Max Kleinschmidt: “Meet me at the riverbank across Wolvessye monument at 4 pm."

Tom put his phone down for the hundredth time that afternoon. Saying that he was anxious was an understatement. Last week, he came out to Max, confessed to him, and asked him out; of course he had reasons to be anxious. Good thing he had been carefree days before, enjoying the fact that he kissed and was being close with Max that night. Last night, though, he couldn't sleep at all.

Leaning on the rails, he glanced over the River Eyl again. It was still, calm. On its banks, people were having a picnic with their friends or just walking around. It was a cool autumn afternoon, with winds softly blowing.

What… what would Max answer?

He already prepared himself in case Max turned him down. It wouldn't be surprising. Max did not like gays and Tom was not going to pressure him into going out with him if he didn't want to. At least he already knew that if Max did reject him, it would be in a peaceful manner.

But… what if he accepted him?

Honestly, he wasn't betting on it. Yeah, it wasn't wheat-field-turning-into-chocolate impossible but still almost impossible. Max would either be bi or joking to accept him. Given that Max was sensitive to anything gay, that wouldn't be surprising, but Max also kissed him after he confessed, saying that he'd think about it…

Argh! Tom sat back down on the bench with a thump, covering his face with his hands. This was stressful!

“I know it's not a good time right now, but still wanna make sure you know what you're getting yourself into."

He took a deep breath, then looked at his sweaty paw pads. Whatever happened, happened. Really, whatever Max would say to him would make his poor heart beat faster.

“I know, Lain. Don't make me even more stressed!"

“I'll be here, alright. If that dog ghosts you again, I'm gonna punch him across the river."

That was terrifyingly reassuring. Leaning back against the bench, the wolf wiped his paw pads and looked at his phone again. 16.03; Max should come anytime now. “Please don't."

Lain just chuckled and grinned. “Well, whatever the answer, I won't interfere. Call me if you need me."

“Y-yeah. Later, Lain."

…maybe he should come to Octo's instead and hang out with him.

“Hey, Tom!"

He looked up at the mention of his name, and his heart skipped. Max was walking towards him with that very hot-looking black leather jacket with a grey t-shirt under it and a god-damned handsome smile on his face and his very hot strong muscles. Really, the fact that he had been able to stand being around the dog without giggling like a fangirl was admirable.

“H-hey, Max." he stood up and tried to smile at the dog. At least he didn't slip.

“Oh wow, he looks a lot better than I remember."

Max smiled again, almost making him melt. “Good afternoon, isn't it?"

“Y-yeah, is of good afternoon."

The dog laughed softly. Tom was mesmerised by that. He looked so cute, so nice, so handsome, so everything. This man was… was the light in the dark room, the reason he pulled through, the star he almost gave up trying to reach…

He cleared his throat. “S-so… uh…"

“Quick to get to the point. That's Tom alright." Max smiled again.

Tom gulped and looked down.

“Yes, I want to be your boyfriend."

He looked up at the dog in surprise.

What?

What?!

What?!

Max pulled him into a soft hug, but Tom was too astounded to respond. He froze at the sudden news, not moving at all as the big dog pulled him. Max… Max accepted him? Max accepted him?!

Max accepted him?!

He fought the urge to scream happily. He had done the impossible! He had made Max his boyfriend! He had made the bloody football star of the campus his boyfriend! Was this a reply to all the things he went through? Him, a no-one, hella gay of a broken self had made one the hottest guys on campus his boyfriend?!

As much as he wanted to hug him back tightly, he couldn't. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. He was so overwhelmed with emotion he couldn't do anything except melt into the other's warm hug.

Max then released him. The dog looked at him with worry, “Tom, you okay there? You're trembling."

He wanted to retort, but he had to force himself to calm down. He took a deep, very deep breath and forced himself to look up to the dog. “Yes! I'm more than okay!" he smiled brightly. “I'm more than okay! Thanks, Max! Makasih! Gracias! Merc—"

“Whoa whoa whoa, easy there, dictionary." Max let out a chuckle. “I… uh…" he scratched his ear and looked away bashfully. “I don't know how this works, so, uh… y'know…"

Tom kept looking at that handsome and cute face.

“Teach me to love you."

He was glad the last thing he saw was Max's sweet smile before his knees gave out and he fell to the bench with a loud thunk.

