"Come i-in."
Rex stepped aside to let Kao into his house. His eyes were red and puffy as if he had been crying for hours. Kao frowned, immediately drawing him into a hug.
"I know how you feel," he whispered.
Rex didn't hug back; he was too exhausted to care.
"No, you don't."
Rex tried to push Kao away from him, but he was too weak. Kao just hugged him tighter, not wanting to let go. After a minute, Rex gave in and threw his arms around the other, sobbing quietly into Kao's shoulder.
"There, there. Everything is going to be alright," he soothed, rubbing Rex's back gently.
Rex slowly let a smile creep onto his face. Kao always knew how to cheer him up, and he was thankful for that.
"I know how you feel because..." Kao mumbled, "I had... feelings for... Alfred."
"Oh, I-I didn't know y-you had feelings for Alfred. I'm s-sorry to h-hear that," Rex said softly.
"It's fine, I got over him... I just need to accept that Alfred won't ever love me. You should do the same with Mystery since there would be no point in pining over him now. If you care about him, you should be happy that he's happy... even if it's with someone else."
Rex looked down with a sad expression; he didn't think that was very fair. But he didn't have a choice.
"You're right," he sighed.
Kao smiled. Rex started blushing, finally noticing how long they had been hugging. Part of him didn't want it to end, feeling disappointed when Kao let him go. He didn't understand why his emotions were acting this way.
"Why did you s-stop?"
Kao flushed red all of a sudden, realizing something that he should have a long time ago. He enjoyed being with Rex. More than he enjoyed being with Alfred, anyway. Rex was always so outgoing and cheerful, just like him. Alfred was so serious and much too selfish at times. But not Rex. Rex was different.
"What do you mean?"
Rex pouted and pulled Kao back into a hug.
"I don't want you to stop hugging m-me."
Kao's face turned an even deeper shade of scarlet.
"Fine J-Just a bit more," he agreed.
They stood embracing each other for a while, Rex wagging his three tails like a puppy. At that moment they started to feel something for each other, something they hadn't noticed before.
Love.
-
It was the next day when Kao drove to the hospital to visit. He sat in the waiting room, clutching a note that read "Get well soon" in Yuki's handwriting. After half an hour, the nurse called his name. He walked into Alfred and Mystery's room, confused to see that Mystery was nowhere in sight, just an empty bed where he should have been.
"Hey Alfred," Kao greeted.
Alfred wagged his tail, Kao could only imagine how lonely he must have been all alone.
"Thank god you're here."
"Where's Mystery?" Kao asked.
"In another room. He was being a little feisty when the surgeons asked him to take his collar off. One of them tried to remove it, which was a mistake. He attacked them, but I think they're alright. The doctors put him in another room to... calm down I guess? He can be so childish sometimes," Alfred explained, rolling his eyes.
"Ah, that makes sense, but it was your fault. You did make Mystery wear that collar for a week."
"I know- Wait! How do you know about the bet we made!?"
Kao shrugged, "Mystery told me."
Alfred blushed slightly, silent for a moment until he noticed the note Kao was holding.
"Whatcha got there?"
Kao glanced down at his hands.
"Oh! This is a note from Yuki," he said gleefully.
Alfred furrowed his eyebrows, "Why would you have a note from her?"
"Well, it's mostly for Mystery, but you too."
Kao extended his arm so Alfred could take the note from him.
"So she still cares for me..." Alfred mumbled to himself while he read.
"Well not exactly," Kao hesitated, "She knew you were probably going to say something like that, so she wanted me to tell you she doesn't love you anymore, but that doesn't mean she wants you to get hurt... even if you're a cheater."
Alfred chuckled sadly, still feeling bad for how Yuki must've felt when she found out.
"That was a mistake. I should have just broken up with her, instead of cheating. Maybe then it would have hurt her less."
Kao nodded in agreement, turning to face the door when Mystery walked into the room.
"Oh, h-hey Kao. Didn't expect to see you here."
Kao raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you supposed to be in another room?"
Mystery grinned awkwardly.
"I kind of just escaped from there."
Kao rolled his eyes with a smile, Alfred smirking next to him.
"Well, obviously."
They all broke out into laughter.
"Hey Mystery?" Alfred asked once they had calmed down.
"Hm?"
He moved so that he could hand over the note he was still holding.
"It's from Yuki."
Mystery read it with a smile, happy to know she was looking out for him.
-
Two days passed before Alfred was discharged from the hospital. He was feeling better but was still extremely worried for Mystery, who had to stay behind.
He was walking home because his car was still being repaired. Suddenly his phone started ringing. He flinched in surprise, breathing out in relief to see that it was only Kao.
"Hey Kao," he greeted as he answered.
"Hey Alfred, are you still in the hospital?"
"Nope, I'm feeling much better now."
"That's great to hear! How's Mystery?"
Alfred looked down at the floor, "The Doctor says he's doing better, but he's still injured... and might need to stay a little longer than expected."
He felt himself frown, not wanting Mystery to be separated from him. He began to sob quietly, trying to muffle the noise he was making. Kao still picked up on it, his heart aching from the other side of the phone. He couldn't imagine what Alfred must have been through.
"Don't worry Alfred, Mystery is a tough guy. Remember that, because I know he wouldn't give up on you. It was just a car crash. It could have been a lot worse."
Alfred sighed shakily, a small smile on his face.
"Thanks, Kao."
"Hey, Kao!" Someone called from the other side of the phone, "are you ready for our date?"
Alfred's eyes widened in surprise.
"U-Um almost," Kao called back.
"Alright then hurry up!"
Alfred quiet for a moment. "Kao," he started slowly, "was that... Rex?"
"Whoops, guess I forgot to tell you... Rex and I are, uh.... dating."
"Don't you think that's a bit too early after Rex getting heartbroken, and you almost getting injured?"
"Maybe, but I think we would both rather just leave those things behind us."
"That's a bit quick though, don't you think?"
"What do you expect? Love just happens."
Alfred let out a soft chuckle.
"Alright, if you say so. I hope you two have fun."
"Thanks, Alfred!" Kao enthusiastically replied.
The dog hung up after that, continuing on his way home with a sigh.
End of Chapter 14
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