Something in the way Brendon looked at him made him nervous. Not scrutinizing, really, because when you were in this situation you had to be careful to control exactly how judgmental your expressions became, but... just interested. Maybe he was critical in his head and was just wise enough to not let Ryan bear witness to it. Ryan did that enough for himself - when cameras were pointed at him more often than not, and thousands of eyes were staring up at him from an audience most days out of the week, and too many people than he could imagine were watching all of his social media for new content, he was nitpicky about himself, too. He knew he wasn't the kind of person to stand out in a room, to catch an eye; maybe he was [i]interesting[/i] looking in that he was somewhat androgynous if he wanted to be, looked too young for his years, was generally kind of elfin, but he wasn't universally attractive. He could certainly see the incriminating comments that proved not everyone was quite a fan.

It's what made him a little nervous about nights like these, where he'd seek someone out to talk to. Actually - that's just the thing, he [i]didn't[/i] do that often. He'd stumbled upon Brendon and decided to, because Brendon, unlike him, had this otherworldly appeal about him, was so easily gorgeous that it could take someone's breath away. And maybe that sounded dramatic, but Ryan sort of had a streak for that. Already he was planning out first, second, fifth dates for them, trying to pick up on everything Brendon perked up at (if at all - he was shockingly lowkey for someone of his caliber) so as to appeal to that bias, working every good angle he had (and there weren't very many, even if he was confident in the few existing) in order to impress. Not to say Brendon would certainly end up even sticking around, but everyone Ryan had previously tried to 'woo' in any way turned into his new life's obsession fairly quickly. An awful, awful habit, that had only started once his career picked up. Maybe there was some psychology to that. Come to think of it, maybe he shouldn't be hitting on anyone until he was over that issue...

Eh. Maybe Brendon was looking for someone prone to endless spoiling. Ryan ignored his better judgment and kept on, finding that Brendon's personality didn't disappoint, either. [i]Sure, darlin’, but you’re paying.[/i] One thing about his unique lifestyle - Ryan had grown accustomed to being way more expressive than he naturally was, although selectively. In this case, he [i]glowed,[/i] gaze lighting up when he realized Brendon just might actually be agreeing. And, if the sweet glimmer in his eyes was anything to go by, he was content about it rather than going with it to keep Ryan happy. [b]"No problem at all,"[/b] he replied, breezy, and already his mind was on a roll again. Yeah, yeah, he'll pay for anything, just ask. Really - the guy called him 'darlin',' looks like [i]that,[/i] has the disposition to match. Ryan had basically found a Disney prince in some half-decent bar in downtown L.A. Once in a lifetime. Usually if you found a good one, they were all looks, no character, and Ryan wasn't too interested in that.

[i]Two drinks? Someone’s thirsty.[/i] 'Funny you should say that' was on the tip of Ryan's tongue, or some comment about irony otherwise, but he contained himself, reminded that they'd only met, like, five minutes ago. [b]"Hey, I've got all night. Order as much as you want."[/b] A typical half-smile landed and he thanked [i]fuck[/i] that he didn't have some embarrassing reaction to the whiskey. It's not that he didn't drink- just not much. And if he looked like a freshman taking his first sip of god-awful, cheap gas station beer in front of the most stunning person he'd ever seen, yeah, he'd rather just die. Fortunately Ryan withstood his first sip, actually liked it, continued drinking with ease. Less fortunately, Brendon didn't seem to jump with joy upon learning that he was famous (very famous, but Ryan didn't go into it), nor did he do the usual '[i]oh wow really that's so crazy I heard you on the radio the other day[/i]' that every-fucking-one did. All right, the second one was just sort of annoying, considering they'd all repeat his own lyrics back at him as if he wasn't embarrassed of 75% of them over time, but still. No less flattering.

Anyway, he at least didn't look totally lost, so the band name wasn't entirely unfamiliar. Ryan counted his blessings. He watched the jacket come off, taking this as a sign he wasn't going to run off any time soon. Unless this was a Cinderella scenario where he'd have to hunt him down with only a well-kept jean jacket for evidence, in which case, awkward. He didn't have the time. [i]Yeah, I have.[/i] Ryan maintained a perpetual friendly smile even though he was literally going to lose his shit over how lucky he was. [i]Who hasn’t? Lucky for you, I’m not some weird fanboy. I’m not gonna jump you. Unless you want me to.[/i] Ryan laughed, but almost distantly, realizing that Brendon's half-ignorance to the band was actually a [i]very[/i] good thing. Had he been any more invested in who they were, he'd probably have delved into Ryan's Wikipedia page or something, learned all about his tragic backstory and seen every moment his teenage self had, unfortunately, lived in the spotlight. Being very young and famous at the same time meant you were publicly embarrassing, and people were ruthless. And Ryan hadn't quite revealed his own history - people just picked and picked until things unintentionally came out over time.

It was better to be able to have secrets, especially when he wasn't trying to scare away someone who had agreed to a paid-for dinner. Ryan tried to quickly tune back in, keep their back-and-forth going. [b]"Oh, Brendon, trust me, it'd be nice,"[/b] he joked, definitely serious. [b]"But since you aren't a serious fan, I could definitely convert you with some private shows, how about that?"[/b] He laughed again, wrapping both hands around his glass and lacing his fingers together until he could bring it to rest on his knee. Brendon was looking past him, all elegance except for the fact that he was wearing an expression that Ryan already knew too well. He felt a little bad, honestly; Ryan had gotten used to the attention, maybe Brendon hadn't. Actually, he was too pretty to be passed up on. People definitely must have stared before. His gaze dropped to his own hands and Ryan tried to distract him, made curious by the tiniest shift in his energy. [b]"What about you? What do you do?"[/b]