Bandfic: The Favorite (Brendon/Spencer, G.)
So I decided this morning that I was going to try to get the writing flowing again, as it hasn't been for a little bit. More Brendon + Spencer + cuddling, but this time with added cat! Because purring makes things even better, right?
Title: The Favorite
Author: tigs
Pairing: Brendon/Spencer
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Brendon still remembers the first time Spencer met Dylan. ~1800 words.
Author's Notes: Quick and fluffy. Unbeta'd.
Brendon still remembers the first time Spencer met Dylan.
It was in Jon's parents' house, the afternoon of the first show they'd played in Chicago after Jon had joined the band, and Brendon and Jon had been there for an hour already, choosing to skip out on whatever errands Ryan and Spencer needed to finish in favor of letting Mrs. Walker feed them sandwiches and apple slices.
("Because who chooses to run errands when they can be getting quality spoiled-by-mom time?" Jon said at the time, and Brendon had nodded empathetically, his mouth full.)
And really, it's not much of a story, not any sort of big traumatic event or anything, but Brendon started thinking it was really funny about thirty seconds after Ryan and Spencer rang the doorbell, so he's pretty much committed the whole scene to memory.
Because the doorbell rang, and Dylan, who was perched on Jon's knee at the time, lifted his head so he could look in the direction of the door with alert wariness (which changed to miffed alert wariness when Jon actually had the gall to displace him so that he could *answer* the door), and then, before Jon's hand had even closed around the doorknob, Dylan had leapt to the floor, ready to bolt at the first sign of, well, anything.
(Brendon's own arrival had been tempered by the fact that Jon was there too, and Jon had been gone long enough that it was totally respectable for Dylan to scold him with plaintive meows for 15 minutes and then curl up in his lap and purr for the next 45.)
Indeed, once Ryan and Spencer actually made it into the living room, Dylan was most of the way to the kitchen, trying to look nonchalant in his exit, while at the same time hurrying just (more than) a little bit, yet still taking time to look over his shoulder to make sure that Ryan and Spencer *knew* they were the reason that Dylan would no longer be gracing them with his presence, just FYI, and he hoped they understood what they were all missing out on.
And that's about the time that it started to get a little funny, because just as suddenly as he'd started moving, Dylan stopped. At first it was a pause, an intent stare in Ryan and Spencer's direction, and then Brendon looked at his band mates and saw that Spencer was staring right back, arms crossed over his chest, a slightly bitchy look on his face.
Brendon's lips started twitching about ten seconds after the staring contest began, about the same time that Dylan decided to sit down where he was, so he could stare in more comfort, and when Brendon met Jon's gaze, he saw that Jon wasn't even trying to hide his smile. In fact, Jon was trembling just a little bit with suppressed laughter, which became not-so-suppressed when Spencer shifted his stance, cocking his hips just a little bit. What really set Brendon off, though, was when both Spencer and Dylan, pretty much in unison, turned their stares (variations on the 'we are not amused' look) on Jon. Then Brendon. Then Ryan, because even he was laughing at that point.
"Dude," Ryan said, breaking after only a moment under Spencer's glare, "you were totally a cat in a past life or something."
"He totally was!" Jon said. "He'd totally be laying his ears back at us right now if he could!"
At which point Brendon lost it completely, because Spencer turned his attention back to Dylan, as Dylan had already done to Spencer, and rather than glaring at each other some more, they totally shared a commiserating 'look what we have to put up with' look.
And that was about the time, Brendon figures later, that Spencer became Dylan's favorite.
Well, aside from Jon and Cassie and maybe Jon's mom, that is.
*
Unfortunately, according to Spencer, being Dylan's favorite also means being the first on call for cat sitting duty when Jon and Cassie have to travel to Colorado for a week for Cassie's uncle's wedding.
"My house is not cat-proofed, Jon," Spencer says, then actually glances at Brendon as if he will support this fact. They're in the kitchen in Jon's Vegas apartment, taking a break from attempting to kick Ryan's ass at Halo, thus far unsuccessfully. "And, like, what if he gets sick? What if he hides under my bed and won't come out? What if-"
"He loves you, Spence," Jon says. Then, as if to illustrate his point, he hefts Dylan into the air, one hand splayed out across Dylan's belly, fingers of the other pinched around Dylan's chin, and he moves Dylan as he says, his voice squeaky, "I love you, Uncle Spencer. Please take care of me. Don't make my daddy leave me at the awful vet for a week."
Brendon giggles as Dylan's eyes get narrower, as his ears turn towards Jon in a way that Brendon wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of. Dylan's tail is flicking back and forth in smooth, quick strokes, like it's on a motor.
