A/N: And yes, I have returned with another installment of what is starting to feel like an epic. Once again, time has gotten away from me, and what was meant to be a quickie took a little longer. But I decided to find a decent stopping point in what I already had, and leave you lovely readers in suspense no longer. Which brings to the point of how much I appreciated everybody's reviews as they encouraged me to keep going, which obviously I will. I'll probably revert back to the smaller chapters of old, which seemed to be much easier on me. And, despite that, I'm cutting none of the story out, and will bring it to an end the way I'd always intended to.

Disclaimer: This story is pure fiction, and thus is not meant to imply anything about the sexuality of any and all celebrities mentioned. If you are underage, or if you are offended by such stories, leave now! Also, High School Musical is the property of Disney. It's not mine!

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Picking Up the Pieces of a Lost Night

By Squall Thrawn

Chapter 27 - I Want Your Drama, The Touch of Your Hand

"I don't really remember the first time I met Keith Harker," Ryan said, his gaze fixed on some random part of the wall. Troy, his arms still around his boyfriend, said nothing, letting the blonde tell the story in his own time. "It was nothing like when I met Drake, or Peter Mercer. I remember, quite clearly, when I met each of them. Like a moment engraved on my memory. But Keith? I met him at the community theatre where my sister and I performed. I think I'd already done a few shows where he was in the cast, so by the time I actually got to know him, I'd known his name for a while, and he was already somewhat of a presence in my life."

"What about me?" Troy asked, curiously. "Do you remember the first time you met me?"

Ryan actually managed to chuckle, though it sounded a bit hollow. "Troy, we've been in school together since, like, forever. I have no idea when we first met… first day of kindergarten, maybe?"

"Oh," Troy responded, trying not to sound disappointed.

"I do have a memory of that time, of the two of us," Ryan said, turning his head a little to catch Troy's gaze. He even had a slight smile on a face, Troy noted. "We were in first or second grade, I think."

"Really?" Troy asked, perking up.

"Yeah," Ryan said, rolling his eyes at Troy's reaction. "You tossed a basketball that hit me right in the head. You and Danforth were horsing around during recess, and the ball didn't exactly go the way you expected it to."

"I… I did that?" Troy asked, a little stunned. "I don't even remember that. I hope I apologized for that."

"You just said 'Oops,' and Danforth started giggling," Ryan said, dryly. "So, a little less than the apology I was entitled to. Sharpay, of course, tried to find out who did it, but I wouldn't tell her. You know, Troy, if I told her about that tonight, she would still want revenge for it; you know how she is with grudges."

"I'm sorry for throwing a basketball at your head," Troy said, tightening his grip on Ryan momentarily.

"I've gotten over it," Ryan said, laughing slightly. He managed to turn his head enough to plant a kiss on Troy's chin.

"Anyway," Ryan said, continuing his story, " I got to know Keith Harker during our freshman year. I was… I was a bit of a mess, my freshman year. Nobody noticed, of course; I'm pretty good at keeping these sort of things to myself. I was still trying to figure out who I was, and if who I turned to be would be acceptable. I'd known what homosexuality was for quite some time by this point; after all, I've done theatre for most of my life. But outside of the theatre world, I didn't really see anybody else who was that way. My parents had a lot of rich friends, and not once did I ever see anybody who was like me. I mean, afterwards, I realized that there were gays already in my life, even among the jet-setting crowd, and there were certainly gays in the media. But I felt isolated, like theatre was my only safe haven. And even though my parents were just as accepting then as they are now, I was still afraid that they'd be concerned about what their rich friends would say."

Ryan swallowed audibly, before continuing. "Of course, Sharpay was being her usual self, always hogging the spotlight. And though I wanted so badly to push her to the side and take my share of the attention, I was afraid that if I did that, people might figure out what I was. That if I got up on stage and performed in front of the entire audience, they'd be able to 'spot the queer,' and do God knows what to me. So it was like this constant internal battle for me, trying to figure out what I should do, who I should be. And then Keith Harker showed up in my life."

Troy had no words for his boyfriend, beyond a few trite remarks. He wasn't quite sure where the story was going, but knew it wasn't going to have a happy ending. So instead he planted a kiss on Ryan's head.

