Meet Me Inside

[Jude Wright]

Deep down, he knew Kieran was right, knew that what he was saying was rational and reasonable. There was always that danger. Even so. Jude wanted nothing more than to protest - a we wouldn't, of course we wouldn't, or something - whether or not that would ever be something he could actually promise. Even if he believed it - and he did, he believed it - he wasn't sure that could be enough.

Kieran had more to say, anyway. Another accusation.

The words out of his mouth weren't anything Jude had been expecting, and they struck a nerve like hot iron.

Did Kieran really think -

What was he thinking? That 'werewolf' had flagged some kind of spark in Jude's brain, as though this were just a big game and he was going to run away on a crusade the next minute, turn 'werewolf' into some sort of rally cry, because yes, clearly all his closest friends amounted to nothing more than token issues to fight? Kieran had never been a bloody cause. This was nothing to do with politics or justice or principle.

"No, you're not," Jude said, a flash of hurt the last thing before his face closed off, saw him impassive again. Too right he wasn't. "I never said you were."

He was a friend, and if that wasn't enough reason for Jude to be allowed to care -

But if Kieran couldn't see that, if Kieran wanted to keep it a secret and keep up with the lies and deal with it all himself, then so be it. Jude couldn't understand it - at least not right now, not in this reeling state of mind - but he was not Kieran, so it didn't matter. It was none of Jude's business; Kieran had been trying hard enough to impress that upon him. Well, fine. Lesson fucking learned.

(It occurred to him, somewhere at the back of his mind, that this was not at all how he had wanted this encounter to go. Of course - he hadn't known yet - hadn't expected this anger to linger as it had, when really he was stunned and he was sorry, and there was guilt pushing its way up from his gut, rising through his ribcage like a flood, but it was too late to let it out now - )  

Kieran was a werewolf and Jude couldn't make this any worse, so.

"I'll leave you to it, then." He said distantly. No need to wait for an answer; Jude was already striding towards the door. No doubt Kieran would be glad, and then they could go and try to forget this ever happened, somehow. Because it looked like going it alone was working out so well for Kieran.

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   Elsie Beauregard

[Kieran Abernathy]

Jude was leaving, he was leaving, and he was gone and Kieran was alone with his chains and the aches in his bones. His hands shook. His head was all over the place - all he could think of was the consequences, and the hurt in his chest, and Jude was leaving.

Kieran wanted him gone, he did, but things still felt unfinished. His ribs were shaking and the marks on his wrists hurt and he could feel the panic rising desperately in his chest, clawing its way up through his lungs.

He watched the door close. He was alone and he was freaking out and he didn't know what to do but - he wasn't alone. He wasn't alone. Not really.

Kieran raised his voice once more to shout, "Eileen!"

@'Elsie Beauregard'

The following 2 users Like Kieran Abernathy's post:2 users Like Kieran Abernathy's post
   Elias Grimstone, Elsie Beauregard

[Eileen Buchanan]

How she'd managed to stay standing, Eileen wasn't sure. Between holding her breath listening and the pure frustration and rage she felt at the helplessness of the conversation, Leeny certainly should have collapsed by now. It was nothing, she knew, compared to how Key must have been feeling at this particular moment.

Once she was sure Jude was gone, she very hesitantly, comforter in tow, exited her room. She found him in the kitchen, in a state (understandably so). Her expression softened, her anger fading just enough to allow her to focus on him, rather than the situation. Closing the gap between them, Leeny wrapped her arms around his middle, effectively cocooning them both in her blanket. Asking if he was alright made no sense, clearly he wasn't, so she didn't bother. This was huge, it was a situation they were going to have to figure out but it could wait a little while until it wasn't quite so raw.

  

[Kieran Abernathy]

He folded into her. For someone smaller than him, Eileen was surprisingly good at swaddling Kieran, and he buried his face in her hair for a moment. He couldn't lie, couldn't say he was alright, and did not particularly want to say anything.

There was nothing to say. Jude knew. The tenuous hold Kieran had kept on normality was slipping, and he couldn't think of a single good, thing, not one - well.

He made a choked noise that was something like a laugh, and said, muffled by her hair, "At least he didn't realize I'm in love with him."

  

[Eileen Buchanan]

Resting her chin on Kieran's shoulder, Eileen sighed rather dramatically. "I'm sorry." She mumbled, thinking of no better words to express how she was feeling. There really wasn't much she could say, but she released a little chuckle at his last statement nevertheless. Leave it to Key to make a joke.

"I can kill him if you want?" She offered helplessly- though she would, if he wanted her to, even though she highly doubted it. Leeny wanted to believe the Jude wouldn't say anything; there was obviously some weird thing going on between the blond and her best friend, but even Leeny wasn't so sure Jude and Kieran would ever be on the same wavelength.

  

[Kieran Abernathy]

"Mm, he might be even more inconvenient as a corpse," Kieran said, burying his face further into her hair. He squeezed her tight. At least he had Eileen, who had been his friend for far longer than he'd been tolerable, and his roommate since before either of them could really afford it.

"Love you." Not romantically, not that way, but he did love her. And she knew, she had to, but it still bore saying.

The following 1 user Likes Kieran Abernathy's post:1 user Likes Kieran Abernathy's post
   Elsie Beauregard

[Eileen Buchanan]

Reciprocating his squeeze, Eileen was sure that this just wasn't going to blow over- rather the opposite she thought it would blow up again and it wouldn't be pretty. It irked her more than it probably should, but realistically Kieran was all she had and she needed him functioning. They'd had a rough go of it after the attack and things were better now, she'd kill somebody if the balance was upset too drastically.

Sighing again, Leeny snuggled in as he did and mumbled a begrudging, "I love you too." Not because it wasn't true- oh it was, the rotten bastard had wormed his way into her heart, but because she was not comfortable with ~emotions. "Let's have breakfast." Eggs, Leeny could handle eggs. Maybe. Hopefully.