Brendon wasn’t naive. He could be described as sheltered from the hardships of the real world and detached from the struggles of ordinary people, and therefore something of an alien amongst others that didn’t share his privileged life and upbringing, but he wasn’t naive. He knew people- he could read them pretty well, and through a combination of the power and influence he had through his surname alone (the one thing he could honestly thank his father for) and his effortless charm, he always tended to get what he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted. And he got bored quickly. Quickly enough that he broke some hearts, unintentionally but unsympathetically, in mere moments, and through the hurt he’d caused people in his younger years, he tended to be even less prone to making attachments than he had in the past; partly because he was scared of hurting other people and didn’t want that on his conscience, mostly because he was scared of making himself vulnerable. Brendon thrives on power- be it real, or fabricated, money and authority (despite next to no work) kept him stable, a few steps back from falling over the edge of the cliff.

So, he knew people. He knew how to get to people. When it came to Ryan, it was easy in a tactical sense, but incredibly difficult in a moral sense; Ryan was a friend, a close friend, and had worked his way slowly into his life and established his importance and impact in a way that shocked him. Brendon found himself asking Ryan hesitantly to text him when he got home when he walked back late, telling him things about his family he wouldn’t disclose with more casual relationships and friends, growing to appreciate his presence so much that he thought of stupid, transparent excuses just to get Ryan to his apartment without seeming too desperate at 3am. And that’s just what he had done last night- convinced Ryan round to his penthouse under the guise that he just had a strong craving for Dr. Pepper, then was overcome with intense attraction like an adolescent, and quite easily seduced him- and that lead them to the morning, late morning, with the sun streaming in and painting everything a pale golden hue. The first thing he registered was that he didn’t go to sleep alone and he didn’t wake up alone, either.

Brendon was curled next to Ryan, his head on his chest, and for a moment he just listened to the steady rise and fall of his breathing, and pondered for a moment what would happen if he stayed there like couples did, fell back to sleep and pretended he hadn’t fucked up their working relationship. But this was Brendon, and this almost domestic intimacy scared him, so he peeled himself away, sitting up and letting the sheets fall down off his bare chest. He glanced back at Ryan, sleeping, still gorgeous- fuck. Brendon scowled at himself then rose, wanting to get dressed as quickly as possible and then wake up Ryan and tell him to leave. For the sake of speed, he skipped a morning shower and just pulled on fresh clothes and underwear, pulling a t-shirt over his head and looking quite ordinary for a multi-millionaire. A million things were running through his mind- when all he could see was the newly harsh glare of the sun, it was [i]this sucks, Brendon why can’t you keep it in your pants[/i], and when he blinked, behind his eyes were images from the previous evening on repeat, vivid and heated and making him sweat. This didn’t happen every time. It freaked him out. He wanted Ryan gone.

[i]Never thought I’d say you awake before me.[/i] Brendon had just pulled on his shirt when these words sounded behind him. He didn’t turn around, just noted how Ryan’s voice sounded gravelly with sleep and Brendon wanted to do all in his power to wake him up. He suppressed the thought, rolling his eyes mentally, and finally turned around, putting on a casual act quite easily. [b]”Well, there’s a first time for everything, right?”[/b] Brendon offered, raising both his eyebrows suggestively and curving the corner of his mouth into a smile even though it was shaky, and fake, and why was Ryan still [i]here?[/i] He stood there for a second, arms loosely folded, eyes lingering on Ryan for as long as he could before it became inappropriate, which was a strange attitude to have, considering what had happened last night. Brendon was burning up. Ryan was similarly unclothed and his hair was messy and tousled. He wondered if he looked the same, if Ryan’s fingers had twisted his hair into curls, if the friction of the sheets had caused it to spring up. Finding satisfaction in worrying about something other than personal connections, he reached up and touched his hair, brushing it back to at least look a little more put together.

[b]”Anyway, morning. You slept late,”[/b] He said suddenly, offhandedly, bending down to find Ryan’s clothes on the floor and tossing them in his assistant’s general direction without looking him in the eye. Brendon was barely awake- the urge to just get back into bed and let himself be shown geniune, chaste affection he was sure Ryan would offer him- but there was always the risk that he wouldn’t and all Brendon could think about was how what a vulnerable position he would be putting himself in. Frequently seen in suits, he wore expensive two and three-pieces as a kind of armour. Though he had no problem taking his clothes off in most contexts, succumbing to the repressed desire to wrap his arms around him and just lie there would be a step over his own line, his own self-preserving boundaries. It could be argued that Brendon had nothing, technically, to fear, and it was Ryan putting his career on the line- and if Brendon wasn’t Brendon, he’d be fired immediately. Luckily, he was Brendon, and casual sex was not really a big deal for him. But he figured Ryan would need reassuring.

[b]”Don’t worry, you’re not fired,”[/b] He murmured, finally looking his assistant in the eye. [b]”Though I appreciate this was all a very thrilling risk for you. Worth it, though, right?”[/b] Brendon prompted, walking over to the edge of his bed and tracing a finger absently across the silk, closing his eyes briefly until he was getting replays again. He wanted to ask whether Ryan was experiencing the same thing, whether he still felt electrified, like all of his nerves were standing on end. What the hell, he thought- it had been too good to not do again. Brendon let himself smile, but was shifting impatiently when Ryan still didn’t move. [b]”Let’s do it again some time.”[/b]