The good news was, Ryan was a very good-natured drunk. He was affectionate, sometimes too much so, and everything was suddenly one hundred times funnier with just a single shot. That is, until he fell asleep. Ryan was the type to find some public place to curl up in and pass out whenever the opportunity presented itself - surprising, actually, that he didn’t end up doing that before Zack got a hold of him. The bar had begun looking increasingly comfy. And everyone he knew was across the country, obviously not touring, or on stage/backstage, where he was strictly prohibited from entering as The Distracting Boyfriend. The Nuisance Who Can Somehow Take Brendon Away From His Beloved Work (Accidentally). Really, it was nice to know he had enough allure to actually be kicked out of there simply to avoid taking Brendon off track - even if it was just a ‘harmless five minutes.’ 

How could he help it? It’s not like Ryan was going to [i]not[/i] tag along once in a while. It’s not like he was going to [i]not[/i] stride backstage to his dressing room with a purpose whenever he got the chance and was unattended by controlling staff. And it’s not like he was going to ignore the perfect opportunities to have a makeout session and/or beyond when they could quite clearly hear the countdown of ‘[i]ten minutes... five minutes... has anyone seen Brendon?… where’s our fucking frontman[/i],’ so forth. Okay - maybe his timing was bad, but Brendon was busy, and he was so, so endlessly pretty. When Ryan had time with him on tour he used it wisely. They act like they’d never see each other again, or it seems that way from a third person’s perspective; why not just wait until Brendon’s home? Why not just see him after the show? Well. To that, Ryan guessed it was a ‘good luck’ type thing. Apparently his own luck had run out tonight.

Anyway. Yes, he was lonely, so getting drunk - and definitely not in a sad way, because as much as it sucks, he was revelling in the fact that he had a ripple effect - was his solution. By the end of the night Zack was the one texting him, because, Ryan knew, there were countless obstacles between Brendon and his dressing room, plus all of his belongings. His phone may have been perpetually buzzing in said empty room with heart emojis and variations of misspelled ‘I love you’s between the hours of ten p.m. to eleven p.m., but that was none of Ryan’s business, and frankly he had no memory of any involvement. When Zack did reach him he’d forgotten that it was possible to maybe say ‘can I talk to my boyfriend,’ or even registered that he was within a one mile radius of Brendon at most. Something in his brain had completely dropped the knowledge that he’d closed the touring gap between them at least for a little while, stuck believing that he was still way out of reach.

[i]Dumbass,[/i] came a voice from the other end, and, for a moment, Ryan was offended, before the low tone came to him as Brendon’s. [b]”Aw,”[/b] he hummed into the receiver, clearly still not connecting the dots, but before he could comment on his boyfriend’s whereabouts Zack was questioning his own. He figured it out and in no time Zack was there, beyond tall and somehow strong enough to half-or-maybe-fully carry him to the car. Immediately he let his cheek slump against the window. [i]Dude, this is why y’should’ve let him stay.[/i] At the bar? Yes. Let’s turn around. But, the lights along the street were moving in a blur, and suddenly Ryan really didn’t want a drink. Evidently since the phone call his alcohol had settled in more (and he’d finished whatever was left, it seems), and now nothing made sense at all and he was... floaty, for lack of a better word. A great night if he’d ever seen one.

Ryan was almost peaceful, focusing on not being sick and maybe falling asleep, when he felt someone poking his side. [i]Hotel. Hi, by the way.[/i] [b]”Loud,”[/b] Ryan commented, sounding fairly affronted by this obvious stranger’s volume. [i]Good to see you too, handsome.[/i] Ryan opened his eyes and bobbed his head to the side to look at Loud, but he couldn’t focus, everything sliding to the right in his vision even though he was sure his head was still. He felt something taper over him and a [i]click[/i] and then - a hand against his chest. Ryan put his own over it, intending to grab it, pull it away. As it were, he simply rested there for a second, on pause. He was ready to pass the fuck out. [i]Not on my watch.[/i] [b]”[i]Whoa,[/i] hey.”[/b] Ryan sprung to action, pushing the hand back to its owner while he firmly pressed against the car door to avoid an incoming kiss. [b]”I have a [i]boyfriend.[/i]”[/b]

Less affectionately than Brendon had, Ryan pressed his hand against his chest to push him away, probably way gentler than he’d intended to be but his strength reserves were past empty, apparently. He heard what sounded like maybe a laugh from Zack upfront, but brushed it aside. This was serious. [b]”He’s famous, so you better... be careful. I’m spoken for.”[/b] He was already closing his eyes, resting against the window again.