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Somehow Colt had gotten conned into helping Ryland move. Normally he'd be happy to help his brother, but he was moving in with Tom Ryder. Sure, they both seemed obnoxiously happy and in love, but still, it was Ryder of all people. What had he done in his past lives to deserve being forced to see this asshole whenever he was around his brother?
“Tom, how do you have so much shit? This isn't even your only house!” Colt complained.
“Oh, those boxes aren't mine,” Tom said.
Colt pointed at the sharpie drawn label “Tom's stuff” on the boxes in question.
“No, that's Ryland's. I just wrote my name on any box I thought you might carry just to annoy you.” Tom laughed at his own joke. Like an asshole.
“Then Ryland’s lucky I didn't drop these out of principle!” Colt huffed.
Ryland poked his head out of the kitchen where he was organizing and said, “If you two would stop pestering each other we could be done by now.”
“I only agreed to help specifically to pester Tom.” Colt replied.
**********
That evening the three of them sat on the patio in the back yard. They still had a lot of stuff to do, but once they got the patio furniture set up, they decided that was enough for one day. They had ordered pizza and it was good to rest after a long day of moving stuff. Tom and Ryland were snuggled up on the couch and Colt was trying to avoid looking at them lest it ruin his appetite.
“How are things going with you and Jody?” Ryland asked.
“Alright, I guess. She's still in New York right now, but we've been keeping in touch. Gail likes her, so we'll probably end up working together again soon.” Colt answered.
Tom and Colt ended up talking for a while about upcoming projects and when they might start shooting the next film. At some point Colt noticed that Ryland had fallen asleep with his head on Tom’s shoulder. He pulled out his phone to snap a quick picture of them. Even with Tom in the frame, it was a cute picture.
Tom noticed (when didn't he notice a camera pointed in his direction?) and said “Hey, can you send that to me too?” Colt sent it to him and Tom smiled. “It's amazing how adorable he is considering he looks so much like you.”
Colt snorted, “Yeah, I bet you started dating him because you wished he was me.”
“I mean…” Tom teased and tried not to burst out laughing at Colt's horrified expression. “No, I'm not attracted to you, but I was jealous.”
“Why?” Colt asked, genuinely baffled.
“Because you get to do all the cool stuff. My mom was so afraid I'd die when I was a kid that she had me terrified of my own shadow by the time I started acting. I promised her I wouldn't do any crazy stunts and she still pesters me about it to this day.” Tom answered.
“I wouldn't mind letting you take a few more of the punches if you want,” Colt said smiling.
“Nah, because then I'm afraid you'd be the one throwing the punches.” Tom said shaking his head.
Colt laughed, “I'd be first in line at the very least.”
Tom inclined his head toward Ryland, still out cold resting against his shoulder. “You know I want to marry him, right? Would you be able to handle us being related?”
Colt thought about it for a moment, “It should be weird, right? But he's happy with you. I've never seen him in love before and it suits him. If you can give that to him and treat him well, I can live with you as a brother-in-law. Gonna take some work convincing him though.”
“Do you know why the idea freaks him out so much?” Tom asked.
Colt shrugged, “Honestly, I'm not sure. Might be some lingering trauma from our parents. We were 5 when Mom died, but we both have vague memories of a lot of fighting before she got really sick. Might just be because he's never been close to anyone in a stable long-lasting marriage. Could be low self-esteem, thinking he's not worth that kind of happiness. He blames himself for our dad's death, and by extension Court's too. After Court died, he tried to join him once. Took a bunch of pills. I barely found him in time. If I hadn't…” Colt let out a shuddering breath. “I don't think I could have survived that either.”
Tom was visibly upset at the thought of Ryland attempting to take his own life. He squeezed him a little harder to reassure himself that Ryland was still there with him and felt him stir, starting to wake. “Tom?”
“I'm here, love,” Tom whispered to him. Ryland wrapped both arms around him and snuggled closer.
“He's like a cat,” Colt said. “I think that means you're stuck there until he's done napping.”
“There are worse places,” Tom said, looking content with his lot in life.
“I think I'm gonna head back to the hotel. I can come back in the morning to help with the unpacking.” Colt said as he started to leave.
Tom waved him on, "Thanks for the help. See you tomorrow, man “