BBB 2011: Stay With Me (Go Places) [Ryan/Spencer, PG13] Part Two
Stay With Me (Go Places) - Part Two
[ Masterpost | Part One | Part Two | Mix | Art | DW | AO3 ]
He was hopelessly lost, and had been for ages. He wasn’t sure if it was that the hedges were still moving randomly or if all the paths looked the same. The only distinguishing feature Ryan knew to look out for were swarms of flying flower-dwellers.
So he was surprised when the path he was following opened up into a little grove of trees, not a hedge to be seen. At the center of the grove was an ancient well.
Ryan approached the well and looked down. He felt thirst parch his throat as he gazed at the water. It looked beautiful and clean and delicious. He hadn't had anything to drink since before his life had turned sideways on its head. Pete’s food earlier had put him off trying to eat anything the Underground produced, but he’d be more careful this time. And well, Ryan was a growing boy.
He set to figuring out how to lower the bucket on the rope and in good order managed to draw a pail of water. Ryan was proud of himself. Finally, something that he could do. He cupped his hands in the water and drank. He belatedly hoped that the Underground didn't operate on the same principles as Hades. Ryan would hate to be stuck down here because of something as simple as water, but it didn't really matter --if Ryan wasn't getting out of this crazy place, neither was Spencer, and he needed to get to the heart of the maze before he started worrying about being a modern day Persephone.
It was water, and unlike anything else he had encountered so far, exactly as it seemed. This put him in a better mood. Not everything was governed by double talk and illusion. He cupped his hands in the pail to take another drink. This time his fingers encountered rough objects at the bottom of the pail, and he pulled one out, carefully.
In his hand was a green stone with a shiny finish. Of course it would be shiny, Ryan thought bitterly. Everything in this place was a freaking masterpiece. He sighed, rolling the rock around his palm absently. Brendon probably used these to juggle. It was cool to the touch, but as he drew a finger over it, Ryan felt an electric shock go through his body, and he automatically dropped it back into the pail.
"Shit," He muttered.
Without thinking about it too much, Ryan reached into the water again and took out a different stone. This one was a watery blue with quartz flecks. He touched it delicately with the tips of his fingers.
And he was transported.
He saw:
Spencer sitting in a great hall, his chair set next to an ornate carved throne, speckled with rhinestones and swirling patterns. He looked whole and unhurt, and for once the sigh that Ryan couldn’t control was one of relief.
Sure, the hall needed a good cleaning and the goblins had definitely chewed on the furniture, but they didn't look that scary -- they actually Ryan reminded of watching Chamber of Secrets with Jackie and Crystal, and having Mrs. Smith make them huge bowls of popcorn.
Ryan tried to reach Spencer, but he was as insubstantial as a breeze. Trying to move was more frustrating than treading water during PE. All his desperate motions got him no closer to the end of the hall. If only he had some way of talking to him. He wanted to tell Spencer that things would be fine, Ryan was almost to the center of the Labyrinth, not to worry.
Ryan wouldn't have believed any of those platitudes, and he had been years out of practice at lying to Spencer anyhow.
It was just as well.
Besides, Spencer loved horror movies. He had seen things plenty more horrifying than small, energetic creatures attempting to line dance. What Ryan could make out of his expression was more “you are a scourge upon my eyeballs” and less “get me out of here!” so that was reassuring.
But it would make Ryan feel better to say something, anything. So he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Spence! We're going to get out of here!"
No one seemed to hear him, but that was no surprise over the raucous carousing of the goblins. For a moment, Spencer had looked in his direction, and it seemed suddenly possible --wasn't this a land of magic? --that two people could make eye contact when one of them was invisible. Maybe...
And Ryan found himself once more sitting by the well, dripping water down his shirt. The blue stone was nowhere to be found.
Had that really happened? His hands shook as he scrabbled at the bottom of the bucket. This time he had retrieved three rocks: the green one that had shocked him before, a jagged red one, and one that looked like an amethyst. He gingerly touched that one first.
Again, Ryan was inside the rooms of the castle. The tapestries were grand and laced with cobwebs. Suits of armor lined the corridor. Many of them had been embellished with paint and drawings. Ryan could make out tiny palm prints on the legs.
He saw a bit of daylight sneaking in through the grimy windows and tried to move, but that part hadn't changed. Ryan would just have to wait until something happened, or it wore off.
He found himself starting to sigh and abruptly cut himself off. He didn't have time for that.
The door opened at the end of the passageway and Spencer came out, looking breathless.
Ryan’s heart started racing. Was Spencer all right? Was he trying to escape?
Brendon followed Spencer out the door, laughing. He didn’t look at all upset. In fact, neither did Spencer. They looked like they had done something thrilling together -pulled off the world’s most exciting caper. Their eyes were sparkling with merriment.
“I can’t believe you taught the goblins how to do the chicken dance. Now they’ll never stop,” Brendon was saying.
“It’s an exotic thing where I come from. Totally the rage all over. And if they never stop, then then the furniture will be safe. It’s a win-win.” Spencer, Ryan realized abruptly, was leaning into Brendon’s personal space. And Brendon was leaning right back.
No, I don’t want to see this. Ryan shut his eyes and tried not to listen to the giggling and soft whispers. Mercifully, they left out another door.
And a short wait later, Ryan was gone too.
Well, that figured. Of course Brendon would be attracted to Spencer. Spencer was exactly the sort of person Brendon needed to handle unruly goblins. Why would he want to waste his time on someone like Ryan? It had probably been hours since Brendon had last been around. He was probably too busy waltzing with Spencer on the castle lawn. Miserably, Ryan jabbed himself in the palm with the red rock without meaning to.
He was standing at a vanity mirror, and Brendon was sitting in the chair in front of it, talking to someone.
“But, Gerard,” Brendon was whining. Ryan didn’t think it was cute. “I didn’t have a choice. He wished Spencer away to the goblins. I can’t just ignore that sort of thing. It’s the reason my family left me behind.” Ryan couldn’t tell if Brendon’s tragic tone was all for show, but he certainly sounded sincere.
“I’m not telling you to ignore your duty, Your Highness,” Gerard said. He paused, for effect, and pointed accusingly at Brendon. “But how did Ryan even know about the goblins? Nearly all of those books aged past repair more than thirty years ago. We haven’t even issued a new edition. Tell me you didn’t drop that book right into his lap!”
