Archive of Our Own

Kody doesn't know how to feel about Lumine when he first meets him. He's considerably scrawny, frail within his own stature with complimentary eyes that suit his pale tone. His white hair falls in tufts over his eyes sometimes, while other times it remains a neat nest on top of his head. Pushed back, it allows a view of his face that makes his eyes a glaringly obvious feature.

When they meet, it's on an off chance. Kody doesn't smile at him, even give him the time of day. He doesn't get close to people like that - he hates emotional intimacy.

That's part of the reason Lumine confuses him so much, if he thinks about it. Lumine is kind, gentle and ready to trust anyone who has a tender voice and a way with their words. Kody is the opposite. Blunt and hard spoken, crude and somewhat mean. Lumine doesn't mind, he trusts blindly with a twinkle in his eye that leaves Kody at a loss. Just how one could be so genuine is something he couldn't grapple with.

Lumine is strong as well, contrary to his slim and meek build. With a swift kick, Silver is laying on the convenience store floor, his mask contorted from what it once was. Even as a cold barrel approached him, he reacted quickly, as if it was easy work for him.

Then Lumine was his bodyguard, something he wasn't entirely thrilled about. His alone time and ability to sit with his thoughts were important to him, and he hated socializing on top of it. Especially with someone so positive, energetic and carefree.

It's almost as if Lumine has never experienced the bad parts of life, the parts that leave you on the ground pleading for a change, a different outcome. Kody doesn't ask - it's rude to question someone so deeply.

He questions his own conviction though. Sometimes, Lumine stares blankly, like his mind is speaking volumes and he can't silence it. It's as if he's thinking deeply, pondering something. He still doesn't ask, choosing to keep his lips tightly sealed shut unless it's to throw a half hearted sarcastic or rude comment. Lumine doesn't get upset, he puts up with it.

When Lumine drinks the potion and risks himself for Kody, Kody doesn't care. It doesn't mean anything, because he will leave eventually. He's simply being paid by the pound from Aiden, his father, to tolerate Kody's existence. It's as if Aiden is renting Kody a friend.

He doesn't believe Lumine when he says he's not being paid, but it isn't till Lumine drops his head, his tail thumping against the wood of the attic floor. His ears flatten, falling against his platinum curls as he frowns. The words fall from his mouth in a melancholic tone. He offers to leave if he's that much of a burden, and continues to promise he was not paid. He was here because he wanted to be.

Kody softened and his mouth opened before he could think about his words, and he was kind. Soft spoken, for the first time in a long time.

It isn't till they're kidnapped that Kody is annoyed his bodyguard isn't there - isn't that his whole purpose? He's sure that if he was there he would've already gotten them home by now. However, on further thought he couldn't tell if he just thought highly of him or his strength was truly that great. He didn't like the idea of thinking highly of someone, of caring, so he chalks it up to his strength and raw ability.

Blood was dripping from his mouth when his eyes opened, and screaming was a faint ring in his ears. Blurry eyes blinked desperately, grasping for a look of his surroundings. He pleads for his vision to come back to him, because blood is a raw smell in the air and this time he knows it's not just his.

He can hear growling, the sound of claws against concrete and a faint whimper. A squeak echoes off the walls and as his vision clears he sees a weak Lumine barely fighting back.

Lumine is bloody, his white hair now tainted a maroon that was a mixture of many people's blood, but mostly his own. Kody can tell, because Lumine has gouges all across him that are dripping into small puddles everywhere he moves. He dodges swiftly, moving sharply but it's not enough. Even Lumine can't handle three weredogs.

Kody's eyes start to sting and his throat is closed as his breathing falls choppy. He crawls, desperate. He can't fathom just why Lumine is doing this for him. He's just a weak witch boy. Witch is a loose term for him, he's far from a witch. He's spitting blood, coughing and sputtering from a simple flame spell. His body is melting into the floor, and he can't reach out to save Lumine.

He needs to save him, because suddenly, he realizes just how much Lumine means to him. How much Lumine has put up with from him, how tattered and close to death he is just for a boy he never seemed to care. He did care and suddenly he knew how much, his body shaking and wracking itself with tears and Lumine hits the floor.

A jaw is tightly clamped on his neck, blood slithering down his entire being. It's all his own, and Kody feels horrible. Tears swell in his eyes, melting his skin as they're hot against cold cheeks.

The teeth sink deeper, and a loud crunch resonates. Lumine yelps, his eyes falling shut slowly as his hand desperately reaches for Kody, as if he's the last thing that matters in these last few moments of his life.

Kody's mouth moves on instinct, and he screams. he screams for Lumine, screams for him to live, screams for not himself but for the boy in front of him on death's doorstep.

