"It's been a long time," he said quietly.

"Yes, a long time. Too long," the other responded. The fire cracked and fluttered. Both sat in silence, inches apart, stiff and uncertain.

"Why, Re?"

He lifted his chin a touch and twitched his hair over his shoulder. Fingers tightened around the edge of the seat. "Why what?"

"Don't pull that shit with me, Re, I know you too well for that," he snapped.

"Not anymore," just a whisper. "I don't know me anymore."

"You've spent too long away. Too long with that mask up. Let it drop."

"I can't," a voice, small and terrified. Shoulders hunched and curled in on themselves. "I'm scared."

"How can you be scared?"

Quiet.

"I didn't hear that, Re."

"What if..."

"What if what?"

"What if I can't remember?"

"Can't remember what, Re, you're making no sense."

"What if I can't remember how to be me? What if I drop my mask, come out of my 'Liar's palace' and there's nothing?"

Hands come to rest on shoulders. A soft voice. "Re. Remus. Look at me." He does. Lips press to forehead, then carefully to lips. "There is not nothing. There could never be nothing."
"How do you know?"

Foreheads drift together, eyes lock and search. "If there was nothing, you would not have called me."

A deep breath.

"Alright."

The other sits back down on the bench, and he turns and curls into his arms. "Is this it?"

"I guess it is."

BK: for those of you wondering what kind of crack I was on when I wrote this, the answer is that it was a dialouge focused prompt for creative writing, between two guys, who used to be lovers. That's what I told my teacher. What I didnt tell him, is that 'Remus' is Remus Lupin from HP and the other guy is Yoko from YYH. The backstory behind how they know each other and why they're so close would take me about three days to explain properly, so I'm just going to skip it. They're close, and they used to be lovers, thats ALL you gotta know. The bit with the liars palace and stuff is a theory of mine. See, Remus (the lovely boy) is a werewolf. He's not human. It's always bothered me in the books how his reactions, and actions were the same as everyone elses. There was nothing about his character that betrayed he wasn't human. So I think he's repressing it. All his wolf instincts and abilities and mannerisms, he's locked down inside him and has been 'faking' human, because frankly it makes everyone more comfortable with him. He's more powerful when he listens to his instincts though, so he called yoko to help him take down all the walls he's put up, and remind him of what he was like before hogwarts and the order and all that.

and no, you're not supposed to always know who's talking. That's intentional. so no flames about that.