"Keith was this blond, California surfer type," Ryan said, squeezing his eyes shut as if he wanted to block out the memory completely. "He was a few years older than us, nearly eighteen. Slightly crooked smile, caring eyes. On the surface, at least," Ryan said, his voice cracking slightly. "Not really an actor with star quality, but still, a solid performer. Then, in the spring of our freshman year, the community theatre decided to put on A Midsummer Night's Dream. Ever since I had first seen it performed, years ago, it had been my dream to play the role of Puck. It's such a huge role, and very hard to pull off successfully, but that only made me want it more."

"I think I've seen bits and pieces of that," Troy said, trying his best to contribute something to Ryan's story. And to let Ryan know that he was following along.

"Sharpay, naturally, was furious that they picked Midsummer Night's Dream, since the best role was for a male. And don't think she didn't try to persuade the director that a female Puck would be new and innovative," Ryan added, dryly. "But the director wanted to do a more traditional version of the play, so that meant she was out of luck. After that rejection, though, Shar decided that guaranteeing that her brother got the part would be good enough. So she helped me practice my audition, for hours and hours and hours. She was a slave driver, I tell you, but I never would've complained. Because it was Sharpay, putting her full energy into supporting me, her brother. That didn't happen too much, before that summer at Lava Springs. And I swear, I was the best Puck there ever was," Ryan said, his voice choked with emotion. "At least, when I was practicing with Sharpay. I embraced my inner diva, played the role to the hilt, and was, for all intents in purposes, Puck. There was no Ryan Evans."

"But then came the auditions," Ryan said, his voice bitter. "And all those moments, which felt so natural at home, suddenly seemed really awkward. All I could think about, as I stood there on stage looking out at the empty auditorium, was the crowds that I knew would be sitting there, come opening night. The crowds, and my parents. And I knew that if I performed the same way on that stage that I did in our private studio, everybody would know about me. The cloak would be lifted, and everybody would see me in all my gayness. And I choked. I delivered one of the worst auditions of my life, and watched as my sister practically had a heart attack in the audience."

"I'm sorry," Troy said, wanting to say something, but not having a clue on what else to say.

"So am I," was Ryan's simple response. "If I knew then, what I knew now… I wouldn't have held back, frightened at what the crowd might think of me. That lesson I taught you, about being true and honest with yourself, and having the courage to express that… I still had to learn it. And Keith Harker only made things worse."

"How did he do that?" Troy asked, sensing they were getting to the heart of the matter.

"He approached me, afterwards," Ryan said, his words coming out faster now, as though if he didn't get them out fast, they'd never come out. "He seemed sympathetic towards the crushing disappointment that had happened to me out on stage, and offered me a shoulder to lean on, and a willing ear to listen to whatever was so preoccupying my mind, that I'd crash and burn that badly." Ryan barked a laugh, with no hint of mirth in it. "I was actually thrilled that he was taking an interest in me, that he cared about what was troubling me."

Ryan swallowed, and then continued. "After the auditions were over, Keith offered to give me a ride home. I didn't want to face my parents, knowing that they'd ask me questions about my blown audition. And then offer me commiseration, when they didn't even understand why I did so poorly. I didn't want that, just as I didn't want to hear Sharpay picking apart my performance, cataloguing every single misstep, or parts that she felt I could've done better on. So I eagerly took Keith up on his offer."

"Oh God," Troy gasped, afraid of where Ryan's story might be going. "He didn't… did he?"

"No," Ryan said, tightening his grip on Troy's arm. "I honestly don't think that was ever his plan, but even if it was, he must've changed his mind. Instead, he came out to me, to encourage me to do the same. It's like he had me figured out even before I did. Or at least, before I'd really accepted it. That was the night of my first kiss," Ryan said, practically spitting the words out. "At the time, it felt so special. I had somebody who cared about me, and knew what I was going through. It wasn't until it was too late, that I found out that not only did he know what I was going through, he used that knowledge to manipulate me."

"What did he do?" Troy asked, afraid to ask, yet needing to know the answer anyway.

"Nothing, at first," Ryan said, his voice a little softer. "Little moments, here and there. Sly looks during rehearsals, a few comments that only I would get the meaning of. A few pointed observations about the guy who won the part of Puck, and how Keith thought I would've done a better job. Just little confidence boosts, feeding into my ego and making me think that Keith was the only one who understood me." Ryan shook his head. "Of course, I can sit back, now, and analyse the situation for what it was. Back then, I believed it all. Especially when he started in on my parents, insinuating that the affluent Evans family wouldn't be too accepting of a gay in the closet."

