Brendon had a boyfriend. It was bound to happen, really, but Ryan hadn’t prepared himself for this natural disaster whatsoever, and he’d also sort of assumed on some level that he would’ve been his boyfriend. Not that Brendon led him on so often that that was the only logical conclusion or anything like that - just, considering his stupid heart raced at every little gesture from Brendon, he naturally thought it’d be him to eventually capture and hold his interest. After all, it was surreal to think he could feel that strongly for someone who had nothing the same to return. He comforted himself with the fact that there didn’t really seem to be any depth in the new relationship; the extent to which they cared for each other was, like, favoriting each other’s posts on social media, or something. And sometimes even that was apparently too much of a hassle.

That was actually pretty awful, all things considered - Ryan was only glad for it because it meant they wouldn’t last long and Brendon probably wasn’t too attached, wouldn’t be hurt if things didn’t work out. And... Ryan thought himself to have a headstart. There was at least a sort of tangible connection between the two of them. He certainly thought he was better meant for Brendon than Shane, slightly less known and less wealthy than him, but objectively attractive and Ryan assumed that’s what helped him make the cut. But he looked like an asshole, really. Ryan even got Gabe to talk shit with him sometimes, and Gabe didn’t even particularly enjoy Ryan’s company. Shane was passive-aggressive and careless and even more reckless than Brendon, and it was clear to Ryan that all he did was take, take, take. He didn’t listen to half the things Brendon said, said vaguely insulting things when he thought he could get away with it, gravitated away from him when they went out together. It’s like they never established anything at all.

Anyway. Ryan tried to shut up about it. If he mentioned it to Brendon it’d sound patronizing as usual, like he was trying to change him; he had to let it run its course. If Brendon wanted this, he should have it. And Ryan even tried to stay away from Shane so he didn’t have some kind of outburst, or whatever, but sometimes they had to be in each other’s company and it generally ended up with heated looks and bitter comments. Shane would say something about Brendon either when he stepped away or when he figured Brendon wouldn't realize what he was saying; inevitably, Ryan snapped at him, and revealed that the only time he wasn't naturally kind of aggressive and straightforward was with Brendon. With Shane around, he had no such reservations and reverted right back to his usual mean-spirited personality... which apparently didn't bode well when Shane was just as rude after a life of getting away with it. Unluckily for him, Ryan was pretty used to the rich kid behavior, knew how to navigate it.

No matter the case, this was all ultimately still just his job, and he had to continue being Brendon's personal assistant no matter how much of his schedule now revolved around his new boyfriend - which, apparently, the media was loving to document, and Ryan had to shove his way through some lingering paparazzi when he went up to the penthouse. Why fawn over some twenty-somethings who didn't do much other than look good in pictures? Ryan was lost. Whatever; he had to do actual work, a rare occasion amongst his usual day of deleting risky posts from Brendon's social media, or managing what reporters quoted/pictured, or otherwise acting as his publicist. His father divvied out property and other bonds to each of his children, not leaving out even the least favorite ('cause surely at the time he hadn't known there was a runt of the litter), and Ryan was left to manage that business now. He just preferred to be around Brendon even when it came to the boring stuff, which typically just looked like a stack of random paperwork to Brendon.

He let himself in; at this point he rarely knocked, but it was a habit he should probably start kicking considering Brendon now had a consistent boyfriend rather than someone here overnight guaranteed to leave in the morning - they were harder to walk in on. He was pretty careless lately regardless, barely catching sleep since he never felt like it (and therefore strolled in sporting six bags total under his eyes), not touching his hair except to wash it (so it curled wildly), not bothering with his typical fashion (except for the trademark fifteen coats/jackets/longsleeves), etc. Speaking of which. He pulled off his top largest coat, leaving an unzipped hoodie on before turning to examine the room. Brendon looked like he hadn't moved from the sofa since he woke up - and it was past 1 by now - in pure comfort mode, an unrecognizable drink beside him, laid out as luxuriously as possible, his shirt naturally gone. Really, Ryan wasn't sure what else he expected. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty," he said fondly after studying him for a moment, shifting the stack of files to both hands before approaching the lounge and dropping them on Brendon's coffee table.

