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history-of-triangles · 9 years ago

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Slithery Bastards

Characters: Geoff Ramsey, Ryan Haywood

Summary: GTA AU: In which Geoff, the most wanted man in Los Santos, is definitely, categorically, absolutely, 100%, never-ever afraid of snakes. In which Ryan is also a filthy liar about this.

Geoff Ramsey categorically did not like snakes. This was not up for discussion. Yes, he did know that they were not actually slimy and that they were 'more scared of him than he was of them', which by the way was completely factually incorrect. It didn't matter what anyone said, the slinky, slithery little bastards were not to be trusted.

End of Story.

This is why his reaction to finding a snake while hiding with Ryan was entirely justified. No he was not over reacting, far from it, in fact he was certainly under reacting. Frankly, he saved Ryan's life and the man could try and be a little bit more grateful about it. The thing had been huge, the length of a man at least with glinting eyes and fangs as long as Geoff's finger. If he hadn't screamed to alert Ryan, well, he doesn't want to think about it, one more moment and he could have... lost an arm...

Ryan, of course, liked to lie about such matters and pretend that everything had been Geoff's fault and that - 'Geoff, it was a Garter snake, it was tiny! They're harmless'

When retelling this line of the story Geoff liked to put on the high pitched, know-it-all voice he reserved specially for Ryan and watch the man glower at him from across the room. None the less the man may have a point that it may have been ever so slightly smaller than Geoff first described, but still a distinct threat to their lives. But anyway...

It had been a hot, hot day in Los Santos, the kind of hot that hangs in the air even as it gets dark, and Ryan and Geoff were running. In the evening heat this was particularly unpleasant and Ryan had even briefly removed his mask to pant loudly, hunched over like a tired dog.

When telling Michael about this Geoff had made sure to demonstrate it by lolling his tongue out of his mouth and breathing heavily very close to the man's disgusted face.

The two men had ended up at an old warehouse on the edge of the city, disused for years and now only inhabited by mice and the occasional druggie teenagers who wanted somewhere to shoot up. Geoff liked this particular hideout spot a lot, it wasn't too far away, easy to defend and most people ignored it, assuming it was still in use or was some guarded private property. He felt, as he often did, pretty darn smug about his choice. Oh course Ryan was once again blaming him for this need to hide out, which may, Geoff would concede, have a grain of truth to it, but little more than that.

'Really? Double crossing him? Really?'

'What?!?'

Over the years the crew had got pretty good at reading Ryan's mood under the mask and so it wasn't hard for Geoff to picture the raised eyebrows and slightly indignant pout that Ryan was definitely sporting under the Latex...Rubber? Whatever the hell that creepy ass mask was made of.

'Ryan that man was a dick, he was gonna get double crossed and I wanted it to be by us'

This had only been met by a sigh and a retreat into the building which Geoff had taken as a victory of logic on his part.

It was about 3 minutes later that the gang caught up to them, Geoff scoffing at this, offended that the other mob boss had sent such a lazy group out after the most feared men in Los Santos. Geoff's confidence had rubbed off on Ryan and they both sat, shoulder to shoulder leaning against the wall. Merely moments had passed since they heard the rumble of the gangs cars when Geoff, eyes scanning the opposite wall in boredom, had seen the monster.

'It was something out of a horror film!'

He later explained to the crew

'An actual basilisk guys'

Ryan had shaken his head behind Geoff's shoulder as the Crew smirked at him, unknowing of the danger that Geoff, the hero of this story, had put himself into for his friends sake.

'OH MY GOD!!! HOLY SHIT HELP RYAN...OH GOD...HELP'

He had leaned in close to Jack as he explained to her that his voice had certainly not cracked, despite whatever lies Ryan was spreading and she had nodded passively and continued watching Real Housewives of Atlanta.

The scream had scared the normally collected Ryan and he'd jumped about a foot in the air and squealed loudly. The squealing was in fact a blatant untruth Geoff was happy to spread, a man's gotta keep his reputation after all and it wasn't like Ryan hadn't been scared... Ryan had stared at him. Then slowly rotated his head to the snake. Then back at him. For some reason the man didn't react like a normal person and try and run away, no, the bastard started laughing. Hysterically in fact. Between broken gasps for air Ryan had tried to placate the man with nonsense about the monster being 'harmless' and 'tiny'. Admittedly this hadn't concerned Geoff too much as at this point he had been kicking the dust around the snake and screaming at it.

