Sometimes all it took was a drink and some decent tunes to change the mood.

The beat of the music pulsed around the thick walls, moving like a snake from beneath his feet. If he looked closely enough, he could almost see the glass in the window tremble with the strong vibrations, moving to a steady rhythm most unlike the beat of his heart.

Ryan swallowed nervously and adjusted his tie in the reflection of the window. It was night and all Ryan could see outside were dimly-lit streets and the occasional car hurtle down the road. Peaceful.

Instead of this crap.

"Ryan, you coming down?"

Tyler's muffled voice was almost inaudible and had succeeded in once again proving, how no one could get any privacy whilst living in care. Ryan contained his natural urge to smash something on the floor and instead replied with a collected "In a bit!"

The latter's footsteps soon receded back down the stairs and Ryan continued to stare out the window, attempting once more to lose himself in his thoughts to a place of zen... something he felt was rather akin to finishing a good dream after being rudely awoken by none other than oneself.

As expected, it failed.

The party, Ryan had been annoyed to discover, wasn't even the regular resident birthday party... nor was it the much-anticipated leaving do's. An ex-carekid, thrilled by her own experiences of care had decided to host a wedding banquet at the DG. Ryan simply couldn't comprehend what compelled her to be such a suck-up.

Then again, this was 'the one-and-only' Tracy Beaker. The woman who'd taken it personally when Ryan had decided to leave Mike's wedding.

Anyway, the house was packed full of guests and carekids past and present. Everyone seemed ecstatic by the massive reunion; but Ryan had frankly had enough. Mike had made it very clear to everyone that any misbehaviour would land them in a serious amount of trouble, and so as to not back out of his promise to Mike to be a better person, Ryan had found himself bottling every single one of his bad-tempered urges.

He'd smiled constrainedly when a little kid spilt juice all over him, he'd laughed a little too aggressively when a woman wearing heels had stamped on his foot and he'd even tried to turn a blind eye when said woman had knocked his phone off the table.

Fortunately, the poor thing had only suffered a small crack and scratches.

All this had driven Ryan to the inevitable; locking himself up in his room and drinking the cursed night away. Ryan dug his hands into the purpose-built hole in his mattress and unveiled his secret stash of cigarettes. With Mike busy, and everyone else otherwise occupied... he'd decided to risk it after all.

Untucking his shirt he dove for a warm hip-flask, full to the brim with rum and vodka. He opened the can and took a swig of the liquid before briskly lighting a cigar and watching the fumes swirl away.

Liberated.

"Mike says we've all got to..." Tyler's voice faded away as he caught sight of the boy, perched by the open window and exercising his two bad habits. Ryan turned towards Tyler glaring, frustrated with the constant interruptions.

His anger turned into one of amusement as Tyler seemed somewhat in shock and at odds as to what to do next. The poor boy was hovering at the door, seemingly unsure of himself.

Ah... the innocence.

"Want a smoke?" Ryan asked, as Tyler shook his head adamantly.

"If Mike found out..."

"Well, he won't. Will he?" Ryan raised an eyebrow, challenging Tyler to snitch like the goody two-shoes he was. Except Tyler was old enough to know better. He might have been a sucker for the rules, but that didn't mean he'd go out of his way to make sure everyone else followed in his footsteps.

Another thought crossed Tyler's mind, "How did you even..?"

"Everyone has their secrets," Ryan responded quickly, "I mean.. Jody and you having a relationship isn't exactly allowed, is it?"

Ryan smirked, it didn't take rocket science to work out that the two best friends had discovered the true nature of their feelings for each other. They'd been spending more and more time with each other. And then there was the necklace that Jody wore around her neck; having never been inclined to wearing any type of jewellery before.

Unless, of course, it was a sentimental gift.

"We're not going out! We're just..." Tyler paused, unsure of exactly what they were. Now they'd revealed their feelings for one another, it was clear that they were no longer in each other's friendzone.

