Chapter 4
Jason woke the next morning feeling depressed. It had been ages since he'd last thought of Sarah. As he woke more fully, attempting to push thoughts of her back, he realized that he couldn't sit up … or move much.
Isaac had plastered himself to Jason's back, their legs tangled together. The blond had an arm around his waist, his elbow bent so that his hand splayed across Jason's chest, pushing him back against the blond.
I've been turned into a teddy bear, Jason thought in amusement.
He didn't mind. He liked being the 'safe' one, the one everyone went to when they had troubles, or needed help. He liked feeling needed.
Gently, he slipped Isaac's arm off of him before pulling his legs away from the blond's. Then, he rolled off the bed. As he stood, he glanced down to see Isaac blinking up at him.
"Sorry, hadn't meant to wake you."
"Light sleeper," Isaac replied, sitting up. A hand rose to rub the sleep from his eyes. "They didn't give any warning."
"Hmm," Jason replied. "Well, I'm going to take a shower, help yourself to something from the kitchen."
Isaac nodded.
"Don't answer the door, or the phone," he said, crossing to the dresser. "The less people who know you're here, the less likely that 'They'll' find you."
He was turning paranoid. But, really, there was nothing for it.
"Um … if something happens, give a yell."
When he glanced back, he saw Isaac nodding.
"Your shirt's on the dresser."
They'd have to go out and get him a couple of outfits.
Isaac nodded again and Jason left the bedroom.
When he left the bathroom, freshly showered and in clean clothes, he found Isaac in the kitchen, eating toast.
"Is that enough for you?" he asked.
Isaac jumped, eyes flying up to meet his.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."
"S'okay," he replied.
"Well, we're going out today," he said, moving to the toaster. "You need clothes that actually fit-"
"You don't have to," was the soft reply.
"Don't worry about it. I get a monthly allowance from my parents that's way more than I ever need, and I've already got everything I need for the rest of the month."
Isaac eyed him a moment before reluctantly nodding.
"So, where you from?"
Isaac blinked. "Nowhere."
Jason raised an eyebrow at him. "No where?"
"My … family traveled a lot," he replied. "Kind of … kind of like gypsies."
"Oh … so you don't know how to get a hold of them."
Isaac shook his head. "I'll find them though. I still remember the routes."
"Hmm." Jason took a bite out of his buttered toast, momentarily surprised that it had gotten that far. He didn't remember it popping up, or buttering it at all.
"I shouldn't go out," Isaac said."
Jason frowned. "Why?"
"They'll see me. They'll find me. Won't be able to get away again."
Jason gave a soft, unheard sigh. Isaac seemed well enough, until 'they' came up. Then, he became a stumbling mess that made little sense. Though, he supposed it was normal. Who knew what the hell those guys did to him.
"I've got a hoodie you can use," he said. "It'll hide you enough. Besides, you're clean now. How long as it been since they saw you clean?"
Isaac bit his lip and shrugged.
"Exactly," he replied. "You'll be alright, I promise."
Should he really be promising such things? A voice at the back of his head said. He didn't even know what Isaac was running from. How did he even know he stood a chance against 'Them'?
Jason told it to shut up. Nothing would happen today, which was what he'd promised.
When he was done eating, Jason went to retrieve the hoodie, tossing it to Isaac when he returned. He blinked at it once before pulling it on. Jason couldn't help but wince. It looked ridiculous on him, but it was really all he had to offer. He'd buy him one of his own. Besides, they were warm, and that was something Isaac would need while searching for his family.
Fall was slowly drawing to a close.
"Come on," he said, grabbing his coat and keys. "We'll get you one of your own at the store. You shouldn't get too many looks though, there are a couple of guys that like wearing them small."
Not that it clung to him or anything. Really, it kind of hung off of him, which was just sad because Jason wasn't exactly fat. It was just too short.
Nonetheless, Isaac nodded, following him out of the apartment. This was the first time Isaac had been outside since his arrival, not that he'd really been in any condition to look around.
As soon as they were outside, Jason stopped short. It was raining. Normally, Jason loved the rain, but with Isaac how he was, he wasn't sure they should risk it.
