WLiiA Love's Fan Fiction Archive

Impulse

Author: ipywp
Title: Impulse
Pairings: Ryan/Colin, Greg/Jeff
Disclaimer: Don't own, et cetera.
Summary: Once you start acting impulsively, it's difficult to stop. But for Ryan and Colin, this might not necessarily be a bad thing. AU.

A loud bang and a string of unrestrained curses alerted Ryan to Greg’s return, and he glanced towards the study door. "Do you need any help back there?" "Very funny," came the sarcastic reply, and moments later Greg rounded the corner balancing a large and unsteady-looking pile of papers and leaflets in his arms. He dumped it all unceremoniously on the small table in front of Ryan before standing straight again and exhaling loudly. "Ta da. What do you think?" Picking up the top leaflet and briefly scanning it over, Ryan frowned. "Hungary? Jesus, Greg, that’s a bit extreme, isn’t it?" Greg shrugged, a bright and uncaring grin on his face. "Hey, I’m not the one who organised it, and all the best shows are abroad. This is great, don’t you think? I’m geared up for it already. What language do they speak in Hungary?" "Hungarian, maybe?" Ryan still hadn’t looked up from the leaflet he was holding, instead wanting to read it carefully. He hadn’t expected it to be so far away, but it hadn’t seemed to come as much of a surprise to his housemate. He supposed he just didn’t know a great deal about dog shows, despite the fact that Greg had been entering them for years now.

In fact, Ryan couldn’t remember a time since he’d known Greg that he hadn’t been breeding, training and showing his dogs. One of his Dachshunds, Cleo, was getting on a bit now – she had to be at least eleven – but the other two, Oasis and Elda, were still young and in their prime. Elda had recently been bred (how could Ryan forget the amount of noise those puppies made each and every night for eight consecutive weeks?), so he assumed that it would be Oasis taken to Hungary.

He glanced over the leaflet again before leaning forward to rifle through the rest of the pile, occasionally scanning over an interesting-looking document. "When are you going?" Greg rocked back on his heels. "I think it’s in about a month’s time. I’ll be there for a week, more or less, but it’s best to be prepared for anything. Apparently their schedules are rather susceptible to changes." "I see. So I won’t know when to expect you back?" Greg’s grin turned from bright to mocking, and he reached out to ruffle Ryan’s hair. "Aw, Ry, I’ll call you every day so you don’t need to worry. I’m a big boy; I can take care of myself." Scowling, Ryan batted the hand away. "I was referring to work. Do I need to hire a temporary replacement for you?" "Do whatever you like," Greg replied, shrugging again and crossing the room to stare out of the window at the looming grey sky. "It’s your store, not mine. I thought you needed to hire someone anyway? Because of Paul quitting?" Ryan nodded, although fully aware that Greg wouldn’t see it. "I do. But I’m not sure whether it’s worth hiring two if you’re only going to be missing for a week or so." There was a moment of silence before Greg replied, each of them thinking the matter over. Although it was technically Ryan’s music store, Greg might as well have been a co-owner and he worked there to cover the frequent gaps in what he thought of as his real career. "You might as well. Just tell them it’s a very temporary position. You might even like them enough to keep them for longer, you never know. Help’s always useful, right?" "I guess." There was another pause while Greg continued to examine the sky and Ryan took a more careful look through the papers Greg had dropped in front of him. He couldn’t help but be amazed, like always, at how disorganised Greg was. There seemed to be no order to the documents whatsoever, and many were slightly crumpled while others were bent and torn at the corners and edges. Yet, Greg never seemed to lose anything important or make mistakes with dates and figures. It was beyond Ryan how he managed it without the use of a filing system, or something of a similar nature.

Only when he had leafed through over half of the pile did he speak up again. "What are you going to do about a hotel? I assume this is a popular thing, so won’t a lot of the competitors already have rooms booked?" Greg waved his hand and finally turned away from the window. "I’m way ahead of you; I am a competitor, remember? I booked a room the second the dates came through." "And Oasis?" The grin was replaced with a look of confusion. "Sorry?" "You’re entering Oasis, right?" Ryan elaborated, and Greg nodded slowly. "Is she staying in a kennels or what?" "Oh! Christ, no. The hotel caters for dogs since the show is held nearby. I don’t intend to let my baby out of my sight." "I see." Ryan smirked before shaking his head and putting all the papers back on the pile. Although it was quite touching, he found it difficult not to laugh at how seriously Greg took his dogs and the shows; he made up for it by not taking much else seriously at all, often including his work in the music store. A light pattering across the wooden flooring caused Ryan to look up, and he watched as Cleo trotted over and seated herself at his feet. He smiled and scratched behind her ears as she looked up at him, eyes wide and curious; the fondness that swept over Greg’s face at the sight of the Dachshund wasn’t missed either. He gave Cleo a little more attention before looking up at Greg. "When are you taking them out?" "In a few," was the answer as Greg gestured out of the window and up at the blackening sky. "With any luck the rain will hold off for another hour. I don’t mind traipsing through the mud, but Oasis hasn’t quite grasped the concept of a ‘bath’ yet. She still thinks it’s a game." Ryan laughed and stood, wincing slightly as his back cracked, and prepared to carry the pile of documents back to the study. "You’ll forgive me if I don’t join you. I need to do something about all the excess country albums we got in, and all the techno shit that never turned up. I still don’t quite know how they managed to get that order as wrong as they did." "You have fun with that, won’t you?" Greg chuckled as he crossed the room, patting his thigh for Cleo to follow him through to the back door where the leads were kept. "I know, darling," he addressed her. "Uncle Ryan’s being a boring old bastard today. But don’t you worry, I’m sure he’ll play a game or two with you when we get back." Even when Ryan had disappeared into the study and turned on his laptop, he could still hear Greg battling with his two younger Dachshunds (‘Look, you have to sit still if you want me to put this lead on you… we’re not moving from this spot until you stop chewing it, and don’t think I’m lying… don’t jump up at me, this is my coat, not yours…’) for some time before the back door shut with its trademark slam. He couldn’t help but lean back in his chair with a pleased sigh; as much as he enjoyed Greg’s company (sometimes) and adored the dogs, a moment alone at home was a pleasant and rare opportunity. For a moment he wondered why he was spending it doing something like work, but his brain soon kicked in and reminded him about the mistake in delivery. It also reminded him that this was his business; nobody was going to sort out his mess for him.

Unlike many, he didn’t think of his work as a chore. Running the music store was something he had chosen to do, something he had wanted to do, but the initial novelty of owning his own business had long since worn off. Whereas the ‘boring bits’, as some might call them, had once been almost fun, now they were more of a comfortable necessity, like thanking someone for a birthday card. It had to be done, but it didn’t put him out.

It wasn’t like it had been in the old days, back when owning his own music shop was fun and exciting, and he and Greg had been living each day as it came without a care in the world. The buzz hadn’t lasted, and he’d known it wouldn’t, but he still missed it sometimes.

He rolled his shoulders back, waiting for his laptop to load, and allowed his mind to drift a little further. When he thought of Greg, it didn’t usually take long for him to end up thinking back to Greg’s last relationship, and he had to suppress a laugh; it hadn’t been funny at the time, because Greg had really been into the guy, but now that he looked back on it, it was pretty funny that the guy had been too uncomfortable to date Greg while he lived with another man.

The reason Ryan, and later Greg, found this so utterly amusing was that their relationship was completely platonic. Of course, there had once been a time when more romantic feelings had emerged – sharing a house it was bound to happen sooner or later – but those feelings had long been explored and dismissed. Neither had been what the other wanted, and that was that. Living together worked, but that was as far as it went and as far as it was ever going to go. The majority of Ryan’s very short relationships had ended because of similar reasons. He supposed he could understand it but, while it was funny, he was a little disappointed that he couldn’t settle with anyone. Although Greg would never admit it, Ryan knew he felt the same way.

He was brought back to himself by the welcome tune of his laptop, and he scrubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands in order to focus. There was no time for pondering or reminiscing if he wanted to have this delivery issue sorted by the time Greg returned from walking the dogs. The heavens opened and unleashed their fury on the earth in the form of heavy rain not fifteen minutes later, and Ryan found himself glad he’d taken a walk on his way home from the store earlier that day. Near the house he shared with Greg was a small woodland area, and within it a clearing he liked to relax in when the weather was nice. The only way to reach it was via a rarely-used footpath, so it tended to be empty. The only times Ryan had an opportunity to go there were after work, or before if the air wasn’t too crisp and he was awake early enough to take the detour. Today it seemed he’d managed to beat the rain, and he had to bite back a smartarse remark as Greg practically threw himself through the door over an hour into the storm. He remained standing a few feet away, leaning against the doorframe wit his hands casually stuffed in his pockets, and said it all with a look as Greg struggled to keep hold of the three overexcited (and incredibly muddy, Ryan couldn’t help but notice) dogs while attempting to wipe the water off his glasses.

"Help me a second," he managed to say around his multitasking, and handed two of the three leads to Ryan. "Keep them out of trouble while I bathe Cleo. I’ll come back for Elda in a few minutes. Oasis is last because she’ll make the biggest mess in the bathroom." As Greg awkwardly carried Cleo out of the room and towards the stairs, not even bothering to remove his coat (although he did kick his boots off into a corner), Ryan concentrated on not letting Oasis jump at him with her muddy paws. "How the hell does Oasis qualify for these shows?" he called after Greg. "She’s hardly well behaved!" "Oh, she is," Greg shouted back over the running water of the bath. "I think she just doesn’t count home as somewhere where behaving is necessary." Ryan barely had time to pull a wire gate across the middle of the kitchen, acting as a barrier between himself and the two dogs, before Oasis jumped up for the second time. He backed away a few steps, glad for the gate having prevented the need to change his clothes. Elda looked as if she wanted to join in but was having more luck controlling herself. "I think maybe you need to get that sorted!" There came no reply but the sound of running water from upstairs, so Ryan busied himself by making coffee; that would keep Greg happy, and he could keep an eye on Oasis and Elda in case they tried to make a break for freedom. Being as busy as they both were, neither Ryan nor Greg really had the time for cleaning, so they couldn’t afford to have muddy dogs trailing dirt across the floor and jumping all over the furniture.

It was almost an hour before Greg finally collected Oasis (they were show dogs, he insisted, and he needed to take his time with each of them), and another forty minutes on top of that before he trudged into the kitchen and hung his coat over the back of a chair. He acted like it was the most arduous task in the world, but he wasn’t fooling anyone; both he and Ryan knew he loved it all.

Still, Ryan passed him his coffee (which he had poured only five minutes earlier, knowing full well how long it took Greg to bathe his Dachshunds) and Greg took a grateful sip of it.

"So," he started after a few moments of simply warming his hands on the mug, "did you get that little problem sorted?" Ryan nodded, his own mug already empty and in the sink, "I did. I emailed Drew about it, and he said he’d either send someone over or come himself. We weren’t charged anything extra, so it’s just a case of getting rid of the extra stock." "And making sure it doesn’t happen again," Greg added, drinking down some more coffee. "What about the issue with the hired help? I’m willing to bet you haven’t made a great deal of progress where that’s concerned." Ryan raised an eyebrow and tried to look stern, although he couldn’t help the corners of his lips twitching upwards into a small grin. "You were only out for an hour, to be fair. But no, there’s no progress. I’m not sure how I want to go about it." Chuckling, Greg glanced at the door as an immaculately clean and carefully groomed Oasis bounded into the room. "Is that your subtle way of asking for my expert advice?" "I wouldn’t go that far…" Ryan paused, trying to word it in the way least likely to make Greg any more cheerfully arrogant than usual, "but an opinion wouldn’t go amiss." "I still say you get two, and you can always fire them if they rub you the wrong way." "Then it’s a wonder I haven’t fired you yet." Ryan had the decency to look apologetic at the displeased look sent in his direction, however insincere he may have been. "Couldn’t resist." Greg cleared his throat and carried on as if the interruption hadn’t happened. "I mean, you can hire whoever you feel the need to hire and give them the sack the same day if you want to. Anyone too annoying or incompetent to cope with can be easily taken care of. You might as well take on two people. Hell, you could even go mad and hire three. The possibilities are endless." "You’re probably right." "Of course I’m right!" After finishing his coffee, Greg climbed from his seat to sit on the floor instead and began an aimless game with Oasis. "Just advertise for the staff and see who you get. Take anyone who seems interesting and voila – instant workforce. You can narrow it down afterwards." Ryan folded his arms across his chest and stared down at Greg in disbelief. "Are you being serious?" "As serious as a volcanic eruption by a heavily populated area. It’s not like you aren’t in a position to do it, and there’s nothing strictly wrong it, right?" Instead of answering, Ryan blew out an exasperated breath and left the room for the study again. He told himself it was because he wasn’t feeling patient enough to convince Greg that that wasn’t the way things worked, but in truth he rather liked the idea of recklessly hiring anyone and everyone he fancied, safe in the knowledge that he could be rid of them whenever he wanted. So maybe it was irresponsible and potentially a bit cruel, but he hadn’t exactly had any ideas of his own.

And he certainly wasn’t going to tell Greg that he might possibly take his suggestion; his head didn’t need to be inflated any more than it already was. In fact, Ryan was hoping that he hated every applicant just to make sure Greg wasn’t right about him liking them, or about anything else. Unfortunately, Ryan was a little late in advertising his vacancies and by the time CVs had been handed in and the day of interviews rolled around, Greg was too busy preparing for the show in Hungary to help out. Oh, he had wanted to; he had been looking forward to doing the interviews since the advertisement went out. But the show was his main priority, and he would allow nothing to interfere with his preparations. Ryan, for one, was glad about this. As annoying as Greg flitting about the house like an aggravated butterfly was, it meant he didn’t have any time to be right about the applicants. From the glances he had taken over the CVs he had received, Ryan could say that one or two of them, at least, looked promising and seemed interesting. Of course, it would be the interviews that told him what he needed to know, but the first impressions weren’t all bad.

"Ryan! Come here a second!" Greg sounded mildly distressed, and his call was followed by a loud thud and an even louder "Fuck!". Bracing himself, Ryan went to Greg’s room, and couldn’t help but snigger when he saw the cause of the noise and violent cursing. Greg’s suitcase was lying on the floor, its contents scattered around it, with Greg standing by looking thoroughly frustrated. He clenched his jaw when he heard Ryan laugh, not truly angry but annoyed enough to act it. "That’s right asshole, laugh it up," he muttered, dropping to his knees to repack his belongings. "You have no idea how difficult it was to get everything in there." Still grinning, Ryan bent down to help. "It’s your own fault. Why do you need so much stuff anyway? You’re only there for a week, and you’ve packed practically everything you own." "It never hurt to be prepared," Greg replied, taking far more care in folding his clothes than Ryan was. Once everything was inside, Ryan tried to close the case. The case stubbornly refused. "There, you see? It doesn’t even all fit. You clearly don’t need it all." "That was what I called you for in the first place." Greg made sure nothing was poking out through the edges of the case before sitting down on top of it. "There. Now it’ll close, but I need you to do it." Ryan raised an eyebrow but complied, sliding the zip shut. "Because when you tried everything ended up on the floor?" "I’d like to see you fare any better on your own." "Of course I would; my arms are longer than yours," Ryan said, standing and stretching out his back. "Not that I’d have this problem in the first place since I’d only pack what I actually needed." Greg scowled. "Don’t you have interviews to attend?" "Yes I do, so I should probably be going. I doubt I’ll see you before you go, so good luck and I’m expecting lots of gifts when you get back." "I’ll bring you back a fuck buddy. A fat, sweaty, balding Hungarian one, just the way you like them." "Thanks very much." Ryan, deciding that Greg’s mood was probably not going to improve for a while, left without another word. He’d be back in a week, so it really didn’t matter if they parted on slightly bad terms. In fact, more often than not they parted immediately after hurtling insults at one another. It was just their way; neither really dealt very well with particularly emotional departures or arrivals. It was best to keep things familiar. Although the sun was shining, the wind was bitter and chilly, and about twenty minutes into his walk to his music store Ryan began to regret his decision against bringing a coat. Damn the deceptively bright sunlight. The first thing he did after opening up was turn the heating on full blast; unfortunately, despite being similar in many ways, Ryan didn’t share Greg’s ability to happily tolerate a wide range of temperatures.

He had just begun to thaw and was contentedly watching a few potential customers browsing the racks of CDs when a bell jingled, indicating another customer. Ryan looked up and saw a man looking far too happy considering the temperature, his smile mischievous without even seeming to try. He strolled happily up the counter and leaned on it with folded arms. He was at least a head shorter than Ryan. "I’ve come about the job vacancy, I have an interview." Ryan scrambled for his list of applicants and a pen. "Okay, what’s your name?" The man peered over at the list while Ryan’s pen hovered over it, waiting for an answer. "John. John Sessions." "Good," Ryan said absently as he marked off John’s name on the list, and gestured towards a door marked ‘Staff Only’. "If you’d like to come this way, Mr Sessions…" The smile had never left the man’s face. "Please, call me John." Later in the afternoon, the store had warmed enough to be comfortable. The customers were dwindling and Ryan had completed all the interviews bar one who had failed to show and had given him no advance warning. He was exhausted, and was practically flopped over the counter, but he almost had his mind made up about the applicants.

John had proven himself to be quite a character, and Ryan had taken a liking to him. He was funny and, although he initially came across to Ryan as a fool, he was far more intelligent than he looked. In a way he reminded him of Greg, only less sarcastic. He had also produced an impressive list of experience concerning music sales and customer assistance. So John was going to fill one of his two job vacancies. But the other he remained unsure about. The woman who hadn’t turned up was out of the question. Another applicant had looked about twelve years old and acted even younger, and had apparently failed to realise that the vacancy was for a full time position. So he was out too. Another, despite an impressive CV, was far too patronising for Ryan to even consider hiring, and then there was the woman who fidgeted throughout the entire interview and mumbled to herself between answers.

This left two, a man and a woman, who Ryan couldn’t decide between. The woman, a pretty blonde who Ryan may have found attractive if he swung that way, had demonstrated fantastic customer handling but little knowledge of music. The man had been the opposite, being a lover of music with little experience dealing with people. And he was attractive. Perhaps a bit young for Ryan’s liking, but he’d be right up Greg’s alley. Which meant he couldn’t call Greg and ask for his expert opinion. "Ryan, cheer up!" Ryan snapped his head up at the sound of the familiar voice, wondering when he had started to stare intensely at the counter and how the owner of the voice had managed to enter his store without him noticing. Brad, who was one of his regular customers, bypassed the jazz section he usually browsed and instead came to lean against the counter.

Shaking his head, Ryan ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I was miles away." "Didn’t look like a very nice place to be." Ryan couldn’t help but smile at the constant cheerfulness in Brad’s tone. "What’s up?" "It’s nothing, I just…" Then Ryan, momentarily inspired, decided to take a chance and looked Brad straight in the eye. "Brad. If you were me, would you hire someone who was good with customers, or someone who loved music?" Brad laughed. "You’re asking me? I’d hire whichever one had bigger boobs." Why had he thought asking Brad would make it easier? Nevertheless, Ryan couldn’t help but laugh along with him. "Come on, get serious. What if they were guys?" "Then whichever one was more good looking generally. Hey, don’t give me that look; I’m being perfectly serious. That’s what I’d do." "If you ever started a business, it would be destined to failure." Ryan crossed out the woman’s name on his list anyway. Brad, his curiosity now engaged, tried to peer over and see what he was doing. "You’re getting new staff then?" "Yeah," Ryan grinned. "The good looking one. But enough of that; how are things with you these days?" Greg couldn’t have felt more at home. He strolled through the building as if he owned the place, Oasis trotting happily at his side. Today was their chance to shine, and Greg was determined to succeed.

As he entered the showing area, he glanced at the competition. People, a lot of them greying and considerably older than he, were fussing over their dogs and making one last effort to ensure that they looked their absolute best. Greg even caught sight of a petit Basset Griffon Vendeen adorned with ribbons; he looked down at Oasis, who was sitting contentedly beside him, and smirked. He was going to be incredibly surprised if she didn’t win anything.

Not that the winning mattered, not really, although it was always a nice bonus; Greg enjoyed the experience. He was in his element. While he waited for the showing to start, he contented himself with watching the other competitors. Most of those who weren’t grooming their dogs were idly chatting with one another; that was one of the best parts of the shows. There were no hard feelings, even after the judging was over and winners had been declared.

