Catching the Rain [17/20]
Title: Catching the Rain
Author: xstockpiledmmrs
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Ryan/Brendon
POV: Third, Ryan-centric
Disclaimer: Not true
Summary: “Are you happy with your life now, Ryan Ross?”
Author's Notes: One step closer to being over. I'm working on an epilogue, though, so it's technically out of 21 chapters, I guess you could say.
Previous: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
CATCHING THE RAIN
SATURDAY 8:15 A.M. CHRISTMAS DAY
Ryan had gotten Saturday and Sunday off for the holidays, giving him a three-day weekend. He had taken advantage of that by waking up on Christmas long before Brendon. He eyed the presents before he moved into the kitchen, starting to search through his cupboards.
An hour later, he was sitting on the edge of the bed where Brendon was sleeping, holding a tray with two cups of hot chocolate in his hands. Ryan carefully balanced the tray on his lap, shaking Brendon gently with one hand.
“Hey, Brendon. Wake up, will you?” Ryan said softly, a smile on his face as Brendon slowly rolled over.
He blinked up at Ryan, then at the tray in his hands. “Uhm.. what?”
“Merry Christmas,” Ryan whispered, grabbing one of the cups. He had stuck a candy cane from the tree into the hot chocolate, topping it off with whipped cream and marshmallows. He held it out to Brendon, who sat up and took it.
“What’s all of this about?” Brendon asked as he took a small drink from the mug, getting a piece of whipped cream on his nose.
Ryan grinned with a shrug, wiping the white cream off of Brendon’s nose with his finger, licking it off. “You’re always doing special things for me, so I thought I’d return the favor.”
“Thank you, Ry.”
“You’re welcome.” Ryan stood up with the tray, starting to move towards the door. “I’ll be waiting in the living room for you. We have to open presents.”
--
11:41 A.M.
The two of them were sitting on the floor in the living room, wrapping paper spread out around them in shreds. Ryan had neatly piled up all of his presents, but Brendon’s was a whole different story. They were sprawled all around, and he was currently trying to open the plastic on one of his presents.
Ryan smiled as he watched him before he grabbed one of the gifts he’d received from Brendon. It probably couldn’t really count as a gift, considering all of them were bought using his money, but it still was the thought that counted. He looked over the box, staring at the cell phone sitting neatly in it.
“Brendon?” He asked, looking over at the male.
“Yes Ryan?”
“Why’d you buy me a cell phone?”
Brendon grinned, dropping his present to the ground and crawling over to Ryan. “Well, that way you can call me if you’re going to be late. And I can call you if I need to.”
Ryan nodded, letting Brendon slide onto his lap as he started to pull the phone out of the box. He was sure it wasn’t a cheap one, because some of the people had work had them, and they were the ones who were always getting promotions and were raking in all of the cash.
“It’s a Blackberry!” Brendon said as soon as Ryan was holding the phone in his hands.
“Why is it silver, then?” Ryan questioned with a slight frown, turning the phone over and looking it over.
“It’s just the kind of phone it is, silly! But it has really good Internet access, so you don’t always have to take out your laptop to look for something for work.”
Ryan smiled, pressing a kiss to Brendon’s cheek, “You think of everything, don’t you?”
Brendon nodded, nuzzling his head into Ryan’s neck.
“Don’t get comfortable yet. I still have to give you your present.”
Brendon crawled off of Ryan’s lap, grinning. “There’s something more? As if all of my favorite CDs, movies, books, and my own credit card wasn’t enough!”
Ryan carefully set his new phone down, standing up as he started for the door. “I’ll be right back, okay? Don’t move.” He watched Brendon nod before he slipped on his shoes and a jacket, stepping outside of the house.
--
11:58 A.M.
Ryan quietly reentered the house, moving into the living room. Brendon looked up, gasping when he saw what Ryan was holding in his arms.
He held a small brown and white beagle, who was struggling in his arms to try and get to the ground. Ryan complied, setting the dog down. Brendon laughed as the dog jumped into his lap, licking at his face.
Ryan smiled, throwing off his coat and sitting beside the two. “What are you going to name him?” He questioned, letting the dog sniff his hand.
“You name him. The only names I could think of are Puppy and Barney,” Brendon said with a smile, leaning his head on Ryan’s shoulder.
“Okay.” Ryan scratched behind the dog’s ear, shutting his eyes as he tried to think. “How about Shotgun?”