Lumine's eyes open and his head snaps up. Suddenly, something sparkles in his eyes and his demeanor shifts.

That's when Lumine first saved Kody, and Kody had never felt so strongly for someone.

When it's all over and Kody is much more aware, he gestures for Aiden to free Lumine from the shackles he'd placed, and Kody practically melted when he felt Lumine's fur touch him, despite the gruesome amount of blood. He sobbed and he apologized, Lumine now in human form as Kody buried his face within his shoulder.

When he comes to next, he's in the hospital. Lumine is right there, talking to the shadow of what was once Bill - now it's the spirit of what was.

That night, Lumine stays with Kody. Kody has so much to say, but it's caught on his tongue. So that night, he just lays with Lumine. His small pup form is a warm and delicate thing next to his head and he's comforted by the slow deep breaths of Lumine sleeping.

Time flies by and many things transpire. His father's death, their navigation through a new city, new friends and most of all, his mother. The separation they experienced was living hell, and Kody's days were dull and depressing. The only thing that crossed his mind was Lumine. Even when his mom hit him and he knew he should be mad at her, seething with anger, he wasn't. Because he was too busy being afraid that the same thing was happening to Lumine.

His memory of Lumine blurred after a while, and he hated it. The platinum hair he admired so much was getting fuzzy in his mind, and Lumie’s eyes would mesh together into a disorganized blur as he tried to picture his face. He could only remember Lumine in his red hoodie and black pants, the way it hung off his arms because it was far too big for him and the way his sweatpants dragged under the heel of his shoe.

Eventually, even that began to fade and he resented it. He resented his mother for making Lumine a husk of what he was prior in his mind and he wanted nothing more than to see her death first hand. For him, for his father and for Lumine. She deserved the darkest pits of hell.

Everyday that he awoke, he was plagued with thoughts of Lumine’s condition. He didn't know how hurt he was, if he even was hurt and if he was okay. He needed to know to be able to breathe, so his chest was always tight.

He spent long nights alone in his bed, missing the presence of a snoring lap dog. At some points he even missed when Lumine would transform in his sleep into his werewolf form and crush him. His heart burned.

Time was an ever moving clock and his loneliness was a symbol of how he truly felt towards Lumine, though he'd never vocalize it. Instead, he maintained a steady thought in his mind that he will find Lumine, even if he dies in the end. His last breath would be spent on Lumine, on seeing his face and embracing him for the last time if it came down to the wire.

Shortly after these sleepless nights and grueling days, he'd managed to cut a deal with the same golden wolf who had killed his father. He resented doing it, but there were few things he wouldn't do for Lumine. His teeth clenched as he bit down his own pride, gulping down his harsh words in favor of finding what mattered to him.

They had tried to stop him from bolting downstairs, but they couldn't, there was simply no way to stop Kody when he put his mind to something. His shoes thunder loudly off the concrete as his body carried him desperately towards what he prayed would be where Lumine was residing, hidden under lock and key.

Sera screamed after him but he truly couldn't care to listen. He could only process the thought of Lumine and suddenly he could remember. His bright twinkling eyes that were always so soft, the warmth and compassion in his smile and the way his nose scrunched when he was mad. Kody wondered if that's how he'd look when he sees him.

When he does see Lumine, his body is weak and it takes a lot of energy for him to move. The disorienting spell on the place makes him dazed and confused. But when he saw Lumine, it seemed to all dissipate.

As Sera trotted off to free the witch children, they turned to each other and laughed. It seemed natural, like they were supposed to laugh. Not hug, not cry or even speak. They just laugh.

When Kody first notices Lumine's eye and the damage done to it, he's infuriated. He yells angrily, taking his anger out on the wrong person. Lumine tries to tell him it's not a big deal, but that only fuels his anger and he's suddenly sputtering out words in a rage filled tone. It's not till a moment later that he finds out just who did it, and suddenly he's once again sprung off his feet running.

His disorientation is immediately gone as he's fueled by his own anger and displeasure. Kody vows that he will learn a spell personally to fix his eye, even if he passes out for days and spits up all the blood in his system. He wanted to be the one who fixed Lumine this time because Lumine had done it for him an uncountable amount of times.

Lumine watches in silence as Kody rips the golden wolf a new one, his words falling without much thought. Despite just how massive the wolf truly is, he simply doesn't care. He knows he most likely looks dumb, looking up at this growling beast and screaming as if he had any room to challenge him or call him an opponent.

Eventually, all hell breaks loose again and they're side tracked. By the end of it all, both boys as well as everyone else are exhausted. They need to rest desperately and have at least a moment of peace in their lives.

