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Kevin wanders into the kitchen, he sits down on a stool and he flings his arms lazily across the counter. He stares over boredly at Seán, who’s pottering around the kitchen making something for himself.
"Whatcha doing…?" Kevin asks, dully.
"Just making a salad. Want one?" Seán replies, his smile makes Kevin feel a little less bored.
"Sure." Kevin replies simply. Taking out his lighter and idly flicking it on and off, he watches as the flame ignites, then dissipates. A few minutes later Seán slides a plate towards him.
"Here ya' go." He says. Kevin smiles back and puts his lighter away.
To be honest, Kevin wasn't really that hungry… He was more looking for an activity, and as he pokes and prods at the leafy vegetables on his plate, he doesn't really feel like eating it…
Ew, cucumbers… They don't even taste like anything. Kevin thinks to himself, then suddenly his eyes widen as an idea forms in his mind.
Kevin takes a few bites, after he makes a show of coughing and gagging a little. Seán's attention snaps to him, tilting his head concerned.
"Kev, you good?"
Kevin continues to cough, he clutches a hand against his chest and stares urgently at Seán. "Seán, are there cucumbers in this?!"
"Uh yeah—why?" Seán asks, worry starting to seep into his voice.
"U-ughh… F-Fuck!" Kevin stutters, bracing his arm against the table he ducks his head down; half to sell his performance, and half to hide the grin rising across his lips.
"Kevin?! Wh–What's wrong?" Seán panics! Getting up from his seat he runs around the counter to Kevin.
"H-humans—ugh… Humans are deathly allergic to cucumbers….." Kevin wheezes, reaching a hand up to his throat, he slides off his chair and very ungracefully falls to the ground. Wincing for real as the impact stings a little.
It’s totally totally worth it for Seán’s reaction... He reminds himself.
“KEVIN!” Seán screams! Dropping to his knees beside Kevin, he grabs his shoulder tight as Kevin continues to cough and sputter. Seán looks around desperately, his mind a whirlwind of panic.
'I— ugh… I—I need help!"
“O–oh fuck, OH FUCK! U–uh okay—I’M GOING TO GET DAN!” He yells! Transforming into a wolf and sprinting out of the room!
Kevin props himself up momentarily as Seán leaves, a little bit of guilt rises in his chest, but it’s quickly overtaken by giggles. Realising just how easy it was to trick him. Kevin hadn’t really thought about it before today, but unlike the rest of the lads, Seán had never been human before… And that was something Kevin could play with.
Dan sits up in his room, peacefully flicking through a book, when suddenly a large wolf comes barreling through the doors! Dan yelps! Jumping as Seán transforms back into himself in front of Dan.
“DAN, I NEED HELP!” He screams! Dan stares wide eyed, pausing for only a moment—but a moment too long as Seán grabs Dan’s arm and drags him out of his seat.
“W–wait! Seán slow down, what’s going on?” Dan insists, nearly tripping as Seán pulls him towards the door.
“I ACCIDENTALLY POISONED KEVIN!”
“What?!”
“I—I didn’t mean to! I was just making a salad and—And now he’s on the ground and—AND—DAN YOU HAVE TO HELP HIM!” Seán begs! Gripping Dan’s arm so hard his nails dig into his skin.
“O-okay, okay! Let’s go!” Dan says at last, following Seán as he rushes back through the halls! Finally they both reach the kitchen again, Seán gasps as he sees Kevin; eyes closed and motionless on the ground.
“KEVIN! O–oh fuck… Kevin, I'm so sorry!” Seán cries, clasping his hands over his mouth.
A shock plunges into Dan’s chest at the sight in front of him, without a word he kneels down and presses his head to Kevin’s chest; to his relief his heartbeat is not only there, but completely normal.
“H-he’s alive, don’t worry! Okay, um—What did you poison him with?” Dan asks, turning his head to Seán who looks like he’s about to cry.
“...Cucumbers.” Seán replies, distraught.
Dan blinks a few times, certain that he heard him wrong. “Uh–Sorry, what?”
“Cucumbers! I–I didn’t know humans couldn’t have those, I’M SORRY!” Seán yells!
“Oh, god… Seán.” Dan sighs, starting to catch on to what’s happening… Just then the two hear manic giggling erupt from Kevin as he props himself up, he beams a wide smile towards Seán, still shaking and staring very confused down at him.
“Wh–what?” Seán mutters, staring between an extremely amused Kevin and a frustrated Daniel.
“He was fucking with you, Seán.” Dan says, tiredly. “Cucumbers are completely harmless to humans.”
“I GOT YOU!” Kevin grins! Sitting up cross legged he stares at Seán like an excited child. Seán’s eyes widen, his face turning a bright red, he crosses his arms and stares away; embaressed.
