10,000 emerald pools

one and only

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draft 2

his chest flutters.

a soft, warm beat that can be heard in his ears. ears that have heard countless phrases and expressions and rhythms. however no such sound to ryan ross sounds more better to him than that of the ocean.

cooling, breathable waves that seem inviting. waiting for you to stick your hands in and splash the water. while he's not at the ocean, he's with brendon urie in a fancy pool. it has luminescent lights that change from a whole spectrum of colors. and at this moment, it was blue.

like the ocean.

and to some degree, brendon urie was like the ocean. minus the 'big' and 'blue' aspects.
his hair was wavy, like well, the waves. not to mention the grin he'd sport on a daily basis was big and high like the crashing waves onto the shoreline. ryan wishes he could pull into that wave and let it take him. make him dive deeper than he ever has before.

"wanna get in?" brendon breaks the silence with a suggestion. ryan snaps his head up- he's been zoning out this whole time. "huh?" he asks. too busy focusing on the water's movement. "in the pool," brendon kicks up some water. "but we don't have any swim trunks." ryan says slowly. "and that should stop us, how, mr. ross?" brendon playfully adds.

"i'm not getting in there fully clothed." ryan looks back at the pool. it does seem awfully nice in there now that he thinks about it. "who says we're gonna be fully clothed?" the sly boy snickers, nudging ryan gently.
oh. ryan looks up towards brendon. a warm tint covering his face. "are you suggesting we skinny dip, mr. urie?"

he shrugs, "i don't see why not." ryan rolls his eyes "you'll be the death of me, bren." the oceanic boy begins to strip his shirt off. "and what makes you say that, georgey?" brendon sticks his tongue out. "don't call me that, eugh." his upper lip curled in disdain.

brendon threw his shirt at ryan in a childlike manner, ryan soon following after him. brendon's just about to take off his pants as ryan shamefully looks away. he blushes, facing the gate of the pool instead of his friend. brendon doesn't mind at all however. he could be shirtless all the time if someone didn't stop him. ryan on the other hand, is fully clothed. not a big fan of taking off articles of clothing unless it's for a shower.

brendon is certain that ryan showers with his clothes on too. (he doesn't.) brendon also wonders about ryan sometimes. he looks gentle and almost angelic. at certain points, he resembled a cherub in those renaissance paintings. the light from the pool was pink, and it reflected off of him perfectly. like it fit him, demeanor and everything.

ryan looks back cautiously, peering for a second and turns back sharply. the pants are off, the pants are off! ryan panics for a second remembering to keep his cool and calmly face brendon. he shuffles around, lone behold a fully naked urie in front of him.

brendon swiftly joins the water, interrupting its mellow flow with a resounding splash. ryan is taken aback by the recoil, toes curling as the liquid touches his feet. "c'mon!" brendon gestures. ryan has an itch to just join him in there but something's holding him back.

he can't tell if it's fear or excitement, but whatever it may be, it's making his heart race. ryan takes off his remaining garments and finally joins the ocean where he belongs.

because when with brendon, he feels like he's home. where he belongs. he feels safe and sound, as if nothing will go wrong. at least, that's what ryan hopes.

and god, oh god he looks great in this lighting. it's a striking emerald green. brendon's jawline is prominent, and his tattoo stands out against his naturally pale skin. he's also kind of got a yearning desire to just kiss him now. ryan just floats there with him, taking it all in.

brendon splashes ryan with water. "gotcha." he practically cackles, plunging under the water to hide. like a playful siren, he leads ryan on a chase. "i swear to god, brendon!" he swims towards where the boy is headed. brendon comes up for air, ryan briskly bringing both of his arms down onto the surface of the water. causing brendon be doused, only accepting the given challenge.
after all, this is just a warmup.

"so you wanna play like that, huh?" he giggles. ryan laughs with him, earning a head dunk into the water. brendon advances before ryan can get him back. however, the lithe boy soon catches up to him, cornering brendon. "don't think you can escape this time." ryan triumphantly smiles. brendon gives a twinkle back. he stares up at the stars in thought, losing sight of the game.

"you know," brendon begins. "you know that feeling when you think- why am i me? why was i chosen to be me?" he looks over to ryan as if he has an answer. ryan ponders for a few seconds. "no, not really." he admits. "i'd like to know my reason to be here. why was i chosen to do what i do. you know?" ryan looks up at the night sky with him. he slowly swims over to brendon, aching to get closer.

the pool is still green. as if stuck in that color. while brendon doesn't feel green with envy, it more feels like a good green. a calm, meadowy green with flowers. an abundance of flowers.

"maybe we're supposed to discover that. maybe that's why we're on earth, to discover who we are." ryan suggests. brendon is searching the sky for answers. he then stares into the depths of the clear pool. "your guess is as good as mine, ryan." he looks to his bandmate with a warmness in his eyes.

ryan can see the beach in his eyes. he can feel the sand in his toes and the sun on his skin ,though it's 12am, just from simply glancing at him.
at the same time, brendon can see beauty in ryan. like nature, natural beauty from the earth. things like flowers, singing brooks, and soft sunsets. that's what ryan is.
he's handsome.

and before they know it, the shore reaches the land.

a surprise kiss, which throws ryan off. he's bewildered at first, eyes widening and breath hitching. then an electrifying tingle in his body, an awakening of sorts. one that the two had been denying for so long.

brendon's hand finds its way to ryan's waist. he gingerly joins them together, the kiss only breaking for a fragment of a moment before continuing on his lap. he tucks a strand of hair behind ryan's ear. ryan caresses his neck.

then, the waves recede from the land.

the kiss breaks, and they just impassionately stare; both of them. brendon gets a kick out of this, yet he has a yearning desire to explore the mesmerizing features in front of him. he runs a thumb over ryan's bottom lip, pink and damp.

"are we doing this?" ryan whispers, resting his head onto brendon's cold shoulder. he can feel him nod gently. "yeah." brendon confirms. "what if-" ryan places his hand on brendon's chest. "no what ifs. we're living in the now, ryan. we'll get to that bridge when we cross it. okay?" brendon finishes.

"okay." ryan says quietly.

then the waves meet the shore once more.