Evergreen: Chapter 25
Title: Evergreen
Chapter: 25 - Recapitulation
Fandom: Whose Line is it Anyway/Green Screen
Genre: Slash
Pairing(s): Brad/Ryan. Colin/Wayne. Drew/Greg.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: Don't own Whose Line. Not making money from this.
A/N: AU. I really have totally lost my muse for this; I hoped that by just writing it it would come back, but it...didn't. Sorry it's so bad >.<
-----
"Thanks," Brad said to Jeff as he stepped out of his warm car and into the parking lot that adjoined Wayne's bar. That adjoined his new home. He shivered. He hadn't gone back into the hospital to retrieve his jacket for fear of running into Denny again. Now just wasn't the time to bring all that up...
He slipped his right arm into the sling that supported his left in hope of a little heat, and walked steadily across the icy paving to where Wayne was waiting for him at the door.
"You okay?"
His insides were so tightly knotted he felt like he could throw up any moment, his pulse was throbbing in his head, he was exhausted from his early start that morning, and tears kept trying to force their way out of his stinging eyes; but Brad nodded.
"How's Kathy?"
Wayne rolled his eyes, shutting the door as Brad entered the bar, "High as a kite. It took me two hours to get her to bed, she was dancing around all over the place. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light. I felt bad leaving her alone, so I stayed with her until she woke up, and then, of course, she had a splitting headache, but I wasn't sure giving her any more painkillers was such a great idea, so I had to endure her very loud suffering for a little while longer until she fell asleep again. I left a note saying she doesn't have to come into work tomorrow. Actually, I might not open up at all, with no chef and no barman..."
"And no waitress."
Wayne looked inquisitively up at Brad.
"Karen's...had a bit of a shock," Brad explained, "Turns out Jonathan was in love with her."
"No way!"
"'fraid so. Anyway, she got all upset and bolted. Jeff and I managed to catch up to her and we took her home, but she really was a complete mess so Jeff suggested she take a break for a while. She's staying with her sister in New Jersey for a few weeks."
"A few weeks?" Wayne echoed, "How long will that end up being?"
Brad cocked his head slightly and said deliberately, "Isn't it in her best interest to get away for a while?"
Wayne looked sheepish, "Of course. Well," he said with a sigh, "looks like I need to completely re-staff for the foreseeable future."
"You've already got a chef," Brad said.
"Who?"
Brad rolled his eyes, "Colin!"
Wayne frowned, "You don't think that would be weird?"
"You want a chef or not?"
Wayne sighed again, "Fine...what about a bartender?"
Brad glanced up to the ceiling and quickly down again, "Ryan seems to know a fair bit about liquor, what about him?"
Wayne nodded with a small smirk, but didn't say anything; Brad was tired, grumpy and likely to snap, and no matter how many cracks he came up with about Colin and Wayne, retaliating with jibes about him and Ryan probably wasn't the best idea.
"Just need someone to wait the tables now, then."
"Okay, I'm feeling a little unwell right now," Brad said, "so this attempt at subtlety is probably going to go all wrong, but here goes: how about giving the job to a friend who is strapped for cash and was recently made homeless and whose name begins with 'B'?"
Wayne glanced down at Brad's cast, "You sure you can handle it?"
"I can try, can't I?"
"Hmm...okay. I'll reopen next week. Give everyone a bit of time..."
"Yeah. Today's been a bit of a mouthful," Brad said, staring at the floor.
Wayne patted him on his good arm, "Get some sleep. Clear your head. We can talk tomorrow, yeah?"
Brad nodded, "Thanks."
-----
Ryan woke with a start as Brad shut the door of their apartment behind him. He sat up on the couch, blinking heavily, and turned the news channel off.
"Hey," he said in a gravelly voice, "You okay?"
"Fine," Brad replied, "A little sleepy. Just gonna brush my teeth then go to bed."
He walked across the room and shut himself in the bathroom. Ryan picked up the half empty beer bottle beside him, wrapped some foil around the neck and put it back in the fridge. He'd been woken up earlier than he'd wanted and he'd spent all day shopping to stock the apartment with food, so he was just as eager as Brad to turn in for the night. He gulped down two glasses of water in an attempt to knock his impending hangover on the head. As he put the glass back in the cupboard, Brad re-emerged from the bathroom.
Brad smiled awkwardly to break the even more awkward silence.
For God's sake, say something! Ryan screamed at himself.
"Well," he said eventually, "Goodnight."
Brad nodded and wandered over to his bedroom.
You're an idiot.
"Unless!" Ryan called over his shoulder.
Brad turned around, "What?"
"Uh..."
Images from the previous night flashed in his head; Brad's smooth, silky skin rubbing gently against his own with that gorgeous scent of his; and that morning when his lips had been less than a few inches away from Ryan's...
"You need any help?" he didn't bother keeping the hope out of his tone.
Brad smiled, genuinely this time, "Wouldn't mind."
Ryan's heart leapt into his throat and pounded heavily as he followed Brad into his bedroom.
