What Doesn't Kill You (Sequel to Your Secrets Safe With Me (Brallon))

True Friends

(a/n: I'm so glad to be writing with these characters)

*Brendon POV*

There was so much to do and so little time. Wedding plans, tour plans, packing. It was all too much sometimes. Usually when you get engaged you have a little while to let it sink in and relax, but no not us. We decided since we have a couple days off in Miami we could get married there, I have been caling and scheduling all day. Then we've been trying to get ready to go on tour because our firs show is in a week in a half.

Dallon comes into the apartment with groceries. He frowns when he sees me at the kitchen table with all the papers and my laptop open. He comes up behind me and hugs me around the shoulder.

"You know all this isn't good for you, we should go do something, get you out of here." He whispered in my ear.

"There's just so much to do." I tilted my head back so that I could see his face.

"Well you deserve a break, and guess who's having a concert about an hour away?" He bent down and kissed my cheek.

"I know, Pete texted me last night, but Dal we don't have the time to drive an hour just to hang out with them." I leaned my head onto his arm, examining the endless pile of schedules and lists.

"Brenny I'm worried about you getting too stressed. There's a little bakery on the way to the venue, we can stop and try some of the cakes, that'll be fun and productive." He rested his chin on my head,

"Okay, just let me shower first, I can't remember the last time I showered." I stood and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I wasn't going to say anything, but you really smell." Dallon scrunched up his nose.

"Oh shut up." I stood on my tip-toes and kissed his nose.

I stared into his eyes. In the last month I and watched the sharks that had used to swim there disperse among his thoughts. Very rarely did they threaten the inhabitants of the ocean in his eyes. During the the first months it was hard to help him. He was scared of the dark, we slept with a light on I didn't mind though, the dark scared me to. He couldn't handle the sound of a gunshot, even in a movie, he would start freaking out. We completely avoided the hotel and the ice cream parlor, and basically that side of town.

He didn't go anywhere alone for the first three months, and now he would only go to the grocery store and anything on our block. They were all reasonable anxieties that were easy to deal with. The only one that frustrated me sometimes was when he would wake up in the middle of the night crying and hyperventilating. It was only frustrating when he wouldn't let me help him. Some nights the events would come back to him and I felt so helpless, all I could do was sit there.

But now the nightmares have faded, or he has learned to deal with them. Maybe we could be okay, or at least pretend to be.

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The bakery Dallon took me to was on the edge of town, close to our high school that we never actually graduated from. When we walked into the bakery beautiful cakes lined the wall, some were over the top fabulous, others were elegantly plain.

"Brendon? Dallon?" I turned to see Kellin Quinn covered in flour.

"Kellin, I haven't seen you in forever. How have you been?" I was shocked to see him of all people here.

"Oh I've been great, wait till I tell Vic you guys are here." He disappeared through the swinging door and returned with the long haired tan boy.

"Oh hey guys, it's been a while." We shook hands and exchanged our greetings.

"So what brings you guys in today." Vic wiped his batter caked hands on his apron.

"Um well, we actually were going to look at wedding cakes. We got engaged last week." Dallon laced his fingers with my left hand and showed them the gold band with five small diamonds.

"That's gorgeous, it's absolutely beautiful." Kellin closely examined the ring on my finger.

"You know what, I think I have the perfect cake design for you. Here, sit." Vic patted on of the stools and then disappeared back behind the swinging door.

He returned with a laptop and sat down at the table. He started to type things in and place decorations. He turned the laptop around and revealed a beautiful three layered with square layers and a royal blue fondant bow. 

"Oh my gosh Vic it's perfect, it's so elegant and beautiful." A felt the smile creeping over my face.

"Bren, it's a cake." Dallon laughed.

"I had a girl break down crying when I showed her the design last week." Kellin called from his post at the register.

"So I'll take that as a you like it." Vic smirked a little.

"I love it." A small giggle escaped my lips.

"Sweet, you guys know what flavor you want? Cause I've got a few flavors I think you will love." Kellin brought out a couple plates with different flavors on them.

We tried a little bit of each, there was red velvet, a lemon one, a vanilla cream, a triple chocolate. Me being plain liked the classic red velvet the best. 

"I like the red velvet."I smiled sheepishly at Dallon, knowing he would probably want a more exotic flavor.

"I actually really liked that one to." I felt him place his hand on my knee under the table.

"Awesome, Kellin can help you put in all the details and then you guys will be good to go." Vic got up and walked over to Kellin.

He whispered something in Kellin's ear and I watched as Kellin twisted his head to peck Vi's cheek. It was good to see those two together with no interference. Kellin come over and took the date and location of our wedding. We ended up buying a dozen cupcakes just to bring to Fall Out Boy.

"See productive and fun." He laughed when we got in the car.

"Oh shut up I'll let you be right, this time." We turned on the radio and drove off singing along to Green Day.