wednesday_whimsy | This Happy Ending's Just Beginning, Part 3

Part Two

Brendon was sitting on the front stoop when Jon arrived to take him to work on Monday. Jon waved at him and then, when Brendon didn't move, rolled down the passenger side window.

"Brendon? Buddy? It's time to go."

Brendon jerked and blinked at Jon, as though he'd only just seen him. He grabbed his bag and walked over to the car.

"Hey," he said as he climbed in and Jon pulled away. "Sorry. I'm a little out of it."

Jon nodded slowly, waiting for Brendon to continue, but nothing was forthcoming. Brendon leaned his head against the window and sighed heavily. Jon began to get worried.

"What the hell happened? You look awful."

"Thanks." Brendon didn't look up.

Jon hit his arm. "Brendon!"

Finally, Brendon rolled his head until he could see Jon. He looked miserable.

"Ryan kissed me."

Jon was sure this wasn't a bad thing, considering the way Brendon had been half in love with Ryan as long as Jon had known him, so he stayed quiet and waited.

"And we went to his place on Saturday night. We just fell asleep, we didn't..." Brendon trailed off and sighed again. "Then yesterday morning, things were great until I said we'd be seeing more of each other once I was working with him. That was when he threw me out."

"He what?" Jon exclaimed, genuinely surprised. He'd been so sure Ryan had felt the same way about Brendon. It didn't make sense.

"He threw me out. He told me to leave. He said..." Brendon paused and took a deep breath. "He said he didn't want me and we couldn't be together."

Jon wondered how severe his warning would be if he punched Ryan Ross right in the middle of his pretty face.

"And to make it all just that much worse," Brendon continued, reaching down into his back-pack and pulling out an envelope, "is that when I got home yesterday, this was waiting for me." He pulled a crisp sheet of white paper with Disney letterhead from the envelope and began to read.

"Thank you for your continued interest in becoming part of the 'Disney Musical Fantasy Parade'. I can confirm that you have been accepted for an audition, to be held on Thursday..."

He stopped reading and stared at the letter sadly as he held it on his knees.

"This Thursday. It's my day off."

Jon parked in the cast parking lot and turned to Brendon quickly, pulling him close for a hug.

Brendon leaned heavily against him. "I don't know if I can do it. I can't see him every day. I don't even know what I did wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Jon assured him, certain that was true. "Maybe you should try talking to him."

Brendon shook his head. "I don't want to see him." His fist clenched around the letter, scrunching it into a ball. "I don't want to do this either."

"Brendon..."

"No, Jon. I'm done with it." Brendon pushed Jon away and hurriedly freed himself from the seatbelt. "I'm happy where I am." He opened the car door and scrambled out. "I don't need the stupid parade or stupid Ryan Ross to make me happy."

Jon watched Brendon as he ran across the parking lot, the sound of the car door slamming still ringing in his ears.

~

Spencer had been working hard. In fact, if asked, Spencer would say he'd been working his ass off at this whole "customer service" thing. He was polite. He was helpful. He hadn't shouted or rolled his eyes at anyone in a week.

The only problem now was that no one was around to see it.

Ryan came to work when he was supposed to and any time he wasn't out working in the park he spent holed up in the staff room with his iPod and a book, ignoring everyone. Brendon had been avoiding him almost as much as he was avoiding Ryan, and Joe had banished Spencer from Big Thunder Mountain the one time he had gone to seek Brendon out. And Jon, well, things with Jon were complicated; even more so now that Ryan and Brendon were fighting.

So Spencer kept everything to himself and felt infinitely pleased when Patrick took him aside and congratulated him on his change of attitude and the positive comments he'd received from the guests.

He should have known it couldn't last.

"..We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs..."

Gabe was singing again. Spencer wanted to kill him.

Spencer waved the next group of people through to wait at the gates and clipped the rope barrier back into position.

"...Drink up, me hearties, yo ho..."

"Gabe," Spencer said into his mic, frustrated, "please shut up."

"I'm not doing anything."

