Missing in Action

Chapter 011

"Was it just me, or was today extra boring?" Spencer asked, plopping himself onto Brendon's bed and making himself comfortable. It didn't last very long, though, because Jon jabbed his side and pushed his body over to make room for himself. They both laid on the bed, each hanging off the edge and barely fitting. Brendon looked over at them from his desk chair and snorted, shaking his head. "You're taking up all the space, Jon!" Spencer whined, poking the other boy in the stomach repeatedly, until finally Jon simply grabbed his hand and squeezed hard enough to make Spencer's fingers crack. "Ow! Jon! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, let go!"

"Only if you promise not to poke me again," Jon grinned, squeezing Spencer's hand again for good measure. Spencer, whimpering, agreed quickly and when Jon let go, cradled his hand to his chest. "Asshole," he muttered viciously, only to have Jon smack his stomach.

"Both of you are acting about five years old," Brendon informed them, looking over at Ryan and shaking his head in exasperation. "Especially you, Spencer. I see Jon is having negative effects on you," he stared at the boy pointedly, only to have Spencer flip him off. Letting his mouth drop open, Brendon made an affronted noise and scowled. "Fine," he said, lifting his chin and looking down his nose at them. "Don't you two have things to do that don't involve my room?" he finally asked after a few moments of silence. Both Spencer and Jon grinned at him, shaking their heads. Brendon rolled his eyes.

"Didn't you say you still had two assignments for Monday?" Ryan asked, cocking an eyebrow at Jon with a smile quirking on his lips. There was no reason not to be obvious. By now, he had experience that subtlety with Spencer and especially Jon only led to endless teasing. And it had seemed Brendon wanted the other two to leave. The best thing Ryan could do was work with it. "Something about Mr. Briggs flunking you in maths if you didn't start handing your work in on time?" He rolled his eyes slightly. "Unlike a certain person we know who gets a whole week off with no homework and no one bats an eye because the King's signature will be on the permission slip." He stuck his tongue out at Brendon, mock jealous for a moment before he let his face relax into a smile again.

"Hey!" Brendon said indignantly, even as he watched Jon grumble and scowl and pull Spencer with him towards the door. "I'll have you know that the reason I am missing school is extremely important, so. Shut up, you," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at Ryan playfully. He waved to Spencer when the boy called his goodbyes, and then watched the door slam behind them. "Well, that took care of them. Good job," he smiled softly at the boy. "You gonna miss me next week?" he asked, jutting his bottom lip out. He'd received a phone call from his father telling him that he was to come home on Sunday, because he'd be attending an important conference. Brendon guessed that his father wanted to brief him on what would happen beforehand, and then probably quiz him on the conference after. Which was why he'd be gone for five days. He sighed. It wasn't as though he wasn't interested in the running of his country, but he felt like he had better things to do, now. There was no use arguing with his father, though.

"Of course I am," Ryan answered with a chuckle. "It's going to be bloody boring, is what it will." He widened his eyes dramatically in response to the pout. "How can you leave me here with no one but Laurel and Harvey for company for so long?" he wailed before dissolving into laughter again. It was odd how at ease he felt with Brendon, and to a lesser extent Jon and Spencer, whose suspicions seemed to have died out again, even while there was that whole other awareness. Sometimes it didn't even feel like acting anymore, but then he'd remember some lie or another and the illusion would shatter. Damn, he was really getting much too personal about this whole thing. It was just a job. Just. A. Job. But with Brendon especially, some things just felt so natural and easy that it was difficult to see it that way. He sometimes couldn't help but wish that he'd had some prior experience with relationships, something, anything to make it hit farther from home, to affect him less. With an internal groan, he pushed those thoughts away, and buried them deeply, concentrating once again on being Ryan Hastings, Brendon's boyfriend, seventeen-year-old school boy. It wasn't as hard as it should be. "Seriously, though. It's going to be a drag."