"Ignore your schedule, if you remember it. I can pretty much handle everything for you remotely," he advised, but was looking at the papers he was sorting through rather than at Brendon while he spoke. It was when he finally sat cross-legged on the floor that he realized that wasn't much of an intro - that paled in comparison to the fact that he'd just waltzed in with no real explanation of what he was doing here, but. Apparently he didn't find any issue with that. Ryan's head popped up suddenly, raising his eyebrows at Brendon. "How are you? What've you been up to? Haven't heard from you today." Usually that meant Shane was around, but he didn't see anyone else in the penthouse.

Brendon had a boyfriend. It was the last thing that most people expected- not just because he had never been one for officially labelled ‘relationships’, but because said boyfriend wasn’t Ryan Ready, the assistant everybody knew he was close to, perhaps beyond just professionalism. All of his inner circle (none of them but Gabe were to be trusted- literally the next day Brendon had mentioned it, the news had ‘somehow’ leaked that Brendon was dating Shane Valdes) was rather taken aback by the news, which was broken to them in first person. This is Shane, Brendon had said, introducing the man that stood close by him with an arm wrapped almost possessively around his waist, He’s my boyfriend. Everybody liked Shane, or else they were very good at pretending they did so to stay in Brendon’s good books and therefore in the warm glow of the spotlight. Everybody except Gabe- who immediately began being passive aggressive, so talented at being fake-nice that even Shane, someone Brendon would describe as a cynic at best, thought that they were being genuine. It was amusing to watch- but Brendon still kind of glared Gabe down, more out of feeling like it was his duty. Gabe had been the one going off on tangents about how Brendon needed somebody. If Gabe didn’t like Brendon’s choice, then they could fuck off.

Ryan was one of the last to learn, because Brendon wasn’t entirely sure how to break it to him. There was a grey area as to when he and Shane officially became a thing, because weeks into ‘dating’ him, Brendon and Ryan hadn’t exactly ended their extended fling. So, when Brendon first introduced Shane, Ryan was wary, but initially thought he was just another usual, unfavourable hookup; when Brendon saw him again, then again, Ryan started to grow uneasy. Brendon then started referring to Shane as his boyfriend, and their affair grinded to a halt because Brendon was a lot of things, but he wasn’t unfaithful, not in an exclusive, official relationship. And that was that. He was surprised (and even a little annoyed) that he’d evoked seemingly no reaction in Ryan, when it was kind of obvious Ryan had liked him for, like, forever. Oh well- he accepted that maybe Ryan didn’t care as much as he thought he did, and it was better this way anyway. No drama.

Shane was... Interesting, to say the least. He was insatiable and impatient, even more so than Brendon was, but once he had gotten what he wanted, he tended to be dismissive and give him the cold shoulder. Yet, he was simultaneously borderline possessive- and only tended to be sweet when he wanted something, or he was broke for a while when his parents cut off his credit card. Brendon was used to this kind of behaviour in small doses from meaningless people, so he just kind of shrugged his shoulders and went along with it- Brendon might not have been naive, per say, but he was oblivious to how much Shane was dating his bank account rather than him as an actual person. He tried not to think about- and that worked. Sometimes the less Brendon knew, the better. Or so was his philosophy. Gabe didn’t agree- in fact, Gabe was the only one with the guts to actually say something about it all (or the only one who really cared). Brendon shut them down. He’d had enough with people criticising his every decision.

Gabe was right, though, Shane did take a lot and give little in return- but when he was sweet, when he was affectionate, it was everything Brendon had been missing. It was easy to ignore the criticism or the harshness of the relentless slander of the media when he was in the arms of somebody he thought genuinely cared about him. At those moments, he could quite easily sweep all of Shane’s vices under the rug- everyone had them, didn’t they? Nobody was perfect. Gabe, he thought, was just a control freak, and liked to interfere, and actually didn’t care much about Brendon himself- always the libra. Or not. Maybe Brendon was the cynic. Either way, Gabe had never been full of support for many of Brendon’s decisions, for better or for worse; it was the fact that Ryan was unphased that truly baffled him. Well- that was, he never brought it up with Brendon. When Shane was around, however, the two of them locked horns, and Brendon always tried not to be amused- Shane constantly accused Ryan of having the hots for Brendon and getting in the way, while Ryan was mean-spirited in return, constantly apparently jumping to Brendon’s defence or just making snide, bitter comments. If Brendon wasn’t dating one and employing the other, he wouldn’t really care- but for both of their sakes, he tried not to leave them alone together for too long.

