FIC: Happy
Title: Happy
Author: Missy (tellingasecret)
Fandom: Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Pairing/Characters: Chip, Ryan, implied Ryan/Colin, Ryan/Greg, Jeff/Greg
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Feedback: Is always welcomed. Constuctive criticism is much appreciated and no flames please.
Summary: Ryan visits the Green Screen set and talks with Chip.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these people and I am not making any profit from this story. It is for entertainment purposes only.
Notes: None.
It was weird, Ryan thought, to see Chip sitting so perfectly still and quiet on a stool, ignoring the general bustle of the studio and the sound technicians as they fixed a microphone to Kathy beside him. No one had spotted him yet and Ryan used it to his advantage, watching his friends silently as they milled around, getting ready for the cameras to start rolling.
Over half the cast was missing, presumably backstage, as only Chip, Kathy, and Jonathan sat on the stools, the last two engaged in an animated conversation while Chip stared off into the dark shadows behind the stage.
Ryan followed his gaze, his eyes softening as he spotted Colin leaning against the far wall, Drew in front of him and partially blocking the older man. His brow furrowed slightly before he looked back to Chip and was shocked to see the younger man staring straight at him, Chip's eyes widening when he finally seemed to realize who exactly he was looking at.
Chip slid off the stool, heading towards him and Ryan couldn't help but give the other man a small smile, seeing it returned in full force to him.
"What are you doing here?"
Without thinking, Ryan smirked, raising an eyebrow at the fairly innocent question, "Why? Am I not welcome here?"
He didn't realize how true that statement might have been, being the unspoken thought of his friends still involved in Green Screen. After being on Drew's show, as well as more years of Whose Line than he could count on both hands, he had needed a break. He had never realized how tired he had been until Whose Line had officially wrapped up and he found himself without a job, so to speak. At times, he regretted turning the show down, regretted reuniting with his friends again, but in the long run, he needed the time away from the spotlight to concentrate on himself. Sometimes he couldn't help thinking he had disgraced his second family by turning down Drew's offer.
The only other exception had been Wayne, who also turned the show, but he had done the opposite of Ryan. Instead of taking a break, his career had taken off, ranging from a talk show to appearances in movies.
"You were always welcome here and you know that," Chip finally said, his face completely serious. All traces of the brilliant smile were gone.
"Is the normal group still as I remember it?"
"We were never normal, with or without you," Chip retorted.
Ryan grinned, finally seeing the side of Chip he remembered, "Where is everyone else?"
"Probably causing trouble backstage."
"And Colin?"
Chip glanced behind him to where he had last seen Colin, but both he and Drew were gone, "I have no idea." He paused, taking in Ryan's blank expression. "He's been doing good, you know? He's happy doing this again. I think he missed us and doing impov." He paused again. "He misses you. We all do."
Ryan gave a short, bitter laugh, "No one does, least of all you. I never gave you the time of day in England and here in America..."
Chip shook his head, looking amused, "Maybe because you were paying a bit too much attention to Greg in England and then Colin here. There was a reason why I mostly gravitated towards Wayne during the tapings."
"And now?"
"What about now?"
"With Wayne gone, why are you still here?"
Ryan knew he had crossed the line when he saw Chip’s face harden at the question, but he didn't care. He was honestly curious about the answer.
"Because I do this for more than which friends I can make," Chip said stiffly. "I wasn't looking to make friends in England and I wasn't looking to here. I like improv and I like the work that comes with it. It was only by chance that I became friendly with anyone. It wasn't my intention."
Everything Chip had said contradicted everything Ryan had known of the younger man for years. Chip was always friendly to everyone, even Ryan, who felt even worse now for the awful way he knew he had treated him.
"How do you do it? I treated you so badly, which I'm just realizing now, and it never seemed to bother you."
"You think I'm going to let the way one person treats me affect me? And especially coming from you. Colin once apologized for you a few years into the show and I just learned to accept it was who you were. It didn't help me to understand you though."
"Not many people do," Ryan muttered.
Chip sighed, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest, "Listen, I don't want to talk about the past, okay? The past is just that, the past."
"Why don't we just start things over? I think we understand each other a bit better now. Maybe we can try to act like we like each other for the sake of every else's sanity."
Chip laughed, looking up to meet Ryan's eyes, "They haven't exactly been worrying about our impending meltdown, you know."
"Doesn't matter," Ryan said absently. "We're two grown adults. Maybe it's time we started acting like them."
He held a hand out and Chip stared at it, confused. He glanced up at Ryan's face and back down at the offered hand before he brought his own forward, curling his fingers around Ryan's.
