Not Everyone
“Mind the ‘X’, BC,” Daniel smirked as he walked by tuning his guitar. Ben glanced automatically down before scowling and hissing impatiently, “Shut up, you know it wasn’t me!” Daniel grinned evilly back at him, and once out of reach, proffered a taunting tongue.A dark cloud hovering overhead, Ben stomped on his guitar pedal whilst grumbling under his breath, “One drunken episode, and he never lets me forget...bastard!”
Just then Lee hobbled from the backstage area, a wire clenched between his teeth, a bass guitar in one hand, and his foot in the other.
Ben eyed him dubiously, pushing at the unruly dirty blond hair that was utterly unmanageable when it wasn’t leaden with hair products. “Is that going to be part of the act? I’m buying a plane ticket 10 minutes ago if it is.”
Lee rolled his dark, often impenetrable, eyes and gritted through the hard plastic in his mouth, “Barrem drott a guithar cathe om my hoot...bathard.” Ben gave him a startled look, prompting Lee to release the wire from his mouth and set down the bass to properly massage his wounded foot. “What?”
“I’m not sure what’s more tragic...that both of our employers are bastards and yet prefer each other’s company as much as camels prefer snow...or that I understood everything you said.”
“Mm. Yeah.” Lee proceeded to set up his gear and ignore everyone. This time Ben rolled his eyes. Lee never seemed to comprehend that conversations shouldn’t just end with a noncommittal “yeah”.
Abruptly, Lee pinned Ben with a thoughtful look and offered in an offhanded way, “They should just shag and get it over with.”
Ben choked on air, his eyes flashing green, “What?” But Lee was already wandering towards the sound techs, unmindful of the verbal bomb he’d let drop. Ben shook his head, watching after his band mate in partial awe and partial disbelief. And people thought drummers were crazy!
Just then he spotted Darren sauntering out from behind a curtain. Unfortunately, the lead singer simultaneously spotted him.
“Shit!” Unplugging and dropping his guitar into a startled tech’s hands, Ben managed to jump down to the audience level and escape to the bus before Darren had even managed to call his name (thank God for outdoor venues). Stupidly though, he stayed on the bus, and a few minutes later, the door slammed open and shut, announcing the arrival of one Diva Hayes.
~*~*~*~*~*~ Ben attempted to play dead in his bunk, but reluctantly opened one eye to greet Darren, who stood in his classically exasperated stance of arms crossed and sculpted right eyebrow raised. “Um...?”
“Come on, you can’t keep running and hiding from me all the time!” Oh, here it came. The Whine. “People are going to start to suspect things.”
“For fuck’s sake...” Ben stifled to urge to smother the pushy singer with a pillow and instead stood up and pushed past him. Prowling like a large predatory cat, he made sure none of the windows were open on the bus, just in case, before turning on Darren. “All they’re going to suspect is that I hate you. Which might be true, you know, especially since you saw fit to tell Daniel!”
“I didn’t tell him, he saw us in the lounge and...” Darren gave him a blue-eyed look filled with guilt, chewing endearingly on his bottom lip...shit, endearingly?! How can a man his age be so fucking adorable! Nauseatingly so, Ben made sure to add. Darren wasn’t all that attractive when one wasn’t drunk on 8 shots and an entire martini list.
Ben groaned at his own stupidity and slumped down on the couch. “It was just a stupid Drunk Thing. The only way people will find out or make a big deal is if you start mothering me like you do with all your...whatevers. It wasn’t anything; I was just...lonely and drunk. And really stupid. Did I mention I was stupid?”
“Everything can’t just be a Drunk Thing! You have to deal with your feelings, Ben... blahblahblah... moremothering... blahblahwhine...”
Ben stared in fascination as Darren’s mouth continued to move and his expression twisted in that ever so earnest way. Ben’s eyes then started to glaze over. Suddenly, his brain picked up on a question, mostly because Darren’s questions always ended on a disturbingly high pitch.
“—have you even told Lee what happened?” The dark cloud returned immediately. Ben glared sullenly at Darren, who glanced quickly at the bus door to make sure he had sufficient room to escape.
“I don’t know what you think you know about Lee and me, but you really don’t know anything so it’s best to let it go. And if I ever suspect that you even think you know things again...I won’t be nearly as nice about it. Lee doesn’t need to know anything.”
Darren’s eyes widened, all pretty and blue and annoying. His voice squeaked, and his expression was comically horrified, “Oh my gawd. He doesn’t even know you’re in love with him!”
