It was 8:30 when Spencer slipped out of his dorm room, making sure not to make any noise. He'd gotten a call from Brendon about half an hour earlier, the boy claiming that he 'needed his best friend', sounding desperate unlike Spencer had ever heard him before until Spencer, still half asleep, had agreed to get up and come at the ungodly hour. He'd showered quickly and gotten dressed in his church clothes, aware that he would probably be with Brendon until it was time for church, and then quietly hurried down the hallway to knock on Brendon's door. Zach opened it quickly, and Spencer entered the room to see Brendon's slightly bloodshot eyes and disheveled hair. He hurried to his friend's side, frowning and asking what was wrong.

And so Brendon had told Spencer everything. Well, an edited version of everything. How he'd been talking to Ryan online, and how he'd figured everything out and how Ryan had kissed him! The edited parts were last night's nervous rambling, which made no appearance as he recounted the events. Spencer sat beside him, quite shocked on one hand, but happy on the other.

"So, what you're trying to say is that you're actually... dating someone?" He asked, finally, when Brendon had finished. This questions earned him a glare and Brendon huffed, rolling his eyes.

"No, of course not. We're just... mutually attracted to each other? I don't know." He sighed, momentarily at a loss for words. A few minutes later, Spencer stood from the bed and shrugged.

"Well, you know, it could be worse. Let's just see how it goes, all right? Now, I have to go wake up Jon. Want to come?" Nodding, Brendon followed Spencer to the door and out into the hallway. "Since when have you been awake, anyway? You look exhausted."

"Most of the night. Got dressed around 5:30 this morning and I've been lying in my bed since," Brendon mumbled. "I guess I just needed to think." He stated, as they arrived to Spencer's dorm room. He waited in the hallway as Spencer woke Jon and yelled at him to get ready for church, smiling slightly at his friends.

A little down the hall, Ryan started awake at the sound of his alarm clock going off, and all he wanted to do was burrow back under the covers and sleep for another few weeks. After doing something unspeakable to shut the damn alarm up, that is. He'd been up till well past four with the report, hadn't even gotten around to calling his mother back. And now, far too few hours later, he had to get up and somehow become presentable for church. He didn't even want to go to church! He was perfectly content being an atheist, thanks very much.

Nonetheless, he finally managed to drag his lanky body out of the comfortable warmth of his covers and went into the bathroom to shower and get ready.

Thirty minutes later he reappeared with a towel around his waist, hair dried and styled and just a tad of eyeliner framing his eyes. He quickly went to his closet and pulled out, breathing a small sigh of relief as he was at it, a pair of dress pants, a blue button-up and a blazer before laying them on the bed as he went to the set of drawers to find fresh socks and underwear.

After a look at his watch he got dressed quickly, leaving the room in a hurry. He was not about to miss breakfast or there was no way he'd be able to function for the rest of the day. He jogged down the hall, stairs, another hall, around a corner and finally found himself in the cafeteria where he picked up a plate and started stacking breakfast onto his plate.

Brendon, Spencer, and Jon entered the cafeteria only a few minutes after Ryan and all set out to get their breakfast. Brendon zipped through the line, only picking up a coffee and filling his plate with some fruit. He went and sat down at his usual table, picking at the fruit and drinking the coffee in almost one gulp. He looked over at Spencer, who was smirking and pointing at Ryan, and at Jon, who was looking better, if not utterly bewildered. Brendon shook his head and snorted, eating a big piece of watermelon.

"What's going on?" Jon asked as he approached the table. Brendon responded by staring at his plate and shrugging.

Ryan finished pouring his tea and finally headed over for the table, hoping, when hit by a sudden impulse, that he would still be welcomed. Well, by two thirds of them anyway. He approached cautiously, slowly, and when no one told him to get lost, he sat down, smiling slightly. "Morning," he said. And he was well aware that at the moment he was the one who was acting like nothing had happened, but how else was he supposed to act when, really, he and Brendon hadn't talked, hadn't figured anything out. And he was almost certain Jon knew nothing, not as certain about Spencer. But everywhere was also full of people so for the time being, this was the best he could come up with.

