[FIC] Under My Skin, 2/?

[sungreen70.livejournal.com]

Thanks to everyone who read and gave feedback for Part One of my story! I hope y'all like Part Two.

One note, I am aware that Greg did not appear on Colin's first episode of Whose Line. I fictionalized that for the purposes of the story.

Title: Under My Skin, 2/?
Author: Sun Green
Rating: This part PG-13
Pairings: Greg/Ryan, Ryan/Colin unfulfilled, Greg/Dan Patterson
Word Count: 3807

“Greg!”

I turned at the sound of Ryan’s voice, stopping and waiting for him to catch up. With him was a man I knew had to be the infamous Colin Mochrie, in London to tape his first episode of Whose Line, having successfully passed the audition that Ryan had secured for him. Taping was scheduled to begin shortly. Ryan wasn’t even on the show we were taping that week - though he’d never said so, I suspected that part of his deal with Patterson was that Colin got Ryan’s place – but he’d flown out anyway at his own expense, to be with Colin.

The two of them stopped before me and Ryan squeezed the other man’s shoulder affectionately as he introduced us. “Greg – this is Colin.”

I had, of course, seen the photo of Colin that Ryan carried with him everywhere in his wallet, but had only given it a cursory glance and never really took in what he looked like. When I’d learned I was going to be taping a show with him, I hadn’t been able to recall anything of his appearance, and wouldn’t have recognized him without Ryan’s introduction.

Now, I stared at the man before me, trying not to let either him or Ryan see my surprise. I’d been expecting some kind of god, but Colin Mochrie was pale, balding, and looked a good ten or fifteen years older than Ryan, though I knew there was only a little more than a year’s difference between them in age.

Colin was scrutinizing me too. I thought I detected a bit of hostility in his appraisal, and I glanced at Ryan, who was eyeing us both warily. Perhaps it was something like a protective older brother trying to decide whether the younger sibling’s significant other was good enough. Apparently Ryan talked about me as well. Not that I was anyone’s significant other. I smirked at the thought, and in response, Colin gave me a sweet, shy smile, breaking the tension. Ah, okay. I guess I could see the attraction. He was kind of cute when he smiled.

“Good to meet you, Greg,” he said pleasantly, holding his hand out. I shifted my cigarette to my other hand and took his.

“Yeah, you too.”

Ryan seemed anxious, all hyper energy. I began to feel even more like the prospective groom meeting the parents of the bride as he began prattling on, as he tends to, telling us both all kinds of minute details about the other that he must have relayed a thousand times before.

Colin watched Ryan with an amused, fond smile, clearly used to this from his old friend. Then, catching my eye, he raised his eyebrows and shook his head, his smile deepening. His smile was infectious, and I grinned back, suddenly liking him. Ryan broke off in mid-sentence as he realized he’d been rambling, his relief at the budding friendliness between Colin and me plainly showing on his face. He chuckled sheepishly.

“Have you seen Tony or Sandi?” he asked me. “I want to introduce Col.”

“Green room,” I replied, gesturing down the hallway.

“Come with us?” Ryan asked.

I shook my head. “I’m going to look for Clive.” I didn’t know what Ryan had in mind for the evening with Colin here, and I was hoping to get my own plans settled.

Ryan hardly registered my reply. “Okay. See you later.” Colin nodded to me as Ryan lightly took his arm and guided him towards the greenroom, still chattering away. I paused, watching them go before I continued on my way. It was more apparent than ever how completely gone Ryan was over this guy. He was practically glowing.

Clive was nowhere to be found. I was settled in my chair, scanning the newspaper headlines when the rest of the cast began gathering onstage, signaling that it was nearly time to start. I handed off the paper to an intern who rushed by and chatted idly with Sandi, while keeping an eye out for Colin. I was surprised when he appeared at the side of the stage with Ryan in tow. No one not directly involved with the taping allowed on the floor was one of Patterson’s hard and fast rules. Ryan would have had to charm his way past at least three of Dan’s front line assistants to get this far onto the set. Not a difficult task for him, I supposed. I watched as they spoke, heads close together, Ryan’s hand resting lightly on Colin’s arm. He certainly did like to touch him. Colin didn’t appear to mind, and he reached up to touch Ryan’s shoulder as he responded. They conversed for a moment longer, oblivious to the flurry of techs and interns around them, before I saw Ryan catch sight of something over Colin’s head that made him say another quick word or two, then lean down to wrap his arms around him in a bear hug before he turned and ducked out of sight.

I knew what Ryan had seen before I even glanced over my shoulder to see Dan glaring at the spot where he had stood a moment before. Dan doesn’t like it when people don’t play by his rules. But knowing Ryan, he’d get away with it.