Ryan watched Tyler ponder over his love life with a mild interest. He couldn't say that he related to his situation; dating was messy and complicated, even without the added dramas of life in care.

"Look, Mike just wants a picture of all of us. I won't tell but if you don't come down soon, he might come looking for you. Your choice..." Tyler eventually concluded.

He had a point.

Ryan snubbed his cigar and chucked it into his bin, before tucking his flask securely by his hip. He'd have to continue his personal rendezvous elsewhere.

Ryan frowned as he was shoved between strangers and moved around like cattle. It was just a photograph. He doubted the infamous Tracy Beaker would be bothered that he wasn't in the picture.

Mike had ordered everyone to stand by the stairs in a complicated system regarding height. Some of the littluns were placed at the top of the stairs and crouching by the very front, whilst the taller ones stood by the back and tried not to swallow someone's hair. Ryan was unfortunately, one of these lanky people.

"Everyone say cheese!" Mike shouted, as Ryan did his best to turn invisible. There were too many people around him, their colognes and perfumes intoxicated the air and made it stuffy.

At least it would be over soon.

Mike peered down at the camera and apologised as the picture hadn't come out properly. Of course, Ryan hadn't relied on the fact that Mike was a dinosaur when it came to technology. This was going to be a long night...

"Heads up, your breath stinks of smoke..." a sharp whisper alerted Ryan from his daze, and he turned to find a boy his age smiling knowingly. The smug prick.

Ryan remembered his promise to Mike and tried to ignore the annoying presence by his side. He pursed his lips in annoyance as Mike failed to capture yet another picture. Suddenly, he felt someone yank his hand and push an object into it.

Opening his fist, he discovered that the stranger had given him a mint. Sighing, he popped the mint into his mouth and allowed the coolness to seep in. As Ryan glanced around at the people before him, he realised with a start that he was not surrounded by any of his fellow DG friends. All of them seemed to be sharing a joke at Mike's expense, looking all-too-pleased with themselves.

Of course, they'd blacked out Mike's camera.

"I'm Noah..." the boy besides him held out his hand but Ryan ignored it, watching Mike discover the prank that had been played on him. He laughed a little too good-naturedly, and Ryan could tell that a prank war had begun.

"Ryan.." he replied, whilst eying Mike who had finally found a decent camera.

"Have I done something to piss you off, mate?"

Ryan decided to address the boy before him, but was a little shocked to find the latter still smiling straight at him. The boy, who called himself Noah, Ryan had briefly remembered was from the groom's family, Seth. He looked positively scorching, in a frilly shirt and tuxedo which was in a shade of pink that could only be described as humiliating.

Yet despite all this, Ryan discovered; he looked good.

The shirt complete with gold fringes had brought out the hazel in the boy's eyes, and the pink was a welcome contrast to the smooth tan of his skin. Ryan noted the neat, zig-zagging cornrows on the boy's head and the beaded braids that hung round the back of his neck.

He realised with a start that he'd been distracted from the boy's initial question, and forced himself to reply as per usual.

"You pointed out my smoker's breath..." Ryan replied eventually, in the midst of all the chaos.

"And I gave you a mint..." Noah added, "Trust me, no one wants to snog someone with bad breath..."

"Who said anything about...?"

Ryan's question was to be left unanswered as Mike had finally figured out where he was going wrong. He ushered the big group in from both sides and told everyone to stand facing the centre, so as to include everyone in the photo. Ryan froze a little as he felt Noah push against him involuntarily and he found himself turning his head back to tell him to shove off.

The words never came.

"Smile Ryan..." Noah murmured just as Mike quickly snapped the photo.

He paced up and down the garden, not caring that he looked crazy as he tried to still his thudding heart. His face was flushed and his palms were sweaty, as he recalled the events that occurred just before. He'd found himself joining the party if only so he could keep an eye on this Noah.

The said boy had simply danced with his cousin Seth, throwing a few careless glances in Ryan's direction. No one, told Ryan what to do or how to feel. No one. As per his usual antics, Ryan had formulated a way to get his own revenge.