“That was not cool, man…” He complains, a small smile graces his lips though as he realises how stupid he was for falling for it…
Dan gets up off the ground, Kevin reaches his arm up towards him expectantly, but Dan just rolls his eyes, flicking his cloak in Kevin’s face and walking off.
“Rude.” Kevin says, getting up by himself.
“Sorry if I scared ya’ that was really funny though.” Kevin chuckles, moving close to Seán who is still bright red.
“Yeah, I guess it was kinda funny… Just don’t do it again, please?”
“Of course! I would never.” Kevin smiles.
The next night Kevin once again found himself bored, walking idly around the garden he spots Seán sitting on the tall metal fence that surrounds the estate. He stares up calmly at the half moon in the sky… Kevin rushes over, with a leap and a slightly ungraceful climb—He finds his way up next to Seán, who flinches as Kevin suddenly breaks him from his trance.
Kevin opens his mouth to say hello, when he notices Seán’s sudden weariness. Eyes darting between Kevin, and the ground about four feet below. Not a comfortable fall, but nothing all that dangerous…
“Seán—?”
“Careful.” Seán says quickly, a genuine fearfulness in his voice. “Ah sorry, just be careful! Ya know? It’s kinda high…” He says a little more lightheartedly, adding a small laugh.
Kevin was about to reply ‘Nah it’s cool, I’ve fallen off way higher and been fine.’ but then an idea popped into his head… A bad idea, an idea he had specifically promised against…. But then again, when had that ever stopped Kevin?
Kevin looks down and gasps! Clutching his hands on the fence to keep himself stable, his wide eyes fixed on the ground.
“K-Kevin?”
“S–shit! I–I just saw you and climbed up—I didn’t realise how—!” Kevin says frantically.
“Uh, oh god. Um, do you need help?” Seán says, shoulders rising anxiously.
“Ah—Yes, please. I’ll just—AHH!”
“KEVIN!”
Seán watches in horror as Kevin slips and falls to the ground! Legs collapsing from under him, he crumples onto the grass in a heap. Seán leaps off the fence! Landing next to Kevin, he grabs his shoulder and shakes him; no response.
“Kevin—KEVIN?! Fuck, shit–! BRIAN!”
It’s not long before Brian comes running into the garden, following an extremely frantic Seán. As they arrive at the scene, Kevin still laying “unconcious” on the ground. Brian scans the area, his focused look melting away immidiately as soon as he sees the height of the fence.
“...Oh for fuck sake.” He groans.
“W-What?” Seán mutters, confused.
Brian sighs, grabbing Kevin by the collar he pulls him up to his feet, gripping his shirt angrily. As Kevin is pulled up he greets Brian with a bright smile.
“STOP SCARING HIM, KEVIN!” He yells! Kevin frowns.
“Aww… But it’s funny!” He argues.
Seán looks between them, folding his arms embaressed, he looks down.
“Fuckin….Damn it.” He whispers to himself, he wants to walk up and yell at Kevin for breaking his promise, but as heat rises to his cheeks he can’t find the strength to… Instead he turns into a wolf and darts away into the woods.
Both Kevin and Brian watch as Seán runs off. Brian drops Kevin, walking a few feet away he glares angrily at him.
“You’re being a real jerk, you know that right?”
“...It was just a joke, calm down.” Kevin huffs, crossing his arms defensively.
“Whatever. Just don’t do it again.” Brian growls.
“Of course! I promise.”
To Kevin’s credit, that promise lasted six more days than the last one. But as Kevin and Seán both helped Dan carry books through the mansion he couldn’t help playing with Seán a little more… It wasn’t my fault! He’d told himself; Seán kept taking all the books and wouldn’t let me carry more than two at a time. If he’s going to treat me like a child, I’ll act like one. He decided.
Seán wasn’t pleased that time, either. And Kevin did feel quite bad as Seán had dragged Daithi all the way downstairs to check his “completely broken arm” only to find Kevin carrying all the books on his own.
Nor was Seán particularly pleased when Kevin pretended to be drowning in a three foot deep pond. Or when Kevin threatened a sketchy looking guy in town, who of course was Kevin’s friend and completely in on it… Yeah, thinking about it, Kevin finally began to come to the conclusion he was being a bit of a jerk.
Kevin decided that perhaps he should stop, not because anyone else told him to! But because the way Seán looks at him had become more skeptical, more unkind and judging… He didn’t like that, he didn’t want his relationship with Seán to change. Kevin would trust Seán with his life… If nothing else, the past few weeks had proven him that.
“Kevin?” Seán says, staring at Kevin’s far off gaze.
“Huh? Oh, sorry… Just thinking.” He replies casually.
“Right…”
Seán sighs, transforming back into a wolf he points his nose to the ground and keeps sniffing for bones. He wasn’t having as much fun as he usually did, something about Kevin had changed over the last few weeks, and it wasn’t a secret what it was.