"You believed him," Troy stated rather than asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Ryan asked, his voice strained. "I'd already started believing the good things he was telling me about myself, and he knew that one of my deepest fears was of my parents disowning me. Even though my parents had never demonstrated the slightest bit of homophobia, even though they actively encouraged me to use the theatre to 'find myself,' I was still afraid that when it came down to it, they'd change their minds. So he just fed into that fear, and made me feel even more isolated from my family, who really didn't deserve any of the attitude that followed. They could feel me withdrawing into myself, and I'm sure it must have worried them greatly. So they started prying, or rather, had Sharpay start prying into my life. And you know how my sister is- a bull in a china shop is putting it mildly. And Keith had me convinced that it was all a huge witch hunt, the result of which would be disownment… and a possible burning at the stake." Ryan sucked in a breath. "I was so monumentally stupid then, that it actually believed any of this. All because my parents didn't say, flat-out, 'Ryan, if you're gay, we still love you no matter what.' Because they didn't want to put any pressure on me, should I actually turn out to be straight. They tried the subtle route, and Keith insured that everything was cast in the worst possible light."

"Why would he do all of that?" Troy asked, mystified. "Why would he go through all that trouble just to split you off from your family?"

"Control?" Ryan said, shrugging. "Some people like having power over others, it gives them a rush. Because of his manipulation of the circumstances, Keith could control the situation. Since I felt like he was the only person I could talk to, he used that to his advantage. Deciding where we'd go out, what we'd do. Meeting only a few of his select friends. And he definitely didn't want me to so much as talk to any other cute boy. Keith was many things, few of which were good, but more than anything else, he was jealous. Once, he yelled at me for fifteen minutes simply because one of the lighting assistants asked me for my help in moving something. According to Keith, I was just using that as an excuse to flirt with the assistant. I hadn't realized that exchanging words with a cute boy was a hanging offense."

Troy caught the unspoken rebuke in those words. That was very similar to what had happened when he'd come upon Ryan and Jimmie in the hallways, and Troy immediately started feeling ashamed.

"In a way, it was like a deep pit I was slowly falling into, but all the while, I had no idea how deep I had really fallen. I thought that all I'd have to do was reach out, to catch onto one of the sides." Ryan's voice was full of disgust, but all of his mocking seemed to be directed at himself. "And then… then somebody tossed me a rope. My parents, of course, had no way of knowing for certain why I was so withdrawn and moody, but that didn't stop them from guessing, anyway. My mother was telling me about their recent dinner with some rich friends of theirs- the Gracins. I had been invited, but Keith had persuaded me to decline, as he wanted to 'spend some quality time' with me. Then my mother oh-so-casually mentioned that the Gracins' twenty-something son had been there, with his partner."

"My eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets," Ryan said, his voice slightly warmer, almost chuckling. "I repeated that word- partner. And my mother, still playing the casual card, repeated it right back. And told me that the Gracins' only son was gay, was in a long-term relationship with another man, and that his parents couldn't be prouder of him." Ryan actually smiled. "I asked her how she could be so nonchalant about such a thing- my voice must've given me away, I was so shocked. And what she said after that, I'll never forget. She said that she saw just as much love in that boy's eyes when he looked at his partner as she did when my father looked at her. And that there was no way that she could ever object to such a relationship. And then," Ryan said, his voice growing stronger, "she looked right at me and told me that she would accept whoever I chose to share my life with, be it man or woman. I was her son, and she and Dad would love me, no matter what." At this point, to Troy, Ryan felt like he was almost bursting with joy. The one silver lining to this rather dismal dark cloud of a story.

Troy knew that he should feel happiness at Ryan's words, at the level of acceptance that the Evanses had bestowed on their son, but he couldn't help but feel just a little bit saddened, and bitter. Even, though Troy was loathe to admit it, a little bit resentful. His heart certainly went out to Ryan, and the self-destructive path he had briefly followed, but Troy found himself more than a little annoyed. Ryan had treated his parents and sister poorly, and yet had still been accepted with open arms. And yet, no matter how much Troy had tried to play the dutiful son, trying to make his parents proud… He hadn't received anything resembling that same sort of treatment, when he told them about his relationship with Ryan. Sure, his mother was coming to grips with things, and, given time, she would perhaps one day reach the same point that Mrs. Evans had, but his father… At this point, Troy was going to consider himself lucky if he managed to salvage any sort of relationship at all with his father. Was he not good enough to receive that kind of unconditional love? Was he…

"Troy?" Ryan's concerned voice brought Troy's thoughts back to the here and now.

