Arriving at his humble residence – whose garden was more beautiful than ever due to Mashitsu's help – Mine remembered that the keys were in his bag, which no one knew where it was anymore.

But there was hope! Mine was sure he had an extra key hidden somewhere in the front gardens… yeah, it could be somewhere.

Pretending to be accustomed, Mine lifted the carpet in front of the house and had no extra keys. He cleared the bushes near the gate and found no key. He looked around near the plant pots and found no keys...

...

... Mashitsu could be of help if he didn’t come back to his home.

Pretending to be accustomed again, Mine tried to pick the lock, but he forgot that he had placed a repulsion spell, which ended up throwing Addai and him away.

...

How about the windows then?

“There,” Addai opened the front door.

“How did you do it?” Mine asked, dumbfounded.

"The key was inside this small succulent pot," he showed the pinkish succulent next to several small pots with tiny, colorful flowers.

“Oh right… ehehe~ thank you~” Mine started grinning shyly, hiding the mana hammer in his hands. “So… do you want to enter? It’s about to pour,” he looked at the rumbling clouds in the sky, “and you're all ragged. Stay for dinner."

“I don’t want to disturb you,” Addai sharply replied. “You need to rest. I’ll be going.”

“Geez, you’re damn stubborn,” Mine huffed and took Addai’s hand, pulling the stubborn person inside.

The smell of lavender and patchouli incense sticks – lit at dawn – welcomed the duo that reeked of hospital disinfectant. Not only that, but the decorations filled the guest's eyes as well. There were more plants, rugs, and paintings done by Mine's friends and nephews, as well as handmade gifts placed on the main dresser.

It was a “tidy” mess, Mine could tell.

Already taking off the borrowed coat, the first thing Mine did was to put it on the washing machine, just waiting for the rest of Addai’s clothes to press the start button, who was showering by Mine's demands to not dirty his house. Mashitsu's clothes could be handy, and fortunately, he left two blouses and shorts.

"I got my cousin's undies. Maybe they'll fit you," Mine shouted from the guest bathroom door, himself already showered and fresh.

“Isn’t it already used?” Addai asked, muffling his flustered voice.

"No, it's new. Mashitsu bought it more than necessary so... here," Mine attempted to open the door but a shadowy thing closed it right away. "HEY, I'll not peek! Damn…" he grumbled, relieved the slamming door didn't hit his finger and trapped them into a deadly pain.

“… just leave it on the floor, and I’ll take it.”

"Ah, c'mon! I have the same thing as you do, and I said I wouldn't peek! Why would I do-"

Oh.

Oh.

Mine was no better than a man. Well, he was a man.

His eyes unconsciously surveyed Addai’s body, which was only covered from the hips below with a towel, and oh… what a view.

He never pictured how good his body was beneath his bitterness and always brown, tall-necked shirt… nor how thick his thighs were… nor how he could oversee some more details his eyes weren't tired of surveying right next to the towel's knot he wished it fell, and oh he wished for that.

“Where are the undies?” Addai asked, feeling his skin itch somehow.

His wet hair looked so... – you know what – that Mine started staring at how the droplets of water did their way down his cheeks, neck, chest, and abs and reached the towel barrier.

OH.

Mine couldn’t help but flush.

“Goddamn,” Mine muttered, loud enough for Addai to hear and still staring at the towel's knot. “God sure has their favorites…”

"…" Addai also flushed and slowly closed the bathroom door while Mine turned away after handing him the spare underwear, both pretending nothing had happened.

The orders arrived earlier than expected, which shortened the almost absolute silence between them. The discomfort was palpable, and Mine refrained from commenting on anything like that... until they sat on the couch to watch a random TV show.

“Hey, you’re too silent to be true,” Mine finally said, breaking the icing silence. “I mean, I like silence, but what’s up with you?”

“…” but Addai didn’t reply nor looked at Mine's eyes.

Mine knew why he was silent.

Who wouldn't be shocked to see a previously dead person talking as if nothing had happened?

Unconsciously, Mine blamed himself for being reckless and falling for the sadistic creature within his insides. Who knew what he could have done to the other people in the subway train?

That being was pure madness, chaos. Once, when he was influenced by that side, the small Mine threw a kid off the swing and broke a few bones after they told him he was weird. Another time, the small Mine threw fists with a demon hybrid that ended up almost being exorcised. His uncle came to his aid, giving him medicines to control its influences.

It was risky in many ways. Also, it was unpredictable. Sometimes the medicines worked, but when faced with highly concentrated energies, that version would take over if uncontrolled, and if Mine didn't let it take over, it would turn worse by taking control by force…

… but why Mine couldn't help but feel guilty?

“Ah…” Addai sighed, blowing out his distress. "I’m glad you’re fine," he confessed, facing Mine.

The dark circles below his sharp and surprisingly gentle eyes made it crystal clear that he had a stressful and tiresome day. Curiously, he had no harm over his body, nor his face or arms, which was impressive once the incident was gruesome.

“I know it wasn’t your fault,” Addai said before Mine opened his mouth, his voice meek and low. “I do know it wasn’t your fault but… you were clinically dead and that scared me as hell. You were cold, light, and...” as he talked, his eyes kept saying that his worries could swallow him anytime.

“Oh…” Mine lowly voiced, having nothing left to say.

He didn’t remember a thing.

