Something Worth Living For {Ryden AU}

7d

I glare down at my test paper that the teacher just gave back to me. C. I got a C. Fuck.

I couldn't concentrate at all. I studied but that doesn't matter. All I can do is worry about Ryan. It's the only thing that's been in my mind ever since last night. I still can't fucking believe it. Every time I think about what he's doing to Ryan, that fucking psycho, my guts twist angrily, heat in my veins. How could someone do that to him?

I want to be happy about the fact that he likes me, but I can't because I'm so fucking worried. What if he goes home today and his dad hurts him? What if he locks him down there again?

It's a constant stream of thoughts running through my mind all day long.

I just want to protect him.

* * *

"What's up with you and Ryan?" Spencer asks, lying down on my couch and looking up at me. I sigh, throwing my bag down and thinking about how he's home right now, and how his dad could be hurting him right now. My hands clench into fists at my side.

"Nothing," I shrug, trying to keep my voice calm.

"You two seemed pretty cozy when I woke you up this morning," he raises an eyebrow. I just shrug again, not in the mood for talking. "I think you guys are kinda perfect for each other," he muses. I snort and he looks offended. "What? He's quiet and shy and you're - well you used to be, anyway - loud and hyper. Opposites attract," he says matter-of-factly. "You balance each other out."

I actually agree with him but I'm not giving him the satisfaction of knowing that. We sit in silence for half an hour. Spencer keeps giving me odd looks but I can't stop thinking about Ryan.

"Brendon!" I hear Jayda call from the living room. "Ryan's here, I just buzzed him in. He sounded upset!" she calls again. I jump up, running to the living room and spotting Jayda reading on the couch.

"What did he say?" I ask frantically.

"He just said he needed to see you," she looks at me weirdly. "I'm sure he's fine." I walk over to the door and open it, waiting, because I've had this bad feeling in my stomach all day. I just know something is wrong. I can feel it.

The elevator opens and Ryan comes ambling out, hurrying faster when he sees me. He's got that hat on again. I rush him into the house and he goes straight into my room, ignoring Jayda and Spencer's calls of hello. They give me a weird look but I follow him into my room, shutting the door behind us.

"Hey, what's-" I cut myself off and let out a breath when Ryan takes his hat off. The right side of his face is purple and swollen, with angry-looking red cuts decorating it. "Oh my god," I say, walking over to him. I knew something was wrong. "Ryan," I say softly, gently running a fingertip along his face. He's looking at me with the saddest eyes I've ever seen, and I can't help it, I lean forward and wrap him into a tight hug, but when he makes a pained sound I jump back. He's holding his side, and I swallow.

I carefully lift up the bottom of his shirt and he lets me. My eyes go wider when I see an even more nasty-looking bruise along his side. It looks like he's been kicked there. "Fuck," I whisper. I drop his shirt, grabbing his hand instead.

"He got mad," he chokes out. "It got really bad and I was scared... so I ran and came here. I'm sorry," his bottom lip trembles with his words.

"No, I'm glad you came here," I assure him, hugging him gently this time.

"God, I'm so worthless," he says, finally breaking down and slumping against me, sobbing. "I never do anything right. They hate me. I'm such a fucking waste of space."

"You are not," I argue, pulling back and forcing him to look at me. "You're not," I repeat, shaking my head.

"I'm not important to anyone, Brendon," he says, and his throat is scratchy.

"That's not true - you're important to me," I say, meaning every single word of it. "You don't even know how much you mean to me. I... Ryan," I say softly, placing my hand that isn't holding his on the uninjured side of his face. He looks at me through tearful eyes, and it's about time I show him what he means to me. I lean forward, my breathing increasing, and then soft lips are on mine. He makes a small, surprised noise, probably because it's his first kiss and he doesn't know what it's like. Shit, I'm his first kiss.

I slide my hand to the back of his neck and he wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. He tentatively moves his lips against mine experimentally, and I sigh into the kiss. He tastes sweet, along with something else that I'm pretty sure is just Ryan.

I push him gently backwards toward the bed, not breaking the kiss, and he falls back onto it, taking me with him. I break the kiss for a second to crawl over him, and he doesn't look sad anymore. He looks happy and his face is full of wonder, this being all new to him. I'm hovering over him now and he smiles a little, and even with his face bruised he's still fucking beautiful. I lean down and kiss him softly again, and my stomach flutters. I've never had such a perfect kiss.

"You're beautiful," I say gently, smiling and running my thumb over his bottom lip. He breathes out slowly and I lean down, connecting our lips again. It's soft and warm and so incredibly perfect; everything I'd known it would be. "Don't leave," I breathe against his lips. "You're not going back tonight. You're staying with me," I demand, running my hand along his side. He nods quickly, grabbing the back of my neck and dragging me down again.

"I won't leave," he breathes out, kissing me with more confidence. I briefly think that I want nothing more than for him to stay with me tonight.

He does.

Word Count: 1067