“So, now we're boyfriends…"

Boyfriends. It sounded so… different, strange to describe their relationship. They had been really close; one could even say that they had been boyfriends for quite some time but only made it official now.

But along with the word, came another aspect of their relationship: sexuality.

It really slapped him in the face. They had been carefully arranging intimacy, commitment, and passion between them according to rules they figured out from their interactions. Sexuality was really a part of passion but still, it hit him like a truck.

…how did this work again?

Tom stole a glance at the dog and blushed. While it was true that he had shamelessly imagined some… interesting sexual scenarios with Max, he doubted Max ever did the same. He wasn't even sure whether the dog would be interested in that kind of thing. Would Max really be willing to do that? Would Max try to stay away from that?

Ugh, even after Max accepted him, he was still stressed!

He looked down at the menu, then back up at Max again. When their eyes met, they blushed and looked away. How did Max expect him to lead if he never even had any bloody experience in a relationship?! He was sure his face right now was as red as the tomato sauce in the middle of the table.

But enough of this! He finally had Max! Max accepted to be his boyfriend, so he had to do things right!

Tom took a deep breath, then looked up at the dog. “Max,"

The muscled dog one and a half times his size turned to look at him. Even when the fact hit him hard, he refused to back down again.

“Honestly, I…" he chuckled, masking his nervousness. “I never had a boyfriend, so… we're going to… to learn together."

It seemed to calm Max down. His ears went up slowly as he let out a sigh. “Lemme guess, you're still a virgin, too, right?"

The wolf's ears went down again. “Y-yeah."

“But it doesn't matter anyway." Max took his hand. Tom only let him do it. “Teach me to love you. I never went out with a guy, and you made me want to find out. You made me realise things about myself that I didn't even know. Who knows, maybe I'm really bi all this time, just never got around to accepting that I also like guys." Max laughed softly, his hold on Tom's hand tightened. “And I don't think that's a bad thing, as long as you're there with me."

Well, so much for trying to hold himself together. The wolf found himself blushing again. “You sound like you want to be with me."

“Call me a hypocrite, but now that doesn't sound too bad, to be honest. It's just you. I trust you." The dog laced their fingers together. “I mean, sure, I dated lots of girls, but I never felt close to them—like, you know, close to them. But with you, honestly," He blushed. “Dude, we cuddled on the bed. We groomed each other. We fucking kissed. I don't fucking care anymore if I'm doing that with you, a guy. And now we're boyfriends… which means… um…"

Max looked away with flat ears, prompting Tom to blush even more.

“W-who's… who's gonna top?"

“Here are your meals!"

Tom jumped on his seat, reflexively pulling his hand and almost knocking the waitress down. He quickly calmed himself, although his tail betrayed him by wagging.

“Oh… sorry if I ruined a moment!" there was no sorry in her voice, she sounded so happy. “Call me if you need help." And away she went, leaving the two canines to sort their feelings.

They began eating their food without talking or even looking at each other.

The wolf dared break the silence. “Do you want to?"

Max choked on his meal upon hearing that. Quickly giving the dog his drink, Tom helped him breathe.

“Jesus, Tom!"

“S-sorry."

“No, I mean—" Max put his glass down and wiped his snout. He took a deep breath, but still not looking at the wolf. “I mean, if you want me to."

Tom forced himself another deep breath—how many deep breaths had he taken today? “Don't worry about that now." He smiled at the dog. “We'll take it slow."

Max looked at him, astounded, then nodded with a nervous smile. “Y-yeah. Okay."

Now that sex was out of the way, Tom found himself calming down. His imagination was still running wildly—both being topped by and topping Max would surely be one hell of a first time—but he ignored it. They needed to think about things other than sex. This was his first time—no, their first time, so he wanted to make things right.

“So, this is our first d-date?" he blurted out.

“W-well, you said it yourself." Max scratched his ear. “Though, if you really want to be technical, that summer holiday can be thought of as our first date."

Tom almost choked on his food, then slurped his juice and held back a giggle. Looking back at it, he too thought of that as a date.

Changing the topic to something that wouldn't make him fluster, the wolf asked another question. “Max, uh, where do you live?"

The dog stared at him incredulously, then chuckled, his first genuine one today. “We've known each other for so long and you're asking me where I live?"

“No, not that. I mean, you're going to live here in Barrowisle, right? Have you found a place yet?"

