Could you write angel!ryan healing Shane after he got a bit scraped up from a demon attacking him from all his taunting (Ryan had to reveal his angelic nature to protect him before he got actually hurt) and just the conversation that would happen after now that Shane has, not only conformation that the supernatural exists, but that Ryan himself is actually and angel
That was a super interesting prompt, Anon! Hope you like it :D
“Comeon, demon! Rip out our spines! Burn us! Scratch us! My…” Shanethinks for a second, trying to pick an appropriate body part. “Myliver is yours for the taking!” Sure, why not.
It stays quiet for a moment. Next to him, Ryan scoffs loudly.
“You’re insane.” He states and Shane could laugh at it. “Youreally do want to die, do you?”
Shanesmiles over at his ghost-hunting companion. Of course he doesn’t.When it comes to the real world, Shane is easily scared. He can thinkof many unlikely but deadly scenarios he might be afraid of, anddespite Ryan’s jokes, that includes getting injected with heroinagainst his will, choking on an avocado pit and getting decapitatedby a cannonball. But ghostsand demons aren’t real, so taunting them will have no effect on hiswell-being, of course. Ryan might believe they are and while Shanethinks that’s definitely wrong, he respects Ryan’s beliefs. Andusually, he doesn’t quite go too farwith taunting thin air, at least in his book. By the end of the day,he does it to help Ryan, to make him laugh or distract him from hisown panic. Anything that makes Ryan either laugh or snap at him helpswith the terror he sometimes sees in his friend’s eyes.
Speaking of which, Ryan looks pretty worried this time. His eyes aredarting from side to side and he seems… on edge.
Shane blows a raspberry into the air and shines his flashlightaround, looking for the next room.
“Come on, this room is boring.”
Ryan doesn’t protest at first, but when Shane starts walkingtowards the kitchen, Ryan quickly scampers after him.
“Wait! Shane let me-”
“Really?” Shane turns around, shining his flashlight sort of overRyan’s shoulder so he doesn’t blind him or flash the GoProstrapped to his chest. “You’re really doing this!” He huffs.“What you think- Elinor is gonna shove me into the oven like shedid with her kids? Hansel and Gretel style?”
Ryan opens his mouth as if to say something, but then he pauses andsnarls for a moment.
“No that isn’t my concern, you’d never fit in there. Butwatch out, the door-”
“Yeah yeah the door’s haunted the floor’s haunted the dust ishaunted, the toilet paper is probably haunted. Everything is hauntedto Ryan Steven Bergara.”
He rolls his eyes as he turns and steps right through the doorwaywithout letting Ryan answer or retort. For a moment, he could swearhe hears his friend shout a warning-
Something hits him in the side. A flicker of confusion hits him,because at first he assumes Ryan shoved him or something, but then hehears the tear of fabric and feels the burning pulse of pain in hisside and he gasps and drops to one knee, his flashlight falling outof his fingers and clattering to the ground where it goes dark. Shanebrings a hand to his ribs and feels something wet and the skin burnsand throbs even more. Did he get caught on something? But he hadn’teven reached the door, yet. This made no sense-
He looks up. Ryan is standing next to him and Shane, despite the lowlight can see his face set into an angry grimace.
“I fucking told you, Shane. I told you to wait, for fuck’s sake.”
Shane wants to retort something but Ryan holds up a finger towardshim as if shushing him. Under normal circumstances Shane would laughincredulously and get even louder, but Ryan holds up his other hand,palm forward and fingers splayed wide as he faces the doorway.
Something scrambles around in the dark, like a rat rushing overwooden floorboards and then Shane sees the shadows in the doorway…move. That makes no sense. They aren’t moving, the film team isn’tmoving. Their lights are all in one place and yet the shadows slipover the floor and merge.
