Warning: There be blood.
It was the last day of his first week and Shane intended to do the same thing. He didn't care what Blaine said, he just couldn't leave it at that. The image of Reed shaking and crying all because of something he did wasn't going to leave him any time soon. He had to see if he was okay.
He managed to sneak away just as easily as the day before, taking the stairs again. He took his time in the hall, trying to collect himself and figure out what he was going to say. He still didn't know what to do other than apologize again.
By the time he reached the door nothing had changed, but that didn't stop him from instantly opening it.
The room was just as dark as before but this time 333 was already huddled in the corner. He looked up in surprise when the door opened. Judging by the wideness of his eyes and their soft brown color, Shane assumed he was currently Reed.
Good. Reed was the one he needed to apologize to.
"Hi," he greeted quietly, sitting down against the same wall as yesterday.
Reed didn't say anything, only watched him with the same large eyes. They didn't look wet though so Shane took that a good sign.
"I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday." Not only did he feel terrible for scaring Reed so badly, but he felt stupid for thinking kissing this guy he knew nothing about was a good idea. "I promise nothing like that will happen again. I don't want to do anything to hurt you. I just wanted to talk to you."
Reed just stared at him. He looked a little confused, there was a small crease between his eyebrows and he was pouting adorably.
"That's still all I want. Are you okay?"
Reed blinked at him, and Shane thought there was nothing cuter than this boy in front of him. It was really shocking how mischievous and sexy Riley could be, and then how pure and innocent Reed was. It really was like they were two different people.
Finally he responded. It was just a tiny little nod but Shane took it, happy that Reed was communicating with him at all. But his arms were wrapped around himself defensively, so Shane was sure to take caution.
"You can talk to me you know. I won't hurt you."
Reed still looked hesitant.
The room remained silent, neither one of them saying a thing. Reed's fingers were gripping and releasing the fabric of his black pants over and over. He looked like he wanted to say something, so Shane patiently waited.
His mouth opened but he only bit his lip, looking confused. Shane gave him an encouraging smile.
"Why are you here?" It was said so quietly Shane could barely hear it.
"To talk to you," Shane said as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.
Reed's grip on his knees tightened and his voice remained just as quiet. "But why?"
Shane shrugged loosely, deciding to be honest. He actually didn't think he could ever lie to Reed. Or Riley, or whoever else he was. "I like you."
Reed's already large eyes got impossibly wider. He stared at Shane in disbelief, not saying anything else. It was obvious to Shane that he was speechless this time, rather than afraid.
"There's just something about you," Shane continued speaking, feeling like he should be embarrassed about what he was saying even though he didn't. "I want to get to know you."
Reed closed in on himself again, looking defensive. Shane thought he may have said the wrong thing until a voice interrupted his thoughts. It was much deeper and Shane could instantly recognize it as Riley's.
"Why do we have to talk about me? Let's talk about you." His posture was now completely different. He had released his knees and was sitting up, no longer hiding. That glint was back in his dark eyes as he looked Shane over.
"Okay." Shane was fine with that, just as long as they were talking about something. "What do you want to know?"
Riley didn't say a word, only pointed to his bed with a devious smirk creeping on his lips.
Shane eyed him suspiciously. "Are you going to try to seduce me again?"
Riley laughed, and just like yesterday, it sent chills down Shane's spin. "Trust me," he said standing up. "If I was seducing you, you'd know it." He walked over to the chair that was across from the bed and sat down, drawing his knees up in front of him. "We're going to play a game." He took one look at Shane's expression and laughed again. "Don't worry. It's not a sexual game. Unfortunately."
He was pointing to the bed again and Shane couldn't stop himself from standing up and walking the short distance to it.
"Lie down," Riley commanded and Shane instantly obeyed. "Good. Now it's like you're the patient and I'm the doctor. That's fucked up, huh?"
Riley's eyes and voice were full of amusement but Shane didn't think it was that funny. He knew Riley was making light of his situation, but Shane didn't really like hearing him belittle himself because of it.
"We're playing Psychiatrist if you haven't figured it out. Trust me, I've been to enough to know how it works. Basically I'll just ask you a bunch of bullshit questions about your life and past. Oh and do try to answer honestly because if you don't," Riley frowned a little in mock regret. "Well, then you're not cooperating and you'll have to be punished, usually with restraints."
He winked after the sentence, but Shane could tell it wasn't completely a joke. It made him a little afraid of what he had been through. But he was sitting up now, smirking and pretending to hold a clip board.
"So Shane, what's your last name?"
"Anderson. What's yours?" Shane couldn't help it. If Riley was going to be learning all this information about him, he wanted to know some things about him too.
