i got a little fight

Rory had only just realised that he reverted back to jabbering a little but he couldn’t help but smile as he realised that Ryan had been able to understand him unlike a number of people that he knew back in the Enchanted Forest. It just showed that his friend knew him better than most people did.

That laugh just brightened his smile, he never realised just how much he missed Ryan when he wasn’t around. When living in his clan, he was always surrounded by his men and then he had Merida and Freya when he went to DunBroch; but it was always Ryan that he missed the most when he’d been separated with him for longer than two weeks.

“Ya could join me as a ranger?” He offered, it was only him that worked in the forest anyway, so he could use some help.

Of course Ryan could understand Rory; he’d been friends with the man long enough and liked him enough to learn how to pay attention, how to translate Rory-speak into common parlance. It was just second nature now, no effort required; if that wasn’t evidence of love, then he didn’t know what was. Not that he loved Rory. No, he just... Liked him. A lot. Yeah.

“I won’t be no use to you, Rory,” he insisted, biting his lip. Pride was a major downfall for Ryan and everyone knew it. “I injured my leg in this curse somehow. Don’t know if it’s magic, don’t know if I actually did it. But I can do little and frequent, but nothing long or heavy. Don’t see how I can be any use to you out there.”

Rory scrunched his nose at the cursing. He wasn’t a stranger to cursing when he was angry or upset in the cursed life, but during his life in the Enchanted Forest he was more calmer and less likely to allow his temper influence the words that he spoke.

He remembered Ryan had a penchant for allowing his anger to overrule him and his words so he was used to it to a degree. He just hoped that Freya never picked up his best friends cursing.

Ryan was a garbage man within this life? Rory shuddered at the thought because Ryan deserved a lot more than he was given within this life, he was a man with confidence and with a heart of gold; not someone who deserved to be looked down on and ignored for his whole life. “Well at least ya dinae have ta do tha now do ya?”

Ryan had... He’d tried to maintain composure around Rory’s delightful daughter, Freya, but he had to admit that it was likely he’d slipped once or twice during one of his outbursts. She was a young woman with a fiery spirit like her mother; he was more than certain the girl had learned enough unbecoming language on her own. 

The dark-haired man laughed at his friend’s comment, shrugging in agreement. “Suppose not, aye,” he agreed, glancing around them for a moment. “But what does one do in a land with no magic and no skills, save for hunting?” he asked. Even worse, he knew he couldn’t even do that properly; with his injury, running was next to impossible for him and tracking was a no go. He felt useless.

It was both a pleasure and a shock to see Ryan more or less hurrying to see him and then pulling him into a hug.

Rory couldn’t remember ever seeing Ryan within the memories of his cursed life, although he did spend half his time within the forest while the other half of his time was either at Granny’s for food or in his apartment sleeping. He had hoped his best friend was safe back in their home, keeping the clans in line but from what he could tell; the only ones left too look after their home was Merida and Wee Dingwall.

“Been in the forest most of the time here” He explained as he held onto his friend for a little longer than he probably should have; ever since he realised that his love for Merida was familial, he had come to realise that his closeness to Ryan wasn’t just friendship but something more but he was once again destined to live without the one he loved once more; until now maybe? “I’d hoped you’d escaped it also, have you seen anyone else around here? Freya is here but I’m not sure about Merida or Wee Dingwall”

Ryan had the worst hours to keep, meaning he barely saw anyone the entire time he was cursed, except his few work colleagues, other men similarly screwed over by magic darker than any they’d faced before. To put a man so used to being in the spotlight out of the way, unknown, unloved and unable to do what he’d been so good at before... It was difficult for Ryan to understand it or comprehend as it was.

The other man wasn’t exactly pulling away so Ryan let the hug last longer than he would have usually. It was truly worth it. “The forest, sounds fucking delightful,” he grumbled good-naturedly. Oh, Rory would have loved that. The idiot loved the outdoors, he was in his element. “No, I ain’t seen no one. Between all the garbage I was picking up and waking up, weren’t no time for finding out who’s here.”

The life he had been given wasn’t one that he could really complain about, Ruaridh was a park ranger, he looked after nature like he once did back in his own little home but he was also alone; separated from the woman who was his best friend and the mother of his child, he was separated from his daughter. But worst of all, he was separated from the man that was his closest friend but also his biggest crush since after he realised he loved Merida as family rather than as a lover.

Walking through the streets was a new adventure every day after the curse broke and today wasn’t an exception as he hears a voice he hadn’t heard properly in so long.

Stopping to face his best friend, a bright smile made its way to his face as he caught sight of the heir to the Macintosh clan.

“Ryan!”

Ryan couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He’d never quite known what it was that Ruaridh did to him, but the man had a way of calming his temper like no other. The two were a good match as friends; he pushed Ruaridh to challenge himself, and the other man made a hothead consider his actions. Besides, he was easy on the eyes and Ryan... Well, they weren’t where they had to hide it any longer, if indeed the other man felt the same way.

“I haven’t seen you, I haven’t... I thought perhaps you’d escaped it,” he responded, walking as quickly as he could to greet the other man and pull him into a one armed hug.

A garbage man. Ryan was beyond furious that he’d been clearing up rubbish, not living up to his full potential for the last twenty eight years. If he ever got his hands on the Evil Queen, there would be no Queen left at the end of it. He was an heir, a prince in his own right, a strong and powerful man who could have been great, and here he’d been wasting away, not living up to his full potential. He ignored the slight limp in his walk - he didn’t know if it was something the curse had forced on him or if it was mental, a remnant from the memories - but he’d quit his job, burned the uniform he’d worn for the last few years, and now he was determined to get back home. His anger only cooled because he caught a glimpse of a man he hadn’t known if he’d ever see again, one who had always had such an affect on him.