It had gotten colder during the ten minutes he had been inside and storm clouds had gathered over the city. The possibility of a blizzard was nearly one hundred percent and Caim wasn't looking forward to being stuck outside in it. So as he stepped forward, out of the meeting and into the alley, his forethought was that he had to find somewhere to sleep. Even an empty dumpster. It's not like I haven't done that before. He didn't even let the idea of someone following him edge into his mind, so when a hand touched his shoulder he whirled around, instantly bringing his fists up to defend himself.

Seeing Riley through the gap between his arms made him want to vomit.

"Whoa," Riley said, taking a small step back. Caim suddenly felt like they were meeting for the first time again, but his weapons were his fists now and they actually did know each other which seemed to make the situation feel ten times worse.

Quickly he lowered his fists. Swallowing he said quietly, "I won't hurt you."

Riley was quiet for a moment, and Caim wondered whether or not he was remembering the same thing that he was. When he spoke, his first word was Caim's 'name'. "Kyle?" He drew the name out a little bit. "What'ssssssss going on?"

"Nothing. Sorry." He realized that he had spoken to fast and internally winced. He covered it up quickly though and continued, "You startled me. I wasn't expecting-"

"Exxxxxxpecting me to follow you? Yeah. Me neither. But sssssomething told me to." He took a step towards Caim, who didn't move. Please don't. "Why don't you come back inssssside? Everyone'sssss leaving. You and I could jussssst ssssssit. Talk. You look like you need to ssssssit and talk."

Sit, yes. Talk, no. And I don't want to do either here. He shook his head. "I can't. I have to go."

"You don't have to do anything Kyle."

"I have to do this." He took a step back. "I really have to do this." Glancing around as he took another step back he caught a flash of red, then a flash of black, from the road at the end of the alley. He froze, a deer about to be caught in headlights, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Kyle? Come insssssssside with me. Pleassssse? Jusssssst insssssside, jusssssst into the room. You look like you're going to passsssssss out."

I actually might. I wish I could.

Shaking his head he looked back to Riley, backing up as he went. He wanted to see the first boy he liked before he ran away from him forever-

And this his back hit something solid and he jerked forward, slipping on a patch of ice as he did and crashing to the pavement. Hurridly rolling on his back and using his arms to pull him away he looked up at the car he had backed into and the large blue man that was half in and half out of vehicle.

"Sorry to scare you," Dr. McCoy said, a slight grin on his face. "I would have honked but though that that might have frightened you more." He held out a hand to help Caim up but Caim got himself to his feet, his eyes catching the blue gaze of the woman sitting in the passenger seat. She gave him the same soft smile and a slightly wave. "Hi," she said.

Caim nodded once, slowly, and gave a lame attempt at a wave. He was so preoccupied with her that he didn't realize that Dr. McCoy was speaking.

"-a ride?

Caim blinked and looked at him. "Excuse me?"

"I was asking if you and Riley would like a ride. A storm's coming in and I don't think that either of you want to be on transit when it happens, or walking for that matter." He gave them a smile that was probably supposed to be gentle and maybe a little joking, but to Caim it showed to much of his pointed teeth and had him taking another, if more subtle, step back.

"That's ok," he said. "I'll just walk. I'm not far, and I don't mind a bit of snow."

He felt a pressence behind him and glanced over to see Riley stepping up beside him. He was giving a good show of smiling, but Caim was good at detecting fake smiles. Takes a master. "I'm ok too, but thanks Mr. McCoy; I was going to walk Kyle then call for a cab."

"Well alright, if you insist," Dr. McCoy said slowly, pushing his glasses further up his nose. Giving a soft smile he got back into the car and Caim's eyes were once again drawn to the woman, whose gaze hadn't seemed to leave him.

"We'll hopefully see you boys soon," Dr. McCoy said before driving off.

Riley turned to Caim once they were out of sight, his smile gone. "I'm walking you wherever you're going. You run off so much, and it's time that someone runs after you."

Caim remembered that day so many months ago when he woke up in that stranger's apartment and had run out with the other male shouting at him from a balcony only clad in a towel. He refocused to now, with Riley in his long-sleeve black shirt and jeans standing in the middle of a back alley. After a moment Caim nodded once, his eyes casting away from the other male as he did. Riley have him a slight smile at that, then told him to wait there while he quickly grabbed his jacket. He was back in less than five minutes and Caim hadn't moved so much as his eyes from the icy ground. When they started off they hadn't gone so much as half a block when Caim escaped from the snake-boy's eyes and disappeared into the shadows. I'm sorry.