Bandom Big Bang 2/4
It’s never possible for all of them to have lunch together, which Pete moans about, but Patrick is secretly quite grateful for. He’s not sure he could handle the blatant Ryan-worship from Pete and Brendon, and the obvious ignoring of said worship by Ryan, and after hearing about Jon and Spencer’s courting dance, he’s not sure he could handle that either. Individually, he loves them all. Throw them in a room together, however, and the unresolved sexual tension would kill the lot of them.
Of course, Patrick himself is not immune from the epidemic. He’s begun to notice a twinge of jealousy when Pete shows up and pays more attention to Ryan than himself and, more noticeably, when Ryan appears to flirt back (though with Ryan it can be hard to tell). Pete’s shock and delight at this turn of events should be amusing to Patrick, but there’s a twisting in his stomach which suggests that Pete and Ryan’s mutual interest may actually turn into something serious, and Patrick’s not sure that he could deal with that.
He’s been aware of his crush on Pete for quite some time now, and has always dismissed it as something ridiculous, unrequited and potentially damaging to their friendship.
Something about this situation, however, is bringing out a possessive side that Patrick wasn’t even aware he had.
When Pete’s not around, Patrick genuinely likes Ryan - finds him interesting and intelligent and a pleasure to work with. Introduce Pete to the equation, however, and Patrick has to resist the urge to snarl at Ryan and pin Pete to the nearest wall in a display of possession. Patrick finds the whole thing rather unsettling, really, and silently wishes Brendon success in his crude seduction of Ryan Ross, so that Patrick can go back to ignoring this side of himself and finding Pete’s crushes ridiculous and amusing. And futile.
Right now he’s listening to Pete invite Ryan over to hang out. “DVDs, music, Halo, whatever. We’ll have a great time!”
Ryan’s hesitating, but Patrick already knows what his answer will be. Ryan’s aware of Pete’s fluctuating emotions and mental state now, and seems not to mind most of the time. Once or twice he’s seemed relieved when Patrick’s returned from lunch, telling him that Pete had been by, needing to talk to him. Sometimes Pete has seemed surprised to see Patrick when he’s shown up at Creatures, but Ryan’s always been right about Pete needing to see him. Sometimes it seems to be the only thing that will help get him out of his head.
Patrick doesn’t want to hear Ryan and Pete planning their evening together, so he heads into the back room to fetch his wallet and takes his time - checking the computer for new mail orders and answering a customer query via email before rejoining them.
“Ready?” he asks Pete, and Pete bids Ryan farewell (“See you tonight!”) before following Patrick out of the store. Patrick doesn’t want to hear about Pete’s plans with Ryan, so he jumps in with, “I was thinking about calling Joe and Andy and scheduling a practice. It’s been a while.”
Pete looks startled, but he’s nodding his agreement. “Awesome. I have some new lyrics for you too.”
Great. Because what he really needs is to read Pete’s Odes to Ryan Ross. Still, it’s not like Patrick’s never written the music for one of Pete’s love songs before. It’s actually pretty common. “Email them to me tonight,” he says. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Pete shoots Patrick a concerned looks. “Are you alright, ‘Trick? You seem kind of...off.”
“I’m fine. Just tired, I guess.”
It’s a clichéd excuse, but believable enough, overused though it may be.
“Don’t go overworking yourself, ‘Trick. You have minions for that!”
“I don’t think Ryan would appreciate being referred to as a minion.”
Pete looks horrified. “You wouldn’t!”
And no, Patrick wouldn’t. He may be the victim of a depressing case of jealousy, and he most definitely doesn’t want Pete and Ryan to date - and not just because Pete’s break-ups are inevitably messy and he doesn’t want to have to hire a new employee when Ryan (inevitably) decides that he can’t work with Pete’s best friend - but that doesn’t mean he’s going to try to sabotage Pete’s efforts.
That would make him an exceptionally shitty friend, and one thing Pete doesn’t need is somebody he cares about fucking him over. He’s had too much of that already. Patrick’s possibly a little protective when is comes to Pete. Maybe. Just a little bit.
***
Bill’s already drunk by the time Jon arrives, which isn’t actually all that surprising.
He’s hugged within an inch of his life, receives a sloppy kiss on his cheek and then Bill’s gone off to find his next victim. Gabe catches Jon’s eye and winks as he follows in his boyfriend’s wake. It looks like Gerard’s next on Bill’s list, and Jon grins as Gerard’s boyfriend (Fred? Frank?) laughs and demands his turn.
