#shane madej is illegally attractive

[aliveprofessor]

so this is for @dailyshyan‘s triad tuesday challenge

(i wrote this in a few hours with no betaing so i apologize if it’s crap)

title: Puttin’ On The Ritz

description: Shane and Sara make a... bet.

rating: teen or mature depending on how you see it (it’s 11 pm cut me some slack)

tw: a little mention of sex 

word count: 2216

Sara’s hair was soft as Shane kissed her after the car ride home. Shane didn’t know how she could be so gorgeous, even after a day of working.

“You’re adorable,” Sara giggled, and there was a prick of guilt at Shane’s chest. It felt almost like cheating - even if they’d talked about it before. But they had talked about it before.

Shane may have had a crush on the new guy. A tiny, eensy, weensy, little bit of a crush on him. Even if he smiled like the sun and threw his whole body into his laugh and had magical deep brown eyes - and, okay, maybe Shane had a bigger crush on him that was anticipated.

Sara settled on the couch with a glass of red wine, Shane soon following her.

“Meet the new guy today?” Sara asked, taking a sip out of her glass.

Shane nodded. “Dark hair? Great smile?”

Sara looked a bit taken aback. Shane felt the prick grow, until she spoke again. “Laughs like he hung the sun? Wearing the baseball hat?”

Shane was stunned into silence. There was a beat of it, both of them settling on their goal within the span of a second. “He’s mine,” They said unanimously. It seemed they’d forgotten how to share, but Shane didn’t really give a shit.

“Bet,” He said, and Sara’s eye glimmered with… something. Mischief?

She spoke with the same thing in her voice. “Winner take all?”

“Winner gets a little something special,” Shane winked.

“A long hug?” Sara asked, playing into the joke.

“As long as that hug involves the loser’s mouth and the winner’s genitalia,” Shane grinned, Sara dissolving into laughter.

She set her wine on the coffee table and stuck out her hand. “You’re on.”

Shane shook it. “Now, let’s talk rules.”

The next day, Ryan noticed something peculiar. His deskmate, Shane, kept sneaking glances to him. Perhaps the first thing Ryan had decided about Buzzfeed was that everyone was too attractive and that if Eugene hadn’t existed, he’d be officially to bisexual to work there. And Eugene was pushing it.

At least he could entertain himself with the thought of Eugene. He’d feel too guilty to do the same to any of his other coworkers.

That being said, he didn’t discount Shane from the list of people who made him want to quit his job and earn money solely from waxing poetic about those around him.

“Hey dude,” Shane greeted when Ryan went to grab a coffee, “How’s things here? Settling in all right?”

“It’s going great!” Ryan grinned, “Everyone here is so nice!”

Shane smiled back, handing Ryan a mug full of sweet, sweet caffeine. “That’s good. I figured someone like yourself would fit right in with all the pretty faces around here.”

Ryan blinked. Was Shane flirting with him? He laughed, just in case he was joking. “Thank you. Y’know, sometimes I think the people here are just too pretty. Like - how does Andrew even exist?”

Shane let out a barking laugh, eyes crinkling. “You’re right. You’re so right. I’m so glad you’re here, though - you’re definitely the best-looking person I’ve seen around here in a long time. And you have the best laugh.”

Okay, definitely flirting.

Ryan honestly didn’t know how to handle it - so he backed out. “Hey man, I’d love to stay and chat, but I have a lot of work to do. They put me on as editor for a lot of projects.”

“It’s not really a job people want to do,” Shane wrinkled his nose, “I get it. But don’t worry - you’ll only be the new guy until someone else rolls along.”

Ryan nodded, hurrying back to his desk and slipping his headphones back on. And on his desk, he found a note.

Text me

539-237-0244

Sara

Ryan blinked at the paper, too. That was two people flirting with him. He didn’t know how to handle one - nevertheless, he found himself pulling out his phone and saving Sara in his contacts and decided there couldn’t possibly be two people flirting with him in one day.