"Well, hello Ryan! Welcome to the family!" Spencer exclaimed, then laughed loudly. Jon frowned at him, obviously trying to figure out what was going on, and Brendon glared at him before kicking him hard in the shin. Spencer gasped, almost yelling out because of the pain, but he managed not to by biting hard into his lip. He glared right back at Brendon before turning to Ryan and smiling sweetly. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," Ryan answered. "The few hours I did sleep, anyway. I had some homework I needed to catch up with." Secretly he was grateful that he had already been to high school and that most of the homework was pretty easy to him. And to top it off, what looked like it would take too much time and thereby take away from his mission he was allowed to send back where some unfortunate agent with a desk job would do it for him before sending it back. Homework provided for an ever-fresh excuse for the reports, though. "What about you guys? Spencer explained the flip-flop thing, right Jon?"

Jon nodded slowly, still trying to figure out what was different, even as Spencer giggled like he knew some big secret. "Could someone please tell me what's going on?" He groaned, taking a bite of eggs. Spencer smiled at him, but didn't talk. He kept looking at Ryan and Brendon. "And what the hell is going on between you two?" He pointed his fork at Brendon, obviously expecting an answer.

"Uh, nothing," Brendon smiled, trying to look innocent. "Ohhh, you mean me and Ryan! Well, we kissed." He stated bluntly before smiling again and going back to eating.

The sudden blush spreading across Ryan's cheeks was completely unintentional. As was the fact that he was choking on the mouthful of tea he'd been about to swallow and very nearly spurted in all over the table. "Brendon," he whined, burying his face in his hands to hide his embarrassment. For a moment he felt back in high school as it had originally been, full of humiliations and people laughing at him and he blushed even more. All he could do was reassure himself that for his country and for the principles of right, as opposed to wrong, he'd go through a hundred high schools.

Jon gaped at Brendon, while Spencer chuckled and patted Ryan's back comfortingly. "What?!" Jon gaped, eyes as wide as dinner plates. Brendon rolled his eyes and looked back up, one eyebrow lifted. "What do you mean you kissed?!"

"Well, I'm sure you've done it a few times before. Ryan leaned in last night, pressed his lips to mine, and then scurried off. Though, with you, it might usually involve vomiting, but I'm sure you recognize the action." Brendon replied sarcastically. Jon was turning red with rage, his hands shaking as he let his fork drop.

"He turned you gay!" He whispered harshly, leaning forward towards Brendon, who scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Don't say that!" Spencer reprimanded, smacking Jon upside the head and huffing, still rubbing Ryan's back. "And stop being an ass, too."

Ryan honestly felt as though his face was burning up. He could feel the heat in the fingers and hands covering the blush. He was incredibly grateful for the soothing motions of Spencer's hand on his back. Right now that was the only thing helping him calm down. A part of him wanted to jump up and scream that Brendon had been gay long before Ryan had even known him, that Ryan was the straight one and could they please keep their stupid teenage drama away from him. Instead he took a deep breath and finally pulled his hands away, sending Spencer a meek smile. "Thanks," he muttered before biting down slightly on his lower lip, the tips of his ears still feeling like they'd caught fire. Then he looked down at his plate and stabbed a sausage with his fork, determined to just distract himself with the plate that was still full of food.

"Don't be stupid, Jon," Brendon replied calmly. "He did not turn me gay. You cannot just suddenly, out of nowhere, turn gay." Brendon got up, pushing his plate away. "If you want the details, you can ask Spencer. He'll tell you everything you need to know, though I dare say you don't deserve to know any of it. I'm going to start walking towards the chapel. If anyone wants to join me," he looked pointedly at Ryan, "they are welcome." With that, Brendon left.

