Mine's hair hue slowly turned into a faint red, then pink with dust of the usual ashy green - like a chameleon. Stompy heartbeat - like a dancer without rhythm - and stiff body made him uneasy. Also, it contrasted with his burning insides and desires that, no matter how much cold water he threw on it, the fire didn’t extinguish.

"Ah…" Addai sighed, leaning on Mine's side and almost whispering in his ear. "Sorry…” he apologized with a whisper but didn’t move an inch.

“F-For what?” Mine asked, body still as stiff as a drowning log.

“For this,” he slowly smooched Mine’s cheek, and both burst into a flush.

AH!

Immediately Mine rolled to one side, and Addai rolled to another, falling on the floor, both hiding their flushed faces.

Two round minutes passed.

They were mute.

Mine's back started aching due to the wounds, but he didn't mind once he was too flustered to pay it enough attention. Addai was boiling with embarrassment. He didn't know what to do or say for the first time in his life. He was always proud of how smart he was, but now… all his composure was in shambles.

"H-hey…" Mine called, acting as the ice breaker again, "… t-take m-my medicines p-please?"

“S-Sure. Where are they?” Addai asked, and Mine heard him standing up from the rug.

“T-they’re…” Mine slowly turned, being careful to not hurt his back more than enough. “------------,” he said something inaudible; his hair was oscillating from ashy green to pink.

“What?” Addai crouched, trying to hear what Mine just said.

Mine then faced Addai. His cheeks were tired of blushing and so was his whole body, which seemed to be as hot as a scorching iron, but it was, in fact, cold as ice. The strands of his hair changed from ashy green to pink – almost as his eyes' shade of rose pink. Trying to not let his vision blur from embarrassment, Mine made a sign for Addai to come closer.

“They’re… here,” he touched Addai’s shoulders and slowly embraced him.

His mind was a mess. Contradictory at best.

He didn’t want to think about all the complicated stuff, he truly didn’t, not now. Later he could ponder about the things and even feel ashamed or uncomfortable, but now… he wanted to feel it a little more.

Even if Addai pushed him away or broke their fragile friendship. Even if his own fears swallowed him before he could glimpse the light one last time. He allowed himself to do such a reckless thing.

Only for a while, he wanted to feel warm. He was tired of feeling cold. He could be cold later, but now he wanted warmth. Selfishness. He wanted to be selfish.

“You’re cold,” Addai caressed Mine’s hair and embraced him back.

Mine didn’t expect that- well, he didn’t expect anything at all. "A little bit," he replied.

Closing his eyes, Mine faintly smiled while nuzzling on Addai's shoulders. The other boy caressed Mine's hair, head, and neck, embracing him as if the world was about to end and that embrace went missing. It's been a while since he didn't do that, or maybe he had never done it and felt that way.

It was… addictive.

Mine had seen and felt countless chests, warmth, and heartbeats, but that one… that one was different. It was…safe.

Addai slowly ran his fingers on Mine's head, taking a few strands of the ashy green hair and combing them, feeling the dry surface and wet beneath. Then, with the free hand, he touched Mine's neck, caressing it gently until it reached his back and hitched a bit when his hand touched it. Gently stroking Mine’s back, Addai didn't know how much Mine was smaller compared to the other people, not only by his height but also by how quiet and vulnerable he was.

Mine then buried his face in his friend's embrace, letting the warmness wrap him up. Then, he felt a fluttering in his stomach, and then, as his head was buried in that embrace, he heard stumpings and rumblings coming from the warmth he was experiencing. The beat was from a messy dancer dancing fast tunes and rhythms. A heartbeat without control, just like his own.

“Are you nervous?” Mine asked, holding a nervous chuckle.

“Don’t know. Don’t ask,” Addai grumbled.

“Alright,” Mine chuckled.

The room was quiet. The wind was blowing from the window… the smell of soap and food mixed in the air… the clouds started rumbling more and more… the first drops of rain falling on the floor and leaves… the rain smell coming from the window… and Mine's sigh of relief on Addai’s shoulder before a faint snore.

"Hey," Addai called, and Mine came back from that quick travel. "I think I need to go, then you can rest properly," he explained, loosening the embrace.

Mine was still dazing from sleep. Maybe the human medicine was way more effective than the analgesics and sleep pills.

"… already?” he rubbed his eyes.

“Yes,” Addai stood up. “Call me if you need anything, ok?”

“Hmm…” Mine hummed, recovering his brain's basic functions. “Ok then, but take an umbrella, it’ll rain-”

RUMBLE.

The lights went out, only the lightning's light filled the room and its loud sound.

“Ah, perfect,” both grumbled.

Mine lit a mana candle with his hands, but it soon extinguished. “What…?” he looked at his own hand, puzzled.

He tried once again, and a high blue flame lit, hitting the ceiling, which Addai had to absorb before Mine burnt his own house down.

“What was that?!” Addai asked, startled and with the tips of his bangs slightly burnt.

"I don't know," Mine shuddered, hands trembling, and the small Chronos pattern formed on the back of it. "I'm unstable yet…" he muttered, and the pattern faded.

“That’s fine,” Addai lit himself a mana candle. “Do you have candles anywhere?”

"Yes, they're in the kitchen. Lemme guide you,” Mine held Addai’s arm, careful to not strain his hurt back too much.

As they walked along the dark corridors, took the candles, and lit them in strategic places, the rain became lighter and pleasant - perfect for reading books and taking naps. The wind was refreshing, just as the rain smelled... and Addai still prompted to leave, but planning how to do so with the borrowed umbrella and stormy sky that would certainly beat the umbrella with only a gust of wind.

