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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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2020-11-05
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3,406
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1/1
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36
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Cuddlefest 2007

Summary:

Disclaimer: Disney owns the boys; I only want to play around with them. I make no money, I have no money. Joss Whedon owns "I'll Never Tell" Caveat Lector. Velvet Goldmine, Newsies & all other things are not mine.
Rating: PG? T? The rating system drives me batty.
Pairing: Eventual Chad/Ryan, eventual Sharpay/Zeke, other peripheral couples.
Summary: After the baseball game, Chad finally takes the time to get to know Ryan. Takes place after "Still Swinging."
Notes: This is one of those stories that started in one place and ended somewhere else entirely, so please forgive me. Heath Ledger was an AMAZING actor, and died too young. "Once More With Feeling" is the musical episode of Buffy, and if you haven't watched it, you should, it rocks. I'm trying really hard to get multi-faceted characters here, but at the same time, it feels like my characters are spastic & manic and all over the place, so, some constructive criticism would totally be helpful! For Nittlegrasper083, and my beta Ms. Moon.
(This title sucks ass, I know. I suck at titles)

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(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:



Cuddlefest, 2007
by Joyful
AuntMelba1@aol.com


"Are you joining us for dinner tonight, son?" Vance Evans asked as he straightened his son's powder blue newsboy cap. "Your sister has her boy Troy dining with us, and I've invited Thomas from the university to join us as well."

"I've been invited to a friend's house tonight, Dad. Do you mind?" Ryan asked, standing up straight.

Vance smiled. "No, you enjoy your night out with your friends." Vance clapped a heavy hand on his son's back. Vance had known his son was gay since Ryan was young, it had always been quite obvious, and Vance had learned to accept that. Ryan was still athletic, still his son, and he sparkled. Sometimes Vance was grateful his little girl was so self-absorbed, so that she didn't notice her brother could actually outshine her. There were even times Vance wished Ryan wouldn't shine so much.

The Evans family knew the rules: Ryan was a Mama's Boy and Sharpay was Daddy's Little Girl. Once a month they set aside time for Sharpay to have a Mother-Daughter day and Ryan to have a Father-Son day. Whenever the parents were home, they all had dinner together-- whenever possible. Although they might not have the greatest relationship in the world, Vance Evans loved his son, and worried about him constantly. He knew what it looked like from the outside: it looked like Vance wanted Ryan to be straight.

Vance had thought he was going to lose his child when he first got the phone call three years earlier. Certain words had stuck out in his mind "head injury" "trauma" "six against one" "blood transfusion." Ryan always tried to minimize the event, making it seem less serious than it had been, but in reality--for a few hours--Vance and Darby hadn't know if Ryan was going to live or die. Sharpay had not reacted well. Vance had been in a meeting when the attack occurred, but Sharpay had been waiting for Ryan outside the locker room, chatting up a couple boys. Three years later, Vance still wasn't completely certain what had happened in that locker room. When he got to the hospital, Sharpay's clothes were torn and bloody, and her hair was wild. Vance didn't want to make his son straight, he just didn't want to see him hurt again.

-----

Ryan sighed as he walked out to his car, adjusting his hat the way he liked it. Ryan knew his dad meant well, it just bugged him sometimes. Nonetheless, he was all smiles. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been invited to a movie night.

"Bring some movies," Chad had told him, "We take turns picking." And then Chad had placed his hand on Ryan's back, and no matter how much they may have touched during they group dance lessons, nothing was as intimate as Chad's hand resting briefly on Ryan's back.

Ryan shivered slightly as he remembered the weight of Chad's hand. He fiddled with his sparkly silver keychain as he slipped into the driver's seat. He knew he was a bit early, but he wanted to get away from Sharpay fawning over Troy. He personally didn't have any problems with Troy, but he hated seeing Gabriella sad. He figured Sharpay would eventually run Troy off, as she did most other guys, but if the situation didn't resolve itself soon, he was going to step in. Gabi was a sweetheart, and didn't deserve to be treated like crap. Ryan pulled into the Montez's driveway, still bopping his head to "I'll Never Tell." He grabbed a book of disks, some movies and some music, and locked the car, making sure to put the top up. He was not leaving his baby unprotected in this neighborhood. Not that Gabi lived in a slum or anything, it just wasn't HIS neighborhood, and therefore, slightly untrustworthy.

Ryan rang the doorbell, and Chad opened the door grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into the room.

"Evans, man, you, like, HAVE to save me. None of the other guys are here yet, and they're scaring me!" Chad pointed to where Taylor, Gabriella and Martha were sitting on the floor with bridal and fashion magazines spread around.

