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For: @-nestor, @ThingRocco and @Call_Of_The_Night

Request (by @-nestor): awkward teenage brendon asking u out on a date (cliché, i know. i tried my best.)

Note: I really like this one. It's cute.

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You and Brendon were sitting at the dining table in your house, surrounded by a multitude of snacks and scattered assignments and study notes. These weekly study sessions had been the norm for the past year and a bit, alternating venues between your house and his.

It all started in freshman year – the two of you had sat next to each other on the very first day, and instantly clicked. Neither of you were particularly social people and kept a fairly small circle of friends, preferring rather to have chilled hang-outs at home than scatter to whatever party was happening that night, so it was no surprise that you became close friends.

The study sessions originated after Brendon came down with a bout of stomach illness mid-way through the second semester. He was out of school for the better part of two weeks and ended up missing a ton of work as a result. So, you offered to tutor him through the work he missed, and it stuck.

Brendon, in particular, was ever-so-thankful for the fact that the sessions had become a regular thing, because – as his friends knew and constantly teased him about – he had a major crush on you. And (even though he wouldn't admit it) a fairly large chunk of his 'studying' during the sessions consisted of him just staring at you in adoration, thinking about what it would be like to date you but not being able to work up enough courage to actually ask you out on a date.

At this exact moment, you were chewing on the end of your pen, frowning slightly at the page in front of you as you mentally fought through a math problem, while Brendon gazed at you fondly.

"Marry me," he muttered softly.

You snapped your head up and looked at him in surprise. "What?"

Brendon then realised that he'd spoken his embarrassing thoughts aloud, and began panicking internally. Fortunately, he came up with a cover rather quickly, and he replied calmly.

"I said 'lemon tree'. I just now noticed that you have one," he pointed his pen at the lemon tree in your backyard, visible through the window; you turned to look at it and nodded in understanding, "What did you think I said?"

Turning back to look at him – his eyes a bit wider than usual and glasses slipping down his nose as he pushed his hair back – you blushed tremendously, humiliated at yourself for thinking that he would ever say what you'd thought he had said.

"N-nothing," you whispered, averting your gaze and clearing your throat as you reached for some Doritos.

Exhaling softly, Brendon closed his eyes for a moment as relief flooded over him. After stealing another glance at you, deep in thought, he picked up his pen and got some actual studying done.

~

"...so I totally chickened out and said that I never noticed she had a lemon tree," Brendon recounted his mortifying experience to Spencer while the two exchanged books at their lockers, "which is a total lie, 'cause she's been making me lemonade for the past two summers." Brendon scoffed at himself and held his hands out. "I mean, how stupid was that?"

"Pretty stupid, dude," Spencer sighed and shook his head, clamping a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder, "And if you ever want to end up with her, you better find a not-stupid way to ask her out. Like, soon. Very soon."

Brendon looked at Spencer in confusion, prompting the blue-eyed boy to roll his eyes and forcefully turn his friend around, facing him in the direction of you.

Brendon watched in horror as Pete Wentz approached you, hurriedly bending down to collect your pile of books that had tumbled from your grasp. When he stood back up, he handed you the books, along with a dazzling smile, and you instinctively reached up to touch your hair as your cheeks heat up and you thanked him.

Your study partner stared at the two of you in contempt, while his friend advised him.

"Soon, dude. We already lost half of our band members to that douche; you don't wanna lose your girl, too."

~

"So that means that the final answer should be x equal to five with y equal to eleven," you checked your answer before looking at Brendon expectantly.

"Uh," he creased his brow as he looked at his answer, "I got x as eight and y as twenty."

You hummed contemplatively and pursed your lips as you leaned over to read through Brendon's problem solving.

There was silence as you looked over the numbers, and Brendon saw this as his opportunity to finally ask you the question he'd been dying to.

"What's going on between you and Pete Wentz?" Brendon blurted out.

Stunned by the question, you angled your head to look up at him with arched brows. "Um... nothing?" you chuckled as you straightened up. "Why?"

Brendon inhaled deeply. "I...saw you two at your locker on Tuesday. You looked, I don't know... cosy."

A snigger slipped past your lips. "He picked up my books for me and I thanked him. Don't know how that's considered being cosy but okaayyy."

There was silence for a few moments before Brendon broke it with another question.

"So do you like him?"

You dropped your pen on the table and looked at your study partner in incredulity. "Why are you asking me all this?"

"Do you?"

"No."

"So if he asked you out, you wouldn't say yes?"

"No!" You shook your head and laughed. "Isn't he the same guy who broke up your band?"

Brendon nodded enthusiastically as he frowned at the memory.

"Exactly. You're my best friend, Bren. I wouldn't betray you by dating the enemy," you assured, pinching his cheek for good measure.

Leaving you to once again look over the math, Brendon sat there debating over whether or not he had just gotten friend-zoned. In all likelihood, he probably had, but that vodka shot Spencer had made him do before coming over was really doing its job at picking away at his inhibitions, and he figured, screw it.

"(Y/N)?"

"Mm?"

"I was wondering," he started, "would you like to go on a date tomorrow?"

"Hmm..." you narrowed your eyes as you thought, "N-"

"Lol autocorrect; I meant 'how are you?'"

Utterly thunderstruck and slightly amused, you looked at the boy with a confused face. "...those aren't even remotely the same...and this is real life...and I was going to say that I'm not sure if I'm free tomorrow but YES."

"But-" Brendon, still believing you'd rejected him, prepared to convince you to say yes, but upon realising that you had, he relaxed. "Wait... yay."

You giggled and shook your head. "Fuckin' dork."

Brendon smiled sheepishly as he tried to internalise his extreme excitement over the fact that he'd finally scored a date with you.

"Oh, and for what it's worth," you added, "You really don't need those other band members. I think you and Spence will be juuuuust fine on your own."

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Thank you for reading x