Find Your Own Way Home - Brendon/Spencer

Mar 28, 2008 03:16

Find Your Own Way Home

lady_deathangel ~*~ 2,374 words ~*~ PG ~*~ Brendon/Spencer, hints of various others

Disclaimer: If you came across this by googling your name or the name of your famous friends, you probably want to hit the backbutton. Or not, but don't say I didn't warn you. Also, this obviously didn't happen.

||So! Um, bruisesonguitar posted her response to Pretty. Odd. and then mentioned wanting a Folkin' Around type of AU and I kind of meant this just to be a comment snippet but it got away with me. This really is just a weird little fraction of a universe that I didn't mean to play in. Maybe I'll continue it, but I'm not sure. Also, this is un-beta-ed and etc. Tell me what you think about it! ||


Folks in Dove Creek are nice enough to invite the Uries to the first barn dance of the summer. The family has only been in town for a few weeks so they're still getting settled, Mr. Urie with his job at the Lonely Pines ranch and the rest of the family with school and such. It's Mrs. Walker's idea to invite them all out and help them get more integrated with the rest of the town.

After all, they've got nothing but rumor to go on. Mrs. Walker assumes that the Uries have only heard nice things about most of the folks in Dove Creek, and she's only heard nice things about the Uries, but there's something uncomfortable about having people in town who don't know hardly anybody by name yet, and who are only known by what's being concluded about them.

Barn dances in Dove Creek are big social events. Everyone gathers up at the Wentz' barn which is the only place in town big enough to fit so many people. A band plays and there's dancing and some singing and of course drinking and socializing. In the summer, the barn dances happen pretty regularly, but the first one of the season is always the most exciting.

The weather's finally warm enough for people to be able to mingle outside comfortably, and there's just something nice about knowing there won't be anymore snow storms for a few months at least.

In the days leading up to the dance, the whole town is abuzz and Brendon, the youngest Urie boy, can't help but catch on to some of it.

All the Urie children are taught at home, by their mother, so Brendon still doesn't know anybody by the the time they get to the barn for the dance. He's seen a few people on trips to the stores in the center of town, but he's not so good with names and he only recognizes a few faces in the sea of people milling around the edges of the barn and dancing in the center.

"Well," Mrs. Urie says with a smile, "this isn't so bad, is it?"

Brendon shrugs. She's been trying to get her children to adjust to the move by convincing them that Dove Creek is just as fine a town as their old one. The problem's not the town, really, it's the fact that Brendon doesn't know anybody, and everything looks like so much fun but he doesn't think he can enjoy himself by himself.

His siblings have all already separated, taking off in pairs of two, trying to find an opening somewhere to make a new friend. Brendon's left on his own when his mother and father join the dancing, and he's wondering if anyone will notice him sulking in a corner when someone walks up right up to him with a wide smile and an extended hand.

"You're one of the Urie boys, right?" he says, and Brendon shakes his hand with a bemused nod. "I'm Jon. Jon Walker."

Brendon knows Mrs. Walker, met her when she came around with their personal invitation, and he figures if Jon's her son he's probably alright. He's certainly friendly enough, and he has a nice, open face that Brendon's immediately drawn to.

"Having fun?" Jon asks, and Brendon shrugs.

"I don't really know anybody," he admits, and Jon's smile widens.

"Well, that's no problem. Here," he says, curling an arm around Brendon's shoulder and gesturing grandly at the crowd. "Who do you wanna know?"

Brendon blinks and gazes around, catches sight of a tall, thin boy looking utterly bored and lonely even though he has a few pretty girls trying to get his attention.

"Him," Brendon says, and Jon gives him a jovial shake.

"That's Ross! Ryan Ross, actually, even though he's named after his daddy, George. Doesn't like to be called that. He doesn't leave the ranch much, either, so you probably won't see him unless you tag along with your daddy to work."

Brendon blinks. "His dad owns Lonely Pines?"

Jon nods and Brendon looks around again, catches sight of a pretty brunette dancing circles with an equally pretty blonde, both of them laughing and completely unconcerned with the boys working up the guts to ask them to dance.

"Them?" Brendon says, and Jon whistles long and low.

