Saving Captain Ryan 2/2
Title: Saving Captain Ryan
Author: tardis_type40
Rating: PG-13
Warning('s): Violence, Blood, Swearing etc.
Summary: Not a Movie AU, Just liked the Irony.
Ryan is a bitter Veteran who doesn't think life could be any worse. Can the new guy moving in with his new pet shop help?
“I have moved, and I've kept on movin'...
Proved the points that I needed provin'... I lost the friends that I needed losin'...Found others on the way…” Colin sang the song softly, his voice echoing throughout the empty store. He wasn’t surprised it wasn’t very busy, having been only opened yesterday, and the fact that it was early in the morning, only nine o’clock. He had only just placed the sign outside saying they were open for today.
Colin continued to sing softly to the puppy he was brushing the fur of, the little ball of mixed breed fluff looking content with her blue eyes sparkling.
“Caledonia you're calling me, now I'm goin' home… But if I should become a stranger… Know that it would make me more than sad… Caledonia's been everything I've ever had…”
“You have a nice voice.” The rough and deep voice made him jump, and he spun around, his heart pounding, and a yip behind him made Colin hush the little fluffball. The man from yesterday, Ryan, stood in the store, looking more than a little sheepish at scaring him. Colin thought dimly that it was likely that the man didn’t look anything but angry or upset usually if he went by Wayne’s description of him. So the blush on Ryan’s cheeks must be a rare occurrence indeed.
“You scared me, Ryan,” Colin breathed, a hand to his chest. He turned around, picking up the now excitable puppy in his arms, and turned back to face Ryan.
“You should make some noise when you walk, almost gave me a heart attack, mister,” Colin teasingly scolded the tall man, making the man shuffle awkwardly due to his injured leg. He rubbed the back of his head before wincing, clutching at his side.
“Fuck,” Ryan cursed, and Colin frowned, stepping towards him.
“Are you ok, Ryan?” Colin asked, stopping in front of the blond man. Ryan nodded, rubbing his left side gently.
“I’m fine, when I fell yesterday I bruised the scar on my side pretty badly. It just hurts a bit,” Ryan muttered gruffly. Colin shook his head, his mouth twitching into a grin.
“I bet it hurts a lot more than you are saying it does, Ry.” Ryan seemed to be surprised at the nickname that Colin had given him, but Colin ignored it and held Daisy the puppy out towards Ryan. “Here, hold Daisy while I go get some ice. She’s fine, the most she will do is lick your face all over,” Colin added when he saw Ryan shoot him a wide-eyed look of panic. “Besides, people say that puppies can make you forget about your pain.” Colin neglected to mention that it wasn’t just physical pain that they helped, but he was sure Ryan got the unsaid words by the very slight narrowing of his eyes.
“What if I have another flashback while you’re gone?” Ryan’s gruff voice sounded like a harsh growl, but he could see the fear in the green eyes that looked into his.
“Dogs are natural empaths’; they can tell how your feeling and how to react to it. I’m sure that if you do, she will help you through it.” Ryan nodded hesitantly, and Colin left to go get the ice.
He didn't think twice about leaving Daisy with Ryan because he could tell outside of Ryan’s rough, gruff, and tough exterior, he was a gentle giant. He was proven right, when upon returning he found a beaming Ryan and a happily panting Daisy playing Tug O’ War with one of the toys he kept by the cash register for pets. Yeah, gentle giant, a big ball of fluff that man was.
“Who’s a good girl… yeah… big ball o’ fur ain’t ya? Yes, you are.” Colin cleared his throat, and Ryan looked up with a deer caught in the headlights look.
“I can see you two are getting along fine,” Colin laughed, making Ryan relax. He handed Ryan the ice pack and ace bandage, and the blond man carefully strapped it on his side.
Colin winced at the dark bruise, barely paying more than a passing glance to the huge amount of scar tissue under it.
“Thanks,” Ryan said, and Colin nodded, smiling.
“I love dogs, just haven’t ever had one,” Ryan sadly muttered.
“Hey, wanna go walk with me? Daisy is the last one I need to walk this morning, and we can get to know each other, and stuff,” Colin asked Ryan, blushing. Ryan smiled a true smile, his eyes lighting up.
“I’d lo-like that, yeah.” Colin grinned, grabbing his keys and a leash.
“Let’s go now, that way we don’t have to worry about customers at the moment.”
