Slow Dance

[improvfan88.livejournal.com]

I've been getting some ideas for another series kind of thing, but while it's in development, I got a fluff idea. In this, Ryan and Colin go to high school together (I know they didn't, but tough) and they're around seventeen years old (I know Ryan dropped out when he was seventeen, but I thought I'd give him a second chance to graduate :D).

Pairing: Ryan/Colin
Rating R for language, I like swearing.
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, you may have my hangover if you like.

A Dance

Colin nervously tried to straighten out the wrinkles in his shirt. There was two at the most, but he wanted to look immaculate. Not for his date. He only asked Lisa out so he would have someone to actually go with. No, he wanted to look nice for Ryan. He didn't know why, but his brain informed him that he had better look good. He had felt jealous when Ryan had asked Stephanie to the prom, but what had made him happy was the look of sadness in his eyes as he had done it. Nobody could read Ryan as good as he could. There was a knock at the door which his mother answered.

"Colin! It's Ryan!" She shouted up the stairs at him.

"Alright, I'm coming!" He yelled back down. He checked his reflection in the mirror one last time. His white shirt looked pressed, his black suit complementing his floppy brown hair which refused to sit where he wanted it, the red tie standing out. He walked down stairs to find Ryan looked, well, beautiful. Colin couldn't find another word to describe him. He was wearing nearly the same outfit as Colin, but his tie was blue.

"Hey Col!" Ryan said, taking in the sight of Colin in front of him, "You look fucking brilliant!"

Colin rolled his eyes. Ryan had taken to swearing in every sentence if he could get away with it. His parents didn't mind what he said, so, as was Ryan's way, he swore whenever he could.

"Thanks," Colin muttered, a blush stealing over his pale face, "You look good too."

Ryan snorted. To someone who didn't know him, Ryan seemed to ooze confidence, he almost appeared cocky. Only Colin knew that Ryan was insecure about his looks: his nose, his height, his feet. Colin told him once that he was stupid to think that, he looked perfect. Ryan had looked at him weirdly. Colin had shut his mouth after that.

"C'mon then handsome, we've got ladies to pick up!" He cheered, the sarcasm in his voice dripping from every word.

Colin decided to take a chance. "You've never seemed happy that we're going with dates."

"Why would I need a date if I've got you?"

The small blush that had crept over Colin's face earlier now exploded, even turning his ears red. He hid it from Ryan, he didn't want Ryan questioning his blushing. Not when he didn't even know himself. Well, he had an idea, but it was too scary to think about it for too long. Colin had managed to persuade his dad to let him borrow his car for the night. Ryan would be drinking, so Colin had offered to be the driver for night. Since Ryan was already standing at 6"6, he hardly ever got ID's. He had even had women aged thirty asking him out. Colin started the car, and drove the mile to Lisa's house. She and Stephanie had agreed to get ready at Lisa's house so it would be easier for Ryan and Colin to pick them up. They blasted rock music the entire way, singing at the top of their voices. Colin knew he couldn't sing, but he sang along anyway. He never got self conscious around Ryan, he knew Ryan wouldn't judge him and leave him. As they pulled up to Lisa's house, Colin noticed Ryan was getting quieter and quieter.

"What's wrong?"

Ryan shrugged. "Nothing, I just wish that we didn't have to go with them."

"Me too." Colin admitted

"Why?"

Colin paused. How could he answer that? "We always have fun when it's just us two."

"D'you think we'll not have fun tonight?"

It was Colin's turn to shrug. "I dunno. I never have as much fun with anybody else as I do with you."

"You had better not. I'm your best friend!"

They both chuckled. Colin watched Ryan as he laughed. His whole face screwed up, the adorable gap in his teeth showing through. "He just looks so handsome." Colin thought. The front door opened, and the two girls walked out. Colin inwardly marveled at the sight. They looked beautiful. They had obviously spent hours on their hair, their make up, choosing the right dress from the shop. But, to him, they paled in significance to Ryan. Colin stepped out of the car and held the door open for Lisa as Ryan did the same for Stephanie.

