Blank Space °°Brallon/Ryden°°

°10°

Dallon sat still as he could while Brendon stood behind a canvas, sticking out his tongue in concentration. Brendon had remarked how much he missed having a model to paint, so Dallon offered himself. Brendon had been painting Dallon for about two and a half hours now, very frequently leaning over to scan his eyes over Dallon's face.

"Is it almost done?" Dallon asked, trying his best not to move his lips too much.

"Don't talk, Ry-Dallon..." Dallon, from what he could see of him, saw Brendon stiffen. It took a moment before Brendon relaxed and spoke again. "Dallon, I apologize... Can we take a break? You've been sitting for the longest time."

Before Dallon could really move, Brendon was up from his seat and rushing out the door. Dallon stood up with a look of worry in the direction that Brendon had disappeared. He followed, slowly, wanting to see what was wrong but not wanting to startle Brendon.

When Dallon reached the door, he could see Brendon's back facing him. The artist had an arm crossed over his chest while the other was in the air, holding a cigarette between two fingers. A thin trail of smoke floated off of it and into the air.

"I didn't take you for the smoking type." Dallon spoke up from the doorway, unsure if he should go any further.

Brendon let out a soft chuckle. "Looks hardly show type, you've proved that to me, Dallon." He said, still facing away from the taller man. He brought his cigarette to his lips, inhaling and holding the smoke in his lungs after he pulled the cigarette away.

"That habit could kill you, you know." Dallon said, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans and stepping forward. He watched as Brendon let the smoke out in small puffs before tossing his cigarette to the ground and twisting it under his heel. "Everything alright?"

Brendon sighed, finally turning to face Dallon. It seemed that he had regained his composure, because that familiar suave smile was traced onto his lips. "Just memories." He shrugged, reaching out with open hands. Dallon placed his hands on Brendon's, letting Brendon hold onto them. "The future is limitless, but sometimes I do find myself missing the limits of yesterday..."

"Ryan?" Dallon asked, feeling Brendon's grip tighten just slightly.

"Moments. People. Things that are in a constant state of change, whether we like it or not." Brendon answered after a moment, "I apologize, but human nature sometimes consumes my better judgment." With that, he pulled Dallon closer. Dallon stumbled, but caught himself in enough time to steady before Brendon was kissing him.

Dallon shut his eyes. He let his hands slide up Brendon's arm until they were draped over Brendon's shoulders. He could taste the nicotine in Brendon's mouth.

"We're only human..." Brendon mumbled against Dallon's lips in between full connections. "Your art is compelling, but I can't help but miss the past..."

"I understand..." Dallon nodded when Brendon pulled away and leaned his forehead against Dallon's. His mind drifted to Josh. Since meeting Brendon, his mind drifted to that first relationship so much more. "The past is hard to move on from."

Brendon smiled. "You help." He pressed another kiss to Dallon's lips. "Would you like to see my painting of you?"

"Please." Dallon nodded with an eager grin.

Brendon pulled away from Dallon and took his hand. Dallon let himself be lead back into the studio and over to the canvas before Brendon stood on his toes to cover his eyes.

"Just a quick question, do you like Bowie?"

"Yes," Dallon answered, "Why?" Dallon heard a chuckle before Brendon moved his hands away from his eyes.

Dallon was looking at his own face, with a very serious expression. Between his eyes, however, the iconic orange lightning bolt was going across his face. It, and accents on his jacket and shirt, contained the only real color in the piece; the rest were very neutral tones.

"Oh my god, that's incredible!" Dallon awed at the canvas, resisting the urge to reach out and touch it.

"Your ringtone, the other day, it was a Bowie song." Brendon said, holding his hands behind his back. "People rarely set ringtones to things they dislike, so I thought you'd enjoy this concept."

"I love it!" Dallon exclaimed as he turned to face Brendon. "How'd you remember that?"

Brendon flashed that smile that made Dallon want to melt. "Details, Dallon. I like details."

"I like you." Dallon felt his cheeks heat up almost immediately after the words slipped past his lips. He felt embarrassed, but Brendon only laughed in a heartfelt way.

"To kiss me, I hope you do like me." He finally responded, "I only really like to share my art process with people I like." He reached up to dance his fingers down Dallon's jawline. "I like you a lot..."

"More than details?" Dallon asked feeling a tingling sensation wherever Brendon's fingertips touched his skin.

"You're my favorite detail." Brendon spoke as he let a tooth flashing smile spread across his face, "The most interesting detail..."

Brendon trailed his fingers back up Dallon's jawline. He let his fingers circle along Dallon's hairline before pushing them up into his loose hanging hair. His coffee colored eyes followed his hand, at first, but soon traveled to Dallon's eyes.

"Your eyes are a detail all their own." Brendon commented, "Always revealing something different..."

"What do they reveal now?" Dallon asked, watching how Brendon's eyes scanned over his own.

Brendon grinned. "Things you yourself don't even know."

"What does that mean?" Dallon asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Brendon replied only with a distracting kiss to Dallon's lips. The question quickly faded from Dallon's mind as he kissed back, getting lost in the connection.

"I wish you could see your details..." Brendon sighed after pulling away to look into Dallon's eyes once again, "I can only translate so much from reality..." His eyes flickered to the painting back to Dallon's eyes in an instant.

"It's enough, it's stunning!" Dallon insisted, "The most incredible thing anyone has ever done for me..."

Brendon smiled at Dallon, but said nothing. He stepped over to the canvas with the tilt of his head. "Dallon Weekes... Not so much a space oddity, but an oddity in his own right. Then again, aren't we all?" He looked over at Dallon.

"You're always so poetic." Dallon shook his head, "You honestly can't be good looking, good with words, and good with art."

A sly smile spread on Brendon's face. "We all have our flaws, Dallon. Sometimes they just take awhile to rise to the surface."