The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 32: Setting up a Tent

"Mmmh..." Lane groaned, scrunching his face. He was sleeping so peacefully, but something started pulling on his arms, waking him up. Even though he didn’t want to wake up just yet. "What the hell," he muttered, tightening his arms around his body pillow. "Just fuck off..."

The tugging paused. Satisfied, Lane smiled and shifted around, adjusting his position...

Hmm?

It took a moment before it finally hit him. Something was not right. Since when did he have a body pillow? And wasn’t this body pillow a bit too firm for a pillow? It was comfy and warm, but...

And most importantly, wasn’t he in a dungeon right now?

Realizing what seemed to have happened, Lane slowly opened his eyes. As expected, he was greeted by the sight of grey pajamas covering a wide, muscular chest.

Ooops.

"Hahah," he couldn’t help but chuckle. "Ahem, I’m sorry, Team Leader. I get a bit cuddly when I’m asleep sometimes..."

"...It’s alright. But, can you move now?" Damien’s voice was slightly muffled, as he was covering up his face.

"Ah, yes, of course." Lane let go of Damien, although a bit unwillingly - the man’s chest was just so comfortable to lay on! He rolled over to the other side, and closed his eyes again.

They lay in silence for a good while, before Damien finally spoke again. "Do you do that often?"

"What?" Lane turned his head back to look at the man. "Do what? Cuddle with people?"

Damien didn’t respond. He was still covering up his face, so Lane couldn’t see his expression at all.

Lane thought for a moment. What was the best thing to say, considering his current circumstances?

"Well, I used to cuddle with my ex-girlfriend all the time," he eventually answered.

It was a lie. To begin with, Lane never had a girlfriend before. Or a boyfriend. He always only went for short flings or one-night stands, and avoided any sort of deeper emotional connections. Any romantic relationship would only be a burden, considering his lifestyle. No matter how good it was, it wouldn’t be able to last long, when Lane was constantly switching identities. He rarely even shared a bed with anyone else, usually preferring to just bail soon after sex. Therefore, he wasn’t actually aware he had such a cuddly tendency before.

It didn’t matter what the truth was though. What Lane needed was a story that would be convenient for him right now.

"You..." Damien started, but before he was able to say anything, he was interrupted by the ringing of the alarm set on his phone. He let out a heavy sigh, and turned it off.

The silence fell again. However, despite the alarm signaling they should get up and start getting ready having just rang, nobody moved.

"Ahem," Damien cleared his throat. "You can use the bathroom first."

"...Nah. Thank you Team Leader for your consideration, but I’ll pass. I would like to sleep for a few more minutes." Lane pulled the comforter over his head, closing his eyes again.

Damien didn’t let go, though. "No, you should go first. I can get ready very quickly." His voice sounded a bit weird.

Lane clicked his tongue. Not only Damien had woken him up ahead of time - he might have had a good reason, but Lane didn’t care about that - but now he wanted to chase him out of bed earlier? No way!

"I can also get ready in less than five minutes if I want to," he grumbled in response.

But Damien was adamant. "I insist. I can get ready in less than three."

"Hah!" Lane scoffed loudly. What the hell was up with Damien? Why was he arguing with him like a child?

All of a sudden, his eyes opened wide, as an idea hit him. ’Wait... Could it be...?’

With a swift move, he turned around and before Damien could react, pulled the comforter off the man.

He couldn’t help but bite his lip at the sight. Just as he expected, Damien was setting up a nice, tall, grey tent. And it was even taller than Lane expected.

Now that he was exposed, Damien didn’t waste any time and got up, escaping to the bathroom. While he didn’t run, it was clear from the way he walked that he truly wanted to, and was barely holding himself back.

An amused chuckle escaped Lane’s mouth. "Team Leader, there’s no need to be embarrassed!" he called after the man. "It’s all natural! We’re both men, I understand it very well!"

Once Damien disappeared from the room, however, Lane’s smile faltered, and he let out a sigh. It was such a shame. If only Damien wasn’t so persistent in his belief that ’Noah Murray’ was ’Evan Greene’, Lane could help him out right now. They could have such a good time together...

Well, of course, with how prudent Damien was, there was a high chance he would refuse Lane even if he asked... But, that was another issue.

Lane’s regret didn’t last for too long, anyway, as he soon found out that this whole situation brought an unexpected advantage - Damien ended up being so embarrassed that he couldn’t bring himself to face Lane! As they got ready and walked to the breakfast buffet, he didn’t spare him even a single glance.

"Team Leader. Perhaps I should switch rooms with someone, after all," Lane suggested, wanting to strike the iron while it was hot.

"So that you can cuddle in bed with someone else?" Damien’s voice was stern, and somewhat dark. "No. You are staying with me."

Lane paused in his track, taken aback. Was Damien... jealous? He soon shook his head though, and quickly caught up. "What is Team Leader talking about? I obviously meant sharing with someone who got a room with twin beds. I would sleep alone then, and my cuddling habit wouldn’t cause any problems. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for Team Leader as well?"

It took a good moment before Damien responded. His answer, however, was still unchanged. "We’re not switching rooms."

"Then what? Is Team Leader planning to tolerate me clinging to you again?"

The silence fell between them again. It seemed that Damien intended to completely ignore the question this time.

A playful smirk appeared on Lane’s face, lightly tugging on the corners of his mouth. "Team Leader, could it be that you..." he started, but then he bit his tongue.

’Could it be that you actually enjoyed me clinging to you like that?’ was what he was going to ask, but he changed his mind. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to tease Damien, since he wasn’t going to take it any further.

Besides, he already had an answer to this question. While he couldn’t see Damien’s face, his bright red ears told Lane everything he wanted to know.

Lane scratched his head, staring at Damien with a complicated look in his eyes.

So Damien was really into him.

Now that was... quite unfortunate.

He let out a sigh, and shook his head, chasing away the thought. No matter how Damien felt, with his keen intuition and astounding perceptiveness, he was a threat to Lane. And Lane had to take care of himself first and foremost.