And then a shape bursts out of the ground where the shadows tightenedand Shane catches a glimpse of a pale face in the darkness andburning eyes before two clawed hands reach out towards them. Heinstinctively cowers down and thrusts out his hand to grab Ryan andpull him down, get him out of the way but Ryan actually steps forwardand Shane hears another shriek. It’s ear piercing and he brings hishands up to press the palms to his ears. He hears the crew behindthem groan and yelp in pain and something falls to the ground overthere. The shadow thing however stops in its tracks, shuddersand then the darkness tears apart and they are left with the room asit was before, empty and with all the shadows in place.
Shane’s mouth stands open and he slowly looks over at Ryan only tosee the man glowing. Not as he sometimes does when thesunlight catches his skin in the right way, no. Ryan’s eyes arebright and shine golden, there is a corona of gleams around his headand face and Shane thinks he might pass out so he closes his eyes andtries to steady himself.
It doesn’t really work.
His eyes are closed but despite everything, he sees the light. Notthe way a person sees light with their eyes closed: Red and tinted bythe capillaries in their eyelids. He only sees bright, golden light.It should sting in his eyes, the way looking into the sun does, butinstead, it feels soothing. Even welcoming. He can hear Ryan abovehim muttering words. Shane tries to listen in, but he doesn’tunderstand. His first thought is that Ryan might be speaking Spanish,but while Shane doesn’t know Spanish, he heard enough to be able totell that that’s not it. He wrecks his brain about what languagesRyan speaks. Japanese, maybe? Whatever people speak on thePhilippines? Does Ryan even know these languages? Shane isn’tsure. However, while he has been worrying about languages, the painins his body is lessening.
Shane opens his eyes and looks down. His shirt is still ripped andthere is quite a bit of blood caked there, but while he is stilllooking, warmth spreads through his sides and he can see thedeep scratches knitting together again until they close, not evenleaving a small scar. He looks up and notices that Ryan has placedhis fingertips against his temple. His face is focused and Shaneswallows under the scrutinizing glare.
When Ryan pulls away, Shane realizes that he is still on his knees,looking up at Ryan with a stunned expression. He glances around realquick and notices that he isn’t the only one. TJ, Mark and Devonare all on their knees, some of them still with their hands hoveringover their ears. Mark has a shaking camera pointed at both of themand his mouth is standing open, eyes fixed on Ryan. Devon makes anoise that sounds a little like a sob and Shane can absolutelyunderstand the sentiment. He glances at Ryan again, suddenly afraidto meet his eyes. Ryan looks pained, eyes flicking from one person tothe other.
“I… I can explain…”
He takes a step towards the others and stops when Mark scrambles tohis feet and backs away a little.
“I’m not gonna- guys it’s still me, I won’t hurt you!”
Going by the expressions of the team, they seem to want tobelieve him. However, what he said doesn’t erase the fearcompletely.
Shane finally gives himself a push and slowly gets up. His knees hurtfrom the hard floor and even though the pain in his side is gone, heis still shaken up about the sudden, tearing scratches. Ryan turns ashe notices Shane stand and looks at him guiltily, almost as if inpain. Shane swallows and decides to take initiative.
“I don’t even want to pretend I know what exactlyhappened.” He starts. “But this episode is over. We’re leaving.Any questions can be answered later, I’m not staying here.” Hebites his bottom lip. “Just blame it on me in the cut. Tell them Ilost it and ran. I’ll play that all you want for the camera, later.But for now, let’s leave.”
For a second, nobody moves, but then TJ nods. Mark lowers the cameraand Devon slowly gets up from the floor. Shane looks over at Ryan andRyan tries to give him the tiniest of smiles and nods.
Thankyou, hemouthes at Shane and Shane grits his teeth and just walks out. Hecan’t right now, he needs a moment.
Theypile in the two cars and Shane wordlessly takes the driver’s seat.Usually it’s Ryan driving, but he can’t let him right now,because when Shane drives, he can focus on the road instead offreaking out and he also can call a stop to the conversation andpretend he needs to concentrate on driving. Ryan doesn’t protest.He sits down next to him and buckles in, looking miserable anddistracted. Shane suddenly feels guilty. Whatever exactly happened,the one thing he is sure about is that Ryan saved him. Maybe all ofthem, even. He also has no other explanation for the injury goingaway than Ryan making it go away.He can’t push it on a hallucination because his shirt is stillripped and blood stained while his skin underneath is fine.
