Title: The Truth Is ... Author: knowyourlips Rating: R Pairing: Ryan/Colin Summary: It's just a game. set sometime late in the US Whose Line run "That sign back there?" he pointed over his shoulder, vaguely. "The one that said 70?" Ryan continued to ignore him. "It doesn't mean we have to drive that fast." "Colin?" Ryan finally replied. "Yeah?" "Shut up and let me drive." He snorted, then. "You're driving my car," he pointed out, pretending to be outraged, and Ryan smirked, without taking his eyes off the road. "So?" he scoffed, amused, and Colin paused. "I - I don't know," he laughed, looking out the window again. Ryan's cell chirped, startling them both. He reached for it, and Colin yelped, "No you don't!" He chuckled, and slowly grabbed the wheel again. "Can you grab it, then?" he asked, and Colin carefully leant across the gear stick. He shoved his hand into Ryan's right pants pocket, and the taller man's hips jerked. "Colin!" he exclaimed, in mock amazement, and he tried to glare at him, as he flipped open the phone. "Uh, this is Ryan's phone," he said, awkwardly, and Ryan snickered. "Colin?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked, delighted. "Where's Ryan?" "Driving, Greg," he snapped, in mock irritation, and the other man laughed. "Sure he is," he smirked, and Colin sighed. "Did you want me to tell him something?" he prompted, a little mockingly, smiling slightly, and Greg paused, humming quietly. "Well, yeah. We're running a bit late, and Wayne doesn't want to set out until it clears up a little." "Oh." "Mmnn." "You're all coming up together?" "Uh, Wayne's taking Drew and me. Chip's heading up by himself, but he hasn't even started packing yet, so he'll probably be later than us," Greg said, in one breath - amused - and Colin paused. "Why isn't he coming up with you guys?" "He has to leave early." "Oh. What about Brad? And Jeff?" he added, curiously. "Brad changed his mind," Greg said, flatly. "Because he hates us all. And Jeff was never coming." "Why does no-one ever tell me these things?" he asked, a little genuinely, and Greg laughed slightly again. "I don't know." He sighed. "Anything else?" he said, pretending to be bored, and Greg snorted. "No. Just ... behave." He nearly choked on his laughter, then. "Goodbye," he said, firmly, and Greg chuckled. "I'll see you up there, Col." He hung up the phone, and eyed it, a little dubiously, before reaching over to tuck it back into Ryan's pocket. Ryan smirked, but didn't look at him. "Did you know that Jeff and Brad aren't coming?" he asked, looking up at Ryan, and the younger man shrugged. "Yeah." "Who told you?" he asked, surprised, and Ryan glanced over at him, quickly. "Drew," he said, as though it were obvious - and, to be fair, it probably should've been. He nodded, to himself, before glancing out the windscreen, a little tentatively. "How much further, do you think?" he asked, softly, and Ryan didn't reply immediately, pausing to flick on the indicator. "Just down here," he replied, slowly, and Colin blinked - startled. "You've been here before?" he asked, his eyebrows rising unintentionally. "Yeah," Ryan replied, simply, and Colin waited a beat. "When?" he prompted, a little hesitantly, and Ryan studied the road, intently. "Uh, a couple of us from the other show came up one year," he said, slowly. "Oh." Ryan didn't reply; he silently turned the wheel and pulled into the driveway. He slowly turned off the engine - "We're here," he announced, flatly, and Colin blinked. "Yeah," he agreed, reaching for his door handle. Ryan tossed him his keys, over the roof, and Colin grabbed them, startled. He unlocked the trunk, shivering slightly, and Ryan snickered. "How the hell could you be cold?" he asked, incredulously. "You lived in Canada." "You know, I'm sure that makes sense to you," Colin replied, dryly, reaching for his bag, and Ryan snorted. "You do have the keys, don't you?" he added, suddenly, and Ryan actually laughed. "Yes, Colin." "I was just checking," he snapped, pretending to be offended, and Ryan smirked, as he shut the trunk. He unlocked the front door (it took only two tries, and Colin - hopping from foot to foot, holding his jacket closed - suspected that he was purposely taking his time) and pushed it open; Colin stepped inside and looked around, mildly surprised. "It's nice," he said, slowly, and Ryan brushed past him. "It's not bad," he agreed. "If you start the fire, I'll find the alcohol," he added, with a smirk, and Colin snorted. "I love your priorities," he muttered, and Ryan half smiled at him. "Well, we gotta get to it before everyone else," Ryan replied, conspirationally. Colin dropped his bag in the living room and crouched in front of the fireplace, frowning slightly. "Is there some trick to this?" he yelled, to Ryan. There was a pause, then an amused, "No!" "Well, have you ever done it?" he replied, mock crankily, and Ryan laughed, loudly. "How hard can it be?" Colin muttered something intentionally indecipherable