Ship: Ryan/Brendon
Words: 1132

All Ryan could focus on was the rhythm of the rain. The way it splattered against the wet concrete and slithered down the edges of each block to disappear in storm drains. The water leaving wet trails in their paths.

All Brendon could focus on was Ryan's face, the way his eyes lit up as they roamed the docks beside Seattle. The way he gazed out at the rain splashing into the ocean with a constant splattering sound.

They loved that sound, they loved the sound of rain falling into the ocean with heavy drops and round shapes. The way each drop disturbed the water with such a great but such a weak force. They loved the feeling of sprinting through the rain with nothing but light sweaters and jeans and Vans. They loved the feeling of the cold numbness, the way each individual drop formed on their skin and the way they laughed as they ran.

All they needed was the feeling of the rain, the adrenaline pumping through their veins, and their love for one another. Everything else was a blur to them. The people, the cars, the city, the world.

It was the rain that kept them sane. It was the lights of the lampposts alive lead their way. It was one that kept the other sane, nothing else could make them feel as good as they did then. It distracted them from every problem. It distracted them from everything they wanted to forget.

They didn't need to speak, for the rising moon spoke for Ryan and the setting sun spoke for Brendon. Twilight was when they felt most at peace, when the sun and the moon were equals in the sky and each star was a drop of rain, the blackness was their adrenaline, and the sunlight and the moonlight was their love. The sky was their world and the world was their sky

When they were most at peace, they would look at the world and say, "Imagine what's out there."

It was times like these when they could just forget and become lost in each other and they would keep the feeling while they could until the sun rose. They loved being alone together while the rhythm of the rain kept time.

Brendon would take Ryan's hand and they would dance together in the storm, Brendon's slick, dark hair sticking to his forehead and Ryan's quick breaths leaving clouds in the cold air.

They would let the rain make the numb and let the waves of the sea guide their spirits through the night as they danced to music only they could hear, the rain keeping beat. They would watch each drop fall and feel each tiny speck on their skin.

They felt numb but alive. They felt hopeless but immortal. They felt so in love that nothing else mattered to them. They would kiss under the lampposts, letting the bulbs light their faces and guide their hands through each other's hair. Ryan would weave his fingers into Brendon's and Brendon would pull Ryan closer by his waist. He would feel the way Ryan's shirt hugged his skin, memorizing how soft his skin felt and how he would moan into each kiss. He would memorize the way Ryan's hands felt in his hair, digging into his scalp passionately.

It felt so good being in love. It felt so good dancing in the rain. It felt so good feeling warm but cold. It all felt like heaven to them and they wouldn't give a damn about the rest of the world.

Brendon's hand curled around Ryan's as they looked out past the docks, watching the world breathe. They were frozen in time where nobody would find them, where nothing else mattered.

"Ryan?" Brendon whispered, his voice smooth as the rolling waves. His hands were on Ryan's hips, his lips dry and buried in the back of his lover's neck.

"Yeah?" Ryan asked, breathless. A smile traced his delicate lips where clouds were forming in the dark air. They floated up to the moon and disappeared into the night, free as their souls.

"Promise you'll never leave me? Promise you'll stay with me 'till death do us part?" Brendon asked. He didn't want to admit it but he was scared. Frightened that Ryan would leave and this peace would end. He was terrified that Ryan would lose his love for the brunette and find another man to love.

Brendon knew he was probably just being paranoid and Ryan would never leave him but he wanted the promise to be made, anyways, just to reassure his tense nerves. It wasn't often that he got into a relationship this serious but he wanted it to last. Forever if he could but they both knew that death would eventually see them to leave each other.

Brendon didn't want to think about that day yet and neither did Ryan.

The older of the two turned and pulled Brendon closer, "I would never leave you. I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anybody before and if you think I'd let this go to waste, you're wrong... you've made me feel so alive this past year, I had thought about the afterlife but I never really lived until now. I live for these walks. I live for the rain. I live for the stars and the waves and the sun and the moon. I live for the lampposts and the wind and the adrenaline. I live for the way we dance and the way we stay up until dawn. I live for you, Brendon, you've saved my life."

Brendon remembered the way Ryan was when they had first met. Ryan was insecure and he hated himself. He hated life. He begged Brendon to let him kill himself but Brendon wouldn't let him, instead he took him for a walk in the rain.

And another walk.

And another.

Now, it's been nearly a year and every time it rains, Brendon will always take Ryan into the rain where they'll dance together and kiss each other and laugh together.

"I love you, too," Brendon whispers because that's all that needs to be said. He's proven to Ryan how much he means to him. Passionate nights in the back of Spencer's van while Pete and Mikey keep watch and make sure they aren't disturbed, roses on Valentine's Day, presents on Christmas. Whatever Brendon could do for Ryan, he did even when it hurt him.

Ryan pulled Brendon closer, their breaths mixing until Ryan couldn't take the tension anymore and he pulled Brendon's lips upon his own.

Brendon's hands tangled around Ryan's waist while Ryan's arms hugged Brendon's neck and the pouring rain fell down both of their necks.