Title: The Restroom Ruse (Or How Ryan's Scheme Worked Out For Once)

Author: velja

Pairing: Chyan

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: ~3525

Disclaimer: Still not mine, just playing with them.

Summary: Sharpay isn't the only Evans to come up with a good scheme. When Ryan's determined to get what he wants, and that would be a certain jock, he knows just how to pull the right strings. At their Prom Chad is about to find out.

Author's Note: This was supposed to be a Drabble for I only had this one scene of Chad and Ryan kissing in the restroom stuck in my head. But somehow the scene got longer and longer the more I thought about it, so I guess it's not a Drabble anymore but quite a long and complete One-Shot.

Pointless and silly, really. Still hope you enjoy it.

On Friday night East High's gym had miraculously turned from being the usual bare sports arena that smelled of sweaty jocks into something resembling a festive ballroom sprung out of some fairytale.

Garlands and banners adorned the walls and ceiling, tables decked in linen and flowers covered the worn floor at one side, and soft romantic lights everywhere lulled the room into a warm and comfy glow.

The Decoration Committee had really outdone itself and Taylor, Martha and the others could be seriously proud of their efforts.

The Prom was in full swing with many a couple dancing to a happy tune and just as many others (who were not so keen on dancing) watching while they enjoyed the not-yet-spiked punch.

With his date currently otherwise occupied, Ryan Evans was one of the latter.

Kelsi was dancing with Jason for now and Ryan leaned casually against a wall, a plastic cup of punch in hand, calmly surveying the dance floor.

But only to the untrained observer he seemed fixated on leisurely watching the dancers. Anyone else, anyone who'd know Ryan closer, would notice the firm set of his mouth and the barely noticeable drawn-together eyebrows.

They would realize at once that it was the 'Ryan-Evans-scheming-face' he was sporting right now.

And they'd also realize that Ryan's gaze had more than once swept over to the door where Chad and Taylor were standing in private conversation. He was constantly observing them… as if he was waiting for something to happen.

And, well… it was true, Ryan did have a plan. That would have been fairly obvious for anyone who'd take the time to really look at him or truly know him.

Thankfully his twin sister was still the only person to know Ryan that well, and she wasn't paying attention right now for she was off on the dance floor with Zeke.

Ryan's scheming could go unnoticed.

He watched out of the corner of his eyes when Chad suddenly whispered something close to his girlfriend's ear and then Taylor replied something and took Chad's drink from his hands at the same time. Chad turned around and started walking towards the gym's exit.

Ryan straightened up and exhaled quickly. 'Okay, that's it,' he thought to himself, 'Showtime!'

In a few strides he'd crossed the floor and trailed quietly after Chad, out of the gym and into the halls, without anyone noticing.

When Ryan rounded the corner he caught a last glimpse of Chad entering the nearest restrooms.

Ryan followed to the door, took one last deep breath and willed his acting skills to the front. Within seconds a look of sheer panic was conjured up on his face and when he finally stormed into the restrooms no one would ever assume the distress to be nothing but genuine.

"Oh God," he whispered over and over when he braced his hands on either side of a sink. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, inwardly gleaming about how seriously wrecked he looked (despite his impeccable outfit), and waited for Chad to emerge from one of the stalls.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Come on, get a grip! You can do it!" Ryan mumbled when he heard the toilet being flushed.

"Hey Ry," Chad greeted him moments later and stepped up to the faucet to wash his hands.

"You can do it, you can…" Ryan chanted, putting even more desperation into his voice.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?"

Chad came up next to him and placed a comforting hand onto his back. "You look like shit, man!"

"It's nothing," Ryan breathed, "really!"

"Sure, I can see that. Dude, you're shaking! Come on, what is it?"

Ryan threw a fleeting insecure glance at Chad's face in the mirror, then he averted his eyes quickly again. "Nothing you'd want to know, Chad. Forget it."

Chad's face changed into a stubborn mask and he replied: "How would you know if I'd want to know or not? I asked, didn't I?"

When Ryan refused to look up or answer Chad coaxed further: "Come on, Evans. Try me!"

His hand was still resting casually on Ryan's shoulder and he gave the slim form a gentle squeeze. Ryan finally turned towards him and looked up. His eyes seemed large in his flushed face and he was insecurely nibbling at his bottom lip.

"It's stupid," the too red lips whispered quietly.

"Hey, it can't be that stupid," Chad's voice was all gentle, "or it wouldn't have you wrecked like this. So, tell me, what's freaking you out?"

"A kiss."

"A kiss?" Chad repeated stunned, "You're freaking out over a kiss?"

