Kiba opens his eyes to find himself in a hospital bed, Inui clasping his hand, warm tears dripping onto his fingers. He's never seen Inui cry before, at least not like this. And for whom? The man who had betrayed him. Inui always had more faith in Kiba than the man himself did, or anyone else, really. But he never really realized this, not until now. Raising his other hand to gently cup Inui's face, wiping tears away with his thumb, he tries thinking back on what just happened.

"Kiba?"

He must have passed out. His abdomen is throbbing, his legs feel numb, like they're not even there. Inui must have hit him there, Kiba realizes.

It was a small price to pay in exchange for getting to live. He'd manage even without functioning legs.

"Kiba!"

Inui must be consumed by guilt. Kiba wants to lessen this, somehow. He feels that he deserves way worse than this for what he had done. He wants to reject Inui, push him away, because he doesn't deserve him. Not his guilt and not his-

"Kiba! Just... Say something already!"

Kiba snaps back into the present. "Inui..." His voice sounds awfully hoarse.

"Kiba..." Inui tries to wipe his tears with his sleeve but it doesn't work as well as he anticipated and he gets more snot on it than tears. "Oh fuck..."

Kiba smiles. For a bit he feels like nothing even happened. Like they are back at the batting cages, just talking and enjoying the other's company. Back then, Inui Takumi had a calming effect on Kiba. With him he felt understood better than by anyone else.

But Inui clung to an idea of Kiba when the man himself had already changed. Kiba knows now that he'd been wrong, at least partially. It's no easy choice - humans or orphnoch? But to fight for the humans, who had betrayed their trust times and times again... Kiba was starting to understand what Murakami had been saying all this time. Maybe the humans were eternally meant to be his enemy.

Yet Inui chose them. Inui chose them over him.

Kiba didn't really know why he'd even cared so much. It seemed to be much less about gaining a strong ally and far more about... Having Inui by his side.

He looks over to Inui, who is now frantically wiping his snot-covered sleeve with a tissue.

"Inui..." Kiba says and Inui stops the snot wiping and looks at him, with that soft expression of his, and it feels a bit strange. Kiba is now too awake to ignore the stinging in his chest, or his throbbing headache. "...What happened?"

Absent-mindedly crumpling the tissue in his hand, Inui takes a moment to think. He looks down then, his expression visibly darkening. "...Your legs..."

"Inui..." He takes the other man's hand, the empty one, in his, and squeezes it firmly. "It's okay. It's not your fault... You made the right choice"

Inui's eyes glaze over again.

"It could be way worse. I could be dead right now!" Kiba says in a joking manner.

The other man doesn't laugh. He hums briefly, as if to signal that he has thought the same thing. But it seems to do little to console him.

They stop next to an old willow tree, as they'd agreed on just a few moments ago. Darkness had engulfed the sky, only letting through the soft shine of stars. In the distance there was chattering, the sound of carafe meeting carafe cheerfully and the flickering glow of torches. The fest Lukas and Python just left.

"So, Lukas…" Python breaks the silence suddenly. "What's so important?" The question lingers in the air a little. Lukas closes his eyes, the gears in his brain are overworking themselves. He is at a loss. He'd asked the other to come with him, to talk to him, but now he could not put his thoughts into words. Talking about whatever went on in his heart was new ground for him after all. It was not something to be taken lightly. Lukas takes a deep breath, his eyes open again, fixated on some spot on Python's face - just not his eyes. "I don't think I will ever come around."

Python looks at him, confusion written all over his face. It takes him a moment to understand. "Oh." He says. "Well, don't let it bother you. You'll find a girl eventually, we can't all be married at 25 or so." "No." Lukas shakes his head. "I don't think that will happen." "Eh? You ought to be more specific there, Lukas. I'm no mage, I can't read minds." "…I don't think women are for me, really." Lukas feels his knees give in a little. So unlike him. "So, like…" Python frowns, deep in thought. "You mean… Men are more, uhm, your objects of desire..?" Though his words almost feel like a jape, neither of them laugh. "I don't know, I mean - I haven't given it much thought." He had given it thought, to some degree. Ever since he met Python in fact. "If that were the case. If I felt attraction towards men…-" Python placed his right hand on one of Lukas' shoulders, a smile adorning his tired face. "Not like you'd be the only one." "I know that, Python. If it were any other way, I wouldn't be having this conversation with you, I don't think." "Ouch! And here I was giving my best trying to hide it…" "As Forsyth might put it, your best is only as little effort as possible." Lukas says with a grin and they both laugh, clearing the subtle tension in the air. Lukas can relax again now, at least a little. He still isn't used to how freeing it can be to talk to someone about whatever is bothering him.

