Spelunking
by Heather
Brad Sherwood frowned and cast another wary look at the rapidly darkening sky. His fellow performers mimicked the gesture, their clothes stirring in the rising wind. Ryan and Colin exchanged one of those speaking-without-words glances of theirs and then Colin began packing up the food, while Greg pulled off his sunglasses and replaced them with his regular spectacles. This picnic thing had sounded like a good idea that morning, but now it looked like they were all going to get wet.
“Oh man, it’s really gonna piss out here,” Greg said, shaking his head ruefully. Brad nodded and hunched his shoulders as the first fat drops of rain pattered to the ground.
“Excuse me, but do I *look* like a maid?” Colin asked, pausing his cleaning up activities to give them all a dirty look, humor dancing in his dark brown eyes.
“Oh
“Y’know, we’ll never make it back to the cars in time,” Brad commented, looking across the open field to a dark area in the nearby hillside. His eyes held a curious, speculative look, and Greg gazed at him in puzzlement.
“Well, yeah, but there’s not much we can do about that, is there Bradley, hmmm?” Greg asked, still grinning about the approaching storm. He actually didn’t mind getting a little wet, although it was going to be a bitch cleaning his car out afterwards.
“You *could* help me out here—that would get us to the cars faster,” Colin said pointedly.
“Oh, but you’re such a *cute* little maid!” Ryan said, dodging away before Colin could smack him on the arm. Colin laughed despite himself, and Ryan grinned at him before pitching in to help with the cleanup.
“No, no, guys, I was thinking of something else,” Brad said, still casting his eyes across the field.
“What?” Ryan asked, following Brad’s gaze.
“Does that look like a cave to anyone else?” Brad answered, pointing to the shadowed area on the hillside.
“Oh yeah, it is, I remember seeing it when we walked in,” Colin added, squinting in an effort to see the cave entrance better. They were all looking that direction, and no one noticed the way the grin dropped off Greg’s face. His usual smirk was replaced with a look of nervous tension, and Greg swallowed slightly, hoping this wasn’t going where he thought it was going.
“C’mon guys, we’ve gotta get going or we’ll get soaked,” Greg said, putting the last few items into the picnic basket as the scattered raindrops began to pick up speed.
Still keeping his eyes on the hillside, Brad rose to his feet and said, “That’s what I’m saying, we’ll never get back in time, but if we head for that cave—“
“We can stay dry,” Colin finished, nodding. Ryan nodded as well, and pulled the basket from Greg’s suddenly nerveless hands. He started toward the cave, his long legs eating up the field in great swatches, leaving the others hurrying to catch up. Greg quickly stumbled to his feet and followed along, biting his lip nervously.
As the approached the cave entrance, the rain suddenly went from scattered drops to hissing sheets of water, and they all broke into a run, making it inside only slightly dampened. The entrance was large, but it quickly narrowed into a smallish tunnel that led deeper into the hillside. The walls were mostly rock, and appeared to be waterproof, because the smooth dirt floor was dry. The four men stood panting, staring at the buckets of water pouring down only a few feet away. They could smell that damp earth scent as the water soaked into the summer-dry ground, and the wind gusted into the cave, bringing cold rain with it. Colin, Ryan, and Brad all stepped back, seeking a dryer area, but Greg stood as close to the entrance as possible, staring out at the storm. He didn’t want to face the dim interior of the cave, preferring to gaze out at the open field. His nervousness in tight spaces was a source of some embarrassment to Greg, and he swallowed, hoping the guys wouldn’t want to go deeper underground.
“Hey, look at this,” Brad said, pointing to a pile of dry branches lying against one wall. There was a rough circle of stones nearby, and the remains of burnt wood. It looked like someone had camped here, and left their spare firewood.
“Hey, all right, that’s handy,” Ryan commented, pulling a lighter out of his pocket. He lit a cigarette and then began making a rough stack of wood in the circle of stones, keeping the lighter in hand.
“Not like that, you’re putting it together wrong,” Colin said, and quickly took over, rearranging the wood fussily. Ryan grinned and stepped back, shaking his head.
