Okay so this fic happens to be situated in the middle of Bite Club. The part where *spoiler* Shane became a total jerk and broke up with Claire in the gym. Frankly, I wrote this to express my annoyance at Shane's behavior in that book, and what great excuse it is to make a Myrnin/Claire fic in the process! Here it is, a one-shot.

Shane Who?

I looked at the faces around me.

They were all the same. Taunting faces set in leer masks, monsters waiting to pounce.

For a moment, I felt small―insignificantly small and defenceless compared to all these muscled humans, who, the more I stared, became bigger and bigger while I became the size of a mouse.

It didn't help either that my heart felt as if it was breaking down into a hundred thousand pieces inside me. I felt a misery so strong that I was convinced I'd never feel any other emotion but this.

"Claire, let's go" Eve said, taking Michael's hand in hers before leading the way out of the gym.

But I can't. I was rooted to this place; I had felt no inclination to move at all. Mostly, it was because I was still wallowing at the words Shane had thrown at me.

We're done.

It was echoing inside my head, with no desire to stop. We're done. WE'RE. DONE.

But why? Why would Shane say that to me? Shane who showed his true gentle self, Shane who made me laugh, Shane who made me feel like the luckiest girl because he loves me...

He would never say that, would he? He was my first and last true love, my soul mate.

"Claire" Eve said, more forcefully now. "We need to go. We can't do anything here anymore"

With one final glance at Shane, who had his back facing us with tense shoulders, I slowly walked towards them.

My friends.

Eve gave me a fierce smile and Michael took my arm gently. Together, they steered me out the gym, ignoring the leers the other humans gave us.

It was only when Eve drove home, that I realized I was crying. My silent tears plummeted down my cheeks, and unto my lap. What was more is that it was a silent drive back. The three of us were wrapped in our own thoughts, and yet, I can feel the tension of our auras.

Eve had her hands wrapped firmly on the steering wheel with much more firmness than necessary. Michael, on my right, had his face set into a bitter mask. His jaw was clenching and unclenching every few seconds.

"That asshole" Eve hissed to no one in particular. She swerved the hearse in a sharp turn that was supposed to throw us in the dashboard. Michael kept me rooted to place with his hands. "That stupid, stupid asshole! Ugh!"

"Eve" Michael warned, his face tense.

"Oh, stop it Michael!" Eve exclaimed "You saw how he acted in there! You saw how he treated you! Us! If he had any good sense in him, he'd cut it out, but he didn't! Because he is impossible, he has issues! The more I looked at him back there, the more I remembered Frank Collins!"

"What he said to you was nothing to what he let Claire feel, Eve."

They fell silent and I swear that they were sneaking glances at me, in the hopes of getting me to speak my mind.

"He needs help" I finally said

"You bet he does!" Eve said passionately "He's a nutcase!"

"No," I calmly replied "Something is wrong with him, something that he himself can't control, as if something or someone is behind his actions"

"Interesting theory" Michael said, with a bit of edge in his voice "but unless there's proof that someone is indeed controlling him, we better stay out of his way"

I made a throaty frustrated sound which resulted into more tears pouring down my cheeks "Perhaps we need to understand him, that's all"

"Bullshit!" Eve and Michael said at the same time.

"He's no good for you Claire" said Eve. What made it hurt more was the raw honesty hiding behind those words "For now, that is. Unless he changes back to his old self, then you better stay away"

"Most definitely" Michael agreed

Just as the car turned to our street, my cell phone rang. It was loud inside the spacious silence of the vehicle.

I checked the screen.

Myrnin

It said: Get to the lab, girl.

Right now, I should've felt extremely annoyed at my crazy vampire boss for calling me in such a short notice, but I felt relieved, as odd as that sounds. More than that, it gave me the chance to busy myself, thus, forgetting about Shane breaking up with me.

It was a lousy form of escape, but escape was still escape.

Reality was so messed up right now that Physics was like a therapy. Hell, I need to hold on to my academic side like a life-saver.

Myrnin give me such freedom of work, it's almost comforting. It was him who I need right now.

"Eve?" I said, tucking my phone away "Can you drive me back to Myrnin's lab? He wants me there tonight"

She and Michael exchanged a long look. "I don't know, Claire..."

"Oh, come on!" I said with frustration "I'll be fine, okay? You know I'll be fine" No one believed it, of course.

There was another terse silence and finally, Michael said, "Let's drive her then"

As soon as Eve's hearse turned and drove away, I crept down the shack, locking the doors behind me.

"Myrnin?"

"Over here"

I followed the voice hesitantly, not knowing what to assume. With Myrnin, I knew that expecting the unexpected was what works all the time. Yet, he never fails to surprise me with his endearing oddity and charm.

