By now, Brendon was aware of his own overreaction, but he couldn’t prevent himself from still feeling neglected, and with Ryan’s response only being to practically laugh in his face, he still wasn’t feeling great and wasn’t about to apologise. Maybe the smile on Ryan’s face wasn’t meant maliciously, but Brendon sometimes took things a little personally, and was helplessly bitter despite trying to tell himself it wasn’t that deep. Anyway, if Ryan wasn’t intentionally making a mockery of him, that meant he thought Brendon was just cute or funny or something, and though he would have maybe appreciated the sentiment a few hours ago, now he felt like he wasn’t being taken seriously at all. To be fair, he intended a lot of his actions and words to be lighthearted, just jokes (that, funnily enough, Ryan didn’t always appreciate), so it was sort of understandable as to why Ryan didn’t catch that Brendon was completely serious. Or maybe he did know, and didn’t care, or couldn’t help smirking either way. No matter what the reason was, Brendon wasn’t happy.

Luckily, he got a little better at getting the message across- rather venomously lashing out one last time, his tone stony but somehow simultaneously vulnerable because Brendon felt undermined. Ryan apparently got the picture, because when Brendon turned away after finishing, he saw his husband’s smile fade and expression change. Oh, so he wasn’t completely incapable of taking Brendon seriously- that was a relief. [i]Brendon.[/i] He has turned around by then, and intentionally ignored him, just saying rather snarkily to himself, [i]Yeah, that’s my name.[/i] Ryan was following him, he knew it, but he didn’t turn round, just kept walking, and then shut the door behind him, hopefully in Ryan’s face. Once he was in the bathroom, there was a brief silence and Brendon turned around, dragging his hands across his face and then through his hair. Suddenly he realised he was in great need of a shower and wrapped his arms around himself, exhaling and turning back around towards the mirror just as the bathroom door opened and Ryan walked in. He felt like saying [i]Get out,[/i] but instead just watched silently as Ryan manouvered around and pressed a hand gently against his chest. [i]Brendon, baby, listen.[/i]

So that softened his expression just a little- the pet name never failed to make him a little weak, but he quickly recovered and set his jaw. [b]”That’s, like, the first time you’ve touched me all day,”[/b] He remarked, raising an eyebrow and trying not to continue on that tangent again because it would get him nowhere. Still, passive aggressive was his middle name- or rather full aggressive. [i]I’m sorry.[/i] Good start. [i]You’re not selfish, you’re not childish, you’re not arrogant, none of that.[/i] Brendon sort of pursed his lips, because honestly, he already [i]knew[/i] that- but he wasn’t about to admit that he’d said that in the moment because he kind of wanted sympathy points. Brendon was mostly shameless, but even he wouldn’t admit to that. Maybe he [i]was[/i] childish, he thought reflectively. [i]It’s mostly funny that... I had to keep convincing myself to stay upset.[/i] [b]”I wish I could say the same,”[/b] Came his immediate, dry response, and he looked down finally at the hand against his chest.

[i]You’re- you’re hard to stay mad at, basically.[/i] Brendon wasn’t sure whether that was a compliment or not, so he just looked a little confused for a second, hesitating before half-heartedly shrugging one shoulder, still irritated but feeling a loss nonetheless when Ryan took his hand away. [i]I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings or seem like I was ignoring you, earlier.[/i] [b]”It’s not [i]seems[/i] like, Ryan,”[/b] He corrected, sounding exasperated because he wasn’t about to find a compromise, no matter how much he really just wanted this to be a [i]normal[/i] evening. [b]”You were.”[/b] His tone was confident and encouraged no argument, almost daring Ryan to try and correct him. [i]You're not really getting a new roommate, are you? [/i]Moments ago, the decision has been certain, but now Brendon was unsure- he still wanted the attention he’d made such a fuss over, but also didn’t want to give in so easy. So he didn’t reply. [i] I thought I might eventually make up for my distractedness today and that'll be hard if you're shacking up with someone else.[/i]

Again, just moments ago, Brendon would have sneered at the suggestion, but he was only human and the immediate refusal he wished came out of his mouth didn’t form. Instead, he looked a little doubtful, but also stepped slightly closer, tilting his head back and looking up at Ryan almost challengingly. [b]”Are you sure? If I stay, I probably won’t be able to keep my mouth shut long enough to prevent myself from continuing to talk about the grudge I’ll still be holding.”[/b] He was semi-serious, but also leaning more towards saying [i]Yes, I’ll stay[/i] than picking up and leaving. After another few moments of consideration, he spoke again. [b]”You know, I’ll hold you to that. I’m gonna shower.”[/b] Expectantly, he stepped back, and glanced towards the bathroom door.