"I have to be nice to the guests, not to you. Do you want me to take out a month's pent up anger on you?"

Spencer could practically hear Gabe's smirk. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"I hate you."

Gabe's laughter was ringing in his ears as the next boat stopped and the safety bars were released. One group of guests stood to leave, and the gates opened for the next group. Spencer yawned.

From the corner of his eye, Spencer saw two boys, maybe thirteen years old, charging through the crowd towards the cordon. They jumped over the rope, laughing as they went, and ran towards the gates.

"Shit," he heard Gabe hiss in his ear.

Spencer reached out instinctively and grabbed their shirts, halting their movement and sending them both crashing to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted at the boys and yanked them up to their feet. "You think it's funny, messing around like that? Someone could get hurt."

"Dude," the taller of the two boys said with a roll of his eyes. "Chill. It's just a stupid ride."

"A stupid ride?" Spencer said, a little quieter but by no means calmer. "Okay. How about this? If you'd hurt one of those people pushing through the line like you did, we could have security throw you out of the park. If you'd tripped over that rope and broken your neck, I would be fired. If you fell in the water and drowned, or worse, been horribly mangled by the machinery down there, your parents would no doubt be heartbroken. Though God knows why, since you're both clearly idiots."

He grabbed them each by the arm and dragged them towards the control booth. "You're in trouble, boys, you can count on that."

Five minutes later a security guard was searching for the boys' parents and they were safely settled with Gabe. Spencer thought that that was probably punishment enough.

He walked slowly back to the boats, feeling defeated. In one minute he'd managed to undo all the hard work he'd put in. The boys would complain that Spencer had grabbed them and then Spencer would be lucky if he saw anything outside "It's A Small World" for the next six months.

"Excuse me?"

Spencer forced a smile to his face and stepped closer to the woman who was waving at him from the line. "Yes, ma'am?"

"I just wanted to say, what you did with those boys..."

"It was very unprofessional of me," Spencer interrupted quickly. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Well, I think you absolutely did the right thing," the woman told him with a smile.

The couple behind her were nodding. "They could have hurt themselves. Or someone else."

"I thought you handled it very well," a man shouted from further back and several more people agreed.

"Well," Spencer said, giving a confused shrug. "Thank you, I think." He smiled genuinely. "Now, let's get the ride started again, shall we?"

~

"I have something for you," Mikey said as he walked up to Pete's concession stand and rested his folded arms on the counter.

Pete smiled and looked eagerly at Mikey "A present?"

"A clue," Mikey corrected.

"A clue for what?" Pete asked with a smile.

"A treasure hunt," Mikey answered. He reached into the back pocket of his pants and pulled out an envelope. He held it out to Pete, but snatched it back suddenly before Pete's fingers could fully wrap themselves around it.

"Be cool, okay?"

Pete rolled his eyes and pulled the envelope out of Mikey's hand. "I think I can manage."

Mikey watched him tear open the envelope and pull out the square of card. Pete's face went from curious to excited, to confused, in a matter of seconds as his eyes flew over the short, brightly colored text. Mikey smirked.

"What does it mean?" Pete asked, shoving the card back at Mikey who already knew the words by heart.

"It's been so long, you may have thought,
My feelings, they could not be caught.
But hear me out, your heart will fly;
I'll kiss you when we kiss the sky."

"It's a clue," Mikey said without inflection. "To where you'll find the treasure."

"It's Patrick's handwriting," Pete pointed out and Mikey couldn't prevent himself from sighing any longer.

"You're an idiot."

"I don't get it. What's the treasure? Is Patrick the treasure?"

"The two of you really do deserve each other." Pete could tell Mikey was beginning to get irritated by the way he was fiddling with his glasses. "Try to do something romantic," he muttered. "Just go to the damn Fun Wheel."

Pete knew better than to argue.

~

"Brendon!" Joe shouted across the tracks, finally dragging Brendon's eyes away from the monitor where he was watching the trains circle the track with a resolute stare.

Joe's smile didn't quite reach his eyes and his tone implied that he'd been shouting Brendon's name for a while before he got his attention.