“He was a scoutmaster in a previous life,” Ryan whispered to Brad, making sure he was loud enough for Colin to hear him.
“Oh, a scoutmaster *and* a cute maid,” Brad said, his eyes dancing merrily. “I love a man of many talents.”
Colin stuck his tongue out at them, and then pushed his glasses up on his nose—with his middle finger.
“Oh look, he’s a professional stamp licker too!” Ryan exclaimed, pointing at Colin’s protruding tongue.
“Better than what you lick for money, Stiles,” Colin retorted, smiling.
Ryan raised an eyebrow and gave his best friend a tight-lipped, conspiratorial grin. “You should know,” he said, “you’re my best customer.”
Brad snorted laughter at the look on Colin’s face, and then glanced at Greg to see his reaction. He was confused to see that Greg was still standing in the entrance, staring out at the field and rapidly getting wet as the wind blew rain into the cave.
“Hey Greg, you’re getting soaked,” Brad called, frowning when he didn’t get a response. Something about the set of Greg’s shoulders worried him, and he left Ryan and Colin teasing each other over building the fire and walked to Greg’s side. The sarcastic comic was looking out at the rain with a strange, distracted expression on his face, and when Brad put a hand on his shoulder, he jumped nervously.
“Shit, Brad, why d’you have to sneak up on me like that?” he asked, grinning. Brad returned the grin, even though he thought the expression was false. He just looked at Greg for a moment, letting his hand rest on the damp shoulder. Greg turned his head slightly, giving Brad a kind of sideways puzzled look, and the younger man quickly removed his hand, smiling sheepishly.
“I tried to call you, but you weren’t paying attention,” Brad said, shrugging his shoulders. “You’re getting all wet, standing over here. Why don’t you come over by the fire?” (And let me warm you up) his mind finished, as he gazed at Greg’s pale, damp skin. Brad shook himself slightly, trying to dismiss such thoughts. He knew he should quit screwing around and just tell Greg how he felt, but he couldn’t help being afraid of ruining their friendship.
“Hey, scoutmaster Jim over here got the fire going!” Ryan called, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to indicate Colin. The balding comedian just rolled his eyes and put another stick on the fire, watching happily as the sparks whirled into the air. Brad quickly moved out of the damply cold, windy cave entrance and stood by the fire, rubbing his hands together. Greg followed reluctantly, feeling his stomach twist into knots as the cave walls got closer. Trying not to feel the oppressive weight of the rock overhead, he leaned over the fire in an effort to dry his wet clothes, shivering. Brad watched him, resisting the urge to put his arms around the older man in an attempt to warm him.
The fire began to sputter as rainwater gathered in the mouth of the cave and ran in little rivulets toward the back. The cave floor slanted downward at first, and then rose again as the walls closed into the narrow tunnel. The fire was, unfortunately, positioned in the lowest point and the water was quickly putting out the flames.
“Shit. We’re gonna lose the fire,” Ryan said, frowning. Just then, an extra strong gust of wind sent rain flying into the cave, hitting all of them with drops of cold water. Everyone but Greg moved further from the entrance in an effort to escape the wetness.
“Hey, its dry in here, lets just take the fire with us,” Brad suggested, pointing into the tunnel. The ceiling was low enough that Ryan would have to duck slightly, and the walls were about three feet apart. Big enough to walk through in relative comfort, and it was dry. Ryan and Colin nodded, and without speaking, they began to select the best branches to make torches from and set fire to them. Greg watched all this nervously, and then looked back at the dark mouth of the tunnel. It seemed to constrict as he stared at it, and he could feel a strange pressure on his chest, making it hard to breathe. He quickly turned and looked back at the open field, trying to calm down. His claustrophobia really got to him underground; it wasn’t this bad in elevators or anything like that. There was just something about the way the air felt, and the sense of all that rock and earth over his head that scared the hell out of him. To distract himself, Greg tried to concentrate on the way the firelight lent a subtle softness to Ryan’s long frame, and gave his skin a kind of golden glow. Despite his fear of being in the cave, Greg couldn’t help licking his lips slightly—damn, but that man was attractive.
