#sy01

“Dear, we don’t have to go all the way up there… I can see the sunrise perfectly fine from the ground.” It was Shane’s turn to shake his head. He wanted to give her the best view, she deserved the best view. “Look at you, you’re paler than porcelain and we barely moved two inches.”

“I’m al- (wheeze) always… p-pale…” He wasn’t about to give up, he kept on pushing as his mother gave a loud sigh. Shane could feel the end of his strength nearing, as well as the onset of what might be an extremely painful cramp. Never mind that, he’s giving up. Shane relaxed his stance and used his remaining strength to hold up the wheelchair, in case it started rolling back. “You’re… right, I can’t… do… oh. I think o-one of my… lungs just co-collapsed.”

The elder lady laughed quietly. “Maybe we should go back down to the flat land? Resting on a slope is… dangerous.” Shane held up a finger while he attempted to catch his breath, it was hard to tell what he was thinking but he did nod in agreement.

It was late fall, early morning, and Ryan was out on one of his runs. He had been falling behind on his routine recently due to work commitments, so he decided to shift his evening runs to the morning. The park was quiet and deserted for the most part. The sun wasn’t even up yet, and Ryan was glad to have some peace and quiet.

In the distance, Ryan spots a hilariously lanky man attempting to push a wheelchair up a hill. He smiled to himself, the sight reminded him of his brother, Jake. As he jogged closer, Ryan could tell that the said man was lacking the strength to overcome the steepness of the hill but the man wasn’t giving up. Ryan admired the perseverance.

That being said, it was probably a good idea to offer a helping hand. When he got close, the pair had already began their descent, but the man noticed Ryan’s approach and stopped in his tracks. His hair was disheveled and his droopy eyes were wide, the sweat glistened on his skin said a great deal about his physical state. Also, he’s kinda cute, Ryan thinks.

“Hey! I was just jogging by and uh… just thought maybe you would like some help getting up the hill…?” Ryan gave his most sincere smile and hoped he didn’t come off as too creepy. The man frowned but the lady in the wheelchair looked up at him interestedly.

“I- I think that would hardly be necessary. We were just about to leave.” The frown grew even more unhappy, and was it bad that Ryan found that hot?

“Nonsense, Shane. Let the man help if he wants to,” the lady suddenly piped up. She smiled warmly at Ryan, and the man who’s apparently named ‘Shane’ grunted and shrugged uncommittedly. Ryan wasn’t sure if he had accidentally offended him. “Let’s go, uh… sorry dear, what’s your name?”

“Ryan. Here, let’s just-” Ryan confidently took reins of the wheelchair and Shane just let him. He steadied himself, the act reminiscent of that years ago when he first attempted to push Jake up a hill. “Alright, on the count of three…”

The woman excitedly counted as Shane shook his head. Before they knew it, they were beginning their ascent to the hilltop. “Look. Ryan has achieved more in five seconds than you have all morning!” she teased good-naturedly. Shane was very clearly not enjoying the moment. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

“Mom…” …so this was his mother. Ryan felt laughter escape his lips, the whole setup was making him feel warm and fuzzy feelings. It was something he hadn’t felt in a long while. Ryan silently wondered if he should share the story about his brother. While his mind was still pondering, his mouth had jumped the gun and had already begun telling it.

“I used to push my brother around town. Then his uh… growth outpaced my strength training.” Ryan chuckled at the memory. Shane raised an eyebrow, seemingly interested in how that came to be. “He never could walk, could barely crawl as a baby… it’s been that way since birth.”

“I’ve been working out and I’m getting close to being able to push him up slopes again, not that he lets me anymore.” Ryan stopped for a moment to refresh his breath but sensing the impending question he quickly continues. “He always insists he is ‘independent enough’. I don’t care, I just want to do it ‘cause it’s fun.”

“Oh…” Shane took the words in slowly, seemingly lost for anything to say. Ryan looked over at him and at the same time, Shane turned his head over. The two found themselves locked in some sort of staring contest. And unless Ryan was mistaken, Shane’s eyes were filled with a look of admiration.

“I took a nasty fall three months ago,” Mrs. Madej interjected, unaware that she broke the trance. “Had a surgery but as you can see…” she gestured to her state. “It doesn’t hurt anymore though, so that’s good.” Shane laughed and shook his head in disbelief. Before they knew it, the three were exchanging stories like old friends catching up.

