To Lyger 0: He absolutely has to think about his own people first and foremost; he can leave it to others to worry about things outside of his own purview. Others like their new best friend, the Teutonic Knight! (and friends)

Heinrich woke up slowly, seemingly floating on a pillow of clouds. His head felt muddled and confused, his thinking dulled and slow – dimly he could remember the IV they had given him when he first arrived. In Gymnasium, he'd had a football injury that had required surgery; the sludge in his head reminded him of the sensation he'd had coming down from pain medication back then. He could feel a dull ache in his arm, a throbbing of blood. But why couldn't he remember how that ache had started? His breathing hitched, and he tried as hard as he could to rack his brain searching for answers. Something seemed to be right there, just barely out of reach, and he strained for it… but it couldn't focus his mind well enough to hold onto it. He let out a breath and collapsed, all the energy vanishing from his body. A snarling sound seemed to reverberate through his head. A flash of grey. What had happened? Suddenly, his last memory leapt into his mind. The man – wolf? – had jumped on top of him and knocked him to the ground. Sharp teeth had sunk into his arm. His head had hit the pavement hard, and he hadn't known anything more. A concussion? Did that explain the dullness in his mind?

Someone was breathing, very close to him on his left. Heinrich's breathing hitched. Slowly, methodically, he forced his eyelids open and looked in that direction.

"I was wondering if you would ever wake up," Dietrich told him, cracking an amused smile.

"I… figured I could use a few more hours," Heinrich stifled a yawn. "Wake me up before class starts."

"Do you mean tomorrow's classes, or yesterday's classes?"

Heinrich cocked his head, blinking several times in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"According to the nurse, you only woke up twice in the last two days; you've spent most of that time asleep." Dietrich chuckled, though the amusement didn't quite reach his eyes. "I knew you liked to sleep in… but this is ridiculous."

Heinrich's eyes widened but he shrugged. "It's not my fault they made the sun come up so early." He forced himself to laugh. "You know, when I imagined skipping university classes, being in the hospital wasn't exactly what I had in mind." He sighed wistfully, looking up at the ceiling. "Now, breaking in that new couch with a coed…"

"Well, we definitely broke the couch…" Dietrich told him wryly. "Or rather, you and the werewolf did, when you fell on it!"

Heinrich cocked his head to one side. "Come again? I must have misunderstood you there. Because it sounded like you just said 'werewolf'. But I know you couldn't have said that."

Dietrich let out a breath, giving Heinrich a concerned look. "How much do you remember? From right before you got hurt, I mean."

"Not much…" Heinrich furrowed his brows, staring at the wall in intense concentration until his head hurt again. He winced. "I hit my head pretty hard."

"We were attacked by a werewolf," Dietrich explained, giving him a sympathetic look. "It bit you – it took a good chunk out of the flesh of your arm."

Heinrich blinked. "You can just… say that with a straight face?" he deadpanned. He cocked his head. "Hang on… did you just say that I was bitten by a werewolf?" Dietrich nodded. Heinrich forced himself to swallow back the bile that threatened to come up. "Was–will–" He gulped. "Am… I going to be one, now?"

Dietrich gave him an apologetic look and shook his head. "I… don't know," he admitted. "I talked to a… friend – an expert – and she wasn't too sure about it, either. You weren't bitten at the full moon, so you may not get the full lycanthropy. It may instead be just a small piece of it – or nothing at all. Ultimately, we'll have to watch you for a lunar cycle or three, just to see what happens to you when the moon goes full. With luck, it will be nothing… but there's always the possibility that you got something. Up to and including fur."

For a long minute, Heinrich stared at Dietrich in shock, waiting for his to laugh, or to say he was joking. But Dietrich stared back at him, his mouth twisted around in a look of regret and apology. What on earth what going on here? Was Dietrich being serious? Werewolves and lycanthropy… It was almost too much for Heinrich to take. It was bad enough that he had been bitten by this creature. Now he was supposed to accept that it could have transmitted its own "affliction" to him? He shook his head, daring Dietrich to double down on his ludicrous statement. "Ha, ha. Very funny."

"Not really."

Heinrich's mouth opened and shut a couple times dumbly. Finally, he scoffed. "How can you say all these strange, ridiculous things with a straight face?" he demanded.

Dietrich shrugged noncommittally. "I've seen stranger things," he told him. "A lot stranger."

Heinrich furrowed his brows, giving Dietrich a suspicious look. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Dietrich sighed. "When Greta and I were in Paris back in the spring? When the Tarasque appeared and rampaged through the city? We were there."

"Yeah, yeah…" Heinrich rolled his eyes. "I know."

"No, you don't."

Heinrich eyed him carefully. Was he finally going to get answers? He had known better than to ask questions at the time – he had given up on trying to understand Dietrich and Greta years ago. And their relationship had seemed so new, he didn't want to risk rocking their boat unnecessarily. But then they had gone to Paris, and suddenly it was like everything had changed. What had happened?

Dietrich let out a breath, steeling himself and keeping his eyes on Heinrich. "We were there to fight the Tarasque." Heinrich's eyes widened slightly. Dietrich grimaced. "You were wondering why Greta and I went there, why we were gone for so long, how we suddenly got to be so close, why we decided to get married so soon when we've been dating six months?" He held his hands out. "This is why."

"You mean…"

Dietrich's mouth set in a thin line, and he nodded. "I'm the Teutonic Knight."