[Fanfic] Feels Like Coming Home
The studio was buzzing with excitement, laughter, some nervousness and several technicians and members of the crew running around trying to make sure everything was in order. Wayne and Aisha were chattering by the desk while Dan Patterson was getting more and more agitated by the minute, screaming orders at everyone. Colin, Jeff, Linda and Laura were by the piano. Ryan was idling alone on his chair, looking around, trying to figure out if he's missed all this or if he just didn't really care one way or another.
Colin must have said something funny again because the three people next to him fell into hysterics. Nearly everyone in the crowded room stopped what they were doing and looked their way, trying to figure out what happened but then quickly turned back to their jobs. The last rehearsal was over. Everyone knew what games they would be doing and where each of them should be standing. Soon the performers would have to go to their dressing rooms, change outfits, get their makeup done and then it was show time.
Ryan's eyes lingered on Colin and the rest of them even after their laughter subsided. He felt a pang of annoyance that he wasn't there with them as well. It's not that he was jealous, or at least that's what he told himself, he just wished he could have heard what Colin said that made everyone laugh so much. He got up from his chair, thinking he should join them but just at that moment Dan approached to ask him a question.
Jeff skittered towards Wayne and Aisha, checking out what they've been whispering about all that time. Linda and Laura started discussing the details about one of the music styles they were going to perform in the show and Colin remained standing next to the piano, smiling, reveling at the familiarity of it all and thinking how happy he was to be back. Thinking about how Whose Line had really been the best part of his career and hoping that everything was still going to be as exciting as it always had been.
He caught Ryan's eye, Dan was still talking to him and from what Colin could tell his friend was quickly losing his patience. Dan was OK, Colin thought, but he was kind of a perfectionist and while this worked great for the show, he really could drive people mad at times. He gave Ryan an encouraging smile but didn't attempt to approach him until Dan walked away, heading over to his next victims, Aisha, Jeff and Wayne.
"I'd like to remind you that killing him means the show will get canceled before it even starts. Somehow I don't think this will go down very well with the fans", Colin teased him.
"You'd think after all these years he'd know we're actually pretty good at our jobs and he doesn't have to worry that much".
"Well, I'd think after all these years, you'd know this is what he's always been like and he's not likely to change any time soon. Just tune him out, same as you always did".
Ryan was standing on the infamous 'world's worst step' putting even more height difference between him and Colin who had to strain his neck to look up to his eyes. He smiled, thinking of all the fans who were surprised at his height when they met him. Ryan, Brad, Jeff, they were all tall enough to give people the impression that Colin himself was rather short when that really wasn't the case. Ryan, who probably had no idea what he was thinking about, smiled back at him. It was probably a reflex by now, Colin realized and that made him grin even more.
"What?" said Ryan quirking an eyebrow at him.
"This is the fifth day in a row you showed up wearing the same sweatshirt. I'm sure you'd even perform on camera with it if they let you," Colin said, not wanting to reveal what he was actually grinning about.
"I probably would. So?" came the reply, accompanied with an amused chuckle.
"I know you like traveling light but didn't you pack any other clothes?"
"Hey, it's clean you know. Doesn't smell or anything so, who cares?" Ryan shrugged knowing full well his friend was just teasing him.
"But you'd probably still wear it even if it did, right?" Colin insisted, then lightly tugged at one of the sweatshirt's drawstrings.
"Or, you know, I could have the hotel wash it for me", Ryan said rolling his eyes at the absurdity of this conversation.
"You've been wearing it for five days straight, that I know of. I'm sure it smells", he insisted, poking Ryan's belly with an accusing finger.
"It really doesn't though", Ryan chuckled, "I don't know why you're obsessing over it. Here, smell it", he said and put his arms on Colin's shoulders, pulling him towards him. He was still standing one step higher so Colin's head landed face first on his chest.
Colin laughed and placed his hands on Ryan's arms to steady himself, then started to exaggeratedly sniff the offensive sweatshirt.
"Hmmm, seems you were right after all", he said, his voice muffled.