He pulls out of the driveway of the house and shuts his mouth tight.He doesn’t look at Ryan, doesn’t turn on the radio, barely movesin his seat when his bunched up jacket starts to dig in his bag. Inthe rearview mirror, he can see Mark driving and from what he canspot, the faces of their crew are pale and confused. They stay closeto the other car, as if afraid that Shane and Ryan would suddenlyvanish. Shane sighs. There is no reason to push it away any longer.
“So.” He finally breaks the silence and out of the corner of hiseye he sees Ryan flinch and sit up very straight. “Congratulations,I guess.”
It’s quiet for a moment. Then Ryan speaks.
“What do you mean?” His voice is quiet, as if scared.
“I finally saw some hard evidence with my own two eyes. Whateverway I want to explain it, I just… can’t. We’re all drug-free,we all saw it, I felt it. This isn’t a lie or manipulatedfootage or some radio frequency. As long as you are not a secrethypnotist who made all of us believe we saw a demon andthis here is-” he lets go of the steering wheel for a second togesture to his ruined shirt- “just in my head…” He lets thesentence run out without really finishing it. Shane tries to start anew one.
“I guess I saw that demon I always wanted. You were right, Ryan.Congratulations. I just want to mention, though, that it seems to meyou had an unfair advantage.”
Ryan is silent for the next mile. Then he begins to speak.
“I’m sorry I lied to you, Shane. I never wanted to, but I had to.Part because… you shouldn’t know these things about me. And partbecause…” he huffs a laugh. “You wouldn’t have believed meanyway.”
“I do believe you.” Shane says softly. “I never said I didn’tbelieve you that you think ghosts are real.”
“I know that.” Ryan’s voice sounds flat now. “But I still wasafraid. And bound to a couple of rules on top of that. Despite all ofthat, I’m sorry.”
Shane hums.
“So, what exactly… are you. An angel?”
He looks over and Ryan stares wistfully out of the front window.
“You could say that, yes. It’s a bit more complicated, with therebeing different… ranks if you will. I’m not exactly a strongwarrior of the heavens. I’m just here to… help, I guess.”
Shane frowns.
“Please tell me you’re not my guardian angel.”
Ryan laughs. It sounds a little more relaxed.
“No. I would work overtime for that. I’m just here to seek outevil spirits and seal them.”
“That’s why you started Unsolved, I get it.”
The car is quiet for a second.
“Ryan…” Shane says slowly. “That is why you startedUnsolved, right?”
“Well… nooo? This is going to sound strange but… I just reallylove True Crime and the Supernatural. It’s fascinating.”
Shane thinks about stopping the car.
“You’re shitting me.”
“I’m really not! I mean I won’t tell you I can’t lie becausetechnically, I can. But I’m telling the truth! I just find theHuman view on all of this even more fascinating. And … I’m notomniscient, you know. I really try to find out about thesemysteries…”
Shane groans.
“Great. A nerd angel.”
“Shut up, Shane.”
Something warm and happy rolls through him at the familiar“comeback”.
“But why the fuck are you afraid of ghosts if you can just… Idon’t know, smite them?”
Ryan sighs.
“I told you. I’m not exactly powerful. And just because I’m nothuman doesn’t mean I am incapable of fear. I … when I’m out onlocation I sometimes forget what I really am. I just like spendingtime there, with you… So I allow myself to pretend I’m human. Andas a human, I get scared of spirits trying to interact. But I’malso curious. By the end of the day, the ghosts are creepy, butalright.”
He takes a deep breath.
“It’s the demons that worry me. That’s why I didn’t want todo anything demonic more than once per season.” Shane can hear himswallow.
“So.” The taller man says again, thinking about how to continue.“When I taunted the demons, you were afraid they would attack you?”
