The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 229: Not the Best Husband

"Sorry about that," Damien said as soon as Clara left the apartment. "She can be a bit... judgmental sometimes."

"Eh, it’s fine, I don’t mind," Lane waved his hand dismissively, throwing himself back on the bed. While Clara did annoy him - mainly because she was against him - he didn’t hate the woman or anything, he could tell that her obnoxious behavior came from a place of genuine concern. And he could kind of get where she was coming for, after meeting Austin Moore, her and Damien’s father...

Of course, that didn’t mean he was going to stop arguing with her. She started it.

But, that was all. As long as Damien didn’t listen to her, she could say whatever she wanted.

Lane’s eyes followed Damien as the man returned to the kitchen to finally finish cleaning up. He didn’t say anything else - just a short ’sorry’, that’s all. Not that Lane was expecting some elaborate apologies, not at all. It wasn’t Damien’s fault, so he had nothing to be sorry for. Only that... it was a perfect opportunity for him to explain WHY Clara was so hostile toward Lane, both now, and back when he was ’Xavier’...

Lane waited (im)patiently for Damien to say something. He waited as Damien did the dishes, then as he went to take a shower, and returned in a set of cheap navy pajamas. He still waited when Damien poured fresh water into a bottle, and set it on the bedside table, in case either of them woke up in the middle of the night and wanted a drink. He waited when Damien turned off the lights and slid under the covers next to Lane on the tiny bed...

"Why is she like that, though?" Eventually, Lane couldn’t take it any longer and spoke up. "Making all those assumptions and all, when we’ve only just met. I mean, I get that I don’t exactly look like the most serious and reliable person, but still."

"Well..." Damien hesitated for a moment. "Do you really want to know?"

"Why else do you think I’m asking?"

Damien remained silent for a while longer. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to share it with Lane, he simply wasn’t used to talking about his private matters. Not with his friends, since he didn’t even have any close friends ever since he quit school, as he was too busy with work to keep in touch with them, and not with his lovers, since Lane was the first person he dated, and he always avoided personal topics...

Until now, that is.

In the dark, the silence seemed to drag on much longer. So much so that Lane started wondering whether Damien had fallen asleep, or didn’t want to answer. He had already opened up his mouth to say something to change the topic, when Damien spoke up.

"It’s because of our father. He wasn’t... the best husband for our mother."

"Huh. Did he cheat on her or something?"

"Yes... Among other things. He also took on loans and then disappeared a few times, leaving our mother to deal with the kids and the debts alone... Only to come crawling back once he ran out of money," Damien explained. "And mum took him back every time."

That was... very foolish, but Lane didn’t say it out loud. Instead, he asked, "Are they still together, then?"

"That’s... a bit complicated. Technically, they’re still married, but he hasn’t come back home for years. He just disappeared one day, shortly before my younger brother was born... And at first, we all thought it was just another one of his ’trips’, but he never came back. Later it turned out that he had his awakening, so he went to work for some promising Guild."

For a while, they lay in silence, Lane trying to make out Damien’s expression in the dark. His voice was so calm, but was he really so unmoved? Well, it’s been years, so it was possible he had grown a bit numb to it over time... But Lane had a feeling Damien wasn’t as over it as he might have seemed.

Still, perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to push him too far, and honestly, Lane had no idea how to tackle the issue well anyway, so instead he suggested, "Wouldn’t it be good for them to get a divorce? He’s rich now, so if they were to split the assets, your mother would benefit greatly. Unless they’ve signed a prenup?"

"I’m not sure... Probably not. Back then, he was relying on my mother financially, after all, so it wouldn’t benefit him at all. And my mum wouldn’t push for it."

"Great!" Lane smiled, shifting around and adjusting his position, turning Damien into a body pillow. "Then let me know if you need any help. Lawyers, evidence of cheating, anything you might need for a beneficial settlement, I can get it all for you."

"Thanks, but you really don’t need to-"

"But I want to," Lane cut Damien off, covering his mouth with his hand. "Just let me spoil you, okay? You don’t need to worry about the money or anything. I’m loaded, so it’s nothing special for me!"

"...Okay," Damien muttered into Lane’s hand. Although he still wasn’t convinced, he knew that lawyers and private detectives could get expensive, and even if he were to chip in with his siblings - all of whom were still in school, and only a few of them had part time jobs - it might be hard to cover up the costs. And it was about a better future for his mother and siblings, so perhaps he shouldn’t be so quick to refuse... "I’ll talk to my mother about it then when I get a chance."

"Good."

"Oh, and about Clara... It’s not just you she’s so hard on," he added after a moment. "When Ally, Julie, Elly, and Sammy were getting their first boyfriends, she was also very critical at first. She should warm up to you after a while, once she gets to know you better..."

Hopefully.