“Isn't this, like, the fourth time it rains since midday?"

Octo took a sip of his hot chocolate, looking up when the dog exited the minimarket. Max smiled at him, a cup of hot coffee in his hand. Now that the rain ended, they could finally go outside. They had been locked inside the convenience store to wait for the rain for… well, for just ten minutes, actually.

They stayed under the shade, waiting for the last bits of rain to stop. “Five euros it's gonna rain later tonight."

Octo gave a chuff. “Nah. Zoogle said it's still going to rain intermittently until 22."

“Damn. The joy of autumn, huh?" Max laughed, the edge of his scarf falling from his shoulder. He put it back behind his shoulder and drank his coffee.

Octo chuckled along. “Exactly."

“Seems like it's gonna get worse soon. Winter's coming near."

They were on their way home from a practice match with another university in Barrowisle. It was just across the river, so they just took the bus there. However, when they were waiting for the bus with the team after the match, Max pulled Octo aside and suggested that they grab something warm to drink first. The panther was actually too tired for that, especially with the walk to the closest convenience store. However, when he sipped his hot chocolate, he felt a lot better. Also, the fact that Max was here might have something to do with that.

Octo stared at the shepherd and smiled. Sometimes he couldn't help but admire the dog. He was an excellent leader and a good strategist. There was a reason he was chosen for that football exchange programme. Not only that, he really cared for the team, so much so that Octo would say that the dog was the club's personal mood-lifter. The dog would hang out with everyone in the club, no questions asked, even with those he knew the dog wasn't close with.

Even more, despite Max's dislike for gays, Max really didn't think differently of him. That was something Octo was really thankful for. Max still treated him the same way before he came out, even down to the shoulder bumps and arse-whacking. That last one made him go red sometimes, especially when the dog walked away laughing.

“Uh… you okay there, dude?"

Letting out a deep breath, Octo looked away. “Yeah, it's okay." He sipped his chocolate. “You wanna go home and cuddle?"

Max looked at him strangely.

“You know, no homo." He added before the air around them became awkward.

The dog then laughed and pulled him into his arm and gently pushed him to walk when the rain finally stopped. “If you wanna pick me up, you gotta try harder." said the dog as he finished his coffee.

This time, Octo looked at him strangely, furrowing his brows. That was rather unlike Max. He himself didn't say things like that often, though, so maybe this was just Max's usual reaction.

“Nah, I know you're kidding." Max said again, then added, “You're kidding, right?" He scratched his nape.

Octo chuckled again. “Well, I'm not picking you up, but that cuddle is still an invitation."

Letting out a sigh, Max smiled at him. “Thanks for the offer, but sorry, I'm not interested."

He shrugged. “Worth a try. Now please let me weep in peace."

Max laughed and ruffled his head fur. He couldn't fight the warmth in his heart at that. They were walking to the nearest tram stop, Max's tail wagging and his own waving. The dog let him go and gave his shoulder a fist bump, smiling widely.

Octo smiled back at him.

“Anyway, you played very well today." The dog said, throwing his empty paper cup away into a bin and putting his hands in his pockets. “Didn't expect you to make that very wide kick."

Sipping his chocolate, Octo pulled his bag tighter. “I'm full of surprises."

“I still didn't expect that at all, like really." Max shrugged. “Though your kick went haywire."

“Honestly, I didn't either, but hey, at least they didn't get a score."

“Yeah." Max noticed a tram stopping in the stop just a few metres in front of them. “Hey, there's the tram!"

They rushed to get on the tram before it drove away, stepping on puddles as they did so. Octo was getting too tired, though, so he slowed down. Max already got in the tram and held the door open for the panther. “Come on, gramps!"

As soon as he got in the tram, the door closed and the tram drove away. Octo sat down beside Max and heaved for air. “Y'know… you can just tell the driver… hah… to wait…"

“Eh, whatever." Max took his phone out when it beeped, then put it back away. “Can't miss the tram with my panther, eh." He said, giving the panther's shoulder a gentle shove.

Octo only shook his head fondly.

It felt so long ago, the memory. Taking a sip from a cup of hot chocolate in his hand, Octo smiled in nostalgia. This place barely changed since that day. The shops, the trees, the traffic, they were still just like that day. That moment was three years ago, but it felt as if it happened yesterday.

Max exited the minimarket and drank from his coffee can. He noticed the panther smiling at nothing in particular. “Oct?"

“Yeah?"

“Busy day at work?"

Octo sipped his hot chocolate again, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, then let it go. “You could say that."

The dog let out an easy mrf and joined him under the shade, then put his hand on the panther's shoulders. “Got your back, panther."

“Thanks, dog."

It was three years ago. They were still in college, figuring out their place in society. The match that day was a victory, but that was not the most important thing. They had a lot of fun, and although the opposing team lost, he could tell they too had a lot of fun. After the match, he did his homework with the hot chocolate Max bought for him.