Putting his utensils down before pushing the plate away, Max leant back on the seat. “Oh right. I haven't found a place yet."

Tom slurped his juice. “Where do you put your stuff now?"

“Over at Octo's place."

He almost trembled as he asked, “How about you move with me?"

Max looked at him, then he asked the wolf. “Is it okay, though?"

“It's more than okay, mate. We're boyfriends now."

That still tasted weird. We're boyfriends now.

“Oh, right." The dog scratched his ear. “How much is the rent?"

“Hm?"

“You know, how much is the rent? So we can split bills and stuff."

“Don't worry about the rent for now." Tom put his empty plate on top of Max's and slurped his juice. “I've paid for the rent for six months in advance. We still have four more months without rent, well, three and a half."

“How about bills and stuff?"

“All done for this month."

“Supplies?"

“I've also filled my kitchen with supplies for this month."

“I'll… do the chores then."

“No need since I cook, clean, and wash by myself."

The dog leant forward. “Come on! I gotta do something! I can't just live with you and not do something!"

Chuckling a little, Tom leant forward on the table and looked at Max. The dog looked at him back. “Okay, I reckon you can help me shop since we need more food now that you also live there. And maybe you can do the dishes. And maybe," he chuckled. “I can top you."

Max glanced at him but didn't look disgusted or anything. He simply sighed obediently. “Okay."

Tom laughed for real. “Nah, let's put sex later. Why're you so… entah dah, obedient about sex?"

“I don't know how things work, wolf, so whatever you say, I'll go with it."

“You know, that's going to make me fluster."

“It's already making me fluster!"

Tom chuckled and crossed his arms. “Why do I seem to be the older one here?"

“Because you're the gay one?"

“That kind of hurt—"

Max sat up straight. “W-wait! I-I didn't mean that way!"

“Eh, it's okay. I mean, I'm the one who asked you to be my boyfriend after all, of course I ought to be responsible." The wolf shrugged. “So, moving your stuff to mine?"

Looking at him, the dog let out a relieved sigh. “Moving my stuff to yours."

“How many boxes do you have? Should we get an Over?"

“Nah, I'll call Andy and borrow his car. He won't mind."

Tom opened the door to his flat with shaky hands. He was… he was going to live with Max. He was Max's boyfriend. Max was his boyfriend. Whoa.

He went inside and put the boxes down next to the sofa. Outside was a light shower. The wolf glanced at the clock; it was a bit past 20. Apparently, they had dinner at the restaurant for longer than he thought.

“Put your clothes in the bedroom." He said to Max as he plopped down on the sofa.

After putting his suitcase of clothes in the bedroom, Max sat down on the sofa beside him. “So?"

“So what?"

“Eh, nothing."

Their eyes met, then they flustered and looked away again.

Fuck, it still got him.

“Uh… so… rules and regulations I guess." The dog scratched his ear.

“Right… um…"

“Just tell me, I won't mind. It's still your place after all."

The wolf took a quick glance at the hallway, then back at the dog. “Okay, um… so… first, we've got to figure out where you sleep."

Max chuckled. “Do you really have to speak about our sleeping place so soon?"

“Well, I mean, that's something you'll do most of the time, you know." He looked back at the hallway. “You've seen the bedroom, right? This is a single-bedroom flat, so we're…. we're going to sleep… together…"

“Y-yeah… I-I wasn't expecting any other way anyway." The dog cleared his throat. “What's your side of the bed?"

“Huh?"

“Your side of the bed?"

“I… I'll take the wall."

“Sure. Bathroom stuff?"

“Nothing too important, just keep it clean and remove your fur from the drain cover after you're done, don't want to have it clogged." The wolf shrugged a bit. “Also, I hope you fit in the bathtub and shower."

“I think I fit. It's pretty big. So, laundry?"

Tom scratched his nape. “I usually do laundry every three days. There's a washing machine in the bathroom."

“Do I get to wash your underwear?" Max joked.

“Well… i-if you want. You have no problem with… you know, washing other people's private garments?"

“Nope. Did laundry back home sometimes. 'S not a big deal." He shrugged. “I'll help do the laundry, don't worry. You want me to cook too?"

“Okay, the kitchen," he took a quick glance at the kitchen area. “You can cook, Max?"

The dog laughed a bit. “Yeah, what kind of dish you want?"