His fathers friends offer up their shared house for all of them to stay for the night and not a single one of them denies the offer. Walking in, the house is rather large. There's more rooms than Kody can count and he almost got lost just standing in the kitchen. A large staircase leads up to the two more floors, and Sera and Camille decide to go explore in hopes to find which guest rooms they'd like to take.

His dad's two friends leave, yelling out from the doorway that they're going to go get pizza. As the two stagger out, muttering to each other like airheads, Kody looks awkwardly at his own shoes. Lumine and him are occupying the couch and the TV is rather loud.

He doesn't really know what to say to Lumine, so he doesn't say anything. His strong suit has never been words. So, he uses his heel to pull off his shoe, doing the same with the other and keeps his lips tightly sealed. His expression looks bored and almost angry in a sense. Furrowed brows portraying a picture into his mind. He's glad Lumine can read him sometimes, because most would be afraid to speak right now but Lumine is not.

“I missed you Kody.”

Kody turns his head and looks at Lumine. Lumine's head is turned to him as well, tilted slightly to the side. His curls fall off his face, no longer wrapping around his cheek as it hangs in the air. His monochromic eye is staring at Kody like he's the only thing he can see. Kody almost snickers because he really might be all he can see, considering his other eye.

The words hit Kody like a freight train though and his tongue slides over his lips as he tries to reply. He missed Lumine too, he really did. More than he's ever missed anything else in his life.

“Hm.” Kody replies, looking back towards his feet. His feet are somewhat cold now, despite the socks he has on.

Lumine knows Kody, inside and out. His answer doesn't upset him, it just makes him smile brighter. Silence doesn't ensue because Lumine would never let that happen, he is all but not talkative.

“How was it with your mom while I was gone?”

Kody flinched at the mention of his mom, not physically but mentally. It's not her death that he's upset about, it's her existence and presence in his life. His green eyes - a bright contrast to his tone - ficker over to Lumine. He doesnt turn his head, just looks blankly. His eyes move to look at his own hoodie eventually. Ultimately, he shrugs.

“It sucked.”

This time, silence does follow. He can feel Lumine's eyes on him, like he's waiting for Kody to elaborate on just how his experience was. Kody doesn't want to - he doesn't like to think about it. How hard her hand would hit his face, how she grabbed him by his chin and screamed and worst of all, the way she spoke about Lumine. She made him believe he'd never see Lumine again.

Lumine's eyes are still burning onto him, so he breathes a quick breath in and sighs it out.

“How was it down in that school or whatever? I imagine it wasn't the best place.” Kody says, filly looking at Lumine now. Lumine's smile twitches for a moment, but doesn't fully disappear, just softens.

“It was pretty lonely. It made me miss you a lot.”

Kody gives him a bored expression, one eyebrow quicker up.

“You already said that.”

Lumine smiles wide again. “I know. Cause it's true!” He says, firm on his conviction. He turns his body to Kody now, legs crossed as he fully seats himself on the couch. Kody imagines it's the first time Lumine has been comfortable in a long time. Feeling such a soft material again must feel odd.

Kody's expression remains on his face, looking unimpressed with the answer he received. He wasn't truly unimpressed. He wouldn't admit that though, and his feelings fell short in his chest. He ignored them.

Lumine suddenly looks off to the side, where the TV is located - hung on the wall - and places a finger to his chin. He'd tboughtful before he speaks, as if he's trying to recall something. “Well, besides that it wasn't too bad. I mean, I lived didn't I?” He smiles at Kody again. Lumine always finds the positive. Kody still doesn't understand, even after all this time.

Kody is about to let Lumine's words hang in the air and go back to thinking to himself, but Lumine opens his mouth to speak again. Kody is greatful. He missed hearing Lumine more than anything.

“So, you learned Terranian? You were talking to Sera and Camille.”

“Yeah.”

“How?”

Kody shifts to face Lumine as well, his green eyes piercing into Lumine as his expression remains dry. Lumine is still cheery as ever, his tail making a soft thump as it repeatedly wacks the couch. Most weredogs don't express their emotions through their tails like that. Maybe it's a werewolf thing, Kody thinks.

“My mom. Knowing languages is a witches pride or whatever she went on about - I didn't listen to her much when she talked.”

That forces a small chuckle out of Lumine and Kody wants to offer a small smile but he opts to only let his mouth perk slightly. Its not super close to a smile, more of a half-fulfilled grin.

“Soooo, do you understand me when I say this?” Lumine pauses, thinking up a sentence. “Want to play a game on the TV?”

Kody doesn't like buying into these sorts of things - things that test your smarts or how much you truly know on a subject. He's used to bullies doing it to show off how much better they are. In comparison to them, he was a dwarf moon while they were cataclysmic supernovae. He was insecure of himself to this day thanks to them, but he'd never let that secret slip.