"You look nice." Lisa said to him.

"Thanks, so do you." Colin replied. "But not as good as Ryan." His mind whispered.

As Colin started the car up again, the rock music that they had been listening to blared out of the speakers.

"Can you turn that down?" Stephanie shouted over the music.

Ryan didn't move. Colin looked over at him and was shocked to find him frowning. Colin reached over and turned the music down slightly. He didn't want to take the side of the girls, but he wanted to please his date. Ryan and Colin rode in silence to the prom, Lisa and Stephanie continually chatting about ways to get alcohol and what songs they hoped would be on. The car was parked, and before Colin knew it, he was walking arm in arm with Lisa towards the hotel where the prom was being held. He looked at Ryan walking beside him, and saw the tell tale sign of him being nervous. He was fiddling with the ring that Colin had given him for his 17th birthday, a celtic ring symbolising never ending friendship.

The music was blaring as they stepped into the ballroom. Everybody from school was there and Colin felt his shyness take over his entire body. He hated big groups. He felt a tug on his sleeve as Lisa began walking towards the dancefloor.

"Come on Colin, you're dancing with me."

Colin looked behind him, trying to send a plea for help to Ryan to help him escape. Again, he was shocked by Ryan frowning directly at Lisa. "Is he jealous?"

Colin remained dancing with Lisa for around five songs, Stephanie eventually persuading Ryan to dance with her. They excused themselves with the purpose of getting a drink. They crossed the room to the bar where a gruff barman was standing ready to serve them.

"What can I get you?"

Ryan leaned over, trying to look older and, in his own mind, more sophisticated. "Can I have a beer please?"

"You got ID?"

Colin glanced at Ryan. Neither of them were old enough to drink, and Ryan, so used to getting served alcohol and cigarettes without ID, hadn't brought anything with him except money.

"Sure." Ryan said, going straight for his trouser pocket. He felt around, before a small frown appeared on his face. He tried his other pocket before going for his jacket and shirt pockets. Colin watched in confusion. He knew Ryan didn't carry a wallet, so why was he looking through his pockets for something that obviously wasn't there?

"Shit! I've left my wallet at yours!" Ryan said suddenly, "I took it out when your mum offered to iron my trousers for me!" Looking straight at Ryan, Colin could see a hidden message in his eyes, telling him to go with the story.

"Where about?"

"It'll be on the coffee table. I put my house keys there too."

"D'you want me to phone her?"

"Err," Ryan ran his fingers through his hair. It was something he did while he was doing some quick thinking. Colin found it cute, "D'you know what? Just leave it. She's gone to so much trouble for me already, I don't want to annoy her some more."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Just two Coke's instead please."

Colin's eye followed the bartender before he was distracted by Ryan's hand on his shoulder.

"Did you see that? How good were we there?"

"What d'you mean?" Colin was confused. What exactly had they done that had made Ryan so happy?

"That! The way we just made all that shit up out of nowhere! That was amazing!" Ryan was grinning so wide, it seemed to consume his face. Colin couldn't help it but grin back. The bartender appeared with their drinks, which they sipped as slowly as they could. They both knew that as soon as their drinks were gone, they would be dragged back to dance.

Sure enough, before Colin had even finished his last drop, Lisa appeared at his side.

"Come on, I love this song!"

Colin rolled his eyes at Ryan as he allowed himself to be dragged back to the floor. Not five minutes had passed before Stephanie appeared, dragging a very unimpressed Ryan behind her. Colin beckoned Ryan over.

"Another hour, and it'll be finished." He whispered in his ear.

"I fucking hope so."