“You coming, Greg?” Brad asked, looking back at him. Ryan was already leading the way into the tunnel, holding a flaming branch in front of him for light. Colin pulled his own branch from the fire and followed the taller man, ducking slightly to keep his smooth head from scraping on the rocks above. Greg nodded quickly and steeled himself, taking on last look at the open field. He was determined to tough this out, telling himself the he didn’t need his friends seeing his irrational fear. Drawing in a deep breath, he followed Brad into the tunnel, feeling himself tremble as the walls closed around him.
This area of the cave seemed to have been formed by water, as the floor and walls were rather smooth and uniform. It didn’t really get smaller, or larger, but stayed pretty much the same for about a hundred yards. Greg kept looking back, but the storm-darkened daylight quickly receded, and the tunnel turned and twisted, leaving the only light coming from the two torches. The relative darkness only seemed to make the space smaller, and in a brief narrow section, when the walls brushed his arms on both sides, Greg had to fight back panic. Luckily, the space widened out shortly after that, and they found themselves at the end of the cave.
Ryan straightened out with a sigh of relief, putting one hand to the small of his back. The ceiling here was perhaps eight feet high, leaving him plenty of headroom. Colin looked around, grinning, at the almost perfectly circular room they found themselves in. It was cool and dry, with a sandy floor and smooth rock walls. Brad was smiling as well, his explorer nature happily taking in their surroundings. Greg just felt better to be out of that tunnel, although the closeness was still oppressive. He glanced briefly up at the ceiling, but when it seemed to descend toward him, he quickly looked down, clenching his fists and breathing rapidly. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine that he was somewhere else—somewhere nice and open.
“Well, at least it’s dry,” Ryan said, taking a seat against one wall and stretching his long legs out in front of him. Colin nodded his agreement, looking around with a troubled expression.
“What’s wrong?” Brad asked, seeing Colin’s frown.
“Well, there’s no wood, and these branches won’t last that long. We better put them out if we want to use them later to light our way out of here,” Colin replied, rubbing the lit end of his branch against the sandy ground. It went out quickly, leaving Ryan’s branch as the only light source.
“How will we light them again when we want to leave?” Ryan asked, and then answered his own question, saying, “Oh, probably my lighter.”
Colin nodded, and looked around at the other two men. “All right guys, if you want to see anything, now’s the time, before we put this out.”
Brad took a seat along the wall a little way down from Ryan, and Greg walked over and sat down between them, trying to look calm. He was glad the dim, flickering firelight didn’t show his shaking, which had gotten quite bad by this time. As he settled against the smooth rock wall, the solid presence against his back only reminded him that he was trapped underground, and he shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut briefly. Colin took the flaming branch from Ryan’s outstretched hand and rubbed it against the ground, plunging them all into complete darkness.
They sat in silence for a few moments, adjusting to the
dark. Colin blinked several times,
somewhat surprised to realize he couldn’t even see his hand in front of his
face. He could feel his palm brush his
nose, but could see nothing. Colin felt
his way over to Ryan’s side, stumbling over someone’s legs and muttering an
apology. He reached out for the wall,
and his hands came in contact with the familiar
Ryan was thinking much the same thing, and he slipped a hand down Colin’s chest, heading south. Colin sucked in a quick breath and squirmed against him, nuzzling his neck and grinning. When Ryan lowered his head slightly, their lips met in a sweet kiss, and Colin brought his hands up to stroke his lover’s hair. He could feel his heartbeat thrumming in his chest with excitement—mostly because they weren’t alone. Their friends, who knew nothing of their relationship, were actually within arm’s reach. The darkness was complete, though, and only the quickening sound of their breathing threatened to give them away.
Brad looked around, squinting his eyes in an effort to penetrate the thick blackness that surrounded them. He could hear Ryan and Colin moving a little bit to his side, and he wondered why nobody was talking. The silence seemed appropriate, for some reason. Like speaking would break the strangely peaceful spell they were under. It was an oddly freeing feeling, being in this kind of dark. He knew no one could see him, even though they were right there. It was like being invisible. Brad grinned and wondered if he was daring enough to ‘accidentally’ touch Greg.
