fanfic challenge, chapter five: Cake (Ry/Brad, Drew/Greg)
Chapter number: 5
Chapter theme: cake
Word count: 1055
Warnings: none.
Disclaimer: not making any assumptions about anyone portrayed within, not making any money.
Author's notes: I included a tiny bit of Drew/Greg...I don't really think anyone's surprised. :) Hope that works out okay for the rest of you writers.
At first he couldn’t fathom why he was on the floor. At least not with this kind of silence. After a beat he came to realise that no, it wasn’t all silent. There were hushed voices next to him, both familiar and unfamiliar. Blinking his eyes open Brad was met with the relieved face of one Ryan Stiles.
“Brad!” he breathed.
That was when Brad noted that Ryan had his hand on Brad’s chest.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m…” Brad started. “What happened?”
He looked around to find that he was the centre of attention, including the attention of a woman on his left side. He recognized her as the nurse from earlier. A sudden tightness around his arm made him jump and she immediately placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Hold still, I’m just taking your blood pressure…” Satisfied that he didn’t move again, she looked up and smiled.
“Hi, I’m Lindsay.”
“They called you back?” Brad asked. He paused when she shook her head.
“No, I tend to stay around when you guys are filming.”
“Really?” Brad was still feeling kind of dazed. And Ryan’s reassuring touch felt better than he could have imagined.
“Yep. That’s what happens when you insist on eating a lot of sugar when you really shouldn’t,” she gave Ryan a mock stern look, “and you’re all arms and legs all over the place like Wayne over there.”
She efficiently placed two fingers on the inside of his wrist.
“Or when you take more painkillers than you should. Now hush and let me count here.”
Stopping himself from uttering the ‘ok’ that wanted out, Brad turned his attention back to Ryan instead. Colin and Wayne were standing next to him. He could see Drew standing with Dan behind them, they seemed to be discussing something.
“You seem to be alright.” Lindsay’s voice made him turn to her again.
“Now, you bruised the muscles in your leg pretty good, so you need to take it easy for some days until it stops feeling sore. As for today, you get plenty of rest and fluid, and come get me or call your doctor should you feel anything like shortness of breath, dizziness that won’t go away or trouble seeing…you got me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good boy.” She smiled at him again. “And go easy on the painkillers.”
Brad felt his face flush with embarrassment. He didn’t mind having all eyes on him on stage, but now he just felt sort of stupid.
“Here, I’ll help you up.” Ryan’s voice broke into his musings. Strong hands took hold of his and then Brad was hauled to his feet.
A wave of dizziness stole his balance and he stumbled headfirst into the person in front of him. After a few confusing seconds Brad found himself leaning into Ryan, head tucked in under his chin, and with Ryan’s arms around him.
He should probably wonder about just that, but right now he didn’t have the energy. Besides, he was comfortable.
At Ryan’s insistence, he was going to lay down in Ryan’s dressing room. The only room with a decent couch, as the owner proclaimed. Brad didn’t protest, still feeling a little light headed. Feeling content to let Ryan lead at the moment, he soon found himself on the couch in question, back in Ryan’s dressing room. He made himself comfortable, watching Ryan get a glass and a bottle of water from the corner table.
“Dan wanted to get someone in today and continue filming. Drew told him no.” Ryan set the glass down next to Brad. He opened the bottle before filling the glass half way up.
“Here you go.”
Obediently taking a drink, Brad gave him a curious look.
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Ryan grinned. “Dan backed down pretty quickly, so I imagine Drew must have some really good dirt on him.”
Brad gave him a smile back. Then he frowned slightly.
“But what about the audience and stuff...?”
“Don’t worry. They’re getting in free to see the next taping and they threw in some other free stuff too…” Ryan shrugged. “Most of them seemed to worry about you the most.”
“Oh.”
Before Brad could reply, there was a light knock on the open door and Drew appeared next to Ryan.
“Hey. You doing alright?”
“I’m doing fine, just feeling kinda foolish,” Brad admitted. Drew’s quick smile made him feel a little better.
“No need to. You didn’t know what was going to happen. And as impressed as I am over how far you’re willing to go for the show, I’d be much happier if you didn’t take it out on your own health the next time.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
So,” Ryan asked, turning the attention away from a thankful Brad. “Who’d you get?”
“I called Greg,” Drew told them. “He was coming in next week so we just switched your takes,” he explained to Brad, and then he smiled. “And this way, Greg gets to stay for two weeks.”
“Which gives the two of you some time together,” Ryan finished for him.
“The things I do for the two of you to get to see each other,” Brad commented, smiling wryly.
“And we thank you for it.” Drew fondly ruffled Brad’s dark hair.
“And besides,” Drew sent Ryan a teasing look. “You just bailed Ryan out of a whole lot of cream cake…”
“And you as well,” Ryan immediately replied. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you were doing that one too.”
Brad knew from experience that anything involving Ryan and food meant a game of Helping Hands. And Colin’s hands plus cream meant that Ryan and whoever else playing, most often Drew, would have to be on their toes to escape being covered in the stuff.
Lying back on the couch Brad was happy to just be resting, listening to his friends’ playful bickering. Colin entered a few minutes later, Wayne in tow. After fussing over Brad for a while, Colin perched himself on the arm rest of the couch while Wayne simply made a place for himself on the floor.
Smoothing down Ryan’s blue shirt, Brad caught Ryan watching him.
He was feeling simultaneously giddy and nervous around the other man, and it all was leading him down the path to realising something that he wasn’t sure he was ready for just yet.
