Fairy (manxman)

9: Ryan/ Willow

Ryan

My hands shook as I turned the truck off and all but fell out of the driver's side door. My entire body felt like it was on fire as I walked up the steps and knocked on the door. Fresh tears were running down my cheeks as my lungs felt like they were going to explode from pain. Every single part of my body hurt but I didn't know what I was thinking. That they were actually going to accept me? I was just a fucking idiot.

When the door opened I slowly looked up and saw the worried eyes of Willow's father. "Ryan? What the... what happened?" The bruises on my face was making me feel ashamed all over again as I looked down, more tears falling from my eyes. "Shh," he said while wrapping his arms around me. "You're okay, I promise."

I wrapped my arms tightly around him and buried my face into his shirt. He smelled like fresh air and dirt, which was weirdly soothing to me. His large hands were soothingly running up and down my back before gently moving us into the house. Once inside he led me into the kitchen where he grabbed an ice pack and gently held it up to my face. It must look bad.

"Willow!" He suddenly yelled as I stared down at the floor.

Footsteps were making their way towards us before I heard a soft gasp. Those same footsteps were then running over towards me before the concerned eyes of Willow found mine. "Ryan? Oh my god what happened?"

His arms were then wrapping around me, holding onto me tightly. It felt nice to have him just be near and to know I was now safe. But the sadness that was creeping up with what just happened was making me feel ashamed all over again. Ashamed of the way I was treated for finally opening up to the two people I thought would love me no matter what. But I was wrong.

Before I could think about it anymore I was being pulled, very gently, outside and onto the back porch. A blanket was then being placed around me as Willow's hands were rubbing up and down my back. Willow's dad was sitting on the other side of me, my entire body feeling numb.

"Willow, how about you get Ryan a change of clothes." When I glanced down I cringed when seeing blood on my shirt. "How about you swing by his place and pick up his things?"

"Dad, I'm not leaving him."

"I'll be here the entire time. Go swing by his place and get all of his things, bring them back here. Can you do that?"

After a moment of silence those blue eyes were suddenly finding mine, his hands on either side of my face. "Can I have your truck and house key?" With a nod I grabbed my keys from my pocket and handed them over to him, still not sure of what was going on. He then jotted down my address before giving me a small smile. "Thank you. I'll be back before you can miss me." He was then leaning forward and kissing my forehead, something I've been wanting to do to him forever. He was then scurrying back into the house, making me realize I already missed him.

I jumped when a hand was suddenly on my back before hearing the comforting sound of Willow's dad's voice. "You're safe here Ryan. I promise you that, no one will ever lay a finger on you again."

My eyes were stinging again as I looked towards the pond. "I've been in love with your son since we were five," I said with a cracked laugh. I ran a hand through my thick hair, noticing how bad my hands were shaking. "I've been feeling so comfortable around him and your family, I wanted to tell mine. That was a huge mistake."

"What was a mistake was your parents not accepting you. There's absolutely nothing wrong with you. Just because you love a man doesn't change you as a person at all." His arm wrapped around me more when more tears wouldn't stop flowing. "I want you to know that I have always been accepting of everyone, and everyone in this house is as well. My wife was a huge supporter of gay rights, which was something I loved about her. If any of our kids were to come to us and tell us they loved the same gender or even both genders, we'd welcome them with open arms. I've seen the way you and Willow look at each other, and that's the kind of look everyone deserves to have in their lives. Absolutely nothing is wrong with you Ryan, nothing at all."