[i]I’d rather hear it from you.[/i] Brendon's voice was so suddenly soft, so gentle and reflective of his own tone, that Ryan was pretty much instantly convinced. He met his gaze carefully, unguarded, and decided that, yeah, it wasn't that big a deal. He could... summarize. It's not like he and Gabe had really delved into anything. [i]C’mon, Ryan. Don’t keep shit from me.[/i] Oh, man. If that was the command, then Ryan would have a [i]lot[/i] to say. He could read something genuine in Brendon's expression and it was sort of unsettling, not what Ryan was used to, so much so that he was a little speechless for the time being. As long as he wasn't keeping shit from Brendon, maybe now was the time to come clean about harboring an absurd crush on him for so long. Or actually apologise properly for being an asshole, this time without his typical startstopstart or stumbling otherwise, etc. There was plenty that he needed to get off his chest - but now wasn't the time, not when Brendon was clearly already off to a bad start.

[i]Seriously, whatever they said- probably not true. I dunno. I’ll find out.[/i] Things Gabe said not being true could either be very good or very upsetting. First and foremost, they thought he came across as an asshole in stories, which was probably true considering, uh, Ryan tended to be like that. Then they'd said Brendon didn't trust him - not now, anyway - which also seemed fairly realistic. It'd be nice if that wasn't true, but Ryan had no reason to believe otherwise. What Ryan would love to be true, though, what was most crucial to him, was one of the last things Gabe had suggested: that Ryan was important to Brendon. The way he was talking now, all sweet and controlled and acting intimate as ever, it seemed almost believable or within the reach of believable. Ryan nodded listlessly at him, wondering at the back of his mind how often he crossed Brendon's thoughts or how prioritized he was in decisions Brendon made. Way too much fantasy, there. He set aside Brendon's pressing for now, knowing he'd probably break sooner or later before leaving.

Despite Ryan's slight panic for half a second, Brendon seemed not to register it, and in fact faced him with the most comforting look. He took painstaking measures [i]not[/i] to look at Brendon's mouth 'cause then he'd get even more distracted, and ignored all the magnetism between them when he turned and ended up more close to Brendon than he'd expected. [i]What can I do for you, darlin’?[/i] God. That just made Ryan's natural stammering worse. The next few lines didn't come out quite as smoothly as he'd have liked. He opted instead to land on the most lowkey flirting possible. [i]I thought you might be.[/i] Ryan was predictable. He laughed a little, mostly at himself, and lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug as if it removed any of the embarrassment from his inevitability.

In what he thought of as a saving grace, Brendon was maneuvering over the back of the couch moments later, and Ryan held onto his side all the while to maintain his balance. If Ryan was predictable in how easily he made himself available for Brendon, Brendon was pretty typical in these pointless grand gestures. A dramatic shift from his awkward countenance just minutes before, Ryan was grinning at him by the time he was sitting with him, a knee between his thighs and hands cradling his face. Ryan was practically having an out of body experience - except he really needed to be in the present for this very unique version of Brendon, so. He held it out for now. [i]Yeah, I’m done. All to yourself. What’re you gonna do with all the time?[/i] Ryan physically couldn't bring himself to stop smiling. He brought a hand up to Brendon's jaw, only halfway mirroring his positioning, and shrugged again. [b]"See if I can wear you out, probably. Never been done before,"[/b] he answered with just a little hesitation, because as lame as it sounded in his head, he felt pretty lame saying it out loud. Yeah, he definitely wasn't as good at this as Brendon.

Unexpectedly, Brendon was leaning forward, and Ryan's smile faded by a fraction before he realized what was happening. Usually this wouldn't go so - well, calmly. He met Brendon's lips easily, the hand on his jaw slipping around to cup the back of his head, pull him closer. His chest felt tight, this indescribable pressure and flutter, and he knew the answer to Brendon's first question about what he and Gabe had been talking about was on his tongue but he really, really shouldn't be letting that one go right now. It was the worst possible time, he was sure. Ryan's knuckles absently brushed at the taper of Brendon's hair close to his neck while he pulled back slightly, keeping his eyes shut to avoid an even more excited heart. [b]"Brendon,"[/b] he murmured, tone honest, and curled his other hand around Brendon's shoulder. This was really bad timing. Whatever. [b]"I - I'm sorry, that I was so... preachy, before. It's not my place, it never was. I don't know why I... I'm sorry, Bren."[/b] He'd probably thought that nickname before, safe in his head, and now was a pretty risky time to test it out loud. Fuck. Apparently he was on a roll in this series of bad decisions. 

He figured Brendon's kisses - rare and far between as they were - weren't welcoming of gentle pauses like this, and rather were intended for quick escalation, though, so to try and make up for it, he bravely kissed him again, a chaste one before opening his eyes again. [b]"I never wanted to be an asshole, or make you feel like I was judging you, or anything."[/b] He paused, trying to figure out a less direct way to tell Brendon '[i]you're important to me.[/i]' [b]"It's just important to me that you know that, I guess. Bad timing, I know."[/b] He grinned, a little sideways, at the attempt to make up for his poor timing, and arched up somewhat from the cushions to try and draw Brendon's body closer to his.