Chapter theme: cake
Word count: 1055
Warnings: none.
Disclaimer: not making any assumptions about anyone portrayed within, not making any money.
Author's notes: I included a tiny bit of Drew/Greg...I don't really think anyone's surprised. :) Hope that works out okay for the rest of you writers.
At first he couldn’t fathom why he was on the floor. At least not with this kind of silence. After a beat he came to realise that no, it wasn’t all silent. There were hushed voices next to him, both familiar and unfamiliar. Blinking his eyes open Brad was met with the relieved face of one Ryan Stiles.
“Brad!” he breathed.
That was when Brad noted that Ryan had his hand on Brad’s chest.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m…” Brad started. “What happened?”
He looked around to find that he was the centre of attention, including the attention of a woman on his left side. He recognized her as the nurse from earlier. A sudden tightness around his arm made him jump and she immediately placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Hold still, I’m just taking your blood pressure…” Satisfied that he didn’t move again, she looked up and smiled.
“Hi, I’m Lindsay.”
“They called you back?” Brad asked. He paused when she shook her head.
“No, I tend to stay around when you guys are filming.”
“Really?” Brad was still feeling kind of dazed. And Ryan’s reassuring touch felt better than he could have imagined.
“Yep. That’s what happens when you insist on eating a lot of sugar when you really shouldn’t,” she gave Ryan a mock stern look, “and you’re all arms and legs all over the place like Wayne over there.”
She efficiently placed two fingers on the inside of his wrist.
“Or when you take more painkillers than you should. Now hush and let me count here.”
Stopping himself from uttering the ‘ok’ that wanted out, Brad turned his attention back to Ryan instead. Colin and Wayne were standing next to him. He could see Drew standing with Dan behind them, they seemed to be discussing something.
“You seem to be alright.” Lindsay’s voice made him turn to her again.
“Now, you bruised the muscles in your leg pretty good, so you need to take it easy for some days until it stops feeling sore. As for today, you get plenty of rest and fluid, and come get me or call your doctor should you feel anything like shortness of breath, dizziness that won’t go away or trouble seeing…you got me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good boy.” She smiled at him again. “And go easy on the painkillers.”
Brad felt his face flush with embarrassment. He didn’t mind having all eyes on him on stage, but now he just felt sort of stupid.
“Here, I’ll help you up.” Ryan’s voice broke into his musings. Strong hands took hold of his and then Brad was hauled to his feet.
A wave of dizziness stole his balance and he stumbled headfirst into the person in front of him. After a few confusing seconds Brad found himself leaning into Ryan, head tucked in under his chin, and with Ryan’s arms around him.
He should probably wonder about just that, but right now he didn’t have the energy. Besides, he was comfortable.
At Ryan’s insistence, he was going to lay down in Ryan’s dressing room. The only room with a decent couch, as the owner proclaimed. Brad didn’t protest, still feeling a little light headed. Feeling content to let Ryan lead at the moment, he soon found himself on the couch in question, back in Ryan’s dressing room. He made himself comfortable, watching Ryan get a glass and a bottle of water from the corner table.
“Dan wanted to get someone in today and continue filming. Drew told him no.” Ryan set the glass down next to Brad. He opened the bottle before filling the glass half way up.
“Here you go.”
Obediently taking a drink, Brad gave him a curious look.
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Ryan grinned. “Dan backed down pretty quickly, so I imagine Drew must have some really good dirt on him.”
Brad gave him a smile back. Then he frowned slightly.
“But what about the audience and stuff...?”
“Don’t worry. They’re getting in free to see the next taping and they threw in some other free stuff too…” Ryan shrugged. “Most of them seemed to worry about you the most.”
“Oh.”
Before Brad could reply, there was a light knock on the open door and Drew appeared next to Ryan.
“Hey. You doing alright?”
“I’m doing fine, just feeling kinda foolish,” Brad admitted. Drew’s quick smile made him feel a little better.
“No need to. You didn’t know what was going to happen. And as impressed as I am over how far you’re willing to go for the show, I’d be much happier if you didn’t take it out on your own health the next time.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
So,” Ryan asked, turning the attention away from a thankful Brad. “Who’d you get?”
“I called Greg,” Drew told them. “He was coming in next week so we just switched your takes,” he explained to Brad, and then he smiled. “And this way, Greg gets to stay for two weeks.”
“Which gives the two of you some time together,” Ryan finished for him.
“The things I do for the two of you to get to see each other,” Brad commented, smiling wryly.
“And we thank you for it.” Drew fondly ruffled Brad’s dark hair.
“And besides,” Drew sent Ryan a teasing look. “You just bailed Ryan out of a whole lot of cream cake…”
“And you as well,” Ryan immediately replied. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you were doing that one too.”
Brad knew from experience that anything involving Ryan and food meant a game of Helping Hands. And Colin’s hands plus cream meant that Ryan and whoever else playing, most often Drew, would have to be on their toes to escape being covered in the stuff.
Lying back on the couch Brad was happy to just be resting, listening to his friends’ playful bickering. Colin entered a few minutes later, Wayne in tow. After fussing over Brad for a while, Colin perched himself on the arm rest of the couch while Wayne simply made a place for himself on the floor.
Smoothing down Ryan’s blue shirt, Brad caught Ryan watching him.
He was feeling simultaneously giddy and nervous around the other man, and it all was leading him down the path to realising something that he wasn’t sure he was ready for just yet.