Mistletoe Promise
Title: Mistletoe Promise
Fandom: Whose Line UK
Pairing: Tony/Greg
Rating: PG to PG-13. One swearword, but it's one of the stronger ones.
Summary: Tony wants to be alone, but Greg's determined to show him what he really needs
Disclaimer: This fic is in no way intended to portray a true representation of the people involved. As far as I know, this never happened.
Notes: This has been written in response to this exercise, incorporating a list of nine words: Manic, Marble, Marvellous, Measles, Metallic, Mince, Misery, Mistletoe, Morbid
Cross-posted to britline, whoselineslash and wl_fanfiction. Submitted to fanfic100 for prompt 061 - Winter.
Mistletoe Promise
The man shivered as bare feet met the cold marble of the staircase. It was early, far too early to be awake even for a work day, but he was getting frustrated of staring at the clock, watching as it ticked away minute after miserable minute, counting how many of them had passed since he’d first tried getting to sleep. He’d lost count hours ago.
The hotel lobby was silent. Not even the staff were around this time of the morning. It was what Tony had been counting on - he was sick of having to pretend to share everyone’s excitement that it would soon be Christmas, was sick of how noisy everywhere seemed to be as everyone rushed around in a manic race to get everything done, just so they could sit back and act smug when others around them admitted they still had things to do.
Tony made his way to the dining hall, finding a seat that allowed him view of the window without letting others get a clear view of him. It was snowing outside, which always seemed to trigger a sense of calm in him. Snow was quiet; it fell without having to announce its arrival as rain or hail did. Tony had many fond memories of waking up of a morning and seeing it white outside. When he was younger, he’d been convinced it was some form of magic - but that was a long, innocent time ago.
So lost was he in the world outside that Tony hadn’t heard the quiet footsteps approaching. The first he knew that he wasn’t alone was when a familiar voice commented, “And I thought I was up early.”
Marvellous! Tony managed not to show his surprise that he had company, and he certainly wasn’t going to pretend that company was appreciated. He stayed silent, hoping that the other man would get the hint and leave.
No such joy. He should have known better than to expect so much of Greg, who seemed determined to draw Tony out of the shell he found himself retreating into more and more these days. Instead of leaving, the American took the seat opposite the Brit. “Aw, come on misery-guts. It’s the last day of filming before Christmas and you’re sat here like you’re waiting for a funeral.”
Tony couldn’t help but glare at the other man. “I didn’t ask for you to come over.”
“No, true, but then you also haven’t told me to fuck off yet, so…” Greg smirked. “I’m making the most of still having my head.”
“Really, and that involves you not leaving?” Tony turned his gaze back to the window. “Well, if you have to sit there then at least stay quiet. That’s what I came down here for in the first place.”
Greg raised an eyebrow. “Stay quiet? What, and let you drift off into whatever dark, possibly morbid thoughts you go into?”
Tony looked up, clearly shocked. “I don’t see how that’s any concern of yours.”
“You’re my friend, of course it concerns me.” Greg couldn’t stop himself from reaching over and resting his hand on Tony’s arm. “I don’t like seeing you look so unhappy while everyone else is so cheerful. Come on, one of Ryan’s kids is all the way back in America with measles and even he’s staying perky.”
”Why wouldn’t he with Colin to distract him?” Tony hoped that hadn’t come out as sounding too bitter. He wouldn’t admit to Greg that he was jealous of that friendship if it killed him.
Greg frowned, not needing Tony to admit it to realise the problem. “You know, Tony, I understand the whole wanting quiet thing, but pulling away from us all like you are isn’t doing you any good. None of us are perfect, we all have moments when we’re missing home, or having a bad day, but that’s when you need to speak up and let us help you.”
Tony fought to control any response that would betray how Greg’s words had affected him. “Well, you certainly don’t mince your words, do you? What makes you think you know me so well that you can say I’m pulling away?”
Greg sighed. He was thankful that it was hard for him to stay objective when dealing with Tony, because there were times when the Brit truly frustrated him. Most of the other Whose Line regulars had already given up; as far as Greg could tell, Colin was the only other person to make any real effort to draw Tony out. And with Ryan constantly voicing his opinion that it was all pointless, Greg didn’t know how much longer it would be before the Canadian gave up too.
Pulling his chair closer to Tony’s, Greg finally replied, “I’ve seen something change in you, Tony. It’s like you don’t have any sort of balance anymore, you just shift from one extreme to another. And I can see it’s not making you happy, and I really want to help.”
Tony shifted to sit sideways in his chair, still trying to discourage Greg from continuing even as he began to realise how futile that was. Forcing a neutral tone into his voice, he asked, “Why do you care anyway?”
“Because it’s you.” Greg wasn’t sure where his response had come from, or what exactly he’d meant, but he knew it was the truth.