There was silence but Darren flinched like a little girl and pouted anyway. Oh no. The Pout. Ben avoided looking directly at it for fear it would weaken his resolve and grumbled, “You don’t know shit. Just because you fucked around with me out of some psychotic attempt to make Daniel jealous, doesn’t mean I’d do something that lame. Besides, when you’re drunk, blond hair is easy to substitute.”
His tone brooked no further discussion and his usual mule-ish threat. Darren rolled his eyes huffily and made a production of leaving. But just as he was about to step off, he shot back in a snide tone, “Dark hair is even easier!”
He was gone before Ben could retaliate. But no one could mistake the subsequent violent slamming of the bus door to be anything but the sound of Ben’s temper. Thankfully, everyone kept a wide berth before the show.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Savage Garden’s tour hadn’t always been as soap opera-ish, but lately there was scandal and rumour galore. Rumour had it that Ben hated Darren. Rumour had it that Darren went out of his way to push Ben around, like taping two ‘X’es on the floor of the stage for Ben and Lee to conveniently stand on...or rather ‘X’es that they weren’t allowed to leave. Lee often got lumped in unfortunately, since Ben and Lee were such good friends. Leonie hated Ben; it wasn’t really a rumour anymore. Daniel seemed to find amusement in all of it, but lately, the scandal factor had weighed in.
The scandal itself wasn’t that well known, save to the people intimately aware of the band’s workings. That was the way of scandals in the band. For instance, while everyone in the crew knew that Darren was bisexual but leaning heavily towards men, not everyone knew that Ben was very very minorly bisexual and just leaning extremely heavily towards women. Actually Ben wasn’t really bisexual, he just had a thing for Lee. But he wasn’t in love with him!
Just the same, everyone knew that Lee was the ultimate “playa” to the point where his girlfriend of 5 years had finally broken up with him. But, not everyone knew that Ben was insanely and stupidly …little-girl-crushing on him just the same. And while everyone knew that Darren was in love with Daniel, not everyone knew that he and Ben had drowned their mutual sorrows of unrequited love one night and stupidly made out with each other.
It was odd every night before and during the concert, because Ben swore if someone were watching, all the scandals were really rather apparent. Darren would send doe-eyes towards Daniel, who would obliviously miss them. Darren would then glare at Ben, because if he didn’t glare, he would be all sweet and obvious, and Ben would be forced to kick his ass. For good measure, Darren would also glare at Lee who in turn would often, from his sheer penchant for evil, tiptoe off his ‘X’ just to see if Darren would react.
Sometimes when Darren was inadvertently nice to Ben, from adrenalin or whatnot, Daniel would catch Ben’s eye and offer an evil smile. Ben took solace in Lee’s stoic form; the two of them played at cat and mouse, pushing each other’s personal space, daring one another to break form and abandon the ‘X’. Lee might seem subtle and apathetic to most people, but Ben knew he had a sense of mischief and charm all his own. And a full body tan that Ben had more than once contemplated following with his tongue.
Shows were fun. But they were even more fun when Ben managed to render himself hard with thoughts of muted tanned skin, dark smouldering eyes, and a voice so deep that it knew the resonance factor of Ben’s cock. And nothing beat shows where Darren, of all morons, somehow noticed Ben’s physical state and proceeded to throw all caution to the wind and flirt with his guitar.
Scowling even more, Ben only felt some measure of satisfaction when he noticed that Daniel wasn’t presenting his usual smirk, but was instead frowning. And Ben was entirely relieved when he caught Lee’s raised brows and puzzled nod. Faking exasperated amusement, Ben shrugged as if he couldn’t possibly know, understand or predict Darren’s behaviour. Which in fact was 2/3rd of the truth.
But that was the heart of it really, Ben considered as he stuck his tongue out teasingly at his band mate. Lee didn’t know anything that was going on. And while Daniel knew about the incident, he was completely unaware of Darren’s feelings (a fact that had everyone in the crew agreeing that Daniel was utterly daft and had dyed his hair one too many times). Ben preferred being in control of who knew what in his sphere of reference. He grinned as Lee leaned in close enough that his protruding tongue nearly touched Ben’s lips.
~*~*~*~*~*~ After the show, everyone and their mother saw Lee wave down the tall willowy blonde girl near the front of the audience and have a guard sneak her backstage. Ignoring Darren’s sympathetic look, Ben stalked off backstage hoping the singer would take the hint. Unfortunately, he didn’t.
“Go away.” The door slammed in Darren’s face, but unfortunately the trailer doors didn’t have locks. Cheap venues, Ben snarled in disgust and flopped down on the couch, attempting to ignore Darren.