It had been a couple of months now, and Shane spent a large proportion of his and Brendon’s time round at Brendon’s apartment. Brendon was only used to seeing Ryan that often (even Gabe made themselves scarce sometimes), so it was strange at first, but now he was used to Shane being around, drinking all of his liquor, taking ridiculously long showers, and coaxing an easy Brendon into spending a lot of their time in his bedroom. It didn’t help his case that Shane was, admittedly, attractive enough to turn heads- Brendon’s head, in this case, extensively. That morning, they’d woken up together- Shane had invited himself over to stay the night and Brendon wasn’t about to argue. They’d spent most of the morning in bed, as usual, and then Shane decided they’d depart for another one of his forty-minute showers, so Brendon got half-dressed and went to make himself a drink at around half twelve. One o’clock, and Shane was still in the shower, Brendon on his second drink and just kind of lounging about waiting for him to come out of the bathroom so he could kick him out and enjoy his own company for once.

He was just sipping at his drink when the front door burst open, and in through the door came a familiar face, complete with hair that was now curly to the point that it was when he and Ryan had just met. Brendon smiled fondly. He noted that Ryan was also just wearing a slightly ratty hoodie, and admired how he just really didn’t give a shit anymore. Brendon could only dream of being so low maintenance. Hey, sleeping beauty. Brendon put his drink down on the coffee table and frowned. ”You know, I didn’t even say ‘come in’. And you didn’t knock,” He commented, running a hand through his tousled hair and exhaling, ”If you don’t start, you might see something you don’t wanna.” There. Ryan couldn’t say Brendon didn’t warn him. Ignore your schedule, if you remember it. I can pretty much handle everything for you remotely. Brendon nodded, half-listening, only pretending to give a shit. He knew Ryan, his constant saviour, would take care of it.

How are you? What've you been up to? Haven't heard from you today. Brendon shrugged idly, then looked coyly back towards his bedroom door, biting his lip and then looking back at Ryan, hoping he got the picture. ”Shane is in the shower,” He reported, sitting up a little after stretching. Hopefully not for much longer- it was coming to the end of the usual amount of time it took for Shane to get out of the shower. Brendon had no idea what he did in there- he certainly didn’t sing. Music was unfortunately a talent or interest that he and Brendon shared. As if on cue, he heard the shower stop, and moments later the bedroom door opened and Shane came out with just a towel wrapped around his waist, still more or less dripping wet. Brendon let his eyes follow him, looking less than impressed. Shane zeroed in on him immediately, and moved to the back of the couch, wrapping his arms around his neck and pressing a kiss against the side of his mouth, then his neck. Why’d you get dressed? Didn’t realise you’d had enough. Brendon just rose his eyebrows, having the decency to look somewhat apologetic towards Ryan. Shane seemed to notice said assistant for the first time. Who let that in?

Brendon blinked. ”He let himself in. Assistant, remember?” He chided, finally turning around to kiss Shane, mostly just so he’d leave him alone for a second, for Ryan’s sake. Well, can he go? He’s ruining my plans. Brendon laughed, more at him than with him, and shook his head, dropping his arms down to his sides and shrugging Shane’s hand from his shoulder. “No. He has stuff to do.” Shane didn’t look very impressed with that response and drew back to look at Brendon, then Ryan, with suspicion, then back to Brendon. Put a shirt on, then. He’s ogling you. Seriously? Brendon looked more than affronted, and just crossed his arms over his chest. ”No. You get dressed. You’re the one in a towel.” Poor Ryan. Brendon shot him a glance.