Then he spotted a man standing awkwardly and alone, away from the other contestants. A dog show newbie, Greg guessed. Attached to his lead and looking up at him expectantly was a Norwegian Elkhound.

Greg watched the man for some minutes, and he only seemed to grow more uncomfortable with each moment that passed. Before long he was shifting his weight between his feet and flitting his gaze about the room. It reminded Greg of the first time he entered a show; in fact, he had been worse. He hadn’t been able to stand still at all, jumping about on the spot and drawing more than one odd look. Much to his dismay, Cleo, who he had been entering at the time, soon found it difficult to sit still herself and paced as much as her lead would allow. The nerves had only disappeared when it had been their turn to show, and they had ended up dazzling the judges. Fortunately for him, Ryan had also been with him, watching and offering silent support, at that first show. This tall, balding man seemed utterly alone. So, without another thought, Greg sauntered over to him and offered a friendly smile. "First time, huh?" After a moment of looking stunned, the man shook himself out of it and, with a slightly embarrassed grin, nodded. "Is it that obvious?" "I’m afraid so. Don’t worry, it all gets easier when the waiting is over. I’m Greg." He extended his hand, and the man took it. "Colin. And this," Colin gestured to his Elkhound, "is Bailey." Greg chuckled and squatted to scratch behind Bailey’s ears. "Good to meet you, Bailey. This bitch," he said, tipping his head towards Oasis who was happily sniffing at Colin’s feet, "is Oasis." Smiling at the young Dachshund’s barely restrained enthusiasm, Colin bent down to pick her up. "She’s gorgeous." "She’s my pride and joy," Greg replied, beaming, before sitting back on his heels. "Is that a Canadian accent?" Colin nodded. "I’m living in England at the moment, though. I have relatives in Scotland." Greg pretended to swoon, although his crouched position made it a little tricky. "A man after my own heart. I’ve been living in England for years now." "But you’ve still got a strong American accent." "But of course. Ryan – a friend I moved over with; we share on living costs – and I still go back from time to time. To see old friends and the like." Colin seemed to accept this, and turned his attention back to Oasis. Greg studied him curiously. What were the chances of two Americans, who lived in England, running into each other at a dog show in Hungary? It was a very odd coincidence, certainly. But Colin seemed friendly enough, and his fidgeting had ceased almost as soon as Greg had engaged him in conversation. The man had probably just been in need of some company. He continued to watch him as he coddled Oasis for a few moments more before jumping when he felt something vibrate in his jacket pocket. He stood, took out his phone, and answered. Colin merely gave him a curious glance before striking up conversation again with Oasis. "Greg?" "Ryan!" Greg grinned. "Fancy that; we were just talking about you." "Who’s ‘we’? And good things, I hope." "That’s none of your business. Now, why are you calling me? The show’s going to start soon." "It hasn’t started? Oh, right. I was going to ask how it went. I take it the scheduling hasn’t changed, then?" "Nope, it’s all good, man. I’ll call you when I get back to the hotel afterwards, all right?" "Sure thing. Oh, and don’t forget my gift. My… what was it? Fat, balding, sweaty, Hungarian sex buddy, or something." The cogs were turning in Greg’s head already, and his gaze darted over to an oblivious Colin. Now that he thought about it, Colin was probably exactly the kind of man Ryan would go for. "Oh, I’ve got the ‘balding’ part sorted, don’t you worry about that." Ryan laughed. "Good. Now get back to your show, and ring me later." "Will do." Greg hung up and switched his phone off before dropping it back into his inside pocket. When he looked back up he saw Colin staring at him with amusement in his eyes. "Were you talking about me? I heard the word ‘balding’." Greg winked. "So what if I was? It’s not like I was bitching. You’ve got a magnificently shaped head." Colin laughed this time, a faint blush colouring his cheeks. A brief moment of curiosity had Greg searching out his left hand with his eyes, and he couldn’t decide whether he was surprised or not to discover that Colin wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. He wondered whether it would be too inappropriate to question him about it; the decision was made for him when the competitors were called to ready themselves. Greg took Oasis from Colin’s arms, grinning. "It was good to meet you. I’ll see you around?" "Yeah, that’d be good. Thanks, by the way, for… you know." Greg did know. He returned Colin’s smile, and resumed his place in the line. Later that evening, Greg lay back on his hotel room bed, with Oasis sleeping by his feet. It had been a good if tiring day, and he only took a brief moment to relax completely before fishing his phone out of his pocket. He switched his phone on and dialled Ryan’s number; he answered after a few rings. "I was wondering when you’d call." Ryan sounded as tired as Greg felt. "So, how’d it go?" Greg couldn’t hide the proud smile in his voice. "How do you think?" "Oh Greg…" Ryan obviously wanted to sound sorry but was having difficulty keeping himself from laughing. "I’m so sorry. Better luck next time, eh?" Despite the teasing, Greg couldn’t bring himself to sound properly mad. "Bastard. She won Best in Show, FYI. How are my other babies?" "They’re their usual selves, distracting me while I’m working and going mad when I get out any food. They say ‘hi’." "Tell them I love them and that I’ll be back tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" Ryan’s surprise was evident. "I thought you usually stayed for the rest of it?" "That’s because Hounds are usually around the beginning. They were last this time, so I’ve already seen the rest of the categories. Tomorrow there’s a few last bits and pieces, and then it’s over." "I see. Will I need to wait up for you?" "You’d damn well better. If I get back in the middle of the night and I’m locked out, you can kiss goodbye to your present." Ryan laughed. "What are you going to do with some repulsive male sex buddy in the middle of the countryside?" "Repulsive? Hardly," Greg replied, snorting. "I’ll keep him for myself. So you’ll be able to see what you gave up every day." "Right, right. Of course." Greg shook his head, amused that Ryan thought he was joking. He stroked Oasis with his foot as he got serious. "I’ll call you tomorrow with my flight details so you can know what to expect." "It’s not like you to be so thoughtful." Greg smirked, unable to help himself. "Dude, that’s just the beginning." They talked aimlessly for a while, just enjoying the conversation, before Greg brought up the topic of work. "How did those interviews go the other day, by the way? Made any decisions I should know about?" Now it was Ryan’s turn to sound pleased with himself. "I hired two of them. I reckon you’ll be happy with my choices." Greg frowned, suspicious. "Why, what have you done? You haven’t gone and hired a couple of ancient, old-fashioned Catholic extremists, have you?" "Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t be able to cope myself. You’re in for a pleasant surprise if you don’t believe me. I got Brad to help me choose because I couldn’t decide." "Brad? Now I’m positive you’re lying. Brad does everything in his power to piss me off." "You’ll be eating those words when you get back." "Whatever you say, Ry." Although he was dubious about Ryan’s claims, he was now curious beyond belief. Brad did like to make him annoyed, but Greg knew as well as anyone that he was, unfortunately, a fun person to piss off. He didn’t know whether Brad would go so far as to suggest that Ryan hire two people he would hate just to get on his nerves. What if Ryan was telling the truth? If so, to what extent? He kept his excitement to himself though, and the conversation drifted again before both parties felt the need for sleep catch up with them. When Greg hung up, however, instead of going to bed he headed down to the bar. Just for one or two drinks; after all, he refused to leave Oasis for too long, and she was too exhausted to take with him. The bar wasn’t too busy, and Greg quickly scanned the room. He recognised one or two people from the earlier show huddled around a table before his gaze fixed on a familiar balding man sitting at the bar. It was this that prompted Greg to make a move he probably wouldn’t have otherwise made, and he went straight to sit beside Colin. His arrival startled Colin only slightly, and after they had exchanged greetings Greg ordered a Scotch. Then he turned to Colin. "This is getting freaky, man." "You’re telling me," Colin grinned. "I guess it’s not that strange for us to be staying at the same hotel though, right?" "Maybe not. But seeing you down here tonight, that is a bit odd. I’ve not seen you here all week before tonight." Colin took a sip of what looked like vodka. "I think I just needed to recover a bit. The show was so tiring." "I know what you mean," Greg nodded. "I was a mess after my first show. It was in the States so Ryan went with me, and afterwards we just got completely smashed at the nearest bar. Well, I got completely smashed. Ryan had to drag me back home afterwards." "Is that what you’re planning to do now?" "No, I’ll just have a couple today. Can’t leave my baby for too long." Colin smiled at Greg’s use of the word ‘baby’ before clearing his throat. "You were really good earlier. Congratulations, by the way, about winning." "Thanks, man. You didn’t do too badly out there, either. I watched you; once you’d started, it was difficult to see that it was your first show." "You were right when you said it got easier." Greg finished his glass and swiftly changed the topic. "Whereabouts in England do you live?" "Derby. Why?" Greg thought for a moment. It was a bit of a drive, but not impossible to do. And not nearly as bad as some of the distances he’d had to drive when he lived in the US. "What would you say," he continued, ignoring Colin’s question, "to paying us a visit one of these days?" Greg fully expected Colin to refuse. After all, they barely knew each other; he had no way to be sure that Greg wasn’t some kind of escaped convict or serial killer. Hell, he had no idea whether Colin was really a wanted criminal. Besides, Colin hadn’t shown any interest in staying in contact with Greg when they returned to England, and although he didn’t wear a wedding ring he was sure to have at least someone waiting for him back in Derby. So he was surprised when Colin lit up at the suggestion. "I’d love that. Why, do you live there? Or near there?" "Well, no. It’s over three hours to drive, but it’s doable. You could bring Bailey; Oasis would love it. So would my other two – Cleo and Elda." Colin smiled. "When did you have in mind?" "I was thinking tomorrow." This time, Colin was shocked, although he didn’t protest right away. Greg took the opportunity to explain himself a little. "It’s just that I leave tomorrow. If you don’t then that’s fine and you can stay another time. I figured it’d just be far simpler if you came back with me as opposed to having to find the way by yourself." "Do I seem that incompetent?" Colin sounded faintly amused, and Greg took a moment to wonder if he was being too forward too quickly; he tended to be like that sometimes. He didn’t have long to wonder though, because Colin was talking again.

"It’s just that I’ve booked a flight already, and your friend might not be too happy with some strange man staying, and I need to pay the bills I’ve missed while I’ve been here, and-" "Go on. Be impulsive." Greg stared at Colin, trying to convey that he was serious, while Colin stared back with a blank expression. They stayed this way for some time before Colin replied with a quiet, "Okay." And so it was decided. Greg had another Scotch before he bid Colin good night and made his way back up to his room to rest. They met the next morning in the hotel lobby, and watched the last few parts of the show together, talking about anything and everything. Greg told Colin about his move from the States, music store he practically owned with Ryan and about Ryan in general, while Colin told Greg about his family in Scotland, his upbringing in Canada and how he still missed it sometimes. Greg could relate to that.

By the time they left again, they felt like old friends, and any reservations Colin may have had about going straight from Hungary to stay with Greg had vanished. They briefly parted ways when they arrived back at the hotel so they could finish packing, and the next time they left it was for the airport.

Sitting on the plane later that evening and staring out of the window at the darkening sky outside, all Greg could think was that Ryan was going to get the best shock of his life. Ryan caught himself falling asleep for what must have been the fifth time, and he realised that, once again, he had no idea what was showing on the television in front of him. It was late, and on any other day he’d have long been in bed. Cleo and Elda had been sleeping for hours, and Ryan couldn’t express how jealous he was of them. They had it so easy; all they had to do was behave well and look pretty. Greg had called earlier and estimated that he would be back at around half twelve. Ryan, who liked to sleep early and rise early, had been most displeased by Greg’s declaration, but then it had been time for Greg to board and he hadn’t had time to express his displeasure. He cursed Greg’s habit of leaving things until the last minute and stifled another yawn. It was just gone twelve. Ryan was sorely tempted to say to hell with Greg and disappear to bed; perhaps he might have if Greg didn’t have Oasis with him. Instead, he settled for resting his eyes. That wouldn’t do any harm.

When his eyes decided that they’d had enough rest, mostly thanks to an atrocious row outside the front door, it was almost one in the morning. Cursing under his breath, Ryan forced himself up and off the sofa and half stumbled to the front door to let Greg in. Oasis scurried in first, dragging her lead behind her. Greg was not far behind, and he continued to bitch even though the door was now open. "What happened to staying up to let me in, you bastard? We’ve been out there for a good fifteen minutes, and it’s fucking cold, man. I’ll be lucky if I can ever get it up again, you know. If you’d told me you were going to fall asleep, I’d have broken a window in or something." Greg continued in this vein for some time, but Ryan’s attention was elsewhere. It seemed that Greg was not the only person who had frozen half to death thanks to him. Standing somewhat awkwardly on the front porch was another man. His nose had turned red from the cold and his hands were shoved deep into his coat pockets. What remained of his hair was a soft blonde colour, and he had large brown eyes that were currently looking anywhere but at Ryan.

Until Greg came back to grab the man by the arm and pull him inside, Ryan had been sure he was dreaming. The man was gorgeous. The attractive hired help at the music store couldn’t hold a candle. Ryan was lost for words, caught between being taken aback by Greg’s string of bitching and being shocked by the beautiful man who was now standing inches away from him in his own house. He half snapped out of it when he caught sight of a large dog standing by the man’s side, and his gaze travelled back up to the man’s face. He was still looking elsewhere. "Greg, what…?" Between his surprise and his tiredness, Ryan couldn’t seem to form a full sentence. Greg, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut. "Did I or did I not say to you, ‘I’ll be back at about half twelve, make sure you don’t go to sleep before then or I won’t be able to get in’? I got back at twelve thirty-five, and I don’t think it’s that unreasonable to expect you to wait an extra five minutes. Five minutes, it’s not that long. But fifteen? Jesus, I’m surprised Oasis hasn’t frozen. And I think I’ve woken up every neighbour we have in a ten mile radius with my attempts to get your lazy ass out of bed." Ryan closed the door, regaining some semblance of being awake. "First of all, I was on the sofa and not in bed. Secondly, it’s nice to see you too. Thirdly, you didn’t tell me you were going to be bringing guests back." Greg snorted as he removed his scarf and coat. "I thought I’d surprise you. I won’t bother in future. By the way," he turned to Colin, "this is my housemate, Ryan. You’ll never meet a nicer and more considerate person." Colin smiled nervously and extended a gloved hand towards Ryan. "I’m Colin. I met Greg at the show in Hungary and he invited me back. I’m sorry if I’m intruding." "No!" Ryan couldn’t protest fast enough, and through his annoyance Greg managed a discreet and amused grin. "No, not at all. I’m sorry, it’s just that Greg makes me cranky when I first wake up." "Try staying awake then," Greg grumbled before Colin had a chance to reply. "Then this kind of thing wouldn’t happen." Colin gave a small laugh and Ryan couldn’t help but smile too. God, this man was seriously addictive. He realised he was still grasping Colin’s hand from where he shook it before, and he quickly let go so as not to make Colin any more uncomfortable than he already was.

"So, uh…" he began, trying to act normal and ignore the sense of loss he felt merely by letting go of Colin’s hand, "do you two want a drink or something? Or do you want to go straight to sleep?" "Fuck you, I need to thaw before I do any sleeping." Greg turned to Colin. "Do you want anything? Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, Scotch…" "I could really go for a hot chocolate, now that you mention it." "You know what? So could I. The living room’s through there, so make yourself at home. Bailey can go wherever he wants to." "Thanks, Greg." Colin went into the living room, unbuttoning his coat as he went, while Greg herded Ryan into the kitchen before he could follow their guest. Greg could already tell that his plan had been a success, and after filling up the kettle and switching it on he turned to face Ryan, leaning against the counter. "What do you think?" He whispered, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. "Did I do a good thing or what?" "As much as you really fuck me off sometimes, you can be a saint when you want to be. He’s… oh my God, Greg, where did you manage to find him?" "If I’d known you’d be this happy about it, I’d have had him cloned. I met him at the show, like he said. It was his first show and he looked kind of nervous, so I struck up a conversation." "Was he as bad as you were at your first show?" "Piss off. All you did then was sit and watch me suffer. You made no attempt to help." "Only because I believed so strongly that you would pull through in the end. But let’s not talk about you. How the hell did you manage to get him to come back here?" "I’m not sure, to be perfectly honest. But he lives in Derby – don’t be deceived by his accent – so it’s not like he has that many miles to go to get back home. Could you pass me a couple of mugs?" Ryan set three mugs down in front of Greg and lowered his voice. "Is he… you know, would he be interested?" Greg shrugged. "It’s not the kind of thing you ask someone you’ve only known for a matter of hours. But I suspect so, and he doesn’t have a ring, so…" Trailing off, Greg finished off the hot chocolates and picked up two. "Just don’t say I never do anything for you," he called back as he took them into the living room. Ryan wasted no time in picking his own drink up and following. All of a sudden he was incredibly awake, and he almost wondered how. Colin was sitting on their sofa with Bailey lying at his feet; he had removed his coat and scarf and Ryan could now see that he was dressed in one of the most flattering dark red shirts he had ever seen. He had to pay careful attention not to drop his drink all over the floor, and silently thanked Greg for choosing the chair over the other side of the sofa. As he sat down beside Colin, now able to admire his profile, Colin and Greg were already deep in conversation again. "… and he sent the poor woman into cardiac arrest by creeping up behind her and just standing there until she turned around. She was a short thing, you see-" By this point in Greg’s speech, Ryan had caught up and felt the need to interrupt. "You make it sound like I’m a terrible person. Who was the one who always put salt in her tea instead of sugar, and once gave her so much that she threw up all over my store?" Greg shrugged, looking only a little sheepish. "I was hoping she’d quit. She was one of the most annoying people I’ve ever met in my life, and she was on you like white on rice." "Nice to know you have my best interests at heart," Ryan deadpanned. "I could have just fired her." "You did in the end, if I remember rightly." Greg took a sip of his hot chocolate. "Even the salty tea couldn’t drive her away." Ryan didn’t see a need to reply; Greg was only retelling this story to make him look bad in front of Colin. The woman in question had been one of his first employees, and at the time he hadn’t quite known what he was looking for in the interviews. She had an overenthusiastic personality and never stopped talking; neither Ryan nor Greg had coped very well. "Anyway," Ryan said, attempting to prevent Colin seeing him in a negative light, "how was Hungary? All you’ve told me is that you won Best in Show." "Greg was amazing in that ring." An unexpectedly violent surge of jealousy swept through Ryan at this, Colin’s contribution to the conversation, but Greg laughed it off before he could say anything potentially stupid. Sometimes, just sometimes, he thought Greg knew him far too well. "Someday Colin, you’ll be as great as I am. It’s all a case of confidence and experience. Besides, you didn’t do badly at all for your first time. You should have seen him, Ryan. He was a weathered professional in comparison to me at my first show, I’m telling you." "I bet he was," Ryan replied, keeping his eyes fixed on Colin. "You were crap compared to anyone." Colin let out a small laugh, daring to meet Ryan’s gaze for a moment before returning his to his lap. "Should I be offended by that?" This time Greg laughed, and Ryan almost went into a panic. "No, no; Greg should. I’m sure you did brilliantly." "I don’t know about ‘brilliantly’-" "Yes, brilliantly," Greg interrupted, "and I refuse to hear any more on the subject. Now, what do we have in the way of food in this house?" After Greg had fished out a pizza from somewhere and shared it with the quietly starving Colin (Ryan had refused a share of the pizza, preferring instead to watch Colin eat), tiredness caught up with all three of them. Colin had initially insisted that he sleep on the sofa, but neither Ryan nor Greg were having any of it; their spare room wasn’t there for nothing. They set up a makeshift bed and that was that.

The next morning, Ryan was the first to get up. It was to be expected really. Ryan didn’t know about Colin, but Greg didn’t have to get up on a Saturday if he didn’t want to. Ryan, however, still had to work, albeit less early than usual.

And it had been so difficult to sleep when he was acutely aware of Colin being in the next room. Separated by a single wall. Ryan didn’t know how he’d managed to control himself, let alone get any rest. As he let the dogs into the garden and started preparing their breakfast (that was the arrangement between he and Greg; if Ryan would sort the dogs out on a Saturday morning so Greg could have a lie-in, Greg would get up on the Sunday so Ryan could do the same on his only day off), he wondered what Colin had done to him. He’d only met the man a few hours ago, and already he was beside himself, just because he was sleeping in the room next to his. It was unnerving, even if it was in a pleasant way.

