When the Moon Fell in Love with the Sun

After Katelyn's run in with the group of girls, Brendon had decided that she wasn't to go anywhere without him, one of the guys, or Zack. He didn't want to risk anything happening to the girl, even if she said she was fine despite clearly being rattled by whatever they had said to her. Katelyn had refused to tell Brendon what they had said, claiming that it wasn't that big of a deal. She tried to keep it to herself, but it really got to her. Eventually, she had to tell someone.
Perusing a Walmart with the guys because they needed supplies, Katelyn dragged Spencer away from the group and down a makeup aisle.
"Spence, I need to get this off my chest. Those girls said some things that really got to me and I dunno. It just hurts." Katelyn avoided her friend's apologetic gaze; she had never had to deal with complete strangers badmouthing her to her face. He had gone through a lot of that by being in this band.
"You can't let their opinions get you down, Katie. You of all people should know that! Just think of them as being those bitchy girls from high school. They're just jealous." He set a comforting arm around her shoulders, pulling her in to his warm body.
"They said I'm not good enough for Brendon.. That I don't deserve him." Katelyn looked up at Spencer, clearly needing his guidance and advice. She didn't know how to handle this at all.
"I believe that. But what I can't believe is that you actually think they're right."
"I can't help but feel a little self conscious, you know? Brendon wants to buy a house with me and I don't get why. I'm fresh out of college, I don't have a job except for in the summer, and apparently he's too good for me." The girl shrugged, shoving her hands into the pockets of the zip up hoodie she had stolen from Brendon earlier, his lingering scent comforted her greatly.
"Come on, Katie. You know he loves you, and you shouldn't be taking anything those stupid chicks said seriously. I've known you long enough to know that you're above that petty shit."
She nodded, knowing that Spencer was right, and she told him just that.
"See! I'm always right, aren't I? And I know Bren wants you guys to buy a house. He talked to me about it before asking you."
Katelyn didn't know about that, and she was a little surprised, so she asked why.
"He wanted to get your best friend's perspective, I suppose." He shot her a wink and leaned down, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up in a huge bear hug.
When they were on their way to find the group, Katelyn asked if he would keep their conversation between them.
"You need to talk to Brendon about this. He needs to know if you're feeling any insecurities about being with him."
The girl shot Spencer a fiery glare; she wasn't insecure in her relationship. She was insecure with herself.
When they rejoined the group, she stood beside Brendon, who sent her a look that asked where she had wandered off to, but Katelyn merely tilted her head up and pressed her lips to his jaw before getting in on the conversation.

"Hey, where did you and Spencer go earlier when we were at the store?" Brendon was laying in his bunk as Katelyn was putting a few things away before she could join him.
"I just needed some advice about the home buying process. His place is amazing…" Katelyn fed him a line and was surprised that she had lied. He must have caught on because his gaze seemed skeptical.
"Okay, okay. Fine. I was talking to him about what those girls had said to me. They made me feel really shitty." She shrugged, not knowing how else to explain it. She noticed that Brendon's expression softened to one of understanding, and he motioned for her to come over to him. Climbing up into the bed, Katelyn got under the covers and pulled the curtain closed, snuggling into Brendon's body and sighing, saying that she knew it shouldn't get to her, but it still did.
"Look, there's always gonna be people trying to mess with your head. You can't listen to a word they say otherwise they win. Speaking from experience, you have to do your thing and basically say fuck everyone else. No one thought the guys and I would make it as a band, and look now. Sure, some things happened along the way, but we've all come so far." Every word coming out of Brendon's mouth made complete sense to Katelyn. She nodded, saying that it was easier said than done.

The band's last tour date was in Buffalo, and the guys wanted to spend a few days in New York City to get some relaxation before heading back to California. They all found a hotel near Times Square, and got settled in.
"So what do you want to do, Kay?" Brendon had been to New York a handful of times, so he wanted to make sure Katelyn saw everything.
"I was thinking about going to the Staten Island ferry and seeing the Statue of Liberty or something. I don't really know."
Brendon was so excited to be able to show her around the city that they left the hotel almost as soon as they had arrived. There was some sort of unspoken knowledge that he and Katelyn would be heading out on their own before they all regrouped for dinner and a night of bar hopping in one of the cities that never sleeps.

