High Fashion, Last Chances [1 of 1]

Title: High Fashion, Last Chances
Author: Ty, lensflares
Rating: PG-13 because Spencer likes to say fuck and ~substance use~
Pairing:Joncer (Jon/Spencer) with a side of Brendon/Ryan/Keltie
POV: Third, mostly through Spencer's perspective
Summary: Spencer looked down at the other boy. Scruffy brown hair, wrinkled t-shirt, faded jeans, and flip-flops.
Definitely, definitely not a Fashion Design student.
Disclaimer:Not mine, kay thanks. ♥
Author Notes:WELL. When last counted, this story was 10,522 words and about 34 pages long. I've been working on it for a few weeks and I'm actually really proud of it. Besides, we all love Joncer. Title from the Fall Out Boy song "Music or the Misery".



This was it. This little dorm room was his new home for the next ten months and after four hours of rearranging and organizing, it was finally perfect.

Spencer Smith stood back in the doorway, criticizing his work closely. A satisfied nod and a small smile, Spencer sank down onto his bed and laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

He had just turned 19 the day before yesterday and here he was attending school nearly 1,800 miles away. He should consider it nothing short of a miracle that he had enough money to be paying for his tuition, not to mention the fact that his parents agreed to let him travel so far.

But, the Art Institute of Chicago was Spencer’s first choice and he usually got what he wanted, not gonna lie.

His parents and his sisters had left yesterday to travel back to their hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. Spencer had said his goodbyes with promises to call frequently and visits during holidays.

Reaching into his pocket, Spencer pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number, rolling over on his bed and facing the window while the other line rang. The sun felt warm on his face and he closed his eyes, waiting patiently.

The other line picked up. “Spencer!”

“Hey,” Spencer replied, grinning just a little more despite himself.

“What the fuck man, it’s been like four days and you’re just now calling me?” Ryan ranted to him and Spencer rolled his eyes.

“I was kind of driving most of the time. But hey, I’m here and figured I should let you know.”

“Yeah well…whatever. How’s Chicago?”

“It’s nice. I think I’m actually going to really like living here and classes start tomorrow.”

“I still don’t know why you couldn’t have gone to the Art Institute here,” Ryan remarked, a little bit of a bite to his tone.

“Dude I already told you, Vegas didn’t have the Fashion Design program. Besides, it’s only for like, two years. Then I’ll be back.”

“Okay and what am I supposed to do for those two years, Spencer?” Spencer sighed quietly but didn’t say anything.

Ryan Ross had been his best friend since he was five years old. They grew up down the street from each other and to Spencer’s memory, they’d never been separated for longer than a month at a time in all fourteen years of their friendship. Even if Ryan wouldn’t admit it, Spencer knew he was missed.

Spencer knew because he was missing Ryan too.

“You have Keltie…”

“It’s not the same, especially since she’s far away too.”

“There’s Brendon?”

“Definitely not the same.”

“Ryan, you’re making me feel guilty…”

“Good.”

“You don’t mean that,” Spencer snorted, rolling onto his back again.

“Kay, so I don’t. But seriously Spencer, do I have to wait until Thanksgiving to see you?”

“Nothing’s stopping you from coming to visit me.”

“Oh. I see how it is.”

“Just saying.”

“You’re a bitch. How big is your room?”

“Decent size. I have my own kitchen and bathroom…closet’s huge. It took me four hours just to unpack everything.”

“I bet half of that time was spent putting away your shoes.”

“Fuck off.” Spencer scowled, ignoring the fact that it was true and Ryan knew it was true.

“Point being, maybe I’ll come visit during October. Whenever I go to visit Kelts, I’ll drop in to see you.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Yeah….hey Spence, I gotta go, Brendon’s here and he’s trying to break down my door. Call you later?”

“Sure. Have fun.”

“Ha. Ha.” Ryan deadpanned. “See ya.” And with that he hung up. Spencer tossed his phone onto his desk and sat up, glancing at the clock.

“Six…” he murmured to himself. Climbing off of the bed, Spencer wandered into the kitchenette, decision to make dinner in mind.

~*~*~*~
The next morning, Spencer’s alarm sounded off at eight just as he had set it. The problem was, Spencer’s body was still on Las Vegas time, two hours behind.

“Fuck…” he murmured, blearily opening his eyes and silencing the alarm. He laid in bed for a few moments, staring at the wall with half-lidded eyes. He had class in an hour for Fashion Construction, but he did not want to move.