“Only if I get to pick, your game choices suck.” Kody mumbles in Terranian, crossing his arms as he outstretched his legs onto the free space of the couch.

Lumine lights up, his smile ever shining as his tail speeds up slightly. It was loud and annoying to Kody - the repeated tapping of his tail that is - but he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

The second Lumine went to open his mouth and spew how proud he was, his expression fell distraught. He frowned and his ears pressed solemly against his head in fuax sadness. “Hey! My game choices don't suck.”

Kody doesn't retaliate and instead changes rhe subject somewhat. “Do they even have a game consol or anything?”

Lumine looks contemplative as his ears perk back up and he examines his surroundings briefly. “They most likely do, it seems like they're pretty wealthy.”

Kody hums at this, glancing at the TV. He looks at the little TV stand, which in reality doesn't really have a purpose considering the TV is mounted to the wall. It's simple, having too cabinets on either side that swing open and an open area in the middle of it where Kody can vaguely make out a few CD's. Kody wonders if some are old enough to be from when they were friends with his Dad.

Lumine speaks again, his voice soft and curious. “Haven't you been here before? They said something about knowing Aiden.”

Kody locks his gaze on Lumine, briefly taking in the new scar on his face, covering his eye. Kody will practice spells later tonight - maybe out in the garage - to fix it, he decides.

“I just met them. They knew him when I was little, before he'd taken me from Mom.”

Lumine seems intrigued, as if he's ready to question further, but he's abruptly cut off by the two airheads coming back into the house with a loud yell announcing their presence. Kody's expression drops and he looks just as unimpressed as always. It's his resting expression.

Their loud banter brings Sera and Camille down from upstairs, their faces looking equally displeased at the ruckus. “Could you guys be a little more quiet?” Sera said, lazily scratching the back of her head.

Normally, she wouldn't say such a thing to somebody who's letting her crash at their house, considering they do own the place. However, despite just meeting the two they've already intertwined themselves into this makeshift family that they have here. So in turn they're treated as such.

The family is small and by no means blood related, but it's what Lumine and Kody have. Kody wonders if that's how his dad felt with Sherry, Silver and even these guys. It's nice. Not traditional, but nice. Kody thinks he likes this more than his actual family.

“Listen, listen were just excited about the fact that we got pizza!” One of the two men exclaim, though Kody doesn't know who because he isn't looking. He's busy looking at Lumine. He liked to admire Lumine when he got the chance to. Lumine's head was turned towards the ruckus, which gave Kody time to look over his neck and spot the tendons poking from the skin, leading up to his jaw where his face followed suit. Kody turned his head to the ruckus as well.

Sera immediately perked up, her eyes shining at the idea of pizza. Nobody could stop her before she did it - she was too quick. She transformed into her weredog form and charged at the two men, barreling into them as she grabbed one of the several pizza boxes with her mouth, running away as fast as she came.

Discourse immediately followed, a lot of yelling and calling for Sera to come back. She didn't listen, however, and was gone into one of the many rooms with a whole box of pizza all for herself. Camille rolled her eyes and hauled off to go find her, a somewhat blank and annoyed expression on her face. This was nice, Kody thought.

Time slipped by again just as before, though this time it wasn't agonizing, it was enjoyable. They all sat around the island in the kitchen, enjoying several different pizzas. They had really gone all out, getting 4 pizzas in total with several different toppings ans general variations such as sauce, cheese and crust.

At some point, Camille had managed to get Sera and the pizza both to come back. Sera's face was pouty in a childish manner, as if she was upset she didn't get to gorge a whole pizza just by herself. Camille looked proud on the other hand, as if she was a werewolf showing her new catch. Camille said it was a grueling battle considering Sera's inability to give up and Camille's own pride, however the war was waged and the good side came out on top.

Childish banter filled the room as everyone went back and forth, going from chatting, debating to chatting again. At some points Lumine is dragged into it but his people pleasing nature leaves him agreeing with both parties which only fuels the debate until it dies down. Kody was silent the whole time and they never bothered him. Typically, he's not spoken to unless he speaks which he doesn't mind too much. Sometimes it's peaceful that way.

Somewhere along the line Lumine and Kody stop talking in Terranian and instead switch back to Kody's home tongue which is much more enjoyable for him. It makes him feel much more at home, as if things had never changed so drastically. It also dulls the constant reminder of his Mother, which is not only nice but comforting.

Nobody pays attention too much, just continuing to speak in Terranian. It's interesting to be speaking in a different tongue and still be able to understand all that's going on around you.

