The guitar began playing and Killian's eyelids seemed to dip further. It looked like the liquor was really taking over.

The vocals started immediately after, and I wasn't prepared for what I heard next.

Prison gates won't open up for me
On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'
Oh, I reach for you..

Well I'm terrified of these four walls
These iron bars can't hold my soul in
All I need is you, come please, I'm callin'
And, oh, I scream for you

Hurry, I'm fallin', I'm fallin'...

Our eyes locked immediately as his found mine.

Show me what it's like
To be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be
Say it for me, say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me

Say it if it's worth saving me

His voice was unlike anything I had every heard before, or could ever imagine.

It was raw and rich and resonant.

His eyes bore into mine now as he sang into the mic.

Heaven's gates won't open up for me
With these broken wings I'm fallin' and all I see is you

These city walls ain't got no love for me
I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story
And, oh, I scream for you come please,
I'm callin' and all I need from you, hurry, I'm fallin', I'm fallin'

Show me what it's like
To be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be
Say it for me, say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me

Say it if it's worth saving me...
(Hury, I'm fallin')

There was a guitar interlude on this part, but the music had faded away ages ago. All I could hear was his voice as he sang.

I was mesmerized by his performance, and the words he spoke. It was almost as if I felt pain from it. I felt something inside me clench in uneasiness. Was it even possible for someone to sing like this? To sing with so much pain?

His eyes had closed briefly for the last part here.

And all I need is you
Come please, I'm callin'
And, oh, I scream for you
Hurry, I'm fallin', I'm fallin', I'm fallin'

His eyes found mine for the last time.

Show me what it's like
To be the last one standing

And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be

And say it for me, say it to me

And I'll leave this life behind me

Say it if it's worth saving me, hurry, I'm fallin'

His eyes were clouded over with something I couldn't detect.

Say it for me, say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me

Say it if it's worth saving me...

Amy and her friends had begun to cheer as the song came to an end, but Killian just stood there looking at me. I could tell this song meant so much more to him than anyone had caught on.

He blinked again and stumbled back, looking slightly dizzy as he tried to make it away from the bright lights at the front.

That was my cue to get the kid home.

-

"Just a few more blocks, we're almost at my place." I spoke to him. He used me as a crutch to make it down the street.

He seemed really gone now.

"Thanyouforgettingme." He mumbled.

"Don't mention it." I replied. His face was rosy pink from the nip of the cold air and the warmth of the liquor.

"I-I just wanted to te-tell you how pretty your eyesare." He added. I was now helping him up the front steps to the apartment building.

I felt a smile spread across my face. The kid liked my eyes?

I mean, I heard that compliment from almost every girl I met, but it was so much more, coming from Killian.

"Alright, kid, lets get you to a bed. Time for you to sleep off the rest of the liquor."

"But I feel so good right now." He whispered. I had leant him against the door panel as I looked for the keys and when I finally found them in my jacket pocket, he stumbled forward onto me.

I didn't dare move because:

1.) He was quite literally in my arms right now. Like I'm talking in my arms with my arms holding him together at the waist, and
2.) We were the closest we had probably ever been to each other ever.

His hand came up and lightly traced a finger down the edge of my jawline. I unintentionally leaned into his soft touch.

Fuck, it felt really good.

He drew his face so close I forgot how to breathe. Being this near to him, I could see his eyes were a stormy greyish blue. They looked so rare, as if these were the only eyes I will ever get to lay mine upon again.

They broke contact as they cast down to my lips then back to my eyes. I was ready to say fuck it, and close the distance between us, but Killian pulled away immediately.

"I don't feel so-" he started, but cut himself off as he turned around and puked into the bushes on the sides of the entrance.

My body jumped out of the trance I was in, and I moved to hold his hair back until he was finished, then I helped him inside.

-

"Yrbedissocmfy." Killian mumbled into my sheets. I had just finished cleaning himself of vomit.

"Don't fall asleep on me just yet, I've gotta change your shirt." I reminded him. He sat up and started fumbling with the buttons before finally freeing himself from the vomit infested mess.

I grabbed a large shirt from my closet and set it on the chair before helping him with pulling the dress shirt off his right arm. My eyes betrayed me as they couldn't help but wander over his bare skin.

That was when I saw the scars.

All the scars.

My breath caught in my throat when I saw the distinct cigarette burns that were all over his upper arms and stomach.

I was speechless.

I could feel my vision blurring from pure fury as I slipped the clean shirt over them. I didn't want to freak him out or anything by asking about it so I tucked him gently into bed with the new shirt on.

The shirt was far too large for him like my jacket, but he seemed to like it, curly into himself and the pillow as he drifted off to sleep.

I slipped my work pants and shirt off, before changing into some joggers. There was some spare pillows and blankets tucked away in my closet, and I thought it would probably be best if I took the couch in the living room.

I glanced over at Killian once more before I closed the door behind me. I couldn't get the image of those burns out of my memory. Who would do something like that to a kid?

Was this the haunting childhood Sarah spoke of?