Seán misses the days when he could just trust Kevin to be honest with if he’s okay. It’s always been a struggle with him, the others he doesn’t have to worry about, but Kevin; not only is he human, which Seán doesn’t fully understand… But he’s Kevin . He’ll burn his arm and walk it off, but then stub his toe and start crying. It was impossible to gauge what is and isn’t safe for him, and with all the stupid pranks he’s been pulling Seán was ready to just lock him in a padded room and throw away the key.
Kevin watches as Seán walks slowly through the woods, his tail hanging limp and unexcited. Kevin stares at the ground a moment, the weight of what he’s done to Seán finally starting to hit him… God I’ve been such a pain in the ass. Kevin thinks, he starts playing apologies in his head, but none of them sound right… He starts to walk further and further away from Seán, muttering to himself like a madman.
Suddenly Kevin hears a cracking sound above him, he turns his head and gasps as he sees a tree above him falling closer and closer to the ground! Kevin leaps out of the way, crashing to his side on the ground, he cries out in pain as a the heavy trunk falls on top of him!
“F—FUCK! Ugh— Oh, oh my god…” Kevin gulps, body shaking as adrenaline starts to kick in. He turns his head and cries out as he sees the tree collapsed on top of his legs, he can’t feel anything yet, just a tingly numbmess—But he knows he will, and he knows it will HURT.
“U–uh, okay, okay!” Kevin mutters to himself in a panic, propping his chest up shakily, he tries to pull his legs free but—
“AUGH! O-OH MY GOD!” Kevin shrieks! There it was, that was the pain he was expecting… Kevin’s eyes widen as he sees blood dripping from underneath the tree onto the grass, his legs twitch painfully, heart beating out of his chest, suddenly Kevin hears footsteps and looks up, relief flooding over him as he sees Seán in wolf form standing over him.
Seán transforms back, hands clasping over his mouth as he stares wide eyed at Kevin.
“OH MY GOD—ARE YOU OKAY?!” He screams!
“N-no.” Kevin says, frightened. “I—I can’t move, I–I’m stuck!”
Kevin watches as Seán’s face changes, his eyes narrow and hands lower limpy to his sides. His nose scrunches in frustration, then anger.
“I…I can’t believe you.” He says, coldly.
“W-What? What do you mean—?”
“God, KEVIN ARE YOU SERIOUS?! You’re such an asshole!” He screams!
“S–Seán? Oh, OH. N-NO NO! I’m serious, I swear!” Kevin begs, realisation hitting him like a truck.
“Oh sure, yeah, like you promised you were serious last time, and the time before that. Yeah I fucking believe you Kevin! Let’s all laugh at the stupid werewolf who doesn’t understand humans!” Seán exclaims, crossing his arms as tears prick at his eyes.
“Seán, I–I know you’re mad, that's totally fair. But I really need your help I’m—!”
“BULLSHIT KEVIN.” Seán yells! Sniffling as tears stream down his face. “I– I just wanted to keep you safe and you just kept—FUCKING WITH ME! I told you to stop so many times and you just keep going!”
“I know, I KNOW! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done all of that…”
Seán turns away for a moment, taking a deep breath he stares back at Kevin… His pleading eyes look so convincing. Yet it was those same damn eyes he’s fallen for over and over and over again.
“P–please. I–I need help, Seán.”
I need help. That’s what he said with the books, with the pond, with the fucking cucumbers. Every time after; Dan, or Brian or Daithi had told him what an idiot he was for falling for it. Sure, those weren’t their words, but he knew they thought it. Stupid little werewolf doesn’t understand what it is to be human. Not like us. HE’S NOT LIKE US.
Seán wipes tears from his cheeks, but they keep coming. He grits his teeth and walks over to Kevin, placing his hands underneath the tree trunk, he starts to lift it, barely breaking a sweat it’s so light… A rage fills inside him, a fury that tells him he’s being fooled, that any moment Kevin is going to start laughing again, Seán’s nails dig into the bark.
“I refuse.” He growls. “I REFUSE TO LET YOU DO THIS TO ME AGAIN KEVIN!” He screams!
Seán lets go of the tree! Kevin cries out in pain as the trunk lands on him again! Exhaling sharp through his teeth, Kevin feels tears prick painfully at his eyes.
“AUGH—! N-no, SEÁN PLEASE!” Kevin pleads! Reaching out for him as he turns his back and starts walking away.
“I've worried about you too many FUCKING TIMES NOW KEVIN! I'll see you back at the mansion when you're done playing." Seán says coldly. Transforming back into a wolf he runs away!
“SEÁN WAIT—! PLEASE, I CAN’T MOVE—PLEASE, HELP ME!” Kevin screams! But Seán can’t hear him…
Seán’s paws dig into the ground as he bounds back towards the mansion, tears stream into his fur, he scrunches his face up furiously.