He glanced over at the blond to tell him so, but stopped short. Isaac had stepped out of the cover, into the rain, head tilted back with his eyes closed. He looked completely at peace.
Jason almost couldn't bring himself to disturb him.
"You sure you should be out?" he asked. "I don't think it'd be wise to get a cold."
Isaac glanced back at him. "My immune system is stronger than most."
"Usually, yeah, sure," Jason argued. "But right now … are you sure it's up to snuff?"
Isaac blinked at him, frowning. "I have never gotten sick before," he said. "It will not happen now.
Jason just raised an eyebrow. He seemed awfully sure of himself.
"It has been a year since I have been in the rain, Jason. My … my family has always believed it had healing properties. We have never gotten ill from it. In fact, we are generally much sturdier than … anyone else."
Jason blinked, surprised. "Are you sure that still stands?"
Isaac grinned, his face lighting up. "It has not forgotten me."
Jason blinked. Okay. Maybe Isaac was more than a little cracked. He liked the rain as much as the next guy, but … it remembers him? How the fuck could rain remember anything? It didn't have anything to remember with.
He shook his head. It didn't matter; it wasn't like Isaac was hurting anyone with his thoughts or beliefs ... or whatever they were.
A hand grasping his, pulled him from his thoughts. And he found himself staring up into sapphire eyes.
"Come," he said, his wet form tugging me towards the rain. "I will introduce you."
Jason blinked. The fuck?
Then, he sighed and let Isaac drag him out from under the cover. He was strong for such a slender guy. He had to go out in it anyway. As soon as he was in it, Isaac moved behind him.
"Close your eyes, and tilt your head back," he instructed.
Silently, Jason obeyed him, feeling himself relax as the rain poured down over his face. He really did like the rain. He jumped slightly when he felt hands on either side of his head, but relaxed when he heard Isaac murmur something.
Quite suddenly, he was filled with a pleased recognition.
"Oh, it already knows you," Isaac's voice was a pleased surprise before Jason jerked away from the blond.
"The fuck was that?"
"The rain already knew you," Isaac said, this time with a small frown. "It considers you a friend."
"Its rain," Jason snapped, a frown on his features. "It's can't like anything."
Isaac frowned. At the same time, Jason felt a hurt disappointment at the back of his mind. He shook his head to clear it, but it wouldn't go away. He was imagining things, that was all.
"What the hell?" his voice was quiet, a hand rising to his head.
"I opened the connection," Isaac said, voice growing depressed. "I hadn't thought it would work, you being … not of my family, but it did. And the rain wanted it to happen."
Jason frowned, eyes narrowing at the taller blond. "My being what?" he asked, having caught Isaac's hesitation."
"Nothing," Isaac replied, shaking his head. "My family, like I said."
Jason's frown deepened. "You were going to say something else."
"No, I-"
Encouragement replaced the disappointment and Jason rubbed his forehead again. Hell, he was getting a headache.
"Later," Isaac said, giving a nervous look around. "This isn't the place." He shoved his hands into the pockets of the hoodie.
Jason eyed him a moment longer, but nodded, ignoring the happy feeling in the back of him mind. "Fine, let's go."
He turned on his heel and started walking across the parking lot. A second later he heard Isaac catching up. He stayed just behind him, silent, but Jason let him. A wave of understanding filled him, and Jason shook his head again. This was too fucking weird.
"I'm sorry," Isaac said. "I'd forgotten how … overwhelming the introduction could be. We are always introduced during a sprinkle. It is not quite so strong then, and it gives us the chance to become familiar with it before it is heavy."
"What, exactly, did you do to me?" Jason asked, tiredly, as he led the way to the bus stop.
"I introduced you."
"Yeah, I got that," Jason grumbled, his voice dangerously close to snapping. "but what does that fucking mean? And why'd you do it?"
"… You seemed worried. I wanted you to know the rain would not hurt me."
Agreement. Jason glared at the rain, wanting it to stay the fuck out of his head. Then, he closed his eyes, heaving a weary sigh.
Great, he thought. I'm going crazy now. That's the only explanation.
