Missing in Action

Chapter 009

"Yeah," Ryan muttered, nodding as he looked down at his shoes. Hopefully that would just be taken as him being uncomfortable and embarrassed with his admissions of being wary of the security. In reality he just felt that Spencer had read him a little too well and was trying to keep the boy from seeing more, however it was he managed to do that. He didn't want to hurt Brendon, not personally. He had absolutely nothing against the boy and couldn't really pin the way the country was being run on him, but he still had a job to do and one that would probably end up hurting Brendon whether he wanted it or not. But there was a reason these people were called bodyguards, right? They were to keep the royal family from bodily harm. Perhaps he should be more worried about Spencer and Jon, the closest things to heart guards Brendon had.

Spencer smiled softly and reached up to squeeze Ryan's shoulder. "Don't worry, I don't really think you'd hurt Brendon, but..." he trailed off, sighing, then continued. "You never know." He tried to make his smile reassuring, but he'd probably just managed scaring Ryan away completely. Great. He really didn't want an angry Brendon after him. "So," he started, looking around. "Should we visit Jackson and risk Brendon being pounced by... all kinds of people... or do we stay in all week?"

"We're definitely going into downtown Jackson," Jon said firmly, finally reminding Spencer and Ryan that he was still there. He seemed to be quieting down a bit, and Spencer didn't know what to think of it.

Ryan nodded slightly, wrapping his arms around his own chest before deciding that no, he was an adult, he wasn't supposed to resort to something so childish, and especially so obvious. Instead he stuck his hands into the pockets of his slacks, grateful that the palace at least gave him an excuse to wear clothes that felt a bit more normal to him. "Jackson sounds good," he agreed. "I mean, I've never seen it before, so..." He shrugged, letting his voice trail off as he looked around him, silently observing the garden. If this didn't get better, if, a day later, he still felt like he was about to crack under the pressure of being at the palace, he'd get a hotel room or something. Or go back to the school and hope they'd let him into his room. The bureau would understand and would definitely prefer distance to exposure, and he could fake sick towards the others or something. He hoped it wouldn't get that bad, that he'd get used to it or something, but right then he really just wanted to get away. From the guards, from Spencer and Jon, even from Brendon and the constant need to perform.

Spencer smiled warmly, then glanced at Jon. "Hey, Jon, can I talk to you alone for a minute?" he asked, keeping his smile as innocent as possible. When Jon allowed himself to be dragged away, Spencer leaned forward and spoke to him in a whispered voice. "What's going on?" he asked, trying not to sound suspicious or accusing.

"What do you mean?" Jon asked, head cocked to the side. Spencer rolled his eyes and lifted an eyebrow. Jon sighed heavily, rolling his eyes before answering properly. "Look, I know I keep teasing Ryan about his family and shit, but I'm not as stupid as I seem. I'm not about to make his family like this whole suspicious thing- especially when it's not- and get him in trouble with those fucking bodyguards. Those guys are probably measuring our every action in regards to Brendon's safety. I'm not going to give them something else to worry about. It's not like I know anything of importance, anyway, and it wouldn't be right to lead on that I do," he looked back towards Ryan, then shrugged. "Look at him," he said, smirking. "I hardly think he's any threat to Brendon's safety."

Spencer stared at Jon for a long time before nodding once and accepting the answer. "I see what you mean," he said, trailing off. "And, yeah, he doesn't look like someone who could cause much trouble," he shrugged. "But you never know, just like I said," he said pointedly before walking back over to where Ryan was standing. "Sorry, just wanted to ask Jon a personal question," he explained, hoping that since it was 'personal' Ryan wouldn't ask any questions.