This Happy Ending's Just Beginning, Part 2

[wednesday_whimsy]

Part One

Spencer was equal parts amused and irritated by the very idea of Jon Walker. Amused, because everyone who mentioned his name did it with a level of glee Spencer could never imagine feeling about anyone he wasn’t sleeping with, and irritated for much the same reason.

Jon Walker could not be as perfect as Brendon and Pete made him out to be.

As Brendon continued to ramble on about how awesome Jon was, Ryan became quiet and Spencer could feel him withdraw. Brendon noticed too and began to shoot worried looks in Ryan’s direction. He didn’t stop talking, though.

Eventually they reached the hat store and Brendon hurried inside, throwing himself on Jon as soon as he saw him. Spencer and Ryan stayed just inside the doorway. Ryan leaned against the wall, trying and failing to look nonchalant. Spencer glanced around the shop, thinking he’d never stepped foot in it before, and then turned his attention to Jon and Brendon.

Jon Walker was not exactly what Spencer had been expecting. He was around average height, medium build, no great distinguishing features as far as Spencer could see. He was quiet while Brendon bounced excitedly and told him about his day, listening intently.

Then he smiled.

“Oh,” Spencer exclaimed, drawing the attention of Ryan, Brendon and Jon.

Brendon grabbed Jon’s hand and pulled him towards Spencer. “Jon Walker, this is Spencer Smith. He works on Pirates with Patrick. You know who Patrick is.”

Jon nodded and turned his smile on Spencer. “I know who Patrick is. Nice to meet you, Spencer. Brendon has said lots of nice things about you.”

Spencer heard Ryan snort behind him. Ryan was going to be sorry.

“He’s said a lot of nice things about you too. I was starting to think you were Superman.”

Jon’s smile was unassuming and he shrugged, nudging Brendon affectionately.

Spencer looked back over his shoulder to see Ryan scowling at them.

“And this is Ryan,” Brendon continued, ignoring Ryan’s glower as he reached for his hand and tugged him closer.

“At last, the famous Ryan Ross,” Jon said with a laugh and shook Ryan’s hand. Ryan was too busy glaring daggers at Jon to notice the look Jon shot at Brendon.

Spencer began to smile, and when Jon caught his eye and winked, he thought he might actually be in serious trouble.

~

Brendon treated them all to a celebratory lunch at Carnation Café; mainly so that he could force Ryan to split one of their famous sundaes with him while they sat outside in the sunshine.

Ryan had been tense since they’d met Jon, and Brendon was glad that he relaxed once they all sat down together. He stayed close to Ryan all the same, telling himself he was just watching out for him.

Jon was wiggling his eyebrows in a way that either meant something about Ryan or something about Spencer. Brendon wasn’t sure. They really needed to work on their silent communication. Unlike Ryan and Spencer, who appeared to be having a whole conversation telepathically across the table.

Brendon ate his ice cream, nudging Ryan every now and then so that he took a bite. Spencer and Jon were doing much better with their sundae until Jon bumped Spencer’s spoon with his own and they broke into an impromptu duel. Ryan looked surprised. Spencer pointedly ignored him.

“So phase one worked perfectly,” Brendon said when they all fell silent again. “What’s phase two?”

“A lot more difficult than phase one,” Ryan answered, but he was still watching Spencer, who was still avoiding his eyes. “Let’s help Spencer with his problem instead.”

Brendon leaned forward, grinning. Spencer glared at Ryan.

“What problem?” Jon asked, watching Spencer.

“It’s nothing,” Spencer said quickly.

“Spencer has to win the Golden Mouse this month,” Brendon explained.

“But he has no people skills whatsoever,” Ryan added. “Brendon said you might be able to help.”

Spencer kicked him hard. “No really, I don’t need…”

“I’d love to help.”

Brendon beamed. Ryan smirked. Spencer managed to simultaneously glare at Ryan and smile at Jon, even as his face began to glow in embarrassment.

~

It was late when Ryan called Brendon. He’d been thinking about it since he and Spencer had dropped Brendon at his apartment that afternoon and had been staring at his phone and debating with himself for the last two hours. Spencer had laughed and laughed, until Ryan finally snapped and wrestled Spencer off the sofa.
 
“I have Jon’s number too,” he said with a warning tone.
 
Spencer stopped laughing. He pushed Ryan away, and retreated to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
 
Ryan reached for his phone and scrolled through the address book to Brendon’s number. His thumb hovered over the call button for slightly too long; long enough for him to become irritated with himself.
 
“Hello?” a sleepy voice answered after the second ring.
 
“Brendon? Hi. It’s Ryan.”
 
“Ryan!” Brendon sounded suddenly wide awake. “Hi. I wasn’t expecting you to call. It’s late.”
 
“Did I disturb you?” Ryan asked. “Were you asleep? I can talk to you tomorrow.”
 
“I was just drifting off. It’s fine. Really. Talk to me now.”
 
Ryan grinned, relieved that neither Brendon, nor Spencer, could see him doing it. “It’s nothing important.”
 
“Yeah, but I’m awake now. You have to occupy my time. I won’t get back to sleep for a long time.”
 
“Are you trying to make me feel guilty?”
 
"Do I have to try?"
 
Ryan laughed softly. "Maybe not."
 
"So what's up, Ryan Ross?"
 
"I was thinking about the next part of the plan. We have to get you into one of the stores."
 
Brendon chuckled. It sounded warm and soft, close to his ear, and Ryan smiled to himself, snuggling further into the sofa cushions.
 
"You woke me up to talk about the plan?"
 
"Well..." Ryan stopped, unsure how to continue without sounding like an idiot. 
 
The silence stretched on.
 
"Ryan?" Brendon sounded amused.
 
"Sorry, I was thinking and then I just..."
 
"Stopped talking."
 
Ryan was sure Brendon could hear him blush. "Yeah."
 
"Okay then. So tell me about this plan."
 
~
 
An hour after Spencer started his shift, the ride stopped and and the security bell sounded.  
 
"Spencer?" Patrick's voice crackled into his ear. "What does the display say down there?"
 
Spencer adjusted the channel on his headset and ran across to check the alarm panel. "It's all clear."
 
Patrick sighed. "It's just zone three then. I'll go. The safeties are all on."
 
"Let me know how long. People are going to get annoyed."
 
Sure enough, as soon as Spencer announced the temporary stop people began to complain.
 
"How long is this going to take?"
 
"This is ridiculous. We've been waiting an hour for this ride."
 
"I never had this problem in Florida."
 
It always amazed Spencer how people complained about stoppages; as though he was purposefully sabotaging their trip. 
 
The worst were a group of kids, maybe thirteen years old, who had decided to argue with everything he said. The boys were arrogant and taunting, and the girls giggled and whispered to each other and to the boys, causing further peals of laughter, directed mainly at Spencer.

It wasn't the first time it had happened during his time working there, but it was the first time he'd been unable to wipe the grins off their faces with a comment of his own. On one memorable occasion he'd actually had a group of teenagers thrown out before they'd made it onto the boats. Patrick had been mad as hell, but it had been worth it.
 
When the boys asked for the fifth time in as many minutes how long it would take to be fixed and if anything was being done about it, Spencer was ready to snap.
 
"Spencer Smith," a voice said suddenly in his ear. "Don't do it. Back away from the irritating children."
 
