#levi with ryan 001.

[ofwrxth]

+ RYAN / LAKESIDE ELEMENTARY

"You know," Levi gestures at the arm he'd worked on several weeks ago, "I'd say you're the worst patient I've had, but that'd mean you're worse than old man Grimshaw and no one is worse than him." Because there's no doubt in his mind that the old man's stubborn will to live far outstrips anyone else's. "I'd give him a list of things to avoid, but I think he treated it like a to-do list." Levi says with a wistful smile, thinking about the old man back in Chicago. Bullheaded and belligerent, but at least he was memorable.

Levi finishes his protein bar and gestures towards the box in Ryan's hand, and the ones behind him. Without asking, he crouches down and lifts one (with his knees, of course), nodding at Ryan. "Where are these going? We're not unloading everything are we?" There's a part of Levi that thinks the trucks should be prepped and ready to go but he also knows it provides a risk for thieves. "I already unloaded most of medical supplies," he informs Ryan, "not that it's much, but you know." Levi shrugs, "work with what we've got, right?"

@dxrkenedheights

[dxrkenedheights]

★・・・・・・★

"Uhuh, I got you." Ryan grinned as he listened before sniffing and gesturing to himself in a shrug. "Is it 'cause of me? You don't wanna head out there together?" his questions were always teasing, like he was never truly wanting an answer to them even if they shed small batches of light on his deep seated fears. "'cause that's fine. Even though I don't think I've done nothin' to deserve that." Ryan added, smirking through the quick worry that Tammie was doing what she did best, build a little wall if there wasn't one already. Maybe that was the resistance he was feeling? It wasn't reluctance more than sheer stubbornness, or maybe, she was worried in the same way he was. Laughing at her quip about his family's ways of avoiding serious conversations, Ryan's hand waved. "Now hold on a minute, I'm always tellin' him. And everyone." he defended himself, because he was infamous for breaching topics that otherwise should have been locked away for good. He never really let sleeping dogs lie, always stirring them up without ever wanting to. His mouth always running faster than his mind. "Only person who shuts down on conversations out here is you." said with his usual light tilt and smug grin, but also with years of knowledge of how Tammie Jones likes to try and win an argument.

Cackling, Ryan mimicked Tammie's hand movements in a slice as she grew more heated about whatever went down with Beau Sullivan. He was already enjoying the fact that it was over, because six months watching another man in a place he once stood was making Ryan agitated and tense. "Right okay, got it. Sensitive topic. No one's allowed to say Beau looks like someone's been scrapin' a silver bullet over his heart every damn day. Got it. Noted." he teased even further, noticing the way Tammie hid her face in a turn from him which only made him laugh all the more. "Oh I'm sorry, lady of the manor all the sudden. I'll watch my mouth." he chuckled, focused on the task at hand or as focused as he could be. The joke about his heart made a sudden urge almost bite out of his mouth, telling her that she had a hold of it but Ryan managed to refrain. He just cleared his throat in a shrug as they stood in the stand-off with the damn egg in each hand. "If you jus' shut your mouth and li-" his words were quickly ended with the crack against his head, the sound of the egg crumpling and the cold sensation of literal egg on his face. Ryan swiped away at the side of his face, mouth tightly shut but still in a reluctant grin so he didn't taste any of it. "Jesus Christ." he griped, flicking away the mess and shaking his head at her before snatching at the rag she offered. "I wasn't! I mean, I was, but you made me feel damn bad about takin' food away from other wolves so I didn't know what I was gonna do when I got you over here." Ryan proclaimed through a sudden laughter, waving the rag in a quick whip to try and get her leg before he used it on his face. It was discarded in a throw then, and Ryan had a moments pause as he looked to Tammie. "You got five seconds, I'm givin' you a head start." he warned as he laughed the lie, making a lunge towards her and a grab at her knees to throw her over his shoulder.

