Seldom Second Chances (10b/13)
Dec. 17th, 2014 11:57 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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wl_fanfictionTitle: Seldom Second Chances
Author: Clay
Pairing: Ryan/Colin
Rating: NC-17 (for later chapters...soon now...)
Summary: When a freak accident drops an impossible opportunity in Ryan's lap, it's up to him to decide whether to squander it, or to change his fate by going after the one thing he's always wanted.
Word Count: ~3200
Prompt & Author's Notes: This was a bit of a difficult chapter for me, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Again, for the Thon Prompt 33: Strangled by the red string. As always, betaed by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
asuka14.
Chapter 10b
The comedy club ended up being a small stage at the back of an Italian restaurant, though upon asking, they were assured it was only a temporary location until they were able to build a full club. Ryan made a mental note to check up on the place when he got back to 2013.
If he got back to 2013, he amended, taking a seat at a table covered with a cheap red and white checkered table cloth. He knew he’d get back there eventually just from reliving the next 12 years; he just hoped it wouldn’t take quite so long.
He watched Colin pick up a menu as though from a distance, pondering their situation.
The truth was that he’d been so caught up in trying to figure out if he had actually been sent to the past that by the time he’d finally accepted the time travel, he’d forgotten to question how or why it had happened in the first place. The how only mattered in that maybe he could use the same method to get home, but aside from the coincidence of both events having him shattering a light bulb, he wasn’t sure what that method might be—especially if he was right about Colin also having traveled back in time. As far as he knew, Colin had no light smashing incidents in his past.
And as for the why, he was even more clueless. Maybe completing whatever goal he was supposed to achieve would magically send him back, or maybe there was no point, and his being there was just some random hiccup in time. Colin looked up at him earnestly and suggested a large, plain pizza, and Ryan realized that the why really didn’t matter. No matter the reason the universe had for putting him back in this place and time, he thought, smiling and nodding at Colin’s suggestion, he would make the most of it.
Along with the pizza, they ended up ordering a pitcher of beer, which Ryan attacked like a man dying of thirst while Colin signed them up for a spot on stage.
There was a surprisingly large crowd for the size of the place, and Ryan caught a number of people glancing his way. He was sure they’d been recognized, whispers jumping from table to table, but he wasn’t concerned with any of that. He was just keyed up to be getting up on stage soon. It was the one thrill in his life that never got old.
They’d arrived just before the first performer went on, and there was already a long list of people set to precede them, but Ryan didn’t mind the wait. In fact, watching each fresh face ascend the stage—all nerves and hope—reminded him more and more of what he loved about the craft. Most of the acts were mediocre at best, but he could see their potential, their drive, and he suddenly, desperately missed the Upfront theatre. He missed teaching, molding young talent, and the look of pure joy on their faces when they absolutely nailed a scene. At that moment, he wanted to be back in 2013 more than ever.
“Hey,” Colin said suddenly. He touched the back of Ryan’s hand lightly, startling him.
The act had just ended and a timid young thing was taking the stage now. Ryan looked away from her to blink at Colin owlishly. He’d forgotten he was here. “Hmm?”
“Where are you?” Colin asked softly, his pupils skipping back and forth as he searched Ryan’s eyes.
Ryan smiled and shrugged, then looked down at their pizza. It was mostly gone save a few crusts, and he grabbed up one of these and took a bite, chewing slowly as he considered his answer. “Just missing home, I guess,” he said, then reached for the pitcher to drain the last of the beer into his glass.
Colin nodded thoughtfully. “The theater?”
Ryan was about to confirm this when he rememebered the theater didn’t exist in 2001. Point to me. Ryan looked at him innocently. “What theater?”
Colin blanched as he realized his mistake, then quickly averted his eyes. He turned, pointing to the woman with the clip board who had taken their names. “Oh, she says we’re up next, by the way.”
Ryan couldn’t help the smug smile that graced his lips. “Then we should get ready, I guess. Any idea what you want to do up there?”
Colin didn’t miss a beat. “Improvise?”
“Ha ha,” Ryan came back. “Seriously, though. You have a game in mind?”