It was late fall, early morning, and Shane and Ryan were having a good time just conversing. Mrs. Madej seemed to be enjoying herself too. The park was quiet and deserted for the most part but the two men wouldn’t even have noticed. They were too caught up in each other.

By the time they reached the top of the hill, the sun was already blazing bright in all its glory. They had missed the sunrise completely.

“Sorry you missed it,” Shane apologized sheepishly. Ryan chuckled to himself, it seemed like a bigger deal to Shane than his mother.

Mrs. Madej simply smiled, clearly amused. Her eyes darted back and forth between her son and Ryan, a knowing look on her face. “Oh, I didn’t miss anything important.”

…

“…and that’s how we met,” Ryan finishes. Their friends have crowded around him and Shane as they told their story. A collective ‘aw’ breaks out.

“It’s true! I was there!” a voice shouts out. Ryan scans the room to find the source, and his eyes land on Mrs. Madej who is comfortably sat on the loveseat at the end of the room with her husband, who is shaking from laughter. She and Ryan exchange a look and a nod, something of a secret handshake between them. He is so glad that she was there to witness all that, he already had her approval before he and Shane even started dating.

Speaking of Shane, he disappeared at some point during the storytelling. Ryan isn’t sure when but it must’ve been not long after Ryan started telling his side of it. He slowly looks around the room, searching for his boyfriend to no avail.

“Everybody! I have something to say!” There he is, in the middle of the living room, clinking a spoon against his mug. How Ryan managed to lose track of his six-and-a-third-feet tall robo-squatch boyfriend is beyond him. “First of all, I would like to thank all of you for coming to our…” Shane started counting with his fingers. “Christmas Eve… Eve… Eve… party, and as some of you-” he points at his parents “-may know it’s also Ryan and I’s third anniversary.”

Shane suddenly stops and looks over at Ryan, gesturing for him to come over to stand beside him. Ryan obliges, mildly confused by all this but Shane doesn’t seem to notice at all, he continues. “I would also like to thank all of you for participating in my little distraction, while I look for something.” Okay, now Ryan is even more confused. Shane nervously clears his throat. “Ryan Bergara. I prepared a really long speech for this, but I… may or may not have misplaced it.”

“It was ghosts!” Shane’s mom shouts from the back, her hands up by her mouth to form a makeshift megaphone. “They took it!”

“Thank you, mother…” Shane replies deadpan, clearly not amused by that joke. He recomposes himself with a more excited face. “As I was saying… I had a speech, couldn’t find it but I did find-” Shane fishes out a little black box he had in his pocket “-this!”

The confusion throughout the room increases tenfold, Ryan tilts his head to the side and furrows his brows as Shane slowly lowers himself on to one knee and… oh. This is happening.

“Ryan. The last three years of my life were just plain magical, and the reason… is you, being here by my side. And I hope that they were just as perfect for you as they were for me because… if you don’t mind, I would like to spend the rest of my life… with you.”

Shane opens the box up to reveal a ring inside. It is a simple gold band with the words ‘My Sunshine’ inscribed on it.

“Ryan Steven Bergara… Will you marry me?”

The room is completely silent, the collective held breaths is almost palpable. Ryan already knew what his answer is but he doesn’t trust his voice not to fail him, so he just nods, spilling tears as he does so. The smile on Shane’s face grows so wide it threatens to tear his face apart. The crowd erupts into loud cheers.

With shaky hands, Shane slides the ring onto Ryan’s hand. He looks up to see his now-fiancé and there are also happy tears streaming down his face. The two men stop for a moment locked in a gaze, just soaking in all the emotions that surround them.

“Oh, get over here!” Ryan can’t take it anymore, he pulls Shane up into his arms and press a kiss onto his lips. It only lasts a few seconds before Shane starts cracking up. “What?”

“This is uncomfortable.” Shane looks down at his current position, and Ryan’s eyes follow. He is half-slouched, legs half-bent and his front leg is wedged between Ryan’s. The angle is bad and his ankle looks on the verge of snapping. Ryan can’t help but laugh too. “But it’s okay, I still love you, Ryan.”