skirts // ryden

thirty three

onthebadlist : ok so my mom liked you so much that she wanted to invite you to my family's christmas party but she forgot to tell me to tell you and long story short it's today

feelslikechristmas 🎄 : lol it's fine ry, but on christmas day?

onthebadlist : it's a family party, what can i say?

feelslikechristmas 🎄 : well you're lucky my family didn't plan anything. what time does it start?

onthebadlist : ummmmm in half an hour

feelslikechristmas 🎄 : ah.

onthebadlist : hey i did say it was short notice

feelslikechristmas 🎄 : fair enough, i'll be on my way then

onthebadlist : rad, see ya soon

Frank peered over Ryan's shoulder from his spot behind the couch. The short teenager hurled himself over the couch's back, landing with a thud behind Ryan. The taller yelped and turned to stare at the shorter who was glaring at him.

"I am the ONLY ONE who uses the word 'rad' in this friend group."

Frank's eyebrows with knitted together and his bottom lip was stuck out in a pouting fashion. Ryan awkwardly chuckled as a sign of apology. The shorter huffed and stood up, going to find his boyfriend.

Gerard was helping his and Ryan's mothers in the kitchen finish making cupcakes and cookies for Ryan's family. Sure the Way and Iero families weren't actually related to the Ross family, but Donna, her son, and his boyfriend had been part of Ryan's life for years and it felt fitting to invite them. Donna just happened to be nice enough to offer her help in setting up. Gerard also proved to quite the little baker himself. Frank? Not so much.

Ryan shook his head, remaining on the couch. He set down his phone with a sigh, not bothering to pester Brendon any longer. The younger boy was already in a rush with getting ready anyway. Bored out of his mind, Ryan began to fiddle with his crimson holiday sweater, the decorated snowman on the piece of fabric being a softer texture than the rest. His eyes wandered about the living room, the dim white lights along the fireplace shining brightly against the red bricks.

Ryan smiled, remembering himself and Brendon struggling to get those lights to stay up. The countless pieces of tape littering the fireplace amazed the teenager and he silently laughed at their feeble efforts to make it look presentable. Ryan had ended up going back the following day to fix the mess they had made.

Lost in his thoughts, Ryan found that thirty minutes flew by in a very short amount of time. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the doorbell rang and the sound of footsteps shuffling on the floor passed him by. Ryan's head turned to the doorway where some of his family members now stood. He grimaced at the sight of his cousins. Some of his family members weren't the most supportive of his outfit choices or taste in lovers. He released the hem of his white skirt and stood, combat boots clicking against the ground with a satisfactory sound.

Ryan found his best friends still in the kitchen, now without Gerard's and Ryan's mothers. Frank mindlessly picked at the loose yarn of his black skeleton fingerless gloves. Gerard walked towards Ryan with a warm smile.

"Hey, don't worry about your family, we're here. Is Brendon able to come today?"

"Yeah, hopefully he'll show up soon.."

Ryan gnawed at his bottom lip, but Gerard stopped him before he could break the skin.

"Whoa there! Calm down, babe...you know Brendon. He'll be here."

Ryan slowly nodded, moving to press his back against the smooth countertop. After a painfully long ten minutes, Ryan heard the fifth doorbell ring. The usually quiet house was now bustling with the scent of food and the sound of laughter and talking. Even after years of the same holiday party, Ryan still was not fond of the chaos in his home. When he saw no one go to the front door, he sighed and walked over himself. As if by some miracle, he came face-to-face with Brendon.

"Oh thank God..you're here."

Brendon smiled with a look of confusion and raised an eyebrow. Ryan took Brendon's hand and dragged him inside, shutting the door behind them. With barely any space left in the living room area, the two slipped into an open spot beside the fireplace. They chatted amongst themselves, talking about how they were and what was going on. It had only been a few days since they had last seen one another, but they were both glad to be together once more. It was...nice.

Suddenly, Ryan heard a whistling noise and turned to see Gerard with Frank on his shoulders near them. Gerard blew his dyed red hair away from his eyes and moved one hand off of his boyfriend to point upwards. The shorter boy on Gerard's shoulders flicked his lip ring with his tongue and gestured at the mistletoe stationed between his index finger and thumb.

Ryan's face turned a bright shade of red and he glanced back at Brendon. There was a small smirk on his face when the shorter of the two gripped the sides of Ryan's sweater and yanked him close, closing the space between them. He pressed his lips against Ryan's shutting his eyes. Ryan did the same and Gerard giggled, snapping a picture of the two with his blue Polaroid camera. Ryan tried to pull away, but Brendon mumbled against his lips.

"No, just ignore them.."

"Baby, they took a picture of us."

"Yeah, I know."

Ryan laughed against Brendon, causing him to chuckle as well. They broke apart, laughing to themselves happily. Between gasps of air, Brendon looked up at Ryan.

"Will you be my boyfriend?"

Ryan's laughing ceased. Brendon knew that Ryan said he wasn't ready only a week or two ago. Nonetheless, he smiled thoughtfully and grasped Brendon's hands.

"Yes."

Brendon triumphantly smiled, quickly pecking Ryan's lips.

"Merry Christmas, you dork."