Disclaimer: I own nothing.
I have a personal headcanon that Ryan is gay, so that's basically what this oneshot is about. Romance (between Ryan and an OC) is implied, but family bonding is the main focus. Thank you for reading!
Title: Love Doesn't Have To Be A Secret
Summary: Ryan has a secret, but what is it? Or Ryan is gay and Mark finds out.
When Ryan started acting strangely, Mark's big brother protectiveness flared up like a neon sign or a flag waving high above everything else.
Mark and Ryan were close as two peas in a pod, and Mark knew his little brother like the back of his hand.
On Monday morning, Ryan stopped telling jokes; stopped using sarcasm; rarely ate; rarely talked; and didn't even want to hang out at the robot unless Mark dragged him there or a monster was attacking.
All signs pointed to… something was wrong.
Still, it was always better to get a second opinion before bombarding someone with questions about a problem that may just be inside your head.
"Have you noticed Ryan acting strange lately?" Mark asked Harris and Spyder, who knew Ryan almost as much as Mark did (if not better, but Mark would never admit that).
They were at the robot, and for the third day in a row, Ryan had refused to come.
Spyder sighed. "Thank goodness! I'm not the only one."
"He has been acting weird," Harris admitted. "I haven't heard him tell a joke in three days."
"Neither have I," Mark agreed.
"Should we… talk to him about it?" Spyder asked. "Or more accurately, should you two talk to him because I'm sort of an idiot and might say the wrong thing?"
Harris glanced at Mark. Ryan was, after all, his brother. He should make the final call.
"I'll talk to him," Mark offered. "But Ryan is stubborn, so keep your cell phones on in case I need back up."
Spyder and Harris nodded before Mark ducked into Mech X4's elevator, crying out as he rocketed down at top speed. He wondered if he would ever get used to that.
Mark exited the robot and sat in his car before turning the key and peeling out of the junkyard. On the drive home, he had plenty of time to think… and worry.
What if Ryan was being bullied? What if Ryan was being threatened (he was one of the pilots of a robot that destroyed monsters; it wasn't that far out of the ball park)? What if… what if… what if… what if... The what ifs were more unbearable than the situation itself.
Mark pulled up in front of the house, wanting to go inside and find Ryan and at least get the boy to give him a hint about what was bothering him.
Mark didn't have to search for long. He found Ryan sitting at the island in the center of the kitchen with a glass of juice and a bit of toast he was picking at.
"Are you going to eat that, or are you just going to pick at it until it falls apart?" Mark asked as he set his phone and keys on the counter.
"I thought you were at the robot," Ryan said, flatly, as he rested his head close to the counter, using his arm as a pillow.
Mark nodded. "I was, but you weren't."
Ryan shrugged. "So?"
Mark pursed his lips as he climbed onto the stool beside Ryan.
"What's going on with you?" Mark demanded. "Usually, you love hanging out at the robot."
Ryan shrugged again. "Things change."
"Like what?" Mark responded. "School, friends, kids… family?" Mark added with a harsh swallow. "Come on, Ryan. Give me a hint, throw me a bone. Anything! I want to help!"
Ryan hesitated. "Feelings," he whispered.
"Feelings change?" Mark asked, confused.
Ryan pursed his lips. "More like they were always there, but they're becoming too hard to ignore."
"Is it about a girl?" Mark asked. "Did she reject you or something?"
That didn't seem right to Mark. Ryan would've bounced back from something like that in a day. He wouldn't be slipping into depression and avoiding the subject for just any girl. Either she was really and truly special… or there was more to the story.
Ryan was silent for so long, Mark was afraid he wouldn't answer.
Finally, Ryan shook his head. "A boy," he breathed. His voice was so quiet, Mark almost didn't hear him.
Mark raised an eyebrow. "A boy?" he repeated.
Ryan nodded. "I have a crush on a boy, okay?"
Mark stared at his brother in shock, but he really should've expected it. He didn't remember Ryan ever showing an interest in girls, not even a Kindergarten crush. Although there was that one kid Ryan gave a valentine to back in the first grade. That kid was a boy…
Mark was surprised he hadn't realized it sooner.
Mark laughed, causing Ryan to look at him in confusion.
"You're gay?" Mark asked. "That's why you've been acting so weirdly. Ryan? I don't care. Harry, Spicer, and Mom won't either."
"Harris and Spyder," Ryan corrected, automatically. "Are you sure?"
Mark nodded. "Positive. What made you think any differently?"
"I heard some guys picking on a gay kid at school," Ryan whispered. "I stood up for him, but then, they turned on me. Saying I only stood up for him because I was gay, and I knew that was true, and I realized that if anyone knew, I would be the kid getting bullied."
Mark placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Ryan, love doesn't have to be a secret. I don't know why you have that idea in your brain, but bullies are easily taken care of. If anyone ever picks on you or gives you a hard time because you're gay or for any other reason, I won't let it continue. You come to me, and I'll set them straight, okay? I'm one of the most popular guys in school; I could ruin their reputation in the blink of an eye. So you don't need to worry about bullies or hateful people."
Ryan smiled. "Thanks, Mark."
"No problem. You're my little brother. It's my job," Mark chuckled.
They were silent for a few moments.
"So when did you know?" Mark asked.
Ryan shrugged. "A part of me has always known, I guess, but I didn't truly notice it until I had a crush on Harris."
Mark sputtered. "Harris? The genius kid on defenses in Mech X4?" He asked for confirmation.
Ryan nodded. "The same one. I quickly learned that he liked girls and girls only, and I moved on. I wasn't too broken up about it."
Mark nodded. "Good. Now, who is this boy you have a crush on?"
Ryan smiled. "Should've known you were going to ask that. His name is Zack, Zack Torres."
Mark squinted and knit his eyebrows as he tried to match the name with a face.
It clicked. Zack Torres, a freshman a little taller than Ryan with shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes. He had a few freckles sprinkled across his nose and was good at skateboarding, lacrosse, and English class. Mark only knew so much about him because he was one of his teammate's little brother.
"He's a nice kid," Mark told Ryan before playfully nudging him. "Maybe he can teach you a thing or two about sports."
"Well, we can't all be athletic like the great Mark Walker," Ryan joked. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. He's probably straight."
Mark raised an eyebrow. "You won't know for sure until you ask."
Ryan was silent for a long time after that.
"He said yes!"
Mark yelped and dropped the cookie he was eating as Ryan bolted into the kitchen.
Ryan frowned.
"'Sup?" Mark asked, awkwardly.
"Dude," Ryan said. "Where are your pants?"
Mark stared down at his body, noting the lack of shirt and pants and socks. He was eating cookies in his boxers.
"Uh…" Mark said. "A boy should be allowed to walk around his own house in his underwear. Anyway, who said yes?"
"Zack!" Ryan exclaimed. "We're going on a date this Friday, and yes, he does know it is a date."
Mark squealed, and Ryan laughed as the girlish scream sounded from his 'manly' brother's mouth before Mark realized how girly he truly sounded. He abruptly stopped squealing and cleared his throat.
"I knew you could do it, little bro," Mark said before spreading his arms. "Bring it in."
Ryan placed a hand against Mark's chest to stop the older boy from hugging him.
"We will hug… after you put on some clothes," Ryan told him.
Mark shrugged. "That's fair."