'GO AWAY...GO...GO AWAY...GO AWAY.'

This tactic, Geoff was proud to explain, had been very effective in saving their lives, something he told Lindsey as she tried to edge away from yet another Geoff saved the day story.

Geoff would later admit to Gavin, in strictest confidence of course, that Ryan's next move may have been... correct would be too strong a word, but understandable. Geoff saving their lives may have attracted the attention of the gang and in his own words -

' I wasn't listening to him, he just did what he thought was best, bit rough though, I mean I was scared...I mean panicked, of course I was gonna hit him back'.

What had actually happened was Ryan, hearing men running towards them, had grabbed a thrashing Geoff and tried to pin him to the ground, clamping a hand over his mouth to muffle the high pitched screams. This, perceived by Geoff as an assault upon his person and brought about a retaliation, namely elbowing Ryan in the face. From that moment on it had been a chaotic blur of hands and slaps and what felt like a fight to the death.

In reality, three men hired by a drug dealer to deal with Geoff Ramsey, leader of the Fake Ah Crew, and the Vagabond, had opened the door to a frankly bizarre sight. Framed by the moonlight was a dusty, skull masked figure straddling the most wanted man in the state, if not the country, trying to wrestle his arms down as Ramsey cursed him and slapped up at his face, pulling his hair under the mask.

'Um...'

A beefy, dark haired gang member had spoken softly, bemused and a little scared and slowly the two men had looked up.

'I told you so'

Geoff had repeated sarcastically from his lowly position under Ryan, feeling that perhaps the response wasn't up to his normal standard of comebacks, but still worth saying.

They had killed a fair few men that night. The three who had seen the most feared men in Los Santos rough housing and whimpering, or as Geoff called it - 'manly talking' obviously had to be killed. But then they'd killed the other five guys anyway, just to make it even and over the bodies friendships had been rekindled.

That was until two days later when Michael had hissed at Geoff in a corridor and he had discovered that Ryan, his supposed friend, had been spreading filthy rumors about Geoff being scared of snakes and screaming 'like a baby'. Well he'd had to set the record straight, confronting the crew individually to explain the reality.

'Gav, you wouldn't believe it, you would have shit yourself if you'd been there, it was like a 7 foot long python!'

Gavin had watched him with wide eyes, food unfinished as he listened.

'It was barely a foot long...'

Ryan hadn't even looked up from his book to deliver this blow to Geoff's story. Gavin had sniggered.

'You're barely a foot long..'

Geoff had replied and sulked his way out of the room, muttering darkly about conveniently placed sticky bombs.

#geoff #ahfic #rt fics #gta au #ryanthepowerbottomguy #ryan

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nightmmares · 10 years ago

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Hello everyone! I've organized a Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter and RVB Fall Fic Exchange because there is a lack of fanfiction in these areas. If you are interested, the sign-ups will open in thirty seven minutes! I really hope people enjoy their fics and participating!

Signs ups will close on August 27th, 2014 and you will have until October 1st to submit your fic!

#rvbfic #rtfic #rvb #red vs blue #ahfic #ah fic

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ribombeee96 · 11 years ago

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New Year Odds

Pairing: Ray/Fem!Reader (along with other RT/AH people)

Summary: It's New Years Eve & everyone is excited for what 2015 will bring to Roosterteeth, except for you. When your best friend mentions something about this girl he's going to kiss at midnight, it seems like the odds aren't in your favor at all, it was supposed to be the night where he would finally say he felt the same way you do, but obviously not. This'll be one of the worst nights ever.