Tom only stared at him. “Somehow that says you're going to burn the cooker in just five minutes."

“Hey! I watch whatever I eat… well most of the time." He chuckled sheepishly. “I can make some dishes. They're not the best, but at least I think they're delicious. Honestly though I want you to cook for me, your meals are illegally delicious."

“Weird flex but okay."

“So, you want flex?"

Tom threw the large dog a pillow, making him laugh. Yeah, he would want some flex, but… really, his heart couldn't handle any more teasing for today. So he stood his ground and leant back on the sofa, trying to smirk at the dog. “Do you want to flex in front of me, though?"

Max was still grinning. “Heh, why the heck not?"

“Do you know what would I think if you did that?"

“Whoa! Max's so hot!"

He took another pillow and threw it to a guffawing Max.

“Come on, nobody escapes my charm~"

“Don't make me horny right now, Max!" Tom growled playfully. “You won't see tomorrow's sun without having problems with walking."

“Is that a challenge? Or you just described yourself?"

“Oi!" He rolled his eyes. “Really though, do you really want to know…" He looked away as he trailed off, nervousness coming back in. “the things… I thought… about you?"

Max scratched his cheeks in discomfort, but his tail was wagging next to him as if the thought excited him. “Er… not now, maybe?"

Why did he have to be so cute? The wolf let out a chuckle instead. “Don't worry, though, I won't touch you if you don't want to. Just be ready for cuddles."

“Nah, cuddles are… uh… fine."

Probably he shouldn't make the dog uncomfortable. It surely had taken a lot of bravery to accept him, to be boyfriends with a guy. He should guide him slowly, and that was what he was going to do.

“Hey, Max." He said, standing up and walking towards the dog. “Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to you if you don't want to. If you want me to stop, just say stop. Don't be afraid to tell me anything, okay?" He sat next to him, keeping his distance to give the dog his space.

Max looked at him and smiled. “Y-yeah, I'd really appreciate that."

“Nah. I don't want to force you to do something you're not comfortable with." He smiled back. “So, the kitchen. Just use anything if you want, but make sure to wash everything and put them back where you take them. Oh and feel free to use the coffee machine. Supplies are in the drawers near the fridge, while cooking utensils are next to them."

“Right. Anything else?"

“Wait, shouldn't you be returning Andy's car when it's fully charged?"

Max stood up, surprised. “Oh, right! Fuck, I forgot! I'll get to Andy's!" He then went for the door but stopped before he opened it. “Uh, Tom?"

“Ya?"

“T-thanks," he looked down. “for everything. For taking me in, for being patient with me. Really, I don't regret being with you."

Tom smiled at the dog. “No, Max, thank you for making my world brighter. Thank you for giving me a chance."

They exchanged smiles, then Max took the key from the table and went out of the room.

When the door clicked shut, Tom let out a deep relieved sigh. They… they were now boyfriends. No need to keep secrets anymore. He wanted to do this right. Max was right; he was still debating himself, and Tom didn't want to force him into anything.

As long as they wanted to be with each other, then everything would be fine.

Unlocking the door, Max opened it slowly and went inside. This was going to be his home for who knew how long, so he'd better familiarise himself. But for now, everything seemed so new, so sudden.

“I'm home."

The dog chuckled to himself. Honestly, he had no idea what was he doing. But this was Tom, and although he wasn't quite ready to see the wolf as a romantic partner, he was willing to try.

Locking the door behind him, he walked into the dark living room. It seemed like Tom had gone to sleep. It was half to 22 after all. He met some ex-workmates before and had a quick talk; they said the company was open to new recruits. Maybe he could apply there.

“Ah, you're home."

His right ear swivelled to the balcony. Sure enough, he saw the wolf's silhouette on the transparent glass and curtains. Max took his jacket off and put it on the hanger, then walked to the balcony.

“I thought you already went to sleep, Tom." He said as he sat down next to the wolf on the floor.

The wolf chuckled a little. “No, not Tom."

Max looked at him. “What do you mean? Come on, you're hungry?"

The wolf didn't immediately answer, but when he did, he sounded somewhat different. “No, I'm not hungry." He looked at the dog. “I'm not Tom."

“Not… Tom?" Max raised his eyebrows.

The wolf looked back at the sky with a cigarette in his hand—wait, he smoked? He never told him he smoked.