But Riley's expression instantly darkened and Shane regretted asking. "We're not talking about me, we're talking about you." His voice was darker too and Shane gulped, nodding wordlessly. His expression quickly changed back. "Good. Now, next question. How old are you?"
"Twenty."
Riley pretended to look shocked. "Only one year younger than me!" He looked excited but Shane could tell it was fake. It didn't reach his eyes at all.
He was about to point out that Riley just said he wasn't going to talk about himself, but thought better of it. At least he now knew something about him. "You seem a lot younger though."
Riley ignored that and asked another question. "What's your favorite thing to do?"
"Dance." Though lately it had become talking to him, but Shane wasn't going to admit that.
Riley hummed with interest and pretended to write something down on the invisible clipboard. Shane thought it was adorable. "What's your favorite color?"
"Green."
He made a face Shane couldn't help but to laugh at. "Blue's better. What's your favorite food?"
"Anything. I just like food in general."
Riley snorted but made no other comment. "Are you or are you not in fact gay?"
"I am," he answered even though he didn't know what that had to do with anything.
He didn't miss how Riley's smirk seemed to widen at this information. "Excluding me of course, how many other boys have you kissed?"
"Uh, one." Shane wasn't sure if he liked where this was going.
Riley's smirk was becoming more and more deceitful. "And how many have you had sex with?" he laughed when Shane's eyes got wide. "Just answer the question. You don't want to be restrained now do you?"
Shane shook his head numbly, mumbling "Just one."
Riley sat back, his finger touching his lips, just barely in his mouth. "My, my, you really are innocent aren't you?"
Honestly Shane could have asked him the same question. He didn't though, keeping his mouth shut and shrugging. Riley moved on to the next question easily. "Would you have sex with me?"
Shane almost choked on his spit. He gasped instead, feeling the blood flood to his cheeks. There was no way he was answering that question, no matter how much Riley threatened to restrain him.
Fortunately Riley started laughing so Shane didn't have to. "Don't worry, I wasn't being serious." Shane felt relieved until Riley continued. "We both know you would."
Shane was left feeling speechless once more.
But Riley was moving on to the next question as though nothing had happened. "Where do you live?"
He was able to recover fast enough to answer. "About twenty minutes away."
"And do you live alone?" There was a mischievous undertone that Shane understood completely.
He didn't feel too bad about disappointing Riley since he knew what he was thinking. "Actually I don't. I live with my brother and his boyfriend."
Something in the air changed then. It felt heavier, thicker though Shane had no idea why. The only thing he was aware of was the way Riley had frozen in his seat, staring ahead at the wall blankly. His face had become distant, like Riley was no longer present, like no one was.
He sat up, feeling alarmed. 333 wasn't moving at all. He wasn't even breathing. "Hey. Are you okay?"
Dark eyes snapped up suddenly, staring at Shane with what he could only identify as hatred. He had barely processed this when a dark, cold voice whispered.
"Get out."
He wasn't looking at Shane anymore. His head was tilted towards the ground with his hair hiding his eyes.
Shane sat there frozen in confusion. He wasn't sure if he heard correctly, not until the same voice repeated itself, shouting.
"I said get the fuck out!"
He could see 333's nails were gripping his pants so tightly the fabric could have been torn. His body started shaking and Shane knew it wasn't from fear this time.
When Shane didn't move, he was still too stunned to do anything except try to figure out what was going on, 333 looked up at him again. The look in his eyes had Shane feeling terrified. "Now!" As did the sound of his voice.
Shane scrambled up, running out of the room even though he didn't want to. He wanted to stay and figure out what in the world just happened, why 333 suddenly looked so angry, and what Shane had done to upset him. He was just answering questions. He didn't expect him to snap like that.
He took the stairs slowly, thinking all this over. He felt so confused, not to mention guilty even though he had no idea what he did. He had never thought Riley could look so… malicious. But it had to have been him because there was no way that was Reed. Riley was the cruel one after all, wasn't he?
Shane spent the rest of the day in deep thought, barely noticing what was going on in the world around him. He felt so bad knowing he caused Riley to react like that. He obviously said or did something wrong, making Riley have a violent reaction.
Maybe it was because he mentioned his family. Maybe it upset Riley because he didn't have one. That thought made Shane feel even worse. He was already locked up in a psych ward for the rest of his life, but being completely alone in the world would be too depressing.
It only made Shane want to keep visiting him, give him someone to talk to and make sure he didn't feel lonely. But today was Friday and that meant Shane wouldn't see him again for two more days. He hoped Riley forgave him for whatever it was he did by then.
