One Shot: Betrayal
Title: Betrayal
Pairing: Ry/Col in the beginning and Ryan/Brad at the end.
Author: Saiya_Tina
Rating: PG 13
Summary: The one in which Colin does something unforgiveable and Brad is there to pick up the pieces he left behind.
A/N: Wow, this one is an old one....over a year to be specific. Never realized I didn't post it here......Please leave a comment!
“Col, you promised!” Ryan whined as he watched his lover dress up.
“I said I’m sorry,” Colin’s voice was edged with impatience as he tried to get his tie on properly.
“That makes it all better,” Ryan grumbled, knocking his hands away and setting the tie properly.
“Thanks,” Colin said automatically, going to check himself in the mirror, “I said next week, promise.”
“You always promise!” Ryan whined, “you said that the week before and the week before and the week before-”
“It’s not like I’m going out for fun! I can’t help it that I have to work!” Colin shot back.
“And I don’t?” Ryan scowled, “I travel from UK to US nearly every week for Whose Line and the Drew Carey show! I still try to make time for you!”
“Ryan, you’re being unreasonable-”
“I’m unreasonable?!” Ryan said incredously, “is it too much to ask for a night together? We haven’t been out in over a month!”
“Well, I have work today! We’ll go out next week. Wait, I’m busy then....the week after, I promise. Try to understand, Ry. What’s so special about today anyway?”
Ryan looked shocked for a second before it turned into anger, “Oh, I understand. Work is more important than me, it always has been!” he yelled, turning on his heel and stomping into their guestroom.
Colin sighed and finished dressing before knocking on the door, “Ryan?”
“Bye Col,” there came the voice from inside.
“Ry-”
“Goodbye, Colin,” there was a tinge of irritation in the words.
“Bye,” Colin muttered, heading out of their shared home.
Ryan waited until he was sure his lover had left before heading to their room, looking around with a tinge of sadness. Spotting a photograph of theirs, he picked it up, wondering when he had become just some toy to keep Colin’s mind occupied when he wasn’t working. When they first started dating ten years ago, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Now, they were lucky if they touched at all. Ryan could no longer ignore how hurt he felt when Colin began to spurn touches that he cherished earlier. Cold silences had taken the place of warm conversations over dinner. Colin wouldn’t even let him near him when they slept together, saying he felt crowded. They each kept to their own sides of the bed.
Ryan spotted the phone on his bedside table and then glanced over at his wardrobe. Hell with this. If Colin wanted to go out and have fun without him, he could bloody well do the same. He picked up the phone and dialed the number of his oldest friend besides Colin.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Brad, you doing anything tonight?”
Dl
Dl
Ryan checked his hair and clothes in the mirror once again. It was the first time he was going out in a long time and he wanted to look the best he could. He wanted to forget about Colin and their crumbling relationship for a while and surround himself with fun and laughter for once.
The doorbell rang and Ryan ran down, grabbing his wallet, keys and cellphone on the way. He opened the door to reveal Brad grinning, dressed very nicely in a white dress shirt and black slacks.
“You clean up well, Sherwood,” Ryan grinned back, giving him an exaggerated once-over.
“You too, Stiles,” Brad returned the look, taking in the emerald green shirt that brought out the other man’s eyes and the similar black slacks.
“Been waiting to party for ages,” Ryan declared, shutting the door behind him as they walked to Brad’s car.
“Colin went out for work again,” Brad frowned, opening the passenger door for Ryan.
“Thanks. And yes, on a Saturday night and today of all days,” Ryan grumbled as Brad sat in the driver’s side.
“Well, let’s not talk about him tonight okay? This night is party night!” Brad declared as he put on a song that they both liked at a high volume while tearing out of the driveway. The drive to the bar was filled with voices singing ‘Ballroom Blitz’.
Brad ordered them tequila shots as Ryan examined the dance floor. It was crowded enough that he could not make out faces but not enough to feel claustrophobic. He felt a bit of guilt about not being here with Colin but he shrugged it off as Brad slammed a shot in front of him. This was party night!
They both grabbed their first shot and knocked it back before taking a bite of fruit to lessen the burn. They looked at each other and burst out laughing at realizing that they had been in perfect sync.
“If only we could use this in Whose Line!” Brad laughed.
“We’d be unbeatable!” Ryan grinned as well. It felt good to be able to joke like this. He couldn’t remember the last time he had smiled and laughed so much!
“So what’s going on with you and Colin anyway?” Brad asked softly, his concern coming through clearly.
Ryan was a little confused at the change in topic but went along. Brad was a good friend after all and his only confidant when it came to relationships. They had become close friends during their days of Second City. Ryan still remembered the time he was worried he had been rejected for his Whose Line audition and Brad showed up in his mime garb from their skit and performed to make him laugh. That was one of his favorite memories.
“It’s like he’s no longer interested,” Ryan said honestly, “sometimes I feel like he just doesn’t want me around anymore. I try to talk to him but he keeps driving me away.....he doesn’t even let me touch him anymore....”
Brad frowned. Something definitely was up with Colin. How many times had he walked in on the two of them cuddling and kissing? That same man who couldn’t look at Ryan without smiling was now causing pain to the person he loved the most.
“Maybe he’s just stressed?” Brad wondered, “I don’t know, but that’s really not like the Colin I know.”
“I know,” Ryan’s eyes went out to the crowd, “But today, he-” his words stopped abruptly and his face turned pale.
“Ryan?” Brad asked with alarm, “Are you okay?”
Ryan didn’t respond. His eyes were locked on a certain couple sitting at a table across from them in a deep lip lock. It was Colin and Greg.
Brad followed his line of sight and cursed loudly. He looked back at Ryan whose eyes were filling up with tears as he brought a hand to his mouth to stifle the sobs that were building up.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” he stood, pulling Ryan up with him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders as he led him out. Fortunately, no one took any notice of them as they made a hurried exit. Brad led him to the park nearby and sat him down on one of the benches, taking a seat next to him and pulling his distraught friend close.
Ryan felt the grip on him and let out his sobs freely, his entire body shaking with the force. He gripped Brad’s shirt tightly, crying into his shoulder, finally realizing what Colin really had been doing during all those ‘business meetings’.
Brad mentally cursed Colin and Greg as he held on tightly to his heart-broken friend. He hated seeing someone he loved in such a state. Brad had loved Ryan ever since that moment in Second City when Ryan had injured himself. When Ryan had sprained his ankle by tripping off the stage during rehearsal once, Brad had taken special care of him, making sure he didn’t exert himself. One night, when he was woken by Ryan’s pain induced whimpering, he had sat up with him all night, holding him and comforting him enough to fall asleep. He had personally had a huge headache the next day, but it had been worth it just to see Ryan’s peaceful face as he lay in his arms.
