Sing Sweet and Morning Glory [Ryden standalone, flipflopia verse, PG]
Title: Sing Sweet And Morning Glory
Author: silver_etoile
Rating: PG
Pairing: Ryan/Brendon
POV: Third
Disclaimer: This doesn't exist, for which I am desperately sad.
Summary: All fairy tales have a happy ending, but sometimes they continue on after. Part 5 of the Flipflopia verse. (In case you missed it, The Legend of the Golden Shoes is now up).
A/N: I'm skipping class so you better review. no, jk ;] that class was boring me to death and in my defense, i made it over two months without skipping :]
*
Ryan wakes up alone in his tiny bunk. He can feel the familiar rumble of the bus underneath him as they roll over the countryside. His curtains are closed and flutter as the bus hits a bump and Ryan mumbles into his pillow, wondering for a second just why there is no one beside him.
The night before had ended well enough, with a careful kiss from Brendon and him sliding into Ryan’s bunk, on Ryan’s shy invitation.
Ryan remembers how it felt to finally have Brendon slide in behind him, warm arms wrapped around his waist and the warm fluttering of Brendon’s breath on the back of his neck.
Now, everything is hopelessly empty and Ryan doesn’t really like it.
Lifting his head slightly, he looks around. The very small other side of the bunk is rumpled, but Brendon is gone. He turns around, but something bright pink catches his attention, a post-it stuck to the wall.
Curious, he plucks it from the marbled metal.
Confused, Ryan recognizes Brendon’s untidy scrawl across the bright pink post-it. Rolling over again, he fumbles for his curtain, only to have another post-it fall as he pulls it open. The pink square flutters down onto his side and he grasps for it, turning it over and reading.
Ryan makes a confused face and sticks the two post-its together, climbing out of bed and looking around.
Spencer and Jon’s bed curtains are still pulled but Brendon’s bunk is empty. The sheets don’t look mussed as Ryan looks. Shrugging, he turns and takes a step towards the living area, but stops as he steps on a little crumpled pink paper.
Hardly surprised by now, he bends down and picks it up from the floor.
Ryan stares and then smiles after a second.
He and Brendon haven’t discussed anything about the night before. He doesn’t know if it was a fluke brought on by exhaustion from the tour and the late hour, the glow and glitter of the fairy tale Brendon had so thoughtfully invented.
Ryan isn’t sure what to make of it and now Brendon is nowhere to be found.
Looking around, he searches for any more pink post-its, only to catch sight of one on the wall by the doorway to the living area.
Sighing almost to himself, he heads over and peels it off.
Ryan smiles at Brendon’s misspelling of “joyous” and adds the post-it to the growing pile in his hand.
He stands in the bunk area, still in his pajamas with the sounds of Spencer’s deep breathing and Jon’s occasional snuffle emanating from the other beds.
Deciding not to immediately search for Brendon, Ryan heads to the little drawer that holds his clothes. Rummaging through it, he is surprised to find another pink square stuck to his favorite button-down shirt.
Laughing to himself, Ryan peels it off and picks out the shirt, changing into it and not bothering with shoes.
Turning from his drawer, he finds two more successive post-its stuck to the cabinet to his left.
Grinning, Ryan tucks the notes along with the rest and wanders back through the bunk area. He doesn’t hear anything aside from the low rumble of the bus as he makes his way to the lounge area.
Brendon isn’t in here either and Ryan pauses. It’s not a huge bus and there isn’t much place to hide unless Brendon has somehow climbed up front with Zack and the driver.
Shaking his head, Ryan looks around, knowing there has to be more post-its somewhere.
He’s not surprised at finding one stuck to the arm of the couch.
Ryan smiles, remembering the story. He wonders if Brendon has thought about this before. Maybe Flipflopia and the prince and princess have always existed and he just didn’t know it. He wonders why Brendon had never brought it up before. It would make for some interesting songs.
Then Ryan remembers when Brendon had come to him with an idea for a song about the day and the night falling in love. Pausing, he wonders if maybe he just hasn’t been paying close enough attention, too wrapped up in his own worries about Brendon.
Another post-it follows the last, this one stuck to one of the pillows still stuffed into a corner from the night before when they had sprawled across the couch.