Kody and Lumine maintain a steady conversation as Kody lazily takes small bites out of his pizza. It takes him a long time to finish food as he eats in small, manageable bites. It's not as if there's a rush though, especially considering the rest of the adults are starting to open the liquor cabinet and have already gotten themselves quite involved in their own conversation.

Kody finishes his slice eventually and rests his elbow on the island, his body turned towards Lumine who was sitting next to him, Lumine taking a similar stance. Lumine's hands were placed in his hoodie pockets and his feet on the bar placed on the lower part of the stool.

“Maybe we should crash here for a while till I can make some money.” Lumine says somewhere throughout their conversation, changing the topic. Kody isn't really opposed to this idea, especially if Sera and Camille decide to stay for a little. Of course, they'll probably have to go back for some of their things which means they probably won't stay, but he's allowed to hope.

Kody offers a shrug and a slight head nod. “Yeah, it's not a bad idea.” Kody goes to speak again and then a thoughtful expression plasters over his features. It turns more sour and angry by the second, his brows furrowing. He raises his elbow off the table and leans in closer to Lumine, pressing his pointer finger to his chest.

Lumine looks confused, and Kody offers a mean look. His emerald eyes were the most intimidating thing about him, especially when he was acting confusing like this.

“If you fight in those tournaments again for money after I said no multiple times and you almost died, I will not be your friend anymore.” He says the last part with a certainty to his tone, though he's not serious. However, Lumine is naive and immediately takes this as seriousness, his ears falling flat and his tail ceasing all movement just as before.

Lumine's eyes look suddenly filled with hurt and he offers an extremely sad puppy-like expression, to which Kody would've melted if he didn't suddenly feel bad. “I won't! I swear Kody, seriously!” He says it as if he's pleading, pleading for Kody to continue being his friend as if Kody would've ever left in the first place. Kody has seen himself without Lumine and he would much rather die.

Kody simply leans back and quirks a brow, now putting his hands in his own hoodie pocket, matching Lumine. He looks unimpressed again - a signature of himself.

“You suck at sarcasm.”

Lumine lights up as he realizes it was never serious, though he repeats the same process as last time again, his expression pouty. “Stop telling me I suck at things.”

Kody just hums, glancing around him for a moment. The adults were huddled over by one of the many cabinets and they were bickering over what kind of liquor they'd indulge themselves in that night. Kody heard the words ‘celebrate’ and both his and Lumine's names tossed around a few times, but didn't particularly listen.

In response to Kody getting side tracked, Lumine speaks up again. “How about we go figure out the room situation?” Kody spares Lumine a glance before fully turning his head to him. He thinks and then nods quickly.

The odd duo quietly slips away from the ongoing feud, making their way upstairs. That group argues a lot. It's kind of like a real family, Kody thinks absentmindedly.

Lumine decides to lead them to the third floor, noticing that the entirety of the second floor is a disaster. There’s toilet paper somehow strung everywhere as well as a few of Camille’s potion bottles smashed - thankfully they're empty - and it's not worth wading through the warzone. Camille had been serious when she said ‘war’.

On the third floor there's an array of rooms, several being guest rooms while the rest were bathrooms. There's also a mini kitchen near the back. Nothing extravagant, just a small area with a mini fridge, cabinets, an oven and a microwave. Though Kody thinks this whole place is extravagant, it actually beats his old house by miles.

Lumine is exploring like an overly excited child, going from room to room debating which is best. He's talking, showing Kody all the differences and weighing his options aloud. Kody replies in hums, agreements or disagreements.

Part of him still thinks he's in shock from this whole day. 24 hours ago he was thinking he'd never see Lumine again in his life, yet he's standing here with him 24 hours later. He can't quite keep up with the conversation because he's too focused on understanding that Lumine is here, his mother is dead and now there's not a thing threatening them anymore. They can live normally. He will never, ever lose Lumine again. It's hard to process.

Eventually, after a back and forth that lasts some time, they decide on a room. It's spacious, a big queen sized bed placed directly next to the window - touching it - and a TV a decent distance from the foot of the bed, mounted on the wall just like the one downstairs. There's a few other things such as a nightstand and a wardrobe as well as decorations, though Kody doesn't care too much to examine them.

Lumine does though, and he's wandering around opening things with a curiosity nobody else could emulate, it was only something Lumine could achieve. Meanwhile, Kody found a comfortable spot on the bed and began scrolling through the TV. He can see the time on the top right corner, and suddenly he's surprised by how fast the day went by. It's already 11:28, and he knows they should both be getting some rest soon.

“Lumine.”