Bill’s farewell was Pete’s idea, but Patrick’s the one who organised everything. He’s the one who booked the function room at a local pub and set up a bar tab. Most importantly, he invited Spencer. Jon’s going to have to buy him some flowers or something. Chocolates, maybe. Something.
Jon can see Spencer talking to Ryan, Patrick and Pete, and Jon fingers the buttons of his shirt before joining them with a casual, “Hey,” and nods all around.
He’d put a lot of thought into his outfit tonight. Well, he’d put thought into his outfit tonight, which was a lot more than what he usually did. Usually when he saw Spencer he was wearing his work uniform - a polo shirt and black slacks. He’d considered simply wearing his usual casual clothes - ratty jeans and t-shirts - but had decided to put a little effort in. So, while he still has his ratty jeans on, he’s actually wearing a button-up shirt that he found in the back of his wardrobe. He’s not entirely sure that it belongs to him, but it fits. He wonders if Spencer will notice, then realises that since he’s never seen Jon out of his work clothes, he won’t know that this is out of the ordinary for him.
“Hey, Jon. Looking sharp! Are those...are you wearing shoes? I thought you only did that at work! And who did you steal the shirt from?”
Of course, he hasn’t taken Pete into account.
“It’s a special occasion, Pete. Thought I’d pretty myself up for Bill.” He’s pretty sure the way he keeps glancing at Spencer is putting the lie to his words, but he’s got a carefully thought out plan for the Seduction of Spencer Smith, and he doesn’t want to move ahead of schedule. It would be one thing for Spencer to suspect that Jon had dressed up with him in mind, but it’s another thing entirely for Jon to say so.
“Um. I’m going to go and talk to Bill,” Patrick says, and Pete pipes up with, “Ooh! Me too! Me too!” leaving Jon with Spencer and Ryan. Which isn’t at all unusual, but his Seduction plan involves a little less Ryan, and he was hoping to implement Step Seven (Spend Time With Spencer in a Non-Work Environment) tonight. As if in answer to his thoughts, Brendon suddenly appears by his elbow.
“Hi Ryan! Hi Jon! Hi Spencer!”
Jon attempts to send a telepathic message to Brendon, who responds almost instantly. “Ryan, I need your help. Vicky-T thinks David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust era is overrated. I need backup!”
Ryan looks from Spencer to Jon and back, then nods at Brendon. “She must be educated.”
“And then there were two...” Spencer murmurs, and Jon can’t help but smile.
“All part of my cunning plan,” Jon confesses and now Spencer’s smiling too.
“Now that you have me alone, what are you planning to do with me?”
It’s almost too tempting to throw his well-thought-out Seduction Plan out the window and respond with thinly veiled innuendo. He might even get something out of it. But he’s not looking for instant gratification, so he ignores the opening. “Actually, I was wondering if you and Ryan wanted to come with me, Patrick and Pete to see Brendon’s show next weekend.”
“What show?” Spencer asks, obviously confused. Jon’s surprised and doesn’t bother to try and hide it.
“He hasn’t told you about it? Or Ryan? He hasn’t shut up about it for months. I thought everybody in the centre had been invited at least three times!”
“Apparently not.”
Spencer’s not looking at Jon. Instead, he’s watching Brendon watch Ryan try to convince Vicky-T of something or other. He turns back to Jon. “Tell me about the show.”
“Brendon’s the musical director. It’s a showcase of about twenty local kids from a few of the smaller local schools. They don’t have music programs, so Brendon offered to arrange a performance and give private lessons for free to anyone who wanted to participate. He’s been teaching one of the kids for a few months and wanted her to have the chance to perform in front of an audience.”
It might be Jon’s imagination, but Spencer’s looking impressed. “What does he teach?”
“Guitar, piano and theory mostly, I think. But, like, he plays a million different instruments, so he could probably teach just about anything.”
“Huh. He wasn’t joking about his musical knowledge, then.”
“No, he’s pretty much a certified musical genius. He’s really proud of his kids, can’t shut up about them usually. Guess he’s been too busy trying to impress Ryan. Anyway, Pete, Patrick and I all bought tickets a few weeks ago. You should come with us.”
Spencer looks thoughtful and glances over at Ryan. “We’ll be there. I’ll talk to Brendon about tickets later.”