Ryan’s eyes are drawn to the scattered cans of Red Bull littering the floor and he can’t help smiling.
The next flash of pink he finds is stuck haphazardly to the video game controller, barely sticking to the red button as it curls up and away.
Ryan hates dancing and usually lets Brendon do it on stage, but he can’t deny that if Brendon wanted to dance with him, he might just.
Looking around, Ryan is sure there are more post-its. It’s not unlike Brendon to do something like this. One time, he labeled everything on the bus with bright green post-its, although the majority of them had fallen off the next day.
Ryan finds another pink post-it stuck to the television screen and he bends down to pluck it off.
Ryan nearly scoffs but stops himself as he looks around for Brendon. He still doesn’t see him, and can’t see anymore post-its, so he continues on his way to the kitchen.
Past the bathroom, he stops as he finds a post-it staring him face to face on the bathroom door.
Ryan wants to know what the gift is, but doesn’t see anymore notes and hopes they didn’t fall off somewhere as post-its are apt to do. Pausing for a second, he stares at the latest post-it.
He takes a second and then pushes the little button to the bathroom door, swinging it open.
The bathroom on the bus is tiny and yet somehow, they managed to shove in a shower next to the sink and toilet.
Ryan is rewarded for his curiousity with a bright pink note stuck to the sink.
Ryan’s face breaks into a smile and he’s glad Spencer isn’t awake to see this because of the doubtless endless teasing he would receive.
Adding the last post-it to the pile, he searches for more and is strangely surprised to find one clinging to the shower head.
Ryan frowns, wondering exactly where this story is going as he turns around in the tiny space, squeezing past the toilet only to stop at the post-it stuck to the inside door handle.
Ryan grabs the post-it and pushes out of the bathroom, continuing down the hall to the kitchen area. He thinks he finally hears something, someone rummaging in the cupboard for cereal.
He’s so focused on finding Brendon that he almost misses the pink blotch on the wall next to the doorway.
Taking a step back, he pulls it from the wall, smiling as he reads it.
Ryan tucks this post-it with the rest and proceeds to the kitchen where he finds Brendon on his tip toes reaching into the highest cupboard.
Brendon stops as he hears Ryan enter, though, and sinks back down, turning and greeting him with a smile.
“Bren-” Ryan starts to say, but Brendon just sticks out a hand, a pink post-it stuck to it.
Frowning, Ryan takes it carefully, reading.
Ryan stares and lets out a breath. Glancing up, he meets Brendon’s eyes.
Brendon is smiling, his hair tousled from sleep still and Ryan wonders how long he’s been awake. His hand is clasped around the milk bottle and he doesn’t say anything as Ryan stands in the kitchen, the little pile of post-its held in his hand as he tries to think of what to say.
Ryan is trying to think of something intelligent to say, something that will make all this make sense.
Instead, all he comes up with is, “Do you believe in happily ever after?”
Brendon’s smile widens and he takes a step towards Ryan, his hand leaving the milk. “You know I do. Do you believe in happy endings?”
Ryan nods after a second. “Bren, about last night…”
“I like to think,” Brendon says, interrupting Ryan, “that fairy tales don’t have to be all like Disney, with the helpless princess and prince to the rescue. I think we need to modernize them.”
“Yeah?”
Brendon nods, slipping the post-its from Ryan’s hand and holding up the last one again.
“But that doesn’t mean there can’t be a happy ending.”
Ryan stares at Brendon and he knows that Brendon truly does believe and maybe he understands.
Ryan smiles then and takes back the post-it. “Have you always wanted a fairy tale life?”
“Since I was three,” Brendon replies sincerely. “And I almost have it.”
“What are you missing?”
Brendon just smiles. “My prince.”
Ryan pauses. “Well, I know I’m no knight in shining armor, but do you think I’d do?”
Brendon grinned. “I think you’d do just fine, Prince Ryan.”
Ryan doesn’t even try to suppress his smile as Brendon slides forward, placing a careful kiss on his lips.
“And we are so going to live happily ever after,” Brendon whispers against his lips. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“My hero,” Ryan muses, sliding his arms over Brendon’s shoulders and letting the post-its flutter to the counter beside them.
*
FIN.