FIC: Nothing More Than Strangers (Part 6)

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Title: Nothing More Than Strangers (Part 6)

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Ryan/Colin

Summary: Drew deals the cards, and Colin slaps his hand down on the ones for him and Ryan - almost like it's a gameshow buzzer, and Ryan snickers, as he pulls his chair a little closer to Colin's.

Author's Notes: Picks up in a random spot. Ends in a random spot. Bah. Also uses much creative license in the way of tour buses ;) and card games et al. :\ I was going to say that this was filler, but it'd be pretty damn long filler if it was. It's something that ... well, was just kind of essential to the next part? I don't know. *sighs* I'm going now.

 

 

"How can you spread out so much in two nights?" Colin asks, amused, without looking up from his suitcase, and Ryan shrugs, even though Colin won't see. "It's a talent, I guess," he says, dryly, and Colin laughs a little.

"Have you got everything?" Colin checks, dutifully, and Ryan pretends to glare at him. "Yes," he replies, witheringly, and Colin raises an eyebrow. "Did you check under the bed?" he asks, a little smugly, and Ryan pauses. "No," he says, less confidently.

Colin studies him; he waits for a beat before relenting. "Fine."

He yanks up the corner of the doona and kneels; he frowns and reaches out for his sock. He straightens up, pretends to glare at Colin again, and tosses the sock into his suitcase.

Colin smirks.

 

"You lose

everything," Colin had said, amused, and Ryan had frowned. "Do not," he'd pouted, and Colin had snorted. "You lost your socks. You lost that book you were reading-"

"I didn't lose that. I threw it out," he'd lied, and Colin had given him a knowing look that he'd had to glance away from, smiling. "Well, it was boring, anyway," he'd said, smirking. "You lost that red tie," Colin had continued, "and you lost one of your

shoes - I still don't know how," he'd added, bemused, and Ryan had made a face at him.

"And that's only in the last week," Colin had teased, waiting for a reply, smiling a little smugly, and Ryan had tugged him closer. "I haven't lost

you, yet," he'd said, overdramatically, and Colin had actually laughed. "No, you haven't," he'd agreed, smiling.

 

Drew props open the door to the undercarriage of the bus. "Load her up," he announces, after shoving his bags in and stepping out of the way.

Ryan stands, silently, behind Colin - who, as always, waits for everyone else to go first. Wayne steps past them and smiles, genuinely, at Colin as he pats his forearm. Colin smiles, toothlessly, back, and ducks his head to shove his bags into the gap.

He turns around, his knee balancing - a little precariously - on the edge of the floor, and motions for Ryan to give him his bags. He hesitates for just a fraction of a second before handing them over, only a little reluctantly.

Colin stacks them on top of his, and Ryan mutters, "Thanks," as Colin straightens up. He half-nods in reply, and Ryan indicates for Colin to board the bus before him. Colin purses his lips in a rather crappy attempt at a smile, and Ryan follows him, wordlessly.

Colin pauses when he boards, though, and Ryan comes to an abrupt stop behind him. "Sorry," Colin mumbles, automatically, and Ryan blinks.

The others are already sitting around the card table; Drew's already shuffling his deck of cards. "You in?" he asks them, peering up at them, and they both pause, before shrugging unenthusiastically. "You wanna be a team?" Drew continues, and Ryan snorts before Colin can reply. "A team?" he asks, a little incredulously. "Just what sort of game are we playing here?" he adds, suspiciously, and Drew smiles, tiredly, at him.

"There's just not much elbow room," he motions, moving his arms in a way that makes him look vaguely chicken-like, and Ryan dips his chin and laughs for a second. "And it'd be too easy to see everyone else's cards," he adds, and Colin nods, after a beat, because no-one else replies.

"He thinks I'm going to cheat," Chip drawls, and Drew laughs. "I do not!" he protests, and Chip shakes his head, looking depressed. "And now he's lying about it."

"Oh ... shut up," Drew finally says, laughing, and Chip smirks at him. "So," he continues, turning away from Chip. "Are you guys a team?"

"Do we have a choice?" Ryan asks, taking in the seating arrangements - Drew and Wayne are, of course, next to each other; Chip and Jeff could almost be sharing a seat, they're sitting so close together (although, to be fair, he allows, it is really cramped); Greg and Brad are - at least - on the same side of the table.

Colin pretends to frown. "Gee, thanks, Ryan," he mutters, and Ryan snorts. "Come on, then," he says, touching Colin's back - without thinking - and his friend pretends not to notice.

"We're going to win!" Colin announces, with mock enthusiasm - and Ryan snorts again, as he takes his seat. "No we're not," he disagrees, and Colin gapes at him. "You're a terrible card player!" he points out, his voice rising a little in pitch, and Colin's eyes widen in put-upon horror. "But no-one else knew that!" he cries. "I was - I was trying to bluff-" he explains, making jerky hand movements, and Ryan stares at him for a long moment.