Jon, unable to say anything coherent, went back to eating his breakfast, looking rather cross and like he would bite someone's head off if they so much as tried to talk to him. Spencer watched him closely, waiting for the inevitable questions that would surely come some time soon. He glanced over at Ryan and gave him a sympathetic look before patting the boy's hand and pulling away completely.

Ryan sent Spencer another small smile before pushing his plate away and getting up, running until he caught up with Brendon, momentarily grateful to be away from Jon. But he was unsure about this too, unsure of where he stood with Brendon, what was supposed to happen now. He slowed down his pace, falling into step next to Brendon. He was still looking at his feet. "Sorry about that by the way," he muttered. "I thought, but... it was wrong of me to assume that just because of the talk we'd had it would be okay to just-- just kiss you like that."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Brendon mumbled without looking at Ryan. He kept looking straight ahead, his hand brushing against Ryan's purposely. "Jon just needs to wrap his head around this. I don't know what 'this' is, but he does. So do I, you know." He shrugged, stopping in front of a small auditorium. "We still have about half an hour before church," he said, smiling slightly. "I don't really know why I left breakfast so fast..."

Shrugging slightly, Ryan let himself slide down the wall with a small smile until he hit the floor. "What is this, then?" he asked, looking up at Brendon. He sensed that the boy was calmer now, much calmer, and perhaps in an actual shape to be asked these questions. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well, usually I'd just go into the church and sit in the pews until it actually starts..." Brendon trailed off and grinned. "I don't know. You have more experience in this than I do. But I can assure you that I am very different from anyone else you've dated. Unless you've dated royalty before, that is. There would be the whole thing where we can't show any affection in public..." he trailed off, shrugging. "I don't know. It would be complicated, don't you think? I mean, do you really think it's worth it?"

"I think it would be," Ryan answered without missing a heartbeat. Secretly, the irony of Brendon thinking he had more experience when really, they both had to be on the same level of none-at-all was not missed by him at all. "I mean, I was already attracted to you when I just knew you as Brendon, but knowing that you're Zeke, just. I think it would be worth it, if you want to. And the reason I asked you even though I know you've never tried anything like this before is that I understand your situation and I know we have to go by your rules. And that doesn't bother me." He flashed the boy a small smile. "I really like you, and if you'd be willing to try to pursue this, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Brendon couldn't help smiling at Ryan's words. He blushed slightly, looking away, then glanced back at Ryan and nodded. "Okay. Well, we'll just... keep it quiet, all right? I guess it could be worth it. I'm growing quite fond of you, here, as a real person, and I was definitely already fond of you as Drew, so... yeah." He smiled sheepishly and sat down beside Ryan, nodding to himself.

"Yeah," Ryan agreed, smiling slightly and placing his hand reassuringly on Brendon's forearm for a moment before withdrawing. There wasn't anybody around, but it was still very much out in the open. "And just for the record, I'm very fond of you too," he added, shuffling to the side a little and letting one leg fall to an angle where their knees touched lightly, inconspicuously. He had a feeling he was supposed to do something like that, though.

Brendon leaned his head against the wall and smiled softly. "Thanks," he said, before turning his head slightly to look at Ryan and biting his lip. He could hear distant voices and no doubt some students would be arriving soon. Sighing, Brendon put his hand on Ryan's knee, squeezing just slightly, and then pushed himself up off the ground. "Let's go sit in there." He said, motioning towards the auditorium they used as a chapel.

***

After lunch all four boys filed back to Brendon's room for the nice, 'quiet', cozy little afternoon they'd planned the night before. Ryan was not at all certain about it, though. First off, Jon's hostility seemed to have risen to previously unknown levels, which just made everything uncomfortable. And then of course there was the fact that although he was supposed to be the experienced one, he had no idea what to really do with the whole Brendon situation. He inwardly groaned at the thought of having to ask Tobias advice sometime sooner or later. Probably sooner.

