This took ridiculously long, primarily because I didnt know how the fuck to even begin to continue. But! Its not so bad 8D;;; maybe. eh.

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"human"

The world swam into view the way that sunlight filtered through deep water. At first, Gauche couldn't put words to the world that he'd awoken in. Everything felt absent, like the words didn't exist and neither did the memories attached to them.

Soft hiccups and sobs met his ears, but he couldn't find the energy to turn his head to see where they came from. A warm weight was settled against his side, soft and fluffy feeling where it touched his skin.

He blinked and the world became dark again. When next he opened his eyes, the ceiling was bright with shades of orange, the crackling of a fire soothing him into a state of wakefulness. This time, the words came to him. He could put a name to the things he saw and smelled.

Pressing the heel of his palm to his eyes, Gauche fought to remember what happened. There was...blood. Someone was bleeding. And they were sick, they needed him. Panic began to build in his chest. Were they okay?

"Y-You're awake!" a nasal voice called, the relief nearly palpable.

Whatever the owner of the voice had been holding, it fell to the ground with a hearty plop as the sound of frantic foot steps came closer and closer. A boy skidded to his knees to Gauche's side, small and heaving for breath, as if he'd run a mile. He was filthy.

"Y-You're r-really okay..." the boy stammered, his eye welling up.

A name came to mind, as did the memories attached to that name. Gauche felt his stomach turn and he might have run away, if he hadn't noticed how exhausted and relieved the boy looked. As if he hadn't slept a bit since he'd fed off of him.

As if just now noticing how the man was watching him, Lag swallowed thickly. "I-I brought you food! R-Roda helped me catch it, to. I-I'll cook it for you, don't you worry! And you'll get better in no time!"

Gauche watched Lag stand and hurry back to grab whatever he'd dropped, surprised. A small part of him had expected the boy to eat him and be done. But he supposed that didn't really fit who Lag was as a person.

Letting his head fall back to the ground, the man wondered how long he'd been out. Must have been at least a day. Sitting up slowly, he groaned as his bones creaked and his muscles complained loudly. Sleeping on the stone seemed particularly punishing this time around.

A soft whine caught his attention, before a tongue met his cheek. Blinking, Gauche smiled tiredly, lifting a hand to pet Roda gently. "Hey there, girl."

Roda gave a content huff, tail wagging as she supported her front paws on his leg. She looked particularly exhausted, he noted sadly. His faithful Dingo laid in his lap, closing her eyes in contentment. She must have been a wreck when he'd passed out.

The scent of cooking meat stirred Gauche from his thoughts, turning his attention to Lag and the little fire he'd made. The boy had caught a decent sized lizard and had it cooking in the flames, the skin charring. It sent pangs of hunger through the man's stomach and he struggled to keep back the groan that accompanied it.

Glancing over, Lag gave a weak smile. "I-It'll be done soon."

Brushing back his bangs, Gauche eyed the sky. "How long have I been out...?"

At first, it seemed like Lag wasn't going to answer him. Worrying his lip, the boy shrugged weakly. "A day or two?"

That was to be expected, he supposed. Sighing, Gauche turned his attention to his arm. It was wrapped neatly and blessedly numb. This, he knew was a side effect of the boy's saliva. A hybrid Gaichu wasn't meant to strike so openly, stealth was important for survival. One couldn't very well feed off the vulnerable if they caused pain.

And, saliva or no, that had been hellish. It wasn't a sensation Gauche ever wanted to experience again. It brought back the memory though, of the boy's wound.

"Hows your wound doing...?" he questioned, debating laying back down.

Lag seemed surprised, glancing back at his stained and tattered jacket. "Oh...its healed. Y-Your Heart was just what I needed." the boy gave a small, grateful smile.

It occurred to Gauche that maybe Lag really did appreciate the sacrifice. If a hybrid could experience anything to begin with. He still wasn't sure what to believe. Sighed, he pushed himself to lean against the rough stone wall, closing his eyes.

"That's good...I wasn't sure if that would work."

He could feel the boy's trained on him, could sense that there was more to be said. Whatever was going on in the child's mind, he couldn't seem to voice it. Looking back to the slowly cooking lizard, Lag let a tired smile tug at his lips.

"I really appreciate it...I-I'm really glad you took that chance."

The man closed his eyes, drained of energy despite just waking up. "Its nothing. You're someone's important letter, its the least I could do."

Lag didn't respond. He turned the lizard over in the flames, worrying his lip. Even though he'd just eaten, the boy felt hunger rise as the scent of Gauche's kind, warm heart drifted across the room. It was hard to be around him, when he was so kind.

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