under his breath, poking the wood a little listlessly. "Come on," he begged. "Have you got it going yet?" Ryan yelled, from the kitchen, and Colin scowled at the fireplace. "No!" he yelled back. "I think my hands are shaking too badly from the frostbite ..." Ryan appeared in the doorway, then, smiling. "Frostbite?" he repeated. "You do exaggerate," he said, lightly, and Colin tried to glare at him. "You have a go," he pouted, and Ryan smirked again. "Fine," he replied, handing Colin a half-full bottle of vodka. He studied the label for a moment; he glanced up and opened his mouth just as the fire leapt to life. Ryan raised his eyebrows at him, mock innocently, and Colin narrowed his eyes. "Oh, shut up." "Do you want a blanket or something?" Ryan asked, his lips twitching, and Colin tried to scowl at him. "No," he said, witheringly - then, "...maybe ..." Ryan snorted. "I'll go find one," he sighed, and a surprised laugh burst out of Colin. "Don't strain yourself," he teased. Ryan smiled slightly as he left, and Colin perched on the couch, staring almost through the fire. "Here," Ryan said, suddenly, throwing a blanket on him, and Colin blinked. "Thanks." Ryan settled into the couch next to him, and Colin slowly unfolded the scratchy blue blanket. He tugged it up to his chin, before offering - almost as an afterthought - a corner to Ryan. Ryan cleared his throat, his eyes darting to the side. "Uh, Col, I don't - I just - I don't feel the same way you do," he teased, gently, and Colin hugged the blanket tighter to him, and wrinkled his nose at Ryan. "No, I'm just not that cold," he added, normally. They sat in silence for a moment, before Ryan spoke, abruptly. "Let's play a game." "A ... game?" he asked, warily, and Ryan smirked. "A ... game," he repeated, mockingly, and Colin made a face at him. "Do you want to play or not? "Are you giving me a choice?" he asked, in mock surprise. "I say something like - I love Dan Patterson, right?" he barreled on, and Colin shook his head slightly, genuinely amused. "Right," Colin replied, with a straight face, and Ryan paused to glare at him. "If you're not going to take this seriously-" he frowned, mock threateningly, and Colin bit back a smile. "No, I will," he assured him. "So you say that you love Dan," he added, and Ryan stared at him for a long beat before continuing. "And then you say," he replied, slowly, "whether you think that's true or false. So," he prompted, and Colin pressed his index finger to his cheek and pretended to think. "Um," he joked, and Ryan laughed slightly, through his sigh. "False!" Colin finally announced, mock proudly, and Ryan shook his head slightly. "Yeah. So because you got that right, you don't have to drink." "But if I'd said 'true'?" Colin asked, pretending to be confused, and Ryan smirked. "Then you'd have to take a drink." "So why is the drinking a punishment?" he asked, smiling a little, as he reached for the bottle. Ryan didn't let it go, immediately; Colin tugged at it, insistently - and Ryan gave up, shaking his head again. He took a sip, then coughed. "Strong," he said, faintly, and Ryan grabbed it back. "I know." "Is this even a real game?" "... sure." "You're such a liar." "Lies don't matter if they don't hurt anyone," he sniffed, and Colin's eyes widened in amusement. "Does Pat know about that - philosophy?" he choked out, and Ryan pretended to frown at him. "Oh, bite me." "Witty." They paused then, for a moment. "So ... do you want to start? Seeing as this was your idea," he said, dryly, and Ryan cocked his head to the side. "OK - oh, but we get no clarification. If you said false to me-loving-Dan, and I said that was wrong, I don't have to elaborate on that." "You don't have to - but you can?" "If I want to." "Oh. If you want to. Of course." "Shut up." He held up his hands in mock surrender. "You going or what?" Ryan tried to glare at him. "I only have two kids," he said, slowly, and Colin snickered. "True, I hope," he replied, trying to look horrified, and Ryan pretended to scowl at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" he growled, and Colin widened his eyes. "Nothing," he said, blinking in mock innocence, and Ryan nodded. "Sure," he muttered, sarcastically. "OK, your go," he added, normally. "I ...huh. This is harder than I thought," he laughed, a little awkwardly, and Ryan nearly smiled. "Um..." he paused, patting his thighs as he thought. "I never get nervous before a show." "False." "Well, I wanted to start off easy," he tried to laugh, and Ryan shook his head. "Uh huh." "Well why don't you go?" Colin sniffed, and Ryan winked at him. "Fine. I'd be happy doing this show for the rest of my life." "Hah!" he snorted. "False." Ryan smiled - a little sheepishly. "Yeah," he said, quietly. "I'd be happy doing it for the rest of my life," Colin said, studying him. "Trrrrue?" Ryan asked, lifting his chin a little. Colin wrinkled his nose. "No." Ryan smirked and took a swig. "Bummer," he deadpanned, before