He only knew the shots he recalled at the hospital, which were like pictures from a Polaroid, but nothing else than that. His memory was hazy as if the creature did the favor of erasing his euphoria moments’ records as if it burnt all the pictures freshly taken.

“I'm nothing less a colleague… someone you can casually let go and forget, like a sock lost in the wardrobe. The time with both was cool, but if you lose one side, that's fine, you can buy another one," Mine chuckled miserably. "So... why are you acting like this?” he asked, not looking into Addai's eyes, but a sound made him turn his gaze to him.

That question did Addai's eyes slightly widen, as if Mine asked a sinful thing or something very unpleasant, so unpleasant his nose then slightly frowned.

“I am your friend, isn't it enough?” Addai sharply replied. “But it seems I'm the only one who sees it that way," he looked away.

Mine was stunned.

Wearing a blank expression, he blinked once, twice, and thrice, trying to understand and process all the things in that simple yet complex sentence. His eyes told the confusion in his mind was apparent and troublesome, but Addai couldn’t see that, and as stubborn as he always was, he was ready to leave.

"Wait!"

However, Mine was faster. He quickly grabbed Addai's hand and stopped him from standing.

"I…" he blushed, still holding Addai's hand, not loosening the grip. "I'm just… I see it the same way," his cheeks blushed a bit more.

His eyes were trying to look anywhere but Addai, whose eyes were still locked on Mine, widened a bit. A peculiar watercolor palette began to blend the colors of his blue and golden eyes as if they were adding a little more vibrancy to the once vivid colors… and returning them to their bright state once again.

The once grayish tones of Mine’s hair were painted with that peculiar watercolor as well, giving the green a little more yellow and blue hues, which mixed turned into his usual greenish color. His eyes, once pale pink, turned back to the usual sweet pink, like the peach color all over his cheeks.

“I’m sorry to frighten you that way,” Mine apologized, loosening the grip on Addai’s hand. “Can you… can you wait a little bit until I tell you the truth?”

“The truth?” Addai echoed.

"Yeah, about… me. About that thing, and… how I… got hurt that way," he fidgeted, not knowing where to place his hands. “I just need a little more time… please?”

Mine didn't know how much time it could last, but he needed that, so he could trust him... or at least try to do so.

“Ah… ok,” Addai sighed, “tell me whenever you're ready. I can wait,” he decided and placed his both hands on Mine’s cheeks, cupping them. “Just… don’t do such reckless things again, please,” he said with a breathy and shaky tone, leaning forward and pressing foreheads.

Mine was stunned, again.

His whole body felt the euphoria take him from head to toe but in a slow and surprisingly comfortable way.

A good euphoria.

The soapy smell, the partially wet hair, the cold and warm parts touching him… it was so confusing to pick a lane and feel the chosen feeling about that.

He was a mess...

… and he wanted more.

The realization made his cheeks flush, so he threw a cold water bucket on that wildfire, killing watever it wanted to burn.

Addai then started caressing Mine's sides, as if he was trying to cuddle him - a good "cafuné," which people say it's the act of scratching someone's head with your fingertips as a sweet gesture of care and affection. It was so addictive Mine slightly pended his head to the side Addai was scratching more, not caring that his hair was getting messier and messier. 

Mine wanted to reciprocate, so he gently started caressing Addai's ears as they were still pressing foreheads.

It was funny. Addai's ears were soft and cold, contrasting with his warm forehead and hands - that stopped the cafuné.

Then, Mine ran his hand on Addai's shaved sides.

It also felt funny. He chuckled when his hand felt tickled, but he kept surveying that interesting surface while he could.

Moving to the hair, Mine was surprised at how fluffy it felt to touch and made a mental note to tell Addai to let his hair grow and not shave the sides so one day he could feel its whole fuzziness.

Mine didn’t know how much time had passed and how much he was exploring those new textures. It was oddly comfortable until he noticed Addai looking at him. The pair of heterochromatic eyes were very close to his pinkish eyes.

“S-Sorry,” Mine apologized, not knowing where to place his hands (and face).

“…” Addai leaned and dropped his head on Mine’s chest. “You can touch more if you want.”

Mine blinked twice before letting out a soft chuckle at how much red Addai’s ears were and even his neck also was. Still, he didn’t bother and started twisting some hair strands. It was so cozy and fluffy that he couldn't help but lean and rub his cheek on Addai's soft hair.

"You can touch it, but I'm not a puppy," Addai grumbled and Mine pictured his usual pouting and frowning face.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Mine laughed and started counting how many moles he found on Addai’s reddish neck.

One.

Two.

Three.

He didn't know Addai had that many moles on his neck and wondered if he had more of them because he always spotted about four to five moles when facing him face to face.

He was a funny person.

Then, Mine noticed that there was a small space between the borrowed shirt Addai was wearing and his back. From a distance, Mine could picture two more moles.

He was a funny person full of moles.

"You know," Mine started and Addai faced him, "my sister tells me that moles mean your lover kissed those spots very often in your past life. So, it seems you were very loved,” he chuckled, not realizing the weight of those words…

… and the impact it could have on somebody.

Suddenly, Addai pinned Mine against the couch, who couldn’t help but feel breathless by being caught off guard. The couch was small and narrow, very uncomfortable, but perfect for two bodies to feel each other's warmth.

Those heterochromatic eyes were a menace, and Mine could feel the gaze burning him from the inside out in a pleasant wildfire.

That could be dangerous.