Flight of Fancy, part 10/11

[kalimyre.livejournal.com]

Flight of Fancy

By kalimyre

Pairing: Ryan/Colin

Rating: R

Category: First time, romance, AU

Summary: In which there is flirting, feeding, and finally kissing.

Notes: My thanks to Clay, the crack dealer, Indy, the cheerleader, and Jen, she of the eagle eyes. You all rock beyond the telling.

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine

Part 10

Their hotel in Cincinnati had a pay by the hour video game console attached to the TV, and Ryan revealed a surprising skill with Mario and his minions. He talked Colin into joining him for a two-player game, and Colin agreed with only a few protestations that he was over forty and video games were silly. Then he joined in with glee, the two of them sitting on the end of the bed, bumping together as they bobbed and weaved with the characters on the screen.

Colin gave him a run for his money for a while, but eventually he flopped back on the bed and lifted his hands in surrender. “You got me,” he said. “Clearly you’ve spent way too much time getting good at this.”

Ryan snorted and sank down beside him, both their legs hanging off the end of the bed, their sides pressed together, arms overlapping. “What else was I going to do as a teenager? Date?” He made a disparaging noise, waving a hand in the general vicinity of his face.

“Why not?” Colin asked, turning and propping his head up on one hand. “You’re funny, you’re easy to talk to...”

“I’m too tall, too skinny, and my ass is too smart,” Ryan said, smiling a little. “Besides, the kind of dates I really wanted weren’t exactly coming out of the woodwork in those days.”

Colin took a breath, licking his lips nervously. “Oh?” he asked, not quite pulling off the casual tone. “What kind were you looking for?”

Ryan stared up at the ceiling silently for a few minutes, but his hand found Colin’s, fingertips tracing lightly over Colin’s palm, curious and tentative. “I guess you already know,” he said eventually, his voice very soft.

“Yeah,” Colin replied. “I guess I do.” He curled his hand, capturing Ryan’s fingers and holding them lightly.

“I haven’t told a lot of people. In my family... well, it was just best to be quiet about it.” Ryan shrugged, as if it didn’t matter. It was an old, practiced move. “Sara knew.”

Colin nodded and squeezed his hand. He felt Ryan’s shoulder move against his as the other man sighed heavily, and then wriggled a little closer. Colin turned toward him, moving carefully, slowly; giving Ryan a chance to pull away. Ryan didn’t. He blinked solemnly as Colin leaned over him, and he looked serene. Ready.

“Hey,” Colin whispered.

Ryan smiled, small and sweet. “Hey.” Then he tilted his chin up, just so, and Colin took the invitation.

It was light at first. Cautious. A faint brushing of Ryan’s lips over his, and then again, a little harder. Ryan laughed and Colin raised an eyebrow questioningly. Ryan just shrugged, his lips still parted, smiling, his eyes dancing. Colin kissed him again and felt Ryan’s arm around his back, pulling him in; felt Ryan’s chest beneath his, slim and banded with wiry muscle and alive, his heartbeat barely perceptible beneath his ribs.

Then Ryan was moving, squirming beneath him and Colin found himself tilted, spun in a dizzying rush until the mattress was firm against his back and Ryan was warm and heavy on him, a hand on each of his wrists, holding him in place. Colin grinned and tested the grip, pushing against the strength, biting his lip at the sensation of being overpowered.

Ryan laughed again, louder, and leaned down to murmur in his ear. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” He followed the question with a kiss to Colin’s throat, making the skin tingle, and Colin shivered.

“You have no idea,” Colin promised, and stretched up to kiss him again, adding a little bite. He felt Ryan jerk in surprise, and smiled against his mouth, the tip of his tongue darting out long enough to tease, too fast to catch.

Ryan retaliated by shifting, his thigh coming up squarely between Colin’s legs, and Colin’s eyes fluttered shut as he tilted his head back, drawing in a sharp breath. He felt more than heard Ryan’s satisfied chuckle, rumbling where their chests pressed together, and he slipped a hand down, palming Ryan’s ass. Ryan jumped again, startled, and Colin smirked at him.

“Gotcha,” Colin said, and Ryan’s eyes widened.

“I’m starting to think you do,” he said, swallowing.

“Just starting?”

A nervous smile flitted across Ryan’s face, and he looked away for a moment. “Colin...”

Colin sighed and disentangled their legs, lying on his side with Ryan facing him, an arm still wrapped around his waist. “Too fast?”

“Not... exactly. It depends, I guess.” Ryan pressed a hand against his chest, smiling a little at Colin’s rapid heartbeat.

“Depends on what?” Colin asked.

“If this is... just for fun, then I’d like that. I’d really like that.” Ryan slid a hand down his side, fingers pressing, stroking a little beneath the hem of his shirt. “But if it’s different, if it’s more... I want to be sure, that’s all. I don’t want to mess up something important by rushing.”

Colin nodded and touched Ryan’s face, tracing a line from cheek to jaw to chin. “Then let’s not rush.”

“Good,” Ryan said, and leaned close, resting his head on Colin’s chest. “Slow is good, too.”

