[ PART 3 ]

"Ugh. What's *his* problem?" Brian sneered.
"I don't know," said Daniel apologetically.
"Bit of a control freak, are we?" Brian continued, rolling his eyes. He smoothed out a crease in his skirt, and absently suggested, "You should tell your boyfriend there he takes himself way too seriously."
"Uh, yeah ..." Daniel stammered. //Don't dwell on it. Don't. You'll start blushing again.// "Look, I don't know what that was about, but I certainly don't want to get off on the wrong foot with you." //Plural!// "You guys, I mean."
Brian was too perceptive. Nothing escaped the little twinkle in his eye, no word slips, no stammered agreements. It really wasn't fair, from an objective point of view, that Brian entered into this with the upper hand. Who was he to waltz in wearing his glamour like an expensive fur coat? With a line of dialogue – or cocaine – as a comeback for everything? It really wasn't fair.
"No, no, of course you don't," Brian assured Daniel, "I wouldn't dream of holding anything against you. I'm sure we can work things out." Daniel smiled genuinely. "Um, could you do me a favour, though?" Brian turned around. "Unzip me?"
"What?"
"The dress." Innocent eyes. "I can never quite reach, you know." Daniel hesitated a touch too long, but Brian continued without missing a beat. "Unless that makes you uncomfortable, for any reason, I mean. I'll understand." And then a smile too disarming to refuse.
"Oh, no, don't be silly. It's not like I've never seen a guy in a dress before," Daniel said, with a jittery laugh. He quickly pulled down the zipper from the nape of Brian's neck to the small of his back. Brian whirled around and smiled gratefully. Then, his voice lowered, he asked, "Have you ever kissed one?" And with that, he wrapped his arms around Daniel's neck and pulled him down into a kiss.


~ * ~

Darren lay awake in the hotel room, staring up at the ceiling. No lights. Sleep should be coming any minute now. Any minute. Aaaaannny minu ....

Darren was standing in a field. (Freudians, put away your interpretation books. This is going to be an easy one.) Daniel to his right. Talking about something, Darren couldn't hear what. Possibly the ever-growing number of flowers that seemed to be surrounding them. Darren tried to move toward Daniel, to hear what he was saying, but there was a patch devoid of flowers between them, and instead several large black insects lay menacingly in the path. Not ugly insects, mind you, rather shiny ones, but Darren knew they ought not to be there. He gestured to Daniel and couldn't seem to get through. "What kind of love is this?" Darren yelled, and woke up.




[ PART 4 ]

He sat perfectly still for a few moments, trying to make sense of the jumbled sensations that were being relayed to him while battling with a persistent case of a dream-muddledness. So far all he was able to put together was that there was a bit of a commotion nearby, a lot of muttered cursing could be heard and that he couldn't see a damned thing in the dark.

//Oh. The lights. Right.//

Darren fumbled against the table beside him and managed to flick on the lamp switch, illuminating a crouched Daniel tripping over a pile of shoes, who froze in the sudden light like the proverbial deer. Then he winced and moved up a hand to cover his eyes.

"Ahhhhh..could you turn out that light, Darren?" Daniel rasped hoarsely, trying to stand up with little success.

"What, so you can just resume your Godzilla-like trampling of my shoes?" Darren replied, frowning with annoyance. Daniel returned his frown and maneuvered his way out of the footwear trap unsteadily until he reached the bed beside Darren's.

"Maybe if you did have so many pairs of shoes, I wouldn't be tripping over them," Daniel finally commented a long pause "I swear to God, it's like living with a woman." He casually finished as he removed his own shoes and tossed them to the pile.

Darren glared hotly at him, but the shot completely missed as Daniel was studiously not looking in Darren's direction.

The singer's anger flared until he began to scrutinize his suddenly silent bandmate. The verdict was that Daniel was, plainly, a mess. A rumpled, disarrayed mess, one in which his clothes were not quite straight nor his hair quite right.

"Speaking of women, where have you been tonight? I never found out where you disappeared to. Or with whom.." Darren asked shrewdly, taking a perverse pleasure from Daniel's startled little jump. The rumpled blond shot a nervous glance in Darren's direction and shrugged noncommitally. A little too much so....

onwards...