Take Me | Rydon

v.

"You were so cute." Brendon said, his laughter dying down now. "Look at your hair. You look like you're trying to be the lead singer for Sum 41."

Ryan reached over and snatched the yearbook out of Brendon's hands and closed it, tossing it onto the coffee table.

"Oh come on, you were adorable."

"Fuck off." Ryan grumbled to himself. "How was your first day at work?"

"It was okay." Brendon shrugged. "I'll be honest, I didn't really like Sarah at first because she kept trying to pry into my personal life, but she's pretty cool." Brendon thinks back to the hug that Ryan and Sarah shared and the jealousy begins to pool in the pit of his stomach again. "How long have you known her?"

"Since eighth grade." Ryan says with no emotion.

"Did you guys ever date? Ever kiss? Anything like that?" Ryan raises his eyebrow and the corner of his mouth turns up into a small smirk.

"Why? Are you jealous?" He questions, leaning forward, closer to Brendon.

Brendon shakes his head unconvincingly.

"No, just wondering." He lies. "I don't care if you did, it was before me."

Ryan laughs.

"You say that like we're a couple."

Brendon's expression turns to complete surprise and confusion.

"Aren't we?" He asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

Ryan keeps his gaze on Brendon, taking in the way his expression just changed and realizing the sixteen year old thought they were a thing.

"Um." Ryan clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck. "Are we?"

"Well I thought we were, considering we pretty much act like it. Unless you don't want to then -"

"It's just that you're -"

"A child." Brendon interrupts. "I know. You've mentioned that a few times already."

Brendon's mood just went spiraling down the drain and he sighs.

"I'm gonna go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

Ryan doesn't say anything or try to stop him from leaving when he stands up from the couch and heads down the hallway. He hears the door close and isn't sure if Brendon went into his room or Mollie's room. Ryan sighs and curses at himself quietly.

Surely Brendon can't expect Ryan to make such a huge decision so quickly, given the circumstances, and also because Ryan just doesn't do relationships. He likes the relationship type encounters without it being official. Since Brendon is so young and uneducated about love and relationships and what they mean, Ryan doesn't think it's a big deal. Brendon needs time to grow up some and understand that it means more than what he seems to think it means.

Unless he does know and that scares Ryan because he doesn't want to hurt Brendon by rejecting him and telling him maybe they should just be friends, with benefits obviously, and then Brendon would leave and Ryan would be a nervous wreck about it, just like he was the other day when Brendon left. It was a good thing Ryan found him, otherwise he might have died. That wouldn't have been good.

Ryan gets up and sees that Mollie's door is closed and his isn't, so he knocks on it softly.

After getting no response, he slowly opens the door and sees Brendon lying under the blanket with his back facing him. Ryan hesitates as he walks into the bedroom, but he pushes Mollie out of his mind and sits on the bed next to Brendon, placing his hand on his side.