"I'm happy for you, that your parents said that when you needed it the most," Troy said, trying to sound like he meant it. "What happened with Keith, after that?" Troy's words sounded flat, even to his ears, but Ryan either didn't notice or was pretending not to notice.

"Well, as you might have guessed, we didn't last long after that," Ryan said, shrugging. "Once I was able to see through his lies, and realize that my parents weren't going to disown me for having a crush on Leo DiCaprio, Keith really didn't have a hold on me. I was with him for a little while after the talk I had with my mother, but he could tell something was off. Then he made the mistake of pulling his jealous shit on me, and instead of apologizing, I slapped him in the face. I told him that I wasn't his possession, and I could talk to whomever I wanted. Then I told him we were through."

"I'll bet he didn't take that too well," Troy said, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, he took it quietly enough, once I told him that if he ever bothered me again, I would have him arrested for having sex with a minor," Ryan said, bluntly.

"And was he your…" Troy started to ask but trailed off, not knowing if he wanted to hear the answer.

"Yes, he was," Ryan said, simply. Then he sighed. "I really don't feel like talking about this, any more. I trust you understand about why I don't talk about Keith Harker at all. I'd rather pretend that name, and that person, don't exist."

"But if you hadn't met him, we might not be here, together," Troy said, quietly. "Sure, you probably still would have ended up coming out of the closet, but when? College? By then, you'd be at NYU, and I'd be at U of A, and we'd probably never even have seen each other again. The Ryan I met, and became friends with… the Ryan I ended up falling in love with… he knows exactly who he is, and isn't ashamed of it. And if not for Keith Harker, who knows when that might have happened?" Troy shrugged his shoulders.

"I hadn't thought of it, like that," Ryan said, softly. "After everything that happened, all I could see were the negative things that he had done to me, the shit that he had pulled…"

"You have no idea how often I used to lay awake at night, wondering about the 'what ifs' when it came to my break-up with Gabriella," Troy said, his voice still low. "At first, I was mainly second-guessing my decisions. What if I had made up with her right after our break-up? What if I had tried out for the musical like she'd wanted me too? Then, when I found out that she was cheating on me… I started asking myself why I ever went out with her. But if not for her, I never would've tried out for the musical. Never would've done a lot of things, I suspect. So even though we ended so badly, I still don't regret dating Gabriella. Well, mostly," Troy amended.

There was silence in the room for a while, as the boys sat there, lost in thought and retrospection. Ryan finally broke the quiet, though, with a soft chuckle. "God, this is definitely not how I pictured tonight happening," Ryan said, smiling softly at Troy. "My original version had whipped cream and chocolate-covered strawberries. I can't say I expected the evening to resemble an After-School Special - or a soap opera."

"Well, you know us," Troy said, shrugging a little guiltily. "We always seem to take the road less travelled by."

"Do you… do you want to watch another movie?" Ryan asked, smiling a little shyly. "The evening may have gotten off to a rocky start, but we can still change that. I promise that the movie I have in mind will be a lot more light-hearted than the first one."

"This isn't another movie time with Sharpay and Zeke, is it?" Troy asked, hopefully.

"Of course not!" Ryan replied, promptly. "We played nice with them earlier, now it's our time. I think you'll definitely enjoy this one, if you can get over the fact that the three of the most unlikely actors ever, are in the starring roles."

"Now I'm intrigued," Troy said, raising his eyebrows. "Are we talking Jim Carrey in a Convincing Serious Role sort of unlikely, or what?"

"I'm talking about unlikely on a whole other scale," Ryan assured him. "I'm talking about Agent Smith in Drag sort of unlikely." Ryan grinned as he said that.

"No way!" Troy blurted out, his eyes bugging out. "Why have you not shown me this, yet?"

Ryan just laughed as he made his way to the door. "I'll be right back with the movie; I took it downstairs earlier. It was the movie we were supposed to watch, before…" Ryan blushed, slightly. "Did you want any more popcorn, or anything like that?"

Troy shook his head. "Maybe some water," he said, after considering the question a while longer. "If you don't mind?"

