The days passed by and Adon no longer felt any pain when he moved his shoulder the wrong way. It had been a slow but easy recovery and now, he was at a point where he could say he was healthy. Although he still got dizzy more than usual. That didn't deter him from going to the Kmer Ruins for some actual training with the sun beaming down upon the land. Adon didn't risk the chance of catching a sickness from the chill of the rain.

Instead, he just had to worry about getting a heatstroke. Especially when the surface of the ruins was hotter than usual with the rocks almost scorching to the touch. Before leaving, he had left the kitten with Namupun so the poor creature wouldn't die from too much heat. Beyond that, training alone gave him the opportunity to ponder his thoughts without tigers watching him.

Or so he thought.

The moment, Adon set foot in the ruins, he noted a tall figure standing under the shade of a nearby tree. Sagat's pupilless eyes pinned him with an intense stare even if his eyesight had faded over the years. In fact, the man could be blind and still be intimidating.

"I suspected you to be at the graveyard" Sagat crossed his arms, unmoving from his position under the tree. Why would he leave this spot after all?

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm not but what the hell are you doing here?" Adon narrowed his eyes. With the crack of the shell within, he struggled to muster up the anger he usually felt in Sagat's presence. Or maybe it was just the heat. Either way, he sauntered over to the shadow next to the old tiger, hands stuffed into the pockets of his trunks. So much for the training.

Uncharacteristically so, Sagat hadn't only just neglected to answer him but he was quiet as well, just staring at Adon with that unreadable look in his eye.

"Language? Not gonna give me an answer?" Adon raised a brow.

Nothing. Just silence and the unrelenting stare of an old tiger. He had enough of these constant mixed messages, throwing his arms in the air. "Whatever"

He should have walked away and found somewhere new to train instead of standing here and lingering like a bad fart. Of course, his stupid self decided to join Sagat in trying to withstand the heat and they stood there under the shade of the tall trees.

"Are you truly angry with me after all this time?" the old tiger asked, his voice harsh and maybe a little sardonic. Softness had never been his strong suit, despite his popularity in the village and occasional bad attempts at flirting. Guess Sagat just did things to make people like him instead of speaking. It was certainly effective on Adon, who felt the shell within trying to hide its crack by fueling him with defensive fury. Before his mind realized what was happening to him, he spun around on his heel, his chest heaving with emotion.

"Yeah! I am angry! I'm fucking pissed!" he hissed, shooting a glare at the old tiger. Fuck him. Fuck him and his lack of emotional clarity. Fuck everything about him! And yet…

"…I think" he added, calmer, now realizing how great the distance between his dislike and his needs was. He understood it was pointless to keep fighting. It wouldn't remove the hurt or let help with the self-esteem. At this point, he was just projecting. Ever so slowly, Sagat's shoulders relaxed, and he moved closer.

"I have a feeling your anger was covering something else, so I want to see what it was..." he at least sounded like he attempted to be human and approachable. People skills and all that junk.

"Heh. What the hell is that supposed to mean? You know, half the time, when I don't feel the urge to kick myself in the balls, I can't figure you out. I can't understand if I…if you think I'm…" Adon began, feeling his gut tighten. Just say it, it echoed in his mind. Admit it, it's okay to be weak. He couldn't admit to it. It was as if his emotions were locked behind a heavy padlock that needed a special key at the moment. Of course, he couldn't find it. So he stopped trying and wished he could merge with the wall, he leaned up against. It gave Sagat a chance to cage him in with the size of his massive body.

"I do what I do because, despite everything, I do… value you. I always have, despite my own expressions of such. I'll admit that emotions are one of my greatest failings" Sagat asserted with no expression whatsoever despite the faint faltering of his breath with that pause. Yep, this man could not emote for shit.

"Value? Like…an object? Gee thanks" a bitter smile formed on Adon's lips, widening when the old tiger frowned slightly.

"That's not what I meant"

"I don't care what you meant"

"You ought to calm down"

In return, Adon gave him a long, cold stare, biting his tongue and sarcasm. No fury or the heat just melted it away but left behind the ripples of a foul temper and emotional constipation.

"I am calm. I'm the calmest motherfucker you'll see today. Maybe because this goodman sun is melting my brain and I can't think for shit"

"Language. Your father wouldn't appreciate-" Sagat stopped himself. And it was good timing as the words hit Adon. He could feel the muscles in his face involuntarily pull into a visceral expression.

"I guess that's still a raw wound" Sagat stepped back, just a few inches. He softened, once again. That didn't make things better. It probably made them worse. Adon didn't want to debate with himself about that, forcing his gaze to the comfort of the ground.

"You're cruel, you know that?" he mumbled, not surprised by the confused grunt he got in return. Sagat was not a dunce when it came to social cues or secondary meanings behind words, he readily employed them for obtuse purposes. He wasn't used to people directing them at him, one would assume.

Adon bit the inside of his bottom lip, "I hate it when you're kind to me like that. I don't know what to do when you get so close to me… it's not supposed to be like this. I want…it…but I can't…I shouldn't"

"I suppose we can't just forget the past?"

