Reverence [Shyan]

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Coming home to a homemade supper already on the stove or in the oven and his best friend hanging around was one of the best things about coming home after work every day. Shane would probably even admit that it was, in fact, his favourite part of the day.

Ryan would kid him and tell him how much he had missed him during the entire day, but Shane knew that was not entirely true. During his time within the confinements of the apartment, Ryan had went and found some religious texts (most probably from the library) that were scattered around his room, the kitchen, and the living room. There wasn't one that he seemed to particularly favour, but he had seen some with Buddhist titles more than a few times. 

Ever since Ryan got a cane instead of crutches, he also started going out more. Apparently he conversed with a lot of the neighbors, and even became relatively friendly with a few reappearing people. Sometimes, Ryan would also hobble with Shane as he went to work, parting when Ryan realized he was dragging Shane behind and going on his own little walk instead. It was like he was becoming some sort of porch grandma. He probably would have tended to a garden too if he had the access to one, considering the growing number of plants near sun-filled windows around the flat. 

Ryan was nice before, but this was still a huge change. Rather than sympathetic, he became a much more empathetic person. It's not like this was bad, as it was actually a beneficial feature, yet it was still a bit different to how he was before.

"How was your day at work?" Ryan called from the kitchen, hearing Shane walk in and close the front door behind him.

"Great," Shane claimed sarcastically, "It was especially eventful." Ryan laughed slightly, almost politely. "How about you? Did you stay inside the whole day?"

"Of course not," he scoffed, "I went out on the balcony to read for a few hours. The sun was nice and warm, I might have even tanned a bit."

"You don't look it," Shane joked, tracing his finger over Ryan's arm. Even if he did, Shane probably wouldn't have been able to tell unless he saw tan lines. He stopped when he saw what Ryan was stirring in the large pot on the stove, moving his finger to poke him instead and point to the pot's contents. "What in Sam Hill is that?"

"Squash soup."

"Excuse me?"

"They had this squash up front in the grocery store. I decided to try it out. I found a well reviewed recipe on the internet, so hopefully it's not too shitty." Ryan had 'tried out' a few things, not all of which had ended well. Shane's expression changed briefly before going back to normal and opening his mouth, leaning on the counter with his elbows. "What, it's not done yet."

"Taste test." Ryan rolled his eyes before taking a little bit in a table spoon, cooling it off before feeding it to his friend. The soup was thick and creamy and a bit sweeter than he expected.

"It's good, wow."

"Really? Thanks man."

They set up their meal and went to eat, chatting lightly about some minor drama that happened at Shane's office.

"So..." Shane set down his utensils, bringing his plate to the sink, "I've noticed you've been reading up on religions. What's with this sudden interest?"

"Hm, well," Ryan scratched his face as he put down his own utensils, "I've been wondering what they've had to say about spirituality. Since they are the ones that base themselves around it, after all."

"Are you thinking of devoting yourself to one?" 

"Not necessarily. I believe in what I saw, and if a teaching speaks of what I saw exactly, then I might convert. I have high respect for all of them, though." He was talking about his death again.