Colin pursed his lips, thinking it over. “Not really. What about you?”
Ryan was already pouring over the usual set list in his head. He enjoyed the scenic games most, so he was leaning toward those. Sentences was a favorite of his, though they didn’t have time to pass out and collect strips of paper without disrupting the flow of things. They could always do Styles, but there was no one to call. “You’re the one who’s more familiar with a two man show,” he said eventually. “What would you recommend?”
Now it was Colin’s turn to give him a knowing look. Crap. Colin didn’t start touring with Brad until after the show went on hiatus. Point to Colin.
Like he, Colin didn’t acknowledge the slip up, however, and moved on, answering, “Film and Theatre Styles? It doesn’t require any props.”
“But who’s going to call?” Ryan argued.
“I can.”
Ryan shook his head. “No, I don’t want either of us to have control of the scene like that. It’s more fun when someone else does the calling.”
Frustrated, Colin sat back in his chair and picked up his beer. “Okay, so what do you want to do?”
Ryan frowned. He, too, sat back, then looked around the room for inspiration. His eyes landed on the girl on stage again, and he thought once more of the Upfront Theater. In the theater they played lots of games that never made it on Whose Line. Maybe it was time to break one of them out. He scoured his mind for a good two player game that didn’t use an MC.
Smiling, he turned back to Colin. “First Line Last Line. All we need from the audience is two lines and a situation.”
Colin gave a slight shake of the head. “Isn’t that usually a group game?”
“Yeah, but we can do it with just us—just one scene. What do you think?”
Colin considered it, then nodded, smiling softly. “I’m sure we can make it work.” He downed his beer just as their names were called to a thunderous applause. “And I’ll do the last line,” he told Ryan, grinning.
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Are you saying I’d forget it?”
Colin laughed. “Hey, if the shoe fits!”
“Is that a crack about my feet?”
“Would you rather it be about your nose?”
They were both laughing when they finally stepped foot on the small stage and faced the audience. The applause picked up again, and then once more after Ryan took up the mic and introduced them. Looking out over the audience, he got the impression that it usually wasn’t this packed. All the tables were full, and there were a number of people standing along the edges of the room. It had been busy, but not nearly this busy when they’d entered, and Ryan could only assume it had something to do with them being there. He wondered how word had gotten around so quickly without social media to aid it.
“Okay!” he said when the clapping finally died down. “We’re going to do a simple little game for you guys that you might not be familiar with. It’s called First Line Last Line, and how it works is we’re going to get a situation from the audience as well as the first and last lines of the scene. All we have to do is start with the first line, end with the last, and hopefully get you guys to laugh in the middle there. Sound good?”
There was another round of clapping and hollering, and Ryan grinned out over the audience.
“All right! I need a situation. Just call it out!” There were a few shouts, then a lull, then a few more. Finally he pointed to a guy who’d called out ‘Cashing a check.’ “Cashing a check!” he echoed, then looked to Colin for confirmation. Colin shrugged and nodded. “Okay, now I need the first line of the scene.”
“I’m having your baby!” a woman screamed from a table in the back. There was a smattering of laughter, and Ryan chuckled, too.
“Okay. ‘I’m having your baby.’ Now I just need the last line of the scene.”
There were a number of shout outs this time, including many oddly specific lines like “How much is the coffin?” and “Squeal like a piggy!” but Ryan ignored them. He wanted something interesting, yes, but more flexible than some of the stranger suggestions.
Suddenly Colin stepped up, pointing to an older man. “What did you say?” he asked.
The man pointed to himself, and at Colin’s nod repeated, “Let’s go home.”
Colin looked to Ryan. It wasn’t a line Ryan would have chosen, but if Colin thought it had merit, then it was worth a shot. He nodded, then addressed the audience again.
“Okay, so we have it!” He ticked off the audience suggestions on his fingers as he spoke. “’I’m having your baby,’ ‘Let’s go home,’ and cashing a check. Ready?”
