Fic - Not Your Momma's Fairytale - Kradam - 4/4
Previous part
The last show is incredible. It takes four hours just to get his makeup and wardrobe right and there's a lot of chatter about the stage set-up and Adam might hyper-ventilate a little when KISS arrive and Gene Simmons comes to talk about how the performance is going to work. Adam gets a few minutes of 'privacy' when he and Cook are stuck in one of the green rooms and he takes out his phone and texts Kris.
Something beeps behind the ugly plastic fushia in the corner and Adam and Cook turn to look. Archie tumbles out from behind the plant and Allison tries to grab him and they both hit the ground. Kris pokes his head out from behind the stems, looking sheepish. He's back to his normal size and Adam should probably be ashamed that he wishes Kris was still big enough to drag into the supply closet.
"Um, hey?" Kris is grinning, head ducked down as Archie and Allison squabble over who gave them away.
"Hey," Adam breathes, holding out his arms and Kris skims over to catch his new coat's lapel and cling on. The gold glitter doesn't really work with the bronze and brown leather but Adam can totally carry it off. Even a fashion disaster in the making is utterly and totally not worth his time compared to having Kris here and laughing and happy to see him. Adam cuddles him shamelessly.
"We wanted to see the show for real," Allison pipes up as Cook peers down at them both with a bemused expression. Adam remembers that expression, better known as the 'huh, not high/crazy/nuts.' expression which he wore for a like a week after he first met Kris.
"We?" Adam says and Kris twitches a little.
"I wanted," he admits and Adam feels a warm glow that makes him want to dance and sing and and maybe, take over the world or at least make it a far more glamorous, awesome place.
Cook offers to keep an eye on them when Adam's performing and he's as good as his word. Adam rocks Rock'n'Roll All Night and even KISS are panting by the end of it as the crowd goes insane. Cook is standing just off-stage, just shadowed enough that Adam can see the glow where the three fairies must be hiding. Adam stumbles off stage and Kris zips across to hug him and Adam laughs, giddy with relief.
Cook's set and the duet skip past on fast forward and the next clear moment Adam has is standing in the middle of the searing lights and Ryan is reminding everyone that "lines are now open!" Adam breathes deep and smiles for the cameras and waits for the voice in his earpiece to say they're done. He hugs Cook because seriously, this much positive energy needs an outlet and Cook hugs him back, totally unself-conscious and says "Good luck, man," like he means it. Adam thinks he actually might and yeah, it's an awesome night.
He leads the way back to the dressing rooms, riding the greatest high of his life and even the looming, awkward conversation with Kris doesn't seem so scary. Adam is totally convinced that he can do this and Kris - Kris who snuck half-way across the city in the middle of the day with two other fairies just to hear Adam performing live - just has to listen. He's been listening to Adam since Adam was fat, sixteen and on a first name basis with Mr Tumnus.
Adam even has a careful, reasoned speech prepared. He gets flagged down by E!'s roving reporter and Cook leans in just to enough to whisper that he'll take Archie and Allison to raid the vending machines. Adam flashes him a genuine smile and beams at the reporter who doesn't actually have anything new to ask. Five minutes later and Adam is hurrying back to the dressing rooms.
He opens the door, speech already prepared and the stench staggers him backwards. It reeks like a sewage pipe and the light is all wrong and the air feels like rancid soup. There's an undulating sickly grey mass and Adam coughs, clutching the door handle to keep himself steady.
"Adam!" Kris' voice, too high-pitched and afraid and Adam lunges forward automatically. Kris is trapped, knotted up in grey limbs and he's fighting, Adam can see him fighting but it isn't working and before Adam can force his way through, the grey mass sinks through the floor, taking Kris with it.
"KRIS!" Allison comes hurtling up the corridor with Archie right behind her and Cook running after them both. "OH MY GOD, KRIS!!"
Adam is wheezing and choking and thank god all the production staff are busy and the dressing room is private because Allison's lit up like a firework and Archie is babbling worriedly. Adam sways a little and Cook gets under his arm and god bless tiny co-stars because Cook is the perfect size to act as a crutch.
"What? What happened?" Cook asks, anchoring Adam in place and directing the question to everyone.
"Goblins, oh my gosh," Archie says, wringing his hands. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh."
Allison is drawing uneven circles around where Kris and the Goblins (seriously? Adam just cannot handle this shit) disappeared. "Oh god, oh god, this is bad. This is really, really bad."
Adam tries to speak but his voice isn't working right and he's on the verge of a fairly major freakout. Cook looks at him then at the freaking out fairies. "Okay, again, the fuck just happened here?"
"The Goblins have the Prince," Archie says, landing heavily on the carpet. "Oh my heck, what are we going to do?"
"I can't follow them, I can't get a trace on him!" Allison wails, dropping to stand where Kris had been. Her wings hang down and she looks tiny, unbearably young and totally lost. "He's gone, I can't find him!"
"Fuck that," Adam manages, still coughing a little and pushing away from Cook. "There has to be something you can do, or someone who can help?"
Allison looks like she's about to start crying and Adam just wants to shake her like a rattle. "Allison!"
"Uh-maybe? Maybe Ka-" Allison shakes her head and spreads her wings. "Be right back."
She disappears in a pop and Adam literally cannot think of any swear-words appropriate to the seething hell-pit of rage that is his mood right now. Cook backs up a little. Adam shakes his head. "There has to be something we can do!"
Archie, as the only target left, flinches away from Adam's fury and Cook snatches him up and out of the way before Adam can stamp on him. Not that Adam actually would. Probably. Adam stomps across the room and wishes there was something he could throw or break but the dressing room is diva proof. Cook is looking worried and Archie is still babbling and Adam kicks the battered old couch hard enough to break one of the wooden legs.
The couch sinks sideways as the leg clatters across the floor. Adam isn't sure what else he can trash but before it becomes a pressing issue, there's another pop and Allison reappears, arm-in-arm with another tiny blond fairy. The new arrival looks even daintier than Allison, aside from the five inch sword slung across her back. She looks around, eyes lingering on Adam then focuses on Cook and the suddenly-mute fairy cowering in his hands. "Squire Archuleta!"
"Yes, Sir Katy?" Archie wavers.
"The Prince's Wytch tells me that he was here, is that true?"
"Yes, Sir Katy," Archie says. "He was right here in this room until, um..."
"Until?" Katy - Adam can't really see her as a 'Sir', she's too pretty and delicate - has an impressively bland tone. She reminds Adam of one of his vocal coaches back when he first started in LA; an older woman, like a third his size, who could stop a battalion of Marines in their tracks with one sharp comment.
"TheGoblinsattacked," Archie mumbles.
"Where were you when the Prince- when Kris was attacked!?" Katy snaps, hands on hips and Adam backs up two whole steps before he realizes he's done so. "What was so important that you left him unguarded?"