He entered the room, trailing after the others and sat absent-mindedly on the couch in the sitting area of the single room, finally deciding to actually take his time to look about the room. As Jon and Spencer had mentioned two days before, it did look quite empty, almost like his own except Brendon didn't have any of the memorabilia out he did. He supposed enough people saw the Royal family on the TV to make it unnecessary to try to convince anyone he was who he said and had the family he pretended to.

Brendon stood near his door, looking between Spencer and Jon (who were, as usual, sprawled across his bed), and to Ryan on the two-man couch. He then turned to look at Zach and bit his lip. "Wouldn't you want to, um, stay outside the door?" He asked, only to receive a glare from Zach. But the man opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, knowing that Brendon obviously wanted to be alone with his friends. When the bodyguard was gone, Brendon very slowly made his way to the couch and sat down beside Ryan, feeling just a little more than uncomfortable about the whole thing. He looked up to see Spencer grinning and Jon pouting.

Ryan felt a small smile tug at his lips and sent Brendon a short look before looking back down at the hands he'd twined in his lap. He was still unsure of what to say or do in the situation and finally settled on pulling his hands apart and putting one down next to him, near the middle of the couch. Then Brendon could take it or not and thereby decide the pace of the whole thing. He looked up at Jon and Spencer, cocking an eyebrow. "You two are never this silent," he stated, leaning into the backrest.

Spencer cocked his head to the side to look at Ryan and smirked. "We're trying not to disrupt the mood," he said, nodding. "Right, Jon?" Jon grunted, but didn't reply otherwise. Spencer chuckled and shook his head. "And it's just too rare to ruin this, right Brendon?" To this, Brendon blushed slightly and glared at Spencer. His eyes dropped to the couch and he noticed Ryan's hand. Biting the inside of his cheek, Brendon listened to the voice in his head (which oddly sounded a lot like Spencer) and placed the tips of his fingers on Ryan's, then looked away quickly. God, this was awkward. He kind of wished Jon would say something, so that everything could go back to some semblance of normal.

Biting back a laugh, Ryan shook his head slightly at Spencer's comments, forcefully ignoring the tiny shivers that ran through him at the light pressure on his fingers. It was natural that he'd react that way, though. After all, he'd never been in a relationship, never been used to that kind of affection at all, and he was extremely nervous, so of course the touch would have to do something to him. He mentally gritted his teeth and turned his hand with slow, steady movements until his palm was turned up and pressed lightly against Brendon's. "Head feeling better?" he asked Jon, trying to sound neutral about it and not, well, glowering. Although he secretly sort of was. On normal conditions he wouldn't really have addressed Jon at all, but right now he was sort of desperate for the silence and awkwardness to go away. "By the way, my dad told me they finished the website if you want to see for yourself."

Brendon chuckled at the look on Jon's face, moving about a fraction of an inch closer to Ryan. Jon looked up at Ryan, his mouth hanging open and his eyes shooting daggers. "I don't care anymore," he said, and suddenly his whole expression changed. If Spencer hadn't known Jon, he would have believed the smile was real. Jon continued to smile, even as he continued talking. "Apparently, you've been accepted into our group, even though it has only been a week. And if Brendon trusts you, then I trust you." He smiled wider, his eyes big and round, making him look more than just a little creepy. Spencer swatted him and that got him to stop smiling. "What? It's true! I guess I can stop bugging Ryan, now. Of course, the whole homosexual thing between him and Brendon is kind of weird, but..." He trailed off, shrugging.

Ryan felt his eyes widen slightly in surprise, which almost immediately turned into a sort of prejudiced disbelief. He then fought that down and settled on relief, smiling slightly. At least he, hopefully, wouldn't have to deal with Jon being a prat anymore. "We've known each other for longer than that," he finally stated, figuring Brendon must've already told Spencer, but it seemed just as obvious that Jon didn't know. "But thanks, I appreciate it." He moved his fingers slightly until they were parallel with the spaces between Brendon's so all one of them would have to do would be bend his fingers and they'd be laced. "So we've established that my dad isn't some crazy English mobster with secret plans of world domination, starting with Beauregia?"

