The road to Lioria was no longer steep nor crooked. It wound gently beneath the open sky, brushing between hills and fields like a ribbon laid across the earth. Summer light broke through the clouds, warming the dust beneath your boots.
And beside you, his steps firm and deliberate, walked Gepard.
It had been days since you left the quiet town behind.
Sometimes, you caught Gepard glancing your way.
You didn't always know why.
You and Gepard had been traveling together for days now—long enough to fall into an easy rhythm, but not long enough to understand each other completely. The days blurred together—walking, resting, sharing food, trying not to stare too long when the other wasn't looking.
Gepard had been acting… different. Not drastically. Just enough that you noticed the way he glanced at you when he thought you weren't watching, or how his silences now felt thoughtful instead of cold. You couldn't quite name it.
But Eui, floating along like a silent puffball, seemed to know. That smug little sparkle in their eyes every time Gepard fumbled a line? Suspicious.
You tried not to overthink it.
The sun was high when you passed a ridge overlooking soft plains. Wildflowers bloomed in all directions, their scent gentle and light. Somewhere, a breeze rolled in and tangled your hair. You looked over your shoulder and found Gepard staring—not at the road ahead, but at you.
''You keep staring,'' you said, brushing a petal off your shoulder. ''Is there something behind me? ''
Gepard looked startled. He coughed, straightened up, then muttered, ''You—you had a bug. On your neck.''
''Was it cute?
He blushed immediately, looking away. ''I don't rate insects. Don't get weird.''
''Mm. Sounds like a yes.''
You swore you heard him mumble something under his breath, but it was too faint to catch.
That evening, it rained. Hard.
The clouds didn't even give you a warning—one moment clear skies, the next, you were two soaked travelers trying to find shelter under a lopsided shack that looked abandoned decades ago.
''Great,'' you muttered, shivering. ''Now I look like a wet mushroom.''
Gepard, already wringing out his coat, turned to glance at you—then immediately looked away.
''…You're a good-looking mushroom,'' he said, voice stiff.
You blinked.
''What?''
''Nothing! '' He pulled his coat over his face like a makeshift towel. ''Forget I said anything.''
Inside the shack, it was cold but dry. You both sat beside a dwindling fire you managed to light with a flint and some very angry twigs. Gepard held out your injured hand—just a small scrape from earlier when you slipped climbing a ridge.
He gently cleaned it, tying a bandage around your palm.
''You're good at this,'' you said softly. ''Are you always this gentle with your patients? ''
He didn't meet your eyes. ''I don't usually touch people this much,'' he muttered. ''Don't get used to it.''
''Too late,'' you said with a faint smirk.
He paused, tightening the knot on the bandage.
''You're good with knots,'' he said suddenly. Then, with a blink, ''…Makes me wonder what else you've practiced tying up.''
There was silence.
That night, only one bedroll.
''We can share,'' Gepard said eventually, refusing to look at you. ''I won't bite.''
You raised an eyebrow. ''You snore.''
He shrugged, settling beside you with his arms crossed. ''Only when I'm dreaming about you.''
There was a pause.
He turned his face to the wall immediately after.
You buried your face in the blanket, stifling a laugh. Eui floated somewhere near the ceiling, spinning slowly as if trying to disappear.
The fire crackled, shadows dancing on the walls. In the silence, you could hear your own heartbeat.
You weren't sure whose it was that sped up first.
The next day, you passed a hillside blanketed in tiny blue flowers. They stretched far and wide like an ocean had spilled over the land. Butterflies danced lazily above them, and you stepped forward, crouching to gently press your fingers against one.
''It's so soft,'' you murmured. ''Like silk.''
Gepard was quiet behind you.
You turned, and he was standing completely still, staring at you—not the flowers. At you.
His expression was unreadable. His face was slightly red.
Then, he whispered to himself, almost like it slipped past his lips without permission.
''How is this possible? ''
You looked at him, confused.
''Okay? '' you said, tilting your head.
He blinked, then turned away, coughing loudly. ''I said—uh—how is it possible that—we're still not at the next town?! ''
Suspicious.
You narrowed your eyes.
He was definitely lying.
And red.
Very red.
You turned to him. His face was unreadable. Just quiet. Pale.
He looked back at you, then down at your hand still brushing his sleeve.
Then—
''How is it possible,'' he muttered, almost to himself, ''that I like men? ''
You were too far to hear it.
But I, Eui did.
They floated behind you silently, staring at Gepard with a look that said, Oh?
The wind blew again.
The flowers from the hill behind danced faintly in the breeze.