He'd spiked Noah's drink with the rum he'd been carrying around, waiting to see the look of shock in the boy's face but it never came. Instead all Ryan received was a flying comment, "I'm more of a whiskey boy myself..."

He attached a long wad of bog roll on the coat-tails of the boy's suit and when Noah had eventually discovered what had happened, he made a show of lifting his shirt to remove the tissue, revealing an enviable physique... much to Candi-Rose's pleasure.

Ryan snarled. He decided to take things a step further. He stole his phone and typed out a rude text to Seth before slipping the phone back into the suit jacket of his nemesis.

However the reaction never came.

It turns out that Noah had run out of his free texts and calls and therefore Ryan's message had failed to deliver. What trickery was this? No matter what Ryan tried to do, Noah always had a comeback. It was impossible to humiliate the guy, as he seemed so at ease with everything.

And yet, Ryan didn't hate him. He wasn't stupid, he knew that Noah was charming and mildly good-looking but for some reason, the boy got under his skin. Made him feel weak at the knees.

There was something else there, besides the witty lines and the smooth-talking that seemed to imply that this boy cared for him. Noah had even gone after him, after his last prank had failed and Ryan had only just managed to escape into the garden.

"Can you stop that? You're making me dizzy..." a voice called out from the bushes. Ryan frowned and tilted his head towards the voice. There was no one there.

Great, now he was hearing things.

"Over here, you prick!" the voice shouted and Ryan turned to find a pair of eyes watching him in amusement. Walking closer to the bench hidden in the trees, he realised that the voice belonged to Elektra, former resident of the DG. Ryan couldn't understand how he didn't see her before, her electric blue hair seemed to glimmer in the moonlit sky.

"Ryan, isn't it?" Elektra greeted as she made room for the boy to sit. He noted the can of cider in her hand and realised that she'd had the same idea as he did.

"Well, I wasn't exactly up for drinking squash and playing party games..." Elektra told him, placing her can on the ground. She unlocked her phone and sent a quick text before giving her full attention to Ryan.

"So... what's wrong?"

Ryan gave her a look; they might have met briefly before when they were saving the DG... but that didn't automatically mean they were best friends. This Elektra seemed to think she was entitled and Ryan wasn't going to let her gloat over his problems.

"I know I'm no Mike. But if you want to vent over something feel free... because I have nothing better to do, okay?" Elektra added, seeming to understand Ryan's reluctance.

The said boy watched Elektra with a new interest as he seemed to recall what Tyler had told him of Elektra's past. According to Tyler, the two were very similar... often uncaring and up to mischief, especially when they wanted to get revenge. Elektra had been part of a fearful gang and had narrowly escaped when she joined the DG. She had no problem with getting everyone to hate her, including Mike, but she'd apparently turned things around and now had a job working at a garage.

Ryan remembered a conversation he'd overheard between Carmen and Tee when they were still at the DG; about how Elektra had been going out with this girl and she'd been posting pictures of them all over her social media.

Maybe they were a little similar after all.

"Can I ask you something?" Ryan eventually spoke up, deciding he needed some help after all.

"Depends on what it is..." Elektra replied smartly.

Ryan sighed; he hated asking for advice but he needed some now, "How did you know... that you...um..."

"Just spit it out..."

"Fancied girls?" Ryan managed croakily. He sounded like a wimp but that was the least of all his problems. To his surprise he found that Elektra answered him without a complaint.

"I just did..." she told him honestly, "I never felt that same sort of connection with boys, but with girls... some of them, I just clicked with them. I mean, it took me a while to realise and accept that this was a part of me... but once I did there was no denying it..."

Ryan considered this. Of course, he'd had feelings before and thoughts that had occurred to him when there was a new boy in class, or a brief encounter with someone was gay. They could sense something, but Ryan had always tried to bottle his feelings and ignore them.

Not because he was ashamed, but because he'd resolved to be this uncaring monster that his own mother had created. He didn't see himself playing happy couples, and instead saw himself as the lone wolf.