.x.Sess.x.
Chapter: 25 - Recapitulation
Fandom: Whose Line is it Anyway/Green Screen
Genre: Slash
Pairing(s): Brad/Ryan. Colin/Wayne. Drew/Greg.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: Don't own Whose Line. Not making money from this.
A/N: AU. I really have totally lost my muse for this; I hoped that by just writing it it would come back, but it...didn't. Sorry it's so bad >.<
-----
"Thanks," Brad said to Jeff as he stepped out of his warm car and into the parking lot that adjoined Wayne's bar. That adjoined his new home. He shivered. He hadn't gone back into the hospital to retrieve his jacket for fear of running into Denny again. Now just wasn't the time to bring all that up...
He slipped his right arm into the sling that supported his left in hope of a little heat, and walked steadily across the icy paving to where Wayne was waiting for him at the door.
"You okay?"
His insides were so tightly knotted he felt like he could throw up any moment, his pulse was throbbing in his head, he was exhausted from his early start that morning, and tears kept trying to force their way out of his stinging eyes; but Brad nodded.
"How's Kathy?"
Wayne rolled his eyes, shutting the door as Brad entered the bar, "High as a kite. It took me two hours to get her to bed, she was dancing around all over the place. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light. I felt bad leaving her alone, so I stayed with her until she woke up, and then, of course, she had a splitting headache, but I wasn't sure giving her any more painkillers was such a great idea, so I had to endure her very loud suffering for a little while longer until she fell asleep again. I left a note saying she doesn't have to come into work tomorrow. Actually, I might not open up at all, with no chef and no barman..."
"And no waitress."
Wayne looked inquisitively up at Brad.
"Karen's...had a bit of a shock," Brad explained, "Turns out Jonathan was in love with her."
"No way!"
"'fraid so. Anyway, she got all upset and bolted. Jeff and I managed to catch up to her and we took her home, but she really was a complete mess so Jeff suggested she take a break for a while. She's staying with her sister in New Jersey for a few weeks."
"A few weeks?" Wayne echoed, "How long will that end up being?"
Brad cocked his head slightly and said deliberately, "Isn't it in her best interest to get away for a while?"
Wayne looked sheepish, "Of course. Well," he said with a sigh, "looks like I need to completely re-staff for the foreseeable future."
"You've already got a chef," Brad said.
"Who?"
Brad rolled his eyes, "Colin!"
Wayne frowned, "You don't think that would be weird?"
"You want a chef or not?"
Wayne sighed again, "Fine...what about a bartender?"
Brad glanced up to the ceiling and quickly down again, "Ryan seems to know a fair bit about liquor, what about him?"
Wayne nodded with a small smirk, but didn't say anything; Brad was tired, grumpy and likely to snap, and no matter how many cracks he came up with about Colin and Wayne, retaliating with jibes about him and Ryan probably wasn't the best idea.
"Just need someone to wait the tables now, then."
"Okay, I'm feeling a little unwell right now," Brad said, "so this attempt at subtlety is probably going to go all wrong, but here goes: how about giving the job to a friend who is strapped for cash and was recently made homeless and whose name begins with 'B'?"
Wayne glanced down at Brad's cast, "You sure you can handle it?"
"I can try, can't I?"
"Hmm...okay. I'll reopen next week. Give everyone a bit of time..."
"Yeah. Today's been a bit of a mouthful," Brad said, staring at the floor.
Wayne patted him on his good arm, "Get some sleep. Clear your head. We can talk tomorrow, yeah?"
Brad nodded, "Thanks."
-----
Ryan woke with a start as Brad shut the door of their apartment behind him. He sat up on the couch, blinking heavily, and turned the news channel off.
"Hey," he said in a gravelly voice, "You okay?"
"Fine," Brad replied, "A little sleepy. Just gonna brush my teeth then go to bed."
He walked across the room and shut himself in the bathroom. Ryan picked up the half empty beer bottle beside him, wrapped some foil around the neck and put it back in the fridge. He'd been woken up earlier than he'd wanted and he'd spent all day shopping to stock the apartment with food, so he was just as eager as Brad to turn in for the night. He gulped down two glasses of water in an attempt to knock his impending hangover on the head. As he put the glass back in the cupboard, Brad re-emerged from the bathroom.
Brad smiled awkwardly to break the even more awkward silence.
For God's sake, say something! Ryan screamed at himself.
"Well," he said eventually, "Goodnight."
Brad nodded and wandered over to his bedroom.
You're an idiot.
"Unless!" Ryan called over his shoulder.
Brad turned around, "What?"
"Uh..."
Images from the previous night flashed in his head; Brad's smooth, silky skin rubbing gently against his own with that gorgeous scent of his; and that morning when his lips had been less than a few inches away from Ryan's...
"You need any help?" he didn't bother keeping the hope out of his tone.
Brad smiled, genuinely this time, "Wouldn't mind."
Ryan's heart leapt into his throat and pounded heavily as he followed Brad into his bedroom.
.x.Sess.x.