FIC: One Day
Title: One Day
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Ryan/Colin
Summary: One day, we'll run away.
Author's Notes: I don't know what this is. I read it back and it seemed AU, but it's really not meant to be *sighs*. Result of listening to Switchfoot's 'Meant to Live', repeatedly, for a few days *rolls eyes
He'd first promised Ryan more than two decades ago that they'd leave, one day - and it feels, surprisingly, like it's been so much longer than that.
Just get up and leave, he'd sworn; just the two of them.
"One day, we'll run away from all of this," Colin promises, using his nose to trace tiny circles on Ryan's right cheek - and Ryan just laughs, quietly. "Yeah," he agrees, a little mockingly, and Colin presses a quick kiss to the little dent beside Ryan's nose.
"No, I mean it," he insists. "Where will we go?" Ryan asks, smiling a little, indulgently, and Colin pauses to smooth the hair back from his friend's forehead. "Germany," he says, as though it's obvious, and Ryan laughs again. "Do you even speak German?" Ryan asks, amused, and Colin shrugs. "Well ... no," he admits. "Not well," he amends. "But I can say, 'Frohe Ostern!'" he announces, proudly, poking Ryan's chest, and Ryan smiles at him. "Yeah? What does that mean?" he asks, as his hand creeps around to stroke Colin's side. "Happy Easter," Colin admits, sheepishly, and Ryan barks out a surprised laugh. "Useful," he says, dryly, and Colin frowns, in mock indignation. "I can also say, 'Wo findet man ein preiswertes Hotel?'," he says, sniffing once, and Ryan smirks. "Yeah? What does that mean, Merry Christmas?"
"No," Colin drawls, as though Ryan's being difficult. He laughs slightly, before admitting, "It means, where can I find a cheap hotel?"
Ryan laughs too, as he hugs Colin closer to him. "A little more useful," he grudgingly admits, and Colin smiles, satisfied. "See? It'll be perfect," he says, earnestly, and Ryan pretends to think it over.
"They have lots of beer," Colin points out, his eyes wide, and Ryan tilts his head to the side. "Yeah. But don't they also have those nasty sausages?"
Colin snorts, before pressing a kiss to Ryan's bare collarbone. "I didn't think of that. I guess Germany's out," he says, ruefully, and Ryan pretends to sigh. "I'll come up with another place," he promises Ryan, softly, and his friend laughs, silently. "I'm sure you will."
Ryan had humoured him, even back then.
"Let's go home," he says, pleadingly, and Ryan simply smiles, closed lipped, at him. "We can't," he says, a little flatly, and Colin tugs on his arm. "Can too!" he insists, his eyes widening, and Ryan shakes his head slightly.
"Why do you want to go home?" he asks, curiously, and Colin touches his chest lightly. "I don't know," he admits, staring at his friend's shoulder, and Ryan waits. "I just ... do," he admits, and Ryan tugs him a little closer. "Sick of England?" he asks, and Colin shrugs a little. "I don't know. Yes. No. Sometimes," he replies, honestly, and Ryan smiles slightly again.
"We'll be home in a few days," he says, before catching himself. "Wait, do you mean home-home, or..." he trails off, and Colin laughs a little, breathily. "I don't know."
"America? Canada? Scotland?" he asks. "Help me out a little. Narrow it down to a country, at least, Col."
Colin smiles a tiny bit. "I don't know," he says again. "Not America. Probably not Canada, either. I guess Scotland."
"Scotland," Ryan repeats, disbelievingly, and Colin shrugs. "Hey, you suggested it," he points out. "And you've never been there, have you?"
"Can't say that I have," Ryan replies, dryly, and Colin grins. "Great. We'll go there, then."
Ryan nods, his eyes closing for a second. "We'll go to Scotland," he echoes, and Colin leans over to kiss him, softly. He kisses his oldest friend back for a moment, before pulling away. "What'll we do there?" he asks, because talking about it is actually making Colin a little happier - a little brighter - and Colin pauses, as he thinks. "We'll go find the Loch Ness Monster," he says, seriously, and Ryan nods, gamely. "Oh, yeah. Of course," he smirks, and Colin shrugs. "It could be fun," he says, his voice a little smaller than before, and Ryan - impulsively - leans in and kisses Colin's cheek. "It will be," he promises, and Colin grins, again.
So he'd never stopped promising.
"I want to go to Italy," Colin says, suddenly, and Ryan sighs, smiling a little ruefully at his oldest friend. "Italy," he repeats, slowly, and Colin nods, tracing a light pattern across the back of Ryan's shoulders. "It's meant to be really nice this time of year," he cajoles, and Ryan folds his arms under his pillow.
"You'll let me know how we're going to come up with the money," Ryan says, lightly, and Colin pouts a little, "and I'll be there."
Colin's brow furrows, and his fingertips tickle Ryan's neck. "I'll come up with a plan," he promises, his eyes widening in mock excitement, and Ryan can only snort.
And Ryan never stopped humouring him.
"Can we go somewhere?" he asks, tucking his hands under his pillow, and Ryan spoons up behind him. "Where?" he asks, after a pause, rather dutifully, his breath tickling the back of Colin's right ear, and the shorter man can't help but squirm.
Ryan laughs, softly, and Colin thinks. "Australia," he declares, and Ryan snorts. "Australia," he repeats, gamely, and Colin nods slightly, as Ryan's arm wraps around his stomach and pulls him a little closer.