Colin gave a nod, then turned, heading two steps away before turning back to Ryan. He affected a convincing scowl, then raised an imaginary cell phone to his ear. “I’m having your baby!” he snarled into it. “Maybe now you’ll leave your wife!”
The audience chuckled, but it took Ryan a moment to react. Logically he knew that Colin was just playing the scene, but the second half of that line hit a little too close to home, what with all the marital discord he’d experienced as of late. As soon as it entered his mind, however, he pushed it back out. He had a scene to play.
“Hello!” he said cheerfully. At the same time he pretended to open one of those old bank teller windows and leaned forward on an invisible counter. “Welcome to Santa Barbara Savings and Loan! How can I help you today?”
Colin rolled his eyes, his scowl deepening. “Hold on,” he said to the phone, then to Ryan, “Can’t you see I’m talking to someone?”
“Of course!” Ryan said back, grinning wider. “I was wondering if you or your husband wanted to take advantage of our new type of savings account?”
“Husband,” Colin huffed. He leaned back and puffed out his belly before rubbing a hand over it. “No, it’s just me and my unborn baby.”
“I see!” Ryan shut the window on her, to a smattering of laughter, then opened it and leaned out again. “Wait, have you heard about our child’s saving account?”
Colin blinked and looked around. “Are you opened or closed?”
Ryan made a show of playing along, opening and closing the window a number of times at differently timed intervals, then continued on. “We’re open! Did you want that account?”
“Account?” Colin pursed his lips and spoke into the phone. “I’m going to have to call you back.” He snapped the phone shut before shoving it in his purse. “Like a college fund?”
“No, no. In this account, your money is automatically converted into small stuffed bears.” He ended this with a cheesy smile, while Colin pretended to ponder the situation.
“I see…” he said after a moment, “You know, I really just came in here to cash a check…”
“No, no, no!” Ryan waved Colin closer. He looked around suspiciously, then spoke in a stage whisper. “Have you heard of ‘inflation?’”
“Like a balloon?”
Giving a hearty fake laugh, Ryan mimed blowing up a balloon, then it popping, and both he and Colin cringed away from the blast before sharing another fake laugh together. “Oh, we have fun, don’t we? But no! I mean like the stock market.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. Think about it. 10 years ago, bread was a dollar a loaf, and now it’s two dollars! Imagine if you had bought 10,000 loaves of bread and then saved them for today!”
Colin pulled a face. “I’d have a lot of moldy, green bread.”
“Green bread?” Ryan asked, then lifted a hand, rubbing his thumb against his index and middle fingers. “Or green money? That bread is worth twice as much as it was ten years ago, and just think what it’ll be worth in another ten years? But instead of bread, this account uses teddy bears! You know what’s so great about teddy bears?
“They soak up my tears when I cry alone at night?”
“Right! And they don’t get moldy!”
“Well,” Colin said, cringing a little, “they do when they’re filled with tears.”
It seemed like a good place to start veering the game toward that ending line, so Ryan stepped forward and put an arm around Colin’s shoulders. “Do you want to talk about it?”
But Colin was looking behind him, one eyebrow raised. “Did you just walk through the counter?”
“An old bank teller’s trick,” Ryan said, waving the question off. “But why don’t you tell old Mr. Hanson about what’s making you so sad.”
“Mr. Hanson?” Colin echoed, looking up at him in shock. “Gary Hanson?”
Ryan opened his eyes wide in return. “Phil, is that you?”
“Well, it’s Philomena now,” Colin reminded him, rubbing a hand over his once more puffed out belly. Quickly he turned toward Ryan as clasped his hands. “Oh, Gary, how long has it been?”
“Too long,” Ryan replied, giving Colin’s hands a squeeze. “Not since the Miller’s Christmas party.”
Colin gave a small chuckle and nodded knowingly. “That donkey was never the same.”
Ryan chuckled along with him. “And they never got that stain out.”
For a long moment they just smiled at each other. Colin’s hands were warm in his; his eyes twinkled under the bright stage lights, and slowly something started to change. Colin’s smile softened and turned more genuine. Ryan stopped thinking so hard about where he wanted the scene to go and just enjoyed being on stage with Colin. It had been some time since they’d just played together like this—no money, no rules; just the two of them doing improv for the sheer joy of it.