"Uh," Archie flounders, "Um, there was uh, Rocky Road?"
"Rocky what?"
"It's this really awesome ice-cream," Allison pipes up, trying to be helpful. "They had one tub left in the machine and we had to jiggle it a lot."
"Ice-cream?!" Katy's voice goes very quiet, razor-sharp. "You lost the Crown Prince to Goblins because you wanted ice-cream?!"
"Um! Uh, I-!" Archie is pressed right back against Cook's chest. Cook, who isn't stupid, is edging backwards, towards the door. "I- no! It wasn't like that!"
"Oh?"
"Prince Kris said we were to go!" Archie bursts out. "He wanted-...um."
He looks at Adam who has to lock his knees to keep from backing right up to the wall when Katy turns those sharp dark eyes on him. Archie bunches his wings up tight against his side and hangs his head.
"He wanted to talk to Adam," Allison says, chin up and only the shivering sparkling light rippling along her wings betraying her calm facade. "He said that it was important and it wasn't our place to stay."
"You are the Prince's servants," Katy says pointedly. "Your place is where you can best protect him, isn't it?"
"Not-" Allison looks up at Adam and straightens up. "Not when the Prince wants to talk to his Beloved."
Katy's eyebrow shoots up and Adam can feel his own eyes narrowing a little. There's an unusually emphatic inflection on 'Beloved' which catches his attention. The choice of words makes him feel embarrassed and defensive and his cheeks are heating up. Katy turns to give him a more thorough once-over and Adam has to work to keep his shoulders back and straight. She's scowling a little, like Granma Lambert when someone says something she thinks is crude.
Fuck you, princess, Adam thinks defiantly. 'Beloved' isn't quite how he'd have phrased the tangled knot of love and friendship and smoking hot sex that is what Kris is to him but it's close enough that Adam's comfortable with it. He's not ashamed of that and fuck this pint-size Barbie doll. If she has a problem with this, that's her damage.
"Him?" Katy says to Allison in a skeptical tone of voice.
"Him," Allison and Archie nod. Cook is looking at Adam with open curiosity but, to Adam's eternal gratitude, he doesn't ask. Answering to his new in-laws, while not something Adam would volunteer to endure, is to be expected. This new dimension to Adam's relationship with Kris is too new, too private and Adam isn't ready to share the details yet. He's still got bubbly happy feelings low in his gut whenever he thinks about last night, even with the nauseous mix of fear and fury.
"Hmm," Katy spreads her wings, a shaded tapestry of sky blue; midnight shading out to the rich blue of a clear sky on a perfect summer day. Her glow is a warm blue as she flies up to look straight into his eyes. "Huh."
She sounds a little surprised and Adam tilts his head questioningly. Katy folds her arms and looks at him with narrowed eyes. "You're right. He is."
"Okay," Adam says, hands curling into fists. "As much fun as this mysterious bullshit is? What are we going to do about finding Kris? Before the Goblins do whatever horrible things Goblins do to gorgeous Fairy Princes."
Katy looks at him for a second longer then nods and backwings a little. "You're right. We'll start looking for clues," she waves her hand dismissively. "Go, ...get some ice-cream or something. You're just getting in the way here."
Adam tries to protest but Katy is like a mountain of steel will in a thimble-sized package. He and Cook get sent out of the room, with Archie (who looks a little lost whenever Cook lets him go) along to make sure that they don't hang around. Adam is still seething mad, kicking one of the other doors as he storms down the corridor. It's late enough that there shouldn't be anyone else back here but the world hasn't finished fucking up Adam's life for today because there's a muffled call from inside the room. Then the door opens and Simon looks out.
"Adam?" Simon frowns at him, the room seeming a little darker than it should behind him. "Did you need somethi-?"
Archie's squeak cuts Simon off and before Adam can even think of trying to like, step between Simon and Cook, Simon looks right at him. Adam opens his mouth to explain, then stops. He hasn't really had time to think about how to explain that fairies exist since the first time this happened, all of sixteen hours later. Simon's expression changes and Adam thinks suddenly, that maybe Simon doesn't need an explanation.
"What, exactly, are you doing with a fairy noble, David?"
"Uh," Cook looks at Adam who shrugs. "Ice-cream?"
Simon looks at them both, expression long-suffering. "Do you even know what you've got there?"
"He said he was a squire," Cook volunteers when it becomes apparent that Archie isn't able to answer.
"A Squire?" Simon looks like Cook just announced he would be singing Paris Hilton for his performance.
"Hey, Adam started it," Cook objects, almost reflexively.
"Oh really?" Simon sounds less than convinced and it's not really a surprise when Cook jerks his head towards Adam.
"He brought a fairy Prince from home."
Simon turns sharply to look at Adam and it's a searching look, the sort of focused intensity that Adam associates with the really tough songs. It's not something Simon does, as a rule. Normally he's snarky and vicious but the pure focus is something that transcends his harshest verdicts. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."
"What?" Adam snaps defensively.
"You found him, didn't you? The lost Prince of the Faerie." Simon shakes his head, looking thoughtful. "Is he here?"
"He was," Adam says reluctantly. "Just a few minutes ago but-"
"-But they didn't roll out enough welcome mat for two?" Simon suggests cynically.
Adam shakes his head. "There were Goblins."
"WHAT?!"
"Prince Allen was attacked," Archie answers, straightening up. "And he fought well but there were so many of them..."
"Prince Allen was here, in this building and you lost him?" Archie eeps and hides in Cook's breast pocket, peeking out over the top with wide, frightened eyes. Simon drags his hand over his face. "Give me strength... What are you doing to retrieve him?"
"Sir Katy and the Prince's Wytch are looking for clues," Archie says. "They, uh, they didn't need our help, sir."
"Oh, for the love of-" Simon rubbed his face again. "PAULA!"
A weird tingling feeling makes the skin between Adam's shoulder blades prickle and he sees Cook's shoulders jerk reflexively. The light in the corridor dims then brightens a little but it's still gloomier than it had been before when Paula's voice comes from behind them. "You bellowed, Simon?"
"You're not going to believe this," Simon says, arms folded and looking at them with his trademark disapproval in every line. He explains the whole thing to Paula, in contemptuously neat sentences. "We're going to need to talk to the Protector. Try not to cause a diplomatic incident this time, yeah?"
"It's not my fault that they're arrogant, narcissic assholes," Paula says reasonably and Cook bumps Adam's shoulder and mouths 'what the fuck' at him. Adam shrugs with one shoulder.
"Come on, then," Simon says wearily and leads the way back to the dressing room. He throws the door open and Katy and Allison spin to face them. There's another long, awkward round of explanations. Adam stays back and drums his fingers against his leg, trying not to feel time slipping away. Katy seems fairly skeptical, Allison and Archie are staring wide-eyed at Simon and Paula, who is being more supercilious than Simon.