"Brendon, you're walking too fast and I'm full of street vendor food! Please, for the sake of my stomach, slow down!" Katelyn pleaded with him, tugging on his hand to slow his pace. He had been walking quickly through the bustling streets of the city, pointing out tons and tons of random things to the girl, who looked like she would throw up at any second.
"We're almost there! Just a little bit further, then we can take a cab to the ferry." Brendon wanted her to go up to the top of the Empire State Building, and once they got to the building, he saw a huge grin come over Katelyn's face.
Katelyn felt jittery the entire way up to the top of the building but once she was there and saw the breathtaking view of the city she felt completely at ease.
"Come over to the window." Brendon laced his fingers with hers, bringing the girl towards the enormous panes of glass.
"Wow..." Katelyn couldn't even form full sentences, she was so blown away. Pulling out her camera, she snapped pictures of the city and a few of Brendon as he looked out over Manhattan. Feeling shy, she had Brendon ask another patron of the floor to take a few photos of them together, and the man happily obliged.
They left the building and took a cab to the Staten Island ferry, paying the fifty cents each way so they could go around the front and back of the Statue of Liberty. The pair stood along the railing, watching as the city got farther and farther away as the green woman came closer on their horizon.
"Did you know that she was a gift from the French, and is made of copper, so it wasn't originally green?" Katelyn was full of facts and Brendon adored her for it. They would often watch Jeopardy together and play trivia games. Bar trivia was one of their newer hobbies though; they dominated when it came to that.
"I knew that!" Brendon laughed as Katelyn asked if he knew the creator's name, but he blanked and she rattled off some French name that was stuck in the depths of his brain.
"It sure does make you feel tiny though, doesn't it?" Brendon mused, staring up at the statue as the boat passed by. Katelyn merely shrugged, taking a few pictures before leaning into Brendon and smiling contentedly.

Once they were off the ferry they had to meet up with the guys for dinner. They had chosen a pizza place that was synonymous with New York City, although Katelyn had never heard of it before. When they were all considerably stuffed with pizza, the bar and club hopping began.
Without a designated driver, everyone was letting loose and having a good time. By their fourth bar, they were all sufficiently drunk and enjoying themselves.
Brendon was sitting at the bar, smoking a cigarette, while Spencer, Ian, and Dallon played pool. Katelyn was watching the three play, her head spinning as she tried to gain control of herself. The girl had done shots with Spencer when they got to each bar, and since she was considerably smaller than he was, the liquor had hit her like a freight train. On top of the vodka shots, she had beer, rum, and tequila in her system, and it wasn't all agreeing.
"Oh my God, I'm gonna hurl." Katelyn's hands flew to her mouth as she threw her purse at Spencer, making her way to the restrooms. Brendon had seen this whole thing play out, so he quickly put out his nearly finished cigarette and chased after her into the women's restroom. Ignoring the gasps from the ladies inside, he called out for Katelyn and she turned around, pulling him into the stall with her.
Dropping to her knees, she braced for impact and emptied her stomach, noticing that Brendon was holding back her hair and rubbing her back gently.
"I think I drank too much..." Those were the first words that came from the girl's mouth, and Brendon couldn't help but smile at her.
"Come on, let's get you to the hotel. You're done for tonight." Brendon held her steady as they left the bathroom, hearing her mutter that she was done for her entire life.
Katelyn fumbled through her purse looking for spearmint gum while Brendon told his band mates that the two were heading back to the hotel. It was 2 in the morning and they wanted to go for some shopping in Time's Square at a decent morning hour.

When they got to the hotel, Katelyn emptied her stomach again after Brendon made her eat some crackers he had gotten from the lobby's convenience store.
"I think I'm gonna die... Bren, if I die, I love you!!" Katelyn drunkenly stumbled towards the bed and Brendon sighed with a small hint of laughter in his voice, saying she wasn't going to die.
He continued to take care of the girl, dressing her in pajamas, taking off her makeup, and helping her brush her teeth before tucking her into bed.
"I'm sorry I'm sick, Bden. I know you were having fun..." She looked at him sleepily, smiling at the sight of his attractive face.
"It's no fun when you're not there. Now go to bed, Kay." Kissing her forehead, Brendon swore he thought she had a fever, but he shrugged it off, deciding that it was just all of the booze in the petite girl.

A few hours later, Brendon heard Katelyn in the bathroom, purging again. He heaved a sigh, feeling sorry for the poor girl, knowing that she was rarely sick like this. Pulling himself out of the bed, he went into the bathroom and found her laying on the cool tile with a damp washcloth on her forehead. She opened her eyes and stared up at Brendon, letting out a miserable groan.
He turned on the water in the bath tub, putting in the plug when it reached a temperature that satisfied him. Katelyn just laid there, watching him with curious eyes as he began to undress himself and settle into the tub.
"Come on, Kate. I even put bubbles in for you." Brendon motioned for her to join him in the bath, and she gladly obliged. She tugged off her pajamas and gingerly stepped in to the warm water, leaning her back against Brendon's chest. Even though she felt like she could take care of herself, Katelyn loved that Brendon was taking care of her.
"This feels so good, Bren…" The girl leaned her head back, resting it against his shoulder so she could kiss his cheek.
"I'm just glad I can help you feel better… Now relax, okay? Let me soothe your aches and pains." He smiled to himself, letting his hands do the work to ease her tense muscles and try to relieve her headache.