“Mmm,” Colin sighed, allowing himself to relax into the warmth Ryan radiated, the easy familiarity. Ryan was already growing heavy and limp in his arms, his breathing lengthening, and Colin thought he was probably worn out from their flight that day. Colin hadn’t realized until they were on the ground that Ryan hadn’t taken his anxiety medication during the flight, and he’d asked about it, but Ryan had ducked the question, claiming he’d forgotten.

Colin wondered if he somehow made Ryan feel safer in the air, the way Ryan made him feel more comfortable on stage. He hoped so. He hoped with time, they’d grow so comfortable in each other’s presence that there would be nothing left to be afraid of.

~~~

Their first official show together went well, particularly the bit they’d done inspired by an old camp game Colin remembered. He’d stood behind Ryan and used his hands as if they were Ryan’s to mix up a fresh fruit smoothie, tossing bits of fruit from hand to hand and squeezing a lemon wedge in Ryan’s mouth. He couldn’t see Ryan’s expression after that one, but the audience had cracked up.

It had been a simple trick that wouldn’t be practical with more complicated recipes, but for basic stuff, Colin felt sure it was something they could get a lot of play from. Just letting Ryan lick fruit juice from his fingertips on national television had to be enough of a reason to keep doing it.

Jamie was there after the show, bundling them into a car and offering to take them out to dinner.

“As long as we don’t eat anything with citrus,” Ryan said, contorting his face into an exaggerated pucker.

Colin laughed and leaned against Ryan in the backseat, slipping an arm around his waist and squeezing. Ryan squeezed back, but straightened when Jamie looked at them in the rear view mirror, clearing his throat.

“I have those contracts ready for you,” Jamie said. “I thought we could have a dinner meeting, go over them, and make sure everything is satisfactory. Ryan, I was able to negotiate for a little more based on your previous experience with stage performance. Why didn’t you mention that sooner, by the way? Would’ve helped pave the way, I didn’t even know about it myself until I did a little background research. Ah, well, found out in time, I suppose.”

Ryan nodded, avoiding Colin’s curious gaze. “That’s good,” he muttered.

“Ah, here we are,” Jamie continued, pulling into the parking lot of a small, comfortable looking restaurant. “It’s not the most upscale place, but I know how you like to have casual, simple things sometimes, Colin.” He ushered them inside and to a table, spreading paperwork from his satchel out on the table’s surface as soon as they were seated.

“Is this it?” Ryan asked, picking up one of the documents.

“That’s the contract for your performance, yes. The flight contract won’t be changed, and this one is provisionary, from now until the end of the current tour. At that time it will be open for renegotiation dependent on the success of the tour.”

Ryan nodded, his brow furrowed as he read. Colin leaned over his shoulder to read as well, skimming for the pertinent parts. He’d gone through so many contract deals and changes with Kitchen Tech over the years that he knew what to look for, the most important points, and he nodded when he saw the deal Jamie had gotten was more than fair. Maybe Jamie hadn’t warmed up to Ryan right away, but when it became obvious that he was good for the company, Jamie had clearly come around.

“This can’t be right,” Ryan said, peering closely at the fine print. “Is this right?”

Jamie looked where Ryan was pointing and nodded rapidly. “Yes, that’s what the company agreed to. Now you realize that’s just the commission part of your compensation, a percentage based on sales from your presentations. There’s also a flat rate salary, and another percentage on a per-appearance basis. At this point, I wasn’t able to get you exact equal percentage to Colin because of his greater experience and time with the company, but you have the standard talent initial signing deal, plus a bonus because you’re pairing with one of our most popular presenters. Colin’s raising your stock a bit,” he added, grinning.

Ryan looked up, wide-eyed. “This is way too much. I can’t...” He shook his head, giving Colin a helpless look.

“This is a normal contract,” Colin said gently, resting a hand on Ryan’s arm. “Believe me, you’re making more for the company than they’re spending on you.”

“For playing with you on stage for half an hour, they give me this? It’s insane.” Ryan ran a hand through his hair, and took a deep breath. “This is really okay? Are you sure I’m not ripping anyone off here?”

“I’m sure,” Colin replied, biting back a laugh. Ryan looked so genuinely baffled, so endearingly sincere, Colin wanted to kiss him right there in the middle of the restaurant. “It’s fair. Jamie wouldn’t settle for anything else.”

Jamie nodded, retrieving a pen from his pocket. “If you feel the terms are reasonable, go ahead and sign. Please keep in mind that this is a short-term deal, and if you find anything unsatisfactory after you’ve signed, you can of course ask for changes when we renegotiate. I’m pretty sure that if you two continue to do as well as you have been, I’ll be able to get you better compensation for the next touring season.”

“Better,” Ryan muttered weakly. He gave Colin an incredulous look, but signed anyway, rapid and unintelligible. Jamie had the contracts shuffled back into order and packed neatly away by the time their drinks arrived.

“Glad that’s taken care of,” Jamie said briskly. “I always like things official, you know, squared away.”

