how wonderful life is || ryder&iris
When one was turned into a Werewolf and subsequently put onto a dead pool of supernatural creatures, it put a lot into perspective about life. Between all the things he’d been through over the years with Marley, with Madison, and now Iris.. He was fairly confident that he was with who he was supposed to be with.
Marley had been his first love, he’d never deny that. They still cared for each other very much as friends, but they’d simply not been meant to be after everything had happened. She’d fallen deep in love with Scott McCall, Ryder’s friend and one of his alphas. He respected the man, trusted him not to hurt Marley. He was truly, truly happy for her.
Madison.. Madison had been hard to let go of as well, especially after Marley. He’d thought she was it for him and in an instant, after a deep love, they were over. They fought too much, he didn’t give enough of himself to her, there were many reasons they hadn’t worked. He’d hoped they’d remain friends but it was limited now to passing glances in the hallways and in glee.
Loneliness had taken over him for ages. He'd considered pursuing Brie for a while, after all, the girl had taken his virginity. But.. He’d kept himself for it. She deserved someone who complimented her personality and gave her stability, not someone who would cause her such an unstable and unsure future. If there was anything Andy and Kylie had taught him, it was that sometimes.. Happily ever after didn’t last forever. Sometimes, especially in the case of the supernatural, things were cut short in a tragic way. Kylie had suffered in ways no person should ever have to, and he was fiercely protective of her. But this.. This made him feel guilty as well. Guilty enough to not tell her he had bought a ring for Iris.
His and Iris’ relationship hadn’t been going on as long as some of the other people he knew who had gotten engaged, but the timing just felt right. With how unsure life could be, he wanted to spend every moment he had left on earth making her as happy as possible. The first step? Proposing and then in a few weeks, show her the apartment he would hopefully be getting. He’d already applied, using the money from his after school job and a loan from Derek, and with his Mom co-signing, things were looking promising. It was a nice little two bedroom with possibilities for the future, but he had to get through this first.
After the party the Puckerman’s and their plus ones had thrown Iris, Ryder had given them a bright smile and said he needed to take her somewhere for a birthday surprise. Jake, with a pinched look on his face, had simply muttered gross and shooed them out, Ryder cackling as they went out to his car. Nerves were bubbling up inside them and he figured if Iris wasn’t his anchor, he’d already have wolfed out. Despite her questions, he just kept a grin on his face and drove her to the school. He’d bribed a janitor with about fifty bucks for the key and codes to the alarm system and with that, snuck Iris into the school and into the glee room. Once they were there, he held up a hand to keep her from barraging him with questions and simply sat her on a stool, whistling for the band to come in. It’d taken a promise of ordering them all pizza on Monday for lunch to get them to agree to do this, but it was worth it.
Sitting down on his own stool right in front of her, the beta werewolf took a shaky breath and put his hands over hers, locking their fingers together.
“Iris,” He began softly, eyes warmer than they’d ever been towards anyone. “I love you, so freakin’ much. Throughout finding out about.. Yeah..” He paused, knowing she’d get what he meant and why he couldn’t say it in front of the band. “...And just all the craziness that comes with dating your half-brother’s best friend, you never once complained. All you’ve ever done is make me happy and I hope that you can say I’ve done the same. I know we haven’t been together a long time and me doing this is a testament to how spontaneous I can be but.. It feels right. Everything with you, since day one, has felt righter than anything else in my life in a long time. I love you, Iris Puckerman. And... My world is better with you in it.”
Nodding towards the band, they began the soft instrumental to Your Song by Elton John, a song he listened to often on repeat when he thought of her. It had always been one of his favorites, every girl he ever dated having to deal with him singing it all the time, but with Iris... The lyrics had taken on new meaning and breathed a new life into him. He put his heart and soul into this rendition, eyes staying locked on hers the entire time even though he was tearing up. Finally, once he finished, he stood up and pulled his stool back so that he could get down on one knee in front of where she sat, ring box being pulled from his pants pocket.
Opening it, he held it up to her with his right hand and took her left hand in his own. “Iris Amber Puckerman... Will you marry me?”