Rating: PG-13 (swearing & fluffy fluff fluff)

A/N: I know how to write things about Ray but tryna do a fic is hard especially making it a reader one too omfg, I'm sorry if it's no good but ye, my first RT/AH fic, happy new year!~

You woke up at the crack of dawn, fluttering your eyes open as you hear your alarm blaring through your phone. You barely manage to find it on the bedside table, but when you do, you turn it off right away and manage to open your eyes enough to focus on the time. "8:15..I suppose I should get up.." you place your phone back on the table & turn over to see him lying next to you, sound asleep. "Hey, hey Ray, wake up..we need to get ready for work." you said through a tired tone of voice, Ray turned over to look at you "Already? You're kidding, right?" you sighed as you sat up, "Afraid not, come on, get up." you pulled the quilt off yourself & got up, walked over to the connecting room which had your's and Ray's clothes in, kind of like a closet. You picked out a t-shirt & a pair of shorts, & headed into the bathroom closing the door behind you. You could hear Ray moving around in the bedroom, getting things ready for his day ahead. "Hey (Y/N)? What day is it today?" "It's Friday" "Minecraft day today" you giggled to yourself as you were putting your shorts on, he always got excited on Friday's, just because of making a Minecraft Let's Play. Then again, so did you. "Hey Ray, you know it's 8 months today since I joined Achievement Hunter?" you heard Ray gasp in shock, "What the fuck? SERIOUSLY?" "Haha! Yeah, remember? I joined on the 31st of April?" you finished getting ready and went into the living room, which is where Ray was at this point. "Oh shit yeah, today's New Years Eve too. Jesus I still remember you walking into the office with Geoff, you were shaking like a leaf!" you smiled at that thought, a flashback of that day.

You remember walking in to the office with your head down, your hands shaking like leafs, wondering how your 6 idols will take to you along with everyone else at Roosterteeth. Hoping they'll like you and welcome you with open arms. The first person you met was Geoff, because he was the one who met you out front of the RT studios, the next person you meet is Ryan, his eyes and smile catch you off guard, he looks even better in person. Next is Jack, his beard as beard-y as ever, but you still love it. Then there's Gavin, that idiot, but the lovable idiot. Next, Michael, he was the one who got you into AH in the first place, stumbling onto one of his Rage Quits which made you laugh uncontrollably. If it wasn't for him, you would never have gotten into Roosterteeth or Achievement Hunter at all, and not have been hired by them. Lastly was Ray, okay you love them all but really? Ray is your favorite. That charm he gave off and his laugh, not to mention having nice eyes that just seeing pictures of him made you weak. One by one they all introduced themselves, as you did once they finished. You remember Gavin asking where you lived, to which you replied that you didn't officially live anywhere yet, which confused everyone. "So are you staying in a hotel or..?" Michael asked. "Yeah, until I get enough money to get an apartment, it'll have to be a hotel for now." and then out of nowhere, Ray said, "I have room at my place, if you wanna stay with me until you get on your feet properly..or you could decline because I sound like a creep right now so I'm just gonna shut up." you gave off a little giggle and walked over to Ray, "I'd love that, thank you!"

"Has it really been 8 months since you moved here?" you smile at him as you pack your bag, "Yep, crazy huh?" Ray shrugs, "Yeah, really crazy. Hey listen, see tonight? Are you..going out with Barb and that?" he said that with a shuffle of his feet & a scratch of his head. "I think so, I'll have to double check. Whyyyy?" "Well...there's this girl I know..and I'm planning on kissing her at midnight, she's really cool, we've known each other for a while, and I really like her..so I was wondering how long you would be gone..?" you looked around you, you didn't want to show it, but you were hurt by him wanting you out and not spending the night with him, especially on New Years Eve. "I'll ask how long we'll be gone." "Thanks, can you let me know as soon as possible?" "Yeah. Come on, we'll be late." you let him out the door first, and you followed locking the door behind you. You were hurt and felt like crying, but you had to try and not let it spoil your day, or let it show. The day went by like every other day, full of laughs and shouts, along with you doing your usual slapping Gavin's arm because he was annoying you. The day went by and before you knew it, it was time to leave. "Bye guys! Have a good night!" everyone was saying their goodbyes, you were standing talking to Gavin when you heard Barbra shout on you, "(Y/N)! Are you still coming?" "Yeah! By the way, what time do you think we'll be leaving at?" Barb shrugged. "Why?" "Ray was asking, he said he's got a girl coming over so he wants to know if I'll be gone until before or after midnight." Barb gave Kara & JJ one of those looks, "Did he mention who it was that he was going to kiss?" you shook your head, "He didn't say who she was, just that he's known her for a while and she's cool." Barb looked around her and saw Ray, nodded at him and he walked over. "You ladies going out?" you all laughed as he meant JJ too, "Hey! I'm not a girl!" you gave off a little giggle as you watched everyone leaving one by one or in groups. "So Ray, who's the lucky lady that you're kissing at midnight?" you looked up at Ray who was blushing, and smiled. He was adorable when he blushed. "(Y/N)! You weren't supposed to say anything!" you laughed as you started walking away with Barbra, Kara & JJ following. "I'll probably be home after midnight, have a good one Ray..happy New Year." you gave him a smile like you've never gave before, and walked out into the crisp, cold fresh night air, with excitement in the atmosphere, 2015 was almost here and you couldn't believe it. Just like 2013, 2014 went very quickly, but 2014 saw you finally make your dream come true and begin working at Roosterteeth alongside Achievement Hunter, that one dream that felt impossible to reach actually came true. But there was still one dream you hadn't managed to fulfill. Kissing Ray at midnight on New Years Eve. The odds weren't in your favor tonight obviously, because he was in love with another girl, that wasn't you.

