Over Now - Ryan Howard x Reader
A/N: First post! Iâve had this one written for a while now, thereâs also a second part that I started writing and never finished that Iâd be more than happy to have a go at completing if people are interested. I hope you enjoy it you give it a read!
Word Count: Approx 1,700.
Warnings: Swearing, mentions of drug abuse.
Ryan clumsily shoved the key into the lock, twisting it back and forth wildly in an attempt to open the door. âThis is a one time thing, you know that right?â
You bit the inside of your lip, hanging back as far as you could from group. You had no interest in spending the night in Ryanâs apartment. You had no interest in being in this goddamn city in the first place, but Michael had insisted on your presence so he would be granted access to clubs.
As he pushed the door open Dwight closed in, easily catching a glimpse of the apartment over Ryanâs head. âWow!â
âThis is it.â Michael said, somewhat in awe.
You held in a scoff - this wasnât your first time at Ryanâs apartment. You knew that Michaels judgement was horribly clouded by how much he looked up to his former employee.
In reality, the place was a dump - out in the world he might be able to hide behind his lavish exterior, might be able to make it seem like he was living the dream, but that was not the case.
The first night youâd stayed at the apartment, months ago, back when heâd first moved and you were still together, the hot water had ran out within a minute in the shower.
Another night, there was a power outage and youâd been shroud in darkness the whole evening - not that Ryan really minded anyway - by that point heâd begun using you as a way to get his dick wet, not that youâd realised it at the time. Almost all of your visits to the city were wham bam thank you, maâam, and youâd quickly grown tired of it and broken things off.
Many times when heâd returned to the Scranton branch for a meeting heâd tried to talk to you about how sudden it all was - âI thought we were happy,â Heâd said. âYou know how stressful this is for me, right?â
âAlright!â Dwight said gleefully, stepping into the apartment.
You followed nervously after them. By the time you made it to the doorway, Dwight was already flopped down on the couch and Ryan had taken up residence on the bed. You felt your cheeks redden as you thought about that bed - the things youâd done on it.
âThis is where the magic happens.â Michael said, turning back and winking at you.
Well, if youâd been red before. Your eyes shifted compulsively to Ryanâs - he was already looking at you, a sort of mournful expression on his face. Regret, even. You quickly glanced away and smiled at Michael, who was still exploring the apartment in awe.
Ryan sniffed, pulling off his coat. You watched from the corner of your eye, not wanting to look over at him. âOne of you can have the sofa, and one of you can have the floor.â
You realised he was directing this towards Michael and Dwight, and you furrowed your brow in confusion.
âIâll take the sofa.â Michael announced, at the same time Dwight called, âI got sofa!â
The two of them began bickering and you trailed your eyes reluctantly back to Ryanâs - once again he was already looking at you. This time you held his gaze, raising your eyebrows questioningly.
âWell we both know you donât have a spare bed for me.â You told him quietly, so the two bickering boys wouldnât hear. âSo where am I supposed to crash?â
Ryan glanced down at the bed he was sitting on. Oh, he better not...
âItâs a double.â He said with a shrug. âWe can even make a barrier of pillows, if youâd like.â
Your mind was slowly starting to spin. He had to be joking, right? He wasnât seriously expecting you to sleep in his bed - the bed youâd made love and fucked on countless times - with him again? Youâd sworn months ago that youâd never even see this apartment again, dammit, and now you were going to be sleeping in it?
You were so exhausted, though, after such a long night of following Michael around, that you found you didnât even have the energy to argue. You could kick up a fuss and refuse and scream and cry - or you could suck it up, sleep in the bed and get the fuck out of there first thing in the morning.
You sucked in a harsh breath. âIâll take left.â
You tried to ignore the way his face changed as you said it - he clearly had been expecting a fight. Rather than poking that sleeping bear, however, he wriggled over to the right side of the bed and collapsed down, dramatically gripping his head.
Dwight noticed this. âWould you like me to sing you a song my mother used to sing when we were sick?â
He approached Ryanâs side of the bed, crouching down beside him.