I found him lying down on his back, under many, many books. I had no idea where it came from because his shelves were fully stocked, but here he was, almost buried and undecipherable. If not for his pale skin, I'd be sure it would take long before I'd spot him here.

He was reading one of his books, and he was so still, like a statue.

"Myrnin?" I clarified as I stepped closer towards him "What the hell are you doing down ―Woah!" That final exclamation let out of my mouth because he pulled me down on the floor with him, without any warning what so ever.

"What―?"

"Shh! You're ruining my thinking process!" he said with annoyance "Go and lie down beside me and start reading these books!"

"But― why here? Can't we sit down on a decent chair and read with better lighting? This is crazy, Myrnin. Come on―" I made an action to stand up but his cold fingers clasped on my wrist in a firm grip.

"No, no,no!" he hissed, eyes glinting under the bulbs above. "This is an experiment, you see."

"What?" I asked incredulously. Maybe I was wrong after all. Myrnin wasn't an escape, but another one of my problems. He does sound like a lunatic. "What experiment?"

"This" he waved a lazy hand at the books he was lying on top of, and only did I see that the books aren't actually on the floor, but stuck to hard wood. The floor was under it. Wires were hidden under the books' pages. One of them was above his head.

"I invented this thing to maximize knowledge power and capability. As soon as I lie down here, whatever I intend to read stays inside my head. I can understand what I could not. I wanted to check if you, a human, is immune to it as well"

I cannot speak, but just sat there, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Very handy, eh? A time saver too" he grinned, showing his complete set of teeth. He then returned to his book and ignored my gawking.

"That sounds a lot like the red crystals, don't you think?"

He beamed "Ah, finally. I'm glad you have caught on. I made something much longer lasting and less dangerous for vampire and human consumption. Now, try it? Won't you?"

Even with a trust-worthy expression plastered on his face, I was still hesitant to try. I mean, this is Myrnin I'm talking about, for God's sake! He could be adorable and sweet in one moment, yet dangerous and ravenous in another. Being with him should come with a careful subconscious at the back of my head, always.

I twitched my bum underneath me, but made no move to lie down.

"Myrnin this is― I, I don't think I'm cut out to try any of your experiments right now. Is this the reason why you told me to come?" I heaved a deep breath and exhaled it slowly "Look, I'm sorry, but if this is all, I'd rather go home―"

"Not just yet, little Claire. Why don't you lie yourself down and try, just try to read the book I gave you. I don't think I need to remind you...or do I need to wear an attractive shirt that says 'Claire's boss' before you got the point?"

I gave him an impatient glare which he brushed off like invisible lint. "Fine"

When I lied down there beside him, I felt something go off in my brain telling me this was so wrong. Yet so right, another thought interjected. I gave Myrnin a sideways glance. His eyebrows were quirked, his nose straight and perfect, and his lips were pulled up to a smile. Weird.

"Try this" he handed me a thick book.

As soon as my eyes set upon the texts, there was a loud sharp ringing in my brain and immediately, I was reading, faster than usual, and absorbing it in my head like I would never tire but only grow more knowledgeable.

It was unsurprisingly amazing, as per usual. Myrnin has done it again.

I pulled my gaze away from it and focused on other things in the room to check if my brain would still function so actively. Nothing happened. I returned to my book and looked at it from a distance with my eyes squinted.

That's when the realized the text was French. Yet, I understood what it said. All of it.

Then I was looking at him, weirdly enough, he was looking back at me with a proud smile on his face. "How was it?

"It's...amazing" I softly replied, but my heart wasn't in it.

His eyes didn't look away, but only intensified the longer I stared.

"Something's not right" he said, unblinkingly. "I smell something...Oh" very slowly, he brought up his hand and stroked my face with a single cold finger. He wiped at something I can't feel.

"Myrnin―" his touch sent weird zaps inside me. It was a feeling I wasn't suppose to feel at all. Not with him.

It was a tear. He looked at it curiously, before sitting himself up against his books, still looking at it. "A tear" he mumbled.

I sat myself up, saying, "Can I go, please? I don't think I'm in the mood now. Please"

"Is something the matter Claire?" He said this so softly, that I almost believed I can tell him everything. His tone only made my eyes well up more tears.

This time, Myrnin pulled something out of his pants. He brought the cloth up to my face and wiped the overflowing wetness. "You can tell me, can't you? I may be your boss, but I believe we have a relationship that is something much more. Won't you agree?"

