Promises - Part 3

[improvfan88.livejournal.com]

Part 3! It's actually developing now :P Very slowly, but important things are said! Let me know what you think. Might be able to get the next chapter up later today, or maybe tomorrow.

Author: improvfan88
Story: Promises
Pairing: Ry/Col
Rating: PG-13 for naughty words again. And some snuggling.
Disclaimer: I own them all! Mwahahaha! No, I don't really. It's just a dream :(

Promises - Part 3


I woke up the next morning with that kind of half awakeness that I'm sure most people get. I tried desperately to remember what happened last night.

'I remember throwing the glass, I remember arguing with Colin - wait. Colin. He was here. I came back, drunk myself in a stupor, and he came in.'

I sit up in the bed, looking round the room for some evidence that I'm right. There's nothing. Not even the shards of the glass. There's no evidence of last night. Not even my bottle of Jack. Well, surely that's evidence in itself? I wouldn't have been in any state to clean up after myself. So he was here. Why isn't he here now? I lay back down, trying to remember if I said anything stupid.

'I didn't say anything stupid did I? Oh shit! What did I say?!'

'Morning Ry Guy. Have a good night?'

'Fuck off. You're the last thing I need right now.'

'You trying to remember? Well, lucky for you, I saw everything.'

'What did I say?'

'You really want to know?'

'Yes! Now tell me!'

'Well, you got into a state........ he came in........'

'And?!'

'And....... you told him you missed him....'

'Is that all I said?'

'That's all you said.'

'What do you mean all I said?'

'You really don't remember? I thought you would have remembered something as important to you as this. Why do you think that a king sized bed is so warm this time of the morning?'

'We slept together?'

'Yip.'

'We didn't do anything.' I'm starting to remember. Like the Meatloaf song, it's all coming back to me now.

'Nope.'

'We just slept.'

'You just slept.'

'I forgave him for breaking his promise.'

'You forgave him for breaking that promise.'

'We talked. He asked if I missed him. I said yes. He, he spooned me...'

'Kinky, no?'

I'm ignoring my subconscious at this point. He knows something I don't, and I just know that when I remember, he's gonna enjoy my misery out of it.

'He stayed. He - fuck. He promised that he'd be here in the morning.'

'Bingo Ry Guy.'

'I spooned him to make sure he wouldn't leave. And he still managed it.'

'Does it hurt? That he's done it again? He broke another promise when he knows how much it hurts you.'

I can't stand it anymore. I can feel my hangover beginning, and my stomach is rebelling everything I put it in last night.  I stumble out of the bed and straight to the bathroom, head down the toilet and vomit. I throw up everything until I'm sure that I lost my liver in the pool of sick. I flush the toilet to get rid of the stench, but I still don't move. There's too much in my head. Colin. Promises. Sore head. Colin. Feel sick. Need to wash. Colin. I'm in my boxers. Don't remember undressing. Colin. I hear the door open, but I can't pay too much attention to it.

"Ry?"

I lift my head too quickly, and the room starts spinning. A fresh wave of vomit comes up, and before I know it, I've got my head down the toilet again. I vaguely hear footsteps approaching, but I'm too busy concentrating on not passing out.

"Ry! Jesus! Are you alright?"

I hold up my hand in a 'two minutes' gesture. I've still not recognised the voice, the pounding in my ears is too loud. Although, I hope it's Colin. The mystery person puts their hand on my back, gently rubbing, soothing the pain that my hangover is causing. The funny thing is, I recognised the hand. The gentle touching. It's Colin. I know it is now. Nobody else knows to rub my back gently enough to not hurt it - chronic back pain, you know - but with enough pressure as to help.

"Col?" I mumble.

"Yeah, it's me. How did you know?" He says in a low pitch. He knows how bad my hangover is, and I appreciate him lowering his pitch so it doesn't hurt more. I'm really just a big bundle of pain.

"I just knew." I'm too sick to go into explanations. "Where did you go?"

"I just went to the shops. I was hoping you'd still be asleep when I got back."

"Why?"

"Cos I don't want you to think that I'm going to break anymore of my promises. So I thought I'd just pop out for aspirin and breakfast. I've only been gone ten minutes."

He leaves my side for a second, soaking a flannel in water and bringing it back to wipe my face, mostly my mouth. I gave him a small smile to say thanks, before hauling myself to my feet with his help.

"Back to bed?" He asks.

"Yeah." I answer. It hurts to speak but I know if that if I nod, it'll hurt ten times more. I lay down on my back, while Colin runs about, closing the blinds, getting me a drink of water, leaving a couple of aspirin at the side, which I take gladly.

"I was gonna ask if you were up to eating, but I think that that'd be a stupid question." He says. I laugh. He always manages to make me do that, no matter how shit I'm feeling.

"Did you get much sleep?" I ask him.

"A little."

"What time did you come in at?"

"Must've been around half four."

"Shit. I'm sorry Col. You shouldn't have had to deal with me."

"Don't worry about it Ry. I learn something that maybe I should've known a while ago."

That stops me. I didn't say anything stupid. I'm so sure I didn't. What's he talking about? Oh God, please tell me I didn't say anything stupid.

"I didn't know how much me not being around was hurting you Ry."

That makes me blush. OK, I didn't tell him why, but that still makes me sound childish. I drink myself into a stupor because my friend isn't around. Actually, no. That sounds like a friend who misses his best friend very much, which is what I am. I just miss him maybe a little too much.

"And I'm sorry. I always promise everything, even if I know that I can't keep it. I've just been really busy, but what you said last night was right. I remember before wives and kids where it was just me and you all the time. Hell, both of us used to not go into work just so we could do something stupid like go to the movies or something. Not that we cared. You had to work in that fish cutting place. And I had to work in that shitty restaurant. Everytime people asked what we were, we tell them we were comedians. They'd laugh at that, and we'd say that we just proved it. We both knew we'd make it. And I miss that. I miss you."

I look up at him, surprised to find that there are tears in his eyes. I open my arms and he lays down next to me, snuggling in, his tears falling on my bare chest. I can feel my own tears starting, and it's not long before we're both openly crying. Crying for what reason, I'm not sure. Maybe for our past. That carefree past that we used to have. For me, I know I'm crying for a love that will never be. Maybe he's crying for the same thing. I don't know. Some part of me hopes so. All I know is that he's in my arms, and that's all that matters.

"Maybe we should sleep a bit more." I offer. "Sleep off my hangover a bit."

"Sounds good." He replies, going to move. I tighten my arms around him.

"You stay too. You didn't get much sleep either."

He laughs. "Alright." He snuggles in a bit closer. "This isn't weird is it?"

His question hits me like a lighting bolt. He said the exact same thing last night. I give a little smile. "No, it's not weird at all."

We both settle down to sleep, and before I know it, he's moved onto his left side again, curled into that little ball he's so comfortable with. And, like last night, I snuggle in behind him, both of us happy being together.

'See? He did keep his promise.'

For once, there's no reply from my subconscious, and so I drift into sleep, feeling slightly victorious.