Devil's Fate

All Four Sides

Jason was taking his time changing clothes. If he was being honest, he really didn't want to change out of his work attire. That only meant he was closer to seeing Mike again, and that was something he wanted to put off for as long as he could. At least as long as Ryan would let him.

With a quiet sigh he looked over at his fiance. Ryan was laid out on the bed fully dressed except for the black boots that were unlaced on the floor next to him. Jason's eyes drifted over him appreciatively, skimming up his long legs to his chest and shoulders. It brought a smile to see Ryan's bare skin and tattoos after months of long sleeves in Seattle. The L.A. weather was perfect, warm enough for the tank tops Jason loved to see on Ryan.

He unbuttoned the cuffs of his dress shirt and slid it off, tossing it on the end of the bed. When Ryan had jumped on the opportunity to come to L.A. on the work trip, Jason knew it was partially about spending time together, and partially about seeing Chester. Things hadn't been good between them when Jason whisked Ryan away to Seattle, and he knew that Ryan was anxious to see his best friend. It was the only reason Jason agreed to go to dinner and be in the same space with Mike.

Jason pulled a clean shirt over his head, a lightweight dark red v-neck sweater, and turned to look at himself in the mirror. It was short sleeved, and he felt underdressed to be around Chester and Mike. Even though he was Ryan's fiance now, the carefully cordial relationship between himself and the other two felt strangely like their relationship at YRS. Like Jason was an outsider. Like he should still be in his business attire and watching the three from across the room, not joining in. Like there were lines not to be crossed.

He sighed again. There are lines. Awkward lines. I haven't seen Mike since he took his stuff from the houseboat. Seeing Chester a few months ago was fine, because we were saving Ryan. But now... what will it be like now, with the four of us all together? It's fine over Facetime, with them here and us there. But what will it be like now? What will it feel like to see Mike again? Jason had talked over this specific scenario with Dr. Gibson last week, and he knew that even if she didn't say anything about the situation, she didn't understand. Who does this to themselves? Who has dinner with three other people whose histories are so twisted together, like it's normal? Us. The four of us. It's going to feel weird.

Turning back to the bed, Jason pulled at his shirt. "Ry? Should I wear jeans, or keep my dress pants on? Does this look okay?"

Ryan propped himself up on his elbows and looked across the room. He had to smile. His fiance looked adorable no matter what he had on. But tonight the nervousness on Jason's face - the slight color on his cheeks, the way his styled hair wasn't as styled as it had been ten minutes ago since Jason wouldn't stop messing with it, the way he was tugging at his shirt - it was all endearing. "Jay, you look great. But I gotta say I'm a sucker for your cute ass in jeans." He grinned, meeting Jason's dark eyes.

"Well that doesn't help," Jason whined, fussing with his hair again. "You want me to put on jeans? I can put on jeans." He turned away and went to his suitcase, pulling out a pair he knew Ryan liked before he unbuttoned and unzipped his dress pants. They were normal and comforting, and he frowned as he kicked them away. Another sigh dropped from his lips as he stepped into the dark wash jeans. He smoothed his sweater over his pants and looked at Ryan. "Better?"

"You know I love those," Ryan stated before he held out his hand. "Come here." He watched as Jason sighed again and walked over to him. Ryan grabbed his fingers, pulling him closer, and then right on top of him, leaving Jason perched on his lap as they looked down at each other. "Stop being so nervous," he suggested as he stayed propped up on his elbows, one hand stroking over Jason's nearby knee. He didn't want to admit it out loud, but it was reassuring how reluctant his fiance was about seeing Mike Shinoda again. He knew bringing it up would probably make Jason more anxious, maybe even make him feel bad, and Ryan didn't want that. He wanted the four of them to have a good time. It was important to him for the sake of his friendship with Chester. And deep down, he knew that once upon time, Jason and Mike had been good friends, too. Surely Jason missed having a friend after living so many years trapped away in the YRS mansion where he wasn't allowed to have anyone but Mark. "It's going to be alright," Ryan promised. "We've all known each other for a long time. It won't be the first meal we've shared."