"It's Shane" I choked, finally deciding to tell him "Something's not right about him"

His hands froze on my face "Ah" he said softly "I'm not exactly an expert about mundane human quandaries and I certainly have no patience to hear Shane Collins' petty and idiotic actions but... do continue"

"He's not petty, Myrnin!" I defended angrily

"Is he not?"

When he saw that I was serious, he looked away "Of course! Certainly he isn't. Do forgive my mistake. He is, by far, the most open-minded human I've ever known" His tone was sarcastic, but I let it go.

I snatched the handkerchief away from his hand and wiped my tears on my own.

"We broke up" I said, very quietly this time. "But you won't understand, of course. I don't even know why I'm saying this to you, a vampire, of all creatures. I guess I just needed someone to know how I feel and... Okay, I'm sorry. I better shut up before you chuck me out of your lab"

As I was saying all of this, Myrnin was looking at me very oddly. Oddly than usual. There was a glint in his eyes that I never saw before and I swear, I really do, that his lips pulled up a little. It was insignificant, but I noticed it because we were sitting very close.

"Myrnin?"

"I would never leash my ire on you for saying your feelings Claire. You are a human after all, and as far as I could remember, humans need to let out frustrations in ways that they know how. I know this, of course, because I was once a human as well" he gave me his miniscule smile that I couldn't resist. I smiled back and felt a tad bit better. "You did say once that he was your true love, didn't you?"

I nodded.

"He isn't" he said, and he said it so matter-of-factly that I almost believed. "Teenagers can be very unreliable these days, very quick to decide, very quick to want anything they don't really need in the future. You're just like inside a store Claire. Imagine yourself trying on bunny slippers, but when you realize it doesn't fit, you put it back in the shelf. That's how you work. That's how you should work. Put him back in the shelf"

I gave him a suspicious look "You're enjoying this, aren't you? Your lectures are definitely life-changing." I said dryly. Riiiiight. I forgot he had endless time to learn about life wisdom. He's a vampire, after all.

"Oh" he grinned "You have no idea how much I'm enjoying this"

"Shane" I said firmly "Is my true love. We're just on a break but we'll be back, eventually"

He snorted "True love is a very vague description of you two. I trust you to be wiser than this Claire, with a brain like yours, you'll see someone far greater than that Collins boy, someone who can actually bring out the best in you"

"But I don't want anyone else!" I exclaimed, looking away from his eyes "He's the one I want"

"But is he the one you need?"

I fell silent and thought about it. "Of course..."

"You're in denial. You certainly don't need someone who puts his past in front of him and replays it over and over again"

I looked sharply into his eyes, wondering why, all of a sudden, he was saying all of his insights, pouring them down on me like he was convincing me about something.

What?

And then... this made my heart skip a beat, He tucked a lose strand of hair behind my ears as if he does this all the time.

Oh.

Oh!

"Myrnin" I grabbed his hand away from my face "Are you hitting on me?"

He shrugged "You put meaning into things so maliciously. I just want what's best for you, that's all. You know I care about you, Claire―"

"You like me!" I managed to exclaim, my heart was suddenly beating so fast "Oh my God!"

But then, after all the shock, I knew I wasn't suppose to act so surprised because I knew deep inside, that I also had a crush on him, not matter how small. Who could resist of course? He was charming and endearing, he had a brain that only I can dream of and he was capable of protecting me again and again.

And he had a really pretty face as well.

I shook my head as I looked at him with new eyes "Myrnin? Tell me it's not true. We're just friends, right? Right?"

He ignored my question and stood up, but I noticed a bit of color shading his cheeks.

I continued to sit down on the floor of books. "Oh, Myrnin..." I shook my head, new tears springing out my eyes "I'm so sorry...You know I care about you as well, right? I do love you, but that love is something I give to my friends as well. To Eve, and Michael."

He shuffled his feet unsteadily "It's quite alright" he said this very silently that I almost couldn't hear "I'm quite smart you know. It doesn't take a genius to know you will never look at me like how I look at you"

That broke my heart. I stood up beside him, our bodies almost touching at the closeness. His eyes were dark and deep and very very sad. "No matter" he said "Go on, you said you wanted to go home? The portal is open"

I sighed and looked at the direction where the portal was, but I didn't move. Neither did he.

"Myrnin... I wish I could say I feel the same. I really do" There was this tiny quenching painful action that my heart made when I said that.

"Don't" he laughed. It was a bitter laugh with no amusement behind it at all "Your unrequited feelings for me bring relief into my soul. I'm very bad for you, Claire. I'm not exactly someone who has a stable mind. I wouldn't want you to go the same way as Ada."

I gave him a small, sad smile. The next thing I knew, I was holding his face with my hand, looking at him as if he was a child I couldn't help but adore.