HOW COULD HE HAVE TAKEN THIS SO FAR?!
He turns back into himself at the entrance, shoulders raised and eyes puffy. He hugs his chest and stumbles into the mansion, rushing forward with his head ducked, he doesn’t notice as he bashes straight into Brian!
“Ugh, for fuck sa—! Seán?” Brian growls, eyes widening as he notices Seán’s face.
“Sorry.” Seán says dismissively, pushing past him as Brian softly asks questions, but he doesn’t listen. He just runs as fast as he can through the mansion towards Dan’s room, he reaches it and places a shaky hand on the doorknob, Seán jumps as suddenly Daithi appears in front of him!
“Seán, what happened?” He asks, in a gentler tone than usual.
"J–Just, get out of my way!" Seán stutters, hiding his teary face he turns the door knob and charges into Dan's room. Slamming the door behind him, Seán sighs in relief that Daithi seemed to take the hint and didn't follow him.
Dan jumps! As for about the third time this week someone has violently swung his door open without warning. He huffs, angrily.
"DO YOU PEOPLE NOT KNOW HOW TO KNOCK?! Oh–" Dan silences himself as he sees a sobbing, furious, looking Seán standing meekly in the doorway.
"Seán… What's wrong?" Dan asks, gently. Walking up slowly towards him.
"I—I FUCKING HATE KEVIN!" Seán screams! Hugging himself tighter, his sharp nails digging into his skin.
Daniel takes a deep breath… He'd been expecting this conversation for a while now. Sometimes Dan tries to break up their fights before things get bad, but usually they just ignore him. So he had gotten used to having one of the two come up to him ranting until eventually they made up again.
"Come here." Dan says, calmly. Walking across his room he sits down on a velvety red sofa, patting the spot beside him; Seán sits down next to him.
"What happened with Kevin?"
Seán takes a deep breath, trying to calm his rage but it doesn't help. His hands bundle into fists and teeth grit even as he thinks about it.
"He's been fucking with me for weeks now! And I know he's just trying to have fun—BUT IT ISN'T FUN."
"...I thought so."
"And I keep telling him to stop, but he DOESN'T! He just thinks it's funny to watch me freak out! It was okay before, but it just keeps getting more extreme and I don't know when he's joking or not—AND I DON'T THINK I CAN TRUST HIM ANYMORE DAN!"
Seán starts hyperventilating, Dan brings a hand to his shoulder, rubbing up and down his arm.
"Seán, breath. It's okay!" Dan instructs, Seán brings his knees up to his chest, folding his arms on top.
"I—I really need to be able to trust him, Dan…" He cries. "I don't want to hurt him. What if I end up hurting him?!"
“You won’t. He’s a lot stronger than he looks, trust me.” Dan assures him, shuffling a little closer he wraps an arm across his shoulders. “I’ll talk to him, okay? He’ll listen to me.”
“What if he doesn’t?” Seán sniffles.
Dan stares at the ground a moment, a grimace forming on his face. He stares back to Seán with his eyes glowing a brighter shade of red… “I’ll make him.” He says seriously.
Seán feels his heart stop a moment as Dan stares dangerously at him, a second later though Dan closes his eyes and laughs.
“Nah I’m kidding. I’ll get Daithi to yell at him...” He says with a chuckle, Seán laughs along nervously…
“I don’t think I’ve ever really seen ‘Scary Daniel’ before.” Seán says with a weak smile. The closest was probably when Dan tried that stupid cure; but even then, he wasn’t trying to hurt anyone, he was just scared… Seán shudders to think what Dan is like when he’s actually trying to be intimidating.
“Ah well, I doubt you’ll get to. It’s a rare sight.” Dan replies nervously, not quite making eye contact. He shakes his head and turns back to Seán, pleased to see he’s calmed down a little.
“What did he do this time, anyway?” He asks. Seán groans.
“We were out lookin’ for bones… Then all of a sudden I hear this CRASH! I run off to the source and find Kevin with his legs stuck under the base of a fallen tree. I–I thought he was really hurt for a second! But then I tried to lift it and it was so light . Ugh god, I CAN’T BELIEVE HE WOULD DO THAT! I’m pretty sure he stole some of your blood supply as well cause his legs looked pretty believable…” Seán finishes, staring up confused at Dan’s reaction; he looks horrified.
“S–Seán, where is he now?!”
“I dunno… Probably about half way back by now. I left him there so—”
“YOU DID WHAT?!”
Seán leans back as Dan leaps off the sofa! Arms wrapped tight around his chest he stares at Seán urgently.
“Wh–What? What’s going on?!” Seán panics.
“SEÁN YOU LEFT HIM UNDER A FUCKING TREE!” Dan screams!