"That'd be Haley and Keltie. Keltie's great-great grandparents came down from Canada, which she'll tell anybody who'll listen. Haley's momma died when she was a baby so it's just her and her daddy. She's got more boy in her than girl most days, but she cleans up nice. They're best friends and they'll probably shoot anybody who even thinks about hurting the other one."

Brendon nods to himself and gestures at several other people, a girl named Audrey who is dancing with a man named Gabe. There's Jac and Hanna Beth dancing with Andy and Adam. There are too many boys named Alex to possibly keep straight. A pretty man named William is talking quietly with a dark-haired man named Mike.

Brendon's terrible with names, but Jon's got a story about each and every one of them which helps. For nearly half-an-hour Jon entertains Brendon, and it hardly feels like any time's passed at all. It isn't until a scruffy looking boy with a wide grin interrupts them that Brendon notices how long it's been.

"Tom!" Jon says happily. "This is Brendon, one of the Urie boys."

Tom nods at Brendon and then looks at Jon significantly. "Cassie was asking about you," he says, and Jon pulls a good-natured face.

"Ah, hell," he says before turning back to Brendon. "I'd better go make sure she's not picking out baby names or something. You should mingle. Don't worry, everyone'll love you."

And then Jon's gone and Brendon's alone again. He considers trying to talk to someone, anyone, but he's nervous. Generally speaking, Brendon doesn't mind attention or an audience. He likes to talk and he likes to be around people. He's very personable, is what his mom says, and he's very rarely shy.

Apparently, though, when Brendon's shy he's very shy, and he's not interested in walking up to someone and making a fool of himself. Everyone here just looks so comfortable, even the lonely Ryan Ross is so pretty that Brendon can't imagine he ever looks stupid. He probably doesn't have time for someone like Brendon.

Lost in his thoughts, Brendon's completely surprised when a hand closes around his elbow and a voice says, "what are you doing over here all by yourself?"

Brendon jumps and spins around, coming face to face with one of the most handsome men he's ever seen in his life.

Whoever he is, he's taller than Brendon by quite a lot. He's not as thin as William or Ryan, but he's all limbs. His legs, Brendon notices, are impossibly long and he has strong-looking hands with tapered fingers. His eyes are bluer than blue and his lips are tilted up in a small smile and Brendon knows he's staring but he can't seem to stop.

"Um," he says, jerking his eyes away and cringing at the blush he can feel burning his cheeks, "I don't know. Jon just left to talk to a girl."

The words sound inane even to Brendon's ears, but the other man just hums and says, "Cassie. She's got wedding fever. Jon isn't even planning on proposing, he just hasn't told her yet."

Brendon glances up at the man and says, "I'm Brendon."

"One of the Urie boys, right?" he says, and Brendon nods. "I'm Spencer."

"Jon didn't mention you," Brendon blurts out, and Spencer laughs softly.

"Jon always makes me introduce myself," he says, and Brendon wants to ask why, is curious about these people he doesn't know, but before he can Spencer's leaning in close.

"You should dance with me," he says, and Brendon blinks.

"That's-" he starts, and then stops because he's not sure what to say to that.

It's not done is what he should say. Unless maybe things are different in Dove Creek, but where Brendon comes from boys don't ask other boys to dance, not even in jest, not even if they're best friends since their days in the cradle. Spencer's eyes are sharp on Brendon's, his mouth still gently smiling, and Brendon thinks maybe he should run away and find his mom or Jon; maybe, he thinks, now would be a good time to say hello to Keltie or Haley or Audrey or Jac.

Instead he says, "do they have dances that we could do, here?"

Spencer touches Brendon's elbow again and says, "depends on what you mean by 'here'."

_._

Outside of the barn, there are even more people milling around. Most of them, Brendon notices as he follows Spencer around back, are smiling and laughing easily with one another, leaning into each other regardless of personal space. It's not like inside, where everything felt normal, just like anywhere else in the world.

Out here there are lamps burning, casting a yellow glow into the blue-black of night, and the music from the barn is drowned out by the music being played by a couple of men on old guitars. Out here, it's like Brendon's stepped into another world entirely.

