wl_fanfiction | Business and Pleasure: Chapter 26 (Reply)

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Title: Business and Pleasure
Rating: PG-13 for a little naughtiness
Pairing: Brad/Ryan
Summary for the chapter: A flight and an assassin's parents.

Overall Summary: Brad's running his own large business and has everything but what he wants the most: someone to be there for him. After 'purchasing' Ryan from the Utopia group to serve the purpose, he slowly realizes that he's breaking their most important rule: he's falling in love with him. After two years together, two years of love, the time has come for Ryan to be taken away. The rules will change, the game will too and the three friends are going to go through the ultimate test.

A/N: Well, we're approachcing the final arc for this story! Please leave a comment!

Brad double-checked his ticket and even went through his luggage to make sure he had packed enough. It wasn’t everyday that one went on an essentially suicidal mission. Wayne had taken leave from the bar and had left it in charge of his bartender, Jeff, who Wayne trusted implicitly. He had once told him that if anything were to ever happen to him, Jeff would be the one to receive the bar and take over it. He tried not to think about the fact that Jeff might very well become the owner of Wayne’s bar if anything went wrong a week from now. He had no idea what he was to do with his own business, but Colin had suggested leaving it to someone, anyone, in his family who he thought should have it. Wayne had been his first choice after Ryan, but neither of those would have been logical so he decided to give it to his step-sister in California. She would not be notified of that until he was actually declared dead, however, so he felt that at least he wasn’t in danger of overzealous siblings deciding to kill him in his sleep.

The night before the flight was spent mostly in silence, both him and Wayne thinking about what they were going to do and, like any human would, having second thoughts. They both felt ashamed to even consider backing out at this time, but at the same time, they couldn’t help but think about what they were risking. Brad had a great business and a good family, even if it only consisted of his friend and his butler. Wayne was making a ton of money doing what he loved, he was popular amongst everyone in the bar and there were even talks of him opening a new branch of the bar in another city with the same. They were risking so much and for someone who they hadn’t seen for long than a couple of days in over three years.

But at the same time, they knew that if they didn’t go, they’d regret it. All they had to do was look into the room Ryan once inhabited, at the brightly colored walls now peeling and the dust on the furniture, and they felt like all the other things didn’t matter. All that mattered was to get their friend back, safe and sound. And it was with this thought that they boarded the flight to Seattle, wondering if they’d ever come back to the place they called home for so long.

Brad wondered if Ryan and Colin were on the same flight, but he didn’t remember seeing them in the airport to his recollection. Besides, he and Wayne were in Business Class, something he was used to, and he highly doubted that Colin would have managed to get similar seats. Nonetheless, he chanced a quick glance and could see no one that he hadn’t already seen enter the plane. Once take-off was finished, he unbuckled his seat belt and decided to stretch his legs, feeling the need to move a bit.

“I’ll be right back,” he said to Wayne, receiving a small nod.

He had barely made it a few steps away before he felt someone grab his wrist and nearly shrieked when he noticed Colin smiling with barely disguised amusement.

“Can’t you ever let your presence be known without scaring me to death?” Brad sighed, patting his chest with his free hand.

“I wouldn’t be good in my work if I lost that element of surprise, now would I?” Colin responded smoothly.

“When did you get in here anyway? I didn’t see you enter.”

“We had to get in earlier than the others.”

“We?”

Colin nodded his head to the person next to him who had his head resting on his shoulder, seemingly asleep. Brad wondered how he could have not noticed Ryan, but reasoned that it was because he normally made his presence known in a much louder, excitable way. When asleep, he looked just the way he used to, like a small boy in a too-big body but still able to get comfortable no matter where he was. It couldn’t possibly have been easy for Ryan to fall asleep in that awkward position, especially with the shorter Colin’s shoulder as his head rest.

“It wasn’t,” Colin followed his gaze, seemingly reading his thoughts, “That’s why I had to knock him out.”

“You- what?!” Brad immediately moved to shake Ryan’s shoulder, but Colin caught his wrist.

“I rather you not wake him up,” Colin looked a little apologetic, “but I think you know that he doesn’t fly well.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Brad nodded, chuckling a bit as he remembered that time they had been to Paris. Ryan had taken enough anxiety pills to knock him out for the entire trip and Brad had been concerned about an overdose. That didn’t stop Ryan from wanting to go on a another trip soon after, though he didn’t much like the flight.

“What did you do to him anyway?” Brad asked.

“Think of it like a Vulcan Nerve Pinch,” Colin shifted a bit and placed his hand under Ryan’s head, lifting it up enough for him to slip out, “I have to use the bathroom. Mind keeping an eye on him for me, Bradley?”

That was like asking an alcoholic if he’d like a drink. Brad quickly slipped in Colin’s seat and Ryan immediately curled even closer to him, a small smile flickering on his lips. He felt one of Ryan’s hands nudge his and he took it in his own, giving the fingers a gentle squeeze. Colin smiled at them and then disappeared along the aisle.

