30 day fluff challenge | Ryden

Interacting with family member

*3rd person POV* (2.9k+ words)

People say I love you all the time — when they say 'take an umbrella, it's raining' or 'hurry back,' even 'watch out, you'll break your neck.' There are hundreds of ways of wording it — you just have to listen for it, my dear.
- John Patrick

"Can I come over?" Ryan voice speaks through the phone, his voice full on boredom.

"Can't. Family visit. So fun." And as if on cue, Brendon's mom laughs, making the other people in the living room laugh along with her, and it's heard all the way up to Brendon's room. "Too noisy and embarrassing."

Ryan chuckles and the younger boy hears him roll over the bed, the sound of rustling sheets and the worn out bed creaking slightly underneath. "Can you escape and come over here instead?" Ryan suggests.

"Already tried right before they arrived. Not possible." Brendon sighs loudly and buries his head in the pillow, babbling nonsense into the silky fabric.

"Try again?" He asks hopeful. And Brendon can perfectly see his full of hope smile on him. He haven't known the boy for that long to not know this kind of things. "C'mon, please try again. Otherwise, I'll die of boredom."

Brendon makes an attempt to roll his eyes against the pillow, not quite nailing it, so he mentally does. Why such a teenage boy have to be so dramatic, like, all the fucking time?

He shakes his head at his best friend's over-exaggeration, tilting his buried head so when the words came out, they'd be more than just a muffled sound. "Ryan, I'm sure you'll not die...But if you do, I'll make sure to organize the perfect funeral. So fucking perfect that you'd rather wake up just to be there."

"You wish... Just make sure to play my sad playlist! If not, I swear I'm not attending to my own funeral!" He adds quickly, both boys holding back a laughter.

"Which one? All of them are so sad!" Brendon argues, recalling Ryan's music collection full of songs with either happy melodies with sad meanings or just sad lyrics that legit sound sad.

"Of course not!... Maybe... Well, you get the idea." Ryan tried to defend himself, but he gives up instead.

"Oh god... Yes, I'd make sure of that. And you better be there!"

"You can't make me."

"Huh? I really can?"

"Whatever...butthead."

"Ha, how funny." Brendon's voice drips sarcasm, and he chuckles afterwards. "Mmm, anyways. I was about to ask my mom for a escape to your house, but right now, I'm not quite sure if I want to."

"Oh, fuck you!"

"Kidding," He giggles and Ryan scoffs. "I'll ask my mom, ok?"

"Sweet!"

"Ok, bye then!" "Bye!"

The call ends and Brendon stays right where he was laying in bed, staring at the fan on the ceiling for a few more minutes, not having the energy to even stand up.

The constant laughing keeps going on downstairs. Some conversation happening, murmurs and quiet talks, and then, they're back to laughing, over and over again.

When he finally decides it's time to confront the beast —crazy family members he doesn't even remember of their existence, and apparently haven't seen them since forever. And a mom not so willing to let him go out right now— they all stare at the boy on his way down the stairs.