Ryden Oneshots

As Dreamers Do

It’s their first break in hours and Brendon ccategorically refuses to let Ryan sleep through it. He peers through the door of the lounge, sing-songing, ‘Ryan, Ryan, Ryan.’

The figure on the couch groans. Brendon grins and walks inside the room. ‘C’mon, Ross,’ he chirps. ‘We’re going outside.’

‘Don’t wanna,’ mumbles Ryan. ‘Asleep.’

‘You don’t need sleep,’ Brendon says. ‘Sleep is for the weak. And for people whose birthdays it isn’t.’

‘I am weak. And my birthday was like, six weeks ago, what the fuck. I’m asleep.’

Brendon hops over the couch and lands somewhere around Ryan’s stomach. Ryan yelps and shoves ineffectually at him, then opens his eyes and glares at Brendon.

Brendon smiles back with all his teeth. He reaches down and ruffles Ryan’s hair affectionately. ‘C’mon, Ryan,’ he wheedles, ‘there’s something you’ve got to do.’

Ryan sighs exasperatedly. ‘All right,’ he says, rolling his eyes, ‘I’ll come.’ Brendon beams and wiggles off Ryan’s stomach, then stretches out a hand to pull him up from the couch. ‘It’ll be worth it,’ he promises, and Ryan grumbles under his breath but keeps hold of Brendon’s hand anyway.

The day was warm but it’s cold now as they step onto the asphalt, and Ryan shivers slightly and draws in close to Brendon. ‘What are we doing?’ he asks petulantly, rubbing the hand that’s not in Brendon’s up and down his arm. ‘Why can’t we stay inside the bus?’

‘Because,’ says Brendon. He tips his head up. There’s a smattering of stars across the sky already and Brendon grins up at them. He tightens his fingers in Ryan’s and leans in close. ‘I know your birthday was ages ago,’ he says, lips just brushing Ryan’s ear, ‘but we didn’t get you a cake or like, candles or anything. You didn’t get to wish.’

Ryan shivers. ‘So you decided to give me pneumonia instead?’

‘No,’ says Brendon patiently. ‘I decided to get you something else to wish on.’

Ryan turns to Brendon, eyebrows raised. ‘Meaning?’

Brendon nods at the sky. ‘Meaning, there’s going to be a meteor shower tonight,’ he says. ‘Or it might have already started, I don’t know, but – we just have to wait long enough and you’ll get your birthday wish.’

Ryan doesn’t say anything for a moment. Then, ‘You found me falling stars.’

Brendon smiles and tilts his head back at the sky. ‘Yup,’ he says cheerily, opening his eyes as wide as he can in case he misses anything. Then he frowns, looking back at Ryan. ‘Shooting stars,’ he says, ‘not falling stars.’

Ryan blinks. Brendon watches him for a moment then looks back up at the sky. ‘You won’t see any if you don’t look, though,’ he says conversationally. ‘Don’t want to lose your wish, Ryan; the driver won’t wait forever.’

Ryan coughs. ‘Right,’ he says. ‘Looking.’ His voice isn’t quite steady.

It’s barely a minute before they see the first one, blazing high and bright above them and followed immediately by two others, smaller and not as bright.

Huh, Brendon thinks. Does that mean I get 3 wishes? He glances sideways.

Ryan’s staring up with a strange, wistful expression on his face. Brendon lets his gaze run along the soft black sweep of Ryan’s eyelashes and down the line of his nose, then back at the sky. Gingerbread, he thinks. That's what I want. Real gingerbread like mom's. He nods decisively then glances back at Ryan.