Teenagers- Ryan x Naim (Leviticus 2026)
A year later- Pt. 2
Ryan’s getting ready to leave the house to go to a job interview, grabbing his keys, wallet, and coat.
“Wait before you’re off.” Naim stops him at the door and hands him a lighter and a box of matches. “Keep these on you just in case.”
“It’ll be alright, Naim.” Ryan says as he huffs out a laugh.
“I’d rather be there with you but I can’t, so I’m sending my protection off with you.”
Ryan sighs, putting his hands on Naim’s shoulders and squeezing. “No more worrying, alright? I can handle myself, think we’ve established that.”
Naim nods. “I know, just paranoid.” He says as he rests his hands on Ryan’s sides. “Call me when you get there, please.”
Ryan pecked Naim’s lips. “Yeah, I will.”
———
As soon as Ryan was out of the flat Naim got out the first aid supplies, hiking up his shirt to look at the wound on his side.
The wound wasn’t deep or incredibly painful, but it’s more embarrassing to admit to Ryan that he still has run-ins with it. He was walking back from the bus stop when he saw it, waiting for him. It swiped him then after they shared a couple of words.
Naim cleaned the wound and covered it with a bandage, heading back to finish the days chores whilst Ryan was out of the way.
———
"I'm Home." Ryan announces as he walks in the door, holding food out for Naim to take. "Got you some dinner."
"Thanks." Naim said as he took the bag. "You didn't have to."
Ryan shrugged and took off his coat. "I wanted to."
They both sat at the small kitchen table and ate, Naim picked at the food more than he ate it.
"How was the interview?" Naim asked as he kept his eyes down on his food.
"Good I think, said they'd call when they decided." Ryan examined Naim's side profile for a minute. "Whats the matter?"
"What? Nothing." Naim said with a shake of his head.
"Naim, be serious." Ryan said as he sat back in his chair. "What's got you quiet?"
"Nothing." He said before getting up and walking away to the restroom.
"Where are you goin'?" Ryan said as he looked over his shoulder.
"Just to the toilet real quick." Naim said as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door, opening up the medicine cabinet, in search for pain medication to help ease the ache in his side.
Ryan got up from his chair, walking over to the bathroom door and knocking on it.
"Naim? Talk to me, what's the matter?"
"I just... I just needed a pain pill." Naim said with a sigh.
"A pain pill? What for?" Ryan asked as he leaned against the wall next to the door, his brows furrowed in worried confusion.
Naim opened the bathroom door and looked at Ryan.
"Nothing, my side just hurts a bit."
Ryan reached out, lifting Naim's shirt and seeing the huge bandage on his side.
"Naim, what's this? What happened?" He said with a worried tone as he examined it.
Naim didn't really say anything, just looked down at the floor.
"Naim." Ryan repeated.
Naim let out a long sigh. "Was getting off the bus when I saw it and it swiped me."
Without much argument Ryan forced Naim down on the bed, hiking up his shirt to view the cuts.
"Jesus Naim." Ryan said as he pulled up the bandage. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because, I'm embarrassed."
"What?"
"I'm embarrassed that I keep fallin' for it!" Naim finally gets out.
“Naim.” Ryan says quietly as he pats his leg. “Naim, look at me.”
Naim turned his head slowly, his eyes meeting Ryan’s.
“Don’t be embarrassed.” He said quietly as he shifted closer. “Sometimes I fall for it too.”
———
Both boys laid in bed, Ryan’s arms wrapped around Naim while he held him impossibly tighter.
“Squeeze me any tighter and I might die.” Ryan joked as he rubbed Naim’s back.
Naim sighed. “Sorry.” He murmured.
“It’s alright, I kinda like it.” Ryan said as he rested his head in the crook of Naim’s neck. “How’s your side?”
“Kinda stings but it isn’t horrible.”
“Good.” Ryan said softly. “You’ll wake me if you have a nightmare, right?”
“No, I want you to get some rest.” Naim said as he looked at the side of Ryan’s face.
“I won’t be able to rest if I’m worrying about you.”
“You’re so full of shit, you’re like the heaviest sleeper I know.”
They snickered for a beat.