Meanwhile, Greg was losing the battle with his claustrophobia. At least with the light, he could see where the walls were. Now, in the darkness, they felt even closer. He wanted to reach out a hand a reassure himself that there was still some open space around him, but some part of his mind insisted that he would hit a wall right away. He knew, intellectually, that the walls hadn’t moved, but the fear that they had kept him from trying it. The darkness only added to the feeling of suffocation that he had underground, and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to imagine he was somewhere else. It didn’t do any good, because shutting his eyes didn’t change the view. Dark was dark, no matter how you looked at it. Greg could feel his chest getting tight, and he clenched his fists, trying to calm down.
Carefully, so as to not make any sound, Ryan lowered the zipper on Colin’s pants and slipped a hand inside. Colin gasped against his neck and bit his shoulder lightly, making Ryan moan softly. They both paused, wondering if Brad and Greg had noticed the sounds they were making, but no one asked any questions. Colin wished briefly that he could see the look on Ryan’s face, because he was sure it must match the expression on his own—aroused and excited and a little nervous. At least, that’s how it felt from the inside. He couldn’t seem to stop grinning, feeling like a kid breaking a rule or something. Colin tilted his head up to kiss Ryan, feeling the taller man’s grin mirroring his own. They laughed softly into each other’s mouths before deepening the kiss, and Ryan’s hand began moving faster against Colin’s sensitive skin.
Brad probably would have noticed the way Colin and Ryan were breathing if he wasn’t so wrapped up in his own thoughts. His awareness of Greg’s proximity only seemed to get stronger in the dark, and he wanted so much to reach over and touch him. He’d been attracted to Greg for some time, but he just couldn’t get over his fear of rejection. Plus the fact that they worked together, so any awkwardness between them would be even more difficult. Not really thinking about what he was doing, Brad slowly edged his body over until his shoulder rested against Greg’s. The warm contact sent a flush of excitement through his body, and he grinned widely, looking in Greg’s direction as if he could actually see his friend’s reaction. Greg didn’t say anything, so Brad moved a bit closer, and let his hand drop onto Greg’s thigh. He left it there for a few seconds before putting it back in his lap, holding his breath, anticipating some objection. But Greg remained silent, and Brad leaned against him just a little more—which was when he began to feel the other man’s violent trembling.
The first time Brad’s shoulder touched his, Greg felt his stomach clench, certain it was one of the walls closing in on him. After a second he recognized the feeling of cloth and warm skin, rather than cool stone, and he calmed slightly. He was so focused on controlling his breathing and remaining calm that he didn’t even register the momentary weight of Brad’s hand on his leg. The touch was light and fleeting, and by the time his stressed mind noticed it, it was gone. Greg bit his lip, shaking his head as he came to a decision. Embarrassing as it might be, he had to tell the guys he was scared. He just couldn’t stay here any longer. He opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again in confusion when the light pressure against his shoulder increased. The warm contact reminded him of how chilly it was in this cave, and he shivered, leaning slightly into the touch.
Ryan and Colin weren’t thinking very clearly. If they had been thinking clearly, they might have realized that continuing the activities of Ryan’s hand in Colin’s pants would probably cause them to make noise, and would certainly make a mess. But they were too caught up in the excitement of the moment to think that far ahead. Which is why it was probably fortunate for them that Brad interrupted their momentum with his question.
“Hey, are you okay?” Brad asked, putting a concerned arm around Greg’s shoulders. Ryan and Colin froze in place, suddenly reminded of Brad’s proximity by the closeness of his voice. Greg didn’t answer, but his trembling continued unabated and Brad frowned, tightening the arm around his shoulders.
“Greg?”
“Um...yeah, I’m okay. I’m just...uh...” Greg trailed off, not sure how to answer. He knew he should just admit his claustrophobia so they could get out of this damn dark hole in the ground, but his pride kept tripping him up.