Colin joined us onstage, slipping into his assigned seat next to me. He gave me his sweet, shy smile, before turning to scan the studio audience. Following his gaze, I caught sight of Ryan slipping into an empty seat towards the back. Another no-no. I rolled my eyes as Ryan tried to scrunch down out of sight – at six and a half feet tall, he was hardly inconspicuous. He was really pushing his luck lately. I glanced curiously at Colin - who had spotted our little troublemaker and was grinning broadly in his direction – wondering briefly about the powerful hold he had over Ryan.

******

There’s no doubt that the taping did not rank high on Colin Mochrie’s list of proudest moments. He wasn’t awful… but he was nowhere near the comedic genius that Ryan had sworn up and down that he was. Onstage with him, I could see that he had potential. He did have a few good moments. However, clearly nervous, it was taking him too long to relax and find his groove. As a result, he was stiff in nearly all of his scenes. Sandi, Tony and I all worked to put him at ease, but by the time he began loosening up a little, we were nearly done taping. Between takes, I saw him look despairingly towards the back of the audience, where Ryan was undoubtedly cringing in helpless sympathy.

Finally, during a game of Hoedown (which I fucking hate), he completely froze halfway through his verse, ultimately coming up with a sheepish “instrumental!” while gesturing toward Richard Vranch, our piano player. It actually wasn’t a bad save. It got a laugh from an audience that had previously shown little interest in his performance. But it wasn’t enough to salvage what had been an overall weak showing.

Afterward, Ryan and I gathered up Colin and his shattered ego and hauled him out to our favorite local pub, where the beer and sympathy flowed in equal amounts.

Squashed into the same side of the tiny booth with Ryan, their shoulders pressed together, Colin stared despondently into his beer. “I blew it,” he groaned, for perhaps the tenth time. Across the table from them, I held back a sigh and said nothing. The first few times he’d said it, I’d murmured some polite consoling words that had apparently left no impression on him. So, why bother repeating myself? I took a swig of my beer instead and let Ryan do the comforting.

“Col,” Ryan soothed, with patience far exceeding mine, “You didn’t blow it. Stop that.”

“Ryan, I was horrible.”

“You weren’t horrible,” Ryan insisted. “You were a little stiff. It was your first time. It happens. Next time will be easier.”

Colin looked at his friend hopelessly. “Ry, come on. There’s not going to be a next time.”

“You don’t know that.” I could practically see the wheels of Ryan’s brain turning as he plotted how he’d con Patterson into giving Colin another chance. I had my doubts. Our executive producer may have been a horn dog, but he wasn’t likely to risk losing ratings for a roll in the hay, even if Ryan flat out offered him that. Which, I thought, he might very well do for Colin’s sake. Seeing them together like this, it was even more obvious – there wasn’t much that Ryan wouldn’t sacrifice for Colin.

As if he sensed what I was thinking, Ryan glanced at me across the table. I tried to convey my thoughts with a raised eyebrow. Don’t, I thought, willing him to read my mind. It’s not worth that.

I doubt he read my mind, but I think he understood me. He looked away, turning his attention back to Colin. By now, the other man had dropped his face into his hands.

“Col…” Ryan wrapped his arms around his friend’s shoulders. Without lifting his head, Colin shifted position so he was leaning against Ryan, who tilted his own head to rest on top of Colin’s, murmuring to him softly. It was an oddly intimate moment; I felt like I was intruding on their privacy then. I watched them curiously. They fit together so naturally that if I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn they were lovers.

******

Back at the hotel, we stepped off the elevator and Colin headed straight for his room. I paused at my door and looked questioningly at Ryan. He hesitated and looked after Colin’s retreating figure.

“No, I better…” He looked at me apologetically. I shrugged.

“All right then,” I said indifferently. So I wouldn’t be getting sex that night. I could live with that.

“Sorry,” Ryan murmured, turning away before the word was even out of his mouth. “Col?” he called, hurrying after him. Colin stopped and waited for him to catch up. As I fumbled with my room key, I caught sight of Ryan draping his arm around Colin’s shoulders and guiding him into his own room. As the door closed behind them, I sighed and glanced at my watch. Not quite 11PM. Pretty early. Early enough, I realized, the thought formulating in my head as I stood there with my hand on the doorknob, that Dan Patterson, renowned workaholic, was probably still in his office across town. I hesitated, looking back down the hall to where Ryan and Colin had just disappeared behind the door. I wasn’t entirely sure what Ryan had in mind, but I figured he’d be busy consoling Colin for the remainder of the evening.

Before I could change my mind, I re-locked the door to my room, squared my shoulders and headed back to the elevator.

******

“You tell anyone about this, and I’ll kill you,” I muttered, buttoning my shirt.