His head turns to look at Kody extraordinarily fast, his ears standing tall through the dense forest of his hair as he hears his own name. “Yeah, Kody?” He replies as if he's eager to answer Kody without any hesitancy or thought put behind it.

“We should head to bed, it's already 11:30.”

Lumine spares a glance over at the clock on the screen, watching it tick to exactly 11:30. He looks at the bed thoughtfully, staring at Kody for a moment before smiling brightly. “Yeah, you're right Kody.” Lumine takes his hoodie off, leaving him in a t-shirt and sweatpants. As he does this, Kody finds a tolerable show that will neither keep him up but also won't put him directly to sleep.

Kody's mind starts to wander while Lumine is buying himself taking his socks off. He stares at the characters on the TV, his mind beginning to become blank slowly but surely. He feels relaxed for the first time in a long time, and somewhere inside him he knows it's not only that Lumine is back but it's also the fact they're sleeping in the same bed again. That was one of the things Kody missed most.

He's distracted when Lumine gets on the bed, taking a place next to Kody. Kody is closest to the window while Lumine gets the opposing side, crawling under the comforters as he lets his head rest back on the millions of pillows.

“These comforters really are cozy. I haven't been this comfortable in a long time.”

Kody glances over at Lumine. He takes in the way his neck stretches as his head tilts slightly up due to the imbalance in the pillow. His working eye can be made out vaguely, though it's not facing Kody so he can't see it in its entirety. He wants to see it.

“What was it like down there?”

Lumine looks over at Kody when he says this and his brows furrow. He looks contemplative and suddenly Kody is worried he brought up a bad memory. Lumine begins to talk.

“Well, it was uhm, cold,” Lumine pauses, looking back towards the ceiling. “My fur kept me warm, which is a good thing I guess.” Lumine always finds optimism.

“It was uncomfortable of course, the concrete was solid and I always had to be in my little form which was also uncomfortable after a while. I missed having hands,” Lumine laughed. Kody didn't.

“But it wasn't all that bad. I got to transform when I used the bathroom so at least I got to be human every once and a while. The chain around my neck made it hard to sleep sometimes though, because it was uncomfortable. And it would rattle when I moved at all, which sometimes woke me up even though I'm a really deep sleeper.” He pauses.

“I'm just happy to be comfy again, and most of all to see you again!” Lumine says it like it's all okay. Everything that happened to him was okay. Kody was shaking.

Silence drips between them like an unattended facet. Kody can't breathe. It feels similar to how Bill was a crushing weight on him. His cheeks are suddenly running hot.

“Kody?”

He can't respond, he can't move his mouth. It's like how he felt every night in bed that Lumine was gone.

“Kody?”

He says it gentler this time. This time he sounds worried. Kody's eyes are stinging - he's trembling.

Lumine is shifting, Kody can tell by the way the bed dips next to him and then becomes firm again. There's warm water pouring down Kody's cheeks, dripping down his chin and slithering down his neck in a pattern only a snake could emulate. Kody wishes he was a snake. Things wouldn't be this way.

“Kody? Are you okay?”

Kody refuses to open his eyes. He just puts an arm over them, his other arm lazily placed next to him and his hand rests on his stomach. He can feel his own breathing. His breathing feels tight.

Silence again. It's all encompassing, it's burning through his ears and slithering into his veins. He's uncomfortable. He wants this to stop, he doesn't want to be seen. Kody wished he never asked.

Fingers slide around Kody's shoulders until entire arms follow suit, eventually engulfing his being. Lumine's upper body is pressed tightly against his and his arms are warm around his back. Lumine's knees gently knocked against Kody's thigh, and Kody continued to cry. He cried harder than he ever has.

Lumine has his head in Kody's collar and Kody just sobs. He's shaking, his figure rattling against Lumine's. He opens his mouth, desperate to speak but his throat is choking him. It takes him several moments to clear it all, to empty his mind just enough to formulate what he needs to. His head is starting to hurt, he thinks.

“I'm sorry.”

It's a faint whisper, so quiet he's sure Lumine barely heard it despite their absurd proximity. Lumine knows though - cause he just does - he knows Kody. He doesn't necessarily have to hear him to know what he said.

“For what?” Lumine is always curious. He always has to get a defined answer, he can't take what is ambiguous and open ended. It's one of the things Kody loved that about him. It was one of the many things Kody loved about Lumine.

“I did that all to you. I should've left with Calla and Elijiah like I said and let my mom take me. You've saved me so many times and what have I done?”

Kody has so much more to say but he can't get it out before he chokes and makes a pathetic squeak as his lungs gasp for air he simply can't get. The tears simply keep falling and the guilt is filling up within him. It's as if each tear is a drop into a pool and he's standing in it, and suddenly the waters rise and pull him under.