Tammie shot Ryan a stern look which couldn't remain on her face for long. Even as her brow twitched upwards into an arch, so did the corner of her lips. "I ain't havin' trouble with anything let alone words, thank you. I just said lemme see." she huffed at him, before nodding and taking a glance towards the town. "No I like runnin', but there's a lotta shit to do here. And I gotta talk to my dad or JJ about where they got to with Pheebs and Teddy. I can't be runnin' around like a headless chicken." There was another thing on her mind too, if being somewhere secluded with Ryan was a good idea. On one hand, her mind traveled to how it was one. But, would it just be a stressful situation that they buckled under and there went this innocent enough friendship because they couldn't help themselves with another argument. And, she couldn't ask him because she knew Ryan would just laugh it off and then she'd be proven right when they were at each other's throats. "If I ever get a chance to see him, I'll tell him. I hope y'all are tellin' him how good he's doing too. Not doin' the grumpy lil Cross thing where you avoid talkin' like that." she chuckled but it was true that Wolf was even more of an enigma these days. Always doing something, somewhere. Truthfully, he looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Tammie scoffed about Beau but Ryan's words did deliver a sting of guilt for the other wolf. Six months wasn't exactly nothing. But, her hand sliced through the air like she was putting an end to the conversation for good. "Why don't you go date him, Ryan Cross since you're worried that he's so sad." she laughed, cackling almost before catching her words. "Which he's not. He's fine. You're just bein' annoying for the sake of it and it's working." she added and then a louder laugh appeared from nowhere and she couldn't help shoving her hand to the back of Ryan's head to give a rough shake at his words. "Shut the hell up, that's...crass." she remarked as if that ever bothered her but she could feel a warm blush on her cheeks and was only thankful that she could continue working to avoid Ryan noticing. Tammie nodded sarcastically as she carefully pulled eggs from the straw and placed them in a basket. "Right...and where you findin' this heart of yours, Ry? Next to the big ol' stone in there?" she gestured her free hand to him. Studying him for a moment, Tammie's head was shaking in complete distrust for there not to be some kind of retaliation from him. "You think I was born yesterday, Ryan. I ain't..." her words were stopped by the slight tug closer, and once again she was stifling a laughter. However, being raised with an older brother and equally as quick thinking twin sister, she wasn't about to waste any time. An egg was taken of her own and instantly cracked to the side of Ryan's head, the movement fast and purely so she had the upper hand but Tammie gasped as if surprised by her own actions. "Oh shit," she cackled and immediately lowered the basket to the ground so she could take some careful steps backwards. "I'm sorry, that was just...that was just pure instinct you brought outta me." she was still laughing, one hand raised to stop Ryan from getting her back while the other pulled the rag from her overall pocket. "Here...truce, right? Truce! 'Cause you was gonna do the exact same thing."

[uponaredwheelbarrow]

*  PLAYLIST SHUFFLE.

rules:  we’re  snooping  upon  your  playlist.  set  your  entire  playlist  on  shuffle  and  report  the  first  10 tracks that  pop  up  and  then  choose  10  friends.

tagged by     :     @teenhrror

  001.   Zwinchen uns -Eisbrecher   002.   I should go - Levi Kreis   003.   If you could read my mind -Gordon Lightfoot   004.   You and me - Ryan Star   005.   Be still - The killers   006.   When we collide - Matt Cardle   007.   Warriors -Imagine Dragon   008.   Whispers in the Dark -Mumford and Sons   009.   Hurt -Johnny Cash   010.   You always hurt the ones you love -The Mills Brothers

tagging    :     @quietresistance, @malwxre and...whoever else wants to.