“You should tell him! Ben, are you listening? You should, come on, you’ll feel better! Tell him tell him tell him tell him...tell him...” Ben squinted at Darren who had seemingly turned into a parrot with his head intact. Damn. How did he not flop right over onto the ground from the weight of his head? Ben frowned and considered that maybe he should drink more water during these outdoor shows, the heat must be getting to him.
Darren finally recognized the ‘leave me alone, I’m thinking up ways to get Daniel back’ face (which was actually a mistaken recognition, but easily forgiven since that face was quite similar to the ‘if you don’t piss off, Darren, I’m going to put vinegar in your herbal tea tomorrow night’) and left, but not before a plethora of clucking and head-shaking.
Ben caught his reflection in a vanity mirror, and deliberately messed up his hair. “I am the God of Rock, how dare he resist me! And for a woman!” He stood up and decided to gain his revenge by switching Lee and Daniel’s clothing from their suitcases. Just as he was about to exit the trailer, Ben was blocked by the shadowy form of Daniel.
“Um.” Ben tugged on the bottom of his taut singlet nervously. “Alright, mate?”
Daniel saw through the innocence immediately, green eyes narrowed, “Don’t even think about whatever you’re thinking about.” Ben rolled his eyes, and muttered sarcastically, “Fine then I won’t jump Darren’s bones to spite you.” Daniel’s face became stony and he simply walked away.
Ben stared after him for a good few minutes then shook his head and looked skyward. “This band is fucked up, God. Will you break it up already?” (Much later, he would acknowledge the sky with scared eyes and mumble that he hadn’t meant it seriously!) “But seriously, how is it that Daniel’s such an idiot and making 10,000 times what I’m making? He’s lucky that Darren just might wait forever for him.”
“Why are you talking to God in front of the costume trailer?” Ben glanced back in the direction Daniel had gone and saw Lee leaning casually against the side of said trailer, eyeing him enigmatically. Ben wanted to drag him into the trailer and shag him in the swivelling makeup chair.
Instead he inquired politely, “Where’s your girlie friend?” Lee pushed off the metal siding, and meandered in the direction of the tour bus, shrugging in the process, “Somewhere. I got bored.”
Ben couldn’t help a snicker, nudging Lee in the shoulder, “Only you would get bored with groupies that hot.”
He fell into stride beside Lee, and in doing so just barely caught the sharp look Lee gave him. “You think she’s hot, why weren’t you picking her up then?”
Ben then responded with the most intelligent response he could have come up with: “Dunno. Didn’t feel like it.” A cartoon wolf should drop an anvil on his head, the blond Australian decided firmly.
Lee was quiet. Ben took the opportunity to peel off his singlet and tie it around his head like a dew rag. The gravel crunching under their feet started sounding almost rhythmic when suddenly Lee decided, “I bet you were too busy wishing you could pick me up.”
Ben’s head nearly snapped right off (yes, both of them, shut up and stop giggling). He retorted, “I could pick you up any day!” Then he noticed that Lee was laughing with his eyes, something only someone who’d known Lee forever would be able to detect. Ben relaxed and grinned easily. “You just wish you had my style!”
Lee gave Ben a proper noogie, mussing the makeshift dew rag off his head, all the while making scoffing noises. “I could pick you up so fast, you wouldn’t even know what was happening until it was too late!” Ben struggled free and used the singlet to towel-whip Lee on the arse with a loud deliberate ‘Hah!’ He then proceeded to flee at a full run as his band mate chased him across the parking lot, threatening him with all sorts of pain.
~*~*~*~*~*~ They ran around the tour bus a few times, much to the amusement of the crew milling about (and much to the annoyance of Leonie, Angi and Celeste). Darren and Daniel (Darren in particular) were thankfully AWOL. Ben lost a sandal but continued to hobble on bravely, even when Lee hurled it towards his backside. They were both laughing uproariously and taunting each other, their humour clearly being shared less and less by their audience. It didn’t help that they saw Leonie’s pinched expression every time they passed by the front of the tour bus. Apparently the other tour bus hadn’t arrived yet.
Finally, gasping from adrenalin and the exertion, Ben raised his hands up in defeat and leaned against the molten tour bus unthinkingly. He flinched away and in his distraction was completely unprepared for an aggressive Lee that promptly heaved his body up and over one shoulder, calling out gleefully, “See?! I can pick you up and some!” Ben squirmed and fought, shouting random threats, “Fucking hell, put me down! I’ll kill you, I swear!”
“Oh that’s a reason to put you down!” Lee laughed, the deep vibration stilling Ben’s movements momentarily with its sheer delicious timbre. Just then Karl appeared from nowhere in a puff of smoke, or rather the disgusting exhaust from the second band tour bus. Lee grinned at his expression of fascinated curiosity mixed with dry exasperation.
