Pleasure's worth (ShelbyD and Zombie) [18+]

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Character:

 

 

 

 

Name: Ryan Clarkson

Age: 25

Personality: Extremely positive and optimistic, he's the shoulder everyone leans on during hard times. He's always ready to help, be it for his friend or stranger. Aside from that, Ryan is flirty, perverted even. He uses every chance he gets to steal a few kisses, some gropes; public displays of affection are his favorites - especially since he's gay, he adores watching other people react. Ryan also has a great sense of humor and manages to find something light even in the worst and darkest situations.

 

---

God, was he bored. Dark brown eyes closed as strong wind ruffled his ginger locks. The car ride was far longer and less interesting than he hoped it to be. They were finally on vacation. Being a teacher really took everything from him, even if he did do what he loved - dance. Still, managing the group of teenagers was tiring as hell.

 

Glancing to his side, a small smile stretched across his face. At least this car ride wasn't for him alone. To his right, he watched a man that he was hoping to call his fiancée in just a few days. He had it all planned out - the whole day, the dinner, the walk along the beach, he even found the perfect spot to do it. He was ready, they'd been dating for over a year... And he never felt so strongly about anyone.

 

"Hey, Braydon... I'm bored." His face was suddenly graced by a small, mischievous smirk as he reached to unbuckle his safety belt. Carefully, Ryan moved down, his knees on the bottom of the car. He reached for his boyfriend's zipper, quickly undoing it, as well as the buttons of his jeans. "I'm gonna be quick..." Ryan added with a chuckle as he leaned closer, biting down on his lip. He placed one hand on the seat to keep himself up, although he doubted there would be anything to throw him off - they were far away from their city, all that was around them were trees. One quick blowjob wouldn't hurt anyone...

[shelbyD]

 

 

Name: Braydon Strom

 

Age: 24

 

Personality: Braydon is, for the most part anyways, a good person. He can be extremely straightforward and doesn’t beat around the bush with what he thinks. He gets embarrassed easily when it comes to sexual and romantic interactions, but finds enjoyment in them nonetheless. Braydon isn’t the type to comfort people when they have issues and instead, he tries to give them practical advice. Usually, he wears his heart on his sleeve and one can tell how he feels rather easily from the way he acts and his facial expressions. At heart, he is pretty much a pessimist who tends to find the worst in people and situations.

 

---

 

It had already been a long drive and Braydon’s eyes were starting to get tired. Not that he was going to complain since he and his boyfriend were finally getting to take a trip somewhere other than to the school. Yes, his excitement far outweighed the tiredness that was starting to get to him. He knew he could easily just pull over and ask Ryan to drive, but he hated having anyone but him drive his precious baby. He had spent too much on his car to take the risk of letting anyone, even his lover, drive it.

 

He had been considering turning on the radio to help wake him up, but apparently Ryan had some ideas on how to that for him because just before he was about to reach for the dial, he heard the other speak followed by the click of a seat belt being undone. His eyes moved over to see just what his boyfriend was doing and felt shock run through him at the sight of Ryan on his knees. Normally, this was a welcomed sight, but was right now the best time?

 

Apparently, the other didn’t care about timing or the fact that Braydon was driving since he was undoing his pants. Honestly, he was conflicted. On one hand, a blow job, but on the other, a distraction to his driving. Although, they were alone on the road and it wasn’t like he had to watch out for other cars at the moment, but there were still trees everywhere and hitting one could be just as devastating as hitting a car. He shook his head mentally, he shouldn’t be so pessimistic!

 

Letting out a sigh as if it was such a big endeavor for him, he muttered, “I suppose it’ll spice up this drive.”

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Ryan rolled his eyes at the other's unenthusiastic reply to receiving a blowjob. "Really, you have to learn to enjoy little things like this..." After all, we may spend the rest of our lives together. Deciding to keep the last part to himself, Ryan leaned closer, pressing his lips against his boyfriend's cock through his boxers. "I bet you want this anyway. You always do~" He chuckled, using his teeth to pull off his boxers. Ryan enjoyed pleasuring his boyfriend; at any time of day, wherever they were, no matter if it was risky or not. It made him feel good to know Braydon was enjoying himself.

 

With his free hand he gripped the base of his cock, then began slowly licking at the sides. His chocolate orbs were soon partially hidden by his thick eyelashes as he tasted the salty precum. "You taste so good." Ryan muttered out softly as he took the tip into his mouth, gently suckling on it. He flicked his tongue over the slit, breathing in through his nose. The soft rumbling of the car somehow made him relax further; he found no resistance as he took in more of his cock into his mouth. Finally closing his eyes, Ryan swirled his tongue over the tip one last time before moving his head down. He built up a steady pace, his ginger hair falling on his face once he began speeding up. With the hand that before rested on Braydon's seat he pushed his hair up, keeping it there as he shifted to be able to take in more. It was no secret that Ryan liked to push himself, in a way, during sex. He always tested out his limits, and once he'd reached a certain point, he wasn't satisfied if he didn't reach it again the next time.

