191: 190 Dane blinked rapidly several times in succession. What am I looking at right now? He absolutely couldn't believe it. He opened his mouth but couldn't make any sound, only panting. After moving his parched lips several times, Dane asked in a breathless voice. "How… why?" Then a harsh cough burst out. Cough, cough, as he coughed, something hot flowed out of his mouth again. Ah, right. Dane recalled. When death approaches, you can see impossible illusions. Even thinking that, he was surprised that the person who would come to him at his end would be this man, not her. "Pretty boy." As usual, he chuckled and muttered. "Why are you here?" There was no reason for this man to be in this place. So this wasn't reality. This damn illusion would disappear soon. Haa, haa. Labored breaths leaked from his mouth. In his blurred vision, he could see Greyson raising his hand. Long fingers touched the cheek of him who was slumped against the wall. When a large hand gently cupped one side of his face, Dane flinched in surprise. It's warm. His eyes slowly widened at the unbelievable warmth. In his wide-open vision entered the face of a man looking at him with a crumbling smile at the corners of his mouth. "You." A quiet, calm voice could be heard. Greyson stroked Dane's cheek with his thumb. "I knew you'd be alone like this." Dane couldn't say anything. He could only stare at him in a daze. To such him, Greyson smiled. "See, I was right." It was nonsense. He couldn't believe what he saw with his eyes or heard with his ears. This was reality? Really? "How, how." He tried to say something belatedly, but another harsh cough leaked out. Greyson silently waited for his body, shaking like a seizure, to calm down. Haa, haa, Dane, who had barely stopped coughing, asked between his panting breaths. "How did you get here?" How did you know I was here? To the doubt hidden in the question, Greyson answered nonchalantly. "I heard there was another big fire, so I turned on the TV and you came on right away." Soon he added lightly like a joke. "I told you, you're a celebrity." Greyson, who had imitated the reporter's excited voice, frowned jokingly. "So I rushed right over and sure enough, damn it, you threw your whole body to save someone again." He laughed briefly with a grimacing face as if he couldn't help it. Dane's vision kept blurring, so he shook his head hard like a dog. Greyson's voice continued. "I asked her where she last saw you." When he barely managed to focus, Greyson's face finally came into view. "I'm glad I'm not too late." His expression seemed genuinely relieved. Belatedly, Dane realized that soot was smeared all over his face and his clothes were burned and wrinkled into a mess. Blood was clotted on the long torn wound on his arm. He could tell at a glance what dangers this man had risked to get to where he was. "Why…" A voice as trembling as his lips flowed out. Dane couldn't continue his words, then barely squeezed out. "Why did you come here, all the way? Are you crazy?" Even shouting was difficult, so wheezing, wheezing sounds mixed in. At Dane's rough tone, however, Greyson showed no change in expression. As if he had already expected it. "I told you." He smiled hazily. "I knew you'd be left alone like this." Dane could only look at him without saying anything. Nothing came to mind. What words could he say? To this man now smiling at me, what words, how. Why. Dane's face slowly contorted. He absolutely couldn't understand. Why does this man always return to me like this? I've pushed him away so many times, so many times. Why does he always come back to me like this? "Don't do that." Dane growled in a shaking voice. "It's not worth that much." At the voice that came out with difficulty, Greyson stopped moving for the first time. The smile had disappeared from the face looking at him. Looking at him with a desolate gaze, Greyson opened his mouth. "How can you say such a thing?" The voice that flowed out like a lament trembled finely. Holding onto Dane's arm, he said with a face contorted as if about to cry. "It's about you, so how can it be worthless?" Seeing his truly hurt expression, Dane felt like his heart was collapsing. His heart felt like it was soaked in water. He didn't know what this unfamiliar sensation was, throbbing and heavily pounding his chest. Dane wanted to shake his head, but it wouldn't move at all. Something seemed to have completely blocked his throat. Something other than his labored breathing. He didn't know what to call that lump. But one thing seemed certain. This man would come to me like this every time from now on. So I wouldn't be left alone. At that moment, something inside Dane crumbled. Ha, an impossible laugh leaked out. "…I lost." He growled in a low voice. He didn't know whether what leaked from his contorted lips was laughter or tears. Dane continued like a soliloquy, still not understanding. "I lost, damn it." Greyson tilted his head. He seemed to have no idea what Dane's words meant. Even that dumbfounded expression of his, ah. How lovely it was. Dane raised his powerless hand and grabbed his head. He seemed to have no strength to pull, yet he came along so well. This lustful puppy, Dane thought and closed his eyes. The mouth that met Greyson's lips was smiling pleasantly. The mixed saliva smelled of blood. It was probably his own blood. It didn't matter. This tongue, this mouth, these lips he was tasting after so long. Were so sweet. He bit his lower lip gently so it wouldn't hurt and stopped the kiss. At a distance close enough for their breaths to touch, Dane whispered. "Yes, let's try it. Let's see how far we can go." Greyson smiled. "What are you talking about?" While not understanding what Dane's words meant at all, whether it was good that they kissed or good that Dane was smiling, he smiled along. At that fact, Dane was incredulous and let out another meaningless laugh. Haa, haa, breathing heavily, he opened his mouth. Words he had never said once in his life, words he thought he would never have occasion to say in the future, he put on his tongue. Feeling like his pounding heart might burst. "I love you, you idiot." Thud, somewhere in the building collapsed again. Maybe it was the sound of Greyson's heart dropping. Greyson looked at Dane with eyes so enlarged he wondered if human eyes could get that big. Dane was dying from shortness of breath, but he had stopped breathing altogether. "…What." Greyson barely managed to speak. His lips moved frantically before he finally made a sound. "What, what, what did you say? What did you just say?" Soon both his ears twitched back and forth. He immediately got excited and shouted wildly. "You love me? Really? Really, really?" Feeling amazed every time he saw it, Dane laughed. Somehow his eyes seemed to be getting hot. He was clearly in a good mood, so why? He suddenly wanted to cry. "I love you, Greyson Miller." Dane said again. Every time he put this word in his mouth, it seemed like fireworks were exploding inside his chest. So these were such pleasant words. He vaguely thought. He seemed to understand why Greyson had said these words so often. Ah. Gradually, breathing became difficult. Was this the end now? "Dane?" Greyson's voice became urgent. Dane felt his body tilting toward the floor and muttered. "Sorry, I can't do it anymore." Greyson quickly caught him. Leaning his face on his shoulder, Dane breathed heavily. Was he really going to die now? I found out too late. He regretted it, but this too was too late. Gurgle, gurgle, making air-leaking sounds with every breath, Dane whispered. "All I have to give you is this body." Gurgle, gurgle, his own breathing sounded unusually loud. Dane barely moved his lips. "I'll give you… everything." I'm sorry. His consciousness naturally grew distant. Greyson, who had been looking down at him slumped over, slowly embraced Dane's body. Warm warmth could be felt throughout his entire body. Greyson held him in his arms with all his strength and whispered. "Now, you're mine." Another explosion sound was heard. The building began to collapse not long after that.