Tony swallowed gently, not looking up. “I’d have thought that would be a very good reason for you not to bother.”
Greg frowned. He could tell that straight talking wasn’t going to help, so he tried for distraction instead. Looking up towards the ceiling, he saw the perfect opportunity. “Oh my, we seem to be breaking tradition.”
Tony looked up at this, thrown by Greg’s sudden topic change. “Oh? Is there a tradition surrounding the meeting of two men in the early hours of the morning? More to the point, is that something I really want to know?”
Greg couldn’t help but grin. “Trust your dirty mind to take that further than it was intended. Look up.”
For once, Tony did as he was told and followed Greg’s gaze. Immediately, he shook his head. “No, Greg, no, you can’t be serious.”
“Oh, come on! It’s tradition!” Greg pouted. “Please?”
Tony shook his head firmly. “Mistletoe isn’t a tradition; it’s just a poor attempt to make us believe that bits of plant are still a valid means of decoration.”
“Must you be so cynical about everything?” Greg leant forward a bit. “Can’t you just, for one tiny moment, get caught up in the fun side of things?”
Tony was about to continue resisting when he inadvertently locked eyes with Greg. There was something in the way Greg was looking at him, as though he actually did matter, that threw Tony off-guard and rendered him incapable of remembering what he’d been about to say.
At Tony’s silence, Greg shifted even closer. “It could be worse. I could wait until the others were around and then ask.”
“That’s not fair!” Tony wasn’t entirely sure what he was protesting at, but he had been unable to stop the words escaping. Trying to exert a little more control over his speech, he restarted, “What I mean is…”
“Just shut up and kiss me.”
The bluntness of Greg’s words threw any attempt at forming sentences out of Tony’s mind. He didn’t have time to protest before he felt Greg’s lips on his, a kiss so forceful that any thoughts of pulling away were swiftly quashed. Not only that, but he felt himself responding, leaning in so far that he thought he was actually going to fall off the chair.
A firm hand stopped him from falling, grabbing his arm as Greg’s other hand moved to cup his face. A rush of scrambled thoughts tried to break through in Tony’s head, but something seemed to block them all, forcing his focus to remain on something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time. Or ever, depending on how exactly he defined it. Either way, he knew deep down that just this once was never going to be enough.
Finally, reluctantly, Greg pulled away. “Well, that was certainly revealing.”
Tony swallowed, trying to contain the thoughts that now swarmed into his head, trying to keep some form of control. “I suppose that’s one word for it.”
Greg smiled. “I knew you’d be good. I never dreamt you’d be that good.”
“How do you mean?” The anxiety was beginning to creep back into Tony’s mind, reminding him of why he didn’t let people this close to him.
Greg reached for Tony’s hand, squeezing gently as he replied, “You asked earlier why I care so much about what you do. Well, there’s your answer. I couldn’t bear it if something happened and you couldn’t be in my life anymore.”
Tony watched him cautiously, not quite convinced. “So…what does this mean?”
“What do you want it to mean?”
Tony shook his head. “I’m sorry, Greg, I can’t. I can’t just…I have to know I’m not going to get burnt by this.”
Greg nodded, silently cursing himself for his poor choice of words. “I understand. And, well…I know what I’d like it to mean. I know I’d definitely like to do that again, and I know…I want to be the one you know you can always turn to. I want to be the one who holds you when you’re feeling down and tries to make things better. I want…I want to be yours, Tony.”
Tony slowly exhaled, letting out the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. He was still absolutely terrified of letting Greg know his true feelings, but for the first time in a long while he felt the courage to do it anyway. Quietly, fearfully, he replied, “Me too.”
Greg moved so that he was sharing Tony’s chair, wrapping his arms around the other man. “I promise I’m not out to hurt you.”
Tony was about to reply when a metallic rattling drew his attention. He looked up and saw members of hotel staff setting the tables for breakfast. “Is it that time already?”
“Afraid so.” Greg moved to stand, offering a hand to help Tony up. “We’ve got a couple of hours before we have to be anywhere though, if you want to try and get some sleep.”
Tony allowed Greg to help him stand, and didn’t let go once he was stood. “Should I even bother asking how you know?”
“The fact you’re sat here in pyjamas and no socks was a bit of a clue.” Greg couldn’t resist stealing another kiss. “Also, you look exhausted.”
“I feel it,” Tony admitted. “What time’s the car?”
“You let me worry about that. You just go up and sleep, and I’ll come get you.” Greg kissed Tony’s hand before reluctantly letting go. “Rest well.”
As Tony walked out of the dining room, he knew he really would. Oh sure, the same old anxieties about being screwed over still tried to haunt him, but something seemed to be blocking them now, something that reassured him he had made the right decision for once in entrusting so much of himself to Greg.
Perhaps mistletoe wasn’t such a stupid tradition after all.
