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When Brendon woke up one morning unable to speak, the guys joked about it for a while, enjoying the rare silence. However, as that night's performance grew closer, worry began to set in.
"Can you still sing?" Ryan asked desperately, ready to start pulling out his hair.
"Well, Ryan, if he can't talk, you know...," Jon trailed.
"At least try to sing, Bden," Ryan pleaded, ignoring Jon. "Quick, any song."
Brendon tilted his head a little, his distinctive thinking face on before he grinned and burst into I Am The Walrus like there was nothing wrong. As soon as he realized that he was actually singing, he froze, mouthing, 'Holy shit.'
"So you can't talk, but you can sing?" Spencer inquired slowly.
"That's just fucking weird," Ryan added.
Brendon nodded vigorously, agreeing.
They found out an hour before the show that it wasn't just Brendon with this strange condition, but also Andrew and Gabe. When they called Pete to inform him of this strange phenomenon, he told them that Patrick had it too.
"Well, we can't cancel if you guys can still perform," Pete was saying, and they all nodded even though he couldn't see them. "Just play the show and we'll figure something out."
They told the crowd that it was some game they were playing where the lead singers of each band weren't allowed to speak for a certain amount of time during the tour, and if they did, they were out. The goal, supposedly, was to be the last one to be silent.
The crowd bought it.
Brendon sang as well as any other night, if not better, and despite not talking to the crowd, he seemed just like normal. Afterwards on the bus, he holed himself up in the back lounge with his iPod.
"Brendon?" Ryan called softly, stepping into the lounge.
The singer looked up and pulled one of his earbuds out, indicating that he was listening.
Ryan sighed and approached Brendon, sitting next to him on the couch. "Sorry," he muttered, staring down at his hands folded in his lap.
Brendon rested a hand on Ryan's leg to get him to look up and cocked his head to one side as he pulled the other earbud out and turned off the iPod. There was a confused expression on the younger man's face, blinking slowly.
"Well, I mean. I know it's not my fault, but I'm just sorry that I can't help. You know what I mean?"
Brendon nodded, smiling a little.
"I wish I could help. And I kind of feel like it's my fault for not thinking of something." Ryan sighed again and let his head drop. "As much as I say that you're annoying, I kind of do miss your voice."
Brendon grabbed his chin to make him look back at him, pointing to Ryan's eyes then to his own several times.
Ryan grinned a little at Brendon's pantomime. "Sorry. I'm not used to having to watch your reactions."
Brendon closed his eyes and tilted his head briefly, his own way of saying it's okay, before shaking his head to Ryan's previous statement, pointing to his own throat and then Ryan's forehead.
"Yeah, I know it's not my fault, B, it just feels like it. I don't know how to explain it."
Brendon shook his head harder at that, making Ryan frown. The singer gestured something coming out of his throat and then poked Ryan's temple, trying to get his point across better.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Bren."
Brendon bit his lip, thinking a moment before clearing his throat a little.
"Watch your mouth, oh oh oh
Because your speech is slurred enough
That you just might swallow your tongue," Brendon sang quietly, looking pointedly at Ryan.
Ryan thought hard for a moment, trying to figure out what it was that Brendon was trying to say before giving up and letting his head drop to his hands. "Fuck, I wish you could just tell me," he muttered, suddenly remembering to look at Brendon. "I wish I could hear your voice."
"My voice is nothing without your words, Ryan," Brendon whispered, making both of them jump.
Wide smiles broke across both of their faces and before Brendon could think of anything to say, Ryan had his face in his hands, kissing the singer with as much force as he dared.
"Oh, thank god," Ryan muttered against Brendon's lips, and the younger man just leaned in further. Ryan was the one to break the kiss, looking Brendon in the eye. "I'll gladly be your words any day, Bren."
Brendon smiled softly, holding both of Ryan's hands. "And I'll be your voice until the day you stop giving me your words."
"I hope that day never comes."
***
As it turned out, Andrew's and Gabe's voices were back the next night, as was Patrick's when they called Pete to tell him the good news.
"You boys must have done something right, I guess."
Ryan and Brendon shared a glance, grinning and blushing.