Ryan: hey! it’s ryan bergara. you asked me to text you and i was just wondering what that was about? is there a problem or something

He put his phone on sleep mode and turned back to his project, getting a considerable amount of work done before the urge to check his phone overpowered any will he had left.

Sara: No, no, no problem :) you’re just a cutie and i wanted to get to know you!

Two people. Two people were flirting with him. Ryan vaguely remembered meeting a Sara - smaller, with curly hair and glasses. If this was that Sara, then he was definitely in danger of developing a crush. In a flurry of panic, Ryan immersed himself in his project again, finishing it in a record amount of time for him.

At least, he assumed it was a record amount of time. He looked up and it was almost time to go. Running a hand through his hair, he decided to call it a night and clock out. He leaned back in his chair and bumped into someone - the curly-haired girl he thought was Sara.

“Sara!” Shane grinned, standing up and murmuring something to her. She shook her head, and Shane escorted her out of the building. Ryan felt like he was missing something - like there was a piece of the puzzle he couldn’t quite grasp.

Shane and Sara laughed over their dinner. “You think he knows?”

“He does seem a little oblivious,” Shane pondered, looking at Sara with a kind of enchantedness she hadn’t seen since they had first started dating.

“Good Lord,” Sara said, taking Shane’s hand in her own, “You really are absolutely fucked, aren’t you?”

Shane, apparently caught off-guard, let out a cackle. “I sure am.”

“Nice,” Sara picked at her chicken.

After a pause, she spoke again. “I think I am too.”

Ryan was lonely. There was no way to beat around the bush with it, Ryan was fucking lonely. He was so tired of coming home alone - it’d happened during Uni and it’d happened during his barista job and it was happening now. He knew he’d only been at his new job for two days, but… still.

He picked at a microwave dinner, sulking in the corner of his silent apartment. Mac ‘n Cheese was always so tasteless when there was nobody to laugh over it. Ryan wasn’t just lonely - he felt truly alone.

His phone buzzed in his pocket - just a spam email. But it got him thinking.

Sara.

He took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up her contact name.

Ryan: u want to know me better?

And, as if the universe was rewarding him for good behavior, she sent a text back right away.

Sara: Of course! Do you want to go out this weekend? Maybe saturday?

Ryan felt absolutely starstruck. Something inside him didn’t quite believe someone like Sara would give him the time of day, and, yet, here she was. Asking him out.

Of course, Ryan was new in town. He didn’t have anything to do. So he confirmed with Sara, and he felt something akin to getting a drink of water after being thirsty for three days. A little spark in his body, toes curling with excitement.

He didn’t know, of course, that Sara was rubbing it in Shane’s face. And Shane, Shane was devising a plan.

Sure. He knew the rules of their bet - Ryan had to initiate the kiss, they weren’t allowed to do anything illegal, they weren’t allowed to get him drunk or high, and they weren’t allowed to sabotage one another. But Shane had the advantage of proximity.

What a thrill, He thought, knowing Sara was just as lovestruck as he was. It was almost a bonding experience, like thirsting after Gal Gadot. Shane kissed Sara with a special kind of joy that night, feeling his heart soar.

Even if Ryan didn’t love them back - even if they weirded him out, even if he ran away - Shane would be happy. He’d still be tits-deep in love with Sara and he’d be happy.

That being said, Shane would absolutely give any one of his limbs to be the one who kissed Ryan first. Of course, according to Sara, he had until the weekend.

According to Shane, he only needed the week.

The next day, Ryan found not one, but two notes on his desk. One read “kisses!” from Sara with x’s and o’s after it, and the other said “I couldn’t splurge on real flowers, but I drew these just for you” with some admittedly charming flowers drawn in the space where the message didn’t take up.

Ryan felt like he might just explode. He buried his face in his arms, blushing and smiling like an idiot. He heard Shane’s footsteps, heard him sit down in his chair.

