#and you can more effectively light the roads instead of shitty streetlights that are a mile in the sky and are essentially omnidirectional

[durn3h]

I've always wondered why so many governments keep investing tons of money into those stupid solar roadways projects when it makes 0 sense to anyone with a brain, but I just realized that it makes sense why this happens.

More and more funding is going into green energy and more and more people are wanting to see their government taking direct action to do something about green energy. There's money to be spent, but facilities require land that the government in most locations doesn't have, but they do have shittons of roads, so the most hassle free way of producing green electricity is to throw down solar panels in the one place they have complete control of the land, and then they get to claim that they are on the cutting edge of the science to appease their voters

[buzzwheeze]

skeptics and true believers: ch.6

Ryan has never felt luckier [AO3] [Wattpad]

Ryan looked at himself in the mirror, nervous excitement tingling underneath his skin as he smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt.

He was going on a date-- but, not just any date, a date with Shane Madej. He could barely hold back a smile as he thought about it again; he was going on a date with Shane! Apprehension and anticipation began to form a knot in his stomach.

There was knock at his door, and Ryan could see his mother peeking in from the other side.

"Come on in," He said, giving her a nervous smile as she opened the door.

"Okay, so you know your father and I are fine with you being gay and everything," His mother began, making Ryan narrow his eyes in suspicion, "But we're going to interrogate your boyfriend when he gets here. Y'know, just to make sure he's good for you and everything."

Ryan groaned. "Absolutely do not do that. You're the absolute worst, mom." He told her, anxious mind already imagining his mom and dad interrogating Shane the second he showed up at the door, "It's just a date, it's not like we're getting marri--" He was cut off by the doorbell ringing from downstairs.

He practically ran down into the living room to reach the door before either of his parents, only to find, to his dismay, that his dad had already beaten him there. Ryan could feel his face turning red in embarrassment as he came to the door and overheard his boyfriend and his father having a conversation.

"Oh yeah, I'm just here to pick up-- there he is," Shane grinned when they made eye contact, clearly not picking up on Ryan's discomfort, "Hey, Ryan. You ready to go?"

"Yea--" Ryan was cut off by his mother pushing past him to greet Shane.

"Hi there, Shane, I'm Mrs. Bergara." Ryan internally groaned as his mother accosted his boyfriend. "So, how are your grades? GPA?"

Ryan shoved past his parents and stepped out onto the front porch with Shane, who looked surprised by the sudden questions. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, I, uh--"

"You don't have to answer her," Ryan assured him, shooting his mom a dirty look over his shoulder. He appreciated his mother's concern, he really did, but he was equally, if not more, annoyed by it. "She's crazy." He grabbed Shane's arm and pulled him towards the car and off of the porch.

"Bye, love you guys, be back later!" Ryan shouted to his parents as he dragged Shane to the car. Shane laughed as they climbed into the front seats-- Ryan glanced at him sheepishly.

"I'm sorry," He began rambling, absolutely mortified by his parents' behavior, "They're both insane and annoying and the absolute worst--" He fully intended to continue on like that until Shane rested his hand on top of his own.

"It's fine, Ryan," Shane chuckled softly, eyes alight with warmth and affection. "It's endearing." He grabbed Ryan's hand gently, picking it up and pressing a kiss to it. "There's literally no reason to be embarrassed, goofball," he said, before giving a sly grin that made Ryan figure he knew exactly what he was doing, making Ryan's thoughts go static and face go red.

Ryan stammered in-eloquently for a couple of moments, skin warm where Shane's lips were. A nervous laugh bubbled out of his throat, only thought holy shit I'm so gay Shane is going to be the death of me.

"Got it," he squeaked out, voice embarrassingly high-pitched."Should we go?"

Shane laughed again as he started the car and started down the road.

They got to the movie theater fifteen minutes before their movie started, some slasher flick that, judging by the trailers, looked to be more guts and gore than actual plot. Shane spent ten of those minutes kicking Ryan's ass at Dance Dance Revolution in the arcade before they actually went into the theater.

"You're a goddamn cheater, Madej," He grumbled as they sat down in their seats, Shane's eyes glittering as the theater lights dimmed."I don't how, but you fucking cheated. I didn't even realize it was possible to cheat at DDR, but here I am."