“So,” Colin said, smiling at Ryan over the rim of his glass. “What’s this about previous stage performances?”

Ryan ducked his head, fiddling with his napkin. “Nothing, really. Just a few plays and stuff. I didn’t mention them before because it was nothing serious.”

“He did several off-Broadway theater performances,” Jamie supplied helpfully. “Mostly musicals, actually.”

Colin’s eyebrows went so high they would have met his hairline, if he’d had one. “You can sing?”

Ryan shrugged. “A little. I wasn’t the lead or anything, just... the goofy sidekick.” He gave Colin a smile when he said that, sly and amused.

“Man.” Colin shook his head, sighing. “That’s not fair at all. I’m a born song and dance guy who can’t sing or dance, and here you are good enough for musicals. Plus you can fly, and you have hair.”

“You can cook,” Ryan pointed out, grinning. “And you’re so popular you have stalkers.”

Jamie frowned, looking up from his food. “Stalkers?”

“Never mind,” Colin said quickly. “He’s kidding. Isn’t he?” he added pointedly, staring at Ryan.

Ryan pretended to think about it until Colin kicked him under the table. “Sure I’m kidding,” he said, sharing a conspirator’s smile with Colin.

Jamie looked suspicious, but let it go, eating with the same speed and efficiency as he did everything else. Colin assembled his fajitas, offering a tidbit of chicken to Ryan, who nibbled it from the end of his fork.

“Tell me what’s wrong with that,” Colin challenged, waving the fork.

“Um...” Ryan licked his lips thoughtfully. Colin swallowed, watching. “It’s too dry, I think. Overcooked.”

“Very good,” Colin said, nodding. “That’s often a problem in restaurants, I’m afraid. They have to guard so carefully against food borne illnesses that they overcook to be on the safe side.”

Ryan spooned a bit of clam from his soup and held it out to Colin, who accepted it obligingly, head tilted to one side, eyes closed as he concentrated on the flavor. When he opened his eyes, Ryan was watching him, smiling faintly, lower lip caught between his teeth. “Not bad,” Colin said, “but too much salt.”

Ryan nodded. “I thought so. I’m getting pretty good at this, huh?”

“I’d better stop teaching you before you get better than me,” Colin said, mock-frowning.

“Eh. Never happen,” Ryan said dismissively. “Here, try this.” He fed Colin a bite of his sandwich, thumbing a dab of sauce from the corner of Colin’s mouth as he pulled away.

“Mmm,” Colin said, raising his eyebrows. “Now that’s actually good. The key here is the roast beef; it must be juicy, but not fatty; well roasted but not over salted, and just thick enough to strongly flavor the sandwich, not overpower it.”

Ryan chuckled, licking the bit of sauce from his thumb. “Is everything a lesson with you?”

“Just trying to expand your mind, grasshopper.”

A clink from across the table drew their attention and they found Jamie staring at them, having already finished his own food while they were playing around. Jamie’s eyes drifted down to where their sides were pressed together, shoulders jostling companionably, heads tilted close.

“Um,” Ryan said, straightening in his seat. “Excuse me a minute.” He rose from his seat and headed toward the restrooms, shoulders hunched and hands stuffed in his pockets.

“So,” Jamie said, giving Colin a hard look. “Still separate beds?”

Colin smiled and thought that when he wanted to, Jamie could get to the point quickly. “For the moment, yes,” he answered. “That might change.”

“I thought as much.” Jamie sighed and rubbed two fingers over his forehead. “I’m still not entirely happy about that, you know. Relationships with co-workers, especially when you work in the public eye... it’s problematic.”

“We’ll be careful,” Colin assured him. “Discreet. And people who work together get involved all the time.”

“I’m not saying it can’t work, but Colin, buddy, if what you two just did is your idea of discreet, it’ll be all over the gossip columns by next week.”

Colin blinked, feeling a touch of heat rise in his face. “We were just kidding around.”

“You were feeding each other.” Jamie laughed a little, shaking his head. “Look, as a friend, I’m happy for you. As your manager, tone it down, okay?”

“Okay,” Colin said dutifully, a little embarrassed. Maybe they’d gotten carried away, but it was so easy to touch Ryan, to be close to him. The idea of keeping his distance felt strange and forced.

When Ryan came back to his seat, Colin scooted away a little, offering an apologetic smile. Ryan nodded, seeming to understand, and they finished their meals quietly. Jamie filled the space with chatter about their tour schedule, the shows they’d be doing and the points he wanted them to concentrate on with each show. Ryan looked overwhelmed with all the information until he noticed the way Colin just nodded and seemed to let everything roll over him, and then he followed suit, offering Jamie a bland, agreeable smile whenever he paused.

“You catch on quick,” Colin murmured to him when they were in the car again, heading back to the hotel. “Don’t worry too much about remembering everything Jamie says. He always repeats the important stuff. A lot.”

Ryan nodded, and in the relative privacy of the car, allowed his hand to rest on Colin’s knee. Colin covered the hand with his own, looking out the window and learning by touch, tracing his fingertips over the backs of Ryan’s knuckles and dipping into the soft places between his fingers. He heard Ryan swallow and turned to look at him, meeting his eyes for a long moment. Ryan’s eyes were dark, captivating, and Colin smiled.

Suddenly he couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel.

~~~

On to part 11