Imagines and One-Shots

You Make Me Strong (Ryan Follese) *

Trigger warning: Alcoholism/Abuse

~

Ryan had come home drunk... Again.

It was the third time that week and the who-knows-what time since you'd moved in with him three years ago, so you'd finally had enough and decided to confront him the next morning when he would be sober.

"Ryan," you stated, getting up from your spot on the couch when you saw him trudge into the room, "We need to talk."

"This is about my drinking again, isn't it?" he groaned, "God, I was just having fun. Why can't you seem to get that?"

"I don't want to fight about this again, Ryan – I just want to talk."

"That's what you always say and then it turns into one!"

"Only because you make it that way!" you shouted, not holding back. "If you want another fight out of it, fine! I'll give you one!" you exclaimed, "Every night, you come home wasted and you know I hate it! You know I hate it, yet you make the decision to do it anyway and I just don't get it!" You paused, taking a moment to calm yourself down. "I'm done, Ryan. I'm done staying up until 5am worrying about where the hell you are, I'm done with your stupid ways of making me forgive you for it, and I am especially done with being ignored about it. I trusted you, Ryan. I trusted you enough to tell you everything about what happened and you repay me by doing exactly what I had to live with for 18 years! I can't do this – I can't do us anymore! I'm done," you repeated quietly, grabbing your bag and walking to the door.

"Where are you gonna go?" he asked, the amusement in his voice very clear. He was right and he knew it; It wasn't like you could go to your parents' or a friend's house. You moved almost an hour away from them to move in with him. You stared at the hand you had on the door knob for a few seconds.

"As far away from you as I can get," you mumbled, opening the door to leave and slamming it shut behind you.

~

Two weeks.

Two weeks had passed and Ryan hadn't made any attempt to contact you. You could contact him, of course, but why would you? You weren't in the wrong. You obviously hadn't meant for the argument to end this way, but he fucked up and he should be the one to apologize.

Jamie and Vanessa were more than happy to let you stay at their place for as long as you needed – at least until you could muster up the courage to go get your things. As much as you hated yourself for it, you still loved him. You loved him so much, it hurt knowing it was over. After three years together, it was finally over. You couldn't wrap your head around knowing that he knew about your past and still chose to brush it off like it was nothing.

~

Another week had passed and there was still no word from Ryan. Which, of course, did concern you a bit. Although you were pissed at him, you knew he never went a day without talking to his brother and it seemed like he just vanished.

You had asked Nash about him once only to find out he hadn't heard from Ryan either. You shrugged it off, assuming he was just enjoying the fact that he could now drink without having someone yell at him about it when he got home.

"I think it's time for me to go home," you told Jamie and Vanessa randomly after dinner one evening.

"Did you and Ryan finally make up?" Jamie asked.

"No," you sighed, "I meant back home to my family. I can't keep living with you guys."

"But we love having you here!" Vanessa said. You could hear the sadness in her voice.