"Hey!" He interrupts at last. "Look, I'm sure your own private soap opera is like epic and shit but can we please stay focused here? Simon, you and Paula really think you can help us find Kris?"
Simon, eyebrow raised, nods. Paula is studying Adam with a smile lurking at the corner of her lips.
"Then what is the problem?" Adam appeals to the room in general. "Is there anything in this conversation that needs to be discussed before we go to save Kris from the Goblins?"
Everyone shakes their heads, even Cook who is smirking a little and winks at Adam when Adam sighs gustily.
"Then can we please just get this rescue mission off the ground already?"
Katy nods, something unreadable in her eyes before she turns to Simon. "He's right. If your Wytch can find the Prince, I respectfully ask that she assist in the search."
"We are happy to help," Simon says before Paula can open her mouth. "The safety of the Prince is of foremost importance, and we will do everything in our power to ensure his safe return."
"Thank you," Katy says seriously, reaching back to resettle her sword. "Then let us not tarry here."
"What about the mortals?" Paula asks, leaning back against the wall and looking at Adam and Cook.
"I'm coming." Adam says immediately. "No way you are leaving me behind."
"He can't hope to keep up," Simon says slowly. "I cannot be expected to unseat one of my vassals to provide him with a mount he can't use."
"He might be able to ride," Allison objects.
"The boy can sing," Simon concedes, shrugging at Adam. "But American Idols don't have to be able to ride. This is the human world."
"That's not a problem," Katy interrupts when it looks like Allison's going to object.
"Why not?" Simon demands.
"He," Katy crinkles up her nose and lifts her shoulders. "Is the Prince's Beloved. If your Wytch is willing to assist, we can-"
"The Tinkerbell transformation!" Paula claps her hands in child-like delight and Adam looks back and forth between them.
"The what?" Adam could not have heard that right.
"Tinkerbell transformation," Allison says distractedly. "This is so awesome, I've heard of it but like, no one has cast it in something like a hundred and...six years? I'm not sure how human years translate exactly but yeah, this is like epic magic."
Adam is not really reassured by this but there is time to argue because Katy and Paula have their heads together and are talking in low serious tones and Adam's having flashbacks to auditions past. Allison flies over and they start gesticulating and Adam looks helplessly at Simon when Paula starts honest-to-God cackling.
"What about Cook?" Simon interrupts.
"What about me?" Cook says warily as everyone turns to look at him. "What?"
"It's not like he's got a camera or anything," Paula says dismissively. "A memory charm and bottle of beer, problem solved."
"....I'm like, ninety percent certain that was insulting," Cook says, backing up a little. "Also? Why do you need to do anything to me? Can't you just," he waves a hand at Adam. "do whatever you're doing to Adam?"
Adam is seriously expecting to hear the Twilight Zone music swelling up in the background as Cook proceeds to argue his way onto the Kris-rescue-party, winning over Simon, Paula and Katy which is a level of cunning Adam honestly didn't think he had it in him. Archie is pink and excited and kinda adorable in a way that would be so much more distracting if Kris wasn't in horrible mortal danger.
"Can we please get this show on the road already?" Adam appeals to the room. "Before Kris..."
Katy nods and pretty much takes over. She's terrifying and scarily good at bossing people around and in no time at all, the girls are chanting together in some language that Adam doesn't understand but that sounds familiar. Then there's a growing crackling energy in the air, so strong that Adam's half expecting to see lightning crackling through the air.
Hair on the back of his arms and up along the back of his neck start to rise. Adam's quivering, like he's straining to hold the glory note at the end of a ballad. There's this rush like champagne bubbles in his bloodstream and Adam's vision skews and fills with sparkling pinpoints of light and the room spins like a roller-coaster. Adam stumbles sideways and loses his footing.
When he manages to steady himself, the world's different. Epic level different; he looks down and the carpet looks like braided grass, wispy and (ewww) kinda filthy. Adam so totally gets why Kris is such a neat freak in that moment. Cook was standing behind him and Adam worried that he wouldn't be able to see him but his eyesight doesn't seem to be that different, sharper if anything.
He can see Cook, twisting to look at the dark-emerald wings curving up and out from the back of his shirt. There's messy abstract shapes like guitars and mangled musical notation in a dark, understated gold which actually really, really suits him. He's glowing; pale green with hints of glitter in his hair and skin. He looks ...sparkly and Adam would pawn a kidney for a camera.
Then he looks down. He's still wearing the black jacket and the leather pants that make his ass look fabulous and the big kick-ass boots. They look pretty much the same but his skin looks like he plunged both hands into a barrel of silver body glitter and his actual skin looks a little smoother and paler but that's just the silvery glow and Adam lifts his head, hyper-conscious of the weight pulling down between his shoulder-blades. Adam rolls his shoulder, feeling the pull of new, strangle muscles and the prickly pins and needles feeling that his brain doesn't seem to know how to place.
The light dims a little and Adam looks back and up and his jaw drops a little. His wings - his wings - fan out, sharp-edged with hooked corners and a little jagged almost at the tips. Silver lines, too fine to really break up the slick black, trace out musical notes, shapes and signs from a hundred moments of Adam's life. The wings look like a fairy-tale painting done by a hard rock cover artist and they are fucking fierce.
Adam feels a hundred times more bad-ass just by association and Allison lands in front of him, neck craned back to stare with wide eyes. "Oh, wow."
Katy stays in the air but Adam can see her more clearly from this size; the honey blonde hair and the tired lines around her eyes and mouth. "Wytch, Squire. Teach them to fly. Lord Simon, we need to discuss our plan of attack"
Simon looks really fucking weird from Adam's new angle but there's something more; he's shadowy, like he's been added by a lazy CG artist or something. He nods to Katy and they take over the couch and start talking strategy. Adam tries to pay attention to that, and to how to fly. At least, until he actually tries to fly.
"Flap your wings a little," Allison demonstrates and Adam watches as her glow (and seriously Adam is going to have to think of a better name for it than that) get brighter. "Then, once you've got enough lift, just use your wings to steer, or go faster."
"Okay, sounds fairly straightforward," Adam flexes his wings and tries to get a feel for how the fuck he can make them actually beat. He kinda gets an idea for how to fan them out and fold them back but the whole back and forth thing is a lot more complicated than it should be. Adam wobbles and plants himself face first in the carpet the first few times his wings actually beat.
"Dude, you suck at this," Cook is laughing his ass off from the safety of about a foot over Adam's head. Archie is hovering above him, nudging Cook a little to steer him. His jerky flight would be totally ridiculous if he wasn't doing better than Adam. Adam gets back up and picks lint off his clothes and out of his hair and takes a minute to breathe and focus.