Ever since discovering Brendon had a boyfriend, Ryan knew he needed to make some serious changes in order to cope with this. That made it sound a little overdramatic, really, but it was true that it threw his whole routine for a loop. He'd been used to finishing everything business-related in his own apartment, hurriedly and efficiently, then spending the rest of his time socializing with Brendon and following him to events because that was the fun part of the job. And, of course, he'd become pretty comfortable with sleeping around with his boss - but that came as no surprise. His day-to-day was, naturally, making calls to people who actually had structured lives and professions they could move up in before all their offices closed, heading out to Brendon's or whereever Brendon had found himself this time, and then staying the night, leaving in the morning to restart the cycle. Generally, there was little variation in that schedule.

When he'd first seen Shane he was a little caught off-guard, only because it was rare that Brendon brought back someone who wasn't him lately, but an easy encounter to brush off. When he began to see the familiar face in Brendon's place again and again every time he stopped by, he realized there was definitely something up - and he had no idea how. How Shane got through that barrier, how Brendon saw anything that spoke 'relationship material' unless he just liked to take the bare minimum, how they started... More importantly, though, there was no way he was going to continue their affair (though it'd become less and less frequent anyway over the time Shane had been here) and Brendon seemed to adamantly agree. Ryan's approach to the end was to not look at all affected; if he looked hurt or sad it'd seem like he thought there was something more than what they actually had. If he reacted angrily then he'd just be an asshole, 'cause it's not like Brendon wasn't allowed to date.

So after nodding blankly and getting all of his clothes and his toothbrush and whatever from Brendon's penthouse, he went to his own apartment and dropped down on the couch, looking around and realizing he much preferred a place where Brendon was written into everything. But Brendon had never been over, and Ryan tortured himself thinking that now he probably would never be. That was how it was for a while, Ryan acting like he was in some sad romance movie where the one he loved found someone else, except he wasn't necessarily in love and neither was Brendon and they'd never been dating and he didn't see some happy kiss-in-the-rain ending in their future. He didn't see Shane lasting, obviously, but he didn't see himself coming after him, or after the next partner, or the next, or the one after that. Maybe Ryan had been the one to warm Brendon up to the idea of a semi serious relationship (alongside Gabe, he suspected), but that didn't make him entitled to Brendon's newfound comfort.

A month in he wasn't as bad, though, and in fact had completely detached himself... all right, almost completely. He was still attached enough to get pissed at the slightest slip-up from Shane, and he definitely hadn't stopped liking Brendon although his feelings were gradually fading, lucky him. For the most part though, Ryan had become more forward, more blunt, seemed less wound-up if only for the fact that his anxiety didn't get to him as strongly as before. In some ways the emotional distance was probably good for him; he was no longer on the brink of blurting out weirdly intimate sentiments to Brendon at any given time or getting way too personally involved in Brendon's unexpressed feelings. Either way, he was just glad he wasn't Shane, who only got away with being shitty eighty percent of the time because during the other twenty percent - and that was generous - he could schmooze like a pro. Brendon probably caught on, because he wasn't blind, but he evidently needed and appreciated the affection even if it was superficial.

Anyway. The 'not caring' thing extended into not realizing when he wasn't welcome - or realizing and just disregarding. You know, I didn’t even say ‘come in’. And you didn’t knock. Ryan stared at Brendon, like a teenager being chastised, then hastily shrugged one shoulder because he hadn't, like, asked. If you don’t start, you might see something you don’t wanna. Okay - good point. Maybe Ryan had been quick to jump to the conclusion that Brendon's opinion was irrelevant. He cringed a little, scrunching up his nose and looking away. "I get the picture. I'll knock. Jesus," he said, and it would've sounded immensely annoyed if only he didn't let out a soft laugh behind the final word. As gross as the idea of them together was, Brendon's approach was beyond amusing.

