Never felt so much at home
schmoop_bingo prompt: cuddling in vehicle
Spencer/Ryan, 1,574 words, unbeta'd [please point out any glaringly obvious mistakes]
As always, this is fiction. Title from Something Corporate's song 'I woke up in a car'
[I don't feel like doing the long info for a drabble, I may or may not go back through and put one in later]
Spencer knew it was a bad idea when Ryan brought it up, he just didn't know how to tell him no. Well, okay, that's a lie. Spencer knew it was a bad idea when Ryan brought it up, but when Spencer said no and Ryan got those stupid sad eyes, he caved. Stupid Ryan.
"Stupid, Ryan." Spencer spat out when Ryan asked how he was feeling. "I'm feeling very, very stupid. And cold. Very, very cold." Spencer pulled his hoodie a little bit closer around himself, hunching over and putting his hands between his thighs.
"It's not that cold in here," Ryan argued, trying valiantly to hide the way his teeth chattered together, "so stop complaining."
"You made me come out here, I can complain if I want. I even told you no. You said 'Hey, Spence, wouldn't it be awesome if we took my piece of shit car to go see a mediocre band in a city we've never been to?'" Spencer put on a creepy gruff voice to imitate Ryan. Neither of them could quite figure out why Spencer seemed to think Ryan sounded like a biker. "And I said 'Fuck no, that's retarded. Why don't we wait until that shitty band gets here so you can drag me along then and I can make fun of them from the comfort of my own state?' That's what I said, remember? But you told me no and made me come out here and here we are. I hope you're happy, Ry. We sure are having fun, right?"
"That never happened, you drama queen. I said 'Hey Spence, I heard about this band on MySpace', and then you rolled your eyes and said no. Then I asked if you would please accompany me to see them and you rolled your eyes again and turned on your Playstation. If you would have just listened to me, I might have tried to be less convincing. Or you might have gotten more information for when you gave up and said yes."
Ryan's got his hood pulled up over his head and the drawstrings tightened enough that Spencer can only make out the very middle of Ryan's face. If he were looking, that is. Which he isn't because he's still totally pissed at Ryan for dragging him out here.
"Also," Ryan tacked on, as sheepish as he could ever manage to sound, "I don't think it's my fault the car broke down. I mean, the check engine light didn't even come on or anything, you saw that."
Spencer did see how the dash was delightfully free of any warning lights. He also saw the way the smoke was pouring from the engine when Ryan pulled the car off the freeway in 30milesfromanywhere, Utah; there was no way that just happens when a car is properly taken care of. Whatever, Spencer could make this Ryan's fault if he wanted to. It doesn't count as being petulant if you wind up cold and hungry on the side of a snowy, abandoned road in the middle of the night in a different state with no phones and no one knowing where you were actually going; every horror movie ever started like this. Spencer double-checked to make sure they both had their doors locked, just in case.
"Soo." Ryan breathed out through his teeth. "Anything, uh, new you want to talk about?" Spencer couldn't tell why Ryan was asking, and between the darkness of the car and the way Ryan was wearing his hoodie, Spencer didn't even bother trying to search his face for clues.
"Yes, Ryan. I have tons of new things that have happened to me since the last time you asked three hours ago and now. New things like frostbite on the little toe of my left foot." Spencer purposely made his teeth clack together as he spoke, there was no way he was letting Ryan get out of this one without feeling guilty as all hell.
Ryan just sighed this huge, exasperated sigh and calmly told Spencer everything he had ever learned about hypothermia and frostbite. Some of the facts sounded like bullshit - "No, really Spence, it can be no warmer than negative two degrees Fahrenheit for you to have frostbite on your littlest piggy in this short of a time." - but at least it gave both of them something to distract from the cold for a little bit.
Ryan eventually ran out of things to say, though, and the two of them were back to sitting in the cold, quiet darkness of the car. Spencer was startled from an inner monologue about warm beaches of sand and hot, hot delicious soup when Ryan mewled on a stretch.
