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Ryan raced through the stalls to keep up with Brendon. It had probably been a big mistake to let the normally over-active boy so much cotton candy. And candy apples. And don’t forget all the ice cream. Ryan shook his head with a hint of smile playing on his lips. Whatever, it was their day off and they could jump and run and scream all over if they wanted to.
“Hurry up, Ry” Brendon called over the loud noises of the carnival they were in. “C’mon! I want to go on the Ferris wheel before Zack makes us leave” he gave Ryan one of his prize-winning smiles, big lips turned up at the corners and shiny eyes. He reached for Ryan’s hand.
“Wh- what are you doing Bren?” Ryan felt his face feel hotter, but he dismissed it as heat from the game booths that surrounded them.
Brendon took hold of the older boy’s hand and laced their fingers together, then made a satisfied nod. “See, this way we can walk faster and won’t get separated by the crowd” he flashed another puppyish grin.
“You mean you’re gonna hold my hand as if I were a little kid and someone would steal me?” Ryan narrowed his eyes but had an amused grin painting over his mouth.
“Well, you know” Brendon shrugged “little kid, teenage rock star. They’re basically the same thing”. Ryan playfully punched his arm but joined in the giggles escaping Brendon.
Ryan sighed and nodded at the crowd, biting slightly on his bottom lip. “Lead the way, then” his shoulders slumped as he let Brendon pull him this way and the other in search of the coveted Ferris wheel. They finally reached it when Ryan was about to start protesting about his arm being sore from Brendon pulling on it, but the big smile and squeal of delight the energetic lead singer let out was enough to make Ryan forget about any bodily pain for a moment.
He tore his gaze away from Brendon with minimum effort and stared up at the mechanical behemoth they stood in front of. Cold sweat spread through his body and he will always deny the tiny, undignified squeak that staggered out of his mouth at that moment.
“Uh…” Ryan gulped, and he would’ve bet money the person next to him heard it. “Bren... I-I don’t think this- Why don’t we go to the haunted house instead? I, you seemed to like that one…” he trailed off uncertainly
Brendon turned his head to look at the slightly taller boy, eyes scanning over his face. The quivering lip, slight sheen of sweat, trembling hand, pale face. Well, paler than usual. He raised an eyebrow and asked in a timid voice.
“Are you scared, Ry?” he felt almost silly asking. Surely he would’ve remembered Ryan mentioning something about being scared of heights, he remembered most of what the taller boy ever said.
“M-me? Pfft! No!” Ryan shook his head too fast to be truthful and his smile was more pretended than the moment before. “I was just suggesting, because…. Because you might be scared of heights and haven’t told me… yeah, that’s exactly it!” he smiled to himself for a second, glad to have come up with such a believable lie in the nick of time.
“Really…?” Brendon narrowed his eyes a bit, gauging Ryan’s reaction. He sighed and decided to go along with it. “Well, now that you mention it, I am a little scared of going up” he bit on his lip to make the act more believable.
“You are?” Ryan raced an eyebrow of his own in disbelief before catching himself and putting on a slightly relieved expression. “Well, in that case we don’t have to go on. I mean, if you’re scared”
“But I still want to go on” Brendon gave Ryan’s hand a tiny squeeze. “I want to try it, overcome my fears and all” he looked down at his shoe as he scuffed the tip of it against Ryan’s Converse. “I just… I might feel better about it if you held my hand throughout….” He raised his head and locked eyes with Ryan. “Please Ry? We might not get a chance to do it for a long time” throw in a little pout for good measure and you get what you want.
Ryan thought Brendon might have finally mastered the art of hypnotism. Surely that was the only explanation for him nodding his head. Letting Brendon drag him over to the gate, giving the guy his ticket without a mess or a fuss, the only indication of Ryan’s reluctance was the death grip with which he held onto the other’s hand.
They were seated finally, the cold metal seat making Ryan shiver. It was the coldness of the metal, of course it was. He was not scared. He shut his eyes as soon as they started slowly moving, letting other couples into their seats. He looked down the side at the ground moving slowly farther away from him and he grimaced and bit on his lip hard enough to draw blood. He turned his face to look at a distracted Brendon, looking ahead of them at the expanding scenery. He found himself being distracted by the lights of the fair playing over Brendon’s skin, tinting it shades of ochre, green and red depending on the color. ‘This, if I can look only at him instead of thinking about how many feet in the air we are, maybe it’ll all be okay’ Ryan thought to himself. Then it struck him.
“You’re not really scared are you?” the steadiness of his voice surprised even himself as he questioned his partner.
Brendon turned to look at Ryan with a sheepish smile and shook his head slightly.
Ryan chuckled for a second. “Then what was the whole ‘let me hold your hand on the scary ride’ thing about?”
Brendon’s cheek flushed pink, and Ryan knew it wasn’t a trick of the lighting. “Maybe I just really wanted you to hold me” he gave Ryan’s hand a tiny squeeze to emphasize.
Ryan felt a small fond smile form in his face. “All you had to do was ask, Bren. That’s all you ever have to do” he rest his head against Brendon’s shoulder and shut his eyes, no longer scared of falling down to their deaths. Because this, this moment, just the two of them, was a nice thing.