"Where exactly are we going?" you asked, unsure about tonight at all. "We're going into town! They're having a huge New Year's countdown in the town tonight, so we're going there and celebrating with the rest of Austin!" Kara said in her excited little way, you smiled. You actually felt excited too, somehow. "Fab, who else are we meeting there?" "Well, pretty much everyone at Roosterteeth is gonna be there. I think Ray is the only one who's not gonna be there.." you didn't say anything, you just kept walking. Ray not being there, it hurt you, and you think it hurts everyone else too, but you just need to make the most of tonight. With or without him.

The night went great, you were all having a great time, drinking, dancing & socializing. You were talking to Gavin when you both heard everyone shouting you both over. "What is it?" "They're getting ready to countdown!! Quick everyone grab someone to kiss!!" you stayed back as everyone found someone to kiss once midnight struck, Gavin had his girlfriend Meg, Michael & Lindsay, Geoff & Griffon, Miles & Arryn, basically all the couples. You found a spot to sit down as you watched the countdown, it quickly reached the final 10 seconds. "10...9...8..7.." you heard everyone counting down, but you were just sitting there alone, hoping and praying that Ray would appear and save you, tell you that he was wanting to kiss you at midnight, not another girl. "6..5...4.." you looked down to the end of the street, hoping to see him running towards you, but no one was there. "3..2..1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!" cheers were all you could hear as the snow started to fall around you, people hugging, kissing, smiling, laughing. Doing everything you weren't. You walked over to everyone and wished them a happy new year before leaving to head back to yours and Ray's apartment. As you were walking back, you looked into people's windows, seeing them celebrating the new year, it made you smile. You reached the apartment and got out your key, only to find the door was already open. You placed your hand on the door knob, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. "Hellooo? Ray, I'm back!" you shouted, you turned into the kitchen and bent down into the cupboard that had all the glasses in them, you heard Ray start talking. "How was your night?" "Yeah it was good, we all had a great time. How was your night?" you got up and turned around to him, only to see him wearing a tux and holding a bunch of roses in his hands. "Pretty shit to be honest." "Oh..you're date didn't show up?" he started walking towards you, smirking all the way. You lay your glass down on the counter as he was walking towards you. "Oh no, she did show up. It's just she didn't show up until after midnight." your stomach started doing somersaults, did he mean you? "And uh..who is that?" he handed you the roses, you smiled at him & smelt them. They smelled like heaven, felt like velvet. "See (Y/N), the thing that I realized a while ago, was that I wanted you to be the one girl I kiss at midnight on New Years Eve. No one else. I've had feelings for you for a while, and I felt this was the best way to show you." you felt his hands around your waist as he pulled you towards him, he put his head against yours, smiling. "I'm sorry it's after midnight, but I didn't want to stop you going out and having fun." "In all honesty Ray, I didn't have fun. Because the one person I love most wasn't there. I wish you were there Ray, we all missed you so much." you both turned to the window as you heard a song playing very loudly, a song you both haven't heard in a while. It was 'Odds Are' by Barenaked Ladies, the song that you and Ray both loved so much and met to back when you first joined Achievement Hunter. "Wow, I haven't heard this in forever." "Neither have I." Ray turned to you as you did to him, you both smiled as he leaned down to kiss you softly as you both heard the lyrics "Odds are we're gonna be alright tonight, odds are we're gonna be alright for another night."