"Try not to think about it so hard," Allison says, unhelpfully. Adam rolls his shoulders and his wings flap; a little tentative at first but beating strongly as Adam works out how to separate the way his new wing muscles move from the way his own shoulders work. "Okay, okay, that's good. You should probably stop now though. Try flying."
Adam jumps a little and it feels a little like pushing off from the side of swimming pool; he's lighter than he should be. Adam flaps his wings again. There's a blur of color and he bounces off Simon's chest. Simon doubles over and wheezes and Adam tries to steady himself. He beats his wings again.
This time, he hits the ceiling. It doesn't hurt as much as Adam expects it to, given the speed he was moving at. Cook falls out of the air because he's laughing so hard but Archie, who is cute and deserves so much better than Cook, grabs a cushion and drags it under him. Adam hits hard enough to fold the cushion over like an Adam calzone.
Allison is laughing her ass off at him when Adam finally gets free of the cushion. Paula is smirking, just short of actually laughing. Katy and Simon are looking serious. Simon turns to Katy and deadpans "This could take a while."
"We don't have a while to spend on teaching him to fly." Katy says sharply.
"Then he can ride with me," which is a little more gangsta than Adam was expecting from Simon. "Wytch, cast your spells before we lose the Prince's trail altogether."
"As you command, Lord," Paula's accent changes and her voice gets deeper. When Adam looks around, she's wreathed in shadows deep enough to completely hide what she was wearing. It's like a black cloak with a hood hiding her face.
Twilight Zone music, Adam thinks. Would totally apply right now.
Simon laughs, throwing his head back and Adam's eyes refuse to focus for second and when he can make Simon out again? it's not Simon any more. It's more like a caricature; if caricatures were horror movie posters. He's like four feet taller (which translates to a couple of miles in Adam's brand-new perspective) and the shadows have spread out to cover half the room. There's fresh air, not recycled through the air-con, that smells of leaves and earth and Simon's wearing battered armor, scarred and dull grey metal with bronze plates.
Adam stares at the two massive horns (or antlers maybe?) that curve out of the top of his helmet. He bites his lip and tries really, really hard not laugh. It is a serious effort of will not to make a 'horny' joke despite the very real awe at Simon's very real bad-assery. "The fuck-?"
"Horned Lord of the Wyld Hunt," Simon says and his voice vibrates up from the floor. "Comes with the territory, so to speak."
"Wyld Hunt?" Cook is a prudent distance behind Adam.
"We don't have time to discuss Court politics." Katy interrupts.
"Agreed," Simon holds out a gauntleted hand, complete with talons and Adam looks at him.
"I-you know, I think I've got this flying thing worked out."
How Simon manages to raise an eyebrow like that while wearing a helmet is beyond Adam's ability to understand.
"Fine," Adam drifts a little closer and lets Simon snag him as the shadows rise up around them.
Adam's first experience of Fairyland is like an acid trip on fast forward. Simon calls up the Hunt and they pour through forests and over ruined castles, riding under a sky full of multi-colored stars. The air is sweet and crisp and Adam is clinging to the mane of Simon's horse as they fly through Fairyland. Archie and Cook are clinging on beside him, chattering and laughing. Katy and Allison are keeping pace alongside and it's like an action shot.
It's actually kinda awesome but Adam's brain stutters when he thinks about how he's going to describe it to Kris. His stomach curls in on itself and he has to blink a lot to keep the tears back. It stops being awesome after that.
The reek breaks through his bleak thoughts; it's faint but unmistakable. It's the horrible stench from before and Archie's hushed "Goblins," isn't a surprise. The Hunt picks up speed and Adam looks down at Archie.
"So, what do the Goblins want with Kris anyway?" Cook asks.
"Breeding material," Archie says with a shudder.
"They're going to rape him?!"
"No," Archie says quietly. "Worse. Goblins are..."
"Abominations." Simon's rumble finishes.
"They're not really living things," Archie explains more and Adam actually gags and Cook throws up. Goblins turn out not to be the Harry Potter bankers but left over weapons from the Cold War between Seelie and UnSeelie Courts. They don't create anything; they were specifically created that way. Simon explains it was intended to be a built in limitation by the UnSeelie weavers who created them but, like everything else, there was a loophole.
"They were intended to be weapons in a war that neither side could hope to win," Simon says. "The weavers made them to be so terrible that even the thought of facing them would force a surrender. They feed on the living to spawn and their victims remain alive, aware, until the last possible moment."
Adam doesn't - can't - think about that or he is going to throw up and cry for the rest of his life. The stink is stronger as Archie talks about peace accords and the many attempts to exterminate the Goblins and a lot of other stuff that Adam is in no way capable of processing.
The stink of Goblin is getting thicker and Adam has to breathe through his mouth. He's stopped listening to Archie and Simon. He's totally focused on rescuing Kris. They're going to be in time. They have to be. Adam tightens his grip on the horse's mane.
The sky is getting darker overhead, no more stars and moons and the rich midnight blue is rapidly bleeding into oily black. The trees are sparse and mostly dead; one of the other riders crashes through a rotten trunk. Simon spits a curse at him/her. The horses' hooves clatter across the hard ground. Behind him, Adam can hear weapons being drawn. The Hunt is running flat out.
Ahead a castle, ruined and broken, perches on the top of a hill. There's a red gleam through the ruin of gatehouse. Adam fans out his wings and they beat once or twice before he gets them back under control.
The horse stretches out its neck. Simon leans forward. He raises an arm and the Hunt roars like an army of dragons. The stench is so thick, Adam can actually see muddy mist blanketing the bottom of the hill. Cook says something low and heartfelt and probably profane. Archie is muttering but his glow brightens. Adam beats his wings deliberately: once, twice, three times. Katy lights up like a shooting star as the Hunt crashes into the ruins of the Gate. Adam hears Paula's shriek of laughter. Then, all hell breaks loose.
Adam throws himself off Simon's horse. There's Goblins everywhere, armies of rotten grey blobs, seething like a pit of snakes. Adam dives past one of them, wings clumsily angling to dodge. Cook is shouting. There's the clash of metal on metal. The savage cries of the Hunt rise above the shrill wailing from the Goblins.
Adam doesn't pay any attention to the Goblins. He can hear, under the chaos, a soft thread of sound. Kris.
He doesn't remember how he made it across the courtyard. Katy gets him past the Goblins guarding the door to the keep and follows him as Adam hurtles madly up the stairs. He's following the music. It's a KISS song. Rock & Roll All night. Adam's KISS song. Halfway up and the song starts to falter. Katy cries out.
Adam opens his mouth and sings.
It's not like singing for Idol or a musical. It's more. It's opening his heart and shining a light on it. It's a crowd hanging on every note. It's music. It's Adam's soul and he puts everything he is into that song. The clumsy kid, the spotty teenager, the barista, the club animal, the dutiful son, the prima donna, the son/brother/lover/friend and most of all, weaving them together, Kris' best friend. Kris' Beloved.