Dan Patterson grinned at me from the deep leather sofa (only the best for the executive producer’s office) on which I’d just spent the most horrifying fifteen minutes of my life, appearing to take no offense. I imagine it wasn’t the first time he’d heard such a threat. “You’re a good friend, Proops,” he said, stretching languidly. “Real good.”

I shuddered at his double entendre and shoved my feet into my shoes without untying them, anxious to get the hell out of there and spend the next hour under a hot shower, hopefully washing away all memory of the evening’s activities. But I paused long enough to glare at him. “Just remember your part of the deal,” I warned.

“Relax,” Patterson said impatiently. “I’m on it. Look, if you want, I’ll call Mochrie right now. You can listen.” He started for his desk, but I stopped him.

“No! You have to let Ryan think he talked you into it,” I reminded him, with more than a little annoyance. “Do you need to go through it again? You can’t screw this up.”

“Right, right…” Dan said vaguely. “I remember. Stiles is gonna ask me to bring Mochrie back. I tell him no, let him convince me, give in. Got it.”

I eyed him meaningfully. “And what don’t you do? Under any circumstances?”

Dan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. No fucking him, whatever he says. I got it, Proops. Stiles is yours.”

“He is not mine!” I retorted. “Nobody’s mine. But he’s not yours either. Just make sure you remember that.”

He shook his head. “I’m telling you, Proops, there’s not many people I’d do this for.”

I didn’t doubt that. There weren’t many people I could conceive of who would ever agree to have sex with Dan Patterson in exchange for giving Colin Mochrie another shot on Whose Line in the first place. In fact, I could count them on one hand. Ryan, I was terribly afraid, was considering it for Colin’s sake. And I, for reasons I didn’t quite understand, had just done it. For Ryan’s sake, because I couldn’t bring myself to let him go through with it.

Dan was still bitching. “..and this is the last time. I have a show to think of, you know. I’m not running a charity for lost puppies and bad performers.”

“He’s not a bad performer,” I snapped automatically. Christ, Ryan was really rubbing off on me.

Dan shrugged, flipping through a calendar on his desk. “If you say so. Either way, you got him another spot on the show. I’ll bring him back on the 18th. Stiles can carry him through that one,” he added, rolling his eyes.

Picking up my jacket, I bit back another retort. My work here was done. Colin had his second chance. Ryan wouldn’t have to demean himself by screwing our little weasel of an executive producer. Now I just wanted to get the hell out of here and try to forget that the last hour had ever happened.

******

The three of us – Ryan, Colin, and I – had agreed to meet for breakfast the following morning before heading to the airport and back to the states. But only Colin was seated in the hotel restaurant when I made my way down, bleary-eyed from lack of sleep. It’s hard to get any rest when you have to keep getting back into the shower all night, hoping to scour away emotional scars.

“Where’s Ryan?” I asked through a yawn, though I knew full well where he was. I briefly focused my psychic energies – no, I don’t actually believe I have them, but it couldn’t hurt – on Patterson. Remember our deal. Don’t make me kill you.

Colin smiled shyly in greeting as he folded up the newspaper he’d been reading. “He said not to wait for him; he may not make it here in time before we leave. He had to go talk to Dan. Something about the taping schedule for next month.”

I suppressed an eye roll and groped for the coffee pot that was already set out. “Caffeine…” I mumbled sleepily. Colin chuckled and pushed it closer to my grasping hand. I poured a cup and chugged it down, then exhaled. “Okay, I’m awake now. I’ll still be cranky until I have a cigarette, though. Goddamn non-smoking restaurant.”

Colin laughed, which made him look very cute. I smiled in spite of my exhaustion. Once again, I could see what Ryan found attractive about him. Too bad about the wife. And about Ryan, for that matter, since even if Colin had been available, I wouldn’t make a play for him right under Ryan’s love struck nose.

Yeah, even I have some morals.

Colin toyed with the silverware at his plate. “Hey, Greg… I’m sorry about yesterday,” he said quietly.

I looked at him over the rim of my second cup of coffee. “Why are you sorry?”

He sighed. “Oh, you know… it couldn’t have been easy for you, having to carry me.”

“I didn’t -” I started to say, but Colin cut me off.

“You did. And I appreciate it. I meant to thank you last night, but I was kind of out of it. Anyway, the whole show could have been a complete disaster without your help, and Sandi’s and Tony’s, instead of just me being a disaster.” He smiled painfully. “Good thing you guys were there to save it.”

The previous night, I’d quickly gotten bored with Colin’s beating himself up over the taping. But now, as I studied him, the despair in his eyes started to get to me. He was really crushed over this. I supposed he would feel better soon, assuming Dan kept his word, but right now he was devastated. And not only because of his lackluster performance, I realized. He thought he’d compromised the show, and he felt as badly about that as he did about himself.

It showed a lot of class. My respect for him grew tremendously.