“I-I can’t b-believe it!” Ryan sobbed, breaking him out of his thoughts, “T-Today of all d-days!”
“What was today?” Brad asked gently.
“It was our anniversary, Brad! It was our tenth fucking anniversary!” Ryan’s entire body was shaking.
Brad bit his lip to stem the swear words that would no doubt flow out. He had always thought that Greg was a crude guy, but he never thought that he would do something like this to Ryan. And Colin. Colin always said he owed his success to Ryan and called him his best friend. What friend would do this to another friend?
“Do you want to confront them, Ry?” Brad asked softly.
“N-No. Not tonight. Please Brad, just take me home,” Ryan sniffled, clinging to him tightly.
“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” Brad asked, trying to make it sound like a friendly request.
“I don’t want to put you out-”
“Nonsense,” he interrupted, “I don’t want to leave you alone tonight anyway. Come on,” he led him over to their car. As he started to get in, he noticed that Ryan was not moving, “Ry?”
Ryan looked up and this time, though his eyes were red rimmed from crying, there was some emotion in them that made Brad nervous as he looked into them. “I don’t want to leave now.”
“What do you want to do then?”
“I want him to know what it feels like,” Ryan hissed, clenching his fists.
Brad opened his mouth to protest but then realized Ryan had the right to revenge. He had been hurt by the person he probably trusted most in the world, “What will you do?”
“I don’t know, cheat on him or something? I’m sure there’s someone in the bar-”
“No!” Brad said firmly, “I’m not going to let you give yourself to someone just to piss that bastard off.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Ryan’s voice was becoming bitter.
“If you want to cheat on him with anyone, do it with me,” the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
Ryan’s head shot up as he stared at him, shocked. Brad inwardly winced and improvised, “If you want, I’ll make out with you to make him jealous. That’s it.”
His friend stared at him for a long while before he answered, “Will this affect our friendship?”
“No,” Brad responded immediately, “I want him to pay for hurting you as much as you do.”
Ryan gave him a small smile, “Thanks.” There was sincere gratitude in his eyes.
“Anything for my best pal,” Brad smiled back, holding his arm out to Ryan. The taller man wiped his eyes and straightened his back, looking every bit the cool aloof person everyone thought him to be. He looped his arm through Brad’s and they entered the bar, choosing a table by which they were in clear view of Colin and Greg.
“So how do you want to do this?” Brad whispered in his ear, sitting close to him.
“We’ll do it as though we don’t know they’re here,” Ryan whispered back, bringing his lips close to Brad’s ear.
“So we pretend to be lovers?” Brad asked, taking Ryan’s hand in his.
“Yes,” Ryan placed a soft kiss on Brad’s cheek.
Brad risked a quick glance over at Colin and Greg and saw them looking over at them with expressions of shock, “They’re looking.”
“Good,” Ryan placed another kiss on the corner of his mouth, “now.”
Brad gripped Ryan’s chin between his fingers and gently brought his lips to meet his friend’s. It was exactly the way he had imagined for years. Soft and tender yet with a passion that he didn’t think he’d ever feel with anyone else. It was a struggle to remember that Ryan was doing this for revenge and not out of feelings for him.
Ryan, however, was struggling with the same thing. He could barely remember that this was to make Colin jealous and not because they loved each other. Brad was a great friend, but he had never considered having a relationship with him. The kiss was full of passion which he hadn’t felt before, not even with Colin. As Brad’s hand curled up in his hair, he looped one arm around his neck and pulled him closer, forgetting about everything but the man kissing him.
“What’s going on here?” came an angry voice. They pulled away slowly, eyes locked together, both filled with surprise and lust. Ryan looked up to see Colin looking furious and Greg looking completely confused.
“Can I help you?” Ryan asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“What are you doing?” Colin hissed, “just because I can’t go out with you tonight, you go and make out with another man?”
“I don’t know,” Brad spoke up thoughtfully, “maybe it’s because you go out to make out with another man?”
Colin paled, “What are you talking about?”
“I saw you, Colin,” Ryan spoke up, no emotion in his voice “now I know what your ‘business’ is. And to think I trusted you. I really am an idiot.”
“Maybe we should talk about this outside,” Greg suggested.
“By all means,” Ryan got up with Brad and all four of them headed out. The tall man folded his arms and looked at Colin.
“Ry, I can explain-” Colin sputtered and started to explain.
“Save it,” Ryan cut him off, “I have no desire to hear your damn excuses.”
“Ry, it was just a one time thing, it meant nothing to me!”
“Really? I thought I meant nothing to you. No big deal though, I’ll let you out of this relationship, like you desire,” Ryan shrugged.
“Love, please just listen to me!” Colin pleaded.
“Don’t you dare call me that!” Ryan yelled, “You lost the right to call me that when you cheated on me on our tenth anniversary!”
Colin muttered a curse, finally realizing what Ryan had been so upset about, “Ry, I never meant for this to happen....”
“Well, you know what? I’m glad it did! Thanks for showing me what you’re really like and saving me from actually doing what I was planning to do today!” Ryan spat.
“What were you going to do?” Brad questioned softly, more out of curiosity than anything.
“I was going to propose to you....” Ryan spoke up, looking directly at Colin, “but not anymore. You can have the house, but I’m leaving. I have no desire to stay anyplace that has even a trace of your presence.”
“Ryan, please!” Colin grabbed his wrist as he turned away.
“Let go of me,” Ryan said softly. Deadly.
“Ryan...” Ryan wrenched his arm away from Colin and glared at him, “Don’t you ever touch me again. After today, don’t even bother to call me. This relationship is over, Colin Mochrie. As is this friendship. Maybe one day I can forgive you enough to call you a friend, but not today. Maybe in a month or a year or maybe never but don’t try to contact me. I’ll contact you when I want to.”
Brad watched as Ryan headed towards his car and turned to Colin who was looking as though the world had ended, “You deserved that, Colin, each and every bit of it. You’ll never realize how much you hurt him that moment. He cried, Colin. He’s never cried. You made him cry. You did something that no one has ever managed to do. You broke him. Even if he forgives you for that, remember that I never will.” With that, Brad followed Ryan and drove to his house.
Dl
Dl
“What are you going to do?” Brad asked as he helped Ryan pack.
“Get out of here first. I’ll take what I can carry and I’ll get movers for the rest. No way I’m staying here.”
“What will you take?”
“My clothes and some knick knacks. Nothing that Colin bought for me. I can’t handle that,” Ryan bit his lip.