[ofwrxth]

+ RYAN / TOWN HALL

Levi can already tell that this isn't going to be pleasant the moment Ryan's laser focus lands on him. He walks through the crowd of people towards Levi like Moses parting Red Sea, people moving out of his way even though Levi really wishes they wouldn't. Already he's standing, hands raised to calm the storm that is Ryan Cross. "I know what you're gonna say, Ry but I got a hundred people breathing down my neck. I'll put you on the next run. I swear." But, he's prepared for his reassurance to do absolutely nothing. @dxrkenedheights

[dxrkenedheights]

★・・・・・・★

Ryan's not sure whether to laugh so all that remains over his face is a bemused grin, letting the other wolf talk himself in circles. He's also not sure whether he likes Beau's tone. Although, he can quickly decide that he, in fact, doesn't. His eyes scan over him as he speaks, a gaze full of scrutiny before blue hues light up with amusement. "So...you're sayin'- lemme get this straight." he takes another step towards Beau. "You and Tams are figurin' out some shit, and you want me to...fuck off?" Ryan asks in a light tone, head tilting as finally the grin can break into a laugh. "Is that what you're saying to me, Beau? You tellin' me to fuck off?" he goads in a devilish cackle made infamous by every Cross brother. And Ryan spots Levi too, nodding his head towards the other brother as he makes his leave. "He gets it." Ryan says simply.

Immediately, Beau can see his mistake. And, just because the Marshall pack was a fighting one doesn't mean Beau feels confident about his chances against a Cross. So, Beau will take the chance to leave the conversation alone, right? Just make the misunderstanding known and call it a day? Wrong. "No, I literally just said I have no issues with it. But, I wasn't sure if she told you because you seem to be at the farm a lot." An awful lot. "And I didn't want there to be bad blood if we manage to...you know. Work out a few things." he shrugs, forcing his tone to be as casual as possible despite the bold lies. "I'm just thinking of our packs too, right? Wouldn't want Wolf or Ethan to be in a situation just because you...or we- because of Tammie- plus fighting over a date is a little high school, right? It feels dumb to do, that's what I'm trying to say." Is it? What are you trying to say?

[dxrkenedheights]

★・・・・・・★

Beau may be down, but it isn't quite down enough for Ryan's liking. And once his sights have been locked into the red focus of violence, anyone who interrupts it is simply in the way. Levi's grapple helps Ryan to relent, but at a cost all of it's own. He's dragged reluctantly away, a seething look at the fact Beau still squirms with air in his lungs. "Alright! I'm done! Get the fuck off'a me!" his shout is coarse to Levi, aggressively trying to shrug the other Sullivan away from him but Ryan doesn't even give him time to respond. It's a shove first to create space, but then a drive of a fist into Levi's face. "When he comes round, tell him you took one for him." he shouts again, but his gaze is promptly pulled to the vision of Ethan rushing to the scene. He was expecting consequences, but not this quickly. His hands are thrown up in a lazy surrender, the anger catching up with him that now has nowhere to go. "He's still breathing! Don't start." he warns to the Jones Alpha, an attempt of watching his tone that barely notices. @manybcdthings

As he runs head first into the lion's den, Levi swears left, right and sideways that if Ryan doesn't finish the job (which, the whole point of running head first into this mess is that he doesn't), then he, Levi Christopher Sullivan, will. Beau is no longer his twin! From this day on, he's just a guy he shared womb space with. Just a guy he shares a last name with. Barely a brother. Just a giant, enormous pain in his ass. I told you. I told you. I told you. The words fly through his head as he practically skids into Ryan before grabbing the other wolf's arm. "Okay! You made your point! He's down, Ryan!" He shouts as he grapples with the Cross and reconsiders all his life choices. I told you! I told you! I FUCKING TOLD YOU YOU MORON!!!!!!!!! "He's fucking down!"