“I—I thought he was—Oh god… OH GOD, W-WAIT HE’S ACTUALLY—?!”
“Come on, we have to go! NOW!” Dan yells! Grabbing Seán’s shaking arm and tugging him out of the room. Dan shoves his door open and sprints into the hallway! Heart beating out of his chest, he turns around wildly looking for the others.
“D–DAITHI! BRIAN! WE NEED TO LEAVE RIGHT NOW—KEVIN’S IN TROUBLE!”
Daithi and Brian, who were previously lounging on the sofa; snap to Dan’s attention, Brian leaps to his feet and rushes over.
“Wait, what?! What’s going on?” He asks, but Dan doesn’t reply. Rushing to the door he grabs a parasol and opens it quickly, still inside the mansion.
“Dude, bad luck…” Daithi jokes, Dan stares at him with a snarp glare. Daithi’s smile fades.
“Alright, fuck—Emergency. Let’s go!”
“SEÁN! S–SEÁN PLEASE—!” Kevin screams! Words catch in his throat as he realises he’s too late. Seán is gone.
“F—fuck…” Kevin exhales, ducking his head to the ground as pain seers through his legs, he twists his body, facing the tree he moves a hand under it and tries to lift...
“AUGH–! S–shit!” He shrieks! The sudden movement only drives branches further into his legs. A tingly numbness starts to envelope his body as blood pools on the ground below him.
Panic plunges into Kevin’s chest, thoughts swirling through his brain like a hurricane.
Why did I have to be such an asshole?
I could have prevented all of this.
Seán hates me now.
I know he hates me.
…He’s not coming back for me.
Tears prick at the corners of his eyes.
No one is going to come for me. Seán’s going to tell everyone what I did and they’re all going to leave me…
Not even Dan would forgive me.
I’m never going to see any of them again.
And it’s all my fault.
The tears turn to sobs, Kevin’s chest heaves painfully. With gritted teeth and bundled fists, he pushes his body upwards, pulling himself forward—he cries out in pain! A shriek echoes out through the forest as Kevin’s chest shakily falls back to the ground, branches plunging further into his legs. That was not a good move.
“F–FUCK! N-no…” Kevin mutters.
“I’m so sorry… I—I’m so sorry Seán!” He whispers, vowing shaky apologies to the air.
“I didn’t mean—I didn’t want… I’m sorry.”
“It’s all my fault… This is all my fault.”
“I—I need help…”
“...I’m so sorry.”
Kevin presses his forehead into the ground, letting his body go limp. He gives up.
“KEVIN?! K–KEVIN WHERE ARE YOU?!”
Kevin's heart stops. Was that Seán?! He props himself up, wincing as the weight of the tree presses harder against his legs.
"S—Seán? SEÁN?! I–I'M HERE! I'M SORRY— I'M SO SORRY! P-PLEASE, PLEASE HELP ME!" He cries!
There's a rustling from the bushes in front of Kevin, he breathes out a choked sigh as the lads come clambering out from behind them.
"O—oh my god…" Kevin exhales in disbelief.
"KEVIN! OH MY GOD, ARE YOU OKAY?!" Dan screams! Crouching next to Kevin, he grips his parasol so tight his knuckles turn white.
Kevin can barely stop himself from laughing, a hysterical smile on his face at Dan's panicked expression. One that he truly thought he might never see again…
"N–no. Not at all." He says with a teary smile.
“Fuck, okay—Don’t worry. We’re going to get you out.” Dan assures him, turning back to the other lads. Brian is starring in horrified shock, Daithi floats next to him with a similar expression. Meanwhile Seán hangs back near the trees, eyes locked on Kevin; his body tight and shaking.
“B–Brian, come help me!” Dan says quickly, Brian nods and rushes over, moving behind Kevin he grabs the base of the tree and with Dan’s help, starts to lift it up.
“A–AUGH!” Kevin screams in pain as the two lift.
Seán covers his ears with trembling hands. Staring down at the ground, he can’t watch this.
“S–e–án?” A muffled voice whispers, slowly Seán uncovers his ears a little, looking up sheepishly to see Daithi floating in front of him.
“Seán? SEÁN? Are you with us?” Daithi asks, his voice unusually comforting.
“I’m sorry.” Seán replies, it’s not what he meant to say, but that’s all that spills from his lips. “I’m so sorry—I’m so sorry–I’m so sorry-I’m so sorryI’msosorryI’msosorryI’m—!”
“SEÁN!” Daithi yells, snapping Seán out of his stupor. “Shhh, it’s okay. It’s alright. It’s not your fault…” He says gently.
Daithi gulps as Seán nods, vaguely. Clearly still completely out of it… Daithi feels his hands begin to shake, urges bite at his fingertips, itches that he can’t scratch. They happen all the time, but now especially it’s stronger than usual… He would give his entire afterlife for just a moment now to be human; one moment to hug Seán, to hold him and tell him it’s all going to be okay.