Disagreement.
You're the cause of it! He snapped mentally before groaning. Just great, now he was taking to the rain too.
"Are you alright, Jason?" Isaac asked, worry coloring his voice.
"As alright as I can be with the rain … talking to me."
Fucking hell, that sounded absolutely insane.
"You'll get used to it," was the reply.
"I'd rather get rid of it."
Depression.
Isaac frowned. "I … don't know how. No one has ever wished to separate before."
"So, I'm stuck with it?" he demanded, glancing back at Isaac. He nodded.
"Fuck."
"It is not so bad," Isaac argued. "It can be very helpful."
Jason stopped walking, having arrived at the bus stop, and raised an eyebrow at the blond.
"Well, it will tell you if you're being followed, if someone means you harm. It can lead you home if you get lost, and warnings. It's good with warnings."
Agreement.
"Fine, whatever. You never told me what 'being introduced' means."
He didn't want to talk about the merits of having the rain inside his head.
"Well, you can talk to it. It knows where you are and you'll sense when it's near you."
"Knows where I am?"
"Well, kind of. If you're inside, it won't be able to find you. It's why my family hasn't found me yet. The next time it hits them, they will know where I am, and seek me out."
"Does it always … talk so much?" He was hesitant to use that word, but it was the only one that really worked.
"No. Usually, it respects your need for privacy. But if you have been gone for a long time, or have just been introduced, it likes to be right with you."
Note to self: don't avoid rainy days. It'll only make things worse.
Amused comfort.
Jason sighed. Fuck.
"This isn't all the time?"
Isaac shook his head. "Only when it rains."
He relaxed. He could deal with that … probably … maybe … he hoped.
"This is the strangest thing that's ever happened to me," Jason said.
"I apologize," Isaac said. "I should have made sure you understood what I meant by introduce before I did it. I forgot you were not one of us."
Jason raised an eyebrow, then saw the bus. "Alright then, but you've got a lot of explaining when we get back."
Isaac nodded, appearing nervous.
When the bus finally pulled in front of them, Jason paid for Isaac then showed his pass. They sat as it began moving once more. Jason shivered slightly at the sudden change between cold and warm, shoving his hands into his damp pockets. Isaac didn't seem bothered by it at all. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying it.
"So, it doesn't know where we are now?"
Isaac gave him an amused look. "It knows." At Jason's look, he explained farther. "It felt us enter the bus, and it feels the bus moving. It doesn't know where we are on it, but it knows we're here."
"Hmm," he sighed. "So, how long have you been …" he trailed off, waving a hand around.
"Introduced?"
"Yeah, that."
"Seven years. We're introduced when we're 16."
"So you're … 22? 23?"
Isaac frowned. "What month is it?"
"Mid-October."
"23."
"Hmm."
"And you?"
Jason shrugged. "22."
They fell silent, Jason watching the rain on the window. Finally, he noticed that their stop was coming up, and pulled the cord, standing afterwards. Thanking the driver, he stepped off the bus, Isaac following closely.
As the rain fell on him once more he was hit with a mild welcoming. Even so, he still grimaced around a shiver, body curling in on himself. Fuck, it was cold. And the talking rain wasn't really helping anything.
Apologies.
Jason jumped. "Fucking hell."
Isaac laughed, causing Jason to pause in surprise. He hadn't heard that before. He supposed it was a good sign though, that Isaac was still able to laugh.
"It takes awhile to get used to," Isaac told him, again
Jason just shook his head and crossed the street. Fred Meyers was the closest store to his apartment, so he usually dropped a lot of his money there.
An hour and a half later, they were back at the apartment, still soaked. Jason turned up the heat, changed (told Isaac to do the same), and dragged a couple of blankets from the cupboard, and carried them into the living room. Isaac was already curled on the couch, knees tucked up under his chin. His eyes rose to meet him as Jason entered, and he couldn't help but think how adorably cute he looked … in a puppy kind of way.
Jaosn tossed the blond one of the blankets and sank onto the other end of the couch. They were both silent as they unfolded the blankets and got tucked in. It was only after they were both still and silent for several minutes that Jason glanced over at Isaac, who was looking at a wall.