With the low hum of the plane engine and Ryan’s own deep breathing next to him, Brad felt himself doze off as well, waking up only when Wayne shook his shoulder to tell him the meal was about to be served. He looked down and was pleased to see that Ryan had not let go of his hand the entire time. On seeing the air-hostess start taking orders, he wondered if Ryan was hungry but didn’t want to unnecessarily wake him up.

The choice was taken off his head when Ryan stirred and yawned, stretching as well as he could in his current position, his head pushing against Brad’s jaw, causing him to giggle as the soft hairs tickled his neck and chin.

“Hm?” Ryan looked up and seemed to realize that the person next to him wasn’t the one who had been there earlier. He, however, wasn’t complaining about that.

“Brad! When did you get here?” he blinked.

“It’s a plane, Ry, I obviously got here soon after you did,” Brad chuckled, “You were out for the count and Colin’s legs were stiffening up.”

“Where is he anyway? Is Wayne here too?” Ryan tried to look about, hoping to keep his mind off the fact that he was in a dreaded glorified tin-can.

“Yup! Heya, Ryan!” Wayne craned his head to look at him from his seat in front.

“Hey, Wayne! How’re things?”

“Going good. Planning to expand the bar and open a new branch.”

“Cool!”

With the sight of food approaching him, Ryan settled back into a comfortable position and made the mistake of glancing out of the window. Before Brad knew it, he had a large lump huddled against his side, mumbling “Shut the damn window!” into his shoulder. He chuckled and reached over to slide the window shut, moving the same arm to fall across Ryan’s shoulders and give him an affectionate squeeze.

“You big baby,” he teased.

Ryan looked up at him, slightly offended, “Up yours, Sherwood.”

Wayne snorted at that from ahead of them and Brad could swear he could hear Colin snickering as well. It was unusual to hear Ryan swear, especially at someone he liked.

“Didn’t anyone wash your mouth out with soap?” he asked in a very serious, yet at the same time not, tone.

“They tried,” Ryan responded.

“Get used to it, Bradley,” Colin called back, “he’ll swear the moment he gets a chance. I’m surprised he held it for so long.”

“Same goes for you, Col,” Ryan snorted, nearly straightening in his seat when he realized that the movement would mean that Brad would have to move his arm and he didn’t really want that. “Not all of us blush whenever we used a bad word.”

“You insinuating something, Stiles?” Colin turned his head and narrowed his eyes at him.

“Not at all,” Ryan’s eyes were wide and innocent and Colin grunted, turning back as the air-hostess placed the meal in front of him.

“What is this thing?” Ryan poked at a brown mass that looked like chicken but wobbled like jelly.

“I think it’s....a mushroom,” Brad took a cautious nibble at it, “Mushroom. Tastes like fungus.”

“Delightful,” Ryan pushed his tray away with a disgusted expression, “Can I have your dessert?”

“You have your own,” Brad pointed his fork at the mousse in Ryan’s bowl.

“But I’m not eating anything else. Besides, you know I like chocolate,” Ryan turned on the charm and the puppy-dog eyes.

“Ryan, you know you’re not supposed to be having too much,” Colin interrupted him.

“I’m not the one who has to lose a couple of pounds,” Ryan shot back.

“But you are the one who gets hyper on sugar,” Colin was firm and sounded just the little bit stung, “I’m not peeling you off the wall again.”

“Mean,” Ryan sighed and gave forlorn glances to Brad’s dessert until the latter finally gave in and snuck him spoonfuls of it while Colin wasn’t paying attention.

“Mm,” Ryan moaned at the chocolate flavor, “I swear, they made mousse just to tempt us into putting on weight.”

“I thought it was made to be used as a sexual aid,” Brad responded automatically.

Ryan didn’t respond verbally but instead dipped his finger into the mousse and licked it off slowly, making sure not to take his eyes away from Brad and adding a couple of soft moans occasionally. Brad’s eyes widened and Ryan could hear his breathing pick up even over the sound of the humming engine.

“I can see what you mean,” Ryan grinned, gathering another dollop of mousse on his finger, but before he could do anything Brad’s mouth was already covering it, his tongue lapping up the sweetness in short, cat-like licks, causing Ryan to clap his hand over his mouth to stop himself from moaning loudly. He chanced a glance to the seats in front and saw that Colin and Wayne weren’t paying them much attention, but even though there wasn’t anyone else in the compartment, starting something wasn’t a good idea.

“We better stop before someone comes in,” Ryan whispered, pulling his hand back, but Brad didn’t let him get far, his hand locking around Ryan’s wrist.

“Let them watch,” he growled, placing a soft kiss on the inside of Ryan’s wrist, trailing up the arm, wishing that Ryan hadn’t worn that damn long-sleeved sweater today, and stopped at his neck.

