i forgot my name again || buzzfeed unsolved/shyan

give me a moment to get my cards in line

    Shane Madej was no stranger to waking up on Ryan Bergara's couch. They'd spend time together late into the evening, often too tired or inebriated to drive home, and simply couldn't be bothered to pay for an Uber. Late nights of work and late nights of close friends fooling around were common enough for Shane to keep some clothes and a toothbrush handy.

    The television was still on, Netflix asking if they were still watching overlayed over some scene that he couldn't place. Ryan could have fooled Netflix, propped up as if he was still watching, but his eyes were closed. Clearly, neither of them planned for napping.

    Shane stood up, having dozed in and out of sleep a few times during the morning, but finally deciding that it was time to get up. stretching as he tucked the blanket around Ryan, not wanting to disturb him too much. He flicked off the TV, moving to Ryan's kitchen to make himself a morning coffee.

    Shane checked the time. A four in the afternoon coffee, to be exact.

    Ah, well. It wasn't like they slept the night before. Shane hadn't slept well in months, and Ryan could never sleep well in their ghost hunting locations. And when Ryan couldn't sleep, he found joy in keeping Shane awake as long as possible. The ghouls got to him too much. The ghouls did not get to Shane, because they simply didn't exist.

    Well... he had a complicated relationship with the ghouls. He couldn't deny a nagging feeling, lately. To himself, that is. He can and would deny it to Ryan with every breath. Even if there were a few too many coincidences, and a few too many things wrong, and the empty feeling when he woke up, and the splitting headaches, hey. Life's funny that way.

    Even when he went into Ryan's bathroom to freshen up, there were two, sad-looking dark pits staring back at him in the mirror, in place of where Shane's eyes would be.

    Shane closed his sad-looking pits, took a drink of coffee, grabbed two aspirin, and left the bathroom.

        --

    After about an hour, Shane had finished calling their employer to get their absence straight — he had originally only called on behalf of himself, as you do, but Ryan had been assumed with him and Shane didn't have any reason to refute it.

    Now, he stood pouring himself another cup of coffee, preparing one for Ryan too. He'd go wake him up soon — he figured that Ryan would wake himself up by then, after hearing Shane putter around his apartment for such a long time, but he hadn't. He was admittedly a little envious of Ryan. And he wondered if Ryan noticed why.

    Maybe. He'd doubled his caffeine intake (which was already very high), and practically ate painkillers like candy, it would be hard not to notice that something may, possibly be up. Whether it was noticeable or not, Ryan hadn't said anything. Shane wasn't actually sure if he wanted him to. They'd speak about him taking a break, being too stressed, or something like that. He knew that wasn't true. His body was just being uncooperative. Still, Shane thought maybe today would be the day he would bring it up.

    He was thinking of getting a professional opinion. He'd tried everything he could — eating less before bed, eating more before bed, noise, no noise, a lighter room, a darker room, sleep aids, the whole bit. Nothing could make him sleep easier, and the headaches accompanying the issues were starting to get to him. Before a professional opinion, he'd like a Ryan opinion. But there was no occasion for 'hey, Ryan, thinking of getting therapy because I've been having nightmares in the few hours of sleep I get, and also my head's been feeling like it was going to explode every day for the past four months, thoughts?'. Ryan would worry, no matter how much of a joke he'd present his problems as.