Brendon squirmed in his chair. He crushed his hat nervously. “I can’t,” he said in a small voice.
Gerard looked disappointed and unsurprised. “I know you’ve been watching him for some time now, Your Highness, but what you did was wrong. Ryan might need help, might have asked for help -but he didn’t mean to ask for our help. There’s-“
Brendon interrupted him. “I know! I wish I hadn’t done it, now. I was so bored and lonely, and he’s so -“ He cut himself off, pausing to take a shaky breath. “I like him a lot, Gerard. I just wanted to talk to him.”
Ryan never was any good at watching other people cry, and apparently that extended to Goblin Princes who kidnapped his friends. He turned to look at the mirror so he wouldn’t have to see Gerard trying to comfort Brendon.
He stared fixedly into the mirror. And then he realized what he was looking at.
All around the edges were pictures of Ryan. He remembered taking those photographs, some at parties, some at school events, some with the Smiths. Brendon had inserted himself into every single one.
Sometimes Brendon’s hands were around photo-Ryan’s waist, sometimes Brendon would sneak his head under a raised arm, but in all of them, they were touching. Brendon had the goofiest expressions on his face, but photo-Ryan was completely unbothered. It was almost comical.
Under one picture of Brendon holding Ryan close there were glittery letters reading “Practicing for prom!” with a series of multicolored hearts at the end.
Ryan wanted to laugh and scream, but choosing either would have been too limiting. He wrenched his attention back to where Gerard had laid a comforting hand on Brendon’s shoulders and was murmuring platitudes and advice.
“You can’t keep them here. They have families. It goes against the entire principle of the Underground, the centuries of protection.” Gerard was saying.
Brendon looked even more downcast. “I know. But, how do I make sure Ryan and Spencer go home? I can’t mess with the spell too much. It might rebel.”
“Oh.” Gerard’s pensive face melted into relief quickly. “Mikey will fix it.”
The two of them turned to look at a tall, thin man who was sitting on the window sill. Ryan hadn’t realized there was another person there.
Mikey waved a negligent hand. “Sure,” he said flatly. “I’ll get a unicorn on it.”
“It’s a Possibility Well,” Pete said from behind him. Ryan started out of the vision. Could no one in this kingdom make noise when they walked? Or popped into existence?
Ryan didn’t bother to reply. Pete had shown his true colors already.
“Everything you see in there, might have happened, might be going to happen, might never happen. So whatever you’re so bummed about, cheer up.” Pete tossed the rest of the water and rocks back down the well and sat down next to Ryan.
“You’re an asshole.” Ryan said.
“I am what I am,” Pete said calmly. “Sometimes I’m an asshole. But right now I’m here to apologize. If you really were a thoughtless person who didn’t deserve his friend, you would have been stuck in that illusion way after the thirteen hour countdown. So I’m sorry, and I’m going to take you to someone who can actually set you on the right path.”
Ryan gave him a look.
“Oh, come on. I’m not that questionable a character. Let’s go.” Pete started walking back toward the hedges.
Well, thought Ryan, it can get worse, but I’ll chance it.
They turned a few corners and hopped a low fence. Ryan swore it looked familiar, even though every hedge was basically the same. It was when he noticed a pixie nibbling on a piece of bread that he realized why.
“Wait. Pete, this is your “tricky section” again. What the hell.” Ryan never wanted to be back here. He eyed the remains of the sandwich warily.
Pete looked baffled. “Well of course it is. Trick lives here. He’s the Wizard who’ll help you get to the castle.”
~~~~
Pete hadn’t bothered knocking when they’d reached a shabby hut, so Ryan assumed the large DO NOT ENTER sign on the door was a suggestion.
He revised this assumption when Pete screamed and was attacked by a bear. Ryan had a foot out the door before he realized that the screams were actually squeals of joy.
“You remembered to get out my suit! You’re the best, Trick,” Pete was saying, cradling what was, in fact, a plush bear mascot outfit.
The only other person in the room was bent over a table, carefully putting an accordion back together. He ignored the cooing noises Pete was making with an ease that Ryan could only envy.
What had appeared to be a shabby hut from outside was actually a cozy musical workshop. Instruments of all kinds rested on shelves. The soft sound of chimes swaying above Pete’s head reminded Ryan of the ticking of a clock.
Ryan cleared his throat. “Um? Can we talk about my problem? I’m on a schedule.” Both men turned to look at him.
“A pet project, Pete? I thought we agreed you would stop that.” Trick murmured.
“I need something to do to while away the hours when you’re busy or away, Tricksy.”
Trick carefully set down the mechanism he was cleaning and said, “I’m so sorry, Ryan.” He rolled his eyes in Pete’s direction. “I’m Patrick. And you want to get to the castle.”
“Right.”
Patrick nodded. “If you open the back door, you’ll be able to cut through the Forest. It’s not the best option, but you’re running out of time.” He waved an arm at the back wall and there was a door there that hadn’t existed a moment before. Ryan tried not to look too surprised
The door swung open, but it was so dark outside that Ryan couldn’t see anything at all. He willed his eyes to adjust, and eventually he made out the rough outlines of trees.
“Stick to the path, that way all you have to do is keep on going straight,” Patrick advised. “And stay out of the dark.”
Ryan looked out into the woods. There was nothing but dark.
“You’ll make it,” Patrick warned. “You don’t have another choice.”
~~~~
Ryan tried to keep to the path, he really did. But distinguishing dirt path from just plain dirt proved impossible after the first hundred yards.
That and the woods are really creepy.
At first, Ryan had thought it was just the normal sounds of a forest. Wind rustling branches. Squirrels eating. Birds building their nests. But what began as a soft background hum rose in volume to become hurried whispers, snatches of conversations, and grumbling. The words were unintelligible, which only made it worse. Ryan felt like he should be able to understand.
And then Ryan started hearing his name.
Ryan, sighed the wind through the branches. The leaves joined in the chorus. GEoRGE! croaked a contrary toad.
Stumbling away from the voices, Ryan beat back at the thick branches and forced his way forward. His pant leg caught in an upraised root and he fell to the ground, stunned.
As he tried to regain his calm, the clock tolled three times. Only three hours left. The damp ground seeped through Ryan’s shirt.
Even if I lose, Spencer won’t be a goblin. I’ll just be a visitor forever. Ryan thought. There is the chance that Brendon might feel bad about it.