Ryan nodded, and Colin led him out the door, locking it behind him and putting the sign up that said he would be back by lunch. He hoped this went well.
“So…” Colin started, awkwardly. He had no idea how to do this. He liked Ryan, a lot if he was being honest with himself. He wanted Ryan to like him too, and despite what Wayne had told him yesterday, Colin had a hard time believing that one simple act of kindness had made this man like him as more than a simple stranger.
“Thank you.” Ryan's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he gave the tall man a confused look.
“For helping me, during my flashback,” Ryan elaborated. The man sounded like he wasn't used to saying thank you to anyone, let alone having a conversation. Especially about his flashbacks. Colin smiled and shook his head, his eyes soft.
“It was what I would do for anybody, really,” Colin frowned. “I would say it would be what anyone kind would do, but everyone seems nice here, and they haven't done anything to help you before.” Ryan's limping gait seemed to falter for a second, and Colin twitched slightly, ready to catch the man if he fell or tripped. Ryan gave him a slightly wide-eyed look.
“What do you mean?” Ryan asked, clearly trying to sound casual, but the hardness in his tone made the effort fail spectacularly.
“Wayne told me yesterday that they haven't done anything to help you, other than a little bit at the beginning. He said they gave up when you pushed them away.” Ryan seemed to flush with guilt, and he turned his head away, his eyes focusing on Daisy, who was jumping after a butterfly.
“I did push them away,” Ryan admitted. “In the beginning. I wasn't ready for anyone to be close to me. I just got back, my leg was blown off, and I had trouble dealing with people outside of a war zone.” Ryan grimaced, and Colin noticed his hands clenching, the scars standing out stark-white against the tan of the rest of his skin. “I wanted to be alone, at first, self-pity and shame were the depth of my emotions then. I had nightmares constantly, and flashbacks were a daily occurrence; I never knew what was gonna set one off.” Colin nodded; he had gone through the same thing with Greg, and those were some of the roughest times they had.
“But it got better,” Colin guessed, and Ryan nodded. “But by then you had pushed them all away, and they gave up.” Ryan nodded, his eyes filled with regret.
“Yeah, I can't blame them-” Ryan started, before Colin stopped him;
“They should have tried harder, then.” Colin snapped, and he regretted it when he saw Ryan flinch slightly.
“Sorry,” Colin said gently.
“No, no. You're right. They should have. But it wasn't like I showed them that I wanted help,” Ryan sighed heavily, grabbing the ball that Daisy dropped at his feet, wincing as he bent down, then threw it gently.
“And besides, they don't have any obligation to help me. They have their own problems, their own life. They don't deserve to have a messed up crippled freak needing their help.” Ryan's eyes were sad, the bright green as dull as when Colin first saw him. Colin's eyes hardened.
“You deserve to be helped.you deserve kindness. People should help others regardless of what their life is like.” Ryan's eyes seemed to tear up as he gazed at Colin, looking for the honesty in his eyes, looking down with red cheeks when he found it.
“Thank you,” Ryan choked out, his voice rougher than usual, not just because he hadn't talked this much in almost two years.
“Really, thank you,” Ryan said before Colin could open his mouth.
“It's the first time someone has said something like that to me.”
“You're welcome,” Colin muttered, blushing.
Ryan and Colin spent every day together, even if it was just for half an hour on Colin’s break. Of course, as the owner of the pet shop, he could choose his own breaks. Hell, with Chip, Wayne, and Brad working in the store, he really didn’t need to be there unless there was a real need. But Colin’s morals refused to let him leave all the work to the three young men. The pace lasted for a couple of weeks, and the whole town noticed the change in Ryan. He smiled at people instead of scowling, he said hello and made small talk, even if it was just a few words to ask how their day was going. He shared more with Josie, even if it was just what he and Colin had done that week. Ryan had fewer flashbacks; he only had two since he first met Colin that day.
It was six weeks until Colin had a visitor, and when Ryan walked into the Pet Shop, he was greeted by the sight of an expensively suited man with a curly pompadour haircut and large, thick-rimmed glasses. He was instantly reminded of buddy holly. Except with more muscles. And a cane. And a dog wearing a vest. Ryan recognized the dog as a seeing eye dog and wondered with not a little irony, why a blind man was wearing glasses.
