Inhuman [Keveridge/Shier]

15

After spending the rest of the afternoon comforting a distraught but angry Drew I returned home, making sure my friend was safely back home beforehand, and retreated to my bedroom to Laurence. The raven-haired man was perched on top of my desk, his feet resting on the chair that was slightly tucked beneath it while he gazed out the nearby window overlooking the street below. He turned to me as I threw my bag to the side, releasing a loud sigh in exasperation before Laurence jumped over to me, standing only a few seconds away with an adorable smile on his lips.

"I missed you too, Laurence," I mumbled, giving him a weak smile in return before it grew stronger as Laurence leaned in and 'kissed' my cheek. As he pulled back he tilted his head to the side before gesturing to the bag at our feet, silently questioning how my day went.

"It was alright," I began, moving away to jump onto my bed, kicking off my shoes before sighing gently at my final comfort. "But we went to visit Shane this afternoon; I really don't understand what's wrong with him right now... He's asked me to meet him this evening, at the park."

It was at that point that Laurence came into view, leaning over me yet I couldn't feel him there. He gazed down at me with a large frown on his lips, and I couldn't help but laugh softly at his expression.

"It's fine, Laurence; I'm sure I won't be gone long." I replied, however, he didn't seem convinced. "I know we haven't been spending a lot of time together recently, but I promise we can soon. I just need to make sure things between Shane and Drew are okay again first."

Laurence merely pouted.

"I promise, I'll be gone an hour at the most. It's just that Shane needs me, Laur..." He near glared at me, causing me to awkwardly turn away. I hated it when he was like this, it hurt so much for the one I cared for the most to act so cold towards me. "I know him and I have never gotten along, but I can't ignore this and besides, we've been kind of getting along recently. It's weird, but nice and I don't want to risk losing that."

It was only at that point that Laurence silently sighed, nodding slightly before moving from the bed and back to his previous position on my desk. Flicking my tongue across the surface of my lower lip I raised myself to a seated position, about to apologise and plead my case once more before my text tone sounded from within my pocket. I sighed, retrieving the device.

Shane: My Uncle is asleep. I have time to meet now if you do?

Without a second thought I replied, for the first time in so long I was more than happy to leave Laurence's side.

Kier: Give me ten minutes and I'll be there.

With one last look at Laurence, him appearing to have not moved since beginning his sulk, I shoved my feet back into my converse before grabbing my jacket and leaving the room. Admittedly, I felt terrible about not wishing my boyfriend goodbye; however, I still believed he was being a little childish. Shane needed me; he didn't seem to have anyone else he could speak to, and what kind of person would I be to deny him that support?

The journey to the park was a quick one, given the fact that I knew the park he wanted to meet me at wasn't the safest place in town, and the idea of Shane being alone in the dark was enough to make my stomach churn with unease. As I thought the blond had beaten me to it, his slim, hooded form curled up on the closest bench to the exit while the streetlamp flickered repeatedly, as if to indicate where he was for me.

"Hey," I mumbled as I approached him, awkwardly taking the space beside him as my hair flew annoyingly in front of my eyes.

"H-Hi," He mirrored, shivering slightly in the cold air but not appearing to do anything to shield himself from freezing. "T-Thank you for meeting m-me here."

"I didn't really feel like I had the choice," I replied, shuffling back towards the wood and crossing my legs on the seat. "You wouldn't let me go."
The sound of his light chuckles would have previously comforted me; however, they seemed more like a barrier to stop himself releasing any painful emotion held within him.

"Yeah, I guess not," was his eventual response after taking a large gulp. "A-And how is Drew?"

"What, after you told him to leave you alone until further notice?" Shane visibly flinched. "He's doing crap, thanks, but I'm sure I'll be able to clean up your mess again soon enough."

"I'm sorry," He muttered, head bowed down which only managed to make me even angrier. "But I-I nee-"

"It's not me you should be apologising to." I cut him off, a small growl rumbling in my throat from how frustratingly mysterious he was currently being; it was completely unnecessary as far as I was concerned.

"I know," He croaked out as we were hit with a strong gust of wind, which managed to forcefully push down Shane's hood, revealing his thick mop of hair. "B-But you don't u-understand."
"Don't understand what?" I growled, voice rising the more the man stuttered. He was weak. "Why are you acting so strange all the time? And why are you speaking to me about this of all people? Is it because you think I'm just as fucked up as you or something? Because let me tell you, at least I'm honest about the shit that goes on in my head."

"Honest?!" was his sudden outburst, my eyes widening at the sound of his surprisingly strong voice. "Don't think I haven't heard what everyone says about you at group; I know all about this Laurence guy and how you've told Drew a completely different story, so before you decide to criticise my way of coping assess your own first!"

This was supposed to be about him, I wasn't prepared to deal with this. Shane was never supposed to know about Laurence and I, or how those at my meetings treated me. I guess I should have expected something like this to happen sooner, but now it was here; I had no idea how to deal with it.

"I-I'm sorry," He suddenly whispered, followed by a soft sniffle as he shakily removed his glasses to wipe his tearful eyes. "T-That was out of line... I-It's none of my business."

"N-No, it's not," I murmured, wetting the drying surface of my lips with my tongue. "But yours and Drew's relationship isn't any of mine either."

Shane chuckled at that, causing a weak smile to appear on my lips while the once tense atmosphere gradually faded.

"Shane," I began, sighing softly as I leant back against the back of the bench. "What are we doing here?"

"I-I wanted to explain," He croaked, running a hand through his knotted hair. "I-I know it's not to the right person, b-but I thought t-that you c-could help... b-because maybe y-you'd understand."

"Understand? S-Shane, I don't-"

"W-We both have things w-which no one believes in, a-and I-I d-don't ..." was all he said before a faint whine was heard from the man beside me, followed by frantic sniffles, and then hesitant cries.