In the end, he did eventually get out of bed and into the shower, pulling himself together quickly and by the time the clock read 8:45 he was grabbing a muffin from the kitchenette and rushing out the door with his bag.

The walk to campus wasn’t actually too terrible. It was a brief short walk and Spencer made it in five minutes. But then, he was faced with another problem.

He had absolutely no idea where his class was.

He knew the building, sure. He knew how to get to that building, yeah okay. But actually finding the room inside the building? Not too easy. Glancing at his watch, Spencer bit his lower lip and adjusted his shoulder bag, quickening his pace as he walked down the hall. He only had five more minutes until class started and of course, he was just as lost as ever.

Talk about typical.

Checking the time again, Spencer rounded the corner and failed to see another person coming around the corner at the same time. The two of them collided and the other boy dropped the pile of papers in his hands as he fell, scattering the entire stack across the hallway.

“Oh shit…shit, I’m sorry!” Spencer apologized, watching the other boy crouch down to retrieve his papers.

“No worries, really,” he said, looking up at Spencer with a small amused smile. “I’m used to first years running around the hallways.”

“Transfer.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m a transfer,” Spencer repeated. “Sorry, but I really need to find my class an-”

“And you’re already late anyway, so why rush it?” Spencer raised an eyebrow at the statement, looking down at the other boy. Scruffy brown hair, wrinkled t-shirt, faded jeans, and flip-flops.

Definitely, definitely not a Fashion Design student.

“I guess…?” Spencer joined him on the ground, gathering loose papers in a pile.

“So Transfer,” the other boy started to say.

“Spencer. My name’s Spencer.”

“Sorry, right, Spencer.” He nodded and continued picking up his papers. “So, what brings you to the AIC?”

“Fashion Design. And I need to find my construction class.”

“Fashion Construction I? I know where you’re going.” Scruffy-haired flip-flop boy nodded.

“Oh?”

“Yeah sure, I can take you there.” Rising to his full height, the brown-eyed boy collected his papers in one pile. Spencer finished gathering up the papers at his feet and turned them over to push them into one pile.

“…are these your photos?” Spencer blinked down at the black and white picture of a cat in his hands.

“Some of them are. I’m a Photography student. One of the professors wanted me to go display these pictures through the building.” Taking the pictures from Spencer’s hands, he grinned again and started walking down the hall.

“They’re pretty good.” Spencer blinked again, quietly following behind him.

“Thanks. I’d hope so, this is my last year here.”

“Oh…” Spencer nodded to himself. Huh. Interesting.

“Yeah. So, why Fashion Design?”

“Why not? I like clothes. It’s no different than you being a Photography student.”

“Okay, okay, calm down. I was just curious.” Scruffy stopped outside of a door. “Here, Fashion Construction.”

“Um…thanks. Sorry about knocking you over.”

“No worries. See you around, Spencer,” the brunet said lightly, giving him another amused grin before turning and walking away.

Puzzled Spencer was puzzled.

~*~*~*~
Seven hours. Seven hours of class. Seven hours of one class. Spencer had no idea school would be this tiring. And to top it all off, he had homework as well.

Thus, he locked himself in his room for the rest of the evening.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Spencer didn’t have classes. So, he interpreted this as “time to go explore the city of Chicago.”

Spencer wasn’t stupid. He had learned how to read maps and navigate buses when he and Ryan were young and transportation-less. The Art Institute wasn’t too terribly far away from the center of the city. Chicago was a place full of inspiration for artists of all kinds. His plan was to venture out into the city and shop, just to get ideas (and maybe, probably, to buy new clothes.) However, it was 9:30 in the morning and he was still yawning.

Thus, Spencer found the nearest Starbucks he could find. It wasn’t a very big Starbucks, just by itself on the corner, but it would have to do for the moment. Wandering inside Spencer read the menu board as he approached the counter, placing a hand on his hip.

“Transfer!” Spencer looked away from the board and focused on the barista in front of him.

“You.” Oh, completely brilliant Spencer.

“Yeah, me. I know, what’s an awesome guy like me doing working in a Starbucks? But you know, the ‘Bucks is a pretty awesome place too. Besides, gotta pay for school somehow.” Spencer’s eyes briefly flickered to the other’s chest. His nametag read Jon.

“Uh…”

Well. This is going well. Spencer frowned a bit.

“So, what can I do for you? You look like a mocha kind of guy.” Jon waggled his eyebrows, same amused smile on his face.

“Um…sure?” Spencer raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to do. “What do you suggest?