"You have a visitor."

Brendon followed the jerk of Joe's head with eyes, to find Ryan standing at the head of the Fastpass line. He was staring at Brendon, trying and failing to look relaxed, with his hands thrust deep into the pockets of his coat.

The next train pulled into the loading area and Brendon unlocked the safety bars. Joe stepped into the front car as the guests vacated it and crossed to Brendon's side of the tracks.

"Go and talk to him."

Brendon shook his head firmly. "I don't want to."

"This is the third time he's been here this week. You're being a baby. Give him a chance." Joe pushed him into the front car, and Brendon grimaced as he climbed out right next to where Ryan was standing.

"Hey," Ryan said quickly. Brendon thought he might have sounded hopeful. "Thanks for..."

"What do you want, Ryan?" Brendon interrupted, steeling himself against Ryan's wince.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"I think we said everything we had to say, didn't we? You certainly made yourself clear enough."

Ryan sighed. "No, Brendon, it's not like that. Please let me explain."

Brendon knew he had to remain firm. If he wavered slightly, if he gave Ryan that power over him, if he let go of the anger, he felt like he might just break apart. "I don't want to hear it. I don't care anymore. You just do your job and I'll do mine."

Ryan looked like he'd been slapped, but his voice when he spoke was gentle and resigned. "I deserve that. I'm sorry." He took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Brian tells me you have an audition next week."

Brendon shrugged. "I don't know if I'll go."

Ryan frowned. "Why wouldn't you? This is everything you wanted. This is your dream."

"It's not that important," Brendon murmured, looking away. He could feel Ryan watching him again. He wasn't sure what any of this meant. "I should get back to work."

"Yeah." Ryan shifted back, his smile dimming. "I'll let you get back to it."

Brendon nodded and began to turn away, only to find himself stopped by Ryan's hand on his sleeve.

"You should do the audition though. You'll be the best Aladdin there's ever been."

He squeezed Brendon's arm and then, with a decisive nod, turned quickly and ran back down the stairs through the cast exit.

~

Pete gave Andy a little wave as he strolled up to the Fun Wheel. "Hurley. How's this place treating you?"

"Can't complain," Andy answered with a contented shrug. "You're late."

"Late?" Pete laughed. "I came straight here once Mikey gave me the message."

"I can't hold the ride up much longer though." Andy pointed at the line of irritated people waiting. "I said it was a special event. He's been waiting for thirty minutes now, though."

Pete's face lit up and he stood on his toes, straining to see the cage at the bottom of the wheel. "Patrick?"

"Who else?" Andy opened the gate. "One ride around and no more. Sort your shit out on your own time."

Pete nodded, immediately forgetting what Andy had said as he strode forward and saw Patrick waiting in the gondola. "Hi."

Patrick smiled a little nervously. "Hi."

"Hurry up!" Andy shouted, snapping them both back to attention.

Patrick cleared his throat and pushed open the door, allowing Pete to step inside. He slammed the door shut, gave a quick thumbs up to Andy and sat down. Pete took the seat opposite. "I'm glad you came."

"Of course I came."

"You understood the clue at least," Patrick laughed.

Pete looked abashed. "Actually, I didn't know what was going on. Mikey just told me to come here."

"Well," Patrick said, nodding a little, "Mikey's a good guy." Pete's eyebrows inched upwards but he didn't say anything. Patrick continued. "And the reason I've never said that before is that I was jealous. Very, very, stupidly, unfairly, jealous."

"I know."

"I'm sorry I pushed you away so hard. I guess I just hoped you'd still be around when I was less scared." He shrugged. "Not very rational I guess."

"You could have told me."

"I know."

They smiled at each other. Pete reached out for Patrick's hand and their fingers twined together, stroking and playful.

"So what was that about you kissing me?"

As though on cue, the wheel shuddered to a stop with them sitting at the highest point. Pete began to laugh.

"You're a hopeless romantic, Patrick Stump. I knew it."

Patrick leaned close and silenced Pete the best way he could think of; with a kiss.