“Ry...” Brad let out a soft sigh and pulled him away from his packing, sitting him down on the bed and taking him into a hug similar to the one on the bench, “talk to me.”
“I can’t believe he actually did that to me. I can’t believe that I’m actually doing this,” Ryan choked out, “I can’t believe that this is actually happening. I didn’t expect this....all I wanted was a great night together....”
“I’m so sorry, Ryan,” Brad said softly, stroking his hair, “But remember that I’m there for you, okay? No matter what you decide, I’m here. You can stay with me until you find a place.”
“You sure?” Ryan raised teary eyes to meet his.
“Totally,” Brad smiled, placing his hands on Ryan’s face and wiping away the tears, “now let’s finish this.”
After a couple hours, everything was packed and placed in the car. Ryan looked around at Colin’s - not his anymore - bedroom, taking how much barer it looked. He looked at the dressing table and opened the drawer which contained the ring he had bought. He looked at it for a minute before taking off the gold chain Colin had given him that he always wore underneath his shirt. He looked at it before placing it next to the box. Closing the drawer, he headed downstairs to where Brad was waiting, looking back at what was once his home before entering the car and leaving his old life behind.
Dl
Dl
Brad ran into the kitchen as he heard Ryan’s pained yell to see his friend clutching a paper towel to his bleeding wrist. His eyes shot down to the bloody shard of glass on the floor as he carefully made his way over.
“What did you think you were doing?!” Brad scowled, examining the wound.
“I dropped a glass and cut myself,” Ryan said with a apologetic look.
“Next time make sure to be careful when you pick them up. I never knew you were this accident prone....” Brad got out his first aid kit and tied a bandage around his wrist.
It had been a month since Ryan had moved into Brad’s home and life and both men were loving it. They divided chores among themselves and spent most of their together as well. Whose Line and Drew Carey Show weren’t going to be shot for another month, leaving Ryan with plenty of free time. Colin and Greg had kept their distance from them and Ryan’s stuff had arrived a couple of days after he moved out. It had been hard, but Ryan seemed to be gradually getting better.
There were still times, though, when Brad would wake up at night and here soft sobs coming from Ryan’s room. Nights like that were spent together, Ryan clinging to Brad like a lifeline, trying to calm himself. Brad never complained, always pressing a kiss to Ryan’s hair and murmuring soothing words in his ear.
Brad also enjoyed having Ryan around, though it was getting harder to ignore the fact that he was falling deeper and deeper in love with Ryan everyday. Ryan had stated that he wasn’t ready to look for love yet, but Brad couldn’t help but hope that when the day came, Ryan would fall for him as well.
“All done,” Brad announced as he tied the bandage on firmly.
“Thanks,” Ryan flashed him a quick smile.
“What do you say we head out for a picnic today? You’ve been looking a little troubled,” Brad said, not without concern.
“It’s nothing,” Ryan flashed him a quick smile, “the picnic sounds great though. But maybe we should instead go to Drew’s party today like planned?”
“That’s today?!” Brad yelped, “Shit, I forgot! I need to get dressed!” he ran into his room, cursing. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“When was the last time you’ve forgotten a party?” Ryan retorted heading to his room, “If there’s booze, you’ll be ready two months in advance!”
“Oh just hush and come on! We’ll really have to get moving to meet Colin and-” Brad mentally slapped himself, totally forgetting about Ryan’s sensitivity of the topic. They normally met Colin to pick him up if he and Ryan had been out for the day. He also remembered that Colin would no doubt be there at the party since no one else knew about their break up.
“Ryan, are you sure you want to go?” he asked gently.
Ryan turned around and Brad was pleased to see a determined glint in his eyes, “Yes. I’m not going to hide away. If anyone should, it’s him.”
“Atta boy,” Brad grinned, disappearing into his bedroom.
Dl
Dl
“It looks like a strip club in here,” Brad wrinkled his nose, staring at the strippers parading around Drew’s living room.
“If I had known about this, I wouldn’t have come,” Ryan had a similar expression.
“Guys!” Drew beamed, coming towards them after waving away the stripper approaching him, “Glad you could make it!”
“Drew, a strip party?” Ryan looked at his old friend, smiling as he bent down to allow Drew to hug him.
“Hey, it’s my party!” Drew retorted, hugging Brad as well, “Where’s Colin?”
Ryan’s smile faded a bit but was replaced with a fake cheeriness, “He might be late.”
“Alright,” Drew went to greet Wayne who had just arrived as well.
“Don’t you think you should tell the others?” Brad asked.
“No. Colin obviously doesn’t want anyone to know yet. It doesn’t make a difference to me,” Ryan shrugged, heading over to the bar with Brad.
“Tequila contest?” Ryan grinned.
“Bring it on, Twiggy,” Brad smirked back as the bartender but a couple of shots in front of them.
After a few shots, Colin and Greg appeared in the doorway, holding hands. Ryan rolled his eyes as he saw them but gave no other hint of their presence. Colin locked eyes with Ryan for a second until Ryan looked away.
“Ryan, Brad,” Greg greeted out of nothing but politeness which Colin had insisted on.
“Greg,” Brad nodded back.
“Colin,” Ryan did the same.
Brad saw Colin wince a bit before it was concealed in a mask of indifference and had to bite back a smug smile. Normally it would be Colin with whom Ryan was greeting like they were on the same thought pattern. Brad’s alone time with Ryan had resulted in the two of them following each other even better than before. Whereas they were quick on following thought patterns earlier, they seemed to have perfected it to a degree not even Colin and Ryan had quite yet achieved.
“How’ve you been?” Colin asked, looking at Ryan.
“I’m good. Great actually,” Ryan was not holding back at all.
After a few awkward silences, Greg drew Colin away and they sat down on the unoccupied couch while Ryan and Brad resumed their contest. Brad looked at the two of them out of the corner of his eye and placed an arm around Ryan’s shoulder as Colin kissed Greg’s hand.
Colin locked eyes with him and there was definitely a hint of steel in that gaze. He definitely wasn’t happy that Ryan had supposedly chosen Brad but there wasn’t much he could do about it. So he seemed to have decided to settle with making Ryan jealous.
Brad scowled and turned to Ryan, placing a hand on his cheek before pressing their lips together. He felt Ryan give a small start and hoped he would play along when he felt him kiss back and the spark was felt yet again.
He was vaguely aware of Colin and Greg standing up and leaving, but he was beyond caring about them. Ryan’s hands had found their way to his shoulders and his own were wrapped tightly around his waist, almost pulling him from his chair. After a minute, Ryan pulled away to breathe and looked into his eyes for a few seconds before moving back completely, a blush evident on his cheeks.
