Bay ridge, Brooklyn
Ryan Jackman suddenly stumbled awake in his bed. He subconsciously started checking himself to see if he was hurt. He didn't know why but he felt like he should. It's been like that a few weeks nows.
Ryan was currently on his bed only wearing his PJ pants showing off his large pecs and biceps and his perfectly sculpted abs.
He got up from the bed and stood in front of his mirror to further check if he was okay. He had the feeling that something had happened to him but he didn't know what. Everything from last night was hazy so he couldn't completely remember.
He looked around for his phone to check the time but he couldn't find it. He couldn't find his wallet either. He searched all over the bedroom but still couldn't find them.
He went to the living room to check if he left them there but he couldn't find them there either. He went to check the kitchen and then the other rooms in the house but he still couldn't find his phone and wallet. Since he couldn't find it, he thought he had left it at Lenny's - his male best friend - or at the club they went to last night with their other best friend, Iris.
Ryan gave Lenny a call using the landline. Lenny soon picked up the call.
"Yo! what's up", Lenny's deep and masculine voice said.
"Hey Lenny, could you see if you could find my phone and wallet? I can't seem to find some of my stuff from last night. I think I might have left them at your place", Ryan said.
"Yeah, sure", Lenny said.
"Okay, thanks", Ryan said as he ended the call.
Ryan sighed and plopped down onto the couch.
Ryan Jackman was a very handsome, 5ft11 tall, 27 year old man with a lean and muscular build. He had dark brown hair and baby blue eyes. Ryan lived alone in his house. He had a 20 year old sister named Hayden Jackman but she was off to college and she only came home during the end of semester.
Ryan along with his two best friends; Lennox and Iris, were part of the half that got blipped away by Thano's snap. When the Avengers brought them back his sister, Hayden told him that two years after the blip, their parent were involved in a car crash that claimed their lives. The only reason Hayden could still go to school was because she worked different part time jobs on different days. At least that was what Hayden told him. She was also able to get into a scholarship program in her college.
Ryan didn't know what to do with his life. His best friend, Lenny was a model while Iris was a successful author. In order to earn money for himself, he worked part-time jobs. After a few weeks or month, he'd get bored of the job and he'd quit, and then get a different job. He currently worked at a coffee place just a few blocks away.
Ryan suddenly got off the couch. He had totally forgotten about his job. It was a little past noon, he was going to be late for his shift and he hadn't even showered yet. He quickly ran to his bathroom and showered.
––
Ryan and his friends were sitting in front of a coffee shop where he worked part-time. They had ordered some coffee with donuts and Ryan casually joined them on his break.
"Are you sure you didn't take them with you?", Lenny asked. He had earbuds on. Probably listening to music.
Lennox "Lenny" Lees, a handsome 28 year old African American who stood at 6ft2 tall with a very muscular body. He has short, black hair, a well trimmed beard and mustache with dark brown eyes. He was born to a African American mother and a Danish father.
"Yes, I'm sure! I searched everywhere but I couldn't find them", Ryan said.
Lenny had searched everywhere he thought Ryan would lose his things but still didn't fine them either. He even let his dad help yet couldn't find Ryan's stuff.
"You must have left it at the club then", Lenny said.
"No I didn't. How else would I have paid for the Uber last night", Ryan said.
"You didn't pay for the Uber, I did", Iris interjected.
Iris Locke is a beautiful 27 year old woman who stood at 5"4 with a slightly curvy and athletic body. She had light brown hair and dark blue eyes.
Ryan shot Iris with a surprised and doubtful look. He was sure he paid for the Uber.
"No, I did", Ryan said.
"Nope, I did", Iris shook her head and took a sip of her latte.
"Really?", Ryan asked, still doubtful.
Iris nodded and took a bite out of a donut.
"Then I really must have left them at the club", Ryan said.
He looked at Lennox who had his legs on the table and was slowly bopping his head.
"What are you listening to anyway?", Ryan asked.
Lenny turned his head towards Ryan and answered, "BTS".
"The band?", Ryan gasped. He didn't take his best friend to be a K-Pop fan. He took one of the ear buds and put it in his ear and soon started bopping his head.
Iris looked at her friends and asked, "What's BTS?".
Both Ryan and Lenny gasped and looked at their cherry blonde friend with similar exaggeratedly surprised faces.
"How can you not know BTS?", Ryan gasped.
Iris had a confused look on her face. What the hell was her friends talking about.
"They are one of the biggest K-Pop boy bands in South Korea", Lenny explained.
Iris took another sip of her coffee, clearly showing her disinterest in whatever the boys were talking about.
seeing this, the two boys took the ear buds from their ears and put them in Iris's ears forcing her to listen to the song playing.
A few seconds after being forced to listen to the song, Iris started bopping her head to the beat of the song. A smile appeared on the faces of both Ryan and Lenny when they saw Iris slowly start to bop her head to the song.
Iris took the ear buds out of her ears and gave them back to them.
