Brendon was crouched in a corner of a bathroom stall. He watched his tears drip down to the floor. Occasionally, he would wipe his nose with his sleeve, wincing slightly at the blood staining the fabric. He flinched when he heard the door open, scared that his bully had found him again.
"Brendon." He let out a gasp and quickly covered his mouth with his hands. He watched feet slowly approach his stall. His vision was too blurry to recognize the shoes, but he knew that voice anywhere. There was a soft knock on the door.
"Can you open up for me?" He shook his head even though the other couldn't see him. "If you don't, I'll crawl under the stall." When Brendon didn't respond again, the figure, keeping his word, moved down to the floor and slide under the door.
"I knew I'd find you here." Brendon looked down as his friend scooted toward him.
"You should be in class Ry," Brendom whispered.
"I saw Stan get escorted by security and I knew something was wrong. I couldn't just stay in class." Brendon whimpered when Ryan pulled him onto his lap. Naturally, Brendon fell into Ryan's embrace, laying his head on the other's shoulder. "You're okay now."
"Don't leave me." Ryan kissed the side of Brendon's head.
"Never."
~~~
Brendon was laying in bed, clutching his pillow to his chest. He buried his face in the pillow as he listened to his parents arguing just in the other room. His squeezed his eyes shut causing tears to spill out.
"It's not my fault that he's such a bitch. I told you to abort him," he heard his father yell through the wall.
"I said we should've given him away but you made me keep him after he was born. You can't walk away when you're the reason we're stuck with him." Brendon curled himself in a ball, shaking alone in the dark. He willed himself to go to sleep so he wouldn't hear anymore, but then he heard tapping on his window.
He squinted, looking toward the window. He sniffed and wiped his eyes when he noticed a shadowed figure on the other side. He climbed out of bed and made his way to the window. As he got closer, he could recognize Ryan with the light coming from the street lamp outside his house.
"Ryan?" Brendon whispered through a hicup. He unlocked the window and pulled it open. Ryan crawled through and quickly stood up. Brendon wiped his face free of tears and looked up at his friend. "W-what are you d-doing here?"
"You didn't answer any of my texts so I had to make sure you were okay. Now that I'm here, I can see that you're not."
"I'm f-fine." Ignoring the obvious lie, Ryan took Brendon to the bed. They both laid down, Brendon immediately pressing against Ryan's chest.
Ryan buried his fingers in Brendon's hair, scratching soothingly at the scalp. He kissed his forhead and leaned back just enough to keep his lips brushing against Brendon's skin.
"You're okay," he whispered. Not two minutes later, the sounds of Brendon's parents moving past his room echoed through the halls.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going? You can't just leave me alone with that bastard!" Brendon sniffed and gripped the front of Ryan's shirt. The older tensed slightly and frowned as he listened to the conversation.
"I'm sick and tired of this. I'm tired of this house. I'm tired of that pathetic excuse for a son and I'm fucking tired of your bullshit." Brendon flinched when the front door slammed closed. Ryan held Brendon tightly against him. Another door slammed to the room next to them.
"Don't listen to them, Bren. Understand? They don't know what they're talking about." Brendon whimpered in response. He was getting tired of this life too. "Hey." Ryan nudged Brendon's nose, getting him to look up at him. "Listen to me, not them. I think you're amazing. If they can't see that, then it's their loss. Okay?"
Brendon still wasn't responding. Before he had the chance to look away, Ryan caught his lips with his own, catching him off guard. The shock wore off quickly as he kissed back. There was a strange warm feeling in his chest. He recognized it other times he was with Ryan, but this time he couldn't ignore it. It was a pleasant, almost tingling, feeling that he didn't want to go away.
Ryan pulled away first, looking at Brendon for a reaction. Brendon's hand slid up and brushed over Ryan's cheek. The older smiled and leaned into the touch.
"I promise I'll love you so much that it'll make up what you've been missing out on and more."
"Don't leave me," Brendon whispered.
"Never."
~~~
Brendon and Ryan kept getting closer, their relationship getting more intimate. Since that night his dad left, Brendon was tormented by his mother. He couldn't complain too much as the night always ended with him in his boyfriend's arms.
Brendon had gotten so used to Ryan always being there for him, he didn't take the news that Ryan was in a car accident well at all. He didn't leave Ryan's bedside until the boy was discharged. He spent every free second he had with Ryan.
Brendon's mother only got agitated when he would bring Ryan over everyday. He didn't care though. All that mattered to him was that Ryan was there and he wasn't leaving.
~~~
"Let's go," Brendon's mother spat out when she barged into his room. Brendon furrowed his eyebrows and sat up in bed.
"Where are we going?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Just put on some fucking shoes and get into the damn car." Brendon hesitantly obeyed, not wanting to anger his mother.
He had an unsettling feeling as they rode in silence. The feeling only worsened as they pulled up to an old building.
"W-what are we doing here?" She didn't answer as she got out and yelled for him to follow. Brendon lingered behind his mother as she talked to the lady at the front desk.
Two men in white uniforms came out and led the two further into the building. Brendon slowly started shaking as they walked by multiple rooms with windows. The people behind the glass either looked miserable or simply insane.
"Mom?" Brendon's heart was racing. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see Ryan. They stopped outside and open door, the guard gesturing for Brendon to go in.
Brendon looked over at his mother, teary eyes and ready to beg. Not liking his resistance, she pushed him into the room. He stumbled to the floor, giving the guard enough time to shut and lock the door.
Brendon hurried to the window, palms pressed against the glass. He called for his mother who stood expressionless on the other side.
"Get me out. Mom please," Brendon cried. He was just put in and he was already feeling claustrophobic. He frantically banged on the glass, begging to be let out.
"This is for your own good." Tears were streaming down Brendon's face. He was already hiccuping between sobs.
"Mom please." How long would he be stuck in here? What were they going to do to him. Brendon's mind went to his boyfriend. Ryan didn't even know what was going on. He'd be so worried. "Mom, Ryan. You have to tell Ryan."
The mention of the other's name was enough to light a fire in his mother's eyes. She stepped forward and slammed her fist on the glass, causing Brendon to take a step back.
"Ryan is dead. He has been ever since that car crash months ago so stop it. He's gone and he's never coming back." Brendon shook his head in disbelief. She was lying. She had to be. Ryan was with him just last night. "Quit being so pathetic and realize that you have no one."
Brendon's legs gave out, dropping him to the floor. He kept his head low, staring at the linoleum floor. Little teardrops fell to the ground, a final plea for help.
"Goodbye Brendon," he heard his mother say before she left.
"We hope you enjoy your stay here at the Oakridge Mental Institute," a guard added, making Brendon want to laugh. As if he'd enjoy this. He was all alone now. He squeezed his eyes shut, silently weeping.
"Please... don't leave me," he whispered to the empty room. He cried harder when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind. His hands came up and gripped the arm around his chest. He felt a small kiss on the side of his head. His bottom lip quivered as he heard that familiar, soothing voice.
"Never."