Fandom: Whose Line UK
Pairing: Tony/Greg
Rating: PG to PG-13. One swearword, but it's one of the stronger ones.
Summary: Tony wants to be alone, but Greg's determined to show him what he really needs
Disclaimer: This fic is in no way intended to portray a true representation of the people involved. As far as I know, this never happened.
Notes: This has been written in response to this exercise, incorporating a list of nine words: Manic, Marble, Marvellous, Measles, Metallic, Mince, Misery, Mistletoe, Morbid
Cross-posted to britline, whoselineslash and wl_fanfiction. Submitted to fanfic100 for prompt 061 - Winter.
Mistletoe Promise
The man shivered as bare feet met the cold marble of the staircase. It was early, far too early to be awake even for a work day, but he was getting frustrated of staring at the clock, watching as it ticked away minute after miserable minute, counting how many of them had passed since he’d first tried getting to sleep. He’d lost count hours ago.
The hotel lobby was silent. Not even the staff were around this time of the morning. It was what Tony had been counting on - he was sick of having to pretend to share everyone’s excitement that it would soon be Christmas, was sick of how noisy everywhere seemed to be as everyone rushed around in a manic race to get everything done, just so they could sit back and act smug when others around them admitted they still had things to do.
Tony made his way to the dining hall, finding a seat that allowed him view of the window without letting others get a clear view of him. It was snowing outside, which always seemed to trigger a sense of calm in him. Snow was quiet; it fell without having to announce its arrival as rain or hail did. Tony had many fond memories of waking up of a morning and seeing it white outside. When he was younger, he’d been convinced it was some form of magic - but that was a long, innocent time ago.
So lost was he in the world outside that Tony hadn’t heard the quiet footsteps approaching. The first he knew that he wasn’t alone was when a familiar voice commented, “And I thought I was up early.”
Marvellous! Tony managed not to show his surprise that he had company, and he certainly wasn’t going to pretend that company was appreciated. He stayed silent, hoping that the other man would get the hint and leave.
No such joy. He should have known better than to expect so much of Greg, who seemed determined to draw Tony out of the shell he found himself retreating into more and more these days. Instead of leaving, the American took the seat opposite the Brit. “Aw, come on misery-guts. It’s the last day of filming before Christmas and you’re sat here like you’re waiting for a funeral.”
Tony couldn’t help but glare at the other man. “I didn’t ask for you to come over.”
“No, true, but then you also haven’t told me to fuck off yet, so…” Greg smirked. “I’m making the most of still having my head.”
“Really, and that involves you not leaving?” Tony turned his gaze back to the window. “Well, if you have to sit there then at least stay quiet. That’s what I came down here for in the first place.”
Greg raised an eyebrow. “Stay quiet? What, and let you drift off into whatever dark, possibly morbid thoughts you go into?”
Tony looked up, clearly shocked. “I don’t see how that’s any concern of yours.”
“You’re my friend, of course it concerns me.” Greg couldn’t stop himself from reaching over and resting his hand on Tony’s arm. “I don’t like seeing you look so unhappy while everyone else is so cheerful. Come on, one of Ryan’s kids is all the way back in America with measles and even he’s staying perky.”
”Why wouldn’t he with Colin to distract him?” Tony hoped that hadn’t come out as sounding too bitter. He wouldn’t admit to Greg that he was jealous of that friendship if it killed him.
Greg frowned, not needing Tony to admit it to realise the problem. “You know, Tony, I understand the whole wanting quiet thing, but pulling away from us all like you are isn’t doing you any good. None of us are perfect, we all have moments when we’re missing home, or having a bad day, but that’s when you need to speak up and let us help you.”
Tony fought to control any response that would betray how Greg’s words had affected him. “Well, you certainly don’t mince your words, do you? What makes you think you know me so well that you can say I’m pulling away?”
Greg sighed. He was thankful that it was hard for him to stay objective when dealing with Tony, because there were times when the Brit truly frustrated him. Most of the other Whose Line regulars had already given up; as far as Greg could tell, Colin was the only other person to make any real effort to draw Tony out. And with Ryan constantly voicing his opinion that it was all pointless, Greg didn’t know how much longer it would be before the Canadian gave up too.
Pulling his chair closer to Tony’s, Greg finally replied, “I’ve seen something change in you, Tony. It’s like you don’t have any sort of balance anymore, you just shift from one extreme to another. And I can see it’s not making you happy, and I really want to help.”
Tony shifted to sit sideways in his chair, still trying to discourage Greg from continuing even as he began to realise how futile that was. Forcing a neutral tone into his voice, he asked, “Why do you care anyway?”
“Because it’s you.” Greg wasn’t sure where his response had come from, or what exactly he’d meant, but he knew it was the truth.
