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His breath was sharp and catching as the two of them stood side by side. The room was dark, save for the moonlight cascading through the nearby window, lighting the walls with its dull navy tint.
It was quiet. Unbearably so, the only sound coming from the tight gasps of breath taken in by the short ghost hunter, his taller companion typically unfazed by the atmosphere. As usual.
Suddenly– A shadow! The moonlight dips momentarily before lighting the room once more in its dim blue glow.
“D..Did you see that?!” Ryan exclaimed to Shane, fear coating the edges of the question. His voice was hushed but strained.
Shane chuckled quietly, pulling his shorter boyfriend into a hug. Rubbing circles along his back to calm him, Shane mumbled into his ear, “It was probably just an owl flying by the window, Ryan. Nothing to be scared of.”
Ryan gripped the flannel fabric of Shane’s shirt tightly, willing his heart to calm down.
“But what if it’s not? What if its–”
“Shhhh,” Shane shushed, “You’re only gonna work yourself up more if you keep talking like that.”
Pulling back from the hug, Ryan locked eyes with his boyfriend, swallowing a gulp of his fear. Turning back to the window, Ryan looked. Nothing was there. Everything was normal.
Until it wasn’t.
The dark shadow passed over the window again and seemed to enter the room. Ryan’s breath caught in his throat as the tall shadow seemed to stretch along the floorboards reaching for them.
That’s when Ryan saw it. Shane’s shadow seemed to reach towards the inky black that approached. Ryan felt the arms of his boyfriend tighten around him as the ominous shadow began to retreat. Ryan looked up.
Shane’s eyes were as dark as pitch, though his irises retained their same honey glow. He was not looking at Ryan, but at the… Thing - whatever it was, that had begun to ease away.
“Sh..Shane.. what… What’s going on?” Ryan asked him, voice small.
He was terrified, but he also trusted his boyfriend. There were so many jokes about Shane being a demon, but now - finally faced with proof - Ryan didn’t know what to think.
The taller man- no, demon,– Looked down at his shorter boyfriend, a strange guilt coming over his face.
“Ryan… I… I didn’t mean for you to… well..” He trailed off as Ryan stiffened, realizing he was still gripping Ryan tightly in his arms.
He let go, but Ryan still stood there, frozen in shock. The two stood in silence, Ryan stiff and motionless from the revelation, the fear from earlier mixed with confusion. He had to be dreaming. That was it.
There’s no way Shane was actually a demon. That was just a bit for the show!
“You… You’re not scared of me, right?” Shane asked tentatively, his eyes still inky pitch, the honey brown glowing like a cats eye in the dark.
Ryan still stood silent, unmoving as everything processed.
“…babe?” He continued, voice uneasy.
“This… This can’t be real. Shane.. tell me.. Tell me this is a dream.”
Shane, once more, turned his eyes from Ryan.
“I .. I want to. But… I can’t. I can’t lie to you anymore Ryan.”
As Shane explained, his voice droning in his usual calm cadence, Ryan began to finally process everything. Shane continued to speak, “ .. and so I know what it looks like and the truth is; Yes, the internet is right. Yes, I am a demon – But I’m not evil! I promise, I only–”
“YOU LIED TO ME!” Ryan shouted, suddenly angry.
“I WAS PROTECTING YOU!” Shane spat back, his voice sounding in a strange unearthly roar.
Then there was silence again as the two just stared at one another. Ryan looked hurt, confused and just a little bit scared as the implications began to set in.
Shane is a demon.
Ryan began to back away; slow easy steps.
Shane is a demon which means that he’s not human.
The demon in question gazed at his shorter counterpart, face crestfallen as Ryan continued to back away.
Which means that he’s probably dangerous.
The sound echoing off the back end of Shane’s voice when he had yelled, played through Ryan’s mind. It was deep and vibrated into the recesses of Ryan’s soul.
Shane’s probably very dangerous.
Ryan’s back hit the wall. Panic spiked as he stood, now paralyzed.
“.. I can smell your fear…” Shane spoke. His eyes beginning to widen at the sensation before his expression melted into something disconsolate and heartbroken. His voice was slow and quiet, barely a whisper. There was no more boom. No more growl. Just Shane’s voice, tinged in sadness and guilt, “I’m… I’m sorry, Ryan.”
The shorter man gazed into the honey eyes of his boyfriend, regarding him with betrayal. There was fear, but if not for the deep black sclera it would just be Shane. Ryan gripped his emotions, taking control. He needed answers.
“..Why didn’t you tell me?” Ryan asked, his voice small, “.. You… We had that question come up many times in our Q and As and you know how I said I would feel. Why?”
Shane smiled humourlessly and motioned an arm at Ryan as if it was obvious.
“I can smell “why” on you right now.” Taking a step forward, Shane continued to explain, his voice sounding bitter, “You think I didn’t think about telling you? Coming clean about it so we could just move on and be happy?”
He turned from Ryan, back facing the shorter man as Shane walked towards the window and placed his hand upon the cool glass pane, “Every night I thought about it…And then!-- when you told me–” Shane turned around, his eyes shining with unshed tears. Ryan just stared, listening and Shane continued,
“–When I learned you returned my feelings!… We started dating and.. God… I’ve not been this happy in twelve-thousand years, Ryan. Who would have thought a mere mortal would allow a creature such as myself such joy?” Then quieter, “.. of course, I wanted to tell you. … But I didn’t want you to be afraid of me. Afraid, like you are right now.”
Shane closed his eyes as three tears slipped down his cheeks, whispering “.. I didn’t want you to think of me as a monster.”
Ryan regarded the being that was pouring his soul out before him. Shane had lied to him. But then the memory of the shadow returned to him. Shane had chased whatever that thing was away.
I WAS PROTECTING YOU!
That booming and terrifying voice. He did. He had protected him. Maybe Shane was a demon, but he hadn’t done anything to hurt Ryan.
“..You’re a fucking asshole…” Ryan mumbled, taking a couple steps towards Shane. Opening his eyes, Shane looked just in time to see Ryan pull him into a hug.
“I’m fucking livid with you right now, you jerk. You should know not to lie to your boyfriend.” Ryan whispered to him, arms tightening around Shane.
Shane closed his eyes again, wrapping his own arms around Ryan, more tears slipping out.
“..I’m so sorry, Ryan..” He croaked.
“Shhh” Ryan shushed, in a mirror of Shane earlier, “I have questions, but we can answer them all tomorrow when we get back, ok? And you better fucking tell the truth, or you better believe I’m leaving your ass, dude. Don’t ever fucking lie to me again, you got that?”
Shane just nodded into Ryan’s shoulder, tears still streaming.
He swore on the very Gods he denounced, he would never lie to Ryan again.