He caught Brendon looking back, lip trapped between his teeth, and realized before he'd even said anything what was going on. Fuck. Shane is in the shower. He should've known, honestly. Ryan stopped moving for a moment, hands hesitating over his paperwork, and he debated just going back home - but the squeak of the shower knobs being turned round sounded and he was kinda fucked. Ryan leaned against the edge of the coffee table, watching as Shane came out of the shower - Brendon's shower - in a towel - one of Brendon's towels - and approached Brendon. He looked away in time not to witness their fond display, shifting his gaze then turning his head back to his work. Unfortunately, he didn't have any convenient device to block out his hearing. Why’d you get dressed? Didn’t realise you’d had enough. Ryan scowled, meeting Brendon's apologetic gaze just as Shane took notice of him. Who let that in? Ryan turned his head away again, already irritated.

He let himself in. Assistant, remember? If he was twelve he'd probably be saying a retaliatory 'ha' by now. He came pretty close. Well, can he go? He’s ruining my plans. Ryan had by now let his gaze drift back over, deciding he could just deal with whatever sight there was to behold, but, praise God, Brendon was practically dodging his gestures. No. He has stuff to do. "You could go be productive, too, if I'm bothering you," Ryan added unhelpfully, sending an artificial smile his way when he was met by Shane's suspicious look. Put a shirt on, then. He’s ogling you. Ryan wondered how deluded he had to be, what exactly there was to be threatened by when he looked at Ryan. He'd barely looked at Brendon since he got here, much less ogled.

No. You get dressed. You’re the one in a towel. Ryan knew Brendon was looking at him now, but he stupidly couldn't hold back. "Right. I've seen it all before, it's fine." A little contradictory, but whatever. This seemed to prompt some confusion from Shane, whose suspicious expression grew slightly more bewildered. What does that mean? Oh. Ryan opened his mouth, trying to come up with an excuse on the spot, because he hadn't realized Shane wasn't clued in on what had happened between them. With slight alarm, he looked at Brendon, then shrugged as casually as he could. "He's my best friend. Dry off and get dressed, you're ruining shit." He gestured impatiently at the hardwood tracked with water and the fabric of the couch he was leaning over, but Shane clearly didn't care, as he was circling around to sit beside Brendon. I thought you 'had stuff to do.' Maybe you should get on that. Ryan had forgotten all about it, really, but arched an eyebrow before looking at Brendon, like he was in the middle of a sibling rivalry and needed a mediator. "Brendon. You should get him a muzzle."

It was obvious to Brendon that Ryan had almost given up slightly in multiple ways, and just didn’t care anymore- he didn’t do anything with his hair so it was unruly and wildly curly (this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing- if the nature of their relationship was still the same, he’d have a lot to say about it that Ryan would probably like to hear), he tended to turn up with Brendon at important events in a hoodie, didn’t knock (but then he’d never had to and Brendon had never asked him to), and was just generally more passive about everything. It was a development that directly correlated with how they had tried to sweep everything intimate that had happened between them in the past under the metaphorical rug and not speak of it again, but the weight of that was always there, and it was difficult after months of them growing closer to just go back to square one. Or even before that- maybe Brendon just shouldn’t have hired him and this confusion wouldn’t happen. Brendon wouldn’t look at him an involuntarily think about the two of them, together. It was becoming a problem.

Ryan, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered about it at all, and just sort of nodded mutely and half-shrugged when Brendon sort of suggested, sort of ordered that he moved all the stuff that had migrated over to Brendon’s apartment back to his own. His toothbrush, some of the clothes Brendon had actually stolen- it had gotten to the point where they behaved like boyfriends, lived like boyfriends, kissed like boyfriends, but they weren’t. Because Brendon had bumped into one irritating but admittedly attractive douchebag and decided he wanted that person to be his first real experience of an official, labelled relationship. But maybe it was less of one than Brendon and Ryan’s- 80% of the time, Shane just wanted something, and Brendon, generally willing to comply, let it happen, not really seeing that he was being taken advantage of and more expecting from the start that money and fame were more of an appeal than himself when people considered dating him. He had set himself up to be disappointed- but he had maybe chosen wisely; he didn’t actually have any attachment to Shane. He told himself that would come with time and shut away his doubts.