The last door blows in. Katy again, Adam thinks and there is Kris. Chained to the floor, surrounded by a soupy grey mass, pale and weak but Kris.
"And you drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy/You keep on shoutin', you keep on shoutin'" Adam sings and the mass shudders, splits and Katy is singing and Kris' voice fails as the grey mass drains into the cracks. Adam dives towards him, completely fails to brake and they both go tumbling across the floor, chains snapping and shattering.
"Kris! Kris!" Adam is pawing at him and Kris feels huge, wings limp and body slack. "KRIS!"
Katy lands beside them and Adam won't let go. Kris slumped into the curve of his arms and "He won't wake up, why won't he wake up?"
Katy shakes her head. "He's- He's-, I think, we-we were-"
"No." Adam clutches at Kris. "NO! Nonononononono! Kris, you bastard, you asshole, don't do this. Don't you dare! Fuck you, fuck you, wake up."
He hugs Kris, tight as he can and he sings. It's not his finest performance, he's too choked up and the sob that breaks out throw the timing to shit. He sings 'No Boundaries', even if it's a sucky song and he hates it. He sings because Kris likes to hear him sing. "You can go higher, you can go deeper/There are no boundaries above and beneath you/Break every rule/'Cause there's nothing between you and your dreams."
Kris breathes in, lips moving as Adam wobbles on "'Cause there's nothing" and his voice is almost inaudible. Adam smiles and cries and sings as Katy cheers and cries beside him.
Later, Simon takes him and Cook back to LA. Adam doesn't want to go but Kris, still barely conscious and bundled in cloaks and with the whole Hunt gathered protectively around him, insists. "You can't miss the results show, Adam. You have to be there to accept the trophy."
"You cannot be so fucking sure that I won," Adam manages through another wave of tears. (He is going to be blotchy for the rest of the month and right now, he doesn't care.)
"'Course you won," Kris whispers as his eyes slide closed. "You're awesome."
"Well, I can't argue with that," Adam smiles and holds Kris' hand tighter. "I'm still not leaving you."
"I'm fine," Kris says and Adam snorts. "Okay, I'm going to be fine. It's only for a day or two."
"I-" Adam has to clear his throat. "I'm not going back without you."
"Yes," Kris insists. "You are. But that's okay." He forces his eyes open long enough to smile up at Adam. "I'll be right behind you."
"Promise?" Adam says tearily and Kris rolls his head just enough to kiss Adam's hand.
"Promise."
Adam sleeps most of the way back and only really wakes when Paula shoves him onto his bed in the mansion. His clothes are ruined, his makeup is smeared and he looks like a KISS reject. He's also back to his old size, "still a little glittery," Paula admits "but I don't think anyone'll notice."
Adam almost hopes they do.
He sleeps for most of the day, until the PAs come crashing in and hunt him into the shower, then out into a car with Cook and back to the studio. Cook doesn't say anything to Adam about last night but he bumps Adam's shoulder on the way to makeup and jumps in when the make-up artist exclaims over his red eyes and blotchy cheeks. "Rough night, nothing you can't handle, right?"
They stand up on stage with Ryan beside them and the crowd is nervous and jittery and Adam just feels numb. He doesn't care about the stupid show or the stupid trophy. It feels unreal to be back here, like he's in the Disneyland version of the world, too brightly colored and plastic. He wants to be home, with Kris and a month of free time and a maid service to change the bed-clothes every hour. He stares at the crowd and smiles his best 'professional' smile and wishes Ryan would get to the fucking point already, god!
Then Adam wins.
His brain actually shuts down. He can hear Ryan's polished words and Cook's "Congratulations, man. You deserve this." but his brain isn't actually working. He must say something because there's a round of applause and he gets handed a microphone and the stage is emptied. He looks out into the crowd. Simon and Paula are sitting, looking tired but triumphant and they're clapping like mad. They nod and they smile and Adam lifts the microphone and sings.
He sleep-walks through the press and the jubilant phone calls and he feels like a robot ticking over. He must do okay because none of his new and growing entourage complain. There's a party and Brad texts him to say 'cheer up emo rockstar!'
His mom calls him the next night, after Adam utterly fails to fall asleep. His room feels like an echo chamber and Kris' absence is a huge hole, sucking the color out of Adam's life. His mom sounds really enthusiastic and Adam tries to be upbeat. He should know better than to try to lie to his mom.
"Are you okay, hon?" She asks eventually. "You seem down in the dumps. I thought you'd be over the moon about this."
"I am," Adam says and winces at how weary he sounds. "It is awesome I just...something else happened and..."
Before he can figure out how to explain to his mom that his fairy best friend/roommate/lover isn't there and Adam's missing him fiercely without her calling the men in white coats, his mom takes a sharp breath. "Oh, sweetie, is it Kris?"
"Yeah, I-" Adam pauses. "Wait, what!? You know about Kris? Since when?"
"Sweetie," his mom says patiently. "I'm not stupid and you weren't exactly ...subtle when you were sixteen. What happened?"
"He got kidnapped by Goblins and his Protector, who is seriously scary, took him home to get better. She's awesome but kinda, you know, terrifying."
"Adam, sweetheart," his mom says, sounding like she getting comfortable. "Why don't you start from the beginning and tell me all about it?"
It takes about an hour but Adam gets through everything (well, everything he's willing to admit to his mom,) and his mom tells him she loves him and that she's looking forward to having him and Kris over for dinner as soon as Adam's schedule allows. Adam hangs up feeling a little better and optimistic enough to get him through another two days of interviews.
He and Cook are due to perform live for a morning show back in LA proper and Adam is actually grateful to have Cook along. He's not up to dealing with the relentless media attention alone right now. Brad and Cassidy have promised to assemble a posse to cheer for him. Adam calls them both bitches and resolves to buy them really awesome Christmas presents. They get a limo ride to the outdoor set, which is already packed with fans. Adam puts on sunglasses and braces himself before the door opens and the crowds of paparazzi shout his name.
Adam waves a little and hurries past them. There are fans screaming and he waves to them too as he gets closer to where his friends should be. He's distracted, going over his set and thinking about the interview questions ahead. He's almost to the looming line of security when he spots a familiar flash of plaid.
His reaction to plaid is starting to border on pathological but Adam cranes his neck to look all the same. He knows it can't be Kris. It doesn't stop his stupid heart from leaping into his throat. Then Adam stops dead because it is Kris. Too pale, too thin, with dark circles under his eyes and a yellow sunflower in his hand but unmistakably, undeniably Kris and Adam stares, heart swelling and the photographers and the fans just fade into the background.