#ray narvaez jr #rayxreader #ahfic #ray/reader #ray imagines

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mindfulwrath · 5 years ago

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More immortal Fake AH Crew? More immortal Fake AH Crew.

#ahfic #ragehappy #fahc #immortal fahc #fake ah crew #fanfic #for a given value of ''immortal'' lmao

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lunanovwrites · 6 years ago

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RayxReader

Word Count: 157

You opened the door to Ray’s bedroom, finding him sprawled across the top of his comforter, sound asleep. It was noon, the day after a late stream, and you felt bad having to wake him.

“Ray, hon, you’ve gotta get up.” You sat beside him in the bed, gently shaking him until he groaned and turned onto his back.

“Do I have to? Why don’t we just stay in bed all day?” He leaned up and pulled you into him, dragging you down to lay next to him in bed. Ray kissed your forehead, your nose, your cheek, and finally your lips, leaving you with that warm fuzzy feeling that only he gave you.

“I guess I can tell Lindsay I’m sick... I’m sure she and Michael will understand if we have to reschedule.” You reached for your phone, shooting your friend a quick message before you settled in for a long afternoon of cuddling and relaxing.

#ray #neutral reader #established relationship #fluff #AHfic

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ahficproject-blog · 8 years ago

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Sunday word :)

#ahfic #ahficdanish

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history-of-triangles · 9 years ago

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The lonely earth

Pairings: AHOT8 - Ryan, Gavin, Meg, Jack, Ray, Geoff, Lindsey, Michael

Summary : Ryan’s only ever known the forest, its his home, his life, his love. But his life is a lonely one until the forest returns his love with its very soul and the promise of companionship

His earliest memories are of forests, dirt tracks, rivers and stretches of field. The wooden cabin of his childhood was built from the timber of the trees his father had watched over, the wood encasing them, protecting them from the elements he so adored. He knows nothing but this forest and the surrounding meadows, an untouched expanse of wilderness seldom seen these days.

His parents have moved on long ago, seeking the suburbs, the bustle of people in a way he never understood. Ryan can only guess at the entrapment they had claimed to feel as their laughing, loving voices turned silent and frosty and they headed for new people to love and cherish. It’s not about resenting them, his parents had been good and kind and had taught him to respect and cherish the forest they knew ‘like the back of their hand’ as they always said.

Deep down he suspects this is why they had left, the back of your hand seems distant and impersonal to Ryan, he knows the forest like he knows the beating of his heart.

He is 28 years old, a lone wolf the people in the nearest village like to say when they see the tall, stoic stranger pass through 3 or 4 times a year, smiling politely and using the manners his mama had taught him. Truth be told he rarely needs much from the town, perhaps some new, hardier clothes or he wants to stock up on the food he can’t grow or catch, the sugar, spices, the chocolate he allows his sweet tooth. Really the quiet man ventures in for a moment of company, a second of conversation with another human being, a smile, a laugh, the things he can never get from his faithful hound Edgar, however much the dog may love him.

This contact is always fleeting though and Ryan soon retreats to his solitary cabin and returns to his beloved forest.

But soon, the forest begins to change, a crackle in the air and the world becomes a very different place.

Ryan knows every path, every bird call, every turn of the river and the babbling of every brook. He had stalked the deer through the same forest his whole life, knows every print of every animal and every cycle of every wildflower.

Until suddenly he doesn’t.

The streams sing to a different tune and the trees whisper new words. The deer change their tracks, their hoof prints leading to nothingness or in looping circles, the birds chirp a new call and the flowers blossom early, creeping their way closer to his cabin day by day.