[shelbyD]

“Yes, let me learn to enjoy very distracting things while I’m driving.” Although the words were biting in themselves, there wasn’t any heat to them. In fact, it took a great deal of strength not to just close his eyes and enjoy his boyfriend’s act of kindness. He almost wanted to take his hands off the wheel and help out, but that probably wouldn’t do them much good, so he forced himself to stay still while keeping an eye on the road. However, he couldn’t stop them from wandering down occasionally. There was just something so enchanting about watching Ryan do this.

 

The feeling of his dick hitting the cold air of the car made his shiver slightly and his hands tighten their grip on the steering wheel. “I’m pretty sure this is ill- ohh- gal.” His voice was rough as he felt his tip enveloped by a much warmer place. The urge to just thrust up into that heat was great, but once again, he resisted. He should get a medal for the amount of effort he was putting into this.

 

“Fuck…” He hissed out as that heavenly mouth took more of his cock in. Why had he been so against this again? His head fell back against the seat as pleasure ran through him in an almost lazy fashion. He hadn’t realized it, but a hand had somehow extracted itself from the steering wheel and buried itself in Ryan’s hair. Not really gripping it, but not just laying their either. The hair was just loosely threaded in between his fingers. He had always liked Ryan’s hair color.

 

He really needed to focus on driving more than he actually was, but who could blame him. Anyone would have trouble doing so if they were in his position.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Ryan nearly purred in excitement when he felt a hand in his hair - that always felt so nice. Who cared if this was illegal, it felt too good to stop. The adrenaline was rushing through him as he let out a soft moan around his boyfriend's cock, moving down some more, clearly attempting to take it in whole. He managed to, sometimes. Perhaps a car wasn't the best place to try that, but he was really feeling adventurous and risky.

 

The man swallowed around his cock, a muffled moan slipping out as the tip of his cock hit the back of his throat. He managed to push away the gag reflex and just continued, hollowing his cheeks for more friction. He was getting hard himself, but he was sure he could just jerk off later, once he was done with his boyfriend. Ryan didn't realize how unsafe it really was to steer the car with only one hand, with such a distraction as himself; and he had to say he was a good distraction. He was proud of his ability to give blowjobs, especially after he'd managed to push his gag reflex down. When he was really feeling up to it, he'd take his whole cock, deep-throating, but this time wasn't it. It was too uncomfortable like this, his neck would be in a really weird position... But perhaps he should try?

 

Deciding he may as well, Ryan shifted closer, relaxing his throat completely when he felt the tip slipping down his throat. He needed just a little bit more... The ginger didn't stop until his nose touched the other's pubes. Once he did, even though he was in an insanely uncomfortable position, he felt good. Like that, the man began bobbing his head up and down, letting Braydon's cock slide down his throat each time.

[shelbyD]

The feeling of his cock hitting the back of Ryan’s throat was exquisite, but the feeling of it going down his throat was even more amazing. The combination of heat and pressure made him shut his eyes unconsciously. The hand that lain in his lover’s hair tightened and he couldn’t resist helping guide the other up and down his dick. He was pretty sure that it didn’t get much better than this.

 

Of course, shutting his eyes while driving was a horrible idea and it occurred to him that he should have them open a couple seconds too late. When they popped open, his eyes locked onto a tree that was heading right towards them. Or should he say that they were heading right towards it. He pulled his hand away from Ryan’s hair and gripped the steering wheel as fast as he could so he could twist it. It wasn’t fast enough though.

 

It was a surreal moment when he felt the car turn but the back right side still ram into the first tree. The sound of metal crunching filled his ears. The sound increased in loudness and intensity when the front of the car slammed into another tree. At some point, one of his hands had let go of the steering wheel once more so it could pull his lovers head towards Braydon’s stomach in some sort of attempt to protect him.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Ryan was enjoying it, he adored the way Braydon's hand tightened in his hair, how it guided his head up and down his cock. He absolutely adored it when his boyfriend showed his dominating side; though he himself had it too. It felt nice to know his skills were good enough to make the other lose control, at least a little bit.

 

His little joy was abruptly interrupted, though. The hand from his hair was gone, and he barely managed to pull his mouth away from the other's cock before the tires screeched and, despite Braydon's hold on his head, he slammed into the side of the car. Blinding pain shot down his spine and elbow before everything went numb. As the car slammed into the tree, everything seemed slow-motion. His eyes wide, Ryan tried to find something to hold on to, something to shield himself with, but his left arm hurt too bad to move and his legs... He couldn't feel his legs.