“For you? Try a White Chocolate Mocha. And maybe a piece of pumpkin bread.”

“…okay.”

“Great! Small or large?”

“Large…” Spencer trailed off, watching as Jon reached over and scribbled Spencer’s name on a white cup before reaching into the glass case and retrieving a slice of pumpkin bread.

“So, if it tastes bad, don’t tell me because I came in here at eight this morning to make it. Pretend to like it.” Jon handed Spencer the plate with the pumpkin bread on it. “I’ll have your coffee up in a few.” Throwing a wink over his shoulder, Jon busied himself with making Spencer’s coffee.

As for Spencer, he merely placed his money for the drink and food on the counter and sat down. He broke off a piece of the pumpkin bread and chewed on it thoughtfully, half-watching Jon make his coffee and half-melting over the dessert. About halfway through the slice, Jon came over to his table and plopped the cup down in front of Spencer’s hand.

“White Chocolate Mocha, as ordered,” he said, monitoring Spencer’s face for approval of his culinary skills.

“Tfaunks.” Spencer replied, or tried to reply.

“Oh here, you forgot something.” Jon reached into his pocket and dumped Spencer’s money on the table next to the cup.

“No, that’s f-”

“It’s on the house. Every transfer gets a free one.” Jon waved with the kind of smile that made it hard to tell if he was joking or not, and headed back to the counter, leaving behind a Spencer with a plastic fork and $9.95.

Puzzled Spencer was still puzzled, but at least now he had pumpkin bread.

~*~*~*~
The next time Spencer saw Jon was two weeks later. It was midway through September and he was walking through a nearby park, hoping for some form of inspiration. Autumn had hit Chicago and the leaves were turning and falling. He needed to come up with a rough sketch for his Fashion Design I class this next week and he was stuck.

Turning down another path, he spotted Jon sitting cross-legged on a park bench, iPod headphones in his ears and camera in his hands. Spencer stopped for a moment, watching as Jon hummed to himself and fiddled with his camera, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Spencer was there. This went on for about ten minutes before Spencer decided he felt very creepy just standing there.

“Hey,” he said, approaching Jon slowly so he wouldn’t startle him into dropping his camera. Jon looked up and pulled out the earbuds.

“Hey Spencer,” he replied, resting his camera in his lap. “What are you doing out here?” Spencer shrugged, eyeing the area around them.

“Just out you know…trying to get inspiration.”

“Aren’t we all?” Jon smiled again, returning his attention back to his camera. “I’m just looking through some pictures, trying to decide which ones I want to actually use.”

“Oh. And you didn’t want to do that inside?”

“Why bother being inside when it’s such a nice day out?”

He was good, Spencer had to admit. Perhaps Jon was a worthy adversary after all.

“…I suppose you have a point.” Spencer nodded in agreement. Jon lifted his camera then, pressing down on the button and snapping a picture of Spencer. “Hey!” Spencer protested. Jon merely smiled and gestured to the bench.

“Have a seat.”

“Huh?”

“You’re not busy, are you?”

“…I guess not.” Spencer sat on the bench next to him. He leaned over to look at the display screen on Jon’s camera. Pictures of leaves and trees and two little kitties seemed to be the subjects of choice.

“Are they yours?” he asked to break the silence.

“The photos?”

“No, the cats.”

“Oh, yeah!” Jon nodded and scrolled through his pictures again. “The bigger one’s Dylan. Smaller one’s Clover. They’re tabbies.”

“They’re cute…” Spencer trailed off, watching the photographs flash before his eyes.

“Thanks. But they’re not cute enough I guess.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Hmm,” Jon sighed. “I need to find a new subject for my individual projects class. I need to come up with something for a display by the end of the term.”

“Oh. Any ideas?” Spencer asked just to keep the conversation going. Jon looked up at him again, flashing him an unreadable look and a light smile.

“I’m not entirely sure yet.”

Spencer wasn’t sure how to interpret that.

~*~*~*~
This was the third time his phone had vibrated against his leg in the past two hours. Spencer shifted in his seat again, trying to turn his phone off before he got in trouble. He only had about fifteen minutes left in his class. Then he could check his phone.

As soon as he was released from class, Spencer left the room and pulled out his phone, checking to see who kept calling him.

As he suspected, it was Ryan.

“Spencer James Smith the fifth. Yeah, I went there. What the fuck man, it’s been like three weeks and you’re not answering your phone either. No really, are you dead? Call me back.”

“Okay seriously, where are you? I need to talk to you. No, you don’t even know. Call me.”

“Spencerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.”