Now, they had their own jobs, problems, and lives. He looked at the sky above, the dark clouds parting to finish the first rain of the season. It had been raining before and they were trapped inside the convenience store for about ten minutes, just like that day.

He sipped his drink again. They were now leading their own lives. Max looked happy with Tom, and in a way, he envied the dog. Everything seemed to be going smoothly for the dog. For him, though, everything seemed to be punching him whenever they could.

Fortunately, this was still autumn, so things were still not as cold as he feared.

Looking over at Max, he couldn't help but smile. They were fully-grown adults now, responsible for their own actions. Max surely had grown up to be more mature. Gone were the guffaws and playful arse-whacking. He was quieter and he smiled more often instead of laughing now. The panther chuckled softly; he suspected Tom had something to do with that.

“Hey." Max said, waking him up from his musings.

“Hm?"

The dog sipped his soda and gestured at him to walk when the rain finally stopped. “How're you and Kevin?" He asked, letting the panther go.

He pushed his worries aside for now. “We're fine. He's still an ass, but at least no longer that much of an ass as when we first met."

Thankfully, after he apologised to Kevin about their fight during the summer holiday, Kevin seemed to be more… open with him. The wolf was flirty, he knew, but he became even more flirty and cute. He reciprocated, of course, because he really felt like something changed between them. It felt like… they became closer.

Octo knew that something was not right, that he wasn't really taking care of Kevin the way a boyfriend should, so he apologised to the wolf for the fight and tried to be more open. He began sharing more about himself, and while Kevin didn't open up as much as him, at least it was a good start. The wolf also began to show him more affection. Now, the effects were visible. They became closer and from what he could tell, trusted each other more now.

Like earlier today. Kevin was staying at his place. They cuddled all night after binge-watching an anime series that they found on Springrolls. He had to make sure they didn't drink too much, though. When he woke up, Kevin was cooking breakfast. His breakfast tasted a bit too salty and he didn't put enough spice in it, yet the wolf still gleamed brightly when he complimented him.

He needed to give the wolf some cooking lessons, it seemed.

“Glad you finally found the one." Max gave his shoulder a gentle punch. “I'm happy for you."

Octo laughed rather bashfully. “Thanks, Max. Seems you are, too."

“Well…" The dog looked away as his ears went down in embarrassment.

“How's Tom?"

“He's a lot better." Max said, now more confidently. “I still can't believe he turned me bi, but I don't mind. I… I think I'm starting to love him."

Octo reached out and petted the dog's head with no resistance. “I'm happy to know that. Now, please stay away from Kevin because he'll tease you to death and will try to get you to bed."

Max mrf'ed and shook his head fondly. “You better keep him on a leash, then."

“Of course I will."

They laughed again, then went silent. Octo finished his hot chocolate and put the empty cup into a bin.

“One year, huh?" Max then said when they sat down at a tram stop.

“Hm?"

“One year." The dog repeated. “It's one year, me and Tom."

Octo put his arm on the dog's shoulders and smiled. “Congratulations, dog. I'm happy for you two."

“Thanks, dude, that really means a lot." Max smiled brightly, then looked up. “One year, huh? Time really flies, doesn't it?" He laughed a little.

“Any plans on, you know, getting serious?"

The dog sighed. “It's too early for that, but honestly it doesn't seem to be such a bad prospect. I'm not in a rush, anyway; hell, even Hans is still fuckboying around."

Octo laughed and let him go. “You're coming home for Christmas?"

“Aye. Hans couldn't stop pestering me about it." Max shrugged. “How about you and Kevin? I mean, not to pry, but I don't know him personally."

He gave a soft sigh. “He's, well, he's more open now." He simply said. Kevin didn't seem to want people to know much of his story, so Octo kept what he knew to himself. “Well, he's still pretty much a fuckboy with feelings, that's for sure."

They laughed at that.

“That's him alright!"

“Like you wouldn't know!"

Octo took a glance at him and felt happy. Max was more confident in his sexuality now, and he was happy for him. Tom and Max, they really deserved each other.

Looking away, he chuckled on the inside. Really, Max was too precious for him. He had always thought of the German Shepherd as someone off-limit, but somehow now he felt like he missed out a lot. Had he decided to be serious about his stupid crush all those years ago…

No. It was fine like this. He shouldn't think about that now. Max had a boyfriend and so did he. Max was a close friend of his.

Very close, apparently. The dog's side bumped with him but no one pulled away. “Hey, did you watch the nationals last night?"

“Yeah." He replied. “Still can't believe Wonsbarrow lost to Hangswey."

Max laughed. “Damn, seriously, Hangswey is so full of surprises. I never expected Lorenz to kick that far! Like, seriously, he kicked almost the entire length of the field!"

“They also had three close calls, so that's only fair. Besides, you can kick the ball across the field."

“That's different! I'm in attack midfield! Lorenz is a winger!"

“His position is just next to yours, you know." The panther smiled.