It was just a silly joke, he didn't expect Ryan's clothes to stink anyway, but now he had a hard time drawing back. Ryan smelled of his cologne and of cigarette smoke and Colin was suddenly painfully aware of how much he had missed him. He laid his cheek on his friend's chest and slipped his arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Ryan returned the embrace immediately and it felt as if time and space disappeared around them.
Somehow, both men were caught unaware by the intensity of this feeling, of missing each other so much, of finally being reunited here, on a place that meant so much to them. More than they had possibly considered. They stood there, clinging to each other, having lost touch with the rest of the world. They stood there for several minutes and it felt simultaneously like too long and too short.
Outside of the world the two of them had created, the studio was still buzzing with people getting ready. Someone yelled that soon they'd begin to let the audience inside and the performers needed to head to their dressing rooms to get changed. Dan Patterson's frustration was still rising and he was screaming at anyone who made the slightest mistake. Ryan and Colin were oblivious to all these things.
"What's going on with these two?", Aisha asked Jeff and Wayne as they were heading backstage.
"Oh man!" Wayne said rolling his eyes and Jeff grinned when they noticed the two men Aisha was pointing at.
"Don't worry about it! They get a little weird sometimes. You'll get used to it", Jeff said beaming affectionately at his friends.
"Uh oh. Busted!" Wayne said wincing when he noticed Dan spotting them, still hugging each other, disconnected from their surroundings. He was screaming abuse at them, something about hurrying up to get changed, rushing towards them when he realised they didn't react at his words. The audience was about to be let in, they were running out of time and he couldn't put up with anyone acting outside of his schedule.
Jeff ran towards him as fast he could and intercepted him a couple of steps before he got to them.
"Wait, wait! I'll do it, OK?" he told Dan making sure he didn't upset him any further. Unlike the others, he hadn't been long enough in the old run of Whose Line to be that friendly with him but he knew that all his yelling and frustration was only because he wanted the show to be perfect and nothing else. Dan mumbled something about making sure they're all ready on time and walked away, leaving him to it.
Jeff stood next to Ryan and Colin for a moment, looking at the two men, noticing how their hands desperately clutched at each other while at the same time their faces, eyes closed and smiling, emanated calmness. He had no idea exactly what kind of bond these two shared but no one who had been around them could ever dispute the strength and intensity of it. Looking at this mixture of desperation and contentment that they portrayed he couldn't really tell if he was jealous of what they had, or if he was feeling sorry for them. He did feel a little guilty having to interrupt them though.
"Guys?" he said, placing a hand on each of their shoulders and nudging them slightly when he realised they were still so lost in each other that they didn't react to his voice even when he was standing right next to them.
Suddenly, two sets of blurry eyes blinked at him. They looked a little disoriented, as if they had just woken up. When they realized that Jeff was awkwardly waiting there for them to come back to reality they let go of each other and looked at him questioningly.
"Sorry to interrupt you, only Dan is screaming that it's time for us to get changed and umm, if you don't hurry up he'll probably skin you alive even if that's going to leave him with 2 improvisers short."
"We'll umm," Ryan cleared his throat, "we'll be right on it."
Jeff was silently amused at how awkward they looked there for a moment. Taking a glance at each other and then looking away. Was it because they were busted by Dan and himself or maybe because they were caught unaware even by themselves? He winked mischievously at them and turned around, heading backstage and leaving them some breathing space, hoping they follow before Dan started hunting them down.
As it would have been expected from them, Ryan and Colin's awkwardness towards each other only lasted for a couple more seconds. Not entirely sure what happened between them and what was that moment they shared, they still refused to let it disturb how at ease they always felt with each other.
Walking side by side towards the dressing room they shared, Jeff, who was only a few steps in front of them, could hear their bantering.
"Did you kiss my head?" Colin said, amusement and affection clearly accentuating his voice.
"Shut up!" Ryan grumbled only marginally less amused.
"You did, didn't you?" Colin chuckled and when he got no reply he added, "I knew you had a thing for bald men. I just knew it!"