"You know he likes you best," Brendon says.
"Please save me from a fate worse than death, Uncle Spence," Jon says, and Spencer glares at Jon for a long moment, then sighs and says, "Fine." At this point, Dylan manages to wiggle out of Jon's grip and makes a run for the living room.
Brendon hears Ryan say, "Are they being mean to you in there? Huh?" Then, "Yeah, babe. Dylan just totally came bolting out of Jon's kitchen like Hobo was after him."
Because Hobo is obviously the reason that Ryan can't take him, and asking Brendon to do it… Well, they all pretty much know that that's the same as asking Spencer, so.
When Brendon turns his attention back to Spencer and Jon, though, he finds that Spencer's turned his glare on Brendon, like this is somehow Brendon's fault.
"What?" he asks, and Spencer shakes his head, then says, "You are so helping me."
Brendon just grins and replies, "Of course I will, Spencer Smith."
*
The thing is, Spencer seems to be the only one that doesn't understand that Spencer really is Dylan's favorite. It's less obvious when Jon's around, because it's *Jon*, but Spencer is always next in line for the purring cat on his lap, or to be blessed with the opportunity to give cheek and ear scratches.
He doesn't seem to notice that Dylan has never really forgiven Ryan for bringing a *dog* into their happy little family of a band, or that the closest Brendon gets to cuddles is when he's sitting on a couch and Dylan walks across his lap on the way to Spencer or Jon.
So, when Brendon lets himself into Spencer's house the first night of the adventures in cat sitting, well, he seems to be the only one not surprised by the fact that Dylan has already staked his claim to Spencer's chest, which he's stretched himself across, back feet pressed to Spencer's bent elbow, his front paws by Spencer's ear, his head tilted against Spencer's cheek.
Spencer makes a little bit of a bitch face when he sees Brendon, an 'I don't understand!' expression, which makes Brendon laugh, because seriously.
"So he's really hiding under the bed, huh," Brendon says. "Refusing to come out?"
Spencer's response to that might be a little bit more adamant than a lazily raised middle finger if his other hand wasn't currently scratching behind Dylan's ears. Brendon is pretty sure he can hear the purring from where he's standing, several feet away.
"He hasn't moved for an hour," Spencer says. "I just lay down to watch TV for a little bit and next thing I knew-"
"It's because he loves you, Spencer," Brendon says, wiggling his eyebrows, and Spencer huffs, which in turn makes Dylan peer at Brendon through one slitted eye, and again, their looks are so similar that Brendon can't help but laugh, which doesn't do anything to improve the expression on either of their faces.
He takes off his coat, though, draping it over one of Spencer's chairs, then walks to the couch and lifts Spencer's feet far enough off the cushion so that he can sit down, before placing Spencer's feet back in his lap. He pats Spencer's ankle and says, "So what are we watching?"
"I don't even know," Spencer says. "I knocked the remote off the couch about 45 minutes ago and haven't been able to move to get it." He sounds just a little sheepish, but that doesn't stop Brendon from commenting.
"So in other words, you'll make me move when *I* knock the remote off the couch, but not the cat. I think I'm jealous, Spencer. Should I be jealous?"
He raises an eyebrow when Spencer nods, when Dylan looks far enough over his little kitty shoulder so that he can glare at Brendon for making his pillow move. But Brendon doesn't feel sorry for him in the slightest, because he's had Spencer cuddles for the last hour, and Brendon hasn't had any for a good 24. Which is why he says, "Well, I'll just have to do something about that then."
For a moment, he thinks about picking Dylan up and putting him on the ground, but he's pretty sure that would earn him matching glares from both Spencer and the cat, so he settles for working his fingers into the space between Spencer's side and the back of the couch, then poking him as he says "Scoot."
Spencer does, just a little, then a little more, but Brendon is small, so all he needs is a little space to wiggle into. Which he does, turning on his side and scooting upwards until he's got his head buried under Spencer's chin. He drapes an arm over Spencer's chest, over Dylan's body, too, and curves his fingers around Spencer's arm. He feels Dylan shift, and sees Dylan's eyes watching him, evaluating him, and Brendon's expecting Dylan to jump down. To say, the hell with this, before taking out his aggression on Spencer's chair or something, which will just ruin this whole moment.
But then an amazing thing happens. Dylan does stand up, but it's only so that he can walk in a few tight circles before flopping down against Brendon's shoulder, the curve of his arm. Also, he starts purring again, and Brendon can feel the rumble of it through his hoodie.