“What’s up? Is something wrong with Greg?” Ryan asked. He and Colin were still frozen in place, Colin in his lap, nuzzled against his neck, with Ryan’s hand in his lover’s pants. This was why neither of them made any move to re-light the branches. Despite his puzzlement over what Brad and Greg were talking about, Colin couldn’t help himself from thrusting gently against Ryan’s hand. Ryan felt it and grinned, feeling a thrill of excitement as he tightened his grip, knowing that the other two men were completely clueless about what was happening.
“Brad? What is it?” Colin asked, struggling to keep his voice level. It cracked slightly on the last word as Ryan suddenly shifted his pattern, and he gave his lover a light smack on the arm in remonstration. Ryan chuckled softly and brushed a soft kiss along the side of Colin’s throat, where he knew the older man was very ticklish. Colin immediately hunched his shoulder up, dodging the touch and biting his lips to keep from giggling.
“I don’t know,” Brad answered, utterly oblivious to the sexual activity a few inches to his left. “Greg’s shaking for some reason.”
“What? Greg, are you all right?” Ryan asked, frowning in concern. Colin sighed in resignation and pulled away slightly, gently removing his lover’s hand from his pants. Ryan dropped an apologetic kiss on his forehead, and Colin nodded his understanding against the taller man’s shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” Greg lied, running a hand through his hair nervously. “I just...well, okay, this is kinda dumb, but I get a little nervous in tight spaces.” He ducked his head sheepishly, even though no one could see the gesture.
“A *little* nervous? You’re shaking like a leaf!” Brad said incredulously.
“Oh, well that’s just cause your touch excites me so, my little love muffin,” Greg replied sarcastically, his familiar smirk clear in his voice, even if they couldn’t see it. Ryan and Colin rolled their eyes, while Brad frowned, feeling slightly hurt. Maybe because he wished Greg was telling the truth when he said that, instead of being sarcastic.
Feeling his way over to his right, Ryan soon found his hands on Greg’s still-trembling frame, and his eyes widened in the dark. “Damn, you *are* shaking. Why didn’t you tell us being underground scared you so much?”
“I’m fine, it’s just cold in here, that’s all,” Greg protested, feeling like he was being a baby. Despite his fear, he couldn’t help but notice how pleasant it was to be surrounded by people touching him in the pitch-black cave. He couldn’t tell which hand belonged to whom and it was a rather exciting feeling.
Following Ryan’s lead, Colin scooted over, his hands trailing along his lover’s familiar, lanky frame until they ran into the thicker, rounded form of Greg. Now that they were paying attention, they could all hear the way Greg was breathing—short, frightened gasps that never seemed to get enough air into his lungs. Ryan was patting his back, trying to get him to calm down, and Colin rubbed gently at his chest, with the same goal in mind. Brad had his arms around Greg’s waist and his chin resting on the other man’s shoulder, so that their faces were very close. In the dark, Greg couldn’t tell one from the other, but he was aware of all of them, and their presence was actually quite soothing. Breathing was getting easier, as some of the weight seemed to lift from his chest.
Then, one of the arms around his waist dropped into his lap, and the hand rested gently on his groin. Greg felt a smile twitch at his lips as a tingle of sensation swept through his body. He never questioned who it was—it had to be Ryan. After all, he’d only been dropping hints with Ryan for years, even back when they did the show in England. And now, finally, Ryan was making a move. Greg grinned, laughing at himself—he’d actually suspected the tall guy had something going with Colin!
Brad could feel Greg’s breathing getting easier, and he hadn’t objected to the hand in his lap, so Brad felt like he was on the right track. The dark seemed to make everything easier—he felt safely anonymous. He could test the waters with Greg without fear of rejection. Their faces were still very close, and Brad licked his lips, gathering his courage. Then, with one last deep breath, he did what he’d been wanting to do for a long time. He held Greg’s face firmly in one hand and kissed him full on the lips.
Colin was aware that someone had come between him and Greg in the dark, and he pulled back slightly, to avoid overcrowding the claustrophobic man. He felt around for Ryan but got nothing but air, and after a moment he gave up, sitting back on his heels and waiting for someone to say something.