Spencer got the slightest feeling that Ryan wanted to talk to him. Shifting his bag on his shoulder, Spencer turned to head back to his dorm and pressed redial on the way.

“There you are! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for like, two hours,” Ryan immediately said when he answered.

“Um sorry, I was in class.” Spencer rolled his eyes.

“Yeah yeah whatever,” Ryan practically purred out. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”

“…are you high?”

“That,” Ryan interrupted him. “Is irrelevant.”

“Um…”

“No, you know…I’m glad that you called.”

“You called me first?”

“I slept with Brendon last night. And it was amazing sex.”

“What?”

“I bottomed.” Spencer could practically hear the smugness in Ryan’s voice.

“You…I don’t understand. What about Keltie?”

“What about Kelpie?”

“Aren’t you still dating her?”

“She encouraged the Brendon-sex. She’s amazingggg.”

“So…you’re still dating.”

“Yes.”

“And so Brendon was a one-night stand?”

“No. Me and Brendon are dating now too.”

“…so you’re dating two people is what you’re saying.”

“Love is all you need,” Ryan crooned and Spencer could hear Brendon giggling in the background.

“I’m…glad?” Spencer said uncertainly, not quite sure how to feel about the entire situation.

“I have a Brendon in my bed. He’s naked.”

“Hiiii Spencer Smith,” Brendon yelled over Ryan.

“Hi Brendon…” Spencer replied. “Anyway, is that why you’ve been calling me for like, the past hour?”

“Well that and I reeeeeeeally miss you, Spencer Smith. What has been going on in your life?”

“A lot. I’d rather tell you when you’re not high.”

“I’m not that high.”

“Ryan look at that squirrel outside!” Brendon interrupted them and Spencer heard Ryan gasp.

“He’s so pretty.”

“…yeah okay, I’m gonna go.” Spencer fished for his keys and unlocked the door to his dorm.

“Aw but Spencerrr…”

“Call me later.”

“We were just sharing the good news.” Spencer could picture Ryan pouting at him. Brendon too.

“Well thanks. Call me later.”

“Okay. Byeeee Spencer.”

“Bye Spence-face!” Brendon said and the line went dead.

“…I should be surprised. But I’m not,” Spencer mused thoughtfully and shut the door, dropping his bag on the floor and laying on his bed.

~*~*~*~
“So, how did this happen?” Spencer asked into the phone, holding it between his ear and his shoulder as he made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“Um…well, what exactly?” Ryan replied, completely down from his high four hours later.

“This whole you and Brendon thing. I thought you didn’t like guys and even if you had always liked guys, I didn’t think you would have gone after Brendon.”

“I don’t know. We were just hanging out last night bullshitting and playing guitar and out of nowhere he kissed me and one thing led to another…” Ryan trailed off, shrugging a bit.

“So you were playing guitar and then you ended up fucking him?”

“Well see, when you say it like that it sounds really bad. And like, it wasn’t really bad.”

“Kelts encouraged it?”

“Apparently. I asked her about it this morning and she was like, ‘Brendon’s always had a crush on you, and I’m not dumb, Ryan, I knew you were interested too. Soooo, I helped’ or something like that.”

“So Keltie pretty much gave Brendon permission to have sex with you.”

“Something like that. It’s almost like a threesome, but not. It’s a comfortable situation.”

“I don’t understand it. But as long as you guys are happy I guess?”

“Extremely happy,” Ryan confirmed. “But enough about that, you said that a lot has been going on in your life. Tell me about it.”

“School’s a lot harder than I thought it would be. The classes are seriously seven hours long but at least they’re only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And I mean, it’s not like it’s not interesting or anything.”

“Spencer, that’s not what you wanted to tell me and you know it.”

“Oh?”

“Nope. You want to tell me about somebody you met.”

“…how do you…”

“Because I know how to read you, Spence. I’ve been your best friend since you were five. I know things.”

“Are you sure you’re not still high?”

“Fuck off. So, spill. What’s the real story?”

“You really want to know huh?”

“Obviously,” Ryan snorted. “Quit stalling.”

“I’m not st-”

“Shut up, yes you are. Talk to me.”

Spencer sighed through his nose and picked up his sandwich, taking a bite out of it as he wandered over to his desk. He pulled out his chair and sat down, contemplatively chewing and swallowing before starting to speak.

“Okay, here’s the thing. He’s a senior and he’s a photography student. He’s scruffy and he wears flipflops in October and he loves cats.”