Spencer looked around quickly, startled and slightly panicked. 
 
"Up in the booth, Spencer Smith. Just call me your very own Jiminy Cricket."
 
Looking up quickly at the booth, Spencer saw Jon waving down at him. 
 
"Hi," he breathed into his mic. "What are you doing here?"
 
"I came to see if you wanted to get some lunch and tell me why you hate people so much." Spencer could see that Jon was smiling brightly as he said it. "But when I got here Patrick was just running off to an emergency, so I thought I'd wait." Spencer saw Jon shrug and then he chuckled. "Your mic was still on up here so I could hear you getting annoyed. People are dumb, huh?"
 
Spencer thought that any chance he'd had of not ending up head over heels for Jon Walker had just vanished in a puff of smoke.
 
"Yeah," he laughed, "yeah, they really are."

"Okay, survival rule number one: breathe."
 
"Breathe?"
 
"Breathing is important."
 
"Jon..."

"Oh," one of the boys piped up, "is that your boyfriend?"
 
Spencer opened his mouth to respond to the boy, but Jon was faster. 
 
"Breathe. He's a kid. He's showing off. He thinks he's really smart. You're a grown up. Don't get fired because some kid with a fauxhawk pissed you off."

Instead of answering the boy, Spencer laughed and stepped back. He took a deep breath. 
 
"See?" Jon said, the smile in his voice obvious even though Spencer couldn't see it. "Perfect."
 
"Thanks."
 
"No problem. Survival rule number two. Be pro-active."
 
Spencer frowned up at Jon. "The ride is broken."
 
"Go ask people if they're okay waiting. Tell them if they don't want to wait they should get a pass and come back in a hour. Suggest they go to the store or for lunch. Trust me. People will be nicer if you give them information before they ask for it."
 
So Spencer walked up the line on his side of the barrier and asked how everyone was doing. He told them it might be five minutes or an hour and if they didn't want to wait they could leave through the emergency exit instead of fighting their way back out through the crowd. Jon talked to him the whole time, making comments that Spencer couldn't make when people were rude, reminding Spencer why he was doing this. 
 
Another ten minutes passed and the line had dwindled a little. People were being directed away at the entrance and Spencer was starting to think the ride would be closed all day.
 
"My lunch break is almost over," Jon told him, and Spencer tried not to care. "Will you get yours?"
 
"When Patrick gets back, yeah."
 
"You should come and see me. You can tell me how you managed to get promoted out of a store." Jon laughed again and Spencer laughed with him.
 
"Asshole."
 
~
  
Brendon enjoyed working for Pete. He was easygoing and fun, and if he maybe talked a little too much about a certain redheaded supervisor, well, Brendon wasn't going to complain about anyone having a crush. Not when he had spent the last five nights waiting for Ryan's midnight phone calls.
 
Pete was talking about Patrick right now in fact, while he scrubbed down the preparation areas. Brendon watched him with a small smile, unsure whether he should try and do some work or wait until Pete was done. There wasn't exactly a lot of room inside the concession stand.
 
"What's up, Brendon?" Pete asked suddenly, interrupting Brendon's thoughts. Pete was staring at him.
 
"Nothing," Brendon said quickly. "Why would anything be up?
 
Pete shrugged. "Sometimes people get all melancholy when they're in love."
 
Brendon shook his head. "I am not."
 
Pete smirked at him. "Sure."
 
"I'm just thinking about all the work I should be doing."
 
Pete threw his head back and started to laugh. "Brendon, have you noticed the rain? There is no work to do right now. If you were really thinking about that then you need some serious help."
 
"Do you want to take a break?" Brendon said quickly, before Pete started trying to improve his life. "I can look after things here. Why don't you go and see Patrick? Take him some coffee."
 
Brendon breathed a sigh of relief as Pete's face lit up. He quickly made two cups of coffee, gave Brendon a hug, and then bounced out of the stand.
 
After fifteen minutes of searching for something to do, Brendon realized Pete had been right. The park was practically empty. Only a few people ran past, and no one even glanced in his direction. Brendon couldn't blame them. He stared out at the rain, enjoying the rhythmic thump against the roof that reminded him he was warm and dry. 
 
Another five minutes passed. Brendon watched a little girl with dark curls and a huge pink raincoat run by towards the lake. She stopped at the end of the path where it forked in two and looked around.
 
Brendon could see her bite down on her lip and spin around in a circle again. She looked wildly in every direction, her face crumbling after a moment and she burst into tears. Brendon jumped up and ran out towards her as fast as he could. 
 
"Hey," he said as gently as he could as he slid to his knees in front of the girl. "Hey, I'm Brendon. What's your name?"
 
"Maggie," the girl sobbed, clearly distressed. 
 
"Are you lost, Maggie?"
 
She nodded.
 
"Are you looking for your parents?"
 
She shook her head.
 
"Okay, well, I work here, Maggie. I work over there," he pointed at the concession stand. "Do you want to come with me and we'll find out where you're supposed to be?"
 
Maggie shook her head again and Brendon sighed. He couldn't leave her alone, but he couldn't force her to go with him either. 
 
"You're wet," she said suddenly, and for the first time Brendon remembered the rain. 
 
"So are you."
 
She shivered.
 
"Maggie, I know you're scared, okay? Getting lost is horrible. And I know you don't know me, but I want to help you, okay?  If we go over there I can call someone and they'll find your family." Brendon held out his hand. "Do you want to get out of the rain?"
 
Brendon thought she was going to say no again, but after a moment of reluctance, she reached out tentatively and took his hand. Brendon scooped her up into his arms and ran back to the stand to get them out of the rain.
 
He sat her down on the counter and picked up one of the walkie-talkies.
 
"Pete? Are you there? It's Brendon."
 
There was a loud crackle and a shrill whistle from the handset and Brendon slammed it on the counter to silence it. Maggie started to giggle.
 
"Oh, you think it's funny, do you?" Brendon grinned at Maggie, relieved that she seemed happier now that they were warm and dry. He looked down at the handset again. "Stupid piece of..." He glanced at Maggie and found her staring at him with huge blue eyes. "Would you like a drink? We have juice or soda. Or maybe something warm. Hot chocolate?"
 
Maggie nodded and Brendon set about making two cups of hot chocolate while Maggie tried to wrestle herself out of the giant pink raincoat.
 
"Who are you here with today, Maggie?" Brendon asked as he handed her the smaller cup.
 
"My uncle," Maggie replied and grinned as she sipped her drink. "Thank you."
 
"You're welcome. What's your uncle's name?"
 
"Zack."
 
Brendon grabbed the walkie-talkie again and switched it back on. "Pete? Are you there?"
 
"He works here," Maggie continued while they waited for a response. "He works in the sparkly store."
 
"Your uncle works in the park?" Brendon asked as he quickly changed the frequency on the handset. Maggie nodded. "Which store is the sparkly store?"
 
Maggie shrugged. "On Main Street ."
 
Brendon took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. "My friend Jon works on Main Street . In the hat store. Is it near that?"
 
"I like that one," Maggie giggled again. "Uncle Zack works right next door."
 
~
 
Brendon paced nervously that night as he waited for Ryan's phone call. Shane had congratulated him with a hug and an offer of dinner, but Brendon had been too anxious to eat more than a few bites.
 