~

Brendon had prepared two songs that best showed off his range and had spent the week practicing dance routines and short dramatic pieces, just in case.

Shane dragged himself out of bed earlier than Brendon had ever seen him, to make Brendon a special breakfast and wish him luck. Jon kept up a litany of amusing and excited chatter to take Brendon's mind off things. Somehow though, he managed to put all thoughts of Ryan out of his head and concentrate on the audition. This is what he'd always wanted. He couldn't waste his chance.

"Thank you for coming, Brendon," Brian said as they shook hands after the audition. "Let me walk you out."

Brendon tried not to show his surprise as he shook hands with the other two people in the room. This hadn't happened last time.

Brian led Brendon slowly back along the corridor from the rehearsal room towards the elevators.

"Do you have a minute?" Brian asked, stopping suddenly. He opened the door to a nearby office and gestured for Brendon to enter.

"Would you like a drink? Coffee? Water?"

"No thank you, sir."

Brian chuckled and sat down behind the desk. Brendon hovered for a moment and finally sat down in the seat opposite. "Call me Brian, please."

Brendon smiled nervously and nodded.

"I was surprised to see your name on the list for today," Brian said, leaning back in his seat. "Obviously you're talented enough to join the parade, Brendon. You were last time, you just needed more experience."

"I have the experience now," Brendon told him, leaning forward. "I've been promoted..."

"Three times in a month," Brian interrupted, a small smile playing around his lips. He picked up a file from the desk and flicked through it. "That's quite an achievement for anyone."

Brendon smiled and shrugged. "I've worked hard."

"I can see that, Brendon," Brian said kindly and tossed the file absently to one side of his desk. "I just want to be sure this is what you want."

"It is," Brendon insisted. "This is all I've wanted since I started working here."

Brian grimaced a little. "I thought..." He stopped and cleared his throat. "I apologize if I've made a mistake, but I was under the impression that you and Ryan were..."

"No," Brendon protested quickly and firmly, sitting up a little straighter. "There's nothing between Ryan and me."

Brian was watching him in a fixed, careful way. "Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly.

Brendon nodded. "I'm sure. Ryan and I are colleagues, nothing more. That's the way we both want it to stay."

For some reason, Brian seemed surprised, but he shrugged it off and stood, holding out his hand for Brendon to shake again.

"Then I guess that's all I needed to know."

~

Spencer drummed his fingers on the edge of Patrick's desk as they waited for the email to arrive.

"Could you try to relax?" Patrick said. He reached across the desk and put his hand over Spencer's. "You're driving me a little nuts right now."

Spencer checked his watch again. "Isn't it supposed to be here by now?"

Patrick grinned. "I thought you didn't care about this."

"I don't," Spencer snapped, snatching his hand back. "I just want to know whether or not I'm being relocated."

The computer made a little binging noise and they both froze.

"I've changed my mind," Spencer said. "I want to enjoy the rest of my day first."

"Oh no," Patrick said, turning back to the computer. "We're going to do this now." He opened the email and quickly scanned the contents.

"Well?"

"Well," Patrick said clearing his throat. "Of the thousand people eligible for the award, Gabe came in at 867."

Spencer rolled his eyes. "It's the singing, isn't it? People actually enjoy that."

"I," Patrick continued, "was 147 and you..."

Spencer held his breath.

"You were second, Spencer."

"Second?"

Patrick grinned brightly and quickly circled the desk to pull him into a hug. "Congratulations."

Spencer was in shock. "I thought I had to win."

Patrick laughed. "As though second isn't good enough. I'm proud of you. You've learned a lot this month."

"I'm not being relocated?" Spencer asked, his mind still reeling. He reached behind him for a chair and slowly sat down.

"No, of course not," Patrick said, and perched on the edge of the desk next to Spencer. "You don't seem very happy about this."

"I'm happy I don't have to leave," Spencer assured him quickly.

"But?"

Spencer sighed. "I really wanted to win."