"One water, coming right up," Ryan said, smiling at the brunette. "If you want to get comfortable, too, go right ahead- we probably won't make it all the way through the movie. I wasn't kidding, earlier, when I said I was tired. All that shopping with Sharpay and Zeke wore me out. Not to mention the emotional stuff that…," Ryan didn't finish his thought, though he still gave Troy a tight-lipped smile. "Anyway, I'll be back."

Ryan only made it a few more steps before he turned around. "Hey, Troy?" he said, his voice a little more hoarse.

"Yeah?" Troy replied, immediately

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before about Keith Harker. You deserved to hear the truth." By the end of his sentence, Ryan's gaze seemed to be fixed to some indeterminate spot on the floor.

"Not as sorry as I am, about Jimmie Zara," Troy said, as he quietly made his way over to Ryan. He gently raised Ryan's chin up, so that he was gazing into his eyes. "I can't believe I actually thought, even for a second, that you'd…," Troy stopped himself, marvelling again at the sheer unlikeliness of what he'd accused Ryan of. "Go get the movie," Troy said, in a softer voice. "I'll be waiting for you. And, like you said… I'll get comfortable," he added, that last part sounding just the slightest bit suggestive.

Ryan blushed rather impressively at what Troy was intimating, but didn't say a word before leaving the room.

Left to his own devices at the moment, Troy hesitated a bit before he indeed started making himself comfortable. Though Ryan was correct in saying that the night hadn't progressed the way either of them had expected it to, Troy still wanted to make it memorable. With his heart was beating faster as he considered what he was doing, Troy began to remove his shirt, shoes, and socks. He hesitated, however, after he removed his pants and had reached his boxers. Honestly, Troy still felt like, at times, that he was still floating around the ocean clinging to a life preserver. His relationship with Ryan was certainly tumultuous enough, and Troy wasn't entirely sure he was ready to start swimming on his own. Regardless of the almost one-eighty in the mood permeating the room, Troy knew that a lot of their issues still remained unresolved. Sure, Ryan had told him about Keith Harker, and his story, while sad, had at least enlightened Troy to some extent. It was clear that Ryan had a issue with controlling boyfriends, though too much conflicting information had Troy wondering what the issue actually was. Ryan's anger over Troy's jealousy was one thing, but Troy still remembered Ryan saying that he'd at least somewhat appreciated his ex Peter's jealousy when Ryan had hung out with Troy. That it was proof that he actually cared.

And coupled with all that was the sheer fact that, even though he had been the one initiate things, at least tonight, Troy was still somewhat uncomfortable with the physical aspect of their relationship. Losing his virginity to Gabriella the previous summer, Troy was no stranger to hetero sex, but then again, that was what society and the movies had prepared him for. So far, making out with Ryan hadn't posed any problems for him, and apparently he was okay with hot, sweaty, erotic hand jobs in Ryan's convertible when it was parked on a bluff overlooking the desert.

Despite that, though, Troy still remembered how awkward it had been, when he'd first gotten into the shower with Ryan. And while, like any other hot-blooded teenage male, Troy had no problems with receiving blowjobs, he was quite frankly a little scared of being on the giving end. That sure wasn't in any of the sex manuals Troy had managed to get a hold of. (Though Troy almost regretted turning Chad down when his friend had made a joke about buying Troy "The Joy of Gay Sex." Troy had been sure Chad was kidding about that. Mostly.) Some of the things Troy had found on the internet had been at least a little more illuminating, but he was still skittish enough to avoid the more informative, and likely more hardcore, sex sites. To say that Troy was shying away completely from the idea of anal sex was, quite frankly, understating the point.

Troy figured that in a typical gay relationship, the more experienced partner would take the lead and guide the newbie through everything. But he also knew that Ryan wasn't going to push anything on Troy, because of those feelings of discomfort that Ryan knew Troy felt. It was up to him to determine the pace of their sex life, and it was with this in mind that he made his decision about his boxers. Soon, he was sitting up in bed, waiting for his blonde haired boyfriend.

"Sorry it took me a little longer," came Ryan's voice from down the hallway. "Zeke was leaving, and I had to…" Ryan trailed off as he caught sight of Troy in his bed, his bare chest clearly visible from the doorway. "Hey, Troy," he managed, his voice a little husky. "You look… you look comfortable."

"Oh, I am," Troy said, smiling a little at Ryan's somewhat dazed and clearly lustful look. "Do you… want to join me?"