Brad tried to get his breath back and hoped that Ryan hadn’t picked up on his emotions. It had been hard to control himself and he was sure that if Ryan hadn’t pulled away at that time, he definitely would have felt the stirrings of an erection. He was once again startled at how quickly a single kiss from Ryan had managed to arouse him. Getting drunk seemed like a really good idea now.
Dl
Dl
Apparently, it wasn’t a good idea.
Ryan seemed to think that drinking at least 15-20 shots of tequila was necessary and was fully sloshed before midnight. Brad had decided to leave early anyway, not fully comfortable with the idea of a drunken Ryan and strippers in the same place.
Since their house was a bit away and isolated, they didn’t have to worry about waking up neighbors as they stumbled towards the door. Once they were there and after Brad had managed to open the door, Ryan had decided that he didn’t want to go in.
“It’s a nice night!” Ryan giggled, twirling around, “I wanna camp out!”
“Ry, it’s freezing out here,” Brad pointed out. He was right as well, it was around 19 degrees Celsius outside and he was actually beginning to feel cold through his thick jacket.
“No it’s not!” Ryan snorted, racing to the backyard.
“Ryan!” Brad chased after him. His friend proved to be incredibly nimble for a drunk and he was beginning to lose his patience as Ryan continuously evaded him.
“Ry, that’s enough. Come here, now!” Brad growled as Ryan dodged another grab.
“Nooooooo!” Ryan grinned drunkenly.
“That’s it!” Brad gave up on the gentleness and tackled Ryan around the waist. What he didn’t realize was that they were incredibly close to the backyard pool but the cold water was an unpleasant revelation.
Brad could literally feel his blood freezing in his veins in the freezing water. Thankfully, it wasn’t that deep and his feet touched the pool floor. Ryan was shaking like a leaf in his arms and his lips already had a bit of blue pallor in them.
“B-Brad!” he whispered, desperately trying to warm himself.
“Come on, let’s get out,” Brad said shakily back, managing to pull them out of the pool and into the room. He left Ryan in his bedroom with strict orders to change out of his wet clothes while he did the same. Brad returned to find Ryan sprawled out on the couch in front of the fire place which hadn’t been lit.
“You okay?” Brad asked as he started a fire.
“Hm...” Ryan nodded, his arms wrapped tightly around himself, “Cold...”
“Why didn’t you get a blanket?” Brad shook his head at his bewildered look, “Forgot you were drunk.”
After wrapping Ryan in a blanket, he made to head up to his bedroom but was pulled back by Ryan’s grip on his wrist.
“Please don’t go...” Ryan’s voice was small, barely any trace of his early good cheer.
Brad sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into his side, “You okay?”
“He was happy,” Ryan whispered, “Not sad or anything. He was happy. I could tell.”
“Ry-”
“Did I make him unhappy?” his voice broke towards the end.
“No!” Brad gripped his arms and made him look at him, “No, you made him happy too. He just couldn’t see what he had been given. He took you for granted.”
“But maybe if I didn’t complain about his work all the time, then maybe-”
“You had the right to complain! You wanted to spend time with him, didn’t you? How many times did you call me to tell me Colin cancelled on another date because of work, huh? He signed on a movie and was out shooting for a month on your birthday and he didn’t even call, Ry!”
“But why did he do all that?” Ryan’s voice turned to pleading. He looked up at Brad tears threatening to spill much like that night he moved out, “Just tell me why.”
“I....don’t know,” Brad admitted, “I do know it had nothing to do with you in particular. Maybe he was jealous of you. You have two TV shows and you’re darn successful. Maybe Colin’s just jealous of that.”
“I didn’t ask for all that,” Ryan’s body was thrumming with suppressed anger, “I just wanted him. If he had told me, I would have quit. He didn’t do that, he just went out and cheated on me with one of my oldest friends!”
“Ryan-”
“I HATE HIM!” Ryan screamed, the alcohol finally making him lose the iron grip he had kept on his emotions for the past month, “I hate that bastard!”
“I know you do, Ry,” Brad said, “I hate him for what he did to you as well. I hate him for not realizing what he had with you. I hate him for going around behind your back. I hate that he caused so much pain to the man I love.”
Brad started, just realizing the words that had passed his lips. Ryan sat up and away from him in shock. He hadn’t meant to say that, but he had been so caught up into comforting Ryan, he had completely forgotten to choose his words carefully.
“Ry, I’m sorry-” Brad started out but was cut off when Ryan’s lips pressed against his. The natural instinct to kiss back made sure that he didn’t freeze up, but his thoughts were still on what was happening.
“Brad,” Ryan whispered as he pulled back.
“Yes?”
“I think I love you too,” Ryan said with a silly grin. Brad almost smiled back but was then reminded that Ryan was still mostly drunk and didn’t have much of an idea of what was going on.
“Ry, I think you should sleep now,” Brad placed his hands on Ryan’s shoulders to stop him from leaning in, “You’re drunk now and don’t want you to regret this in the morning.”
“I won’t,” Ryan gripped his hands and moved them from his shoulders as he moved to kiss Brad’s neck.
“Ryan....” Brad could barely think as he felt those lips on his neck, “Ryan, we can’t....”
“Please....” Ryan wrapped his arms around Brad, moving up to kiss him again.
At that plea, Brad felt his control slip away and he took full control over the kiss, plunging his tongue deeply into Ryan’s mouth. Ryan happily returned the kiss, one hand going up to bury itself in the thick hair behind Brad’s hair. He turned so that he was straddling Brad, gripping his shoulders to balance himself on the thick cushions. Brad groaned as he felt the pressure of Ryan’s crotch against his own and thrust against him, letting him feel what he had for him. Ryan let out a small gasp and bucked his hips against Brad’s, not once breaking the kiss.
Brad pulled and was struck speechless for a second. He knew that if anyone would ever ask him about the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, he would talk about that moment with full sincerity. The sight of Ryan, wrapped up in the blanket in his arms, straddling him and looking at him with his wet, blonde hair hanging over his half-closed eyes and his lips kiss swollen was definitely the most arousing sight he had ever seen. There was a hint of a smile on his lips which made him look even more ravishing and Brad couldn’t help but lean in and kiss him again.
“I love you,” Ryan whispered and this time Brad could tell that he was completely aware of what he was saying. There was love in his eyes that not even alcohol could hide.
“I love you too,” Brad smiled, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. After all the tears and heartbreak he had gone through, he had finally achieved what he had wanted for years. All the time he had spent in patiently waiting had finally paid off. Hours later, when Ryan was asleep in Brad’s arms, tired out from their exploits, he placed a kiss in his hair and smiled, knowing that if he had to, he would not have changed a single decision he had made.
