Falling in Love With a Criminal (Shane/Ryan)

Brent

(A/N: I'm sorry, I keep forgetting people actually like reading my stories, I always think they're trash and nobody likes them. Don't expect any update schedule ever but there is more to the story. Also side note I love Brent so much, I just made him out like this because I didn't know who else it would be. Don't take this as me disrespecting Brent, I love Brent a lot, but I did take a bit of artistic integrity sculpting his character. Hope y'all enjoy!)

Ryan had just barely finished tackling Shane down and showering him with kisses when he heard a knock at the door. Luckily, all he had managed to pull off was his shirt, although he was already sweaty from the humid summer air. He sighed, pointing to Shane and whispering, "you're gonna get it later" before going to answer the door. "Hi, Brent, you came early. I was just about to, uh, shower. Yeah, shower."
"Well, hope I didn't catch you at a bad time. I just haven't seen you in a while and I was hoping-"
"Say no more, it's fine. Come in, it's hot out there." Brent steps inside and feels the humidity. "You want something to drink?"
"Sure, anything is fine."
They grabbed a couple beers and got to chatting. At one point, Brent asked to see around the house, and Ryan obliged, not thinking anything out of the ordinary was wrong. Minus his boyfriend, but he would just lie about that. "This is my guest room, and my friend is bunking here for a while."
"Oh, so you have friends?" Ryan laughs. "Shut up," he says as Shane pokes his head out of the closet door and waves. Brent suddenly looked distressed, but he then shook it off. "Something wrong?" Ryan asks. "Uh, n-no, it's nothing. Just thought I saw something in the window."
"You told me you got a full night's slee-"
"Yeah, listen, I need to talk to you for a second, can we go into your room?"
"Well uh, I don't see why not. Come on." They walk casually into his room, Brent sitting on the bed."

"That guy? Haven't you seen him somewhere before?"

"Uh, no, he just showed up at my-"
"You dunce! Do you watch the news, ever? Two letters, one word. D-B- fucking- Cooper!"
Ryan furrowed his eyebrows. "Who, you mean that criminal guy? I thought they narrowed their pickings and caught him already."
"No, you idiot, do you listen to anything that happens? I thought you had a knack for this stuff."
"Well, I've been trying to focus on my job. So basically you're accusing me of being an accomplice?"
"No, I'm just saying you need to get rid of him as soon as possible." Ryan didn't know what he was feeling but even if it wasn't rage he was still flaring.
"So let me get this straight. You come into my house for the first time in a couple years, and sit down and have a beer with me. It's been 20 minutes, maybe, and you're already accusing my boyfriend of being a criminal, and you tell me that I need to get rid of him?! I control my own life!" He was quickly angered by the situation but he might have just been masking despair. Whatever it was, every word he said just irritated him more.
"Woah, calm down, dude. I'm just trying to help, and I don't need you getting-"
"Oh, you don't need me getting upset? You of all people should know I'm gay, you really believed that whole 'friend bunking' bullshit?! In case you were wondering, if you tell me I can't be in love anymore, then chances are that I'm going to be a little upset!" His tone was getting increasingly agitated and increasingly louder. "You said it yourself, I haven't hung out with you in years!"
"And that's an excuse to forget that I'm gay?! Wake up, dude, it's 1973! I don't have rights, and I trust you with my secret just so you can forget it?!" Brent stands. "Unbelievable," Ryan huffs.
"I didn't forget, I just believed you. I trust you! And that's a bad thing? I don't know what you're talking about but I think that someone was just getting mad because I was telling the truth."
"And maybe I didn't want the truth! Maybe I wanted to live a happy life with him! Who cares if he was a criminal? He's terrified to go outside now! You think that's a man who's going to murder me?!"
"No, I think he's a man you need to stay away from! You're yelling at someone who used to be your boyfriend, and pretending like I'm trying to bully you!"
"That's what it feels like! All I wanted was to be happy, like I was for the past two years, and you walk in and try to ruin everything I've worked for just by a glance at his face! How do you even know it's him? People look alike, you know! But you're telling me to abandon everything I've worked for and lived for and gotten up each morning for, to just throw it out the window!"
"I JUST WANT YOU TO GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Brent screeches.
"AND I JUST WANT YOU TO GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Ryan counters, even louder. He points to the door and Brent storms out, tipping over a vase in the process. Ryan watched the flowers fall out of the vase, the flowers Shane had faced his fears for to go out and pick just for Ryan, spill out the side as the glass shattered and sliced his palm in several places. Shane had gotten him those fucking flowers. It didn't hurt; if it did he was too upset to feel it, but he felt like screaming regardless. He laid down on the bed, infuriated, watching blood pool into his palm as he picked out the glass pieces bit by bit. He accidentally shoved one further into his hand as Shane rush into the room, startling him. Shane looked at the vase, then at Ryan, bounding over the broken glass. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"...Did you hear any of that?"
"Just the last bit, why? Your friend find out about our thing and get pissy?"
"Well- yeah." Ryan nods and winces as Shane pulls out a chunk of glass. "I hope you don't let it get to you. We probably won't see the light of day in our lifetime, but that doesn't mean we should reject it."
"I know, I know." Ryan was conflicted. Shane was looking at him with nothing but love but he could have been one of the greatest criminals of his time. "So, are you gonna be alright?" There was a phase and the air thickened with the silence. "I'll be okay," Ryan says with a forced smile. "I'm just going to take a nap, probably."
"Well that sounds good to me but we need to fix your hand up first." Ryan looks down at his hand, which still had glass shards in it and was still bleeding. "Right. Yeah. Can you, uh-"
"Say no more," Shane says as he stops crouching to stand. "You want some ice?"
"No, just a bandaid. I'm really drained right now." Ryan had seemed fine just a while ago; it was probably just worrying, Shane concluded. "Don't worry about a thing, honey. We can cool down later. Rest now, hm?" Shane says, causing Ryan to wonder if he actually wanted to cool down with him anymore. Shane kisses his forehead.

Of course he did, what was he even thinking? This was Shane! He couldn't have done something like that, and even if he had, there was no way he was lying about his feelings. He had to have changed at least a little bit.

Didn't he?

"Don't worry, take your time." Ryan sighs. Shane retrieves some bandage and wraps Ryan's hand in it. "Thank you."
"Get some rest, okay? I'm going to sweep up the vase," Shane says with a concerned smile.

"Can we keep the flowers, though?" Ryan asks, and Shane carefully picks them up out of the glass. "Looks like it. Want me to go put them in water again?" Ryan simply nods. "Alright. I'll clean up and then I'll join you. Sound good?" Ryan nods again. Shane goes to head out the door but Ryan called after him, quietly. Shane pokes his head back in the door. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"I love you."

Shane walked back in, smiling. "I know. I love you too." They kiss tenderly before Shane walks out again, and Ryan flops back on the bed, left to debate whether or not he would tell Shane what he found out.

Either way, Ryan knew he would not want to wake up from this nap, not anticipating any of the events that would inevitably happen somewhere down the road.