He mentally shook himself out of it – it was too early to be having such strong and sudden feelings – and made a start on some coffee. Briefly he wondered whether it would be worth making any for Greg and Colin before deciding against it; he could do that if and when they decided it was an appropriate time to get up. So he made a cup for himself and settled against the kitchen window to watch the dogs playing together in the garden.

Colin’s dog – what had he been told its name was? Bailey? Murphy? – seemed to be having a good time running circles around Greg’s much smaller Dachshunds. It was almost surreal the way, in Ryan’s post-sleep observation, it all seemed so natural. Like it had always happened. Like Colin was constantly staying in their spare room, like Bailey had been rolling around in the garden with Oasis his whole life. Perhaps it was the early hour of the morning talking, but it was as if Colin belonged with them. Yes, it was definitely something else talking. Ryan took another sip of coffee and turned away from the window, nearly throwing his hot beverage all over himself when he was greeted with the sight of a visibly tired Colin standing against the doorframe and rubbing his eyes with one hand. He tried to convince himself that he was just shocked because he hadn’t expected anyone else to be awake yet, but he couldn’t deny that Colin looked damn good in the shirt and jeans he had pulled on. Apparently he was still half asleep, as he had put his shirt buttons through the wrong holes and had so far failed to notice. Realising he was staring, Ryan averted his gaze, albeit with difficulty. "Morning, Colin. You sleep well?" Colin sent him a wide, sleepy smile that could have made Ryan melt on the spot. "I did. Thank you. Did you?" "Yeah, great thanks." Well, a white lie never hurt anyone. "You want some coffee? The kettle’s only just boiled." "Please. I was hoping I was right when I thought I smelled coffee, and I didn’t want to disturb anyone by making any if I was wrong." Colin took a seat at the kitchen table, still rubbing gunk out of his eyes while Ryan made him a drink. "You don’t need to worry about disturbing us. I’m always up early anyway, and Greg would happily sleep his way through a world war." He set the mug down in front of a grateful Colin. "What are you doing up at this time of the morning, anyway? You’re not leaving already, are you?" Despite his efforts, Ryan had difficulty keeping the fear out of his voice. Fortunately, Colin was still too tired to really notice. "I don’t know. I guess I just don’t like sleeping late if I’m not in my own house. Are you sure you don’t mind me being here? Because I just, sort of, turned up yesterday and-" "Mind? I don’t mind, not at all. It’s good to have company other than Greg, especially in the mornings; he gets cranky like someone’s shoved a poker up his ass sometimes." "As long as you’re sure it’s no trouble." Ryan sat opposite Colin and they shared a companionable silence while they drank their coffee. Occasionally they could hear the dogs barking as they played with one another in the garden; although it was too early to tell how the whole day would turn out, the morning so far was surprisingly warm, and Ryan had decided to make the most of it by leaving the kitchen door open. At one point Bailey ran inside and sniffed quickly at Colin’s feet, as if making sure that he was still around, before charging back outside to where the other three were squabbling over a tennis ball. Colin watched them absently, a fondness in his eyes that Ryan had seen many times before in Greg. His coffee was long finished and his empty mug was cold between his hands before he struck up conversation again.

"So," he said, almost regretting saying anything when Colin seemed startled but needing, on some level, to know, "how did Greg manage to get you to come back here with him anyway?" Colin looked to the ceiling in thought, as if it were only occurring to him now that his actions may have been a little on the unusual side. "I don’t really know. Like I said, we met at the show. He spoke to me completely out of the blue, and we happen to be from the same continent. Then it turned out we were staying at the same hotel, found each other at the same bar and… yeah, I don’t know. I guess it was just nice to have at least a vague sense of familiarity. I suppose it is a bit odd that I willingly went home with a man I just met in another country. It doesn’t sound like something I’d normally do." Ryan grinned. "Greg’s powers of persuasion take no prisoners. Don’t worry though, it’s not like we’re a pair of mass murderers or anything." "That’s something I’m pretty damn pleased about, I must admit." "We could have been though," Ryan continued, his expression turning serious for a second. "Did you not even think that it could have been dangerous?" "People go home with men, or women, they meet in bars all the time." Colin shrugged off Ryan’s concern, preferring to assume it wasn’t genuine. "They’re usually fine. Besides, it’s nice to get away from things sometimes. To be impulsive, you know?" The things I could do to you if I let myself be impulsive, Ryan thought; it was a thought he wisely chose not to voice, as it would likely have made Colin suddenly and incredibly uncomfortable. Instead he carried on being concerned. "Other people don’t normally stay with people who live hours out of their way. Seriously, if we’d been serial killers, what would you have done? You wouldn’t know north from south around these parts, and no one knows you’re here. If you didn’t go back home, people would start looking in Hungary. Greg and I would be able to get well out of the way." Laughing quietly, Colin rubbed the back of his neck and looked sheepish. "All right, so maybe I didn’t think this through very well. But it’s all academic now because you’re not murderers or anything of the sort." Ryan frowned but dropped the subject, not wanting to make Colin feel like he was being interrogated. He opened his mouth – not quite knowing what he wanted to say but wanting to say it anyway just so he could hear Colin reply – but was interrupted before he started by the familiar sound of Greg’s heavy tread coming down the stairs. Each step was slow, and Ryan knew he was in for an earful about how Greg did not want to be awake this early. It would somehow end up being his fault. He wondered briefly whether it was worth warning Colin about the imminent row, but the decision was made for him when Greg rounded the corner with a face like thunder.

Colin seemed to have woken up enough to be able to tell that Greg was not a happy buffalo; while he debated how to greet his host without invoking his bad mood, Ryan sent Greg a smile that was far brighter than he felt. "Morning, Greg," he practically sang. "How did you sleep?" Even just for the look that screamed ‘I will remove your testicles with a blunt saw and feed them to Oasis’ that Ryan received for his greeting, it would have been worth it. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was suddenly so keen for Greg to show just how unpleasant he could be first thing in the morning, although it may have had something to do with wanting Colin to like him better. During that little fiasco yesterday, it had almost seemed like Colin had some kind of fascination with Greg. This was something Ryan was not prepared to allow, particularly since it would be in Greg’s nature to torment him with it. He would do everything in his power to prevent this and to win Colin over.

The look, however, was not all he received from Greg. Sporting bed-hair and a particularly menacing pair of chequered pyjama bottoms, Greg walked straight past Ryan and to the kitchen door, where he stood while he called his dogs inside. Bailey, not to be left out, followed them eagerly. Before Ryan quite knew what was going on, the four of them were all over him, complete with mud and dew and everything else they had managed to roll in during their time in the garden. Oasis found her way onto his lap, covering him with wet paw prints and waving a soggy tail in his face. Elda and Bailey jumped up at him while Cleo settled for bathing his feet with slobber.

This went on for many minutes while Ryan tried and failed to fend his attackers away. Every time he put Oasis onto the floor, Bailey and Elda would lick his face, and Oasis would only jump back up anyway. Meanwhile, Colin couldn’t keep his sniggers to himself and Greg poured himself a coffee. He still hadn’t said a word; he hadn’t even smiled. He merely looked a strange combination of pissed off, apathetic and satisfied. It was only when his coffee was made and cooled and he had taken a seat at the table (next to Colin, and as far away from Ryan as possible) that he called off his minions. He stroked them with his feet before sending them back outside, leaving the room silent again. Far from being happy because he was spending time with the incredibly attractive Colin, Ryan now looked suitably disgruntled. He hadn’t deserved that, surely. He hadn’t even been wearing his pyjamas like Greg; when he woke up, he had immediately changed into proper clothes. It would now be necessary to change again before he left for the store. "What the hell, Greg?" Greg turned to Colin, completely ignoring Ryan and trying his best to be amiable despite his annoyance. "How are you this fine morning, Colin?" "I can’t complain. Thanks. How are you?" "Greg!" Ryan raised his voice, not one to be ignored. "Mind telling me what that display was all about?" Greg languidly turned his head to face him, dropping the friendly front he had briefly put up for Colin’s benefit. He didn’t reply straight away, instead reaching for a pack of cigarettes and a lighter lying on the middle of the table. He lit up and rested his cheek in his hand, letting the cigarette dangle between his fingers as he raised an uncaring eyebrow at Ryan. "Display?" The dog saliva was drying unpleasantly on his feet, and Ryan tried his hardest to keep his cool. He needed Greg to be the bad guy here. "Some of us have to work today, you know." "Not me," came the reply in a tone signalling that Greg was done with the conversation. He took another drag from his cigarette and turned back to Colin, slight concern passing briefly over his features. "I’m sorry, do you want me to move? Because I’m smoking, that is." Colin was still a little wary, even though it had become clear that it was Ryan who Greg had the problem with, and he shook his head with a small smile. "It’s fine. I used to myself." "Greg…" Now Ryan was growling himself, although he was still clinging desperately to his temper. "Ryan," Greg interrupted, sounding bored with him, "you know the arrangement we have. I don’t have to get up on a Saturday." "So why are you up?" Ryan couldn’t control the rise in the volume of his voice. "It’s not like I made you get up!" "How could I possibly stay asleep with all your shouting?" "Shouting? I was talking to Colin. And at a normal volume. You’ve slept through far worse." "I’ll have you know I’m a light sleeper." The thin shred of calm that Ryan was so anxious about keeping hold of promptly snapped. "You sleep like the dead!" He stood up and slammed his hands on the table; although he wasn’t properly angry, not really, he was riled up now. "Colin, he’s a bare faced liar. Don’t listen to a word he says." "Uh…" "Ryan," Greg waved his cigarette aimlessly in the air, "you’ve already woken me up. Are you trying to give me a headache too? Besides," he raised an eyebrow so slightly that only Ryan would notice the movement, "I don’t think Colin will appreciate you screaming at the top of your lungs first thing in the morning either." Greg helped himself to a satisfied smirk when Ryan, still clearly aggravated, forced himself to sit back down and take deep breaths. Neither noticed as Colin shifted uncomfortably in his chair, not sure how he felt about being used as a weapon on both sides of a disagreement between two men he barely knew. It didn’t help that he had noticed how undeniably attractive Ryan was when he was angry. Of course he’d noticed it, Ryan’s attractiveness, as soon as he had opened the door to them the previous night. It had surprised him; he hadn’t expected Greg’s housemate to be so easy on the eyes, and he had initially put it down to his tiredness. He hadn’t slept in some time, so it was only to be expected that his vision would start playing up on him. He’d barely been able to look at the man, for crying out loud. Nobody was that amazing, especially when they’d only just woken up.

This morning there was no excuse for it. Colin felt adequately rested and his coffee had rejuvenated him. Ryan looked adequately rested and had been awake for long enough to lose the sleepy look that everyone acquired when they were first roused back into reality. Apparently, Ryan was just as sexy as he had been the night before. Even more so when he was shouting. And then there was Greg, and Ryan’s relationship with him… what exactly was their relationship, anyway? Colin hadn’t thought it his place to ask, and was hoping that Greg would volunteer the information, but he never had. So far they just seemed like a normal pair of friends, although it was a little odd that they lived together, and he couldn’t help but notice that neither of them were wearing wedding rings.

Would it be too much for him to hope, he wondered? "Colin?" He blinked out of his musings to find that Greg was stubbing the end of his cigarette out in an ashtray. "Yeah?" "You’re not planning on leaving yet, are you?" "Well, I-" "Good." Greg had a tendency to lose any patience he possessed if he’d been awake for less than an hour. "In that case, we’ll all take you and Bailey on a guided tour. ‘We’ meaning everybody except Ryan, since he’s working." Even though Colin missed Ryan’s annoyed scowl, Greg caught it out of the corner of his eye and almost gave the game away by taunting him outright. As much as he enjoyed getting on Ryan’s nerves, he didn’t want to think about how, ‘Sucks to be you, I get to spend more time with Colin than you do!’ would go down. Like a lead balloon, he imagined. Colin smiled at the suggestion. "A guided tour? I feel like I’m on holiday." Greg grinned, rising from his seat and stretching languidly. "Technically, you still are. You haven’t been home yet." "I didn’t think Hungary counted as a holiday." "Sure it does, as long as you had fun." Greg relaxed his arms and reached up to fix his glasses on his nose. "I’m going to go and make myself presentable. Just tell me when you’re ready to go." With that, Greg left the kitchen, mindlessly talking to Cleo who had seen him rise and decided it was necessary to follow him. Ryan and Colin were left in a silence that neither was sure how to break until they heard an almighty crash from upstairs followed by a loud expletive.

Colin couldn’t suppress his urge to chuckle lightly and he sent Ryan a curious glance. "What was that?" Ryan was wincing and staring at the ceiling, as if it would become invisible and show him what had happened if he looked hard enough. "It sounded expensive, whatever it was. It’ll be coming out of Greg’s wages." And just like that things were easy again. The tension that had threatened to arise had been broken by Greg’s clumsiness and now the quiet between Ryan and Colin was comfortable as opposed to awkward. It wasn’t long before Ryan cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak but promptly shut it again, rethinking his decision.

Then he changed his mind again and tried not to sound hopeful as he asked, "Will I be seeing you again later on?" Colin met Ryan’s gaze for a moment and just tried not to sound too desperate. "I hope so." As it turned out, they did see each other later. Greg, Colin and the four dogs left for the ‘tour’ a short while after Ryan left for the music store, although not before Greg had done an adequate amount of bitching about a small tuft he had discovered in Cleo’s hair that refused to flatten. Colin had done his best to reassure him that it wasn’t the end of the world, but Greg had still vowed to get rid of the tuft by any means necessary as soon as they got back. Despite this tiny setback, they both enjoyed their day immensely. Greg took Colin through the never-ending stretches of field he lived next to, as well as through a few he’d wasn’t supposed to go near and had been chastised for walking across many times by the old and bitter landowner. The dogs wore themselves out, all four of them chasing after a single ball Greg would throw and occasionally stopping to chew at the growing corn.

They were just approaching the point where one of the fields met the main road when Greg came up with the bright idea of visiting Ryan at work. Colin had agreed without a moment’s hesitation and even with a visible amount of enthusiasm, which Greg noted with a pleased interest.

They turned back. When they were about fifteen minutes away with the dogs no longer running ahead but walking tiredly beside them with their tongues hanging out of their mouths, Colin decided that he couldn’t take not knowing anymore. "Hey, Greg? Can I ask you something?" "Sure, go ahead." "It’s just… well… I’m not sure how best to put it," he confessed. "Without sounding weird, anyway. You and Ryan, you’re not…" Colin made vague hand gestures in an attempt to better articulate himself. "… are you?" Greg furrowed his brow as he watched Colin concentrating very hard on his hand movements, and tried to figure out what he was trying to ask. After a few blank seconds Colin sent him a pleading look and suddenly he understood. "Oh… oh!" Then he burst into laughter, more out of happiness than anything else, but he let Colin think it was because of the absurdity of the suggestion. "God, no. We tried it once but it didn’t float either of our boats. In fact, I think it sank Ryan’s, and mine is beyond repair. Why do you ask?" He needed to be sure, and if Colin’s answering blush and averted gaze were anything to go by, he felt he could be rather certain. He watched Colin carefully as he responded. "I don’t know, I guess I was just curious. I mean, you live together, and…" Colin trailed off as if unsure, when in reality he was trying to stop himself saying anything that would give away his instant attraction to Ryan. He had no way of knowing that Greg, perceptive as he was, had already guessed.

"We live together because it makes sense," Greg supplied, waving a hand dismissively. "I work in his store so I need to be close anyway, and being in the same place means we can share on living expenses and stuff. It just seemed really pointless to get different houses when we could live in the same one." Colin’s shoulders sagged visibly in relief. "Of course, of course. I should have thought of that before, actually. Sorry, I guess I jumped to conclusions." "Oh, don’t worry about it. Out of curiosity, though, would it bother you if Ryan and I were together?" Greg inquired, knowing full well what the answer was. He also knew that the answer Colin would give would be completely different. He was right. "No, why would it-" Greg didn’t let Colin finish, sending him a suggestive grin and nudging him with his elbow. "It’s because you’d quite like a bit of Ryan for yourself, right?" The nudging continued and Colin was suddenly fumbling for words. "I didn’t say-" "Oh, come on, Colin," Greg interrupted for the second time, "you can tell me." "There’s nothing to tell!" Colin continued to protest as his voice took on a slightly panicked edge. "I’m not interested in Ryan that way." Failing to lose the teasing glint in his eyes, Greg made an attempt to grow serious for a moment. "It’s all right man, I’m just messing with you. I already know you have a thing for him. And don’t even try to deny it!" He cut Colin off as he saw him open his mouth to object, fixing him with a stern expression.

Colin continued to flail while Greg continued to stare, and before long the former hung his head in defeat. "Is it really that obvious? I only met him yesterday." "You smile every time his name comes up. Hey, don’t look so worried. I won’t tell him unless you want me to. The idiot can figure something out on his own for once." "Do you think he will? Figure it out, I mean. Oh God, what if he already has? You did, and it hasn’t even been twenty four hours." "Colin," Greg slung an arm casually around his shoulders and kept a straight face. "Ryan’s as thick as two short planks, and twice as dense. I really don’t think he’ll find you out unless you give him a lap dance, and even then he might just think you’re being overly friendly. You’d have to spell it out for him." "Hmm." Colin appeared to be pondering this, and Greg watched him carefully. "I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, to be honest. What if I decided I wanted to let him know subtly?" "You could always get me to tell him for you." "… I don’t know. Can we please change the subject? I think I need some time to recover before I actually see him." "If you insist. Oasis, that had better not be fox shit you’re rolling in." Ryan tapped his foot as he printed out a receipt for a customer. He was eager to get home. It wasn’t like he was having a terrible day; on the contrary, it was positively enjoyable compared to others he could remember. His second new employee, a Mr Jeff Davis, was a breath of fresh air. He had proven himself to be surprisingly competent given his relative youth, and he and John were getting along like a house on fire. The three of them had had a scintillating conversation during lunch about comedians and literature, and even Brad had joined in when he entered the store about half way through. Now there were one or two customers browsing the shelves. Jeff was restocking with an almost unhealthy amount of enthusiasm, and John was in the back sorting out a few records that Ryan had been putting off forever. A more than satisfactory amount of work had been done, and they had bantered back and forth all the while.

Ryan would have been far less eager to leave were it not for the fact that Colin was very probably back at the house right now. He bid his customer farewell and rested his forehead on the counter. This was ridiculous. He hadn’t known Colin a day and already he was on the verge of going crazy just because he’d been away from him for a few hours.

It wasn’t like he’d never been incredibly attracted to anyone before, but he couldn’t recall a time when it had ever been this bad.

When he lifted his head from the counter he had to blink; he could have sworn he just saw Colin outside the window. He blinked again and this time squinted; sure enough, Colin was still there, this time accompanied by Greg and four tired dogs, and the door to his store opened.

The door closed behind the group and Greg bounced forward, grinning from ear to ear. Colin also advanced but hung back a little, eyes trained on the floor and cheeks tinted with red. Probably from the changeable temperature, Ryan reasoned. Greg looked about to say something but stopped mid-bounce when he noticed a man bending over to get to one of the lower shelves and showing off a particularly nice jean-clad arse. He stared for a good ten seconds before fanning himself with his hand and finishing his journey to the counter.

Despite receiving a raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk from Ryan, Greg was unfazed and returned it with one of his own. "How’s it going? We thought we’d come pay you a visit. Isn’t that right, Col?" His use of the nickname was a deliberate and successful attempt to make Ryan just a little bit jealous. Although the annoyance was shown clearly in his eyes, Ryan remained calm for the benefit of his customers. "Your grand tour includes our workplace?" "Well why not?" "Are you trying to bore the poor guy to death?" Ryan used this as an excuse to call over to Colin, "I’m sorry he couldn’t think of somewhere more interesting to take you." Colin mumbled something about it not mattering, and Greg’s eyes strayed back to the man with the nice arse from before, who was now bent so far over the shelf that he had one leg stuck in the air to keep his balance. He had impossibly long legs. Greg was torn between wanting to stare forever and wanting him to stand up so he could see if the man’s face was just as appealing.

