Dangerous

As Eleanor walked into the party, she knew he'd be there. She knew he'd probably be making out with some girl in the corner, or maybe already passed out somewhere if he'd been there for a while. She knew he'd be there, and she knew that he wouldn't care at all about her being there. She almost hadn't even come, just because of that fact. The only reason she had is because Jared had asked her to keep an eye on him, and she was an idiot and had agreed. Why couldn't Jared keep an eye on his own fucking brother? She didn't know. He always claimed it "wasn't his scene", like his scene was so much different than hers and Shannon's.

It wasn't long at all before she saw him; he tended to be pretty easy to spot. He was shirtless and standing on a table, yelling at some other guy about how he could definitely take him in a fight.

"Shannon!" she yelled at him over the music.

"Ah! My babysitter!" he slurred, a devilish smile on his face.

"You wouldn't need a babysitter if you weren't such an irresponsible prick!" she yelled back, grabbing his elbow roughly and pulling him off the table. "Where's your fucking shirt?" she demanded, and he started to giggle uncontrollably.

"I have no idea!" he said, and she rolled her eyes.

"Are you on something?" she asked him, looking at his eyes as well as she could in the low light. His blank look was answer enough.

"God damn it, Shan! You're going to get kicked off the tour if you keep this shit up. You know that, don't you?" she asked him, and he shrugged, his demeanor instantly different.

"What the fuck do you care?" he growled at her aggressively.

"I care because your brother is my best friend and I know he's going to be devastated if you get the band kicked off this tour! I care because I'm worried about you!" she said, and she could see him scoff.

"You're worried about me? Like you're a model fucking citizen," he spit the words at her, and they stung, but she knew Shannon and his tricks. He was just trying to scare her away so he could keep partying.

"Shannon. Stop being a fucking dick and come back to the hotel with me," she said, and could see his demeanor change again.

"Trying to get me into bed, Ellie?" he asked, using the nickname that he knew she hated.

"Yes. I want you. Fuck me, Shannon, fuck me," she said as sarcastically as she could, hoping it would make him laugh. It did. If only he knew. Finally, she was able to wrangle him toward the door.

She guided him into a cab and eventually they were back at their hotel. She helped him ready himself for bed, as she had a million times before.

"You have pretty hair," he whispered as she dug through his suitcase to find him another shirt. That was his go-to compliment when he was trashed; apparently drunk Shan was a pretty big hair guy. Elle had even seen him flirt with Tomo for almost a whole night once when his hair was still long. Sober Shannon claimed to know nothing about it.

"Thanks, Shan," she said, barely paying attention to him as she finally found one and slipped it over his head. "Coffee?" she asked him, knowing he needed it to sober up. He shook his head.

"Why won't you ever just let me be high for a while?" he asked, still shaking his head.

"Because you're an idiot when you're high," she replied. They'd had this conversation before, more than once. She moved across the room to the single-serve coffeemaker and put a cup on for him. Once it was brewed, she crossed back to where he was splayed out on the bed. "Drink it, Shan," she told him, setting it down on the nightstand. He did as he was told.

"Someday I wanna marry you," he spit the words out so quickly and quietly that she honestly wasn't even sure if she'd heard them right. When she looked up at him, he was eyeing her intensely, like he was waiting for a response.

"You're full of shit," she said, when it was obvious that he was waiting for a response.

"Nope. Someday we're gonna get married and everything will be okay," he whispered, and she almost believed him.

"You need to sleep, Shannon," she told him, getting up to take his empty coffee mug to the sink. She started toward the door and he called her name.

"Don't leave me alone. I hate to be alone," he said in a small voice. She nodded and sat down in the chair near the bed. He shook his head and patted the bed beside him. "I won't touch your butt, promise," he assured her when he saw her hesitate. She smiled just slightly and slid under the covers when he lifted them up for her. He put his arm around her shoulders and she took it back off. He pouted, but she shook her head.

"If you want to put your arm around me sober, go for it, but I'm not letting you do anything you'll regret," she said, and he pouted more and put his arm right back where it was. Giving in only because she knew he was close to falling asleep, she let it happen.

"G'night, Ellie," he whispered, and she wanted to punch him. And kiss him. And marry him. But mostly she just wished she could get him to say any of those things sober.