Playing Strangers (Brendon Urie/P!ATD FanFic)

Crazy = Genius

"What is this?" Pete asked me, looking up at me from the ring in the box.

"An engagement ring," I answered, chuckling a little bit at the absurdity of his question, "I was thinking about taking Ruby to our favorite restaurant - the one we went to on our first date - and asking her to marry me there."

"Oh...no." He shook his head as the smile disappeared from his face and he closed the box. "No, you can't do that."

"What? Why?"

"Because she doesn't fit your image, Brendon," He explained, grabbing the velvet covered box out of my hands, "I don't know if you know this or not, but you're a big musician now, and everyone knows everything about you. But you know what they don't know? They don't know about Ruby. Not yet. And when they find out that you've known her since childhood and the two of you have been together since high school...they're not going to want to hear that. It's just so textbook and cliché. You need something more...exciting, or different. Like your first album. Never before had they heard a band sound like that before. You've got to give them something like that, Brendon, something they haven't heard before."

I stared at him blankly, my eyebrows knit together as I tried to understand what he was saying.

"Look, I know how this business works," He continued, turning away from me and walking around his desk where he sat down and kicked his legs up, "I know what will make you and what will break you. And something like this?" He shook the small box in his hand. "It'll..." His voice trailed off and the corners of his lips curled up into a smirk, "Why don't you take a guess at what it'll do?"

I heaved an exasperated sigh and lowered myself into one of the arm chairs set in front of him. "It'll break me?"

"Exactly!" He exclaimed, throwing the box up in the air and catching it when it fell as if it was a stress ball, "So you see, you can't go through with this."

"But I already bought the ring," I argued.

"So? You sell it and don't tell her about it."

"But Pete!"

"But Brendon!" He mocked me, followed by a slight laugh, "Dude, do you realize how hard it was for me to have people respect you and not think of you as a joke?" He dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward on his desk, clasping his hands together. "You guys just released your second album. I can't have you ruining your chances of making a third. Or a fourth."

I tilted my head down and muttered, "Then what do you want me to do? Break up with her? Leave her high and dry?"

"Not unless that's what you want to do," He responded, "Brendon, I'm not telling you that you can't be with her, but-"

"Then what are you trying to tell me?" I interrupted him before he could say anything else.

"Just let me deal with this." He rose to his feet and pointed his finger at me. "Because I've got an idea that's so crazy it just might work." I crossed my arms over my chest, a dissatisfied and annoyed expression marking my face. "What if I told you I could get you that more exciting and different story, all while you're still with Ruby?" I remained silent, raising an eyebrow. "You won't have to do anything, not yet at least. You've just got to let me handle it."

"And if I don't?"

He waved his hand. "Bye bye Panic!."

"This isn't fair!" I shouted at him.

"Newsflash, Brendon: life isn't fair," He replied coldly, "Trust me, I would know. What life is, is about making the right choices." He tossed the box into the garbage basket beside his desk and my eyes grew wide. "And you proposing to Ruby isn't one of them."

Anger boiled up inside of me and I clenched my fists tightly by my sides, trying to keep myself from flying over Pete's desk and launching my fist into his face.

"Besides, you and she are fine as you are," He went on to say, "Add a ring to the mix and you'll just fuck everything up. Trust me-"

"You would know," I interrupted him, "Yeah, I heard you the first time."

"Hey, don't give me sass, Urie. I get enough of that from Patrick. I'm just trying to look out for you."

I sat there for a little before mumbling under my breath, "I just don't see why me marrying someone would fuck everything for the band. What do my relationships have to do with the band?"

"Everything," He answered curtly, "It's all about image, Brendon. The four of you, you need to look good; you need to have a story. And like I said-"

"Ruby isn't a part of that story," I cut him off once again, "I heard you loud and clear the first time, Pete."

"Hey, what did I tell you about the sass?"

I rolled my eyes and stormed out of his office, slamming the door behind me. I had only taken a few steps forward when I stopped in my tracks, realizing I forgot something. I went back and pushed the door back in, causing it to hit the wall.

"I think you have something of mine," I muttered, sticking my hand out and nodding towards the trashcan. Pete heaved a sigh and got up, trudging over to the waste bin and extracting the ring box. He tossed it to me and I caught it in my hand, glaring at him.

"You better not give that to her, Brendon," He reminded me, "I mean it."

I gave him no verbal response before walking out a second time, not even bothering to close the door.