Wake of the Dead | Two

Chapter Ten | Killian

Killian's gaze travelled to and fro, a small smile tugging gently at the corners of his lips. He closed his eyes and brought in a deep breath, letting the scent of pine and freshly churned soil flood over him. The leaf-littered ground was soft beneath his feet, dew-laden grass brushing against his jeans. Nothing broke his peaceful silence but the song of birds and a squirrel scuffling up a tree. Then...Jasper, huffing and complaining about a bug biting at his neck. Killian turned to glare at him, feeling annoyance curl into an ache at his stomach. He put a finger to his lips, and kept walking.

Following more hesitantly, Killian could see Jasper's eyes flickering about, always alert for any sort of danger in the woods. He knew as well as anybody that Jasper was very much uncomfortable among unfamiliar grounds, which only made sense. Killian wasn't exactly keen in unfamiliar places either, but the forest was different. Navigating woodland wasn't so hard when you knew what to look and listen for. "So," Jasper's voice was barely above a murmur as he finally caught up. Killian barely held back a snort of amusement when the other man asked, "What are we doing here, exactly?"

"Nothing." Killian replied bluntly. His eyes were pinned to the ground, his mind racing. Ever since he'd found Nora's body in that barn, ever since Tom had just called her a body, he'd been thinking to himself. What would he be when he died? Would he just be a corpse for somebody to throw away, for the vultures to pick at? Would he become one of those monsters and need to be put down by somebody? Who would he be?

"You're thinking about something that's bothering you." Jasper said. Killian looked up to see the other man's lips twitching into a comforting smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners and his brows lifted. "Is that why you wanted to talk, just the two of us?" Swallowing back a hard lump in his throat, Killian nodded his head. Jasper was infuriatingly good at reading him, something that not a lot of people could do. Maybe that's what made them such good friends.

As he watched Jasper stuff his hands into his pockets, a break in the trees let in the orange glow of the setting sun. The other man's blue eyes brightened, his dark hair gleaming with lighter caramel-chestnut highlights. He was handsome--that thought had been invading his mind for a long time, but he'd never been able to place it until that moment. A warmth flooded his cheeks, butterflies making his breath hitch in his chest. "I don't want to be just a corpse, Jasper." Killian said quietly, his voice barely loud enough to be heard above the crunching leaves beneath their feet. "I don't want to be kicked aside anymore."

With emotion swelling in his voice and making it huskier, Killian felt the familiar heat of tears behind his eyes, but he forced them back. Strong people didn't cry. That was a fact, something he'd been taught his whole life. "Everybody here had a life to live before all of this. Even you, you had a family. But...I didn't. I never got that chance to be...something." His lips curled into a small snarl. "But I guess life isn't fair," His voice shook, "Is it?" Just feeling the other man's eyes on him brought a heat to his cheeks, anxiety squirming in his belly. "Maybe I'm just rambling." He mumbled softly.

Stiffening as he felt the weight of somebody's arm over his shoulders, Killian relaxed immediately when he saw Jasper's encouraging smile. "Killian, you don't have to worry about that." He said softly. At first, Killian felt indignation rising in his chest, but it quickly turned to pain as Jasper said, "You're already somebody to me. You're strong, smart, brave," He chuckled, "Stupidly brave." The hair tuft fell in front of Jasper's eyes as he added, "You might be grumpy, Boy Scout. Hard to get along with, prickly as a hedgehog. But Killian," Jasper paused, lifting Killian's chin. "You're all mine. As long as I'm alive, you will always be something to somebody, and nothing will ever change that."