 

Shards of glass rained down on both of them, many of which ended up cutting his skin in various places. Thankfully, none got in his eyes. He was having trouble breathing, blood was trickling down the side of his face, his arm was definitely broken and he could see his leg was bent in a weird way, but he didn't feel a thing. Was the pain so bad it felt numb? "Bra... Braydon..." He breathed out, trying to lift himself up to see his boyfriend. Fuck, this was his fault... Oh god, what if he's dead?! "Braydon?!" Ryan called desperately, before moving his weight on the broken arm, tearing a pained scream from his throat. It hurt, it hurt.

 

The ambulance, he had to... He had to call... With his less-injured hand, the ginger tapped around his pockets, tears slowly beginning to roll down his cheeks from the pain, the fear and the horrifying nothing where his legs used to be. Thank god, his phone hadn't been damaged bad enough to be unusable... He just had to call, that's all he had to do... But his hands were shaking, he could barely breathe and he didn't know all that well where the hell they were.

[shelbyD]

He was sure he had imagined but in the second that the car actually hit the second tree, everything went quiet, deathly quiet even. For a terrifying moment, he wondered if he was dead; if a blowjob had actually managed to kill him because that is somehow hysterically horrible. However, everything became loud once more as his head slammed into the steering wheel in front of him before the airbag erupted send his head to slam against his seat.

 

His ears rang and a bright pain bloomed in his head. He must have closed his eyes at some point because everything was dark, but he could feel pain radiating in different parts of his body. The shards from the windshield breaking had left cuts across his body and he was sure that he had at least one broken bone in his leg and one of his ribs had to be cracked.

 

The ringing in his ears quieted down and it occurred to him that Ryan was calling his name. Then suddenly he realized that Ryan had to also be horribly hurt. He tried to open his eyes to see if his lover was okay, but everything was still dark. He tried several more times, but nothing worked. Everything was completely black. Panic filled him, choking him, and making it almost impossible to speak. His heart sped up and he finally found his voice to call out, “R-Ryan! I- Are you alright?! I can’t see! Oh god, I can’t see!” He stopped for a moment as a sob wracked his body before weakly calling out Ryan’s name once more.

 

They needed to call an ambulance, but how was he supposed to call anyone if he couldn’t see? “L-love, you need to call for help…” He squeezed out through the panic.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Ryan's body froze once he heard his boyfriend. He couldn't... See?.. Oh god, he'd made Braydon blind with his idiotic actions! Hearing the sob made him feel weak, but his last words made something click. "Br... Braydon, whe-where are we?" He squeezed out, his breathing shallow. It was weird, he could feel air coming in unevenly in the sides of his chest. There seemed to be coming in less on the left side...

 

Gathering himself up as much as he could, Ryan dialed the number for an ambulance and, with a panicky, shaking voice explained what happened the best he could. A soft sob left his mouth as the doctor told him an ambulance was coming. "Braydon, I'm so sorry." The ginger hiccuped, his chest beginning to feel heavy and tight as well. "Braydon, I... I love you, please... God, please don't die." A violent shudder ran through his body as he didn't manage to hold in a sob, everything beginning to hurt. This was his fault. His fault... If Braydon died, he would've killed him. Ryan could only beg for the ambulance to arrive quicker, his breathing a lot more shallow and weak than it was before.

[shelbyD]

The question made Braydon pause in his panicking. He tried to take a deep breath, ignoring the flash of even more pain that ensued, and remember where they were. He vaguely remembered the road name and knew that they were supposed to be turning just a few miles down the road, so he did his best to relay this information to Ryan. He had to calm down. They both couldn’t be panicking, but he was finding it increasingly difficult to do so. He was in so much pain and the fact that he couldn’t see really made any attempt to calm himself nearly impossible. However, he also knew that his lover had to be in just as much, if not more, pain.

 

Lifted the arm that he had used in the attempt to protect Ryan, he awkwardly tried to pat his boyfriend’s head. He was horrible at comforting people and he knew it, but he had to try something. The way Ryan sounded as he apologized broke Braydon’s heart. He would have done anything to prevent his lover from sounding so hurt. “H-Hey, it’s okay. You d-didn’t do anything wrong…” He coughed and it felt… wet, which wasn’t a good sign. He was also feeling incredibly dizzy and nauseous. He probably had a concussion, which was even worse.

 

“J-Just talk to me. A-Are you all right? How badly are you hurt?” The question served two purposes; one was to assess the damage of Ryan and the other was to initiate conversation so they would both stay awake. He wasn’t sure if Ryan had a concussion too or not, so it didn’t hurt to try and keep them both awake.

 

He was just so sleepy though.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Ryan nearly sobbed when his boyfriend tried to say it wasn't his fault. Of course it was, if he'd just stayed where he was supposed to be, if he hadn't tried such a stupid thing... A few soft, quiet sobs slipped past his lips while tears rolled down his cheeks. He could barely breathe at all by now. With each inhale, his chest felt tighter, as if it was being squeezed.