adding, seriously, "You wouldn't?" Colin cocked his head to the side and glanced over at the fire again. "No," he finally replied. "I mean - I love it, don't get me wrong. I just ... wouldn't want to do it forever. I guess." Ryan shrugged. "Understandable." Colin pursed his lips, his chin dimpling. "Yeah. Your turn," he added, a little quietly. "I like Deb," Ryan smirked, and Colin glared at him. "True," he said, and Ryan sighed, with mock remorse, and went to hand Colin the bottle. He laughed, genuinely, and Ryan smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening. "No, you're right," he said, a little needlessly and Colin snorted. Ryan waved, lazily, for him to go. "I sometimes miss smoking," he said, thoughtfully, and Ryan's lips pursed in surprise. "True," he replied, slowly, and Colin smiled, sheepishly. "Yeah," he said, softly. "I actually like Drew," Ryan smirked, and Colin laughed, easily. "True," he insisted, and Ryan raised his eyebrows, amused. "I don't know why you sound so sure," he snorted, and Colin smiled slightly. "Come off it. You love him," and Ryan nearly choked. "Please," he groaned. "I ate before," he added, in mock disgust, and Colin chuckled. "I was worried when - when you brought the show over - that - that there wouldn't be a... role ... I guess, for me," he said quickly, suddenly serious, and Ryan blinked. "False." He handed him the drink, wordlessly, and Ryan sighed. "Col-in," he groaned, and Colin shrugged, a little embarrassed. Ryan paused for a moment, before speaking again. "I felt obligated to give you a permanent seat," he said, slowly, and Colin tried to laugh. "True." "No!" he cried, immediately. "Col!" "Oh, come on," he said, his voice a little lower than usual. "You can't seriously tell me that a tiny part of you didn't feel like you had to give me that seat." "I never - no way," he insisted, his voice rising slightly. "Ryan - come on," he repeated, tiredly. "Why would I have felt obligated to?" he asked, his eyes boring into Colin's, and the older man paused for a beat. "Because ... I'm your friend," he said, weakly, and Ryan snorted. "You really think I'd let something as fickle as friendship stand in the way of a decent profit?" he smirked. "Asshole," he laughed, and Ryan smiled, thinly. "Why'd you do any of it?" he asked, rhetorically, even softer, and Ryan narrowed his eyes. "Any of what?" he asked, a little guardedly. "Any of ... everything. Second City. Deb. The British version. Giving me a permanent seat," he said, rubbing his cold hands together. "Because ... because..." Ryan trailed off. "I ... wanted to." "You wanted to," he repeated, flatly, quietly, and Ryan shrugged. "What do you want me to say, Col?" he drawled, and Colin tilted his head back slightly and studied the ceiling for a moment. "Nothing." "Fine." "Yeah." They sat in silence for a moment. "It's ... it's my turn, I guess," he finally murmured, and Ryan blinked. "Uh, yeah. You need to drink, first, though," he reminded him. So he did, and it burned slightly, like he'd been expecting. Christ, like he'd been hoping. "I've thought about ... leaving Deb." "False." "You're sure about that?" Colin asked, amused, and Ryan tilted his head to the side. "No," he admitted, a little throatily, "But I got a fifty-fifty chance, here." "Yeah, well - you were wrong," he grumbled, handing him back the bottle, and Ryan blinked. "Seriously?" he asked, a little hesitantly for him. "No, I'm lying," he deadpanned, and Ryan paused. "I'm kidding," Colin added, amused. "Why didn't you ever tell me that?" Ryan asked, curiously, and Colin paused. "Because it never came up?" "It never came up?" Ryan scoffed. "Well, when was I meant to?" Colin asked, a little defensively. "Could you pour me some more water? And, uh, I'm thinking about leaving Deb - oh, crap. Hoedown. Let's go," he said, a little mockingly - and, like he's sometimes wont to do, he took it slightly too far, for slightly too long, but Ryan just pursed his lips, a little irritably. "I don't see you that often," Colin reminded him. "Really?" Ryan replied, a touch shortly, and Colin narrowed his left eye slightly. "Oh, so maybe I should've rung you?" Ryan's head jerked in acknowledgement - and Colin knew he didn't have to finish the thought, but he did, because he's always wanted to. "Oh - wait. You wouldn't have bothered calling me back," he added, in mock puzzlement. "Does it really bother you that much?" Ryan asked, thoughtfully. "Why should it?" Colin pretended to sniff. "It's not like we're friends or anything," he tried to lighten the moment. "Col-" "I'm kidding," he said, flatly, before coughing, awkwardly. "It's your turn," he muttered. "I sometimes wonder what it would've been like if I - I hadn't married Pat," he said, in a bizarre sort of peace offering. "Mmnn..." Colin paused. "I think everyone has ... moments ... like that." "Including you?" Colin held up his hands. "Is it your turn?" he asked, incredulously, and Ryan dipped his chin and