The warrior was bold, but the opponent (rain) was bolder.

"Spend the night here. I'll lend you Pjs," Mine voiced, slurping a bowl of soup he had just heated. "The rain is too fierce for my poor umbrella, and you'll catch a cold being reckless."

Addai grumbled and attempted to leave the house, just to check if he would succeed or not… and he didn't. The umbrella twisted, causing him to slip on the grass. He quickly retreated inside. Mine handed him a soft, warm towel to dry himself off and held his laughter.

"Well, I'll stay then," Addai decided, wiping the droplets from his face.

“Good! I heated one more bowl of soup for you,” Mine beamed. "Ah, change your shirt as well. Lemme take the other spare shirt my cousin left."

The candles swayed as the wind blew from the windows, and Mine smiled, feeling refreshed by the cold and humid wind. He loved that, and so did the candles. He found it beautiful how the warm shades of orange and yellow from the flames painted his living room and skin. Sometimes, Mine allowed himself to change his hair's color to orange or yellow, following the flames' colors until he got tired of too much effort.

Addai was reading a random book he got from the nearby table, and it was surely weird, once his brows were knitted.

"AH!!! THIS BOOK," Mine recognized the 'sinful' book his sister gave him. "DON'T READ THAT!!!!!" he flushed, and Addai startled, dropping the book.

"What?" Addai asked, confused.

“It’s a… hehe… a…” Mine started while hiding the book behind him. “It’s an unfinished book my sister wrote… hehe… she's an author, and I'm her beta reader…” he grinned, making the book disappear with a spell that luckily worked.

"No wonder the story was weird as hell. I think she should change a few things here and there," Addai started. "Well, there are good things, but it's… bland," he said, and Mine was relieved that he didn't read the utterly suspicious parts of it.

“I’ll write that down, thank you,” he smiled. “Ah! This setting is perfect for a dancing session!” he beamed, but Addai wasn't following Mine's train of thought.

“What does it have to do with the book???” Addai tried to understand but failed.

“Book? Nah! The candles!” Mine widely smiled. “Come! Give me your hand.”

"How 'bout your back?" Addai asked, crossing arms.

“If we do it slowly, it’ll be fine,” he smiled again.

“… if I don’t do what you say, you’ll surely grab me, right?”

“Yup!” he shamelessly grinned.

So, Addai stood up and organized the living room for a dancing session. He dragged the furniture and unrolled the corners of the rug. Soon, he also made sure to arrange the candles in better places so that the floor was well-lit, and, meanwhile, Mine tested how far his body could move without it hurting too much. With the living room tidy, Mine positioned himself in the middle of the room with enough animosity to make Addai smile without realizing.

Mine extended his hand and made the first adjustments to Addai's posture, which was terrible as always. Then, he guided one of Addai's hands to his waist and held the other.

“Is it like… the same way we did last time?” Addai asked, confused about how to start.

"Yes and no," Mine chuckled, which made Addai even more confused. "It's a posture my mother taught me to slow dance, and I found it very comfortable," he smiled, "it's only steps, and once my back is hurt, we won't do twirls so… we'll only step-step.”

"Step-step,” Addai echoed, trying to reproduce what he thought it could be.

“Not that stiff…” Mine explained. “Let your back, hips, and shoulders loose, but not that loose. It's not a contest, so… relax~" and guided Addai on the first small steps.

Slow steps to the side, only two. Then, slow two steps to the other side. A quick release and bend, but not too much to not hurt Mine’s back. Come together.

“Understood?” Mine asked, placing his arms around Addai’s shoulders.

“Y-Yes,” he nodded, trying to ignore how close Mine was.

“Good! Now we’ll be moving as if we were spinning, but remember the two steps,” he grinned.

“And… your arms will be like this from now on? Or am I using the wrong posing?” Addai asked.

“I’m only resting them on my personal holder,” Mine teased and received a huff back. “Hahaha! Ok, let’s do it with music,” he quickly took his cell phone to play the chosen music and selection.

Fragile. This word crossed Addai’s mind while he swayed and let Mine guide him in that slow and calm dance.

Mine was fragile. Fragile like glass but strong like a tempered one.

He surely knew Mine was tired, but that boy still gathered strength to dance with him anyway. He knew Mine's back was destroyed and very hurt, so hurt they gave him many painkillers before they stepped outside the hospital. He knew Mine was scared of being alone, and yet he was ready to let him leave freely.

The soft candles glowed, and the music was played in slow tunes.

Mine was at ease, even though his forehead was starting to be warmer than the usual, flagging an upcoming fever episode. He was resting his head on Addai's chest as they took the small and slow steps. His hair was glowing pink again, and orange hues dusted some other locks of hair.

A strange and foreign phenomenon Addai found intriguingly beautiful.

His long lashes were resting at ease, hiding his two pink gems under the lids, and he knew that soon those eyes would be damp with tears when the effects of analgesics and anti-inflammatories wore off. At least, he would be there to wipe them and give him a cup of warm tea and spells to ease the pain before giving him some more medicine.

Addai brushed his lips on Mine’s hair and stayed like that, enjoying the soft tunes and the small warmth on him – inside and outside.

I'll be patient... yes. I'll be... patient... it's too early, right? Addai thought as he closed his eyes. Just don't take too much time... ok?

On Addai's cellphone - miraculously not lost in the incident as well as Mine's - an anonymous message popped up, glitching the whole device.

/I found you... Lilith's heir/ the message showed once again before glitching, then disappeared as if nothing had happened.