Brendon was by no means perfect, and what was surprising was that whatever the media said about him tended to be founded in truth. Gabe was probably even worse- they’d both done some shady shit in the past- but they were better at concealing it than him, more public relation savvy, better at dusting it under the rug. The cleaner someone looked, the more they had to hide- unless it was Brendon, whose private life was so pathetically non-private that he had given up completely on caring what people knew or thought about him and just tried to have a good time. That was why his image was so tattered- it wasn’t that he was any more of a troublesome playboy than, say, Gabe- he was just more reckless, and much worse at keeping it together and not cracking under the pressure to keep his image pristine. That pressure came from his family, especially his father, and it was too large a weight to bear alone on his shoulders, so he stopped trying, just let it tumble down at his feet, kicking the fallout aside until it came back to bite him. Brendon lived in the moment- dangerously, questionably- and it was natural that people would be concerned about him, or more commonly, intrusive and intruiged.

Gabe tried to tail Brendon as much as they could without being yelled at for being patronising- and the threshold for that was low, even for Gabe, Brendon’s closet friend. They followed him to events they knew had been staged to try and make Brendon fuck up in any way possible to make for a good news story. They stood around like a personal bodyguard, looking intimidating, so shady characters didn’t chance their arm. But they couldn’t be there all the time- honestly, they didn’t really want to- and Brendon was going to meet people, and choose people to keep seeing, and Gabe could do nothing as a precaution head on without being accused of interfering with Brendon’s life or being paid by his father or something (Gabe despised Brendon’s father, that was never going to happen), so they chose a more discreet approach, all but ambushing poor R.R, the unassuming PA who was just on his way to drop off some suits for his boss. That’s what their relationship [i]should[/i] be. Gabe knew this was far from the case and their relationship was hardly professional at all.

They were distrustful, but also felt a tug on their gut that Ryan really did just want Brendon to be happy and healthily fulfilled, even if he had a funny way of showing and describing it. Therefore, against their own usual character and better judgement, they decided to offer Ryan some quite harsh advice, laying it down that Brendon didn’t completely trust Ryan and it would take work for trust to build with someone so guarded and emotionally unavailable. Ryan had his work cut out- it had taken years for Gabe to break through the barrier and they still weren’t all the way through- so they felt some sympathy, and showed their rarely-seen helpful side- only to regret it immediately. Brendon would kill them if he found out, and Ryan didn’t look particularly good at keeping secrets. [i]He doesn’t- really? He doesn’t trust me.[/i] Gabe nodded, watching as Ryan’s gaze darted away, distracted. [b]”Not completely. He did start to, but- you said all that to him and it was a hard blow. If he wanted to, he’d have completely cut you off by now, so- don’t worry. And don’t take it personally. Just- be honest with him, but not [i]patronizing.[/i]”[/b] Gabe smiled fondly, then insulted him affectionately as only close friends could. [b]”Fuckin’ brat isn’t used to criticism.”[/b]

[i]That doesn’t mean he owes you anything.[/i] Good answer. They thought about bringing up the whole ‘you’re getting paid and also sleeping with the person that pays you’ predicament and what it implied, but Ryan seemed to be preoccupied with enough, so they held their tongue for once. [i]Just, in a perfect world, it’d be nice if... he could like me back. If I had a chance, whatever. I don’t know.[/i] Geniunely surprised, Gabe found themself with a new respect for Ryan- they were observant and intuitive and they could tell Ryan was telling the truth, he did really, genuinely like Brendon, and he just wanted his affections returned. Typical pining story, typical ‘damaged’ love interest. It was so sweet, Gabe could be sick. They tried not to grimace and kept listening. [i]That’s what I want. Ideally, he could have any kind of interest in me that isn’t- you know.[/i] Gabe followed his eyes to the bed and wished they didn’t have that image in their head, but laughed anyway. [b]”You’re not complaining about that, are you?”[/b]

[i]I mean, I'd settle for him being with anyone as long as he isn't alone anymore. And you know what I mean by 'alone' - he's surrounded by people now, sure, but you're the only one I've seen that actually gives a fuck. You came here.[/i] Ryan wasn’t entirely wrong, but he wasn’t entirely right, either. Gabe was probably the person who cared the most, but they weren’t the only. Brendon wasn’t as lonely as many people believed, but lonely enough that it was relatively obvious. They remained quiet, just clenched their jaw. [i]It'd suck like hell, yeah, but I care about him, you know? I don't show it well, I say all the wrong things - which you heard, I guess - but I do. He's way more than some rich asshole's son.[/i] [b]”I know, dumbass,”[/b] They cut in, slightly irritated. [b]”I know that rich asshole, personally, and he and Brendon are nothing alike. Brendon is better. He deserves better- than me, than his dad, than you, than anyone. But there’s something about you he obviously can’t shake because he’s kept seeing you. You’re clearly important to him. Just don’t fuck it up. I mean it.”[/b]

There were maybe a few moments of quiet after that when the door to the penthouse opened and through it came the devil as they spoke of him- Brendon, apparently making an unplanned stop at his house. Unusual, even though it was his own damn apartment. Gabe tried not to look too guilty, standing up immediately and knocking back the rest of their martini, grinning charmingly over at their friend as he advanced, immediately looking suspicious, eyes darting from a resigned looking Ryan to a cheery Gabe. [i]”Hey, Gabe,”[/i] He said lightly, eyebrows risen. [i]”...Hey, Ryan. What’re you guys doing here?”[/i] Gabe walked around the sofa towards him, forgetting about Ryan, and shrugged casually. [b]”Just stopping by. Ran into your little boyfriend, too! Small world.”[/b] Gabe could get away with that- Gabe was Gabe. Nevertheless, Brendon rolled his eyes, still looking rather terse, his jaw clenched as he shrugged off his denim jacket and left it carefully on the back of the sofa that Ryan was sitting on. 

[i]”Whatever, Gabriel. I’ll see you around, yeah? Text me.”[/i] That was a vaguely threatening command, not a request. Even so, it was hard to look intimidating when he was 5’9 and Gabe was 6’4. Gabe had grinned, looked from Ryan to Brendon, and shrugged, before heading towards the door. [b]”Try and keep it in your pants, Bden. Adios!”[/b] Before Brendon could, like, throw something at them, they had made a swift exit, leaving Ryan and Brendon alone in the apartment. [b]”God fuckin’ damn, maybe I need to set stronger boundaries,”[/b] He mused, though he was smiling. Brendon stood behind the back of the sofa Ryan hadn’t moved from, and rested his hands gently on his shoulders, an oddly intimate touch, if only to quell the urge to lean down and kiss him. [b]”Uh, so- what was that about?”[/b]