It’s impossible to keep the smile off his face. “Fantastic! You should talk to Brendon about music. You play drums, right?” Off Spencer’s nod, he continues with, “Maybe we should all play together sometime. I play guitar and bass, and like I said, Brendon plays just about everything, and sings too. Ryan plays too, right?”
It’s possible that Jon’s getting a little overexcited, but the idea of making music with Spencer, with or without Brendon and Ryan, is in his top five things he wants to do with Spencer and only one of two possible group activities from that list (there’s another one in the top ten, but that’s at least a few months away) and he’s not sure that he’s ready for the other.
“Yeah, guitar.”
“Awesome. We should definitely all play some time. Pete and Patrick play too, but they’re in a band and might not want to mess around with us.”
Apparently, Spencer can make even a shrug sexy. “Six would be kind of crowded anyway. I’m not really used to playing with anybody but Ryan. We used to play with another guy, but we kind of drifted apart. I’d like to try playing with you, though.”
Jon’s not imagining the invitation there, but he’s going to ignore it. He doesn’t want something short-lived with Spencer. He wants something serious, and that will be worth the wait. He just hopes Spencer’s willing to wait as well.
“We win!” Brendon crows as he rejoins them, wrapping an arm around Jon’s waist.
“Vicky-T is convinced?”
“No,” Ryan replies. “She got distracted by Greta’s arrival and the chance to flirt. Brendon decided that that’s forfeiting.”
“We win by default!” Brendon insists, grinning widely at Ryan.
“On a technicality. Wouldn’t you rather win because your persuasive arguments and logical reasoning?”
Jon’s not sure if Ryan’s teasing or being scathing, and it’s clear Brendon’s confused too because he tenses a little beside Jon. Spencer saves the day by rolling his eyes at Ryan and saying, “Your arguments are never persuasive or logical. Brendon’s right to be happy about a technical win if he was relying on you for backup,” to which Ryan responds with a monotonous “Fuck you.”
“Brendon, what’s this Jon’s telling me about a concert?” Spencer asks, and Jon shoots a grin at him when Brendon looks surprised and perks up. He’s probably imagining the wink Spencer gives him in response.
***
Ryan is awesome. Pete will have to remember to buy Patrick something extra special for his birthday this year. Maybe a pony. Or a monkey. Something big. Something that says ‘Thank you for hiring Ryan because he is awesome’ and also ‘Thank you for being my best friend’. He usually aims for something that says the latter, but the former is new, and deserves something extra.
Right now, Pete is in a good mood because Ryan is at his place, flicking through his music collection. It is very hard for Pete to stay still when one of his favourite people in the world is nearby, but he’s trying. He’s only seen Ryan a few times outside of work, and he doesn’t want to scare him off.
“What’s this?” Ryan asks as he opens a folder labelled ‘Patrick’ on Pete’s computer.
“That is the best thing ever,” Pete replies seriously. “Songs that remind me of Patrick. It’s my cheer-up album. When you don’t have a Patrick to hug, that’s the next best thing.”
“Huh. And this?” Ryan opens a sub-folder labelled ‘Peterick’.
“Oh, those are songs that Patrick wrote. I give him my words, and he makes music out of them. It’s amazing. He’s so good at it.”
“Huh,” Ryan says again, and Pete’s not sure what that means. He’s about to ask, but suddenly a familiar song pours out of the speakers. Pete beams at Ryan, who smiles back before joining him on the couch. Pete’s not sure that anybody else has ever actually chosen to listen to his Peterick Playlist before (though he’s definitely played it for a lot of people). He’s going to have to keep Ryan.
Pete pulls Ryan close and cuddles up against him, humming along to the music.
“Want to get some food?” Ryan asks, sliding his fingers up under Pete’s shirt. Pete shivers and shakes his head, wriggling closer still. Ryan’s fingers stroke lower and lower, dipping into Pete’s waistband. Pete looks up and Ryan’s looking down at him intently. It’s more than he can stand, and Pete stretches up to catch Ryan’s mouth with his own. A low noise, a hum, and Pete’s not sure if it’s from himself or Ryan, but he doesn’t really care. He’s been wanting this moment for weeks, and he’s finally got Ryan where he wants him, under him on the couch. Ryan’s hands are insistent, pushing at him, and it takes him a moment to realise what’s being asked of him. He pulls away just long enough to strip his shirt off, taking pleasure in the way Ryan’s eyes take him in, note the tattoos and the shape of his body.
