After The Storm

Light On [III/III]

"Ryan?"

Or maybe it was one of those times when he'd been giddy with happiness and had covered Rodney's eyes and pointlessly asked him to 'guess'.

"Ryan! What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Someone was shaking him.

It was real.

And when he looked up-

"Rodney?" His voice was embarrassingly shrill as he jumped to his feet, but he didn't care. This...this was real, wasn't it?

"Hey, yeah. It's me. And what's wrong? Why are you crying like that?"

Rodney was wearing something formal, Ryan noted, then decided that that meant that this wasn't a memory. It could still be a figment of his imagination...

Wordlessly, he reached out and put his hand on the other man's face.

Solid.

This was real.

"Uh, Ryan? Would you please talk to me? What's going on?"

And then it really hit him: this was real. Rodney was standing in front of him, completely unscathed- and then the fear unleashed itself in the only way Ryan knew how to let it out. "What the hell, Rodney? What is wrong with you?"

"Me? What'd I-"

"Why didn't you pick up your phone you idiot?" I thought something had happened to you!

Rodney's expression contorted into one to reflect his confusion. "My phone?"

"Yes, you idiot! Your phone!" He didn't care that he was loud enough for the neighbors to hear. "Or do you not know what that is, you moron?" I was so scared, Rodney. So scared.

"I...Ryan, what's going on?"

"How could you be so irresponsible? I've been worried sick for all this time and you just-" But you're here. The relief that flooded him was immense, and all of a sudden, he felt exhausted. "Good God, Rodney. You're going to be the death of me." He muttered, leaning back against the wall.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about missing your calls, I didn't realize you were-" It occurred then to Rodney to check his phone, "oh."

"Oh, what?"

Rodney held up the device. "I think it got switched off. It's been doing that recently."

He'd only begun to calm down, but upon Rodney's explanation, Ryan's temper flared again. "How could you be so irresponsible? Have you not seen the news?"

"No." Rodney was puzzled. "What happened?"

"There was a stampede at The Mart! They said a lot of people were hurt and one university student is in critical condition, and then you wouldn't pick up your phone and..." He broke again. He was now ashamed for having even entertained the morbid thoughts he had, but the fear he'd had then returned. He'd almost lost Rodney. Forever.

Meanwhile understanding was beginning to dawn upon the other man. He'd been both bewildered and concerned by his ex-boyfriend's behavior, but now it was starting to make sense.

Though that wasn't important at that instant. What was, was that the shorter man was shaking, and he needed comfort.

In fact, he didn't even think about it before taking the other man up in his arms and hugging him as hard as he could.

*

They stayed like that, silent, till Ryan's body had stopped racking.

"Hey, it's okay," Rodney murmured, half talking into his hair, "I'm fine. I just had to pick up some soap, and I was out of there before anything even happened."