No words first, because over the ringing in his head, the pain of his injuries and the magnitude of the situation he's in at this moment aren't easy to deal with, especially when one tops it off with what Riley's saying to him now.
He should be able to trust Riley. He should be able to trust all of the Malice Kings, given everything that the lot of them have been through. The losses, the hardship, the victories that did not at all feel like victories. He knows as well, however, that the people he loves the most have also been watching him carefully, too carefully, and are incredibly quick to shut him down "for his own good". He's also firm in his belief that there are bigger fish to fry, and he certainly isn't the only one with problems that need to be handled.
This is why there are things that he does not tell them, even if he and many of the others should be "fine" now after the talks, the arguments, the negotiations. This is why he keeps pulling back, even when every other instinct in his bones and blood is telling him to rest easy and let the closest of his friends - his family - catch him when he starts to fall.
The look that the Daywalker will see the moment Hikaru finally looks up to meet his gaze is dark with one too many things, and the physical pain that the Blade King is in seems like the least of it. That is broken by a sharp laugh, a shake of the younger man's head. The bitter twist of his lips partially disappears from around the cigarette that he places between them.
"Honestly? I don't know where to start." And he isn't referring to what Riley's missed. Not at all. "I don't even know whether I should."
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He should be able to trust Riley. He should be able to trust all of the Malice Kings, given everything that the lot of them have been through. The losses, the hardship, the victories that did not at all feel like victories. He knows as well, however, that the people he loves the most have also been watching him carefully, too carefully, and are incredibly quick to shut him down "for his own good". He's also firm in his belief that there are bigger fish to fry, and he certainly isn't the only one with problems that need to be handled.
This is why there are things that he does not tell them, even if he and many of the others should be "fine" now after the talks, the arguments, the negotiations. This is why he keeps pulling back, even when every other instinct in his bones and blood is telling him to rest easy and let the closest of his friends - his family - catch him when he starts to fall.
The look that the Daywalker will see the moment Hikaru finally looks up to meet his gaze is dark with one too many things, and the physical pain that the Blade King is in seems like the least of it. That is broken by a sharp laugh, a shake of the younger man's head. The bitter twist of his lips partially disappears from around the cigarette that he places between them.
"Honestly? I don't know where to start." And he isn't referring to what Riley's missed. Not at all. "I don't even know whether I should."