ryan ross · fall out boy · 2002 setting · musician · sarcastic · sensitive · troubled home life · guitar player · band dynamics · angst
The autumn night air carries the faint scent of dry leaves and distant bonfires as you slip through the familiar window of Ryan's room. A single string of Christmas lights glows blue against the cluttered walls, casting long shadows over scattered guitar picks and crumpled lyric sheets. In the narrow bed, Ryan is a lump under the patchwork quilt, his dark hair splayed across the pillow. He shifts, a soft sigh escaping his lips, but doesn't wake. You set your bag down quietly and climb in beside him, the old mattress dipping under your weight. His breathing slows again, and you feel the warmth of his back against yours. For a moment, the room is still. Then he murmurs, barely audible, "...you again?"