laughed. "True or false?" he asked, after a beat, and Colin pursed his lips. "I'll say ... true," he decided, and Ryan shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah," he grudgingly allowed, and Colin pumped his fists in mock celebration. "I've never been jealous of you," he said, carefully, and Ryan's pursed lips parted, making a bizarre squeak that Colin would've laughed at if he hadn't been so oddly tense. "True," he replied, unhurriedly, and Colin gave him a lopsided half-smile. "Drink," he said, his voice almost amusingly childlike, and Ryan glanced down at the bottle, then back up at him. "Col..." he murmured, and Colin cleared his throat. "Your turn," he muttered. "I've never cheated on Pat," Ryan said, and Colin made an odd noise in the back of his throat - part strangled groan, part muffled sigh. "Ryan-" he protested. "True or false?" "Um," he paused, and Ryan pursed his lips slightly. "True." Ryan studied him for a long moment before smirking. "You might wanna..." he trailed off, nodding at the bottle, and Colin carefully schooled his face into a blank mask as he took it. He sipped the vodka before pausing, and Ryan studied him. "I've never cheated on Deb," Colin said, lightly, trying to look mysterious, and Ryan laughed. "True," he said, confidently, and Colin pretended to glare at him. "How are you so sure?" he asked, with a frown, and Ryan laughed again. "Are you saying I'm wrong?" he asked, with a smirk, and Colin pouted slightly. "Well, no," he admitted. "But that's beside the point." "I know you, Col," Ryan said, and there was a slightly awkward, brief pause, before Colin snorted. "I'm sorry, I thought that was going somewhere." Ryan kicked him, gently, and they both laughed. "Your turn." "I like using accents." Colin laughed. "Oh, true, for sure." Ryan gave him an odd look. "I want another drink," he admitted, sheepishly, and Ryan laughed, startled. "Anyway, that was a throw-away question," he added, and Ryan shrugged - busted. He took a sip - patted his chest a few times - and rolled his head against the back of the couch to look over at Ryan. "Your go." "I've never thought about cheating on Deb," Colin said, rubbing his thumb along the lip of the bottle, and Ryan actually paused. "Oooh," he said slowly, studying Colin, and Colin stared back at him, as blankly as he could. "Uh, true," he finally said, far from convincingly, and Colin smiled slightly before shoving the bottle back towards Ryan. "With who?" Ryan asked, stunned, and Colin shook his head, almost amused. "I don't have to 'elaborate'," he reminded him, pointedly, and Ryan waved a hand dismissively. "That rule was only for me," he smirked, and Colin snorted. "OK, my go again?" "Yeah." "I love you," Ryan said, studying him a little too intently, and Colin didn't have to try much to pretend to look uncomfortable. He knew Ryan was only trying to weird him out - he'd done it on stage countless times - but it was still working. He edged away, as he asked, intentionally stiltedly, "Is that part of the game, or were you just letting me know?" Ryan made a face at him. "True or false?" he asked, ignoring him, and Colin snorted. "True, I would hope," he said, flatly, in his normal voice. "Otherwise you're short a ride home." Ryan shrugged and made a face. "Yeah?" he almost asked, and Colin tried to glare at him. "It's your turn," he pointed out, his lips twitching slightly. "I miss you sometimes," he said, smirking a little (and he'd swear he'd never smirked until he met Ryan). "True," Ryan shot back, immediately, mirroring his smirk, reaching for the bottle. Colin hugged it to his chest, protectively. "No," he protested. "It's not yours." Ryan's hand froze, and he swallowed, without looking away from him. "OK," was all he managed to say, and Colin tried to smile at him. "I think I need a drink though," he tried to joke, so Colin silently passed him the bottle. "You go," he said, softly, as Ryan took a swig, and Ryan stared at him for a long moment - and it was crazy and all kinds of irrational, but he was almost uncomfortable under his scrutiny - because, yeah, they'd been physically closer than this before, and yeah, they'd given each other looks more meaningful than this before - but it was rare to be this close to Ryan Stiles off stage. It was rare to be this close to him, and him to actually mean it. "I've never thought about kissing you," he said, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly; Colin's eyebrows rose fractionally and his heart jumped - and he tried to look like he didn't care. "Uh," he hedged, "uh-" Ryan smirked. "True or false, Col?" Ryan asked, as innocently as he could. Colin bit the tip of his tongue for a moment, and Ryan raised an eyebrow, exaggeratedly. "Where the hell did that come from?" "True or false?" he smirked. "True," he finally said, and Ryan's expression didn't change for a beat, and Colin's forefinger tapped an impatient rhythm on his thigh. Slowly, Ryan pushed the bottle towards him (this time he quirked an eyebrow only slightly) and Colin - just as slowly - reached for it. There was a slight pause - one more awkward than usual - so Colin cleared his throat. "I've never thought about kissing you," he said, with bravado he sure as hell wasn't feeling, and Ryan snorted. "False," he replied, immediately, and Colin laughed a little, before he could help himself. "So arrogant," he murmured, ruefully, and Ryan snorted again. "I'm not arrogant," he replied, with mock indignation, and Colin stared at him, sceptically. Ryan rolled his eyes and held his thumb and index finger about an inch apart. "A little," he mouthed, screwing up his nose, and Colin laughed. "But I was right, wasn't I?" Ryan added, with a smirk, and Colin rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm not throwing the bottle at you, am I?" he asked, with mock grumpiness. "I've never had sex with a man," Ryan said, thoughtfully - if a little abruptly - and Colin sucked in a sharp breath. "How'd you get to that from..." he muttered, and Ryan gave him a mock incredulous look. "Colin, if I need to explain how kissing leads to sex, then-" "Oh, shut up." "True or false?" "False," he eventually said, a little weakly, and Ryan smirked. But didn't give him the drink. "With - with Greg?" he asked, before he could help himself (and he was perfectly willing to blame it on the alcohol, to blame it on the fire, that was making him fuzzily warm, and not just the fact that he'd always wanted to know for sure), and Ryan raised his eyebrows - surprised, maybe, at the question ... or the fact that Colin had actually asked. Or, possibly, just that Colin didn't know. But he didn't add anything, so Colin spoke again. "I've never had sex with a man," he echoed, with as straight a face as he could manage, and Ryan's head jerked backwards. "Whoa," he said, almost under his breath. "Uh - whoa." "True or false?" Colin prompted, a little mockingly, and Ryan shook his head slightly to himself. "Come on. True or false?" Colin goaded, and Ryan slammed his hand down on the arm of the couch and pretended to glare at him. "Don't rush me!" he roared, before smirking at him, and Colin laughed, genuinely. "True?" Ryan finally asked, and Colin shrugged, before nodding. "I've slept with Greg," Ryan said, slowly, and Colin bit his lip. "True," he said - unhappily - and Ryan's grip on the bottle tightened and he offered Colin a slightly sheepish - guilty - half-smile. Colin's stomach clenched - but not as violently as he'd feared; hearing that ten years ago, though, would've hurt him - as irrational as it was - far more. "That doesn't make me jealous," he said, with an easy smile, and Ryan snickered. "True," he said, bored, and Colin's smile slipped slightly. Slightly startled with himself - because he had meant it as a joke, a way to simply ease a little of the tension building - he slowly pushed the bottle towards Ryan, and Ryan stared at it for a long moment, before reaching for it and taking a long drag. He held the bottle up, closing one eye and gazing down the neck. "Need another one, soon" he muttered, a little self-consciously, and Colin sighed, almost silently. Ryan paused, still staring down the bottle, before risking a glance over at him. "Greg's the only man I've slept with." "Uh ... true?" he asked, not sure that he wanted to know, and Ryan stared at him for a beat. "You're not very good at this game, are you, Col?" he smirked, handing him back the bottle, and Colin shrugged slightly. "I've thought about having sex with a man," he said slowly, and Ryan made an instant, exaggerated, "oooh!" "Shut up." He clutched his chest, trying to look wounded. "Hey!" "So?" "Uh ... true," he said - and maybe Colin was feeling a little paranoid, but he'd swear Ryan said it just a little too knowingly. He shrugged, awkwardly, trying to smile, and Ryan smiled, genuinely. "Colin!" he teased, and he tried to glare back at him. He glanced back at the fire, and slowly slid off the couch, landing with a muffled thump on the thick carpet, and Ryan laughed. "How much've you had to drink, Col?" he asked, dubiously, as he carefully joined him, and Colin smiled slightly. "Not enough," he muttered, tucking the blanket around him. "Whose go was it?" he asked, his smile growing a little. "I forget." "Mine," Ryan replied, amused, and Colin nodded. "That's right," he muttered, and Ryan snorted. He paused, and Colin turned to face him, his shoulder digging into the couch seat cushion. Ryan picked at his thumbnail, and Colin waited. Finally, Ryan glanced up at him; he met Colin's eyes, then glanced past him to the fireplace. "I've never dreamt about you," he said, a little quieter, and Colin tried to smile. "I find it hard to believe that I've never - in twenty years - popped up in one of your dreams," he deflected. "I didn't ask for any justification," he interrupted, amused. "So ... false," Colin continued, ignoring him. Ryan considered him for a moment. "Mmnn," he hummed. "I