Softly, Dwight began to sing in a foreign language, ignoring Ryanâs protest. Ignoring them, you undid the buttons of your jacket and kicked off your heels - keeping on the stockings and grey work dress. Not the most comfortable sleep attire, but your other option was to ask to borrow some of Ryanâs and there was no chance of that.
You headed over to the bed, pulling back the covers and sitting down slowly on the mattress. One thing you would give Ryan and his shitty apartment - the bed was nice. It was soft and comfortable and if it wasnât tainted with so many memories youâd probably be able to sleep no worries at all that night.
You settled down, tucking in under the covers and resting your head on the pillow. You made sure to stay as far to the left side as you could, and you closed your eyes in a desperate attempt to fall asleep as fast as possible.
âGuys, I think my friend Troy might have a drug problem.â
Your eyes shot open. Dwight and Michael were morons, theyâd fall for something like that no worries - but you knew exactly what he meant by âmy friendâ. Youâd seen the way Ryan had been acting all night - youâd seen the way his pupils had been practically nonexistent. Troy was not the one with a drug problem.
Youâd known for a while of course. One of the few times heâd come to your house in the middle of the night, looking for a fuck or a warm bed, most of the time, heâd been acting the exact same way. Youâd grabbed his face and studied his eyes closely - it was almost scary. His pupils were just gone. âAre you high?â Youâd demanded to know, âWhat have you been taking?â
What hadnât he been taking, more like.
The way he was asking, though, was what made you take pause. Ryan sounded almost desperate. He clearly needed advice on how to get help, and a part of you wanted to spring up and offer him your support, to hold his hand through the rehab that you were sure heâd need to go through.
But he wasnât your boyfriend, anymore.
He wasnât your responsibility.
So you closed your eyes again and listened as Dwight and Michael gave him horrible advice that only morons like them would follow - Ryan was sober enough to shut it down rather quickly, and then from there he ordered them off to their assigned sleeping quarters.
âDwight, turn off the light.â Michael ordered from where heâd stretched out on the couch.
âYouâre closer.â Dwight muttered back. He was curled up on the floor a few metres away from the bathroom, a pillow tucked under his head and a blanket wrapped around his body.
âI am the boss.â Michael reminded him. âAnd all that flirting is tiring, you wouldnât understand.â
Dwight sighed. âTechnically, Ryan is the boss here.â
The man in question let out a frustrated groan. âOne of you turn off the light and stop. talking.â
They both stayed quiet after that, and Dwight got up to turn off the light, leaving the four of you in the dark. You lay there for a while, staring up at the ceiling and listening to Michael snore. What a way to spend your Friday night.
âYou awake?â Ryan mumbled.
You froze. You werenât exactly sure whether or not to admit that you werenât asleep, so you remained quiet to see whether heâd continue.
âIt was good to see you, Y/N.â He muttered, letting out a sigh and rolling over so he was facing you. Hesitantly, you rolled over too and your eyes met. âIâve missed you.â
âRyan.â You whispered. âWhy are you doing so many drugs?â
He sighed again. âItâs fun. Or, at least it was, at first. And itâs a good distraction.â
âBut now you canât stop.â You continued for him knowingly. It didnât matter how much you resented him for treating you the way he did - a part of you did still care for him, and it was upsetting to see him so lost. Youâd never seen him like this.
âYou donât get it.â He muttered. âInfinity is a massive failure, Iâm all alone in this fucking city and you...â
He trailed off, squaring his jaw. âYou made the right choice, you know?â
You didnât reply for a couple of seconds, unsure of what to say. You and Ryan had been over for months, and you hadnât even let yourself think about the breakup. Youâd distracted yourself with work and babysitting Michael and Dwight most days, and on days when you didnât have those things around youâd do anything you could to distract yourself. So in a way, you understood what he was going through. But that wasnât what he needed to hear so you glanced down sadly, then met eyes with him again.
âGoodnight, Ryan.â You said softly, then rolled over to face the other direction again. He lingered in that position for a moment before shifting as well and you assumed he turned back to face the wall. You knew that youâd just hurt him - even when you were together, he struggled to open up.
But you werenât together anymore. He couldnât just spring this stuff on you out of nowhere, like you were still dating. Even if...
Even if you still cared. More than anything, you still cared.