“You’re a Godsend, Karl. Whenever you show up, you always seem to herald the disappearance of the Bitch.” Ben choked on his laugh, when he saw that the girl’s tour bus had its windows open; dear Leonie was sure to have heard that one! Lee responded by swatting Ben’s backside, inciting an outraged roar. Unseen by Ben, Karl just blinked distractedly.
Suddenly Ben stilled. Lee immediately tensed, waiting for his next move. But Ben just queried, calmly, “Karl? Can you do me a favour and hand me a drumstick?” Karl blinked again and pulled one from its home in his back pocket then he reached slightly and handed it affably to Ben. The guitarist immediately began pelting Lee’s derriere, which was lusciously presented to him at this angle, with it. Lee spun around, shouting, ridiculously attempting to stop Ben from swatting him without actually setting the bleached blond down.
“Enough! Put him down already, Lee!” A voice cut into the racket, its signature annoyed pitch elevation making everyone in the near vicinity wince. Darren glared at both of them from just by the steps of his own bus. Ben smirked, ah the Diva was in a mood, and Lee was feeling playful which could only mean one thing. For once it wouldn’t be him in the doghouse!
But his private glee turned to surprised alarm when Lee abruptly set him down. For a moment, Lee just looked at Darren, his expression strangely shuttered. Then he leaned down and picked up Ben’s sandal and the singlet, which had fallen from the lead guitarist’s hands in the skirmish. He handed them wordlessly to Ben and simply climbed the steps to their bus and disappeared.
Ben stared blankly at his belongings, then back at the empty bus entrance. Then he looked from the mildly interested girls to Darren, who to his credit had a startled look on his face, and then to Daniel, who was just exiting the hotel. Daniel helped Karl push the final black case (holding his portable recording studio equipment) out of the lobby and then jogged over. With a knowing wink at Ben, he took the bus steps in one leap.
Ben wasn’t the most perceptive guy in the world; he admitted it freely. But something was up. And from the guilty look that flitted across Darren’s face before he quickly got on his own bus, it wasn’t good. With a frown, he slowly boarded his bus, and promised himself he’d find out what was going on.
~*~*~*~*~*~ When he did manage to confront Darren later, Ben realized ruefully that he needed to work on the art of subtle investigation. The meeting essentially began tense and ended with Ben back in the doghouse yet again, despite all his previous efforts to stay out of it. Basically, at the first pit stop, Ben cornered Darren in the toy aisle of a Walmart.
The first words out of his mouth were: “What the fuck did you say to Lee?”
Darren, again to his credit, gave a really genuine-looking rendition of innocent surprise. “What do you mean? About what? I haven’t even spoken to Lee since the last venue.”
But Ben was surly and having none of it, particularly since for the previous 4 hours travel-time Lee had been uncharacteristically quiet and contemplative. “You said something, and worse Daniel knows something and you looked guilty!”
Darren’s eyes flashed and he retorted agitatedly, his eyes flitting up and down the toy aisle, “I think you’re on something. What would I say to Lee?”
“Hah! But you don’t deny saying something to Daniel!” Ben pointed out triumphantly, holding up an *Nsync doll as if it were proof.
Darren stared at the doll, then at the one he was holding himself. “Do you think the JC one is cuter than the Justin one?” Ben stopped on the verge of a tirade, and glanced between the dolls, “Nah, the Justin one’s more accurat—hey! I was accusing you of shit! Don’t change the subject! What did you say to Daniel?”
Darren sighed long-sufferingly and set the JC doll down with a flourish. Raising his arms in a dramatic pose of surrender, he bitched, “Fine! He asked me out of the blue why I messed around with you. I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I just said it was because you were hot and we were both drunk...stop looking like that, it’s not a fucking compliment!”
Ben bit his lip to destroy the smirk, and then waved Justin Timberlake impatiently, “And? What did he say?”
Darren shrugged, and absentmindedly took the doll from Ben, staring at it as if it held life’s secrets. “He was a clueless little shit, big surprise. He was all uptight, warning me it was just gonna mess up the band blahblahblah.”
Ben started then realized that he hadn’t zoned out and so that was what Darren saying “blahblahblah” really sounded like.
“Anyway, he even pointed out that you were probably just fucking with me, using me as a substitute, because you were so into Lee. He was right, but shit what a thing to say! He was a total condescending asshole.”
Which explained why Darren had been in such a nasty mood. His poor ego. Ben snickered. Unfortunately, Darren heard and fumed for a second, before his expression abruptly changed to nastily gleeful, “Laugh now, but from the looks of things, Lee suspects you’re not just his innocent best mate.”