Lumine's hand moved onto the back of Kody's head, fingers threading through course, thick and dark black hair. It calms Kody but doesn't relinquish his guilt. He thinks about how his throat stings, but finds a way to talk.

“You have so many scars cause of me - they're all over you. You lost your eye for me. I was going to learn spells to fix it for you but instead I'm just sitting here crying.”

Kody finally gets out what he has been needing to for a long time, and Lumine is silent for a moment. The only noise was Kody's occasional sob. He was unable to suffocate before it slipped out, he tried to strangle it and push it down but it was relentless and he couldn't help himself at all. His head is starting to hurt worse.

“It's not your fault. It never has been.” Lumine starts simple, his words doing nothing to fan away Kody's guilt though. Instead, more doubts circle in his head. Kody doesn't say it. He feels like he's done talking for the night.

“I stay because I want to, you know that. These scars don't bother me, they make me kinda happy in a weird way,” Kody feels Lumine smile. He feels the pull of a grin melting into the skin of his shoulder and two prominent teeth gently graze him. He never realized just how big werewolf fangs were.

“Because they were for you.” Lumine doesn't elaborate or give Kody a long, drawn out speech to ease his worries. He just continued to smile as he held him, letting his words sink into Kody deeply.

Kody knew Lumine had much more to vocalize and that he could go on and on with reasons for exactly why Kody shouldn't feel that way, but Lumine knows Kody better than that. It's a constant, a consistent thing that always seems to be a silent agreement between the two. Lumine knows Kody better than that. It's a truce of sorts, Kody thinks.

Lumine knows something drawn out won't help, simple words will. So he left it at that for now. Some day, the rest will be said, but for now that is what's to be said. Nothing else.

Kody silently thanks Lumine for it. He doesn't say his thanks aloud, instead he just begins to compose himself. He focuses on the fingers intertwined in his hair, woven through as if needle and thread through unperturbed denim. The heaves of their breaths fall even at some point as Kody's throat allows for a clear passageway of air to flow through, nurturing his lungs. The feeling of being ribcage to ribcage isn't something Kody forgets about as they hug and he savors the moment for as long as he can.

“Are you cold?” The question comes from Lumine.

“No.”

“You're still shaking.”

“Hm.”

Kody doesn't admit why, not even to himself. He just offers a hum in response, denying a coherent answer. Kody is tired. His head is really pounding now.

Lumine goes to move in order to reach for the other blanket that's slung across the footboard of the bed. His grasp skips away from Kody, and suddenly he's cold and lonely again. He will never see Lumine again. He's back in that house with his mother and he's trapped.

It's not a conscious movement, however by the time it's done it's too late. A shaking hand reaches out and clenched onto Grey fabric, the desperateness seeping into the fabric. If it was water, Lumine's whole back would be gray by now. But it's not, instead it's an invisible emotion. Kody hopes Lumine didn't notice the vulnerability in his grip.

Lumine was sitting up while Kody was still laying, so his back was all he could think to reach for. A multi-colored eye shot back to look at Kody, as if questioning what's happening. Furrowed brows leak a tone of confusion from them and suddenly Kody feels regret by his actions. Vulnerability was something to never be shown.

As his fingers began to slip away, Lumine sat back. He realized what Kody was asking and obliged. Lumine knew Kody.

He faced Kody and Kody turned to face him. Their breaths were shallow, Kody's emerald eyes the only illumination in the room besides the moonlight and TV. They stared at each other. Then, they laughed.

Kody was the first to laugh, his tight knit face showing a splinter of emotion as his lip curled on the sides, revealing underlying emotions. Lumine smiled back, his emotions far from underlying. He was a book that was as simple as a children's book - easy to read, to understand.

Then Lumine sputtered a weak chuckle and Kody couldn't help but allow his own to slip from his lips, soft skin parting to allow joy to spill through. His headache was beginning to fade, Kody thought.

Kody had come to terms with how he felt towards Lumine, though he hated to think about it. It was hard to not think about it however, especially when the moon was lighting up the boy's features with a delicate blue, making the yellow in his eye glow brightly. Kody blew it off.

“I missed you.”

“Didn't I already tell you you've said that already? That's like the billionth time.”

“Third.”

Kody doesn't respond, just stares. His expression looks blank, bored and unamused. Brows pressed together contemplatively, eyes narrowed and lips puckered into a pout. Lumine just smiled.

“What?” Kody asked, confused. “Do I have something on my face?” He said, sarcasm heavy in his words. The cold breeze from the half opened window sent a chill down his spine and he shivered. The breeze made Lumine's curls gently wisp around however. Kody watched.