Tony swallowed gently, not looking up. “I’d have thought that would be a very good reason for you not to bother.”
Greg frowned. He could tell that straight talking wasn’t going to help, so he tried for distraction instead. Looking up towards the ceiling, he saw the perfect opportunity. “Oh my, we seem to be breaking tradition.”
Tony looked up at this, thrown by Greg’s sudden topic change. “Oh? Is there a tradition surrounding the meeting of two men in the early hours of the morning? More to the point, is that something I really want to know?”
Greg couldn’t help but grin. “Trust your dirty mind to take that further than it was intended. Look up.”
For once, Tony did as he was told and followed Greg’s gaze. Immediately, he shook his head. “No, Greg, no, you can’t be serious.”
“Oh, come on! It’s tradition!” Greg pouted. “Please?”
Tony shook his head firmly. “Mistletoe isn’t a tradition; it’s just a poor attempt to make us believe that bits of plant are still a valid means of decoration.”
“Must you be so cynical about everything?” Greg leant forward a bit. “Can’t you just, for one tiny moment, get caught up in the fun side of things?”
Tony was about to continue resisting when he inadvertently locked eyes with Greg. There was something in the way Greg was looking at him, as though he actually did matter, that threw Tony off-guard and rendered him incapable of remembering what he’d been about to say.
At Tony’s silence, Greg shifted even closer. “It could be worse. I could wait until the others were around and then ask.”
“That’s not fair!” Tony wasn’t entirely sure what he was protesting at, but he had been unable to stop the words escaping. Trying to exert a little more control over his speech, he restarted, “What I mean is…”
“Just shut up and kiss me.”
The bluntness of Greg’s words threw any attempt at forming sentences out of Tony’s mind. He didn’t have time to protest before he felt Greg’s lips on his, a kiss so forceful that any thoughts of pulling away were swiftly quashed. Not only that, but he felt himself responding, leaning in so far that he thought he was actually going to fall off the chair.
A firm hand stopped him from falling, grabbing his arm as Greg’s other hand moved to cup his face. A rush of scrambled thoughts tried to break through in Tony’s head, but something seemed to block them all, forcing his focus to remain on something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time. Or ever, depending on how exactly he defined it. Either way, he knew deep down that just this once was never going to be enough.
Finally, reluctantly, Greg pulled away. “Well, that was certainly revealing.”
Tony swallowed, trying to contain the thoughts that now swarmed into his head, trying to keep some form of control. “I suppose that’s one word for it.”
Greg smiled. “I knew you’d be good. I never dreamt you’d be that good.”
“How do you mean?” The anxiety was beginning to creep back into Tony’s mind, reminding him of why he didn’t let people this close to him.
Greg reached for Tony’s hand, squeezing gently as he replied, “You asked earlier why I care so much about what you do. Well, there’s your answer. I couldn’t bear it if something happened and you couldn’t be in my life anymore.”
Tony watched him cautiously, not quite convinced. “So…what does this mean?”
“What do you want it to mean?”
Tony shook his head. “I’m sorry, Greg, I can’t. I can’t just…I have to know I’m not going to get burnt by this.”
Greg nodded, silently cursing himself for his poor choice of words. “I understand. And, well…I know what I’d like it to mean. I know I’d definitely like to do that again, and I know…I want to be the one you know you can always turn to. I want to be the one who holds you when you’re feeling down and tries to make things better. I want…I want to be yours, Tony.”
Tony slowly exhaled, letting out the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. He was still absolutely terrified of letting Greg know his true feelings, but for the first time in a long while he felt the courage to do it anyway. Quietly, fearfully, he replied, “Me too.”
Greg moved so that he was sharing Tony’s chair, wrapping his arms around the other man. “I promise I’m not out to hurt you.”
Tony was about to reply when a metallic rattling drew his attention. He looked up and saw members of hotel staff setting the tables for breakfast. “Is it that time already?”
“Afraid so.” Greg moved to stand, offering a hand to help Tony up. “We’ve got a couple of hours before we have to be anywhere though, if you want to try and get some sleep.”
Tony allowed Greg to help him stand, and didn’t let go once he was stood. “Should I even bother asking how you know?”
“The fact you’re sat here in pyjamas and no socks was a bit of a clue.” Greg couldn’t resist stealing another kiss. “Also, you look exhausted.”
“I feel it,” Tony admitted. “What time’s the car?”
“You let me worry about that. You just go up and sleep, and I’ll come get you.” Greg kissed Tony’s hand before reluctantly letting go. “Rest well.”
As Tony walked out of the dining room, he knew he really would. Oh sure, the same old anxieties about being screwed over still tried to haunt him, but something seemed to be blocking them now, something that reassured him he had made the right decision for once in entrusting so much of himself to Greg.
Perhaps mistletoe wasn’t such a stupid tradition after all.