The Secret Santa fic I wrote for anesthesiagirl (Jen) who asked for Ryan/Colin or a Greg or Brad-centric fic. And because I can't follow directions too well, this is what was, uh, created ... Title: Underneath the Mistletoe Rating: PG Pairing: Ryan/Colin, and maybe a teensy bit of Greg/Brad - if you squint and tilt your head and look for it. Summary: Mistletoe is always fun ... Author's Notes: Not so proud of this one :\ Which is a bit of a shame, seeing as it was meant to be, well, a Christmas present for someone *sighs* It's only marginally better than the one I scrapped, uh, about twenty hours before we were meant to send them to Indy. ;) And it's meant to be kind of sappy. It's a CHRISTMAS FIC. Sorry. Not yelling at anyone. Just getting pre-emptively defensive, lol. I don't have issues ... Notes about the actual fic: It's set sometime during the US WL. *clears throat* Now. Onwards. *~*~*~*~*~*~* "So it's a Christmas party two weeks before Christmas?" Ryan had checked, the lines around his eyes deepening for a moment. "Uh huh," Brad had replied, as though Ryan was being particularly slow, and Colin had coughed to disguise his laugh. Ryan had pretended to glare at him. "Ignore him, Brad," Colin had said, dryly. "It's just so it doesn't clash with anything," Brad had explained, anyway, sounding a little hurt, and Colin had nodded. "I think it's a good idea," he'd said, earnestly, and Brad had smiled at him. "Thank-you," he'd said, pointedly, as he crossed his arms. "Do we ... have ... to come?" Ryan had asked, dipping his chin a little, and Brad had paused. "Well, no..." he'd trailed off, looking at Colin a little helplessly, and Colin had rolled his eyes. "He'll be there," he'd said, confidently, and Brad - and Ryan, to a lesser extent - had eyed him, sceptically. "I'll make sure of it," Colin had said, lifting his nose a little, and Brad and Ryan had both smiled a little. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Brad opened the door. "Colin!" he exclaimed. "Ryan!" he added, stunned, and the taller man smirked at him. "Hi," he offered, dryly, and Colin shook his head slightly. "Merry Christmas, Brad," he said, warmly, and Brad smiled at him. He leant in - a little awkwardly - and hugged both of them; Ryan patted his back a couple of times, and Colin squeezed his waist companionably. "Come in," he said, pulling back, and they both stepped through the door. "Take your coats?" he asked, and they dutifully shrugged out of them. "Thanks," Colin said, for both of them, and Ryan looked past Brad, into the hallway. "Anyone else here?" he asked, and Colin shook his head again, amused. Brad laughed a little. "Yeah, everyone, I think." Colin whirled around to stare up at Ryan. "I told you we were going to be late." Ryan ignored him; "Anything to drink?" he asked Brad, flatly, and Brad nodded. "Of course," he replied, sweeping his arms in the direction of the lounge. "Take what you want." Ryan actually smiled then, and Colin sighed. He lead them into the living room; Greg gave Ryan a tiny wave, and the taller man raised his chin - if a little irritably - in reply. Greg smirked, then smiled at Colin. "Hi Col," he called, over-excitedly, and Colin laughed a little. "Hi Greg!" he waved back, happily, and Brad chuckled. *~*~*~*~*~*~* He glanced over, just checking to see where everyone was, really, and spotted Ryan slumped against the kitchen doorframe. He sighed, quietly, and glanced over at Greg. "I don't think Ryan's having a good time," he murmured to Greg, who looked up and frowned. "What's wrong with him?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink, and Brad shrugged. "Beats me," he replied, as he turned away from the sight. "But anyway ..." Wayne reached for a handful of nuts. "Great party, Brad," he said, happily, and Brad eyed him, warily. "I'm serious!" he laughed, holding up his free hand. "Chill out," he admonished, as he walked past, and he reached out and squeezed Brad's bicep. Brad looked back at Greg; Greg stared over at the corner of the room. Brad cleared his throat, and Greg said, without looking at him, "It's just so sad." Brad turned around and looked for Ryan; their friend hadn't moved from the doorway. Ryan folded his arms across his chest as he watched everyone else; Brad picked up an empty glass and lifted it in Ryan's direction, as he raised his eyebrows at the taller man. Ryan jerked his head slightly, straightening up a little, and Brad suddenly noticed the mistletoe above Ryan's head. He ladled some of the punch into the glass; inspired, he glanced around for Colin. "Colin!" he cried, suddenly, and the older man gave him a slightly bemused look. "Yes?" he asked, after checking behind him. Brad held the glass out to him, almost proudly, and Colin laughed. "Can you take this over to Ryan?" he asked, as normally as he could, and Colin smiled at him. "Sure," he replied, amiably, as he took the glass, and Brad swallowed. As soon as Colin turned away, Brad whipped his head around. "Greg," he hissed, grabbing at the other man's sleeve. "What?" he replied, immediately, his hand automatically reaching out to cover Brad's. "Help me out here," he murmured, a little pleadingly, nodding towards Ryan and Colin. Greg followed his gaze; it took him a second, but his friend quickly clicked. "You're