I love you, Ryan thought.
Colin cleared his throat and said quietly, “Hey, Gary? Did you ever wonder what would have happened that night, if you and I had gotten stuck under the mistletoe instead of me and De—the donkey?”
It was the slightest of slip ups, but suddenly all Ryan could think of was their first Christmas in Toronto back in ‘85 or ’86 or whenever. His memory for such details was never all that great, so Ryan couldn’t remember much of what happened that night, but he did remember Colin and Deb disappearing near the end of the party. He’d gone looking for Colin to say Merry Christmas one last time before he went home with Pat, but he’d been unable to find him.
Apparently they’d gotten caught under the mistletoe, which would have led to more clandestine activities. And apparently, Ryan thought as he pressed a little closer to Colin now, Colin had always wondered what would have happened had it been the two of them instead.
“Not really,” Ryan told him honestly.
Colin looked crestfallen, and Ryan couldn’t tell if he was still pretending.
“But I can tell you this,” Ryan continued. He curled his fingers under Colin’s chin and lifted it until their eyes met. “I don’t need mistletoe to know I want to kiss you.”
Colin’s lips parted slightly, his eyes darkening just a little at Ryan’s words. He seemed to be holding his breath. And, Ryan realized, so was the audience. It was dead silent in the small restaurant as everyone waited to see what he would do next.
He could kiss Colin now. It was what they all wanted, himself included, and it was safe. He could write it off as all part of the game.
Ryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he stepped away from Colin, breaking the spell.
There was an audible sigh from the audience, and Colin was blinking at him owlishly, as though he wasn’t quite sure what had just happened.
“I think we have a lot to talk about,” Ryan said. He gave Colin a small smile and reached for his hand. “Let’s go home.”
It was the designated last line of the scene, but it seemed to take Colin and the audience a moment to realize it. There was a lull, and then suddenly everyone was clapping and hollering. Ryan was still smiling at Colin, who in turn watched him curiously. Together, they faced the audience and bowed, then headed off the stage to the sounds of a very disappointed audience. There were calls for more, for an encore, but all Ryan wanted to do was to get Colin alone so he could finally tell him how he really felt.
He took it upon himself to be a buffer between the fans and Colin as he paid their bill, greeting fans and signing autographs, but declining pictures just for brevity’s sake. Luckily this was before every single person on the planet had a camera in their phone, so those requests were significantly less numerous than he’d feared. It still took them nearly ten minutes to get out of the restaurant, but they placated the fans enough that at least no one followed them out.
The car was a couple blocks down, parked at a pay meter on a side street between two tall brick buildings. Ryan kept up a quick pace, eager to get off the main road and back to the seclusion of the sedan as quickly as possible.
They made most of the trip in silence, hurrying along with their eyes straight ahead as they wove their way through the foot traffic. Ryan couldn’t speak for Colin, but he knew his own mind was on what had almost happened on stage, not to mention what would happen when they got back to the cabin. His heart was pounding in anticipation, but the truth was that he knew his head would come up with enough excuses for him to chicken out by the time they got back. He could tell himself that this time would be different, but he knew himself. He knew he’d never go through with it if he gave himself the chance to think it over.
They rounded a corner, heading off the main road and down the side street where the car was parked. Ryan could see it about halfway down. There was a jingle as Colin fished the keys out of his jeans pocket.
“Ryan…” he said as they approached it, the first time either had spoken since leaving the restaurant.
Ryan stopped in his tracks.
Colin stopped one step later, then turned to look at Ryan curiously, but Ryan didn’t let him say another word. He grabbed Colin’s shoulders, pushed him back against the brick of the nearest building, and kissed him.
To be continued...
Author: Clay
Pairing: Ryan/Colin
Rating: NC-17 (for later chapters...soon now...)
Summary: When a freak accident drops an impossible opportunity in Ryan's lap, it's up to him to decide whether to squander it, or to change his fate by going after the one thing he's always wanted.