"You are very sweet, Myrnin" I whispered "You are nothing like anyone I've ever met and somehow, you've become someone I truly care about"

He returned my smile, but it was a sad one. There was another expression on his face. Acceptance.

"Thank you for saying those words to me, Claire. I am happy, of course, incandescently so."

Liar

We both knew that I knew he lied. Both of us are brainy after all. But he pretended not to notice. He shuffled away into a table and started touching all the glass vials and machines with jittery, blurry hands.

"Myrnin," I said in a small voice "I'm sorry"

They were two words, but I meant it with every fibre in me.

"You're lucky, you know" he replied "Creatures like us are exceptionally selfish. We get what we want. We kill to get what we want, usually." He heaved a deep sigh "But...I wouldn't. Not like this, of course. I don't want to see you in so much pain if I ever lift a hand to that Collins boy"

That made my heart wrench really bad. What he said made me want to wrap my arms around his body, and bury my face in there. Myrnin was such a volatile creature, but just this once, I didn't care.

My eyes were fresh with new tears "Myrnin... I don't think I can handle two pains in one night. Trust me, I think what you said changed my perspective about you a lot but...I'm tied, and I'm not even sure if I could want anyone else as much as I want Shane"

He nodded in understanding. "You belong to him, of course"

But then he turned to me so quickly that I thought he was going to stake me or something. "But Why not try, Claire?" It was a whisper, almost of desperation "Why not choose me? Be with me forever. Together, we can learn so many things. We can explore the world endlessly. You want that, don't you? I'm not forcing you to love me back, only to be with me, as someone who I can consider as an equal. Then maybe…after a long time, you'd learn to see me in a different light."

The possibilities attracted me very, very much. But I shook my head clear again. "What about Shane?"

"The boy is a lost cost, I assure you" He said. He took my hands, checking to see if I was alright with it, his were shaking but when he placed it on top of mine, it was almost warm. He twined our fingers together.

I felt very different. I could not exactly say how, but there were tingles of electricity zapping my pulse and everywhere else, especially my heart.

"Myrnin..." I looked up into his eyes and... I saw him. The real him. He wasn't the crazy eccentric vampire, nor the ferocious one who fought vampires to protect me. He was just... this. He looked so human when he looked at me like that, and so beautiful, of course.

Finally, I squeezed our hands and gave him a small smile. "I'll try"

"Try hard"

I turned so that I could walk towards the portal, but his cold hands gripped on my wrist. "Claire?"

"Yes?" I looked back, and he was smiling. It was so dazzling and bright that it―almost―took my breath away. There was just something about him that made me tingle. It was a very new sensation but I welcomed it openly. "Was there something else you want to say before I leave?"

"A kiss would suffice as an appropriate act before departure"

"What? But, You know I don't kiss vampires, Myrnin. A hug will do, I think"

"A shame, really" he said, still in that playful tone "You don't kiss vampires. I, however, kiss humans. May I, then? This act is perfectly platonic of course, definitely no malice or affection. Just a sign of respect"

Then before I could respond, he was there in front of me, gangly as he is with his long arms and legs, he had good balance. Already, he had both his hands on my shoulder and kissed me very quickly that it was over in one heartbeat.

"Did you just―?"

I stay rooted in place, my eyes wide. All I felt for the past second was something cold yet damp pressed against my lips before it was over.

"Go, Claire. I have lots of things to do. You understand"

He had his back turned to me, but even before he spun around to hide his face, I already saw that pink tone creeping up on his cheeks that I'm sure, is very much present on my face as well.

"Myrnin―"

"Please go"

His voice was shaking. I took a deep breath before deciding to give him a brief hug from behind, and then I raced towards the portal, my lips tingling, and my heart basking in the afterglow of what just happened.

"Claire?"

I spun around "Yeah?"

"Did you feel that?" He turned to face me now, and his face was seriously curious. He had a small angelic smile on his face.

"Feel what?"

"Our Chemistry, it's like rubidium, it bursts a warm flame as soon as it's open to air" He was grinning now, like a boy who managed to do something he thought he wasn't capable of.

I smiled at that. Leave it to Myrnin to discuss chemistry after all that "Warm flame?"

"Correct, that would be us"

Then he did this vampire-mojo, and he was in front of me again, kissing me for the second time, I felt my whole head spin. I couldn't resist, I was free from any relationship ties after all. For now.

And I was willing to try.

I kissed him back, warm and strong.

Who was that Collins boy that broke my heart again?

Ugh. I can't honestly remember.

A/N: I can't get enough of Myrnin! If you feel likewise, then click that little button below and review! :)