Without changing his expression, he turns to the rest of the table. "Can I swap with someone?" he asks, dryly, and even Colin laughs. "Anyone at all," he says, a little softer, and Colin turns his head to glare, exaggeratedly, at him.

Drew deals the cards, and Colin slaps his hand down on the ones for him and Ryan - almost like it's a gameshow buzzer, and Ryan snickers, as he pulls his chair a little closer to Colin's. Colin's hand hovers over the cards until their last one is shot across the table - then he yanks them all up with a flourish. Ryan waits, his lips twitching a little, as Colin turns them all the right way up.

He leans a little closer, reluctantly, to look at the cards, and Colin turns his head slightly to the side. "Is this good or bad?" he whispers, in mock confusion, and Ryan smiles a little, shaking his head. Colin points to one of the cards. "This one first, right?" he jokes, with mock confidence, and Ryan sighs, even as he plays along. "No," he says, quietly. "This one," he adds, leaning over to point at a different card, and Colin turns to look at him and say something - but the words die on his tongue when their noses brush.

Ryan pulls back, fractionally - but he doesn't look away, and Colin swallows as his eyes fall momentarily to Ryan's mouth. Ryan presses his lips together and Colin's eyes jerk back to his.

Colin turns back to the cards, starting to arrange them in some sort of order that'll probably only make sense to him, and Ryan rests his arm along the back of his friend's chair.

He watches the others, for a moment.

Wayne's holding his and Drew's cards, and Drew screws up his face as Wayne shows him the cards, one by one. "Well, that's ... crap," Drew mutters, and Wayne makes an exaggerated, "shhh!" Drew quickly snaps his mouth shut, chagrined, and Wayne gives him a tiny smile, as he adds, loudly, and almost mysteriously, "Or is it?"

Ryan smirks at them, and Wayne shrugs slightly, still smiling.

He glances - as casually as he can - over to his right, and nearly laughs. Chip and Jeff are each holding about half of their cards, and they're propping them up to show each other, while shielding them from the others.

Chip glances up and sees Ryan watching them; he pretends to glare at him, and covers his cards even more protectively, so he glances over, past Colin, at Greg and Brad.

Brad's holding their cards and Greg's leaning back in his chair, not even looking, and Ryan snickers, lightly. Greg meets his gaze and shrugs. "You're really getting into this, aren't you, Greg?" he asks, smirking a little, and Greg shrugs again. "It'd be more interesting if it was something like strip poker," he says, flatly, and Brad yelps in disgust. "There are just some people I never want to see naked," he says, shuddering - before catching himself. "No offence or anything, guys," he adds, and Greg laughs a little. "Smooth."

Brad pauses, his lips pursing for a moment. "I just meant-"

"That you'd rather stab your eyeballs out than see Colin naked," Ryan supplies, nodding, and Brad sighs in mock relief, as Colin protests, "Hey!"

"Exactly," Brad replies, smirking a little at Ryan - they're both ignoring the 'wounded' looks that Colin's alternately shooting them - and Ryan shrugs. "Understandable," he says, sympathetically, and Greg chokes on his laughter.

Colin turns to glare at Ryan - but his lips are twitching - and he simply ignores him.

Colin doesn't look away, though, so after a few seconds, Ryan sighs dramatically. "Fine. I'm sorry," he says, as insincerely as he can, and Colin laughs. "I don't think I like you very much," he pretends to grumble, turning back to the cards, and Ryan snorts. "Oh, you love me," he says, glibly, and Colin's hand pauses - almost imperceptibly - in its straightening of their cards.

 

"You know, I happen to think that you - my friend - are cheating," Colin had said, seriously, as he removed his belt. Ryan had stared, exaggeratedly at him, then shaken his head. "I'm sorry - what?" he'd pretended to ask, and Colin had flicked him gently with the end of his belt. "You. Cheating."

Ryan had opened his mouth, in mock indignation, and Colin had snorted. "So it's just

luck that you haven't removed a single piece of clothing?" he'd asked, and Ryan had shrugged. "I can't explain it," he'd sniffed, and Colin had shaken his head. "You're ... you're shameless," he'd laughed, and Ryan had held up his hands in protest.

"Why would I

cheat?" he'd demanded, and Colin had pressed a finger to his chin as he pretended to think. "Um ... I don't know ..." he'd said, thoughtfully, "To-get-me-naked?" he'd blurted out, as he leant across the table, and Ryan had doubled over in laughter, mostly at the expression on his friend's face.

"I-" he'd broken off, pressing his thumb to the corner of his eye. "I wouldn't need a

card game to get you naked," he'd pointed out, and Colin had paused. "Huh. That's true," he'd admitted, grudgingly, and Ryan had nodded. "Colin, I'm hurt that you'd think I would cheat," he'd said, placing his right hand over his heart, pretending to be wounded, and Colin had eyed him, a little sceptically.