This bizarre changing certainly helps to drag Ryan from a melancholy he had found himself stuck in, a certain type of loneliness that shunned the company of the nearest people but craved companionship so desperately.

It is the flowers that he first notices, the late bloom of daffodils around his doorstep, a trail of daisies that seems to follow him with every soft step, even through the dense woodland where the sun rarely touches the musty earth.

But it is one morning he finds nests of brambles overflowing with dark purple, swollen, ripe blackberries in mid-June that he begins to question his sanity. The heady scent of elderflower perfumes the air and, in an almost trance like state, he plucks a berry from its thorny home and he swears he hears a soft sigh fluttering past his ear. And as he brushes it to his mouth, the skin bursting and the juice spilling over his lips, he feels the pressing of a kiss, a breathy moan, and the sharp tangy sweetness of over ripe fruit.

It continues like that for the next week, the grasses leaning towards him, curling themselves around his ankles, the giggle he is sure he hears as he picks more berries, licking his lips clean of their red stain. He learns to love the waves of blue bells cascading down the ridges and valleys and he seeks out the whispered promises from the apple blossom, chases the violets, the columbine, the heavy scent of the magnolia…

Ryan meets her among the ferns on the bank of a stream, a dandelion between delicate fingers, lips pouting to release a breath and scatter the seeds. ‘Took you long enough’ she murmurs. He knows who she is, the holly berry smile with thorns for teeth and the sparkling cornflower eyes are all he needs to see and he never wants to look away. She follows him home, her sing song voice and her lively, nettle sting wit and the next morning his bed smells like primroses.

He sees her many times after that. Her voice follows him through the fields as he checks the rabbit traps and her kisses stick to his skin, hot and sweet and his house is filled with the smell of crushed grass. He learns her name is Meg and she’s lived a thousand years or more and that she’s the Persephone, the flower fairies on toadstools and a thousand other myths and that she was once a very lost and lonely girl and she just goes quiet and gives him a knowing smile.

But she’s more than a myth, she is the flowers, the grasses, the tiny stars of sweet alyssum. She’s a buttercup pressed under his chin by his mother and she’s the grass his father taught him to whistle through, her own song joining his, and the sweet smell of wild roses clings to her pale pink, yellow, blue skin . And he learns she’s so much more, she’s pink seductive foxgloves and she’s every blood coated thistle that’s ever caught his thin skin and her kisses are the poisonous berries, lush and red and deadly.

Because above all Meg is growth and strength and endurance and that delicate petal skin is the skin that’s survived a thousand years, a skin that will outlive any man who tries to uproot her.

But he’s content to hold her while he can, to savour her dancing, swaying, personality while she chooses to love him. A love that doesn’t seem to fade as she turns with the seasons to the dark greens of the fir and holly and ivy and she sits by his fire and grins that lion tooth grin and he didn’t know it was possible to feel so happy.

She disappears in Spring, promising to return soon, promising he won’t be alone, she would never leave him alone and he feels his heart sink as she slips from between his fingers. He can see her everywhere, every cowslip and every poppy carry her scent, and he feels as alone as before, until the trees begin to talk that is.

It starts off as a whisper of a laugh, a leaf fluttering down and landing on his face, the rustle of the tree’s above him. He brushes it aside and cocks his gun, eyes focused on the deer he’s been tracking when suddenly.. Crack.

The deer bolts and Ryan spins around to an empty forest and another giggle and Meg’s voice purrs in his ear -

‘I told you I’d never leave you alone, my darling’

The crack of a branch sounds again and Ryan jumps, looking up into the foliage and sees… A Face.

Sharp, fairy features and a mess of spruce coloured hair and so he meets Gavin.

Ryan thinks Gavin must be another human living in the forest until he reaches to touch him and he learns that Gavin might look like a woodland sprite, might seem as thin and flickering as a leaf in a breeze, but in truth he’s as solid as the oak tree. He’s as rough as bark and smells like pine trees on a wet day and Ryan wants to follow this vibrant, excitable being to the end of the earth, wants to listen to him as he shouts his secrets through the trees, promising Ryan the heart of the oldest tree and the tears of the weeping willow if only Ryan would give him a single kiss. And a blushing Ryan is more than happy to agree and he finds the sprite’s lips as soft as a leaf and he can feel the beating of the forest through the green veins under rough, tanned skin that changes with the weather and he’s in love all over again.