Pairing: Ry/Col in the beginning and Ryan/Brad at the end.
Author: Saiya_Tina
Rating: PG 13
Summary: The one in which Colin does something unforgiveable and Brad is there to pick up the pieces he left behind.
A/N: Wow, this one is an old one....over a year to be specific. Never realized I didn't post it here......Please leave a comment!
“Col, you promised!” Ryan whined as he watched his lover dress up.
“I said I’m sorry,” Colin’s voice was edged with impatience as he tried to get his tie on properly.
“That makes it all better,” Ryan grumbled, knocking his hands away and setting the tie properly.
“Thanks,” Colin said automatically, going to check himself in the mirror, “I said next week, promise.”
“You always promise!” Ryan whined, “you said that the week before and the week before and the week before-”
“It’s not like I’m going out for fun! I can’t help it that I have to work!” Colin shot back.
“And I don’t?” Ryan scowled, “I travel from UK to US nearly every week for Whose Line and the Drew Carey show! I still try to make time for you!”
“Ryan, you’re being unreasonable-”
“I’m unreasonable?!” Ryan said incredously, “is it too much to ask for a night together? We haven’t been out in over a month!”
“Well, I have work today! We’ll go out next week. Wait, I’m busy then....the week after, I promise. Try to understand, Ry. What’s so special about today anyway?”
Ryan looked shocked for a second before it turned into anger, “Oh, I understand. Work is more important than me, it always has been!” he yelled, turning on his heel and stomping into their guestroom.
Colin sighed and finished dressing before knocking on the door, “Ryan?”
“Bye Col,” there came the voice from inside.
“Ry-”
“Goodbye, Colin,” there was a tinge of irritation in the words.
“Bye,” Colin muttered, heading out of their shared home.
Ryan waited until he was sure his lover had left before heading to their room, looking around with a tinge of sadness. Spotting a photograph of theirs, he picked it up, wondering when he had become just some toy to keep Colin’s mind occupied when he wasn’t working. When they first started dating ten years ago, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Now, they were lucky if they touched at all. Ryan could no longer ignore how hurt he felt when Colin began to spurn touches that he cherished earlier. Cold silences had taken the place of warm conversations over dinner. Colin wouldn’t even let him near him when they slept together, saying he felt crowded. They each kept to their own sides of the bed.
Ryan spotted the phone on his bedside table and then glanced over at his wardrobe. Hell with this. If Colin wanted to go out and have fun without him, he could bloody well do the same. He picked up the phone and dialed the number of his oldest friend besides Colin.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Brad, you doing anything tonight?”
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Ryan checked his hair and clothes in the mirror once again. It was the first time he was going out in a long time and he wanted to look the best he could. He wanted to forget about Colin and their crumbling relationship for a while and surround himself with fun and laughter for once.
The doorbell rang and Ryan ran down, grabbing his wallet, keys and cellphone on the way. He opened the door to reveal Brad grinning, dressed very nicely in a white dress shirt and black slacks.
“You clean up well, Sherwood,” Ryan grinned back, giving him an exaggerated once-over.
“You too, Stiles,” Brad returned the look, taking in the emerald green shirt that brought out the other man’s eyes and the similar black slacks.
“Been waiting to party for ages,” Ryan declared, shutting the door behind him as they walked to Brad’s car.
“Colin went out for work again,” Brad frowned, opening the passenger door for Ryan.
“Thanks. And yes, on a Saturday night and today of all days,” Ryan grumbled as Brad sat in the driver’s side.
“Well, let’s not talk about him tonight okay? This night is party night!” Brad declared as he put on a song that they both liked at a high volume while tearing out of the driveway. The drive to the bar was filled with voices singing ‘Ballroom Blitz’.
Brad ordered them tequila shots as Ryan examined the dance floor. It was crowded enough that he could not make out faces but not enough to feel claustrophobic. He felt a bit of guilt about not being here with Colin but he shrugged it off as Brad slammed a shot in front of him. This was party night!
They both grabbed their first shot and knocked it back before taking a bite of fruit to lessen the burn. They looked at each other and burst out laughing at realizing that they had been in perfect sync.
“If only we could use this in Whose Line!” Brad laughed.
“We’d be unbeatable!” Ryan grinned as well. It felt good to be able to joke like this. He couldn’t remember the last time he had smiled and laughed so much!
“So what’s going on with you and Colin anyway?” Brad asked softly, his concern coming through clearly.
Ryan was a little confused at the change in topic but went along. Brad was a good friend after all and his only confidant when it came to relationships. They had become close friends during their days of Second City. Ryan still remembered the time he was worried he had been rejected for his Whose Line audition and Brad showed up in his mime garb from their skit and performed to make him laugh. That was one of his favorite memories.
“It’s like he’s no longer interested,” Ryan said honestly, “sometimes I feel like he just doesn’t want me around anymore. I try to talk to him but he keeps driving me away.....he doesn’t even let me touch him anymore....”
Brad frowned. Something definitely was up with Colin. How many times had he walked in on the two of them cuddling and kissing? That same man who couldn’t look at Ryan without smiling was now causing pain to the person he loved the most.
“Maybe he’s just stressed?” Brad wondered, “I don’t know, but that’s really not like the Colin I know.”
“I know,” Ryan’s eyes went out to the crowd, “But today, he-” his words stopped abruptly and his face turned pale.
“Ryan?” Brad asked with alarm, “Are you okay?”
Ryan didn’t respond. His eyes were locked on a certain couple sitting at a table across from them in a deep lip lock. It was Colin and Greg.
Brad followed his line of sight and cursed loudly. He looked back at Ryan whose eyes were filling up with tears as he brought a hand to his mouth to stifle the sobs that were building up.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” he stood, pulling Ryan up with him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders as he led him out. Fortunately, no one took any notice of them as they made a hurried exit. Brad led him to the park nearby and sat him down on one of the benches, taking a seat next to him and pulling his distraught friend close.
Ryan felt the grip on him and let out his sobs freely, his entire body shaking with the force. He gripped Brad’s shirt tightly, crying into his shoulder, finally realizing what Colin really had been doing during all those ‘business meetings’.
Brad mentally cursed Colin and Greg as he held on tightly to his heart-broken friend. He hated seeing someone he loved in such a state. Brad had loved Ryan ever since that moment in Second City when Ryan had injured himself. When Ryan had sprained his ankle by tripping off the stage during rehearsal once, Brad had taken special care of him, making sure he didn’t exert himself. One night, when he was woken by Ryan’s pain induced whimpering, he had sat up with him all night, holding him and comforting him enough to fall asleep. He had personally had a huge headache the next day, but it had been worth it just to see Ryan’s peaceful face as he lay in his arms.