Word Count: ~3200
Prompt & Author's Notes: This was a bit of a difficult chapter for me, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Again, for the Thon Prompt 33: Strangled by the red string. As always, betaed by
asuka14.Chapter 10b
The comedy club ended up being a small stage at the back of an Italian restaurant, though upon asking, they were assured it was only a temporary location until they were able to build a full club. Ryan made a mental note to check up on the place when he got back to 2013.
If he got back to 2013, he amended, taking a seat at a table covered with a cheap red and white checkered table cloth. He knew he’d get back there eventually just from reliving the next 12 years; he just hoped it wouldn’t take quite so long.
He watched Colin pick up a menu as though from a distance, pondering their situation.
The truth was that he’d been so caught up in trying to figure out if he had actually been sent to the past that by the time he’d finally accepted the time travel, he’d forgotten to question how or why it had happened in the first place. The how only mattered in that maybe he could use the same method to get home, but aside from the coincidence of both events having him shattering a light bulb, he wasn’t sure what that method might be—especially if he was right about Colin also having traveled back in time. As far as he knew, Colin had no light smashing incidents in his past.
And as for the why, he was even more clueless. Maybe completing whatever goal he was supposed to achieve would magically send him back, or maybe there was no point, and his being there was just some random hiccup in time. Colin looked up at him earnestly and suggested a large, plain pizza, and Ryan realized that the why really didn’t matter. No matter the reason the universe had for putting him back in this place and time, he thought, smiling and nodding at Colin’s suggestion, he would make the most of it.
Along with the pizza, they ended up ordering a pitcher of beer, which Ryan attacked like a man dying of thirst while Colin signed them up for a spot on stage.
There was a surprisingly large crowd for the size of the place, and Ryan caught a number of people glancing his way. He was sure they’d been recognized, whispers jumping from table to table, but he wasn’t concerned with any of that. He was just keyed up to be getting up on stage soon. It was the one thrill in his life that never got old.
They’d arrived just before the first performer went on, and there was already a long list of people set to precede them, but Ryan didn’t mind the wait. In fact, watching each fresh face ascend the stage—all nerves and hope—reminded him more and more of what he loved about the craft. Most of the acts were mediocre at best, but he could see their potential, their drive, and he suddenly, desperately missed the Upfront theatre. He missed teaching, molding young talent, and the look of pure joy on their faces when they absolutely nailed a scene. At that moment, he wanted to be back in 2013 more than ever.
“Hey,” Colin said suddenly. He touched the back of Ryan’s hand lightly, startling him.
The act had just ended and a timid young thing was taking the stage now. Ryan looked away from her to blink at Colin owlishly. He’d forgotten he was here. “Hmm?”
“Where are you?” Colin asked softly, his pupils skipping back and forth as he searched Ryan’s eyes.
Ryan smiled and shrugged, then looked down at their pizza. It was mostly gone save a few crusts, and he grabbed up one of these and took a bite, chewing slowly as he considered his answer. “Just missing home, I guess,” he said, then reached for the pitcher to drain the last of the beer into his glass.
Colin nodded thoughtfully. “The theater?”
Ryan was about to confirm this when he rememebered the theater didn’t exist in 2001. Point to me. Ryan looked at him innocently. “What theater?”
Colin blanched as he realized his mistake, then quickly averted his eyes. He turned, pointing to the woman with the clip board who had taken their names. “Oh, she says we’re up next, by the way.”
Ryan couldn’t help the smug smile that graced his lips. “Then we should get ready, I guess. Any idea what you want to do up there?”
Colin didn’t miss a beat. “Improvise?”
“Ha ha,” Ryan came back. “Seriously, though. You have a game in mind?”
Colin pursed his lips, thinking it over. “Not really. What about you?”
Ryan was already pouring over the usual set list in his head. He enjoyed the scenic games most, so he was leaning toward those. Sentences was a favorite of his, though they didn’t have time to pass out and collect strips of paper without disrupting the flow of things. They could always do Styles, but there was no one to call. “You’re the one who’s more familiar with a two man show,” he said eventually. “What would you recommend?”
