Give Me Envy, Give Me Malice, Give Me Your Attention *Ryden*

If You Wanna Start a Fight, You Better Throw the First Punch

The following week was Coachella, and Brendon made a surprise appearance and sang live with Halsey. Fans were beyond thrilled to see the two of them together; it was well known that Halsey was a long-time Panic fan. She'd tweeted that it was her dream to work with Brendon or Ryan, and Ryan had created a slight frenzy by replying to her tweet.

Word hadn't gotten out that Brendon would be performing with her, and as the two left the stage together they talked about how perfectly executed the surprise had gone. "Seriously, that was fuckin' phenomenal." Brendon said, steering her towards a room backstage with Zack and some of Halsey's crew members. They cracked open a bottle of champagne to celebrate. Sometimes Brendon had to pinch himself to make sure his career wasn't a dream. It felt like it got better every day.

That was when there was a commotion out in the hall, a couple of people shouting. Zack instantly went on high alert; he hadn't been a bodyguard for almost 10 years for nothing. He went to the door to look out, which was when Ryan flew past him into the room.

Ryan? What the-- Brendon didn't have time to complete the thought. He registered the look of rage that Ryan had on his face, but didn't have time to react before Ryan pulled his right arm back and swung, his fist connecting solidly with Brendon's jaw. There was a crack and he didn't know if it was his face or Ryan's fist. Halsey screamed in surprise and her hands flew to her mouth, eyes huge. These were her idols, she finally got a chance to meet both of them, and they were fighting. Brendon was too stunned to do anything besides bring his hand up to rub his jaw, but Zack had already grabbed the back of Ryan's shirt and was yanking him from the room.

Brendon turned to check if Halsey was okay, and she rushed over to him. "Let me see," she said, and he dropped his hand. "Ooooh...that's gonna leave a mark." She grabbed a cloth napkin and filled it with ice from the champagne bucket, then pressed it to his face.

Zack came back into the room. "That little motherfucker." he grumbled.

"What the hell was that all about?" Brendon wondered out loud.

"You'd think security here would be a little bit tighter."

They stayed a while longer, but the mood had been ruined and Brendon's jaw ached. They decided to call it a night. Brendon was getting angrier and angrier the more he thought about it. He dropped Zack off, watching until his friend disappeared inside his apartment, and then he turned his car around and headed in the opposite direction. He wasn't letting this one go.

*****

Ryan tried to ignore the knocking, but it became obvious that Brendon wasn't going away. Brendon had been pounding on the door for a solid 10 minutes before Ryan gave up and opened it. He had an ice pack wrapped around his right hand.

"Oh, did poor Ryro hurt himself?" Brendon asked sarcastically, not caring if he sounded like a petulant 6-year old.

"I think I broke my thumb." he mumbled, seemingly chagrined.

"Learn how to throw a punch, you fucking moron. Never tuck your thumb."

"It was worth it."

"WHAT was worth it?" Brendon exploded. "What person in their right mind would do that? And in front of Halsey?! Not very gentlemanly!"

Ryan winced. That part was bothering him. "I'll send her flowers."

"You're goddamn lucky they didn't arrest you."

"Zack wouldn't let them. You can press charges, if you want. After all, you might lose out on some photo shoots now that your pretty face is messed up."

"You fuckin'--" Brendon lunged and tackled him hard, both of them landing in a heap on the hardwood floor. They wrestled, Ryan pulling at his hair and scratching his neck, until Brendon had him pinned face down. "Seriously, Ross, pulling my hair? You fight like a fuckin' girl."

Breathing hard, Ryan struggled for a minute, then gave up. He was tired. His thumb hurt. The fight went out of him.

"Asshole," said Brendon, letting go and standing up. The last thing he needed right now was to be lying on top of Ryan. As furious as he was, the close proximity still stirred something inside him. "We're gonna need to have this talk, you know."

"What talk?" Ryan asked, rolling over to sit up on the floor.

"The talk about why you can't get past your hatred of me."