance and noticed they were staring straight ahead.
They didn't look around, and their gaze was fixed on Helios, who was walking casually toward the car. Davis threw a brief glance over his shoulder at the two guards.
"Are you part of the night shift?" he asked casually.
"Yes, we replaced Miller and Johnson due to the time," one of the guards replied coldly.
Davis now seemed a little tense. Dante briefly wondered about his behavior, until he realized what was wrong. The two guards didn't belong to their group.
"Oh, is that so? Yet, the two of them were assigned today to escort Mr. Vale," Davis said, shoving Helios aside just in time to prevent one of the fake guards from catching him with his knife.
Davis deflected the attack and made sure the assailant stumbled. With a precise strike, he drove his knee into the attacker's stomach, causing the assailant to drop his knife.
Dante quickly turned around and delivered a strong uppercut to the other.
"I knew something was off. Damn assassins," Davis muttered angrily. "Helios, stay with me! Who knows how many are still here!"
"Okay," Helios replied obediently.
"Dante, we should take care of these two quickly. I don't think we can expect much help."
"Sounds promising," Dante murmured.
The assassin who had received Dante's uppercut was back on his feet, rubbing his chin. He glared at Dante in anger.
"You're tougher than expected," Dante said, following up with another strike.
"And you're faster than expected," the assassin snarled. "You won't have more luck."
The assassin moved fluidly, dodging, and countered with a strike of his own. Dante knew he had to be careful. Close combat fighters often had an ace up their sleeve, and especially this assassin likely had more than one trick.
They stood facing each other, each studying the other, ready for the next move.
Dante noted every movement of his opponent: the slight shifting of his foot, the twitch of his finger, the movement of his eyes. Everything could reveal how the assassin would strike next.
The assassin looked at him coldly and calculatingly, a slight smile playing at his lips. This guy would kill Dante if he got the chance. That much was certain. Dante needed to take him out as quickly as possible.
Dante took a deep breath and attacked the assassin again with a quick right hook. The assassin dodged again, spinning around. Only at the last moment did Dante see the knife the assassin had drawn. The steel flashed dangerously cold in the light of the streetlamp. Dante blocked the attack and just managed to shove the assassin back.
The knife narrowly missed his stomach.
Still trying to regain his footing, the assassin attacked again, managing to slash Dante's arm this time. Dante sucked in a sharp breath as the familiar pain of a blade sliced through his arm. The pain burned, and although his arm was already going numb, he knew he would never get used to that feeling.
The assassin grinned at him confidently and attacked again in a flash. The blade, already stained with Dante's blood, came dangerously closer. Dante knew there was only one way to stop this damned assassin. He was completely focused on the fight. The bastard was faster than Dante, but Dante definitely had more strength.
He deflected the attack and let the blade slide along his hip. Ignoring the pain, he grabbed the assassin's throat, squeezed, and struck repeatedly with his free hand until the assassin dropped the knife.
He had knocked him unconscious. Dante let him fall to the ground, hoping the guy would stay there.
Dante turned to Davis, who was busy protecting Helios and fighting off the assassins. But it wasn't just one, it was three enemies. Helios was standing at a safe distance, backing away. The car was not far off, and at least he would be safe there. It was also much closer than the entrance to the company.
Dante was torn. Should he help Davis first or get Helios to safety? But Davis made the decision for him by taking out one of the assassins with his own knife. He was bleeding from several cuts and seemed completely exhausted.
"What are you standing there for? Get him to the car! I don't need help!" he yelled.
"Damn," Dante cursed, and started moving. He sprinted to Helios and dragged him behind him. "Get in the car," he growled, scanning the surroundings for any more enemies. Aside from the two remaining assassins, no one else was visible.
Helios stared at Davis, his hand digging into Dante's upper arm. Dante quickly checked him for injuries.
"Are you hurt?"
Helios shook his head. "I'm fine," he answered calmly.
"Good," Dante said, quickly opening the car door so Helios could get in. He kept an eye on the surroundings and hurriedly pushed Helios into the car. It took far too long.
Dante's nerves were stretched to the breaking point. He was now alone with the man he had to protect. Davis was still fighting, and there was no other guard at the moment who could drive the car.
"Damn," Dante cursed again.
What should he do? Lock the car and help Davis? Risk leaving Helios alone and letting him be attacked again? Get in and trust that Davis would manage somehow?
Behind him, he heard the click of the car as it locked. Surprised, he turned around and saw Helios holding the key. Helios nodded toward Davis and signaled for Dante to help him.
Dante charged forward and tackled one of the assassins away from Davis, who stared at him in shock.
"What are you doing here?!" he yelled at him.
"He wanted me to help you," Dante replied, fixing his gaze on his opponent. "Besides, you really look like shit."
Davis snorted. "Thanks for the kind words."
