Loyal Old Demon, Brave Little Human.

Something More?

Shane set his friend down on his bed as Ryan snored softly, then walked out to the rest of his apartment. It was a mess, but soon Shane had figured out what Ryan had been doing. He'd marked every item that wasn't his, and was setting it all in one massive pile near the door. Some of the things marked were massive, but Shane had no problems moving them to the side. He had just finished when a knock came from the door. It was soft, almost shy, and Shane was confident Ryan hadn't heard it. Shane went to the door himself and opened it to see an equally devastated Helen. She had been looking at her feet in a mix of timidity and guilt, before she noticed she wasn't looking at her ex, and instead Shane. They stared at each other for a moment, before she spoke.
"Shane? I was here-"
"Yeah... I don't know much about it, but Ryan had asked me to move some things, then fell asleep." Shane answered, his voice placid as he tried to judge the situation. He had this... instinct to hate her for hurting his Ryan, but he knew that was just the demonic side of him getting away. He wanted to keep an open mind.
"I'm sorry. I feel awful about the whole thing, it's just... Ryan keeps leaving for his Buzzfeed stuff, Wh-which I love! Don't get me wrong, but he is always gone... and he seems more enveloped in it than before. Like he isn't just doing a show, but tracking some mystery of his own."
"I understand. Do you want a hand moving this stuff?" Shane offered. Her breathing was shallow and hitching slightly, but she kept her head high and nodded gratefully. Shane let her in, and the two began to carry items to her car. Shane thought as they did. Human relationships were nothing like the ones you saw in movies... and they certainly weren't like demon ones. Shane had always figured that cheating was the only thing couples ever split up over, but he guessed it was different. It was about communicating, and being present for the other person. It seemed to be about honesty, not just love, although that helps. Humans were a lot more thorough than Shane had previously thought. Not too mention, ten times more intricate and serious about dating than demons. At first glance, Shane just assumed that it was a finality problem. Humans only live so long, so they wanna make it worth the time. But Shane wasn't human, yet he seemed to push farther from demon everyday... or maybe he was just only thinking about demons one way. Maybe there were demons that were genuinely good. Honestly, all of this made Shane think of Ryan and Sara. The conflicting emotions he felt for both of them. On one hand, he really cared for Sara. She was a good person. She was beautiful. She liked Mexican food. She had a twinkle in her eyes that was almost mischievous. But Sara wasn't his Ryan. He just didn't understand. Either way, as he loaded the last of Helen's things into her car, and she handed him a letter to give to his shorter co-host, Shane didn't even stay to watch her drive off before returning to Ryan. He was tossing and turning with little room to convince Shane he was asleep. He was mumbling, and his cheeks had glittering lines from where tears had fallen. Shane walked up to the bed to resettle him in, but Ryan caught him by the arm and Shane was pulled close. Ryan didn't open his eyes, but his expression relaxed, and the muscles untensed. Shane was now haphazardly tossed on the bed, his head inches from Ryan's toned stomach. He smiled, and readjusted himself to let Ryan cuddle close, and let Shane sit on the bed. The afternoon had given way to night, and Shane didn't figure was gonna move anytime soon. So instead, he relaxed and laid down. He closed his eyes.

••••••

His alarm startled both of them awake. They looked at each other in confusion for a moment. Shane had one arm wrapped protectively around Ryan's torso, almost on his hip, while Ryan had the other in a tight grip. Shane and Ryan both let go and scooted away. Shane studied his friend, who was wiping sleep from his eyes. He looked better than he had, which was good.
"Why are you here?" Ryan asked abruptly.
"I- You- I helped you move a couch, and then you started talking. You got upset and-"
"Yeah. I remember that much...but why are you still here?"
"Because you grabbed my arm and didn't let go. I must've just fallen asleep. I'm sorry."
"Whatever." Ryan answered with a passive aggressive tone. At this point Ryan had his back to Shane and was getting up to get dressed. He kept his back turned, almost intentionally, as he walked to the restroom. He left Shane in Ryan's bed, feeling much colder now. He stood up as well, and began to leave, when Ryan called after him. "Shane?"
"Yeah?"
"You...you can stay if you want. I'll give you a lift to work. There are some of your clothes on my nightstand."
"My clothes?"
"They ended up in my bag, and I hadn't returned them yet. Keep forgetting."
"Thanks."
"Don't worry about it. You fit your freakishly long limbs into my bed for a night, so I owe you."
"Hey now. I am average height."
"Above average height."
"Above average? Yes. Above average height? No."
"Get your damn clothes on."
Shane smiled, happy to hear Ryan teasing, and went to change. He switched pants, then went to his shirt, pulling off the old one and going to replace it quickly to hide old scars. Demons fight quite a lot.
"Holy shit, Shane. Why do you look like you fought front lines on some war?"
I did. "Dunno. I'm just good at injuring myself."
"Yeesh."
"Thanks." Shane grumped.
"No! They're fine." Ryan turned to leave before pausing. "Shane?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For last night, I mean."
"Anytime, buddy..."