Kris looks a little nervous and a lot shy. He's human-sized and his wings are tucked away and his natural glow is more muted than Adam's ever seen it before. His hair is ruffled up, like he's been running his hands through it and he's chewing his lip. Then he sees Adam and he just lights up (thankfully not noticeably) and he smiles at Adam; the big wide smile that crinkles up the corners of his eyes. He's beautiful, amazing and right the fuck here.
Adam doesn't really register how he crosses the space between them. He hears security shouting and the fans screaming but he's focused on Kris whose smile has gone shy as he tips his head up to look at Adam. His eyes are soft, hopeful and Adam crosses the last few feet in one big step.
Kris holds up the sunflower, going a little pink. "So, uh, sorry, I missed the show?"
"Fuck the show," Adam says sincerely and someone giggles behind him. "You're here."
"I said I would be," Kris shrugs a little, hand starting to drop and Adam reaches out to curl his fingers around Kris'. Kris glances at their hands and his smile deepens a little.
"You look..." Adam grins at him. "Well, you look like shit. How did Katy let you out of bed already?"
"Didn't give her a choice," Kris admits, looking unrepentant. "She came with me to make sure I didn't, I don't know, fall over and die or something. She says she's tying me to the bed if I fall over, though."
"I'm going to buy her like a whole florist," Adam says, vaguely aware of a flash of golden hair in his peripheral vision. "Or a fruit-basket? What're her feelings on fruit-baskets?"
Kris is laughing,smiling so wide that it almost doesn't fit on his face and someone's calling Adam's name. He ignores them, curling his free hand around the back of Kris' neck and pulling him into a kiss. Kris fits up against him, lips parting and Adam can taste coffee and spearmint and Kris underneath it all. He can feel Kris' heart racing and his hand closing around Adam's hip as he presses up into the kiss and somewhere off to the sides, camera flashes go off like the Fourth of July and fans scream.
Adam doesn't notice.
The last show is incredible. It takes four hours just to get his makeup and wardrobe right and there's a lot of chatter about the stage set-up and Adam might hyper-ventilate a little when KISS arrive and Gene Simmons comes to talk about how the performance is going to work. Adam gets a few minutes of 'privacy' when he and Cook are stuck in one of the green rooms and he takes out his phone and texts Kris.
Something beeps behind the ugly plastic fushia in the corner and Adam and Cook turn to look. Archie tumbles out from behind the plant and Allison tries to grab him and they both hit the ground. Kris pokes his head out from behind the stems, looking sheepish. He's back to his normal size and Adam should probably be ashamed that he wishes Kris was still big enough to drag into the supply closet.
"Um, hey?" Kris is grinning, head ducked down as Archie and Allison squabble over who gave them away.
"Hey," Adam breathes, holding out his arms and Kris skims over to catch his new coat's lapel and cling on. The gold glitter doesn't really work with the bronze and brown leather but Adam can totally carry it off. Even a fashion disaster in the making is utterly and totally not worth his time compared to having Kris here and laughing and happy to see him. Adam cuddles him shamelessly.
"We wanted to see the show for real," Allison pipes up as Cook peers down at them both with a bemused expression. Adam remembers that expression, better known as the 'huh, not high/crazy/nuts.' expression which he wore for a like a week after he first met Kris.
"We?" Adam says and Kris twitches a little.
"I wanted," he admits and Adam feels a warm glow that makes him want to dance and sing and and maybe, take over the world or at least make it a far more glamorous, awesome place.
Cook offers to keep an eye on them when Adam's performing and he's as good as his word. Adam rocks Rock'n'Roll All Night and even KISS are panting by the end of it as the crowd goes insane. Cook is standing just off-stage, just shadowed enough that Adam can see the glow where the three fairies must be hiding. Adam stumbles off stage and Kris zips across to hug him and Adam laughs, giddy with relief.
Cook's set and the duet skip past on fast forward and the next clear moment Adam has is standing in the middle of the searing lights and Ryan is reminding everyone that "lines are now open!" Adam breathes deep and smiles for the cameras and waits for the voice in his earpiece to say they're done. He hugs Cook because seriously, this much positive energy needs an outlet and Cook hugs him back, totally unself-conscious and says "Good luck, man," like he means it. Adam thinks he actually might and yeah, it's an awesome night.
He leads the way back to the dressing rooms, riding the greatest high of his life and even the looming, awkward conversation with Kris doesn't seem so scary. Adam is totally convinced that he can do this and Kris - Kris who snuck half-way across the city in the middle of the day with two other fairies just to hear Adam performing live - just has to listen. He's been listening to Adam since Adam was fat, sixteen and on a first name basis with Mr Tumnus.
Adam even has a careful, reasoned speech prepared. He gets flagged down by E!'s roving reporter and Cook leans in just to enough to whisper that he'll take Archie and Allison to raid the vending machines. Adam flashes him a genuine smile and beams at the reporter who doesn't actually have anything new to ask. Five minutes later and Adam is hurrying back to the dressing rooms.
He opens the door, speech already prepared and the stench staggers him backwards. It reeks like a sewage pipe and the light is all wrong and the air feels like rancid soup. There's an undulating sickly grey mass and Adam coughs, clutching the door handle to keep himself steady.
"Adam!" Kris' voice, too high-pitched and afraid and Adam lunges forward automatically. Kris is trapped, knotted up in grey limbs and he's fighting, Adam can see him fighting but it isn't working and before Adam can force his way through, the grey mass sinks through the floor, taking Kris with it.
"KRIS!" Allison comes hurtling up the corridor with Archie right behind her and Cook running after them both. "OH MY GOD, KRIS!!"
Adam is wheezing and choking and thank god all the production staff are busy and the dressing room is private because Allison's lit up like a firework and Archie is babbling worriedly. Adam sways a little and Cook gets under his arm and god bless tiny co-stars because Cook is the perfect size to act as a crutch.
"What? What happened?" Cook asks, anchoring Adam in place and directing the question to everyone.
"Goblins, oh my gosh," Archie says, wringing his hands. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh."
Allison is drawing uneven circles around where Kris and the Goblins (seriously? Adam just cannot handle this shit) disappeared. "Oh god, oh god, this is bad. This is really, really bad."
Adam tries to speak but his voice isn't working right and he's on the verge of a fairly major freakout. Cook looks at him then at the freaking out fairies. "Okay, again, the fuck just happened here?"
"The Goblins have the Prince," Archie says, landing heavily on the carpet. "Oh my heck, what are we going to do?"
"I can't follow them, I can't get a trace on him!" Allison wails, dropping to stand where Kris had been. Her wings hang down and she looks tiny, unbearably young and totally lost. "He's gone, I can't find him!"
"Fuck that," Adam manages, still coughing a little and pushing away from Cook. "There has to be something you can do, or someone who can help?"
Allison looks like she's about to start crying and Adam just wants to shake her like a rattle. "Allison!"
"Uh-maybe? Maybe Ka-" Allison shakes her head and spreads her wings. "Be right back."