 

"My... I can't feel my legs... My arm is broken, and it's hard to breathe... I-... I think my leg is broken, but I don't... Braydon, I don't feel it." He ended in a desperate whisper, another set of soft sobs leaving his mouth. "Braydon, I... You... Is... Is there something wrong with you?... B-Besides your ey... Eye..." His voice cracked and he found himself unable to finish the sentence nor breathe properly. His mouth was opened, desperately trying to catch air, like a fish on the surface. What if he died like this? What if this was their last time together?.. The thought completely broke him. Emotional pain mixed with the physical pain until there wasn't anything that didn't hurt.

[shelbyD]

He did his best to focus on Ryan’s voice, but even that was starting to sound far away. The main thing that was keeping him awake was the pain that radiated throughout his body. He was starting to feel more calm though, but that was probably just the shock settling in which was just as bad. He needed to stop thinking about himself, damnit! He should be focusing on his boyfriend!

 

“I- It’s probably just shock… Everything will be o-okay. I’m sure they-“ He was cut off by the distant sound of sirens. When he continued speaking, his voice was softer, distant, “See, h-here they come. Everything will be okay…” He trailed off as his mind grew hazy, making it hard to think. His hand continued to awkwardly pat at Ryan’s head, but it was more of an unconscious action.

 

Some part of him that could still think somewhat clearly wondered if he was going to die here. It was weird, but something about dying here didn’t bother him all that much. The pain was starting to ebb away and he felt somewhat peaceful. He’d rather spend his last few moments with Ryan than somewhere else.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Ryan could hear his boyfriend speak, but no sound other than the shallow yet desperate breaths left his mouth. Everything will be okay. The words were so simple, but how could Braydon promise that? His boyfriend could end up being blind, and he... He would be paralyzed. The thought of never walking, let alone dancing managed to tear a sob from him. With that, there was a sudden, burning pain on the left side of his chest and he realized he couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. His body convulsed, eyes wide as everything started to fade away. He was dying, wasn't he?

 

Thankfully, after about fifteen seconds, he could hear voices above him. Someone tried to speak to them, but Ryan couldn't even breathe, how could he speak? Everything went black as he was moved - he wasn't sure if it was the lack of oxygen or the pain being too much for his body to handle, but he fell unconscious. Perhaps it was for the best, as what was necessary for him to start breathing was a chest tube - and that meant slicing into him right there, even if it was only a small incision.

 

Both of them were safely carried into the ambulance, although separate ones. As soon as they were in the hospital, various scans took place first, to see what the damage was, but in the end the two of them were rushed to surgery. There wasn't any time to spare - both of their injuries were rather severe.

 

---

His finger twitched slightly before a gentle exhale slipped past his lips. Ryan's eyelashes fluttered open, feeling weirdly heavy. He tried to lift his head up, but that alone was hard to do. But... He was alive. Closing his eyes for a few more moments, Ryan tried to recall everything that happened. The car crash... Braydon. His dark chocolate eyes flew open as he looked around, as much as he could without moving his body. He wasn't there. After some search, he managed to locate a button. He guessed it was to call a nurse, or perhaps a doctor? Barely able to grab the remote, Ryan managed to press the button, already feeling like he was tiring himself out.

[shelbyD]

The paramedics were a welcomed… sound? He wasn’t exactly able to see them, but he could hear them speaking to him. He had tried to respond, beg them to get him and Ryan out of this mess of metal and broken glass, but his mouth refused to cooperate. It didn’t matter in the end since everything ended up going truly dark just a few moments after he felt Ryan being extracted from the car.

 

---

 

Waking up was like breaking through the surface of water, but instead of finding light, he found even more darkness. He wanted to cry and scream, but the sound of a monitor beeping regularly reminded him that… something had transpired for him to end up… in the hospital? He assumed he was in the hospital since the sharp smell of antiseptic and such hit him. It made him acutely nauseous.

 

His whole thought process made no sense. He should be more worried about not being able to see, but he felt like he was slowly sinking back into the water. Everything was fuzzy and somehow this seemed really amusing to him. He must be on some good shit. Then, as if hit by a brick, he remembered Ryan. Everything became crystal clear and he tried to get up, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. He had to find Ryan! What if he didn’t make it? What if he had died? These fear-filled thoughts swirled around in his head as he began to call Ryan’s name over and over.

 

After a few moments, he was interrupted by a foreign feminine voice telling him to calm down. “Mr. Strom, calm down! You need to calm down!” Braydon refused to listen to the voice though because he needed to know where Ryan was.

 

“Where is Ryan?! Is he okay?”

