Interviews were, in fact, not Ryan's forté. They always went the same - how are you, what inspired the album, how is the tour going, our fans are asking if you're going to this godforsaken country next - except some threw some invasive questions in for good measure, and usually those were predictable too, but recently he'd had a new 'scandal' to talk about. Who's the strange mystery man you've been dragging around everywhere? Who's standing with you at all of the post-show signings? Is it true you've been paying him [i]this[/i] ludicrous amount or [i]that[/i] ludicrous amount? Ryan was all right with talking about Brendon, but he sort of didn't know whether Brendon was okay with being talked about, so he dodged those questions pretty well. Typical 'just a friend' or, even more vaguely, 'just another hire for tour.' Those pictures they pulled up as reference, though... if he didn't look overtly gay before, the way he looked at Brendon had to be some kind of tell. Yikes. He wondered how to break the news to his 'just a friend.' 

Mostly he wondered what Brendon was doing back at the hotel with no responsibilities. Probably figuring out that kettle he supposedly didn't know how to use (sure, Brendon, just easily bored and scared of the premise that he would be bored for hours). For a while there he got to text back and forth with him, his phone placed only a little unsubtly on the armrest of his chair lighting up every time the inteviewer got a question out. He was going to give short, flavorless answers anyway, he didn't see the deal with making it entertaining for himself. Eventually, unfortunately, Brendon stopped responding, and Ryan had to sigh, put the phone away, and actually say more than 'yes,' 'no,' or 'I don't know,' or the more tasteful 'I'm not sure.' Hey, Ryan, what's the whole reinvention about? You look different lately... Nothing but a very attentive new makeup artist. Who may have yelled at him as he walked out the door for only wearing a hoodie and not following the exact steps to making up his improved hairstyle (Ryan had eventually compromised for the apparently mandatory leather jacket and stood in the mirror for another twenty minutes to correct his hair - even on his off days, Brendon was right). 

After a moment of the place looking empty, Brendon reentered the living room from his bedroom, and Ryan's eyes lit up at the sight of his hoodie, just a little too long on him and hanging over his hands. Brendon, the princess, in [i]casualwear[/i] was sweet enough to him, but in Ryan's? Yeah, he was going to have trouble keeping the nature of their professional relationship in order. [i]Uh, thanks?[/i] Ryan leaned forward, nodding enthusiastically, to retrieve the mysterious takeout box from the coffee table. One, singular chicken wing. Brendon was so damn thoughtful. He sat back and curled into himself again while he started picking at it, grinning in amusement. [b]"Thank [i]you[/i] for saving some. Very generous."[/b] He supposed he'd see from the trash later exactly how much that order originally constituted - and, from the rest of the hotel room, what the hell Brendon had been up to during his time alone. Seeing the evidence of his bizarre antics was sometimes funnier than everything that happened itself.

[i]Somebody’s been on a splurge.[/i] [b]"A little,"[/b] Ryan said through a bite of chicken, but he was more focused on his hands than at the splurge anymore. It seemed to take Brendon a minute to catch on that the shopping trip wasn't for Ryan himself - obviously, as Ryan bought new clothes maybe once a year, and they definitely wouldn't be from these brands all laid out - and after the pause, Ryan glanced at him, curious. What did he expect? Surely Ryan's propensity for giving Brendon literally anything and everything had shown its face already. [i]Are you serious?[/i] [b]"Dead."[/b] Ryan sat up again, leaning forward and setting his elbows on his knees while he watched Brendon dig through the bags, a grin rising to his face in wait for approval. [i]There’s [/i]Gucci [i]here, Ryan.[/i] Ryan laughed lightly, shrugging. [b]"Is that still cool? I thought Gucci lost traction, but apparently it's back."[/b]

[i]Jesus, okay.[/i] The way Brendon looked at him. Definitely worth his while - and the money. Ryan's grin dimmed into a dizzy smile, softening. [i]Am I your sugar baby now? God, I almost don’t wanna look at anything, it’s above my pay grade.[/i] [b]"Debatable. I'm not cool enough to be a sugar daddy. Maybe a sugar uncle."[/b] He seemed to actually mull it over for a second before waving at the bags again, dismissive. [b]"There's a, like, jean jacket in there that's really cool. But... if the gay rumors weren't already really bad, they'll be worse now since I got caught buying it."[/b] He stood up to root through the Gucci bag, pulling out the embroidered denim jacket, testing the shearling again gingerly. [b]"Here. See? Floral. Only you can get away with that."[/b]