Stocking Filler Fic #3!

[rycolfan.livejournal.com]

Title - Home for Christmas 
Author - Rycolfan
Rating - PG-13
Pairing - Colin/Ryan
Summary - Things don't always work out as expected...   
Disclaimer - This is a work of fiction...no offense intended
Feedback - Is like sitting in front of a log fire while it's snowing outside.

Here's my third Christmas stocking prezzie, this time for zanderisms .  Hope you enjoy it, hun, and Merry Christmas!  ^_^ x



 

Ryan was humming along to festive tunes on the radio as he drove home from the store. It was a miserable Christmas Eve, rain lashing the car, but that failed to dampen his good mood. In a few hours Colin would be home from his latest tour, and Ryan couldn’t wait. It felt like they’d been apart forever, the days and weeks dragging without him, and he fully intended to make the most of sharing a quiet Christmas with his lover. He’d been glancing at his watch constantly all day, inwardly counting down the minutes and hours.

Behind him, on the back seat, were bags piled up with everything they would need for the next few days. He had no intention of leaving the house again, once Colin was home. In fact, they probably wouldn’t even leave the bed. The song on the radio changed to ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ and he smiled. Okay; so Christmas was ridiculously over-commercialized and the true meaning had been somewhat glossed over, but he loved this time of year. It was about being with those closest to you.

As he finally pulled into the driveway, a cheerful ringing filled the car. Ryan switched the radio off and grabbed his cell phone from the passenger seat, his smile broadening at the lit up name on the caller display.

“Hey, Col.”

“Hi.”

Ryan frowned; able to tell instantly that something wasn’t right. He’d always been able to gage Colin’s mood and, right now, alarm bells were ringing loudly.

“What’s up? Has your flight been delayed?”

“Yeah,” Colin sighed, sounding morose. 

Ryan’s heart sank slightly. He could hear the distinctive sound of the airport tannoy in the background making announcements. “Oh well,” he replied, trying to look on the bright side and stay cheerful, “I guess I can deal with you being a little late.”

There was a small pause before Colin spoke again. “More than a little, Ry. We’re completely snowed in here.”

“What are you saying?” Ryan asked fearfully; his mood plummeting with every passing second. He heard Colin sigh heavily on the other end.

“They’re saying that there won’t be any flights out of Vancouver for at least 48 hours.”

Ryan numbly watched the drops of rain hit the windscreen and trickle down. In the space of a few moments, everything had come crashing down around his ears.

“Ry? You still there?”

Ryan blinked and mentally shook himself. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“I’m sorry,” Colin said sincerely. “More than anything else in the world, I wish that I could be there with you.”

“Me too,” Ryan replied quietly. “We’ll just have to celebrate Christmas a little late this year.”

“I’ll get there as soon as I can; I promise,” Colin said earnestly. “Look, I’ve gotta go; Brad needs to call home, and his phone has died.”

“Sure.”

“I love you.”

“Love you, too.” 

The line went dead, and Ryan slumped back into his seat; cursing God, the weather, and anything else he could lay blame on. The rain continued to drum a steady beat on the car as he stared blindly out of the window. It was going to be a very lonely Christmas...far from the perfect one he’d envisaged. He glanced up and grimaced as he caught the reflection of the bags on the back seat. With a grunt of disappointed frustration, he opened the door and stepped out into the downpour.

The phone was ringing as he opened the front door, so he dropped the bags and went to answer it. He hoped that it wasn’t more bad news, and was relieved to hear Greg’s cheerful voice on the other end.

“Hey, man. Just calling to wish you two a merry Christmas, before the chaos which tomorrow generally brings.”

Ryan smiled sadly; his gaze coming to rest on a framed photo of Colin and him, which sat on the hall table. It had been taken several years ago on a trip they’d taken together, and it captured the complete happiness of that moment. He picked up the frame and ran his thumb over it lovingly, before replacing it with a sigh. “Thanks, Greg.  It looks like it’s just gonna be me, though.”

“What? How come?” 

Ryan could hear the concern in Greg’s voice. “Col’s stuck in Vancouver; snowed in.”

“Shit,” Greg swore. “I’m sorry, man. That sucks big time. Do you want me to come over and keep you company? Or you could come over to ours tomorrow.”

Ryan had known that the offer was coming, and was ready with his refusal. He wasn’t going to be good company. “No, that’s okay; I’m sure you’ve got plans with Jen. There’s no point messing up both of our Christmases.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Ryan replied with forced cheerfulness. “I’ve gotta sort some stuff out anyway.”

Ryan knew that Greg would see through his act, but he hoped that his friend would take the hint and let the matter drop. Greg didn’t disappoint.