"Give me just a second," Ryan said, pulling himself together. "Here's your water, by the way," he added, handing Troy a sealed bottle of Aquafina. Ryan quickly made his way over to the DVD player, putting in the movie that Troy suspected they wouldn't end up seeing much of. As expected, Ryan took longer to undress than Troy had, as he had more on, and also took the time to fold them up, neatly.

Ryan had just made it down to his own boxers when he glanced over at Troy, as if wondering how far Troy had gotten undressed. Once again, Ryan's actions spoke louder than his words that Troy was setting the pace in their relationship. Instead of saying anything, Troy just lifted the covers, allowing Ryan to see him. Ryan just smiled at him, clearly taking in Troy's tanned physique, but not acting at all disappointed that Troy wasn't completely naked. In the end, Troy had left his boxers on, figuring that if they wanted to, they could still remove them. Relaxing in a bed, watching a movie… Troy felt a little awkward about just laying there naked with another person, be it male or female. He had never done it with Gabriella, and it felt a little weird to be doing it with Ryan, now. Besides, Troy thought to himself, he had come a long way, from freaking out at even the idea of lying in the same bed as Ryan. How things had changed.

Ryan quickly got under the covers with Troy, the larger boy immediately wrapping his arms around the blonde. Ryan merely sighed contently, and rested his head on Troy's forearm. Troy's other hand, after a slight hesitation, had found itself just above Ryan's hip, lightly caressing the pale exposed skin. Though the two boys still had their boxers on, they were still pressed so closely together that Troy scarcely noticed. All Troy could feel was the press of Ryan's soft skin, the warmth coming from his boyfriend's body, and it was all he could do from not popping an immediate boner.

"I may get spoiled and insist that we watch all movies like this," Ryan said, softly, as he shifted slightly in Troy's embrace.

"I could get into that," Troy said, smirking, "but it might get awkward for Zeke and Sharpay. And Chad would just get jealous and demand to be included."

"You know what I mean," Ryan chided him, mildly. He reached up to slap Troy lightly on the arm. "They don't get to see you like this, unless I say so. This view of Troy Bolton is mine, alone."

"Staking your claims on me, again?" Troy said, smiling. "The last time you did that, that hickey wouldn't go away for the longest time."

"Well, I didn't hear any complaints from you at the time," Ryan said, chuckling. "Well, no serious ones. And you sure seemed to enjoy our time in my convertible."

Troy hardened, slightly, just thinking about that night. Ryan didn't make it any better, when, as he shifted slightly in Troy's embrace, his ass brushed against Troy's member.

It wasn't until Troy felt Ryan do it two, three more times, that he realized that it hadn't been an accident. Ryan, as usual, knew exactly what he was doing, and was doing his best to turn his mostly straight boyfriend on. And damned if it wasn't working. Troy let his hand, the one that was resting on Ryan's side, creep down until it was pressed against Ryan's pale, but muscled abs. Using his newfound leverage, Troy began to rock back and forth, mirroring Ryan's earlier movements.

"Did I give you an idea?" Ryan said, teasingly, but the hoarseness of his reply gave away his own rising lust.

"Maybe," Troy said, moving his head a little to nibble at Ryan's neck. "Maybe its time for you to have a massive hickey on your throat."

"No!" Ryan said, struggling to get away. "With my skin, that thing will take forever to go away! I don't want to see that in all my prom pictures!"

"Stop squirming," Troy muttered, trying to keep the blonde in his arms. "You keep that up, and I'll be done before we even begin." Ryan immediately stopped struggling, for the most part, though he still tried to move his neck out of Troy's range. Troy, himself, was silent for a moment, as he thought about his next move. Then with a determined look on his face, Troy moved his hand downwards, where it found Ryan's cock, which was making a rather impressive tent in his boxers. Baby steps, grab Ryan's cock. It was definitely not the first time Troy had had his hand around Ryan's member, but still made him pause. This was not even close to sex with a female, but the fact that it was Ryan helped him slowly override his natural resistance.

Ryan moaned, apparently unaware of the constant war in Troy's thoughts, and arched his back as if to achieve even more contact with Troy than they already had. As if to oblige him, Troy slowly pushed the front of Ryan's boxers down, and exposed his pale member. His own cock had already protruded through the fly, and was, at times, poking Ryan in the rear.

"You probably shouldn't remove my boxers completely," Ryan said, in a husky whisper. "Otherwise I'm gonna end up impaled on Troy Jr., there. I'm not ready for that, yet."

