Brendon was strolling around downtown. It had been a week since his collapse, so Spencer and Ryan weren't hovering over him as much. Though Ryan would text constantly, he was at least still going to work. It took Brendon up till that morning to convince Spencer that he couldn't call into work again. Lucky for the man, his boss was very understanding with their situation.

Brendon hugged his jacket against his body, slowing down as he passed by random store windows. There was a gentle breeze, blowing the fall leaves to the floor. Brendon always thought autumn to be the most calming out of all the seasons.

He took a seat at an empty bench. He watched small families walk by, smiling at each other. There were colored leaves laying across the ground, occasionally giving a satisfying crunch when someone stepped on them. The gentle wind swept through his hair, cooling his warm skin.

Brendon shut his eyes and took a cleansing breath. There was nothing but peace in his mind. He wasn't giving any thought to anything, not his friend, his boyfriend, his situation. Nothing. It was almost freeing not worrying about anything.

"Brendon?" He opened his eyes, getting pulled back to Earth. "Brendon Urie?" He turned to see a shorter blonde girl standing beside the bench, unsure if she had the right person.

"Um, yeah?" A wide smile spread over her face.

"Holy shit. It's me, Kelly from the cafe." Brendon squinted his eyes, focusing on the girl's face while searching through his memories. His eyes widened and he got to his feet when he remembered his past co-worker. They pulled each other into a quick hug.

"Holy crap. It's been so long."

"Over a year," she nodded.

"You changed your hair. Short looks good on you. It will take a while to get used to the blonde though," he chuckled. Kelly combed a hand through her hair and chuckled.

"How've you been? Every misses your crazy ass. The cafe wasn't the same after you left." Brendon let out a nervous chuckle and brought his hand to the back of his neck.

"I mean I can't complain. It was hard to leave you guys though. Those were some of the best years of my life."

"You haven't really changed. Well you look thinner and maybe a little more pale, but nothing a little sun and food can't fix."

"I guess I haven't been going out as much as I used to, but let's not talk about me. How have you been? Are you still with Charlie?" Kelly giggled and rose up her hand, showing off a ring shining on her finger. Brendon felt an immense amount of joy for her. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you two. You were the cutest couple."

"Thanks. I was going to send you an invite to the wedding but after you left it was like you fell off the face of the Earth."

"Yeah, sorry. I had some things I was dealing with and I just needed to get away." Kelly nodded in understanding.

"Do you have time? We should go somewhere and catch up. I have a lot to catch you up on."

"I'm free for the day." Kelly grinned, grabbed Brendon's hand and started pulling him down the street.

~~~

"It feels weird to be back here," Brendon whispered in awe. He didn't expect Kelly to bring him back to the cafe. It looked the exact same as it did the day he left. There was an employee he didn't know behind the counter, helping out a customer. Brendon felt his heart clench when his eyes landed on the low stage. He wasn't even sure if it'd be considered a stage. It was only leveled a step higher than the rest of the floor.

"Is Beth still the manager?" Kelly scoffed with a smile.

"Is that even a question? That woman lives and breaths for this place. The rumors that she sleeps in the pantry still get passed down to the new employees." Brendon couldn't help to laugh. He loved his former manager. she was like an older sister to him, always giving him a hard time but having his back whenever he needed it.

"Hey Sam, can you give us two regulars," Kelly shouted when the employee, apparently named Sam, didn't have any customers. He gave thumbs up, getting the order ready. "How does it feel? Being back and everything." Brendon shrugged with a shaky laugh.

"Odd I guess. I spent most of my time here. I left so quickly, I never got a real chance to say goodbye." Kelly gave a sympathetic smile and placed a hand over his. Sam came by and gave them two mugs of coffee. "Who still works here?"

"Um, Beth obviously. Mary, but she's looking for a new job since she's about to graduate." Brendon listened as Kelly started sharing stories from after he abandoned them as Kelly so nicely put it. They reminisced over their time working together, laughing at how much trouble they used to get into.

"Hey B, do you remember that last open mic you did before leaving?" Brendon felt his throat constrict. How could he forget? He had just recovered from his surgery. A label rep was planning on officially signing him after he went up and played his heart out. When he started singing, his voice felt off. When he was ready to hit a high note, well not high when compared to his actual range, his voice cut off into nothing but air. He shrugged it off, apologized and tried again, discovering he lost the upper register of his voice.

The crowd erupted in not so subtle whispers. Brendon practically ran off the stage into the back room, clutching the neck of his guitar tightly. His coworkers rushed to his side, radiating concern. They showered him with questions enabling him to think clearly.

The crowding filled him with confusion and fear that he didn't want. There was hint of anger that he clung to desperately to fix everything. He let that feeling fill him causing his body to act on its own. For only a second, Brendon lost control, blacking out and allowing something else to handle the situation instead. The sound of a scream and shaky voices pulled him back.

Blinking a couple times, Brendon was able to focus on the splintered pieces of wood littering the floor. His heart stopped when his eyes landed on the destroyed body of his guitar, the neck hang on only by the now loose strings.

"Brendon?" Brendon shook his head, looking up at Kelly. "You okay?" He forced a smile and nodded. She didn't believe it but continued anyway. "Well the others and I, we felt bad about what happened that night. We wanted to do something to cheer you, but you didn't show up for a while and then Beth told us you quit." Brendon looked down at the table, feeling guilty. After that night, everything happened so fast, he barely remembered it.

"They still have your surprised here. Beth keeps it in her office just in case you came back." Brendon was startled when Kelly got up and pulled him to his feet. He didn't protest as he was led to the back where the office was at. When they got in, Brendon froze at the door, eyes glued to the black and blue dreadnought acoustic guitar hanging on the wall.

Kelly walked behind the desk and carefully unhooked the guitar, holding it gently as she went over to where Brendon stood. He wasn't able to formulate any words as he was handed the instrument.

"I know it's not as nice as your other one. We gathered what we could and tried to get something for you as soon as possible." Brendon shook his head, tears building in his eyes.

"No, no. This is," he cleared his throat, hoping it would also steady his voice. "This is great." He smiled at Kelly, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I wish I was able to thank you all then." Kelly shook her head, matching happy tears falling down her face also.

"We all knew how grateful you'd be, so don't worry too much about it." Brendon skimmed his fingers over the strings, smiling at the feeling of his uncallused fingers against the steel. It felt like something inside him that he'd lost came back to life.

"We didn't get a case or anything so careful taking it home." Brendon chuckled and nodded.

"Wait. I can't just take this. Beth will probably think someone stole it."

"Pfft, please. That woman guarded that thing with her life. Everyone knows that unless they have a death wish, you were the only one who could take it." Brendon blushed slightly at the statement. He should probably do something for her before he's...

"Crap, is that the time? Sorry, B. I gotta get home before Charlie or else I have to wash the dishes tonight." Brendon laughed and quickly said a goodbye as Kelly ran out the door.

He let out a sigh, hugging the guitar against his body. He took one last look at the office before leaving, this time taking a piece of his past proudly with him.

___

A/N:

Hey everyone! It's been a hot minute since I updated. Sorry about that. I was busy finishing up the semester. Good thing I don't have to deal with that until next semester now! 😁 Thanks to everyone who is still sticking with this story. I hope you're enjoying so far 🖤