Brian keeps the tree suspended in the air as Dan runs in front of Kevin, balancing his parasole against his shoulder; he kneels down and grabs Kevin’s arms.
“Careful–” Kevin warns, anxiously. Staring at the parasol rolling slightly off his shoulder, Dan adjusts himself and keeps it steady.
“I’m good, Kev. I’m way more worried about you right now.”
Kevin ducks his head, smiling as more tears drip down his face.
“...I didn’t think you’d come back for me.”
“What? What are you talking about?!” Dan replies, shocked. “Hang on, hold your breath. This might hurt.”
Kevin nods, gritting his teeth and hiss sharp and Dan pulls him forward! Dan’s shoulders rise anxiously as he sees Kevin’s legs; bruised and bloody, he must be in a lot of pain…
“O–oh my god, BRIAN! W-WE NEED TO— W–we need to…” Words catch in Dan’s throat, the sight of blood usually never bothered him. But this was different, it was Kevin .
“Dan, breathe! Fuck, we don’t need you collapsing too, okay?” Brian says quick, now that Kevin has been pulled to safety, he drops the tree and runs over to him!
“I need to take you back to the lab, are you alright for me to pick you up?” Brian asks, Kevin nods.
Brian kneels down and wraps his arms around Kevin’s chest, lifting him up and over his shoulder—Brian jolts as Kevin screams!
“F—FUCK! OW! O–oh my god, put me down!” He exclaims, legs twitching agonisingly.
“I–I’m sorry! I’m sorry. Um—Shit okay.” Brian panics, quickly helping Kevin back down to the ground. Brian takes a deep breath, then gently he places a hand under Kevin’s back, and another under his knees. Lifting him up slowly, he carries him bridal style.
Kevin seethes as his legs settle on top of Brian’s arms. But it’s certainly better than before…
“Is that okay?” Brian asks, worried.
“Y–yeah… Better.” Kevin sighs.
“Alright, good. Let’s go!” Brian says, staring around at the lads intently, they all take off as fast as they can towards the mansion!
Everyone piles into the lab as Brian lays Kevin down on the hospital bed, Dan and Brian get to work. Dan rushes around the room, grabbing equipment and chucking it at Brian as he steralises and wraps bandages around Kevin’s wounds. Kevin’s eyes are shut tight, face scrunched painfully as he tries his best not to scream. Scanning his injuries closely, Brian’s expression turns dark and worried.
Daithi hangs in the corner of the room next to Seán, who has his hands clasped over his mouth and tears in his eyes. He doesn’t say a word.
“F–Fuck, okay, he needs a brace… I–I don’t have—DAN, HAND ME THOSE SPARE PARTS!”
“Wh–What?!”
“Third draw on the right!”
“It’s just metal—?”
“I KNOW WHAT IT IS DANIEL. FUCKIN’ GIVE IT TO ME!”
Dan takes a large box out of the draw, and slides it across the floor! Brian stops it with his foot and digs through it. Grabbing bits and pieces, Dan watches as Brian ties, binds, and tightens pieces of metal to Kevin’s leg. Finally he finishes, Brian stares down hopefully at his makeshift brace; a pseudo exoskeleton of a human leg, attached tightly from knee to ankle, that in theory… Should give him enough stability to heal.
“Okay… I– I think I fixed it!” Brian says. A small, relieved, smile beams on his face.
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
The lads jump as loud beeping sounds from a machine!
“FUCK I DIDN’T FIX IT!”
“BRAIN? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!” Dan exclaims! Locking a frightened gaze with Brian.
“H–He’s lost too much blood, he needs to go to the hospital I—I can’t—I can’t do anything else for him here!” Brian panics.
“WELL HOW THE FUCK DO YOU S’POSE WE DO THAT BRIAN? We’ve got anti sun man, a ghost, a half robot and—” Daithi begins, trailing off as all eyes suddenly turn to Seán.
“N–no… No I can’t!” Seán yells!
“Why the hell not?!” Brian retorts.
“I’m the one who got him into this mess! W–What if I— I might hurt him even more!” Seán shrieks, pressing himself further into the corner.
“DAN! C–Can’t you give him some of your blood? You’ve got some stocked up, right?!” Seán suggests, Dan quickly shakes his head.
“I don’t know what blood type that is! It could fuck up Kevin even more if it’s wrong!”
“WELL WHY DON’T YOU KNOW?! Doesn’t it—I don’t know, taste different depending on the type?”
“N–no, what? NO! ITS NOT FUCKING SODA SEÁN—!”
“WE’RE WASTING TIME!” Brian screams at them both. “Everyone get to the car, Seán you’re the only one who can take him in, so you’re doing it. End of discussion.” He orders, taking Kevin gently off the bed, he picks him up and rushes out the door!