"I'm sorry," Brendon had apologized when Shane asked if there was a problem. "It's really good, I just can't eat right now."
 
"Brendon, it's going to be okay," Shane had assured him as he cleared away their plates. "What do you think is going to happen?"
 
To be honest, Brendon wasn't sure what he was expecting. Ryan had called every night that week to talk about the plan he had to get Brendon promoted, and now Brendon was going to ruin the whole thing.
 
It was midnight exactly when the phone rang, and Brendon stared at it for five rings before Shane kicked him.
 
"Answer it or I will."
 
Brendon answered. "Hello?"
 
"Hey. Did I wake you?" Ryan had asked the same question every single time Brendon had answered the phone, and Brendon could hear him smiling as he did. An answering smile lit up Brendon's face, and he ignored the way Shane smirked at him as he left the room.
 
"No, I wasn't asleep. I was waiting for you to call."
 
There was a moment's silence and Brendon wondered if Ryan had hung up.
 
"Oh," Ryan said eventually, his voice lower and more careful. "Good."
 
"I have something I need to tell you."
 
Brendon thought he heard Ryan's breath stutter a little but all Ryan said was, "Yeah?"
 
"I got promoted today," Brendon said in a rush.
 
Again, there was silence on Ryan's end.
 
"Ryan?"
 
"What happened?" Ryan asked, and Brendon thought he was maybe a little too calm.
 
"I'm sorry. There was a little girl and she was lost and it turned out she was related to this guy who manages this place on Main Street, and when he found out what had happened and how much she liked me he said he owed me one, and by that time Pete had come back, and Pete said he should have me go work for him and..."
 
"Hey, hey," Ryan interrupted as Brendon continued to ramble with barely any gaps between the words. "Slow down, okay?"
 
Brendon took a deep breath. Then another.
 
"Can you start by telling me why you're sorry?" Ryan asked, his voice still calm but gentle and slightly confused. "This is what we've been working for, isn't it?"
 
"I thought," Brendon began, suddenly feeling like the world's biggest idiot. "I thought you might be angry with me."
 
"Angry?" Ryan laughed. "Why would I be angry?"
 
"Because you've been putting so much effort into helping me with this. You've been calling me every night."
 
Ryan was still laughing. "Brendon, have you really been worrying about this?"
 
Brendon nodded even though Ryan couldn't see him. "Shane made dinner for me and I couldn't eat any of it."
 
"Idiot," Ryan teased and Brendon finally relaxed. "I'm not angry or upset. I'm proud of you."
 
"Proud?" Brendon hoped Ryan couldn't tell how hard he was smiling.
 
"Of course. You proved you don't need me."
 
It was Brendon's turn to laugh. "That's not true."
 
"And I don't call you to talk about the plan," Ryan continued.
 
"You don't?"
 
"No."
 
Brendon knew Ryan was smiling again. "Why do you call, then?"
 
"Well we're friends, aren't we?" It wasn't really a question so Brendon didn't have to answer. "I like you." Ryan stopped and Brendon waited, wondering what that meant this time. "I like talking to you."
 
"I like talking to you too," Brendon admitted.
 
"Good. Now, tell me everything that happened today."
 
"Well, it was raining."
 
"It was. I got soaked. There's the downside of being Aladdin right there."
 
Brendon snorted. "How often does it rain?"
 
"Okay, fine," Ryan said, "I'll give you that. It's still not nice being on those floats when it's pouring rain. My sword gets all slippery."
 
Brendon burst out laughing.
 
"Oh my God," Ryan exclaimed, but couldn't prevent himself from joining in. "You are such a child."
 
It took Brendon a while to compose himself.
 
"It was raining and Pete was irritating me so I told him to go and visit Patrick."
 
"A wise decision," Ryan said soberly. "Unfortunately, inflicting him on Patrick generally means inflicting him on Spencer. He's done nothing but whine about it all night."
 
Brendon grinned. "Where is he now?"
 
"Killing vampires," Ryan chuckled. "Carry on."
 
"There was no one around and I was sitting, waiting for something to do, when a little girl came running past. It turned out she was lost and she was a little scared and shaken up." 
 
"So you go out and rescue her."
 
"Well, you know me."
 
"Mm hm. And then?"
 
"And then it turns out she's the niece of the manager of that store over by Jon's... The one that sells glass and crystal and all that stuff?"
 
"Zack Hall."
 
"Do you know everyone?" Brendon asked, smiling when Ryan laughed. "Yeah, Zack. So Pete came back and we looked after Maggie until Zack got there, and once he knew she was alright he said he owed me one and if there was anything he could do, I only had to ask."

"Wow," Ryan said, sounding impressed. "You must have made a good impression. Not many people get past Zack. No one wants him as their supervisor. He's a hard-ass."
 
"Who was your supervisor?" Brendon asked, curious.
 
"Zack."
 
Brendon laughed. "So Pete says Zack should promote me because I was wasting my talent in a hot dog stand and," Brendon shrugged, "that was that."
 
"That was that," Ryan echoed, sounding strangely pleased. "Two weeks and you're flying."
 
"Yeah. It's better than I ever imagined." He paused, and Ryan waited, as though he knew Brendon hadn't finished. "Ryan?"
 
"Yes?"
 
"Do you think I can do this?"
 
Brendon gripped the phone to his ear, eyes falling closed as Ryan answered.
 
"I think you can do anything you want to do. I think you'll make the greatest Aladdin ever."
 
~
 
A car horn sounded outside and Brendon quickly finished his orange juice and grabbed his bag.
 
"Shane," he shouted down the hall, "I'm gone."
 
He didn't wait for a response, desperate to make a good impression on his first day. He slammed the door closed behind him and turned to wave at Jon, only to find, the car waiting for him wasn't Jon's.
 
He ran down the driveway and jumped into backseat of Keltie's Honda Civic. "Hey."
 
Ryan turned fully around in the passenger seat to grin at Brendon. "Jon came early to take Spencer away. He asked if we could give you a ride."
 
"He took Spencer away?" Brendon asked with a laugh. He checked his phone and found four missed calls and a text message from Jon.
 
Ryan nodded enthusiastically. "Spencer did not look happy."
 
Brendon couldn't remember ever seeing Ryan smile this much. It made him smile back twice as brightly.
 
"Morning, Brendon," Keltie trilled cheerfully, smiling at him in the mirror. She tugged at Ryan's seat belt. "Could all riders please remain seated and keep their arms and legs inside the vehicle?"
 
Ryan winked at Brendon and sat back down in his seat. "Yes, ma'am."
 
~
 
Spencer was not happy.
 
Spencer had been woken up at 5:30am on his day off by an entirely too cheerful Jon Walker.
 
Ryan had been no help at all, the traitor, as Jon had dragged him from the bed, thrown some clothes at him and then bundled him into the car as soon as he was dressed.
 
"This had better be something amazing, Walker ," Spencer had threatened, glaring at Jon, "or you're dead."
 
Jon had simply laughed and driven them a couple of miles towards the coast, stopping at the first IHOP he came to. 
 
"Yeah," Spencer said as he climbed out of the car with Jon. "You're dead."
 
"This is only the beginning," Jon said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I promise you, you'll have a fun day. And we might be able to do something about that Golden Mouse in the process."
 
Spencer huffed out an annoyed breath. "Fine."
 