It wasn’t an apology, but he wasn’t looking for one. Ryan had his reasons for acting the way he did and Chip understood that. He had been too preoccupied with Colin that he failed to acknowledge anyone else. An apology was the last thing Chip expected or needed from Ryan.
"Now that we've seemed to make up, so to speak, how about coming down to finally see everyone else?"
Ryan nodded, his eyes rising to look over Chip's shoulder at the group of stools. Brad and Colin had joined Kathy and Jonathan, but Greg and Jeff were still conveniently missing.
He watched Colin for a moment, noticing how happy he did look. A part of him was sad to see his previous lover so happy without him, but he still smiled, watching Colin interact with Brad. Colin was at his happiest when onstage; Chip had been right. That thought alone caused Ryan to nod slightly to himself, glad Colin had finally found what he was looking for after so many years.
"Are Jeff and Greg always so late?" he asked absently.
Chip was silent and as Ryan looked over at him, he was surprised to see the younger man smirking, a look that didn't seem right where a sunny grin always seemed to be.
"Pretty much. At least, ever since Jeff sunk his claws into Greg."
Ryan's eyes widened almost comically, "You mean..." He trailed off, his hands raising into an obscene gesture, tilting his head in confusion when Chip actually giggled at him.
"Oh yeah. For a few months now."
Ryan sighed, rubbing his temples, "I really do need to come by more often. I can't keep up with any of you."
He looked up just as Jeff and Greg stepped onto the stage, and Greg spotted Ryan at the exact same time Colin did, both nearly speechless, having not seen their friend in months. Both nearly tackled him and Chip slipped away to give them some privacy.
"You two didn't kill each other, did you?" Jeff asked as Chip sat between him and Brad.
"No, quite the opposite," Chip replied, smiling slightly.
"You slept together?" Brad blurted out.
Chip and Jeff laughed at the odd look on Brad's face, "Uh, no. We talked a little and I think things may be a bit better between us."
He ignored Jeff and Brad's excited chattering on either side of him as he looked over to where Ryan stood, surrounded by Colin and Greg. He noticed how happy the two looked and he couldn't help giving Ryan an impish grin, mouthing the words 'I told you so'.
Ryan rolled his eyes, his middle finger raising briefly in Chip's direction, hearing Chip's loud laughter before he turned back to his two best friends. He had missed the group, his family, he mentally stressed, too much.
Author: Missy (tellingasecret)
Fandom: Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Pairing/Characters: Chip, Ryan, implied Ryan/Colin, Ryan/Greg, Jeff/Greg
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Feedback: Is always welcomed. Constuctive criticism is much appreciated and no flames please.
Summary: Ryan visits the Green Screen set and talks with Chip.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these people and I am not making any profit from this story. It is for entertainment purposes only.
Notes: None.
It was weird, Ryan thought, to see Chip sitting so perfectly still and quiet on a stool, ignoring the general bustle of the studio and the sound technicians as they fixed a microphone to Kathy beside him. No one had spotted him yet and Ryan used it to his advantage, watching his friends silently as they milled around, getting ready for the cameras to start rolling.
Over half the cast was missing, presumably backstage, as only Chip, Kathy, and Jonathan sat on the stools, the last two engaged in an animated conversation while Chip stared off into the dark shadows behind the stage.
Ryan followed his gaze, his eyes softening as he spotted Colin leaning against the far wall, Drew in front of him and partially blocking the older man. His brow furrowed slightly before he looked back to Chip and was shocked to see the younger man staring straight at him, Chip's eyes widening when he finally seemed to realize who exactly he was looking at.
Chip slid off the stool, heading towards him and Ryan couldn't help but give the other man a small smile, seeing it returned in full force to him.
"What are you doing here?"
Without thinking, Ryan smirked, raising an eyebrow at the fairly innocent question, "Why? Am I not welcome here?"
He didn't realize how true that statement might have been, being the unspoken thought of his friends still involved in Green Screen. After being on Drew's show, as well as more years of Whose Line than he could count on both hands, he had needed a break. He had never realized how tired he had been until Whose Line had officially wrapped up and he found himself without a job, so to speak. At times, he regretted turning the show down, regretted reuniting with his friends again, but in the long run, he needed the time away from the spotlight to concentrate on himself. Sometimes he couldn't help thinking he had disgraced his second family by turning down Drew's offer.
The only other exception had been Wayne, who also turned the show, but he had done the opposite of Ryan. Instead of taking a break, his career had taken off, ranging from a talk show to appearances in movies.
"You were always welcome here and you know that," Chip finally said, his face completely serious. All traces of the brilliant smile were gone.
"Is the normal group still as I remember it?"
