-

"look who's back," aria says loudly, entering the condo with shawn wheeled in front of her. she sees karen, manuel, and aaliyah all sitting on the couch watching tv, before they snap their heads up, smiles adorning their faces.

"shawn!" aaliyah grins, leaping up and running to the wheelchair, greeting her brother with a gentle hug. "how are you feeling?"

"i've been better," he mumbles, hugging her back, and ignoring the pain. "but i'm great. i'm happy i'm back."

"you scared everyone so much!" aaliyah says to him, making him chuckle sadly. "you scared me too. don't ever drive in the snow again."

"i don't think i'll be driving for a while now," he jokes, letting go of the hug, seeing his mum and dad come into his view. "mum, dad, hey," they both come to embrace him, making aria smile softly at the family. "mum, no, don't cry."

"shawn, we thought that was it," karen sniffles back, making aria frown slightly, and shawns eyes fill with tears. "and poor aria, she didn't leave your side once! she was more distraught than us, shawn," karen lectures. "treat her right from now on, shawn. she's loyal to you, don't ever forget that."

"i won't," shawn mumbles back, looking up from the hug, and trailing his eyes towards aria, who stands there sheepishly, slightly embarrassed and anxious to what shawns going to say. "aria, can you help me into bed, please? i need some rest."

"yeah, come on," aria goes back to behind the wheelchair, wheeling him into their bedroom, stopping the chair at the edge of the bed. "easy, baby," she says gently, placing her hands on his, pulling him up lightly, aiding him in standing up.

"aria, can you stay with me?" shawn asks her, as he sits down on the bed, aria helping him to stretch out.

"anything you want," she mumbles back, sitting down on the edge of the bed, looking down at shawn. "do you need your painkillers or anything?"

"yes please," he nods, wincing slightly. aria stands up, walking out of the bedroom and getting shawns backpack, taking out the different pill bottles.

"are you two okay?" karen asks aria gently, walking into the kitchen where aria is pouring a glass of water for shawn.

"i guess," she shrugs. "i'm just happy that he's okay," she mumbles, closing the tap, and picking up the glass of water.

"we all are, honey," karen tells her gently, placing her hand on arias back. "are you okay though?"

"i really don't know, karen," aria says quietly. "hopefully him and i can talk, but i think too much was said to be fixed. does he still trust me?"

"he's not in a good place," karen informs aria. "i don't know if you've noticed it, but he's been so stressed, well before the accident, and i think he thinks you'll see him as weaker now because of the accident and the state he's in."

"i've noticed it, but i don't want to bring it up and fight with him," she whispers. "and the engagement, i just-" she cuts herself off with a sigh. "can i talk to you later about things? i just need to get these to shawn."

"of course sweetie," karen nods, hugging aria gently. "you know i'm always here to talk."

"thank you," she replies, pushing out a small smile, before walking back into the bedroom, seeing shawn choosing something to watch on netflix. "hey, i have your medicine."

"thank you," shawn replies, looking up at aria, who hands him the glass of water, along with the pills he has to take. "can you sit with me for  a while?"

"yeah," she says quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at shawn, who turns the tv off. "how are you feeling?"

"how are you feeling?" shawn turns round the question to ask her. "aria, i know it's been hard on you-"

"i'm fine, shawn," she lies, cutting him off. "i'm fine."

"no ones ever fine if they say i'm fine," he tells her gently. "i know you're upset because of me."

"damn it shawn, why did you leave that day it happened?" she bursts, tears pooling at her eyes. "when i saw you after you came out of surgery, and you were in that coma, and the doctor was telling us what happened, i just-" she cuts herself off, a tear rolling down her cheek. "i thought i lost you, shawn."

"you haven't, i'm right here," he murmurs, his heart completely shattering. "i'm right here baby."

"but you weren't! they had to fucking revive you in surgery!" she yells, standing up from the bed, and weeping into one of her hands. "god damn it, shawn, why? why did you have to go out?"

"aria-"

"no shawn, you won't understand how i felt! i kept telling myself that it was my fault you were there! what did i do to make you hate me so much?" she cries, going hysterical.

