He felt light despite the darkness... Colby did what he needed to do... He saved Xever but at the cost of his life... it's alright... Maybe he did deserve whatever fate tried to throw at him...

If fate ever was so kind, he wouldn't wake up but fate never would be kind because he slowly opened his eyes.

What greeted him upon his awakening was a fan on the white ceiling above him. He slowly glanced to his right, and saw his friend, Phoenix, look so very peaceful sleeping... He couldn't help but give a small smile until he heard a fake cough on his left side.

He quickly turns and sees Alexis looking at him, deadpanned, "So, how does it feel almost stepping on the death door?"

"Hell..."

"Aw, too bad I won't have a chance to visit you then," Alexis said and let out a grin.

Oh, fuck you–

"What just happened?" Colby asked as he slowly sat up and tried to hold on his face when he felt a bandage on the left side of his face, "Oh..."

"Yeah, oh..." Alexis sighs, and gives a look at Phoenix, "You know, after that whole... thing... We saw you and Ray laying down beside each other. Upon closer, we've seen both hold onto each other as if your life depends on each other... And the blood on your left eye seems to have stopped."

Alexis makes a point on his left eye, signing it as if it's Colby's left eye. Colby, again, held onto his left side of his face. So, he lost his left eye, huh? Well, doesn't matter, he can still do his prank despite the condition he is in now–

Wait, where's Ray?!

"Xever–"

"You're an idiot." A soft feminine yet very monotone of voice said behind the curtain beside Colby's bed, behind Alexis.

"I know." Another voice could be heard and it sounds very masculine unlike the other.

Before Alexis could say anything, Colby had already gotten out of the bed and grabbed hold of the curtain and pulled it aside. Being greeted in front of him is Ray sitting up on the bed, bandaged up as well, and Afuru is beside him, looking at Colby with a very expressionless on her face.

"...What the f–"

"Please keep quiet, if you're not a patient, I would not hesitate to throw you out of the window." Afuru said.

"Then throw me out, you bitch!" Colby yelled, trying to come over to Afuru only to get held back by Alexis, "I am still not over you fucking kick me in the back! What do you think would have happened to my back bone, huh?! It would be all your fault!"

"Colby!" Ray shouted his name.

"Then blame Phoenix because you trust him, shouldn't have said that. Regret it now?" Afuru said, still no emotions were being shown, only a very deadpanned expression and monotone voice.

Before Colby could say anything to Afuru, suddenly he felt himself being tackled from behind. He was just about to yell at something or someone from behind him but it was none other than Phoenix. So he kept his mouth shut and finally calmed down.

He could only hear a few words coming out from Phoenix, "I'm sorry", "Thank goodness", "You're alright", "You're safe", "I'm so sorry" and... "I'm so happy, you're here..."

...

Phoenix... He really couldn't help but feel attached to this man now, did he?

Colby sighs, then he looks up only to be greeted by people staring at him with... Indescribable look on their face. He growls, "The fuck is all of your problem?"

"Nothing, just..." Afuru paused and glanced at Ray, "Don't forget, your parents are on their way here. They've been informed about everything..."

"Including the fight?" Alexis said but it's more of a question than a statement.

Afuru stares at Alexis then looks away from his contact, "No, we didn't tell them about the fight..." Afuru paused but then she looked straight at Alexis with a serious expression, "But rather, they don't know about the fight."

...What?

Before Colby could ask Afuru what she meant by that, she said something first before him, "Anyway, makes sure you tell the teacher about your recovery, the time you will come back to school again, and please, don't overwork yourself again, Ray." Afuru said as she crossed her arms together and looked at Ray with a deadpan expression.

Ray looks away in shame and embarrassed. Afuru sighs and walks away from the boys and walks out of the infirmary. Alexis looks over at the direction that Afuru goes as he sighs and looks back at everyone, "Well, I'll go back to my dorm. Ray, the warden has informed me that you will go back home with Colby instead of going back to the dorm to recover." Alexis said to Ray, then looked at Phoenix, "Phoenix? We need to leave, how's your injury?"

"It's fine!" Phoenix quickly gets up and lets go of Colby, now that Colby sees it, there is a bandage on his left arm. Colby looked at it with concern.

"...'M sorry..." Small mutter came out from Ray's mouth.

Phoenix looks at Ray in a nervous and uncomfortable stance but holds himself to calm down from getting afraid of Ray, "It's.. It's fine... I'm... I'm fine..."

...

Awkward...

"Well, I gotta go now! See you after this Summer, Colby!" Phoenix said as he quickly walked away from them and got out of the infirmary.

"Welp, better get going before Nicholas comes after to chew my heads off. See you Colbs', Ray." Alexis said and finally walked out of the infirmary.

Now it is only Colby and Ray in the infirmary, looking at each other in awkwardness and looking away from each other's contact. Avoiding any questions in their mind, if it's really the right time to ask such a question in this kind of situation. Finally, Colby sighs and looks fully back at Ray.

"Xever..." Colby calls out the real name of his brother in front of him, "I'm... I'm sorry for everything I've done to you, to your mother, ignoring your cry for help, avoiding you..."

This is harder than he thought... Colby took a deep breath again and tried to hold his tears back from coming out, "I am so sorry... Xever, I know you can't always forgive me, and that's fine. Because all I am glad for, was to say... That I'm sorry... Forgive or not forgive, it's your choice and I won't question why you choose not to forgive me... I understand–"

"I forgive you."

Colby gasped a little and was taken back by that sentence, Ray— No, Xever, look at him straight in the eyes... "I forgive you Colby. In exchange, I would like to apologise as well..."

...What–

"It's not entirely your fault–"

"But it is!" Colby interrupts Xever just before he could finish his sentence. Colby looked at Xever straight through his eyes, with tears starting to come out, "Xever, are you even hearing yourself?! You are not in the wrong, I am! I am the one at fault, I'm the cause of everything you've had to go through without you trying not to burden your mom! Have you had any idea what I've put you through—"

"I know." Xever said, before Colby could say anything else, Xever beat him to it, "But that doesn't mean you're the one at fault... It is mine as well... It's my fault for not defending you and standing up to our father, it is your fault for trying to find any fault in my mother and I, and it's both of our fault that we can't even try to comprehend what exactly our feelings are."

Xever slowly chuckle, "But it's funny. Guess there's one thing we have in common," Xever finally looks up at Colby with a soft smile, "Is that we are afraid of facing each other and admitting our feelings because our ego is too big for our own good and... Maybe we are an idiot..."

"Heh... He he he..." Slowly Colby giggles and it changes to chuckle and now laughter, until he looks up at Xever again. Slowly standing up, balancing himself to stand, and goes towards Xever's bed. Finally, he pull his brother to a hug, "We're an idiot, aren't we?"

"Yes, yes we are, brother mine..."

At the very least, both of them finally understand each other's pain as they finally let out all the pressure they had these years. Now, the two brothers are nothing but in peace, with no chaos trying to separate them ever again...