𝙻𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝 - 𝙰 𝚁𝚢𝚊𝚗 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚢/𝙺𝙹 𝙹𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢

ﾟ+*:ꔫ:* : 𝟎𝟎𝟕 : *:ꔫ: *+ ﾟ

Rebuild

📍Concord, NC

June 20th, 2025

Morning came quietly. No alarms. No engine warm-ups. No crew radios crackling in his ear. Just sunlight through the blinds, soft and warm across the hardwood floor. Ryan blinked awake to the gentle knock of footsteps in the hallway. A second later, Erin peeked her head into the living room.

"You're up."

Ryan groaned. "Barely."

She smiled and stepped fully inside, holding two mugs. "Brought coffee. Figured you earned it."

He pushed himself upright slowly, propping his leg on the pillow again. "That obvious I did something?"

"You left the house and didn't come back grumpy. That's a miracle in this house."

He took the mug with a muttered thanks, breathing in the familiar scent. Erin sat on the armrest beside him, watching him for a beat longer than felt casual.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said, then paused. "Just... you seemed lighter when you got home."

Ryan sipped the coffee. "It was fine."

"Fine? " she repeated, clearly unconvinced. "William said KJ's the one who texted you. Said you stayed longer than expected."

Ryan didn't answer right away.

"I didn't feel like leaving," he finally said.

Erin raised her eyebrows. "That's a first."

He shrugged. "He's easy to talk to."

Erin gave a soft smile. "Yeah. He's good like that. People either think he's too much or not serious enough, but he's got a way of showing up when it counts."

Ryan looked down at the coffee in his hands, watching the steam curl upward.

"I don't know what this is," he said quietly. "I'm not even sure I want it to be anything."

"It doesn't have to be anything," Erin said gently. "Sometimes people show up to remind you you're still human."

Ryan let that sit between them. After a moment, Erin reached over and squeezed his shoulder before heading toward the kitchen. Later that afternoon, Ryan found himself staring at the blank screen of his tablet, physical therapy instructions glowing faintly. He didn't want to do it. Didn't want to try, or fail, or feel the sharp bite of frustration in his chest when his body couldn't do what it used to. But his phone buzzed. KJ.

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KJ

Try anything today?

Started at it. Didn't finish it though.

Starting counts. Showing up for the rest of it is what counts. It's called progress.

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Ryan swallowed. He picked up the tablet and moved to the floor with a grunt, positioning himself carefully before starting the first stretch. It hurt. His thigh burned. His knee screamed. But he kept going. That night, after the workout, dinner with Erin and William, and another round of ice packs, Ryan laid back on the couch, sore but not bitter. His phone buzzed again. KJ.