That wiped the smile off Ben’s face. He sucked in a breath when he saw a curious clerk eye them as she passed the aisle, then hissed at Darren, “What did you say to him?”
Darren’s short attention span was nearing an end, as was obvious by his eyeing of the dartboards. “Do you suppose darts would puncture him?” He held a set of darts in one hand and Ken Timberlake in the other. He jumped when Ben roared, “Darren!” and whined, “What?! I didn’t say anything to Lee!”
Ben saw red, and he grabbed Darren’s arm in a vice, growling, “You’re a fucking liar, what did you say!” Bad move, Ben’s little strangled voice of reason offered as Darren stilled and his cheeks first went ashen and then flush with rage. If there was one thing Darren hated beyond anything, it was being called a liar.
Ben was pinned with icy blue eyes, and he heard a low guttural voice that made him immediately release Darren’s arm out of apprehension, “Let the fuck go.” He felt the urge to look around to see who’d said it, when it sounded again, “You’re so fired. Get the hell back to the bus, that was your last fucking chance.” And Ben backed away rather rapidly when he realized it was Darren speaking, the veins on his neck bulging, and poor Justin Timberlake’s head on the verge of popping off.
As he hightailed it outside, Ben paused outside and leaned on the wall. Oh he’d done it now. Though it wasn’t unheard of for Ben to get fired biweekly if not daily, this was beyond the doghouse. After 5 minutes of convincing himself that Savage couldn’t really afford to hire a new guitarist now, Ben finally took off for the bus. He nearly ran headlong into Daniel who was leaving the bus to see what was taking so long.
The other guitarist just glared at him after glancing at Darren who was just now exiting the store. He read Darren’s demeanour easily and muttered at Ben as he strode by, “Moron. See if I spend days trying to convince him to let you stay. Not this time. He deserves better than you anyway.”
Ben rolled his eyes and hopped up onto the bus, shouting over his shoulder, “You’re an idiot!” Because let’s face it, Daniel was, if he seriously thought Darren was panting after Ben. Not that he wasn’t hot, Ben acknowledged with a confident smirk, but Darren was obviously Daniel-whipped, like a pathetic little puppy.
Suddenly Lee emerged from the bunks area and flopped down next to Ben on the couch. Ben’s eyes would have bulged with cartoon hearts if they had lived in the cartoon world. Lee grabbed the latest GQ issue from the stack and queried offhand, “What was that about? Darren ‘deserves better than you’?”
Ben nearly choked on his salivating tongue, but coughed to cover up his shock and then evasively mentioned something about being in trouble again and Darren deserving a better guitarist. Which was bullshit because he was the best, Ben hastily added, taking cover in his bravado. Despite his nerves and the chaotic situation, Ben was just glad to have Lee talking again.
~*~*~*~*~*~ Ben was almost efficiently grounded for a few days; no one wanted to hang out with him because of Darren’s perpetual rage. That was fine with him; he didn’t feel like going out or partying much. Lee on the other hand was out every night and he always returned to their hotel suite smelling like women’s perfume. To his credit, he never smelt of anything more base than that.
Ben begrudgingly acknowledged that it was because Lee was just too classy for that. A couple of times, he’d snuck out to check out the clubs the band was hitting, and Lee had always been neck deep in girls. Depressed, lonely, and feeling somewhat unsavoury from his stalker-ish behaviour, Ben had taken to hitting the hotel bars, getting buzzed and then watching action flicks in his hotel room.
It was strange though; despite spending all that time clubbing and with all those women, Lee would always be back to the hotel pretty early. The two of them would chill in the hotel room for a while, shooting the breeze and playing cards. Ben figured it was probably because Lee felt sorry for him, and he was being a nice friend. Normally that revelation would have depressed him more, but he just appreciated it more than anything else.
Sometimes, he even felt like it was bringing Lee and him closer. Granted they’d known each other for years, but they hadn’t really gotten that deeply into other’s heads. Lee was usually really closed up about everything, and despite his outrageous and fun-loving nature, Ben was surprisingly private. He hadn’t thought Lee had noticed until one night when they’d both been playing “Shot Poker” where the loser had to do shots.
Lee had abruptly asked him if Ben considered them close mates, close enough to talk about anything. Surprised at the question and drunk enough to answer honestly, Ben had reassured him that Lee was the closest friend he had. Lee’s eyes had been expressionless, and he’d been quiet before letting Ben know that he could talk to him about anything. Ben had nodded, puzzled but not brave enough to ask, and the moment had passed.
