“How old are you, actually? Aging is kinda weird with vampires, isn’t it?” Hyde wondered.

Rune shrugged. “It’s different, but not that weird. I’m twenty-four. You?”

“Twenty-five. How does it work, then?”

“My body is technically still twenty. We live twice as long, but as kids we age like any other kid. Then at age twenty, our physical age freezes until we’re forty, then we age half a year for every normal year.”

“So half as fast?”

“Yeah.”

Hyde hummed. “Must be pretty sweet to have twice the time in your life.”

Rune shrugged. “Depends who you ask.”

“What if I ask you?”

“Ehh,” Rune breathed out. “I guess it’s nice that these five years I’ve been away mean less than if I aged like the average person. I mean, they’re still five years, but five years don’t mean as much if you have more time to live, you know?”

Hyde nodded. “Yeah, sounds nice.”

“But then again, thinking about how I’ll probably still be around for another one hundred and sixty or seventy years or so if I die of old age is… something. It’s kind of insane to think that my great-great-great-grandfather could still be walking around alive and well somewhere.”

“Oh yeah, I guess your families would also be twice as big if everyone lives twice as long, right?”

“It’s possible, but I don’t know anyone past my grandparents.”

Hyde hummed, then shrugged and absentmindedly added, “I don’t know anyone past my parents.”

Rune frowned. “Oh.”

“What does being a werewolf feel like?” Rune wondered this time.

“Oh god,” Hyde began, a little startled. “We’re getting existential today.”

Rune raised a brow. “Is it existential?”

“You’re basically asking me what it feels like to be alive, so yeah.”

“Oh,” Rune chuckled. “Can you explain? I’ve always been curious.”

Hyde rested his elbows on his knees. “Uh, do you have a more specific question?”

Rune sat cross-legged on the bench, facing him. “Is it true that you have two different consciousnesses inside of you? One human, one wolf?”

Hyde tilted his head. “In a way, I suppose? But I don’t feel like they’re completely separate from each other. They’re both still me, but different parts of me. They’re two parts of the same whole. It’s not that they’re fighting for control or anything. Sometimes I can lose control, but even then, I don’t feel like that isn’t me.”

“But the fact that you can lose control in the first place suggests it is a separate thing that takes over.”

“Well—” Hyde sighed, thinking of a way to explain it. “When you’re blackout drunk, right? You don’t remember what you did, you weren’t fully in control of yourself. But it’s still you, isn’t it? When you do some stupid shit when you’re drunk, you wouldn’t later go ‘No, I swear that wasn’t me, that was someone else.’ People might separate their drunk and sober selves, but they’re still the same person.”

Rune squinted. “Right.”

“People often refer to it as their wolf. Some are more in sync with it than others. I’m not super in sync with mine, but I can usually control it.” Hyde leaned closer. “But I’ve seen some people that are so in sync with their wolves, it’s insane. They can shift only a small part of their body if they want, like only their hand or even just one nail if they wanna cut something real quick. It’s crazy.”

“Can’t you do that with your eyes?”

“Ehh,” Hyde hesitated. “In a way, I guess so. But that isn’t voluntary, it’s an adrenaline response.”

“Ah. Does it feel like you have a wolf inside of you?” Rune asked again.

Hyde shrugged. “Well, yeah. That’s pretty much what being a werewolf is. But it’s not like I can go inside my thoughts and talk to it or anything. It doesn’t make me feel not-alone.”

Rune hummed.

“Would be cute, though. If I could see a wolf running around in my dreams.”

Rune laughed.

“I’ve been thinking,” Rune began again. “Maybe you should keep me here a little longer than exactly forty-eight hours.”

Hyde raised his eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because it’d be suspicious if it’s exactly forty-eight hours, they might suspect something.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Okay. Then, instead of letting you go tonight, in the morning?”

Rune nodded. “Sounds good.”

Rune duck into the corner and yelped when he felt a sharp pain on the back of his neck. “Fuck,” he swore as he rubbed his neck.

“What?”

Rune glared at the barred window. “The bloody sun shone through the window directly onto my neck.”

“Oh, is it that low already?”

Rune looked at Hyde like a hurt puppy. Hyde snickered. “I could get you some ice or something?”

Rune shook his head as he continued to rub his neck. “No, I’ll be fine. But dang, you’ve been here all day again, huh?”

“I guess I have. But I think that’s my cue to go home for the evening.”

Rune frowned a little. “Oh, okay.”

“Then you can sit somewhere that’s sunlight free.” Hyde stood up and turned towards the door. He turned back and said, “See you tomorrow,” with a smile.

Rune smiled back.

----------------------------------------

The forty-eight hours were over. It had actually been fifty-six hours now. Hyde walked into the cell room again. Rune was already awake, sitting with his chin on the bars again. He sat up as Hyde walked in and called out, “Finally!”

Hyde chuckled. “Ready for your freedom?”

“Hell yes.”

Rune stood up. Hyde grabbed the key from the desk, but thought of something before he opened the door.

Rune raised his eyebrow. “What are you waiting for?”

“How do they know you’ve been here for as long as you have?”

Rune sighed. “They have people everywhere, or at least always around me. I’m supposed to check in every other day, but since I haven’t, they’d check where I am and see me here being ‘interrogated’ by you. So trust me, they know.”

Hyde stepped towards the lock. “Okay, if you’re so sure.” He pushed the key into the lock and turned it, then pulled the door open. Rune walked out right away. He stretched with a groan, then plopped down on the desk chair with a content smile.

“Finally, something comfortable,” he said under his breath.

Hyde chuckled and sat on the desk. “So, are you gonna go home now?”

Rune tensed up and frowned. “Right.”