Ryan sat at Greg’s side, continuing to pat his back and congratulating himself on his efforts. Greg had calmed considerably, and his trembling had stopped altogether. The dark was disorienting, and he wasn’t sure where the other two guys were. He could only feel Greg next to him, and he ran his other hand along the ground, his long fingers leaving unseen trails in the sand. He didn’t find anyone, and he shrugged, deciding he could just wait until Greg felt well enough to speak again.
Greg was feeling very well indeed, but speaking was the last thing on his mind. Mostly because his mouth was so pleasantly occupied with other things. He was a bit surprised that Ryan would move so fast, but he was certainly all for it. In fact, he was thinking to himself that it was no wonder Colin kissed the tall guy so often on stage--he was damn good at it. Greg had kissed other men before but this was different--sweet and exciting and perfect. It felt exactly right, like the person he was meant to be with.
Brad thought he’d never been so happy. Greg was actually kissing him back! Enthusiastically, too, he noted as he deepened the kiss. Brad was kicking himself for not trying this sooner, when it was so clearly right. He was rather inexperienced, but he knew when something just clicked, and this definitely did. Feeling daring and...ahem...cocky, he applied pressure with the hand in Greg’s groin, smiling against the other man’s lips when he felt the gasp of response. Greg pushed up against his hand, and Brad was only too happy to oblige him, stroking him through his pants even as the kiss continued.
Greg’s body was filled with excitement and he moaned softly against what he thought was Ryan’s mouth. He had completely forgotten where he was in the heat of the moment, and as far as he was concerned, the other two men in the room didn’t even exist. That was why it came as a bit of a shock when Colin spoke.
“Hey, um...guys? Ryan? Greg?” Being alone in the pitch dark room was entirely different from cuddling with Ryan in the same room, and Colin was beginning to feel a bit nervous. He knew it was silly, but being unable to touch or hear anyone made him wonder if they had all left for some reason, leaving him alone. His voice held the barest tremor of fear, but Ryan picked up on it right away, and immediately pulled away from Greg, moving toward the sound of his lover’s voice. Brad pulled away as well, looking around nervously as if he might have been seen kissing Greg.
“Right here, Col,” Ryan said, just as his searching hands found Colin’s side. Suddenly feeling childish, Colin ducked his head sheepishly, but still leaned into Ryan’s touch. Even though his friend couldn’t see it, Ryan smiled at him, resting his chin on top of the balding head.
Greg raised one hand to his lips, where the feeling of the kiss still lingered. He was grinning widely, thrilled that Ryan had finally responded to his hints. It was a bit confusing though, because he could still fell Ryan’s hand on his leg, and yet his voice had come from somewhere over to the left. At least, it should be Ryan’s hand on his leg, cause it was the same hand that had so recently been somewhere a bit more sensitive. Shrugging his shoulders, Greg decided it was probably just the weird acoustics of the cave that made Ryan’s voice sound further away.
Brad let his hand linger on Greg’s leg until he heard the unmistakable click-scrape of a lighter being struck. It didn’t catch the first time, but he pulled his hand away quickly, moving to where he had seen the brief spark. He was suddenly nervous about Greg’s reaction, and he didn’t want to be too close in case Ryan and Colin suspected something. The lighter caught on the second strike and Ryan lifted it up, using the tiny flame to find the discarded branches. Colin picked one up and held it out, brushing the sand off the end. It lit easily, still warm and dry from the earlier fire, and the room was suddenly much brighter.
They all squinted, looking away from the dancing flames as their eyes adjusted. Greg realized he was the only one still seated and he rose to his feet, joining the others in the center of the room. Colin clapped a hand on his back and Ryan patted his shoulder, but Brad looked away nervously, suddenly embarrassed about what he had done. Greg didn’t notice—he was too busy grinning at Ryan.