“Shotgun… I like that name.” Brendon replied with a smile, and Ryan opened his eyes to watch him scoop the dog into his arms, pressing a kiss to his nose. “Hello there, Shotgun.”
“I kept him at my neighbor’s house.. by the way. I didn’t think putting him in a box for three days was a good idea,” Ryan let out a quiet chuckle, snaking an arm around Brendon’s waist.
“You’re smart, then. I probably would’ve done it without a second thought.”
--
6:12 P.M.
Ryan and Brendon, plus the addition of Shotgun, had cuddled on the couch all day, watching classic Christmas specials like The Grinch, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and after constant begging from Brendon, Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. They were both about to drift off while watching The Santa Clause when the doorbell rang. Thankfully, Shotgun didn’t bark or go crazy; he just jumped off of the couch and ran towards the door.
“I’ll get it,” Ryan said, detangling himself from Brendon and standing up. He had to push Shotgun away from the door before he could open it, smiling when he saw Spencer and Haley, who was holding their baby, standing outside.
“Merry Christmas, Ryan!” Spencer said with a grin, watching as Ryan bent down and picked up Shotgun so he could open the door completely.
“Merry Christmas to you too, but.. what are you doing here?” Ryan asked, raising his eyebrow as the two stepped in.
Spencer shrugged, taking Edith from Haley’s arms, “Well, we just happened to be in the neighborhood, so we thought we could stop by. And maybe later, you and Brendon could come to our house for Christmas dinner.”
“Oh, okay. Let me go ask him.” Ryan nodded, and set Shotgun back down as he started into the living room. “Hey Brendon. Spencer’s here. He wants us to go over to his house for dinner.”
Brendon sat up, looking over the back of the couch and smiling. “Cool. I’m all for it.”
Ryan smiled, and within a few moments they were all seated around the TV, with Ryan holding the baby in his arms.
“What’d you get for Christmas?” Spencer questioned, looking towards the two.
“I got a puppy!” Brendon cried, pointing to Shotgun lying in front of the TV on his back.
Ryan looked up, smiling, “Brendon got me a cell phone. Just so that he always knows that he can call me and make sure I’m okay.”
“Spencer gave me a ring… A wedding ring,” Haley said, holding up her hand. Ryan looked over at Spencer, his eyebrows raised. The male only blushed with a shrug.
“Congratulations, you two,” Brendon said with a nod, smiling at the two. Ryan nodded his head as well, turning his gaze down to the baby in his arms.
--
10:01 P.M.
“Haley’s a really good cook,” Brendon said to him as they started to pull back the sheets on the bed, climbing underneath them.
Ryan nodded, curling his feet up so Shotgun could lay down on the edge of the bed. “Yeah, she is. It was nice.. all of us together.” He looked over at Brendon, letting the boy cuddle up to him.
“Does that mean you like not following a schedule?” Brendon questioned, gazing up at Ryan with wide eyes.
He shrugged, brushing his fingers through Brendon’s hair. “Not really. I mean.. it’s different. I’ve been following the same schedule for more than fourteen months, probably.. and then.. You came in. And everything just changed. But.. I guess I could get used to it.”
Brendon smiled and pressed a kiss to Ryan’s neck. “Just admit it. You’re so glad that I was so persistent. Oh! When do you go back to work?”
“Tuesday.”
“Perfect. We can finally spend more than one day alone together. Well… not really alone. Since we have Shotgun now, and all,” Brendon said , laughing softly against Ryan’s skin.
“What are we supposed to do, then? I mean, it’s not like we do anything.” Ryan frowned slightly, rubbing slow circles into Brendon’s back.
“Oh, we’ll figure out something.” Ryan could feel the smirk forming against his neck, and he raised his eyebrows.
“You’re planning something, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.” Brendon pulled back slightly, pressing a kiss to the top of Ryan’s nose. “Now, be quiet so we can go to sleep. I need to dream up my elaborate scheme.”
Ryan smiled and nodded, connecting their lips for a slow, kiss. Brendon smiled into the kiss, swiping his tongue across Ryan’s bottom lip. His mouth parted open for the male, and their tongues began to battle tentatively. It wasn’t full of lust, or hunger, and if Ryan could say a word to describe it, he’d probably use compassion.
Eventually, they broke away, and Ryan opened his eyes, staring into Brendon’s with a grin. “You know.. this is the best Christmas ever.”
Brendon smiled, pushing their lips together again for a short moment before he cuddled into Ryan. “Are you happy with your life now, Ryan Ross?”