Ryan was glad he knew Greg so well. He opened his mouth to comment but before he had an opportunity he was hit with one of the most disgusting odours he’d ever smelt in his life. His hand came up immediately to cover his nose and mouth. "Oh my God, what in the name of all things holy is that?" Greg tore his eyes away from the man and back to Ryan. "Oh yeah, about that. Oasis decided that it was a brilliant idea to cover herself in fox shit, so I need to give her a bath." "Whatever you’re going to do, hurry up and do it. I don’t need her stinking out my store." Ryan then saw the perfect opportunity to show Greg how thankful he was that he’d introduced him to Colin, and called out to the man by the shelves. "Hey Jeff!" The man looked up, and if Greg wasn’t so controlled he was sure his jaw would have dropped. The man was stunning. Greg had been under the impression that people as attractive as that only existed in paintings or works of fiction. Ryan continued. "You fancy giving Greg here a hand? He works here too; you can use this as an opportunity to get to know each other." Greg decided then that Jeff had the most brilliant smile on the entire planet, and Christ he was tall. He strode over, his walk gracefully casual, and stuck out a hand to Greg. "I’m Jeff, it’s great to meet you. What am I helping you with?" Greg was still slightly dumbstruck as he shook the outstretched hand, but slipped easily back into his normal character. "Same to you. There’s a little patio out the back, where we’re going to hose my disgusting pooch down. If you can’t smell why, you’re a lucky man." "Apparently I’m a very lucky man." This comment was accompanied by an almost-seductive look that made Greg weak in the knees, but it was gone as quickly as it had come and Jeff squatted down to introduce himself to the dogs.

Greg shared a look with Ryan before ushering Jeff and all the dogs through the door that led to the back. Greg hung behind and Ryan grinned when they’d disappeared. "He’s for you." All Greg did was lean over the counter and say in a low voice, "I won’t forget this," before practically running after Jeff. Ryan was left alone with Colin – save the customers milling around – who looked considerably uncomfortable. Ryan chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Well, that’s made Greg’s day." Colin, much to Ryan’s relief, smiled, but still didn’t look at him. "Seems like it." Ryan stepped out from behind the counter to finish the job that Jeff had previously been doing. "Where did he take you?" "Just around," Colin replied with a half shrug. "Fields and stuff. You have endless amounts of countryside here." "Oh yeah; practically everywhere you look there’s a field. It gets tedious after a while." "Tedious?" The tone of Colin’s voice suggested he was relaxing a bit. "I’d love to live in a place like this. The closest thing I’ve got to a field back home is a slightly-larger-than-average children’s playground." "There must be some kind of country." "It’s miles away. Not right outside my front door like yours is." "Believe me, you don’t want it outside your front door. You can’t go anywhere without ending up two inches deep in mud." "I’ve been trekking around for hours and I’m fine. Just a little dusty." Although this was a terrible excuse for Ryan to eye Colin up and down, it was the only excuse he had and he didn’t know whether he would get another. And Colin was telling the truth; he was almost covered up to his knees in dry dust. But Ryan didn’t stop there. He dragged his gaze slowly up the length of Colin’s body, lingering everywhere for longer than was strictly necessary, eventually ending up staring into Colin’s questioning eyes. Colin fought the urge to shift uncomfortably on the spot at the scrutiny. He couldn’t tell what Ryan was thinking; his contemplative expression gave nothing away. There weren’t any quirks or shifts, no half smiles or frowns. Ryan wasn’t even blinking. Colin, on the other hand, was sure that he was blushing up a storm and with every second that went by he became more convinced that his attraction to Ryan was written all over his face. Then Ryan turned back to his task of restacking CDs and it was almost like nothing had happened. "A bit dusty, yeah. I suppose I’d rather be dusty than muddy." But Ryan was by no means as nonchalant as he was making out to be; all his internal systems seemed to have gone into overdrive and he was making a very conscious effort to keep his breathing steady and normal. Colin had the most amazing brown eyes, which he remembered noting the previous evening, and it had been immensely difficult to find the willpower to look away. Looking into Colin’s eyes was something he was going to have to be particularly careful to avoid in future, lest he give himself away and in turn make Colin horribly uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure how he’d handle a situation like that. A small cough from behind him brought him back to the here and now, and he turned his head again to see that Colin had approached him. "Can I help with that? That is, if you don’t mind. I feel rather useless standing around doing nothing but distracting you, and it’ll be done twice as fast with both of us." Ryan blinked, then smiled. "If you insist." Distracting me? You don’t know the half of it… Greg still couldn’t believe his good fortune. He was alone (if the dogs weren’t counted) with someone who was quite possibly the sexiest man he’d ever seen, on a relatively warm spring day, laughing and joking like they had known each other for years. Oasis hadn’t taken to the idea of being hosed down and had tried to escape this fate by running around the two of them as they tried to get her to hold still. This had resulted in Greg hosing Jeff by accident a few times, leaving Jeff dripping wet with his clothes clinging to his body. The only way Greg thought he could be luckier was if Jeff spontaneously decided to perform a striptease before showing Greg just how talented his tongue was. And he’d get to work with this guy every day. What had he done to deserve something so wonderful? Well, whatever; he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He aimed the hose at Oasis while Jeff, with all the stealth of a brick through a window, crept up behind her and pounced with an exotic war cry. He caught her around the middle, and she struggled against him. He held on tight; eventually the scuffle led to both Jeff and Oasis lying on their sides. Jeff looked up at Greg, excitement shining in his eyes. Greg was momentarily distracted by the sheer beauty of him.

"Now!" Jeff cried. "Quick, while she’s still!" Oasis wasn’t still, not even a bit; she was continuing to thrash like a fish out of water. Judging by the way her tail kept smacking Jeff in the stomach, she thought this was one big game. Greg didn’t waste any time turning on the hose and firing at will. By the time Oasis escaped Jeff’s clutches, Greg had managed to spray away some of the fox shit, while some had been transferred onto Jeff’s shirt, but Jeff himself had suffered the brunt of the blast. Greg felt he was justified in admitting to himself that this had been intentional; Jeff was damn hot when wet and dripping. Oasis ran to stand behind Greg’s feet, and Greg could easily have used the opportunity to clean her a bit more were he not so fixated on Jeff, who was still lying on the floor and was currently laughing so hard that he was clutching his stomach. Droplets of water ran down his face and disappeared under his shirt collar, deliberately teasing, and Greg swallowed hard. He was still smiling though – it was difficult not to when Jeff was so obviously enjoying himself – so he didn’t look too suspicious when Jeff opened his eyes and caught him staring. Greg shook his head, chuckling. "You’re hopeless. You’re supposed to keep hold of her." Jeff sat up, mouth hanging open in bewilderment. "How was I supposed to do that with you firing water in my face?" "You signed up for this, you could at least be competent," Greg replied, trying to look innocent. Jeff wasn’t buying it and stood up, still smiling, before making an attempt to brush some of the fox poo from his shirt. "I don’t recall anything like this being in my job description, thank you." "We’ll add it in later," Greg winked, before spraying another dose of water at an unprepared Oasis. She jumped and made a run for it, her path going directly behind Jeff. Jeff didn’t have time to move out of the way before Greg doused him again. "You did that on purpose!" "So what if I did?" Greg casually swung the end of the flimsy hose in circles. He barely had a moment to prepare before Jeff tackled him to the ground and tried to wrestle the hose out of his grasp. "I’ll have my revenge!" Jeff shouted, obviously trying not to laugh at the look on Greg’s face, as he used his entire body to hold him down. Their chests and hips ground together, their legs tangled; Jeff used his hands to pin Greg’s arms to the floor, although Greg kept a tight grip on the hose. "You’re aware," Greg tried, after clearing his throat, "that you can’t wreak any revenge in this position, right?" Jeff didn’t answer; his smile simply broadened and he tried to contain his giggles. In this situation, with Jeff’s face a mere few inches from his own, Greg was extremely aware once again of just how gorgeous he was, of his heavy breathing across his face and of his body heat, and he suddenly had reason to panic. It seemed he was beginning to enjoy being in this position a little too much, and he playfully but forcefully pushed Jeff off him. As much as he enjoyed flirting, it wouldn’t do for Jeff to have physical evidence of his attraction being pressed into his thigh quite so soon. But Jeff was apparently not ready to give up, and made another lunge for the hose pipe. He managed to secure a hold without landing on top of Greg this time, and shot him a cheeky grin. Greg returned it enthusiastically; this was safer. Only their arms were brushing against each other now as they fought for control over the water supply, and Greg let himself enjoy the contact and be merry. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to have such carefree, childish fun with someone. It was an experience that simply made him like Jeff more.

When they had eventually managed to clean Oasis enough to ensure that she wouldn’t stink out Ryan’s store, both of them were pretty soaked (Jeff had finally succeeded in stealing the hose). They trudged back inside, leaving the dogs outside to play on the patio while they dried off, and Jeff hadn’t taken four steps before he peeled his shirt from his body, revealing his bare chest. Greg’s mouth suddenly went very dry. "Is that really appropriate? Not that I mind, obviously, but…" Jeff dropped his short to the floor and turned, lacing his hands behind his head. "What do you suggest? I was going to ask if you had anything spare that I could borrow. I can’t wear that," he gestured to the shirt. "I’ll be dripping all over the place if I do." Greg’s eyes wanted so badly to roam over the expanse of skin that Jeff was showing off, and it was an incredibly difficult urge to resist. He busied himself by looking around the room in search of a spare shirt or two. "I must do somewhere. And if I don’t, Ryan might. He won’t mind us borrowing his clothes." The store was actually something of a Tardis; it was far bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside. There was barely room to move outside on the back patio, and the front display window was tiny. But, besides the back room Greg and Jeff were currently standing in, there was a small relaxation room and a room for stock, and then upstairs was where all important documents and records were kept. Still refusing to look at Jeff, Greg turned and walked into the little spare room, trying to think of anything but the half naked man who was following him. He did manage to find a couple of shirts lying around. Removing his own shirt might have been an awkward affair had he not possessed a slight streak of exhibitionism, and he went about it almost as slowly and provocatively as a professional stripper. As they both slipped on the dry shirts, he wondered whether Jeff liked what he saw; unfortunately, smug as the man’s expression was, it was very difficult to read. When they made their way back into the main store, Greg couldn’t help but grin at the sight that greeted them. Jeff’s restocking job had been finished, and there was one idle-looking customer browsing the dance section. Ryan was behind the counter, resting on his elbows, and Colin was leaning against the front; they were talking and laughing like old friends. Both were smiling and they weren’t looking away from each other’s eyes even for a moment in their conversation. Apparently their bit of bonding-alone time had done the world of good. Jeff was not as up-to-date on the situation between them as Greg was, and laughed out loud as he made what he thought to be a harmless comment. "Anyone would think you’re in love with the way you’re looking at each other!" Ryan and Colin, previously unaware of the arrival of others, jumped and turned to look at them with matching panicked expressions. It, Greg idly and amusedly thought, was like something out of a cartoon. They both stared at Jeff, Ryan’s mouth hanging partially open and Colin discreetly digging his nails into the counter, each of their thoughts going a mile a minute. Ryan was momentarily stunned and seemed to be able to do nothing but openly gape. In love? That was a bit of an extreme way of putting it, considering the fact that they’d practically just met, but Jeff didn’t know that. Was he really that far gone so quickly and, more to the point, was he really that obvious about it? He had thought he was just being friendly like anyone would be, but apparently he was still overdoing it. It might be necessary to hold back even more, although he was having difficulty holding back as it was. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to manage being any less attentive. Colin’s mind was going in a similar direction, and his wide-eyed gaze flickered between Jeff (for drawing Ryan’s attention to something he may have otherwise not noticed) and Greg (for help). He couldn’t believe that he’d allowed his attraction to be written so plainly over his face that people he’d never met before were noticing it. It wasn’t like him at all. What would Ryan think? Oh God, what if he started acting awkwardly around him? Every time he saw him, it would just be a reminder of his own inability to keep his feelings in check. Unable to contain himself any longer, Greg burst out laughing. "The look on your faces!" he gasped, slinging an arm around the oblivious Jeff’s shoulders. "That was utterly priceless. I wish I’d had a camera!" Ryan was the first to recover, scowling at Greg and knowing the subject needed to be changed before things got potentially embarrassing. "Yeah, real funny. Is it safe to assume Oasis is no longer a health hazard?" "She’s as clean as a whistle, you’ll be pleased to hear, and currently drying out on the patio." "And," Ryan said, quirking an eyebrow at their shirts and recognising the one worn by Greg as his own, "was there a reason for the change of clothes? Or don’t I want to know?" Greg smirked; so this was the way they were going to play it, was it? He tightened his arm around Jeff’s shoulders and, wrapping the other around the front of his waist, leered up at him suggestively. "He’s onto us, babe." It was then that Greg was delighted to learn that Jeff loved to play and joke in more ways than just the childish way. His insides flip-flopped as Jeff returned the leer, planting his hands firmly on Greg’s hips and leaning down to brush his nose against his neck. "I guess there’s no use hiding it anymore. What’s our plan of action?" The feeling of Jeff’s warm breath dancing over his neck made it tricky for Greg to concentrate. "We’ll think of something. Or we’ll improvise. As long as we get the stains out of the sofa in the back room before Ryan sees…" Ryan shook his head, closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to his temples. "Before that, I don’t think I knew the meaning of ‘too much information’." "You and me both." Colin was using his hand to shield his eyes as if it would make him impervious to the blunt implications.

Jeff and Greg were far too amused. "That was too much information?" Jeff asked in mock disbelief, sliding his hands down to rest on Greg’s arse. "But we could have told you about the dirty things he was yelling at the top of his lungs while I sucked him off…" "Or," Greg continued, pulling Jeff impossibly closer and latching one of his legs around Jeff’s calf, "we could have told you about how I came down his throat and he licked up everything he missed…" "Or even," Jeff was having difficulty controlling his laughter; Greg could feel him shaking against him with the restraint, "how hot and tight and absolutely blissful it was when he rode me for everything he was worth-" "Please, stop!" Ryan interrupted, unable to take the mental images being conjured up any longer. "I’m going to have trouble sleeping tonight." Colin just looked dumbstruck, the back of his hand resting against his forehead. "I think I’m going to have trouble sleeping for a month." "You should try sleeping together." The comment itself, combined with the fact that Jeff didn’t seem to realise exactly what he’d just said, caused Greg to lose control and he burst out laughing again. Jeff looked confusedly between him and the shocked faces of Ryan and Colin before cottoning onto the suggestive meaning of his words and laughing himself. It wasn’t long before Greg was using the laughter as an excuse to cling tightly to Jeff, and for whatever reason Jeff was doing the same. Colin couldn’t remember ever blushing so much in one day before; it was absurd. And Ryan was just concentrating on ridding his mind of the visual which had been handily supplied with Jeff’s comment before he got too excited. The two of them shared a glance, each of them trying to gauge how the other was reacting to the filthy but not entirely unappealing implications of what Jeff had suggested. They both seemed relieved to find out that they were reacting in almost the same way, and they continued to stare for a bit too long before the laughter became contagious and they started to chuckle. The four of them enjoyed each other’s company until the store began to get busy again. Jeff was put behind the counter while Ryan tried to help customers find what they were looking for; they barely had time to say goodbye before Greg bundled Colin and the dogs out of the door and they made their way back to the house. "He’s amazing." "I think we’ve established that." "No, I mean it. Not only is he sex on a very long pair of legs, he’s funny and he’s charming and just generally perfect." Greg had been talking in this way for at least half an hour, and if he was honest Ryan was beginning to regret hiring Jeff. He hadn’t realised that he would have to listen to Greg going on about him. "Look, Greg, I’m glad you’re enjoying him. Really, I am. But Colin and I don’t need to hear about it." Greg sighed, wistfully and melodramatically, apparently not hearing a word of Ryan’s reply. "For the first time in a long time, I can honestly say that I’m looking forward to going back to work in that store. He is working Mondays, right? Hey, can I see his hours?" Dropping his head to the table, Ryan groaned and received a comforting pat on the shoulder from Colin. "I’m tempted to fire him again to get you to stop talking about him." "That would just be cruel! Colin!" Greg turned and pointed a finger at him, nearly taking his eye out in the process. "If you so much as let him think about firing the new love of my life, I’ll have to do something about… what we talked about earlier." Colin panicked. "What? Why are you getting me involved?" But it was too late; Ryan’s curiosity was now fully engaged and he looked between Colin and Greg. "What were you talking about earlier?" Greg noticed as Colin flailed, trying to think of something convincing quickly, and came to his rescue. "None of your damn business, Stiles. This is between Col and me." And there was that damn nickname again; Ryan knew Greg was just trying to wind him up now, and he made sure Greg knew that his imminent death was a strong possibility if he kept it up. "Keeping secrets from me, now?" "It’s nothing new; I’ve always kept secrets from you. Remember that pair of shoes with the burgundy and blue flames up the sides that you thought you lost? I took them to a charity shop." At least this served to momentarily distract Ryan and he stared at Greg in bewilderment. "But I loved those shoes!" "They were revolting. It was embarrassing to see you wearing them." "Do you have any idea how difficult and expensive it is to get shoes for feet my size?" "If you’re going to be spending such effort and money, at least get something acceptable. My point is, I keep a lot of secrets from you. One more isn’t going to hurt." "Colin!" Ryan turned to him now, clearly getting nowhere with Greg, and looked at him with pleading eyes. Although he didn’t really expect anything else from Greg, he was a little hurt that Colin would decide to share something with Greg and not him. He shouldn’t have been, but he was. "I thought we were friends." "We are… I… you’ve both put me in rather a difficult position," Colin laughed half-heartedly, staring up at the patterned ceiling and hoping that some of the attention would be diverted from him. He couldn’t possibly tell Ryan how he felt; that was out of the question, for now at least. And with Greg dangling it over his head, there was no way Ryan would believe him if he told him they had been talking about something mundane and trivial.

He looked back down when Ryan wrapped his long fingers around his wrist. "Why is it that you can tell Greg but not me? Have I done something?" "No!" This answer came a little too immediately for Colin’s liking, so he elaborated. "No, you haven’t done anything. It’s just… it’s kind of personal…" Ryan reluctantly let go of Colin’s wrist, noting Colin’s hesitation and feeling a little (lot) disappointed. "It’s okay. I under-" "I have erectile dysfunction." There was a shocked silence as the three men at the table, Colin included, registered what Colin had said. Greg, who had been watching the interaction with an open fascination, broke it by bursting into laughter.

Ryan blinked, surprise written all over his face, while Colin just hung his head and blushed for the hundredth time that day. It had been the first thing remotely personal that came to mind, so he had blurted it out. He just found that he hadn’t been able to stand seeing Ryan look so dejected and know that he was the cause of it. The only way he could think of to fix it would be to set Ryan’s mind at rest. He could feel Ryan staring at him, probably still quite shocked, and he really wished he’d been able to think of something slightly less embarrassing. Oh well, he’d said it now. He had no choice to run with it. Not yet though, because Greg was still howling with laughter. He had even taken his glasses off to wipe at his eyes with the backs of his knuckles. He was unfortunately (or fortunately – that was debatable) well aware that Colin was lying through his back teeth and was finding the entire situation hilarious. "That’s what you were talking to Greg about?" The worst part was that Ryan actually sounded concerned; Colin nodded, unable to bring himself to answer verbally. Of course, Ryan’s concern just sparked off a whole new wave of laughter from Greg. Colin could only cringe and decided to block everything out of his peripheral vision to leave him staring down at the table as Ryan shot Greg a stern look. "It’s not funny. How can you be such a bastard as to laugh?" He turned back to Colin, who refused to look at anyone. "I hope he didn’t act like this when you talked to him before." "No," Colin mumbled, "he was quite kind about it before." He lifted his eyes to Greg, who was now suffering from uncontrollable silent laughter, and surreptitiously kicked him under the table. He was not going through the humiliation of Ryan thinking he had a terribly embarrassing problem just to have Greg give him away by laughing.