The next time Pete dips down to kiss Ryan, he pushes the hat from his head and is almost surprised when Ryan doesn’t make a fuss. He’s so used to Patrick being protective of his hats that he had actually expected some sort of retribution. He pushes his fingers through Ryan’s hair and deepens the kiss, rocking against him gently. Ryan pushes him away again, this time to remove his scarves and his own shirt, and Pete buries his face in Ryan’s neck, fingers stroking against the bare skin of Ryan’s chest.
There are fingers back at his waist now, and Pete turns his head so that the kissing can continue. Kissing’s awesome. It’s one of Pete’s favourite hobbies. Kissing Ryan is definitely something Pete wants to do a lot of. Ryan shifts beneath Pete, and suddenly Pete can feel him and it’s exhilarating. So exhilarating that Pete has to pull away.
“What’s wrong?” Ryan asks, concerned, but the voice is all wrong and Pete can see the lust in his eyes. Pete shakes his head and Ryan strokes down Pete’s back.
“It’s okay. I won’t…we won’t do anymore. Just. Lie down with me. We’ll listen to Patrick and cuddle, okay?”
Pete wants to object, wants to demand more make-outs, but just cuddling and listening to Patrick sounds pretty awesome, actually. He nods and snuggles close to Ryan. He falls asleep with Ryan’s fingers on his back and in his hair.
When he wakes, the place is dark. He tries to speak, but his throat is dry. He coughs and Ryan moves under him.
“Pete?”
That’s not Ryan’s voice. He cranes his neck and finds Patrick sitting in the armchair, looking worried. Pete frowns.
“What are you doing here?” He’s not sure his words are clear, mumbled against Ryan’s shoulder as they are.
“I called him,” Ryan says. “You seemed upset.”
Pete’s not sure whether he wants to hit Ryan or kiss him. It’s true, his head had started to fog up and get messy and unpleasant, and the best thing for him when that happened was for Patrick to be around, but…well, Pete’s mostly shameless, but waking up half-naked and wrapped around another half-naked boy while your best friend sat by worrying about your mental state would be embarrassing for most people, he thinks.
“Thank you,” he says finally, his relief at having Patrick around winning out over any embarrassment.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” Ryan explains. “So I stayed. But if you want me to leave, I will.”
Pete hesitates. He’s comfortable where he is, but Patrick’s right there and nothing, not even hot half-naked boys, beats a hug from Patrick.
Ryan looks over at Patrick. “I think he wants you,” he says, and starts pushing at Pete. Pete grumbles, but lets himself be manoeuvred into a sitting position.
“Here, have a Patrick,” Ryan says, standing up so that Patrick can sit down. Ryan bends down to pick up his shirt, and tosses Pete’s to him.
“I’m going to head home. Look after yourself, Pete. See you tomorrow,” he adds to Patrick as he heads out the door.
“Want to tell me what’s wrong?”
Pete shakes his head and wraps himself around Patrick. There’s a moment where Pete’s sure that Patrick’s going to say something else, but it passes when Patrick rearranges himself so that they’re cuddling properly.
Maybe an elephant.
***
Brendon’s nervous. No, okay, that’s kind of putting it mildly. He’s freaking out, really, and he’s convinced that this whole thing is going to be a disaster. He’s trying not to show it, because of the kids, but Angie, who he’s been teaching for the longest, is looking at him knowingly. He’s actually surprised that she doesn’t seem to be at all worried, especially as it’s her first time in front of an audience, but somehow she’s actually pretty calm.
“Stop freaking out. You’re going to freak all the other kids out, and then it really will be a disaster. It’s going to be awesome.”
Brendon glares at her. “Stop being the grown-up! You’re not allowed to be more mature than I am!”
Angie ignores him, and gives him a hug. “It’s going to be awesome, Brendon.”
Brendon hugs her back, fiercely. “You’re my favourite.”
The door opens and the Baxter twins pour into the room, parents in tow. Brendon forces his anxiety to the back of his mind and flashes a grin at them.
“Hey, guys! You ready?”
Luke looks a little green, so Brendon talks quickly. “Hey, no, you’re going to be so great. You’ve been practicing really hard and you were so good at the rehearsal. This is going to be fun, okay? Don’t worry so much. If you make a mistake, don’t worry. Just keep playing. Nobody will notice, okay? They’ll be too busy being impressed by you!”