"Shut up! It's all you and your weird fetish for big noses. You just loved my huge beak rubbing on your head, didn't you? Didn't you?" he teased him but Colin wasn't fazed. Try as he might to deny it, Colin still knew Ryan's lips and the effect they had on him.
Colin must have said something funny again because the three people next to him fell into hysterics. Nearly everyone in the crowded room stopped what they were doing and looked their way, trying to figure out what happened but then quickly turned back to their jobs. The last rehearsal was over. Everyone knew what games they would be doing and where each of them should be standing. Soon the performers would have to go to their dressing rooms, change outfits, get their makeup done and then it was show time.
Ryan's eyes lingered on Colin and the rest of them even after their laughter subsided. He felt a pang of annoyance that he wasn't there with them as well. It's not that he was jealous, or at least that's what he told himself, he just wished he could have heard what Colin said that made everyone laugh so much. He got up from his chair, thinking he should join them but just at that moment Dan approached to ask him a question.
Jeff skittered towards Wayne and Aisha, checking out what they've been whispering about all that time. Linda and Laura started discussing the details about one of the music styles they were going to perform in the show and Colin remained standing next to the piano, smiling, reveling at the familiarity of it all and thinking how happy he was to be back. Thinking about how Whose Line had really been the best part of his career and hoping that everything was still going to be as exciting as it always had been.
He caught Ryan's eye, Dan was still talking to him and from what Colin could tell his friend was quickly losing his patience. Dan was OK, Colin thought, but he was kind of a perfectionist and while this worked great for the show, he really could drive people mad at times. He gave Ryan an encouraging smile but didn't attempt to approach him until Dan walked away, heading over to his next victims, Aisha, Jeff and Wayne.
"I'd like to remind you that killing him means the show will get canceled before it even starts. Somehow I don't think this will go down very well with the fans", Colin teased him.
"You'd think after all these years he'd know we're actually pretty good at our jobs and he doesn't have to worry that much".
"Well, I'd think after all these years, you'd know this is what he's always been like and he's not likely to change any time soon. Just tune him out, same as you always did".
Ryan was standing on the infamous 'world's worst step' putting even more height difference between him and Colin who had to strain his neck to look up to his eyes. He smiled, thinking of all the fans who were surprised at his height when they met him. Ryan, Brad, Jeff, they were all tall enough to give people the impression that Colin himself was rather short when that really wasn't the case. Ryan, who probably had no idea what he was thinking about, smiled back at him. It was probably a reflex by now, Colin realized and that made him grin even more.
"What?" said Ryan quirking an eyebrow at him.
"This is the fifth day in a row you showed up wearing the same sweatshirt. I'm sure you'd even perform on camera with it if they let you," Colin said, not wanting to reveal what he was actually grinning about.
"I probably would. So?" came the reply, accompanied with an amused chuckle.
"I know you like traveling light but didn't you pack any other clothes?"
"Hey, it's clean you know. Doesn't smell or anything so, who cares?" Ryan shrugged knowing full well his friend was just teasing him.
"But you'd probably still wear it even if it did, right?" Colin insisted, then lightly tugged at one of the sweatshirt's drawstrings.
"Or, you know, I could have the hotel wash it for me", Ryan said rolling his eyes at the absurdity of this conversation.
"You've been wearing it for five days straight, that I know of. I'm sure it smells", he insisted, poking Ryan's belly with an accusing finger.
"It really doesn't though", Ryan chuckled, "I don't know why you're obsessing over it. Here, smell it", he said and put his arms on Colin's shoulders, pulling him towards him. He was still standing one step higher so Colin's head landed face first on his chest.
Colin laughed and placed his hands on Ryan's arms to steady himself, then started to exaggeratedly sniff the offensive sweatshirt.
"Hmmm, seems you were right after all", he said, his voice muffled.
It was just a silly joke, he didn't expect Ryan's clothes to stink anyway, but now he had a hard time drawing back. Ryan smelled of his cologne and of cigarette smoke and Colin was suddenly painfully aware of how much he had missed him. He laid his cheek on his friend's chest and slipped his arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Ryan returned the embrace immediately and it felt as if time and space disappeared around them.