Jon grinned and held open the door for Spencer. "Smile, Spencer Smith. You won't regret it."
 
~
 
Brendon's first day working for Zack was nothing like his first day working for Pete. There was no friendly pat on the back and playful teasing. There were no extra long breaks or free samples, or building pyramids out of glasses. Well, there would be building pyramids out of glasses at some point, but Zack assured him that was only for the more senior members of staff to attempt.
 
In contrast to Pete's trust and common-sense approach, Zack was a by-the-book kind of guy. He actually wanted Brendon to read the store manual and customer service guide. This was followed by a fifty question multiple-choice test and a role-playing session, where Zack assumed the role of an angry customer who shouted in his face for ten minutes flat and demanded he name every type of stemware in the store.
 
Once he was done assessing Brendon's competence on the shop floor, Zack turned a blinding smile on him and Brendon could feel a headache coming on. He was so disoriented he almost didn't know what to do when Zack produced a shiny new name tag and held it out to him, smile still firmly in place. 
 
"Welcome to the team, Urie."
 
Brendon felt oddly afraid. 
 
~
 
Ryan had a plan. It was brilliant in its simplicity. Ryan wasn't sure why he hadn't thought about it earlier.
 
"Brian?" He knocked and entered as he spoke, smiling apologetically when he saw Brian was on the phone.
 
Brian waved him inside. "Yes, sir. The people I've spoken to think it's the best we've ever done." 
 
Ryan sat down and took the bowl of M&Ms off the edge of the desk, sorting through it for the red ones. 
 
"Well, I appreciate that, sir. They are doing a splendid job," he winked at Ryan. "Yes, I think actually letting them perform is.... Yes, sir, it was a good idea of yours."
 
Ryan stifled a laugh as Brian rolled his eyes.
 
"Absolutely, sir. Yes. Thank you."
 
He hung up with an exaggerated sigh. "I wish I was in charge."
 
Ryan laughed. "You're in charge of plenty."
 
"Everyone hates their boss, right?"
 
"I don't hate you," Ryan said, eating another M&M.
 
"Suck up."
 
"Yes, sir," Ryan drawled sarcastically. "Thank you, sir."
 
Brian threw a pen at him. "What do you want, Ross?"
 
"I want you to buy me lunch."
 
"You've eaten all my M&Ms!" 
 
Ryan put the dish back on Brian's desk. "Just the red ones. They're not real food. Buy me lunch."
 
"I have work to do." Brian looked around for something to occupy him.
 
"Liar." Ryan stood and walked towards the door. "Come on, I have something to show you." 
 
~
 
"Why are we here?" Spencer asked with a groan when Jon parked in the Donald Duck parking lot. "I'm here all week, I don't want to be here on my day off. Can't we go to the beach?"
 
"What did I say about trusting me?" Jon said as he climbed out of the car. "Come on. Let's go. We have things to do."
 
"What things?" Spencer followed Jon towards the tram taking people back and forth to the park.
 
"Fun things," Jon answered, grabbing Spencer's hand and pulling him onto the tram alongside him.
 
"It would be fun not to be here."
 
"Spencer, Spencer," Jon sighed, shaking his head. "Let's try playing a game. For every hour you don't complain, I will buy you something of your choosing."
 
Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Anything?"
 
"Within reason," Jon said with a grin. "I'm not made of money."
 
"Okay, okay," Spencer agreed. "I'll be good. Now really, what are we doing here?"
 
"I thought it might be time for you to experience the park from the other end. Then you'll know how the customer feels and you'll be less likely to fail miserably at this Golden Mouse thing."
 
Spencer shook his head. "You know, Brendon was wrong about you. You're not nice at all. You're evil."
 
Jon laughed. "I try my very best."
 
~
 
The shop had been busy all morning and Brendon had hardly had any time to even stop and think in between all the queries and requests and sales.
 
Lunchtime brought something of a lull and Zack disappeared for his break, leaving Brendon alone behind the register.
 
"Excuse me, young man," an older lady said as she approached Brendon. "I was wondering if you could help me?"
 
The woman was tiny, with white hair and warm smile. She reminded Brendon of his grandmother and he beamed at her.
 
"I can try my best."
 
"Good boy," she said with a wink and then pointed to one of the high shelves at the back of the store. "I'd like one of those vases. The orange one with the curved top."
 
Brendon complimented her on her choice and went to fetch the stepladder.
 
From the top step Brendon realized the vase was still an inch out of reach, but looking down he saw there was no way to move the ladder closer. He pushed himself up onto his toes. The ladder wobbled. His hand closed around the vase and he breathed a sigh of relief.
 
"Here you go," Brendon said with a smile as he handed the vase to her while half way down the steps. "I didn't realize it sparkled like that. It's very beautiful."
 
"It is. It is indeed," she agreed with a nod. She looked up to smile at Brendon, but her eye was caught by something else. "Oh. That green one would look good too. Could I see that?."
 
Brendon twisted around to see the vase she was indicating. The ladder wobbled again and Brendon grabbed for it as he slipped back, but he was too late. He landed in a heap on the floor, just as the ladder toppled onto the nearest table display.
 
Brendon winced at the almighty crash of glass and china breaking.
 
He scrambled to his feet, his eyes flying over the wreckage.
 
"Are you okay?" the woman asked him, taking hold of his arm.
 
"I think I should be asking you that question."
 
She smiled kindly. "I'm fine." She looked sympathetically at the broken table and pile of broken glass. "It was an accident."
 
"It's my first day," Brendon informed her. "I'm in so much trouble."
 
"Nonsense," she said. "I'll stay to make sure your supervisor knows it wasn't your fault."
 
Brendon smiled gratefully and began to clear up the mess. Glancing back over his shoulder he saw Ryan standing with a familiar looking man in the doorway.
 
"Urie!"
 
Zack appeared, as though by magic, drawing Brendon's attention away from Ryan and back to the disaster in front of him.
 
"I'm so sorry," Brendon apologized. "It was an accident. I was trying to help this lady and the ladder just..."
 
Brendon could tell that Zack was angry. His face was bright red and he was glaring daggers at Brendon. But Zack was a professional, and Brendon knew that it was only the presence of the customer that was stopping Zack from killing him dead.
 
"It wasn't his fault," the woman spoke directly to Zack, pushing the orange vase back into Brendon's hands. "I asked him to help me and then I distracted him. If anyone is to blame, it's me."
 
Zack took a deep breath and smiled at the woman. "Don't worry, ma'am. These things happen all the time. Brendon ring that up for the lady." He grabbed Brendon's arm as he started to follow the customer to the register. "And then get back over here and clean this up. You and I need to talk about a few things."
 
Brendon finished up the sale and wrapped and packed the vase. "Thank you for staying. You didn't need to do that."
 
"Don't even think about it. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."
 
He walked her to door and thanked her again.
 
Looking up and down the street as he waved her off, Brendon saw that Ryan had disappeared. 
 
~
 
"I can't go in there." Spencer stopped dead at the entrance to Space Mountain . "Patrick will kill me."
 
Jon grabbed his arm. "You're doing it."
 
"No," Spencer protested, but he allowed Jon to drag him into the waiting line of people. "It's like cheating on Patrick with Mikey. He'd never forgive me." 
 
"You people have too many issues," Jon said, shaking his head. "You can tell him I forced you if he finds out."
 