 

“He’s fine, Mr. Strom, so calm down or we’ll need to sedate you.” The voice was incredibly calm and that pissed Braydon off to no end. How could this woman be so calm right now? He renewed his struggle to get up, but a pair of hands held him down. The feeling of being submerged in water filled him once again and he suddenly loss his will to do anything, but lay there. He was incredibly drowsy once again, but he needed to know where his lover was.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

The wait for someone to come seemed like hours, if not days. Ryan stared blankly at the IV's coming from his arm, then to his other side where a tube was coming from his chest. There seemed to be some other bag with liquid at the end of the bed, but he couldn't feel it being attached to him anywhere. Maybe it was something else?

 

"Mr. Clarkson?" The unfamiliar voice called out for him and Ryan slowly, a bit unwillingly, moved his eyes to see who was talking. It was a man, seemed to be at least in his forties. He had sandy brown hair, as well as warm blue eyes. "I'm doctor Karev. How are you feeling?" He asked while moving closer. Ryan closed his eyes and parted his lips, taking in a deep breath before attempting to speak. "I feel... Heavy..." He managed to say, his voice hoarse. "Braydon... Where is he?.." He asked quietly, tears burning his eyes again as he opened them, staring at the doctor with a rather desperate expression. "You both managed to get through your surgeries... Although, I'm afraid you may have to go through another one." The doctor said with the smallest of frowns tugging at his lips.

 

"Can I see him?" Ryan asked after a few moments of silence, his lips twitching as he moved his broken arm a little bit. "I just want to see him..." He added quietly, biting down on his lip. The doctor shook his head, walking closer. "I'm sorry, but your body isn't ready yet. Your surgery is scheduled for today afternoon, and if it goes successfully, you may be able to get out of bed after a few days. That was quite the crash..." The doctor trailed off before glancing at the window.

 

"Mr. Clarkson, the crash paralyzed you from your abdomen completely. This surgery is to, hopefully, help you regain use of your legs. Your other injuries are easily taken care of; your broken arm, your leg and at the crash, your left lung collapsed. That all has been taken care of." Ryan didn't hear anything the doctor said after being told he was paralyzed. "But, I... I..." He didn't know what to say as tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. "I need to see him, please." He whispered out with a shaky voice.

[shelbyD]

He floated in and out of the hazy darkness for what seemed like a long time yet not time at all. It slowly faded away though and he became aware once more. In fact, he became aware of everything. The horrifying realization that he couldn’t see, the pain that filled his body, the fact that there was something keeping him from moving. He assumed they were restraints, which was probably the consequence from his earlier outburst. He wanted to laugh. He couldn’t see, his boyfriend was somewhere where he couldn’t get to him, and he was restrained because he reacted in a way that was perfectly natural. What was he supposed to do? Sit there and calmly accept the fact that he was blind and that Ryan could be dead?

 

Resisting the urge to throw another fit, he called out for someone and when nobody answered, he did it again, but louder. After a few more tries, a voice finally answered him in a slightly irritated tone. He was pretty sure it was the voice from before, but he wasn’t completely sure.

 

“Mr. Strom, please quiet down. You’re bothering the other patients.” He must have really pissed her off earlier because that was some horrible bedside manner. He was going to speak, but the voice interrupted him, “Now, if you don’t mind staying calm, I’ll explain your situation to you. I’m Dr. York and you have been a horrible car crash.” She stopped and was quiet for a second. Braydon assumed that she was waiting for him to make some sort of response, but he was feeling childish, so he stayed quiet. She must have picked up on his disinterest in replying because she continued, “You hit hurt head during the crash and suffered a concussion. You also developed an aneurism along with several broken bones and fractured ribs. We took care of the fractures, but we need to keep you under-“

 

He interrupted her to mention, “I can’t see.” His tone was plain and didn’t hold much emotion. He was answered with a sigh and, “Well, you damaged your occipital lobe in the crash and there was swelling. We’re not sure if you’ll gain your eyesight, but we have hope. It could have been worse, so you’re incredibly lucky. Now, how are you feeling?”

 

“Just dandy. Now, where is Ryan?” He asked, beginning to feel very irritated.

 

“Mr. Clarkson is in a separate room being prepared for surge-“ This answer caused Braydon to lurch and he felt his face twist into an anguished expression. “Surgery?! You said he was fine!” He was answered with yet another sigh followed by, “I was speaking relatively, but you were also panicking. If I had mentioned that, you would have panicked even more.” There was a hint of pity in her voice this time that made Braydon’s heart clench. “W-Why does he need surgery?” He asked, his voice breaking.

 

“Unfortunately, I cannot answer such questions about other patients unless you are family. We must maintain patient-doctor confidentiality, Mr. Strom.” This response caused his irritation to turn into anger.

 

“He’s my boyfriend! I am family!” He wanted to punch this lady in the face.

