Eyes of The Beholder-{Septiplier Fanfic}

Chapter Twenty-Six (Joey's POV)

I feel a light tug on my jacket sleeve while I walk home. I smile up affectionately at the taller boy. "Hey Shane."

"Don't 'hey' me, Lavender," he hisses, his yellow eyes gazing downward.

"I've been meaning to ask, why do you call me Lavender?" I ask.

"Remember how you dyed your hair a few years ago? I've always been a little indifferent about that," he tells me.

"Come on, you've known me since we were little. I was lucky if I managed to see you for more than a month," I say and roll my eyes. He still hasn't told me the color of them even though we've known each other since preschool.

"I guess. But we're pretty much done with moving." He shivers. His yellow jacket is too light for this weather.

"Want to borrow my jacket again?" I offer, ready to slip it off. He quickly shakes his head.

"That meant nothing. Nothing! I was just..very grateful," he insists. Looks like I'm not the only one who remembered the incident from earlier this week.

"Sure," I murmur, But I take my jacket off, and throw it over his shoulders. I've always been pretty immune to the cold for some reason. I never get sick. But I know Shane does really easily.

He waits until he thinks I'm looking away before he puts it on over his own jacket. "You're annoying," he mumbles.

"Then why have you hung around me all these years?" I retort. He doesn't reply.

A few minutes later, I begin to hear a pattering noise. Shane wipes raindrops off his forehead. "This is why I hurried to catch up to you," he comments.

"You knew it was going to rain?" I ask.

"Yes. I read the forecast," he says.

"So what does the weather have to do with walking with me?"

"I was hoping you may have an umbrella," he says hastily. I can tell he's lying.

"Nah."

"Damn it," he complains. He walks closer to me. "Why must we live so far from the school?"

"Am I too pressuring?" I ask suddenly. I don't even mean for the nagging question to slip out.

"What?"

"Am I too pressuring? Is that why you hate me?"

"I never said I hate you."

"Yes you have. You say it almost every time I speak to you," I say and sigh.

"Oh." He stops walking. "I don't mean it."

I smirk. "You're being nice. That's weird."

He rolls his eyes. "Don't talk about this," he says and leans against me. Then he quickly pecks me on the cheek. Yes!

After a few moment of closeness, I force myself to nudge him off. "Aren't you with Felix and Troye today?" I ask. "You don't want to be late."

"I'm pretty sure Lix is with his little boyfriend," he says bitterly. "And Troye prefers being alone lately. I don't want to spoil that for him just yet. So, I've got all the time in the world."

"Ah. I know you've got a thing for being alone too, so I'll just go on up ahead. See you on Monday! Don't get caught in the nasty weather," I tell him. "You can keep the coat over the weekend." I'm about to walk away when he tugs on my sleeve again.

"Wait. Please stay. I don't want to be alone while it's raining," he pleads and stares at me. I feel my gaze soften in sympathy. He's always on edge whenever there's bad weather.

"Okay. There's one of those benches with a cover right nearby. We can wait for the rain to clear up a little there," I tell him gently. He nods and holds my hand, his own shaking.

"Thank you..." he whispers so quietly that I barely hear him. He and Troye really are related. I lead him to the place I described and made sure to stick close to him.

The rain gets more heavy, and he makes a sort of squeaking noise. He seems embarrassed about it. "It's okay. I'm with you. You don't have to face the rain alone," I tell him. To be honest, the rain isn't actually that bad. It will probably be light enough to walk through in a few minutes. But Shane is so nervous, so I'm trying to make him feel more at ease.

"Thank you," he mutters again. I put my arm around his shoulders, and pull him closer. He snuggles into me, having temporarily forgotten his usual temper. This makes me remember the only other time I've seen him like this.

**************

"Joey, Shane, please stay put for a few minutes. I have to go pick up something from another teacher. I'll be back soon," our teacher tells us. We nod, and she leaves the two of us alone in the room. We are first graders at Mondo Elementary. We're the only students in our class who haven't been picked up by our parents yet.

By the time I turn back, Shane is nowhere to be seen. "Shane?" I call. I get only a sniffle in reply. I locate the source, a cabinet, and open it.

Shane is sitting inside, his face buried in his knees. "Are you okay?" I ask. He just barely shakes his head, so as to not lift up it up.

"I don't like this." he whimpers.

"Don't like what?"

"The rain."

"Why not?"

"Mommy and Daddy are always mad when the weather isn't good. They yell and are angry and act weird," he explains quietly. "It makes me scared, plus the thunder that comes later is so loud."

I make my way into the cabinet and sit next to him. He looks up slightly, tears glistening his golden eyes and down his cheeks. "I'm sorry. But it will be okay. Me and Mrs. Orano are here with you! And the bad weather won't last forever!" I try to sound comforting. I've never seen Shane, both my worst enemy and the closest thing I have to a friend, act like this before.

"I...I..." he trails off. He suddenly embraces me in a hug, his arms shaking as he sobs into my shoulder. "Thank you Joey."

***************

I didn't realize I was reminiscing, but I've ended up stroking Shane's hair in a subconscious attempt to comfort him. He rubs his yellow eyes. His cheeks are wet. From the rain or tears, I'm not sure which.

"Thank you Joey," he says, and hugs me tightly. I only nod and smile. It turns out, that sometimes being a shoulder to cry on is worth more than any words.