So, because semi-living together and spending the majority of their time together was now second nature, Ryan just walking in was something they hadn’t thought to discuss. Or maybe Ryan just didn’t care. He wouldn’t put it past him at this point. Ryan was clearly used to walking in and out without having to alert Brendon to his presence- when Brendon tentatively told him that maybe he should start, he looked like he was being scolded and Brendon shifted a little, uncomfortable. It wasn’t that Brendon wanted to be having this conversation, but it was more for Ryan’s sake than his. I get the picture. I’ll knock. Jesus. Brendon smiled, relieved, but noticed the hint of disdain to his tone and raised an eyebrow. ”Hey, is there a problem?” It sounded like an interrogation, but Brendon was more amused than anything, and there was nothing serious behind his tone. Still, he wondered if Ryan was wound-up because of annoyance, or jealousy, or both. Or maybe he didn’t care at all and Brendon was just hearing whatever he wanted to hear.

Brendon would have liked it if maybe Shane had spent a little longer in the shower, or stayed in the bedroom, or anything to give him and Ryan some alone time because they never got to be together any more. Shane was always there, and though that was Brendon’s choice most of the time, Ryan was his best friend and he missed being able to talk to him without Shane and Ryan almost starting a fight. But no, apparently Shane just sensed when Ryan was around, and walked straight from the shower out of the bedroom in one of Brendon’s fluffy white towels that wasn’t the one he had told Shane to use. Fucker. Brendon shrugged it off mentally- it wasn’t a big deal- and only half-engaged when Shane kissed him, just resting back into the sofa and wishing maybe Shane had an ounce of respect for Ryan. But that was wishful thinking, so he just looked at his assistant very apologetically. He knew that, even if he didn’t really care, this wasn’t something anybody really wanted to hear.

You could go be productive, too, if I’m bothering you. Brendon stifled a laugh, running a hand through his unruly hair which was followed by Shane’s hand dragging through it and tugging slightly. He bit his lip- but also wondered who exactly raised him. I was being productive. Brendon didn’t look, but he knew Shane was gesturing to him, so he elbowed him. Shane didn’t respond, just rested his hands on Brendon’s shoulders and announced his suspicions plain to everyone’s ears- that Ryan was trying to steal Brendon or something. Brendon was glad he hadn’t mentioned what had happened between him and Ryan, or he’d never hear the end of it and Shane would refuse to have him over. Not that it was his call to make. Speaking of which, Ryan apparently didn’t know it wasn’t common knowledge- or didn’t care. Right. I’ve seen it all before, it’s fine.

Brendon’s eyes widened and then closed, and he dragged his hands down across his face before staring at Ryan, obviously wondering what the hell was wrong with him. It was true, but... he shouldn’t say it. He mouthed ‘what the fuck’ in his direction. They were going to be talking about this later. What does that mean? Brendon’s mind went blank as he panicked, but for once, Ryan was quicker on his feet, and semi-redeemed himself. He’s my best friend. Aw. Brendon nodded reaffirmingly. ”Probably seen more than he wanted to.” He tried not to laugh, because this was so dumb and it was strange because Brendon and Ryan were still on the same team here. Brendon just felt obliged to keep the peace. Dry off and get dressed, you’re ruining shit. Obviously Shane didn’t listen, and instead walked around to sit beside him. If he ruined the goddamn sofa, Brendon would kick his ass. Or get Gabe to do it. I thought you had ‘stuff to do’. Maybe you should get on that.

”Babe, he’s my assistant, not yours. Listen, you’re not even dry, could you just, like- get dressed? And maybe come back later?” Shane looked affronted, like he was about to argue, but Brendon thought fast and leaned in, making some kind of promise that Shane probably wanted to hear. You could see his tune change by his expression alone, and he was smirking. Brendon. You should get him a muzzle. He shrugged a shoulder, mostly ignoring Ryan, and leaned over to kiss Shane, if only to console him. His boyfriend then stood up and went back into the bedroom, looking like he was using all his willpower to hold his tongue. The door shut. Brendon exhaled, laughing. ”I am so sorry. Listen, I promised him you’d leave before, like, five. I know you have a lot to do, but...”

