It had been a few days since Ryan went back to the diner. Though him and Brendon talked on the phone, Brendon always cut the conversations short for reasons he'd never explain. It was just simple back and forth about each others day. Ryan had always been a guarded person, so getting personal with someone was always difficult for him.

The next time he walked into the diner, his eyes scanned the room just like the first time he walked in. Only this time, he was actually looking for something, well someone to be exact. Then he spotted him, standing behind the counter talking to an older gentleman. He watched Brendon talk so easily and smile as he conversed with the man. 

When Brendon clearly hadn't noticed him yet, Ryan moved to his spot in the corner of the diner. Instead of writing, Ryan simply watched Brendon at work, the way he served with his smile, how he easily glided around the floor.

While lost in thought, Ryan heard someone clear their throat to get his attention. To his disappointment, it wasn't the same waiter as last time. The lady was pretty attractive herself, but not the type who would cause Ryan's eyes to wander. 

"My name is Sarah and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with something to drink?" Ryan thought back to when Brendon told him the same thing just a few days ago. He was tempted to request Brendon to be his waiter, but didn't want to come off as disrespectful. He looked over at the working man, frowning in disappointment before turning to Sarah.

"Actually, I'm ready to order."

"Oh, okay." Sarah replied a bit surprised at him making a decision so quickly. "And what would you like?" Ryan stole another glance at Brendon with a smile. "I'll have a burger with bacon, lettuce and tomato. Also a side of fries and a lemonade, please." Sarah smiled as she wrote down the order. 

"Alright, I'll have that out for you in a little bit." Ryan thanked her as she walked away. Pulling out his journal, he tried getting into his writing mode, but he kept getting distracted by the thought of the man who had been occupying his mind a little too much lately.

Lost in thought, he didn't realize when Sarah brought out his food. The scent of his burger is what brought him back to reality, but only for a little bit before he tried to work on his music. It wasn't until Ryan saw a man move to sit across from him that he picked his head up from his journal. 

"Hey stranger." Brendon propped his head on the palm of his hand as he smiled at Ryan. "Didn't think to say 'hi'?" Ryan felt his face heat up at the question. Of course he wanted to say 'hi' to the man he couldn't stop staring at when he walked in. 

"You were busy working." Ryan gave a lame excuse. 

"So?" Brendon asked teasingly, loving the pink color on the boy's face. Ryan only gave a shrug in response. Leaning over the table a bit, Brendon looked at the open page of Ryan's journal. "What you writing there?" Ryan bit his lip nervously as his hand automatically went to close the book.

"Oh, it's nothing important really." 

"Oh, come on Ross. You won't be able to hide from me forever." Ryan knew that the boy was right, but a part of him couldn't help to deny his words. Ryan looked up only to meet Brendon giving him puppy dog eyes. Ryan groaned inwardly, knowing that with that look, he would never be able to say 'no' to Brendon.

He quickly averted his eyes. If he couldn't see Brendon, he wouldn't be able to fall under his spell. After a while, Brendon sighed in defeat. "Okay then. You don't have to tell me. Gotta any plans for tonight?"

"No. Was just gonna come here then go home." Brendon hummed in approval.

"That's nice. My shift's over so I was just gonna head home too." Brendon stared intently into Ryan's, willing him to ask a question. Ryan stared back cluelessly, trying to piece together the information Brendon apparently gave him. Finally understanding, Ryan mentally slapped himself for being so slow.

"Do you wanna like hang out tonight or something?" Nodding his head eagerly, Brendon stood up.

"Sounds like fun. Let me just go get my things." Before leaving, Brendon stole one of Ryan's leftover fries before running to the back.

Ryan smiled and gathered up his things. The sound of a hand slamming down on the table caused Ryan to jump in surprise. Sarah was standing over him with a determined along with anger? in her eyes.

"Don't you dare hurt that boy. You hear me. He's been through enough shit. He doesn't need some asshole from the street putting more strain on his life. Understand?" Ryan nodded without hesitation. "Good. Here's your check." And with that, she walked away. After paying, Ryan got up from his seat and made his way outside. He waited until Brendon came out the door. 

"Ready to go?" Brendon asked.

"Yeah, but where to exactly?" Brendon gave a small shrug. Ryan thought a little before suggesting, "park?" Brendon grimaced as he shook his head. Ryan laughed quietly at his reaction. "Alright. No park."

"Sorry, it's just sometimes I feel like I live there." Confused, Ryan opened his mouth to question the other, but was interrupted before he could get a word out. "Don't ask." Ryan shut his mouth thinking about some place else. "Why don't we hang at your place?"

