For you, i will

chapter XVI

to shane what was a week felt like countless years. he had spent almost every moment with ryan, hand in hand. he would talk to him during the day, telling him ideas he had for dates or what he planned to wear to his parent's new year's party. it was small talk that got him along. and at night he would sing to him or tell him stories from his past adventures as a demon.

it had been eight days since ryan had been admitted to the hospital. there was never any updates from the staff. they only reassured shane everything would be alright. at one particularly low point, shane had confided in an over night nurse, telling her his plans of proposal. she was comforting to shane and with her words in mind he  had managed to get some sleep that night. the rest of the nights were a different story.

•••

on the eighth day, shane was restless. he found himself pacing around ryan's room and unable to think straight. it was unbearable. he hadn't been outside in over a week, yet he still refused to leave ryan's side. he couldn't put his comfort over ryan. he walked over to ryan's bed and held his hand again.

"i'm right here ryan. i won't leave. i love you."

then shane felt ryan's hand move.

it was a small twitch at first, but soon ryan was gripping shane's hand. shane looked to his face and saw that ryan was looking back at him.

"you're awake!" was about all shane could get out before he was crying.
"you're really awake!" he leaned over ryan and kissed his forehead and just looked at him.

finally shane took a step back, giving ryan a chance to speak.
"i'm awake" he said, smiling up at shane and reaching his hand out for him to come closer.

shane took his boyfriend into his arms, holding his body close to his own. he promised himself he wouldn't ever let ryan go again.

"i love you, you know that right?" he said.

"i love you too shane."
•••
after enough time had passed, when ryan was finally unhooked from the hospital machines and was able to walk again, shane took him home.

ryan seemed at ease there, and his wounds were healing quickly, but nevertheless shane insisted on taking care of him. he helped him every chance he got, making meals and escorting him around the house, even helping him shower...

when the time seemed right, shane decided to mention what he had been avoiding. the idea of a picturesque propose was still ripe in his mind, and he wanted to make ryan feel like the most special man in the world, and so he said what he hadn't mentioned in weeks.

"do you want to reschedule the trip, ryan?"

ryan gave shane a warm smile, but there was fear behind his eyes.
shane knew immediately he shouldn't have brought it up—he could tell the accident was still vivid in ryan's mind.

"ah, i'm sorry ryan. forget i mentioned it, we can go when you're ready."

"don't apologize shane", ryan started, "i do want to go, but i think it'll take some more time for me to be able to."

shane got up and stood in front of ryan, facing him.

"you know what", he said, "i don't care where i am if it's where you are. you make any place seem like paradise." he took ryan's hand in his own and placed a soft kiss on it.

ryan reached his hand up to shane's shirt and pulled him down to himself, and shane allowed ryan to strengthen the gravity between them. then he cupped his hand around shane's neck and pulled his face to his own. he whispered softly into shane's ear.

"i love you so much."

"i love you too..."

before shane realized what had happened, ryan had pulled him down on top of himself and kissed him like he hadn't seen him in years. shane kissed him back, but pulled away when ryan began to lift up his shirt.

"are you sure this is okay? you just got back from the hospital. if you need to rest we can stop for now."

ryan pulled shane back down and nibbled on his neck.

"oh please... you're the best medicine for me."
•••
"well that was nice", shane said, staring at the ceiling.

"it was."

shane found ryan's hand and placed his on it, then turned and faced his boyfriend.

"let's go out."

"right now?", ryan asked, glancing over at the clock. "don't you think we're too old for clubs?" he laughed.

shane looked him in the eyes and smiled.

"i don't mean clubbing. let's go on a date."