“You remember that day in the hospital when Tom told you about multipersonality? Yeah, I'm that second personality." The wolf puffed the smoke. “Call me Lain."

Max just stared at him. He wanted to say that the wolf was joking, but when he really looked at him, he realised that this wasn't exactly him. Tom didn't smoke and he was subtle about his emotions. This, though, was different. They even had different accents.

“Call us weird, call us joking, that's fine." The wolf… Lain continued. “You have reason, I won't hold it against you. You're Max, right?"

“Where's… where's Tom?" He instead asked, somewhat uncomfortable with him. So, this was Tom's second personality? What was he like? Was he actually the one who'd been controlling the body all the time?!

Wait, was he the one who had been bloodthirsty back then?!

Memories and nightmares suddenly came back to him. Max knew he should've taken the mental recovery sessions the hospital offered after he brought Tom there. Sometimes, he had nightmares about that day, about Tom bathed in blood. He wouldn't say the dreams were about death, but they were very close.

Fortunately, they didn't stick for long and stopped after Tom woke up. He was sure that it was because Tom told him that he accepted that part of himself, which in turn might make him subconsciously accept that it was a part of Tom and that Tom could control himself.

Maybe, it was also because the sight of Tom was enough to remind him that this wolf was a gentle one.

Not this one, though. The personality who called himself Lain smoked again. “He's too emotionally tired for today, so I took over."

“Is he…?"

“No, he's not dead, just sleeping."

“Oh…"

“Heh, don't tell Tom that I'm smoking. He's gonna throw a tantrum if he finds out." The wolf laughed.

The air around him was different from Tom. The way Tom composed himself was… calm, orderly, somewhat dignified but friendly. A bit secretive sometimes, but it was because he kept things to himself. Lain, though… he composed himself like a rebel, like a ragtag person who didn't care about anything around him.

Is this… is he a more psychopathic version of Tom? Did they even have a healthy relationship? Why did he learn so many new and terrifying things?!

“I'm pretty sure you're scared as hell right now. Don't worry, I don't bite much." The wolf said, from his tone Max wasn't sure whether he was joking or not. “You have lots of questions, ask me away."

Heck, he was even scarier than Tom?! What was he, a psychic?!

“For starters, no, I don't fight with Tom over control of the body. I don't usually take control, only rarely." He looked at Max with sharp eyes; somehow, those red eyes looked harsher. “Also, I also have Tom's knack to read conditions and people quite easily. Tom just keeps things to himself."

Wait, did he say Tom could read people easily, could that mean…?

Max moved away from him. He knew Tom was perceptive but not that perceptive. “Uh…"

Lain grinned and smoked again.

Daring himself ask, he sat up straighter and looked away. “So… um… you know, that fight back then… you were the one in control?"

The wolf chuckled somewhat dryly. “No, that wasn't me. Yeah, I was there to help him—in fact, we're good at fights because we help each other. But after that moment when I told you to run away after shooting those two assholes—yeah it was me—Tom took over." Then his tone changed to something graver. “Everything happened after the howl was Tom."

Everything…?

The dog's eyes widened as realisation hit him. Did that mean the savage, uncontrollable brute drenched in blood whom he saw back then was Tom?! He turned to the wolf, horror in his face. So, the savage one was Tom?!

But, but, but it couldn't be!

Grinning at him, Lain put the cigarette in his fingers. “Hard to believe, huh?"

“W-what about the people you killed?!"

The wolf snorted. “I don't give a fuck what happens to them. Tom, though, the moment he doesn't give a fuck about anything, that's the moment you should start to worry." His expression then darkened, the grin left his face. “Trust me, you don't want to be near him when that happens."

Max debated whether he should go and wait for Tom to come back again. This Lain guy seemed dangerous, and the way he spoke about Tom, he seemed to dislike him.

That grin came back to his face as he puffed the smoke away. “Fuck them for making our life even more difficult than it already is. They can rot in hell for all I care."

“…so it's a regular thing?"

“What do you think we are, a serial killer?" Lain turned to look at him sharply. For the first time, Max felt afraid of being under that red gaze. He never realised just how scary was it actually. Tom never stared like the way Lain did… well, there was that time in the café, but even then, his gaze wasn't as harsh as this.