Ryan’s no is so soft that Shane turns down the AC tounderstand him better.
“Shane, when you taunt the demons I get so afraid… so scared. Imean, I’m always afraid of them. They taunt me all the time aboutme not being able to control my powers as well here. They tell methey are going to kill you and make me watch. That is whatreally scares me.”
“Then why did it… this time…”
“I guess, I was too focused on protecting you. The others, too, ofcourse. Just- You got injured and for a second I was scared that shewould take you up on your taunting and actually kill you. I couldhave never forgiven myself just standing there and not helping.”
Shane is so stunned that he almost misses the exit to their hotel. Herucks the steering wheel around a little too harshly and feels thejostle as they hit the dirt road. The next minute they spend incomplete silence as Shane finds a spot and puts the car in park. Thenhe leans back and flexes his fingers that feel stiff after beingclutched around the wheel for too long.
“You saved my life, Ryan. I can’t imagine what a demon could do,because until earlier I thought it was all bullshit. But I assume, itwouldn’t have been pretty. Even if… even if all she could do wasscratch me… You still protected all of us. And you fixed me up.”
He looks over at Ryan.
“I don’t know how much that means from a lowly human but I thinkyou’re doing a really good job as an angel… And, as embarrassingas it sounds: I’m glad you were the one who presented me with thatevidence of the Supernatural. I sure hope you don’t have to wipeour minds now and leave because that would suck really bad.”
Ryan laughs. It’s his usual laugh, head thrown back and a happy,wide grin on his face.
“I don’t know where you get that idea. No, I will not do that. Imight have to wipe the tape, however. Not quite the evidencebut… the aftermath.”
Shane swallows.
“Will you… Leave? Now that we know, I mean.”
Ryan meets his eyes.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No!” That came out a little too quickly, but Shane is shakenenough from the night to ignore possible shyness. “I would muchprefer you stay. Despite this shit…” he lays a hand on his ribs.“I want to keep doing Unsolved. I want to stay friends with you.Not… sure if that does anything for angels but-”
“Shane. I told you, we are not incapable of emotions. I’m veryhappy you’re here with me. I’m also glad you know now… becauseI hated lying to you.”
Shane stares at the other man.
“Would it be blasphemy to tell you that I’ve been kind of intoyou for a while?”
Ryan blinks.
“What?”
Shane shrugs.
“I can’t help it. You’re handsome and funny and… well, we gota lot in common. And today you saved my life by being a total badassand my entire world view got sort of flipped on its head.” Hesighs. “I guess I just want all the cards on the table, now that Iknow all of this about you.” Shane feels his mouth turn down in anunhappy grimace. “I wont mention it again, so don’t worry. Butyou have the right to know and I thought that- maybe-” He breaksoff.
“You think that maybe I could have feelings for you as well?”
Shane winces and curls up in the car seat.
“I know it’s stupid, you don’t have to point it out. All Iwanted was to be honest with you, because you answered all myquestions.”
A warm hand settles on his shoulder and he looks over. Ryan’s eyesand face seem to be glowing again, but not in the bright, heavenlysunlight Shane saw earlier. It’s the kind of warm and openexpression Shane has been hoping to see directed at him for more thana year, now. Ryan smiles widely as he reaches up and cups Shane’sface into his hands.
“For the record: There is nothing blasphemous about love, Shane.”
Shane freezes as Ryan leans up and gives him a soft kiss.
“Oh… That’s… good. Very good.”
Ryan chuckles.
“But I would suggest that we talk about this later. I still owe theothers an apology and explanation.”
Shane nods slowly and when Ryan’s hands slip from his face, hecatches and holds them.
“I’ll come with you. I’ll help if I have to. Demons, Iapparently can’t handle. But I’m okay with humans.”
Ryan laughs again.
“Alright. Then let’s go.”
Shane nods. He lets go of Ryan so they can leave the car, but hishands carry a lingering warmth that just won’t quite fade.