“Uh huh…”

“Hey, you could at least sound mildly interested to hear this since you just begged me to tell you.”

“Sorry, Brendon’s still here and he does this really nice thing with his hands…”

“…gross!”

“No, not that. He’s giving me a massage. Anyway, flipflops and cats. What else?”

“His name’s Jon. He works at Starbucks on the days he doesn’t have class. His photography’s actually really amazing and he’s so chill and I don’t get it. I mean, every time I see him he’s just like, ‘Spencer Smith!’ and starts talking to me like we’ve been friends for years.”

“…and what’s the problem with that?” Ryan said skeptically.

“I don’t know. It’s just…weird. I don’t know.”

“I think you’re just over-thinking it like everything else in your life. Seriously Spencer, it’s just some guy that for some ungodly known reason likes you enough to keep talking to you.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Spencer stopped chewing on his sandwich and glared at the phone.

“It means sometimes you can be a huge bitch.”

“Excuse you.”

“I still love you though. Look, just don’t be weird and don’t act stupid. It’s not like you’re in love with the guy right?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…are you kidding me?”

“Well!” Spencer sighed, resting his head in the palm of his hand. “I don’t…not like you like Brendon.”

“But you’re infatuated.”

“So what? Aren’t I allowed to be infatuated?”

“And you got on my case about liking guys.”

“This isn’t about liking guys, Ryan.”

“Then what’s it about?”

“I don’t know, you told me to talk to you about what was going on in my life and what’s going on is school and Jon Walker! He just keeps showing up out of nowhere and he has this lisp when he talks that kind of makes it really hard not to smile at him and even if his fashion sense is totally tacky and kind of rugged, maybe I like rugged, I don’t know! Men should not be allowed to wear flipflops with a blazer but somehow he gets away with it and still looks completely fine. I’ve seen pictures with him and his cats and they’re fucking adorable and he’s on Facebook and he’s like friends with everybody and what do I have to compare to that?”

“…great taste in footwear?”

“Ryan!”

“Listen to me. You’re freaking out over nothing, okay? Calm down, don’t stress, and just keep…doing what you’re doing right now.”

“Nothing?”

“Exactly. Do nothing. Somehow, doing nothing works for you.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Spencer deadpanned.

“Sure, no problem. But hey, me and Bren are gonna go get some dinner. Just keep doing what you’re doing, which is nothing, and don’t freak out. If for some reason Jon comes to his senses and realizes that you’re pretty fucking weird, I’ll still love you.”

“Oh fuck off.”

“I’ll take that as an, ‘I love you too, Ryan. Thank you for being my friend’.”

“Whatever.” Spencer was smiling anyway. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye, Spence.” And Ryan hung up.

Thus, Spencer was left alone with the last bite of his sandwich and his own devices. Homework was one option, sure, but there was so much more Spencer could do with his time.

For example, he could look up Jon Walker on Facebook.

Pulling out his laptop, Spencer connected to the internet and opened a browser window, typing the web address for Facebook. Logging in, he clicked on the search button and looked up Jon’s name.

“Jon Walker has 273 friends and 384 pictures. He enjoys cooking, photography, playing bass, Muse, The Office, The Notebook, and his cats Dylan and Clover. Of course,” Spencer read off of Jon’s profile. His profile picture was himself looking through a camera.

Spencer was definitely infatuated.

“Ryan said to just keep doing nothing…” Spencer mused to himself. “But…it wouldn’t hurt right?” He stared at his monitor a bit longer, gnawing on the inside of his cheek.

“Do nothing?” he asked himself again, tilting his head and still looking at the monitor. “…fuck it.”

Spencer moved his mouse to the left and added Jon as a Facebook friend.

~*~*~*~
“Working hard, or hardly working?” Spencer looked up from his textbook and spotted Jon hovering over him, camera poised and ready.

“A little bit of both I guess,” he answered, and Jon took the picture.

“And how long have you been in here?” Jon dropped the camera down, just holding it in his hands.

“Uh, maybe about two hours?”

“C’mon, it’s Saturday. Nobody should be cooped up in the library studying on a Saturday afternoon.” Jon took it upon himself to close Spencer’s books and tuck them into his bag.

“Oh? And do you have a better idea?” Spencer grinned a little, lightly batting Jon’s hands away and packing up his own things.

“Well,” Jon started, leaning his hands on the table and watching Spencer. “It’s nearly one o’clock. I’m on my way to grab some lunch. Wanna come?”

“Me?”