“You must be Ryan,” the man stated, his face turning in his direction. The milky-filmed eyes didn’t throw him off one bit, he had seen worse in rehab, but the narrowed eyes and sharp grin the man gave him was a little disconcerting, not to mention that Colin was the latest person to come into the town, and that happening within two years of Ryan moving in was rare, but another visitor within two months? That was unheard of; it simply did not happen. So it wasn’t a surprise that Ryan was a little paranoid, blind man or not. He was an army Captain, after all, and his paranoia did not go away when he was discharged. In fact, it got worse. It was one of the things Colin was able to control in him, to a reasonable level.
“Uh, Yeah. Who the hell are you ?” Ryan growled. “And how the fuck do you know who I am?” The man raised his hands in a surrender position and backed up a bit, the Golden Retriever by his side whining slightly.
“Easy Ocelot, good boy.” the dog settled down on his haunches, and Ryan scowled; the man hadn’t answered him. He took a step forward, and the man’s milky eyes widened.
“Hey, ok, at ease, Captain Stiles. I’m First Lieutenant Greg Proops, service number 27 Dash 865 Dash 395, of the 67th Platoon.” Ryan relaxed, his tense muscles unlocking, and his phantom pain from his missing leg almost completely went away, only a small bit of discomfort left.
“You’re Col’s brother,” Ryan sighed. “Sorry Lieutenant.”
The man laughed, and shook his head, reaching out a hand that Ryan was surprised to see was in his exact direction.
“Hey, it’s groovy man,” Ryan raised his eyebrows; what was this, the seventies? “I get it. Trust me, I really do. I’m just glad you’re this protective over my big brother. If anyone was gonna win his heart, it better be you, from what I’ve heard.” Ryan spluttered.
“We aren’t dating!” Ryan yelped, his voice still slightly rough from almost two years of almost never talking, giving the sound an amusing quality that Greg snickered at.
“Oh yeah? What did you two do last week on Tuesday?”
Ryan smiled, remembering.
“We went to the movies, watched a dog film, Air-Bud, then went to dinner.” Greg raised an eyebrow, smirking.
“And this Monday?” he asked.
“He took me to an art exposition, I really liked the one with the bright orange chicken and the hearts, he bought it for me.” Greg’s smirk only widened more at this.
“And yesterday?” Ryan grinned, his heart fluttering.
“We had a picnic, and took Daisy with us, it was nice, I brought some wine, and there were flowers, and I walked him home-” Ryan’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. “And oh my god we’re dating.”
“Who’s dating?” both Ryan and Greg flinched at the sudden voice, for both different and the same reasons.
“Sorry guys,” Colin blushed, and Greg smirked.
“No Problem broheim,” Greg clapped Colin on the back, and Ryan once again wondered at the strength of the man’s senses. “Besides, Loverboy here just realized you were dating him.” Colin laughed.
“Oh Ry, you just found out now?” Ryan nodded mutely, and Colin's smile faded slightly and got strained at the edges. “You- are you ok with that?” Colin asked, walking to stand in front of the taller man.
Ryan didn’t even have to think about it.
“Of course I am,” Ryan replied with a beaming grin.
“God, I think I love you, too,”Ryan laughed. “Two years of not connecting with anyone, and you melt the ice king’s heart in six weeks.” Colin beamed, his smile bright and sunny.
“I love you too, you tall goof,” Colin said, leaning forward and kissing him straight on the lips, neither noticing as Greg slipped by them out the door with a grin.
“So, we’re officially dating?” Colin nodded, smiling softly.
“We have been, for a few weeks, Ry.” Colin chuckled.
“So that means I can run to third base and get a home run?” Ryan grinned, smiling at Colin’s laughter.
“As long as you never describe having sex like a baseball game again.” Ryan grinned.
“That’s right, you Canadians like hockey,” Ryan smirked.
“Can I give you a ride on my Zamboni?” Colin raised an eyebrow, and Ryan laughed.
“You keep going and I’ll give you a slap shot, Mister.”
Ryan leered;
“Put me in the Penalty Box, then.”
Colin laughed hard, his shoulders shaking and his eyes tearing up. Ryan stared fondly at the man he only met six weeks ago and already fallen so deeply in love with.
Dr. Lawrence was right. Something interesting did happen. And as Ryan led Colin into his apartment later that day, a lot more interesting things happened all night long. And years after.