[dxrkenedheights]

★・・・・・・★

Ryan told himself during recent months to stop when he saw blood. It was the only phrase that kept him under slight restrain and a damn sight better than not stopping at all; but it was no use when there was blood against his knuckles and on Beau's face after the first hit. It wasn't enough. No words resonated between Ryan's ears and the only force that stopped him was Levi, looping arms to his and pulling him backwards. Of course he fought against it, wanting nothing more than another crash of knuckles to Beau's face. He was used to anger and even pain but the resentment and hatred had surfaced along side them, blending together into something that could only be described as Hell in his veins. "My fault!? Like I was helpin' you guide your cock in? What the fuck is wrong with you!?" he seethed deeply and he could hear Levi's words, letting himself get pulled back from Beau but then the piece of shit had to speak again. Ryan could barely take a breath, shallow and sharp bids for air as the adrenaline coursed through him. "Shut up." he hissed to Levi quickly, trying to fight out of the hold for another lunge to Beau- eyes locking to the blond fiercely as his fist raised. It was the call of their Chief that made him pause, fist lowering into a pointed finger while still trying to pace towards him. "You better watch your back Beau." he breathed out, having never meant anything more sincerely.

Maybe Levi should've been clearer. As in leave it the fuck alone, Beau, rather than it’s none of your business, man. Because it's clear that Beau's thick fucking skull heard none of his sage wisdom and somehow managed to do the exact opposite. Those are the thoughts running through Levi's head when he hears Ryan shouting Beau's name. He rushes over, the heat of a Cross' anger is as hot as any fire he's put out, and he's mentally cursing his twin's stupidity. But laws of nature dictate that he can't just let his brother get his ass handed to him, even though a million I told you so's are on the tip of his tongue. "Hey!" he shouts to be heard over Ryan's tirade and he wonders if a Cross has ever calmly talked about anything. "Ryan!" he yells, grabbing his colleague and friend's arm, even if friend is as loose a term as any right about now. He loops an arm beneath Ryan's, catching his cocked fist before it connect with his brother's stupid bloody face again. Stupid idiot. He's obligated to help him but he also feels the slightest twinge of guilt at the situation Beau's in now. He'd had his suspicions before but this makes it abundantly clear that he'd absorbed all the intelligence and common sense worth having in the womb, and what did Beau get left with? Nada. Poor boy. "C'mon, man, you made your point!" He's practically shouting in Ryan's ear to get him to stop pummeling his brother, but it's like shouting in the face of a storm.

[ofwrxth]

“Unlikely,” Levi grins, shrugging, “I’m an incredible doctor.” Several accolades say as much. Besides, Levi isn’t convinced Ryan had seen a doctor in recent history, even before the zombie fucking apocalypse. He probably wouldn’t know an amazing doctor if one was right in front of him (and one was). “Just try not to get an infection by busting your stitches.” Levi warns with a chuckle. “Would be a shame for you to last this long just to get typhoid fever from a bit of dirt in the wound.” It’s a new world they’re living in. One where modern medicine is irrelevant. They’ve all been forced back to the basics. The bare necessities of care.

He chuckles, carrying the box behind Ryan “it was. Seems like a good idea to leave some stuff ready to go in case we can’t grab everything.” Levi shrugs, glancing around the school parking lot before following him in. “Yeah, it’s getting longer each stop but I’ll get it to you when we’re done with this.” He trails into the room, setting down the box of supplies with the rest. “I’d like to go on the next run.” Levi says after a beat, rubbing the back of his neck. “If the town is promising then I might be able to find more medication.” Sometimes it’s easier than giving a list. But he also knows that there’s a reason he hasn’t been assigned on many runs of late. It wouldn’t exactly be helpful to get himself incapacitated (at best) or killed (definitely at worst), leaving the group with one less medic. “Think you can get me on one?” 

Ryan smirks but only slightly, letting out an immediate huff in response to Levi. And the damn reminder about his arm. It's still a little stiff but, he doesn't have anyone to blame but himself for it. "Yeah, well maybe you're the worst doctor I ever had. Ever think of that?" he shoots back, his grin widening for his own humor and the grumpy old man in Chicago. All he can think is how much like Hunter that old man was, but he doesn't bother saying it. His brother is next to impossible to describe. People have to experience that force of nature for themselves to really understand it.

