Cosmic Proportions: Gift for witheveryspark

[stuffitmod.livejournal.com]

Title: Cosmic Proportions
Author: nearlyskeletons
Pairing(s): Jon/Spencer, Ryan/Tom
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: N/A
Word count: 2,288
Summary: In which Ryan gets a new boyfriend and Spencer’s life is not a teen movie.

Spencer decides to do what he always does and blame Ryan for absolutely everything wrong in his life. It’s a failsafe option really as usually it’s always partly true (years of him convincing Spencer to do stupid things or doing stupid things on his own and needing Spencer to bail him out are the evidence of that). This time, however Spencer is adamant that everything is actually Ryan’s fault. If he wasn’t in Spencer’s life then Spencer would never have met Tom and then consequently would never have met Jon. Thus, it’s all Ryan’s fault that Spencer is being lame and sulking (except not really because he’s too old to sulk, contemplating the many issues in his life he’ll say to his mother later when she tells him to stop sulking and that Ryan’s on the phone) with an arm thrown over his eyes and the other clutching his phone. He can’t believe he’s acting like this; clearly he has spent too much time with Ryan which is just another thing to blame him for. He’s sulking (contemplating!) because the aforementioned Jon had text him, they have invaded my safe place. send help quick!!!, to which Spencer had replied quickly (too quickly he thinks and now he’s over thinking the length of time before replying to a text, he really is spending too much time with Ryan), there is no saving you. you are doomed. you can’t escape the lovebirds. nice knowing you and now he’s waiting for Jon’s reply because clearly he has nothing better to do. His phone buzzes, i lived a good life. will think of you as they drown me in their love. Spencer grins stupidly and then his phone buzzes again. make sure you come save me tomorrow yeah? He grins wider then groans as he has to try and stop himself from replying with hearts and smiley faces. Instead he replies with a rather lame yeah :) and then proceeds to count the ways his life would be easier without Ryan Ross in it.

***

It’s like this; the local gallery holds shows for the art students for the nearby college and Ryan likes to go and act cultured. Spencer usually has to accompany him as he says he just can’t go on his own and Brendon usually makes excuses, they’re becoming increasingly more inventive, the last one was something about his sister and ice skating and how he had to help her with her routine (though Spencer doesn’t put it past him really.) This time however, Spencer actually couldn’t go and so as soon as Brendon had sat down at lunch that day Ryan had attacked him with his sad wide eyes and Brendon was powerless (he though valiantly Spencer thought but ultimately everyone fell when faced with the sad eyes) and was dragged off to some art show whilst Spencer had dinner with his Grandmother. Brendon gave him regular text updates, most of them were about the things he thought he was seeing (i thk i jst saw a painting of a grl with frog legs flyin over mtns) but then they changed and Spencer was getting a breakdown of how Ryan met Tom as seen through the eyes of Brendon.
Brendon likes to exaggerate and mock when it comes to Ryan and his ridiculous ways but apparently he acted like a total girl, blushing and laughing and fluttering his eyelashes. According to Ryan, he was totally cool and collected in the face of Tom’s amazing personality and crippling hotness. Whatever he actually did, Tom liked it and they exchanged numbers. That was that. TomandRyan was born. Of course, Spencer and Brendon had to meet Tom properly and just had to love Tom otherwise he couldn’t possibly go out with him (‘Fucking Ryan logic’, Brendon would mutter at times like these. Spencer had to agree). Tom brought his best friend along and with a wave, a smile and a warm voice saying, “Hi, I’m Jon.” Spencer was totally ruined.

***

Spencer does not take over an hour to decide what to wear before going to save Jon at the diner. He does not; he’s just having an indecisive day that’s all. Either way, he still stops a few places down and fixes his hair and runs his hands down his shirt. When he enters the diner, Jon is behind the counter fiddling with the till. In the corner, he spots Ryan and Tom, heads bent together with Tom feeding Ryan fries by hand. Spencer grimaces. “Spencer Smith, my hero. You’ve come to save me from this terrible fate,” comes Jon’s voice from behind him. He’s grinning when Spencer turns and Spencer can’t help but grin back. “Hi,” he says rather lamely. Jon’s eyes crinkle when he smiles wider. “Hi Spencer.” They stare at one another before Jon clears his throat and asks if Spencer wants a drink. “Uh, yeah. Thanks.” Spencer takes his usual seat and tries not to make it obvious when he stares at Jon. “There you go,” Jon says, placing Spencer’s usual in front of him, a simple chocolate milkshake. He doesn’t even attempt to pay, had given up after Jon had refused his money more times than he could count. (According to Ryan he only did that with him, he even made Tom pay. Spencer doesn’t put too much thought into it, it’s just Jon being nice as usual.) Jon leans over the counter and starts telling a story about this party he went to. Spencer misses most of the details, just watches as Jon illustrates it with his hands and laughs when Jon laughs.

Somehow Spencer ends up getting walked home by Jon. He’s not sure how all that time passed without him knowing. The diner wasn’t that busy and Tom and Ryan only joined them for an hour before leaving together. He wonders what it looks like, if they look like a couple, hands swinging close and talking low, conversation full of inside jokes and eyes meeting before skidding away. Spencer blushes more than he’d like to admit. He really is spending too much time around Ryan. He can’t really believe he’s getting walked home. A slightly horrifying thought comes to mind that his life is starting to resemble one of those stupid teen movies. Soon enough Brendon or Ryan will be setting him up with Jon and it’ll be horrifyingly embarrassing. He makes a mental note not to let this happen. When they reach his house, e tries to keep the goodbye brief, to not drag it out but it happens anyway. Jon just starts being all stupidly hot and perfect, grinning at Spencer and saying he hopes to see him soon and all Spencer can do is stare and say yeah, cool, bye Jon before rushing inside and dying inside.