On the other front, Daniel had eventually given in and reasoned with Darren about firing Ben. Still there was an uneasy truce between Darren and Ben, mostly because Darren could hold a grudge until the end of time even despite Ben’s sullen apology. Ben was beginning to resent Darren’s diva-esque temper tantrums, because he was mentally out of his own little funk and wanted to return to his partying lifestyle. However band and crew alike still kept a distance from him.
Eventually one night, Ben finally managed to get in on a huge party being held in Daniel’s suite. Mostly because Darren wasn’t around. Everyone was well and plastered before midnight even, to celebrate the birthdays of a couple crew members. Ben ditched the blonde that was entangled erotically with his torso and weaved through the crowd. He tried to ignore the identities of individuals indulging in erratic dancing and disturbing poker games that resulted in piles of clothing and flashes of skin he rather wished he wouldn’t remember in the morning. He made it out onto the balcony of the impressive suite and, with a deep gulp of air to steady his dizzy head, he leaned against the railing heavily.
“Where’s your girlie friend, then?” A voice husked with a relaxed murmur into his ear, and Ben suddenly felt a hard masculine frame press against his back. Muscled biceps flexed into his shoulders as arms embraced him and simultaneously requested support of him. Ben caught Lee’s dark hair from the corner of his eye just before the bassist laid his head on Ben’s shoulder.
“Somewhere. I got bored.” Ben retorted with a rumbling noise of enjoyment at Lee’s sudden affinity for stroking his soft cyber blond spikes. Lee laughed soundlessly into Ben’s neck, sending shivers through the guitarist he could only hope his band mate didn’t notice.
Just then there was a commotion of laughter on the other end of the balcony, and when Ben and Lee both glanced over, they were greeted with the sight of Daniel attempting to light what looked like a Chinese firecracker. Attempting to, because he was laughing so hard from sheer glee and drunkenness he couldn’t light it properly. When he nearly fell over, his partner in crime The Accountant (stodgy though he was in normal daylight, in the drunken underworld he was the king of Bad Ideas) grabbed the lighter with an impatient noise and made to light it himself.
~*~*~*~*~*~ Apparently, as they’d find out later, someone had brought their excess stash of 4th of July fireworks to the party. Ben and Lee exchanged identical looks of bemused dawning horror, and then scrambled to make their way over to stop them. But it was too late. The first firecracker flew gracefully into the air and collapsed in the sky with a bright and thunderous mixture of sound and colour that left all 4 men on the balcony reeling. They could hear commotion inside the suite as well as from down below in the street.
Daniel collapsed to the floor of the balcony from awe and sheer hilarity. Ben rolled his eyes and attempted to help him up when The Accountant managed to light another firecracker, despite Lee’s binding arms. This one unfortunately did not go straight up as intended...instead it flew straight forward off the balcony and collided magnificently with the side of the hotel across the street. Fire alarms went off in both hotels, as well as a third one down the street. Daniel froze with alarm and exchanged a rueful look with Ben.
Lee glared at Karl who had apparently been standing in the shadows up and had decided just now to emerge and help Lee subdue the surprisingly strong instigator of this evening’s madness. The five of them froze when they heard the menacing screaming of fire engines sounding somewhere in the city.
“Shit!” was the only reaction, and it was from a disbelieving Ben. Everyone was thinking the same thing, though. Darren was off somewhere, completely sober. Which meant that Darren was off somewhere and was about to be extremely pissed off!
Everyone looked at Daniel, who gulped with a fearful expression. Ben knew that look. It was the 'Aww shit, I'm gonna run home to mommy' look. And then firmed Daniel expression with determination. “Tour buses.” It wasn’t so much a suggestion as it was an order, and everyone immediately scrambled to get through the milling crowd, who had by now realized the fireworks were coming from their suite and were trying to see where they were, or if more were forthcoming.
The group split into three and two as they dashed for separate elevators. Ben couldn’t look at Lee at this point without rendering himself hard, and so he stared stonily at Daniel the entire 18 floors down. Which got him to thinking that even though Ben knew it was a Good Idea to run it didn't stop him from realizing that Dan was, well, a pussy. Not that it was uncommon; he was one all the time when it came to Darren.
When he heard Lee snickering, Ben contemplated how best to kill himself in a moving elevator, because it only meant that his moronic brain had chosen to voice that particular opinion out loud. Slowly meeting Dan’s extremely annoyed gaze...well rather enraged really, Ben smiled weakly and opened his mouth to apologize but was cut off.
You see, it’s one thing to be in Darren’s doghouse; he really was all bark and no bite. But Daniel on the other hand...he was never one to play around. He didn’t hold grudges but that’s because he believed in swift and overzealous revenge. And with Lee in the elevator with them, Ben should have realized what was coming.
To be fair to Ben, he did realize it, but it still didn’t help him to prepare for it.
