THWWTBH Chapter 6

T/N: Sorry about what happened last week. I used Google Docs to type out the rough draft then copied and pasted it to WordPress and a lot of things went wrong with that. I also put a link to the Google Docs version for chapter 5 but the paragraphs weren’t spaced even though I made sure to space them.

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‘Today too, it seems that Aldo asked me for takeout. It is a dish from a different shop from yesterday, it is fish that has been butterly stir-fried.’ Nikola thanked him, and invited him to dinner together as he did yesterday. ‘It seems that I was wondering whether I should refrain from receiving the food, so I invited him by all means, and we’re now slowly eating dinner face to face at the dinner table.’

From age to family talk and so on, the conversation is not stopping today.
Nikola is 23 years old and Aldo is 28 years old.
Nikola has his parents and sister, and Aldo is the middle child of three brothers.
Nikola’s older sister is married, and Aldo’s birth is due to his parents wanting a two-children family, and since Aldo’s older brother took over the house,  Aldo and his younger brother are living alone, and his older brother is now married, and he has one nephew and two nieces who are cheeky but cute.
Nikola didn’t talk much, telling himself that it should not be so strange to ask questions from the flow.

“Do you have a lover Mr. Aldo?”
‘The voice that I asked in may have been a little tense. I was afraid to wait for a reply that my throat was dry, my heart was beating loudly, but I had to ask him after all, and I regretted it as soon as I could. It’s hard to breathe.’

“No. At least when I was young, I didn’t have a partner due to working.”
Whether or not Aldo was aware of Nikola’s suspicion, Aldo answered calmly.
He slowly let out a sigh, and Nicola was about to cry a little. ‘In my heart, I said, “It’s good to hear…….! I did my best…….!” And applauded myself.’

“Mr. Aldo is so nice, it is strange that the people around you aren’t interested.”
Although Nikola is glad, Nikola was inclined to think so from the heart.

‘Even though I thought that there would be no lover, perhaps what I had expected would faintly become true, and the love that I desperately wanted to hide seems to be coming out more.
No, no. Just because he doesnt have a lover doesn’t mean you can be his. No.’

‘Along with the sweet and sour boiled tomato sauce that we’re eating, I will swallow the feeling my feeling of desire. If I’m greedy, I may never be able to eat together like this again. I desperately told myself that I would not like it.’

“Nikola, how about you? Where’s your partner?”
Aldo’s bright green eyes shined, and he returned the question with a face that seems to be amused.

“No. There’s no such thing.”
“Is that so?”
The reaction of such matter, Nikola was used to it by now.

He realized that he had no experience of having a lover at the age of 23. His sister introduced her first lover to their parents at the age of sixteen, and it is common for her to go out on dates and then break up. While his sister was married at the age of 23, Nikola is still in the middle of his first love. It’s too late.
The gentle Aldo would not make fun of Nikola’s slow growth, but Nikola was embarrassed by his lack of experience. ‘Well, I wonder why I honestly answered, I want to crawl into a hole now.’

“…… No, Nikola is kind and cute……. I thought since you’re a gentleman, you would have a lover.”
Nikola loosened his cheeks, even though he knows that the kind words are supposed to be happy and encouraging.

“When you say things like that Mr. Aldo, I felt weird.”
“Did you get nervous?”
As if trying to see Nikola’s face well, Aldo came closer to his face.
“Huh?! Excuse me……. What?”
When Aldo’s face came surprisingly close, Nikola jumped out of the chair.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you. It’s cute.”
“Ah…”
Aldo, who closed his eyes, did not know what kind of face Nikola was making, and he laughed ambiguously for the time being. ‘I was surprised. I was so surprised. I can’t even comprehend the taste of the rice right now.’

‘I wonder if it is too much for me to think that the “cute” that grandpa and grandma compliments me with is different in meaning from how Aldo complimented me.’

After finishing the meal, Aldo was happy not to have not received a bad look from Nikola, who was in a state of being flustered, and he went back home after telling him that he would come again tomorrow. He gently stroked Nikola’s head today.

‘In the room where I am now alone, my heart is still not calm, and I’m groaning over on my bed with a growling voice.
My heart was always beating so fast that I could not sleep peacefully that night.’
*******
“You’vs loosened a lot, haven’t you?”
It was worth the intensive treatment without any rest, and even if it could not be said as possible, the stiffness of Aldo’s magic has been considerably eliminated.
‘―- At last, I was able help relieve his general stiffness.
I was satisfied with the recovery from the really terrible condition at the time of the first treatment to his current state, and I let out a happy sigh.’

“Oh. Thanks to Nikola. My body feels so light as before I started working at the Royal Palace. It’s too good to be true. I’m surprised.”

Aldo who got his upper body up is turning around with a bright expression. Nikola felt happy that his body is now more easy to move, and Nikola smiled.
“It was good.”
Nikola laughed softly, but Aldo frowned for some reason.

“Nikola looks tired.”
Saying that his smile isn’t energetic, Aldo overshadowed his previous smile.
“It’s okay.”
‘I shook my head and acted like a liar, but I got a little tired of standing, and my body was wobbling.’
“Nikola!”
‘Supported by Aldo, I sat on the bed where I was doing the treatment until now. My body is a little leaner. This is the first time I directly made physical contact with Aldo.’