“Feeling better, Greg?” Ryan asked, his eyes dancing. His hair was mussed and his cheeks decidedly flushed, as were Colin’s. They were both a bit disheveled, but Greg didn’t notice the quick, conspiratorial glance his two oldest friends shared. He thought Ryan’s tousled look was his own doing, and his grin widened.
“Yeah, I am...thanks to you. That was one hell of a distraction, Ry.”
Everyone paused for a moment.
Colin felt an immediate, irrational pang of jealousy. He was the only one who called the tall guy ‘Ry’ and got away with it. And just kind of distraction was Greg referring to? Did it have anything to do with the way he had felt someone come between him and Greg earlier, or the way Greg looked all rumpled and flushed? Greg was staring at Ryan in a decidedly knowing way, as if they shared a secret, and Colin narrowed his eyes, wondering just what the hell was going on here.
Ryan was confused. He had patted Greg on the back, but that was the extent of his help, and he wasn’t sure what Greg was talking about. The shorter man was giving him a kind of knowing look, the kind that said ‘you know what I mean,’ and Ryan shook his head slightly. He shot a quick glance at Colin, but got no help there. His lover was giving him a rather hard look and Ryan shrugged at him, a ‘what did I do?’ expression in his eyes.
It took Brad a few moments to figure out what Greg was implying, but when he did, a crestfallen expression filled his brown puppy dog eyes. Greg thought it was Ryan that had kissed him! And that was why he had responded so enthusiastically. Because he wanted Ryan. Not Brad. Biting his lip, Brad stared down at his feet, scuffing morosely at the dirt floor with his toe. He didn’t understand how Greg could think it was Ryan when it had felt so perfect between them. Brad shook his head, swallowing unhappily. Suddenly the cave was no longer a fun place to be, and he was more than ready to get out of there. However, his friends had other ideas.
“Um...what do you mean, Greg?” Ryan asked, lifting his hands in a gesture of confusion.
“You know,” Greg replied with a suggestive wink. Ryan only shook his head, puzzlement written all over his face, and Greg rolled his eyes. “Look, Ry,” he said, “I don’t know why you’re being this way. I’m sure the guys won’t tell your wife that you kissed me—“
“What?”
Colin and Ryan looked at each other when they realized they had both spoken at the same time. Colin was giving his lover a hurt, questioning look, and Ryan shook his head frantically, waving his hands in a negative gesture.
“No, no, Col, I didn’t, I don’t know what he’s talking about—“
“Yes you did!” Greg insisted, frowning at the taller man. “And why should Colin care one way or the other?” Colin blinked, thrown off guard by Greg’s question. He looked helplessly at Ryan for a moment, and then back at Greg with his signature shifty eyed deer in the headlights expression.
“Look, Greg, I’m telling you, I didn’t kiss you,” Ryan said firmly. “Don’t you think I would know?”
Greg paused, frowning in confusion as the sincerity in Ryan’s voice sank in. “Well then,” he said, “if you didn’t kiss me, who did?”
Perfect silence for about thirty seconds, as they all looked at each other uncertainly. All of them, that is, except Brad, who was still staring at the ground and shuffling his feet unhappily. Colin was the first to look in his direction, closely followed by Ryan and Greg. Feeling their eyes on him, Brad looked up with an embarrassed expression on his face.
“Yeah, okay, it was me,” he admitted, not meeting Greg’s eyes. Greg blinked, trying to process this new information. Brad? Kissing him? It wasn’t something he had considered, and yet...it had felt so right. Greg had assumed it was Ryan, but finding out it was Brad was somehow not the let-down he thought it would be. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but he was definitely not disappointed.
“See!” Ryan said, turning to Colin with an expression of vindication. “I told you I didn’t kiss him.”
“Well I never thought you did,” Colin said, brushing away Ryan’s squawk of disbelief with a wave of his hand.
“Oh right, you never thought I did, with the way you were looking at me—“
“Ssshh, that’s not important right now,” Colin retorted, neatly changing the subject. “What I’m wondering is why Greg seemed to think it was you.”
“Well...um...” Greg stammered, looking at Ryan nervously. Brad was still giving him that kicked-puppy look, and Greg couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty. He just couldn’t seem to wrap his head around this—Brad, Captain Prissy Boy himself, being *such* a good kisser!
