DARK FIC: He's Come Undone

[crabby-monkey.livejournal.com]

Pairing: Ryan/Colin, mention of Pat/Ryan

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 1, 180-ish

Warning: Eavesdropping may be common in hotels, but some things you really shouldn’t be party to.  "Dead Bodies"  isn't a game anymore, and Drew is left to clean up.

Disclaimer: I have no idea what brought this on, and no improvers have been hurt in the making of this fiction.

 

*******

 

The voices coming from the hotel room were loud enough to be heard by anyone interested enough to listen.

“Col, I can’t do this anymore.” The voice was filled with torment.

“What do you mean? Can’t do what anymore?” His voice was strained, high-pitched and suddenly cracked.

“This… this slipping out and sneaking around – I have to think of my family!”

“And I don’t?” There was a crisp snap of anger. “I have as much to lose as you do, Ryan. More, if you consider that Deb has quite a bit of money on her own – she could keep me from seeing Luke for the rest of my life. You, on the other hand, have a stay-at-home mom. I doubt that she could hire anyone to keep you from seeing your three.” There was a snort. “One of the benefits of marrying someone not in show business.”

“You leave them out of this!” There was the sound of scraping as if someone couldn’t bear sitting down any longer.

“You brought them up, Ryan, I didn’t. I’m just pointing out that I have more to lose than you do.”

“But…”

“Come here – come back to bed… if this is going to be the last time we’re together, at least let me have that much.” The voice was softer, wheedling…

“Well…”

“Come on, please? Pretty please? I couldn’t bear it if this was how it was going to end.”

“Ok… I’m sorry, Col… I'm just so tired of all this...” The voice was slightly muffled.

“Me, too…” The bedsprings creaked erratically.

The corridor was empty and quiet…

***  ***  ***  ***  *** 

~BANG--BANG—BANG~

“Look, I know you’re in there! C’mon, this isn’t funny any more! Colin? Ryan?”

Doors were opening all along the corridor, but the one being banged on stayed firmly shut.

”Go away, Drew. This may be the last time we have to be together, and neither of us is coming out until we’re ready.” Colin’s voice was anxious, but firm.

”Jeeze, Colin… we need you both at the set! Can’t you settle this… this whatever it is later?”

“Drew, leave us alone – we need to work this out. Don’t make me come out there, or I’ll hurt you.” Ryan’s voice sounded odd – as if he was in another room of the suite or his throat hurt.

“Ryan? You ok? You sound weird. C’mon and let me in, guys, please?”

There was coughing behind the door, a thin strangled sound.

“It’s just a cold, and my fuckin’ allergies! Look, just leave us alone, ok?”

“Drew, we’re not moving, and that’s final. Put Greg and Jeff on in our place. No one will notice we’re gone.” Colin’s voice was soft and wheedling, almost a singsong. Drew palmed his face, his stubby fingers scrubbing through his hair as he tried to decide what to do.

It was a worried Drew that finally walked away, frantically dialing his cell phone.

*****  *****  *****  *****  ***** 

~Ring~

“Hello?”

“Patricia, this is Dan Patterson. I’ve been trying to reach your husband and Mr. Mochrie at the hotel, and neither of them is answering their phones. Do you have any idea what is going on?” A pencil nervously drummed his desktop.

“Dan, I have no idea what is going on! Ryan left me a rather odd voice mail, and I haven’t been able to get hold of him, either. Deb’s out of the country on location, and I can’t reach her. What more do you want me to do? They’re big boys, and besides, I have to pick up Mac at ballet class.”

“If you hear anything…”

“I know where to reach you. Now, excuse me, but I really have to go.”

~click~

*****  *****  *****  *****  *****

She left the hotel elevator and was immediately surrounded by people. Pat was able to make out Drew’s voice above the mutter of the crowd and pushed her way through to stand by him. “Drew, what’s going on?”

The chubby comedian scrubbed his hand across his face and turned to face her. “Pat, I don’t know what’s going on in there, but there’s definitely something wrong.” He reached for her hand, an odd gesture that even he couldn’t say what he was asking for. Reassurance? To comfort her? “Neither of them is saying much that we can hear…”

“I don’t understand this, Drew! One minute everything is fine, then Ryan comes over here to see Colin, and now everything is upside down!” She stepped up to the door and knocked gently. “Ryan? Colin? It’s me, Pat.”

There was no answer.

“Ryan? Colin?”

“Pat, I’m sorry, we just need some time to make everything all right.” Colin’s voice was right at the door, and he sounded tired.

“Colin, where’s Ryan? I know he’s in there with you… Ryan?” Her voice cracked as she spoke Ryan’s name. “Ryan, talk to me, please!”

“Patricia, just go home. I’ll be along later. Just go, ok?” His voice came from somewhere in the background. Pat frowned.

“Ryan? Are you okay?”

There was another bout of coughing from behind the door. “Yeah. Just go.”

She turned from the door and clutched Drew’s arm. He winced as her fingers bit into his arm. Her mouth was right next to his ear as she pulled him toward her. “Drew, I know my husband’s voice. I’ve sat up with him through coughs, colds, fevers, allergies and reactions to medications. Something is terribly wrong! You’ve got to get in there! Please! Hurry!”

The hotel manager finally arrived with a master key. “I really don’t know about this…”

Pat snatched the key out of his hand and used it. The door unlocked with a ~click~ that was suddenly very loud. The entire hallway was quiet, as though everyone had suddenly forgotten how to breathe. She stepped through the door into darkened room and flicked on the light by the door.

Her screams echoed through the hall – wild, agonized. She didn’t stop screaming, not when the manager and Drew barged into the room, not when Drew turned away violently retching. The manager ran out of the room screaming for someone, anyone to call 911.

“So-rry Drew. I’m… sor-ry.” Ryan’s eyes were wide open and glassy. His head was tilted at an impossible angle, his baseball-patterned tie almost hidden in the folds of what used to be his neck. “This… is… what… we… wan-ted.”

The voice came from Colin’s lips, but Ryan’s lower lip moved up and down as he thumbed it the way he had so many times before when they were playing “Dead Bodies”.

The room fell silent as Pat fainted.

White froth tinged with blood bubbled from his lips as Colin coughed. “We… should… ne-ver … be… sep-ar-ated…” His eyes rolled back as he convulsed. “Ne…ver.”

Drew started toward the bed on shaky legs that suddenly gave out on him. “No…” He collapsed to the floor, with his arms wrapped around his chest trying to stop his own heart from breaking. “Oh god…”

Two bodies sat side by side as they had so often before. Colin’s head had fallen forward onto Ryan’s shoulder, his lips resting against the skin as if kissing the raw skin to make it better.