The twins nod solemnly, and Brendon pats Luke on the back. “Go set up, okay? You remember everything from the dress rehearsal?”
The twins nod again and head into the green room, clutching their instruments tightly. Brendon catches Angie’s smug look and shoos her after the twins, telling her to make sure they’re under control. He turns to face the Baxters and exchanges pleasantries with them until the next group of kids arrives.
He’s just finished directing the last of the kids into the green room when his phone buzzes. We’re here. We’re taking you out after the show.
Brendon resists the urge to run into the lobby and hug Jon, and heads in to talk to the kids. He runs through the programme again, tells them they’re all going to be great, and gets them ready to go on stage. Angie opens the show with ‘Walking in the Air’, followed by the whole group singing a Disney song. Brendon can’t help mouthing the words from where he stands in the wings, grinning with pride at his kids. He very carefully doesn’t look out at the audience, not wanting to know whether Ryan showed up or not. He’s not sure who was included in Jon’s ‘we’ and doesn’t want to know until after the show. He has enough to worry about. One of the younger kids shyly announces the next act, a duet by the twins on violin. Badly-played violins are the worst sound in the world, but they don’t do too badly, much to Brendon’s relief.
When Angie takes the stage to announce the next act, Brendon catches the look on her face and starts to panic. Sure enough, she announces that their musical director and teacher will be joining them for the next ensemble piece and the rest of the kids start pushing and tugging at him until he’s on stage. He ducks his head and nods at the audience in response to their applause and decides that he’s making Angie learn Rachmaninoff next. He’s not new to performing or anything, he’s been doing it since he was a kid as part of his church choir or with his school, but this is different. He’s being put on the spot by his kids, who are supposed to respect him, not drag him on stage in front of an audience that may or may not contain Ryan Ross and force him to play.
“Am I playing piano or guitar?” he asks Luke, but Angie’s the one who answers him.
“We’re going to play ‘Under the Sea’ for you, and Brendon’s going to sing!”
Brendon is going to scream, really he is. That’s a practice piece. That’s something they’ve been doing to warm up and for fun. It’s not performance-ready and Brendon really, really doesn’t want to do this, but the look on Angie’s face is earnest and happy, and Brendon caves. Damnit. Rachmaninoff’s too easy for the brat. He’s going to find something even harder, if he can. She’s going to pay for this.
When the song finishes, Brendon walks off stage as quickly as he can while maintaining what little dignity he has remaining. It wasn’t the most polished performance of the night, but it probably hadn’t left anybody bleeding from the ears either, which he’s counting as a win. As soon as Angie’s within earshot, he hisses, “So dead,” to her, but she just laughs at him. Brat.
Brendon takes his time after the show, thanking all the kids and their parents, giving out hugs and handshakes and information about private lessons to the parents of kids who’ve been asking. Angie’s the last to leave, her dad showing up ten minutes after everybody else has left and looking harried.
“I’m so sorry, Angie, I got caught up…”
Angie hugs her dad. “The Baxters taped it, and they’re giving me a copy at school tomorrow. We made Brendon sing! We’ll watch it on the weekend.”
Brendon’s maybe not going to make her learn Rachmaninoff after all. She’s kind of amazing, really.
Bob shakes Brendon’s hand and thanks him profusely. Brendon hugs Angie goodbye and thanks her for all her help. She grins at him and just before she hops in the car, she shouts, “I hope he showed up, Brendon!”
Brendon does too, actually.
He switches off the lights and locks up, then heads around to the front to meet Jon. As soon as he sees him, he bursts out laughing. Pete and Jon are both holding huge bouquets of flowers and grinning at him, while Patrick, Spencer and Ryan (Ryan! his brain shouts, jumping up and down pointing, like maybe he missed it) applaud.
Despite his blushing and through his laughter, he manages to pull off professional level bows.
“Thank you so much for showing up, guys. Weren’t they great?”
Jon hugs him, squishing the flowers between them. “You did good, Mouse.” The others chime in their agreement, and Brendon feels warm and elated. Tonight is officially awesome. Jon tells him they’re going to walk up to the main road and get some celebratory food, and leads the way. Ryan falls in beside Brendon and smiles at him.
“I didn’t know you could sing.”