NoPE! croaked the toad.
“Shut up! I don’t care what you think!” Ryan rolled to his knees. “I am getting out of here, even if it takes forever.”
Ribbit, said the toad.
“That’s right.” Ryan declared, getting to his feet. Something nudged him in the back. He froze, a catalogue of nightmare creatures running through his mind.
Whatever it was nudged him again, more insistently.
Steeling himself, he turned slowly. He was still completely unprepared.
It’s possible, he thought. He felt his mouth turn up in a smile. It’s totally fucking possible.
Right in front of him was a warm, real unicorn.
~~~~
Ryan had left all apprehension behind him in the Forest by the time the unicorn stopped at the castle doors. Ryan slid off its back and patted it on the nose. The clock tower read 2:22.
“Thank you so much. And thank Mikey for me,” he said.
The unicorn butted his shoulder in response and galloped off, as silently as it had come.
“Okay,” he muttered to himself. “Showtime.”
He opened the door, expecting whatever was waiting inside to be the biggest obstacle yet. It swung open creakily, the hinges protesting every inch. A pair of chirping bluebirds flew out.
Ryan took a deep breath and went inside.
The entrance hall was echoingly empty, like the city had been before it. Ryan pushed down his trepidation and walked across, footsteps echoing hollowly.
“Hello?” he called, uncertainly.
“Hi Ryan,” Brendon replied. Ryan tripped, but didn’t fall. He pivoted to look at Brendon.
“Hi,” Ryan croaked back. Brendon blended into the wall with a black waistcoat and cravat. His hat was askew and dejected. His face looked pale -naked without the company of colorful flashes that had trailed after him-- and his eyes weren’t laughing anymore. There were no dancing flickers of light illuminating his face. “I’m here for Spencer.” Ryan added, even more unsure now in the face of Brendon’s obvious depression.
“I know,” Brendon looked up to meet Ryan’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Ryan.” He moved away from the wall, and pasted on a smile. “I’ve behaved badly. Please believe that I never meant to hurt you. Or Spencer. I never would have hurt Spencer.”
“Then why…” do all this, Ryan finished in his head.
“I wanted your attention all to myself for a while. My family,” Brendon bit his lip. “They’ve been gone ever since I was old enough to be recognized as a Master of the Labyrinth. They write, of course, but we are very bad at keeping track of time down here, so I might get a letter every decade. I don’t have many friends my age.” Brendon shook his head as though to brush away old hurts.
“What I did was inexcusable. I manipulated you into coming here. I should have asked.”
Ryan looked at Brendon’s thin shoulders and the earnest line of his mouth and made a decision.
“I forgive you. Just answer me one question.” Brendon looked up, hopeful.
“Do you really have a collection of pictures of me?”
Brendon blushed furiously. “I’ll get rid of them!” he exclaimed.
The woebegone expression on Brendon’s face was too much for Ryan. He burst out laughing.
“No! No! Keep them. It’s alright!” He couldn’t stop the mirth from bubbling over. Every time he stopped to catch his breath, he looked at Brendon’s rueful face and started again.
“Thank you.” Brendon’s smile was wide and cheery, and filled the hall with sunshine.
He reached for Ryan’s hand, and asked, “Will you let me take you to Spencer?”
“Yes,” Ryan responded, and held on.
~~~~
Spencer was waiting for them, and pounced on Ryan the moment he saw them. Ryan was engulfed in Spencer’s arms and put as much emotion in it as he dared.
After a long moment, Spencer pulled away and looked at Ryan oddly. Ryan realized he had been hugging Spencer while still holding Brendon’s hand. He tried to disengage casually, and Brendon let him.
Spencer must have understood the intense mortification Ryan was feeling, because he just laughed and said, “It’s been a hell of a weird day.”
Brendon nodded his agreement. “You’ll need to go up a few more flights of stairs to get to the Challenge Room. You won’t miss it. Good luck, you two.” And with a smile, Brendon vanished in one last puff of flashy sparkles.
~~~~
They held hands up the stairs. Ryan needed to be sure of Spencer’s presence, and Spencer seemed to want the same.
“You know,” Spencer began, as they searched, “There’s something about this place. Everybody looks so familiar. I don’t know why.”
Ryan looked at him sharply; he had just been thinking the same thing.
“Except for the goblins,” Spencer continued. “They look like nothing I’ve ever seen. Did you know that they regularly do the Macarena?”
Ryan paused on the steps and looked at him again. “You’re joking,” he accused.
“Yes,” said Spencer proudly. “I am.” He raised an eyebrow. Ryan’s smile grew so wide his cheeks hurt. It was worth it.
There was one room left, and when they peered inside it was filled with clocks, all ticking down from 1:18.
“Well,” Spencer said. “This is it.”
“What now,” Ryan wondered. The room was waiting for something. They didn’t have a lot of time. He needed to get them out of here before people noticed they were both missing.
Spencer kissed him on the cheek. Words flooded into his brain, as he looked at Spencer’s flushed face. He’d never met that look head on -he admitted now that he’d gone out of his way to avoid it.
"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City -" Ryan began. “To take back the child you have stolen. For my will is as great, and my kingdom as powerful.”
It wasn’t complete, there was a piece missing. Spencer’s blue eyes urged him on and his mouth opened: “Things will change for me, and that’s okay.”
A clock chimed thirteen times and melted the world.
~~~~
Spencer shook him awake. “Hey sleepyhead, wake up.”
Almost before he was aware, Ryan pulled Spencer down to the couch with him and hugged him urgently, checking to see everything was fine.
Spencer tentatively hugged him back. “Ryan? Are you okay?” He didn’t sound upset.
“What? I was just. I was making sure. Don’t you remember?” Ryan couldn’t gather his thoughts together.
“Remember what?” Spencer’s voice was perfectly normal.
Ryan felt desperation clawing at him, and felt cheated. Why wouldn’t Spencer know? Had it all been a crazy dream? “I’ve got to go,” he said abruptly, untangling himself from Spencer on the couch and running for the door.
He heard Spencer calling after him, but what he needed was to go home.
~~~~
He watched the clock. He’d tried watching his band posters, but the stubborn faces all seemed to stare at him accusingly.