 

“That may be so, but you must be married or family to receive such information.” She was clearly not going to indulge him with any crucial information.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Ryan was taking the news all but well. He was this close to having a panic attack, and he thought he had those under control. His breathing was erratic, uneven and shallow, so even if he did breathe fast, there wasn't enough air getting into his lungs to stop him from feeling dizzy. "Mr. Clarkson, please try to calm down." The doctor spoke gently, carefully placing a hand on his shoulder. "I understand this his hard to take in, but the surgery should give you back full mobility. With physical therapy, you could walk and run without any indication of previous trauma."

 

Ryan listened with tears shining in his eyes as he thought of never dancing again. "Does Braydon know?.. Please, please, you have to tell me if he's going to be fine..." He was close to sobbing, this whole situation was seriously draining him emotionally. "I'm sorry, all I can tell you for now is that he's alive. We're hoping for full recovery, I can't tell you anything more." Ryan closed his eyes tightly as he sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

 

"He said he couldn't see in the car... Is... Is he going to be bl-... Blind?.." Ryan asked with a shaky voice, unable to even look at the doctor properly. The man didn't get the chance to answer as a woman barged into the room, her hair color the same as Ryan's. In general, she looked really similar to him, except for the fact that she was far shorter and thinner. "Ryan!" She cried out, shoving the doctor out of the way to get closer to the man. He managed a smile, closing his eyes as his face was touched. "I came as soon as I heard... Mom and dad are on their way." She spoke softly, gently stroking his hair.

 

"I'm guessing you're his sister?" The doctor asked after a while, causing the woman to turn around with wide eyes. "Oh, yeah! I... I'm Camilla." She said with a small smile, then turned back to her brother. "I always told you to be careful... Ryan, where's Brydon?" Camilla asked with a slightly confused expression that soon turned into a shocked one, even, as tears shone again in her brother's eyes. "I haven't seen him, they say he's fine, but... But I don't know..." He muttered out, gently taking her hand into his weak one.

[shelbyD]

After arguing with the doctor for about five more minutes over being taken to where Ryan was with no success, the lady left with the promise that she would tell him if the surgery went well. Unable to see which meant no television or even being able to read, Braydon resorted to just lying there. Boredom and anxiety filled him and every so often, he would let out a sigh. It went on like this for an unknown amount of time until another, much more familiar voice, called out to him.

 

“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” The voice belonged to one of his many sibling, but to be more exact, his fraternal twin brother. The two of them looked nothing alike. Where Braydon was tall, lithe, and brunette, Zackary was of average height, blonde, and thickset with muscles that were developed from his job as a construction worker.

 

“Well, right now I’m not seeing much of anything,” countered Braydon, which drew a low whistle from his brother.

 

“Mom was beside herself when she heard, but Dan had tickets to a football game or something? I don’t know. Either way, they won’t be here til like tomorrow probably if they come at all. You know how he is.” He heard Zack move and sit down near him. He figured there was one of those slightly uncomfortable chairs by his bed.

 

“He really doesn’t like me, does he?” Braydon asked with a dry laugh. He turned his head in the direction that Zack’s voice was coming from. “Well, considering you are the devil’s incarnate apparently, not really. You know Mom would have been here in a heartbeat if she wasn’t so ‘devoted’ to him.” Braydon let out another laugh, but grunted in pain as the moment caused his body to jostle.

 

“Why couldn’t that lady have given me some more pain killer stuff before she left?” The question was meant to be rhetorical, but his brother answered anyways. “It’s karma for ruining that beauty of yours. Speaking of beauties, where is that boyfriend of yours?” His brother’s tone became teasing and Braydon felt his spirits lift somewhat before falling as he remembered the lack of information he had regarding Ryan.

 

“I don’t know. They won’t tell me anything, but that he’s alive and has surgery. Just because we aren’t married, I’m being kept out of the loop.” His voice was bitter and he felt his brother pat his shoulder softly. “Jennet and Louise wanted to be here, but Kate has pink eye and Louise couldn’t take the day off. Jared just refuses to see you.” The last part didn’t surprise him. His youngest brother, a product of his mother and step-father’s marriage, took after Dan in that he was incredibly bigoted.

 

“Hey, could you do me a favor and go look for Ryan? Pretend to be his brother or something. They might let you in.”

 

“Sure, be back in a while. Maybe I’ll see if they have some of that wonderful coffee that seems to be a staple of hospitals.” With that, he heard his brother leave the room. Braydon sighed and wished for some sort of entertainment to take his mind off the situation.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Camilla let out a soft sigh as she held onto her brother's hand, gently stroking it with her thumb. "I could try to find him for you... Or do you want me to stay?" She asked softly as Ryan managed a small smile - the first one since the crash. "I'd really like you to see if he's okay. I'd go myself, but... I can't even go." He tried to joke, but nearly made himself cry. As always, trying to lighten up the mood if he was around the people he knew. "Really, go." He added, looking down sadly at his legs.