"My sister's getting married," Taylor explained. "And I'm the Maid of Honor. And she's completely freaking out. She really needs help picking the bridesmaid dresses."

"Do you have pictures of the bridesmaids?" Ryan asked, walking over to the girls. Chad was a little surprised, because he had expected Ryan to be on his side. Taylor handed Ryan the pictures.

"This one's my sister, and these are the bridesmaids. The color is lilac."

"She'd look better in lavender than lilac, and this one's going to look horrible in any shade of purple, but let's see what we can do," Ryan said, slipping in between Taylor and Martha. He picked of one of the magazines and started flipping through. "Taylor, stand up," Ryan said. Taylor followed Ryan's instructions and stood up, taking a step back, as to not trip over Gabriella.

"Spin around, slowly," Ryan said, and Taylor obliged him. As she did, Zeke and Jason, and a few other Wildcats Ryan didn't know by name showed up, having let themselves in. "This one for the Maid of Honor," Ryan said. "It will flatter your butt and hips, and show off your cleavage, without looking slutty," Ryan declared, and Taylor agreed.

"Ryan, you are awesome, this dress is perfect. Any idea on the bridesmaids dresses?"

"This one," Ryan decided, "It's the only one that will look good on both of these girls, and I think this girl will look good in anything."

"Thank you so much, Ryan!" Taylor said, getting back down on the floor to clean up magazines, marking the pages Ryan had picked. She kissed Ryan on the cheek.

"You're amazing, Ryan," Martha said. "When school starts up, will you help me pick my Homecoming dress?"

"Sure," Ryan agreed, flashing his thousand-watt smile. Chad was mesmerized.

"What just happened here?" Zeke asked.

"Taylor's sister had some sort of fashion emergency that the girls have been trying to solve for 2 hours. Ryan just solved it in five minutes." Ryan blushed a little, but grinned happily at the praise.

"We should go shopping for Homecoming dresses together," Taylor said, "And then, even if none of us have dates, we can go as a group." Ryan was a little surprised, he automatically assumed Chad and Taylor would be going together.

"It's the middle of summer!" Chad exclaimed.

"It's never too early to be prepared," Ryan said. "Shar already has her prom dress. And no Zeke, before you even ask, I'm not going to tell you want it looks like. I'm sure you can already guess there's pink in it."

"Didn't we come here to watch movies, not talk about dances and dresses?" Jason asked.

"Okay, Ryan, since it's your first movie night, you get to pick the first movie," Gabriella said.

"Please have better taste than Zeke and Chad," Martha begged.

Ryan remembered a previous discussion referencing a ‘Scary Movie' marathon, and he felt much pity for the girls.

"I am not watching Brokeback Mountain again," Zeke warned, "once was enough!"

"I agree," Ryan said, accumulating funny looks. "That movie was horrible. It was a three-hour movie based off a 20-page short story. First mistake. If they had stuck to the story and made 90-minute movie, it might have been okay. But there wasn't enough story to fill the time, so it's like ‘Look- mountains, sheep, more mountains, more sheep, gay cowboys, more mountains, gay cowboys trying to be straight, more mountains, boobs, people getting drunk, more mountains, I don't know how to quit you, Jack Twist's dead, and Ennis is crying like a little girl into an old shirt because he never had the balls to be who he was. The end.' Most boring movie ever." Chad and Zeke were laughing at Ryan's depiction of the movie, while the girls looked somewhat scandalized that Ryan was breaking their stereotype of pretty gay boy, while Jason looked confused.

"But, aren't you gay? Shouldn't you love that movie?"

"Being gay should mean I have better taste," Ryan joked, putting on an affected Evans air. "Heath Ledger rocks, but that doesn't excuse the movie from just being bad. There is so much better gay cinema out there. The only reason people point at Brokeback as being this quintessential gay film is because it was so mainstream, and played in every theatre. I've seen dozens of gay-themed movies that were ten times better, in fact I own most of them, but since most of them are indie flicks or musicals, nobody's heard of them."

"Huh?" Jason asked, not quite getting what Ryan had just said.

Taylor placed her hand on Jason's shoulder, trying not to be too condescending. "Ryan means that people make ‘Brokeback Mountain' seem like it's the best gay movie ever, just because it's the most famous one."

"Oh, okay."

"In fact, I had planned to pick a different movie first, but I changed my mind. They both have Christian Bale in them though," Ryan said, grinning.

"Batman kicks ass."

"Good dancer too, but we'll watch those movies another time," Ryan said, slipping "Velvet Goldmine" into the DVD player. Martha ran off to go to the bathroom before the movie started, while everyone else settled into the living room. Somehow Ryan found himself settled between Taylor and Chad on the couch. Kelsi showed up right before the movie started, and curled up next to Martha on the floor, Martha leaning against Ryan's legs and Kelsi leaning against Taylor.