“I-I can’t b-believe it!” Ryan sobbed, breaking him out of his thoughts, “T-Today of all d-days!”
“What was today?” Brad asked gently.
“It was our anniversary, Brad! It was our tenth fucking anniversary!” Ryan’s entire body was shaking.
Brad bit his lip to stem the swear words that would no doubt flow out. He had always thought that Greg was a crude guy, but he never thought that he would do something like this to Ryan. And Colin. Colin always said he owed his success to Ryan and called him his best friend. What friend would do this to another friend?
“Do you want to confront them, Ry?” Brad asked softly.
“N-No. Not tonight. Please Brad, just take me home,” Ryan sniffled, clinging to him tightly.
“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” Brad asked, trying to make it sound like a friendly request.
“I don’t want to put you out-”
“Nonsense,” he interrupted, “I don’t want to leave you alone tonight anyway. Come on,” he led him over to their car. As he started to get in, he noticed that Ryan was not moving, “Ry?”
Ryan looked up and this time, though his eyes were red rimmed from crying, there was some emotion in them that made Brad nervous as he looked into them. “I don’t want to leave now.”
“What do you want to do then?”
“I want him to know what it feels like,” Ryan hissed, clenching his fists.
Brad opened his mouth to protest but then realized Ryan had the right to revenge. He had been hurt by the person he probably trusted most in the world, “What will you do?”
“I don’t know, cheat on him or something? I’m sure there’s someone in the bar-”
“No!” Brad said firmly, “I’m not going to let you give yourself to someone just to piss that bastard off.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Ryan’s voice was becoming bitter.
“If you want to cheat on him with anyone, do it with me,” the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
Ryan’s head shot up as he stared at him, shocked. Brad inwardly winced and improvised, “If you want, I’ll make out with you to make him jealous. That’s it.”
His friend stared at him for a long while before he answered, “Will this affect our friendship?”
“No,” Brad responded immediately, “I want him to pay for hurting you as much as you do.”
Ryan gave him a small smile, “Thanks.” There was sincere gratitude in his eyes.
“Anything for my best pal,” Brad smiled back, holding his arm out to Ryan. The taller man wiped his eyes and straightened his back, looking every bit the cool aloof person everyone thought him to be. He looped his arm through Brad’s and they entered the bar, choosing a table by which they were in clear view of Colin and Greg.
“So how do you want to do this?” Brad whispered in his ear, sitting close to him.
“We’ll do it as though we don’t know they’re here,” Ryan whispered back, bringing his lips close to Brad’s ear.
“So we pretend to be lovers?” Brad asked, taking Ryan’s hand in his.
“Yes,” Ryan placed a soft kiss on Brad’s cheek.
Brad risked a quick glance over at Colin and Greg and saw them looking over at them with expressions of shock, “They’re looking.”
“Good,” Ryan placed another kiss on the corner of his mouth, “now.”
Brad gripped Ryan’s chin between his fingers and gently brought his lips to meet his friend’s. It was exactly the way he had imagined for years. Soft and tender yet with a passion that he didn’t think he’d ever feel with anyone else. It was a struggle to remember that Ryan was doing this for revenge and not out of feelings for him.
Ryan, however, was struggling with the same thing. He could barely remember that this was to make Colin jealous and not because they loved each other. Brad was a great friend, but he had never considered having a relationship with him. The kiss was full of passion which he hadn’t felt before, not even with Colin. As Brad’s hand curled up in his hair, he looped one arm around his neck and pulled him closer, forgetting about everything but the man kissing him.
“What’s going on here?” came an angry voice. They pulled away slowly, eyes locked together, both filled with surprise and lust. Ryan looked up to see Colin looking furious and Greg looking completely confused.
“Can I help you?” Ryan asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“What are you doing?” Colin hissed, “just because I can’t go out with you tonight, you go and make out with another man?”
“I don’t know,” Brad spoke up thoughtfully, “maybe it’s because you go out to make out with another man?”
Colin paled, “What are you talking about?”
“I saw you, Colin,” Ryan spoke up, no emotion in his voice “now I know what your ‘business’ is. And to think I trusted you. I really am an idiot.”
“Maybe we should talk about this outside,” Greg suggested.
“By all means,” Ryan got up with Brad and all four of them headed out. The tall man folded his arms and looked at Colin.
“Ry, I can explain-” Colin sputtered and started to explain.
“Save it,” Ryan cut him off, “I have no desire to hear your damn excuses.”
“Ry, it was just a one time thing, it meant nothing to me!”
“Really? I thought I meant nothing to you. No big deal though, I’ll let you out of this relationship, like you desire,” Ryan shrugged.
“Love, please just listen to me!” Colin pleaded.
“Don’t you dare call me that!” Ryan yelled, “You lost the right to call me that when you cheated on me on our tenth anniversary!”
Colin muttered a curse, finally realizing what Ryan had been so upset about, “Ry, I never meant for this to happen....”
“Well, you know what? I’m glad it did! Thanks for showing me what you’re really like and saving me from actually doing what I was planning to do today!” Ryan spat.
“What were you going to do?” Brad questioned softly, more out of curiosity than anything.
“I was going to propose to you....” Ryan spoke up, looking directly at Colin, “but not anymore. You can have the house, but I’m leaving. I have no desire to stay anyplace that has even a trace of your presence.”
“Ryan, please!” Colin grabbed his wrist as he turned away.
“Let go of me,” Ryan said softly. Deadly.
“Ryan...” Ryan wrenched his arm away from Colin and glared at him, “Don’t you ever touch me again. After today, don’t even bother to call me. This relationship is over, Colin Mochrie. As is this friendship. Maybe one day I can forgive you enough to call you a friend, but not today. Maybe in a month or a year or maybe never but don’t try to contact me. I’ll contact you when I want to.”
Brad watched as Ryan headed towards his car and turned to Colin who was looking as though the world had ended, “You deserved that, Colin, each and every bit of it. You’ll never realize how much you hurt him that moment. He cried, Colin. He’s never cried. You made him cry. You did something that no one has ever managed to do. You broke him. Even if he forgives you for that, remember that I never will.” With that, Brad followed Ryan and drove to his house.
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“What are you going to do?” Brad asked as he helped Ryan pack.
“Get out of here first. I’ll take what I can carry and I’ll get movers for the rest. No way I’m staying here.”
“What will you take?”
“My clothes and some knick knacks. Nothing that Colin bought for me. I can’t handle that,” Ryan bit his lip.