"You said you'd explain things."
Isaac sighed, but didn't say anything right away. Jason settled back into the couch, waiting. He'd been content not knowing, until Isaac started doing shit with his head. Now, he figured he had a right to know.
"I'm not human."
Jason blinked. He hadn't expected that. "You look human."
"A lot of your mythological creatures do."
Jason raised an eyebrow. "So, you're what? A werewolf? Vampire?"
Isaac blinked at him, obviously catching that he didn't believe him.
"Nothing so clique," he replied, his nose wrinkling slightly.
"Then, what are you?" he asked, leaning back against the couch. He wasn't going to believe him.
Another sigh. "We call ourselves the Keer."
Jaosn raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh."
Isaac huddled down in his blanket, staring at the wall once again.
"My people have a connection with the elements, though water is strongest with all of us. We can't control them or anything, but they listen to us when they want to. Fire tends to respond to me more than the others. It's as eager to see me as the rain is. Each of us have an element that responds to us better than others.
"My weakest is Earth. It doesn't like recognizing me. I need to be near death for it to come to my aid. They weren't happy about that."
Jason blinked. "Wait … they did this to you because … because …."
"Because I am Keer. They often said that I am the strongest they've ever had." He shuddered.
Before Jason could inquire further, he was continuing.
"We're very resistant to poisons. I don't think there's one found that can kill us," he said. "But it takes energy. The less we have, the longer it takes, and the more painful it is. Those who can get Earth to respond to them have an easier time of it. It almost doesn't even stick. They know they've been poisoned, but Earth takes care of it."
Jason blinked. This was just a bit to fantastical for him.
"We need the elements to be healthy; all of them. If they're taken away, we weaken. We depend on them much more then they need us."
"So, you're what … an alien or something?" Jason couldn't help but ask.
Isaac frowned at him and shook his head. "No, my people have been here as long as you humans. We're just not as abundant. We don't reproduce as well as humans do, and we have no desire to fight, so, we've kept to ourselves."
"Why should I believe you?" Jason asked, skeptically. "In any of this."
Isaac tilted his head slightly. "Because I introduced you to the rain, Water. Because you felt the same connection we do. Because I have no reason to lie to you. Why would I? You're the one that's helping me. At times, you almost feel Keer."
Jason blinked, confused. "I do?"
He nodded. "We're very physical beings, with each other. We touch for comfort, but never with an outsider, never with a human. They feel … uncomfortable, and you often mistake it for something else."
Jason blinked.
"But I've never minded it." He it his lip. He didn't believe Isaac. Just because he was responding to certain statements, didn't mean he believed him.
"With my people, several of us will sleep in the same bed. It doesn't mean anything, We just sleep. The more distressed we are, the closer we will want to be with each other."
"You turned me into a teddy bear because you wanted comfort, yeah, I kind of guessed that. It happens to everyone occasionally."
Isaac sighed. "I should not have … I would not have had I been conscious."
"Look, really, it's okay, I don't mind." The guy might be insane, but it didn't seem to be that harmful.
"You are not Keer. We do not sleep such with humans," Isaac argued. "It is uncomfortable."
Jason frowned. "So? You were uncomfortable last night? Or the night before?"
"No. That's the thing. I wasn't. As I said, there are times you feel of Keer, but you are not."
"No, I'm not."
"And yet, I could introduce you."
Jason's frown deepened. "Yeah, we established that." What the hell was Isaac getting at?
"I had not thought it was possible."
"Then why'd you try?"
Isaac shrugged. "I was missing my people. When we are together, our connections strengthen. I was not thinking when I introduced you, but it shouldn't have worked. I know of no human who has been introduced before."
Jason scowled. "I'm human."
"You are," Isaac nodded. "You are human. I do not doubt that. You feel human. Yet, at times, you feel of Keer."
Another chapter, finally. I've got a couple written up, I just need to get off my lay arse and type them up lol.
This chapter's a little longer than the ones previous, but there is some information that will move the story along. Um ...
Did it feel too much like an information dump, there at the end? Let me know, would you?