“No.” It's a dry response, especially from Lumine. Kody rolls his eyes, looking as angry as he always does. It brings a brighter smile to Lumine's face and Kody avoids looking at him.

Kody flips onto his back, laying in silence. He lets his eyes slip closed, contemplating his own mind. It was spinning in circles, harsh and fast as if a race track had gone rouge. There was a lot for him to think about, though he didn't want to. Kody opted to enjoy the sounds of breathing next to him.

Minutes ticked by, though Kody wasn't sure how many. He's not good with time, much less in his own head. Nor does he care to question how long it had been. He hears a deep breath next to him and the blankets shuffling. He's fairly sure Lumine had sat up.

“Kody?” The voice is soft, gentle and almost silent. It's as if he dared not to disturb Kody. Kody knows Lumine believes he's sleeping. He opts to play into it.

Kody doesn't respond, allowing his breath to stay steady and maintained. Lumine tried once more, though Kody let it go on. He wondered if he'd be able to scare Lumine after this. Lumine would probably fall off the bed or transform into his pup form, both of which often happen when he's frightened.

There was a time where Kody woke up in the middle of the night after a nightmare, and Lumine was still awake. Instead of making it known he was awake, he pretended to lie still and asleep. Similar to what he was doing at that moment. After a few seconds, he'd sat up straight and yelled out something - he couldn't quite recall what it was - and Lumine jumped as if he was a professional athlete.

His whole body had flown off the bed and somehow, mid air he transformed. When he hit the ground he landed on his back and slightly hit his head. Kody called him an idiot for that. That night, they had a pillow fight that went down in history textbooks.

This time is different. As he prepared to scare Lumine, the boy began to move again. The bed creaked slightly and Kody wanted to open his eyes, though he stuck close to his conviction - he would scare Lumine.

Instead, something oddly soft was placed on his cheek. It took several moments for him to begin to process, much less realize. When he did process it, his head was reeling. A small kiss had been placed on his cheek. Kody was suddenly red, confused and unsure of what was happening.

His eyes snapped open. He sat up straight and his eyes stared daggers into Lumine.

Lumine looked mortified, his expression switching from a soft, cheerful smile to a frown and a fearful stare. His ears went limp against his ruffled curls, his brows raised in shock.

Kody didn't think much when he did it, though he did do it. He reached for Lumine's hand, grabbed it and squeezed as if it was his lifeline. Lumine wondered if this is what blood pressure cuffs felt like. He'd never been to the doctors.

In an instant, they had kissed, and a moment later it was over. Kody was the one who moved in and who backed away.

Silence once again. As always. Neither knew what to do, so neither did anything. Their fingers still interlocked tightly, they stared blankly at each other.

Then it happened again. They laughed. However, this time it was loud and out of control, Smiles so bright on both of their faces that it could've provided a light source if needed.

Fingers slide over shoulders again, though this time it's both of them to each other, and it doesn't end in a hug. It ends with their firm grips holding on tightly, their foreheads clashing against one another as joy spews from their bones, into their voice box and out of their mouth. It echoes off the walls, leaving a resonating boom of their own voices for themselves to hear. Kody notices his voice sounds deeper than usual and he assumes it's from crying. It doesn't dull his laughter however.

Eventually, they silence themselves. They resort to staring at each other with slight grins complimenting their features. They would've stayed like that for a while, hands splayed over each other's shoulders and genuine happiness resonating from the two - if it wasn't for the fact they heard a yell from the floor below them.

“LUMINE, KODY IF YOU DON’T-”

Sera’s voice is cut off by Camille, and they only know because Sera manages to let out an angry yell at Camille.

This makes them laugh again, though much more quietly this time. As their stomachs begin to hurt, they lay back, allowing their bodies to recuperate from not only the laughter, but the roaring emotions within their minds.

They spend a few moments bantering about how funny that whole circumstance was. Kody thought it was hard to take Sera seriously.

Soon enough, they find something to properly sleep to and allow it to play a quiet hum in the background of their silence. This time, Lumine is the one to allow a desperate hand to crawl over, lacing itself within Kody's. Kody notices it's extremely warm. He wonders if all werewolves run hot like Lumine does.

They don't need to say any more, what has been said and done is enough. So Kody lets his arm fall over Lumine, his face finding its way into Lumine’s neck. They're comfortable like this - everything's simple. Nobody needs to say anything to know what they are, to ask for clarification. They already know. Today marks the date, and it's them from here on out. They know. Because Lumine knows Kody.

Lumine’s voice is quiet when it speaks up, barely an audible Husk of his normal tone. It's gentle, nervous and confident all within itself.

“Did you miss me too?”

“....Yeah.”