Now it was Colin’s turn to give him a knowing look. Crap. Colin didn’t start touring with Brad until after the show went on hiatus. Point to Colin.
Like he, Colin didn’t acknowledge the slip up, however, and moved on, answering, “Film and Theatre Styles? It doesn’t require any props.”
“But who’s going to call?” Ryan argued.
“I can.”
Ryan shook his head. “No, I don’t want either of us to have control of the scene like that. It’s more fun when someone else does the calling.”
Frustrated, Colin sat back in his chair and picked up his beer. “Okay, so what do you want to do?”
Ryan frowned. He, too, sat back, then looked around the room for inspiration. His eyes landed on the girl on stage again, and he thought once more of the Upfront Theater. In the theater they played lots of games that never made it on Whose Line. Maybe it was time to break one of them out. He scoured his mind for a good two player game that didn’t use an MC.
Smiling, he turned back to Colin. “First Line Last Line. All we need from the audience is two lines and a situation.”
Colin gave a slight shake of the head. “Isn’t that usually a group game?”
“Yeah, but we can do it with just us—just one scene. What do you think?”
Colin considered it, then nodded, smiling softly. “I’m sure we can make it work.” He downed his beer just as their names were called to a thunderous applause. “And I’ll do the last line,” he told Ryan, grinning.
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Are you saying I’d forget it?”
Colin laughed. “Hey, if the shoe fits!”
“Is that a crack about my feet?”
“Would you rather it be about your nose?”
They were both laughing when they finally stepped foot on the small stage and faced the audience. The applause picked up again, and then once more after Ryan took up the mic and introduced them. Looking out over the audience, he got the impression that it usually wasn’t this packed. All the tables were full, and there were a number of people standing along the edges of the room. It had been busy, but not nearly this busy when they’d entered, and Ryan could only assume it had something to do with them being there. He wondered how word had gotten around so quickly without social media to aid it.
“Okay!” he said when the clapping finally died down. “We’re going to do a simple little game for you guys that you might not be familiar with. It’s called First Line Last Line, and how it works is we’re going to get a situation from the audience as well as the first and last lines of the scene. All we have to do is start with the first line, end with the last, and hopefully get you guys to laugh in the middle there. Sound good?”
There was another round of clapping and hollering, and Ryan grinned out over the audience.
“All right! I need a situation. Just call it out!” There were a few shouts, then a lull, then a few more. Finally he pointed to a guy who’d called out ‘Cashing a check.’ “Cashing a check!” he echoed, then looked to Colin for confirmation. Colin shrugged and nodded. “Okay, now I need the first line of the scene.”
“I’m having your baby!” a woman screamed from a table in the back. There was a smattering of laughter, and Ryan chuckled, too.
“Okay. ‘I’m having your baby.’ Now I just need the last line of the scene.”
There were a number of shout outs this time, including many oddly specific lines like “How much is the coffin?” and “Squeal like a piggy!” but Ryan ignored them. He wanted something interesting, yes, but more flexible than some of the stranger suggestions.
Suddenly Colin stepped up, pointing to an older man. “What did you say?” he asked.
The man pointed to himself, and at Colin’s nod repeated, “Let’s go home.”
Colin looked to Ryan. It wasn’t a line Ryan would have chosen, but if Colin thought it had merit, then it was worth a shot. He nodded, then addressed the audience again.
“Okay, so we have it!” He ticked off the audience suggestions on his fingers as he spoke. “’I’m having your baby,’ ‘Let’s go home,’ and cashing a check. Ready?”
Colin gave a nod, then turned, heading two steps away before turning back to Ryan. He affected a convincing scowl, then raised an imaginary cell phone to his ear. “I’m having your baby!” he snarled into it. “Maybe now you’ll leave your wife!”
The audience chuckled, but it took Ryan a moment to react. Logically he knew that Colin was just playing the scene, but the second half of that line hit a little too close to home, what with all the marital discord he’d experienced as of late. As soon as it entered his mind, however, he pushed it back out. He had a scene to play.