"I've got good reflexes." He grinned, and maybe Ryan's heart fluttered just a tiny bit, because Christ, Shane was so beautiful when he smiled. He dropped his gaze to the floor and didn't reply, feeling embarrassed for staring.

Shane noticed. He leaned on the seat divider and tilted Ryan's face up. "Hey," He said, softly, "Chin up, Ry. You can look at me all you want-- we're dating!" There was something so wondrous in the way he said it, as if he still couldn't believe it himself, that Ryan couldn't help but smile back at him.

He knew how Shane felt-- it still hadn't really sank in for him, either. That day in the woods had been just three days ago; they'd held hands all the way back to Shane's house, and Ryan had spent the night. Not doing anything intimate, just spending time in the presence of one another, talking to each other. Making sure they were both on the same page and just enjoying the fact that they were with each other, now.

The newness of the word 'boyfriend' still hadn't worn off, the fact that he could kiss and stare at Shane all he wanted still felt novel. It was all such unfamiliar territory, but Ryan wouldn't trade it for anything. The way Shane was looking at him now, eyes shining with affection, made suffering through any anxiety or uncertainty worth it.

It soon became apparent, however, that Ryan had picked the wrong movie. He was more on the skittish side, and well. The movie was kinda scary, okay? He didn't do well with jump scares, and this shitty Halloween ripoff had many of them.

He jumped when something scary happened on screen, and braced himself for Shane giving him shit about it-- and instead, was surprised when Shane rested his arm around his shoulders.

"Scared?" He asked, voice humourous but not teasing. He nuzzled his face in the crook of Ryan's neck before kissing his cheek and okay wow, when did Ryan die and go to heaven? Because he's pretty sure that's where he's at right now.

"Why would I be scared of some movie serial killer when my boyfriend is a super hot werewolf dude?" He murmured, leaning into Shane's touch. He felt Shane chuckle beside him.

"You think I'm hot?"

"We're dating, Shane." The words felt odd leaving his mouth, and for a moment 'we're dating' reverberated around in Ryan's mind, the fact he somehow was lucky enough to end up dating Shane still utterly foreign.

Shane laughed and pressed another kiss to Ryan's cheek (something so casual about the touch, yet it made Ryan's breathing hitch), the conversation effectively distracting him from the movie and its scares entirely. The rest of it passed in a blur, Ryan only paying attention to the fact that Shane was resting his head on him and had his arm around his shoulder-- still struck with newness of being so tactile with one another.

They came out of the theater laughing, and Ryan almost felt drunk in how happiness warmed his chest and how his elation made him feel lightheaded and dizzy. At some point, as they walked back to the car, Shane slipped his hand into Ryan's. He revelled in how it felt to hold Shane's hand and press up against his side in the cold autumn air.-- he didn't want this night to end, and felt oddly sad as they climbed into the car.

Shane didn't say anything for a couple of moment as the sat in the car, and for a few irrational seconds, Ryan feared that Shane didn't have a good time tonight, that this wonderful date would meet an awkward, uncomfortable end--

"Let's go stargazing," Shane's soft voice pulled Ryan from his anxiety, "It's nice out tonight."

Ryan looked up and met Shane's eyes, suddenly feeling that not wanting this night to end was an emotion shared between the two of them. He let out a sigh, his anxiety leaving as well, and couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face.

"Yeah, of course," He said, not able to get the words out fast enough. Shane grinned back at him and started the car. An unexpected surge of fondness rose in Ryan's chest, almost hurting in its intensity.

Maybe it was too soon in their relationship-- it could have been merely teenage infatuation--but Ryan was in love, he's so fucking in love with Shane and his humor, in love with his skepticism, his height, the way his brown eyes flashed as they passed streetlights, everything about him was so beautiful and Ryan felt as if he couldn't breath suddenly, drowning in emotion.

Shane pulled into one of the local parks and parked, gravel crunching underneath the wheels of the car. He cast Ryan a sidelong glance, small smile on his face.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to stare, Bergara?" He teased as he unbuckled his seatbelt, and on a stroke of impulse, Ryan leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Upon pulling back, a smug satisfaction overtook Ryan at the flustered blush that dusted Shane's cheeks.

"C'mon, let's go look at stars or whatever," Shane mumbled, voice an octave too high, making Ryan laugh as they climbed out of the car.