"aria i don't hate you," shawn mumbles softly. "please aria, don't cry, i hate seeing you cry."

"stop, please!" aria sobs, her tears not stopping at all. "you ended everything because you thought that girl was me! how dare you even think that?" aria screams, making aaliyah and karen come running into the room. aaliyah rushes over to aria, pulling her away from the room.

"aria!" shawn shouts, wanting to hold her close and never let her go, but instead he sees her rush away, guided by aaliyah.

"leave it shawn," karen says softly, sitting down next to her distraught son.

"no mum, i gotta make it right, i gotta-" he cuts himself off, looking up at his mother with teary eyes. "is this the end?"

"you can make it right, shawn," karen says to him, rubbing her thumb on his cheek, as he lets the tears spill down his face.

shawn closed his eyes, stopping the tears from escaping, and tried desperately to fall asleep. he wanted to be back in silence, but he wanted aria back more.
-
aria stood at the foot of the bed, her arms folded as she looked over a sleeping shawn, her mood completely gloomy; a grey sky in their bright room. she was completely miserly, a misanthropic haze cast over her. she sat at the foot of the bed, still gazing at shawn, who remains asleep, but his mind constantly awake and panicking.

"why do i still stay?" she mumbles, shuffling closer to shawn, and lying down next to him. "why do i put myself through this?" she questions quietly, bringing her finger tips to shawns forehead, brushing away his stray hairs. "you're so toxic to me, but i can't get enough."

"don't leave me," shawn mumbles softly, scaring aria, and waking his mind up from the never ending spiral of anxiety. "please don't leave me," he whispers, his hurt eyes fluttering open, and connecting with arias. he sighs softly, wincing in pain, before aria reaches down, grasping his hand in hers.

"you're so toxic for me," she whispers. "so toxic."

"i'm so sorry aria," he whispers, sniffling softly. "i'm so sorry."

"i don't even know why i'm still here, why i haven't left yet," she continues, squeezing his hand softly. "you fuck me over all the fucking time."

"aria please," he begs, tears filling his eyes yet again. "please don't leave me. i can't lose you."

"you treat me like shit," she croaks out, looking away from him, as he lets out a shaky sigh, crying after that. "i deserve so much better than you."

"don't end this, please aria," he begs, looking down at her. "i-i'll treat you right, i-i promise."

"look where a lifelong promise got us," she mutters back, wiping away her own tears with the back of her hand. "don't you understand how much pain i'm in?"

"s-stop aria, p-please stop," he begs, tears rushing down his cheeks like wildfire, his breath becoming heavy and unstable. "a-aria-aria i-i need w-water," it's only then when she notices shawn go into a complete panic, his anxiety hitting him, and making him feel even more smaller and worthless than he already was feeling. her composure fills with worry, and immediately she gets up, rushing to get shawn a water bottle from the fridge. she hands it to him, letting him finish the contents within seconds, and begin to calm down shortly after.

"better?" she asks him gently, as he nods weakly, pushing himself up to a sitting position on the bed. aria follows, bringing herself to sit down cross legged on the bed next to shawn.

"are you really not happy with me?" he asks her softly. "aria, i only care about your happiness, and if you're not happy, i don't want you to feel forced to be with me because i'm now a burden."

"i-i am happy with you, it's just," she pushes out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair. "i did nothing, shawn, and you completely snapped at me. you said we were a mistake, is that seriously what you think?"

"why would you think that i think that?" he breathes out, shakily, and hurt beyond words can explain. "why did i propose to you if i thought we were a mistake?"

"you ended that proposal and then called me a mistake, for a video that wasn't even me," she says gently, trying to keep her calm with him. "how is that right? how is that fair?"

"i'm sorry, aria," he whispers. "i'm so sorry. you're not a mistake at all, you're someone in my life i'm certain about. you're my everything, aria."

"i'm sorry too," she whispers, leaning forward and pressing her lips to his forehead, making him look at her in hope. that hope soon vanishes away, and aria gets up, walking out of the room, and straight into the guest room to spend the rest of her time taking care of shawn.

they weren't okay, but she didn't know where else to go.