~

For the first time in a week, Brendon felt like he was walking on air when he stepped into the park. The letter was pushed into the back pocket of his jeans. It was worn already with use, even after only a few hours, because he couldn't stop himself checking and rechecking that what it said was real.

He would have to remain working at Big Thunder Mountain every morning for the next week.

His afternoons were reserved for character induction.

He was going to be Aladdin.

Jon had whooped with joy when Brendon had told him the news on the drive to work. They'd shared a hug, and Jon had promised to take Brendon out for celebratory drinks.

"I'll hold you to that," Brendon had said, laughing. He stared down at the letter again.

"I hate to bring it up," Jon had continued a moment later, his eyes fixed firmly on the road, "but..."

Brendon had cut him off quickly and firmly.

Not even the prospect of spending every day with Ryan could dampen his spirits right then.

His happy thoughts lasted only until he reached the entrance to the ride, where Ryan was leaning against the wooden face, clearly waiting for him if the way he straightened instantly upon spotting him was any indication.

"I heard the news," Ryan called out, forcing Brendon's attention his way. "Congratulations."

Brendon shoved his hands into his pockets and focused on his feet. "Yeah," he said, fighting back the hurt that seeing Ryan simply made worse. "Thanks."

Ryan smiled shyly. "I’m really proud of you. I know this is what you wanted.”

Right then, all Brendon wanted was to be a million miles away from Ryan.

"I have to get to work," he said, hoping Ryan would take the hint and leave him alone. Opening the ride should at least make him busy enough to take his mind off this conversation.

"I wanted to tell you something." Ryan's smile began to wane. "About the parade. About me and the parade."

Brendon crossed his arms protectively over his chest and laughed sharply. “You want to offer me advice again?” He hadn’t felt this angry in awhile, but he found himself leaning closer and narrowing his eyes. “I got into the parade already. I don’t need your help anymore. We don’t ever even have to talk again.”

Ryan looked startled, but he ducked his head before Brendon could be sure. “No, you’re right," he said with a firm nod. He stepped towards Brendon, who backed away.

"I’m sorry,” Ryan whispered as Brendon strode past him to the entrance without looking back.

~

The Disneyland Railroad was Ryan's thinking place, and he dragged Spencer there as soon as his shift was over. They grabbed the front seats, put their feet up on the handrail and leaned heavily against each other.

"I get why I'm having a bad day," Ryan said once the whistle had sounded and they'd set off from the New Orleans Square Station towards Toontown, "but what's got you so glum?"

Spencer fidgeted. "I didn't win."

It took Ryan a moment to realize what Spencer was talking about. "How could you not win? You worked harder than anyone this month."

"Not harder than Brendon," Spencer retorted.

Ryan winced. "Did he win it?"

Spencer shrugged. "I don't know who won it. I just know I didn't."

Ryan leaned his head on Spencer's shoulder. "You should have won. Are you being relocated?"

"No," Spencer sighed and squeezed Ryan's hand. "Patrick said I'd obviously learned from the experience and he'd never been more proud."

Ryan smiled. "Patrick's a good guy."

Spencer nodded in agreement as they pulled into the Toontown Station. They waited quietly while the train unloaded and loaded its passengers.

"So," Spencer said once they were under way again. "What's up?"

"Brendon got the part in the parade."

"Of course he did."

Ryan sat up a little straighter and peered at Spencer's face.

"What?"

"Don't be an asshole."

Spencer rolled his eyes. "I'm not being an asshole. Of course Brendon got the part. Was it ever in any doubt after this month's grand scheme?"

"I suppose not," Ryan muttered.

"Have you talked to him about this? Have you told him the truth?"

Ryan shook his head.

"Don't you think you should?"

"It's too late now. We're working together. The rules are there for a reason. We can't do anything."

Spencer poked Ryan hard in the arm. "At least he'll know what it was about, instead of thinking you just don't like him."

Ryan groaned. "I do like him."

"Duh."

The train arrived at the Tomorrowland Station. Ryan rubbed his face, wearily.

"The question is," Spencer said suddenly, his voice quiet and kind, "how much do you like him?"