Python lets out a big yawn. "How long were you holding that one in." Lukas asks, his everlasting smile back on. Python laughs tiredly. "Feels like an eternity."

In the distance, the sun is slowly lifting its head above the horizon, illuminating both of them. Lukas takes in the view a little, then looks over to the others and sighs. "The sun is already rising and they are still at it… I leave them for a bit and with me does their common sense, apparently." "Oh come on, you think they would've listened to you if you'd told them to stop? Drunk as they are?" "This may come as a surprise but I'm told I can appear quite threatening." Another sigh. "Oh, it was a mistake of me to allow mere children to drink. I should have intervened…" "Ack, Lukas, don't blame yourself for their decisions as if you are their father. They were an unruly bunch to begin with." "Hm…" "Also I am wracking my brain trying to see how you could ever appear threatening to anyone. Cold, sure, but you're tiny-" "I don't see what my size has to do with this." "I'm just saying." Python grins. "To me you are as threatening as a sheep in sheep's clothing." He adds, and pats Lukas head lightly. "Is that supposed to be a compliment…?" Lukas raises a brow, unsure what to make of this. "Sure."

"How. And why a sheep?" "Huh? Because of that saying, you know, a wolf in sheep's clothing!" "A 'sheep in sheep's clothing' is quite nonsensical." Lukas feels that it implies that he wears his heart on his sleeve, instead of keeping it locked up. It doesn't sit right. "Agh." Python narrows his eyes. The light of the rising sun is dancing on his blue hair and fair skin, Lukas can make out subtle freckles on Python's cheeks- "Does it matter? Sheep are cute." Lukas averts his eyes. "You're right. Sheep are cute." He wants to ask what Python thinks of him, but doubt gnaws at him. He fears rejection, he realizes suddenly.

Python turns to Lukas. "Have you ever touched a sheep's wool? As it was still on the sheep, I mean." "I don't think I have." "It's not soft as you might expect." Python says and absentmindedly runs his hand through Lukas' hair. "It feels rough, and it stinks… Unlike your hair." He is playing with one of Lukas' curls now. Lukas stands there, frozen. He can feel heat rushing to his face and he fears he was about to turn as red as his hair. He was ready to bury himself.

"Hey…" Python notices Lukas' reddening face immediately. His hand brushes against Lukas' right cheek. "…You're burning up, Lukas. Caught a sickness? That's no good." Lukas curses the sun for rising. Anyway, either Python was as dense as a brick wall or he was only pretending to be - it didn't matter. This was killing Lukas. "You look like a tomato, you know." Python pinches Lukas' cheek. "Ripe and ready for plucking." A snicker.

"You're challenging my patience, Python." Lukas struggles to keep his composure. Python apologetically takes a step back. "My bad, my bad." "…And I'm perfectly fine, just feeling a bit cold." Lukas manages to smile but it must seem awfully fake. If Python noticed, he didn’t mention it. "Let's go back then." Python points to where the others had started singing songs now, unbothered by the world. "Not yet." Lukas faces the horizon again, the sun is now further up and stronger sunlight falls onto both of them. The warmth of that light mixed with the icy breeze from the hills which makes the leaves on the willow tree rustle in calm waves is a sensation Lukas can't quite describe. He shivers a bit and looks over to Python who, Lukas realizes with a slight stinging sensation in his chest, is clearly staring at him. He wishes he had the ability to make some snide remark but instead he averts his eyes again quickly. This, an emotion he couldn't put into words, made him feel like an unknowing teen, and unbelievably foolish.

Without any warning, Python throws his right arm around Lukas. He's warm. Lukas almost falls from shock. He stares at Python, confused. "I can't let you freeze to death here just because the sunrise is so beautiful, you know. I think we'd all be pretty lost without you." Lukas smiles. "Maybe I should opt for long sleeved armor next time." "…Let's hope there won't be a next time." "Of course. I was speaking hypothetically."

Lukas allows himself to lean into Python, lost in thought. "You're a bit like a wolf." He says then. The other laughs. "Not a python?" "Of course not." Lukas frowns. "As majestic as they may be, pythons and you don't have much in common." Python hums. “Why a wolf then?”

Lukas thinks about this for a moment. “I haven’t given that much thought. I only realized it just now.”

“I kind of understand.”

“…You do?”

“It’s because of my handsome good looks.”

Lukas closes his eyes. “…Sure.”

Python laughs and pulls the other closer.

If he could only fall in love with men, he would be alone til death, is what Lukas had thought.