If Meg had been Persephone then Gavin must have been Peter Pan and every lost boy and every other mischievous woodland deity whose shrill laughter has haunted humans for so long.

Gavin brings the smell of sap from a freshly cut tree and his kisses taste like apple, pear and a hundred other fruits and his arms are like roots, grounding Ryan keeping him in place.

The sprite teaches him to be free that spring. He teaches him new paths through well worn woodland, teaches him how to laugh and shout and wrestle among the fallen foliage and he kisses him like he’s the sun, the rain, like he’s Gavin’s survival.

And he leaves him in Summer, but he leaves him like Meg leaves him, a promise pressed into his lips in a farewell kiss - ‘speak to the streams’

So Ryan does, he follows every stream for days on end, trekking every corner of the river, watching the sleek bodied otters and waiting patiently for the forest to reveal something to him.

Two weeks later he dozes by a creek and he hears a bubbling call of his name and the feeling of a hand around his wrist and he opens his eyes to Ray. He calls himself the Drowned Boy and for a moment Ryan’s not sure whether it’s a joke or not, he learns he will never know whether Ray’s joking or not. Ray looks young like Gavin, smooth skinned and cool to the touch, but his eye’s are a million years older and the nymph promises he could tell Ryan a hundred and one tales of singing to sailors and for a moment Ryan is scared of the water he so loved.

But Ray smiles a seductive smile and he pulls Ryan closer and the man takes the final step forward and submerges himself and he feels everything stop as he floats for a moment. Then arms wrap around his waist and pull him under the rush of the current and there is a moment of panic, of a tight chest craving air and then Ray is kissing him and he doesn’t care about breathing anymore, just wants to learn where Ray ends and the waves begin and wants to hold onto this bliss forever.

He wakes up on the shore, a deadpan water nymph leaning over him

'I knew I was good but… Hope you're up for round 2’

Ryan ignores his words and presses a fierce kiss to the lips and savours the fresh water taste, of a mountain several miles away and of rain and of the reeds and he feels the power of the river behind Ray’s kiss, the threat of a flood, of sinking and he feels the promise of a savoir and Ryan thinks that maybe drowning wouldn’t be so bad after all.

A month or so later, in the middle of a storm that rages through the forest and rips up trees and bursts the banks of the river, Ryan meets Michael. He’s been hearing Michael for a while, a rough voice in rougher winds, seeing a flicker of a reflection in the sheets of rain that mark the start of autumn. But Michael is impatient, bored of waiting for Ryan to come find him, so he gathers his strength and he tears Ryan’s world apart.

The storm with an angel’s face lasts for three days before a moment of solitude, a calming of the skies and a parting of the clouds that allows Ryan to venture outside to find the crumpled storm god curled up in the mud. He brushes a lock of hair from the ash grey face and carries the hurricane maker inside.

For the next month the smell of flowers and bark and running water is replaced by the smell of the air before a storm and of the earth after rain. Michael is the howling wind that screams an anger Ryan does not yet understand, but he’s also the rush in Ryan’s ears when he runs and the laughing gulps of air when he stops.

Some days he’s like kissing a thunderstorm, passionate and wild and untameable and crackling with an energy that burns through Ryan to his core and some days he exists in the muffled gasps between parted lips as they lie in each other’s arms. Ryan learns the rains and the winds, learns when Michael is laughing and when he is screaming, when he is raining blessings upon the earth and when he is crying and he learns about the angry young man caught in a storm who gave up and let himself be consumed.

But he also sees the friendships between his new lovers in those days. The laughter of wind through leaves as Michael and Gavin danced a dangerous tune together, the patter of rain on river, 'a very wet kiss’ Michael once told him as he watched his lover from the droplets.

It takes another year for him to meet Geoff and Lindsey, it’s explained to Ryan that they are a different kind of being to the other’s, they fell in love and in hate and in love with Ryan, a game of fear and respect that became passion as they saw his gentle ways.