Just when he thought the night couldn’t get any better. “I’m a man of mystery,” he jokes, trying to hide his pleasure. He’s not sure he manages, though, because Ryan looks like he’s trying not to laugh and Brendon’s joke wasn’t very funny, really.
“You’re pretty awesome, Brendon Urie.”
Brendon glows for the rest of the night.
***
If Spencer’s manager were to see him right now, it’s more than likely that she’d take a photo, as visual proof of Spencer’s apparent bitchiness. Spencer knows this, but he can’t keep the frustration off his face. It’s not unwarranted, Spencer feels. After all, he’s been more than patient. He’s gone along with Jon’s pace, even when it’s seemed that snails would move faster. He’s accepted the small gifts, tokens of affection. He’s appreciated Jon acting like a gentleman and treating him like somebody special. He’s flirted and been flirted with. But damnit, if he doesn’t get laid soon, he’s going to fucking kill somebody!
He takes a few deep breaths and tries to calm down. After all, it’s quite flattering that Jon’s treating him with respect, even if he is feeling a little like a heroine from a Jane Austen novel. And he thinks he understands why Jon’s doing it this way. A quick fling would be fun, but Spencer really likes Jon and an actual relationship would be pretty awesome. But haven’t they had a long enough ‘courtship’ by now? It’s been months. Even a Jane Austen heroine would have been married and deflowered by now, surely.
Spencer needs a plan. His hints and innuendoes haven’t been doing the trick. He’s more than ready to move to the next level with Jon. An actual date would be fun. And sure, he could cut through the crap and just ask Jon on a date, but Jon obviously has his own plan, and Spencer doesn’t want to ruin it, exactly. Just…speed things along a little bit. Short of stripping naked and dancing up and down the shopping centre, however, Spencer can’t think of a damn thing, and he’s not sure that would get the response he was after.
Help, he sends to Ryan and only a few seconds pass before he receives a reply.
Make him jealous.
You have the worst plans ever. When has that ever worked? In real life, I mean.
Ryan doesn’t reply and Spencer almost throws his phone across the room in frustration, but holds back.
Help, he sends to Brendon, and hopes the response is as quick as Ryan’s. Also, more helpful.
Talk to him about photography and ask him if he still wants to play with us all sometime I would be happy to come and Ryan would do it for you you’re his best friend I think Jon wants to take your picture or something not in a naughty or a creepy way well probably naughty but not yet ask him how his photography is going.
Spencer’s eyes hurt from the lack of punctuation, but Spencer actually appreciates the advice. As soon as his break rolls around, he heads to the coffee shop and orders a hot chocolate.
“No coffee today?” Jon asks him with a fond smile.
“Nah, I want something sweet. You have five minutes or will I have to drink this by myself?”
Jon exchanges glances with Tom, then starts untying his apron. “I always have time for you, Spencer Smith.”
“Time to play?” Spencer asks, and almost kicks himself for the way it comes out. “I mean, if you’re still interested.” And that was possibly even worse. “I spoke to Brendon and Ryan and they’re up for it. We could just mess around and stuff.” He’s going to have to kill himself. It’s the only option. Jon doesn’t seem to have noticed his unintentional (this time) innuendoes though. Or he’s doing a very good job of ignoring them. Spencer’s not sure which would be worse.
“Yeah, that would be awesome. It’s been a while since I just played with anyone, you know? When are you free?”
“Ryan and I are flexible. We’ll just have to check Brendon out.”
He could probably use one of the ugly yellow ties he’s supposed to be selling as a noose.
“Awesome, I’ll talk to him later.”
“How’s your photography going?” And thank god, that didn’t sound at all suspicious.
“Oh, really well! I have a couple of projects going at the moment, actually. One with Tom and a few on the backburner. Actually, I wanted to talk to you and Ryan about that actually. I have this concept, and you can totally say no, but I just want to follow you both around for a few hours with my camera. You have a really unique friendship and I wanted to see if I could catch it. You’d both have full veto on any photos you didn’t like…would you be interested? Do you think Ryan would be?”
Spencer’s speechless. Jon wants to use him - and Ryan, but him - in a shoot? He’s feeling all warm inside. Damn Jon and his courtship rituals!
“I’ll talk to him,” he promises, and wonders what he’ll have to bribe Ryan with for him to co-operate.