“As much a pussy as you are, when it comes to Lee?” Daniel queried sweetly, leaning against the elevator wall with deceptive casualness. When Ben’s eyes just widened, the disbelief still outweighing the fury and embarrassed shame that was soon to follow, Daniel just laughed softly. “Pfft, come on, did you think everyone didn’t know? Why else would you snog Darren? He knows you were just using him in place of Lee, you know. Darren may be many things but he’s not stupid.”
Ben paled and stared sharply at the floor. He felt Lee’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t say anything, and just then he didn’t have to as the elevator door swished open. He darted out and took off at a full run for the front lobby doors, and the buses parked out front in the lot. Luckily, their tour bus was parked first and Karl and The Accountant had already managed to pry the doors open. Ben leaped up the stairs, and in a flurry of motion was buried under the covers of his bunk at the far end of the bus. He groped in the darkness and clicked on the small reading light that was in his bunk, just from sheer habit.
There was some hushed whispering, and then the sounds of two more fugitives as they too escaped onto the bus. The sirens outside were getting louder, and they could hear irate and sleepy people actually coming outside due to the fire alarm. A thud sounded the swift concealment of one of the two entities. The other padded along the bus silently and hesitated right in front of Ben’s bunk. At the pause, there was a hiss from, Ben assumed, Daniel and suddenly Ben found himself sharing the tight confines of his bunk with Lee.
Ben sucked in his breath and gave Lee a wide stark look. Lee blithely ignored him, his own eyes calm and yet intense in their impassive state. The bassist squirmed slightly and made himself comfortable as Ben’s new blanket, using the comforter to conceal them both. Their faces barely an inch from one another, their mouths sharing the same air, their bodies pressed so intimately and so familiarly that it felt so right to just shift one knee between Lee’s legs and...Ben froze in his mid-movement and bit his lip.
~*~*~*~*~*~ Then the defiance, his main defence against fear and being off-balance, kicked in. “Lee, what the fuck are you doing?”
Lee gave him a really hot, strangely hooded look, then his eyes shuttered and the air chilled audibly. His voice was muted and cool, “I am so offended right now.”
Ben blinked, expecting many things, but not that. “What?” There was general shushing from the other bunks and Ben reverted to a whisper. “Why?”
Lee glanced away then slowly returned with a deeply hurt, offended look. His voice was almost timid in its softness, “You think Darren and I look alike?!” Ben blinked again, the moment rendered comical. Unsure whether he was serious, since Lee was not smiling and that made him a thousand times more difficult to discern, Ben instead stared at Lee’s mouth from sheer lack of anything else to do. Just then, they both realized that the sirens had ceased, and in the hush the banshee sound of Darren’s screech made them both tense.
Thankfully, the name he screeched was “Daniel!” At which point, Daniel could be heard swearing profusely, then kicking The Accountant (who was snickering) on his way to his own execution. Ben’s eyes, which remained glued to Lee’s lips, noted immediately the small smile that hovered about them and took it as a positive sign. Ben started laughing at the hilarity of the whole situation, and felt relieved when Lee grinned in response. Then Ben choked as Lee swiftly and gracefully took advantage of his pliant form and stripped him off his singlet.
Mussed, shirtless and exposed to the open air for a moment, Ben felt utterly disoriented. When the light in his bunk was suddenly clicked off, he could only see the glint of Lee’s eyes for a moment before the comforter came up again and drown them both in darkness. It was at this point that it seemed they both reverted to the language of the Stereotypical Male. Or rather Ben did, and Lee gamely played along.
Ben stuttered, “D-do you think we’ll get in shit about the fireworks?” Translation: “What the fuck are you doing? And when did this happen?”
Lee breathed in the scent of Ben’s chest and risked a slick introduction of his tongue to Ben’s smooth torso. He rumbled, content as a cat, “Probably nothing. There wasn’t any damage.” Translation: “Mh...licking you? And just now?”
Ben’s muscles clenched and quivered with the effort of remaining still as Lee traced his tongue up the guitarist’s jaw. Suddenly a hot breath clung to his lips and Ben almost squeaked, “But all the fire alarms were going, and I’m sure Daniel’s having to explain. What if we have to make statements and go to the station, Darren’s going to flip—”
Translation: “We can’t just, we should...talk about this—”
“And I’m sure Darren’s the one calming things down. He’s the one that’s good at bullshitting and evading. But don’t worry, Ben, Daniel will get the brunt of it later.” Lee’s mouth inhaled the air from Ben’s in the longest kiss, his tongue infusing the nerves in the blond’s mouth with heat and the invitation of desire. Ben couldn’t help it, his body bowed upwards and his leg finally accepted its place between Lee’s legs.