The night was chilly, and the waning gibbous moon above cast a low light over the parking lot. The stars were numerous, park far away enough from the more populated part of town to where light pollution was less of a problem. Shane was sitting on the hood of his car, and motioned for Ryan to join him.

Ryan nuzzled up against Shane's side, letting the other wrap his arms around him. For a couple of moments, they just sat like that in a companionable silence. Ryan pulled his jacket tighter and shifted closer to Shane.

"You're very warm," Ryan mumbled, resting his head in the crook of Shane's neck-- Shane's body temperature felt like he was constantly running a fever and Ryan leaned into it now, the heat comforting in the cold night

"It's a werewolf thing, I think," Shane murmured, Ryan listening with rapt attention, still endlessly intrigued by his boyfriend's lycanthropy, "I'm still not completely sure about what is and isn't a werewolf thing-- I've never met another one. I think I witnessed my father transform once, before he left." The way Shane spat the word 'father' and fell silent made Ryan curious-- but he wouldn't press something Shane didn't want to tell him about.

"Do you believe in aliens?" He asked, trying to change the subject, "I mean, knowing you, you probably don't, but..." He looked up at the sky and the vast glitter of stars across it, "I don't think we're alone in the universe."

"I believe in aliens," Shane replied, running a hand through Ryan's hair, "Not in a, 'little green men came into some country bumpkin's home and probed his asshole' way, but in a 'it would be ridiculous to believe that humans are the only intelligent life in the entire universe' way."

"So I win, basically" He sat up to look Shane in the eyes, a wide grin creeping over his face, "You believe in something supernatural, so I win."

Shane snorted. "Absolutely not-- aliens are science, not supernatural. There's a difference," He rolled his eyes, "Your spooky ghosts still aren't real."

"Oh, shut your stupid skeptical mouth," Ryan shot back, getting closer to Shane's face. Something about the atmosphere changed, and Shane smirked.

"Make me."

Ryan's not totally sure who initiated it, but suddenly the space between them was gone and his lips were pressed against Shane's-- it wasn't urgent and desperate, like their first kiss, instead it was slower, something more languid in how they pushed against each other this time. The unspoken tension erupting that had defined their first kiss was gone, replaced with a mutual and clear desire from both of them. Shane tasted like soda and popcorn, but Ryan didn't mind it-- exploring Shane's mouth with his tongue was enough of a sensation in itself to distract him.

They pulled their lips apart, but stayed close, Ryan resting his forehead against Shane's. He felt out of breath, but it was good-- everything about this moment, everything about being hand in hand with Shane, kissing Shane, was so fucking good in a way that Ryan never envisioned himself lucky enough to experience.

He almost thought it might be a dream, but as he cupped Shane's cheek, tilting his head upwards to look into his warm, brown eyes, Ryan could feel his pulse just below the surface. Shane's heartbeat raced in time with his own, a constant drumbeat telling him that this was real, real, real.

--

Ryan laid on Shane's bed, intertwined in Shane's gangly limbs, head on his chest. It was a Saturday, a lazy Saturday, one in which time passed slowly and the two of them were bound to the bed by lethargy. They hadn't gotten up almost the entire day, content to just talk aimlessly and be with one another.

"You're the densest person ever, Shane," They had gotten onto the topic of their friends, and somehow, Ryan did not know how, Shane hadn't realized Safiya and Freddie were dating, "For all your super werewolf senses and shit, you're incredibly unobservant."

"Not my fault the only person I pay attention to is you," Shane mumbled as he pressed a series of kisses onto Ryan's neck; Ryan swatted him away playfully.

"Don't blame your own obliviousness on me, Madej" Ryan said, rolling over onto his stomach to face Shane. "Tell me you at least know about Steven and Andrew."

"I'm not blind," Shane scoffed. "Astronauts could see they're a thing. That and Steven is always loudly proclaiming Andrew as his boyfriend, as if we'd forget if he didn't remind us."

"By that logic you should know about Saf and Freddie. They're always holding hands, calling each other babe," Ryan absentmindedly took Shane's hand in his, "How could you not know?"

"Well, I know now," He grinned, "Hey, what if I asked you to start calling me 'babe'?"