It’s Geoff he meets first. The body of a rabbit is hooked at his waist as he strolls through the edge of a clearing, the trees looming over to his left and the lush, meadow grass thriving to his right. The change in the air is almost imperceptible but Ryan feels it’s rush as a mass of dark brown hurtles towards him, a sharp caw ringing through the air and he feels claws on his hip and a sudden lightness as he falls onto mossy ground. The sun momentarily blinds him, a flare of light dancing across his vision as pain shoots up his body. When he blinks himself back to normality he sees a man standing above him. The man is all tan skin and dark hair, sky blue eyes that flicker yellow for a second, his arms and hands are worn with tattoos, old and new, burned, carved, inked, traced onto new skin. He’s not as old as Gavin and Ray or Meg, hasn’t lived in this forest for centuries, none the less he’s a ghost of a human.

Ryan’s eyes flicker up past the playful, grinning face which is perhaps a little too smug for his liking and he focuses on the hawk perched on Geoff’s shoulder, Ryan’s rabbit clenched between its huge talons, surveying him with amber eyes that sometimes flicker with clouds and sky and streams. He’s offered a hand up which he takes and the bird leaves, its huge wings casting a shadow over the men for a moment and looking into Geoff’s powerful, sharp eyes he knows how a rabbit must feel seeing the shadow of its hunter.

He knows how it feels to be prey.

Geoff is more vicious than the rest of the forest. He exists in the antlers of the stag and the cries of the falcons and he drags Ryan through undergrowth and rips his skin with nails like claws as they lie under the stars and he kisses Ryan’s wounds and his kisses taste like blood and his skin tastes like sweat and his body is muscle and survival and Ryan wonder’s how someone can spend their life chasing the next fight, chasing the chaos.

He doesn’t run though, he follows Geoff through the brambles and the nettles and the fights and he finds the man who watches the sunset and who lives in the heart of a fawn who laughs so freely and openly as they tumble across hills and valleys and down into the cool glens where Ray watches them with a raised eyebrow, letting them drink deeply from his streams and stroking their faces fondly.

He thinks Lindsey will be the last. She is the side of the forest he has only heard about, he has never seen, never felt. She is the heart of the burrows, the flame red hair and wily sharp grin of the vixen and the curious, playfulness of the cub. She chases her friends the rabbits, the mice, the voles for fun, snapping at their heels and she is the smooth, sleek body of the snake. She’s a hissing, forked tongue liar who looks Ryan in the eye and tells him she doesn’t love.

But he knows better, he sees her dance in rain, roll in the snow drops, burrow by the trees and drink by the water, he sees her slither to Geoff to nip at the hoofs of a doe and he knows the way she dozes, lazy and curled up next to him, letting him stroke her hair. It only took him several dozen scratches and cuts to get this trust and he would protect it with his life, because he knows too many have broken her trust, chasing her away to the safety of the earth, the security of nature.

He’s never felt more content, more at peace and more in love before. His world, once a passive love has become active, engaging and beautiful. But something is missing even in the embrace of his beloved and one night he cries in Meg’s arms and she strokes his back and kisses his tears away and tells him that everything will be fine soon and she rocks him to sleep, holding him in arms that cradle the earth and he feels a peace wash over him.

The next morning he is alone.

The house which has always felt so warm, so alive, so his, feels cold and empty and silent.

He steps outside, and he sees the trees opposite his house branch away, sees his lovers step through the parting, one by one, their faces so familiar he feels a surge of love and takes a step forward.

Then Jack emerges.

And in a single, fractional moment Ryan realises what was tying him to this place, to this forest.

Because Jack is the earth that Ryan has walked a hundred thousand steps on, he’s the rocks and the stones and he’s the arms that hold the roots of Gavin’s ever moving trees, and the banks that guide Ray’s path, and he’s the heart of Lindsey’s home, and the ground that gives Geoff somewhere to fly back to, and the soil that feeds Meg’s flowers, and the unmoveable object to Michael’s unstoppable force and he’s the mother and the father and the everything.

And Ryan knows him like he knows the beating of his own heart.

And he is home.

#ahfic #ahot8 #ot8 #ryanthepowerbottomguy #rural forest ryan #mythical lovers

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