"It's catchy, but not my kinda vibe. I couldn't even understand what they were saying", Iris said.
"Well what did you expect? It's a South Korean song", Lenny said as he started bopping his head to the song again.
"If this isn't your kinda vibe then I do not what to know what kind of songs you listen to", Ryan said as he put the ear bud back in his ear.
Iris took her last bite of her donut and pushed t he rest towards Ryan and Lennox. She stood up with her coffee in hand and was about to leave.
"I gotta go. I'll call you guys later", Iris said and immediately started to leave.
"Where're you going?", Lenny asked but Iris just waved at them and left without answering.
"Where's she going?", Lenny turned to ask Ryan.
"Don't know", Ryan said.
Ryan suddenly had a thought as a mischievous smile slowly appeared on his face. He looked at Lennox who turn out to be staring back at him with a look that said 'what the fuck is going on in his head'.
Ryan suddenly winked at him. Lenny then immediately got what was going.
"Nope!", Lenny said as he ran off with the rest of the donuts. He didn't want to know whatever crazy stuff Ryan was thinking.
"Oh, come on! You don't even know what I was gonna say", Ryan shouted.
*****
The three best friends walked out of the night club. Well it was more like two best friends walked of the club carrying the third best. Ryan and Iris were holding onto the dead drunk Lennox to prevent him from falling face flat on the ground. They stopped a cab and threw Lennox in it.
This was the same club they went to last night. Ryan asked around to see if anyone had found his ID or phone. He even searched the lost and found but still couldn't find either, so maybe, he must've not left them at the club either.
"I swear he gets heavier everytime he's wasted", Ryan said before getting in the cab with Iris.
The uber soon stopped in front of Lenny's house in Dyker Heights. Ryan and Iris carried Lenny upstairs to his room after unlocking the front door. They tried to carry him while making the least noise but that was only making it worse. Luckily, the noise wasn't enough to wake up Lenny's dad, Scott Lees. It was either because he was a really deep sleeper or that he was so used to them coming in in the middle of the night that he chose to ignore them.
They threw Lenny unto the bed and automatically laid beside him on the bed. Ryan and Iris both let out a sigh out of exhaustion. They had partied really hard and were exhausted.
Iris took off Lenny's shoes and socks and threw them somewhere. Ryan also took off Lenny's jacket but Lenny suddenly wrapped his arms around Ryan, pulling him and cuddling him.
Iris let out a giggle when she saw the two boys.
Ryan immediately slapped Lenny's wrist and threw his arm away releasing himself from Lenny's embrace. Ryan would have cursed if it wasn't passed midnight.
"I'm not staying tonight", Ryan said as he jumped off the bed.
"Huh? Why?", Iris asked, surprised.
They always stayed whenever they dropped off drunk Lenny since this was rich boy Lenny's house. Ryan would sleep next to Lenny while Iris would sleep in the guest bedroom which was now like her second bedroom.
"No reason. I just don't feel like sleeping next to anyone tonight", Ryan answered.
"Then sleep on the couch", Iris said.
"Nah! Bye", Ryan said and started to leave.
"bye"
––
The half drunk Ryan was slowly walking back to his apartment. He would have taken a cab but he wanted to get some fresh air and try to sober up a bit.
As he was walking, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind him. He didn't think anything about it and just ignored it. It wasn't like he was the only person outside this late.
The footsteps started to get closer and closer but Ryan still didn't pay any heed to it. Maybe he thought they'd pass by or maybe he was still drunk.
Ryan was suddenly pulled into some dark alley. He looked up to see who pulled him. There were two people in front of him. The one on the left was a tall and muscular man wearing a red tracksuit. The one on the right was also wearing a similar tracksuit but green in color.
"Who the hell are you?", Ryan asked almost yelling.
He didn't think he was in much trouble since there were only two people in front of him. They didn't even have weapons. Maybe he would get hit once or twice but he could take them both. But then two more men in tracksuits came up behind Ryan.
Ryan gulped. Not because he was afraid; he could still take them as long as they don't have weapon. He only gulped because if he were to fight them, he'd get more hurt than he'd want to and he wasn't really a fan of being in pain.
Just then as if he had jinxed himself, all four men pulled out knives from their pockets and pointed them at him.
Ryan gulped again. But not because he was scared. He couldn't take them while they had weapons but he still wasn't afraid. He only gulped when he thought of the fact that he was going to die young, and while drunk too. Not the best time to die.
Ryan let out a sigh of frustration.
"Hey, isn't this the guy we robbed last night?", the guy in green said, making realise something.
Looking at the man in green, Ryan couldn't help but find him familiar. The man in red was also kinda familiar. It might have something to do with what he just said but Ryan didn't remember being robbed. Then again, he didn't remember anything that happened last. So maybe these guys must have taken his phone and wallet which had his ID and other things.
The man in red squinted his eyes and said after also remembering.
"Oh yeah. It's that guy".
Then suddenly, Ryan couldn't think. It was like his brain had stopped working. Ryan just stood there as he dissociated from his own mind.