Somehow, both men were caught unaware by the intensity of this feeling, of missing each other so much, of finally being reunited here, on a place that meant so much to them. More than they had possibly considered. They stood there, clinging to each other, having lost touch with the rest of the world. They stood there for several minutes and it felt simultaneously like too long and too short.
Outside of the world the two of them had created, the studio was still buzzing with people getting ready. Someone yelled that soon they'd begin to let the audience inside and the performers needed to head to their dressing rooms to get changed. Dan Patterson's frustration was still rising and he was screaming at anyone who made the slightest mistake. Ryan and Colin were oblivious to all these things.
"What's going on with these two?", Aisha asked Jeff and Wayne as they were heading backstage.
"Oh man!" Wayne said rolling his eyes and Jeff grinned when they noticed the two men Aisha was pointing at.
"Don't worry about it! They get a little weird sometimes. You'll get used to it", Jeff said beaming affectionately at his friends.
"Uh oh. Busted!" Wayne said wincing when he noticed Dan spotting them, still hugging each other, disconnected from their surroundings. He was screaming abuse at them, something about hurrying up to get changed, rushing towards them when he realised they didn't react at his words. The audience was about to be let in, they were running out of time and he couldn't put up with anyone acting outside of his schedule.
Jeff ran towards him as fast he could and intercepted him a couple of steps before he got to them.
"Wait, wait! I'll do it, OK?" he told Dan making sure he didn't upset him any further. Unlike the others, he hadn't been long enough in the old run of Whose Line to be that friendly with him but he knew that all his yelling and frustration was only because he wanted the show to be perfect and nothing else. Dan mumbled something about making sure they're all ready on time and walked away, leaving him to it.
Jeff stood next to Ryan and Colin for a moment, looking at the two men, noticing how their hands desperately clutched at each other while at the same time their faces, eyes closed and smiling, emanated calmness. He had no idea exactly what kind of bond these two shared but no one who had been around them could ever dispute the strength and intensity of it. Looking at this mixture of desperation and contentment that they portrayed he couldn't really tell if he was jealous of what they had, or if he was feeling sorry for them. He did feel a little guilty having to interrupt them though.
"Guys?" he said, placing a hand on each of their shoulders and nudging them slightly when he realised they were still so lost in each other that they didn't react to his voice even when he was standing right next to them.
Suddenly, two sets of blurry eyes blinked at him. They looked a little disoriented, as if they had just woken up. When they realized that Jeff was awkwardly waiting there for them to come back to reality they let go of each other and looked at him questioningly.
"Sorry to interrupt you, only Dan is screaming that it's time for us to get changed and umm, if you don't hurry up he'll probably skin you alive even if that's going to leave him with 2 improvisers short."
"We'll umm," Ryan cleared his throat, "we'll be right on it."
Jeff was silently amused at how awkward they looked there for a moment. Taking a glance at each other and then looking away. Was it because they were busted by Dan and himself or maybe because they were caught unaware even by themselves? He winked mischievously at them and turned around, heading backstage and leaving them some breathing space, hoping they follow before Dan started hunting them down.
As it would have been expected from them, Ryan and Colin's awkwardness towards each other only lasted for a couple more seconds. Not entirely sure what happened between them and what was that moment they shared, they still refused to let it disturb how at ease they always felt with each other.
Walking side by side towards the dressing room they shared, Jeff, who was only a few steps in front of them, could hear their bantering.
"Did you kiss my head?" Colin said, amusement and affection clearly accentuating his voice.
"Shut up!" Ryan grumbled only marginally less amused.
"You did, didn't you?" Colin chuckled and when he got no reply he added, "I knew you had a thing for bald men. I just knew it!"
"Shut up! It's all you and your weird fetish for big noses. You just loved my huge beak rubbing on your head, didn't you? Didn't you?" he teased him but Colin wasn't fazed. Try as he might to deny it, Colin still knew Ryan's lips and the effect they had on him.