 

"You're absolutely sure? I could stay if you need me to." Camilla said cautiously, but Ryan shook his head either way. "I need to know if he's alright. Camilla, the crash... I... I think I was the one who caused it..." He whispered, closing his eyes as he took in a deep breath. "Don't worry about that for now, okay? Look, you gotta stay positive! It'll help you get better sooner, and you'll be able to go and see him yourself. You gotta trust me, I know this crap!" The woman laughed, glad to see a small smile blooming on the man's face.

 

"Okay, I'm gonna try and find him for you, then. Try to relax, alright?" She smiled before standing up. Ryan nodded, looking around for a moment. "Wait, can you pass me the remote?" Camilla let out a soft chuckle before nodding and placing it directly in the man's hand. "I'll be back soon." After promising that, she hurried out the room and almost immediately bumped into what felt like a tree.

 

"Watch where you're-... Zackary?" Her eyes widened before a smile appeared on her face. "You're here to visit Braydon, right?" Camilla smiled a bit sadly, moving to hug the other. The two of them were friends from the first grade - the same age, same city, it was probably thanks to them that Ryan even met Braydon.

[shelbyD]

Zackary had tried to act as casual as possible as he peeked into rooms in hopes of finding Ryan. Just as he was about to peek into another, he ran into someone and his hands shot out to steady whoever he hit with an apology on the tip of tongue. The apology was replaced with shock followed by relief as he realized who it was.

 

“Camilla! Yea, I am, but he sent me on a mission to find Ryan. I guess I managed to find his room.” He answered as he hugged the girl back tightly before pulling back. He folded his arms and leaned against the window (obscured by a curtain though) that looked into Ryan’s room. He sighed and looked down the hallway to where his brother’s room was.

 

“How is he? Braydon not too bad except for the fact that he can’t see apparently. I had managed to stop his doctor and ask about him. She told me that they are hoping it’s just temporary,” He explained with various one handed gestures. “If I hadn’t ran into you, I was prepared to just storm in claiming I was his brother. I wonder if they would have believed me?” He was hoping to come off as funny to help cheer up the other.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Camilla smiled widely at the man, although the smile slowly disappeared as they began talking about their brothers. She let out a soft sigh after hearing about Braydon, biting down on her lip slightly. "I bet they wouldn't have, although you could try." The ginger smiled before looking at Ryan, her expression saddening. "The lower half of his body is paralyzed. Apparently today there's going to be another surgery, they hope to fix that. I can't imagine how hard it is for him... I mean, he loves dancing, I don't think he'd manage to recover if he wasn't able to do that ever again."

 

Camilla let out a soft sigh as she brushed a hand over her messy hair. "He's really worried about Braydon, though. Ryan's blaming himself for the crash, too. Do you know how it happened anyway?" The woman asked with slightly furrowed eyebrows, then shook her head while gently rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess it doesn't matter... Do you want to go for coffee or something? I'll tell Ryan and you can talk to Braydon, then we could go and eat something, maybe... Sound good?" She offered with a sad smile. She wanted to just sit somewhere, maybe forget about this for a while.

[shelbyD]

Zack gave a weak smile accompanied by an even weaker laugh. "Nah, no point now! It was a last ditch plan really." He rubbed the back of his head in minor embarrassment. He'd probably get kicked out of thr hospital if he had gotten caught. If that had happened, he wouldn't be able to see his brother let alone his brother's boyfriend.

 

"That's rough. I certainly would be in a hysterical fit if I'd gotten that kind of news," His face was grim as he spoke and his arms fell to his side, hands in fist and fingers digging into his palms. "What in the world happened to make Braydon get so distracted? The guy loves that car. Maybe a fight? They seemed stupidly on love the last time I saw them though." He was speaking more to himself at this point as he stared at the covered window.

 

"Anyways, I'm sure Ryan will pull through. Just hope and pray for the best." He wasn't the religious type, but there really wasn't anything more they could do at the moment for either of the two besides be there for them. "Food sounds great. I'll go let Braydon know what's going on and then we can meet in the cafeteria unless you want to go somewhere else. You have my number, right? Just text me with your decision." With that, he turned on his heel and made his way back to his twin's room.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Camilla frowned, shaking her head. "I doubt it was a fight, Ryan would've just let down if it was... I have no idea, but I do hope their relationship won't suffer because of this." She muttered softly, smiling lightly at Zack. The woman nodded at what he said next, though. "I guess that's all we can do, pray and hope." She sighed, brushing her hair out of her eyes. The ginger looked at the other, lightly scratching her head. "Yeah, I've got your number." She said, waving a goodbye before turning to go back inside.

 

"Hey, you're back so soon-... No." Ryan's face went pale with horror as the remote fell out of his hand. His sister rushed to deny the thought that must've passed his mind. "No, no, no, Braydon's alive! I met his brother, Zack... He told me Braydon should be fine, apparently for now he's... Well... Blind, but that should be temporary. He said he's worried about you, too." The woman smiled, sitting down next to the bed while Ryan exhaled in relief. "You had me so scared..." He muttered, taking her hand weakly.