They stood in line for another five minutes without moving. Spencer looked around. He hadn't set foot in Space Mountain since he started working for Patrick.
 
"You realize Pete's in love with Patrick," Jon said suddenly.
 
Spencer snorted. "Duh."
 
Jon smiled. "We should do something about that."
 
"Will coming up with a plan for that save me from the plan you have to make me Disney Employee of the Year?" Spencer asked hopefully.
 
"Not in the slightest."
 
Another five minutes passed and the line still hadn't moved. "What the hell is going on? We haven't moved in ten minutes."
 
"The sign out front said the waiting time is currently forty-five minutes."
 
Spencer stared at him. "Then why are we here? We don't we try something else."
 
Jon grinned. "This is the quiet period for Space Mountain ."
 
"Forty-five minutes is quiet?"
 
"Sucks, doesn't it?"
 
Spencer folded his arms and looked away.
 
"If it makes you feel any better," Jon said, throwing a friendly arm around his shoulders, "the current wait time on Pirates of the Caribbean is seventy-five minutes."
 
It took an hour to get to the front of the line, by which time Spencer was bored and frustrated.
 
Mikey bounded over to admit the next group of people and grinned at Spencer and Jon. "Hi, guys. Couldn't stay away, huh? Sorry for the wait, it's been crazy here today."
 
"Sorry for the wait? It took an hour to get here. It's a two minute ride." Spencer glared angrily at Mikey, who stared back impassively.
 
"What he means," Jon interjected, "is it's not a problem, thanks."
 
"What I mean..." Spencer began, only to be interrupted by the woman behind him, who tapped him on the shoulder.
 
"Excuse me? We've also been waiting an hour and we'd kind of like to get on the ride now, please."
 
Spencer flushed and looked back at Mikey who was watching him with a slight smirk.
 
"Of course," Spencer mumbled, walking forward to the car. He grabbed Mikey's hand when he walked past to check the restraints. "I'm sorry."
 
Mikey smiled. "Not a problem. Customers suck sometimes." 
 
~
 
"I brought you a coffee," Pete said as he slid into the seat next to Patrick in the control booth. "I thought you might need it."
 
"Bless you," Patrick said as he took the cup and gulped half of it down. "Gabe is driving me crazy."
 
Pete smiled and peered through the window to see Gabe acting out a sword fight across one of the boats with one of the other cast members. "At least he's enjoying himself."
 
Patrick rolled his eyes and pressed the button for the microphone so that Gabe could hear him. "He needs to stop messing around and get on with his work before I go down there and kick his ass."
 
Gabe threw his head back and laughed, then his voice came through loud and clear on the speaker. "I love it when you get all dominant, Patrick."
 
Pete tried his best to stifle his laugh. Patrick glared at him. "What are you doing here?"
 
"I brought you coffee," Pete answered with a grin, effectively silencing Patrick.
 
They sat together in silence for a while, each drinking their coffee. Patrick manned the control panel and occasionally told Gabe to stop being a dick and do his job.
 
"Can I ask you something?" Pete said, staring down into his coffee cup.
 
"Was that it?" Patrick answered without looking at him. He released the next boat.
 
"Why do you hate Mikey so much?"
 
Out of the corner of his eye, Pete saw Patrick turn to stare at him. He kept his own eyes fixed on his drink and tried to school his features into an innocent expression.
 
"I don't."
 
"Liar."
 
"Pete..."
 
"Mikey's a good guy. You used to like him. It can't all be because of the way he works." 
 
Patrick didn't answer, and after another minute of waiting, Pete stood, still avoiding Patrick's eyes.
 
"I have to get back to work."
 
~
 
Spencer was having a good day. He didn't want to admit it, especially to Jon, but he'd had fun. After Space Mountain , Jon had dragged Spencer to Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, and Spencer had laughed and asked if the day had some sort of mountain theme. They'd stayed for a while at Phantom Manor and Spencer asked Gerard everything there was to know about the history of the ride. In retaliation Jon had made them stop for snacks at Pete's concession. At 3pm, they watched the parade and pulled faces at Ryan and Keltie as their float passed down Main Street . Then, while the stores were still quiet, they went to visit Brendon.
 
"I'm having the day from hell," Brendon moaned as soon as he saw them. "I broke a lot of stuff. Zack thinks I'm incompetent. And Ryan..." He trailed off and sighed.
 
Spencer frowned. "What about Ryan?"
 
"He was here with some guy and then he just..." Brendon shrugged. "Disappeared."
 
They didn't have long to chat before Zack shooed them away. Jon bought Spencer an ice-cream and asked what he wanted to do next.
 
"You mean I have a choice?" Spencer laughed.
 
"Sort of. There are two photo sessions left today. You go to the next one, which is Cinderella, or the 6pm one, which is Sleeping Beauty."
 
"Why would I want to get my picture taken with Ryan? I've known him all my life. Ninety percent of the photos of me have Ryan in them."
 
Jon nodded. "Cinderella it is. And then Fantasyland."
 
Spencer stopped walking. Something very much like terror started to crawl up his spine. "No. No, Jon, I won't. You can't make me."
 
Jon rolled his eyes and took Spencer's hand, pulling him along. "You have to see what the consequences will be if you don't win this thing. You're not scared enough."
 
Spencer protested for the next fifteen minutes while they stood waiting to have their photo taken with Cinderella and Prince Charming, but Jon would not be moved. In fact Spencer was so distracted, he completely forgot who Cinderella and Prince Charming were until he was standing right in front of them.
 
"Shit."
 
"Spencer Smith," Beckett crowed, thoroughly amused. "Don't let the children hear you talking like that." 
 
Greta smiled apologetically at Spencer and elbowed Beckett in the ribs. "Shut up. Spencer, come stand by me."
 
"That means I get Jonny Walker all to myself," Beckett smirked, and wrapped his arm around Jon's waist.
 
"You two know each other?" Spencer asked, biting down on the jealousy that had flared at seeing Beckett touching Jon that way.
 
"Oh yes," Beckett said with a wink at Spencer. "We go way back, don't we, Jon?"
 
Jon rolled his eyes and Spencer grimaced.
 
"Smile," Greta said brightly as the camera flashed.
 
~
 
"I don't hate Mikey," Patrick said, grabbing a bag of cotton candy and pushing some money forcefully into Pete's hand.
 
Pete rang the sale through the register, shaking his head as he did so. "You sort of do. And the worst thing is, you know why, you just won't say it."
 
"Well if you know so much," Patrick responded angrily, "why don't you do something about it?"
 
"Maybe," Pete said, waving Patrick to one side as another customer approached him, "I think it's your turn to do something."
 
~
 
"Well?" Jon said as he and Spencer scrambled out of the pastel pink boat. "What did you think?"
 
"I think that is the most terrifying ride ever created," Spencer answered as he raced one of the children to the exit. "And nothing you say will ever make me think otherwise."
 
Jon laughed loudly as he grabbed Spencer's wrist, letting the boy beat him in their impromptu race. "Whatever, you were practically glowing the whole way around."
 
Spencer pulled himself free and pushed Jon playfully. "You let that kid beat me."
 
"He was three years old and you have much longer legs. I'd say that was an unfair advantage."
 
"He shouldn't have challenged me, then," Spencer protested, but couldn't keep a straight face in the wake of Jon's laughter.
 