“Oh no, sorry, I was talking to your friend here,” Jon replied, waving his hand at an empty chair to Spencer’s left. “Yes you. I’ll even buy. Can’t get any better than that, can it?”

“Depends. Where are we going?”

“Well, according to your Facebook, you like Italian food.” Jon gave him another amused smile.

“…fair enough.” Spencer nodded and stood up, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. “Lead the way I guess.” Jon nodded and headed out of the library, Spencer right on his heels. The two of them walked off of the school’s campus and down the sidewalk amongst the busy Chicago streets. Jon led them into a little restaurant on a side street and the two of them sat down, taking the menus from the hostess.

“Nice place,” Spencer commented lightly, glancing over the menu.

“Yeah, my roommate and I come here a lot. The food’s awesome, I think you’ll like it.” Jon skimmed through the menu as well, peeking at Spencer over the top of it.

“Looks like it.”

They received their drinks and ordered their food shortly after. Jon handed the menus to the waitress and turned back toward Spencer.

“So. Thanksgiving break is coming up in about two weeks. Are you going home? Las Vegas is pretty far.”

“I’m pretty sure I am. My mom bought me an airline ticket and everything. I think I’m leaving on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. What about you? Are you going home?”

“Well, my home’s only about forty minutes west, so, yeah.” Jon took a sip of his wine and sat back. “Besides, I haven’t seen my family in a while. I’m due for a visit.”

“Yeah, I haven’t seen anyone from back home for so long so I’m just gonna go. I really miss my friends.”

“Well, Vegas is pretty far from here,” Jon repeated.

“Yeah, but I wanted to be here so I can’t really complain too much.”

“Why here?”

“The Art Institute in Vegas didn’t have the Fashion Design program and that’s what I really wanted. Besides, I grew up in Vegas my whole life. I wanted something different you know?”

“Chicago’s not much different than Vegas. Just colder.”

“Without all of the hookers and casinos and bars.”

“True. And it’s not that Vegas is awful, it’s just smothering sometimes.”

“I’ve only been there a few times. But I can see what you mean.”

“Yeah, but, family’s there so I have to go back.”

“Anybody special waiting for you back there?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like a girlfriend or anything.”

“Oh. No, no girlfriend. Just my best friend. He’s pretty much counting the days until I come back.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, we’ve been friends since like, kindergarten. He goes to school at UNLV.”

“Yeah? What’s he studying?”

“Creative Writing. Probably with a Music minor or something though. I don’t know, he’s always really liked writing and he’s been writing music and playing guitar since we were like, twelve. So, we’ll see.”

“He writes music?”

“Yeah. He writes lyrics too.”

“Dude, that’s awesome! I’m all for that.” Jon nodded in agreement.

“You write music too?”

“Yeah, it’s like a side-hobby.”

The two of them continued talking about music until their meals arrived, and even after that, they continued to talk, moving on to TV shows and movies and music.

Date wasn’t the right word, but it was the first to come to mind.

Jon, Spencer had come to find, was a great conversationalist. He never seemed to run out of things to say and really, that was a nice change for Spencer who usually became bored with people rather quickly. He didn’t even notice that an hour had passed since they first entered the restaurant. Their waitress delivered the check to their table and Jon snatched it up before Spencer could, pulling his wallet out from his back pocket.

“How much?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“No seriously.”

“Yeah, I’m serious too.” Jon pulled out enough money and tucked it into the black checkholder. Spencer reached for his wallet and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, pushing it across the table to Jon.

“My share.” Jon raised an eyebrow and pushed the money back.

“Hey now, I said I was going to pay, so I’m paying.”

“But-”

“But nothing,” Jon cut him off. “Besides, it’s tradition for me to pay for the first meal I eat with people.”

“All people?” Spencer asked, standing up from the table and grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair.

“All of the cute ones at least,” Jon replied without missing a beat. Spencer blinked at him silently, waiting for Jon to continue with that statement. Instead, Jon picked up his own jacket and slipped it on. “Let’s get you back to the dorm,” he said and beckoned for Spencer to follow him, walking out of the restaurant and hitting the streets of Chicago again, Spencer following him in a slight daze.

Crush wasn’t the right word, but it was the first to come to mind.

~*~*~*~
Spencer was pretty fucking content, okay? It was Sunday afternoon after his date-non-date with Mister Jon Walker and he was currently curled up on his bed, the early November sunlight stretching as far as it could through his tiny window. Spencer smiled a bit, soaking up the warmth of the sun’s rays and loving every minute of it.

Spencer Smith suddenly understood why cats slept so much.