It was actually near to the three hours before the prom began to wind down. Colin and Ryan had managed to escape for most of the dancing, as had most of the boys at the party. But currently, they were back on the dancefloor for the last song. Colin inwardly sighed. The last song was always a romantic song. As the first notes of 'More Than Words' by Extreme were played, Lisa swung her arms around Colin's neck as they swayed to the music. Colin simply went along with it. The song was only four odd minutes long, he could manage that before they could escape. Ryan was staying at Colin's that night, and he couldn't wait to get home. He glanced at all the other couples on the dancefloor. They were all swaying in time to the music, fully enjoying themselves, looking into their partner's eyes. Only he and Ryan weren't. No, Ryan was staring at Colin. Then something clicked into place for Colin, the thing that he had avoided thinking about for the best part of a year. He wasn't enjoying this particular dance. He should be, but he wasn't. And he knew why. He was dancing with the wrong person. As Ryan turned on the spot, Colin closed his eyes and imagined that he was dancing with Ryan. The fantasy swept him up, and filled him with so much excitement that he only barely registered Lisa pulling away from his shoulder to look at him.

"I really like you Colin."

Colin smiled, but didn't reply. He didn't like Lisa. Well, not in the way she wanted him to. He liked Ryan. The more he thought about it, the more it felt right. As Colin opened his mouth to reply, Lisa leaned in and kissed him. It was an automatic reaction that made Colin kiss her back. She was running her tongue along his bottom lip, trying to provoke some sort of reaction from him. Colin however, had already closed his eyes and imagined that he was kissing Ryan. He was teasing Ryan's lip, using his tongue to discover every part of Ryan's mouth. Lisa pulled away and stared at him in awe.

"You're a really good kisser!" She said.

Colin blushed, "Thanks." He looked over at Ryan, and found Ryan staring at them, furious. That was the only way to describe the way he was looking at Lisa. He looked ready to throw her out the window. The song ended and all the couples began walking outside towards cars and taxis. Colin looked around for Ryan, and saw him talking to an obviously upset Stephanie. Ryan, however, was the opposite. He just didn't seem bothered. Colin couldn't dwell on it too long however, as Lisa pulled him aside.

"Do you want to come home with me Colin?"

"What?" Colin was shocked, completely unprepared for the question.

"My parents aren't home, so you could come home with me."

Colin pondered over his decision. He knew what would happen if he went home with Lisa. It would be his first time, and probably hers too. But there was Ryan. Ryan was going to stay at Colin's. Ryan obviously wasn't going home with Stephanie. Colin thought about what had happened between Lisa and himself this night. She had told him that he was a good dancer. He had imagined dancing with Ryan. She had told that he was a good kisser. He had imagined kissing Ryan. When she asked him if he wanted to go home with her, he could only imagine going home with Ryan. When he imagined having sex with Lisa, well, Ryan was there in her place.

"No, sorry, I can't."

A stunned look overcame Lisa's face. "What?"

"No."

"Don't you like me?"

Colin steeled his nerves. "I like you, but not in the way you'd like me to."

"Is there something wrong with me?" Tears began welling up in her eyes. Colin felt an urge to hug her, which he did.

"No, no, don't be stupid. There's nothing wrong with you. You could have anybody you want. But there's something different about me." Lisa pulled back, only to look in Colin's eyes, which had now wandered over to Ryan, who was waiting patiently for him, his green eyes following their every move.

"Ryan?" She asked him. Colin nodded in return. Lisa smiled. "He is good looking."

"I know. But Lisa, you can't tell anyone."

"Does Ryan know?"

Colin stared at the ground. "No."

"Then tell him."

Colin looked back up at Lisa. He had expected her to run off crying, to tell everyone that he fancied Ryan. But, instead, she simply stood there, imparting wisdom beyond her years. He pulled her in a hug, whispering his apologies and began walking towards Ryan.

"You not going home with her?" Ryan said in a dark tone.

"Nope," Colin in an opposite cheerful tone, "I'm going home with you."

Ryan smiled as they began walking towards the car. They put the rock music up to full volume again, shouting the lyrics out the window, taking delight in the strange looks they gathered from the many strangers walking home.

"Col, wait, pull up here."

Colin did as he was told, and was stunned to discover that they were near a play park, full of swings and chutes.

"What are we doing here?"

"I want to play." Ryan leapt out of the car and bounded towards the park. Colin followed, trying to hold in the laughter that Ryan had caused. He sat down on one of the swings as he watched Ryan play on everything in sight. He knew why Ryan was doing it. If he had too much energy, he wouldn't be able to sleep. By coming to the park and running around like a child on a sugar high, he could get rid of that excess energy. Ten minutes later, Ryan sat down on the swing next to him, out of breath.