***

It’s also like this; Spencer and Jon start to hang out away outside of everyone else. Usually they’re all together as one big group. Sure, sometimes Spencer, Jon and Brendon get together but a lot of the time (especially recently) it’s Spencer and Jon and no-one else. It’s not anything they planned, it’s just how it is, how it ended up. They enjoy each other’s company and like to save one another from the fate of watching the TomandRyan show alone. That’s all. So okay there’s also the endless texts and the sparse phone-calls. They are not the JonandSpencer show like Brendon says, what would he know anyway? They’re nothing like TomandRyan. Not alike at all.

***

Brendon is no help, Spencer decides, no help whatsoever. Just like Ryan, his life would be easier without him and his silly suggestions. He says as much and Brendon gives him a look, stuffing fries into his mouth. “Dude, I don’t know what you want from me. I’ve told you what I think. Just ask him out.”

“And I’ve told you I can’t. Ryan would make us like double date or something. Can you imagine going on a double date with Ryan and Tom?” They both shudder. “How lame is that anyway? One best friend of a couple dating the other. It’s so, so cliché. So teen movie. My life is not a teen movie Brendon,” he replies matter-of-factly, picking at his salad. Brendon stares at him.

“You do realise that makes no sense whatsoever right? That’s like Ryan logic. Listen to yourself Spencer, you’re using Ryan logic! Hey maybe it’s contagious. Oh God, I could be next!” he cries out dramatically. Spencer rolls his eyes. “Honestly though, you’re being ridiculous about this. He likes you, you like him. Why do you have to go make it all complicated with Ryan logic?”

A tray clatters down next to Spencer making him jump. Ryan’s lanky form covers him in shadow as he folds himself down into his seat. Spencer glares at Brendon just daring him to say something, Brendon just sticks his tongue out at him.

“What are you talking about?” asks Ryan as he carefully lays out his lunch.

“Spencer asking out Jon,” Brendon replies promptly. Spencer kicks him ignoring his shriek of pain because seriously, that was un-necessary. Ryan brightens up instantly.

“Oh it’s about time. I’ve had enough of you two making googly eyes at each other and flirting and,” he waves both hands frantically around to illustrate the other things he and Jon had apparently been doing. Brendon looks at Ryan in dis-belief as though he’s not sure he actually exists. “I thought Jon would have by now but that’s not the point” he says waving his hand. “The point is,” he continues waving his fork viciously through the air, “is when you’re going to do it and how.” He chews his food then smiles. “Oh hey, we could double date!” Brendon snorts before shooting Spencer a forlorn look, a look that proves to Spencer that he is destined to this fate of intense embarrassment. “No, listen it’ll be great. I mean, it’ll be like when you and Jon tag along on one of our outings just this time a little more intimate.” Spencer opens his mouth to argue, to say ‘No thanks Ryan, I’d rather not have you and Tom making out and feeding each other there whilst I try and fail to speak to Jon,’ but Ryan already has his phone out and is muttering to himself about times and places suitable for a double date. He just sinks down into the table and accepts his fate. Brendon pats his hand consolingly.

***

Spencer kind of knows deep down that he is being a tiny bit ridiculous and that Brendon might actually be right. That he is complicating things. He has a good reason though, other than not turning into a teen movie cliché, it’s just that Jon is really kind of cool and amazing and older and Spencer is just some lame senior with weird friends. Okay so is Ryan but Tom seems to be into that. Maybe he’s a tiny bit insecure and maybe he’s a tiny bit worried that Jon won’t like him as much when the start dating and realise he’s made a mistake. He blurts this out to Ryan suddenly, one long spiel of words as Ryan holds out a shirt for him to wear. Ryan blinks at him before lowering his arms. “Um, okay.” He sits next to Spencer on the bed. “Spencer, I’m supposed to be the irrational one. Jon isn’t going to stop liking you when you start to date, he’ll like you more. If that’s even possible because he’s pretty gone for you and even I have noticed that so you know it must be pretty obvious.” Spencer leans into him. “Stop worrying, it’s going to go fine.” Spencer nods then turns more serious as he says, “You can’t let Brendon know I said he was right about something.” Ryan rolls his eyes and says he won’t as he pushes a shirt into Spencer’s hand.


It turns out that Brendon had convinced Ryan that a double date was not the way to go and that maybe Spencer and Jon would like the privacy. After Ryan tells him, he sends a thank you text to Brendon promising his first born to him. Brendon says he can do his math homework for a month instead as he doesn’t think Spencer is baby carrying material. Spencer lets him get away with it for now. As Ryan isn’t coming anymore, Spencer has to go to the cinema alone. Yes, the cinema, trust Ryan to pick a place like the cinema for a first date. He tells Ryan that his life is not a teen movie and Ryan just huffs and tells him he’s going to be late. He isn’t but he is very nervous. He wonders if Jon is even going to be there, what if Jon’s late? What if he never turns up? But he isn’t and he does. He’s there with that smile and those crinkly eyes and that warm voice saying, “Hey, hi Spencer. I’m going to kiss you now.” And he does and it’s amazing. There’s no fireworks, there’s no revelations of love of cosmic proportions, it’s just Jon and yeah okay so it’s all a little cliché but Spencer decides he doesn’t care.

***

Spencer decides to do what he always does and blame Ryan for absolutely everything wrong in his life. It’s a failsafe option really as usually it’s always partly true (years of him convincing Spencer to do stupid things or doing stupid things on his own and needing Spencer to bail him out are the evidence of that). This time, however Spencer can also blame Ryan for a lot of the good in his life too.

Comments

[witheveryspark.livejournal.com]

Thank you, author! This was very cute. ♥