She disappears in a pop and Adam literally cannot think of any swear-words appropriate to the seething hell-pit of rage that is his mood right now. Cook backs up a little. Adam shakes his head. "There has to be something we can do!"
Archie, as the only target left, flinches away from Adam's fury and Cook snatches him up and out of the way before Adam can stamp on him. Not that Adam actually would. Probably. Adam stomps across the room and wishes there was something he could throw or break but the dressing room is diva proof. Cook is looking worried and Archie is still babbling and Adam kicks the battered old couch hard enough to break one of the wooden legs.
The couch sinks sideways as the leg clatters across the floor. Adam isn't sure what else he can trash but before it becomes a pressing issue, there's another pop and Allison reappears, arm-in-arm with another tiny blond fairy. The new arrival looks even daintier than Allison, aside from the five inch sword slung across her back. She looks around, eyes lingering on Adam then focuses on Cook and the suddenly-mute fairy cowering in his hands. "Squire Archuleta!"
"Yes, Sir Katy?" Archie wavers.
"The Prince's Wytch tells me that he was here, is that true?"
"Yes, Sir Katy," Archie says. "He was right here in this room until, um..."
"Until?" Katy - Adam can't really see her as a 'Sir', she's too pretty and delicate - has an impressively bland tone. She reminds Adam of one of his vocal coaches back when he first started in LA; an older woman, like a third his size, who could stop a battalion of Marines in their tracks with one sharp comment.
"TheGoblinsattacked," Archie mumbles.
"Where were you when the Prince- when Kris was attacked!?" Katy snaps, hands on hips and Adam backs up two whole steps before he realizes he's done so. "What was so important that you left him unguarded?"
"Uh," Archie flounders, "Um, there was uh, Rocky Road?"
"Rocky what?"
"It's this really awesome ice-cream," Allison pipes up, trying to be helpful. "They had one tub left in the machine and we had to jiggle it a lot."
"Ice-cream?!" Katy's voice goes very quiet, razor-sharp. "You lost the Crown Prince to Goblins because you wanted ice-cream?!"
"Um! Uh, I-!" Archie is pressed right back against Cook's chest. Cook, who isn't stupid, is edging backwards, towards the door. "I- no! It wasn't like that!"
"Oh?"
"Prince Kris said we were to go!" Archie bursts out. "He wanted-...um."
He looks at Adam who has to lock his knees to keep from backing right up to the wall when Katy turns those sharp dark eyes on him. Archie bunches his wings up tight against his side and hangs his head.
"He wanted to talk to Adam," Allison says, chin up and only the shivering sparkling light rippling along her wings betraying her calm facade. "He said that it was important and it wasn't our place to stay."
"You are the Prince's servants," Katy says pointedly. "Your place is where you can best protect him, isn't it?"
"Not-" Allison looks up at Adam and straightens up. "Not when the Prince wants to talk to his Beloved."
Katy's eyebrow shoots up and Adam can feel his own eyes narrowing a little. There's an unusually emphatic inflection on 'Beloved' which catches his attention. The choice of words makes him feel embarrassed and defensive and his cheeks are heating up. Katy turns to give him a more thorough once-over and Adam has to work to keep his shoulders back and straight. She's scowling a little, like Granma Lambert when someone says something she thinks is crude.
Fuck you, princess, Adam thinks defiantly. 'Beloved' isn't quite how he'd have phrased the tangled knot of love and friendship and smoking hot sex that is what Kris is to him but it's close enough that Adam's comfortable with it. He's not ashamed of that and fuck this pint-size Barbie doll. If she has a problem with this, that's her damage.
"Him?" Katy says to Allison in a skeptical tone of voice.
"Him," Allison and Archie nod. Cook is looking at Adam with open curiosity but, to Adam's eternal gratitude, he doesn't ask. Answering to his new in-laws, while not something Adam would volunteer to endure, is to be expected. This new dimension to Adam's relationship with Kris is too new, too private and Adam isn't ready to share the details yet. He's still got bubbly happy feelings low in his gut whenever he thinks about last night, even with the nauseous mix of fear and fury.
"Hmm," Katy spreads her wings, a shaded tapestry of sky blue; midnight shading out to the rich blue of a clear sky on a perfect summer day. Her glow is a warm blue as she flies up to look straight into his eyes. "Huh."
She sounds a little surprised and Adam tilts his head questioningly. Katy folds her arms and looks at him with narrowed eyes. "You're right. He is."
"Okay," Adam says, hands curling into fists. "As much fun as this mysterious bullshit is? What are we going to do about finding Kris? Before the Goblins do whatever horrible things Goblins do to gorgeous Fairy Princes."
Katy looks at him for a second longer then nods and backwings a little. "You're right. We'll start looking for clues," she waves her hand dismissively. "Go, ...get some ice-cream or something. You're just getting in the way here."
Adam tries to protest but Katy is like a mountain of steel will in a thimble-sized package. He and Cook get sent out of the room, with Archie (who looks a little lost whenever Cook lets him go) along to make sure that they don't hang around. Adam is still seething mad, kicking one of the other doors as he storms down the corridor. It's late enough that there shouldn't be anyone else back here but the world hasn't finished fucking up Adam's life for today because there's a muffled call from inside the room. Then the door opens and Simon looks out.
"Adam?" Simon frowns at him, the room seeming a little darker than it should behind him. "Did you need somethi-?"
Archie's squeak cuts Simon off and before Adam can even think of trying to like, step between Simon and Cook, Simon looks right at him. Adam opens his mouth to explain, then stops. He hasn't really had time to think about how to explain that fairies exist since the first time this happened, all of sixteen hours later. Simon's expression changes and Adam thinks suddenly, that maybe Simon doesn't need an explanation.
"What, exactly, are you doing with a fairy noble, David?"
"Uh," Cook looks at Adam who shrugs. "Ice-cream?"
Simon looks at them both, expression long-suffering. "Do you even know what you've got there?"
"He said he was a squire," Cook volunteers when it becomes apparent that Archie isn't able to answer.
"A Squire?" Simon looks like Cook just announced he would be singing Paris Hilton for his performance.
"Hey, Adam started it," Cook objects, almost reflexively.
"Oh really?" Simon sounds less than convinced and it's not really a surprise when Cook jerks his head towards Adam.
"He brought a fairy Prince from home."
Simon turns sharply to look at Adam and it's a searching look, the sort of focused intensity that Adam associates with the really tough songs. It's not something Simon does, as a rule. Normally he's snarky and vicious but the pure focus is something that transcends his harshest verdicts. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."
"What?" Adam snaps defensively.
"You found him, didn't you? The lost Prince of the Faerie." Simon shakes his head, looking thoughtful. "Is he here?"
"He was," Adam says reluctantly. "Just a few minutes ago but-"
"-But they didn't roll out enough welcome mat for two?" Simon suggests cynically.