In other words, Ryan didn't think Troy was ready for that yet, but then again, the brunette wasn't disagreeing. Instead of responding, Troy began to slowly stroke Ryan's penis, which was already as hard as a rock.

"Oh, God, Troy, keep going," Ryan said, panting. He bit his lower lip, as he resumed rocking back and forth.

Troy found the rhythm, and began rocking as well, in time with Ryan's thrusts. As usual, when the two were in the throes of sexual activity, Troy's initial skittishness had long vanished, and was replaced by the instincts of any normal, horny teenager. Troy was more than willing to jerk Ryan off into climax, but just as he was sensing that Ryan was close, the blonde removed Troy's hand.

"Not yet," Ryan said, in a throaty voice. "Not yet." Removing him from Troy's arms, he turned so that he was facing the brunette, lust clearly visible on his face. Troy scarcely had time to ask what Ryan was doing, before the blonde had leaned over and took Troy in his mouth.

"Oh… oh my," Troy gasped, feeling Ryan's warm mouth on his cock. Just as he noticed every time Ryan had given him head, Ryan was definitely better at this than Gabriella had ever been. In the beginning, she had had no clue was she was doing, and Troy had felt too awkward to say anything to help her along- apart from 'watch the teeth,' of course. But even when Gabriella had improved her technique, she never seemed to approach it with as much gusto as Ryan seemed to.

It was with the profoundest of regrets that Troy gently lifted Ryan's head to stop him. Ryan looked surprised, and confused at Troy's interruption. But Troy was already providing the explanation; instead of talking, he started shifting Ryan's hips closer to him. Ryan immediately cottoned on, and shifted the rest of the way, until they found themselves in a sixty-nine position.

"Didn't seem fair that I was getting all the attention," Troy explained, a little breathlessly. Ryan just grinned at him, and then swallowed Troy to the hilt. "Oh, god," Troy said, his eyes bugging out. With that action, it seemed all too easy for Troy to reach out and start stroking Ryan's own penis. It was almost strange, finding his own hand wrapped around a cock that wasn't his. To his hand, it felt like masturbation, but no matter how hard he stroked, his cock wouldn't feel it. But the sensations that were coming from that portion of his body more than made up for that, and caused him to increase his stroking. Ryan already had him close to the brink, but damn it if Troy wasn't going to do his best to get Ryan off at the same time.

For a second Troy was almost tempted to put his own mouth around Ryan's cock, and he actually leaned forward as if to do it, but at the last second, he backed off. He really wasn't ready for that, no matter how much he wanted to make Ryan feel good. He tried to make up for it by varying his stroking technique, and actually fondling Ryan's ballsac with his other hand, the first time he'd done so. Ryan began involuntarily moving his hips in time with the strokes, a sign that Troy was doing something right.

All the while, though, Ryan was still taking Troy in his mouth, sending waves of pleasure throughout his body. And Troy could feel himself getting ready to shoot. Ryan seemed to know that, too, because just before Troy began shooting, Ryan used his finger to stroke Troy's perineum. With a loud moan that Sharpay probably heard from across the hallway, Troy emptied himself in Ryan's mouth, his vision going black for an instant. Despite that, Troy's hand kept stroking Ryan's own cock, almost on instinct. Troy finally opened his eyes again, seeking out Ryan's own. As he gazed into his boyfriend's bright blue eyes, he could see the lust that was clearly there.

"I'm almost there, Troy," Ryan said, huskly, looking directly into Troy's own eyes. Then he licked his index finger, and reached behind him. Troy couldn't see exactly what he was doing, but he had a good idea, anyway, and he soon fell into the pace that Ryan set, one that betrayed the fact that Ryan was definitely ready to cum.

And cum he did, though Troy hadn't really planned this part out clearly enough, because the first few spurts hit him square in the face. He managed to move a little, as well as aim Ryan's cock slightly, so that the rest landed on his chest.

"Troy, that's…" Ryan said, the look on his face the perfect picture of shock and awe. "You have no idea how hot you look right now." Then he remembered himself. "I'm so sorry, though! I should've warned you!" Ryan paused for a second. "At least I managed to miss your eyes; it would be burning like hell, otherwise."