“Do you still have that hickey I gave you last time?” Brad smirked, pulling the collar slightly to reveal a fading red mark. His mark.

“I don’t know how that hasn’t disappeared by now. How hard did you bite me?” Ryan took in a sharp breath as Brad scraped his teeth over the mark.

“Not hard enough. That’s my mark. You’re mine,” he growled, placing a possessive kiss on Ryan’s eager lips, his hand at the back of his head and keeping him on place.

“Correction,” Brad could practically hear Ryan’s smirk and his thoughts were firmly scattered as Ryan returned the kiss with a fierceness that surprised him, “You are mine.”

“I can live with that,” Brad chuckled, spotting the air hostess beginning to collect the trays, “I really don’t want to give up that mousse.”

“Well, we’ll have to,” Ryan leaned up and whispered directly into his ear, “I’ll make enough for three days later.”

Brad’s grin could have lit up an entire city for a year, “I’ll hold you to that.”

Brad had to admit that when Colin had mentioned that they would be staying at his home, he had been expecting it to be this incredibly big modern house with lots of alarms, maps, pictures, maybe a wall with weapons or even a prize room with his targets heads mounted on the walls. He knew that the latter was being a little excessive, but Colin had suggested it in the form of a joke once and Brad had been a little unsettled to realize that he actually believed him capable of that.

What he had not been expecting was a small humble home with the stereotypical white picket fence and a garden with a water fountain that was bubbling merrily as a small puppy ran around it, yipping happily.

Colin seemed to have decided to let go of whatever cold façade he had been keeping ever since they had met him and for the first time, Brad saw that the assassin had a heart that was easily pleased and as warm as a hot spring day. The moment he entered the through the small gate, the puppy near the fountain turned tail and ran straight to him, bouncing up and trying to lick his face.

“Hey, Neal,” Colin smiled, kneeling down to scratch behind his ears, “Miss me?”

The little lab yapped again and enthusiastically licked whatever part of Colin he could reach. Brad covered his mouth and turned away to hide his snickering while Wayne and Ryan were looking at the puppy with nothing short of adoration.

“He’s so cute!” Wayne kneeled down as the puppy turned to sniff at the newcomers.

“He’s a little bigger than the last time I saw him,” Colin smiled as the puppy nudged his nose against Ryan’s cheek as he picked him up.

“Wow, I’ve always wanted a dog! You are so lucky!” Ryan passed the puppy to Brad. Brad, having absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do, just blinked at the puppy who blinked back at him, his tongue lolling out and tail wagging a mile a minute.

“Neal! Time to come in, boy!” a soft voice came from the door of the house and they all turned to see a frail looking elderly woman standing there, looking around for the puppy in question.

Colin grinned and this time, there was no trace of his normal dignity as he raced forward, enveloping the woman in his arms.

“Colin!” the woman laughed in surprise, hugging him back tightly.

“Hi, mom,” Colin smiled into her shoulder, having missed the feeling of his mother’s comforting hugs.

“My baby’s back,” she pulled back and took his face in her hands, kissing him lightly on the forehead.

“With friends,” Colin moved to give her sight of the other men in the yard.

“Of course!” she smiled politely, “And what are their names?”

“Bradley Sherwood, Wayne Brady, this is my mother, Andrea Mochrie,” Colin introduced them and she shook their hands.

“Doesn’t anyone feed you boys? No matter! By the time I’ll be done with you, you’ll be nice and well-fed!” she tsked

“I’ll hold you to that,” Brad grinned.

“And this,” Colin drew her attention to the last remaining member of the group, “is Ryan Stiles.”

Ryan had been expecting a friendly handshake himself and maybe a couple of curious glances but what he had not been expecting was for her to look positively gobsmacked, staring at him as if he were a ghost. His smile faltered as she called out for her husband, her voice cracking as she told him to come outside immediately. Colin’s father was a bald man himself and though there were several resemblances between him and his son, it was obvious to anyone that Colin had more of his mother’s genes than anyone else. His musings were cut short when the man gaped at him with even more surprise than his wife, his jaw moving soundlessly.

“Incredible.” he whispered finally, his voice hoarse.

“It’s a miracle....” The old woman smiled, bringing up one small hand to lightly cup Ryan’s jaw, running her thumb tenderly along his cheek as if she hadn’t seen him in years.

“Uh, Mrs. Mochrie?” Ryan shifted slightly, uncomfortable, and glanced over to Colin. The assassin simply smiled slightly and nodded, standing next to his father, who was still staring at Ryan in amazed disbelief.

“Colin said you were exactly like her,” the woman spoke, drawing his attention back to her, “but you look just like him.”

“Right,” Ryan frowned, “Mrs. Mochrie, what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the people who were our dearest friends,” she smiled, her eyes showing a glint of sadness, “I’m talking about your parents, Ryan Lee Stiles.”