Luckily, Greg did manage to pull himself together and put his glasses back on, gasping in an attempt to get his breath back. "Oh man. I am so sorry; I wasn’t expecting you to throw it out into the open like that. God, that was good." Ryan was torn; with the way Greg was acting, he was tempted to say that this was all an elaborate ploy. But Colin seemed genuinely uncomfortable and was apparently trying to curl into himself and disappear. He didn’t know who to believe. He could trust his experience with Greg, or give Colin the benefit of the doubt. After a moment of careful deliberation, he opted for the latter. Greg had never been all that trustworthy anyway. When the laughter had subsided, Greg decided it was time to leave his two oblivious friends to it. With any luck, this almost-slip-up would let them get everything out in the open, and they could get on with being happy and jolly together. "On that entertaining note," he said as he rose from his chair, "I think I’ll go and find Mr Davis’ hours myself. You’re bound to have them in the study somewhere." And he left the room; Jeff was more of a priority to him at this moment anyway. Greg closed the kitchen door behind him, leaving Ryan and Colin alone for the second time that day. This time, however, Colin was going to find it difficult to forgive him. How could he abandon him when he’d just falsely declared his impotence? If Ryan sussed him out, he wouldn’t have anything to fall back on.

He dared to glance over at Ryan, who was still leaning his head on the table, staring over at the door somewhat distantly, jiggling one leg up and down. Colin recognised it as a nervous thing; one of his friends back home was doing it all the time.

"Col… can I ask you something?" Ryan didn’t move as he spoke, and Colin couldn’t deny that it made him a little wary of what Ryan might ask. He didn’t know how he would respond if Ryan accused him of lying about his ‘problem’. "Sure." "I mean, I know I’ve only known you a day or so, and you’ve only known Greg a little longer than you’ve known me, but… well… this is going to sound so ridiculous if I’m wrong…" "How bad can it be?" Colin replied with more confidence than he was feeling. "I won’t judge you, if that’s what you’re worried about." Ryan sighed quietly. "I know you wouldn’t; you’re too nice for that. But that’s not it. Do you… do you have feelings for Greg?" Colin was sure he had heard that wrong; it was possible, since Ryan’s voice had definitely decreased in volume towards the end of the question. "I must have heard that wrong." "If you heard me asking if you had feelings for Greg, you heard right. I know it’s a personal question, and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. It’s just that you seem really close to him and-" "Let me stop you right there; you’ve got it all wrong. Greg’s my friend, nothing more. Is this about… because I told him about… my…" God, Colin couldn’t bring himself to say it again. Even just saying ‘erectile dysfunction’ the first time had been an accident, since he hadn’t really thought about what he was saying until it was too late. "I’m sorry," Ryan, seeming to sense his distress, saved him the trouble of saying it again by cutting him off. "I’m just being stupid. It’s been a long day, a long week. I keep getting ideas out of nowhere." "I’m serious," Colin reiterated. "I don’t feel that way towards Greg. At all." He needed to make sure Ryan knew. If Ryan thought he harboured any romantic feelings towards Greg, even the slightest chance he had with him might be done for. And he had to have at least that thin shred of hope to cling to.

Ryan nodded, having never felt more relieved in his life. The thought had been bothering him since Greg had brought Colin home, and the fact that Colin had been sharing things with Greg while he wasn’t around just seemed to make his suspicions worse. He knew Greg wouldn’t do anything – he might have been an arsehole sometimes, but he was a decent guy and he wasn’t cruel enough to deliberately seduce someone he knew Ryan had his eye on – but that didn’t mean Colin wouldn’t try something himself. Even though that seemed unlikely with Greg’s open infatuation with Jeff, anything was possible and Ryan was happy to rid his mind of the thought. He heard the phone ring in the living room, and waited for Greg to answer it. Only when he heard his housemate cheerfully proclaim that the caller had successfully managed to reach the helpline for those with erectile dysfunction did he speak again, knowing there was no chance of interruption from anyone besides Colin himself. "Like I said, it’s none of my business if you do. I think I just kind of envy Greg’s ability to instantly attach himself to anyone he meets. I mean, you saw how he was with Jeff earlier. Less than an hour and they were all over each other." Colin lifted his head to rest his chin in his palms. "I’m not all over him like that, am I?" Ryan let out a small laugh. "Christ, no. You just seem to get on so well. Anyone would think you’ve been friends for years." "If it means anything, I’m more comfortable around you than Greg." Ryan looked up at Colin for the first time since Greg had left the room. "Really?" Colin grinned sheepishly, but did manage not to blush again. "Yeah. Greg’s a bit too unpredictable for my tastes. Don’t get me wrong, excitement’s a good thing, but…" "There’s a boundary," Ryan finished, "and Greg definitely crosses it. I know exactly what you mean. Although, Jeff doesn’t seem to mind it. But thanks, Col. That means a lot." They stared at each other a moment as Ryan bit the inside of his lower lip. Would it really be such a bad thing if Colin knew how he felt? It might just make him uncomfortable where he wasn’t already, but Colin’s words had inspired confidence in him. Maybe it was worth giving it a shot. "Hypothetically," he started, trying to think how best to word it, "how would you react if I told you-" "Ryan, dearest!" The door flew open and hit the adjoining wall as Greg bounded into the room, unaware of what he had just interrupted and carrying the cordless phone in his hand. "Phone for you." To say the least, Ryan was pissed off, and it showed in his voice. "Can’t it wait?" "It’s Drew, and you know how Drew can get sometimes." "If it’s Drew, he can damn well talk to you. You know how to handle the store too." Greg shrugged and held out the phone, picking up by Ryan’s tone that he may have just walked in on something important. Oh well; so was this call, by the sounds of it. "He won’t speak to me. He insists on talking to you, and he tells me it’s a matter of urgency." "Have you tried getting him to speak to you instead?" "Of course I have; what do you take me for? I have your best interests at heart, you know that. But like I said, apparently whatever it is needs to be spoken about right now." Ryan growled and stood up, snatching the phone from Greg’s outstretched hand. "Why couldn’t he have called me at the store? Why does he always insist on calling me at home? The man has no sense of personal space." He lifted the phone to his ear, saying, "This had better be good," to Drew as Greg sat down in his previous seat. Greg watched curiously as Colin’s eyes followed Ryan out of the room, and he wondered what had transpired in the short time he had been absent.

When Ryan closed the door behind him, Colin turned his attention to Greg, and noticed for the first time the few sheets of paper he was holding. "What have you got there?" Greg grinned, forgetting about Ryan for the time being and setting the pieces of paper on the table. "This, my friend, is Jeff’s CV and a list of all the hours he’s supposed to be working. I intend to be working whenever he is." The next night, Colin began packing up his belongings, aiming to go back to his own house the following morning. Ryan sat downstairs, absently keeping Bailey busy and cursing himself for forgetting that Colin wouldn’t be around forever. Somewhere along the line he had become so used to Colin’s presence, not only at his home but at the store too, and now he was unsure he would be able to adjust to a life without Colin in it. Jesus, he really had fallen fast.

He hadn’t again come as close to telling Colin how he felt, and he had decided that perhaps that was for the best. He didn’t want to put Colin off the idea of visiting them again at some point; it wasn’t worth the risk. As he waved an old sock tied in a knot around in the air and watched as Bailey made half-hearted attempts to catch it, he wondered about his feelings for Colin. Really wondered. He’d been attracted to people before, there was no doubt about that, but he’d never felt anything quite this strong with anyone else. And certainly never this quickly. Was that significant? Did it mean that this was something special and rare, or was it just that he had never found anyone before who he liked enough to experience it with? He had no idea, and for once he was on his own. Of course, he could talk to Greg about it if he wanted to, but there was no guarantee that Greg would truly understand what he was going through. Or he might misinterpret it as something weaker than it was and assume that Ryan was just sensationalising it far more than was actually necessary. But he wasn’t. His entire being ached at the thought that, after tomorrow, it was not certain whether he would ever see or even hear from Colin again. It wasn’t just a dull, throbbing ache either that would undoubtedly fade before long; no, this was one of those aches that exhausted every fibre of the being and gnawed away at any semblance of sanity until all had been consumed. Well, he supposed he didn’t know that for sure yet; but he was already aching pretty damn badly, and Colin was only upstairs. How on earth was he going to cope when the man was miles away? "Ryan?" Greg’s voice penetrated his thoughts from the doorway. "You’re aware that Bailey is chewing your shoelaces, right? And what are you doing with my sock?" "What? No, Bailey!" Ryan lifted his feet out of Bailey’s reach. "Sorry, I think I drifted off for a minute there." Almost as an afterthought, he threw Greg’s soggy sock at him, and it was caught with a grimace. "You’re sulking because Colin’s leaving." It wasn’t a question, and once again Ryan found himself resigned to the fact that Greg knew him far too well. Denying the accusation would be fruitless. "How do you suggest I spend my last hours of happiness?" "Happiness? You could’ve fooled me," Greg replied, heaving himself away from the doorframe and making his way over to drop himself next to Ryan on the sofa. "Why aren’t you up there with him?" "Come on; he’s only packing. I don’t want to come across as creepy, do I?" "Oh please, as if you don’t already. What’s up with you, though? You didn’t even notice that Bailey was trying to eat your beloved shoes. That says something to me." "I guess that is pretty bad. He didn’t do any irreparable damage, did he?" Ryan’s voice took on a slightly worried edge as he inspected his shoes for harm for the first time, and Greg’s lips curled upwards. "Stop changing the subject and spill the beans. This damn moodiness of yours can’t just be because Colin’s leaving; I refuse to believe it. Even you’re not that bad. What else is bugging you? Tell dear old Greg, you know you want to." The worst bit of it was that Ryan really did want to tell Greg, whether he would understand it or not. He picked at his shoes for a few more seconds before sitting back. "You’re right, as usual. It’s just… it’s Colin." Greg frowned. "You just agreed that it wasn’t. Make up your mind." "No, I said that it wasn’t because he’s leaving. Even though that’s definitely a contributing factor." "So what has he done? Or would it be more appropriate to ask what he hasn’t done?" "He hasn’t done anything; it’s me." "… it was Colin a second ago." "Ok," Ryan leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, "let me try to explain it another way. You know Romeo and Juliet?" By this point Greg was completely lost and had no idea what Ryan was getting at; all he could do was nod to encourage him to continue. "The minute they saw each other, that was it. They knew. No one else would ever be good enough. That’s what it feels like Colin has done to me. He’s just taken my breath away, you know? I can’t stop thinking about him. It’s bad enough that he’s staying here; I can’t get away from him. But it’s going to be even worse when he’s gone. He’s so amazing, and… God, Greg; I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s unreal." Greg shifted to lean his head on Ryan’s shoulder. "Tell him." "Do you not remember me telling you just now about not wanting to be creepy?" "I’m serious," Greg shrugged, ignoring the look of disbelief sent his way. "Why would you keep that to yourself? People like hearing stuff like that." "Not when the person saying it has only known them a few days." "What difference does it make? You definitely wouldn’t mind him saying the same thing to you." "That’s different," Ryan argued. "I feel more for him than he does for me." "How do you know?" "Because… stop picking holes! The point is, I wouldn’t be able to bear it if I said something like that to him and he just looked at me like I was a complete weirdo." "For once in your life Ry, just once, do us all a favour and trust me. I swear you won’t regret it." Ryan didn’t reply, and Greg sighed in exasperation.

"I know you don’t want to mess anything up. I get it. But isn’t that what you’re doing right now anyway? I mean, you don’t want him to leave, but you’re skulking down here while he packs his stuff on his own. Telling him the truth could make a valuable first impression." "It could also ruin the one he’s already got." "I’ve never known you to be such a coward!" Ryan rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, scowling. "You don’t understand, Greg. This is a big thing, and if I make a mess of it I’m going to regret it. I came close to suggesting that I was attracted to him yesterday before you interrupted with Drew on the phone. What if that was a sign that maybe I’m not supposed to tell him? Not yet, at least. I want to be cautious this time instead of rushing into anything." Greg resisted the urge to batter him about the head with one of his slippers and instead raked his blunt fingernails down the side of his own face. Why on earth had he told Colin that he wouldn’t tell Ryan how he felt? Had he not been thinking about his words before he said them? Of course he was going to want to meddle, especially if this was how frustrating the two of them were going to be, but now, because of him and his big mouth, his options were limited. All he could do was encourage them or set something up. … or set something up indeed. That definitely set his brain ticking.

There came a hesitant knock on the open door. "Sorry to interrupt," Colin explained as his hosts simultaneously looked up at him, "but it’s just occurred to me that I have no idea how to get home from here. Do you have a map or something I could use?" "No need!" Greg saw his opportunity – and only seconds after he knew there would even be one – and leapt in before Ryan offered up their internet services for a route planner. "Ryan has the day off tomorrow so he’ll be more than happy to drive you." Colin bit his lip as Ryan swivelled back around to Greg, his eyebrows raised and his expression one of disbelief. "I have the day off?" "Sure you do. Everyone needs a break every now and again, and I can’t remember the last time your weekend was more than one day long." Ryan wanted to protest further. What on earth was Greg playing at? He had nothing to gain from sending Ryan off for at least three hours of alone time with Colin, unless he was planning to lure Jeff back to the empty house. He was dubious of Greg’s motives. But all that time with Colin… it was a difficult opportunity to pass up, even if he would have to do an insane amount of driving to get it. Colin protested for him. "Don’t go to any unnecessary trouble. I can get a cab-" "That’ll cost you a fortune," Greg interjected.

"On the trains, then." "It’ll still be far too expensive," Ryan said, standing and stretching. "I don’t mind taking you, Col. In fact, I’d be happy to. You’re much better company than Greg." Greg scowled and stood up also, moving past Colin. "I’m hurt. If anyone wants me, I’ll be in the kitchen comfort eating." When he was out of earshot, Colin looked back up to meet Ryan’s eyes. "Are you sure you don’t mind? I mean, it’s a long drive, and I don’t want to keep you if there are things you need to be doing-" "Nonsense. I won’t allow you to get back by any other means. Besides, I need to know the route for when we come to kidnap you next time." Colin laughed quietly but didn’t argue any further, and Ryan’s heart fluttered in his chest. How on earth was he going to manage when Colin was miles away? "You sure you’ve got everything?" Ryan asked as he lifted Colin’s case into the boot of his car.

"I hope so. It’ll be a long journey back to pick up anything I’ve left behind." But you’re leaving me behind! Ryan wanted to shout. Instead he said, "We can always mail things to you." Colin looked doubtful as he encouraged Bailey to hop onto the back seat, also thinking about the fact that he was going home to a life without Ryan. "Not big things, you can’t." "Have you brought anything that’s too big to mail?" "Uh…" Colin hesitated. "Not exactly…" Slamming the boot closed, Ryan chuckled. "You either have or you haven’t." "Then I guess I haven’t," came the reply with a smile. "Mail would be too uncomfortable anyway." "Uncomfortable?" Ryan willed his excitable heartbeat to calm down; there was no way that Colin was implying what he thought he was implying.

But Colin just kept smiling in a secret way that made it seem as if he was laughing at some private joke, and just for a moment Ryan allowed himself to hope.

"Come on, you bastards! We don’t have all day!" Greg bellowed, ever the morning person, suddenly appearing in the doorway and evidently trying very hard to stay awake. It was the same every morning he had to work; he’d never understood why everything had to be done so early in the morning. Whoever had come up with the idea in the first place must have been a sadist of the highest order. The fact that Ryan and Colin were happily flirting away like teenagers should have done something to improve his mood, but that sort of thing was apparently a bit difficult to cope with at such an early hour. He’d be pleased for them later, he was sure. Colin saw a barely suppressed yawn and grinned over at Greg, aware by now that it would have been silly to expect him to be civil in the morning; for Ryan, the spell was well and truly broken, and he sent Greg a reproachful glare for interrupting again. He was almost convinced that he was doing it on purpose, just to annoy him. Well, there would certainly by no chance of that when they were on their way to Derby. And even if Greg could have found a way, he wouldn’t have bothered; he’d have other things, namely Jeff, keeping him busy. Oasis and Cleo ran past Greg’s legs and outside to sniff at Colin, and Greg followed them out. "You’ll make sure Ryan behaves himself, won’t you? He’s been known to suffer from road rage." "Oh, you’re a fine one to talk," Ryan said, coming round to the side of the car. "You can’t drive anywhere without screaming at any unfortunate passengers you have." "I’m not the one doing the driving today. I just thought I’d better warn Colin that he may experience some unpleasantness during the journey." "He won’t. I can control myself, you know." "Whatever." Then Greg was ignoring Ryan and wrapping his arms around Colin in a sudden and sleepy hug. "It was good having you here, buddy. Now you know we’re not dangerous criminals, I hope we’ll be seeing you again before long." Colin returned the hug. "I hope so too. It’s been a fun weekend." Greg could feel Ryan glaring at him, and so deliberately held the hug for a second longer than necessary before pulling away and stepping back towards the door. "Have a good drive, both of you. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and all that." His well-wishing was ignored by Ryan, but Colin acknowledged it with a final wave as he climbed into the passenger seat. Ryan closed the door behind him and, with Colin now out of hearing range, said to Greg on his way to the other side of the car, "Anyone would think you wanted him to hate me." Greg grinned and ushered his dogs back inside the house. "Can’t have things being too easy for you, can we?" "You just wait until I get back. I can make it difficult for you to so much as lay eyes on Jeff Davis." "We’ll see, Ryan." Then Ryan was in the car and he was driving away towards Derby. Greg strolled back into the house with a spring in his step, wondering what he could achieve in approximately six hours. With any luck, Colin would invite Ryan in and he would be gone for even longer. More time for him to concentrate on the man of his own dreams. They had been on the road for about an hour and a half, and Ryan’s temper was fraying. Colin watched him from the passenger seat with a wary eye as an elderly driver in front of them stalled for the third time in as many minutes.

"You shouldn’t even be on the road, duckie!" Ryan shouted through the windscreen, slamming his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. "Haven’t you been registered blind yet?" Tentatively, Colin reached out and rested his hand on Ryan’s tense shoulder. "Why don’t we stop somewhere and get some fresh air? There must be somewhere close by where we can get a drink and something to eat." It seemed to have the desired calming effect, and Ryan heaved a great sigh. "That’s probably a good idea. I’m sorry about this, Col; I guess Greg was right when he said I was an angry driver." "Don’t worry about it. I can get pretty mad on the road myself. Let’s just find somewhere to stop for now." A little while later they found themselves at a service station eating take-away fast food. It wasn’t ideal, but it was something, and at least they had managed to find an unsteady table with a couple of plastic chairs to sit at outside. It saved having to sit on the patch of grass near the road. "It’s weird," Ryan commented as he stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth. "I haven’t eaten food like this for years." "Me either," Colin said around a mouthful of burger. "It’s as terrible as I remember it being." "Yeah. There’s nothing like food substitute to get you going on the road." Whatever reply Colin may have had was cut off by a pidgeon who thought it necessary to inspect their table for leftovers, despite the fact that they were still eating. Ryan batted at it with the arm that wasn’t holding his fries. "Get your own!" The bird was apparently used to this sort of reaction and was therefore unfazed; instead it turned and focused its attention on the burger in Colin’s hand. Colin realised that this bird may not be above taking things straight from peoples hands, so he hurriedly stuffed the remainder of his burger in his mouth, trying to grin at the bird. Ryan batted at it again, this time clipping it on the wing, and it flew away in search of someone else to pester. He then turned back to Colin, and all annoyance he felt at the bird melted away at the adorable sight of him struggling with the burger, which seemed to be far too big for one mouthful. He kicked him lightly under the table. "What did you do that for?" Colin shrugged, unable to speak for the time being, and kicked him back. Ryan may have imagined it, but he could have sworn that Colin’s foot brushed slowly against his leg as it retreated. Although Colin was much too busy trying to make some sense of his burger to let anything show on his face, Ryan indulged himself with that sliver of hope again. And this time, Greg wasn’t around to interrupt it. He kicked Colin softly again, just below the knee, brushing his foot all the way along Colin’s calf on the way down, too slowly for it to have been accidental.

Now, the way Ryan saw it, Colin could react in one of three ways. He could take it for what it was – blatant flirting – and respond accordingly. It wasn’t likely. He could also take it for what it was and react in a wholly negative way, which Ryan was hoping wouldn’t happen. Alternatively, he could take it as some kind of joke or challenge and, again, respond accordingly.