The weekend passed by way too slowly, and even though it was supposed to be a break, Shane didn't feel very relaxed. His mind was on 333 almost constantly, and Kurt and Blaine weren't blind to his sudden disinterest in life. They finally managed to bug him enough until he talked.
"It's not like you're going to approve of what I say."
Blaine frowned. "Should I be worried?"
But Kurt looked completely the opposite. He was grinning widely. "Is it about the patient? What happened? Come to think of it," he suddenly looked thoughtful, excited but thoughtful. "You haven't told us anything about him except the MPD. What's he like? What's his name? What'd you talk about? Did you talk to him again? Did something happen? Is that why you look upset?"
"Uh…" Shane stalled. Which one of those was he supposed to answer first? "Well he kind of has two different names." At Blaine and Kurt's confused stares he hastily explained. "For his different personalities. Riley is cocky, Reed is sweet. But they're both just so," he sighed, looking drearily into space. "Incredible. And intriguing. And so very adorable."
"Wow," Kurt deadpanned before his grin returned. "You've got it bad."
Shane sighed, letting his head fall into his hand. As if he didn't know that already.
Blaine looked extremely wary. "What do you even talk about?"
"Me mostly. He doesn't like to talk about himself." He chose to leave out the details of their first conversation. There was no reason Kurt or Blaine had to know Riley climbed on his lap and claimed he was now his toy. He wasn't sure how that news would go over.
"Then how do you know you like him if you don't even know him?" Blaine pressed.
"I don't need to know everything. I like what I do know." Which admittedly wasn't much, but Shane could hardly care.
"Alright well, do you know long he has to stay there?"
Shane paused. He didn't want to but he knew he would have no choice but to answer. "…For life." He also knew he wasn't making a very good case for himself, and he didn't need to look at Blaine to know what his reaction would be.
And much like he expected, Blaine had sighed and was burying his head in his hands. "Shane," he said the name like he was praying for patience. Or just that he could hardly believe his brother was this foolish. "How is this even going to work if he's in a mental institution for the rest of his life? How do you expect to have a healthy relationship with him? You can't take him out on a proper date, you can't introduce him to your family and friends, you can't propose to or marry him, you can't really have a future with him at all. You can't even see or talk to him without breaking the rules, maybe even the law. How are you going to deal with that?"
In all honesty Shane didn't know. It's not like he hadn't been worrying about every single thing Blaine just said. But it upset him so he tried not to think too much about it.
"Shane," Blaine brought his hands down to stare in his eyes. "This is a bad idea. And I would suggest that you just get out and leave it alone before you get too invested and in too deep."
Shane looked away with a sigh. That was good advice but it was advice he wouldn't be following. As far as he was concerned he already was in too deep. Nothing left to do now except sink in further.
"I know you're trying to help, Blaine. And you want to protect me from getting hurt, but it's not that easy."
"Hold on," Kurt interrupted, holding up a hand. "Am I the only one concerned as to why he's in there for life? I don't suppose you know what he did?"
Both he and Blaine eyed him as Shane reluctantly shook his head. "No. I don't."
Blaine groaned. "What if he did something really bad? What if he's in there for life because he deserves to be?" He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking tired. "Shane, I think you might be in over your head."
Shane almost laughed. He was already well aware of that.
It wasn't his alarm that woke him up on Monday morning, it was his ringtone. He had to fumble around blindly, searching for his phone on the night stand, for over a minute just to answer the call.
"Hello?" he mumbled, still heavily groggy as he took a glance at the clock.
"Hey Shane. It's Wes."
Shane was glad he introduced himself because in his sleep induced state he hadn't thought to look at the caller ID before answering.
"Why are you calling so early? I don't have to be there for another hour and a half."
"I know. But you should probably get over here."
Shane finally opened his eyes completely, just then noticing the hint of urgency in Wes' voice. "Why, what's wrong?"
"Do you remember cellmate three thirty three?"
Shane sat up in surprise. Remember? How could he forget? "Yeah…"
"Well… he's kind of having some sort of fit. He's gone mental."
"What?" Shane jumped up so fast he lost his balance and rolled out of bed.
"I normally wouldn't call you but…"
"But what!" Shane shouted as he scurried around looking for clean clothes in the mess that was his room.
Wes was silent. Shane was about to start yelling at him again when he finally spoke up, sounding nervous. "He's been saying your name."
Shane stopped his search long enough to hang up. He didn't need to hear anything else, he was already rushing around like mad. He was worried and also confused. Why was he freaking out, did something happen? He tried not to feel excited that Reed or Riley wanted him specifically, especially when he didn't know the circumstances regarding his fit.