“Maybe… Maybe I am.”
Author: xstockpiledmmrs
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Ryan/Brendon
POV: Third, Ryan-centric
Disclaimer: Not true
Summary: “Are you happy with your life now, Ryan Ross?”
Author's Notes: One step closer to being over. I'm working on an epilogue, though, so it's technically out of 21 chapters, I guess you could say.
Previous: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
CATCHING THE RAIN
SATURDAY 8:15 A.M. CHRISTMAS DAY
Ryan had gotten Saturday and Sunday off for the holidays, giving him a three-day weekend. He had taken advantage of that by waking up on Christmas long before Brendon. He eyed the presents before he moved into the kitchen, starting to search through his cupboards.
An hour later, he was sitting on the edge of the bed where Brendon was sleeping, holding a tray with two cups of hot chocolate in his hands. Ryan carefully balanced the tray on his lap, shaking Brendon gently with one hand.
“Hey, Brendon. Wake up, will you?” Ryan said softly, a smile on his face as Brendon slowly rolled over.
He blinked up at Ryan, then at the tray in his hands. “Uhm.. what?”
“Merry Christmas,” Ryan whispered, grabbing one of the cups. He had stuck a candy cane from the tree into the hot chocolate, topping it off with whipped cream and marshmallows. He held it out to Brendon, who sat up and took it.
“What’s all of this about?” Brendon asked as he took a small drink from the mug, getting a piece of whipped cream on his nose.
Ryan grinned with a shrug, wiping the white cream off of Brendon’s nose with his finger, licking it off. “You’re always doing special things for me, so I thought I’d return the favor.”
“Thank you, Ry.”
“You’re welcome.” Ryan stood up with the tray, starting to move towards the door. “I’ll be waiting in the living room for you. We have to open presents.”
--
11:41 A.M.
The two of them were sitting on the floor in the living room, wrapping paper spread out around them in shreds. Ryan had neatly piled up all of his presents, but Brendon’s was a whole different story. They were sprawled all around, and he was currently trying to open the plastic on one of his presents.
Ryan smiled as he watched him before he grabbed one of the gifts he’d received from Brendon. It probably couldn’t really count as a gift, considering all of them were bought using his money, but it still was the thought that counted. He looked over the box, staring at the cell phone sitting neatly in it.
“Brendon?” He asked, looking over at the male.
“Yes Ryan?”
“Why’d you buy me a cell phone?”
Brendon grinned, dropping his present to the ground and crawling over to Ryan. “Well, that way you can call me if you’re going to be late. And I can call you if I need to.”
Ryan nodded, letting Brendon slide onto his lap as he started to pull the phone out of the box. He was sure it wasn’t a cheap one, because some of the people had work had them, and they were the ones who were always getting promotions and were raking in all of the cash.
“It’s a Blackberry!” Brendon said as soon as Ryan was holding the phone in his hands.
“Why is it silver, then?” Ryan questioned with a slight frown, turning the phone over and looking it over.
“It’s just the kind of phone it is, silly! But it has really good Internet access, so you don’t always have to take out your laptop to look for something for work.”
Ryan smiled, pressing a kiss to Brendon’s cheek, “You think of everything, don’t you?”
Brendon nodded, nuzzling his head into Ryan’s neck.
“Don’t get comfortable yet. I still have to give you your present.”
Brendon crawled off of Ryan’s lap, grinning. “There’s something more? As if all of my favorite CDs, movies, books, and my own credit card wasn’t enough!”
Ryan carefully set his new phone down, standing up as he started for the door. “I’ll be right back, okay? Don’t move.” He watched Brendon nod before he slipped on his shoes and a jacket, stepping outside of the house.
--
11:58 A.M.
Ryan quietly reentered the house, moving into the living room. Brendon looked up, gasping when he saw what Ryan was holding in his arms.
He held a small brown and white beagle, who was struggling in his arms to try and get to the ground. Ryan complied, setting the dog down. Brendon laughed as the dog jumped into his lap, licking at his face.
Ryan smiled, throwing off his coat and sitting beside the two. “What are you going to name him?” He questioned, letting the dog sniff his hand.
“You name him. The only names I could think of are Puppy and Barney,” Brendon said with a smile, leaning his head on Ryan’s shoulder.
“Okay.” Ryan scratched behind the dog’s ear, shutting his eyes as he tried to think. “How about Shotgun?”