guess that's right. Well - kinda." "Kinda?" he yelped. "It's either true or it's not!" he pretended to glare at him. "Kinda," he repeated, in mock disgust. "I meant, I've never dreamt about you," Ryan said, and Colin dipped his chin. "I don't - didn't you just-" "Come on, Colin," Ryan said, a little shortly, and his brow furrowed. "Don't be so-" "I've never had a dream that involved you in some sort of sexual ... context," Ryan trailed off, weakly, and Colin's eyes widened before he could help himself. "Uh-" "True or false?" "No - I don't - I don't wanna answer that..." he said, softly, and Ryan snorted. "It's just a game, Col," he said, flatly, and Colin bit his bottom lip. "Fine. False," he murmured, and Ryan smiled, wanly, before handing him the bottle - and he'd swear he was having a little trouble swallowing. "Your go," Ryan muttered, and Colin took a large mouthful of the vodka. "Um," he said, his mind truly blank; the only thing he could focus on was the pause Ryan had left between 'sexual' and 'context'. "I don't - I don't have one," he said, weakly, and Ryan shrugged, good-naturedly. "I'll go again then," he decided. "Thanks," he muttered. "Uh ... " he tilted his head to the side, studying Colin - and, feeling slightly awkward, the older man pulled his blanket a little tighter around him. "I've never thought about having sex..." Ryan trailed off for a moment, "with ... uh, with you." Colin flushed slightly, immediately - they both pretended not to notice - and Ryan waited, almost patiently. "Um," he replied, softly, picking at the edge of the blanket. "That - that would be true, I believe," he said, trying to sound like he didn't care, and Ryan cocked his head to the side again. "And that would be wrong, I believe," he replied, mockingly, and Colin's eyes snapped back up to his, his brow furrowing (he's not bad with poker faces when he has half a second to prepare), but Ryan simply nodded towards the bottle. Colin dutifully sipped, and Ryan licked his bottom lip. "You got one yet?" Colin shook his head, sheepishly - and maybe it was taking the easy way out, but it was so much more simple just to keep letting Ryan go. Ryan smirked. "Sure. I'll go again, then?" Colin made a 'what-can-you-do?' face, and Ryan shook his head, amused. "Uh huh. Fine. OK ... I - uh," he began, with unusual - and surprising - nervousness, "I don't want to kiss you ... right now," he said, and Colin could only blink back at him. "Your face," Ryan teased, gently, leaning back, and Colin tried to smile, a little mortified. "True," he all but breathed, and Ryan snorted and raised his eyebrows in the direction of the bottle. "You're not getting any better, Col," he pointed out, and Colin sniffed, in mock indignation. "Well, how many've you gotten right?" Ryan asked, amused. "How do you know I'm not doing it on purpose?" Colin asked, his eyes wide, before taking another mouthful, and Ryan snorted. "Because ... you wouldn't," he said, a little weakly for him, and Colin laughed, quietly. "Well, you're right...," he smiled, "but still." Ryan pursed his lips, trying not to smile. "You got one yet?" he asked, instead, and Colin paused. "Maybe?" "'K, let's hear it," Ryan said, with mock seriousness, slapping his thighs, and Colin chuckled. "Um ..." he began, before changing his mind. "No. Forget it. It's stupid." "No, Col, come on," Ryan replied, immediately, and Colin shook his head. "No." "Colinnnnnn," he whined. "Please?" Colin sighed. "Ryan-" "Plllleeaaassseee," he wheedled, trying to look pathetic, and Colin snorted. "You can't pull that look off," he snorted, with mock indignation, and Ryan snickered. "I doubt many people can," he replied, dryly. "Now go." "I don't want you to kiss me - right now," he said, before he could think too much about what he was saying - and it probably wouldn't have been half as awkward if he'd said it immediately after Ryan, like some kind of joke. Ryan snorted. "That's not - there's no way to answer that-" "True or false?" he asked, trying not to smile. "True," Ryan replied, grudgingly, and Colin silently handed him back the bottle. Ryan took a healthy swig before saying, lazily, "I'm not going to kiss you," he paused, "right now," he added, only a little mockingly, and Colin's breath caught in his throat, and he coughed, quietly. Ryan held up the bottle, wiggling it from side to side, as he waited, and Colin tried to scowl at him. "Come on," Ryan coaxed. "You haven't gotten one right in ages. Colin paused. "How about a hint?" he asked, not nearly as lightly as he'd hoped, and Ryan smirked. He leant in, until their mouths were only an inch or so apart, and Colin gazed up at him - a little pleadingly, almost - and Ryan smiled slightly. "What do you think?" he asked, his lips twitching a little, and Colin gave him a tiny, humourless smile in reply. "True or false?" he prompted, still smiling, and Colin's own smile grew slightly. "Uh," he pretended to think, and Ryan groaned, reaching up to cup his