His driving was reckless but he couldn't be bothered to be safe, not when he was this worried. It didn't take long to get there and once he was, he ran the rest of the way inside, taking the stairs two at a time.
Entering the hallway on the third floor, he could already hear the commotion going on from the last door. It made his stomach tighten and his legs run faster.
The first thing he saw as he entered the room was blood, so much blood. If he wasn't already feeling wild with panic, he was now. It took a second for him to realize all the blood came from the screaming, thrashing body on the bed. Nurses and other officials Shane had only seen in passing were pinning him down, forcing his feet and bloody wrists in restraints. He was jerking around so much it took them a while to get it, but after a doctor stabbed a needle full of what Shane could only assume was a sedative into his arm, he slowly went limp.
Shane watched the scene unfold with wide eyes, feeling too stunned to have a real reaction. The time it took for the nurses and orderlies to finish up, collect their things, and leave was also how long it took for Shane to snap out of it.
He turned to look at Wes and David, who had been standing quietly in the corner the whole time.
"What the hell happened?"
Instead of waiting for someone to answer, he dropped down beside the bed, looking over 333's body in disbelief. His white outfit was stained red, making him look like he just came out of a slasher flick. The red was coming from his arms. His sleeves were pushed up to reveal gash after gash lining from just above his elbows all the way to his wrists. The cuts were long and jagged, ranging in size and location, appearing to have no real arrangement, like they were done with no other intention but to cause quick pain. Some looked deep and Shane figured the nurses would have to be back soon to bandage him up. But he couldn't imagine how Reed or Riley could do this to himself.
"How did this happen?"
David finally stepped forward. "We don't know. He just completely lost it. He was screaming and freaking out and when we came in to restrain him he started hitting and kicking everyone. It took five people to grab him and put him on the bed. You saw the rest."
That part of the story worried Shane too, but that's not what he was most concerned with. "Okay but what the hell happened to his arms?" One glance around told him the blood wasn't just on 333's body, but on the walls and floor. There was no way they couldn't have noticed it.
This time it was Wes who spoke. "He had already done that when we showed up. Apparently he broke a loose spring from the box mattress and just," he gestured with his hands, not knowing how to explain. "Butchered himself with it."
Shane didn't think that was a very nice way to put it. "But why?" His eyes scanned the various painful looking marks on his arms, trying to comprehend how he could do this to himself.
"Who knows. He's not exactly in a sane mindset."
That wasn't the answer he was looking for, but he knew Wes and David wouldn't know anything. He'd have to wait until 333 woke up and told him himself. Something occurred to him then, something he managed to forget in all the shock and alarm. "Didn't you say he was saying my name?"
"…Yeah. He shouted it a couple times when people invaded his room. We don't know why and he didn't say anything else." Wes laughed a little nervously, looking extremely uneasy. "We don't even know how he knew it. Creepy right?"
It wasn't really considering Shane knew exactly how he had known. He told him. He didn't say anything though, they didn't need to know about his rule breaking. He was sure they'd be more interested than appalled, and probably wouldn't scold him for it like everyone else would. They looked completely fascinated just to be in the room, to see the person who glared at them so coldly with dark eyes up close. Shane could tell they thought nothing more of him than a legend, a character from a scary story. They didn't want him to be a real person, only a source of entertainment.
A nurse returned then, ready to fix up 333's wounds, but Shane only moved out of her way. He wasn't going to leave the room until he woke up and could talk to him. Wes and David stayed put too, at least until she was finished.
Once there was nothing left to see except 333 in his drug induced sleep, they headed to the door. "Are you coming?"
Shaking his head, Shane didn't even look up. "Not just yet."
Wes looked at David in confusion but they both just shrugged it off, exiting the room and closing the door behind them.
Shane sighed, instantly feeling more relaxed now that it was just the two of them. But he was still feeling deeply worried. He didn't understand why 333 would do this; what happened to make him so upset; was he trying to end his life? Shane's stomach twisted painfully. He sincerely hoped not.
The only thing he could do while 333 slept the sedative off was watch him. He was sweet and peaceful looking, but something about him still seemed scared, like he was hiding from something even in his sleep. Shane thought about this and made other observations he couldn't have noticed before, like the small cluster of freckles that were barely visible going across his small nose, or the way his lips pouted making them appear fuller than they actually were.
Shane continued to observe him for well over two hours, just waiting for him to wake up.
