My Sweet Prince

Daniel watched Brian with mild curiosity as the singer sat holding a spoon over a candle. When Brian noticed, he grinned wryly at Daniel.
“Yeah, I know I look a little odd but hey, it gets the job done.” he said, keeping watch on the spoon. After a little, he pulled the spoon away from the flame and looked at it with satisfaction.
“Make yourself comfortable, it’s almost showtime.” Brian said smilingly, getting the milky liquid from the spoon into the syringe. Daniel dampened down his fears and sat quietly as Brian tied a rubber hose tightly onto his upper arm. The singer squeezed his other arm in reassurance, seeing how Daniel was trying to hide his fear of the needle.
It’s sad how he feels he must always be hiding his emotions. Brian thought as he took hold of Daniel’s arm, looking for a vein.
“Are you ready?” Brian asked, lightly slapping Daniel’s arm. The guitarist nodded hurriedly, looking away. Brian gently slid the syringe into the waiting vein. Daniel winced slightly as the needle pierced his skin, otherwise his face was still somewhat blank. Brian slowly pushed the plunger, watching the needle’s contents disappear into Daniel’s arm, then took off the rubber hose.
Brian grinned as he saw Daniel’s body gradually relaxing under the drug’s influence, his face losing that sad, haunted look. The singer was much cheered by the half-smile that replaced it.
Brian turned his attention to the duffel bag for a moment and felt around inside, but was met with surprising emptiness.
“Damn! You got the last of my stash Dan,” Brian laughed. A hilarious look of concern crossed Daniel’s face.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have used it.” he said in an overtly contrite voice, the drugs making him a little simple. Brian grinned and fought the urge to giggle.
“No, it’s ok, I’m alright, watching you enjoy yourself is all the fun I need.” Besides, Brian had given himself a little treat earlier and was still a little gone.
The singer chuckled as Daniel’s look of concern melted into a glowing smile, like snow in July.
“You are so good to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” he said sincerely, trying to reach out and give the singer a kiss, but he ended up falling into Brian’s lap. Laughter bubbled out of Brian and he tousled Daniel’s spiky hair. He failed to notice that Daniel’s eyes were beginning to glaze over a little.
“Tell me you love me.” he crooned down at Daniel.
“I love you.” Daniel dutifully replied, though a little faintly. Brian kissed him lightly as a reward.
“Say it again.” he commanded.
“Love you,” Daniel said in a near whisper “love you Darren.”
Brian sat as still as stone, Daniel in his lap with his eyes rolled back into his head, unaware of what he had just said, nor it’s effect on Brian.
The singer felt like someone had just slapped him, like someone had turned his blood to ice.
No he couldn’t have meant that, it’s the drugs, it must be the drugs! he thought wildly, taking Daniel’s head out of his lap and standing up.
But when Brian found himself in front of a nearby mirror, it wasn’t his face looking back at him. It was Darren’s.
Brian shrieked and madly struck the mirror, trying to deny the lie Daniel had told the singer and himself. The air was full of the sound of shattering glass, as shards went flying all over the place, cutting Brian’s hands. Now there were little mirrors scattered all around, some showing Brian’s face, some Darren’s, with little difference between the two.
Brian screamed and staggered/ran from his own apartment, maddened by pain and drugs, leaving a deserted Daniel unconscious on the floor.

Darren bit his lip as he turned his car into the parking lot of an apartment complex he thought he recognized. Daniel had dragged him to Brian’s one time for some sort of party and now Darren wished he had paid more attention, for that was the only info he had to go on.
He parked the car and got out, trying to decide which apartment was Brian’s. But he didn’t have to dwell long on it, because he soon noticed a dark-haired person almost his height running out of one of the buildings. It was Brian, mumbling to himself with the occasional shriek escaping from him.
Darren ran to intercept him, managing to over take him and get in his way. Brian almost ran into him and Darren shoved his chest to get him to stop.
“Brian! Where’s Daniel?” he shouted. Brian focused eyes as mad as a goshawk’s on him and then he seemed to finally see Darren.
“You! Why can’t I escape you???” he screamed, taking Darren’s shoulders in a iron grip. Darren looked down and noticed, with a feeling of horror, that Brian’s hands were horribly slashed and he was bleeding all over Darren’s black shirt. He fought to be released but Brian had the strength of madness on his side.
“He tricked me and tricked himself! Tricked himself most of all! Why did I ever think I could trust him??” Brian wailed in a sickly voice, devoid of sanity “You are the cause of all my sorrows!!” he howled and suddenly lunged for Darren’s throat.
Darren desperately backed up, pushing Brian away from him in revulsion. The mad one hit the ground hard but staggered to his feet, quickly disappearing into the night. Darren was glad he was gone, his insane rambling were frightening. What had just happened?
The singer quickly entered the building Brian had run out of, asking for Brian’s apartment number. Once he got it, he raced up the stairs, unwilling to wait for the elevator.
Brian’s floor was too quiet and the silence unnerved Darren. As he walked down the dingy hallway, he could see that Brian’s door was wide open. Darren stood in the doorway for a moment, letting his eyes get adjusted to the gloom, then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There was a hand nearby a black couch. Daniel’s hand.
Darren rushed over to the couch, then froze, stricken by what he saw. Daniel was lying in a heap on the floor, his head lolled to one side, his eyes closed and his skin deathly pale. He was perfectly still and for a moment Darren thought he might be dead, but then noticed the faint moment of Daniel’s chest, rising and falling.
The singer fell to his knees, his eyes filling with tears of sorrow. Darren blinked rapidly, savagely rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. Then he noticed the small hole in Daniel’s arm.
“Oh Jonesy, what have I done to you?” Darren whispered in despair, collapsing on Daniel’s chest, with tears trickling down his horrified face. After a moment he felt a tentative hand stroking his hair. Startled, Darren’s head shot up to find a weakened Daniel trying to lift his head. Darren leaned closer to catch his faint whisper.
“What are you doing here?” he said with puzzled eyes, straining to get up but soon realizing he couldn’t.
“Oh Dan, I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have yelled at you! I didn’t mean what I said, I couldn’t do without you, there would be no Savage Garden without you!” Darren cried, taking hold of Daniel’s cold hand.
Daniel gazed at him with a look of joy and relief, but then Darren noticed his eyes were glazing over rapidly over.
“Daniel??” he demanded, his heart gripped with icy fear. Daniel tried to say something but his voice was too low now, barely a voice at all. Darren leaned ever closer, desperate to hear what Daniel had to say.
“my... sweet ...prince,” Darren strained to hear “..i’m so... sorry.... i’ve let.. you down.... can you...can you ...ever forgive me?” and with that, Daniel’s eyelids fluttered and closed.
“Daniel? DANIEL??” Darren shouted, frantically trying to find a pulse. Daniel didn’t seem to be breathing, he looked a white as a vampire.
Sobbing, Darren put his head against Daniel’s chest, furiously listening for a heartbeat. After what seemed to be a millennia, he heard a very faint thump. Darren closed his eyes and shut out everything else, the weak sound of Daniel’s heart his only lifeline to sanity.

That’s how the paramedics found them; Daniel sprawled on the living room floor, Darren laying still as stone on top of him, concentrating on Daniel’s heartbeat.

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

Thump...