Jon snorted. "I suppose so," he conceded, smiling genuinely when Spencer put his arm around his shoulders. Jon chuckled and leaned his head on Spencer's chest. Brendon watched them, both eyebrows raised, and was promptly flipped off by Jon. He chuckled and shook his head, his fingers bending slightly so that they were laced loosely with Ryan's. "So, what's new with you, Spencer?" he asked, trying to get the attention on him for a change. Spencer shrugged.

"My father called sometime after church and told me that your father was planning on bringing you home for the weekend sometime soon," he said, then smiled. "I'm sure your parents will be calling in the next few weeks," he added, causing Brendon to groan.

"Hey, one weekend isn't so bad," Ryan stated with a small smile, bending his fingers too and squeezing lightly in reassurance. He looked around the others, biting his lip to keep from smiling again when he caught sight of Spencer and Jon. That was how the enmity had really started, wasn't it? Jon thinking he was advancing on Spencer. Territory protection. It was a little amusing. As was the fact that neither of them was probably aware of it. "Will you two be going back to Jackson too, then?" he asked, letting his eyes stay on the two for a moment before moving them back to rest on Brendon's face for a little, smiling again, broader this time.

Jon barked a laugh and Spencer rolled his eyes at him. "Of course not," Jon replied, shaking his head. "Spencer goes home on holidays only, just like me. Our parents are far too busy for us to pop in on weekends. And going with Brendon would kind of be... weird." He frowned slightly as he thought of it. "Besides, Brendon would never invite us to the castle, would you, Brendon?"

Brendon blushed again, frowning. "Well, uh. I didn't think you guys would like to see it..." he trailed off, knowing that the reason sounded stupid, even to him. "It would be too awkward with my parents..."

Ryan squeezed gently again, looking back at the other two boys. "I was just trying to find out if I'd be left alone here on weekends and not just holidays," he stated. And secretly he wished he would've been. Perhaps he'd finally have time to write reports without it stealing from his sleep. Besides, he'd always liked having his hermit time. It didn't matter, though. It was a job. He wasn't supposed to like it, so it really didn't matter. He carefully avoided commenting on Brendon's slight ramble, guessing that the other boy really didn't feel like elaborating or anything. He already sounded as though he'd been chased into a corner, which wasn't really helping the case at all.

"Don't worry Ryan, you'll only be alone for the holidays," Jon said, snickering. Spencer frowned at him, hitting Jon's arm, and shook his head.

"You could always come with one of us. All that's left, anyway, is Easter and... stuff. It's not like you're going to be alone for Christmas, thank God." he said, shaking his head as though he couldn't believe that someone might be alone for Christmas. Brendon grinned and nodded.

"Well, maybe you could all come home with me for Easter?" he suggested. "I'm sure I could talk my... mother into it."

Ryan perked up at the suggestion, grinning widely. "I'd love that," he stated. And the positive reaction was entirely genuine. He sincerely hoped that going to the actual capital, the castle at that, would perhaps give him an opportunity to learn more, learn something he needed to know. Or, perhaps, being there in itself might prompt Brendon into telling him something that it would've otherwise seemed suspicious to ask him. "I could always show you England in a week or so this summer," he added, addressing the room as a whole. It was a bit early to only invite Brendon, he'd deemed. Not that it really mattered. By summer he'd be out of there never to see any of them again. And then a summer visit would be the smallest promise broken.

Brendon grinned and smiled, squeezing Ryan's hand harder than was necessary. "England is amazing," he stated, nodding. "But, anyway, what are we doing today? Just sitting around here, or do we have better plans?"

Spencer shrugged, then gasped loudly. "Ah, shit! I had homework for Monday!" He pulled himself away from Jon, off the bed, and shook his head. "Sorry guys, but I have to go. Really, sorry. Jon, come on." He waved at Brendon and Ryan before pulling Jon up and dragging him away. In the hallway, Spencer smiled at Zach before walking quickly to his room, Jon whining behind him.

