Look After You

The Promise

     "You know," Ryan said, "when Kyle came to get me, he used your first name. I almost thought that he was talking about somebody else...."

      "Yeah, he's been doing that since I woke up. Not that I'm complaining. It's what I've always wanted. I just didn't think I'd get it like this, you know?"

     A ringing in Ryan's head stopped him from thinking of a response.

     "It scared me at first, actually. I was scared that he knew what happened with the crown, and that he didn't see me as his king anymore...."

     "Bo, that's hysterical. You're still his king—you're still the ruler of Cooper Kingdom—but even if you weren't, he'd love you more than anything else in the world anyway. I know you know that. No amount of blood loss could make you forget something so important."

     He hesitated before speaking. "W-When I left the castle to go save you, I never told Kyle where I was going. I didn't put him in hiding or anything like my father said. I just told him to leave the castle without telling anyone where he was going if I didn't come back in 12 hours. I couldn't bring myself to admit to him that my father was involved. I don't know how he's going to react when I tell him the truth about what happened. I don't know what the media might say about me, even if we end up lying about our relationship. I don't know if my staff will discredit everything we say and reveal who you truly are. I don't even know what's going to happen once you walk out of this room. I've never been so uncertain before, Star."

     Ryan understood. Every single moment since he had felt Ralph's blade against his neck in the front seat of his car, he had been unsure. He didn't know if he was going to die that day, didn't know if Ralph would win, didn't know if he'd lose Bo forever. When he opened his eyes in the hospital, questions drowned him instead of relief. How would things change after this? How big of an impact would this have on everything? How would they explain their relationship to others, to Ryan's family and Bo's kingdom? Would this put them both in more danger? He thought being with the king would give him at least one answer to those questions, but knowing that he was just as clueless as he was didn't make him feel any better.

     He couldn't say all of that out loud though. Not now, not around Bo. Instead of submitting to the unknown, he decided to focus on what he was sure of. He was sure that Luke and Kyle were worried about them, sure that Ralph was dead and could never hurt them again, sure that they both had each other. Keeping all of that in mind gave him a sense of hope that grew bigger and brighter the longer their hands were intertwined.

     "Hey, Bo, you want to hear something ridiculous?"

     He didn't move. Ryan took his silence as a yes.

     "I've never broken a promise in my life."

     He scoffed. "I find that hard to believe...."

     "It's true. You can ask my brother if you want, he'll back me up."

      "What are you getting at here, Star?"

     God, Bo was annoying. He was irritating and snarky and cold and a smart ass. He worked way too hard, running himself into the ground until he was one with the dirt. He could be rude, especially towards those who truly cared about him. Whenever he did indulge in his own emotions, he let them control him until he was steered right into peril. That was probably why he tried not to do it often, shutting them off completely instead of learning how to check his impulses. He wasn't perfect, not by a long shot, but he was alive and Ryan was grateful for that.

     He couldn't help but smile as he raised their clasped hands.

     "Bo, I wish I could promise you that everything's going to be okay. I really wish that I could, but I want to be honest here. Neither of us has the best luck in the world, and with the number of enemies we both have combined, I can't see us not going through something like this again. I can't promise you that you'll never get hurt again, just as I can't promise you that I won't ever get hurt again."

     He felt Bo try to tug his hand away. Ryan gripped it tighter.

     "What I can do, however, is promise you everything that I have. All of my knowledge, all of my energy, all of my heart. No matter what happens, I'll be there for you when you need me. If you need someone to cry to, someone to laugh with, or someone to make fun of you, I'm there. I'll listen to you whenever you want to be heard and support you whenever you want to be supported. I'll never make you feel bad for being yourself. The universe could try and pull us apart all day long, but I'm not going anywhere unless I'm following you. You're stuck with me."

     Ryan had never made so many promises at once. He had also never felt so confident in his ability to keep them all.

     "I promise you that no matter what the future holds, I'll look after you, okay?"

     He chuckled.

     After everything that his assassin had said to him, he had the nerve to chuckle at him. It was low and soft—most likely to avoid aggravating his back—but it still managed to turn Ryan's face pink.  It was hard to cool his cheeks when Bo finally faced him again.

     "You're going to keep all of those promises?" His eye was wide. "You? Ryan Wesley Star?"

     "I-Is... is that a problem or something?"

     "Of course it isn't. It's just... nobody's ever said something like that to me before." He sighed. "Thank you, Star...."

     "Thank me? For what?"

     "For saving me, for staying rational in that situation, and for surviving. If you hadn't done all of those things, I never would've been able to tell you that I feel the same way."

     The smile on Bo's face made life worth living again. Ryan knew that the world was demanding them both for answers—and eventually, they'd both have to give them—but for now, he felt an overwhelming sense of bliss at the thought of the unknown. Whatever happened weeks, days, hours, minutes from now would be fine with him so long as they spent that time together. For the first time, Ryan's mind was truly at ease. He owed it all to Bo and the vow that came out of his mouth.

     "Ryan, no matter what the future holds, I promise I'll look after you too."