cheek briefly. Colin reached up immediately and touched his chest, his fingers resting there for a long moment. "False," he finally settled on - and Ryan's smile slipped slightly, and they both knew he was thinking about saying something smart-arsed (at the very least) - or pulling away and handing Colin the bottle. But he didn't. He exhaled slowly, through his nose, and Colin merely waited, his heart thudding (almost painfully) in his chest. Ryan slowly slid his hand around Colin's jaw, until it cupped the back of his neck, and he tugged. He went willingly, his lips meeting Ryan's far sooner than he'd expected, and they both froze. Ryan slowly puckered his lips, and kissed him, gently, without moving - and neither of them pulled away. He carefully moved his mouth slightly against Ryan's, and the taller man swallowed. He sucked lightly on Colin's top lip, and Colin couldn't help but smile. Ryan smiled back, and Colin tilted his head slightly, as Ryan's hand moved around to cup his cheek again, before the younger man pulled away. He studied Colin, the creases in his forehead deepening, and Colin pressed hips lips together and tried not to look away. Awkward. Ryan kissed him again, softly, before pulling back completely. "OK?" he mumbled, and Colin smiled and tugged the blanket up to his chin again, and Ryan laughed, before settling back in his place. "I ... I liked that," Colin murmured, and Ryan snickered. "Were you just letting me know, or-" "True or false," he interrupted, making a face. "True." Colin snorted, and jokingly reached out to tap the bottle, and Ryan scowled at him. He wrinkled up his nose in reply, and Ryan laughed slightly. "Huh. What next?" he murmured, in mock thoughtfulness. "Maybe - no. How about - I want to fuck you," he said, simply, his face blank, and Colin's throat constricted until he couldn't swallow. "Uh-" "Come on, Col," he murmured, sneaking a hand under the blanket and cupping the older man's already semi-hard cock through his pants. "Be brave," he added, with mock seriousness, as Colin's hips jerked. He swallowed and paused, his mouth falling half open. "Ryan-" he said, softly. "True or false?" he pressed. "True?" he asked, quietly feeling (bizarrely) like he was about to cry, and Ryan smiled, slowly. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" "What wasn't?" Colin asked, pretending to be offended, and Ryan snorted. "Oh, get your mind out of the gutter," he snapped, with a smile, and Colin laughed. "I want ... you ... to fuck me," he said, reluctantly - because a tiny part of him still feared that this was some sort of fucking joke, and Ryan smiled, slowly. He pushed himself up, leaving the bottle resting against the bottom of the sofa, and crawled (the foot or so) towards Colin. Colin watched him, silently. He swung a leg over Colin's hips, trapping him, and the older man gazed up at him, his fingers creeping over the top of the blanket. "Hey," he murmured - idiotically - but Ryan almost smiled. "Hey," he replied, before leaning down to kiss him again - and this time, Colin opened his mouth immediately. Ryan braced his hands on the cushions behind Colin's head, and licked at his lips. Colin reached up to squeeze his shoulders, and Ryan kissed him a little harder. It was slightly weird - unfamiliar, at least; Ryan's stubble scraped his chin, lightly, his teeth grazed Ryan's, accidentally - and Ryan's mouth was larger than his. They didn't fit together perfectly, but it was warm and wet and Colin couldn't help but smile again. Ryan's hips pushed up against him, and he responded in kind - and, yeah, maybe it was wrong, but he wasn't going to pretend he hadn't wondered about this for fucking years. Ryan pulled back slightly, trapping his top lip between his teeth, looking - a little unsurely, almost, for him - at Colin, and Colin blinked, slowly. "Um," he murmured, his voice a little low, "who - who were we up to?" Ryan slowly climbed off him; he settled, heavily, slightly closer to Colin than he'd previously been, but neither bothered to point that out. Their elbows brushed as Ryan thought. "I'd never leave Pat," he said, staring at the fire, and Colin's eyes dropped to his lap for a moment. "Is that part of the game?" he asked, again - seriously, this time, looking back up, and Ryan nodded. He paused. "True," he eventually said, softly, and Ryan reached for the bottle, before his hand froze. "No," Colin murmured, tucking the blanket back around his biceps - just for something to do really - and Ryan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Colin - no," he argued, weakly. "I ... you can't ... there's no way to know. It was a dumb-" Colin smiled, sadly. "Mmn," he pretended to agree, before leaning over and resting his head on Ryan's shoulder. "You'd never leave her," he whispered. "You might think about it ... but you'd never go through with it." Ryan swallowed, but didn't reply. "Why are you so sure of that?" he asked, his voice slightly strangled, and Colin