“Well; the offer’s there if you change your mind, man.”

“I appreciate it, Greg,” Ryan said, with an honest smile. “Have a great Christmas, and give my love to Jen.”

“Will do.”

Ryan replaced the receiver and went to retrieve the shopping bags; dumping them on the kitchen counter, and turning away. He couldn’t deal with them now. Moving into the front room, he collapsed onto the couch heavily; resigning himself to an evening of mind-numbingly dull television. The same tired old films every year, guaranteed.

Kicking off his shoes, he lifted his feet onto the couch and lay back; placing his cell phone on the table beside him, just in case Colin rang again. Staring at the ceiling, he replayed their last conversation in his head. It was going to be a long 48 hours. 

 

 

Christmas Eve sluggishly, but resolutely, moved towards Christmas day.  However, the phone on the table remained defiantly silent. Ryan eventually turned to alcohol to ease the seemingly endless monotony, barely taking notice of the programmes he was flicking through relentlessly. His attention was abruptly caught by a familiar voice, and he backtracked slowly until he found the right channel. Amongst the dreary and often depressing festive television offerings, they were showing a re-run of the Christmas Whose Line episode.

Ryan leant forward to place his beer on the table, and turned the volume up. He’d never actually watched most of the episodes they’d taped, generally preferring to forget them and move on, but this taping stuck in his memory. It had been filmed in July, for a start, which had felt very odd.

A smile graced his face for the first time in hours as he watched Colin do what he did best; the audience roaring their approval in the background. He had always been amazed, and slightly baffled, by how little confidence Colin had in his talent, when everyone else could see it clearly. Colin certainly couldn’t argue with the amount of fan mail he got from the show.

Ryan’s mind wandered to the other taping they’d done on the same day; the infamous Chyna episode. No-one had known at the time, but he and Colin had been together for several months at that point. He had found it impossible to let that dubbing game end without reclaiming Colin’s lips; effectively erasing the memory of Chyna’s earlier kiss. Colin certainly hadn’t complained.

Watching his lover onscreen made Ryan suddenly yearn to talk to him, and he picked up the phone to dial his number. He felt a stab of disappointment as it immediately went to answer phone, and Colin’s voice cheerfully told him to leave a message. It looked like Colin’s cell had died too. He didn’t bother leaving a message; ending the call with a violent stab of his finger. Tossing the phone back onto the table, he sank back into the cushions wearily and closed his eyes. Colin’s voice washed over him, and he gradually slipped into a restless sleep.

 

It was still dark when he woke up, his back twanging uncomfortably, and a quick glance at his watch told him it was nearly three in the morning. He tentatively stretched his aching muscles and got up, grabbing the remote to switch the TV off. Figuring he might be able to get a few more hours sleep, and with nothing to stay awake for anyway, he headed for the stairs and their comfortable bed. Too bad there wouldn’t be the additional body heat. Happy Christmas, Ryan.

A few minutes later, he slipped under the covers and settled down; his hand straying over to Colin’s side of the bed, as if trying to feel the echo of his presence.

“Happy Christmas, Col,” he whispered to the darkness, before closing his eyes and drifting off.

 

Ryan was having a very enjoyable dream.  Colin was kissing him gently; the warmth of his body pressed firmly against his own, and his scent invading Ryan’s nostrils. Ryan clung on tightly to the dream Colin, unwilling to let him slip away and be left alone in the darkness, but a soft, familiar, voice soothed and reassured him.

The fog of sleep gradually lifted, but the warm weight remained, and when Ryan opened his eyes blearily, the sight that met them was perhaps the most beautiful he’d ever seen. Soft brown eyes and an achingly familiar smile.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Colin whispered, leaning in for another kiss. Ryan blinked, trying to assure himself that he wasn’t still dreaming, but there was no denying the fact that a very real Colin was in bed beside him and kissing him. He sprang to life at that instant, and wrapped his arms around his lover; kissing him back with all the emotion he was feeling.

“How?” he asked in amazement, several minutes later.

 “We hired a car.”

Ryan’s eyebrows flew up in shock. “From Vancouver? That’s over a thousand miles.”

Colin smiled and raised a hand to caress Ryan’s jaw. “Brad and I both decided that there was no way in hell that we were going to spend Christmas in an airport, so we took it in shifts and drove all night.” He stroked a thumb across Ryan’s cheek gently. “I wasn’t going to let you spend Christmas alone.”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ryan cupped Colin’s face and pulled him into a heartfelt kiss; which quickly intensified as months of pent-up passion was released. Having Colin back in his arms was undoubtedly the best Christmas present he could have wished for, and he wasn’t going to waste a single second.