***
Ryan’s buying himself a sandwich when he hears an unfamiliar voice call his name. He turns in the direction of the shout and spots Brendon glaring at his tablemate, a young girl who looks vaguely familiar. Ryan grabs his sandwich and heads over to join them.
“Hi Ryan! I’m Angie.”
“Hi Angie, nice to meet you,” Ryan says, shooting a look at Brendon. Brendon’s looking incredibly uncomfortable, so Ryan takes a seat beside Angie and unwraps his sandwich.
He’s just taken his first bite when he remembers where he’s seen the girl before. He almost chokes on his mouthful as he swallows. “You were at Brendon’s show. You played piano and trumpet, right?”
Angie beams up at him. “That’s right! I‘ve been taking lessons from Brendon. He’s a really good teacher.”
“Yeah, well, you’re probably a good student. You’re very talented.”
“Thank you!”
Angie keeps glancing from Brendon to Ryan and back again. She probably thinks she’s being subtle, Ryan muses. Brendon looks mortified.
“What brings you here today?” Ryan asks.
“I have a lesson this afternoon. We don’t have a piano at home, so Brendon takes me to Ray’s place. I’m not allowed to go there without him though, and mama couldn’t drop me off any later, so I’m hanging out with Brendon at work. Victoria said it was okay, as long as I didn’t try to help.”
Ryan’s not really sure that that’s such a good idea, but a glance at Brendon shows him shaking his head minutely, so Ryan shrugs it off.
“Are you having fun so far?’
Angie wrinkles her nose and shakes her head. “Not really. I’m supposed to stick by Boost where Brendon can see me, so I can’t looks around much. I’ve got some homework to do though, and Brendon keeps making me juice for free, which is cool.” Angie turns to Brendon. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Don’t take too long. I don’t want to have to ask Vicky-T to go looking for you.”
Ryan watches Angie leave then turns back to Brendon, eyebrows raised.
“Don’t start. Her dad, Bob, works two jobs just to keep them fed and clothed. He can’t afford a babysitter.”
“She seems kind of old for a babysitter.”
“She’s only eleven. She’s a pretty mature eleven, but she’s still a kid.”
Brendon’s looking kind of defensive, so Ryan just nods. “If you have time, maybe you could take her to the pet shop? Pete’s working today. He might let her hold the puppies.”
Brendon’s eyes light up. “Dude, that’s awesome! Nobody doesn’t love puppies!”
“Wow, you just completely butchered the English language right there.”
“Shut up - we can’t all be writers.”
It’s kind of scary how much more than usual Ryan wants to smile when Brendon’s around. He’s just an amusing guy.
“Her dad’s kind of protective, right?” Ryan asks, changing the subject again.
“Yeah. From some of the things Angie’s said, I think there was some bad stuff with her mother. Bob stayed for the first ten lessons or something before he’d trust me alone with her. I think he feels guilty for not being able to be around more.”
“Hmm. I was going to suggest that she could come hang at the tea shop. We’ve got a back room and the internet and stuff, so she’d be more entertained and easier to keep an eye on, but it probably wouldn’t go down too well with her dad.”
Ryan looks up from his sandwich to find Brendon staring at him. “What?”
Brendon shakes his head. “Just. I mean. That’s a really awesome offer. I wish I could take you up on it. I think she’d enjoy it more than sitting around in the middle of the centre. I really appreciate it.”
Ryan shrugs, a little uncomfortable with the way Brendon’s looking at him. “She seems like a pretty cool kid.”
“I know, right?” Brendon agrees with a laugh. “I wish I’d been that cool at her age!”
“You should maybe wish you were cool now!” Ryan teases.
“Harsh. Very harsh.”
Ryan glances over to see Angie half-skipping back to them and grins. “She could almost be your sister, you know.”
“Huh?”
“She’s really happy and energetic. She reminds me of you.”
Angie drops back into her seat breathlessly. “What did I miss?”
“I was just telling Brendon that you could give him lessons in being cool in return for your music lessons.”
Angie and Brendon both start laughing, and Ryan finds himself smiling too. “I’m going to leave you two to enjoy your lunch, now. I hope your lesson goes well, Angie. Make sure Brendon behaves himself!”
Ryan’s phone buzzes on his way to see Spencer. You’re good with kids. Angie thinks you’re awesome.
Spencer has a younger sister I practiced on. Angie’s cooler. Don’t tell Spencer I told you that.
Part Three