Midnight. 12:30 AM. 1:12 AM. 1:44 AM. At 2:22 AM he rolled over and something dug into his side right under the hip. What the fuck… He reached a hand into his pocket and felt an almost-electric thrill. He jerked his hand back violently.
Again, he reached into his pocket; this time braced for the odd feeling and wrapped his fingers around the object. There was a cloud of glittery powder as he pulled his hand out, and there, in his palm, was a beautifully glossy pink quartz, like the ones found at the bottom of creek beds or for sale at museum gift shops.
It winked in the red light from Ryan’s alarm clock. Ryan stared at it. He was forgetting something. Something important. A long time ago, someone had dispensed a little priceless wisdom. Ryan could almost hear it. He balanced the rock between his fingers and slowly, oh so slowly, lifted it up to his ear.
Oh honey, a voice said earnestly, how about next time you want something someone else has to give you, you just ask?
“Oh my god,” Ryan said, shocked into speaking aloud. “What am I doing here?”
~~~~
He’d thrown himself out the door and run the blocks to the Smith house. But now Spencer’s window wasn’t open. He looked fruitlessly around for a branch, a rock, something to throw up there. Their backyard was so obnoxiously well-maintained!
Out of options, he threw the quartz at the window. It resonated with a hollow thwack. Ryan waited, hopeful.
After what felt like forever, Spencer rolled open the window and glared blearily down at Ryan. That sleepy glare was a work of art. Maybe Spencer would teach it to him. After he forgave him for being slow.
“I’m coming up,” Ryan announced. He heard the low mumble of a “that’s what she said” drift his way on the night breeze. He wondered if the trellis would hold his weight. Trellises were surely more romantic than drain pipes or ladders? Ryan wasn’t sure if he trusted trees yet.
The creak of the front door interrupted his thoughts. “Get in here,” Spencer said, yawning. “You always forget you have a key at three in the morning.”
Ryan was glad Spencer couldn’t see in the dark. “I knew that.”
Spencer merely grabbed Ryan’s hand and tugged him inside. They held hands through the house and said nothing. They said nothing through the living room and nothing up the stairs and Ryan remembered another hand, other passageways, other stairs, leading him to the one place he most wanted to be.
He was already there.
They faced each other in Spencer’s still-dark room, and it wasn’t awkward or forced. They had been here so many times before, singing their favorite songs, reciting lines of half-remembered jokes, or whispering secrets to the ceiling. This would be easier than all that.
“Spencer. Spence,” He looked down at where he could make out the vague outline of their hands held together. “I’m sorry I’ve been so weird lately. But I’m not here about that really. I just. I need to ask you something.” He caught himself. “No, I need to tell you something.”
He paused. Dream or not, Ryan had finally learned the value of breathing. “I’ve always thought you were a cool kid, Spence. Way too awesome to really want to be my best friend. And lately I figured out that I like you as more than my best friend. But I wasn’t sure if. Would you like to be my awesome boyfriend?”
Spencer’s smile was enough of answer before he said, “Yeah, I’ll be your ridiculously cool boyfriend. Make all your friends jealous.”
Their lips met in the dark. Ryan kept breaking off to smile. It was perfect.
“Come to bed, Ryan.” Spencer tugged on their hands. “Some of us have to rest up for Spirit Friday.”
And they fell asleep, trading sleepy kisses in the dark, so much better than any of Ryan’s dreams.
~~~~
The next morning he borrowed a set of Spencer’s uniform pants and stole another shirt. It was like any other day at the Smith house. No one even blinked at Ryan’s sudden appearance at the breakfast table. Mrs. Smith just put an extra pancake on his plate and asked if he had had a good night.
For once, Ryan was blushing too furiously to respond. Spencer brushed a hand against Ryan’s knee because he was a sneaky opportunist.
“Ryan can’t wait to get his last Homecoming over with, Mom. He’s becoming an old man.” Spencer said, straight-faced.
Revenge would be sweet.
~~~~
The Gorman Gaels won the football game by narrow margin, which pleased everyone. Ryan had spent all of the game covertly holding Spencer’s hand and laughing at his disgruntled expression when halftime came and Spencer had to put the hat back on. The hat itself was truly hideous -bright blue with a fluffy orange crest on top - so Ryan made sure to take extra pictures.
The Panthers’ marching band looked less laughable in their green outfits and black hats, but there had been a spontaneous breakout of cartwheeling in the percussion section as they left the field at the halftime break. Clumsy Guy hadn’t knocked any chairs over or precipitated any minor disaster, so Ryan wasn’t sure if he had come with the group at all.
But later, when the game was over and Ryan had momentarily lost sight of Spencer in the mandatory swell of the spirit boosters to embrace the team, it turned out Clumsy Guy was there, after all. He was talking animatedly with Spencer, waving his hat around for emphasis. Ryan’s steps slowed down as he approached. He was experiencing the oddest tug of familiarity in his stomach. A tuba blocked his view.
He heard the sound of Spencer’s laughter and could just make out the sight of Clumsy Guy’s red sneakers in the air as he did a handstand.
“Ryan!” Spencer waved him over, so Ryan stopped staring like an idiot. Clumsy Guy turned around to look in the direction of Spencer’s hand.
Ryan made himself move forward and join them.
“Hey, this is Brendon,” Spencer was saying as Brendon performed another cartwheel on the grass. Brendon popped up, beaming.
“Your shoes really don’t go with the rest of your outfit.” Ryan said automatically. Spencer and Brendon burst out laughing.
“I know!” Brendon said tragically, but he was still smiling brightly. “But wearing the uniform boots totally gets me down - they’re that horrible. I need my sneakers for dancing.” He demonstrated a quick two-step in place, and then stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Brendon Urie.”
“Ryan Ross,” He said, shaking Brendon’s hand. “You’re on drums, right?”
Brendon looked delighted to be recognized. “Yes! One of the many loves of my musical life.”
Spencer looked like he had just had a brilliant idea. Ryan would find out later.
“So are you guys going to the dance after this?” Brendon asked, looking
“I’m not sure,” Spencer said, lifting an eyebrow at Ryan. “Are we going to be social tonight?”
“We didn’t buy tickets to the dance,” Ryan felt a smile start to curl up from his heart. “But come with us anyhow.”
And if Ryan saw something glittering just out of sight, he chose to believe it was the reflection of the stadium lights off of Brendon’s answering grin.
*THE END*
Have a look at the art and music too! Leave them some love.