"You were supposed to get the remote first," Spencer says after a moment, which makes Brendon laugh.
"Tough," he says. "Neither of us are moving for at least another hour."
Title: The Favorite
Author: tigs
Pairing: Brendon/Spencer
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Brendon still remembers the first time Spencer met Dylan. ~1800 words.
Author's Notes: Quick and fluffy. Unbeta'd.
Brendon still remembers the first time Spencer met Dylan.
It was in Jon's parents' house, the afternoon of the first show they'd played in Chicago after Jon had joined the band, and Brendon and Jon had been there for an hour already, choosing to skip out on whatever errands Ryan and Spencer needed to finish in favor of letting Mrs. Walker feed them sandwiches and apple slices.
("Because who chooses to run errands when they can be getting quality spoiled-by-mom time?" Jon said at the time, and Brendon had nodded empathetically, his mouth full.)
And really, it's not much of a story, not any sort of big traumatic event or anything, but Brendon started thinking it was really funny about thirty seconds after Ryan and Spencer rang the doorbell, so he's pretty much committed the whole scene to memory.
Because the doorbell rang, and Dylan, who was perched on Jon's knee at the time, lifted his head so he could look in the direction of the door with alert wariness (which changed to miffed alert wariness when Jon actually had the gall to displace him so that he could *answer* the door), and then, before Jon's hand had even closed around the doorknob, Dylan had leapt to the floor, ready to bolt at the first sign of, well, anything.
(Brendon's own arrival had been tempered by the fact that Jon was there too, and Jon had been gone long enough that it was totally respectable for Dylan to scold him with plaintive meows for 15 minutes and then curl up in his lap and purr for the next 45.)
Indeed, once Ryan and Spencer actually made it into the living room, Dylan was most of the way to the kitchen, trying to look nonchalant in his exit, while at the same time hurrying just (more than) a little bit, yet still taking time to look over his shoulder to make sure that Ryan and Spencer *knew* they were the reason that Dylan would no longer be gracing them with his presence, just FYI, and he hoped they understood what they were all missing out on.
And that's about the time that it started to get a little funny, because just as suddenly as he'd started moving, Dylan stopped. At first it was a pause, an intent stare in Ryan and Spencer's direction, and then Brendon looked at his band mates and saw that Spencer was staring right back, arms crossed over his chest, a slightly bitchy look on his face.
Brendon's lips started twitching about ten seconds after the staring contest began, about the same time that Dylan decided to sit down where he was, so he could stare in more comfort, and when Brendon met Jon's gaze, he saw that Jon wasn't even trying to hide his smile. In fact, Jon was trembling just a little bit with suppressed laughter, which became not-so-suppressed when Spencer shifted his stance, cocking his hips just a little bit. What really set Brendon off, though, was when both Spencer and Dylan, pretty much in unison, turned their stares (variations on the 'we are not amused' look) on Jon. Then Brendon. Then Ryan, because even he was laughing at that point.
"Dude," Ryan said, breaking after only a moment under Spencer's glare, "you were totally a cat in a past life or something."
"He totally was!" Jon said. "He'd totally be laying his ears back at us right now if he could!"
At which point Brendon lost it completely, because Spencer turned his attention back to Dylan, as Dylan had already done to Spencer, and rather than glaring at each other some more, they totally shared a commiserating 'look what we have to put up with' look.
And that was about the time, Brendon figures later, that Spencer became Dylan's favorite.
Well, aside from Jon and Cassie and maybe Jon's mom, that is.
*
Unfortunately, according to Spencer, being Dylan's favorite also means being the first on call for cat sitting duty when Jon and Cassie have to travel to Colorado for a week for Cassie's uncle's wedding.
"My house is not cat-proofed, Jon," Spencer says, then actually glances at Brendon as if he will support this fact. They're in the kitchen in Jon's Vegas apartment, taking a break from attempting to kick Ryan's ass at Halo, thus far unsuccessfully. "And, like, what if he gets sick? What if he hides under my bed and won't come out? What if-"
"He loves you, Spence," Jon says. Then, as if to illustrate his point, he hefts Dylan into the air, one hand splayed out across Dylan's belly, fingers of the other pinched around Dylan's chin, and he moves Dylan as he says, his voice squeaky, "I love you, Uncle Spencer. Please take care of me. Don't make my daddy leave me at the awful vet for a week."
Brendon giggles as Dylan's eyes get narrower, as his ears turn towards Jon in a way that Brendon wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of. Dylan's tail is flicking back and forth in smooth, quick strokes, like it's on a motor.
"You know he likes you best," Brendon says.