They started walking back towards the castle. Jon was determined that they should stay for the fireworks. Spencer wouldn't have protested even if he wanted to. They sat down on the sidewalk to wait. Other people were beginning to have the same idea and the area quickly filled up. Spencer looked around and shook his head.
 
Jon nudged Spencer and smiled. "Admit it; you had a good day today."
 
Spencer wrestled with his smile for as long as he could, but Jon's mood was infectious. "Yes okay, I had a good time. Happy?"
 
Jon shrugged. "If you're happy."
 
"I still don't quite see how this is going to help me," Spencer told him.
 
"Just wait and see. Tomorrow you'll feel differently about everything."
 
"Jon..."
 
The fanfare sounded, signaling the start of the evening parade and cutting Spencer off.
 
"You work in the happiest place on earth," Jon murmured in his ear, during Haley's solo performance of 'Beauty and the Beast'. "Enjoy it."
 
Spencer leaned back against Jon and watched the fireworks, and for once, allowed himself to do exactly what Jon said.
 
~
 
Ryan didn't even stop to change out of his costume after the parade. He jumped down from the float and ran back through the gates towards Main Street, ignoring Keltie's shouts behind him.
 
Brendon was standing in the crowd outside his shop, watching as the fireworks began to light the sky over the castle.
 
"Hey," Ryan panted a little as he pushed his way through the crowd to Brendon's side. "Hey. Are you okay?"
 
Brendon looked surprised. "Hey. What are you doing here? You just finished."
 
Ryan grabbed Brendon's hand and tugged him to a less crowded spot in a small alley that was usually only used to give cast members access to private areas. They leaned against opposite walls, facing one another.
 
"Ryan? What on earth...?"
 
"You fell into a table of glass," Ryan explained, letting his eyes wander over Brendon to check for any cuts. "Are you hurt?
 
Brendon bristled. "It's strange that you're so concerned now. You ran off as soon as Zack started shouting."
 
"I didn't run off," Ryan protested. "I brought Brian down to see you. I thought if he saw how good you were with people and how dedicated you were he might give you another shot at the parade without having to work on a ride at all. I thought, since Zack loves you so much, he might be able to put in a good word. When you fell, it sort of..."
 
"Made me look like a giant, dorky klutz?" Brendon sighed, but relaxed.
 
"Hey," Ryan said, putting his hands on Brendon's shoulder. "You are not a giant."
 
Brendon laughed and Ryan grinned, pleased with himself. He was vaguely aware that his thumb was lightly tracing the side of Brendon's neck.
 
"Shut up," Brendon said as he sobered. "I'm never getting promoted now. Zack thinks I'm useless."
 
Ryan shook his head. "Don't think like that. We'll make it happen."
 
Brendon looked up and Ryan realized they'd unconsciously moved closer. "I wish I had your faith."
 
"I have enough for both of us."
 
Ryan saw Brendon's gaze drop to his mouth. He licked his lips.
 
"Ryan..."
 
"Ryan!"
 
Spencer was standing at the end of the alley with Jon behind him. Ryan could see the crowd dispersing. He stepped away from Brendon and walked towards Spencer and Jon.
 
After a moment, Brendon followed. 
 
~
 
"Do what?" Patrick picked up the conversation as though hours hadn't passed in the meantime. For the first time in years he'd done only the minimum required to get things locked up for the night and then raced out to catch Pete before he left. Pete of course, had been waiting for him. "You want me to be nice to Mikey, is that it?"
 
They started walking towards the exit. "This isn't about him," Pete said with a sigh.
 
"It's always about him," Patrick retorted. "I thought we were close to being something and then one morning it's hey, Patrick, guess what? I found the love of my life."
 
"I don't think I ever used the phrase..."
 
"The point stands."
 
Pete grabbed Patrick's arm and spun him around so they were facing each other. "No, the point doesn't stand. Because you," he jabbed his finger into Patrick's chest, "you were the one that didn't want me. You did everything you could to keep us 'just friends,' and I tried, Patrick, I tried really hard. But Mikey wanted to give it a shot and you very obviously didn't. Don't give me all that crap about us being close to something, because I know damn well where we were. Nowhere. So you have no right to hate him. Not then and not now, when we're not even together anymore."
 
He didn't stop to wait for whatever Patrick had to say, just turned and continued walking towards the exit as though nothing had happened.
 
"Pete!"
 
"Like I said," Pete shouted back, but didn't stop walking. "It's your turn to do something."
 
~
 
The debacle with Brendon falling into a whole table of glass and crystal stemware had only been the start of their problems. When Ryan had persuaded Brian to join him again two days later, they'd walked into the store to find a customer red-faced and yelling angrily at Brendon. Brian had intervened and taken the customer away to calm him down. He'd barely had time to even glance at Brendon, who had confided to Ryan later that the customer had shouted at Zack too, though neither of them could work out exactly what the man's problem was. 
 
More complications followed, and after a week of disastrous attempts, Ryan thought his plan might work better if he just introduced Brendon to Brian, and let him figure it out from there.
 
"Ryan, what's going on?" Brian asked as he handed Ryan a cheeseburger and a coke. "This is the fifth time this week that you've asked me to buy you lunch." He smiled. "Aren't I paying you enough?"
 
"No," Ryan said as he swallowed a bite of his burger. "It's not that."
 
"Do you want a promotion?"
 
"I'm happy where I am right now," Ryan replied.
 
"There's life outside the parade, you know."
 
"I have time," Ryan said with a shrug. "I worked hard for this. I'm proud of what I do."
 
"You can't be Prince Philip forever, Ryan."
 
"It's not that."
 
"What is it, then? Are you trying to ask me out?"
 
Ryan laughed. "No."
 
"Because one, I'm your boss and two, I'm straight."
 
"Brian, trust me, I do not want to date you. Or kiss you or sleep with you or anything else remotely related to that."
 
Brian frowned. "Are you sure?" 
 
"Oh my God. Really?" He held up his hands before Brian could say anything else. "I have someone. I mean, there is someone I want to be my someone. It's not you." Ryan sighed. "I don't know why I'm even telling you this. It has nothing to do with anything."
 
"Okay. Why lunch every day, then?"
 
"There's just someone I need you to meet."
 
~
 
When the guy with the long coat walked into the store for the third time that day, Brendon began to get a little suspicious. 
 
He hated thinking badly of people, but really, either you wanted to buy a set of set of crystal goblets with stems in the shape of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, or you didn't. No one had ever stared at them so intently before. They weren't really that fascinating.
 
Brendon left Eric at the register and meandered over to the man.
 
"Can I help you, sir?" he asked as pleasantly as he could.
 
The man was startled. His hand went immediately to his pocket.
 
Brendon sighed.
 
"No thank you, uh, Brendon," the guy answered, reading off his name tag. "I was just looking." He turned quickly and headed for the door.
 
Brendon reached out and caught his elbow. He glanced around and lowered his voice. "If you just put it back, we can forget all about it. If you leave I'll have to call security."
 
The man began to sweat, his eyes darting from side to side. Brendon stayed as calm and still as he could.
 
"Look," Brendon continued reasonably. "I know it's in your pocket. I saw you. There are cameras everywhere too, so somewhere it's going to be on tape. Just put it back and you can leave. We'll pretend it never happened."
 