“You flirtin’, Madej?” Ryan asked, turning his head so Shane could hear.

Shane grinned back, that small grin that somehow spoke wonders. “You’d think we’d be on first-name terms after I got you flowers.”

Once again, Ryan felt himself torn. He’d have to tell Shane about Sara, at some point.

Ryan figured it was better to turn him down early. Even if it did hurt like Hell.

“Hey, man,” Ryan said, smile slipping from his face. “Uh… I really do hate to tell you this, but -”

He paused at the look on Shane’s face. “I’m going out with someone this weekend. Sara. I think you know her.”

The look of relief on Shane’s face was almost alarming. “Oh - oh, yeah. Probably should’ve told you this earlier - me and Sara are in an open relationship. Feel free to lust after both of us, buddy.”

Ryan was speechless. How could he have gotten so lucky? This didn’t happen to normal people like Ryan - Ryan wasn’t sure who it happened to, really. Just that there was absolutely no way his bisexual ass was allowed to fall in love with an amazing girl and a stunning guy.

“I…” Ryan started, breaking out into a smile, “Who said I was lusting after both of you?”

“I dunno,” Shane smirked, resting his head on his hand, “I think you’re pretty far gone. Or, at least, I hope so. If I’m not, then I’m projecting way harder than I usually am.”

Ryan wheezed. “I sure am far gone on you, dude.” And then, Ryan leaned in so close to Shane’s ear that he could feel Shane’s beard on the side of his face. “I’m starting to think if I let myself, I could fall in love with you. And Sara.”

“That sounds heavenly,” Shane grinned, “Why don’t we talk out on the roof during our lunch break?”

Ryan thought that sounded splendid, and the rest of the morning passed slowly, Shane’s knee bumping into Ryan’s. Shane was still recovering from Ryan putting his face that close to Shane’s face and he’d almost won the bet right there. Part of him couldn’t resist the urge to kiss Ryan right there, in the middle of the office - but if their previous actions hadn’t drawn enough attention, Shane didn’t want to push it.

And then they were sat on the roof, the wind ruffling Shane’s hair. Ryan leaned back on his arm, observing Shane’s face almost passively. His eyes, amber in the sun, his light brown hair, his button-up floral shirt. Everything about Shane, on someone else, would be unbearable. But somehow, Shane had grown on Ryan instantly. There was a charm to him that Ryan didn’t quite get.

“You’re marvellous,” Ryan said, and for the second time that day, he let his libido think in place of his brain. He lunged forward and pressed his lips to Shane’s.

Shane’s eyes widened in surprise before he quite realized what was happening, and then Shane was kissing back, hand reaching up to cup Ryan’s face.

Kissing Shane was pleasant - it was far more than pleasant, but Ryan didn’t have the language to describe how pleasant it made him feel. Shane’s stubble pressed against Ryan’s face, his hand warm on Ryan’s neck, his other hand drawing him closer, slotting him against Shane’s body so he fit into the empty space like the puzzle piece he’d been missing.

“Dammit!” Sara yelled from the other side of the roof, just coming up from the stairwell.

Shane grinned. “Fuck you!”

Ryan pulled back in confusion. “What the hell is going on?”

“We - uh - we made a bet about who could get you to kiss them first,” Shane grinned, “Because we’re competitive idiots. Winner gets head from the loser.”

And then Ryan was blushing again, partially from flattery but mostly from Shane’s ludeness. “You’re both assholes.”

And then, just because Ryan felt he could, he crossed the roof and kissed Sara. The sun overhead burned into Ryan’s shoulders, cementing the moment in his head forever. Kissing Sara was different from kissing Shane - she was shorter than Ryan, her body fit into his like he fit into Shane. She was curvier, less harsh lines. Ryan loved it all.

Ryan didn’t want to be lonely again - and he was starting to think he wouldn’t have to be. And, oh, how he was looking forward to that weekend.

#shyan #skeptic believer #sb #mod #txt #fic