"Please save me from a fate worse than death, Uncle Spence," Jon says, and Spencer glares at Jon for a long moment, then sighs and says, "Fine." At this point, Dylan manages to wiggle out of Jon's grip and makes a run for the living room.
Brendon hears Ryan say, "Are they being mean to you in there? Huh?" Then, "Yeah, babe. Dylan just totally came bolting out of Jon's kitchen like Hobo was after him."
Because Hobo is obviously the reason that Ryan can't take him, and asking Brendon to do it… Well, they all pretty much know that that's the same as asking Spencer, so.
When Brendon turns his attention back to Spencer and Jon, though, he finds that Spencer's turned his glare on Brendon, like this is somehow Brendon's fault.
"What?" he asks, and Spencer shakes his head, then says, "You are so helping me."
Brendon just grins and replies, "Of course I will, Spencer Smith."
*
The thing is, Spencer seems to be the only one that doesn't understand that Spencer really is Dylan's favorite. It's less obvious when Jon's around, because it's *Jon*, but Spencer is always next in line for the purring cat on his lap, or to be blessed with the opportunity to give cheek and ear scratches.
He doesn't seem to notice that Dylan has never really forgiven Ryan for bringing a *dog* into their happy little family of a band, or that the closest Brendon gets to cuddles is when he's sitting on a couch and Dylan walks across his lap on the way to Spencer or Jon.
So, when Brendon lets himself into Spencer's house the first night of the adventures in cat sitting, well, he seems to be the only one not surprised by the fact that Dylan has already staked his claim to Spencer's chest, which he's stretched himself across, back feet pressed to Spencer's bent elbow, his front paws by Spencer's ear, his head tilted against Spencer's cheek.
Spencer makes a little bit of a bitch face when he sees Brendon, an 'I don't understand!' expression, which makes Brendon laugh, because seriously.
"So he's really hiding under the bed, huh," Brendon says. "Refusing to come out?"
Spencer's response to that might be a little bit more adamant than a lazily raised middle finger if his other hand wasn't currently scratching behind Dylan's ears. Brendon is pretty sure he can hear the purring from where he's standing, several feet away.
"He hasn't moved for an hour," Spencer says. "I just lay down to watch TV for a little bit and next thing I knew-"
"It's because he loves you, Spencer," Brendon says, wiggling his eyebrows, and Spencer huffs, which in turn makes Dylan peer at Brendon through one slitted eye, and again, their looks are so similar that Brendon can't help but laugh, which doesn't do anything to improve the expression on either of their faces.
He takes off his coat, though, draping it over one of Spencer's chairs, then walks to the couch and lifts Spencer's feet far enough off the cushion so that he can sit down, before placing Spencer's feet back in his lap. He pats Spencer's ankle and says, "So what are we watching?"
"I don't even know," Spencer says. "I knocked the remote off the couch about 45 minutes ago and haven't been able to move to get it." He sounds just a little sheepish, but that doesn't stop Brendon from commenting.
"So in other words, you'll make me move when *I* knock the remote off the couch, but not the cat. I think I'm jealous, Spencer. Should I be jealous?"
He raises an eyebrow when Spencer nods, when Dylan looks far enough over his little kitty shoulder so that he can glare at Brendon for making his pillow move. But Brendon doesn't feel sorry for him in the slightest, because he's had Spencer cuddles for the last hour, and Brendon hasn't had any for a good 24. Which is why he says, "Well, I'll just have to do something about that then."
For a moment, he thinks about picking Dylan up and putting him on the ground, but he's pretty sure that would earn him matching glares from both Spencer and the cat, so he settles for working his fingers into the space between Spencer's side and the back of the couch, then poking him as he says "Scoot."
Spencer does, just a little, then a little more, but Brendon is small, so all he needs is a little space to wiggle into. Which he does, turning on his side and scooting upwards until he's got his head buried under Spencer's chin. He drapes an arm over Spencer's chest, over Dylan's body, too, and curves his fingers around Spencer's arm. He feels Dylan shift, and sees Dylan's eyes watching him, evaluating him, and Brendon's expecting Dylan to jump down. To say, the hell with this, before taking out his aggression on Spencer's chair or something, which will just ruin this whole moment.
But then an amazing thing happens. Dylan does stand up, but it's only so that he can walk in a few tight circles before flopping down against Brendon's shoulder, the curve of his arm. Also, he starts purring again, and Brendon can feel the rumble of it through his hoodie.
"You were supposed to get the remote first," Spencer says after a moment, which makes Brendon laugh.
"Tough," he says. "Neither of us are moving for at least another hour."