terrible," he snorted, as he laughed, and Brad smiled, sheepishly. "And you want me to do your dirty work for you," he continued, his eyes dancing, and Brad shrugged. Greg shrugged back. "Fair enough," he replied, then cleared his throat. "Ry! Col!" he called, and Brad snorted, softly. The two other men looked over, eyebrows raised, and Greg paused, trying not to smile. "Uh," he finally said, pointing to the mistletoe above them, and Ryan and Colin craned their necks to see. Ryan snorted immediately, his arms still folded, and Colin glanced down at Ryan's glass, which he still clutched. "Well?" Brad prompted, with a smirk, and Colin met his eyes. "You," he said, disbelievingly, and Brad tried to look as innocent as possible. "What?" he asked, girlishly, and Colin just shook his head. He turned back to Ryan, not quite meeting his eyes, and Wayne, from the other side of the room, called out, "Woo!" waving his arm above his head - and Colin turned to face him. He held up his index finger and mouthed, "Shut. Up," as sternly as he could, through a smile. Ryan just shook his head and looked away. "Come on," Drew piped up with, as he sipped his drink, and Ryan made a face at him over Colin's head. "Have a bit of holiday spirit," Chip added, sounding disgusted, and Ryan ducked his head and actually tried not to laugh. Colin watched him, a little uneasily, a tiny, rueful smile tugging at his lips. "Fine," Ryan said, suddenly, his head snapping up, and Colin glanced up at him, moving only his eyes, and Ryan stared down at him for a long moment. Without unfolding his arms, Ryan leant down, his lips slightly parted, and kissed his best friend. He sucked, lightly, on Colin's top lip; Colin gently worried Ryan's lower lip. Ryan lingered against Colin's mouth for a moment, before carefully pulling back, and Colin immediately rubbed his nose, a little shyly. "Oh - I brought you your drink," Colin said, sounding almost surprised, as he held out the glass, and Ryan wordlessly took it from him. Colin stared at him as he took a gulp, and Ryan tipped it towards Colin. "You want a sip?" he asked, genuinely amused, and Colin took it back, and downed it in two large mouthfuls. Ryan dipped his chin and laughed for a moment. "Easy, Col," he said, gently. "The night's still young." Colin smiled, almost guiltily, and Ryan straightened up, an odd expression crossing his face. Colin watched him, a little warily, and Ryan chuckled. He leant down and murmured something to Colin; Colin laughed, and risked a glance over at Brad. Brad looked away, quickly, and Colin turned back to Ryan, still smiling, and murmured something back. Brad nudged Greg. "That was ... interesting." "Not what I was expecting," Greg replied, thoughtfully. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Colin grabbed Greg's elbow as he brushed past. "Could you just ask Brad where he left the last bottle of bubbly?" he asked, nodding towards Brad, and Greg bobbed his head up and down quickly. "Sure Col," he replied, as he made his way over to the other man. "Brad, Colin wants to know -" Two loud cries of "HA!" interrupted him mid-sentence. They glanced around, and Ryan and Colin pointed at them triumphantly, and Brad closed his eyes briefly. Greg looked back at them, concerned. "Are you quite all right?" he asked, before shooting an uneasy glance at Brad. "What?" he stage whispered, when Colin and Ryan only smiled, smugly, at him, and Brad rolled his head back slightly to look at the ceiling above them. Greg looked up too - and saw the sprig of mistletoe directly above them. "Brad!" he complained. "How much of this stuff do you have up?" he laughed, and Brad shrugged, sheepishly. "OK," Greg said, slowly, and Brad stepped - a little unwillingly - towards him. "OK," he repeated. Brad leant in, his forehead creasing, and their mouths nearly touched before Greg pulled back, laughing. He slapped his thighs as he laughed; "I'm sorry," he tried to say - and he finally just removed his glasses and wiped his eyes. Brad leant in again, quickly, and grabbed Greg's shoulders. He kissed him, firmly, and Greg pressed back against him, his glasses still in his left hand. When Brad pulled back, Greg slowly replaced his glasses. "No fair," he drawled, quietly. "Taking advantage of me like that," and Brad only snorted in reply. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Brad grabbed a bunch of empty dishes; he paused at the doorway to his kitchen, a little uncertainly. Ryan leant against the kitchen counter - his back to Brad - and pulled Colin towards him, urging him around until they both faced the same direction. Colin sighed, as Ryan wrapped his arms around his waist. "What's wrong?" he asked, intentionally patronizingly, and Colin laughed, even as he sighed again. Ryan leant down a little, his face close to Colin's, and the shorter man turned his head slightly to the side to get a better look at Ryan. "Nothing," he said, quietly, and Ryan snorted. "Colin," he drawled, nudging him with his nose. "Come on," he wheedled, and Colin took a deep breath. "You ... you kissed me like I was your aunt," he said, flatly, and Ryan pulled back a little. "You kiss your aunt like that?" he gasped, giving Colin a mock horrified look, and Colin smiled slightly. "You know what I mean." Ryan paused, and