"Owwww!" Ben howled, nearly dropping his guitar as he unconsciously put his hands to his ears to stop the high-pitched ringing.

"It's rock & roll, Ben! It's supposed to be loud!" Daniel yelled back, doing his best not to smirk. What he wouldn't tell Ben was that he did tamper with his monitor just a smidge. That'll learn him to get me to drink those shots. He gleamed a broad grin at Ben, nodding to Lee and Karl. "I think that should be good enough, and Placebo has to check in soon anyway."

"Placebo never bothers to get here before they have to," said Lee.

"They're probably just as hung over as we are," offered Karl.

"Ah, and whose fault is that?" said Daniel. "The three of you should have been in bed early to prepare for our show tonight."

"Since when did you swear off the evils of alcohol and become a health nut?" Ben grumbled, still slightly dizzy from the aftereffects of the high feedback.

Brian, Steve, and Stefan entered the theatre; Stefan and Steve clutching their heads as well.

"What's wrong with them?" asked Lee.

"Hangovers, both of them," said Brian. "I tried to tell them both to go to bed early and not drink so much."

"Great, I might as well go on tour with N'Sync, for all the lectures I'm getting," Ben huffed.

"Ah, how do you know that? I'll bet they're the worst partyers of all," Brian said, tossing his head back. Turning his attention to Daniel, he continued, "Hey mate, want to talk to you."

Puzzled, Daniel followed Brian. He wanted to ask if Brian had seen him peeking in on the intimacy, but was too afraid.

Brian held Daniel in his gaze. Indeed, it was seductive. No wonder Darren had fallen...

"It's a good thing you didn't take that bet," Brian began quietly. "You would have lost. Big time."

"How did you--"

"The secrets of a bisexual man. It was easy. Too easy. A few words, a look, an opportunity alone, he fell right into my trap." Brian flashed an evil-looking smile, his eyes sparkling. Daniel's mouth went dry. How much did Brian know; how much did he want to covet Darren?

Darren sat in his dressing room, looking in the mirror, making a steeple with his fingers. What the fuck did I do last night? And why did I do it? The answer was quite simple really: he was craving intimacy. Intimacy with someone new, someone who wasn't his estranged wife. A new body to explore, new feelings to acknowledge, new desires to surrender to.

Brian had held him close afterward, stroking his hair, kissing him, letting him taste the scent of tabacco laced with alcohol.

Just like Daniel.

Darren straightened himself in his chair. He still very much loved Colby, probably always would, but he had to face the cold truth, which was this: he no longer was in love with her. It wasn't anything personal against her; he didn't want to be in love with anyone.

But Daniel came close.

He thought again about Brian. Being in his arms, snuggling against his warm chest as the sun shined its first rays felt good, but it didn't feel right. It would only be right if he were truly in love with someone, and he refused to fall in love ever again; it just wasn't worth it.

But Daniel...

A sharp knock at the door slapped Darren out of his thoughts, forcing him to come back to reality. "Come in!" he yelled.

Nicole poked her head through the door. "Darren, Placebo's going on stage any minute now, and Anna and I were wondering if we should warm up yet."

"Wait a few minutes. I'll be right there." Nicole nodded, closing the door quietly. After she left, Darren looked at himself in the mirror again.

"Time to get ready," he said to himself. "In more ways than one."

"So you and Darren are an item now." It was said without malice, without any emotion, really.

"An item? Hell, no." Brian laughed. "Darren was just a shag, a good one too I might add."

"Then you used him."

"Used him? In what sense? To get my rocks off, maybe. Because he's gorgeous and I wanted him to suck my cock, most likely. But did you ever think of Darren's reasons?"

Daniel was attempting not to clench his fists. "What possibly could those be?"

Brian let another smile cross his face, this time a genuine one. "Darren loves you," he said softly. "Always has, I think. I don't know what ever went on between you two, if anything, but I could see the look in his eyes. Physically and sexually he wanted to be with me, but not in the pure love sense. He was with me for a shag as much as I was with him. He was shagging me, but making love to someone else."

"How the fuck could that possibly be?" Behind Daniel and Brian, Stefan was tuning his bass, plucking strings at random.

"It's not something that should boggle the mind, Daniel. He wanted me, but he really needs you. At least I think it's you he wants. Then again, if it's not you, why would you check for yourself, hmmm?"

"Hey, Brian!" Stefan shouted from the stage, "Let's get this over with!" He slapped out the chords to "Scared of Girls" as Steve joined in with his drums.

"My rhythm section needs me. I'll catch you later," Brian said, turning back to his band to join them, leaving Daniel bewildered and more confused than ever, unable to decide whether to be furious at Brian or grateful.