When the first flutter of eyelashes came, Shane sat up, alert but ready to finally talk to him, whoever he was right now. When his eyes opened fully, they looked a soft brown color. But it was the gasp of fear and flood of mist to those eyes that told Shane who it was.
"Reed?" he whispered, trying not to scare him even further.
His wide eyes locked on Shane and he shook, trying to pull his hands free from the restraints.
"Don't do that." Shane put a gentle hand on his forearm. "You might hurt yourself."
Reed glanced down to look at Shane's hand touching him, but he forgot all about that once he got a look at himself. Another gasp escaped him and his breath started shaking. When he looked back up at Shane there was shock and confusion in his large eyes. "W-what happened?" His voice was just as quiet as it had been the other times Shane heard him speak. "Why am I covered in blood?"
He sounded so scared, and Shane wished he had the answers. But it seemed as though Reed didn't either, so this must have been Riley's doing. "Do you remember what happened?" he asked as he leaned over to start undoing Reed's restraints.
"No," Reed whimpered, bottom lip quivering and a few tears sliding down his cheeks. Once his hands were free he looked over the bandages on his arms and the blood on his clothes. "Whose blood is this?"
When he started picking at the bandage on his left arm, Shane was careful to pull his hand away. "Don't mess with those, you might unravel them."
"So it's my blood?" Reed was still shaking and crying silently. Shane wished he wouldn't. It hurt to see. "What happened to me?"
Shane didn't want to tell him. He didn't even know how. "Someone hurt you. Do you know who would do that?"
Reed shook his head, still staring at Shane with the same wide eyes.
Shane tried to smile at him, but it was small. He was still frightened by what just happened and the fact Reed could remember none of it.
At Shane's smile Reed's cheeks stained pink and he quickly glanced away, choosing instead to watch his fingers twist together nervously.
Shane laughed a little at that. He was so freaking adorable. "What?"
"I… I think I know why he freaked out," Reed mumbled after a moment of staying silent.
Shane's brows furrowed. Who was Reed talking about? He could only assume he meant Riley. "Why's that?"
Reed's eyes slowly met his again, but he looked anxious, like he would look away again at any minute. "Because you were gone. You stopped visiting after he yelled at you." Reed began to scratch at his biceps nervously. "I think he thinks you hate us now."
"What?" Shane asked, startled. He laughed a little despite feeling confused and scared. "No, I didn't stop visiting because of that. I haven't been here because it was the weekend. I'm not supposed to be here on weekends. I won't stop visiting you, I promise. And I do not hate you."
Reed's eyes lit up and it looked like he wanted to smile, but his lips only twitched upwards slightly. "Really?"
Shane promised himself then that he was going to get Reed to smile fully one day, no matter what it took. Maybe even make Riley smile genuinely instead of that condescending one he always wore. "Of course."
"Good," Reed whispered, drawing his knees up to wrap his arms around them. "It's really lonely in here and Riley is such a jerk."
Shane laughed at that, but he didn't like the thought of Reed being so lonely. "He doesn't hurt you though right?"
"No. He's just mean."
That made Shane feel a little better, but something was still worrying him. "About him yelling at me, why did he do it?" Reed's head snapped up and he looked scared all over again. He stayed silent so Shane figured he would have to continue. "Was it… was it because I mentioned my family?"
Reed dropped his head and his whole body stiffened. Shane could tell he wasn't about to talk about it.
"Please Reed. Tell me so I won't say something to make him freak out again."
He caught his bottom lip between his teeth but said nothing. Shane was ready to start begging again when he whispered, "Yes."
"But why? Why did he get so upset?"
Reed finally glanced up at him again, looking very conflicted. It seemed like he wanted to tell Shane, but at the same time keep it a secret. Shane wondered if Reed felt like he was betraying Riley by telling him.
"You can tell me. I want to know so I know what not to say around him." That was only partially true. He also wanted a little insight in Reed and Riley's life, maybe it would help him understand them better. And why there was a 'them' in the first place.
Reed started chewing on his lip, his hands gripping his pants. Shane decided to take a guess. "Is it because you don't like yours?"
He timidly nodded. "Kind of. But we don't have one anymore."
Shane frowned. He had been afraid of that. "Do they not visit you?"
He shook his head slowly, eyes locked on his knees. "No. They're dead."
It was put so bluntly Shane's eyes widened. He had considered that, but he didn't think about it too seriously. He didn't want Reed to be so completely alone in the world. "I'm sorry. What happened to them?"
Finally, Reed looked back up at him, but his expression was different. He wasn't biting his lips or looking scared anymore. Shane could tell he was still Reed, but his face was completely devoid of emotion, as was his voice when he finally spoke.
"I killed them."