"I was, though," Ryan had added, as he dealt the next hand, and Colin had burst into laughter.

 

"Does anyone mind if I take a nap?" Colin asks, as he makes to stand, and Ryan - without looking up - replies, flatly, "Yes."

There's a pause, and he glances up at Colin, who stares back at him with a slightly furrowed brow, and he shrugs. "I don't know," he laughs, rolling his eyes slightly at himself, and Colin shakes his head at him. "OK," he says, as he pats Ryan's shoulder, and Ryan smirks a little.

Colin climbs onto one of the bottom beds, and turns around - and freezes when he catches sight of everyone watching him. "Hi?" he calls to them, waving, and they laugh and turn back to the table.

 

"I think ... I think I need to- to take a nap..." Colin had trailed off, and Ryan had snorted, as Colin pulled the sheet up and over him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were getting

old," he'd teased, as he straightened the sheet.

"I

am old," Colin had mumbled, and Ryan's hands had paused. "No you're not," he'd murmured, as he leant in to kiss Colin's forehead - and even though his friend hadn't opened his eyes, he'd smiled faintly.

 

They erupt into laughter, and, immediately, Wayne glances over at Colin. "Shh," he whispers, pressing his index finger to his lips. "I don't want to wake him."

Ryan and Brad snort. "You won't," Ryan assures Wayne. "Colin could sleep through an atomic bomb," Brad agrees, and Ryan smirks his agreement at the younger man for a second, before catching himself.

Drew gives them an odd look. "How do you know - oh, yeah, you tour together," he realizes, a little sheepishly, and Brad taps his nose.

Drew turns to Ryan. "How do you know about Colin's sleeping ... habits?" is the best he has, and Wayne makes an exaggerated, "ooohhh," and Chip purses his lips as he tries not to smile. Ryan stares back at Drew - grateful, now, for the ease at which blank looks come to him - and shrugs. "We've known each other for more than twenty years," he points out, slowly. "You really think we've never fallen asleep in front of each other?" he adds, vaguely, and Drew makes a face. "That's not interesting," he pouts, and Ryan shrugs again. "Sorry," he says, unapologetically.

Greg clears his throat. "It kind of is," he drawls, and Ryan narrows his eyes - a little curiously - at him. Drew cocks his head to the side. "It is?" he asks, dubiously. "Yeah," Greg shrugs, and everyone stares at him. "Well, it is to me," he offers, one corner of his mouth turning up slightly. "If only because I thought the answer would be 'we just shared a room, you fool, how do you think I know?', not some vague 'oh, you know. I've seen him sleep ... somewhere ...'," he says, bobbing his head around in mock nervousness, and Drew's head whips around and he stares at Ryan again. Ryan glares at Greg, who smirks back. "But that's just me, of course," he adds, lazily.

Brad stands suddenly - and Ryan's grudgingly grateful to him for it - and makes his way over to the sleeping Colin. "Hey," he says, softly, bending over him a little. "You awake?" he tries, and Colin doesn't move. Ryan turns in his seat to watch, and Drew laughs quietly. "Your head," Brad stage whispers, "is so shiny."

Chips bites back his laughter, and Wayne shakes his head. "Shiny," Brad repeats, goofily. "Shhhhiiiinnnnnyyy."

Jeff smiles, silently, and Greg snickers, quietly, but Ryan narrows his eyes. "He's awake," he says, flatly, and Brad pulls back and Greg cracks up.

"Is he?" Brad asks, warily. "Are you?" he asks Colin, and Ryan studies him, intently. "Yes," he says firmly. "I think," he adds, less confidently, and Brad glances over at him.

"Colin?" Brad asks, quietly, and Ryan watches the Canadian, thoughtfully. "Colin?" Brad repeats, and Colin still doesn't move.

Ryan stands then. Brad takes a step away, and Ryan leans over Colin, carefully, as silently as he can. He breathes into the shorter man's ear, deliberately, before murmuring, "Neckefark of Emar" (even he smirks at it) and pulls back just in time to see Colin's lips twitch and his eyebrows jerk. "Ha," Ryan says - irrationally proud - as he pokes Colin. "Told you."

Colin slowly opens his eyes. "Thanks, Ryan," he says, with mock grumpiness, and Ryan smirks. "How long've you been awake?" Brad asks, and Colin snorts. "I'm not talking to you," he says, shortly, before smiling at Brad. "I don't know. I've been dozing on and off," he admits, normally, before glancing up at Ryan. "How'd you know I wasn't asleep?" he asks, curiously, and Ryan pauses, before shrugging. "I don't know," he replies, flatly. "Lucky guess, I 'spose," he lies, and Colin doesn't reply.

He doesn't think he believes him, either.