Broken - A Ryden fanfic

Chapter four- The sun and the moon

"I'll be right back.."

That's the last that Ryan had seen Brendon with the three of them during the party. The four friends had agreed to attend an interview to talk about their newest album- which they had titled "Pretty. Odd.", then go to an after party once that finished.

"Alright, you know where to find me." said Ryan, which usually meant that he planned to stand around by the snack table and make awkward small talk while his friends did most of the talking. He had never liked attending social events. Going to things like this were so arduous.

So many people to talk to..
So many people to impress...

But Ryan didn't mind as much when Brendon was around. Brendon knew that he had social anxiety, so he would do all he could to help make things more bearable for him. One minute they would be making fun of someone, and the next minute Brendon would have two Pringles in his mouth and pretending to be a duck to make him laugh. It was little things like that that made Ryan feel a bit better about going to parties.

However Brendon was acting different today. Sure, Ryan knew that he was a little anxious for this interview, but he had chalked it off as him being worried that the people wouldn't like the new album. He had all the right to be nervous though. They changed the genre of the songs for this album, and Brendon was worried that people wouldn't want to listen to them as a result. Ryan respected his friend, so he let him have some time to himself. Maybe he could try and not act too embarrassing for once.

Ten minutes have passed...
Welp. He spoke too soon. While Ryan tried making small talk with one of the interviewers, he had leaned backwards to lean onto a table. But as he did this, he realized just how far away he was from the table and ended up falling backwards into a lady standing behind him. That was bad. He was now hiding behind Spencer with his face buried in his hands.

Thirty minutes have passed...
"Ha! I win!" Ryan cheered. Him and Jon had gotten into a contest to see who could eat more chips before getting too full to continue. Jon sighed contentedly and took a seat nearby.

"I really can't eat any more, dude. I just might puke." He said to his friend.

Ryan chuckled and popped another chip into his mouth. "Brendon usually lasts much longer."

"Where is he anyway?" Jon asked, putting his hands on his stomach.

Ryan glanced around briefly, realizing that his friend hadn't came back yet. "Huh. I'm actually not sure." He said dumbfoundedly. "He said he needed some air."

Jon lowered his eyebrows. "Wasn't that like, at the beginning of the party?"

"Shit you're right.." Ryan mumbled. "I'll.. go find him." He replied, then disappeared through the crowd. He kept his head low as he pushed past people, making his way to the back doors that lead to the courtyard.

The courtyard was peacefully silent. Ryan let out a little sigh of relief as he stepped out into the cool air of the night. He scanned the courtyard for a moment or two before he spotted his friend at a bench, staring up at the sky. He smiled softly to himself as he approached his friend.

"Hey." Ryan said as he took a seat next to his friend.

Brendon turned his head when he heard Ryan speak up. A gentle smile appeared on his face and he shifted slightly so he could face his friend. "Hey yourself."

"You'd rather stargaze out here than socialize in there?"

A chuckle escaped from Brendon's lips. "Depends on the situation," He answered. "I'm just thinking."

"You all good?" Ryan asked gently. "You've been kinda.. spacey. When you're not pacing back and forth around the room, you're spacing out."

Brendon laughed softly. "Pun not intended?"

Ryan giggled. "Yeah, pun not intended."

"I'm fine." Brendon answered, leaning back into the bench. "Just kinda nervous, you know?"

"For the album?"

"Well, yeah. But for the future, more specifically."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "What about the future?"

"I dunno.. just the future in general. Where are we gonna go with the band? A Fever You Can't Sweat Out was popular, but is it gonna stay that way?"

As Brendon spoke, Ryan noticed the anxiousness in his expression and body language. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright. No matter what happens, it'll all work out in the end. With a voice like yours, there's no way that this can't work out. Hell, Pete Wentz liked your voice! If that's not proof enough that Panic will work out, then I don't know what is."

Brendon listened to his friend speak, his smile widening as he went on. Once he finished, he pulled him in for a tight hug.

Ryan smiled with him and hugged him back, resting his chin on his friend's shoulder. "Can you promise me that you won't forget what I told you tonight?"

"There was a brief pause before Brendon replied. "Can you promise me something first?"

"Of course."

"Can.. can you promise me that you won't leave me all alone in the band?"

Ryan's eyes widened at the question. "Brendon..."

"I know it's stupid. You don't have to promise me if you don't want to.. but please.. it's another thing that I worry about all the time.. so..."

"I promise." Ryan replied.

Brendon stopped, then moved slightly so he could meet Ryan's eyes. "You.. you mean it?"

Ryan smiled warmly at his friend. "Of course! I wouldn't dream of doing something other than playing guitar for the band. And I would never want to leave you all alone. Never in my wildest dreams."

Brendon's eyes sparkled at this news, his smile widening. He hugged his friend again, squeezing him tightly. "Thank you.."

"Don't mention it." Ryan replied. "I swear, I'll always be here."

"Always...."