Ryan tensed ever so slightly at the idea. He'd never really had anyone at his place because well he didn't have the need to bring someone over. And here was Brendon, this sweet, charming guy, asking to come over. How could Ryan say no to a face like that? Well he couldn't which is why Ryan felt his head nod in agreement. 

"If you brought a car, you can just follow me back to my place." Brendon agreed as they made their way to their cars. Ryan nervously began driving back to his place. His hands shook slightly when he parked his car and led Brendon up to his apartment. When he opened the door, he moved to the side to let Brendon in first. 

As he shut the door, he watched Brendon's eyes travel around the room. They were currently in the living room, but Brendon could also see the kitchen because there wasn't a wall or anything dividing the two rooms. On the other side of the room, there was a hallway, leading to Ryan's bedroom, bathroom, and spare room that was used as a music studio. 

"Would you like anything to drink?" Ryan asked as he watched Brendon move to a shelf holding his CD and vinyl collection. Shaking his head, Brendon picked up a CD inspecting it. 

"I take it you're really into music?" Brendon glanced at Ryan over his shoulder. Ryan smiled gently as he unconsciously ran a finger over the spine of his journal. Brendon noticed how Ryan seemed to space out as he spoke.

"Music is everything to me." Ryan responded truthfully. "It's been my escape from everything. It saved my life." 

"So you do write songs then?" Brendon asked eyeing the journal for a second before looking to Ryan for conformation. Ryan gave a subtle nod to which Brendon responded excitedly. "I'd love to hear one of them."

Ryan snapped his hazel eyes to meet Brendon's brown ones. As much as he already hated denying this beautiful man anything, he shook his head. "Why not?" Brendon asked disappointedly. Ryan shut his eyes and spoke so softly Brendon could barely hear him. 

"I've never showed anyone my songs," he breathed. "I can't do that." 

"Well maybe you could show me one day. If you feel comfortable enough." Ryan nodded not wanting to deny the other of that hope. "I'm assuming you play an instrument since you write songs." Ryan smiled at the thought of his beloved guitar tucked under his bed. 

"Yeah, guitar and piano. Guitar's my favorite. It's in my room."

"Can I see it?" Brendon asked testing the boundaries of the other boy. Ryan disappeared into a room down the hallway, emerging with his acoustic in one hand. The pair moved to the couch, getting comfortable. Ryan sat the guitar over his knee. "Play something for me?" Brendon suggested, loving the way Ryan looked so natural with the wooden instrument. 

"I told you I don't let anyone hear my songs," Ryan stated avoiding the other's stare.

"You don't have to play one of your songs. It could be anything. Whatever you feel like." Hesitantly, Ryan took a deep breath and positioned his fingers over the strings. He racked his brain, trying to decide what he should play. Finally, he just let his fingers move over the neck of guitar as he played random cords, letting his fingers decide what they wanted to do. 

Soon, he recognized a tune he learned years ago. He noticed Brendon's smile through his peripherals. Swaying to the beat, he closed his eyes as he sung the lyrics in his head. When he heard the lyrics escape his mind, he snapped his eyes open. Only it wasn't his voice he heard. It was the boy next to him.

"This is what you'll get. This is what you'll get. This is what you'll get when you mess with us." 

Ryan almost lost the fingering as watched in amazement as Brendon sang the lyrics so confidently. After getting over his initial shock, Ryan was more determined to play if it meant he could continue listening to the angel singing beside him. Ryan loved how Brendon sang, eyes closed, but face full of passion and love for the song. "For a minute there I lost myself, I lost myself." 

Ryan closed his eyes and tried to steady his shaky breath. "For a minute there I lost myself, I lost myself." Ryan's heart quickened as he opened his mouth, voice quiet. "Well I'm afraid that I."

He let out another breath, now feeling himself in a spotlight under Brendon's eyes. He opened his eyes to confirm that Brendon was looking at him, almost as shocked as he was the first time Brendon opened his mouth. "Well I'm afraid that I." Ryan sang again more confidently. 

Ryan looked down at his guitar as the song began to come to a close. "Well I'm afraid that I," Brendon sang, catching Ryan's attention again. "I lost myself. I lost myself." Ryan's fingers played the final cord of the song as the two held eye contact. 

"You have an amazing voice." Ryan heard himself say. Brendon chuckled, causing his eyes to squint slightly. 

"You're not so bad yourself, Ross." They both stayed grinning at each other like idiots in a now comfortable silence. 

                        ________________________________________________________

A/N:

Forgot to put in first chapter! So this is my first fanfic, so it probably won't be that good, we'll see. Not so great with grammar either, so if you see mistakes just know that there will probably be a lot. Here's how I picture Brendon and Ryan in the story. Also, Brendon is like 25 and Ryan is 26. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy.