Together Again / Brendon Urie

4. Adler

The name Adler is a boy's name of German origin meaning "eagle".

My mother died at birth, so it's always been me and my dad. He works 2 jobs and the time he spends home is sleeping or passed out on the couch. I have been taking care of my dad for as long I was capable to. I'm in charge of making sure he eats, so I'm making pasta right now in anticipation of him coming home soon. I make a little extra in case Brendon is also hungry after work. It's been one week since Brendon and I started working together, officially. He stays quiet most of the time and mainly listens, unless I ask him a question.

I hear the front door open and close and I know its my dad. "Hey peanut," he greets me and comes over to kiss the top of my head. "Making pasta?" He asks speaking into the sauce pot that's on shimmer. "Yep." I chirp and he smiles. "Is Brendon coming over tonight?" He asks because we still alternate houses as orginally discussed. "Yep." I say this completely different from the first one. "Will he be eating with us?" I shrug, "probably." I go back to making sure nothing is being overcooked. "Do you like this boy?" Ew ok I give my dad parenting credit for being observational and asking because well I never had any interest in boys until now but that's just because Brendon is my lab partner.

"Ew no dad, not at all. We're just lab partners." I defend and he smiles, "ok peanut. I just wanted to ask." He pauses. "I'm going to go get changed." He adds on and leaves the kitchen. Just as he gets upstairs the front doorbell rings. I quickly leave my area and open the front door to Brendon still in his visor and apron from the smoothie cafe. "Nice uniform," I tease and he looks down not even realizing he still had it on. I leave him with that and go back to the kitchen. Everything is done perfectly on time for once so I start prepping. He enters the kitchen as I turn the burners off and the air fryer dings signaling that the bread sticks are done also.

"You cook?" He asks and I shrug. "If you can call this cooking?" I giggle a little and grab an oven mit. I drain the water from the pasta and run some cold water over it briefly before putting it in a serving bowl. The sauce I also transfer to a serving dish with a ladle and the breadsticks go in a basket with a napkin. I set out three plates at the dining room table inside our small kitchen and Brendon looks at me quizzically. "Hungry?" I answer his unasked question. "Uh, yeah sure." He rubs the back of his neck and eventually takes a seat. He places his apron and visor on his lap. "Oh um, I'm sorry can you sit here?" I ask because no one sits in that seat, ever. He looks at me like I'm weird but agrees. "I'm sorry, but that's my mom's seat." I inform him and he nods. "Oh yeah no worries, I never met your mom. Is she eating too?" He wouldn't know, we never spoke about my mom. "Uh no, she died giving birth to me." I answer quietly. "I never knew her either." Brendon's face falls and the room's tension grows. "Smells amazing!" My dad interjects and the tension is gone. Thanks for that, dad.

We eat in comfortable silence until my dad starts talking about work. Then Brendon is talking about work too and I'm listening to their conversation. We finish up eating and my dad is first to start clearing the table. "Let me help you Mr. Victor." He offers and my dad declines. "No, you two go work on your project. It's already late, I can clean up. It's the least I can do for my peanut making dinner for us men." He smiles and I blush at him calling me peanut in front of Brendon. I hug my dad and we head upstairs to the office. We work in the office because there's a computer there and also a chaise to sit on. Brendon is sitting on the floor cross legged looking at our notes. Yes the book that started my whole outburst is alive and well.

I'm sitting at the computer looking up information. "I think it would be cool to try to gelatin-ize the lava somehow that way it moves slower like real lava and not just baking soda running down the sides. What do you think?" I ask and when I don't hear an answer I look down to see Brendon petting Bentley, my cat. "Oh, he must like you." I suggest and watch as Brendon smiles and pets behind his collar. "Does he go outside?" He asks and I shake my head. "No, I'm always worried about if he does get out so he's microchipped and has his collar just in case. I don't know what I would do without him." I reply and Brendon looks up at me briefly before going back to petting him. Brendon looks so, small, now. Like the fact that he likes and is good with animals makes me see him differently. He looks almost innocent. "So, um gelatin?" I ask again and he nods. "Uh, yes. Sorry, he's really affectionate." Brendon smiles before giving him one last pet before dismissing him.

We finish up for the night, it's about 11pm and with it being Monday we have school the next day. I walk Brendon to the door to say goodbye and he pulls me into a hug. "I'm sorry about your mom." He offers and quite frankly I'm still in shock about him hugging me. "Oh, uh, i-it's fine. It's been 17 years, obviously. No w-worries." I mentally curse myself for stuttering, I've been doing so well.
"There's that adorable stutter." He smiles, "it reminds me of that Bachman-Turner song." I look at him confused. "B-b-b-baby, you just ain't seen n-n-nothin' yet." He sings and I know what song he is talking about. "The singer sang it like that to make fun of his brother that left the band and the record company liked the stutter lyric more." He tells me this with such a proud demeanor, like he knows so much about music.

"Ok, well goodnight." I try to shut the door on him but he holds it. "Can I get your number? You know just in case I get held up at work or something comes up? I'd hate to leave you hanging." He asks and I agree. I type my number in his phone and shoo him out the door. I stand in the hallway for several seconds biting my thumb.
"Just lab partners, huh?" I jump out of my skin at my dad's voice and hold my chest. "Jesus dad, I thought you were asleep." I reply and he laughs. "I was until you guys came down and then I saw him hug you. He likes you," my dad replies and I laugh. I genuinely laugh so hard it concerns my dad. "No, he doesn't, trust me, Brendon Urie can go to hell." I say and my dad looks taken aback. "What has that boy done to you?" My dad asks and I frown. "He ruined my life." I answer and start walking up the stairs. "Goodnight!"