Ryden Oneshots

Ryan Ross The Sad Robot

Spencer is four years old when he meets Ryan on the playground near his house. Spencer wants to swing, but Ryan is standing in the way, looking at the swing set with a confused expression on his face.

"What's your name?" Spencer asks.

Ryan turns to look at him with wide eyes. He stares at Spencer like he was staring at the swing set.

"I'm called Ryan," he says.

Spencer smiles and says, "I'm Spencer. You wanna swing?"

They spend the entire day together. Spencer teaches Ryan how to swing and skip and climb on the monkey bars.

"How come you're so dumb?" Spencer asks.

Ryan blinks like he doesn't understand.

"You don't know how to do nothing," Spencer says.

"Anything," Ryan says. "I don't know how to do anything."

"Yeah, that's what I said."

"That is not what you said," Ryan says. "Double negatives are incorrect."

Spencer has no idea what Ryan's talking about. He just wants someone to push him on the swings.

"You wanna be best friends?" Spencer asks.

Ryan stares. "I don't know what that is," he says.

Spencer rolls his eyes and grabs for Ryan's hand.

"I'll teach you," he says.

Spencer likes to pretend that Ryan was made just for him. In reality, Ryan's father made Ryan for Ryan's mother. Spencer knows this. Still, it feels like Ryan is his.

"Why don't you have a birthday?" Spencer asks.

Ryan says, "I wasn't born."

"You should still have a birthday," Spencer insists.

Ryan shrugs and goes back to watching Spencer's TV.

Spencer makes a frustrated noise, pulling on Ryan's sleeve to get his attention. "What's the first thing you remember?" he asks.

"My mother smiling at me," Ryan says without hesitation.

Spencer grins at Ryan. Sometimes Spencer envies how clear everything must be for Ryan. Spencer's own memories are a jumble of incongruous timelines.

"You should have a birthday," Spencer says.

Ryan sighs.

"Okay," he says. "You can pick it."

Spencer wants Ryan to share his birthday, but Ryan insists that Spencer should have his own special day.

"Fine," Spencer says, pouting a little. "We'll celebrate yours the day before mine."

Ryan shakes his head.

"That's not a suitable distance. You shouldn't have to share with me," he says.

Spencer sighs. "What's a suitable distance?"

Ryan hums and whirs. He finally says, "Three days?"

Spencer wants to argue, but he knows Ryan won't budge. Ryan probably has a bunch of logical reasons already lined up to support his side of the argument. In the end, it's always easier just to let Ryan have his way. Spencer knows that even if their birthdays are three days apart, they're always going to end up celebrating together anyway.

For someone who is only supposed to do what he's programmed to do, Ryan sometimes gets wild ideas.

"I want to start a band," Ryan says.