After a moment of what looked like indecision, Colin kicked him back and repeated the leg-brushing manoeuvre. Well, he hadn’t reacted badly; that was a good sign, surely? But the glint in his eyes told Ryan that he had gone for the challenge option. Either he hadn’t recognised it as flirting, or he hadn’t wanted to. Oh well. At least Ryan’s secret was still safe for the time being. He kicked Colin back, smiling as he rubbed his foot up and down Colin’s own.

Colin, not one to be bested at something like this and unable to believe his luck for getting the opportunity, hooked his foot around Ryan’s before it could retreat and used his other to rub against it. The burger was long gone now, and he couldn’t help but return the smile as he did so. He had risked a lot by brushing Ryan’s leg the first time, but it seemed to have paid off; Ryan wasn’t storming off in the other direction, and instead he had engaged him in a not entirely unpleasant game of footsie, even if it was just to see who could hold out longest. Because that was all it could possibly have been. Colin wasn’t going to hope that it could be anything more, but he was damn well going to enjoy it while it lasted. He didn’t know if there would be a chance like this again. In the meantime, Ryan had realised that he couldn’t draw his foot back and was about to let his other foot join the fun when he had an idea. He toed off his shoe and lifted his leg until his sock-clad foot could rub Colin’s thigh instead.

The move came as a complete shock to Colin and he couldn’t suppress the small gasp that it caused, nor could he keep his smile from faltering slightly. This was getting too close for comfort; game or not, it wouldn’t do to leave the table if his jeans were considerably tighter than they had been when he sat down. He had to step up his game a notch, and so toed off his own shoe before kicking Ryan’s foot away from his thigh. But he didn’t stop there; just being out of the danger zone wasn’t enough. Instead he sought out Ryan’s socked foot under the table again and used his big toe to trace circles on the sole. Ryan’s surprised jump in response was impossible to ignore; he hit a wonky table leg, setting the entire surface wobbling, and his eyes widened as he tried to keep himself under control. To think that this was, in all probability, nothing more than a game or contest to Colin… it was almost torture. And Colin was just as surprised at the reaction as Ryan had been at what caused it. Had that jump been purely because the move was unexpected, or was there more to it than that? He couldn’t think about it for any longer though because the plastic table was falling, and if it fell then they would just be two men with their legs wrapped around each other. And that would look suspicious to anybody; Ryan would figure him out for sure, and he didn’t know if he wanted that to happen yet. So he made a grab for the table and ensure that it was steady before braving a look into Ryan’s eyes. He had done exactly the same thing in grabbing for the table to stop it falling, and somehow any tension melted away as soon as their eyes met, causing both of them to start laughing. It was such an absurd situation. The game stopped then and they finished off their take-aways, but neither thought to move their feet back until it was time to leave. Ryan started to grin as he pushed his shoe back on, and it was almost impossible for him to stay silent. "I won." Colin was indignant, if a little disappointed at receiving confirmation that it had been nothing more than a contest. "You? Please. I think the fact that you jumped about five feet in the air automatically means I won." "You laughed first." "Was laughing against the rules?" Colin asked over the top of the car as he reached for the passenger door handle. "I didn’t laugh first anyway. You laughed at the same time." Ryan chuckled, and they got into the car. "You’re imagining things." "How about we call it a draw? I know for a fact that I didn’t lose." Ryan seemed to consider this compromise as he started the car and pulled out of the car park, back onto the road. "All right, a draw it is. I’ll get you sooner or later though, just you wait." "I look forward to it." They drove in a contented silence for a while with the voice on the radio nattering away in the background. It wasn’t long before Ryan had to say something, even if just for the pleasure of hearing Colin’s voice. "Hey, Col?" "Yeah?" "Something I meant to ask you the other day. Hypothetically, what would you say if I told you Greg had his eye on you?" All right, so maybe it hadn’t been exactly what he was originally going to ask, but he had been feeling confident before. Now, he was going to play it a little safer. The unexpected question certainly got Colin’s attention and he turned fully in his seat, his expression one of bewilderment. "I thought he liked Jeff?" "He does, he does. Don’t worry. Just hypothetically." "Okay…" Colin was still wary, and Ryan didn’t really blame him. "In that completely hypothetical situation, it would be a case of ‘thanks, but no thanks’. I thought I already told you that Greg isn’t my type?" "You did; I was just curious." And Ryan remained curious, unbelievably so, but refused to allow himself to ask his next question too quickly. He didn’t want to look suspicious. "What if, hypothetically again, obviously, I told you I had my eye on you?" "Hypothetically?" "Hypothetically." Colin didn’t reply right away, and Ryan damned driving and the necessity of concentrating on the road to hell. He could really have done with paying attention to every minute detail of Colin’s reaction. From the corner of his eye, he could see Colin tapping a finger steadily on his knee, and he could hear him breathing deeply. Was he taking time to think about his answer? Whether he was or he wasn’t, it wasn’t as immediate as when he asked about Greg, and Ryan couldn’t decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Eventually, Colin replied, "Actually, I have no idea what I’d do if it was you." This was, of course, a bare faced lie; Colin knew exactly what he would do if Ryan ever said such a thing to him. Well, almost; there were three possibilities. The first was that he would be rendered speechless from the shock and the happiness. The second was that he would pass out from the shock and the happiness (an embarrassing possibility, and one which he hoped never to experience). The third was that he would reciprocate with his own feelings and all would be well. But he wasn’t going to relay any of this information to Ryan, as it was a hypothetical situation and it was unnecessary for him to find out. Ryan was disappointed with the vague answer he received. "No idea at all?" he pressed. "You don’t even know how you’d feel about it?" "I can’t picture it, if I’m honest." Colin refused to look at Ryan as he said this. "It’s one of those things where you don’t know how you’d react until it actually happened." Well. If that wasn’t an invitation, Ryan didn’t know what was. He didn’t pursue the matter any further, and instead began devising a plan. Greg groaned loudly, coming from nowhere and draping himself heavily over the counter, almost frightening John out of his skin. Jeff had taken the liberty of introducing the two of them that morning, since Ryan had failed to do so, and they had found that they were similar enough to get along, but not so alike that they would get on each other’s nerves too quickly. However, despite the fact that they had known each other for a mere few hours, John already knew what Greg was going to say before he said it. "I miss Jeff." John grinned; he’d even been able to predict the vacant tone of Greg’s voice as he spoke. It had become more than apparent to him over the course of the morning that Greg wanted Jeff in every way, shape and form, and if he was honest he could see why. Even though Jeff wasn’t exactly to his tastes, he knew an attractive man when he saw one. And it seemed like Greg was in luck, as Jeff responded enthusiastically to any and all attention Greg gave him. John wondered idly, as Greg continued being melodramatic, if Ryan was a betting man. He’d be willing to put money on his two co-workers either getting together or sleeping together before the fortnight was up. "If you keep moaning about it, he’ll never come back," John replied, feeling like he was talking to a ten-year-old. Really, he had just grown bored of replying with, ‘He’s only gone to get lunch, he won’t be long.’ "Humour me; please. He might decide he doesn’t want to be around me anymore and fuck off abroad somewhere. I’d never see him again, and I wouldn’t be able to cope with that now that I know such a perfect creature exists." John walked out from behind the counter to put a few CDs out for sale. "If the worst should happen, you can shag me instead and call me Jeff. It won’t be the end of the world." "It wouldn’t be the same." Greg followed him and wrapped his arms around him from behind anyway.

John didn’t seem to care either way. "Wear a blindfold, find some earplugs and straighten my hair. You’ll never know the difference." "You don’t smell like him." "Catch a cold and you won’t be able to tell." It was at this moment that Jeff came back through the door, carrying a bag, the contents of which immediately filled the store with the smell of food. He tilted his head at his two colleagues in a curious manner. "Did I miss something?" "Jeff!" Greg launched himself from his position behind John across the store to attach himself instead to Jeff. "I thought you’d died." "Was I gone that long?" Jeff laughed, somehow managed to drag himself and Greg across the store to dump the bag of food on the counter. He then turned to Greg and rested his hands on his hips, putting on a mock-hurt look. "I’m away for five minutes and already you forget about me. What does John have that I don’t, huh?" Thanking any and all existing deities that he had been given another excuse to touch Jeff in a more-than-friendly manner, Greg played along, stroking Jeff’s jaw with his thumb. "John couldn’t hold a candle to you." John watched the exchange with amusement and a raised eyebrow, slowing in his task of putting out CDs, but said nothing lest he induce Greg’s wrath for interrupting his moment. "I couldn’t have coped with him being a substitute for you," Greg continued. "He didn’t smell like you." It was easy for Greg to use this comment as justification for the way he proceeded to lean in, rub his nose against Jeff’s neck and inhale deeply. And he couldn’t deny that the way Jeff moaned happily in response made it difficult to resist bending him over the counter right there and then and having his wicked way with him.

Jeff’s grip on his hips tightened. "Glad to hear it… I guess I ought to tell you that I missed you while I was getting lunch, and the guy serving me was particularly tempting." "Oh yeah?" Despite Jeff’s teasing tone, Greg couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. He chastised himself; for starters, the guy serving Jeff was probably not nearly as tempting as he claimed him to be. Besides, he had no right to feel jealous since they weren’t actually together. He drew himself closer anyway, his arm going around Jeff’s shoulders, wanting so badly to taste the delicious-looking neck right in front of him. Jeff was apparently oblivious to Greg’s inner struggle to keep himself under control, and exposed more of his neck. "Oh yeah. But," he said, his fingers pulling gently at the edge of Greg’s shirt, trying to tease it from where it was tucked in, "I remembered that you have a nicer ass. So I held out until I got back. I hope you’re going to make it worth my while." Greg wasn’t sure whether he wanted to hug John or to kill him when he took it upon himself then to say, "I think that’s enough of that for the time being. You’re frightening the customers." The pair reluctantly (on Greg’s part, at least) broke apart, and Jeff emptied the contents of his carrier bag onto the counter. Greg and John fell on the food like vultures; neither had eaten for some time.

When all the food had been consumed and the three of them were engaged in conversation (Jeff absolutely insisted that the chicken came before the egg) the door opened and a man walked in. As Greg looked up, he noticed there was a van parked outside.

The man had a clipboard in his hand. "I’m looking for a Mr Stiles?" "He’s not around," Greg stepped forward, "but I can help you with whatever you need." Although obviously dubious, the man continued. "I’m here on behalf of a Mr Carey-" "Fucking hell, what does he want this time? Doesn’t he have other people to hassle?" Before the surprised man could reply, Greg ushered him into the back room, figuring it would be easier to conduct matters of business there where he couldn’t be distracted by Jeff. The very second he disappeared, Jeff leaned back against the counter and peered around the store. The two customers they had were milling around by the front window, so he decided it was okay to chat as long as he didn’t speak too loudly. "Hey, John?" John looked up at him, and almost-knowing smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yeah?" Jeff pointedly ignored the look. "What do you think of Greg then?" If it hadn’t been for their incessant flirting all morning, John might have considered it an innocent and fair question. Greg certainly had an unusual character, but he knew that this wasn’t the kind of answer Jeff was going for. So he shrugged instead and said, "I’ve seen worse." Curious, Jeff replied, "You think?" "I know," John nodded. Jeff’s next statement, or rather challenge, was unexpected to say the least and for a moment John was thrown for a loop. "I dare you to kiss him." "Oh, please," John responded when the dare had actually registered. "When I say I’ve seen worse, I’ve also seen better. You kiss him. You’re the one who wants to." "Dare me." Ah; John caught on and grinned up at Jeff. "I dare you." Jeff grinned back with a glint in his eyes akin to that of a predator spying his prey, and in that instant John knew that, were he Greg, he’d hugely enjoy what he had coming to him. As the minutes ticked by Jeff became more and more agitated and fidgety; he had his excuse just in case he needed it, so now all he had to do was wait for Greg to be finished with business in the back room. He was tempted to barge right in and bewilder the both of them, but he knew that that would not be wise. Could be bad for business. Could also be terribly embarrassing on the off-chance that Greg rejected him. So Jeff waited, distractedly serving customers every now and again while John, who was obviously highly amused, watched. And he waited for what he was ready to swear was hours, although the clock on the wall insisted that it had only been the better part of twenty minutes, before Greg finally escorted the man out of the back room.

"Bye now," he called as the man left the store, "and don’t forget to relay my

message to Drew, will you?" The man saluted an affirmative through the store window with a grin before driving away in his van. Recognising the glint that had reappeared in Jeff’s eyes, John sensibly made himself scarce. And before Greg had the opportunity to turn around and happily proclaim his newly-acquired one-up status on his favourite supplier, he found himself being shoved against the counter so hard he was nearly bent backwards with Jeff’s lips firmly connected with his own. Well. That was certainly unexpected, but he wasn’t going to complain. He made as if to respond, but Jeff pulled back all too soon and it was all he could do not to growl in disappointment.

Jeff was still barely an inch away from his face, his eyes hooded and his hands clutching tightly at Greg’s waist. "John dared me." With Jeff so close to him and Jeff’s voice being so much deeper than it had been before, Greg had difficulty taking the words in, let alone responding to them. All he knew was that there was no way he was going to be able to live without tasting him again and he swallowed thickly, his gaze trained on Jeff’s parted lips. "John dared you?" Jeff took a step forward, as if that had even been possible, pressing him further back against the counter. Greg could feel every inch of him, and he let out a shuddering breath as Jeff’s tongue darted out quickly to wet his lips. Was it just him or was it way too hot all of a sudden? "Yeah," Jeff was saying against his skin, and damn if that sensation didn’t make it

immensely difficult to concentrate on anything else. "I hope you don’t mind." And Greg almost laughed out loud at the suggestion, his present situation very momentarily forgotten. He braced himself against the edge of the counter, pushing himself into Jeff; he felt the hitch rather than heard in Jeff’s breath and noted it smugly. "Tell you what; I won’t mind if you don’t stop. How does that sound?" "Works for me." Jeff wasted no time before reattaching his lips to Greg’s, and Greg made the most of it. He vacantly wondered once again, as he felt one of Jeff’s hands fist in his collar to pull him closer and he set about teasing Jeff’s tongue with his own, how he had managed to get so lucky.

Jeff didn’t give him an opportunity to contemplate it much further. The hand that wasn’t at his collar (and now trying distractedly to undo the top buttons on his shirt) seemed to be everywhere at once; in his hair, clawing at his back, brushing over his crotch in a way that was too firm not to notice but too light to be really delicious. Greg’s own hands had found their way under Jeff’s blazer and were in the process of getting under his shirt when it occurred to him that they were still at the front of the store, in full view of any customers they may have had, and if he let this go on for much longer he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop. Usually he’d say fuck the customers, but Ryan would lose his head and positively slaughter him if he ever found out that he’d been driving business away with his… behaviour. It took a great deal of willpower on his part to tear himself away from Jeff, and even then Jeff followed him, forcing him to deliberately hold him at bay. It was the most difficult thing he’d ever had to do, and the slightly confused edge that Jeff’s dark eyes took on didn’t make it any easier. "Ryan will kill me if I do anything that might stop him making money," he tried to explain, glancing quickly around the store for customers and finding that those who had been there before had gone.

"I thought you didn’t want me to stop?" Jeff continued to try and get closer, and Greg had to move away. If anything, that was even more difficult than holding Jeff at arm’s length. "You don’t understand how much I really don’t want you to. However, there’re usually next to no customers in the last half hour of opening time." The cogs turned in Jeff’s head, and his confusion disappeared, giving way to a slow grin. "So I’ll see you then?" Greg laughed, or tried to. "You make it sound as if you won’t see me before then.

Jeff took a step back, finally giving Greg some valuable breathing space, his eyes still slightly hooded. "You know what I mean." "Back room at five, then?" "Absolutely." A young girl entered the store, looking particularly helpless, and Jeff glanced sidelong at her. Then, as he backed away towards her, he met Greg’s eyes again and mouthed ‘don’t forget.’ Greg blew him a kiss in return. As soon as Jeff’s back was turned, Greg allowed himself to relax and took a deep breath. That had been the most wonderful thing to happen to him in a long time. He watched Jeff as he helped the girl to find a pop album, his eyes trained on his every move just because they could be now, wondering, absently, whether things were going as well for Ryan up in Derby. He hoped – and he really did hope – that they were. By the time they pulled up outside Colin’s house, the vague sunshine of before had given way to a heavy rainfall. For the last twenty minutes of the journey, Ryan had barely been able to see where he was going with all the water battering his windscreen. Even now that they had parked and the engine was off, Ryan had to raise his voice to make himself heard over the drumming of the raindrops. "That one’s your house, right?" "Yeah," Colin pointed, "the one with the green door." "Alrighty. You grab Bailey, and I’ll catch up with your case." "Are you sure? There’s no point in both of us getting wet." "You’ll get soaked if you try to get both of them inside on your own." "I’m going to get soaked anyway…" But Ryan was already out of the door and making his way round to the boot to grab Colin’s case. Colin sighed and followed suit, opening the back door to let Bailey out and taking him by the lead. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Ryan to help him; it was that he didn’t want Ryan feeling obligated to help him. He jogged the short distance to his front door, taking a moment to savour the shelter that his small porch provided, and, true to his word, Ryan caught up with his case as he tried to find his front door key. He glanced back at him as he felt through his keys, and immediately wished he hadn’t. Heavy as it was, the rain hadn’t had a problem soaking him to the skin in the small amount of time he’d been exposed to it. His hair had been flattened slightly and was stuck to his forehead, and the thin plaid shirt he was wearing was suddenly a lot clingier than it had been when it was dry.

Colin swallowed loudly and snapped his attention back to his keys, willing himself to forget just how attractive Ryan was right at that moment. And how close he was standing.

The action hadn’t gone unnoticed by Ryan. He had been busying himself with making sure the case would stand up without him supporting it, but Colin’s lingering eyes on him had been intriguing. He had probably just been looking because the rain had made his hair look ridiculous like it always did, but there was always the slightest chance that he was thinking further than that. Ryan was, however, not quite as perceptive as Greg and therefore failed to notice Colin’s throat working nervously and his fingers fumbling with his keys. He had no idea that Colin was now focused on anything other than the task at hand. Finally, Colin did manage to find the right key and turned it in the lock to let them both in; and a good thing too, since had he taken much longer it was likely that Ryan would have guessed something was up. Bailey ran in first and, after shaking himself free from any loose water, made straight for the stairs. Ryan and Colin moved just into the narrow hallway inside the door, preferring to recover from the rain before they went any further. Colin took off his coat (he had seen the dark clouds and assumed they meant rain, thus his choice to wear a coat in the first place, as opposed to Ryan who was convinced it would brighten up as the day went on) and shook it before hanging it up on a hook. For the most part, he had remained fairly dry. Ryan, on the other hand, was brushing down his shirt and running his hands through his hair in an attempt to make it resemble how it normally looked.

He couldn’t keep that up forever, though; eventually something had to be said, and he gestured towards the case. "Where do you want me to put this?" Colin turned and look at him, straight in the eyes, but quickly looked away again. How did anyone expect him to keep his feelings to himself if Ryan kept standing so close to him? "It’s fine, I can-" "Colin." "All right, all right. Just through there in the living room will be fine." At least he would be separated from Ryan for a moment, and hopefully that would be long enough for him to recover a bit. Ryan lugged the case past him, and he took a few deep breaths until he felt calmer.

Ryan started doing the same thing as soon as he’d leaned the case against a wall. The plan he had devised was… well, non-existent, and he was rapidly running out of time to devise one. Acting impulsively was something he wasn’t particularly keen on doing, but during the drive the thought that that this was quite possibly the last time he was going to see Colin had smacked him squarely in the face. He couldn’t just do nothing. The reckless approach seemed like the only approach open to him now. Oh, where was Greg when he was actually needed? For once, Ryan could do with his help.

Impulsive and reckless would have to do, he decided; it would look suspicious, or odd at the very least, if he didn’t go back to Colin soon. So he went back, feeling far more nervous than he looked, but Colin was no longer standing in the hallway. He had moved into the kitchen to make coffee, and Ryan found him staring at a pile of mail on the counter looking utterly puzzled. "Everything okay, Col?" "I…" Colin tried to shake off the confused look but it wouldn’t budge, and he pointed at the pile. "What…" He also seemed incapable of saying more than one word at a time, and Ryan found himself wondering if Colin had secretly escaped from some kind of institution, showing his true colours only in his home environment.

