Summer Camp (Ryllon)

Eighteen: Careful

Ryan didn't sleep. He didn't sleep whatsoever and I need him to because he could just collapse any second. Mikey and I decided on having Dorothy check on him, and so she is. We wait nervously outside the cabin. There's some activity going on with the campers versus the crew, and it's weird not being a part of it, but Ryan's health and wellbeing is far more important.

Spencer soon comes with some food, a simple bowl of fruit. Good. We'll get him to eat more for lunch.

The door opens and I turn immediately.

"He's almost in perfect health," she says, and that 'almost' makes my chest fill with anxiety.

"Almost?" I ask, voice breaking a bit.

"He needs food and sleep. If he keeps this up, he'll be a skeleton in a few days. Make sure he eats and sleeps. I left an infuser in there, there's some oils like lemongrass and lavender, it'll help him relax and once he relaxes, he'll fall asleep. Other than that, he should be alright, but I don't think he should be a part of any activities or be alone for the next week or so," she explains, and I nod.

I'll do anything to make him feel better.

"Just... be gentle with him. He told me some things that are happening to him and I swear he has experienced more trauma and anxiety than most 90 year old men. Be careful and don't push him. I'm really close to sending him to the hospital, so please, be careful."

"I will. We will," I say, Mikey, Spencer, and I nodding.

"I know. You're lucky I'm not sending him home, because if this were anyone else, I would."

"Why aren't you?" I ask, and she sighs.

"He doesn't wanna go home," Spencer cuts in, and she nods slowly.

"I don't even want him to go home. I could hardly live if I was in that situation, especially with everything in the past that's happened to him. Again, more trauma and anxiety than most elders. I won't tell anyone about this and neither will you, because if Billie finds out, he will send Ryan home unless we really, really convince him. Now, I'll be back later just to check up on him, alright?"

"Okay. Thank you, Dorothy," Mikey says. She nods, then leaves with her bag of things. I hurry into the cabin. The infuser is on and the room smells like lemongrass. Ryan is sat down in bed, blankets covering his skinny body as his back faces the headboard. He's still slightly shivering and he looks pale.

I grab the fruit from Spencer, sit next to Ryan, and carefully pet his hair. Spencer sits on the end of the bed as Mikey stands by the door.

"Baby, I need you to eat," I say quietly and carefully. He looks at me with fear. "It's fruit, you like fruit," I tell him. He looks unsure. He already doesn't eat a lot, but now that he feels nothing but sick and scared, he probably wants to throw up at the sight of food.

"It'll make you feel a lot better," I add, and he sighs. I grab an apple slice and break it in half. I raise it up to his mouth and he hesitantly bites it off of the fork. He chews it and I slowly pepper the side of his face in small, gentle kisses.

"See? It's not that bad," I say quietly. Mikey and Spencer are speechless. I ignore them, because the only thing that has my focus for now on is Ryan and his wellbeing. I push the fork into a small piece of pineapple and raise it. Ryan very, very slightly pulls back. I almost don't notice it, and I don't think the others did.

I hold it still, and Ryan sighs, then eats it. We continue to do this, the process getting slower and slower. I continue to compliment him, saying "good job" , "you're doing so well" , "you got this" , and so on while I also kiss his cheek or the side of his head every time he eats a piece.

I push the fork into the final grape, bowl now being empty. Ryan looks at me.

"You got this, okay? Just one more and then you're done," I say calmly. He looks unsure, so I kiss him slowly. He relaxes and kisses back. Eventually I pull away and he takes a deep breath, shakily eating the fruit. I smile and put the plastic fork in the paper bowl. Mikey takes it and throws it in the trashcan.

"Look at you, you did so well," I say happily, smiling. Ryan looks down. I lift his chin up with a finger. "You know what, baby? I am so damn proud of you. You did such a good job," I tell him.

"Yeah?" He asks quietly, and I nod, smiling.

"So good," I say. He forces a small smile. I gently place a kiss on his lips. He places his hand on the side of my neck and kisses me again. I kiss him back, hands gently going down to his skinny hips. Mikey and Spencer don't say a word. I hear a click, but I don't think Ryan notices it. He's too focused on me, and that makes my heart flutter.

I pull away and look at him carefully. He looks so small and delicate, I just wanna hold him close and shower him in kisses. I stare into his pretty honey eyes, smile fading. I want him. I wanna hold his hand when we go somewhere, I wanna hold him every night, I wanna kiss him when we wake up, look at him and smile, I just wanna be his and I want him to be mine.

I'm in love with him.

I kiss his nose, then his forehead. Another click. He seems to relax and that makes me smile and relax as well. Spencer puts Ryan's camera down and I smile at him and Mikey as I pull Ryan into a close hug. Spencer smiles back, Mikey a little more hesitant, more scared. I plant a gentle kiss on the top of Ryan's head, hands rubbing back and forth in comfort.

"You did such a good job," I whisper. He hugs me back. "Let's take a nap, okay?"

"Okay," he says softly. We lay down and he snuggles into me beneath the blankets, top of his head rested right on my collarbone. His hand rests on my chest. I wrap my arm around him, hand on his arm, legs intertwined, and my other hand on his hip. Mikey motions that he's gonna leave, and I nod. It'll look suspicious if all of us and Ryan are gone. Rumors will start and that's the last thing that Ryan needs right now.

Mikey and Spencer both leave, and I think Ryan's asleep within the first minute of the door closing. I relax, feeling warm and cozy. I'm not gonna let him go.