"Yeah, I said it was stupid," Ryan managed a shaky laugh that could have been a sob, too. God, he deserved an Oscar for his performance! Suppressing a smirk he added: "No one should have to freak out over a simple kiss, but…"

"Who kissed you?" Chad wanted to know.

"No one… yet," Ryan answered quickly. "But…"

"But?"

Ryan took a deep breath and then the words spilled out of his mouth like a machine gun: "I think, no… I know that Kelsi expects me to kiss her tonight and I don't think I can do it without her noticing that it's fake!"

"What? Kelsi… kiss… fake… what?"

Chad's face showed nothing but sheer confusion and Ryan had to bite his tongue to not burst out laughing. Oh, this was so much fun!

He willed his face to relax and started explaining hesitantly: "Okay, it's just that… I know Kelsi wants me to kiss her tonight."

"How do you know that?" Chad asked quickly.

"I accidentally overheard Kelsi and Martha talking earlier, and Kelsi said that she'd always had this fantasy… about the perfect Prom and… for it to be really perfect there had to be a kiss with her date in the end."

"Ugh, okay," Chad nodded slowly. He knew that girls harbored weird fairytale fantasies like that all the time. So why should Kelsi be any different?

"So she wants to be kissed. Why are you freaking out over that? Don't you want to kiss her? I thought you two liked each other."

"We do," Ryan insisted, "we're friends!"

"Just friends? Or more?" Chad wanted to know. He'd shifted his feet and was now leaning with his backside against the sink, arms crossed over his chest, smirking slightly.

"No," Ryan stated calmly and mirrored his position with arms crossed stubbornly, "nothing more! Just friends! You know I'm not into girls… everybody knows I'm gay, right?"

He quickly assessed Chad's reaction to that and was pleased to notice no freaking out. Just a small blush creeping onto the jock's nodding face.

Good, exactly the reaction Ryan had counted on.

"Sure, everybody knows," Chad assured quickly. Then a frown grazed his features. "So, if you both know that you're, ugh… and you're just friends… why would she want you to kiss?"

"To make it the perfect Prom!" Ryan answered seriously. "In her dreams a perfect Prom ends with a perfect kiss and… it means a lot to her and I don't want to ruin that fantasy. I always… well," Ryan managed to actually look embarrassed, "I kind of had the same fantasy."

"Seriously?" Chad wondered.

"Yeah! Don't you think that a perfect Prom should somehow have a perfect kiss somewhere?"

"Yeah, sure, man. I mean… if you're dating… but you're not, so… I don't know." Chad didn't exactly know what he wanted to say at all. Somehow the thought of Ryan kissing Kelsi although they clearly had just friendly feelings for each other made his brain all empty and his stomach do weird flip-flops.

In fact, the thought of Ryan kissing anybody simply made his stomach churn. And Chad didn't know what to do with that. So he simply shrugged.

"Whatever."

Ryan smirked inwardly at seeing Chad's unease. So he'd been right all along in his assumptions.

All year long he'd had the vague feeling that maybe Chad wasn't as straight as he'd have everyone believe. In fact he'd noticed Chad secretly checking him out more than once and after the initial shock of having a jock lust after him had worn off, Ryan had come to the conclusion that this was definitely something worth pursuing.

Chad wanted him, consciously or not, and Ryan was determined to make the most of it before school would be over.

So he'd done some thinking and, after deciding that he wouldn't need his sister's help on this one, he'd written down different strategies that had worked before. He'd spent an entire weekend on looking at each and every scheme from every possible angle; he'd weighed the potential outcome and had finally opted for a mixture of two different schemes.

The classical 'Damsel in Distress' combined with the more risky 'It would be our little secret, no one would ever know'.

Though Ryan was seeing the first in a slightly more masculine way, meaning: He wouldn't be going for Damsel but for "Friend in misery here, help me!"

He'd come to know Chad as always being helpful and genuinely concerned for his friends and therefore the devastated and panicked act had been a must. Ryan counted on Chad wanting, no… simply needing to help a friend out of whatever was bothering him.

And right now, standing in the restroom staring at Chad's upset but still genuinely concerned face inches away from his, Ryan was sure that Phase One of his scheme had exactly hit home.

Chad wasn't about to leave Ryan hanging, he hadn't liked seeing Ryan freak out over a kiss and he'd do everything in his power to help him out.

So far, so good. Now… on to Phase Two.

Ryan glanced at Chad from under the brim of his newsboy cap and noticed him staring at his shoes as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world. The silence was deafening.

"Ugh, you see, Chad," Ryan finally mumbled and shifted his weight onto his other foot, "it's not so much the kiss itself that's freaking me out."

"No?" Chad's head shot up surprised. He'd thought earlier that maybe Ryan had never kissed anyone before and that's what had him panicked. But that obviously wasn't it. So what was it then?