"Usually a good idea to grab the shit we're gonna need." Ryan stops in his tracks, glancing at Levi with a look of amused confusion and a grin lingering. "Was that a real question?" he asks outright but his tone is half teasing before he presses on. "Put'em in that room near the main doors. Easier to grab if we need a fast exit." he continues, adjusting the box in his grip so he can push into the school with his shoulder. "You got a list?" Ryan then adds, curious now about the medical supplies. "I got a feelin' there might be some good finds in the town." given how remote this place is, it almost feels possible to have been left in a rush and barely picked over.

[dxrkenedheights]

Ryan smirks but only slightly, letting out an immediate huff in response to Levi. And the damn reminder about his arm. It's still a little stiff but, he doesn't have anyone to blame but himself for it. "Yeah, well maybe you're the worst doctor I ever had. Ever think of that?" he shoots back, his grin widening for his own humor and the grumpy old man in Chicago. All he can think is how much like Hunter that old man was, but he doesn't bother saying it. His brother is next to impossible to describe. People have to experience that force of nature for themselves to really understand it.

"Usually a good idea to grab the shit we're gonna need." Ryan stops in his tracks, glancing at Levi with a look of amused confusion and a grin lingering. "Was that a real question?" he asks outright but his tone is half teasing before he presses on. "Put'em in that room near the main doors. Easier to grab if we need a fast exit." he continues, adjusting the box in his grip so he can push into the school with his shoulder. "You got a list?" Ryan then adds, curious now about the medical supplies. "I got a feelin' there might be some good finds in the town." given how remote this place is, it almost feels possible to have been left in a rush and barely picked over.

+ RYAN / LAKESIDE ELEMENTARY

"You know," Levi gestures at the arm he'd worked on several weeks ago, "I'd say you're the worst patient I've had, but that'd mean you're worse than old man Grimshaw and no one is worse than him." Because there's no doubt in his mind that the old man's stubborn will to live far outstrips anyone else's. "I'd give him a list of things to avoid, but I think he treated it like a to-do list." Levi says with a wistful smile, thinking about the old man back in Chicago. Bullheaded and belligerent, but at least he was memorable.

Levi finishes his protein bar and gestures towards the box in Ryan's hand, and the ones behind him. Without asking, he crouches down and lifts one (with his knees, of course), nodding at Ryan. "Where are these going? We're not unloading everything are we?" There's a part of Levi that thinks the trucks should be prepped and ready to go but he also knows it provides a risk for thieves. "I already unloaded most of medical supplies," he informs Ryan, "not that it's much, but you know." Levi shrugs, "work with what we've got, right?"

@dxrkenedheights

[ofwrxth]

Levi isn't one to get intimidated easily. Sure, he keeps his nose clean, keeps himself on the side of least resistance, not out of fear, but ease. Why make life more complicated? He leaves that to Beau. But, unfortunately, he can't leave this to his brother. Levi sighs, not in exasperation, but in defeat. "Ryan. I know you don't care. I can put you on, but someone," he gestures towards the hallway that leads to the council's meeting room, "is gonna change it. You need to talk to Wolf but he seemed dead set on this one. The Vissers too. They got people missing." He holds up his hands to placate. "This is one of several, man. There will be more. I swear you'll be on them too. I can put you down, but it won't mean anything if Wolf changes it again." The last thing he wants to do is get involved in pack politics but he finds himself getting dragged in anyway. "You need to talk to him," he repeats again, hoping that Ryan will hear him but expecting that he won't.

★・・・・・・★

It feels as if the world is in on a cruel joke against him, and that everyone is on another planet entirely, speaking a language that Ryan doesn't care to even learn.. "Levi." he states as if he's demanding the other wolf's attention, as if his tone will help cut through what he sees as nothing but bullshit. "You think I care about all that right now?" his tone is as level as it can be, but the intensity is all over Ryan's face. "God damn- th- Levi. They got fuckin' resources when they wanna find 'em that's horse shit." he declares, voice rising loud enough to turn heads and he's encroaching on Levi's space by the second. "Since when you cared about rules, stop fuckin' around with me, Levi. Just get me on there, it takes one damn second. Take Diego off or something." he waves a hand, no longer asking. "Or that Visser fuck, I don't even care who. Just get me on there."