The man's shoulders slumped and he nodded slowly. Brendon relaxed and gave a reassuring smile.
 
Naturally it was then that Ryan decided to step inside the store. Closely followed, of course, by Brian Schechter.
 
"Fuck," Brendon muttered.
 
The 'customer' looked up. "What?"
 
"My boss."
 
The guy remained frozen to the spot. His hand was still wrapped around the glass in his pocket. "I'm sorry," he hissed at Brendon. "My daughter really wanted one for her birthday and we just can't afford..."
 
Brendon shushed him. "Stealing doesn't make the situation any better. We're supposed to prosecute all shoplifters."
 
"Brendon, I'm really sorry..."
 
"Is there a problem?" Brian asked, appearing at Brendon's side. Ryan stood behind him, chewing nervously on his lip. He looked miserable.
 
"No sir, no problem," Brendon told him with a smile. "The gentleman was just inquiring about the crystal goblets."
 
Brian watched them both carefully for a moment and then nodded. "We'll leave you to it, then. Ryan? Which of those glass dwarfs do I like best?"
 
Ryan squeezed Brendon's arm as he passed and guided Brian over to the glass display of Snow White and her dwarfs.
 
"You're going to buy that glass," Brendon hissed at the man when they were alone again. "We'll both get into trouble now if you don't." He nudged the man very gently in the direction of the cash register. "It's your own fault. Maybe next time you'll think twice about taking things that don't belong to you."
 
Once the man had paid for the goblet, and Eric had wrapped it, bagged it and sent the man on his way, Brendon allowed himself a sigh of relief.
 
"Well done, Brendon," Brian said, startling Brendon out of his one relaxed moment of the day. "That was a very good thing you just did."
 
Brendon's gaze shot to Ryan, who simply shrugged.
 
"It's always an uncomfortable situation, but you handled it admirably."
 
"Thank you, sir," Brendon said, a little confused, but feeling a glimmer of pride stir inside him.
 
"Ryan tells me you're the best employee we've ever had," Brian said. His tone was serious, but Brendon could see a faint smirk around his lips.
 
Next to him, Ryan was looking up at the ceiling as though it held the secrets of the universe. Brendon tried not to smile.
 
"It's very kind of him to say so."
 
Brian choked back a laugh.
 
"I hate you both," Ryan snapped, and turned on his heel, walking out of the shop.
 
"I shouldn't have done that. He'll be annoyed at me forever now," Brian said, laughing.
 
Brendon was still staring after Ryan.
 
Brian gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, fine. I know when I'm beat. Brendon, report to Joe at Big Thunder Mountain first thing tomorrow morning. I'll square everything with Zack, don't worry." 
 
~

The only time Patrick ever really got angry with Pete, was when Pete was very clearly right and Patrick was very clearly wrong. It didn't happen often, but more than anyone watching would probably expect. It was irritating to Patrick for many reasons, not least of which being, Pete always knew what was happening long before Patrick did; he just refused to say anything about it until it was too late.

Patrick's irrational fit of righteous anger had this time taken him to Space Mountain and Mikey Way.

"Hi Patrick," Mikey greeted, as brightly as he ever managed and Patrick's face merely darkened in response. Mikey was unfazed. "Can I help you with something?"

And that was the problem of course, because Patrick had indeed come for help, but he didn't actually want to have to admit it to anyone. Least of all Mikey.

"It's about Pete."

Mikey nodded, as though he'd been expecting this for a while. "What do you want to know?"

"I messed up," Patrick sighed. "I don't know how to fix it."

"You want me to help you fix it?" Mikey asked, looking more amused than Patrick had ever seen him. 

"Yes," Patrick managed through gritted teeth.

"Excellent."

~
 
Joe Trohman was one of the coolest people Brendon had ever met. In fact, if Brendon hadn't known Jon, he'd go as far as to say that Joe was the coolest man alive.
 
That said, Brendon was pretty sure that Joe shouldn't be in charge of any rides.
 
"This is the safety manual," Joe said, handing Brendon a folder twice as big as any he'd seen in the park before. "Read it. Learn it. The Butcher will give you a test." 
 
Brendon glanced over at the man Joe indicated and shrank back slightly.
 
"Um, his name is 'The Butcher'?"
 
"No," Joe said as though Brendon were crazy. "His name is Andy."
 
Brendon decided not to ask how 'The Butcher' had come by his nickname. "Why won't you be testing me?"
 
"The Butcher works all the machines. I'm just here in a sort of supervisory capacity."
 
That made slightly more sense to Brendon.
 
It was a full three days of training before Brendon was allowed to operate the ride, and only then with Joe watching his every move. It hadn't taken long for Brendon to realize that, for all his languid smiles and laid-back nature, Joe was really good at his job. He knew exactly what was going on everywhere. He was a little scary, but that simply made him more awesome in Brendon's eyes.
 
The Butcher, too, wasn't half as terrifying as his name suggested he might be. He was an artist. His favorite Disney film was The Little Mermaid. He would sing, loudly and off-key, whenever the mood struck him, which was often.
 
Brendon thought that if he had to spend the next five years working here before he was allowed into the parade, then he'd be happy.
 
For one thing, Joe and The Butcher were very good company and they made the time pass quickly with jokes and crazy stories.
 
For another, Spencer was insanely jealous of his uniform.
 
~
 
Saturday nights were always somehow bigger in Brendon’s mind than any other night of the week. Even on his weekends off, he would drag Shane up onto the roof of their apartment building to watch the fireworks. Somehow they always seemed brighter on a Saturday.
 
This Saturday, however, he was trapped closing up Big Thunder Mountain.
 
He could hear the music of the parade as it drifted across the park, the only thing still running as everything shut down for the night. Eventually even that faded away and once the fireworks had ended, Brendon felt completely alone.
 
Brendon checked all the switches twice before powering down the computers and locking all the safety systems. He looked over the list Joe had left him and went to check the cars. He cleaned them out and wiped them down. With a sigh, he checked his watch. It was late, he was exhausted and he was only up to item two on the list.
 
“All on your own, cowboy?”
 
Brendon looked up, startled, and laughed when he saw Ryan leaning against the barrier on the platform above him.
 
“You’re one to talk,” he replied with a smirk, indicating the check-shirt and scarf Ryan was sporting.
 
Ryan shrugged, clearly not in the least bothered by Brendon mocking his dress-sense, and climbed over the railing to jump down to where Brendon was standing.
 
“Ryan, the stairs are right there.”
 
“That looked way cooler though, right?”
 
Brendon laughed and handed Ryan a broom. “Would you mind?”
 
Ryan didn’t answer. Instead he jumped across the tracks and started sweeping, whistling as he went.
 
~
 
Half an hour later they were done.
 
“You want a ride home?” Ryan asked as Brendon flicked off the last light.
 
“Don’t tell me Keltie has been sitting in the parking lot for the last ninety minutes.”
 
Ryan pushed him. “Idiot. I can drive, you know.”
 
They laughed as they walked, bumping against each other occasionally, taking their time and enjoying each other’s company.
 
“This is my favorite spot,” Brendon said as they walked over the little white bridge, looking up towards the castle. “And my favorite time of day. I feel like we’re the only people left in the world.”
 
He could feel Ryan watching him and kept his own gaze fixed determinedly on the castle.
 
