I'll Share With You My Heartbeat

twenty four

"How could you let this happen?"

Kieran buried his face further into his hands in an attempt to shut it all out. It had only been a few hours since his triumph was smothered to dust. And frankly, the ravenhead was so sure he had already hit rock bottom until he felt around his pockets and realized the wallet was gone.

His only link to the real him. Gone.

The pit of his stomach expanded into a limitless chasm, waves of terror crashing at his feet.

"If you had just listened to me, Kieran," Autumn exclaimed, pacing around the alleyway and breathing hard, "God knows how many people are in this town. God knows if we'll ever find her again. Do you realize how serious this is?"

"I said I'm sorry," Kieran pleaded, voice shrinking. He wanted to curl into a ball and become nothing, dissolve into the wind. "Stop yelling at me."

Autumn grunted, lowering their volume and controlling their tone. "I'll stop when you come up with a solution."

The ravenhead threw his head back and blinked furiously. "Um," he started, rubbing his hands together, "I could've dropped it at Lennon's."

"Then go get it?" Autumn flung an arm out in the direction out the alley. A bewildered crease appeared between their brows.

Kieran shook his head, eyes darting towards everywhere but his friend. "I can't."

It wasn't Autumn to lose their cool. But the more time they spend together, the more Kieran realizes just how inaccurate his perception of them was.

Frustration was radiating off Autumn like a bomb about five seconds to go. They toed the scuffed concrete beneath their boot, jaw squaring.

"I'm sorry," Kieran murmured again. This time he braved himself into meeting the fury of their green eyes. Disappointment burned through his core.

"Why can't you? You've ran to him countless of times before, what's different now—?"

"He doesn't... want me." He spat the words out like weak venom with the way it came out strong but lost its intensity halfway on his lips.

Autumn trembled in bottled-up irritation. "Kieran," they said with a firmness that shook the structure of his bones. "He is not supposed to want you." They paused between every word for emphasis.

The ravenhead squeezed his eyes shut, grounding himself before the earth could swallow him up.

"I can't believe I went and found your sister just for you to lose her."

Something defensive awakened in the ravenhead. "I never asked you to do anything, Autumn." He glared at them, though guilt was written all over his face. "I have told you every single day since the day we met to crossover without me. I never asked for your help."

Autumn's mouth opened indignantly. "You think you can handle it out here by yourself? You think you can handle not being able to communicate with a single soul for the rest of eternity? You think you wouldn't lose your mind, huh?" they shouted, "Look at yourself, Kieran."

The ravenhead had his arms wrapped securely around himself, a pair of tears escaping his lower lashes.

"You're so touch starved that you're throwing yourself at the nearest thing with a pulse."

A headache crept onto Kieran's temples, body shaking with the urge to scream His name is Lennon and he's more than just a pulse.

With one blur of movement, Autumn let the strap of their backpack slip off their shoulder and removed their signature cape. The ravenhead stared.