"The only pet name I will ever give you is Bonestilts," Ryan teased."I don't think I could say 'babe' without it sounding corny."

"I'll accept Bonestilts. It's got a nice ring to it," Shane said thoughtfully, furrowing his eyebrows. "What about those two jock dudes who are always super competitive? They seem like they have some unresolved sexual tension going on."

"Ned and Eugene?" Ryan asked, and Shane nodded. He had to think for a moment-- Ned was their school's only good soccer player, Eugene the football star, and they were pretty competitive, Shane was right. Ryan thought he might have even seen them holding hands before-- as well as with the two far less athletic, nerdier dudes that they hung around. There were plenty of rumors, sure, the most plausible one that they were all just dating each other.

"Absolutely no clue," Ryan replied finally. "I think they're in a relationship with Zach and Keith, but I'm not totally sure. Whatever's going on it's not something they broadcast for the world."

"Is everyone at this school gay?" Shane laughed, "I'm genuinely curious."

"Probably," Ryan deadpanned, "You wanna know who's really gay though?"

"Wh--"

"--You," Ryan interrupted with a cheeky grin, poking Shane in the chest, " ooh get wrecked." Ryan giggled at his stupid joke even as Shane rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, you gigantic dork." Shane pulled Ryan closer, something far too fond in his voice before kissing him on the cheek. They had been dating a while, but the way Shane's stubble scratched against Ryan's cheek still made his heart race.

Ryan can't help himself-- he kissed Shane, Shane's hand immediately coming up to cup his face as they embraced. It was slow and aimless, like most of today has been, and before long they broke apart with smiles on their faces. He could see the affection alight in Shane's eyes and knew his must look the same.

They laid together in a companionable silence, Ryan resting his head on Shane's chest, listening to the rise and fall of the other's chest.

"The full moon's coming up soon," Ryan said, breaking the silence. He felt Shane momentarily tense underneath him before relaxing again; Ryan couldn't blame him. It was only the second full moon after they had gotten together, since Ryan had found out, and Ryan knew it must be weird talking candidly about something he had kept under wraps for so long.

"Yeah," Shane breathed the word out like a sigh, before wrapping his arms loosely around Ryan. "You know... having you around, having someone around to talk about this werewolf stuff with makes it... I don't know. Easier, I think."

"How so?" Ryan asked, glancing up at Shane.

"I told you about how there's always this compulsion to transform, and it gets hard to control sometimes. Especially whenever I'm emotional," He huffed out a laugh, "I transformed a lot when we first met--I had a lot of confusing emotions surrounding you, y'know. But what I'm trying to say is, you being here, and more specifically us being together, makes those compulsions less strong."

He paused, but Ryan still listened intently.

"I tend to get trapped in my own head a lot, I get lost in my own perspective and I let things build up that shouldn't. But you..."He interlocked his slender fingers with Ryan's. "You caring about me, and knowing about the whole werewolf thing makes it easier for me to snap myself out of it." He looked down at Ryan, small smile on his face.

"You make it easier for me to breathe, whenever it feels like I'm drowning," Shane said earnestly, pressing a kiss to Ryan's forehead. "I can't thank you enough for that, Ryan."

There were thousands of things Ryan wanted to say-- no, I should be thanking you, or you it hard for me to breathe when you're around, or I love you, I love you so much it hurts.

He didn't. He didn't say anything; instead, he smiled at Shane and pulled him close and kissed him again--for a moment, the rise and fall of Shane's chest was the only thing reminding him to breathe.

--

Ryan was alone. He felt the loneliness as if it were a physical presence, crushing his chest and making it ache.

The full moon was tonight, its pale face already high in the night sky. Ryan was in his bedroom, and he missed Shane intensely, more than anything else in the world. His heart ached at the thought of Shane, alone in the woods, wrapped in chains.

He tried not to think about it.

He attempted to fall asleep, but every howl made him miss Shane even more-- and something else, as well. There was a nagging sense of dread that had followed him all day. He tried to tell himself it was just him missing Shane, but no matter what he did he couldn't shake the feeling that something is wrong.

Everything's been so good lately, though, he thought to himself, Everything's perfect. He knew this-- knew how good things were better than anyone else.

And yet, a foreboding sense of doom followed him, followed his thoughts-- and it worried him.