Decisions, Decisions

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They walked into the restaurant and the atmosphere instantly shifted. Shane had forgotten that down here he didn't just blend into the background here as he did in the overworld. Most of the eyes turned and were now watching their every step. Ryan was very confused but refrained from reaching out for Shane's arm as they walked to the only empty table where Ricky and another woman sat. Shane recognized her as Katie and quickly approached the table with a huge smile. it had been a while since he last saw her in person as she had a very hectic schedule. 

"Shane!" she stood up and wrapped her arms around Shane. She was just as tall as Shane which was a sight to behold. Katie had her dirty blonde hair tied up in a bun and wore jeans and a pink t-shirt. 

"Hey Katie" he said, breaking away from the hug then turning slightly to gesture to Ryan. "This is my boyfriend, Ryan" 

Ricky nearly choked on his water at the words. Boyfriend? Shane had never introduced someone as his boyfriend. It felt weird to look at Shane as someone else's, and for him to be so excited about it. Shane threw him a warning glance then quickly went back to smiling at Katie and Ryan. 

"Aww!" she gushed, going to hug Ryan. He was pleasantly surprised by how affectionate she was. "Oh... he's- he's human?" She asked, surprised but not in a negative way. It seemed like it caught her completely off guard. Katie was a demon as well, a level 6, which meant she could sense if someone was from the overworld. 

"Yeah, Ricky didn't tell you?" Shane asked as she realized Ryan from the hug. They sat down at the table, Katie and Ricky on one side and Shane and Ryan on the other. 

"No, you know how antisocial he is" She half-joked. Ricky didn't seem to have any protests to this observation. Shane nodded along in agreement as Ryan fidgeted. Things were going better than they were in the car, that was for sure. 

"So where did you guys meet?" Katie asked Ryan, still beaming. So far she was pleasantly surprised by this human. 

"Ah... well that's a funny story" Ryan began, already holding in his laughter thinking about the absurdity of the situation. It wasn't the traditional meet-cute, that was certain. "He just kinda... stumbled into my apartment-"

"You went to the overworld?!" She asked Shane with wide eyes. This time her surprise was more like horror. 

"Here we go again" Shane said with an eye roll. Ryan didn't quite understand why everyone was so against Shane being in the overworld. Sure, they had their adversities but it always turned out fine. 

"Shane that's so dangerous!" She scolded, still looking aghast. Ricky smiled, I told you so

"Everything worked out, so it doesn't matter" Shane brushed off their concerns. "But yeah, I made a contract to stay in his apartment and we even started working together" Shane continued the story, looking fondly at Ryan. 

"Then we went to that movie theater-" Ryan added with excitement.

"And the park-" Shane continued. Katie laughed, amused by their enthusiasm. 

"That's adorable" she gushed. they could all tell by Ricky's expression that he didn't feel the same way, still, he made no verbal comment. 

The ordered food and the conversation found their footing. They talked more about Shane and Ryan's relationship, Katie continuing to say 'Aww' every other sentence. Ricky seemed to be getting increasingly fed up with cute little stories. It didn't seem to fit Shane at all and felt unnatural. 

"Shane come with me for a moment, I forgot something in my car" Kaite got up from her seat and was basically dragging Shane towards the door. Ricky and Ryan both gave him a panicked looked, but it was too late. He was already out the door which the two of them in uncomfortable silence. 

Shane glanced back nervously at them as Katie lead him to the parking lot. He was aware that she just wanted a moment to Shane privately but he was worried about Ryan. Ricky was notorious for having no filter, and if the car ride over was any indication of his intentions the conversation could only turn sour. 

"So, how do you like him?" Shane asked, pushing his words out quickly to make the conversation go faster. He needed to get back to the table before something disastrous happens. 

"I think he's nice" she was much more excited for Shane than Ricky was, which made Shane smile. "I can't believe your dating a living human" She laughed and shook her head while lighting a cigarette. it was comical, really. 

"I'm just as surprised" Shane joked. "it's been going really well up there" Shane glanced back towards the restaurant again, half expecting the place to be fire. 

"Well, I'm just glad your back here now" Katie took another drag while looking at Shane with relief. She worried just as much as Ricky but she didn't push her fears as much as he does. 

"Katie, I'm not staying here" Shane clarified, his eyes still glued to the building. He wondered if they weren't fighting, what were they talking about?

"What? Shane, you can't possibly be thinking about staying up there" She threw the remanence of the cigarette onto the ground and stomped it out, looking at Shane like he was insane. "That's a death wish, do you know how many people want to kill you up there?" she wasn't making an effort to hide her concern anymore. She didn't understand why Ricky let Shane go in the first place, that wasn't like him. 

"Yeah, yeah I've heard it all" Shane groaned, remembering all of Ricky's lectures about it. Katie just shook her head, knowing nothing would convince Shane to stay in Hell. He was frustratingly stubborn when he needed to be. 

"Come on, let's go make sure they didn't kill each other" Katie joked as they walked back towards the doors. Shane gave a halfhearted laugh in return but really he was expecting one of them to be dead. She patted his back to reassure him when she noticed the slight worry on his face. 

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Ryan watched with wide eyes as Shane left him alone with Ricky. He was more worried about there being awkward silence than anything else. If it got too tense, Ryan knew he would start rambling. To his relief, Ricky actually started talking. 

"So you have a contract with him?" Ricky asked, not making eye contact. 

"Yeah, that's how it started" Ryan responded with as much confidence as he could muster. He was still eager for Ricky to like him, or at the very least be civil. 

"It makes sense now" He laughed, leaning back slightly in his chair. He looked Ryan up and down as if assessing him. 

"What does?" Ryan prompted further. this conversation was starting to feel more like a competition and the first person to mess up loses. 

"It explains why Shane stayed for so long, he had an obligation. He would've left the first week if he didn't have to stay" Ricky seemed comforted by this revelation. Ryan knew this wasn't the truth, because the contract didn't say how long Shane had to stay. He could've left at any time, and he still can. But he chose to stay. Ryan understood this but he decided not to push it. 

"I guess your right" Ryan agreed. "I never thought about that" so far, so good. This was the most they had talked and although the topic itself wasn't particularly enjoyable, at least they weren't arguing. He considered this a win.

"What do you think about him?" Ricky asked after a beat of silence. this was the first time Ricky made direct eye contact with him. Ryan felt a shiver go down down his spine as he stared at the other man's cold expression.

"I think he's great" Ryan smiled shyly. Unsure of what exactly to say. the answer didn't seem to satisfy Ricky, so he went on. "There's never a boring moment with Shane" 

Ricky laughed, which made Ryan much more comfortable. Things were going well, surprisingly.

"That's true" Ricky agreed, warming up to talking to Ryan. His mission was to get as much information out of him as possible. Ricky was still trying to find the missing link. What did Ryan have that made Shane want to stay for so long?

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