Name: Transatlantic
Chapter Four: A Jolly Good British Booze-Up
Pairing: Troy/Ryan
Author: xxBoppingAllTheWayxx
Word Count: 1077
Warnings: Slash.
Summary: An overseas trip to Britain opens up a whole new world for two very lucky boys.


The buzz of conversation around them did very little to soothe the burning tension currently between Ryan Evans and his 'buddy' for his transatlantic holiday, Troy Bolton. After reluctantly experiencing Troy's voyeuristic side, Ryan was determined to make the basketball student squirm until he was satisfied that Troy had suffered enough.

Ryan's eyes seemed to glow in the flickering illumination of the candles on the table-for-two, as he stared unwaveringly at his ever-increasingly uncomfortable 'buddy.' Since Troy had earlier played a part in humiliating him, the boys had hardly spoken to each other, save for a brief snark from Ryan when he next saw Troy. In the tangible silence, Ryan thought back to the events before their dinner-date

*

When Ryan exited the bathroom for a second time, after first checking that there were no giggling girls in the immediate vicinity, he found himself greeted by an empty hotel room, not that he was complaining. He dropped his suitcase onto the solitary bed and turned towards the door. His attention was, however, taken by a sheet of paper on the table, next to an empty mug.

'If it's any consolation, those are very flattering photos. Meet you in the entrance hall at half-past. X'

Ryan's eyes scanned the note once, twice and a final third time before he let the paper drop from his hand. Bastard, he thought with a grin, total bastard! Ryan walked to the window, glancing out at the evening city, lights twinkling from the world outside. He took a moment to immerse himself in the British beauty, but time was of the essence.

His mood raised, the blonde checked his hat, blazer, tie and trousers in the mirror before leaving his hotel room, briefly wondering whether Troy had remembered the key-card. He slowly descended the grand staircase, not bothering to take the elevator, and as he finally arrived at the entrance hall, he found himself moderately overwhelmed at the atmosphere that greeted him.

His fellow classmates, each dolled up to the best of their abilities (and budgets), chattered excitedly in the hall, much to the consternation of Ms. Darbus, who had chosen a baby-blue shawl thrown over a too-tight black dress. From his vantage point upon the stairs, he spotted his sister, his room-mate and Gabriella in muted conversation. Troy seemed to be in the middle of saying something very unpleasant, given Gabriella's tearful reaction, but Troy's sentence was abruptly ended by Sharpay sharply elbowing him in the ribs as her eyes met those of her brother's.

Troy's gaze shot upwards in Ryan's direction, before returning to Gabriella, whom had by now wiped her eyes and was reapplying her mascara. Without a word between them, Troy and Gabriella walked away from each other, with Sharpay hot on the girl's heels.

Troy, meanwhile, made his way to Ryan, a sheepish smile on his face. Noting the blonde's curious and accusatory gaze, Troy immediately diverted the topic of conversation, pre-emptively dodging Ryan's questions. "I was beginning to wonder whether or not you'd show."

With a small smile, Ryan joked, "Surely I've shown enough for one evening," and with a swagger in his step, he descended the remaining stairs, practically oozing charisma. He made a point of not looking back at Troy, despite almost feeling the laser-hot gaze from Troy's eyes trailing him as he prepared to socialise. As if on cue, Ms. Darbus rose to her full height and a hush descended upon the room.

"Now, if you are all ready..."

The restaurant they were taken to was unbelievable, as was the queue that extended out of the building and seemingly around the neighbourhood. Luckily for the students of East High School, they had a reservation, and took guilty pleasure in walking straight past the queue and into the magnificent establishment.

*

Ryan blinked twice as he zoned back into reality, becoming aware that Troy was talking to him. The brunette silenced himself and looked expectantly at Ryan, who couldn't recall Troy's question. Rather than admit to Troy that he'd purposefully tuned out his words, Ryan decided to gamble by nodding yes, suddenly becoming aware by how pleased Troy was by his affirmation.

"Good, I'm glad that you feel we can start over."

"Yeah... well... forgive and forget...?" Floundering mentally, Ryan felt his stomach drop as he realised that he'd unwittingly accepted Troy's apology, chiding himself for not paying more attention to their conversation. Fate swiftly came to Ryan's rescue as the meal arrived, though he felt a red flush sweep over him as he surveyed the single plate placed in between them. The waiter gave a brief wink to the pair before departing, and Ryan's gaze fell sharply upon his hand as Troy covered it with his own.

"No more jokes, no more puns..."

Ryan's eyebrow delicately arched upwards, but he let Troy continue his little speech.

"Besides, this is Britain. The most romantic thing they do here is lie back and think of England."

In unison, the pair dissolved into hysterics which lasted several minutes and incurred a scathing glare from Ms. Darbus, sat a number of tables away. As their laughter died down, Ryan reached for the bottle of wine upon the table and, still grinning and chuckling slightly, poured two glasses of the ruby liquid.

Troy reached forward and nimbly raised his own glass, Ryan copying him a half-second later. Before he was allowed to take a sip of the drink though, Troy hand placed his hand over Ryan's own, a small smile on his lips.

"Seeing as how we're starting over..."

Troy lifting Ryan's hand to his lips and kissed it gently, causing the blonde to blush crimson in the dim lighting. "Troy Bolton, pleased to make your acquaintance." He lowered Ryan's hand and flashed the boy a dazzling smile. "And you are?"

Ryan didn't remember what happened from that point, and it wasn't until he felt Troy's arm snake around his bare chest that he opened his eyes. Sunlight streamed through the gauze curtains as Ryan blinked away the sleep in his eyes. His first thought was the pounding beat behind his eyes that reminded him of his intoxication the previous night. His second thought was the sun-kissed youth lightly dozing against him. Fuzzy memories came flooding back, though many bits were still unclear. Why had he drunk so much, and why was Troy naked in bed with him?


Sorry that this has taken so long to post, especially as it's so short and not very progressive. It's been a hectic couple of months. I turned 18, went on a holiday (though, sadly, no holiday romance), and got some rather bad news recently. But heigh-ho, there's work to be done!

Joey ~x~