This is why he was pretty pissed when his phone started ringing that afternoon in the middle of his nap.

Grumbling under his breath, Spencer reached for his phone and groggily opened his eyes, checking the caller ID to see who it was.

“Ryan,” Spencer mumbled, rubbing his eyes a little. “Can I call you back later, I’m taking a nap.”

“Take a nap later, we’re trying to figure out where your dorm is,” Ryan replied, followed by a “Brendon, that’s not the right map.”

“Huh?” Spencer sat up in his bed.

“What huh? We’re trying to find your dorm and it’s fucking freezing out here.”

“…where are you?”

“Um! We are…in front of the Chicago Building on the AIC campus?”

“…no, you’re not.” Spencer got out of bed and went to his window.

“Yeah, we are,” Ryan argued back. Spencer opened his window and looked down below him. Standing in front of the building were Ryan and Brendon, both bundled up and looking horribly confused. And in Brendon’s case, holding a map and trying to read it.

“Stay where you are, I’m coming downstairs,” Spencer instructed and hung up, tucking his phone into his pocket and grabbing his room keys. He left his dorm room and practically ran down the stairs, exiting through the front door of the residence hall and skidding to a stop in front of the other two boys.

“About time, it’s cold.” Ryan frowned a bit, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Spencer lightly shoved him.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked, hugging Ryan around the shoulders.

“See, the thing is, you’re coming home for break in two weeks right?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I won’t be there.”

“What.” Spencer pulled away from him, glaring a little. “Why not?”

“Because Brendon and I are going to Keltie’s for Thanksgiving. She’s performing in the Macy’s parade and we’re just going to hang out at her place for a week,” Ryan explained, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Both of you? Does she care?” Spencer looked at Brendon who was busy folding up his map.

“Nah, she loves us. We’re totally going to sleep in one bed.” Brendon grinned.

“...kay. How long are you guys here for?”

“Um…until Saturday? Then we’re flying out to New York.” Ryan pet Spencer’s hair briefly. “But for now, I’m freezing and I’m exhausted. Where’s the nearest Starbucks?”

~*~*~*~
After dropping off their bags in Spencer’s room, Ryan and Brendon followed the younger boy off campus and down the street to the nearest Starbucks.

Thankfully, Jon was not working today.

“No seriously, I’m ordering a huge frappuccino and it will be amazing. And I want a biscotti,” Ryan rambled on as they entered the coffee shop.

“Do you want me to buy?” Brendon offered, wrapping his arm around Ryan’s waist.

“You can if you want,” Ryan replied.

“I want to.”

“You guys kind of disgust me,” Spencer snorted as the three of them approached the counter.

“Yeah well, you’re just jealous,” Brendon said cheerfully, giving Spencer a teasing grin.

“Whatever.”

“Spencer Smith!” Jon waved from behind the counter, Starbucks apron and hat in place.

“Who’s that?” Ryan whispered.

“Hey Jon,” Spencer replied, ignoring Ryan completely. He didn’t fail to notice Ryan raising his eyebrows or Brendon nudging Ryan in the ribs.

“Fancy seeing you here.” Jon leaned his elbows on the counter, resting his head in the palm of his hand.

“I thought you didn’t work on Sundays?”

“Somebody called in sick so here I am. I see you’ve made some new friends though.”

“Oh, no not really. This is the best friend I told you about.” Spencer pulled Ryan closer to the counter. “This is Ryan. Ryan, this is Jon. The other kid’s Brendon.”

“His boyfriend,” Brendon interjected. “Will you give me coffee?” Brendon smiled, hoping to charm Jon into giving him coffee.

“Um…” Jon laughed lightly, unsure of what to say.

“Don’t give him coffee,” Ryan interrupted. “But I would like a vanilla bean frappuccino. And a biscotti.”

“Sure, no problem.” Jon rang up Ryan’s total. “And Spence? White chocolate mocha?”

“Sure. How much longer are you working?”

“Uh, about another hour. Then I’m just going home.” Jon punched in a few numbers on the cash register.

“Just going home?”

“Yeah. Probably going to make dinner and chill, you know, the usual.”

“Wow,” Ryan cut in. “That sounds amazing. No really, I’m blown away by your thrilling plans.”

“I can still spit in your coffee, you know,” Jon warned him, looking more intrigued than threatening.

“Yeah sure whatever. Point being, you should come out with us.” Brendon nodded enthusiastically and fiddled with the cup of drink stirrers.