He looks around himself, nearly tripping over his feet when Spencer stops short of a makeshift dance floor. There are more people that Brendon doesn't recognize dancing with wild abandon to the music being played, their feet moving quickly, their mouths all smiling. Brendon squints and relaxes when he spots Jon. It's hard to tell who, exactly, is dancing with who because the partners are all mixed up and nobody seems to care if its a boy they're with or a girl.

"Come on," Spencer says, pulling Brendon into the dance, and after that everything dissolves into a rush of sound and movement.

It's as hard to tell who is dancing with who on the inside of it all as it was to tell on the outside, but Brendon never loses sight of Spencer and Spencer never loses sight of him. One dance involves a good deal of switching partners and Brendon meets Cassie and Sean and another Andy. He dances with a boy named Cash who gets too close and then he dances with a girl named Victoria who dances even closer.

It's always back to Spencer, though, and Spencer dances close but not quite close enough (which is ridiculous because 'close enough' would mean 'entirely too close'). Brendon can't stop laughing and he feels like he's falling down a well or something, his stomach in his throat, his heart pounding in his head and his feet.

He wants to blame the dancing, but then he'll catch sight of Spencer and think maybe it's not just the dancing at all.

There is one song that the guitarists play and it's slow and a little melancholy. It's a song for partners and they all gather each other close and sway. Brendon isn't sure he should stay because everything else is all well and good but Jon is dancing with Sean and he doesn't look like he's joking, and he's not the only one. Brendon definitely can't be here for this and he hates to leave, but he's halfway back to the barn before Spencer catches him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he says, and Brendon thinks that nobody could possibly be that stupid.

Spencer's eyes flash in the dark and Brendon realizes he said that out loud.

"I just mean," Brendon pushes on, embarrassed and scared of things he can't really define, "that what you're doing back there isn't right."

Spencer stares at him, just stares, no expression, and then takes a step closer. Brendon swallows hard and struggles to stand his ground.

"It's just dancing," he says.

Brendon bites his lip and Spencer's so close that he's warming Brendon all along his front, like a stove at a comfortable heat late in autumn.

"Will you dance with me one more time?" Spencer asks, and Brendon should say no, he should, but he closes his eyes and nods instead.

Spencer tugs him closer, hands on Brendon's hips, and Brendon doesn't know what to do with his hands at first, the just sort of grip Spencer's forearms. Eventually, after the slow, hypnotic swaying Spencer's leading them in has relaxed him a little, Brendon slides his hands from Spencer's arms to his shoulders.

"See, now, this isn't so bad," Spencer says and he's smiling and it's the prettiest smile Brendon's ever seen, he's sure of it.

They're dancing in the shadows surrounding the barn and the sounds from inside are muffled by planks of wood. Mostly, Brendon hears Spencer's humming, keeping their slow-moving rhythm, and beneath that sound is the pounding of Brendon's heart in his ears.

"Why me?" Brendon asks and Spencer stops humming to look at him inquisitively. "I mean," Brendon says, "there are a lot of pretty girls to ask dance."

Spencer looks thoughtful for a moment and then he says, "maybe I think you're prettier."

It's a silly answer, and Brendon grins, but he's still curious. Spencer gazes at him and must read his mind because he answers more seriously this time.

"I saw you and . . . well, really, I just fucking wanted to," he says and the language is only a little bit more shocking than the strength behind the answer.

"Oh," Brendon says, because he doesn't think anyone's ever felt that passionately about him before.

Spencer pulls Brendon the smallest bit closer and Brendon thinks, oh, but nothing happens. They stay like that, pressed together, for an infinite second and then Spencer's pulling away. He brushes some of Brendon's hair out of his eyes with gentle fingers and Brendon tries not to arch into the touch.

"Thank you," Spencer says, adding, "don't be a stranger, Brendon," before he disappears into the darkness.

Brendon stares after him and feels like he's just been spun around in a twister or shook up in an earthquake. Something just happened to uproot him completely, like a natural disaster, and he takes a few minutes to remember how to breathe.

In and out. Slow and easy. That's something that hasn't changed.

crossover, brendon/spencer, au, bandslash

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