"My legs are fucking killing me from sitting behind this wheel." Ryan complained. Spencer's legs were hurting too, but he just figured it was from the way the muscles were twitching from being cold. "I'm going to, ah. Climb in the back, ah. If I can, ah." Ryan punctuated his sighs with pops from his back and knuckles. The satisfying little sounds of popping joints made Spencer's skin start feeling itchy with restlessness, he started feeling claustrophobic and drawn tight.
"I'm climbing back there, too. We can sit head to toe. Kind of. We can lean against the doors and face each other, at least. My legs need to stretch out right the fuck now, though or I'm going to get stuck like this forever." So maybe Spencer was being a little bit of a drama queen right now, he was cold, okay.
Ryan didn't argue, and they took turns fighting their way into the back. It was a little tougher for Spencer to squeeze between the seats, and it made him feel self-conscious in a way he always tried to ignore. It's not Spencer's fault his body's stubbornly clinging to his baby fat, and it's also not his fault that he's just got a broader build to his body. It was his fault, however, that some of his friends were skinny little shits who could squeeze into size zero girl's jeans. Spencer just really needed some new friends, what the fuck. Fat kids who liked good music and who didn't like him enough to try and get him to go on stupid adventures with him.
Once the two of them are in the backseat facing each other with their legs practically piled up, they're back to swimming in darkness and silence. Spencer's tired and he wants to sleep, but he's just too cold to. He can see the way Ryan dozes off more than once, but figures he's probably feeling the same way.
"Hey, Spence." Ryan speaks softly, clears his throat and starts again, "I'm cold."
"Me too, ass." Spencer was trying to spit it out, but he's more resigned than anything. He just wants to go home and get warm and maybe eat a pizza and then go to sleep or something. He wants to be anywhere but here.
"But, like, we could." Ryan cuts himself off before he can finish, and Spencer sees the way his shadow pulls a hand up to his mouth. Ryan's only a nail biter when he's nervous.
"We could what?" Spencer asks softly, hoping with everything in him that Ryan doesn't suggest that they get out and walk.
"Get... closer?" Ryan's voice is strangled as it forces its way out. Spencer blinks into the dark.
"Are you asking me to cuddle with you, Ross?" Spencer didn't mean for his voice to come out so soft. He meant for it to be a joke, not for his breath to hitch when Ryan barely replied with a 'well, yeah.'
There was a roaring silence in the car for a minute, maybe two. Or maybe it was only fifteen seconds and it just seemed like weeks for Spencer.
"Come here, then." Spencer says, feeling his entire body flush with the thought. "I'm big spoon, though."
Spencer opens his arms as Ryan turns himself around in the seat and leans back a little. Spencer groans out in frustration at Ryan trying to respect boundaries after he just asked to be cuddled, what the fuck, and reaches his arms out. Spencer wraps his arms around Ryan's middle and uses his weight to pull Ryan back against him. Ryan squawks out a surprised noise before he goes limp and lets Spencer arrange their limbs where he wants them.
"Comfy?" Spencer asks Ryan, nudging his nose against Ryan's shoulder. Ryan can only hum a happy sound.
"Warm."
They fall asleep like that, pulled together in the cramped backseat of a car.
In the morning, they're woken by a tap on the back window. Ryan startles away as Spencer snaps his head around to see who's tapping the glass directly behind his head. It's a police officer. His grin is shit-eating, and Spencer wants to die with embarrassment. This so isn't what it looks like.
Ryan pulls away from Spencer and gets out of the car from the door closest to him, Spencer shifts awkwardly in the seat waiting for the officer to back away before Spencer opens the door to let himself out.
"I'm Officer Bryar. You boys need some help?"
Ryan nods and starts telling Officer Bryar all about their trouble. Spencer just focuses on how cold his front feels, how empty his arms are. Shit. He's in more trouble than he thought.