[ Masterpost | Part One | Part Two | Mix | Art | DW | AO3 ]
[ Masterpost | Part One | Part Two | Mix | Art | DW | AO3 ]
He was hopelessly lost, and had been for ages. He wasn’t sure if it was that the hedges were still moving randomly or if all the paths looked the same. The only distinguishing feature Ryan knew to look out for were swarms of flying flower-dwellers.
So he was surprised when the path he was following opened up into a little grove of trees, not a hedge to be seen. At the center of the grove was an ancient well.
Ryan approached the well and looked down. He felt thirst parch his throat as he gazed at the water. It looked beautiful and clean and delicious. He hadn't had anything to drink since before his life had turned sideways on its head. Pete’s food earlier had put him off trying to eat anything the Underground produced, but he’d be more careful this time. And well, Ryan was a growing boy.
He set to figuring out how to lower the bucket on the rope and in good order managed to draw a pail of water. Ryan was proud of himself. Finally, something that he could do. He cupped his hands in the water and drank. He belatedly hoped that the Underground didn't operate on the same principles as Hades. Ryan would hate to be stuck down here because of something as simple as water, but it didn't really matter --if Ryan wasn't getting out of this crazy place, neither was Spencer, and he needed to get to the heart of the maze before he started worrying about being a modern day Persephone.
It was water, and unlike anything else he had encountered so far, exactly as it seemed. This put him in a better mood. Not everything was governed by double talk and illusion. He cupped his hands in the pail to take another drink. This time his fingers encountered rough objects at the bottom of the pail, and he pulled one out, carefully.
In his hand was a green stone with a shiny finish. Of course it would be shiny, Ryan thought bitterly. Everything in this place was a freaking masterpiece. He sighed, rolling the rock around his palm absently. Brendon probably used these to juggle. It was cool to the touch, but as he drew a finger over it, Ryan felt an electric shock go through his body, and he automatically dropped it back into the pail.
"Shit," He muttered.
Without thinking about it too much, Ryan reached into the water again and took out a different stone. This one was a watery blue with quartz flecks. He touched it delicately with the tips of his fingers.
And he was transported.
He saw:
Spencer sitting in a great hall, his chair set next to an ornate carved throne, speckled with rhinestones and swirling patterns. He looked whole and unhurt, and for once the sigh that Ryan couldn’t control was one of relief.
Sure, the hall needed a good cleaning and the goblins had definitely chewed on the furniture, but they didn't look that scary -- they actually Ryan reminded of watching Chamber of Secrets with Jackie and Crystal, and having Mrs. Smith make them huge bowls of popcorn.
Ryan tried to reach Spencer, but he was as insubstantial as a breeze. Trying to move was more frustrating than treading water during PE. All his desperate motions got him no closer to the end of the hall. If only he had some way of talking to him. He wanted to tell Spencer that things would be fine, Ryan was almost to the center of the Labyrinth, not to worry.
Ryan wouldn't have believed any of those platitudes, and he had been years out of practice at lying to Spencer anyhow.
It was just as well.
Besides, Spencer loved horror movies. He had seen things plenty more horrifying than small, energetic creatures attempting to line dance. What Ryan could make out of his expression was more “you are a scourge upon my eyeballs” and less “get me out of here!” so that was reassuring.
But it would make Ryan feel better to say something, anything. So he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Spence! We're going to get out of here!"
No one seemed to hear him, but that was no surprise over the raucous carousing of the goblins. For a moment, Spencer had looked in his direction, and it seemed suddenly possible --wasn't this a land of magic? --that two people could make eye contact when one of them was invisible. Maybe...
And Ryan found himself once more sitting by the well, dripping water down his shirt. The blue stone was nowhere to be found.
Had that really happened? His hands shook as he scrabbled at the bottom of the bucket. This time he had retrieved three rocks: the green one that had shocked him before, a jagged red one, and one that looked like an amethyst. He gingerly touched that one first.
Again, Ryan was inside the rooms of the castle. The tapestries were grand and laced with cobwebs. Suits of armor lined the corridor. Many of them had been embellished with paint and drawings. Ryan could make out tiny palm prints on the legs.
He saw a bit of daylight sneaking in through the grimy windows and tried to move, but that part hadn't changed. Ryan would just have to wait until something happened, or it wore off.
He found himself starting to sigh and abruptly cut himself off. He didn't have time for that.
The door opened at the end of the passageway and Spencer came out, looking breathless.
Ryan’s heart started racing. Was Spencer all right? Was he trying to escape?
Brendon followed Spencer out the door, laughing. He didn’t look at all upset. In fact, neither did Spencer. They looked like they had done something thrilling together -pulled off the world’s most exciting caper. Their eyes were sparkling with merriment.
“I can’t believe you taught the goblins how to do the chicken dance. Now they’ll never stop,” Brendon was saying.
“It’s an exotic thing where I come from. Totally the rage all over. And if they never stop, then then the furniture will be safe. It’s a win-win.” Spencer, Ryan realized abruptly, was leaning into Brendon’s personal space. And Brendon was leaning right back.
No, I don’t want to see this. Ryan shut his eyes and tried not to listen to the giggling and soft whispers. Mercifully, they left out another door.
And a short wait later, Ryan was gone too.
Well, that figured. Of course Brendon would be attracted to Spencer. Spencer was exactly the sort of person Brendon needed to handle unruly goblins. Why would he want to waste his time on someone like Ryan? It had probably been hours since Brendon had last been around. He was probably too busy waltzing with Spencer on the castle lawn. Miserably, Ryan jabbed himself in the palm with the red rock without meaning to.
He was standing at a vanity mirror, and Brendon was sitting in the chair in front of it, talking to someone.
“But, Gerard,” Brendon was whining. Ryan didn’t think it was cute. “I didn’t have a choice. He wished Spencer away to the goblins. I can’t just ignore that sort of thing. It’s the reason my family left me behind.” Ryan couldn’t tell if Brendon’s tragic tone was all for show, but he certainly sounded sincere.
“I’m not telling you to ignore your duty, Your Highness,” Gerard said. He paused, for effect, and pointed accusingly at Brendon. “But how did Ryan even know about the goblins? Nearly all of those books aged past repair more than thirty years ago. We haven’t even issued a new edition. Tell me you didn’t drop that book right into his lap!”