Fortunately, Lain looked back at the sky. The dog could sense the amusement from him. “We've got rough life, I know, but they can't stop being bitches about it. No, though, we don't usually kill people. It's one of those rules thingy Tom made, 'don't kill people without valid reasons'."

'We'…? Did that mean Tom used to kill people? Max's eyes were wide, but he didn't look at the wolf. That was… that was crazy!

Who… who was actually the bad guy here?

However, what puzzled him the most about them was despite their… psychopathy, none of them actually looked and acted psychopathically. Tom was… Tom, the nice, quiet, honest wolf who was friendly to everyone, and although he'd only had a few minutes with him, Lain seemed to be more of a bad boy and didn't look or act psychopathic. A jerk, maybe, but not outright psychopathic.

Maybe because he was now living with the wolf, he would see what the wolf really was, along with his quirks and psychopathy, if any. He hoped he wouldn't see that last part, though, thank you. That incident scarred him for life, and even though he still thought of the wolf as a nice guy, he could never see him in the same light again. He had to be very, very careful not to mess with him.

Lain leant back on the glass window. “Don't be afraid, though. Tom doesn't trust people easily—we don't trust people easily. When Tom trusts someone, I know he's made the right decision. You're safe, hell, all of you are safe. It's not like we're just going to snap and start killing people, jeez."

Coming from this second personality, that didn't really calm him.

“Tom only goes to that 'rampage mode' when the third voice wants to speak. Even then, he still tried to keep it with himself, even as far as isolating himself."

“T-third voice?"

“The joy of having a shittier-than-shit childhood, I suppose." The wolf shrugged. “Don't worry, Tom's not dangerous. He's the voice of reason. He can control himself." He elongated his legs. “Seriously, I'm not kidding when I say that Tom is a saint baptised in blood… well okay, that's too much. The point is, don't be afraid of Tom just because of that incident. He always has a reason when he does something; he did that thing to protect you and relieve himself."

“Just Tom?"

Lain stared at him. He stared back.

“Just Tom." The wolf looked away, then huffed. “Say, Max…"

“Y-yeah?"

Lain puffed the smoke. “You've seen what we can do. You've seen just how much we hate the world. I'm gonna ask this now before you—we—get too far into this. I don't want Tom to be hurt even more 'cause that means I'm also gonna be hurt." He paused for a while, then shifted and sighed.

Max gulped.

“Do you accept me, I mean, Tom—fuck, do you accept us for what we are?" He turned to look at Max intensely. “This god-forsaken, broken-beyond-repair self who has met Hell and came back without even a sliver of hope?"

Max wanted to look away under that intense gaze, but he just gulped and straightened his lips, steeling his resolve. He trusted Tom and Tom trusted him. “I more than accept you." He replied without even a drop of doubt.

Lain laughed at that. “Thought you'd say that. I'm no sappy romantic git like Tom but I'm sure he'd be delighted to hear that." He closed his eyes, lips forming an honest smile. “He's been through a lot. He just needs a fucking break with someone who accepts him."

“How about you?"

“Me? I'd gladly be a target practice 'cause I know there's no use for me. Tom still values his life, so he still deserves a place in the world. Me? Dude I've already got a one-way ticket to Hell and I ain't giving that away."

Max looked away, distraught by Lain's carefree attitude towards death. Yet, he figured that with life like him, he had a reason. He didn't know how was his relationship with Tom, and frankly, didn't really want to find out about that.

The wolf instead laughed again. “Don't worry about me, really. Just worry about Tom." Then, his laughter abruptly stopped before looking at Max intensely again. The sudden change of emotion disturbed Max. “If you hurt Tom, I will hurt you."

The shepherd gulped. “I won't."

“Just what I want to hear." Lain snickered. “Go sleep, lover boy. It's past your curfew. When I come to the bed, don't touch me. You'll wake up beside Tom tomorrow, not me. Would also be wise to never mention this conversation to him."

Maybe it was better to back away and wait for Tom to come back. Lain seemed to be too unstable. The dog stood up, looking at the night sky before taking a deep sigh. Tail waving in anxiousness, he turned back to walk inside. However, before he went inside, he looked back at the wolf and asked. “Lain, w-what's Tom afraid of the most?"

Lain didn't answer right away, but then he took a deep sigh as he bit what was left of the cigarette, putting the ember off by biting it with his fangs before throwing it away. “Inexistence itself."