“What?”

“I suppose that would be the next logical step.”

“Then what’s the issue? Isn’t that what you did all this for?”

“Well, yeah, but I guess now that I could, I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“After five years? Why wouldn’t you be?”

Rune turned the chair towards him. “I don’t know. I guess I’m, uh, afraid. Of what might’ve changed, or that they’ll be mad at me for staying silent all this time.”

Hyde let out a knowing hum. “Well,” he began, “if you won’t leave yet, maybe you could stay with me until you feel ready.”

Rune gave him a surprised look. “Really?”

Hyde shrugged. “I have a spare room.”

Rune smiled. “That’d be great! Thank you.”

Hyde tensed his shoulders but smiled back. “Don’t mention it. I enjoyed talking to you the past two days, I wouldn’t mind you sticking around a little longer.”

Rune chuckled. He stood and began to untie his hoodie from his hips. “Okay, let’s go then. I’ve seen enough of this room.” Hyde nodded and stood up too. Rune pulled his hoodie on with the hood up.

Hyde began walking to the door, then looked back at him and asked, “Is a hoodie enough to shield you from the sun?”

“Yeah, as long as it isn’t direct sunlight.”

“Huh, okay. Isn’t it super warm in this weather, though?”

“I don’t have another option.”

“An umbrella?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“So, what’s your house like?” Rune asked as they walked outside.

Hyde shrugged. “It’s just a one floor cabin surrounded by empty fields.”

“How did you get it?”

“It was empty at the time.”

“Ever had a housemate before?”

“No, I’ve lived alone ever since I got here.”

Rune frowned. “Does it get lonely?”

“Yeah, it does,” Hyde nodded.

Rune hummed. “Yeah, traveling also isn’t exactly the most—” He screamed, grabbed his arm and stumbled to the side, bumping into Hyde. Hyde jumped and looked at Rune’s arm. An arrow stuck out of it. He looked further. Raven stood some distance away with her hunting bow, ready to shoot again. Rune hissed in pain at the arrow. Hyde grabbed Rune’s shoulders and pushed him behind him.

“Raven, don’t you dare shoot again!” Hyde yelled.

Raven lowered her bow a little and stared at him as if he was crazy. “Why not?! He’s a criminal!”

“I dealt with it, okay?! Leave him alone!”

Raven lowered her bow to her side and shouted, “Why are you taking his side?! You barely even know him!”

“Side? Since when are there sides?”

“Since he broke into a bunch of houses and stole from our friend!”

Hyde groaned, he glanced at Rune. Rune looked back like a lost and hurt child, not following what was happening. Hyde turned back to Raven. “You don’t know the full story, alright? I’m telling you, leave it alone!” Hyde grabbed Rune’s good arm. He dragged him away before Raven could answer.

Hyde took Rune to his house. He dragged him through the hallway to the living room. He pushed Rune onto the couch. Rune grabbed onto his arm again with a painful groan.

“Eh, where did I leave the—” Hyde mumbled as he frantically looked around.

“Just pull it out,” Rune told him.

Hyde turned back to him. “What? No, I need something to stop the bleeding first.”

“No, it’s fine. Pull it out!” Rune grew agitated from the pain.

“But—”

Rune grabbed his shirt and pulled Hyde down to his face. “Pull it out!”

Hyde stared at him, stunned. “O-okay.”

Rune let his shirt go. Hyde grabbed the arrow and finally pulled it out, Rune groaned. He laid the arrow down on the coffee table in front of the couch. Hyde looked at the wound, it was bleeding. “I’ll get a bandage.” He moved to do so.

“No,” Rune said as he grabbed the back of Hyde’s shirt this time. He pulled him down on the couch, making Hyde yelp. “Sit and calm the fuck down.”

Hyde gave him a confused frown. “Why?”

“Remember what I told you about the bite wound on my hand?”

Hyde looked down at Rune’s hand. “Oh, right. It’ll heal.”

“Yeah, so stop panicking.”

Hyde nodded and took a deep breath. “Sorry.”

Rune shook his head. “Don’t apologise, you only wanted to help.” His eyes went to the bandage on Hyde’s arm, he frowned. “I guess it was karma.”

“Hm?” Hyde looked down at his arm, too. “Oh, that.” He looked back up with a smile. “Don’t worry about it, it’s healing fine.” His smile faded. “But can I check on yours?”

Rune sighed and shook his head. “If it makes you feel better.” He pulled his hoodie off and turned towards Hyde so he could see the wound. Hyde stared at it, he moved his hand up to carefully touch it. “Huh, it’s already a scab.”

“Told you.”

They both sat on the couch for a bit, catching their breaths. Hyde stared at the arrow on the coffee table. A question came to him. “If a wooden arrow went through your heart, would it kill you?”

Rune raised a concerned eyebrow. “Probably not?”

“Why not? It’s basically a tiny wooden stake, right?”

“Eh… I don’t know. But I’ve never heard of it happening, so I don’t think so. It might be small enough to heal in time.”

“Hm.”

Rune squinted. “Why? Are you having dark thoughts?”

Hyde flinched. “No, I was just wondering.”

Rune chuckled.

“The room at the end of the hall is the guest room, by the way.”

“Oh yeah, thanks.” Rune rubbed the nape of his neck. “I am a bit confused, though.”

Hyde quirked a brow. “About what?”

“Why do you trust me enough to invite me into your home? You only know me as a thief.”

“At the beginning, sure. But we’ve talked for days. I know you care deeply about your family and that you were forced into this.” Hyde looked away with a shrug. “And I like having you around. It’s quiet here.”

Rune smiled. “I’d be delighted to keep you company, after everything you’ve done for me in three days.”