“Oh?” Jon quirked an eyebrow, watching Brendon closely.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun. We’re pretty fun people.” Brendon smiled widely. “Really fun.”

“Ignore him, he just gets easily excited.” Spencer glared in Brendon’s direction. “If you’re busy, you don’t have to hang out with us.”

“Well I was just going home to cook dinner. I mean if you guys want, you can come over I guess?”

“Sounds good to me. Spencer probably doesn’t have enough money to feed us anyway,” Ryan replied and took his coffee from the other girl behind the counter. “So we’ll hang out here for an hour, we’ll go to your place, yay food.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Brendon took Ryan’s drink from his hand and popped off the lid, licking up some of the whipped cream. Spencer inwardly groaned, looking at Jon with a helpless expression.

“How much do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll charge it to your tab.”

Spencer pretended not to notice Ryan’s skeptical expression.

~*~*~*~
Much to Spencer’s relief, Ryan and Brendon behaved themselves once they arrived at Jon’s apartment. Discovering that his roommate was out, Jon went about making a quick dinner for the four of them.

About an hour later, Jon and Brendon were out in Jon’s living room playing a competitive round of Guitar Hero while Spencer and Ryan hung back in the kitchen since they had volunteered to do the dishes.

“So,” Ryan started out, squirting soap into the sinkful of water. “That’s Jon Walker huh?”

“Yeah, that’s Jon Walker,” Spencer repeated, leaning against the counter and watching Ryan do the dishes.

“I have to say, I’m impressed.”

“With?”

“Your choice in men. I mean honestly, Spencer, he’s a fan of The Notebook. And he cooks and he cleans and his favorite store is Bath and Body Works. You couldn’t have done better for a guy if you tried. He smells amazing.”

“Yeah he d-..how did you know all of that?” Spencer paused, turning to face his friend completely.

“I’ve done my research.”

“You mean you Facebook-stalked him.” Spencer frowned.

“You say tomato, I say potato,” Ryan replied with a shrug.

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Whatever. Point is, he seems like a great guy. He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s great with kids.” Ryan nodded toward Brendon who was on his knees by this point, still clutching the toy guitar and pressing frets rapidly. “Seems like a real catch.”

“Well don’t say that yet. He’s not exactly a catch yet.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, we’re not dating or anything. We’re just friends. Besides, I don’t even think he’s interested in me like that.”

“Right, and Kelts is better than me at applying make-up.” Ryan rolled his eyes and loaded the dishwasher. “You’re just thinking the worst.”

“Am not.”

“Okay so why would he not be into you?”

“Why would he?” Spencer challenged, folding his arms over his chest.

“I mean, you’re cute. Like, I don’t know your face is just really cute. And you’re very smart and independent and witty and-”

“And you’re my best friend so you have to tell me those things so I don’t feel bad about myself,” Spencer cut him off, grabbing a hand towel and drying the pot Jon used to make spaghetti sauce.

“Bullshit. I tell you those things because they’re true, just like I also tell you you’re pretty bitchy sometimes and stubborn as hell. Still don’t quite get what Jon sees in you, but he’s a better man than most.”

“Fuck, Brendon!” Jon whined from the living room, a telltale sign that he had lost another round of Guitar Hero. Spencer smiled slightly as he heard the older boy challenge Brendon to a rematch.

“Well that’s a nice sight to see,” Ryan commented and turned off the water, closing the dishwasher.

“Brendon winning?”

“No, you smiling. Haven’t seen it in a while.” Ryan leaned against the counter and folded his arms over his chest. “Makes you look more like the Spencer who left Las Vegas instead of a cranky bitch.”

“Yeah well…” Spencer trailed off, looking out into the living room and watching Jon and Brendon. The older of the two had his tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration while Brendon swore loudly every time he missed a note.

Spencer knew he was smiling at them again, but Ryan chose not to acknowledge it. Instead, he pushed himself away from the counter to stand upright.

“C’mon, let’s go out and join them. Maybe we can save some of Jon’s pride while we have the chance,” he suggested.

“Sure, why not!” Spencer laughed a bit and also moved away from the counter. The two of them didn’t get very far away from it before the front door of Jon’s apartment opened. They stood in the kitchen and watched as a blonde girl, a very pretty blonde girl, entered Jon’s apartment and dropped her bag on the floor.

“Who’s that?” Ryan whispered, raising an eyebrow as Jon turned away from the video game to hug and kiss the blonde.

“Fuck,” Spencer summed up.

PART TWO


Thanks to selphiebooyaka for editing this. Ily. ♥