Brendon squirmed in his chair. He crushed his hat nervously. “I can’t,” he said in a small voice.
Gerard looked disappointed and unsurprised. “I know you’ve been watching him for some time now, Your Highness, but what you did was wrong. Ryan might need help, might have asked for help -but he didn’t mean to ask for our help. There’s-“
Brendon interrupted him. “I know! I wish I hadn’t done it, now. I was so bored and lonely, and he’s so -“ He cut himself off, pausing to take a shaky breath. “I like him a lot, Gerard. I just wanted to talk to him.”
Ryan never was any good at watching other people cry, and apparently that extended to Goblin Princes who kidnapped his friends. He turned to look at the mirror so he wouldn’t have to see Gerard trying to comfort Brendon.
He stared fixedly into the mirror. And then he realized what he was looking at.
All around the edges were pictures of Ryan. He remembered taking those photographs, some at parties, some at school events, some with the Smiths. Brendon had inserted himself into every single one.
Sometimes Brendon’s hands were around photo-Ryan’s waist, sometimes Brendon would sneak his head under a raised arm, but in all of them, they were touching. Brendon had the goofiest expressions on his face, but photo-Ryan was completely unbothered. It was almost comical.
Under one picture of Brendon holding Ryan close there were glittery letters reading “Practicing for prom!” with a series of multicolored hearts at the end.
Ryan wanted to laugh and scream, but choosing either would have been too limiting. He wrenched his attention back to where Gerard had laid a comforting hand on Brendon’s shoulders and was murmuring platitudes and advice.
“You can’t keep them here. They have families. It goes against the entire principle of the Underground, the centuries of protection.” Gerard was saying.
Brendon looked even more downcast. “I know. But, how do I make sure Ryan and Spencer go home? I can’t mess with the spell too much. It might rebel.”
“Oh.” Gerard’s pensive face melted into relief quickly. “Mikey will fix it.”
The two of them turned to look at a tall, thin man who was sitting on the window sill. Ryan hadn’t realized there was another person there.
Mikey waved a negligent hand. “Sure,” he said flatly. “I’ll get a unicorn on it.”
“It’s a Possibility Well,” Pete said from behind him. Ryan started out of the vision. Could no one in this kingdom make noise when they walked? Or popped into existence?
Ryan didn’t bother to reply. Pete had shown his true colors already.
“Everything you see in there, might have happened, might be going to happen, might never happen. So whatever you’re so bummed about, cheer up.” Pete tossed the rest of the water and rocks back down the well and sat down next to Ryan.
“You’re an asshole.” Ryan said.
“I am what I am,” Pete said calmly. “Sometimes I’m an asshole. But right now I’m here to apologize. If you really were a thoughtless person who didn’t deserve his friend, you would have been stuck in that illusion way after the thirteen hour countdown. So I’m sorry, and I’m going to take you to someone who can actually set you on the right path.”
Ryan gave him a look.
“Oh, come on. I’m not that questionable a character. Let’s go.” Pete started walking back toward the hedges.
Well, thought Ryan, it can get worse, but I’ll chance it.
They turned a few corners and hopped a low fence. Ryan swore it looked familiar, even though every hedge was basically the same. It was when he noticed a pixie nibbling on a piece of bread that he realized why.
“Wait. Pete, this is your “tricky section” again. What the hell.” Ryan never wanted to be back here. He eyed the remains of the sandwich warily.
Pete looked baffled. “Well of course it is. Trick lives here. He’s the Wizard who’ll help you get to the castle.”
~~~~
Pete hadn’t bothered knocking when they’d reached a shabby hut, so Ryan assumed the large DO NOT ENTER sign on the door was a suggestion.
He revised this assumption when Pete screamed and was attacked by a bear. Ryan had a foot out the door before he realized that the screams were actually squeals of joy.
“You remembered to get out my suit! You’re the best, Trick,” Pete was saying, cradling what was, in fact, a plush bear mascot outfit.
The only other person in the room was bent over a table, carefully putting an accordion back together. He ignored the cooing noises Pete was making with an ease that Ryan could only envy.
What had appeared to be a shabby hut from outside was actually a cozy musical workshop. Instruments of all kinds rested on shelves. The soft sound of chimes swaying above Pete’s head reminded Ryan of the ticking of a clock.
Ryan cleared his throat. “Um? Can we talk about my problem? I’m on a schedule.” Both men turned to look at him.
“A pet project, Pete? I thought we agreed you would stop that.” Trick murmured.
“I need something to do to while away the hours when you’re busy or away, Tricksy.”
Trick carefully set down the mechanism he was cleaning and said, “I’m so sorry, Ryan.” He rolled his eyes in Pete’s direction. “I’m Patrick. And you want to get to the castle.”
“Right.”
Patrick nodded. “If you open the back door, you’ll be able to cut through the Forest. It’s not the best option, but you’re running out of time.” He waved an arm at the back wall and there was a door there that hadn’t existed a moment before. Ryan tried not to look too surprised
The door swung open, but it was so dark outside that Ryan couldn’t see anything at all. He willed his eyes to adjust, and eventually he made out the rough outlines of trees.
“Stick to the path, that way all you have to do is keep on going straight,” Patrick advised. “And stay out of the dark.”
Ryan looked out into the woods. There was nothing but dark.
“You’ll make it,” Patrick warned. “You don’t have another choice.”
~~~~
Ryan tried to keep to the path, he really did. But distinguishing dirt path from just plain dirt proved impossible after the first hundred yards.
That and the woods are really creepy.
At first, Ryan had thought it was just the normal sounds of a forest. Wind rustling branches. Squirrels eating. Birds building their nests. But what began as a soft background hum rose in volume to become hurried whispers, snatches of conversations, and grumbling. The words were unintelligible, which only made it worse. Ryan felt like he should be able to understand.
And then Ryan started hearing his name.
Ryan, sighed the wind through the branches. The leaves joined in the chorus. GEoRGE! croaked a contrary toad.
Stumbling away from the voices, Ryan beat back at the thick branches and forced his way forward. His pant leg caught in an upraised root and he fell to the ground, stunned.
As he tried to regain his calm, the clock tolled three times. Only three hours left. The damp ground seeped through Ryan’s shirt.
Even if I lose, Spencer won’t be a goblin. I’ll just be a visitor forever. Ryan thought. There is the chance that Brendon might feel bad about it.