"Eh…there's no hope for me," Adon had come to terms with his own fallacies a long time ago. Being an obnoxious loudmouth asshole helped obfuscate that.

"Why would you say such a thing?" Sagat asked, thoroughly shattering that protective veil. He loomed closer again, caging Adon in with the size of his body, holding him by the hips.

"I don't know. I don't know how to handle emotions. I can't let go of this stupid thick fog that makes me hate myself so much" Adon shrugged, shuddering at the feeling of a certain someone rubbing his waists, standing so close to him while the sun melted them both. He buried his face in his hands.

"Adon…" Sagat had to lean down in order to whisper in his ear with such a deep voice that Adon swore he could feel the bass vibrations in his head.

"…What?"

"Why did you leave? I feel we've come to that point where you can tell me"

If Sagat's breath didn't tickle Adon's defense, he would have laughed. Instead, he could only draw a weak breath, as he asked sardonically, "We have? Is this your version of a point?"

The old tiger didn't answer at first. At least not verbally. He slid his hands up Adon's sides, to his pits, fucking lifting him off the ground until they were at eye level. Adon should probably have protested this, with actual words since he was practically held like a child against one wall of the Khmer Ruins.

Sagat pinned him with that stare of his despite his poor vision. "That was. Now tell me,"

Shit, thought Adon, knowing that he had no way out of this unless he spilled his heart out, a thought that brought a slew of bitter feelings. And maybe a little bit of confusion as he hadn't thought them through himself.

"People do dumb shit when emotional. They get emotional when they believe people they care about is gonna die" he pointed towards the scar across Sagat's chest. "People change and they chase others and those who get left behind think they are worth less than the dirt under their feet. I'm not strong, and I'm not special. I don't have the Hado or that super amazing fighting spirit that made you change. I can't bring such emotion out of you as he could"

Far too late, did it occur to Adon that he had essentially poured out his heart out in a word stream, that might as well could have been emotional ramblings. Yet even as the heat soared to his cheeks and the firsthand embarrassment made him want to tear his own tongue out, he felt some of that pressure within ease itself. It was relieving despite how naked he felt.

"Being true and honest to oneself is the best way of improvement. In more ways than fighting" Sagat asserted, and Adon wondered if the not-so-subtle admission of personal defeat had completely flown over his head.

"I'd say"

"So what do you feel now?"

"I don't…hate you anymore. B-but that doesn't mean I'm just gonna give up on defeating you!" Adon squirmed from the feeling of hard rock piercing through the fabric of his shirt to his bare skin.

"Regardless, you will stay from now on, yes?"

After everything, Sagat had to ask him that. But at this stage, it felt wrong saying no. it wasn't what Adon wanted either when he hung here and thought about it. He wanted to stay, he wanted…something warmer. He wanted to feel more of that elusive affection. He wanted so much and slowly, he was beginning to feel that he might, just might, be deserving of it after all.

"I guess," he uttered, his cheeks burning.

"Good. Tigers and jaguars should stick together" Sagat put a leg between his legs to make him whine softly.

"I don't know…I'm a fucked-up cat"

"Not in my opinion"

So absolutely corny, Adon had to grin at that, "Geez, was the next point flattery?"

Sagat snorted at that quipping question. So uncharacteristic and close to outright laughter. It reminded Adon that the man's sense of humor, minuscule as it was, relied on sardonicism and perhaps a little wholesomeness. Such facts became apparent when they'd watch the floating lantern festival together.

"Is it flattery if it is honest?" Sagat almost, almost smiled.

"No…it is not"

Adon grinned at that, "Aight. You made your point. Now put me down, old man,"

Sagat didn't comply at first, leaning close, warm like the heat of the day. For a man so guarded and proud, he really had no qualms about kissing someone right in the middle of the Khmer Ruins. But Adon didn't object either, surrendering to the feeling, humming with coy want against the tongue that brushed against his own and the teeth scraping against his lips.

Warmth pooled through his gut, only partly cooled by the thought of someone walking in on them. Through his shorts, he could feel the length of Sagat pressing against his thigh. Not erect, just sort of there. Like a soft reminder of their relationship.

It was almost too much, with Sagat lowkey devouring him until he couldn't stand it. Adon wedged an arm between his and Sagat's chest to gain some distance and a moment to think.

"Look, my back is hurting from this fucking wall, so could you put me down before you screw me?" he wriggled somewhat, silently telling the old tiger that a stone wall was made for poor comfort.

"Language," Sagat urged on and Adon couldn't tell if it was from grace or impulses desperate to be fulfilled.

"Whatever you say, Dad," Adon smirked, feigning complying innocence, wriggling so much that Sagat had to put him down lest he got kneed in the gut. If the old tiger was annoyed, it was hardly apparent in the look he gave. Adon would make it up to him if he was.

Make up to Sagat, even thinking that felt so strange. Peace was a weird but welcoming feeling.