Chapter 26.

After a moment of contemplation Moth suddenly remembered that Lane had just woken up, "Oh. Are you feeling alright? You aren't feeling any pain anywhere are you?" Lane smiled at him, reaching a hand out to pat his cheek. "I'm feeling fine. A bit tired and sore but other than that I just missed you. I had something I wanted to tell you." Moth tilted his head slightly while Lane got a guilty look on his face. "I'm sorry for not talking to you back then and leaving the way I did." Moth was confused for a moment before he realised that Lane was talking about that morning in the inn. Lane took a breath before continuing. "I should have talked it through with you and I wasn't thinking right. But when I was on my knees in the snow I regretted how I left you and even though it was selfish of me, I just wanted you with me in that moment. I didn't want to die knowing I fought with you over something like that." Moth seemed a bit stunned by his sudden apology before he smiled bitterly. "Honestly, I was going to apologise to you as well because I was letting my ego get ahead of me. I knew you were trying to protect me but I felt weak standing next to you. I didn't want to hide behind you anymore and I didn't wat you to have to work harder to support me." Moth looked down, his antenna dropping sadly while glancing up at Lane to look for a response. 

Lane stared at him for a few moments before reaching a hand out and lifting Moth's chin to press a kiss to his cheek. "I thought we agreed that I'd protect you and you'd take care of me." He pressed another kiss to his cheek before biting it slightly which made Moth flinch in surprise before hurriedly pushing him away. "Moth I don't need any more from you than for you to take care of me when I'm stupid enough to get myself injured. I don't need you to stand strong beside me but if that is really what you want I won't stop you." Moth's mouth tightened and he felt his eyes well up with tears. He pulled him into a tight hug, burying his face in his shoulder to hide his tears.

Lane chuckled and gently embraced him while looking around the area. "Where are we? I haven't seen plants like this before." Moth laughed nervously, he had a feeling this wouldn't be a fun conversation to have. "We ended up getting taken here." Lane tensed a little, his grasp around Moth tightening. "Taken?" Moth nodded, "You were going to die, Dorian promised to save you as long as I followed quietly." Lane's jaw tightened and he seemed to be getting anxious so Moth ran a hand through his hair to try to calm him. "Dorian? That's the man who kidnapped you originally. This was obviously planned." Moth patted his head. "Yeah I figured." 

"What are we still doing here then? We need to leave while we can." Lane sat up, trying to get out of the hammock but Moth pushed him back down. "To be honest with you, we can't leave. You've been poisoned. We need to stay so you can get the antidote dosages." Lane pulled Rin into his lap, holding onto him tightly. "I'll be fine. Let's just get out of here, I don't want you around that guy." Moth pulled out of his grasp sitting a bit away from him and crossing his arms. "I'm putting my foot down on this one. We have to stay here and get you treatment. Besides, I don't know where the exit is." 

Lane reached out to Moth gain only to have his hand swatted away. "Why can't I touch you?" Moth huffed slightly, "Because I'm putting my foot down. No touching until you agree to get treatment." Lane's face dropped to a pout, he withdrew his hand and looked down to appear pitiful. Moth stared at him for a few moments, he felt bad but he was going to stand his ground so he glanced away from him and let out an annoyed sigh. "I'm hurt but the person I love won't come near me." Lane mumbled as he laid down in the hammock, turning on his side and covertly glancing at Moth. After a few moments of a stalemate between the two, Lane sighed and sat up. "Fine, we'll stay until I'm healed but after that we're breaking out. Okay?" Moth glanced his way with a smile on his face, "Yep that's the plan." he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Lane's head before resting against him. 

"Once I'm healed, I'm going to turn into my walker form and break us out." Moth tilted his head. "Walker form?" Lane nodded, "I learned a lot about my abilities while I was out. Once I transformed it was like a click in my head, I knew exactly what I was doing. It was instinct, like breathing." Moth took Lane's hand and started to fiddle with it. "Doesn't it hurt?" Lane smiled as he watched him, leaning his head to rest on top of his own. "Not really, it hurt the first time because of how hurt I was and because it was my first time. Now it won't hurt and I'll have control of my form as long as you are around. But I'll need to sleep for a few days after I transform to replenish my energy." 

"But, you went haywire the first time, even though I was there." Lane's hand tightens around his at Moth's words, a slight grimace on his face which he hides by burying his face further in his neck. "I'm really sorry about that, how hurt were you?" 

"Not as bad as you were." Moth says, leaning back in his embrace and laughing, trying to calm him down. "I won't go haywire as long as you are around. Your presence and powder calmed me down enough to let me take control of it." Moth smiled slightly resting his head against Lane's shoulder. Lane stared down at him, "Let's sleep. I'm still tired." Lane mumbled, pulling Moth down and hugging him. 

Moth laughed a little squirming in the arms he was held in, "Yeah okay, let's sleep. We can talk about what to do in the morning." Lane hums in agreement while he rests his face against Moth's back but then his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Hang on a moment… Why do you smell weird?" Moth tilted his head. "Does enhanced smell come with your new abilities?" He leaned in closer to Moth's neck. "Maybe. You smell like a human."