Martha leaned back into Ryan, and Ryan found himself playing with her hair, just to have something to do. Ryan pulled a comb from his pocket and combed out Martha's hair gently as they watched the movie. When he had the snarls out, he started braiding her hair. Martha's hair was so different from Sharpay 's. While Shar spent hours on her hair, straightening it or curling it, bleaching or highlighting it to fit her mood, Martha brushed it in the morning, and then used a little mousse to keep it from frizzing too much. Ryan admired the contrast.

-----

Chad took in the situation around him. The movie wasn't bad. He laughed at the opening message: "Although what you are about to see is a work of fiction, it should nevertheless be played at maximum volume." The music was good, the acting was good, and he was really getting into it. Now and then he would look over to observe Ryan. Taylor was curled against Ryan's left arm, her head resting on Ryan's shoulder, and Martha was leaning back against Ryan, using his legs as a chair while Ryan played with her hair. Ryan seemed to have no qualms about being used as a human pillow. The gay boy was completely comfortable touching these girls so casually. Chad felt very envious of him.

While he was dating Taylor, he didn't even feel comfortable holding her hand, it just seemed awkward. Ryan looked extremely comfortable, though, just being touched and cuddled.

The movie, the more Chad got into it. Plus Ewan McGregor was in it, and Ryan hadn't mentioned that Obi-Wan Kenobi would be in this movie, which automatically made the movie better. And then suddenly Zeke and Jason were protesting, loudly, while the girls were cheering, and Ryan was laughing. Ewan McGregor pouring oil on himself. Sticking his hand down his pants. Glitter.

Opening his pants and-whoa now. Chad blinked. Naked Curt Wild. He then realized he was expected to react.

"Hey now! A little warning would have been nice before full-frontal Obi-Wan"

Ryan laughed. "But then would you have watched it?" Ryan asked.

"Probably not," Chad admitted, "Now shut up so we can watch the rest of the movie." Chad got really into movies when he watched them. He didn't like it when people talked. A little comment here or there was okay, but if you were going to talk through the entire movie, you didn't want to watch it with Chad. Chad was really captivated by the movie. He settled in, making himself nice and comfortable and just enjoyed it. When the credits started to roll, Gabriella's voice brought him back to reality.

"That was an awesome movie," Gabi said. Chad sat up straight, and realized that sometime during the movie he too had started using Ryan as a pillow.

The boy really was rather comfortable.

"I wasn't expecting so many naked guys," Chad paused, "But it was a really good movie. Not that guys are gross or anything, since, you know, I am one and all, I just wasn't expecting so many naked ones." Ryan laughed at Chad's reaction, but definitely relaxed. Chad Danforth had really liked Velvet Goldmine, AND had spent half the movie using him as a human pillow. Ryan was definitely having a good day.

"I, however, could have done without the gay sex," Zeke said, wrinkling his nose. "Sorry, it just does absolutely nothing for me. The music was great though. Whose turn is it to pick a movie?"

"Kelsi hasn't picked one in a while," Jason pointed out, and Kelsi smiled.

"Now I know what movie I want to watch. Ryan, do you have Newsies in that big CD book of yours?"

"I totally do. Maybe we should get some food first, if nobody else has any plans, I'd be willing to pay for pizza."

"Well, usually we chip in," Zeke said.

"I know you guys are all saving money, and I honestly feel, like, horrible, about you having to wait on me at the club. It's not like I can't afford a few pizzas." Seeing Ryan so insistent, everyone agreed. They ordered four large pizzas, and a few bottles of soda.

When the food arrived, they carried it out into the den, and set up Kelsi's movie pick: Newsies. This time when they settled in, Kelsi stole one of the spots on the couch, leaving Taylor and Martha to curl up on the floor.

Jason joined the people on the floor, and Gabriella grabbed some throw pillows and a couple afghans so everyone could get extra comfy. Pretty soon everyone except Ryan, Chad and Kelsi was on the floor between the couch and the TV.

"Does this usually happen?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Kelsi said. "Usually, at some point it goes from being movie night to cuddlefest." Ryan enjoyed the closeness of it all. Usually, whether he was with his sister and her friends, or the girls in the drama club, he was used to being everyone's pillow, the one braiding hair or giving back rubs, so this was business as usual for him. He was happy as cake as the movie started up.

"In 1899 the streets of New York City echoed with the voices of newsies, peddling the newspapers of Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, and other giants of the newspaper world. On every corner you saw ‘em carryin' da banner. Bringin' you da news for a penny a pape. Poor orphans and runaways, the newsies were a ragged army, without a leadah. Until one day, all that changed."