"Yes," he said, nodding slowly and feeling the corners of his mouth twitch up in a grin. "It’s mail. Everyone gets it." Apparently Colin wasn’t too confused to realise he was being insulted, albeit jokingly, and he turned to fix Ryan with a blank expression. "Thank you, Captain Obvious. I’m not wondering what it is. I’m wondering why it’s piled neatly on the counter." Ryan still couldn’t see a problem. "See, Colin, some people like to sort their mail-" "I haven’t been here to sort it, have I? By rights, it should be scattered across the floor from where it’s fallen through the letter box. It’s not like it can fly and sort itself." "Didn’t you give anyone a key before you went, asking them to keep tabs on this sort of thing?" "No. I like to keep things sorted myself so I know where everything is." Ryan belatedly realised that he was being distracted from his self-appointed task already, and approached Colin, who was still inspecting the mail and thus had his back to him. "I’m sure there’s a rational explanation. But I have something more important I need to talk to you about. Right now." Before I lose my nerve. "What do you-" Colin cut himself off as he turned and realised that Ryan was much closer than he had been only moments ago, and automatically tried to take a step back. But there was nowhere to go due to the counter being in the way, so he licked his lips and tried not to look as uneasy as he felt. "There’s something more important than the fact that a mystery intruder has been going through my post?" Ryan planted his hands firmly on Colin shoulders and took another smaller step forward. "I have to tell you in case I never see you again. I asked you earlier… I asked you how you would react-" "Hello, hello. You need to get your locks sorted out, mate; do you know how much of a pig it was trying to get in here? I took the liberty of- oh Jesus, what’s going on here then?" Ryan and Colin had been equally surprised by the voice, and in response to it had jumped apart and turned to face the direction it was coming from – the doorway. A man rounded the corner and halted immediately, cutting off his string of speech and looking equally surprised to see more than one person in the kitchen. Ryan and Colin recovered at the same time and both said the same, disbelieving syllable. "Paul!" This only served to confuse them more and they turned to each other, previous conversation temporarily forgotten, silently asking how the other knew this man in Colin’s house.

Then Colin turned to Paul, trying to establish facts. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?" "With no small amount of difficulty, as I just said." He seemed to struggle for more words for a moment, then noticed Ryan again and pointed at him. "Forget about me for a second; what’s he doing here? And don’t say he’s come to fix the toaster, because I’ll know you’re lying." Ryan would have scowled were he not still so surprised to see Paul; he had hoped that the exploding toaster incident a couple of years ago would have been swept under the carpet by now.

Colin couldn’t seem to get his head around this. "I’m sorry, how do you two know each other?" "He worked for me until a little while ago," Ryan supplied. "How do you two know each other, is what I want to know." "I’ve known Paul for years," said Colin. "He’s constantly visiting one of my neighbours. He’s a good friend of mine." "And now I live up here; but I’m struggling to keep up with all this." Paul continued waving his finger at Ryan. "What the hell is my former employer doing in Derby? And in your house, Colin, no less." "In short, he drove me here. I’ll give you the longer version of that later. Right now, I’m still far more concerned with what you’re doing in my house, and how you got in. I never gave you a key." "I had to improvise. Someone had to keep a check on your house. What if a burglar broke in?" "He’d have been sorely disappointed with my lack of possessions worth stealing." "Hang on, I must be hearing things. Because you couldn’t have just said Ryan drove you here." Paul was having difficulty keeping up. "He hates driving. How much did you have to pay him?" "Oh my God, of course! I am so sorry," Colin said to Ryan as he fished through his pockets for his wallet. "This drive must be costing you a fortune in fuel. How much do you want towards it?" Ryan held up his hands in protest. "Nothing, Col, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it." "I can’t let you pay for it all yourself." "You can and you will. Please, it’s nothing." "If you’re not paying him," Paul concluded, "then there must be another reason for him to go to all that trouble. And the only reason I can think of would be if he…" he tailed off as he glanced at Ryan, who was making threatening gestures and ‘please stop’ motions with his hands. After a brief moment of blankness, it clicked. "Oh. He does. All right." Ryan allowed himself to be relieved that Paul had stopped himself before he blurted anything out; he should have known better. Having not made any promises like Greg had to keep quiet about it, Paul decided he was going to delight in tormenting Ryan with the knowledge he now possessed. A grin spread over Paul’s face as Colin looked between the two of them in confusion. Why did he feel like he was constantly being left out of some kind of loop? "I’m here to look after my own house now," he said to Paul, turning back to the coffee he had been making before and feeling slightly miffed that he was being kept in the dark about something, "so you don’t need to be here anymore, do you?" "I’m not going anywhere for the time being," Paul said, still grinning at Ryan. "I may never get an opportunity to bother Ryan like this again." Now Colin was both confused and frustrated. Yes, Paul was his friend, but he could do without him intruding on what was likely to be the only alone time he was going to get with Ryan again. "Isn’t Josie around? Or anyone else you can take the piss out of?" "You want to get rid of me?" Then it all seemed to make sense to Paul; they both wanted him gone so they could be alone with each other, but neither of them knew the other felt the same way. A laugh accompanied his grin, and he figured he’d leave them be for Colin’s sake. With any luck, other opportunities to taunt Ryan would arise with this new connection. "I see what this is. Fine, fine, I’m going." Ryan and Colin were relieved until they heard him call, "Enjoy each other!" as he left the house, and they were left in a heavy silence as the door closed behind him. Colin’s mind instantly went back to what had been happening before Paul revealed himself, and he glanced over at Ryan.

What had he been going to say? Paul had interrupted him mid-sentence. He’d made a reference to something he had asked him earlier… Colin searched his brain, trying to remember anything that Ryan had asked that day. He’d asked which turnings he was supposed to be taking occasionally, but that couldn’t have been it. Then his mind went back to their halfway stop, with the fast food and the footsie… he’d asked what Colin would do if Greg liked him. But he’d answered that, so that couldn’t have been it either, unless he was going to go back and ask him to elaborate his answer. Not that there was much he could do to elaborate ‘thanks, but no thanks’. He swore his breathing became more difficult as he remembered that Ryan had also asked how he would react if he told him he liked him, and that he hadn’t given a direct answer. Was it worth hoping that Ryan had been about to say that exact thing, desiring a positive response? Maybe. He continued to look at Ryan out of the corner of his eye and pretended to be focusing on making the coffee, watching as he rubbed his face in a tired and exasperated manner. Then, without so much as an ounce of warning, Ryan also made his way to the door. "Where are you-" "I should be getting back. If I don’t go now, I know I’ll never want to." He opened the door and turned, smiling at Colin for what could be the last time. "Come see us again some time, you hear me?" He left. Colin leaned against the counter and watched him through the kitchen window as he ran through the rain to his car. God, he thought, as Bailey came into the kitchen and sat in front of him expectantly, I’ve known him a weekend and already it hurts that he’s leaving. "What should I do, Bailey?" he wondered aloud. "Hell, what can I do? Who knows if I’ll even see him again?" Ryan was in the driver’s seat now, but the car wasn’t moving. Colin didn’t want to let him go. He could always stop him, go out to him, insist that he stay a while before attempting to make the long journey back. But what would it achieve? Another hour or so of his company, which was wonderful, but it remained just as unlikely that anything would come of it. Or was it unlikely? As Colin watched the stationary car, he thought back to how Greg had encouraged him with the whole ‘he’ll never know unless you tell him’ argument. He tried to remember whether Ryan had acted oddly around him at all (although, truth be told, he had been far more occupied with controlling his own behaviour than observing anybody else’s); what did come to mind was when, in Ryan’s store, Jeff innocently suggested they should sleep together, and Ryan’s reaction to that was very similar to his own. He hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. Then there was their game of footsie (which, granted, he had initiated but Ryan had responded all the same), and that bizarre, strangely secretive encounter with Paul just now. Perhaps he was reading too much into things and seeing hints that weren’t there, but thinking about it now it might just be worth the risk. If he did nothing, he could lose Ryan forever. If he told Ryan right now how he felt, he could still lose him forever; but Ryan could also turn around and tell him he felt the same way. There were no gains to be had from standing around where there could be if he admitted his feelings. Besides. Acting on impulse was what led him to meet Ryan in the first place. He couldn’t let him go now just because he was too afraid to do it again. He saw Ryan finally start the engine and guide the car out into the road. Colin made his mind up in that instant and rushed from the window to the front door, struggling for a few seconds to get it open in his haste. He swung it open and ran halfway down the path, heedless of the rain seeping into his clothes, hoping Ryan would see him before he left. "Ryan!" But it was no good, and for all the shouting and waving he did, deep down he knew it. Ryan’s car was rounding a corner and all too soon was out of sight. "Come back, I need to tell you…" The words escaped along with the speck of hope he had held. He was too late. He lost track of how long he stood out in the rain before he could bring himself to go back inside. "Please tell me you’re joking," Greg pleaded, the tension in his knuckles evidence of his distress. He was even managing to ignore Jeff who, although willing to offer words of wisdom, was draped across his back and laying wet, open-mouthed kisses on his neck.

Ryan wouldn’t even look at him, so absorbed was he in his own foolishness. The store was devoid of customers, with closing time only minutes away, and John had gone home. The three of them were the only people in the building. Sitting on a worn chair in the back room, with Greg leaning over him and ready to explode, Ryan marvelled for the nth time at his utter lack of common sense. "I wish I was joking," he eventually replied. "I wouldn’t have so much reason to be kicking myself." Upon his return, Greg had inquired as to why he wasn’t leaping for joy. And, to be perfectly honest, Ryan was surprised that he had even noticed his mood, let alone cared about what had caused it, since he had been locked in a compromising and seemingly quite enjoyable position with Jeff at the time. Ryan had urged them into the back room and, after saying goodbye to John, relayed a brief account of the drive to Colin’s house, including the pit-stop, and the events that had occurred thereafter. Greg had looked decidedly smug and pleased until Ryan reached the part where he had the bizarre idea that leaving was favourable to confessing.

And for once in his life, Greg didn’t seem to have a witty response prepared; this was one outcome that he had not expected in the slightest. Ryan was crazy for Colin and, from what he had gathered from the most reliable source, Colin was just the same. How had they managed to be alone together for so long without any deep, dark fantasies coming to fruition? He and Jeff had managed all right, and they had had far less time. Hell, they had even had company for most of their time together. After a pause, he settled for, "I don’t understand how this happened. What’s wrong with you? Are you a complete idiot?" Ryan scowled and kicked at the carpet with his toe, if only for something to look at instead of Jeff molesting Greg with his mouth. "There’s no need to hammer it home." This response acted as a catalyst for Greg to become completely mad; the fact that his best friend in the world had just ruined what could have made him happier than he had ever been before just because of a moment of cowardice angered him to an obscene amount. Jeff felt the extra tension in Greg’s body and had the decency to cease his assault on Greg’s neck, allowing him to focus on scolding his housemate. But Greg did have the sense to think through his argument before he spoke; it might be necessary to… bend the truth in places to have the desired effect. "I cannot believe you, Ryan. I really can’t. Do you know how much persuasion it took on my part to get Colin to come back with me? A lot, that’s how much. And I was right about him, wasn’t I? It didn’t take long for you to light up like a fucking beacon every time he came into the room. I’ve never seen you as happy as when you were with him. Don’t interrupt me, I’m being serious here. He’s perfect for you. And you’ve just thrown that once in a lifetime chance away because," and here he reverted back to his usual, sarcastic tone, "you were afraid he might say no? Please, Ry, give me more credit than that. You’re my best friend. I wouldn’t set you up with someone who wouldn’t be 100% interested." "You overestimate your matchmaking skills," Ryan mumbled. "Colin wasn’t interested. End of story." True to his word, Greg didn’t allow himself to blurt that of course Colin was interested, and a great deal so, and that he knew this information because Colin had told him himself; although it damn near killed him to keep that to himself. Instead, fuming silently, he fished his phone out of his pocket and searched through the contacts. Jeff leaned over his shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around his waist, watching with curiosity. He wasn’t the only one who was curious; Ryan watched him warily. "What are you doing?" "I’m calling Colin. This is intolerable and I cannot allow it to go on." Greg found Colin’s number and pressed the ‘dial’ button, holding the phone to his ear as Ryan gaped at him. "Since when have you had Colin’s number?" "Since Hungary," Greg replied, distracted by the ringing tone in his ear. "Don’t look at me like that. I needed to keep track of him somehow." It would have been a lie to say that Ryan wasn’t jealous anyway, and for the millionth time he regretted his decision to leave Colin so suddenly without so much as even a bland and quick expression of his feelings. He continued to stare at Greg, torn between wanting to rip the phone from his grasp and wanting to hear Colin’s voice again.

After a few tense moments, Greg swore and put the phone back into his pocket. "He’s not answering, and that makes you very unlucky." "You know I hate it when you go all cryptic about things." Greg was not even the slightest bit remorseful. "I was going to tell him in great detail exactly how you feel. I’m confident that I could explain it better than you anyway. Then he’d come speeding down here to do what you were supposed to do when you drove him home, and you could both live happily ever after. But how am I meant to fix this mess you’ve made if he ignores his phone?" "How about," Ryan sighed, sinking further into his chair and throwing his head back, "you just let the whole thing go?" But Greg was disgusted, visibly so, by the idea. "If you think I’m going to let you two ruin your lives, you’ve got another thing coming. You’re obviously incapable of sorting things out on your own." His phone began to ring, but before he could do a thing about it Jeff snatched it away. He detached himself from Greg’s back and wandered away, holding the phone to his ear. "Hi Colin, it’s Jeff; remember me? How are you? How have things been since I last saw you? I have to tell you that I’m very disappointed in you, letting Ryan run off like that today. Do you like him? He’s crazy about you, you know. Did you know that? He’s got it bad. Yeah, that’s why Greg just called. How come you didn’t answer before?" No matter how much he wanted to, how much he desperately wanted to, Colin found himself unable to believe his ears. Jeff was still talking at him down the phone, so even if he had felt capable of replying he wouldn’t have been able to get a word in edgeways. However, he had lost interest in anything that Jeff may have had to say after ‘he’s crazy about you’. Surely he must have heard wrong? Somewhere in him he knew it wasn’t so, and why he was fighting the arrival of something he had been hoping(waiting?) for he had no idea, but he couldn’t get his head around it. There was no way that Ryan shared his feelings. No way in hell. If he did, then he wouldn’t have left the way he had done. It was a simple as that. "… and it may please you to hear that he’s kicking himself over here. Hey Colin, you still with me?" Colin shook himself out of it almost literally. He couldn’t hold this conversation with Jeff if he was just going to drift off like that. "Yeah, I’m still here. Jeff-" "Oh good, I thought we’d lost you there for a second. Listen, you really need to get back down here ASAP so the both of you can get yourselves sorted. By the way, if you can hear any signs of struggling in the background-" Colin concentrated and realised that he could indeed.

"-ignore it. It’s just Ryan wanting to take the phone away from me. Not to worry though; Greg’s keeping him at bay." Now that Colin really listened, it was easy to hear the scuffle at the other end of the line. He could even pick out a few choice obscenities that, presumably, Ryan was throwing at Greg. "I see. Listen, Jeff, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here. Really, I do. But it’s not going to work. Ryan isn’t interested. If he was, he wouldn’t have driven away in such a hurry." Jeff sighed heavily. "As we speak, Greg and I are trying to get to the bottom of that particular mystery." His voice became considerably quieter and more muffled – Colin thought it safe to assume that he was holding the phone away from himself – as he called to Greg, ordering him to wheedle the exact truth out of Ryan. Then he was back on the line. "But I can assure you, Ryan’s been as miserable as sin ever since he got back. And I can doubly assure you that he’s interested. I mean, who wouldn’t be?" For better or for worse, Jeff’s optimism and enthusiasm was putting cracks in Colin’s resolve. He was going to end up being forced to lay himself bare if he wasn’t careful. "I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you. I can’t believe you. It’s just not-" "Wait!" Jeff exclaimed, cutting him off. "We are receiving feedback! Ryan is saying that he was going to tell you, but then when Paul interrupted he lost his nerve and couldn’t bring himself to say it." Greg’s loud cry of ‘Have I mentioned that I’m going to kill Paul?’ in the background was difficult to miss; Jeff was considerably quieter as he asked who Paul was. Colin waited until they had sorted themselves out and Jeff was back on the line to reply.

"He actually said that? You’re sure you’re not misinterpreting?" "Absolutely positive," Jeff replied. "What else can I do to-" Jeff was cut off, and there was a clatter. Had he dropped the phone? Colin listened intently – he was definitely all ears now; if only he could know for a fact that Ryan had said such a thing – but could make out nothing more definitive than the general sounds of a scuffle. Then Jeff, if he had indeed dropped the phone, must have picked it back up again, for Colin could hear his harsh breathing. He had obviously become caught up in the struggle between Greg and Ryan. Colin took it upon himself to speak first. "Jeff, I’d really feel much better if I heard it-" "Colin." And than Colin couldn’t finish his sentence because it wasn’t Jeff on the end of the line at all but Ryan, and he should have known because he could hear Jeff in the background (‘That’s not fair; I was doing so well!’) and Greg saying something or other to him in a comforting, soothing tone; Ryan must have escaped Greg’s clutches and tackled Jeff for the phone. And all Colin could do was revel in how good it was to hear his voice again, even though they’d only been apart for a few hours. Maybe it was because he had figured he’d never get the chance to hear it again.

"Ryan!" he said with mock surprise, trying to lighten what would inevitably become tension if he didn’t do something. "We were just talking about you." He heard Ryan laugh quietly. "Tell me something I don’t know. Listen, I… uh…" The tension crept back in anyway, and Ryan’s voice dropped in volume almost to the point of mumbling. "I guess you heard that just now, right?" "Actually-" "Well, now you know." Ryan sounded almost defeated. "I tried to tell you before. Don’t worry, I don’t expect anything from you. It’s just that you have a right to know. Although I’d rather have told you myself than have Jeff blurt it all out. He can expect to be on minimum wage for the next few weeks," he added loudly, and Jeff’s cry of protest was clearly audible.

Drawing in a deep breath before exhaling it slowly, Colin gathered his wits. In light of the now overwhelming evidence in his favour, he shouldn’t have needed to, but butterflies were gathering with incredible speed and energy in the pit of his stomach. He had to hear the words. "So it’s true? Jeff wasn’t lying?" "I can’t believe you even have to ask," Ryan groaned. "Everyone else seems to have had it figured out already. Colin, I can’t stop thinking about you. When I first saw you, it was like I’d never known attraction before. Then you had to be a brilliant person on top of it. Christ, do you know how difficult it was for me to sleep knowing that you were in the next room? Very; that is how difficult. I just… God, this must sound so creepy, so I’m going to stop while I still can. But you need to know what you do to me." Colin was speechless, as he waited for the information to sink in and he finally let himself believe it. It was almost ludicrous, but Ryan returned his feelings. He’d said it himself. A smile stretched across his lips as he tried to find the words to express his joy. But Ryan was continuing. "As I say, I don’t expect anything from you; it’s obvious that you don’t feel the same-" And then Greg was shouting. "Colin! You’d better hurry up and tell him, or else I’ll be forced to break my promise!" "Why are you threatening him?" Ryan sounded a little pissed off as he addressed Greg, but Colin knew Greg was right. He needed to tell him himself. Although, he had to admit that he was pleased Greg hadn’t already told Ryan how he felt. He had expected it to happen eventually, if not while he was staying with them then after Ryan had arrived back from dropping him home.

