Damage
Author: Goldencompass
Rating: PG
Summary: A Cohen family dinner. (Fairly short)
Feedback: Please!
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Author's notes: Please forgive any gross formatting. Fanfiction.net converts word documents and makes them look like hell.
Idiotidiotidiotidiot. Fuck. Ryan thought. Way to go back there; way to act like a jerk.
His hand was throbbing of course, and for a few moments the pain distracted him from berating himself. He cradled his arm in front of him, so he wouldn't drip blood on the patio stones.
He tried to take some long deep breaths. He was so not doing this. He was not a kid, and there was no need to act like one. Quietly behind him, Sandy left the kitchen and watched him approach the pool house. When he got inside, he headed for the washroom and the rubbing alcohol contained therein. Bleeding hand over the sink, Ryan grabbed the bottle and twisted the cap off with his teeth. He must have poured half the bottle over his wounds while Sandy watched from the doorway.
Sandy waited a few minutes unsure of when to approach him. Ryan struggled to put a bandage on his cuts, but the attempt to do so was getting the better of him, and Sandy heard a cry of frustration. He jumped out of the path of the garbage can as it went flying out of the bathroom.
"Here, let me help you. But only if you promise not to send any more garbage cans my way."
Ryan looked up and quickly scrubbed at his eyes, blushing. "It's the rubbing alcohol. It stings. Makes your eyes water." He said, with the voice of a man and the posture of a boy.
Sandy said nothing, nodding along at the pretence, and stood before Ryan while slowly applying the band-aids. Ryan sat so still that it was like applying bandages to a rock.
"You in there?" Sandy asked quietly, with a friendly smile. "This is so embarrassing." "Its just band-aids. Anyone would have a problem trying to do this with one hand." "Not the band-aids. What happened. In the house."
As they moved out of the bathroom and sat in Ryan's bedroom, Sandy steeled himself and asked "Do you want to tell me what you were so afraid of in there?" Silence. "Or who?"
Ryan slid a glance at Sandy out of the corner of his eye. "This is so stupid. Besides, if you already know, why do I have to talk about it?"
"You don't have to. But you do have to listen for a minute. Ryan, all people fight. Grown ups, kids, teenagers. You've fought with Seth, with Marissa. And did anything terrible happen? Did anyone get hurt?"
Ryan just looked at him, shaking his head almost imperceptibly.
"Well then, you know that not every argument, even when people are really angry, leads to someone getting hit or beaten up."
Ryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath once the words hit the air, but he nodded, again, almost imperceptibly.
"I would never hurt Kirsten or Seth. Never have never will." Deep breath. "And I wouldn't hurt you either Ryan. I'm not the perfect husband or parent, I am more than aware of that, but I am not like the other men you've known ok?"
Eye contact was just about the only response he could give. He didn't trust himself to speak at the moment, and his body seemed frozen. Sandy got up and made his way towards the door.
"Now, there's no way you're staying out here alone. Seth's got this anime thing he wants us to watch, and if I have to watch it you do too. Let's go."
He patted Ryan's shoulder, glanced down at his bandaged hand briefly and the met his eyes. "You'll heal up just fine."
"I hope so." Ryan said quietly.
Fin.
Author's notes: Please forgive any gross formatting. Fanfiction.net converts word documents and makes them look like hell.
Idiotidiotidiotidiot. Fuck. Ryan thought. Way to go back there; way to act like a jerk.
His hand was throbbing of course, and for a few moments the pain distracted him from berating himself. He cradled his arm in front of him, so he wouldn't drip blood on the patio stones.
He tried to take some long deep breaths. He was so not doing this. He was not a kid, and there was no need to act like one. Quietly behind him, Sandy left the kitchen and watched him approach the pool house. When he got inside, he headed for the washroom and the rubbing alcohol contained therein. Bleeding hand over the sink, Ryan grabbed the bottle and twisted the cap off with his teeth. He must have poured half the bottle over his wounds while Sandy watched from the doorway.
Sandy waited a few minutes unsure of when to approach him. Ryan struggled to put a bandage on his cuts, but the attempt to do so was getting the better of him, and Sandy heard a cry of frustration. He jumped out of the path of the garbage can as it went flying out of the bathroom.
"Here, let me help you. But only if you promise not to send any more garbage cans my way."
Ryan looked up and quickly scrubbed at his eyes, blushing. "It's the rubbing alcohol. It stings. Makes your eyes water." He said, with the voice of a man and the posture of a boy.
Sandy said nothing, nodding along at the pretence, and stood before Ryan while slowly applying the band-aids. Ryan sat so still that it was like applying bandages to a rock.
"You in there?" Sandy asked quietly, with a friendly smile. "This is so embarrassing." "Its just band-aids. Anyone would have a problem trying to do this with one hand." "Not the band-aids. What happened. In the house."
As they moved out of the bathroom and sat in Ryan's bedroom, Sandy steeled himself and asked "Do you want to tell me what you were so afraid of in there?" Silence. "Or who?"
Ryan slid a glance at Sandy out of the corner of his eye. "This is so stupid. Besides, if you already know, why do I have to talk about it?"
"You don't have to. But you do have to listen for a minute. Ryan, all people fight. Grown ups, kids, teenagers. You've fought with Seth, with Marissa. And did anything terrible happen? Did anyone get hurt?"
Ryan just looked at him, shaking his head almost imperceptibly.
"Well then, you know that not every argument, even when people are really angry, leads to someone getting hit or beaten up."
Ryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath once the words hit the air, but he nodded, again, almost imperceptibly.
"I would never hurt Kirsten or Seth. Never have never will." Deep breath. "And I wouldn't hurt you either Ryan. I'm not the perfect husband or parent, I am more than aware of that, but I am not like the other men you've known ok?"
Eye contact was just about the only response he could give. He didn't trust himself to speak at the moment, and his body seemed frozen. Sandy got up and made his way towards the door.
"Now, there's no way you're staying out here alone. Seth's got this anime thing he wants us to watch, and if I have to watch it you do too. Let's go."
He patted Ryan's shoulder, glanced down at his bandaged hand briefly and the met his eyes. "You'll heal up just fine."
"I hope so." Ryan said quietly.
Fin.