The other lads follow lead, Seán gulps, his head spinning.
I can’t hurt him
I can’t hurt him
I can’t hurt him
I can’t hurt him
I can’t—
“Seán!” Daithi yells! Seán opens his eyes, when had he closed them? The past few minutes went by in such a blur… He looks around, he’s sitting in the back seat of the car, trees fly past the windows in a blur, Daithi is sitting next to him. And Kevin on his lap, held tightly in his arms, unconscious.
Seán’s stomach drops, he watches as Kevin’s chest rises and falls slowly. He’s breathing. He’s alive. For now…
“Seán, you need to get a hold of yourself.” Daithi says, seriously. “All you have to do is carry him inside and get someone to help. You can do it, okay?”
Seán nods slowly, suddenly aware of how tight he’s holding Kevin. He loosens his grip.
“O–Okay… I can do that… I have to do that.” He says slowly.
Suddenly, the car slams to a stop! Dan turns back from the front passenger seat to face Seán.
“Okay, we’re here. Seán you’re going in, as soon as you know ANYTHING. CALL US.” Dan instructs. Seán nods, taking several deep breaths, but they don’t help… Brian practically leaps out of the car, swinging Seán’s door open; he helps him out with Kevin.
“O–Okay. Okay… I’ll be back.” Seán says, terrified.
Holding Kevin limp in his arms, Seán darts straight towards the door to the hospital! He turns his head frantically, taking in everything he can around himself as the door comes closer and closer into view… His chest heaves, head pounding with thoughts.
Don’t hold him too tight.
Don’t drop him.
Don’t get hit by a car.
Don’t let anyone see your canines.
Don’t shake too much.
Don’t say anything about the lads.
Don’t fuck anything up.
Finally he reaches the door, squinting his eyes at the blindly bright white light inside. He blinks a few times and runs to the first person he sees, a tall woman in uniform.
“H–Hi I—M–My friend—HE NEEDS HELP!” He sputters, the woman’s eyes widen, then settle. She turns around and yells something Seán can barely hear in his panicked state… A moment later several nurses roll out a bed and before Seán even knows it, Kevin has been taken out of his arms.
“N–a–m—e?” A muffled voice asks. Seán shakes his head quick, and focuses.
“What’s his name?” She repeats.
“U–Uh Kevin! Kevin O’Reilly.” He answers, the woman nods.
“Alright, thank you. We’ll let you know as soon as we have information. Just sit tight here—um.”
“Seán.”
“Got it, wait here Seán. Thanks for bringing him here… You may have saved his life.”
Seán gives a weak nod as she runs off. He peers around at the waiting room around him, it’s mildly busy, he searches for the seat as far away from everyone else as possible… Settling at last for a seat in the far corner of the room.
You may have saved his life. The words echo in Seán’s head, as he sits alone in a lonely seat, covered in his friend’s blood.
“Yeah…. Or I may have killed him.” He says in a hushed whisper. Heart beating out of his chest, he struggles to breathe as the room begins to blur.
You should have known better… He was SCREAMING! He was begging for you not to leave him there. How could you have been so stupid?! How could you have betrayed your friend like that…
“H–he betrayed me too…. He lied to me. He lied over and over again!” He argues, quietly.
If you did the same to him…
He wouldn’t have left you.
He would never leave you.
Not like you did.
You monster.
“I didn’t mean—I w-wasn’t thinking…”
Like you left the others… Years ago.
You hurt them.
Then you left.
Monster.
“I–I had to leave, they wouldn’t have understood…”
You didn’t even give them a chance.
“I— N-no, no it’s over! It’s in the past! T–They’re fine, they’re alive… They’re better off without me…”
The lads would be too.
If you left…
They’d be safer.
They’d be happier.
They would be better off without you…
“N—No, they like me! I think… They told me they like me. And I would never hurt them—Never again. I won’t ever hurt them again!”
They’ve all been human…
They have that in common.
What do you have?
You’re just an unstable werewolf.
A monster.
“I—I’m n-not, I’m not a…” Seán’s voice quivers, knees held tight to his chest, the world outside his head blurred by tears.
“Seán?” A voice rings, Seán’s eyes widen at once, jolting up from his seat, he furiously wipes his misty eyes.
“Y–Yes?” Seán answers, rushing over to the woman who had spoken; slender and tall, wearing a doctor's uniform, her green hair tied up behind her.
“You can see Kevin now, come with me.” She says calmly, Seán nods and follows her down the hall.
“He’s okay. It’s a good thing you brought him in because if he had lost any more blood things could have been bad… There are no broken bones, just a lot of bruising and cuts. His right leg is fine, but his left is sprained, if he stays off of it for a month or so it should be fine.” She explains, Seán lets out a deep sigh.
