Lonely Hours [Kier/Shane]

Six

Drew and I were led into the large, black, recently shined car, me shuffling over to the far left of the vehicle to allow Drew to sit beside me and rest without straining himself while Kier took a seat opposite us, facing my brother.

"T-Thank you for you h-help, Kier," I whispered, hating the looming awkwardness that was beginning to settle over us as Drew seemed incapable to do anything but sit and stare at the redhead across from him.

"It's no problem," was his mumbled response, his attention turned to Drew and smiling sweetly at him, causing the smaller blond to blush and finally turn away. "The arsehole should know his place."

"You know him?" I asked, glancing down at my hand as I felt Drew's hand curl around my wrist, a sign I knew well to inform me of the man's nerves rising. Admittedly, I was quite anxious too, overwhelmed by this man's kindness, but also suspicious; there must be a reason behind his actions, no one would ever treat people like us so nicely and want nothing in return.

Kier shrugged, nodding gently as he turned towards me, the smile still broad on his face. "Kind of," He replied. "I've had a few words with him before; he's not the nicest of men, that's all I'll say."

I nodded, eyes squinting slightly as my suspicion grew. His answer was too vague, and it still didn't explain my query on how he knew the man was previously in the brothel.

"S-Shane," I heard a sudden whisper from beside me, bringing me to toss away my questions on Kier and turn my attention to the fragile man beside me. "S-Shane, I-I l-left the box i-in the alley... W-We have n-no food... a-and a j-jacket's there too ..."

I shushed him softly, gently unbuckling his seatbelt and pulling him closer to me and into my side for a hug, my head resting on top of his dirty own. "We'll manage, I promise. I'll find something."

Kier stayed silent for the remainder of the unknown journey; I didn't particularly mind where we were going, I was just thankful Drew had time to rest somewhere warm before we'd be left to our own devices on the streets once more. He was deteriorating by the minute, his skeleton protruding from his translucent skin, while his voice was weakening drastically each time he spoke. However, I had no idea how to help him; I was losing him and I was incapable of stopping it.

Eventually we pulled up on the drive of a fairly large house, surrounded by numerous multi-coloured flowers and elegant paintwork to assist with the welcoming aura it let off.

"Wow," I whispered as the driver left the car to open the door for us, nodding at Kier once he stepped out before ushering us to follow suit. The house was something from a dream world, appearing to have 3+ floors from its huge size, the windows glistened with the reflection of the moonlight whilst the entire exterior was pristine clean – not a speck of dirt or gravel out of place. Yet again, he managed to make me feel vile in comparison.

"K-Kier, we can't be here." I whispered to him once I managed to assist Drew in being able to stand straight for himself. He ignored me, merely wrapping an arm around my brother once more and leading us into the house. I watched as the driver drove away, before hurrying behind the pair and cautiously entering his home. It was impossibly grander on the inside, the walls painted a pure white whilst the tiled floor beneath my dirty feet was polished and shined to perfection. More flowers surrounded nearly all the expensive looking surfaces, various coloured roses and sculptures setting the scene for me that Kier was as rich as I first thought he was, and the fact that he'd bought Drew and I a hot chocolate didn't make me feel as guilty anymore.

Kier called to someone unknown, telling them of his return and his voice boomed around the house while I stared at the painting adorned walls. There was a soundless second before the quiet tap of footsteps filled my ears before a man appeared, speeding down the stairs. He was tall, slim but not quite as slim as Kier, and had a perfectly styled mop of black hair atop his head, the fringe swooping over his forehead. He was dressed in a complete black suit, finding it difficult for me to tell the difference where his blazer ended and shirt began, except for his shoes, which was shined spotless.
"Kier, where were you?" He asked, his voice somehow managing to soothe my anxiety instantly. He was a kind man, I knew that instantly; his expression was elegant and smooth, the skin visibly blemish free and the lack of creases surrounding his face told me more than words ever could that he lived a stress free existence, something I envied, and the result of that was the colourful care and liveliness in his eyes. "You missed dinner."

Kier merely rudely rolled his eyes at the man; however, it didn't seem to faze him, making me wonder whether this was a regular occurrence. "I was busy." He merely replied, before nodding towards Drew and I. "Shane, Drew; this is Laurence, my PA."
I smiled timidly in greeting, lifting my hand from where I was gripping Drew's wrist as an attempt at a wave before returning it.

"I'm your fiancé first, Kier," Laurence replied, before turning and nodding to us both. "But it's lovely to meet you."

My smile dropped at his words, eyes widening as my head dropped to the shined floor. I didn't understand; not once had Kier even mentioned Laurence's existence, let alone the fact he was an engaged man.

The sudden sound of Kier huffing alerted me back to the situation at hand, returning my gaze to the redhead keeping my brother on two feet.

"That really isn't important right now," was his growling response, and yet again Laurence was unaffected. "Take Drew upstairs and get him cleaned up, alright? I'll make sure dinner gets sent up to him within an hour."

I watched as his fiancé's lips pierced together for a moment, as if having to physically force himself back from retorting before taking Drew from him and helping him carefully up the stairs, whispering soft words of comfort on occasion.

"Follow me, Shane." Kier commanded in a low mumble, heading down the corridor and through a doorway on the right, under the grand staircase. I could do nothing but comply.