One of the Boys.

I knocked on his door quietly, a bag of chocolate chip cookies in hand. It was a symbol of truce, I guess, even though we hadn’t really fallen out, it just felt like we had.
The door swung open, and there stood a surprised Ryan, in his pajamas and PlayStation controller in his left hand. His face broke into a smile.
“Why hello there stranger.”
I smiled and thrust the cookies forwards. He laughed and ushered me in to the front room, shutting the door with his foot and sitting down on the floor.
“So what brings you here, after what must be a good few years?” he smirked.
“It’s only a few months!”
“Whatever, it was too long. Have you gone back to the normal Emma?”
“As far as I know.” I nodded and he smiled again, jumping on me and giving me a big hug.
“You’re a right bitch, you know that?” he said, looking up at me.
“What? Did I cheat on you? No, I did not, I-”
“Shush.” he chuckled. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But look! You and Urie! That took years for you two to finally hook up! I was a diversion or something. I don’t matter. And you’re a bitch for making him wait for like, all of his life to have you. And for making him change. And for ditching all of us for Henry.”
“Ahem, does Keltie ring any bells? How much time have you been spending with her?”
“If you’d been here too, then you would have realized that the guys and Keltie all used to hang together.” he smirked, raising his eyebrows.
“Okay, okay, you win.” I smiled.
He kissed my forehead. “I missed you, Ezme.”
“Missed you too, Ry.” I said as he got off of me, quickly darting out of the room and changing his pajama shirt for a tight v-neck instead. When he came back in, he sat in the opposite chair.
“My dad is out so there’s no one here.” he nodded.
“What about your mom?” I asked, kicking off my flip-flops and folding my legs under me.
“My parents got divorced, Em. If you’d been here, then you would have known that. It happened about a month ago.” he mumbled, biting his lip.
“Shit, Ry, if I’d known then I would have-”
“What Em? What would you have done? Nothing! Because you don’t give a fuck about anyone else, do you? Never did! And I can’t force you to show compassion and pretend that you care, but I tried!” he shouted angrily. I’d never seen Ryan angry. I don’t think anyone had seen Ryan angry before.
“Of course I care!”
“Then why weren’t you here, huh? You were crying over pathetic little things whilst I was stuck in the middle of this constant row between my parents, unable to be in this house without them breaking something or my mom slapping my dad. But poor you, poor fucking you.” he spat.
“You have no idea what I was going through! So don’t you judge me when-”
“Because you wouldn’t tell us! You weren’t accessible at all! It pissed me off so much, pissed all of us off. We’re meant to be your best friends, and you ditch us for parties where the people only want to be with you to screw you. That’s all that matters, though, right? You weren’t the one who had to clean up Brendon’s mess every time he saw you and Henry, or he’d tried to arrange something with you, but you were busy with your ‘new friends.’ It killed him Emma.”
My eyes widened. “What do you mean ‘it killed him’?”
He scoffed and shook his head. “I thought he was strong before you. The amount of times he cried when he saw the pair of you. He’d come running over to me. Luckily he’s not the self-harming type otherwise you’d be in some deep shit.”
“But, but he used to joke about me and Henry, and they seemed to get along perfectly well!”
“Because Brendon wants you to be happy! If something’s bothering him, he’s not going to tell you, is he? It’ll only drag you down and we wouldn’t want his princess to be upset, now would we?”
“Ryan.” I growled. “Don’t be like that with me.”
“Well I’m sorry if the world doesn’t stop spinning when you’re a little less happy than normal! Now get the fuck over yourself.” he snarled.

I stood up and walked over to him, half-expecting to slap him, but instead I extended my arms and he fell into me as I held him in an embrace.
Ryan had had to put up with his own shit, and Brendon’s shit, and Brendon’s shit that concerned me, and his parents shit. It’d all built up and it was as if he was going to explode.
He sighed and let out something that sounded like a staggered sob.
“I’m so sorry, Ry. I’m so sorry for everything. And I’ll be great to Brendon, and if your parents crap gets too much, you know where I am.”
“Spencer misses you too.” he mumbled into my shirt.
“I saw him the other day.” I smiled.
“And Brent. And you never come to band practices anymore.”
“I’ll come to band practice and see Brent then, okay?”
“Yeah.” he sniffed. “I guess.”
I rubbed his back soothingly. “Things will all get better soon.”
He sniffed again and let go of me, sitting back down in the cushioned chair. “And I’m not crying. It’s summer, and you know how hay fever gets to me.”
I smiled to myself. “Of course. Ryan Ross doesn’t cry.”
“You got it.” he laughed quietly and rubbed his eyes. “Did you just come here for a catch up or what?”
“Pretty much.” I nodded, taking a cookie and throwing the bag to Ryan. “But I also need some help.”
He took a cookie too, and a big bite out of it, smiling at the taste. “Ahh, there’s always something bad when you bring food. But good choice.”
“Thanks.” I laughed. “Is Brendon like, alright? Because he seems really stressed and worried. He has every reason to be because of the moving out and everything, but is there something else?”
“He’s moving out?”
“Shit!” I cursed, covering my mouth with my hands. “You weren’t supposed to know!”
“Aww, bless.” he smiled. “I know he thinks we don’t know, and for the sake of his pride, we pretend as if we don’t, but that’s not the point. All I want to know is why he won’t tell us.”
“Because he thinks you’ll kick him out of the band so he can go back home.”
“We wouldn’t do that.” he said, shaking his head. “Mainly because I over heard his parents once, talking about it. They mainly kicked him out because he’s gay. Or bi, whatever. They heard Alex and him having sex one time, why he’d be so stupid as to do it when his parents are home confounds me, but anyway, they kicked him out and blamed it on the band. And he has no where near enough money to afford an apartment for anything longer than three or four months.”
“I’m moving in with him though, and I have a good few thousand saved up.” I nodded.
“You’re moving in with him? Oh thank God.” he sighed with relief. “At least his place will be tidy and he’ll get food that’s edible. He’ll be able to survive!”
I smirked. “He’s not that bad.”
“Oh trust me, after spending a week with him in a tent, I swore I’d never live with him.”
“Yeah, but you don’t know him like I do.”
“Damn straight I don’t, I haven’t seen his junk, nor do I ever intend to.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Don’t make me hit you. And neither have I, so shut up.” I stuck out my tongue at him.
“Really? You two haven’t…?” he asked, sitting up, actually taking an interest for once.
“No, Mr. Nosy.” I smiled. “We’ve joked about it, yeah, but not done anything.”