Back in the room, Brendon lifted his eyebrows and looked at Ryan. "That was weird." He said, adding, 'and a complete lie' to himself.

"That was completely obvious," Ryan stated, chuckling slightly. "And I thought Spencer was good at being discrete." And then suddenly the whole alone thing occurred to him and he was starting to feel awkward again, looking down at their hands. He gave another small squeeze, for some reason hoping to reassure himself as much as Brendon. And then, of course, there was the part of him that still wasn't exactly convinced that all this was real.

Brendon smiled nervously and suddenly pulled his hands away, unlacing their fingers, and wiped it on his pants. "Getting kind of sweaty," he said as way of explanation, blushing from his neck to his hairline. He looked away briefly before his gaze flitted back to Ryan. "So..?" he asked, feeling completely out of place. What was he supposed to do? Should he kiss Ryan? No. Definitely not. His big, stupid lips would just mess everything up, probably. Well, they could just talk, maybe. But maybe Ryan wanted them to kiss? Oh, no, Brendon didn't know anything about kissing, unless it was to air-kiss someone's cheek. He would definitely fail, and then Ryan would be disgusted and leave. Or something.

"So..." Ryan mirrored, managing another small smile. There was something undeniably adorable about the boy in front of him, and he didn't even know why he was thinking it. He figured that perhaps it was a help, though. He should be grateful he, at least, wasn't completely disgusted or anything. Even if he was a boy. He was almost completely unsure of what to do now. The atmosphere felt too awkward for him to really come up with anything to say and... perhaps it would serve everything better to at least take another small step forward. It was a handicap that he had no experience, though. He had no idea how to hug someone intimately, or kiss someone, or... anything, basically. But, he reminded himself, neither did Brendon. So perhaps he wouldn't be able to tell if Ryan were bad. Or just put it down to nerves. Even if he was supposedly experienced, it was only natural that there were some nerves with someone new who he was supposed to obviously like. Right? Sucking in a deep breath, he fought down the ramble in his brain and reached out the hand that hadn't been twined with Brendon's, placing it on the boy's cheek. He let the pad of his thumb stroke slowly up and down the soft skin of Brendon's newly shaven cheek and took yet another deep breath before he swallowed his fears and started to lean forward, slow enough to give Brendon an out if he wanted it.

Brendon squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for what was about to happen. He reminded himself not to think, because that just might mess things up even more, and just to do what he felt was right. That could definitely work. Ryan's lips were wet. Or, perhaps, his own lips were wet and he just didn't know the difference. His own lips felt huge when pressed against Ryan's, and he was scared for a moment that Ryan would pull away, wiping his mouth, and never want to kiss Brendon again, for fear of being swallowed whole. Things like that didn't happen, did they? He really needed to stop thinking. Besides, their lips sort of fit, with Ryan's bottom lip nestled between Brendon's top and lower lips. Brendon parted his own lips, slightly, didn't know what he was doing, and pressed back on Ryan more insistently. Why did his hands suddenly feel so useless? He brought one up to clutch Ryan's hair and, yeah, that felt about right. After only a few seconds that could have been hours, Brendon pulled back, his eyes still closed, and smiled sheepishly when they fluttered open. God, Ryan was still really close. He dove back in again, pressing his lips against Ryan's, and hoped he wasn't complete crap at this whole thing.

Ryan found himself briefly wondering why he had waited all these years for this, but pushed the thought away, settling on being pleased that Brendon wasn't as hesitant as he'd feared. He turned his body a little so he was facing Brendon more on the couch and raised his free hand, letting it settle on the boy's shoulder. Out of instinct, mostly, he tilted his head slightly and the contact between their lips became a little closer, the pressure of Brendon's lips against his own heavier, firmer. His eyes had fluttered shut without any command a moment ago, and he was content to let them stay that way. This was easier than he'd thought, felt almost natural in a way. He made an effort to push the word 'feel' out of his system entirely and tried to remember anything he'd read or seen or heard that might help him with this. Finally he nervously opened his mouth a little bit more than it had already fallen and let his tongue dart out to prod gently at Brendon's bottom lip.