“Hello!” he said cheerfully. At the same time he pretended to open one of those old bank teller windows and leaned forward on an invisible counter. “Welcome to Santa Barbara Savings and Loan! How can I help you today?”
Colin rolled his eyes, his scowl deepening. “Hold on,” he said to the phone, then to Ryan, “Can’t you see I’m talking to someone?”
“Of course!” Ryan said back, grinning wider. “I was wondering if you or your husband wanted to take advantage of our new type of savings account?”
“Husband,” Colin huffed. He leaned back and puffed out his belly before rubbing a hand over it. “No, it’s just me and my unborn baby.”
“I see!” Ryan shut the window on her, to a smattering of laughter, then opened it and leaned out again. “Wait, have you heard about our child’s saving account?”
Colin blinked and looked around. “Are you opened or closed?”
Ryan made a show of playing along, opening and closing the window a number of times at differently timed intervals, then continued on. “We’re open! Did you want that account?”
“Account?” Colin pursed his lips and spoke into the phone. “I’m going to have to call you back.” He snapped the phone shut before shoving it in his purse. “Like a college fund?”
“No, no. In this account, your money is automatically converted into small stuffed bears.” He ended this with a cheesy smile, while Colin pretended to ponder the situation.
“I see…” he said after a moment, “You know, I really just came in here to cash a check…”
“No, no, no!” Ryan waved Colin closer. He looked around suspiciously, then spoke in a stage whisper. “Have you heard of ‘inflation?’”
“Like a balloon?”
Giving a hearty fake laugh, Ryan mimed blowing up a balloon, then it popping, and both he and Colin cringed away from the blast before sharing another fake laugh together. “Oh, we have fun, don’t we? But no! I mean like the stock market.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. Think about it. 10 years ago, bread was a dollar a loaf, and now it’s two dollars! Imagine if you had bought 10,000 loaves of bread and then saved them for today!”
Colin pulled a face. “I’d have a lot of moldy, green bread.”
“Green bread?” Ryan asked, then lifted a hand, rubbing his thumb against his index and middle fingers. “Or green money? That bread is worth twice as much as it was ten years ago, and just think what it’ll be worth in another ten years? But instead of bread, this account uses teddy bears! You know what’s so great about teddy bears?
“They soak up my tears when I cry alone at night?”
“Right! And they don’t get moldy!”
“Well,” Colin said, cringing a little, “they do when they’re filled with tears.”
It seemed like a good place to start veering the game toward that ending line, so Ryan stepped forward and put an arm around Colin’s shoulders. “Do you want to talk about it?”
But Colin was looking behind him, one eyebrow raised. “Did you just walk through the counter?”
“An old bank teller’s trick,” Ryan said, waving the question off. “But why don’t you tell old Mr. Hanson about what’s making you so sad.”
“Mr. Hanson?” Colin echoed, looking up at him in shock. “Gary Hanson?”
Ryan opened his eyes wide in return. “Phil, is that you?”
“Well, it’s Philomena now,” Colin reminded him, rubbing a hand over his once more puffed out belly. Quickly he turned toward Ryan as clasped his hands. “Oh, Gary, how long has it been?”
“Too long,” Ryan replied, giving Colin’s hands a squeeze. “Not since the Miller’s Christmas party.”
Colin gave a small chuckle and nodded knowingly. “That donkey was never the same.”
Ryan chuckled along with him. “And they never got that stain out.”
For a long moment they just smiled at each other. Colin’s hands were warm in his; his eyes twinkled under the bright stage lights, and slowly something started to change. Colin’s smile softened and turned more genuine. Ryan stopped thinking so hard about where he wanted the scene to go and just enjoyed being on stage with Colin. It had been some time since they’d just played together like this—no money, no rules; just the two of them doing improv for the sheer joy of it.
I love you, Ryan thought.
Colin cleared his throat and said quietly, “Hey, Gary? Did you ever wonder what would have happened that night, if you and I had gotten stuck under the mistletoe instead of me and De—the donkey?”
