~:~ Barely Human ~:~

~:~ Chapter 9 - The truth sears ~:~

~ It was almost incredible how quickly the weather had caved in on this little town. The temperature had dropped drastically and it was painting Keith's body with goosebumps. A shiver would convulse down his spine every minute or so. He pulls the collar of his hoodie up over his nose to keep it warm. If it really wanted to, it could start snowing and Keith wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. It was feverishly cold yet thankfully the fire crackled in his stomach, filling his body with warmth.

He'd managed to get away without rain for the most part, so there was that. At least until the fencing of the train yard came into view and then the rain began its light and gentle decent to the Earth. Along with it did Keith's sense of calm, plummeting to the ground along with his bravery. What lie beyond that fence line, keeping Keith from the one inside, was something he wasn't sure he was ready to face. Who knew how Lance was going to react to his long awaited appearance. Who knew what sort of fury inhabited the boy of stark blue eyes. Keith wasn't ready to find out.

But he guessed now was as good a time as any to really settle things, to say his final goodbye and leave. It needed to be done, for the sake of the one he cared about. So with that he takes a deep breath and throws a leg over the dip in the wire fence. Each step his nervousness increases. Every second made his urge to run away stronger and stronger.

Until there he was. Right where he knew he was going to be, leaning against the bonnet of an old car not too far from their usual and favoured spot. Keith could feel the cigarette lit between the boys lips. His eyes were cast down on the blue light of his phone. He didn't look happy, but Keith was immediately breath taken at the sight of him. Still as beautiful as ever, glittered in the rain. Keith had missed him, more than he thought.

Keith tried to make his approach as quiet as possible, something about not wanting to make a big fuss playing a big part in the act. However, his hopes were quickly rolled away along with the empty, probably prehistoric soup can his foot had collided with. With a clatter that echoed off every damned metal surface in the nearby area Lance looks up and Keith smiles sheepishly. "H-hey..."

Lance was silent, watching him with dark eyes as the boy neared unsurely. It was almost as terrifying as Keith's earlier experience with the witch of a student counsellor. Lance was not happy. Keith didn't know what to do, so he stood there, two metres away with his hands clasped together behind his back. Looking around to avoid making eye contact like the idiot he was. Now what? He was sort of expecting Lance to kick and shout and pull him by the lobe of his ear, and yet nothing. The boy merely watched him with sunless eyes. It was scarier than if he was beating the ever loving shit out of Keith - some part of him kind of preferred that over what he was getting now.

Lance rolls his eyes with a groan and pushes off of the car. There he begins to circle around Keith like a vulture eyeing its meal. Keith stiffens immediately. As Lance comes to his front he stops, breathes the toxic fumes of his cigarette in deep before then blowing the smoke into Keith's face. He nearly forgets to cough. Realistically the smoke did nothing to him. Lances deathly gaze however, did. It made him feel small. Insignificant.

"Start talking Kogane." Lance tells him. Keith blinks in surprise, he hadn't really thought about how he was going to start. And besides, it probably didn't matter how much planning he'd done, because with one simple glance over the boy before him and Keith was pretty much rendered speechless. He had no idea what to say.

"I uh... I..." Keith spoke like his mouth was numb and incapable of speech. Lance rolls his eyes again and drops the cigarette to the now damp ground. He never steps it out.

"Here, let me get you started; Oh I'm so sorry Lance, I disappeared out of nowhere and ignored you for a week and it was completely uncharitable and thoughtless of me. I should have contacted you sooner, given you a sign that I was okay, even a simple hello would've done. But yet since me, being the crass, dim-witted moron that I am completely disregarded how you were feeling and how stressful my disappearance was for you."