"That voice sounds familiar," Chad said.

"He does the voice of Daxter in the Jak & Daxter video games," Ryan supplied.

"Ah, thanks," Chad nodded. "Carrying the Banner" started, and Kelsi leaned into Ryan. He wrapped his arm around her and the two of them sang along. Not too loudly, they didn't want to ruin the movie for everyone else, but there's something about watching your favorite musicals with another musical geek. You can't not sing along.

"So, is this where your hat fetish came from?" Martha asked.

"No, but it definitely added fuel to the fire," Ryan grinned.

-----

Chad watched Ryan and Kelsi. He had always thought of Kelsi as this quiet, shy little girl who got so flustered whenever she had to talk to boys, or really, anyone. But with Ryan, she was cuddling and singing and talking. And Kelsi didn't always like Ryan, at least not when he and his sister where being drama queens and jerks. That was something Chad was certain of. The more Chad thought about it, the more confused Chad got. Ryan was gay. That meant he liked boys. And yet, every time Chad saw him, at school, or at the club, Ryan was always surrounded by girls: Sharpay and her friends, the drama club, Gabi, Taylor, Martha and Kelsi. And Chad, well, Chad was the popular jock, but he never felt very comfortable with girls. Usually these movie nights ended with everyone on the floor, while Chad, and sometimes Zeke, sat on the couch, eating their pizza and watching the movies. For the suave, manly jock, Chad had no clue how to act around girls.

The movie was fun. Cheesy, silly, with lots of singing and dancing. Kelsi and Ryan knew all the words. Chad was definitely glad they'd invited Ryan to movie night. He'd shaken things up and made it more interesting.

-----

Ryan was showing off, and he knew he was showing off. Although he was quickly getting used to the girls, and even "The Three Musketeers" as he seemed to have coined Zeke, Jason and Chad in his head-he still wasn't completely at ease relaxing around a dozen or so Wildcats. But he was a performer. And with Kelsi egging him on, he was becoming the center of attention, and enjoying it. Kelsi and Ryan happily belted out the last lined of the finale, and by then, a few other people had caught on.

"Ry, that was fun. With all the drama in the drama club, it's been so long since we've just sat around and watched musicals. We have to do this again sometime."

"You are definitely my favorite fag-hag," Ryan grinned, kissing Kelsi on the temple. A couple of the girls giggled, and Zeke rolled his eyes, having heard his brother use the term, but Jason and Chad were unnerved.

"Dude?" Jason said. "Fag-hag?"

"I shouldn't have even said it," Ryan said, "It's an iffy issue. It's like, okay, A fag-hag is a girl who spends all her time with gay guys, and it's one of those weird this where depending on who says it, it can be meant to be mean, or funny, or a term of endearment, which is how I meant it. Now the long more complicated double-standard. Gay guys call each other fags or queers or homos and it's fine, but if a straight guy says it, it's ‘prejudiced.'

It's usually considered okay for gay, bi, or even straight girls to say fag or queer, and to call themselves fag-hags. Like I said, it's a great big, complicated double-standard and I should never have opened my big mouth.

Personally, I have no problem if you all want to call me queer, I'm just not partial to the word fag." Ryan explain, trying not to gesticulate too wildly, knowing how stereotypical he really could get at times.

"It's like the ‘N'-word," Taylor said, and Ryan nodded in agreement.

"Like, as stupid as it is, Chad and I could call each other Nigga all day if we wanted," Zeke extrapolated, "And it would be fine. Like, totally stupid, but fine."

"Dude, I totally hate that," Chad said, "'Cause I can say it to Zeke all I want and it's totally fine, but the minute Jason says it, he's a racist? So not cool. What makes me not a racist?"

"Help me, I'm Heterophobic!" Ryan proclaimed, holding the back of his hand to his head as he swooned backwards into Chad's lap.

"Oh no, Ryan, the big bad straight man's gonna get you!" Kelsi declared, pointing at Chad, who was laughing far too hard at the blonde boy splayed across his lap to do anything of the sort. Ryan was tempted to stay there, stretched across Chad's lap forever, but he didn't want to press his luck too much.

"I need to be getting home," Ryan said.

"Why?" Gabi asked.

"I have plans tomorrow." Everybody said their goodbyes and Ryan made his way out to his car. The drive home barely registered in his mind. A great evening spent with Chad and the Wildcats, and tomorrow was Saturday. For a moment at least, he was actually content with his life.


~End~
AuntMelba1@aol.com

Notes:

This orphaned work was originally on Pejas WWOMB posted by author Joyful.
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