"Uh, why?" Ryan asks, amused, and Colin takes his hand, squeezing it with both of his. "I want to see the koalas," he says, sleepily, and Ryan chuckles. "You want to go to Australia to see the koalas," he says, trying not to laugh much more at his friend, and Colin mumbles something he doesn't quite catch.
"What?" he asks, giving Colin a quick squeeze. "I heard you can see them just wandering down the street," Colin deadpans, and Ryan laughs again. "I don't think that's true," he stage-whispers, with mock remorse, and Colin pretends to pout. "You don't?" he asks, sadly, and Ryan sighs. "Well ... it ... could be," he allows, and Colin makes a happy noise of agreement.
"Good," he says, through a yawn, and Ryan squeezes him again. "So we'll go to Australia?" Colin asks, his eyes slipping closed for a moment, and Ryan chuckles. "We'll go to Australia," he pretends to promise. "So you can see the koalas. Walking down the street."
They both know they're not serious.
"Let's go to England," Colin says, turning to face him, punching the end of his pillow down so he can see Ryan's face, and Ryan stares at him for a beat. "Right now?" he pretends to whine. "Too tired, Col."
Colin groans. "Nooo," he replies, pouting. "I don't know when. But let's go."
"OK," Ryan yawns. "Let's go to England."
Colin nods, and smiles. "Uh, Col - can I ask why?" Ryan adds, blinking a couple of times, and Colin stares at him. "I like England," he says, pretending to be offended, and Ryan snorts. "That's right. You loved the rain and the clouds and the cricket, oh, the cricket-" and Colin actually laughs at that. "I did," he insists, and Ryan smirks. "You did not," he argues, lightly, and Colin sighs. "I still miss it," he says, suddenly serious, and Ryan studies him for a moment.
"But, actually, we couldn't. That would involve a plane," he continues, dryly, suddenly joking again, and Ryan gamely plays along. "Yeah, what's wrong with you? Pick somewhere a little closer to home," he says, with mock disgust, and Colin smiles. "Something on the mainland?" he asks, on the verge of laughter, and Ryan shrugs with the shoulder that's not pressing into the mattress. "If possible, yeah."
"Some get away this is going to be," Colin moans, and Ryan snorts, quietly. Colin chews lightly on his lower lip. "Can I get back to you?" he asks, the corners of his mouth twitching, and Ryan pauses before slowly nodding, seriously. "Yes. Yes you can," he says, with as straight a face as he can manage, and Colin reaches out to lightly trace the shell of his belly button. "I will get back to you," he promises. "I'll be waiting," Ryan says, immediately, and they both smile a little.
They both know that they'll never leave.
Especially not together.
They both know there's too much they just can't leave behind.
"Let's run away," Colin says, hooking a leg over Ryan's, and Ryan simply watches him, amused. "OK," he pretends to agree. "Uh, can I ask why now?" he teases, gently, and Colin strokes his chest, quietly.
"Because I'm sick of all of this," he finally says, smiling a little sadly, and Ryan wraps an arm around his waist. "OK," he repeats. "Where are we going?" he asks, as though talking to a very young child, and Colin smiles, knowingly, at him. "Canada," he says, simply, and Ryan blinks.
"Any particular reason?" he teases, his hand reaching up to stroke the small of Colin's back, and Colin ducks his head to kiss Ryan's earlobe. "Nope," he says lightly, and Ryan's hand edges a little higher up his back.
"So what'll we do there?" Ryan asks, amused, and Colin snorts, as though he's being particularly obtuse, and Ryan rolls his eyes, good-naturedly. "Set up a zoo," he says, a little witheringly, and Ryan coughs, nearly choking on his laughter. "Oh, my mistake," he mocks, gently, and Colin leans over to peck him, softly.
"And the fact that Canada allows same-sex marriages?" he asks, smirking only a little. "Coincidental?"
"Purely," Colin assures him, innocently, smiling a little, and Ryan lifts his head from the pillow to briefly to kiss him back. "Plus, it's where we first met," he points out, his eyes wide and a little hopeful, and Ryan snorts. "You're such a sap, Colin," he tells his friend, amused, and Colin smiles back, sheepishly. "I know," he says, almost happily, and Ryan laughs again.
"So. What do you say?" he prompts, pulling back a little, and Ryan pretends to mull it over. "Well, sure," he says. "Just as soon as you're finished touring, and my improv classes learn to teach themselves-"
"Now that would be awesome," Colin says, with mock incredulity. "They can do that now?" he asks, pretending to be amazed, and Ryan snorts.
"And just as soon as I've paid off the mortgage, and as soon as Luke's graduated," he adds, a little tiredly, gazing up at Colin, whose smile slips only a little at the mention of his son. "Yeah," he agrees, a bit blankly, and Ryan squeezes him a little tighter. "After all of that," he pretends to promise, and Colin rests his head on Ryan's shoulder. "So, after all of that, we'll run away together?" he asks, not bothering to lift his face, and his words are a little muffled, but Ryan hears them clearly.
"Yeah," is all he says, and Colin smiles. "Promise?" he asks, a little shyly, and Ryan smirks. "Promise," he replies, a little mockingly.
But, sometimes, it just makes them feel better to simply pretend that - one day - they will.