Boys Will Be Boys *Ryden*

Peace Offering

"Wake up, sleepyheads," Spencer said, poking Brendon's side through the curtain of the bunk. Blinking awake, Brendon noticed that Spencer hadn't pulled the curtain back at all. He was probably too nervous about what he might see, having deduced from Brendon's empty bunk that he had slept in Ryan's. Keeping his voice low, Spencer added, "Zack hasn't noticed anything yet, so you might want to break it up before he does."

Ryan rubbed his eyes and shook his wrist, which had fallen asleep from being trapped under Brendon. He looked at Brendon and nodded to indicate that Spencer was right: time to go. Brendon groaned and slid out of the bunk, stretching and yawning when his feet hit the floor. Spencer looked vaguely uncomfortable, so Brendon patted him on the shoulder and said, "Thanks for the heads up."

"No problem. There's coffee in the lounge," Spencer replied, before heading in that direction himself.

Brendon poked his head around the corner of the bunk curtain. "Hey Ryan, it's safe to come out. We made it to the island. The sharks and sirens are no longer a threat."

"You're a fucking dork," Ryan said, but he was smiling.

"Part of my charm," Brendon told him cheerfully, and Ryan had no comeback because, well, it was true.

Ten minutes later they were dressed and in the lounge, coffees in hand. They'd arrived at the hotel but wouldn't be able to check in for a few more hours. Jon and Spencer were playing hacky sack in the parking lot, and after they were sufficiently caffeinated, Brendon and Ryan went out to join them.

Brendon was the best at hacky sack; he had quick reflexes and was extremely agile. The other three were no slouches, however, and the game went on for the better part of an hour before they finally got bored of it. Then Brendon and Spencer started tossing a frisbee back and forth while Ryan and Jon sat on the curb to spectate. Brendon was shirtless, his jeans riding low on his hips, and Ryan tried not to stare. This didn't go unnoticed by Jon, who looked at Ryan and said, "So..."

Ryan felt himself tense up. Why couldn't anyone mind their own business?

Undeterred, Jon continued, "Just so you know, I'm aware of what's going on with you and...him."

"Did Spencer say something to you?" Ryan said sharply.

"Spencer doesn't have to say anything. I'm not blind or stupid. I can see it myself," Jon retorted. After a moment of contemplation, he said in a tone of wonderment, "So...it's true then."

Ryan said nothing. At this point, denying it would be futile.

True to form, Jon wasn't content leaving it at that. "Have you guys--"

"Can you not?" Ryan interrupted.

"--done stuff?" Jon finished.

"That's none of your fucking business."

"That's a yes."

Ryan made a move to stand up and Jon stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Hey, sorry. I won't ask anything else." Ryan settled back down but didn't say anything.

Jon lasted 45 seconds before asking, "So...are you the pitcher or the catcher?"

Ryan was on his feet, striding toward the bus, before Jon had even finished the question. Jon called behind him, "I was only kidding!"

Brendon and Spencer turned to see what the commotion was, letting the frisbee land on the concrete and skid almost to the curb. Ryan climbed the bus steps, wanting to slam the door but managing to keep himself in check.

If he and Brendon were a thing, the teasing wouldn't bother him. He normally had thick skin and could hurl insults and barbs back just as good as he got, if not better. But right now, with everything uncertain, the teasing struck a nerve that he couldn't ignore.

He heard the footsteps on the bus stairs and knew who it was without even looking. Brendon said, "Hey. What happened?"

"Jon knows," Ryan answered bluntly.

"Oh." Brendon seemed to consider this information for a minute, turning to look out the window in Jon's direction. He saw Spencer and Jon standing together, deep in discussion. He didn't have to guess what they were talking about. "What did he say?"

"Wanted to know if you were a top or a bottom."

Brendon groaned. "Fuckin' Jon." Then he laughed.

"It's not funny," Ryan snapped, and Brendon cut his laughter short.

"Sorry. I just-- I don't think it's really that big a deal," Brendon said.

"Maybe to you it isn't, but to me..." Ryan trailed off. "I just think it's shitty and ironic that they both find out about us right as we decide there is no 'us'."

Brendon looked at him soberly. "Alright, fair enough. But look on the bright side, at least they're not being all weird about it."

Ryan gave a short laugh, but he was anything but amused. Scornfully, he said, "Yeah. Great silver lining, right there."

They stared at each other; Ryan defiant, Brendon bewildered. Brendon looked away first.

*****

Ryan kept to himself as much as possible for the rest of the day. Spencer tried to coax him out of his bad mood a couple of times, but Ryan shrugged him off. Jon and Brendon knew enough to just let him be. He wasn't angry; he was just heavy-hearted.

They checked into the hotel and he carried his belongings up to his room, then watched some mindless television until it was time for soundcheck. The show went fine, even though his heart wasn't in it. The Speech was exactly the way it was scripted; no shenanigans. Brendon knew better than to try. When it was over, Ryan headed to his room while the other three, along with Zack and some of the crew, went off to Jon's room to have a little afterparty. Ryan took a long shower, put on some boxers and flopped onto the bed. He wasn't tired; the adrenaline from the show still remained, but he didn't feel like being in a crowded room, either. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, trying to find a boring documentary or something else that might help lull him to sleep. He found one about the ocean on The Discovery Channel. The narrator had a low, soothing voice, and it was just starting to do the trick when there was a knock on the door.

Ryan sighed. He was surprised by how not surprised he was. Slowly, he stood up and made his way to the door, looking through the peephole to make sure it was who he thought it was. It wouldn't be a good idea to open the door wearing only boxers if it was anyone else. Sure enough, Brendon stood in the hall, his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, rocking on his heels. Apparently he knew that Ryan wasn't in the mood for the giant-eyeball-in-the-peephole trick.

Ryan pulled the door open but said nothing; just regarded him warily.

"I don't want you to be sad," Brendon stated. He took his hands out of his pockets and held up a joint. "I brought a peace offering."

Weed had never sounded so good. Ryan stepped back and gestured for him to come in.