[ofwrxth]

If steam could actually come out of someone's ears, Levi's certain he'd see it pouring from Ryan's. As the other wolf approaches, he can't help but feel a surge of sympathy for him. He's already done everything to ensure he's there for Rory with her family members missing, but the extent of what he can do for Ryan is limited to shifts. And his hands have been tied. "I had your name there," Levi asserts with a sigh, "but Wolf's your Alpha. He's got." He gestures above his head. Final say. "I promise I'll get you on the next one, Ryan." Levi does his best to keep his tone even, not patronizingly calm, but not the same level of intensity as Ryan's. "Because the council's said. Conserving resources. Don't want more of you taken. A lot of reasons." Not that the Cross is likely to listen to any of them. "If they come back, we'll send more out. And you will be on those. I swear."

★・・・・・・★

He doesn't want to be biting people's heads off, and Ryan chooses to find Levi in the hall with every intention to remain mindful. His thoughts briefly able to consider Rory, but the closer he nears, the further consideration becomes. Immediately met with a no, before he's even said a thing, sets Ryan's emotions into the next gear. "Man, Levi. Come on." at first it's a voice of defeat and defiance, quickly giving way to the urgency underneath. "My name was on there, Wolf was a sneaky fucker. I was first, so change it back over. I gotta be on it, I don't wanna be on the next one. I need to be on this one." his intensity is showing if he isn't careful, but Ryan can't think clear enough to be careful. "I ain't ever asked you for shit, man. Just do your damn job, alright? I don't care 'bout nothing else, get me on the search. Why can't there be two!? Why we just sendin' out one? Because most of 'em on there was us, huh?"

[manybcdthings]

It was just as well that Ethan forgot his glasses because the sight he witnessed as he rounded a cabin was only something a Cross could be capable of. "Oh Jesus." the mutter left his lungs as he pushed ahead. He dragged tired bones into a run so he could help Levi get Ryan away from Beau. Who looked fucking dead, if you asked him. He wasn't quite quick enough before poor Levi got a smack to the face too, and all seriousness aside, Ethan was certain it was long over due for the Sullivan brothers. But, this was no way to conduct karma.

"Ryan! Come on, take a breath!" he scolded the Cross as he reached the wolves. He moved between the two of them, mainly so Ryan didn't take another lunge for the other. And still after all those years Ethan considered the Crosses like far distant sons. He wanted to watch over them to the best of his ability. Evidently, not good enough. "Is he!?" Ethan was exasperated as he looked at the bloody mess, and luckily Levi hadn't been knocked on his ass either. "What the Hell happened?" a cautious hand was placed to Levi, and Ethan was still gritting teeth at the sight of Beau. The blond Sullivan was breathing and moving, causing a sigh of relief as Beau slowly groaned to sit. "Alright, you two...get...cleaned up. I'm gonna solve this." he said to Levi, glancing to Ryan with a horrified look. "You calm enough to talk!? Where the Hell you been?" he glanced through the cabins, and his mind quickly answered his own question. "Get back there, I'll be there in a second."

As he runs head first into the lion's den, Levi swears left, right and sideways that if Ryan doesn't finish the job (which, the whole point of running head first into this mess is that he doesn't), then he, Levi Christopher Sullivan, will. Beau is no longer his twin! From this day on, he's just a guy he shared womb space with. Just a guy he shares a last name with. Barely a brother. Just a giant, enormous pain in his ass. I told you. I told you. I told you. The words fly through his head as he practically skids into Ryan before grabbing the other wolf's arm. "Okay! You made your point! He's down, Ryan!" He shouts as he grapples with the Cross and reconsiders all his life choices. I told you! I told you! I FUCKING TOLD YOU YOU MORON!!!!!!!!! "He's fucking down!"