Well, Brendon sure as hell didn't know what to do about that, but it seemed his mouth knew and as he sucked on Ryan's tongue, he frowned in concentration and focused just on doing this right. His mouth was now opened against Ryan's, his tongue tasting something wholly unfamiliar but not unpleasant. Ryan's tongue felt odd against his own, slick and wet, but Brendon was beginning to realize what he'd missed in choosing not to date. He sighed through his nose, forehead still wrinkled in concentration, and let his tongue delve into Ryan's mouth once, before quickly pulling it back and then pulling back himself. He panted slightly for a few seconds, then averted his eyes to the floor and cleared his throat. His lips felt odd, like they had fallen asleep and now had pins and needles pricking them. Brendon bit into them, wanting to make it stop, but smiling about it at the same time. He looked back at Ryan. Was he supposed to say something?

The smile on Ryan's face, for some reason, had come on its own and was completely earnest. His lips were tingling and there was a hint of an unfamiliar taste - Brendon - lingering in his mouth. He found himself idly wondering if perhaps this whole thing wouldn't be as bad as he'd thought. And then pushed the thought away. It was just lips, and Brendon had lips that were as full, and probably soft, not that Ryan would know, as those belonging to most girls he'd seen. This was all about suddenly having opportunities he'd never had, or never pursued, before. And then he pushed that away too. His own suddenly rising confusion would have to be dealt with later. Right now he had to deal with the fact that he had no idea what one was supposed to do in the aftermath of a kiss. No idea at all. He took a couple of deep breaths, letting himself calm down before finally letting his hand drop from Brendon's cheek before, impulsively, snaking the other one around the younger male's shoulders. "That was nice," he finally commented breathily, somehow feeling sure that Brendon would appreciate the reassurance as well.

Brendon bit his lip and chuckled uneasily. He moved a bit closer to Ryan, leaning into his side. "Really?" he asked quietly, playing absently with a loose thread on his jeans. Was he supposed to say something back? 'Hey, Ryan, you're a hell of a good kisser?' Would that be taken as a compliment, or would that just sound completely weird?

Ryan let the fingers resting where he held Brendon's shoulder start up a slow, idle pattern, almost on their own accord. He nodded, smiling. "Really," he assured, impulsively leaning in to press a quick peck against the boy's cheekbone. He was almost tempted to ask what came next, but he wasn't supposed to be the one with the questions. He was supposed to know it all, to have done it all before. Right then, though, he was just relieved Brendon hadn't sensed how incredibly nervous and unsure and, well, inexperienced the kiss had really been. From Ryan's side anyway. He guessed he just had to be grateful it was new territory for both of them, because if Brendon had ever tried it before he'd surely have noticed Ryan's inadequacies.

Brendon chuckled. "Thanks," he said, bringing one of his hands up and taking Ryan's free hand in his. "I suppose since I'm not repulsed and actually liked it- a lot- it was okay," he teased, squeezing Ryan's hand. He jumped about a mile in the air when his phone rang, the sound loud and annoying. Sighing, Brendon got up, letting Ryan's hand slip from his grasp, and walking over to the phone. Picking it up, Brendon pressed the receiver to his ear and sighed. "Brendon Urie, how may I help you?" he asked, twisting the cord around in his fingers. "Oh, hello mother... no, I'm good, how are you? ... Oh, that's good. What's the occasion? ... Oh.. Okay. Yeah. I know. Yes, mother, I'll see you then." With that, Brendon waited a few seconds before hanging up. He turned back to Ryan and shrugged.

