Chapter 105: 105- Drive
Ryan lazed in the bed with Scott's head pillowed on his chest. Here lately, there's been some mornings where they'd wake up like this with their typical cuddling roles reversed. It was nice. Ryan liked getting the chance to play with Scott's hair, and look down at Scott's peacefully sleeping face. It gave him a very addictive warm and fuzzy feeling.
Scott stirred a little, wrapping himself more securely around his fiance's torso. "Happy birthday," he murmured into Ryan's nightclothes.
Ryan continued gently raking his fingers through his fiance's hair. "Happy Valentine's Day," he responded quietly.
"I love you so much…"
"I love you so much too!" Ryan chuckled, amused by Scott's half-asleep voice.
Scott started humming the happy birthday song as he shimmied up to be even with his fiance's face. When he got to the important part, he sang, "Happy birthday, dear Ryan, happy birthday to you!"
They shared a kiss, and simply enjoyed each other's presence a few moments as Scott finished waking up, before they had to get up and get dressed for breakfast. They were almost ready to head out the door, when Scott made Ryan wait a moment.
"You're forgetting something very important, Hot Stuff!" Scott insisted, digging through his luggage.
Ryan watched him curiously, leaning on his walker near the door. He certainly didn't think he forgot anything. Then he saw the little plastic box Scott pulled out. Of course! How could he forget something so important on his birthday?
"Will you pin it on for me?" Ryan asked.
Scott happily obliged, taking the slightly faded, slightly frayed "Birthday Boy" ribbon out of its case and pinning it on Ryan's chest. A special box for the special and very sentimental accessory was one of the first thing's he'd thought to get when he and Ryan started living together. Once things calmed down, of course.
Now properly outfitted, they were finally ready to go enjoy the dual occasion resort style.
The change in atmosphere was apparent the instant they stepped out of their room. Down both sides of the hallway, garlands of paper hearts decorated the walls. And sure enough as they made their way to breakfast, every vase full of red roses also had a few tinsel and glitter heart picks added to them. Even the tables at breakfast were strewn with heart-shaped confetti.
Scott and Ryan weren't the only ones enamored with the settings either. As couples slowly made their way to the dining room where breakfast was served, it was easy to tell they were just a little more giddy, their cheeks were just a little more flushed, and their smiles just a little more wide.
Not to mention that every staff member that greeted them also wished Ryan a happy birthday.
Breakfast kept the spirit of the holiday flowing too. Chocolate themed options abounded, both in food and drink. Eggs had been cooked in heart-shaped molds, and even completely savory options came with chocolate bonbons. Scott's sweet tooth decided his choice though, and Ryan wasn't about to give up trying something new. Scott had double chocolate chip pancakes, while Ryan had to try the chocolate mousse stuffed French toast. Of course, they made sure to share a few bites with each other.
It's a good thing the weather was nice too. Their first activity for the day was the promised golf cart drive around the lake. Scott made a quick trip back to their room to grab their jackets, and a staff member showed them to the resort's rear entrance, where the little vehicle was waiting. Bungee cords were used to secure Ryan's walker to the back seats, and with little other prep they were off, with Scott behind the wheel.
"I'm having a lot of fun on this trip. This is hands-down the fanciest birthday present I've ever gotten!" Ryan slouched back in the passenger seat, enjoying the breeze as they made their way towards the lake.
"I'm glad. I'm having a lot of fun on this trip too." Scott reached over to take Ryan's hand, and gave it a kiss on the back.
It didn't take long to get to their destination. The path was paved all the way down, as was the path along the rim of the lake, which made for a smooth ride. Scott wasn't done with his surprises yet though. He stopped next to a little dock and boat house, where paddleboats and canoes waited for warmer weather. There he parked the golf cart, turned to Ryan, and said, "Alright, time to swap seats."
"What?"
Scott got up nonchalantly. "You're going to drive."
"Wait, what?!" Ryan still didn't think he heard him right.
"Well, wouldn't you like to try it?" Scott asked. "I've got you on the renter's insurance for this thing, and the motor's small enough for an omega to drive legally, so I thought you might like to try driving. I'll be next to you the whole time. I promise I won't let anything bad happen."
Ryan looked from Scott to the steering wheel and back again. It was tempting. It was very tempting. He scooted over to the driver's seat and took the wheel experimentally in his hands. It was a little scary, but there was a sense of thrill to it too. Scott happily circled the golf cart to get in the passenger's seat, and proceeded to give Ryan a run-down of the controls.
The cart lurched forward with a touch of the gas pedal, and Ryan immediately slammed on the brakes.
"Take it slow, Hot Stuff. This thing isn't going anywhere unless you tell it to." Scott reassured. "Use a gentle touch to get moving, like when you have to sneak using a joystick in a video game."