It was the slightest of slip ups, but suddenly all Ryan could think of was their first Christmas in Toronto back in ‘85 or ’86 or whenever. His memory for such details was never all that great, so Ryan couldn’t remember much of what happened that night, but he did remember Colin and Deb disappearing near the end of the party. He’d gone looking for Colin to say Merry Christmas one last time before he went home with Pat, but he’d been unable to find him.
Apparently they’d gotten caught under the mistletoe, which would have led to more clandestine activities. And apparently, Ryan thought as he pressed a little closer to Colin now, Colin had always wondered what would have happened had it been the two of them instead.
“Not really,” Ryan told him honestly.
Colin looked crestfallen, and Ryan couldn’t tell if he was still pretending.
“But I can tell you this,” Ryan continued. He curled his fingers under Colin’s chin and lifted it until their eyes met. “I don’t need mistletoe to know I want to kiss you.”
Colin’s lips parted slightly, his eyes darkening just a little at Ryan’s words. He seemed to be holding his breath. And, Ryan realized, so was the audience. It was dead silent in the small restaurant as everyone waited to see what he would do next.
He could kiss Colin now. It was what they all wanted, himself included, and it was safe. He could write it off as all part of the game.
Ryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he stepped away from Colin, breaking the spell.
There was an audible sigh from the audience, and Colin was blinking at him owlishly, as though he wasn’t quite sure what had just happened.
“I think we have a lot to talk about,” Ryan said. He gave Colin a small smile and reached for his hand. “Let’s go home.”
It was the designated last line of the scene, but it seemed to take Colin and the audience a moment to realize it. There was a lull, and then suddenly everyone was clapping and hollering. Ryan was still smiling at Colin, who in turn watched him curiously. Together, they faced the audience and bowed, then headed off the stage to the sounds of a very disappointed audience. There were calls for more, for an encore, but all Ryan wanted to do was to get Colin alone so he could finally tell him how he really felt.
He took it upon himself to be a buffer between the fans and Colin as he paid their bill, greeting fans and signing autographs, but declining pictures just for brevity’s sake. Luckily this was before every single person on the planet had a camera in their phone, so those requests were significantly less numerous than he’d feared. It still took them nearly ten minutes to get out of the restaurant, but they placated the fans enough that at least no one followed them out.
The car was a couple blocks down, parked at a pay meter on a side street between two tall brick buildings. Ryan kept up a quick pace, eager to get off the main road and back to the seclusion of the sedan as quickly as possible.
They made most of the trip in silence, hurrying along with their eyes straight ahead as they wove their way through the foot traffic. Ryan couldn’t speak for Colin, but he knew his own mind was on what had almost happened on stage, not to mention what would happen when they got back to the cabin. His heart was pounding in anticipation, but the truth was that he knew his head would come up with enough excuses for him to chicken out by the time they got back. He could tell himself that this time would be different, but he knew himself. He knew he’d never go through with it if he gave himself the chance to think it over.
They rounded a corner, heading off the main road and down the side street where the car was parked. Ryan could see it about halfway down. There was a jingle as Colin fished the keys out of his jeans pocket.
“Ryan…” he said as they approached it, the first time either had spoken since leaving the restaurant.
Ryan stopped in his tracks.
Colin stopped one step later, then turned to look at Ryan curiously, but Ryan didn’t let him say another word. He grabbed Colin’s shoulders, pushed him back against the brick of the nearest building, and kissed him.
To be continued...
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Date: 2014-12-18 06:37 am (UTC)I'm just confused ever since Colin was from the future. Confirm is from the future, but to know exactly the time? Maybe it's from the police station, or when the decision to go with Ryan ??
But in the beginning it was more keenness because he reveals that he from 2013
Oh Ryan love it so much is always doing before thinking and kiss at the time correctly. Making the doing says all thing ..
I love this * _ ^ I'm going crazy with this story
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Date: 2014-12-24 09:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-18 12:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-24 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-18 02:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-24 09:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-13 06:43 am (UTC)also, the world is against me. lj was down for 30 minutes after i finished the previous chapter. wtf? D:
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Date: 2015-02-13 01:56 pm (UTC)