“Shotgun… I like that name.” Brendon replied with a smile, and Ryan opened his eyes to watch him scoop the dog into his arms, pressing a kiss to his nose. “Hello there, Shotgun.”
“I kept him at my neighbor’s house.. by the way. I didn’t think putting him in a box for three days was a good idea,” Ryan let out a quiet chuckle, snaking an arm around Brendon’s waist.
“You’re smart, then. I probably would’ve done it without a second thought.”
--
6:12 P.M.
Ryan and Brendon, plus the addition of Shotgun, had cuddled on the couch all day, watching classic Christmas specials like The Grinch, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and after constant begging from Brendon, Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. They were both about to drift off while watching The Santa Clause when the doorbell rang. Thankfully, Shotgun didn’t bark or go crazy; he just jumped off of the couch and ran towards the door.
“I’ll get it,” Ryan said, detangling himself from Brendon and standing up. He had to push Shotgun away from the door before he could open it, smiling when he saw Spencer and Haley, who was holding their baby, standing outside.
“Merry Christmas, Ryan!” Spencer said with a grin, watching as Ryan bent down and picked up Shotgun so he could open the door completely.
“Merry Christmas to you too, but.. what are you doing here?” Ryan asked, raising his eyebrow as the two stepped in.
Spencer shrugged, taking Edith from Haley’s arms, “Well, we just happened to be in the neighborhood, so we thought we could stop by. And maybe later, you and Brendon could come to our house for Christmas dinner.”
“Oh, okay. Let me go ask him.” Ryan nodded, and set Shotgun back down as he started into the living room. “Hey Brendon. Spencer’s here. He wants us to go over to his house for dinner.”
Brendon sat up, looking over the back of the couch and smiling. “Cool. I’m all for it.”
Ryan smiled, and within a few moments they were all seated around the TV, with Ryan holding the baby in his arms.
“What’d you get for Christmas?” Spencer questioned, looking towards the two.
“I got a puppy!” Brendon cried, pointing to Shotgun lying in front of the TV on his back.
Ryan looked up, smiling, “Brendon got me a cell phone. Just so that he always knows that he can call me and make sure I’m okay.”
“Spencer gave me a ring… A wedding ring,” Haley said, holding up her hand. Ryan looked over at Spencer, his eyebrows raised. The male only blushed with a shrug.
“Congratulations, you two,” Brendon said with a nod, smiling at the two. Ryan nodded his head as well, turning his gaze down to the baby in his arms.
--
10:01 P.M.
“Haley’s a really good cook,” Brendon said to him as they started to pull back the sheets on the bed, climbing underneath them.
Ryan nodded, curling his feet up so Shotgun could lay down on the edge of the bed. “Yeah, she is. It was nice.. all of us together.” He looked over at Brendon, letting the boy cuddle up to him.
“Does that mean you like not following a schedule?” Brendon questioned, gazing up at Ryan with wide eyes.
He shrugged, brushing his fingers through Brendon’s hair. “Not really. I mean.. it’s different. I’ve been following the same schedule for more than fourteen months, probably.. and then.. You came in. And everything just changed. But.. I guess I could get used to it.”
Brendon smiled and pressed a kiss to Ryan’s neck. “Just admit it. You’re so glad that I was so persistent. Oh! When do you go back to work?”
“Tuesday.”
“Perfect. We can finally spend more than one day alone together. Well… not really alone. Since we have Shotgun now, and all,” Brendon said , laughing softly against Ryan’s skin.
“What are we supposed to do, then? I mean, it’s not like we do anything.” Ryan frowned slightly, rubbing slow circles into Brendon’s back.
“Oh, we’ll figure out something.” Ryan could feel the smirk forming against his neck, and he raised his eyebrows.
“You’re planning something, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.” Brendon pulled back slightly, pressing a kiss to the top of Ryan’s nose. “Now, be quiet so we can go to sleep. I need to dream up my elaborate scheme.”
Ryan smiled and nodded, connecting their lips for a slow, kiss. Brendon smiled into the kiss, swiping his tongue across Ryan’s bottom lip. His mouth parted open for the male, and their tongues began to battle tentatively. It wasn’t full of lust, or hunger, and if Ryan could say a word to describe it, he’d probably use compassion.
Eventually, they broke away, and Ryan opened his eyes, staring into Brendon’s with a grin. “You know.. this is the best Christmas ever.”
Brendon smiled, pushing their lips together again for a short moment before he cuddled into Ryan. “Are you happy with your life now, Ryan Ross?”
“Maybe… Maybe I am.”