“T–Thank god…” He mutters, relieved.
“Oh, by the way… I have to ask, who made that brace? It’s clearly scraped together, but incredibly well designed. In fact, not strictly medically advised…. But I reckon if he’s careful he can walk on it without doing any damage while his leg heals.”
“Oh, um… My friend made it, he’s uh—An engineer…” Seán lies, the woman nods curiously.
“Interesting, well give him my praise! Anyway, here’s his room… I’ll let you two talk alone.” The woman finishes, gesturing to a door.
“Okay… Thank you.” Seán says sincerely. Holding a shaky hand out to the door, he takes a deep breath and pushes it open.
Seán closes the door behind him, turning to see Kevin sat up but exhausted looking in a hospital bed. His eyes light up when he sees Seán, then suddenly dim. Seán’s heart stops… He looks scared.
Seán doesn’t know what to do, what to say… He walks forward, slowly, every step is harder than the last. Finally, he finds himself at Kevin’s side… Kevin stares up at him, speechless. Tears prick at his eyes again, he makes an effort to stop them; he fails.
“I—”
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry!” Kevin cries at last, cutting Seán off.
“Wh—?”
“I was such a fucking idiot, this is all my fault. I deserved it, I deserved everything that happened! Fuck—Seán please, please forgive me, I can’t—I can’t lose you. P–Please, please—!”
“Kevin, breathe.” Seán says, quietly. Kevin smiles a little as he wipes the tears from his eyes.
“Sorry…”
“No. Shut up!” Seán snaps, wrapping his arms around himself. “ I’m sorry. I left you alone in the woods, trapped under a tree! All because I was angry. I’m a fucking idiot, Kevin. You should be furious with me!”
Seán takes a shaky breath, digging trembling fingers into his arms. “Y–You should be screaming at me, telling me that you never want to see me again! T–That I’m—That I’m a monster for doing that to you.”
“...What are you talking about?” Kevin replies. “If I were you I’d leave me as well.”
“Kevin…”
“Ugh, god…” Kevin groans, laying his head back against the soft pillows. He sniffles, then smiles. “We really should start listening to Dan, huh?”
A small smile crawls across Seán’s face. He stares at the ground and laughs.
“Ah feck… You’re right.”
The two laugh, their overstimulated brains beginning to settle for the first time in hours… There’s a long silence, broken finally as Kevin peers back up at Seán.
“...Are we okay?” He asks, cautiously.
“I don’t know…” Seán replies, stepping back a little. “Are you—Are you scared of me?”
“What? No! Of course not, why would I–?”
“Cause I’m dangerous! And shit, I don’t know what you can and can’t handle, CLEARLY. What if I fuck up again?!”
“Alright, how about this…” Kevin begins. “I promise, I’ll never trick you like this again. I REALLY PROMISE THIS TIME. I’ve learnt my lesson, for real….”
Seán chuckles, letting his arms hang loose at his sides again. “Okay… I trust you.”
“So… We’re good? Y–You don’t hate me?”
Seán laughs, moving closer again he smiles down at Kevin. “I could never stay mad at you… You dumb human.”
“Wow… Hurtful.” Kevin jokes. “Thank you, though… For a second—I really didn’t think anyone was going to come back for me. I didn’t really think I deserved it.”
“Kevin…. Do you have any idea how much trouble I’d be in if I broke Dan’s favourite human?! OF COURSE we were coming back for you!”
Kevin laughs, Seán feels a heavy weight lift of his chest… He still had his favourite bone hunting buddy.
“Oh—FUCK! I was supposed to call Dan!” Seán realises! Frantically taking out the phone, he didn’t realise it was on silent… Oh god, ten missed calls… All from Dan.
Ring…
Ri—
“SEÁN WHAT FUCKING TOOK SO LONG?! IS KEVIN OKAY?”
Kevin laughs as Dan’s frantic voice screams from the phone.
“No Dan! I’m dead… I’m a ghost now just like Daithi.” He answers. Seán gives him a sharp glare. “Okay fine, I’M GOOD! Thanks for saving me… Or whatever…”
“...Yup he’s fine.” Dan says, there’s a murmur of laughter from the other lads. Seán beams, he’s fine… Everything is fine.
Kevin and Dan talk a little more, Brian asks all about what happened with the blood transfusion and stitches… Daithi asks if Seán is okay, to which he responds yes. And for the first time that day, it’s truthful… He tells Brian about the doctor’s praise on his brace, and Brian gloats about it for the next ten minutes.
By this point the sun has set, a dim moonlight seeps in through the small window in the room. Seán hands the phone to Kevin and excuses himself, walking over to the window he stares out at the moon… Three quarters full.
Never again. Not with them. I will never, never, NEVER. Let them see the monster…