The Impossible is Possible (Ryden)

Chapter 5

Brendon turns the tap on and fills the glass, humming to himself.

It's ten past six and Ryan is upstairs, testing out the acoustic guitar, whilst Brendon fetches them both drinks. He ate at five; Mrs. Urie had made him a quick dinner, and then had gone out to a meal herself, with Rodney. Though the thought of them going out on a date makes Brendon's stomach clench up, he's rather relieved to have her out of the house.

He can tell that she doesn't like Ryan all that much, and he can see why. Ryan had offended her son bluntly in front of her, even if he'd defended her at one point. Mrs. Urie is a big fan of openness, but there's something a little too open about telling somebody that they're weird to his face.

Still, Brendon doesn't mind all that much anymore. Ryan had come round ten minutes ago, being a little politer than the night before, and even saying 'please' and 'thank you' whenever necessary. Brendon can't help but feel like they've moved on slightly, and the thought is strangely satisfying.

He carries the two drinks upstairs - water for him and soda for Ryan - and pushes open the door with his knee. Ryan is sat on his bed, one leg crossed across the other, hands resting on his knee. He looks up as Brendon enters, and gives a nod of acknowledgement.

"Here's your soda," Brendon says unnecessarily, as he holds it out. Ryan takes it, with a quiet 'thank you', and takes a sip. "Sorry if you don't like it. It's the only one my mom ever buys because it's her favourite, and I don't drink it that much because it makes me really, really hyper and I can't get to sleep for even longer than usual. I mean, normally I only get five hours sleep if I'm lucky, so it's not a good idea to cut it down any more, you know?"

"Right," Ryan replies, absently, and he picks up the guitar again. Strumming one hand across the strings and letting the other press upon the frets, he sighs, almost contentedly. "Did you still want to sing? I want to hear your voice, if you do."

Brendon settles himself into his computer chair, and feels an awkward, prickly heat rising up his neck. The thought of singing in front of somebody... Well, he's never done it, before. He thinks he has an okay voice, though he's not really sure, but at the same time, what if it's terrible?

"Um. Okay, then. Do you want me to sing you a song or something? That sounds ridiculous, actually, so maybe not. I guess we could pick a song, um, that we both know, and then you could do the guitar part and I could sing? Unless we have a totally different music taste, because then we'll have to --"

"I could look through your CDs and pick a song?" Ryan suggests.

Brendon nods, and point to the CD rack that holds them all. He feels more than a little self-conscious as Ryan stands up and studies it. He's always loved his music, but he doesn't really know what sort Ryan might like, and he doesn't want to be looked down upon by him.

After a minute or two of silence, Ryan pulls a CD from the rest, with a small smile. It's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Brendon's favourite Smashing Pumpkins album. Ryan examines the back of it, thoughtfully, and then looks up. "Do you know the words to Tonight, Tonight?"

"Yeah," Brendon replies, running through them in his head. It's one of his favourite songs, and the fact that Ryan picked it from all the rest makes him happy. Evidently, the boy does have good taste, after all. "Do you know the guitar part?"

Ryan nods, sitting back down, and pulling the guitar onto his knee. He plays around with it for a couple of minutes, tuning it, and then looks up, seemingly satisfied. "From the beginning then?"

Brendon pales. He's supposed to sing, just like that? What if he's awful? What if Ryan laughs? More worryingly, what if Ryan gets mad because he's ruined his favourite song? Reluctantly, hesitantly, he nods, and Ryan begins to strum the tune, faultlessly.