“He's in the same place as you." Max pointed.

“True, but I'm a bit more to the back. Also, not gonna lie, their defence was very weak."

“Trashy, I think. It's like, they have great offence but poor defence. So, wanna bet who's the winner next week? Hangswey versus Hampstertown?" The dog grinned.

“Ten euros for Hampstertown."

“Fuck yeah! Ten euros for Hangswey!"

“Wanna get Lucas too?"

“I'm gonna call him later. Hey, we can all just watch together!"

“Sure. My place next Saturday?"

“Alright." Max put his hands in his pockets. “Eh, ask Kevin."

“No, he doesn't understand football. He can eat some watermelon with Tom or something."

That made Max laugh.

There was that alleyway.

Tom stared at it. It now looked like any other abandoned alleyway; a bit dirty with occasional rubbish bins. It still led to an empty road that led to some old factories. For some reason, this area was left untouched, rotting from a hundred years of no use.

He could see Death in the middle of it, looking back at him. Their feature was dark, but not intimidating. Instead, Death looked like any other wolf with a cloak over his body. Their face was covered save for his muzzle, yet he could still make out the cold eyes above that muzzle. Cold, but not intimidating.

This was the rude person who invited him to dance but left him alone.

He couldn't be angry at them, though. Death was just doing their job and it was not their saying to decide whom to be taken. No matter how much Tom desired to go, if it were not his time, then he could not go.

Walking inside the alleyway, he could hear tyres screeching as they came inside. There were people screaming, guns being shot, blood spilt. It was one of those rare times when he let the third voice and with it, his inner feelings come out. There was no use in denying it; he could only control it.

Death was still standing in the middle, as if guarding the scene of what happened five seasons ago. Behind them, there had been blood. There had been bodies. There had been death.

Tom nodded at them, and they returned the nod. Some might call him crazy, yet he himself knew that this was his mind's doing. It was his way of keeping himself sane.

Death did not speak, simply because it was no use. They were meant to be feared, to be avoided. Yet, to Tom, they were something to look forward to. After all his attempts to take his life away, he could only wait for the time when Death appeared before him, telling him that his time was up.

Now was not it, though.

He looked down and closed his eyes, feeling their comforting presence in front of him. “I'm sorry."

Death did not reply, but he could feel their hand on his shoulder as if telling him that it was not his fault. Inside, he felt conflicted. He didn't know whether it was his fault or not. Those people deserved their death and he only did that out of self-defence.

In doing so, he delivered them to Death.

Tom looked at the alleyway again. He accepted it. It happened. It was his action. There was nothing he could do. He was a killer, and he accepted his sins.

He looked up to Death. He could make up a smile, but not a menacing one. It seemed like a comforting, yet sad smile. They both knew what it meant. His place had been decided since the first blood he spilt. Death could do nothing to help, despite them both knowing that his actions were justified.

Justified?

He wasn't sure. Were his actions justified? Was killing people when he couldn't hold himself back something he was meant to do? All the roads he had taken led him here, many of which he paved by himself. Sweat and blood would hopefully make a strong foundation.

Fate led him here. Who was he to question fate? To question fate was to question himself.

Lain was a wild one, a personification of his fears and anger, yet even he knew when to bow to Death. Their urge for violence was still there, but they could only hold themselves back. His life was now a lot better. He had food, he had home, he had clothing, and he had people who cared for him. He was not going back to what he left all those years ago.

He could hold himself.

Inside his mind, Lain laughed sarcastically, but he knew Lain was nervous and afraid. He was afraid of being proven wrong. He was afraid of not finding the answers. He was afraid of not knowing whence he came. Who put them here? Who chose this path for them? Why were they here? Who killed their parents?

Who… were they? Who… was he?

Those were the questions that set him and Lain apart. Lain was one to want revenge. Lain wanted to find out who killed their parents and demand why. Luis was one to want to forget. Luis wanted to just move along and let it go. In the end, Luis won, and to make things even, Luis shared this body with Lain, acting as the one people call “Tom".

That was how they managed to get along despite the sharp differences in personality.

Death's hand moved away, making him look up. Their smile turned brighter, as if telling Tom that it was no use. What mattered now was to live his life until the day they came before him for the last time. When that day was, neither knew.

Tom nodded and stepped back. It was no use. It had been done, blood had been spilt, bodies torn, bones broken. It happened. There was nothing he could do against Time.

There was that alleyway.

Tom stared at it. It now looked like any other abandoned alleyway; a bit dirty with occasional rubbish bins. It still led to an empty road that led to some old factories. For some reason, this area was left untouched, rotting from a hundred years of no use.

This time, he wanted to keep it that way. He wanted to let go of what happened here, just like how he let go of all those incidents that happened before. Forgive but not forget.

He nodded once more, then exited the alleyway, leaving it with its stories. The soft autumn breeze swept past his fur, bringing with it his forgotten feelings.