"Ryan, wait," he said, trying to draw his attention away from the apparent argument he was getting into with Greg, "I do need to tell you. I tried to, at my house, but you’d driven away before I could get outside. It’s just so difficult to explain. When I saw you, I thought my lack of sleep had caught up with me, because there was no way that anyone could possibly be that attractive, but as it turned out I liked you more every time I saw you. I’ve been thinking about you since you left today." "Stop it. Don’t say things like that if they’re not true." "It’s true, I swear it’s true," Colin pleaded. "To use Jeff’s words, I’m crazy about you. Please, I don’t want to be telling you this if you’re not going to believe me." "You’re being serious?" "Completely." The pause that followed damn near killed Colin, although it couldn’t have been any longer than a few seconds. He needed a response; any response would have done. A pause meant that he had no idea what was going through Ryan’s mind. Then, "How soon can you be back here?" Oh, but it sounded so suggestive when Ryan said it, and Colin had to close his eyes to keep himself composed. He didn’t feel quite so guilty anymore about the things Ryan’s voice did to him. "Depends whether or not I break any speed limits." "Screw the speed limits. I need to see you. Right now." And what kind of man would Colin be to refuse? "I’m on my way then." It was an actual physical hardship for Ryan not to take very frequent glances at the clock, and he was doing everything he could possibly think of to keep himself busy. So far he had emptied the dishwasher (something he usually left up to Greg; if he had his way, nothing would ever be washed until it was actually needed again) and reloaded it again, done a thorough search of the kitchen and thrown away anything that was out of date or hadn’t been touched for weeks, had a go at making the study a bit more organised and taken the dogs out to burn off some excess energy. That last one didn’t seem to have worked particularly well, as while Cleo was happily sleeping now, the exercise just seemed to have made Elda and Oasis more energetic than before. Ryan was finding it difficult not to trip over them as they scurried around by his feet, playing with each other and trying to persuade him to join in. In his desperation to distract himself, he had taken on the task of cleaning the rarely-used downstairs bathroom. Again, this was a job Greg had said he would do, but he’d been putting it off ever since he’d discovered a decidedly large and hairy spider living in some of the towels. Ryan grimaced as he worked at the mould around the sink; he usually didn’t mind spiders, but that one had been a little too revolting for his tastes. He fervently hoped that he wouldn’t encounter it again today. He reached back for the cloth he had been using on the mould, only to find that it was no longer where he had left it. A quick scan of the small bathroom told him that it was no longer in the room. "Oasis!" He called, stepping out into the hallway. "Elda! Come here!" He heard them pattering across the floor before he saw them. And, sure enough, as they approached he spotted his missing cloth hanging from between Elda’s teeth. Oasis was trying her best to tug it away as they walked, but Elda was having none of it. "Hey," Ryan murmured as he crouched before them, "I was using that, you know. I need it back now." He grabbed the cloth with one hand and stood, hoping that Elda would let go. She didn’t. She clung on, and ended up dangling from the floor as Ryan lifted the cloth higher. "Please?" He moved his hand from side to side, making her swing in the air, but she didn’t seem to be letting go any time soon. If anything, she strengthened her grip. One big game. Ryan sighed and lowered her to the floor so he could manually pry the cloth from her jaws, and when he had done so he returned to the sink. The two dogs hovered around him, obviously hoping for the game to continue. Too bad for them.

Again Ryan felt the need to check the time, and again he managed to resist. Colin would arrive when he arrived; looking at a clock wouldn’t make him get there any sooner. Just the waiting in the meantime… well, it was unbearable, to say the least. Every minute that went by had Ryan questioning things. How close should he be by now? What if he’s changed his mind? What if he never meant what he said? He couldn’t help but have his doubts. Colin was perfect, whereas he was a moody, sometimes inconsiderate and slightly selfish bastard, and he wasn’t sure what someone like Colin could possibly see in him. Even his good qualities weren’t that great. And if it had been true before, he was sure that after his badly explained and sudden departure from Colin’s house, Colin would have been put off. That thought had just made him more frustrated with himself – the thought that he might have actually had a chance, but that he had unwittingly blown it all to hell.

Apparently that wasn’t the case, but still. Ryan could no more stop himself thinking about these things than he could stop himself thinking about the fact that Colin could knock on his front door any time now.

He had been telling the truth when he said he needed to see Colin. This wasn’t an issue he was prepared to deal with over the phone. He also sorely missed Colin, despite having only been apart from him for a few hours, and figured that seeing him again might soothe his nerves. Then he’d be better equipped to handle the conversation they were sure to have. All that aside, he absolutely dreaded Colin’s arrival. It was sure to be awkward, and it was up to him to prevent that happening. So far, he had nothing in mind. There wasn’t a goddamn thing he could think of to say that wouldn’t either be completely off-topic or cause an uncomfortable pause. The effort was definitely there, but everything he came up with could fit into one of those two categories. Sometimes both.

It was unbelievably discouraging, and Ryan let his frustration out on the mould, scrubbing at it furiously for long enough to see the white of the lower tiles. By the time he had finished, the entire sink, plus the wall behind it, looked as if it had just been built, but he was still no closer to knowing what he was going to say to Colin. He groaned loudly, wondering why things couldn’t just be easy for once, but froze when he heard the sound of a car pulling up on the gravel outside. There was only one person it could be. Greg wasn’t going to be home for some time, and even if he decided to show up earlier than expected, he didn’t have a car. It was when he heard the car door slam shut that he leapt into action. He ran to the kitchen, the dogs hot on his heels and hoping for play, and stuffed his cleaning supplies quickly into the cupboard under the sink. A quick check in the hallway mirror was all he had time to do before there was a knock on the door, and for a brief moment he wished he hadn’t decided to change into old and unflattering clothes while he kept himself busy. He should have known he wouldn’t have had an opportunity to change back. And he had somehow managed to acquire a dark smudge on his face that didn’t want to rub off. At least he had had the forethought to have a shower as soon as he get home, and he could only hope that Colin wouldn’t be paying that much attention to his attire. He took one last deep breath before opening the door, and he smiled broadly when he saw Colin standing there. Colin looked… flustered. Flustered and slightly unsure but happy. Then Colin surprised him by clearing his throat and initiating things himself. "Hi." It was a simple greeting, but one without awkwardness, and Ryan’s honest smile stayed firmly in place. "Hi." Colin shifted his weight between his feet, averting his gaze briefly to the floor as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. He then looked up again, smiling shyly, trying to keep things easy and light. "Aren’t you going to invite me in?" Ryan resisted the urge to tell him he didn’t need to be invited because he was free to come and go whenever he pleased, and instead moved aside to let him through. Colin crouched down to greet the two hyperactive dogs, who had abandoned Ryan in the hope that this newcomer would be more fun, while Ryan leaned against the door and watched him quietly. It was hard to get his head around it, but Colin was back. After the nearly catastrophic incident of only that afternoon, he had expected that it would be a long, long time before he saw his face again. He drank in the sight of him as if this would be the last time.

"Is Greg here?" Colin didn’t look at him as he asked; the dogs kept his attention.

"No," Ryan answered, grinning at the thought of it. "No, Greg isn’t here. He said he’s giving me one more chance to get this right on my own before he starts butting in again. I left him to it with Jeff back at the store, so it would be unwise to expect him back any time soon." Colin laughed in understanding. "You’re not worried they might… make a mess?" "As long as they clear it up and I don’t have to hear about how it got there." Ryan shuddered; he did not want to imagine the kind of sordid activities that were probably going on in his store right then. "How did they do this so easily?" Colin had turned and he was staring up at him, questioning, and Ryan swallowed nervously, pushing himself away from the door. After a brief hesitation, he held his hand out to Colin. "Do you want to go and sit down?" Colin took the hand and allowed himself to be helped to his feet. When Ryan didn’t let go, he made no attempt to pull away either. "Yeah. I think I do." So Ryan led him through to the living room, and they sat together on the sofa. For a few minutes, nothing was said; neither of them seemed to know what they were supposed to say next. Their hands were still lightly clasped together; Ryan was staring at them, his fingers idly playing with Colin’s. He could feel Colin all the way up his left side, and at once it was too much and not enough. He shifted closer, almost so that he was actually leaning against him, not once looking away from their joined hands. It was difficult for him to get his head around the fact that Colin wasn’t incredibly uncomfortable. In actuality, Colin couldn’t have been any further from uncomfortable. He was watching Ryan as Ryan watched their hands, wondering how in the world he had managed to get so lucky. It was an unpleasant thought that if he had been thinking at all sensibly while he was in Hungary, he wouldn’t have agreed to come home with Greg, and therefore he would have no idea that the amazing man beside him existed. He would be at home right now, with Paul and Josie and Bailey for potential company; and as much as he adored all of them, there was no contest between their company and Ryan’s. Colin wasn’t sure how he had achieved it in such a short time, but Ryan did things to him that he didn’t think he’d felt before. He was right where he wanted to be. "So…" he tried, tentatively breaking the silence. "What now?" Ryan made no response at first; he continued to play with Colin’s fingers. In truth, he didn’t know what came next. He ought to have known; he’d been in serious relationships before, after all. Every single one of his relationships, serious or not, had been with people he’d known for more than three days. It should have been easy to figure out what to do. But this was different. Colin was different. He was at a complete loss. "I don’t know," he eventually answered, looking up from his study of Colin’s hands to meet his eyes. "But I meant what I said earlier. I… please don’t think I’m weird for saying this, but I can’t stand the thought of not having you in my life. There’s something about you, Col, and I don’t want to mess this up." Colin stared right back at him and let it sink in. It was different hearing it in person. Seeing Ryan say these things to him quashed all the doubt that had arisen when he heard it over the phone. It really was true. He could see honesty and hope in Ryan’s eyes. And there was much, but he could also see fear. Fear of what? Rejection? It occurred to Colin then that Ryan was having exactly the same doubts as he was, yet he was throwing himself out there, not holding back, and he was trusting Colin not to let him fall. Colin couldn’t look away from Ryan’s eyes as his lips curved into a small smile. "You know," he said quietly, "for a minute there, I thought I was going mad. Maybe having a mid-life crisis or something. I wondered how it was possible to like someone so much having known them for so little time. I thought, ‘I must be making this a bigger deal than it actually is.’ It didn’t make any sense, and, to be honest, it still doesn’t. I just…" He trailed off, averting his gaze and wondering how best to word what he was thinking. He knew how he felt, but he needed Ryan to know. He nervously started to chew his bottom lip, but stopped and looked back up when he felt Ryan squeeze his hand. Seeing him then, knowing he was there and knowing somehow that he would understand, Colin found the words. "I think this means something. I don’t know what it is, but I want to find out. With you. And…" he took a deep breath, "I don’t know what I’d do without you either." The split-second pause that followed this confession felt like weeks to Colin. Having lain himself bare, putting everything out in the open, every moment that he didn’t know how things were going to continue killed him. It was a silly fear, maybe; Ryan had just told him exactly the same thing, after all. But he couldn’t shake the horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that Ryan might just turn around and say that, for whatever reason, this could never happen. Then Ryan was hugging him, so close that he was almost sitting on him and so tightly that he found it difficult to breathe, but his relief was inconceivable. He let out a shuddering breath that he hadn’t realised he was holding, burying his face into Ryan’s shoulder and closing his eyes. Was this how it felt to forget everything and be happy? He liked to think so. He could feel Ryan’s warm breath on the back of his neck, his fingers digging into his back, clinging to him, his heartbeat against his own. He could smell Ryan’s hair and his skin, nothing he could pinpoint but clean and unique; he thought he would be perfectly happy to stay like this for hours, breathing Ryan’s scent. And when he lifted his own arms, shifting and hugging Ryan closer to him, he felt Ryan’s skin under his fingers, warm and smooth beneath the barrier of his shirt. He found that he wanted nothing more than to feel every inch of Ryan, with his hands and his mouth and with anything else he had; it was an unsurprising urge, and it could wait, because right then Ryan was hugging him and he thought that he might have been one of the happiest men in the world.

But he turned his head, almost hesitantly, to lay a light kiss on the side of Ryan’s neck anyway. He felt his heart rate increase at the feel of Ryan’s skin beneath his lips, and he smiled happily as Ryan pulled him impossibly closer in response. "Is this it, Col?" The words were spoken into his ear, and Ryan’s voice was so low it was bordering on a whisper. Colin felt one of his hands travel up his back, tracing his spine along the way and making him shiver, to sift through the hair he still had, and he sighed in contentment. He knew, or he was pretty sure he knew, what Ryan was asking. Because he had been thinking the same thing himself. He’d never been so at peace before. At that moment, nothing in the world could have mattered but Ryan, and this… being in Ryan’s arms, he realised just how different it was to anything else he’d ever felt.

But it was impossible to know the answer. He leaned back slightly, enough to see Ryan’s face but not enough to stop touching anywhere else, and brought one hand up to rub his thumb along Ryan’s jaw. Ryan leaned into the touch, his eyes becoming hooded but not quite closed, and smiled a lazy smile. Colin couldn’t help but return it, and barely stopped to think before he leaned forward again. The kiss was chaste and light but lingering, and by the time Colin pulled back he was trembling. Ryan’s eyes had closed completely, but they opened again when the contact was broken. He was still smiling.

Colin was too. He still didn’t know the answer to Ryan’s question, but that was all right. He had a feeling that it wouldn’t take long for the answer to become clear. So he rested his forehead against Ryan’s, breathing him in, and whispered, "I hope so." Colin almost tripped over a dip in the footpath, and his arms flew out in an attempt to steady himself. He wished, and not for the first time, that Ryan didn’t have his hands covering his eyes; he would have liked to be able to see where he was going. It sounded nice – a bird (blackbird, maybe?) was singing a pleasant tune somewhere above his head, he could make out slivers of sunlight poking through the gaps between Ryan’s fingers and the scent of what may have been bluebells seemed to be surrounding him. Ryan’s chest was pressed against his back, and this proximity made it difficult to move without stumbling; the hands over his eyes did nothing to help matters there.

As he attempted to regain his footing, Ryan chuckled and helped to steady him; the two of them paused in the footpath for a moment, and Ryan leaned down to speak into Colin’s ear. "You all right?" Colin, trying though he was to be exasperated with the entire situation, felt himself inhale sharply as he felt Ryan’s breath on his skin. And, trying though he might have been to scowl, he couldn’t help but let his excitement overpower his slight annoyance. "I’m fine. I’m perfectly capable of keeping my eyes closed without your assistance, you know." It was hard to believe that it had been six months already. Six months. Six months of the most unadulterated happiness he had ever felt in his life. He would almost have said it was too good to be true. Ryan was the epitome of perfection – tall and lean, sparkling green eyes, a great personality and fantastic in the bedroom to boot – and Colin’s initial burning desire for him still hadn’t faded. He had Colin’s best interests at heart and did everything he could to please him; Colin made every effort to reciprocate. There would be arguments (both trivial and serious) in the future, that much was inevitable; and the distance between them was a bitch, he couldn’t lie about that. But the arguments hadn’t come yet, and so far he was managing to cope with only seeing Ryan every once in a while. Until things started to go pear-shaped, Colin intended to enjoy every moment of their relationship; it was as wonderful as it was ever going to get. "I know that," Ryan said, nudging and encouraging him to start walking again, "but this needs to be right. And if I don’t physically show you, it won’t be right. Trust me, Col." Colin took careful, baby steps forward. His hands, which were hanging limply by his sides, crept back to trace Ryan’s thighs through his jeans. "Just trust me." He felt Ryan rub his thumbs gently over the bridge of his nose, concentrating on the feel of him breathing deeply against his back as they walked. "It’s not far now."

Ryan’s scent mingled with that of the bluebells; Colin could smell the combination. The two of them continued to walk, oblivious to anything apart from each other and the sensations they were experiencing. Colin felt the solid footpath beneath his feet change to a springy grass, and his intrigue grew. He wondered where Ryan was taking him.

Ryan laid a soft kiss to Colin’s temple, smiling, and looked into the nearer distance. Everything was exactly as he’d left it; he could only hope that Colin would be pleased. They took a few more steps before Ryan stopped and stiffened his arms, preventing Colin from going any further. After a pause and a quick, chaste kiss, Ryan moved away. "You can look now." Colin looked, and the sight before him caused his face to split into a smile. They were in some kind of woodland clearing that Colin had never seen before, although it couldn’t have been far from Ryan’s house and Greg had showed him almost everywhere when he first arrived. A small pond was off to one side, dark but glittering with the reflection of the late summer sun. He had been right about the bluebells. A rug was laid out on the floor, complete with food, a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket (which was apparently beginning to melt) and a rectangular gift-wrapped object.

"You did this for us?" "It’s not much." Ryan looked down at his feet, itching at his collar, suddenly unsure about his idea. "I just thought we could enjoy it. I like to come here when I can, because it’s a beautiful place, and I wanted to share it with you. I love you, Colin. Happy six months. I still can’t believe this is for real." The smile still on his face, Colin couldn’t stop himself letting out a small joyous burst of laughter. "This is amazing, Ry. I mean it. Happy six months. Although, this event makes my gift for you look rather feeble in comparison." He groped in the shoulder bag he was carrying for a moment and soon pulled out a reasonably large, gift-wrapped box. Ryan resisted the urge to tell him that he would be happy with a loose thread from a tramp’s jacket if it was a thoughtful gift from Colin, no matter how truthful it might be, and took the box from Colin’s fingers. "Sit down with me, Col. I want to enjoy this." They sat down on the rug, Colin unable to stop smiling. Ryan fidgeted restlessly, his gaze constantly flickering between Colin’s eyes and the wrapped gift beside the champagne. Knowing exactly what he wanted, Colin let himself be amused by Ryan’s lack of subtlety.

"Open it," Ryan eventually said. "I want to know what you think." Colin ran his fingers over the present. It was kind of small and felt like a box of some sort. With his foot, he pushed his own gift towards Ryan. "You first." Shrugging, Ryan chose not to argue, tearing off the perfect wrapping and lifting the lid from the box inside. Colin watched intently, and couldn’t have expressed his relief as Ryan’s mouth dropped open to a new level and he began to fight his way through the tissue paper. He was still gaping as he lifted a pair of shoes out of the box; coloured in blocks of yellow, with brown stitching and brown flames along the outer sides.

"Greg helped, indirectly," Colin tried to explain, just in case Ryan hated them. "I remembered the first time I stayed with you, and he said something about you having a pair like that that he took to a charity shop without telling you. Figured you might like a new pair." "Col, I…" Ryan couldn’t stop staring at the shoes; in his eyes, they were like a dream come true. "I looked all over the place for weeks after I ‘lost’ the first pair. Where on earth did you find these?" Colin shrugged, suddenly embarrassed. "Just some out-of-the-way store. If you want to take them back or change them, I don’t-" He was silenced by Ryan leaning forward, pulling him by the back of the neck to meet him halfway, and planting a deep kiss on his lips. By the time they broke apart, Colin’s breathing was decidedly more laboured and his cheeks were slightly flushed. "They’re fantastic," Ryan assured him. "Couldn’t be better. Thank you. Greg won’t be very pleased with you, but who cares about him? Now stop worrying," he sat back down, "and open yours." This time, Colin obliged him. After a minute or so of picking at the gift with his uselessly blunt fingernails – Ryan was apparently a fan of tape – the layer of paper began to unravel. He lifted his amused gaze briefly to Ryan before dropping it back to focus on his task. "If it’s a wig of any description, I’m taking those shoes back to where they came from." Ryan hugged his shoes to his chest, the picture of guilty-but-trying-to-be-innocent. It turned out, thankfully, not to be a wig when Colin finally gained access to the contents and opened the small box. Inside was a watch, a silver one that certainly didn’t look as if it had been too cheap. He looked up at Ryan, who was smiling at him; a smile which only widened as he saw Colin’s expression. He looked pointedly down at the watch, hoping Colin would do the same. "Turn it over. Look at the back." Colin turned it, his heart thumping against his chest with anticipation, and almost gasped aloud as he read the inscription. ‘Such is my love, to thee I so belong,

That for thy right myself will bear all wrong.’ "It’s Shakespeare," Ryan told him. "Sonnet 88. I’m not that great of thinking up romantic shit by myself, so I thought I’d leave it to the expert. It’s true though, and don’t you dare forget it. I’d do anything for you." Even now, after such a short period of time, Ryan was surprised by the depth of his love for Colin. There wasn’t a day that went by without thinking about him, and every time they met he seemed to be more perfect than before. It should have been impossible, but Colin managed it. With ease, it seemed. He just wished he’d been able to think of a more personal message on his own to have engraved. Any fears that Colin may not have liked the gift abated as he clasped the watch around his wrist, admiring the way it caught the sun. Then he smiled at Ryan, genuine and delighted, and Ryan thought that he’d never seen anything more beautiful. Colin kissed him his thanks; Ryan let his eyes slide shut, smiling into it and tangling his fingers with Colin’s. Greg had been right – this was the happiest he had ever been in his life, and he never wanted it to end.