“Ry...” Brad let out a soft sigh and pulled him away from his packing, sitting him down on the bed and taking him into a hug similar to the one on the bench, “talk to me.”
“I can’t believe he actually did that to me. I can’t believe that I’m actually doing this,” Ryan choked out, “I can’t believe that this is actually happening. I didn’t expect this....all I wanted was a great night together....”
“I’m so sorry, Ryan,” Brad said softly, stroking his hair, “But remember that I’m there for you, okay? No matter what you decide, I’m here. You can stay with me until you find a place.”
“You sure?” Ryan raised teary eyes to meet his.
“Totally,” Brad smiled, placing his hands on Ryan’s face and wiping away the tears, “now let’s finish this.”
After a couple hours, everything was packed and placed in the car. Ryan looked around at Colin’s - not his anymore - bedroom, taking how much barer it looked. He looked at the dressing table and opened the drawer which contained the ring he had bought. He looked at it for a minute before taking off the gold chain Colin had given him that he always wore underneath his shirt. He looked at it before placing it next to the box. Closing the drawer, he headed downstairs to where Brad was waiting, looking back at what was once his home before entering the car and leaving his old life behind.
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Brad ran into the kitchen as he heard Ryan’s pained yell to see his friend clutching a paper towel to his bleeding wrist. His eyes shot down to the bloody shard of glass on the floor as he carefully made his way over.
“What did you think you were doing?!” Brad scowled, examining the wound.
“I dropped a glass and cut myself,” Ryan said with a apologetic look.
“Next time make sure to be careful when you pick them up. I never knew you were this accident prone....” Brad got out his first aid kit and tied a bandage around his wrist.
It had been a month since Ryan had moved into Brad’s home and life and both men were loving it. They divided chores among themselves and spent most of their together as well. Whose Line and Drew Carey Show weren’t going to be shot for another month, leaving Ryan with plenty of free time. Colin and Greg had kept their distance from them and Ryan’s stuff had arrived a couple of days after he moved out. It had been hard, but Ryan seemed to be gradually getting better.
There were still times, though, when Brad would wake up at night and here soft sobs coming from Ryan’s room. Nights like that were spent together, Ryan clinging to Brad like a lifeline, trying to calm himself. Brad never complained, always pressing a kiss to Ryan’s hair and murmuring soothing words in his ear.
Brad also enjoyed having Ryan around, though it was getting harder to ignore the fact that he was falling deeper and deeper in love with Ryan everyday. Ryan had stated that he wasn’t ready to look for love yet, but Brad couldn’t help but hope that when the day came, Ryan would fall for him as well.
“All done,” Brad announced as he tied the bandage on firmly.
“Thanks,” Ryan flashed him a quick smile.
“What do you say we head out for a picnic today? You’ve been looking a little troubled,” Brad said, not without concern.
“It’s nothing,” Ryan flashed him a quick smile, “the picnic sounds great though. But maybe we should instead go to Drew’s party today like planned?”
“That’s today?!” Brad yelped, “Shit, I forgot! I need to get dressed!” he ran into his room, cursing. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“When was the last time you’ve forgotten a party?” Ryan retorted heading to his room, “If there’s booze, you’ll be ready two months in advance!”
“Oh just hush and come on! We’ll really have to get moving to meet Colin and-” Brad mentally slapped himself, totally forgetting about Ryan’s sensitivity of the topic. They normally met Colin to pick him up if he and Ryan had been out for the day. He also remembered that Colin would no doubt be there at the party since no one else knew about their break up.
“Ryan, are you sure you want to go?” he asked gently.
Ryan turned around and Brad was pleased to see a determined glint in his eyes, “Yes. I’m not going to hide away. If anyone should, it’s him.”
“Atta boy,” Brad grinned, disappearing into his bedroom.
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“It looks like a strip club in here,” Brad wrinkled his nose, staring at the strippers parading around Drew’s living room.
“If I had known about this, I wouldn’t have come,” Ryan had a similar expression.
“Guys!” Drew beamed, coming towards them after waving away the stripper approaching him, “Glad you could make it!”
“Drew, a strip party?” Ryan looked at his old friend, smiling as he bent down to allow Drew to hug him.
“Hey, it’s my party!” Drew retorted, hugging Brad as well, “Where’s Colin?”
Ryan’s smile faded a bit but was replaced with a fake cheeriness, “He might be late.”
“Alright,” Drew went to greet Wayne who had just arrived as well.
“Don’t you think you should tell the others?” Brad asked.
“No. Colin obviously doesn’t want anyone to know yet. It doesn’t make a difference to me,” Ryan shrugged, heading over to the bar with Brad.
“Tequila contest?” Ryan grinned.
“Bring it on, Twiggy,” Brad smirked back as the bartender but a couple of shots in front of them.
After a few shots, Colin and Greg appeared in the doorway, holding hands. Ryan rolled his eyes as he saw them but gave no other hint of their presence. Colin locked eyes with Ryan for a second until Ryan looked away.
“Ryan, Brad,” Greg greeted out of nothing but politeness which Colin had insisted on.
“Greg,” Brad nodded back.
“Colin,” Ryan did the same.
Brad saw Colin wince a bit before it was concealed in a mask of indifference and had to bite back a smug smile. Normally it would be Colin with whom Ryan was greeting like they were on the same thought pattern. Brad’s alone time with Ryan had resulted in the two of them following each other even better than before. Whereas they were quick on following thought patterns earlier, they seemed to have perfected it to a degree not even Colin and Ryan had quite yet achieved.
“How’ve you been?” Colin asked, looking at Ryan.
“I’m good. Great actually,” Ryan was not holding back at all.
After a few awkward silences, Greg drew Colin away and they sat down on the unoccupied couch while Ryan and Brad resumed their contest. Brad looked at the two of them out of the corner of his eye and placed an arm around Ryan’s shoulder as Colin kissed Greg’s hand.
Colin locked eyes with him and there was definitely a hint of steel in that gaze. He definitely wasn’t happy that Ryan had supposedly chosen Brad but there wasn’t much he could do about it. So he seemed to have decided to settle with making Ryan jealous.
Brad scowled and turned to Ryan, placing a hand on his cheek before pressing their lips together. He felt Ryan give a small start and hoped he would play along when he felt him kiss back and the spark was felt yet again.
He was vaguely aware of Colin and Greg standing up and leaving, but he was beyond caring about them. Ryan’s hands had found their way to his shoulders and his own were wrapped tightly around his waist, almost pulling him from his chair. After a minute, Ryan pulled away to breathe and looked into his eyes for a few seconds before moving back completely, a blush evident on his cheeks.