"We were never normal, with or without you," Chip retorted.
Ryan grinned, finally seeing the side of Chip he remembered, "Where is everyone else?"
"Probably causing trouble backstage."
"And Colin?"
Chip glanced behind him to where he had last seen Colin, but both he and Drew were gone, "I have no idea." He paused, taking in Ryan's blank expression. "He's been doing good, you know? He's happy doing this again. I think he missed us and doing impov." He paused again. "He misses you. We all do."
Ryan gave a short, bitter laugh, "No one does, least of all you. I never gave you the time of day in England and here in America..."
Chip shook his head, looking amused, "Maybe because you were paying a bit too much attention to Greg in England and then Colin here. There was a reason why I mostly gravitated towards Wayne during the tapings."
"And now?"
"What about now?"
"With Wayne gone, why are you still here?"
Ryan knew he had crossed the line when he saw Chip’s face harden at the question, but he didn't care. He was honestly curious about the answer.
"Because I do this for more than which friends I can make," Chip said stiffly. "I wasn't looking to make friends in England and I wasn't looking to here. I like improv and I like the work that comes with it. It was only by chance that I became friendly with anyone. It wasn't my intention."
Everything Chip had said contradicted everything Ryan had known of the younger man for years. Chip was always friendly to everyone, even Ryan, who felt even worse now for the awful way he knew he had treated him.
"How do you do it? I treated you so badly, which I'm just realizing now, and it never seemed to bother you."
"You think I'm going to let the way one person treats me affect me? And especially coming from you. Colin once apologized for you a few years into the show and I just learned to accept it was who you were. It didn't help me to understand you though."
"Not many people do," Ryan muttered.
Chip sighed, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest, "Listen, I don't want to talk about the past, okay? The past is just that, the past."
"Why don't we just start things over? I think we understand each other a bit better now. Maybe we can try to act like we like each other for the sake of every else's sanity."
Chip laughed, looking up to meet Ryan's eyes, "They haven't exactly been worrying about our impending meltdown, you know."
"Doesn't matter," Ryan said absently. "We're two grown adults. Maybe it's time we started acting like them."
He held a hand out and Chip stared at it, confused. He glanced up at Ryan's face and back down at the offered hand before he brought his own forward, curling his fingers around Ryan's.
It wasn’t an apology, but he wasn’t looking for one. Ryan had his reasons for acting the way he did and Chip understood that. He had been too preoccupied with Colin that he failed to acknowledge anyone else. An apology was the last thing Chip expected or needed from Ryan.
"Now that we've seemed to make up, so to speak, how about coming down to finally see everyone else?"
Ryan nodded, his eyes rising to look over Chip's shoulder at the group of stools. Brad and Colin had joined Kathy and Jonathan, but Greg and Jeff were still conveniently missing.
He watched Colin for a moment, noticing how happy he did look. A part of him was sad to see his previous lover so happy without him, but he still smiled, watching Colin interact with Brad. Colin was at his happiest when onstage; Chip had been right. That thought alone caused Ryan to nod slightly to himself, glad Colin had finally found what he was looking for after so many years.
"Are Jeff and Greg always so late?" he asked absently.
Chip was silent and as Ryan looked over at him, he was surprised to see the younger man smirking, a look that didn't seem right where a sunny grin always seemed to be.
"Pretty much. At least, ever since Jeff sunk his claws into Greg."
Ryan's eyes widened almost comically, "You mean..." He trailed off, his hands raising into an obscene gesture, tilting his head in confusion when Chip actually giggled at him.
"Oh yeah. For a few months now."
Ryan sighed, rubbing his temples, "I really do need to come by more often. I can't keep up with any of you."
He looked up just as Jeff and Greg stepped onto the stage, and Greg spotted Ryan at the exact same time Colin did, both nearly speechless, having not seen their friend in months. Both nearly tackled him and Chip slipped away to give them some privacy.
"You two didn't kill each other, did you?" Jeff asked as Chip sat between him and Brad.
"No, quite the opposite," Chip replied, smiling slightly.
"You slept together?" Brad blurted out.
Chip and Jeff laughed at the odd look on Brad's face, "Uh, no. We talked a little and I think things may be a bit better between us."
He ignored Jeff and Brad's excited chattering on either side of him as he looked over to where Ryan stood, surrounded by Colin and Greg. He noticed how happy the two looked and he couldn't help giving Ryan an impish grin, mouthing the words 'I told you so'.
Ryan rolled his eyes, his middle finger raising briefly in Chip's direction, hearing Chip's loud laughter before he turned back to his two best friends. He had missed the group, his family, he mentally stressed, too much.