 

"I really want to see him, I can't wait..." He closed his eyes, just listening to what was on TV. "Zack... Wait, didn't you have a crush on him?" Ryan grinned widely, even in this situation finding something to smile about. "Now's really not the time for it." The man chuckled, gently ruffling up her hair. "I bet you two will get together soon." He smiled warmly, slowly letting his hand down as he stared at the TV. "Okay, look, I gotta go for now. Can you stay alone for a while?" Camilla asked with a small smile while Ryan just nodded. "Have fun with your date."

 

Huffing and explaining it wasn't a date, Camilla took out her phone and texted Zack. [I'm all done. Let's meet at the lobby. ]

[shelbyD]

When Zack returned to the room, Braydon looked as if he was about to take start throwing things and demanding that he be taken to Ryan that very instant. His brows were furrowed and his head whipped in the direction of Zack when he entered. Zack figured his brother had heard his footsteps since his eyes weren’t actually focused on the blonde. They were staring off into the space behind him and it was rather unsettling, to be honest.

 

Before he had the chance to say anything, his brother was firing questions at him so quickly that he could hardly figure out what he was saying. “Is he okay? Did you even get in? Or was he already off to surgery? Did you find out why he was going to surgery? Did he ask about me? He’s alive, right?! Oh god, did they lie to me? Is he dead? Why aren’t you saying anything?” His brother’s voice became more high pitched and hysterical with each question. The monitor monitoring his heartbeat began to beep more quickly and Zack knew he had to act quickly or his brother would probably end up giving himself a heart attack at this rate.

 

“He’s alive, but I didn’t get to see him. I ran into Camilla, literally, when I finally found his room. She said… She said that his surgery is to see if they can fix the fact that his legs are paralyzed. She also said that he was worried about you. I’m going out for a bit to grab a bite with her, so I’ll be back later. Do you want anything while I’m out?” He spoke in a calm manner as he watched his brother try the information in.

 

“Paralyzed?” That was the only word out of Braydon’s mouth after a few minutes and it cracked halfway through. His face contorted into a painful expression as he clenched his hands. His heartrate began to increase once more despite slowing down while Zack had explained the situation. Zack waved his hands around frantically as he tried to calm Braydon down once more.

 

“It’s to try to fix the problem! That means they think there is hope, right?” He made his way to his brother’s bed and placed a hand on his trembling shoulder before continuing, “Look, there isn’t anything you can do right now, so just focus on getting better yourself. Stressing yourself out isn’t going to help anyone. Not you nor Ryan. Now, I’m going to go, okay?” He gave his best smile and his brother let out a sigh before relaxing his body.

 

Braydon’s head turned away and he nodded slightly, “Okay, sure go have your date. I’ll be here. Worrying. Blind.” His voice was bitter, but Zack couldn’t fault him for it. In fact, he didn’t even bother denying that it was a date. His brother wouldn’t listen to him anyways. So, he just patted his twin’s shoulder a few times before making his way out the door while checking his phone. Seeing that he had a text, he checked it before replying. [Be there in a sec.]

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Camilla ended up spending a few hours with Zack in the local cafe, for a while able to forget the worries about her brother being paralyzed for who knows how long. Being with the man was just so easy... He made her relax like no one else could and she loved that.

 

Ryan, in the meanwhile, anxiously waited for his surgery. The time for it came quicker than he'd hoped it to. An intern prepared him for it, obviously nervous himself. He guessed it was one of the first tries and made sure to act as calm and supportive, even, as he could. It seemed like the young man appreciated it. Soon, he was moved out of the room and into surgery... He would have been lying if he said he wasn't absolutely terrified. As he was put to sleep, Ryan managed to catch the hope of being able to see Brayden at least once more before he died... So he certainly hoped he wouldn't die now.

 

---

Waking up was harder than ever. The first sign of being awake from him was a soft, quiet groan from the back of his throat. With that alone, he could hear a loud gasp, then a hiccup. He managed to open his eyes about halfway through, the first thing he saw being his sister, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Ryan..." She muttered shakily, a new wave of tears running down her cheeks. "Why..." Ryan tried to speak, but his voice was so weak, it was weird. "Shh, Ryan, don't speak yet... You've been asleep for... For three days, we thought... Thought you wouldn't wake up..." The woman explained while trying to control her tears.

 

Three days... Ryan looked up at the ceiling, barely able to move his body at all. Was that the reason he felt so goddamn heavy? Like he was on a cloud, even though some parts seriously hurt. His head, his arm, his leg... His leg. Eyes widening, the ginger attempted to lift himself up, nearly crying out in pain as he fell back down, his sister rushing to calm him down. He could feel his leg. Eyes still wide, he stared at his legs, still hidden by the bed sheet. He could feel his legs.