“Maybe your magic has depleted?”
Aldo, who is in a state of sitting on the bed side by side with Nikola, asked the question while trying to look at Nikola’s face while supporting his back.
While feeling pitiful, Nikola nodded quietly. Even though Nikola is not a child who can not control his amount of magic or a sick person with a weak body, it is normal for the decline of his magic power.
It is a blunder that can not be helped even if Nikola stops doing foolish actions, but Aldo has a look that seems to be worried, and gently laid down Nikola’s back.

“I’m sorry. I have never had my magic depleted, and I never thought of it. Manipulative techniques use magic.”
Aldo seems to have regretted overworking Nikola. Nikola doesn’t want him to make such a face, so he shook his head loosely.

The purification of the magic element uses the power of magic even though it is a small amount. It is insignificant compared to the magical power used in healing techniques, but the amount of the hardened elemental in Aldo’s body was an amount that can not be considered ordinary. It was Nikola who was crazy to melt the hardened element. There was no awareness that what he was doing was unreasonable, but he was just crazy, and Nikola was rather pleased to do the treatment every day by wringing out his magic. ‘I should have understood my limitations and treated myself more carefully.’

“Don’t worry. I wanted to cheer on Mr. Aldo. In the first place, it is because I have less magic power.”
‘It is a simple symptom and to recover, you must firmly rest. It doesn’t mean that the more you’re involved in using your magic, the less you’ll wore out your body. So I’ll try to smile and act like it’s okay, but Aldo’s look doesn’t look sunny.’
“But………”
“I’m glad that Mr. Aldo is getting better.”

‘I have no choice but to reflect on the fact that I was doing a little too much work, but I am proud that I was able to reduce a little bit of Aldo’s pain with my own treatment.
That’s why it’s a little bit hard.’ Because Aldo has now become healthier, Nikola is happy.

Whether he was convinced by Nikola’s smile, or whether he thought nothing would get accomplished by talking to Nikola – Aldo held his shoulder and released a small sigh.
“Never before has the magic power in my body circulate so well. Because Nikola melted it.”
“Yes, it was good.”
Nikola smiled and felt satisfied, as Aldo’s hand gently caressed Nikola’s back, Nikola is carefully held as if he’s fragile.

“So, take some of my magic.”
The bright green eyes stared straight at Nikola with sincerity.

“Mr. Aldo, you don’t have to help me.”
“It was Nikola who helped me when my body was stiffened, right? You used your time outside of work to pamper and heal me badly, but you don’t want to receive my offer.”
While trying to dissuade Aldo, Aldo’s hand that is grasping Nikola’s hand increases its strength while being gentle.
The hand that is tightly held is happy, and Nikola’s chest feels sweet yet painful.

“I just wanted to do it.……”
“As do I. I don’t want Nikola to feel tired. I just want to help you a little.
I don’t choose whom to help, but if I have to choose someone, I will choose you first and I want to help you even when you are in trouble or when you’re not at work.”

As Nikola doesn’t hear this, Aldo passionately tells Nikola those words.
Even if you try to tell yourself that those words don’t have a special meaning, each one of Aldo’s words makes Nikola feel happy, his cheeks are hot, his chest is stuffy and his eyes are moist.

“Mr. Aldo.……”
*“Let me look good a little. You want to look good in front of your favorite person, don’t you?”

*So some people might be confused by this but what Aldo is trying. He’s saying that Nikola should let him give off a good impression in front of Aldo’s crush. The reason why Aldo is telling Nikola this is because Aldo is low key confessing to Nikola.

‘I doubted whether my hearing was off.
I thought I was dreaming.
Because if it is not so, I feel too happy, and I thought reality would hit me soon.’

“Your favorite person……”
“Who else would it be besides Nikola?”
‘When I asked him if I had heard the wrong words, he replied as expected.
There is always a passionate light in Aldo’s gentle eyes. Aldo is speaking seriously in a calm voice with his burning eyes.’

“But I’m a man.……”
Nikola, who had no choice but to be stunned by the unbelievable situation, accidentally spilled the point that could become the obstacle of his feelings.
“We’re two men……. I wonder if it’s disgusting.”
“No……. I don’t have a problem. I feel bad…….But Mr. Aldo……”
As Aldo had a sad look in his eyes, Nikola had reflexively held Aldo’s hand back. ‘I was surprised by the reaction, and I rounded my eyes a little, but I was happy, and Aldo smiled.’

“I gave up on marriage and love. So it’s not about sex, it’s about Nikola.”
‘I feel like my chest is jamming as I’m listening to his slightly lonely voice.
This person who should have healed a lot of people and supported a lot of people, has given up on finding his special person.’ Nikola was lonely because he knew Aldo as a gentle and nice person.

As if Aldo, who holds his hand, is holding on to him, Nikola feels as if it’s all an illusion.
Nikola grabs Aldo’s hand as he wanted to tell him that he’s fine with holding his hand. Aldo had a great smile on his face. Aldo’s lonely expression could no longer be detected.

‘Aldo said that he has been a healer since he was a child, because he had been quite strong since that time.
I did not think that it’s such a happy feeling to be healed by someone.’

‘It’s hard to believe that I was able to heal Aldo like that, but I’m very happy.
My chest feels clogged, my brain isn’t functioning, I can’t speak any words in return, so I just nodded.

“You’re kind, you’re soft, and you’re warm. You pampered me and healed me. You’re not attracted to me, are you?”
While trembling from those special words, Nikola widely shook his head.

“I love you, Nikola.”
Nikola’s hand that was held was drawn to Aldo’s mouth, and Nikola’s fingertips were quietly kissed.

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