“Well, see, the thing is...oh hell, I feel kinda stupid saying this now.” Greg looked away in embarrassment, not sure how to phrase his answer. “Okay, I’m a little attracted to Ryan.” Ryan raised an eyebrow and grinned, puffing his chest out slightly. Colin gave him a rather pointed look and Ryan dropped the smirk, realizing that Greg was rather vulnerable right now. Colin nodded in approval and gestured for Greg to continue.
“Right, anyways, so when someone kissed me, I guess I just sort of assumed it was Ryan, because it was so...right,” Greg said quietly, shrugging his shoulders and stealing a quick speculative glance in Brad’s direction. Brad was nodding, and a tiny smile touched the corners of his mouth. He was glad that Greg seemed to have enjoyed the kiss as much as he had, even if he did think it was from Ryan.
“I’ve never...”Greg trailed off uncertainly, and looked at Brad’s hopeful expression for a moment before continuing. “I’ve never felt like that over a kiss before. It was...perfect.”
“All right then,” Colin said, in full matchmaker mode, “now we have the big question. Was it right because you thought it was Ryan, or because it just was?”
Greg raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn’t thought of it that way. He met Brad’s hopeful eyes with a curious expression, and he grinned at the younger man, getting a smile in return. Brad was silently thanking Colin for seeming to read his mind and steering the conversation right where he wanted it to go—toward another kiss. This time with the lights on.
“I don’t know,” Greg replied, still giving Brad that speculative look. Colin grinned when he saw it, and Ryan rolled his eyes, poking his lover in the side with a finger. Colin turned slightly to look at him, and Ryan shook his head, grinning. Leaning in close to Colin, he softly hummed the ‘Matchmaker’ song from Fiddler on the Roof, earning a soft whack in the stomach from his friend. Ryan giggled and Colin shushed him, indicating Brad and Greg with a gesture. He was clearly saying ‘don’t interrupt me, I’m working here,’ and Ryan acquiesced, falling silent again and watching Colin do his thing.
“Well, then there’s only one way to find out, hmmm?” Colin said, nodding encouragingly to his two hesitant friends. “You’ll just have to kiss again and see if the first time was a fluke.”
Brad was certainly more than willing, and Greg was getting there. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Brad—this was all happening rather fast. He did know how he felt about the person who had kissed him in the dark a few minutes ago, though, and now he just had to find out if Brad could be that person in the light.
The two men stared at each other, each one hesitating to make the first move. Colin and Ryan exchanged a glance and grinned, agreeing on a course of action without speaking in that way they had. Colin moved to Greg’s side and Ryan went to Brad, and as one, the older two men pushed their friends together. Taking a deep breath, Brad pulled together his courage and went for it, framing Greg’s face with his hands and pulling him in for a tentative kiss.
Stepping back, Colin found himself against Ryan’s front, and the taller man laced his arms loosely around Colin’s middle. Leaning into the embrace and feeling quite pleased with himself, Colin’s grin widened as Greg and Brad showed no signs of stopping. In fact, they were showing signs of heading the same direction he and Ryan had been heading earlier in the dark. When Ryan leaned down slightly to kiss the side of his neck, Colin pulled away, gesturing to their friends.
“They’ll see us,” he whispered.
“Are you kidding?” Ryan whispered back, raising an eyebrow. “Those two are totally gone on each other.”
“Yeah, I know,” Colin said, laying on a smug smile for Ryan’s benefit. “I am SO good.”
“Ah, but I’m irresistible,” Ryan retorted, striking an exaggerated model pose. “You heard what Greg said—I wonder who else has a secret crush on me?”
Biting the inside of his cheek, Colin raised an eyebrow and said, “Frankly, I just don’t see it. I guess there’s no accounting for taste, huh?”
“Whatever,” Ryan said, rolling his eyes. “You know you love me.”
Colin held the skeptical look for a moment longer before breaking into his trademark sweet little smile. “Yeah, I know.”