NoPE! croaked the toad.
“Shut up! I don’t care what you think!” Ryan rolled to his knees. “I am getting out of here, even if it takes forever.”
Ribbit, said the toad.
“That’s right.” Ryan declared, getting to his feet. Something nudged him in the back. He froze, a catalogue of nightmare creatures running through his mind.
Whatever it was nudged him again, more insistently.
Steeling himself, he turned slowly. He was still completely unprepared.
It’s possible, he thought. He felt his mouth turn up in a smile. It’s totally fucking possible.
Right in front of him was a warm, real unicorn.
~~~~
Ryan had left all apprehension behind him in the Forest by the time the unicorn stopped at the castle doors. Ryan slid off its back and patted it on the nose. The clock tower read 2:22.
“Thank you so much. And thank Mikey for me,” he said.
The unicorn butted his shoulder in response and galloped off, as silently as it had come.
“Okay,” he muttered to himself. “Showtime.”
He opened the door, expecting whatever was waiting inside to be the biggest obstacle yet. It swung open creakily, the hinges protesting every inch. A pair of chirping bluebirds flew out.
Ryan took a deep breath and went inside.
The entrance hall was echoingly empty, like the city had been before it. Ryan pushed down his trepidation and walked across, footsteps echoing hollowly.
“Hello?” he called, uncertainly.
“Hi Ryan,” Brendon replied. Ryan tripped, but didn’t fall. He pivoted to look at Brendon.
“Hi,” Ryan croaked back. Brendon blended into the wall with a black waistcoat and cravat. His hat was askew and dejected. His face looked pale -naked without the company of colorful flashes that had trailed after him-- and his eyes weren’t laughing anymore. There were no dancing flickers of light illuminating his face. “I’m here for Spencer.” Ryan added, even more unsure now in the face of Brendon’s obvious depression.
“I know,” Brendon looked up to meet Ryan’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Ryan.” He moved away from the wall, and pasted on a smile. “I’ve behaved badly. Please believe that I never meant to hurt you. Or Spencer. I never would have hurt Spencer.”
“Then why…” do all this, Ryan finished in his head.
“I wanted your attention all to myself for a while. My family,” Brendon bit his lip. “They’ve been gone ever since I was old enough to be recognized as a Master of the Labyrinth. They write, of course, but we are very bad at keeping track of time down here, so I might get a letter every decade. I don’t have many friends my age.” Brendon shook his head as though to brush away old hurts.
“What I did was inexcusable. I manipulated you into coming here. I should have asked.”
Ryan looked at Brendon’s thin shoulders and the earnest line of his mouth and made a decision.
“I forgive you. Just answer me one question.” Brendon looked up, hopeful.
“Do you really have a collection of pictures of me?”
Brendon blushed furiously. “I’ll get rid of them!” he exclaimed.
The woebegone expression on Brendon’s face was too much for Ryan. He burst out laughing.
“No! No! Keep them. It’s alright!” He couldn’t stop the mirth from bubbling over. Every time he stopped to catch his breath, he looked at Brendon’s rueful face and started again.
“Thank you.” Brendon’s smile was wide and cheery, and filled the hall with sunshine.
He reached for Ryan’s hand, and asked, “Will you let me take you to Spencer?”
“Yes,” Ryan responded, and held on.
~~~~
Spencer was waiting for them, and pounced on Ryan the moment he saw them. Ryan was engulfed in Spencer’s arms and put as much emotion in it as he dared.
After a long moment, Spencer pulled away and looked at Ryan oddly. Ryan realized he had been hugging Spencer while still holding Brendon’s hand. He tried to disengage casually, and Brendon let him.
Spencer must have understood the intense mortification Ryan was feeling, because he just laughed and said, “It’s been a hell of a weird day.”
Brendon nodded his agreement. “You’ll need to go up a few more flights of stairs to get to the Challenge Room. You won’t miss it. Good luck, you two.” And with a smile, Brendon vanished in one last puff of flashy sparkles.
~~~~
They held hands up the stairs. Ryan needed to be sure of Spencer’s presence, and Spencer seemed to want the same.
“You know,” Spencer began, as they searched, “There’s something about this place. Everybody looks so familiar. I don’t know why.”
Ryan looked at him sharply; he had just been thinking the same thing.
“Except for the goblins,” Spencer continued. “They look like nothing I’ve ever seen. Did you know that they regularly do the Macarena?”
Ryan paused on the steps and looked at him again. “You’re joking,” he accused.
“Yes,” said Spencer proudly. “I am.” He raised an eyebrow. Ryan’s smile grew so wide his cheeks hurt. It was worth it.
There was one room left, and when they peered inside it was filled with clocks, all ticking down from 1:18.
“Well,” Spencer said. “This is it.”
“What now,” Ryan wondered. The room was waiting for something. They didn’t have a lot of time. He needed to get them out of here before people noticed they were both missing.
Spencer kissed him on the cheek. Words flooded into his brain, as he looked at Spencer’s flushed face. He’d never met that look head on -he admitted now that he’d gone out of his way to avoid it.
"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City -" Ryan began. “To take back the child you have stolen. For my will is as great, and my kingdom as powerful.”
It wasn’t complete, there was a piece missing. Spencer’s blue eyes urged him on and his mouth opened: “Things will change for me, and that’s okay.”
A clock chimed thirteen times and melted the world.
~~~~
Spencer shook him awake. “Hey sleepyhead, wake up.”
Almost before he was aware, Ryan pulled Spencer down to the couch with him and hugged him urgently, checking to see everything was fine.
Spencer tentatively hugged him back. “Ryan? Are you okay?” He didn’t sound upset.
“What? I was just. I was making sure. Don’t you remember?” Ryan couldn’t gather his thoughts together.
“Remember what?” Spencer’s voice was perfectly normal.
Ryan felt desperation clawing at him, and felt cheated. Why wouldn’t Spencer know? Had it all been a crazy dream? “I’ve got to go,” he said abruptly, untangling himself from Spencer on the couch and running for the door.
He heard Spencer calling after him, but what he needed was to go home.
~~~~
He watched the clock. He’d tried watching his band posters, but the stubborn faces all seemed to stare at him accusingly.
Midnight. 12:30 AM. 1:12 AM. 1:44 AM. At 2:22 AM he rolled over and something dug into his side right under the hip. What the fuck… He reached a hand into his pocket and felt an almost-electric thrill. He jerked his hand back violently.
