Ryan probably should have let go of the whole abandoned date hours ago, like, when they were at the party they'd ditched it for, but he hadn't. It was a bad habit of Ryan's, hanging on to shit that upset him rather than bringing it to light with Brendon and discussing it. But that at least went both ways - if he tried to 'talk things out' with Brendon, then even Brendon wouldn't be great at it. So they were equal. In any case, now he was stuck in a cycle, and Brendon appeared to notice despite his drunken state. [i]What do you want from me? I’ve fuckin’ apologised. You always find some excuse to be mad, I’ve always done [/i]something [i]fuckin’ wrong.[/i] The fact was that this [i]was[/i] an exaggeration, sure, but it held enough truth in it - that Ryan tended to become short with him fairly easily, or at least lose his softness - that Ryan felt guilty. He paused, hesitating, and even after trying to start a response, he couldn't grace Brendon with anything. Second-guessing himself, Ryan stayed quiet, letting those comments float unanswered.

Instead, he headed on his way to Brendon's. For one thing he didn't like the idea of either of them falling asleep angry with the other - he personally wasn't upset with Brendon, so now he had to fix his wrongdoing with Brendon. Even if there was a larger chance that sober Brendon would either have forgotten or forgiven him already, still. He feigned innocence all the way. [i]Fuck you, man.[/i] He'd accidentally been an asshole often enough that he'd heard that before. It honestly held no weight. Ryan continued driving, unmoved. [i]You’re an asshole, and I don’t want you here. Go fuckin’ home.[/i] Still so obviously untrue. Ryan was about to argue that Brendon was the one who wanted him here in the first place, had sent the trigger text for this entire conversation, and did '[i]go fuckin' home[/i]' now mean something different from '[i]go back to my apartment and wait for me like a lapdog[/i],' but Brendon was quicker to hang up than he was to reply. Damn. For the first time, like, ever, he'd been confident in what he wanted to say.

When he actually did get to Brendon, he was face first in the cushions, everything but his jacket still on. Very endearing. It was hard to be mad at someone so horribly, horribly messy. [i]Fuck off.[/i] Unclear, but Ryan got the message, persisting regardless. He could stand whatever Brendon said to him as long as he got him something to avoid waking up feeling shittier than he really had to. [i]Fuck [/i]off. [i]I told you not to come. Go away.[/i] Still didn't care. Ryan moved closer, reaching the end of Brendon's bed. [i]Mother[/i]fucker.[/i] When Brendon turned over, he raised his arms slightly, water and pills still in hand, in faux celebration. [b]"There he is,"[/b] he cheered gently, smiling at him despite the scowl he received. [i]Go [/i]away. Doing the exact opposite, Ryan approached him, placing the glass and the pill bottle on his nightstand and leaning against it.

The way he was tucked back up to his headboard like Ryan was a disease was amusing, but Ryan made a desperate effort to rein in any sign of him thinking this was funny, bringing his expression to one of calmness. [b]"I'll go if you do as I say,"[/b] he said in a controlled voice, trying to meet Brendon's gaze. As far as he was aware, Brendon could go one of two ways: respond to authority [i]incredibly[/i] well, because he could be dismally submissive, or reject it vehemently because he was also so strongly Aries. Ryan hoped to god he stuck with the former. [b]"Deal?"[/b] Without waiting for an answer, Ryan took his hand, firm at first in case he tried to pull away, then loosening once he started to undo his sleeve clasps, reaching across him to catch the other hand.

The role of 'babysitter' was one he'd, evidently, grown quite comfortable with, because Ryan was already fully prepared to care for a drunk Brendon. [b]"I brought painkillers,"[/b] he reminded Brendon distractedly after a pause, gesturing with a nod to the nightstand while he tugged him closer by the front of his shirt. [b]"Take them and finish that water. And, I'm not letting you sleep in a full suit, so hold out a little longer, 'kay?"[/b] It felt like he should clarify, anyway. Unbuttoning the rest of the shirt buttons Brendon hadn't gotten to for him probably looked like something Brendon would get the wrong idea from. He was silent for a little while, slightly morose looking, and pulled Brendon's shirt apart for him finally so he could shrug it off. [b]"Did you really come home early because you missed me?"[/b]