Merome: Wild Animals

Sweet Relief

--= Mitch's + POV =--

He laughed with uncertainty in his voice and hidden pain flashed underneath Lachlan's amazing blue eyes. There was tears that seemed to swell once in a while, but Lachlan caught it right before it could show weakness.

I feel guilty. I feel bad. I feel like some of it is my fault. Eyes tearing away from Lachlan as he continued struggling to hide the oceans behind the blue iris' that swallow his facade perfectly, I frowned.

A breath consuming my chest and letting me sigh out in relief, I forced on an assuring smile and turned back towards him, motioning for him to follow me as we wandered into the Kitchen.

Pouring some water into a kettle I snatched from the stove top, I swept a hand through my hair as I sat it down back onto the oven and cranked the heat, preparing supper as well he watched me,

seeming almost relieved that it wasn't him who was cooking. My face softening as the new expression of desperation crawled onto Lachlan's scared, little face, I decided to speak up.

"So how have you been handling Preston?"

The steam of the kettle and the water warming my ears and the Kitchen, I scooted over to the Living Room where I took out five, clean cut logs and set up a tipi on the fireplace.

Lachlan seeming surprised like the rug was swiped right from under him and he didn't even notice there was a rug, he pulled out some matches from his pocket and handed it over to me.

Grinning in gratitude, I nodded my head as the match swept across the rock and I tossed it onto the wood which swiftly lit a flame as the room warmed. I love this feeling. Warmth. I hate the cold.

It's bitter and frosty, it is always so depressing in the cold. Shakes you down to the bone and it doesn't even make sound. It's like an assassin, always in it for the chase and the game, the bounty for it. Not the journey.

Warmth embeds into the heart with passion, but the cold can easily shoot straight through it, not needing a single ounce of permission, and has not a single ounce of regret.

"I think I could be handling him better. To be honest, he doesn't think I care." Time freezing, I slowly turned away from the warmth to face the cold, crying face that Lachlan was portraying in front of me.

His hiccups filled the room as his eyes leaked wildly fast. Taking a step forward, Lachlan was too busy trying to dry his tears to even notice me. My feet clicking against the floor I picked up pace.

Out stretching my hands, fingers out wide I snatched his wrists into my grasp and I glared at his fragile blue eyes. Letting out a small gasp, he cleared his eyesight away from me, ashamed as a snarl popped it's way onto my lips.

"He better care because he could be dead on the streets instead of with you. He's lucky. Without you he would be one hundred percent dead and I wouldn't take him in because I was too much of a wimp to think that I would be third wheeled so I would leave him to his own demise.

You are amazing Lachlan, and I know he cares and if he doesn't I will make him care. No one can not be grateful for how much you have put up with and how much you gave him.

Vikk would probably have been your slave for that much gratitude, but we aren't talking about him now. We're talking about Preston. But I only have one question about him that counts for everything.

....Do you love him?" Lachlan wouldn't look at me after that question slipped out of my mouth, but what else slipped was tears that poured out of his face until he finally collapsed onto his knees and tilted his head up so he was finally looking at me.

Hands slapping onto his face to hide himself, the slightest of nods answered my question and I immediately felt something important inside of me snap.

Why.....Why did I feel so...Doomed? He seems relieved after finally confessing, so he must have had it for a while. But...My heart hurts....Why....I love Jerome. Wait, is that...Is that pity?

I have pity for him.........Because I know one thing about that depressed weirdo whom Rob loved so dearly.

If that person who loves him isn't Rob,

Lachlan's going to be crushed.