"What?" Ryan asked, frowning. "You know what I..."

"I don't know anything," Spencer protested, "except that you've been the happiest I've seen you in a long time with him around. That means something."

Ryan stared at the approaching tunnel and asked, "What should I do?"

Spencer wrapped his arm around Ryan's shoulders and leaned in close to speak above the sudden roar of the train.

By the time they'd reached Main Street Station, Ryan had made his decision.

~

Spencer sat on the end of the jetty at the lake, feet dangling near the water. He'd been in a daze for most of the day. Not even trying to sort out Ryan's problems had taken his mind off the fact that he'd failed.

Both Patrick and Ryan had told him it didn't matter. Second was pretty damn fabulous when you'd been 999 every other month. But it still wasn't good enough to him. Somewhere along the way it had stopped being about keeping his job and started being about proving to everyone that he was a good employee, a hardworking and friendly guy. Second didn't prove that he was the best. Someone out there was better than him and that stung a little.

He heard footsteps behind him, too heavy to be Ryan's, too steady and sure to be Patrick's. He didn't turn around to find out, but moved to sit with his legs crossed, Indian style, and rested his elbows on his knees.

A small golden statue of Mickey Mouse swung into view, dangling by the ear from some lazy fingers.

"You actually get a Golden Mouse?" Spencer asked, tilting his head back to see Jon Walker's smiling face looking down at him.

"It has my name on it and everything," Jon told him as he sat down next to Spencer. He dropped the statue into Spencer's lap.

Spencer picked it up to look at it; his fingers tracing the outline of the figure and then Jon's name on the plaque at the bottom. "So you have about four hundred of these now?"

Jon shrugged. "I have a few. I think once you reach a certain number they make you exempt from the competition."

"Well, congratulations," Spencer said, with a genuine smile as he handed back the statue.

Jon held up his hands. "No. That's for you. You deserve it more than me. You worked harder for it."

Spencer refused to let Jon see what that meant to him. He stared down at the award. "I can't take this, Jon."

"Of course you can," Jon said with a smile. "Like you said, I have lots of them."

"No," Spencer said, faking a frown a little as he looked up. "It has your name on it. Why would I want an award with your name on it?"

He burst out laughing a second later as Jon, amusement glittering in his eyes, wrestled him onto his side and proceeded to tickle him mercilessly.

~

Brendon's week of training passed quickly and he loved every moment of it. He learned how to walk and how to talk, how to answer questions, how to behave with the children. He kept himself busy even outside work, concentrating on getting the character just right, perfecting the voice and the movements. It was easier than imaging how his first parade rehearsal would go.

The first day of seeing Ryan again.

But Brendon was nothing if not professional. He would put Ryan out of his mind. He'd obviously been wrong about him. Now they could just be indifferent acquaintances. They didn't even have to speak to each other. Everything would be fine, he told himself, and hoped he would believe it soon.

Brendon tried to sneak into the staff room unobtrusively. The room was full of parade cast members, and Brendon was suddenly very aware of how new he was to all of this. He quickly scanned the crowd for Ryan and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see him. Maybe his first day would go easier than expected. He sat down in a corner by himself and waved hesitantly at Greta when she beamed at him from across the room.

"Okay, people," Brian said as he entered the room, causing the chatter to die down as the whole room turned their attention to him. "We have a lot to get through today, so keep your questions to the end and this will go a lot faster."

Brendon looked quickly around the room again, but Ryan hadn't materialized. Keltie sat in a comfy armchair near Brian, her legs pulled up under her.

"First of all I'd like you all to welcome Brendon who is joining the parade." Brian turned to smile at Brendon, who raised his hand in a vague gesture of acknowledgment. "I'm sure you'll all make him feel very welcome."

He received several smile and a few waves, though a glance at Alex Suarez told him he was going to have a problem there. If looks could kill, Brendon would be a puddle of goo on the floor right now.

"And that brings me to my second point," Brian continued, and Brendon refocused. "The parade has been going from strength to strength. We've received praise from every area, and I want to thank you all for an amazing first year." Brian paused for a small smattering of applause. "And our second year is going to be even better, though obviously there are going to be a few changes."