Dante sized up his opponent, who already looked pretty beaten up. He didn't give the assassin a chance to adjust to the new situation, attacking him hard and relentlessly. This little bastard would soon feel what Dante was capable of.
He swung a punch, but the assassin dodged. Quickly, he ducked under Dante's arm and charged toward Davis. At the last moment, Dante lifted his foot to trip the assassin. But the blade still found its mark—deep into Davis' thigh.
Davis groaned in pain.
"Damn assassins!" he cursed.
He pulled the knife from his wound and drove it deep into the assassin's throat. Meanwhile, Dante pinned the assassin, now on the ground, with his body weight.
"Get off… me…!" the assassin gasped.
"Not a chance," Dante said calmly, snapping the guy's neck.
"Well done. Now let's get out of here. I really don't need any more knives. Someone will find this one," Davis hissed, holding his shoulder. Sweat streamed down his face, and he looked pale.
"Are you alright?" Dante asked, concerned.
"I'll be fine. I've had worse wounds."
___
Upon arriving at the estate, Helios took care of their wounds. He dressed the deep stab wounds on Davis and attended to Dante's injuries, which were comparatively minor. Dante didn't feel the pain anymore anyway.
Helios looked at the wounds in surprise.
"Considering all the blood, these wounds aren't really that big," he noted.
"I was lucky," Dante said.
"Do you need something for the pain?"
"I don't have any pain, thanks."
Helios gave him a doubtful look but still cleaned the wounds and washed off the hemostatic agent he had quickly applied in the car. He then bandaged them and turned to Davis. Calmly, he examined the wounds. The lighter ones were cleaned and covered with band-aids.
"These need stitches," Helios said.
"It's not the first time you've had to stitch me up," Davis said with amusement, though he looked tired.
Helios sighed. "I'd prefer it if you didn't make so much work for me. My plans for the evening were supposed to be different."
"I know. Sorry," Davis said softly.
Helios sighed again and opened his bag to prepare everything for the stitching. He also mixed some ingredients together from his bag and handed Davis a vial with a clear liquid.
"New guy, take his pants off. Davis, drink this," Helios ordered.
"What is that?" Dante asked suspiciously.
"Painkillers."
"It's okay, Dante. Help me get these damn pants off," Davis hissed, as he opened his belt.
He looked like he was really in pain, and Dante regretted having hesitated for so long. It wasn't about his caution with Helios' medication now, but about helping Davis.
Dante removed his comrade's pants while Helios immediately got to work treating the wound.
"New guy…" Helios started.
"My name is Dante," he interrupted.
"Then Dante," Helios said, now slightly annoyed. "Next to the kitchen, there's a storage room. Get me the bandages from the list."
Dante took the list and ignored Helios' tone.
"Do you still know the way?" Davis asked.
"Should be fine. See you soon," Dante replied and set off to get the required materials.
Helios' attitude was really a bit exhausting, and the fact that he seemed to have trouble remembering Dante's name bothered him. Was Helios already expecting his impending death? If Davis weren't in such bad shape, Dante would probably have called Helios out by now.
"Damned brat," he muttered under his breath.
Dante found the storage room right away, along with the necessary materials. He quickly made his way back to the others. The door was slightly ajar, suggesting he had forgotten to close it properly.
Inside, Davis and Helios were speaking quietly. However, something in Helios' tone made Dante hesitate before entering.
"...And what if they had caught you?" Helios asked softly.
"Then you would still have a very capable guard by your side," Davis replied in exactly the same quiet tone.
Helios snorted.
"I don't need any guard other than you. The others die way too quickly."
Davis smiled. "This one is different."
"He's not you."
Davis looked at him affectionately. "Were you worried about me?"
Helios snorted again. "As if I'd be worried about you. But at least I can actually have a proper conversation with you. I'll give you that."
Davis laughed softly and held his side. "Only a conversation?"
"Shut up."
Davis laughed again. Then Helios made a quick motion and began stitching the wound. Davis sharply inhaled. Helios' gloved hands were stained with Davis' blood, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped. Dante almost exhaled in relief.
However, he still didn't dare to enter the room. It felt like he would be interrupting an intimate moment.
"Helios?" Davis asked finally.
"Hm?"
"Would you miss me if I die?"
Helios paused for a moment, then continued stitching. He didn't say anything.
"Hey, look at me," Davis urged.
"I'm fixing your damn thigh."
"I know."
Helios looked at him as if he wanted to say something, but before he could, Davis had already pressed his lips to Helios'. Dante quickly turned away as he blushed slightly. Davis and Helios were actually lovers?! Okay, he had suspected it. Somehow, he had known that there was more between them than just the typical relationship between guard and charge. But seeing it with his own eyes was something completely different! Dante felt like he was witnessing something forbidden, so he quickly turned his gaze away.
That was definitely not meant for his eyes.
He would wait a little longer and come back later.