In My Blood

Ten - Monster

When Shawn woke up, light was streaming through the window, and muffled banging sounds were coming from outside his bedroom. He groaned, the light stinging his eyes. He sat up, clearing the hair out of his face. The clock read 9:43.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Camila said, poking her head into the bedroom. "I have no idea how to make breakfast."

Shawn laughed, leaving the bed. "Let me change first." He walked into the washroom, pulling on black pants and a black t-shirt. He quickly brushed his teeth, still tasting the mint from his toothpaste on the insides of his mouth as he followed Camila into the kitchen.

"I just ate cereal this morning," she explained, when Shawn's eyebrows rose. He didn't approve of such a malnutritious breakfast food, but Camila had brought some from the plane ride over. That wasn't the cause of his surprise, however. All the drawers were open, and there were pots and pans on the floor.

Shawn slowly put the pots and pans away, closing all the drawers with his hip and leg. "Got it. Couldn't find what you were looking for?"

"That's one way to put it," she said with a laugh.

"I'll make some eggs and bacon, you go make the bed."

She gave him a playful glare, before walking into the bedroom to fix up the messed up bed.

Shawn ran a hand down his face, pulling out an egg carton. He cracked the egg on a pan, and put it on the heat. Grabbing a package of raw bacon, he poured oil on another pan, and dumped half the contents of the bag onto the pan.

Camila walked out of the bedroom, her hair falling down her back, pinned out of her face with a perfect goldenrod flower in her hair, wearing a matching dress with sparkly swirl designs on the top half, and tulle for a skirt. She walked over. "Come, I need to tell you something."

Shawn bent, a small smile on his face, expecting her to whisper in his ear. Instead, she went on her toes and lightly pressed her lips to his cheek, and gave him a side hug. Shawn stiffened on reflex, before relaxing, turning to hug her back.

"Mmm, mmm"

"You singing for me, Mendes?" Camila asked, breathless, sitting down on the island to watch him.

"I know your favourite song,"

"I hear it every day."

"Who ever made your smile,"

"Made it to get in my way."

"And every time you laugh,"

"You make that little sound,"

"It's just the hardest thing"

"To love you but not know how."

Camila tilted her head at him. "Man, do you know how much I love you?"

"A lot?" Shawn guessed, laughing when Camila shook her head.

"Way more than that." She jumped down from the island, smoothing out her dress, and taking a bit of bacon from between Shawn's fingers.

Shawn laughed, sun catching his mocha coloured brown eyes. He tried a bit of bacon, sprinkling some salt on the remaining pieces. He pulled the egg pan off the stovetop, shoveling some onto two plates, sending the rest of the eggs back on the now-cold burner.

"Want anything on your eggs or bacon?" He narrowed his eyes at her, daring her to say nothing.

"Nothing!" She winked at him, laughing when he glared at her.

"Why wouldn't you want anything on your breakfast?"

"Because putting nutella on eggs and bacon is weird."

"It's better than nothing," he said, sitting down next to her, sliding bacon onto her plate, and grabbing the nutella jar.

"Debatable."

He shouldered her playfully. "It is."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Es demasiado(Is too)."

"Using spanish on me, Shawn?"

"Si(Yes)."

"Dos pueden jugar a ese juego (Two can play at that game)."

"Eh. I don't really care."

"Switching languages? Are you intimidated."

"Nope."

"Vraiment(Really?)?"

He shoved her again. "You know I don't know how to speak French(and poor Shawn doesn't have me to translate)"

"You grew up in Canada. See, paying attention in class is helpful sometimes."

"Sometimes."

He finished, grabbing her empty plate, and washing them in the sink. He felt the darkness inside him stirring, but he didn't give it a second though, pasting a smile on his face. When he turned around, Camila saw right through it.

"I know what you're doing. Don't try it. You can't bury everything."

Shawn bit the inside of his mouth, wondering if he should feign innocence.

"Don't even try it," she said. "I know what your feeling."

"Since when were you so wise." The question came out as more of a statement. A defeated, I surrender statement.

"I'm older than you," she said, flashing a quick grin. The grin quickly faded. "You need to give the darkness a name. Make it something tangible you can fight. You can't slay smoke, but you can slay a monster."

"Yeah."

"Try it."

Shawn closed his eyes, imagining the darkness taking the shape of a dragon, huge, black, shadowy wings, onyx eyes that glittered with hate. And yet... he already knew it was working.

"Told you."

"It's more manageable when it's something solid," Shawn whispered.

"It is," Camila agreed softly.

The dragon inside him to rear up again, but he ignored it, sitting down next to Camila. "How do you know so much?- and saying I'm older than you doesn't count."

"Well... when we were young, my sister used to have these major panic attacks, and she said that anxiety was always like a beast inside her, and over time she and I worked together to find a way to make it hurt less. It won't ever not hurt- I told her that once - but she can make it hurt less. She said she'd like it if it hurt less, so we found a way to help her."

Shawn was quiet for a moment, the words swimming around in his brain. "Thank you."

"You've been saying that a lot recently," Camila said, a joking tone behind the seriousness of her voice.

"I know. I guess I just never really thought how good it is to have such an amazing girlfriend."

"Aw, don't be a sap."

He grinned at her, and she grinned back. "You know you love me just as much."

"Yeah, I do."

A/N: It's getting close to the end. I'm thinking two or three more chapters?