“You want to see my favorite spot?” Ryan asked, sliding his hand into Brendon’s before Brendon could even reply.
 
Brendon allowed himself to be pulled along by Ryan. They remained quiet as they walked around the castle and through the garden, over the moat. Brendon’s heart started to beat a little faster. His mouth felt dry. He licked his lips.
 
“Where are we going?”
 
“Just a little further,” Ryan murmured.
 
They rounded another corner and Brendon began to smile.
 
“The Wishing Well? This is your favorite place?”
 
“Do you think less of me now?”
 
Brendon laughed and shook his head. He leaned over the edge, peering down into the darkness.
 
"Hello?!”
 
He heard Ryan begin to laugh behind him and stood back up, smiling.
 
They were standing close to each other, hips resting against the edge of the Wishing Well. Ryan was watching him, his eyes warm and considering. Brendon had to look away.
 
“Have you made a wish?”
 
“A few,” Ryan murmured. “You should make one.”
 
Brendon dug through his pockets and found a penny. Closing his eyes, he dropped it into the Well and wished.
 
“What did you wish for?” Ryan’s voice was low and husky in Brendon’s ear.
 
“If I tell you,” Brendon murmured in reply, “it won’t come true.”
 
He turned back towards Ryan who was a lot closer than he had been a moment earlier.
 
Their noses brushed. Brendon smiled.
 
Ryan’s gaze dropped to Brendon’s mouth.
 
“Ryan...”
 
“Shhh.” Ryan closed the last space between them, pressing his lips gently to Brendon’s.
 
It took a moment for Brendon to realize that the soft, contented moan had come from him. He pressed closer, lifting his hands to Ryan’s shoulders as he deepened the kiss. 
 
~
 
Ryan woke to a warm arm around his waist and steady, soft breath against his neck. 
 
There was no moment of fear or surprise or confusion. He knew it was Brendon; knew that they'd fallen asleep, still fully dressed, after hours of sweet-bruising, gentle-hard, slow-desperate kisses. 
 
He kept his eyes closed, happy to remain in this little cocoon on the edge of sleep for a while longer. He pressed himself back against Brendon, wanting to be closer. 
 
"Are you awake?" Brendon whispered, what might have been minutes or hours later. 
 
Ryan grinned, turning his face into the pillow slightly to hide his own ridiculousness.
 
Brendon's fingers slid between two buttons of Ryan's shirt, stroking his skin. "Ryan?"
 
Ryan was sure that anything he said was going to be as gloriously stupid as he felt right then, so instead of answering he stroked his own hand up Brendon's arm and then turned over to face him.
 
"Hi," Brendon sighed, his smile as bright as Ryan's felt.
 
"Hi," Ryan managed and then took a deep shuddering breath.
 
Brendon began to laugh and after a moment of surprised staring, Ryan joined in.
 
Their foreheads bumped and rested together. Ryan let his eyes fall closed again, and Brendon took the opportunity to lean in and kiss him.
 
Ryan hummed his approval and wrapped his arm around Brendon's waist, pulling him closer. His hand skimmed across the edge of Brendon's t-shirt and pushed it up a little so that he could touch the smooth skin of his back.
 
"Just think," Brendon murmured, kissing along Ryan's jaw and flicking his tongue over Ryan's ear. "In a couple of months, once I'm in the parade, we can do this all the time."
 
Ryan froze.
 
~
 
Brendon felt Ryan go still beneath him. He felt Ryan's hands slip out from his shirt and, a second later, push him away.
 
"Ryan?" A cold knot of fear began to form in Brendon's chest and he hoped he was simply over-reacting.
 
Ryan wasn't looking at him, or anywhere near him. He sat up and ran his hands over his face. "You have to go."
 
"What?" Brendon reached out and laid his hand on Ryan's shoulder gently. "Ryan, what?"
 
Ryan shrugged his hand away and scrambled from the bed. "I can't do this. We can't do this. You have to go."
 
"Five minutes ago we were fine. What the hell happened?"
 
"I started thinking," Ryan said. He stood against the wall, rubbing his arms as though he were suddenly cold.
 
"And you're thinking that...?"
 
"This is a mistake."
 
"It's not a mistake." Brendon climbed slowly out of bed and moved towards Ryan slowly, hoping he didn't try to run again. "It's just us. Ryan and Brendon."
 
"Exactly."
 
"Ryan..."
 
"Don't you get it?" Ryan snapped, his eyes glittering as he glared contemptuously at Brendon. "I don't want this. I don't want you." 
 
Brendon felt the words like a physical slap to his face. He stumbled back away from Ryan, stopping only to scoop up his shoes and jacket as he hurried from the apartment.
 
~
 
"Ryan?"
 
Spencer poked his head around the door to Ryan's room, quickly taking in the lump buried under the bedcovers.
 
"I heard the door. Was that Brendon?"
 
He walked further into the room, towards the bed. Ryan's hand snaked out from under the covers and waved him closer.
 
"What happened?"
 
Ryan's response was muffled by the pillow. Spencer took hold of the corner of comforter and yanked it back.
 
"No," Ryan wailed, pulling it back up around him like a cocoon. "Please, Spencer."
 
With a sigh, Spencer crawled into the bed and allowed Ryan to curl around him. They maneuvered the comforter so it covered them both completely. Ryan laid his head on Spencer's chest.
 
"What happened?" Spencer repeated.
 
"He left."
 
"Obviously," Spencer said and poked Ryan in the stomach. "Why?"
 
"I told him to," Ryan whispered hoarsely.
 
Spencer frowned. "Again... Why? You're crazy about him. He's crazy about you. You're both crazy."
 
Ryan shook his head. "You won't get me to smile. It doesn't matter. We can't do anything."
 
Spencer rolled onto his side and pulled Ryan up to face him properly. "You realize you're not actually making sense."
 
Ryan sighed. "He said we can be together all the time, once he's in the parade."
 
Spencer nodded. "You're together most of the time anyway. Isn't that a good thing?"
 
"Possibly a little co-dependant for a relationship that's not even twelve hours old," Ryan said with a sardonic twist to his lips. "But no, it's not that."
 
"Then what?"
 
Ryan sat up abruptly, pushed the comforter down and the pillows up behind his head. "It's like Alex all over again."

"Fuck Suarez," Spencer exclaimed, sliding up next to Ryan. "Well no," he added, smiling when Ryan laughed. "I guess that's what caused the problem in the first place." He squeezed Ryan's hand. "This isn't like that."

"Sure it is," Ryan snorted. "Things were great until we started working together. Then we were together all the time and things got messed up."

"Things got messed up because he was a dick." Spencer shushed Ryan when he tried to interrupt. "No, listen to me. Do you like Suarez? No. Did you ever care about him as more than an occasional fuck buddy? No. He's the one who screwed that up and he blames you because, well, see my previous dick comments. Now, do you like Brendon? Yes. More than Suarez? Yes. More than anyone in a very long time in fact. You can make it work."

"No, Spencer," Ryan breathed. "It's in my contract now. I made Brian put it there myself. No more messing up the dynamic and creating problems through inter-parade relationships."
 
Spencer sighed and stroked Ryan's back, comfortingly. "What are you going to do?"
 
"I don't know," Ryan said, laying his head on Spencer's shoulder. "I really don't know."

Part Three