Translation: “For fuck’s sake, Ben, stop channelling Darren and let me fuck you.”
Ben broke the kiss with a gasp, and a low growl vibrated through him when he felt the rigid heat of Lee’s arousal. “But I...I...”
“Yeah...feeling’s mutual...wanker.” Lee murmured this with a thread of amusement directly into Ben’s ear.
“I mean I really...” Ben felt slightly lost and the defence mechanisms clamoured to rise up against the onslaught. His Rock God persona in particular declared that he shove Lee (who was clearly fucking with him) right out of the bunk and slink off to find a nice safe girl to fuck. All inclinations dissipated at Lee’s next words.
“You think it’s normal for a perfectly healthy straight Aussie male to come back to the hotel at midnight sharp every night for a week just to play cards with his mate? When he’s had 2 girls on his arm and offers left and right?” Lee nipped his earlobe playfully.
“Um.”
“Yeah I didn’t think so.”
“But...now...?”
“Actually you can thank Daniel for that.” Each word was emphasized with what was sure to be a love bite in the morning. “I’m sure he was just miffed that you and Darren...well...basically he told me if I didn’t confess my undying love to you already, he was going to fire the both of us.”
“Um, nothing…nothing happened. In case you were…but that was really...uh...thanks for saving our jobs.” Ben tentatively slid a hand under Lee’s shirt, and he grinned, regaining his roguish confidence when he felt Lee stiffen.
“That...” Lee gasped when Ben’s fingers brushed a nipple, “That all you have to say? I’m indirectly confessing my undying love and you only care about your job?”
Ben had plenty to say, but he figured actions were more appropriate than words at this point. Less translation needed.
~*~*~*~*~*~ In the morning, when they emerged, they received various renditions of the night’s events. Darren had in fact dealt with the police officers, assuring them that they would be gone within the next day and offering modest sums to repay all the distress. Daniel had, as Lee had predicted, been subsequently dragged into Darren’s suite (whereupon the backing vocalists and even Leonie had been kicked out) and no one had seen either until morning.
The main tidbit of news however was that Daniel had managed to convince Darren the whole mess was all Ben’s fault. Ben was unsurprised, and yet startled that Daniel had apparently played Darren to a T. Just the same, a dark cloud of impending revenge hung over Ben as Darren chewed him out even as he’d barely left the tour bus. Ben’s only saving grace was the warm, comforting hand at the small of his back and the knowledge that thought silent and non-confrontational, Lee could be lethal if pushed to be.
Relieved when Darren finally ceased his mega-decibel “blah”s, Ben made to return to the hotel lobby when he saw Daniel exit the other tour bus. Darren’s expression lit up with shameless adoration, making Ben feel apprehensive about his own expressions around Lee. Distracted as he was, he nearly missed the evil mischievous look he received from Daniel. Remembering his own scapegoat status and his subsequent return to the doghouse, Ben snarled in fury.
But promptly felt all rage dissipate when Lee kissed him on the nape of his neck in an attempt to cheer him up. Karl appeared forthwith, distractedly staring over his shoulder at Darren and Daniel, and abruptly (though mildly) questioned, “Are they fucking? Because I swe—wait.” At this point, he’d turned to see their hovering forms and had apparently read them immediately. “Are you guys fucking?”
When neither Ben nor Lee felt the need to reply, particularly since Ben turned and solidly pressed his lips against Lee’s in an almost desperate display of exhibitionism, Karl mentally threw up his hands in surrender and wandered away, muttering, “Damn, this is the gayest tour I’ve ever been on.”
Just then Ben realized what Karl had said and pulled away to reiterate in disbelief, “Wait, Darren and Daniel?” He twisted his neck to catch a glimpse of Savage Garden interacting amiably with one another by the other bus. Nothing out of the ordinary; no excess touching or obvious gestures. And then he noticed the mutually intense gazes they interchanged; the slight flush to Darren’s pale skin; the hooded promise in Daniel’s eyes. No they weren’t fucking…but they would be, and soon.
“Ugh, who’s the moron that clued Daniel in,” Ben grumbled, though truthfully he was happy for his mates. Still, it only meant more trouble for him. “I might as well be the perpetual Dog of this doghouse establishment; Daniel will never let me not take the rap.”
Lee suddenly mumbled about having left something on the bus, and quickly made for the entrance. Ben contemplated the soon-to-be couple for a moment longer before calmly taking off at a full run, ripe for revenge, after his new lover. Lee should have known better; not everyone knew that he was perpetually aware of all his belongings and immaculately never forgot a thing. But then Ben wasn’t everyone.
~*~ The End ~*~