Title: The Way Author: knowyourlips Rating: PG (? maybe G?) Pairing: Ryan/Colin Summary: He loves the way Colin presses into him in 'Helping Hands' - he loves the way Colin can't see over his shoulder, even when he's standing on the tips of his toes. He loves the feel of Colin's warm breath on his neck, as he laughs softly into his back; he loves the way Colin reaches out, unflinchingly, to catch whatever he's spitting out. Author's Notes: My first WLiiA fic. :\ It's just something that came to me, and I pretty much didn't bother editing or re-ordering any of it. So it's quite random. *shrugs* ... *small voice* and, uh, fluffy. Yeah. Not to be taken too seriously, 'k? He loves the way Colin leans in, obediently, when he taps him on the arm, tilting his head as far to the left as it can go as he strains to hear what Ryan's murmuring. He loves the way Colin listens to him when he stands behind him, his hands brushing the older man's biceps; he loves the way Colin moves his head only a fraction to the side as he concentrates on what Ryan's saying. He loves the way Colin's back arches when he does his dinosaur impression; he loves, just as much, the flicker of amusement he sees in his old friend's eyes when the opportunity for a dinosaur imitation happens to arise. He loves the way Colin wears his pants just a fraction of an inch too high to be traditionally 'cool'; he loves the fact that no-one - the fans, Colin, or Ryan himself - seem to care. He loves the way Colin can't help but smile - if for the briefest of moments - when the audience cheer him. He loves the only slightly pink blush that tinges the tips of his friend's ears when he's particularly embarrassed. He loves the way Colin's almost always cast as the wife, the female, the girlfriend when it's just the two of them; he loves the tiredly amused smile that the Canadian gives Drew. He loves the way Colin presses into him in 'Helping Hands' - he loves the way Colin can't see over his shoulder, even when he's standing on the tips of his toes. He loves the feel of Colin's warm breath on his neck, as he laughs softly into his back; he loves the way Colin reaches out, unflinchingly, to catch whatever he's spitting out. He loves the way Colin merely cocks his head and watches him laugh; the tiniest of smirks playing at the corner of his mouth. He loves the way Colin yells "HA!". He loves that he can pick Colin up, he loves the feel of Colin's chest pressing against his, he loves that Colin's not as light as a feather, because, somehow, that makes it more real - and he loves that Colin's wary of his back enough to rarely make him even try to lift him. He loves that Colin takes it upon himself to pick him up. He loves the way Colin accepts teasing; he loves the way his oldest friend bites down on his lower lip and bobs his head a little at Drew's jibes. He loves that Colin says things like, "lightning rod of hate" - because it's at moments like that that he knows, for sure, how oddly protective of him the Canadian is. He loves that Colin feels he has to thank him for piping up with gems like, "He got the job." He loves how easily Colin follows him; he loves how quickly he acquiesces when Ryan's hands tug at his clothes or limbs in games like 'Scenes From a Hat'. He loves that his friend allows him to do anything; he loved how willingly he made "the letter h" with him, and he loves that Colin doesn't even flinch now when he grabs him through his pants. He loves that, most of the time, Colin can play off anything that comes out of his mouth. He loves - and it sounds more sadistic than it really is - how self-conscious Colin is when he's on stage alone; he loves the way Colin's eyes used to dart over to him when he was providing the shorter man's sound effects, and he loves the way Colin hangs back - just a little - in 'Scenes From a Hat' and 'World's Worst'. He loves the way Colin manages to get along with everyone on set, to the extent that no-one can look at him without a tiny, affectionate smile briefly crossing their face. He loves the way Colin ignores his cue in Hoedowns; he loves the way Colin either doesn't rhyme or simply rhymes with gibberish. He loves the way Colin turns to watch him sing; he loves the way their eyes meet as they repeat Ryan's last line - he loves the way Colin always smiles at him. He loves the way Colin allows him to gently pull him from the stage. He loves the way Colin no longer notices - or acknowledges - the way Ryan tops up his drink; he loves that it's now just normal. He loves the way that Colin can give as good as he gets; he loves that for every crack about his friend's hair or shirt, he'll receive one about his shoes or height. He loves the way Colin purses his lips as he tries not to laugh; he loves the way, sometimes, his friend can't meet his eyes for a moment. He loves the way the faint wrinkles around Colin's eyes deepen when he laughs at something Ryan's said; he loves that he can make the usually-composed Colin laugh on stage. He loves that Colin can make him laugh; he loves that sometimes he has to choke back a bark of surprised laughter. He loves the way that Colin dubbed him - somewhere along the line - his best friend, and he loves that he doesn't hold it against him that he doesn't return his calls as often as he should. He loves that he's known Colin long enough for both of them to be content to sit in silence together. He loves the way his friend quickly learnt to pucker his lips when Ryan grabbed his face; he loves the way Colin patiently accepts his stage kisses, and he loves the flat, disgusted or slightly bemused looks he's been rewarded with for his efforts. He loves Colin loves him; he loves that his best friend doesn't shy away from it, but will never embarrass either of them by trying to say it. He loves Colin, really, he supposes - and what he loves most, more than his friend's wide eyes and gentle hands - is the way Colin simply knows that.