"Better?" Colin asked him. Ryan nodded, unable to form sentences. Taking advantage of his silence, Colin decided to ask Ryan a question which had been in his mind since he had saw Ryan waiting for him. "What happened between you and Stephanie?"

"She asked me if she could come back to my house, and I said no. She asked me why, and I told her that I didn't fancy her."

"Oh."

"Yeah. When I saw you talking to Lisa, I nearly went back and apologised."

"Why?"

"Well, I didn't want to spoil your chances, and obviously I couldn't stay at yours if you weren't there."

"I didn't have a chance, my friend. You were in a sulk since they got in the car though."

"Yeah well, like I said, I would have liked it just to be me and you."

"Yeah, like we could dance to 'More Than Words' together."

"I wanted to dance with you."

Colin stared at Ryan, who was staring back at the ground. "What?"

"I wanted to do the slow dance with you." He mumbled. Colin looked at him just a second more before getting off the swing and standing in front of Ryan. Ryan, scared that Colin was going to run off, quickly looked up. Taking Lisa'a advice, Colin held out his hand.

"Dance with me now then."

"There's no music."

"We don't need music Ry."

Ryan took Colin's hand and they pressed themselves close together. Colin began humming 'More Than Words' as they began swaying in time. Colin marveled at how natural this felt, how perfect it was. They had not been dancing long when Ryan drew back.

"You can't even hum in tune."

"You can't dance."

They stopped swaying, simply standing in the middle of the park, their arms wrapped around each other.

"Why didn't you go home with Lisa?" Ryan asked Colin.

"Because I didn't like her in the way she wanted me to. I like someone else."

"Who's that?"

Colin smiled at Ryan.

"Me?" Ryan said, shock evident in his voice.

"Yeah." Colin stared at the ground. He was ready for Ryan to run now, to end their friendship. Instead, he felt Ryan's hand gently pushing his chin up to meet his gaze. His lips were suddenly met by Ryan's, teeth nipping at his lip as Ryan asked for permission to deepen their kiss. Colin marked this day in his head. Their first kiss. He hoped it would be followed by many more.

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Twenty five years later, Ryan and Colin sat down in their set chairs. They were filming the final episode for a series of Whose Line US, and they were exhausted. In two weeks, they were getting married, so the stress of filming and planning a wedding had taken every bit of energy they possessed. Colin forced himself to pay attention as Drew announced the next game.

"Right, the next game is....... Narrate! This is for Colin and Ryan who are gonna act out a scene, and they're gonna narrate for each other. What I'd like from the audience is an unlikely place for film noir scene."

The usual suggestions were yelled, but Colin heard one that caught his attention. It was shouted over and over.

"High school dance! A high school dance!"

Drew picked it up. "A high school dance. That's good, a high school dance. Hey, we give Ryan and Colin a chance to dance together!" Ryan chuckled, but Colin kept looking at the audience. Suddenly, he spotted her, and he couldn't believe his eyes. Lisa was sat in the audience, watching the man she had danced at the prom create magical comedy with the man she had told him to love. Colin tugged on Ryan's sleeve.

"Remember Lisa?" He whispered to Ryan.

"Didn't you go to the prom with her?"

Colin nodded towards the audience where Lisa was sitting watching them. She caught Ryan's eye, and he smiled. He knew what Lisa had told Colin on that night many years ago. It was her advice that had convinced Colin to ask Ryan to dance.

"OK, guys, take it away!"

Colin felt himself slip in character. Usually he was the female. This time, however, it was going to chance.

"Lisa," Colin said, walking towards Ryan, "Dance with me."

"Oh Colin, I thought you'd never ask!" Ryan said in a high pitched voice. The two men joined and began slow dancing together, Colin's hand placed non too slyly on Ryan's ass. As they swayed to no music, Colin smiled at Lisa in the audience. He hoped by making her advice famous, that he had now started to repay the deed that she had done for him.