Suarez leaned closer to Snow White (Brendon really needed to learn her name) and whispered something. They both glared in Brendon's direction.

"As I'm sure you're all aware by now," Brian was saying, "Ryan has decided to leave us for better things, leaving an opening..."

Brendon stared at Brian, suddenly unable to focus on anything but the words he'd just spoken.

Ryan had left the parade.

It circled on a loop in his head as Brendon tried to reconcile that with everything that had happened in the last month. Something was wrong. Something had happened. How could Ryan just leave? He was the best. The parade was his life. It didn't make any sense.

"...something of a baptism of fire, Brendon, I'm sorry," Brian laughed, snapping Brendon's attention back to where it was supposed to be. "It was a close thing, but Haley's still by herself, so Aladdin is getting that spot, and the Sleeping Beauty float is being retired until we can recast. Keltie is taking over as choreographer. I know she'll give us some stunning routines to work with."

Brendon was speechless. He'd gone from "the new guy" to "parade centerpiece" in about five minutes. His stomach rolled with anxiety and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

When he opened them again it was to see a girl with long dark hair waving eagerly at him from across the room. He smiled weakly back at her as she pointed to herself and mouthed, "I'm Jasmine."

"And that's it, people. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but let me just say rehearsals for the new parade begin bright and early on Saturday morning. The schedule will be posted Friday lunchtime as usual."

Fifteen hands shot into the air, Brendon's among them.

"Yes, Brendon?"

"May I be excused?"

A few people laughed. Ashlee reached across and patted his shoulder. Brian simply grinned at him.

"That took you long enough. Come see me when you're done and I'll get you caught up."

Brendon nodded as he scooped up his backpack, jumped to his feet and ran from the room.

~

Pete shouted something to him as Brendon raced towards the cast entrance to Pirates, but he didn't stop to find out what it was. He ran along the corridor and up the stairs to the control booth. Patrick jumped when Brendon threw open the door and marched towards him.

"Brendon?"

Brendon grabbed the microphone and peered out through the window to find Spencer.

"Spencer? Spencer, are you there? Can you hear me?"

Spencer looked up, a little startled. "Brendon?"

"Where is he?" Brendon demanded as soon as he saw Spencer was looking at him.

Spencer remained unmoved. "Why do you want to know?"

"Fuck you, you know why. Where is he?"

A smile flirted with the corners of Spencer's mouth. "Grand Californian."

"Thanks," Brendon shouted, and laughed when Spencer gave a small salute. He tossed the microphone back to Patrick, who wished him luck as he raced out the door.

~

The Grand Californian Hotel was Disneyland's showcase hotel, and the role of concierge there was a most prestigious one.

Not that Ryan felt very prestigious. He'd been standing and smiling for four hours already, and though he was enjoying it, part of him wished he was half asleep on the sofa in his old staff room, watching Donald Duck cartoons.

He rolled his shoulders and tilted his head from side to side, stretching out the kinks.

The move was good, he told himself, and most of him believed it. It was more money, regular hours, and a step towards management, which is where Ryan had been headed from the day he'd set foot in the park. If he carried on the way he was going, he'd have Brian's job in another five years. Brian had told him so.

And, of course, there was Brendon.

The phone rang, distracting him, just in time, from further thoughts of Brendon Urie. The guest in one of the corner suites requested Ryan make a reservation at Disneyland 's best restaurant, whatever that may be. Ryan assured him it would be done and replaced the receiver. He turned away from his desk and sorted quickly through a pile of index cards for the phone number he needed.

The bell dinged merrily behind him, and Ryan pasted his best smile to his face as he turned to greet...

"Brendon?"

"Hi."

"Hi."

Ryan wasn't sure what to say next. Or at all. Brendon seemed just as lost and they stood there staring at each other until Ryan's phone rang.

"I have to, uh..."

"Sure, sure," Brendon said, nodding as Ryan reached for the phone.