Brad tried to get his breath back and hoped that Ryan hadn’t picked up on his emotions. It had been hard to control himself and he was sure that if Ryan hadn’t pulled away at that time, he definitely would have felt the stirrings of an erection. He was once again startled at how quickly a single kiss from Ryan had managed to arouse him. Getting drunk seemed like a really good idea now.
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Apparently, it wasn’t a good idea.
Ryan seemed to think that drinking at least 15-20 shots of tequila was necessary and was fully sloshed before midnight. Brad had decided to leave early anyway, not fully comfortable with the idea of a drunken Ryan and strippers in the same place.
Since their house was a bit away and isolated, they didn’t have to worry about waking up neighbors as they stumbled towards the door. Once they were there and after Brad had managed to open the door, Ryan had decided that he didn’t want to go in.
“It’s a nice night!” Ryan giggled, twirling around, “I wanna camp out!”
“Ry, it’s freezing out here,” Brad pointed out. He was right as well, it was around 19 degrees Celsius outside and he was actually beginning to feel cold through his thick jacket.
“No it’s not!” Ryan snorted, racing to the backyard.
“Ryan!” Brad chased after him. His friend proved to be incredibly nimble for a drunk and he was beginning to lose his patience as Ryan continuously evaded him.
“Ry, that’s enough. Come here, now!” Brad growled as Ryan dodged another grab.
“Nooooooo!” Ryan grinned drunkenly.
“That’s it!” Brad gave up on the gentleness and tackled Ryan around the waist. What he didn’t realize was that they were incredibly close to the backyard pool but the cold water was an unpleasant revelation.
Brad could literally feel his blood freezing in his veins in the freezing water. Thankfully, it wasn’t that deep and his feet touched the pool floor. Ryan was shaking like a leaf in his arms and his lips already had a bit of blue pallor in them.
“B-Brad!” he whispered, desperately trying to warm himself.
“Come on, let’s get out,” Brad said shakily back, managing to pull them out of the pool and into the room. He left Ryan in his bedroom with strict orders to change out of his wet clothes while he did the same. Brad returned to find Ryan sprawled out on the couch in front of the fire place which hadn’t been lit.
“You okay?” Brad asked as he started a fire.
“Hm...” Ryan nodded, his arms wrapped tightly around himself, “Cold...”
“Why didn’t you get a blanket?” Brad shook his head at his bewildered look, “Forgot you were drunk.”
After wrapping Ryan in a blanket, he made to head up to his bedroom but was pulled back by Ryan’s grip on his wrist.
“Please don’t go...” Ryan’s voice was small, barely any trace of his early good cheer.
Brad sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into his side, “You okay?”
“He was happy,” Ryan whispered, “Not sad or anything. He was happy. I could tell.”
“Ry-”
“Did I make him unhappy?” his voice broke towards the end.
“No!” Brad gripped his arms and made him look at him, “No, you made him happy too. He just couldn’t see what he had been given. He took you for granted.”
“But maybe if I didn’t complain about his work all the time, then maybe-”
“You had the right to complain! You wanted to spend time with him, didn’t you? How many times did you call me to tell me Colin cancelled on another date because of work, huh? He signed on a movie and was out shooting for a month on your birthday and he didn’t even call, Ry!”
“But why did he do all that?” Ryan’s voice turned to pleading. He looked up at Brad tears threatening to spill much like that night he moved out, “Just tell me why.”
“I....don’t know,” Brad admitted, “I do know it had nothing to do with you in particular. Maybe he was jealous of you. You have two TV shows and you’re darn successful. Maybe Colin’s just jealous of that.”
“I didn’t ask for all that,” Ryan’s body was thrumming with suppressed anger, “I just wanted him. If he had told me, I would have quit. He didn’t do that, he just went out and cheated on me with one of my oldest friends!”
“Ryan-”
“I HATE HIM!” Ryan screamed, the alcohol finally making him lose the iron grip he had kept on his emotions for the past month, “I hate that bastard!”
“I know you do, Ry,” Brad said, “I hate him for what he did to you as well. I hate him for not realizing what he had with you. I hate him for going around behind your back. I hate that he caused so much pain to the man I love.”
Brad started, just realizing the words that had passed his lips. Ryan sat up and away from him in shock. He hadn’t meant to say that, but he had been so caught up into comforting Ryan, he had completely forgotten to choose his words carefully.
“Ry, I’m sorry-” Brad started out but was cut off when Ryan’s lips pressed against his. The natural instinct to kiss back made sure that he didn’t freeze up, but his thoughts were still on what was happening.
“Brad,” Ryan whispered as he pulled back.
“Yes?”
“I think I love you too,” Ryan said with a silly grin. Brad almost smiled back but was then reminded that Ryan was still mostly drunk and didn’t have much of an idea of what was going on.
“Ry, I think you should sleep now,” Brad placed his hands on Ryan’s shoulders to stop him from leaning in, “You’re drunk now and don’t want you to regret this in the morning.”
“I won’t,” Ryan gripped his hands and moved them from his shoulders as he moved to kiss Brad’s neck.
“Ryan....” Brad could barely think as he felt those lips on his neck, “Ryan, we can’t....”
“Please....” Ryan wrapped his arms around Brad, moving up to kiss him again.
At that plea, Brad felt his control slip away and he took full control over the kiss, plunging his tongue deeply into Ryan’s mouth. Ryan happily returned the kiss, one hand going up to bury itself in the thick hair behind Brad’s hair. He turned so that he was straddling Brad, gripping his shoulders to balance himself on the thick cushions. Brad groaned as he felt the pressure of Ryan’s crotch against his own and thrust against him, letting him feel what he had for him. Ryan let out a small gasp and bucked his hips against Brad’s, not once breaking the kiss.
Brad pulled and was struck speechless for a second. He knew that if anyone would ever ask him about the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, he would talk about that moment with full sincerity. The sight of Ryan, wrapped up in the blanket in his arms, straddling him and looking at him with his wet, blonde hair hanging over his half-closed eyes and his lips kiss swollen was definitely the most arousing sight he had ever seen. There was a hint of a smile on his lips which made him look even more ravishing and Brad couldn’t help but lean in and kiss him again.
“I love you,” Ryan whispered and this time Brad could tell that he was completely aware of what he was saying. There was love in his eyes that not even alcohol could hide.
“I love you too,” Brad smiled, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. After all the tears and heartbreak he had gone through, he had finally achieved what he had wanted for years. All the time he had spent in patiently waiting had finally paid off. Hours later, when Ryan was asleep in Brad’s arms, tired out from their exploits, he placed a kiss in his hair and smiled, knowing that if he had to, he would not have changed a single decision he had made.