Ryan had sort of been a rockstar before, but a fledgling, awkward and not quite sure of himself yet. Brendon had just stripped all that away and found everything underneath that he could work with- no, not in that sense, though it would be a lie to say he didn’t often entertain that train of thought when he was alone- and now Ryan had grown into the title, with a new haircut (that made him look frustratingly hot, Brendon had to admit, he hated himself for styling it [i]just the way[/i] that got him going), a new wardrobe courtesy of Brendon’s exceptional sense of style and expensive taste, and with it a new air of confidence. He had already been smooth and charming, that was obvious from their first meeting, Ryan was clearly used to all kinds of people and how to treat them at this point in his career- but hadn’t fleshed out into the full-blown rockstar he was today. Brendon could just- well, Brendon was weak. Ryan clearly had an endless supply of compliments and if he kept them coming Brendon wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to keep these new ridiculously expensive clothes on. [i]No problem.[/i] He bit his lip to suppress a grin and pleaded with himself not to flush. He did anyway.

The funny thing was, Brendon had never even been a massive fan of Ryan’s band. He knew of them, sure, who didn’t, but he wasn’t some crazy groupie, not even a casual fan. But now he’d become more acquainted with the music- particularly who wrote and sang it- he was a diehard, endlessly supportive of anything Ryan readily showed him. Plus, when he saw Ryan sitting there, concentrating, playing guitar, his gorgeous hands and long fingers strumming away at strings- it was hard not to become enchanted with everything to do with and around Ryan Rowe. He knew it probably wasn’t a good idea to get too attached- he was a musician, for god’s sake, Brendon had been warned about them before- but Brendon preferred not to listen to common sense and instead let his poor little heart, which sped up whenever Ryan was within a certain distance of him, do his decision making for him. It hadn’t failed him so far- it’d earned him a well overpaid job, new friends, a new lifestyle, and lots of followers on Instagram and Twitter. Plus a possible love interest. [i]Possible.[/i] Brendon was far from regretting anything.

[i]Oh, [/i]please. [i]What content? You ever seen me take a picture of myself? It doesn’t happen.[/i] Brendon held his hands up, but looked wistful, fading off distractedly for a moment. [b]”I know,”[/b] He murmured, vaguely, and he bit his lip for half a second. [b]”It’s a damn shame.”[/b] Clearly, Brendon’s thoughts had taken an imaginative turn, but he wasn’t so distracted that he didn’t hear Ryan’s apt warning about Spencer. The drummer scared him, no matter how harmless he seemed on the surface. [i]Be glad he didn’t hear you say that. You’d be dead for real.[/i] Brendon nodded doubtfully and brought a hand up to his own neck, rubbing it like he was subconsciously protecting the vulnerable area from an attack. From Spencer. Hey, you could never be too careful. [b]”I know. I’m trying to stay in his good books, but- hey, it’s your fault. They all think you give me special treatment ‘cause you’ve got a constant boner for me or something.”[/b] A splutter in an attempt to breeze past that comment passed Brendon’s lips and he looked away quickly, stifling a grin but raising a knowing eyebrow.

[i]Whoa. Who said I thought you were cute?[/i] [b]”See: my last comment,”[/b] He suggested, folding his arms. [i]...Alright, I can't get away with that. Anyway, I'll take both. You're worth a little bit of scandal.[/i] That earned a laugh. [b]”Yeah, you think you’re slick. You need to find a better resting place for your line of sight than my ass.”[/b] Just a suggestion. Brendon busied himself then by checking the sizing of the jeans, amused but not surprised by the intentionally tighter fit Ryan had apparently gone for when deciding what to buy for him. [i]What? Uh- maybe a little intentional. Hey, nothing wrong with them being a little snug. It's complimentary.[/i] Tilting his head to the side, considering, Brendon nodded, noticing but having enough mercy to not comment on how distracted Ryan was yet again. Well. Since they were both being open now, apparently, tired of subtext and dancing around obvious attraction, Brendon made a proposition, open-ended just in case he’d overstepped. But something told him that wouldn’t be a problem as Ryan ‘Oh’d’ twice in quick succession. 

[i]Right, right, I mean... If I didn’t I’d Be skipping a few steps.[/i] Brendon’s mouth quirked with amusement. [b]”You’d be skipping all the way to the best part, though,” [/b]He reasoned, feeling his heartbeat annoyingly quicken as Ryan stepped closer. Stupid dumb Ryan with his stupid haircut that Brendon had styled that way himself. He really wanted to mess it up, maybe tangle his fingers into it a little. Funny how things changed. [i]Or I could take the first one.[/i] [b]”Holding hands?”[/b] He laughed. A joke, but. That would be nice, really. [i]Did I win you over yet? I could burn few a through more paychecks.”[/i] Brendon’s smile faltered and he folded the jeans, placing them over the back of the sofa. [b]”Y’know you could’ve had me from day one right? Of course you’ve fucking won me over. Dumbass.”[/b]