"Is it the 'kissing-a-girl'-part?" he asked uncomfortably.

"No," Ryan shrugged and tried not to look too smug when he added: "I've done that a lot."

"What?" Now Chad was completely at a loss. Hadn't Ryan said just a minute ago that he was gay? Why the fuck would he then go around kissing girls? Wasn't it enough already that he had the male half of East High at his disposal? Did he have to take the girls, too?

"On stage, Chad!" Ryan clarified when he saw Chad's upset expression, "I meant a fake-kiss! A theater-kiss!"

"Oh," the jock nodded but was still steaming inwardly. Imagining Ryan locked in a passionate kiss with whomever on stage while hundreds of people were gaping at him didn't calm Chad in the least. Quite the contrary.

No one should be allowed to watch Ryan kiss. It was supposed to be private, intimate, only for him to witness…

Now where the fuck had that come from?

As soon as the thought had crossed Chad's mind his eyes had grown as big as saucers. They grew even bigger when he realized that it held nothing but the absolute truth.

He didn't want Ryan to kiss anybody but him.

Oh, fuck!

He could feel a full-blown panic-attack come on and quickly squashed it down by focusing his attention back on Ryan's initial problem.

Though… he somehow still wasn't sure what Ryan's problem was!

Chad took a calming breath and voiced his confusion: "So… if it's not the kissing and not the girl part… what's freaking you out, dude?"

Ryan let out a quiet sigh of relief. For a moment there he'd thought Chad would panic for whatever reason and his whole plan would go to waste. He quickly explained: "I'm fairly sure that I can manage a fake-kiss. It's just… I don't know if it will be enough!"

At Chad's confused look Ryan went on: "I have no idea whether a fake-kiss feels any different from a real kiss and if Kelsi will tell the difference. I don't want her to notice that it's just fake… it would ruin everything…"

"Why don't you go ask one of the countless girls you've kissed on stage?" Chad fired back, suddenly angry. "I'm sure they would be happy to help you out!"

Wow, Ryan thought smugly, he's truly jealous! There's a good chance that this could seriously work! Loud he answered: "I would, but… none of the, by the way not countless girls, just three, is here tonight. There's no one to ask. So that's why I thought about… no."

"What?"

"No, it's… it's too silly. You'd think I was a total spazz!" Ryan waited with held breath for Chad to take the bait.

"Evans, I think of you as a total spazz anyway," Chad grinned, the tension he'd been feeling earlier dissolving quickly with the familiar banter. "So come on, what've you thought about?"

"Ugh, well… practicing. I thought that maybe I could ask someone to let me fake-kiss them and then they should tell me whether it'd feel real or not. But…" Ryan quickly looked to the ground for Chad's stunned face was just too much for him. He had to pull all his acting skills together to sound anxious.

"But I don't know who to ask. You see, the best option would be Gabriella, because she'd most likely know the difference between a fake-kiss and a real one, seeing how she and Troy always suck faces. But I don't want to be killed by an angry Troy for messing with his girlfriend! And everyone else is already paired up, too, so…"

Ryan trailed off and watched Chad closely for any reaction before he would deliver his final blow. Now this would be the risky part of his well-thought-out scheme, he knew he was flying completely blind with what he was about to say.

"I'm not."

"You wouldn't by any chance be willing… wait. What?"

They'd both spoken simultaneously and Ryan needed a moment to place Chad's statement back into context. Lucky for him Chad clarified:

"I'm not paired up with anyone."

"Ugh, Taylor?" Ryan stuttered, completely thrown by Chad's sudden composure. This had not been part of his plan, had it? Ryan couldn't quite remember, his brain was a fuzzy black mass right now.

"Just friends. We broke up weeks ago."

"U-huh," Ryan managed to squeeze out. Then he tried to get a grip on his fluttering nerves. This was his scheme, wasn't it? So why was he suddenly the one not knowing what to say?

While Chad didn't look calm exactly he seemed a lot more comfortable than Ryan right now. A lot more than Ryan had thought he'd be after what he'd just been offered.

Maybe Chad hadn't understood Ryan's question? Had he possibly missed the meaning of what Ryan had said?

The blond boy threw another assessing glance at the jock. Chad still leaned with his ass against the sink, arms drawn behind his body and his hands resting on the white porcelain. Okay, not so much resting but rather gripping the edge tightly.

'Not quite as calm as you want me to believe, are you?' Ryan thought relieved and felt his own composure return. He was still in control of this, and it had to stay that way!

"Okay," he quirked an eyebrow and said: "Once again I ask: would you be willing to be my guinea pig in fake-kissing?"