I suddenly wanted to make Colin feel better, but I’m not good at comforting. I cast about for something to say, wishing I’d listened more closely to Ryan cooing over him so I could have parroted some of his consoling words. Finally I came up with, “Look, you had some really good moments. And Dan isn’t an idiot. Well, okay, he is, but not when it comes to his show. He knows what’s best for it. You’ll be back, and next time you’ll do fine.”

Colin glanced over my shoulder and reached for the empty coffee cup at the place setting beside him. Turning it over, he filled it three quarters full as he continued speaking.

“That’s nice of you to say, but come on. Let’s be realistic.” He smiled wanly at me as he slid the cup of coffee in front of the next chair, just as Ryan came skidding to a halt behind it. He was out of breath.

“Col,” he panted, “Dan wants to talk to you. He’s waiting for you in the lobby.”

Colin blinked at him, startled. “Dan? Why?”

Ryan shrugged. “I don’t know. But you have to hurry. He’s waiting for his limo. Go now.” He tugged at Colin’s arm as the other man simply stared at him in bewilderment. “Col – go!” Finally, still confused, Colin got to his feet and headed to the door, looking back at Ryan before he left the room.

Ryan slid into the chair next to the one Colin had vacated and picked up the cream pitcher, topping off the coffee that Colin had poured for him as he watched him go. When Colin had disappeared through the restaurant doors, a broad smile spread over his face and he turned to me.

“He’s back on the show,” he said gleefully.

I remembered to look surprised. “Really?” I narrowed my eyes. “What’d you do now?”

Ryan shook his head. “Nothing. Really. I went to see Dan, and he just told me he was going to invite him back.”

Dan, you idiot. Way to raise suspicion. I sighed inwardly. Well, even if Ryan eventually figured it out, at least he still wouldn’t have to go through what I had. I shuddered at the memory and gulped more coffee. “Huh.”

Ryan was still grinning as he picked up the menu. “I guess he realizes he’d be an even bigger asshole if he let Colin get away. Who’d have thought he was that self aware?”

I closed my eyes briefly. “Yeah. Who’d have thought.” I’d lost my appetite. I fumbled in my pocket for cigarettes and stood up.

Ryan looked up. “Where are you going?”

I’d already used up my entire allotment of before-noon speech, and it was only seven goddamn thirty. I held up my pack and jerked my head towards the door in response.

Ryan dropped his menu. “I’ll come with you.” He pulled a couple bills from his pocket and tossed them on the table to cover the coffee, and we walked through the lobby. Dan and Colin stood in a far corner, deep in conversation. They didn’t notice us, although Ryan nearly crashed into a wall, craning his neck to watch them as we went outside.

I’d barely taken my first drag when Colin burst through the glass doors and raced towards us. He lunged past me, not seeming to even see me, and threw his arms around Ryan, nearly knocking him over. Ryan laughed, and grinned at me over Colin’s head as he hugged him back. “What’s up?” he asked the man in his arms, oh-so-casually.

“You know what’s up,” Colin replied, drawing back to look into Ryan’s face. Their hands remained on each other’s arms as they gazed at each other, and I saw that adoring, longing expression in Ryan’s eyes that I’d already noticed they got whenever he looked at Colin. Colin shook his head, looking equally overwhelmed and thrilled. I smiled a little. The previous night, my sole concern had been shielding Ryan from the horror that was sex with Dan Patterson. Now, however, I found myself glad for Colin’s sake too. He was so damned happy as he beamed up at Ryan.

“I don’t know how you did it,” he murmured. “But thank you.”

“Col,” Ryan said gently, rubbing Colin’s arms lightly. “He wouldn’t have asked you back if he didn’t want to. He knows how good you are. I didn’t do anything.”

Smiling, Colin shook his head, still clutching at Ryan. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that?” As Ryan started to protest, he stopped him. “It’s okay. I appreciate it. And this time I won’t let you down.”

“Col, you’ve never let me down.” I swear, they both had tears in their eyes as they hugged again.

Standing a little away from them, I was completely forgotten. I found my gaze drawn to Colin, and I stared at him in astonishment.

Ever since Colin had arrived in London, I’d been more aware than ever that Ryan was in love with him. You couldn’t miss it in the adoring looks, the constant touches. It hadn’t surprised me in the least – I’d been watching him moon over Colin from a distance for months.

Now, I watched Colin hug Ryan, clinging to him as if he’d never let go. His eyes were closed as his head rested on Ryan’s shoulder, and he seemed to be breathing him in. He looked so at home in Ryan’s arms. Like he belonged there.

The realization struck me all at once as I watched them. It was so apparent to me now that I wasn’t sure how I’d missed it before. This wasn’t just a one-sided thing on Ryan’s part, unrequited love for his happily married best friend.

Colin was in love with Ryan, too.

Interesting…

Back to Part One