"It's… it's okay," Troy said, willing himself not to freak out. The presence of another man's semen on his face was definitely an uncomfortable situation in his book. But it was something that he had to deal with, if he was going to remain with Ryan. To show willing, as well as to get himself more receptive to this sort of thing, Troy licked his lips, feeling Ryan's cum on them. Like most teenage males, Troy had tried tasting his own, and had found it salty, but not horrible by any means. Ryan's was similar to that, and yet different all at once. Trying not to think of what he was doing, Troy managed to swallow, before forcing a smile on his face as he gazed back at Ryan.

"I'll get a washcloth," Ryan said, quietly, getting up from the bed. "It can be a bitch once it dries," he added needlessly, as if unsure of what else to say.

Ryan was only gone for a moment, as Troy collapsed back down onto the pillows. His previous sexual encounters with Ryan had been hot, on the whole, and had always left him with a satisfied feeling. But tonight's had Troy feeling a little weird, and somewhat awkward, and he wasn't sure why. Unless it was the whole not putting his mouth on Ryan's dick sort of thing. But if he'd done that, Troy almost felt like he would felt even more unsettled.

"Here we go," Ryan said, as he returned. Troy reached out as if to use the washcloth himself, but Ryan ignored the outstretched hand and began to gently wash off Troy's face himself. "I know that that was probably not your thing," Ryan said, softly, without a pause in his movements. "But you still looked really hot like that, Troy. I hope you can appreciate that, at least."

"I'll take your word for it," Troy managed to get out, feeling the cool caress of the washcloth on his face, removing the sticky semen from his face.

Ryan sighed. "You don't remember Rule 1 in our relationship, do you?" he asked, almost rhetorically. Troy just felt baffled. "Rule 1 is that we don't do anything we're not comfortable with. So you don't have to do anything you're not ready for. And definitely not because you think you're obligated to."

"But I feel bad," Troy protested, reaching up and grabbing Ryan's hand, the one with the washcloth in it. "You deserve more than a stop-and-start boyfriend. If I were gay…" Troy let his words die out, as he realized what he'd said. Though earlier in their relationship Troy had waffled back and forth between designations, he'd been claiming the label of gay for quite a while, now. Especially considering the new rumours involving him and Gabriella. So Troy was a little afraid about switching back to the earlier label, but his conversation with Sharpay had made it clear; he had to be completely honest with Ryan, no matter what.

To Ryan's credit, though, he didn't so much as blink at Troy's ever-changing status. If anything, Troy would've almost said that he… approved. "I don't want just any old gay boyfriend," Ryan said, his voice quiet as he sat down at Troy's side. "I want to be with you. You, Troy Bolton. I've told you before what I thought about labels, and how you shouldn't get caught up in them. If you're completely gay, or mostly straight but with just a hint of what Chad refers to as Ryan-sexual, or even just bisexual. I want to be with you, Troy. And I'd hope that you still want to be with me."

"Yes, I do," Troy said, immediately.

"And I knew, even at the beginning, that you were a complete novice when it came to sex with another man," Ryan said, matter-of-factly. "And I'm willing to wait until we're in your comfort zone. I really mean that, you know. I'm not just trying to make you feel better." He put the washcloth down, somewhere out of Troy's sight, before climbing back into bed. "Are you ready to go to sleep, now, or do you want to keep watching the movie?"

"I barely even noticed the movie was on," Troy confessed, grinning guiltily. "We'll watch it some other time, when we're more likely to stay awake." He turned over on his side, to begin spooning Ryan once again.

"I'm too tired to go again, Troy," Ryan warned him. "It's been a long day."

"Hey, I just wanted to cuddle," Troy objected, smiling at Ryan's reply. "Nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"You say that, now," Ryan said, wryly. "That's how it starts, and then you find yourself with a dick in your hand that isn't your own."

"I'm willing to take that risk," Troy replied, glibly. That, he could handle.

"Night, Troy," Ryan said, softly.

"Good night, Ryan," Troy replied immediately. "Sweet dreams." He pressed a kiss onto the back of Ryan's neck, and could almost feel the smile that he was sure now covered Ryan's face. And as he felt himself sink into slumber, the last thought on his mind was that apparently with Ryan around, Troy wasn't so opposed to sleeping naked.

qpqp

Well, that's one half down, and another half to go. And just to reassure you, that second part is more than halfway done already. So yay.

Let me know what you thought of this! Especially what you thought of the revelation of Ryan's back story, or at least most of it. I always hate bringing OCs into stories, but there was nothing to be done about it. Too much? Not enough?

Squall Thrawn