Again, he reached into his pocket; this time braced for the odd feeling and wrapped his fingers around the object. There was a cloud of glittery powder as he pulled his hand out, and there, in his palm, was a beautifully glossy pink quartz, like the ones found at the bottom of creek beds or for sale at museum gift shops.
It winked in the red light from Ryan’s alarm clock. Ryan stared at it. He was forgetting something. Something important. A long time ago, someone had dispensed a little priceless wisdom. Ryan could almost hear it. He balanced the rock between his fingers and slowly, oh so slowly, lifted it up to his ear.
Oh honey, a voice said earnestly, how about next time you want something someone else has to give you, you just ask?
“Oh my god,” Ryan said, shocked into speaking aloud. “What am I doing here?”
~~~~
He’d thrown himself out the door and run the blocks to the Smith house. But now Spencer’s window wasn’t open. He looked fruitlessly around for a branch, a rock, something to throw up there. Their backyard was so obnoxiously well-maintained!
Out of options, he threw the quartz at the window. It resonated with a hollow thwack. Ryan waited, hopeful.
After what felt like forever, Spencer rolled open the window and glared blearily down at Ryan. That sleepy glare was a work of art. Maybe Spencer would teach it to him. After he forgave him for being slow.
“I’m coming up,” Ryan announced. He heard the low mumble of a “that’s what she said” drift his way on the night breeze. He wondered if the trellis would hold his weight. Trellises were surely more romantic than drain pipes or ladders? Ryan wasn’t sure if he trusted trees yet.
The creak of the front door interrupted his thoughts. “Get in here,” Spencer said, yawning. “You always forget you have a key at three in the morning.”
Ryan was glad Spencer couldn’t see in the dark. “I knew that.”
Spencer merely grabbed Ryan’s hand and tugged him inside. They held hands through the house and said nothing. They said nothing through the living room and nothing up the stairs and Ryan remembered another hand, other passageways, other stairs, leading him to the one place he most wanted to be.
He was already there.
They faced each other in Spencer’s still-dark room, and it wasn’t awkward or forced. They had been here so many times before, singing their favorite songs, reciting lines of half-remembered jokes, or whispering secrets to the ceiling. This would be easier than all that.
“Spencer. Spence,” He looked down at where he could make out the vague outline of their hands held together. “I’m sorry I’ve been so weird lately. But I’m not here about that really. I just. I need to ask you something.” He caught himself. “No, I need to tell you something.”
He paused. Dream or not, Ryan had finally learned the value of breathing. “I’ve always thought you were a cool kid, Spence. Way too awesome to really want to be my best friend. And lately I figured out that I like you as more than my best friend. But I wasn’t sure if. Would you like to be my awesome boyfriend?”
Spencer’s smile was enough of answer before he said, “Yeah, I’ll be your ridiculously cool boyfriend. Make all your friends jealous.”
Their lips met in the dark. Ryan kept breaking off to smile. It was perfect.
“Come to bed, Ryan.” Spencer tugged on their hands. “Some of us have to rest up for Spirit Friday.”
And they fell asleep, trading sleepy kisses in the dark, so much better than any of Ryan’s dreams.
~~~~
The next morning he borrowed a set of Spencer’s uniform pants and stole another shirt. It was like any other day at the Smith house. No one even blinked at Ryan’s sudden appearance at the breakfast table. Mrs. Smith just put an extra pancake on his plate and asked if he had had a good night.
For once, Ryan was blushing too furiously to respond. Spencer brushed a hand against Ryan’s knee because he was a sneaky opportunist.
“Ryan can’t wait to get his last Homecoming over with, Mom. He’s becoming an old man.” Spencer said, straight-faced.
Revenge would be sweet.
~~~~
The Gorman Gaels won the football game by narrow margin, which pleased everyone. Ryan had spent all of the game covertly holding Spencer’s hand and laughing at his disgruntled expression when halftime came and Spencer had to put the hat back on. The hat itself was truly hideous -bright blue with a fluffy orange crest on top - so Ryan made sure to take extra pictures.
The Panthers’ marching band looked less laughable in their green outfits and black hats, but there had been a spontaneous breakout of cartwheeling in the percussion section as they left the field at the halftime break. Clumsy Guy hadn’t knocked any chairs over or precipitated any minor disaster, so Ryan wasn’t sure if he had come with the group at all.
But later, when the game was over and Ryan had momentarily lost sight of Spencer in the mandatory swell of the spirit boosters to embrace the team, it turned out Clumsy Guy was there, after all. He was talking animatedly with Spencer, waving his hat around for emphasis. Ryan’s steps slowed down as he approached. He was experiencing the oddest tug of familiarity in his stomach. A tuba blocked his view.
He heard the sound of Spencer’s laughter and could just make out the sight of Clumsy Guy’s red sneakers in the air as he did a handstand.
“Ryan!” Spencer waved him over, so Ryan stopped staring like an idiot. Clumsy Guy turned around to look in the direction of Spencer’s hand.
Ryan made himself move forward and join them.
“Hey, this is Brendon,” Spencer was saying as Brendon performed another cartwheel on the grass. Brendon popped up, beaming.
“Your shoes really don’t go with the rest of your outfit.” Ryan said automatically. Spencer and Brendon burst out laughing.
“I know!” Brendon said tragically, but he was still smiling brightly. “But wearing the uniform boots totally gets me down - they’re that horrible. I need my sneakers for dancing.” He demonstrated a quick two-step in place, and then stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Brendon Urie.”
“Ryan Ross,” He said, shaking Brendon’s hand. “You’re on drums, right?”
Brendon looked delighted to be recognized. “Yes! One of the many loves of my musical life.”
Spencer looked like he had just had a brilliant idea. Ryan would find out later.
“So are you guys going to the dance after this?” Brendon asked, looking
“I’m not sure,” Spencer said, lifting an eyebrow at Ryan. “Are we going to be social tonight?”
“We didn’t buy tickets to the dance,” Ryan felt a smile start to curl up from his heart. “But come with us anyhow.”
And if Ryan saw something glittering just out of sight, he chose to believe it was the reflection of the stadium lights off of Brendon’s answering grin.
*THE END*
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[ Masterpost | Part One | Part Two | Mix | Art | DW | AO3 ]