in the bathtub with a toaster ; shyan

t e n

seven days later, ryan sits on his bed, thinking about shane and his smile. thinks about how shane asked him to run away and how, without hesitation, ryan said yes.

the darkness presses onto ryan's eyelids, and the silence lulls ryan into a dream-filled sleep.

the next day, the sun shines bright and the sky is cloudless. it's also a rich shade of light blue.

ryan sits on the high school curb, bag at his side, wallet and phone the only contents. his wallet has a hard time staying closed from all the cash inside.

soon enough, shane joins him, long legs folding up underneath him.

"hey, ry."

"hi, shane."

shane drapes his arm around ryan's shoulders, pulling him closer. he kisses his temple, softly.

"you ready?"

"mhm."

ryan stands, slinging his bag over his shoulder and grabbing shane's hand, gripping it tight. their fingers fit together like puzzle pieces, like they were made for each other.

they start walking away from the high school to shane's truck. it's a dingy old thing, blue paint cracking and peeling off, revealing rust in some places. it's an older model too, although ryan doesn't know what model nor does he care enough to ask.

"so, where are we headed, big guy?"

shane reaches over and rests his hand on ryan's thigh, running small circles on his warm skin.

"anywhere you'd like, little one."

"well then... let's go to l.a."