lifted his head and hesitantly kissed Ryan's neck, before mumbling, slowly, against it, "Because I know you." Ryan slowly exhaled. "Your turn," was all he murmured, thickly. "I'll regret this in the morning." "True," he smirked, and Colin offered him the bottle. He jerked back, holding up a hand. "No, I got that one right." "No you didn't," he protested, a little earnestly. "Oh, don't lie. You so will." "No I won't." He leant in until his lips brushed Colin's again, and the older man couldn't help but smile faintly. "Yes. You will." "You don't know that," Colin mumbled, against his mouth. "Yes. I do." "No," was all he had, so Ryan kissed him, gently, again. He pulled back when he heard a car engine. "Is that them?" he asked, and Ryan paused. "I'm not sure." "I think it was." "I really wanted everyone else to get here, too-" he sighed, and Colin raised an eyebrow. "I'm playing again," he said, quickly, and Colin laughed, genuinely. "Oh. False." They heard a car door slam, and Ryan pulled away from him a little. "Let's just finish the bottle," he muttered, risking a glance at the door, and Colin nodded, silently. "Uh, my turn?" he checked, and Ryan's head jerked. "OK. Um-" There was a yelp from outside; "It's freezing!" Wayne cried, as he rattled the door handle. "Ahhh!" He pushed open the door with his hip, his hands rubbing together furiously, and Colin smiled. "Hey." "Freezing!" Wayne replied, his eyes wide, as he pushed shut the door, and Colin laughed. "I know." Ryan slumped against the couch. "You going?" he muttered. "Wayne has good timing," he muttered back, dryly, as the aforementioned shot them an odd look. "Uh, true," Ryan said, smirking, reaching for the bottle. Colin snorted, as Wayne spun around. "Is the kitchen that way?" he asked, pointing, and Ryan nodded. "Thanks," he took half a step before turning back and adding, curiously, "Why are you guys on the floor?" Ryan paused, and Colin cocked his head to the side. "Why not?" he asked, in mock bewilderment, and Ryan snorted into the vodka. Wayne shook his head. "Oh, man." Ryan tapped the bottle as he thought. "OK. My go. I ... I want to kiss whoever steps through the door next," he said, handing it back to Colin. "True," he said, the bottle already hovering over his mouth. Greg pushed open the door, saw them and raised a hand. "Greetings," he said, flatly, and Colin shot Ryan an amused, sidelong glance. He went to lower the bottle, jokingly, and Ryan barked out the beginning of a laugh before grabbing the bottom of the bottle and yanking it upwards. Colin nearly choked on the mouthful of vodka. "Christ," he muttered, shoving Ryan's hand away, and Ryan immediately slapped him, and yanked the bottle back towards him. He grabbed the bottle off Ryan, both of them laughing, and Greg eyed them, warily. "I don't think I want to know," he said, with mock nervousness, before - presumably - following Wayne into the kitchen. Colin slowly got to his feet, still clutching the blanket around him, the bottle in his right hand - and Ryan warily followed. He paused in the kitchen doorway, and Ryan stopped - abruptly - behind him. "Where's Drew?" Colin asked, politely, and Wayne yanked opened a brown paper bag. "Just checking that everything's still in the garage, or something," he snorted, unloading bottles of alcohol, and Ryan snorted. Colin rocked slightly from side to side, watching Wayne and Greg unpack, and Ryan slowly reached out to grab his wrists. His hands slowly slid up Colin's arms, and Colin turned his head slightly to the side. "Any left?" Ryan murmured, into his ear, before gently nipping his earlobe - and they both risked a quick glance at the other two, who were busy opening cupboards. "A little," he whispered back. "Enough for one more go?" He studied the bottle for a moment. "Yeah." "What are you two whispering about?" Wayne asked, pressing a finger to the corner of his mouth, and Greg laughed, without turning around. "Nothing," Ryan replied, flatly. Then, to Colin, "You ready?" "Hit me," he said, dryly, and Ryan snorted. "OK. Tomorrow, I'm going to pretend that none of this ever happened. We'll go back to the way we were, and I will never, ever mention tonight to you again," he breathed, squeezing Colin's shoulders. Colin was silent for a long moment. "Col?" "True," he all but mouthed, and Ryan pressed his face to the back of Colin's neck for a moment. "Drink up," he murmured, his hand creeping around Colin's neck to squeeze his collarbone, and Colin tried to smile. "I think I got that one right," he replied, softly, and Ryan pulled back slightly. "No," he protested. "You're wrong," he insisted, a little childishly, and Colin shrugged. "If you say so," he murmured, evenly, and Ryan bumped into him with his hip. "I do. Now drink." "Ryan ..." "Colin-" "Don't." Ryan leant in again, and pressed a quick kiss to his temple. "Drink, Colin. Please," he urged, a little desperately - and even though he still didn't really believe him, Colin finally did.