The guest spoke for several minutes and Ryan made sure to say "yes" and "of course" in the appropriate places, but afterward he couldn't remember a single word that had been spoken. His eyes were focused on Brendon's bottom lip and the way Brendon was biting absently on it, his tongue flicking out to sooth it every so often.

"Can I ask you something?" Brendon asked as soon as Ryan had finished with the call. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here," Ryan answered immediately. "What are you doing here? Don't you have a staff meeting right about now?"

Brendon waved his hand dismissively. "Don't change the subject. Why are you working here?"

Ryan shrugged and shuffled through some papers, unable to meet Brendon's eyes. "I asked for a transfer."

"Was it..?" Ryan looked up when Brendon hesitated. "Did you leave the parade so that I could join the parade?"

The laughter bubbled up inside Ryan before he could stop himself, though he sobered almost instantly when Brendon flinched. "No, not the way you think."

"How I think? Ryan..."

"I left so that we could be together," Ryan said in a hurry, cutting Brendon off.

Brendon shook his head as though to clear it. "But it was your dream."

"No, Brendon," Ryan said, feeling a genuine smile curl his lips. "It was your dream."

"But you're Ryan Ross. It's your parade. Everyone knows you. You're the best. You're a legend."

Ryan chuckled, shaking his head slowly.

"I'd rather be with you."

Once he'd said it, knowing it was true, it suddenly seemed a lot less scary. The words were no longer tripping over themselves inside his head. Brendon made him happy. More than the parade. More than his job. More than Disneyland.

And maybe now that they were on an equal footing, maybe he could make Brendon just as happy.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

Brendon tilted his head to the side, assessing. Ryan held his gaze, still smiling, until Brendon broke and beamed back at him.

"I'll have to think about it," Brendon told him. He rested his forearms on the edge of the desk and pushed himself forward, closer to Ryan. "I've thought about it," he added as his nose brushed against Ryan's.

"You're such a dork," Ryan told him, laughing. "Why do I put up with...?"

Brendon closed the distance between them suddenly, sealing his lips to Ryan's, deepening the kiss after only a moment. Ryan sighed happily and pressed closer.

Epilogue

"Are you nervous?"

Brendon glared at Ryan as best he could. He felt like throwing up.

"You look like you're about to hurl," Ryan said with a smirk. Brendon wanted to hit him.

"This is all your fault," he growled. "If you hadn't made this look so cool I would never have wanted to do it. You tricked me."

Ryan laughed. "I did no such thing. You wanted to be Aladdin way before you ever met me. Jon said you were singing A Whole New World the first time he ever met you. Before you'd even heard of me."

Brendon grumbled something about Ryan being stupid and then what sounded like "fucking sword!" Ryan rolled his eyes, pushed Brendon up against the side of his float and kissed him.

"You're going to do just fine," Ryan said, deceptively calm after a dizzying few minutes of kissing. "I thought I was going to die the first time I went out, but trust me, after a minute, it's fun and easy. You'll love it."

Brendon thought about everything he'd done to get here; everything he'd wanted since he started working at the park a year before. Everything Ryan had done for him.

Brendon kissed him again.

"Go on," Ryan said, laughing, as he pushed Brendon away towards the stairs leading up to the magic carpet. "I'll see you afterward."

The End

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

ditchwitchbitch.livejournal.com

You already know I love this. First of all, Disney and bandom boys is a never-lose situation, but the world you created - from everything to Pete and his fascination with bright-colored candy-flavored drinks to the Wishing Well being Ryan's favorite place and the chain-smoking Snow White - it's all so perfect and I can picture it in my mind. It's a place I'd like to actually visit. But not only is the world absolutely fantastic, so are the characters. I love your Brendon voice, it's just the right mixture of maturity and child-like fascination with the whole thing. And Patrick! Oh, Patrick.

I hope you do write the Jon/Spencer sequel you keep hinting at. I'd love some more glimpses into this world.

♥

~~P.S. - This still should have been called Painting the Rosevests Red.~~

From:

on the alpine highway of life

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