With Noah (well it was early days yet - by morning all could be forgotten), Ryan got the feeling that he'd be back. Call it a gut instinct, but he seemed to seriously like Ryan… for no apparent reason.

"Let me guess, Noah...?" Elektra asked after a while, "His dad works at the garage, so they live nearby. I could give you his number if you wanted..."

"No thanks," came the reply.

Elektra grinned, "I won't lie, he's pretty annoying but the way he was acting today around you... I mean, I'm pretty sure he fancies you too..."

"It's not about that," Ryan said quickly, "It just isn't like me to..."

"Have a crush?" Elektra replied, "It's harmless..."

"Is it though?"

The question seemed echo in the air for a while. Maybe Ryan had just done the one thing he never wanted to admit. He was insecure. Maybe he tried his hardest to close himself off from everyone, not because he didn't care... but because he cared too much.

Sensitive.

The word had been pummelled into him like a ton of bricks, every time his mother had attempted to justify what she'd done. Placing the blame on her only son hadn't done either of them any favours. And experience had taught him that a hurt Ryan would always lead to bad news.

"Maybe you're right," Elektra replied eventually, "But life's all about taking risks. If you want to be happy, then sometimes you need to make that sacrifice. And it's better to start here and now, than out there in the real world. Where you've got no one..."

Elektra recalled how disastrously her last relationship had ended. As always she'd ended up pushing everyone she loved away, and forgot how to be truly happy. Those had been some dark times.

"There you are... I've been looking everywhere..." a voice came from behind the bushes, to unveil Noah who looked out of breath. The smirk had vanished from his face and his face held a serious expression.

Elektra excused herself and left the two boys alone. Out here, it was unlikely that they would be interrupted.

Noah sat on the edge of the bench, wringing his hands together. He seemed to be struggling with something and a look of guilt swept over him.

"I'm sorry, if I've been a bit too full on. I just..." he stammered nervously, "Well, I really like you and I didn't mean to upset you or anything..."

Ryan frowned, "Why?"

"What?"

"Why do you like me?"

Noah watched Ryan curiously as he tried to word his next question.

"I mean, you don't even know me. And all I've done is push you away..." Ryan told him bluntly, awaiting Noah's response.

"True," Noah smiled eventually, "But... you haven't stopped staring at me all night. And I haven't stopped staring at you..."

Ryan swallowed as he felt a new tension rise up inside him. He took a swig from his hip flask as his mouth ran dry. Noah was different to the other boys he'd met before. He was smart, he knew exactly how to draw Ryan's attention and above all he was a gentleman.

"You're new to this aren't you..." Noah realised as Ryan managed a small nod, "Look... I'd like to get to know you. But if you want me to stop then.. just say. I'll understand..."

"Are you... serious?" Ryan asked suddenly, letting his guard drop down, "About this?"

Noah looked at him like it was obvious, "Yeah!"

Ryan couldn't tell whether it was out of drunkenness or sheer instinct but he found himself moving closer towards Noah and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek. The move felt awkward for him but he was intoxicated enough to not care.

Noah glanced at him through his half-closed eyes and offered a small smile. He seemed to understand that it had taken a lot for Ryan to even be comfortable enough to make the move.

"So, would you be free tomorrow to do something?" he asked eventually.

Ryan glanced at the house full of guests and he realised that despite the cringey nature of the party; they were all having fun and sharing in the love. Maybe it was time for Ryan to let himself do the same.

"Yeah," he replied eventually, "I'd like that..."

(A/N): Not sure about that ending but it's written now. It's done.

Anyway, the idea for this just came to me since I'd been reading lots of Ryan and a male OC fanfictions and then I wondered, well, imagine if Elektra came and gave him some advice. And then this happened.

I'm not planning to continue this, but I kind of just wanted to explore Ryan's thought processes more in depth and yeah. It was fun to write something new and fresh.

So please leave a review and thanks for reading!