"Ugh…"

Now that it was Chad's turn to stutter again Ryan didn't hesitate to fall back into his originally thought-out role of the slightly altered Damsel in Distress scenario. Complete with nervous hand-wringing and puppy-dog eyes he hurried to convince Chad in the most desperate voice he could muster:

"No worries, it wouldn't be a real kiss, just a fake one. And no one would ever have to know! Please, Chad! You have to help me out of this!"

Chad stared at Ryan silently and didn't know what to do or say. He knew that if he'd give in, if he would Ryan let him kiss him, it would change everything. It would be the end of the world as he knew it, fake-kiss or not.

Deep down he knew he wanted Ryan to kiss him… he'd wanted that for a long time… and that was what scared Chad the most.

Nothing would be the same ever again, at least not for him. The kiss would mean something!

But what about Ryan? Would a kiss mean something to him, too? Or was it really just like he'd said earlier, was all he wanted a guinea pig for a fake-kiss?

Seriously just one way to find out, right?

"Okay," Chad whispered finally.

"Okay?"

"Yeah," Chad nodded and pushed away from the sink to stand up straight. "One kiss… just to see…"

"Right," Ryan assured quickly, "one kiss and you tell me whether it feels real."

He moved slowly over to Chad and stopped right in front of him. Pulling his newsboy cap from his head he noticed his hand was shaking slightly. Chad seemed to have seen it, too for he took the cap out of Ryan's grip and replaced it with his own hand.

Ryan stared at their entwined fingers for a second, a smile slowly creeping onto his face. A genuine one.

No need for him to still play a part now, was there? Not when his brilliant scheme had led to its exact goal.

Ryan took one last shaky breath and leaned closer to Chad's waiting face. His unoccupied hand came around the other boy's neck and when he tugged softly, Chad leaned down to meet Ryan's pink lips.

The kiss started out tentatively, Ryan applied just the tiniest bit of pressure. Chad's lips were soft and warm and the simply awesome taste coaxed Ryan to go further. He let his tongue trail over Chad's bottom lip, then between both lips, very slowly, and eventually charmed them open.

A low moan escaped… one of them. Neither boy knew exactly who'd made the enticing sound for they were both too enthralled to care. Their tongues met hungrily, first in Chad's mouth and then, when Ryan retreated again, Chad's tongue followed spellbound to explore the smaller boy's warm mouth.

Ryan tightened the grip on Chad's neck briefly before he let his hand roam free, through thick curls, over Chad's shoulder and neck and then back into the jock's hair that just seemed to be made for carding through. He could feel Chad's hand on his back, urging him closer until his whole body was pulled flush against Chad's hard-muscled one.

Another moan filled the air and this time Ryan was sure that it had been him who'd let it out. The feel of Chad's chest and thighs and something else incredibly firm pressing against him, into him, in all the right places, especially… guh, there… it was just too good.

Ryan's hips pushed forward on their own, he couldn't have stopped them if he'd wanted. Chad didn't seem to mind, for he pushed back equally forceful and a needy whimper escaped his throat.

Throughout all this their mouths had not once parted, tongues still chasing each other and constantly battling for dominance, wet lips trying to suck and lick everywhere at once. Both boys were breathing hard, pulling erratic gasps in and out through their noses, but eventually they ran out of breath and pulled away from each other at the same time.

One hand still fisting Ryan's shirt under the expensive tux Chad let his forehead drop onto Ryan's shoulder and moaned: "Oh fuck, Ry, this had better not to be fake or…"

He lifted his head and looked Ryan straight in the eyes, worry and hope and confusion and lust all mixed together in his glance.

"Or… what?" Ryan asked gently, still panting for breath.

"Or I know for sure I won't survive a real kiss from you."

A smirk crossed Ryan's face when he leaned into Chad again, whispering: "Only one way for you to be sure!"

They kissed again, slower this time, but no less passionate, until Chad pulled away again, frowning: "Dude, seriously. Drop the act…"

'Never,' Ryan thought to himself just when Chad went on: "This is so not how you'd planned to kiss Kelsi, is it?"

Ryan let out a genuine laugh. "Chad, there's never been any plan to kiss Kelsi whatsoever! Believe me!"

"Oh, thank Heaven!" Chad exclaimed and captured Ryan's smirking lips in another kiss that Ryan returned eagerly until Chad pulled back for the third time.

"Wait, what?" The frown was back on his face when Ryan's words had finally sunk in. "You mean, you made that all up just to… kiss me?"

Ryan took a step back, bowed elegantly, and when he came up again his eyes gleamed with sheer pride.

"And the Oscar goes to…"

THE END

Please tell me what you think of it.