Ryan smirked to himself and took another cookie.

“What?”
“Oh, nothing.” he continued smirking.
“Awh Ryan, please.” I begged, pouting, making him laugh again.
“I think I know why he’s a bit off with you.”
“Expand please!”
“Well.” he began. “Wouldn’t you two find it awkward if you ever did have sex?”
“I don’t know, if and when we get round to it I’ll see.”
“And when you live together, you’ll be in the same bed, all the time, and I reckon he’s just worried about it. Worried because it’s with his best friend, who he’s known since he was tiny, and he’s walked in on us once, and he’s never even had sex with a girl. So he’s got a lot to worry about.”
“That is a lot. I should have known, he always jokes when he’s worried.”
“Precisely.” he nodded. “Maybe you could ease his nerves or something?”
“But we’ve only been together for a little while, it’ll be a long time before we even think about sleeping together.”
“Your previous relationships deceive you, dear child.” he smiled and held up one finger. “I’ll only be a moment.”
“Alright.” I nodded as he ran out.

Your previous relationships deceive you? What does that even mean? It’s bound to be intelligible when he explains it, because Ryan always picks up on the small things and can piece any situation together. It’s great when you have a problem and no one else notices, so you feel no one else cares, but he’ll notice and raise an eyebrow at you – then you know he knows something is up. Sometimes it can really get on your nerves when you try to keep something secret, but he’ll find out. That’s why we would never throw him a surprise party; he’d turn up first to spite us all and for questioning his intelligence.

“Okay, it’s all good, my pants now have legs on.”
“Try the other way around.” I smirked and he flipped me off, sitting back down, now in some black skinny jeans. “So, what the hell do you mean?”
“How long was it before we slept together?” he asked, crossing his legs Indian style and resting his elbows on them, propping up his head.
“I don’t know, like six weeks or something?”
“Correct.” he nodded. “And Henry?”
“I think it was two months.”
“They’re both quite short times, Em. So if you were to continue this pattern then it’s only a few weeks before you and Urie sleep together. Holy shit I never thought I would put those words in the same sentence. Images, ugh.” he said and covered his face.
“Yeah… but you and Keltie, how long have you been going out?”
“Five months, twelve days.” he beamed, no longer thinking about the ‘images’ in his mind. “Yes, I count, what of it.”
“Nothing, it’s cute.” I smiled. “And have you two…?”
“Nope. Probably won’t until summer, either, when she’s eighteen. She wants to wait until she’s legal and I respect that.”
“Most guys wouldn’t.”
“Yeah, but I’m a softie.” he chuckled. “I’ll do anything as long as she’s happy.”
“Aww, Ry.” I smiled. “She’s a very lucky girl.”
“Hey, I applied the same rule to you when we were dating. That seems like suck a long time ago now, huh?”
“Tell me about it.” I nodded. “So, um, should I just randomly bring it up or wait a while, or, y’know, just not kiss as much so we’re less passionate.”
“This conversation is too surreal.” he smirked. “I wish I was gay at times like this.”
“Oh fuck off, Ross.”
He laughed. “Just kidding, love you really. And talk to him, he’ll be awkward about it but glad after wards.”
“Alright, thanks Ry. I’ll see you later, yeah?”
“You, Miss. Graziella, are coming to band practice next Saturday. And you don’t have a choice. But I’ll see you in school before that.” he grinned and stood up, pulling me into a good bye hug. “Oh, and if you fuck Brendon around, I will fuck with your face.”
I laughed and gave him a squeeze before letting go. “I won’t.”
“Good.” he smirked. “I don’t think I’d have the heart to destroy your face.”