Ryan snorted slightly, shaking his head. "The weekend thing?" he asked before letting his eyebrows suddenly narrow in confusion. "What's up with the Urie thing? I thought your name was Beauregard." Then he quickly reached out and snatched Brendon's hand back in his own after noticing that the phone had been put away. He'd been pleased with having the other boy take the initiative for at least something a moment before and wasn't about to let go of that bit of progress. Then he rolled his eyes. "And who are you kidding anyway? 'Okay' doesn't cut it." So perhaps okay more than cut it, but hopefully a display of confidence would make it seem better, in retrospect, than he suspected he had actually been.

"Hmm?" Brendon looked over to the phone, then back at Ryan and bit his lip. "Oh, um, my mom's maiden name is Urie... I use it everywhere but at school and, well, when I'm in the castle or with my parents. It's just easier- slightly less known than Beauregard, though not by much." He shrugged again, chuckling when Ryan held his hand. He walked closer, rolling his eyes at Ryan's comment and choosing to ignore it. "So, I'm going home in two weeks for the weekend. Leaving Friday night and coming back Sunday during the day. Apparently, my father has important things to discuss with me. Joy," he said sarcastically, sitting down beside Ryan again.

"It's just a weekend," Ryan said, offering another smile. He seemed to be doing that far too much. How was no one ever able to tell that they were fake? He supposed people just tended to only see the things they wanted to see. "It can't be that bad." He squeezed the hand in his own gently and shuffled just an inch or two closer on the couch until their thighs were touching and he could easily lean to the side a bit, letting his head rest lightly on Brendon's shoulder. He suspected that the other boy didn't like to feel young and inexperienced and like he was always the one slightly behind and hoped that small gestures like that one may ease that feeling a little.

Brendon smiled faintly. "Yeah, but when he wants to talk to me it usually involves either stupid interviews for horrible magazines, or he thinks my grades are slipping," he said, then awkwardly placed his arm behind Ryan's neck without letting their hands let go. He sighed, stroking Ryan's hand with his thumb. "This is weird," he whispered, chuckling. "Yesterday we were barely even friends."

"Doesn't sound too pleasant," Ryan agreed, leaning into the slight hold. "I'd say you'll survive." Then he grinned softly, flicking his gaze up to meet Brendon's dark eyes. "We were, though," he corrected. "I just didn't know it." Then he wrinkled his nose slightly, biting down on his bottom lip just a little. "Too weird?"

Brendon shook his head. "No, a good kind of weird," he snorted. "Whatever that means." He leaned back into the couch more, tightening his arm around Ryan's neck slightly. "I guess we were friends... but that was over the internet. I don't know. It feels kind of weird, doesn't it?" He asked, confusing himself slightly. He didn't know why, but he still felt as though Ryan was somewhat of a stranger, even though he knew it wasn't true. He wondered if Ryan felt the same about him.

"I get what you mean," Ryan stated, voice still lowered slightly as though being this close made loud speak... he didn't even know. Unfitting? "It's suddenly strange to talk without a screen, face to face, without having time to think out the best way to respond. I guess it's more honest in a way." And inside he was close to cringing. It was less honest, much less honest. On the computer he only lied with words. Here and now it was his words, his actions, his looks, his body language, everything. And he had absolutely no idea where that sudden pang of guilt came from. He pushed it away quickly, mentally grumbling about being too honest for a job like this. Honest, yeah right. "But I'm glad it's a good kind of weird. I'd hate it if I managed to scare you off."

Brendon nodded, relieved. "Yes, you're absolutely right about everything. It's kind of, uh, scary sometimes, you know? But I think we're going just fine... I mean, it could be worse, right? At least we've made it through the first kiss." Brendon paused and smiled. "Hey, you want to go eat dinner?"

"Yeah," Ryan mumbled in agreement to pretty much the assessments he'd just heard. "And dinner would be nice," he added. But when he felt the other boy start to let him go, he quickly leaned in again, pressing their lips together gently and making sure to shift the pressure a little even if he was keeping his mouth shut. Then he pulled back, smiling slightly. "That count as making it through the second?"