bumped into Colin's cheek with his nose again. "You would've preferred it if I'd just jumped you?" he asked, with mock seriousness, and Colin pulled away. "Forget it," he tried to laugh. "I was just making a big deal out of nothing," he shrugged, and Ryan studied him, intently, even as he turned for the door - and spied Brad. "Hi," he said, a little briskly, and Brad bit his lip. "Hi," he replied, weakly, and Ryan didn't turn around. Colin brushed past him, with a half-hearted smile, and Brad moved into the kitchen. "I'm just ... gonna ..." he tried to explain to Ryan, lifting the bowls, and the other man snorted. He dumped the dishes in the sink, and turned to Ryan, wiping his hands on the front of his shirt. "You coming back out?" he asked, hopefully, and Ryan regarded him, thoughtfully. "Yeah," he offered, finally, and Brad grinned. "Great. Come on then." As he passed Ryan, the taller man added, "I was meaning to ask, Brad. Why do you have punch at a Christmas party?" He glanced over his shoulder, unsure if Ryan was genuinely asking or just taking the piss - and Ryan smiled a little back at him. "I like it?" he replied, smiling back, and Ryan nodded. "Fair enough," he muttered, as they re-entered the living room, and he immediately glanced around the room. "He's in the bathroom, Ryan," Drew said, amused, and Ryan glared at him. "Who?" he asked, blinking a few times, and Chip snorted, from over by the punch bowl. "This is good stuff," he told Brad, seriously, and Brad coughed. "Thank-you, Chip," he replied smugly, shooting a sidelong look at Ryan. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Ryan was in the middle of a conversation with Drew when Colin re-entered. Ryan apologized to his friend, quickly - Drew shrugged his understanding - and took a few steps towards the kitchen. "Col?" he asked, almost earnestly. "You got a sec?" Colin turned around and studied him for a moment. "Yeah?" he replied, and Ryan smiled a little. "Well ... can I talk to you? It'll only take a minute," he promised, his eyes wide, and Colin nodded. "Sure," he said, as he made his way over to Ryan. "Ryan ..." Wayne drawled, when Colin reached the taller man. Ryan looked over at him, an inscrutable expression on his face. "Yes?" he asked, almost too innocently, and Wayne pointed at the mistletoe above the two of them. "Oh damn!" Ryan exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "Not again!" and Colin shook his head slightly. Ryan looked at him, apologetically - albeit, with a smirk - and Colin continued to shake his head. "Rules are rules," he said to the shorter man, and Colin laughed a little. "Come here," Ryan insisted, and Colin took a hesitant half-step forward. Ryan reached out and grabbed Colin's hips, and Colin - automatically - reached up to gently clutch Ryan's shoulders. Ryan dramatically leant in and Colin had time to choke out the beginning of a laugh before Ryan kissed him; this time, he kissed his best friend with an open mouth, and Colin squeezed his shoulders. Ryan bent them over a little, one of his hands creeping around to the small of Colin's back, and Colin's hands cupped the back of Ryan's neck. Colin moved his head slightly, changing the angle of the kiss, and Ryan's hand crept up the shorter man's back. He tore his mouth away from Colin's, panting slightly, and the other man looked at him, amused. Ryan screwed us his nose at Colin, and laughed. "There," he muttered, his arms still around Colin, and the shorter man smiled. "Happy?" Colin's smile grew, as he stepped back into Ryan. "Mmnn hmm," he mumbled, and Ryan smiled back - before ducking down and giving him a quick peck. He patted Colin's back after he pulled away, and Colin smiled again; the shorter man mouthed something (that Brad couldn't lip-read) without moving his mouth much at all, and Ryan smiled, genuinely, at him. He leant in - one more time - and kissed him softly, before mouthing something back. "Oh, get a room," Drew pretended to wail, and Ryan shot a look over at him; Colin didn't turn around. "Don't be so rude," he chastised, with mock seriousness, and Drew rolled his eyes at him. Ryan hugged Colin closer to him; he reached up and stroked Colin's neck with his right hand. "Don't listen to him," he murmured, mock protectively, with a smirk, and Colin tilted his head back and smiled up at him. With a pointed glance at Drew, Ryan leant down and kissed Colin again, and Colin laughed out loud. "OK!" Wayne called, clapping his hands. "We get it," he added, with mock disgust, and even Ryan laughed a little. "We're still under the mistletoe," he said, shrugging, and Greg bent over and laughed, trying to muffle his laughter with the back of his hand, and Ryan shot him an amused look. "Well," Drew replied, as he moved towards them. "If you just-" he tugged on them a little, and Colin pouted up at Ryan; Ryan looked down at him, stroking his neck again. "There!" Drew announced. "Now, you're not!" Ryan looked over at him, then over at Greg, who was still laughing. Colin glanced over quickly at Brad, who gave him an exaggerated thumbs up - and Colin rolled his eyes. "Oh well," Ryan shrugged, and Colin turned back to him, a little expectantly. Smirking - and Colin began to smile again, knowing what was coming - he leant down and kissed Colin again.