Ryan nodded, and tried again. "Like sneaking in a video game," he repeated to himself.
The cart crawled forward, a steady crawl, but still a crawl. Ryan was absolutely stiff, but for the first time in his life, he was actually driving!
"You're doing great, Hot Stuff!" Scott praised, patting Ryan on the shoulder. "Now, slowly increase the pressure on the gas pedal, that's it! You've got this!"
Ryan grinned a very tense smile. This was absolutely terrifying. But it was fun, too! Sometimes he accidentally put too much pressure on the gas, or stopped too quick, or turned the wheel too fast, but Scott was exceedingly patient with him. Gradually he got used to it, and by the time they were about halfway around the lake, he was finally somewhat comfortable. Not comfortable enough to want to try driving a real car, but he could totally handle a golf cart again if he needed to. Not to mention he could finally spare some attention to appreciate the rather beautiful setting.
"Can I make a confession?" Ryan asked.
"'Of course."
"I've never driven anything before. Even when I worked for the grocery store, the manager didn't even let me drive the motorized cart to the outlets to charge it."
"Well, for your first time ever you're doing really well. I had a feeling you'd pick it up quick. You're amazing like that." Scott leaned back in the seat while Ryan blushed at the compliment. "You know, there's been so many news articles and televised interviews lately, the topic of omega's rights has absolutely skyrocketed since what happened. Social media has been full of stuff too. I don't think it's a topic that's going to die down easily."
Ryan was caught off guard by the apparent change in topic, and sighed. "Please don't tell me you want me to do an interview. You know I'm not up for that."
"Oh no, I know you're not. That's not what I was getting at at all. I was just thinking, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of new opportunities opened up for omegas here soon. I mean, legislation and legal stuff take a while, but businesses can absolutely be pressured by public opinion."
Ryan let go of a little of his tension. "You remember what we were talking about a while ago? About what I should do once you have to go back to work?"
"Yeah?" Scott sat back up straight again, giving Ryan his full attention.
"I really want to do something to help other omegas, if I can. I don't know what though. Everything I've thought of either needs a lot more training and knowledge then I have, or is physically demanding. On top of that, for most of it, well I'm not even sure if most of it would be stuff an omega is allowed to do."
"Well, what have you thought about?"
Ryan listed several things, starting with jobs he didn't think he'd physically be able to do like nursing or physical therapy. Then he said he'd considered being a psychotherapist, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle that either, let alone get the education for it. He'd thought about getting certified for medical billing like Scott had suggested too. He gave that option a ton of thought. And he thought about training to be a pharmacy technician. There were a couple of other things he considered, but most of it, as Scott agreed, weren't things omegas were allowed to do. At least, not things omegas were allowed to do yet.
"I'll be honest," Ryan continued, "I wouldn't mind studying the medicines for alphas and omegas. Most of them have some pretty harsh side effects, and I think I could help a lot of people if I knew how they worked and figured out how to make them better."
"You'd need a doctorate in pharmaceuticals for that." Scott stated flatly.
"Oh, I know. That one's just a daydream." Ryan sighed.
"It's not impossible." Scott countered. "Things are changing. Like I said, I've been keeping up with social media too, and I really think the public's opinion of omegas is changing for the better. Maybe you can't get a doctorate now, but it takes years of schooling to get to that level. Most colleges will let an omega get a two-year general education degree. Who's to say things won't change in that short a time? Colleges are businesses too. They're just as subject to public pressure as anyplace else. Especially with scholarship and grant money involved."
Ryan stopped the cart in the middle of the path and gave Scott a long, hard look. "Do you really think that's something I can do?"
"You're asking that as the person who juggled three jobs and a dating life, and was walking less than two months after getting his casts off from a major injury?" Scott reached over to put the golf cart in park, then took Ryan's hands in his. With absolute sincerity he continued, "I know for a fact you can do absolutely anything you set your mind to. If you tell me you want to get a higher education and study medicine, I'll support you one hundred percent."
"So, you don't think it's a silly idea…? I've never heard of an omega with a doctorate before."
"Someone's got to be the first. And everyone starts somewhere."
"And you really think I can do it?"
Scott nodded. "I absolutely think you can. Besides, it's past time someone with firsthand experience was working behind the scenes. It won't be easy, and you'll want to talk to your therapist about sensitivity exposure for your hemophobia. And I'm pretty sure my old textbooks are still in my parent's attic. If you're serious about it, we can swing by and pick them up on the way home so you can get familiar with some of the material. How's that sound?"
Scott's answer was a very excited kiss, and Ryan couldn't keep the smile off his face the whole rest of their drive around the lake.
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