Title: Small Town Boys
Fandom: High School Musical
Rating: PG-13
Summary: For idiocynic's fic exchange. This one is for hanachan01 who wanted "Something where they have an established relationship if you do Chad/Ryan."
0o0o0o
Chad finds it easy to promise things to Ryan when he's naked. Even easier when he's naked and writhing beneath him, his sweetly swollen lips parted and gasping Chad's name between breathy curses of the best kind.
It's not as easy to remember exactly what he's promised until the weekend comes and Ryan calls in those vows, such as the one that Chad made to go shopping with Ryan on a bright Saturday morning that was just made for playing sports out on a nice grassy field somewhere. He tries not to wince when he sees Ryan pull up in the car next to the public basketball courts waving him in with that "remember what you promised" face.
It doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun but Chad tosses the ball over his shoulder anyway. Ryan's bright eyes are too hard to resist under any circumstances so Chad settles in beside him, relaxing as they tear down the highway to the shopping district. "I thought dating a guy would get me out of this," he jokes, as Ryan nearly heads them off the road, whipping his head around to stare hungrily at a new upscale shoe store for men. "Guess I was wrong."
"Pardon?" Ryan says, not paying attention, already searching for the perfect spot in the mall's parking lot.
Chad thinks he's learned something from Sharpay as Ryan snags something so close to the door it should be for the handicapped, but somehow, it's not.
Ryan hops out of the car, leading, as Chad gamely follows. There's a video and gaming store right next to the department store Ryan's heading into and Chad is drawn toward it like a paper clip to a magnet, but he resists, staying close on Ryan's heels.
At least they end up hitting departments where Chad might be able to feign a vague interest even if Ryan spends more time than he thought humanly possible in men's haberdashery.
It's a good thing Ryan looks cute in hats, Chad thinks, as he nods and shakes his head at appropriate intervals while Ryan models a few dozen different styles. Once something is found, it's ordered in every color of the rainbow and finally, they are able to move on.
They make a cursory stop in athletic wear and Chad tries not to drool on the merchandise -- beautiful, practical and very, very expensive. He gingerly fingers one item and quickly walks away before he's tempted to use the credit card he was given for life and death emergencies.
Even if he thinks he'll die if he doesn't own that one-of-a-kind silk jersey, if he charges it, he knows he will.
Hurriedly, he follows Ryan into the men's casual and there's something perversely entertaining about watching Ryan try on different pairs of slacks, giving his very uninformed opinion when Chad can think of little more than how perfect Ryan's ass really is. "A dancer's butt" he always joked, but it was true, Chad never knew that dancers had such lithe bodies beneath their silly outfits -- now he does.
As good as any athlete's and Chad nods with enthusiasm when Ryan tries on a slim-fitting pair of black jeans. "Awesome."
Ryan squints in the mirror with a critical eye. "You think? I don't know if I have any shirts that go with this." On a blessed impulse, Ryan whips off his polo to examine the line better. "I guess I might have a couple of things."
Creamy soft skin, slim waist and a pair of broad shoulders stretch out above the dark denim-clad legs and Chad thinks his tongue has just tied itself into a desert-dry knot. "You don't really need a shirt. You could always, uh, hang out like that," he says, not even really knowing what he's saying but damn does the idea sound good.
Ryan's smirk is all too knowing. "You think I should hang out like this at school?"
Okay, maybe not that good of an idea. Chad shakes his head. "No. I meant at home. Wait, no, at home when you're with me. I mean ..."
"I know what you mean." Smugly, and Ryan tugs his shirt back on, shoo'ing Chad from the dressing room. "Thanks, Tim Gunn, I'll take it from here."
Sulking, Chad shuffles from the dressing room to go wait on the provided couches alongside a couple of women who glance at him knowingly, their sly smiles barely hidden. He curls up a little, his hands folded on his lap, staring at the coat racks that line the walls. His fingers start to tap impatiently, his knee begins to bounce and he's just about to get annoyed when Ryan reappears, bags already in hand. "My personal shopper in this store does the checkout as I go," he explains. "Shopping with lines is no fun."
"Can't he do the shopping too?" Chad grumbles.
"There's no fun in that either," Ryan explains sweetly, ushering Chad to the exit. "Don't worry, your day is about to improve."
Chad wonders what he means, but only for a moment as Ryan pulls him toward the gaming store and Chad feels all his annoyance melt away. "Seriously?" he asks, halfway in the door. "You want to go in here?"
"Hello, yeah." Ryan rolls his eyes at him. He makes a beeline for a test console, punching in the store's demo of Halo3. "You are dating a guy here."
Chad stands behind him and watches gleefully. This "date" might not be a bust after all.
0o0o0o
The coffee shop they find at the end of the day is cozy, unlike the clothing store. A dozen iron-wrought tables for two fill a space about the size of Chad's living room, making it crowded enough to force them to sit very close, close enough to allow them to hold hands under the table without attracting attention.
Ryan's eyes are bright with love and want, making Chad's pulse pound hotly in his throat. This is worth spending the day shopping for, definitely.
Chad orders for them -- coffee is his drug of choice -- as Ryan continues to stare hungrily at him over the table, his thumb running along the inside of Chad's palm, making him shiver. He doesn't let go when the espresso arrives so Chad makes do, twisting the lemon rind single-handedly over the cup, sipping at the hot liquid with care.
"Is that all right?" he asked, nodding at Ryan's untouched cup. "I can order you something else if you like."
"It's exactly right," Ryan replies, his thumb doing wonderful things to the sensitive flesh above Chad's wrist. "I like to let it cool first."
Aroused, Chad shifts in the tiny seat. "So you like to tease the espresso?"
"Something like that." With his free hand, Ryan pulls a small shopping bag out from under the table. "I have something for you."
Sighing, Chad puts down the cup. "You know you don't have to do that."
"But I wanted to," Ryan shrugs. His grin broadens. "It's not that much Open it."
Embarrassed, Chad looks around before taking the bag. His mouth falls open when he pulls out the contents. "Oh my God ... Ryan." Inside was the silk jersey he'd admired in the store, wrapped around a brand-new copy of Halo3. Heat fills his cheeks as he carefully puts the gifts back into the bag. "You did not have to do that."
Ryan takes a sip of coffee, his eyes twinkling. "Does it count if I wanted to? You were such a trooper today."
"Yeah, right." Chad nudges Ryan underneath the table. "Like it's a hardship hanging out with you."
Ryan pauses, releasing Chad's hand before picking up his cup. "I know we have different tastes."
Chad examines Ryan closely. "Not so different," he says, holding up the bag containing the jersey. A baseball jersey, belonging to a team they both loved. A warm wave of affection washes over Chad and on impulse, he leans over the table and kisses Ryan, softly, on the mouth, not caring who sees.
When he pulls away, Ryan looks positively beatific. "Maybe we're just a couple of small town boys after all," he says breathlessly, making them both laugh.
Maybe we are, Chad thinks. Maybe we are.
0o0o0o
end
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