/

Hey, is there a problem? Yes, Ryan answered in his head. Yeah - the issue was that he'd been the one who invested so much time in this relationship that he'd, truthfully, unfairly entertained in his head, leaving Brendon out of his idealistic fantasies yet still expecting some semblance of reciprocation, and now as much as he pretended he didn't, he still thought about it constantly, still wondered how perfect they would be if he'd somehow been the one to break Brendon's emotional barrier. The issue was that all the work he thought he'd put into wearing Brendon down, slowly introducing him to the idea of exclusivity, trying to help him know how it felt to really fall in love with someone - all of that was basically for naught, because someone else who'd been there for none percent of that labor stepped in and took the credit for all of it. Issue was: Shane himself.

But because that was all really dramatic and was more tailored to the personal commercialized narrative Ryan had orchestrated in his head, he just shrugged offhandedly. "Nope." There. Problem solved.

Even so, Ryan was surprisingly withheld when Shane strolled in, all biting comments but no thrown hands. Admittedly he never really did that, but still. He was pretty proud whenever he could still stick by his Virgo values. I was being productive. Ryan grimaced at the sight of Shane gesturing towards Brendon not-so-innocuously, wondering if he really went to extreme lengths to make an ass of himself all the time or if it was just in front of Ryan. Either way, Brendon defended his honor by nudging Shane away, and Ryan didn't quite smile or anything, but his grimace at least faded by a degree. It was the small stuff like this that showed him they were still friends, that Brendon could read him like a book and treat him just as easily, all kept him from straight-up quitting.

Evidently, Shane had no idea that they were anything but friends all along, and Ryan was new to this information. He watched Brendon's very clear disdainful reaction, cringing slightly but hiding as best he could from Shane that a mistake had been made at all. Probably seen more than he wanted to. Ryan half-smiled, trying to suppress it so that Shane didn't finally snap and murder him right in front of his own boyfriend, alas. He spoke quickly enough to cut off that conversation entirely, and they were moving on from his mistake. Thank god. Once again, Brendon jumped to his defense (although he wasn't quite a victim as much as he was being a hell of an instigator), and Ryan looked on with a soft gaze, touched despite how pissed he was at Shane in the back of his mind. And he maybe felt sort of bad Brendon had to do this at all, but. No turning back now.

Babe, he’s my assistant, not yours. Listen, you’re not even dry, could you just, like- get dressed? And maybe come back later? Ryan smirked at the look on Shane's face, but mostly he was weirdly endeared to the way he was 'my assistant,' and that was about the lowest the bar had ever been. Unfortunately his high-and-mighty moment was short-lived, because a breath later, Brendon was trying to console his boyfriend, whispering into his ear and giving him a kiss. Ryan ducked his head again, and didn't even know what all his paperwork was for anymore. None of it made any sense. Nothing on the pages, nothing around him, none of it. It was a quick mood drop, so fast he thought maybe he finally understood Brendon's rollercoaster emotions, but then maybe not so much. That was probably overstepping.

Shane finally stood and took his leave, probably all thanks to Brendon rather than Ryan scaring him off. I am so sorry. Ryan shrugged one shoulder halfheartedly. So was he, that Brendon was stuck with such a... whatever. Listen, I promised him you’d leave before, like, five. I know you have a lot to do, but... Cool, that gave him a few hours, and a few hours was better than the zero time they'd had together. "I could just -" Ryan stopped abruptly. Evidently he was still in his petty mode. He shifted gears, disbanded the passive aggressive sentence 'I could just go home' altogether. He didn't want to go home, he wanted to be with Brendon, and if his excuse was going to be that he had work to do, then that was fine. "Sorry, sorry, okay," he said more gently, relaxing his shoulders and finally looking directly up at Brendon. "That's fine, I mean. 'til five is better than nothing at all... and I've missed you, you know? I meant what I said; you're my best friend." He smiled, slightly relieved, and folded his arms over the coffee table, leaning over them. "Are you and him all right? Or is he just like that when I'm around?" Probably the latter. But he still wanted to hear Brendon's real thoughts, if he was willing to share.