Ryden Oneshots

Sense Of Touch

The tour goes a lot faster after that.

Taking a cue from Jon's earlier announcement, Spencer turns to Jon and says, "I think otters would be perfect for our next video." Then he turns to the tour guide. "We'll take two."

The guide stutters and stammers and introduces them to the otter keeper, an attractive woman in her twenties who Spencer is pretty sure Brendon would be all over.

"Hi," Jon says, sticking out his hand. "I'm Jon, this is Spencer. We'd like to use those two otters they found in a hotel today in our next music video."

"Um," the keeper bites her lip. "That can probably be arranged. When would you like them?"

"Well, now," Spencer says and the bitchiness isn't so much an act anymore. Two of his best friends are in a cage.

"I'm sorry. That's just not possible," the keeper says. "You can't possibly just happen to have the facilities to care for two wild animals with you."

Jon bites his lip and looks at Spencer. "The bus has a couple of sinks," he offers.

"Otters do not belong on tour buses."

Spencer and Jon are escorted out of the zoo pretty quickly after their talk with the otter keeper, but they do get a glimpse of two otters sitting out of the water apart from the rest. One looks mournful and the other is trying to curl around it despite its body being very evidently not built for cuddling.

None of the four of them sleep especially well that night.

******

Brendon is woken by a strange vibration rippling the water. That he even notices the difference between normal rippling and strange rippling is disconcerting and Brendon is grumpy until he realizes why the water is rippling.

There are probably 30 school children, Brendon guesses their age to be about seven, standing in front of the glass wearing matching bright yellow t-shirts. Several of the boys are pounding on the tank.

Brendon's annoyed until he hears a little boy's voice saying "Wake up fishies, wake up."

He's Brendon and there are 35 people just waiting to see him and none of the other otters are moving, so, Brendon, being Brendon, does a back flip under the water.

Children cheer.

He swims along the glass for them, touching his nose to the glass in front of a few especially cute kids. He flips and dives and is his utterly charming self until the other otters wake up and start stealing the children's attention.

Except for one otter drifting at the back of the tank giving off a distinct impression of loneliness. Ryan!

Brendon zooms towards him underwater and pops up next to his friend. He whistles and nudges at Ryan with no response and finally pops up on his back and reaches out his paw. Ryan clutches at it.

"Mommy," some child says, "I want one."

******

They tried to do something normal today to get their minds off things, but neither Jon nor Spencer could stop thinking about how miserable Brendon and Ryan looked when they left the zoo the night before, so they go back to try to cheer them up.

Jon's a little nervous that the zoo won't let them back in, so he and Spencer wear hats and sunglasses and go in General Admission.