"I was worried scaring you up here would be dangerous." Shane can distantly hear himself saying. Adrenaline is pumping through his entire body and the rush of blood in his ears is deafaning.
Beneath his hand he can feel the racing of Ryan's own rabbit heart and his ragged, shallow breaths as he struggles to reign in his panic. It had been such a stupid, spur of the moment idea. A funny haha, he'd thought, something that would entertain the audience in the edit. Notoroius skeptic and resident (alleged) demon Shane Madej gives his ghost hunting counterpart a friendly scare atop America's most haunted lighthouse. Ryan shrieks, they laugh about it, at home the audience cheers.
There was a distant thought nagging at the back of his mind as he stealthily approached Ryan leaning over the banister, gearing up for his little prank. A tinny niggling sentiment, like a speck of dust on the edge of one's glasses, just noticeable enough, but still easily ignored. It was only after he'd already set his plan into motion that the thought suddenly appeared to him with full clarity: Ryan was leaning over the banister.
Later, Shane wouldn't be able to give an accurate account of what had happened with any semblence of chronological succession.
Even now, his back plastered to the lighthouse wall so firmly you'd think he was trying to meld into the very foundation of the structure, with a trembling, hyperventilating Ryan held tightly to his chest, he struggles to piece toghether the events of merely moments ago.
Ryan's cry of "Jesus fuck!" is still ringing in his ears. In his mind's eye Shane can see Ryan's startled expression as he had turned absuptly to face the sound which had taken him completely by surprise. And imediatelly after, Ryan's look of horror as his grip slipped from the banister and he realised he was losing his balance, was moments away from plummeting to his death.
It was as if everything happened all at once then, simultaneously in the blink of an eye, yet, paradoxically, agonizingly slowly. Whatever Shane had been holding (360 cam, his memory dutifully suplies) was summarily discarded, his arms reaching out deperately towards Ryan. He'd caught him by the wrist, or maybe the forearm, Shane can't be sure, and yanked back, while his other arm snaked itself around Ryan's middle pulling the smaller man flush to his chest and locking him there with a vice grip.
He must have backed them up into the wall in his panic because his back was currently flush to said wall, both arms hugged tightly around Ryan's chest and middle, his right hand splayed out just above Ryan's heart. His beating heart. Alive. Warm. Solid. In his arms. Trembling from the adrenaline and the shock of the scare, but alive. So warm, solid and alive. Alive.
Ryan is panting still struggling to regain his calm. Shane takes half a shuddering breath, feeling his chest move flush with Ryan's back as they both just stand there in the hot, humid night air, not speaking, just breathing.
Shane is sure the look of sheer terror in Ryan's eyes is forever imprinted onto his retinas now; for as long as he lives he will see it every time he closes his eyes. The moment Ryan almost...when he almost....because of him, Ryan almost......
"I was worried scaring you up here would be dangerous."Shane whispers, in lieu of lingering on the horrible thought. Maybe it's these few barely whispered words, or Shane's full body shudder as soon as the words are out of his mouth, that pull Ryan's consciousness back to the present. Shane can feel him shift minutely in his hold as Ryan whispers back:
"Yeah, and yet you still did it while I was leaning..." Surprisingly the words have no bite to them and it kills Shane a little. He tightens his arms around Ryan and feels him chuckle quietly.
"I think you can let me go now, big guy, I think I'm okay."
Ryan's heart is no longer trying to escape its rightful confines, but it's still not quite back to normal pace. Shane doesn't move his hand away from where it's splayed on Ryan's chest.
"No." Shane answers simply. Ryan feels moreso than hears Shane's soft reply, barely a breath of a whisper spoken from somewhere above him. There is a gentle breeze playing through his hair, and Ryan likes to think it's Shane's whispered "No", as he pulls Ryan closer to his chest and shivers slightly. Behind him Ryan can feel Shane's chest rising and falling minutely as the taller man tries to calm down from the adrenaline rush.
"Hey, big guy, it's okay, we're okay. I was just spooked there for a second, but I'm fine now, you can let go, I'm not going to fall."
At the mention of falling Shane tries to back them even further into the wall. Ryan slowly turns in Shane's arms. Shane allows it, but doesn't release his hold, left arm firmly around Ryan's waist, while his right comes up between his shoulder blades, large hand coming up to cup the nape of Ryan's neck protectively. Shane is distantly aware that this is perhaps not very no-homo of him, but he finds he couldn't care less at this particular time. Not when Ryan is looking up at him with those big, beautiful eyes of his, warm hands gently coming up to cup Shane's face and hold him steady, as if trying to appease a scared animal.
"Shane, I'm okay." Ryan's voice is soft as a whisper and Shane is entirely too high on the terror of having nearly lost Ryan to rationally think through his next action. It's not clear when he leans down to close the distance between their lips, but to his delight he finds Ryan has met him halfway and the soft kiss makes his heart sing. It's chaste and innocent and yet the tenderness of it almost makes Shane cry. He resolves to just hug Ryan closer instead, kissing him until they are both breathless, their hearts once again racing, only this time with adoration and glee, rather than terror.
It's a long time before they descend the lighthouse steps, looking rumpled and slightly flushed. If the crew notices anything amiss, they are polite enough to not mention it.