Adam shakes his head. "There were Goblins."
"WHAT?!"
"Prince Allen was attacked," Archie answers, straightening up. "And he fought well but there were so many of them..."
"Prince Allen was here, in this building and you lost him?" Archie eeps and hides in Cook's breast pocket, peeking out over the top with wide, frightened eyes. Simon drags his hand over his face. "Give me strength... What are you doing to retrieve him?"
"Sir Katy and the Prince's Wytch are looking for clues," Archie says. "They, uh, they didn't need our help, sir."
"Oh, for the love of-" Simon rubbed his face again. "PAULA!"
A weird tingling feeling makes the skin between Adam's shoulder blades prickle and he sees Cook's shoulders jerk reflexively. The light in the corridor dims then brightens a little but it's still gloomier than it had been before when Paula's voice comes from behind them. "You bellowed, Simon?"
"You're not going to believe this," Simon says, arms folded and looking at them with his trademark disapproval in every line. He explains the whole thing to Paula, in contemptuously neat sentences. "We're going to need to talk to the Protector. Try not to cause a diplomatic incident this time, yeah?"
"It's not my fault that they're arrogant, narcissic assholes," Paula says reasonably and Cook bumps Adam's shoulder and mouths 'what the fuck' at him. Adam shrugs with one shoulder.
"Come on, then," Simon says wearily and leads the way back to the dressing room. He throws the door open and Katy and Allison spin to face them. There's another long, awkward round of explanations. Adam stays back and drums his fingers against his leg, trying not to feel time slipping away. Katy seems fairly skeptical, Allison and Archie are staring wide-eyed at Simon and Paula, who is being more supercilious than Simon.
"Hey!" He interrupts at last. "Look, I'm sure your own private soap opera is like epic and shit but can we please stay focused here? Simon, you and Paula really think you can help us find Kris?"
Simon, eyebrow raised, nods. Paula is studying Adam with a smile lurking at the corner of her lips.
"Then what is the problem?" Adam appeals to the room in general. "Is there anything in this conversation that needs to be discussed before we go to save Kris from the Goblins?"
Everyone shakes their heads, even Cook who is smirking a little and winks at Adam when Adam sighs gustily.
"Then can we please just get this rescue mission off the ground already?"
Katy nods, something unreadable in her eyes before she turns to Simon. "He's right. If your Wytch can find the Prince, I respectfully ask that she assist in the search."
"We are happy to help," Simon says before Paula can open her mouth. "The safety of the Prince is of foremost importance, and we will do everything in our power to ensure his safe return."
"Thank you," Katy says seriously, reaching back to resettle her sword. "Then let us not tarry here."
"What about the mortals?" Paula asks, leaning back against the wall and looking at Adam and Cook.
"I'm coming." Adam says immediately. "No way you are leaving me behind."
"He can't hope to keep up," Simon says slowly. "I cannot be expected to unseat one of my vassals to provide him with a mount he can't use."
"He might be able to ride," Allison objects.
"The boy can sing," Simon concedes, shrugging at Adam. "But American Idols don't have to be able to ride. This is the human world."
"That's not a problem," Katy interrupts when it looks like Allison's going to object.
"Why not?" Simon demands.
"He," Katy crinkles up her nose and lifts her shoulders. "Is the Prince's Beloved. If your Wytch is willing to assist, we can-"
"The Tinkerbell transformation!" Paula claps her hands in child-like delight and Adam looks back and forth between them.
"The what?" Adam could not have heard that right.
"Tinkerbell transformation," Allison says distractedly. "This is so awesome, I've heard of it but like, no one has cast it in something like a hundred and...six years? I'm not sure how human years translate exactly but yeah, this is like epic magic."
Adam is not really reassured by this but there is time to argue because Katy and Paula have their heads together and are talking in low serious tones and Adam's having flashbacks to auditions past. Allison flies over and they start gesticulating and Adam looks helplessly at Simon when Paula starts honest-to-God cackling.
"What about Cook?" Simon interrupts.
"What about me?" Cook says warily as everyone turns to look at him. "What?"
"It's not like he's got a camera or anything," Paula says dismissively. "A memory charm and bottle of beer, problem solved."
"....I'm like, ninety percent certain that was insulting," Cook says, backing up a little. "Also? Why do you need to do anything to me? Can't you just," he waves a hand at Adam. "do whatever you're doing to Adam?"
Adam is seriously expecting to hear the Twilight Zone music swelling up in the background as Cook proceeds to argue his way onto the Kris-rescue-party, winning over Simon, Paula and Katy which is a level of cunning Adam honestly didn't think he had it in him. Archie is pink and excited and kinda adorable in a way that would be so much more distracting if Kris wasn't in horrible mortal danger.
"Can we please get this show on the road already?" Adam appeals to the room. "Before Kris..."
Katy nods and pretty much takes over. She's terrifying and scarily good at bossing people around and in no time at all, the girls are chanting together in some language that Adam doesn't understand but that sounds familiar. Then there's a growing crackling energy in the air, so strong that Adam's half expecting to see lightning crackling through the air.
Hair on the back of his arms and up along the back of his neck start to rise. Adam's quivering, like he's straining to hold the glory note at the end of a ballad. There's this rush like champagne bubbles in his bloodstream and Adam's vision skews and fills with sparkling pinpoints of light and the room spins like a roller-coaster. Adam stumbles sideways and loses his footing.
When he manages to steady himself, the world's different. Epic level different; he looks down and the carpet looks like braided grass, wispy and (ewww) kinda filthy. Adam so totally gets why Kris is such a neat freak in that moment. Cook was standing behind him and Adam worried that he wouldn't be able to see him but his eyesight doesn't seem to be that different, sharper if anything.
He can see Cook, twisting to look at the dark-emerald wings curving up and out from the back of his shirt. There's messy abstract shapes like guitars and mangled musical notation in a dark, understated gold which actually really, really suits him. He's glowing; pale green with hints of glitter in his hair and skin. He looks ...sparkly and Adam would pawn a kidney for a camera.
Then he looks down. He's still wearing the black jacket and the leather pants that make his ass look fabulous and the big kick-ass boots. They look pretty much the same but his skin looks like he plunged both hands into a barrel of silver body glitter and his actual skin looks a little smoother and paler but that's just the silvery glow and Adam lifts his head, hyper-conscious of the weight pulling down between his shoulder-blades. Adam rolls his shoulder, feeling the pull of new, strangle muscles and the prickly pins and needles feeling that his brain doesn't seem to know how to place.
The light dims a little and Adam looks back and up and his jaw drops a little. His wings - his wings - fan out, sharp-edged with hooked corners and a little jagged almost at the tips. Silver lines, too fine to really break up the slick black, trace out musical notes, shapes and signs from a hundred moments of Adam's life. The wings look like a fairy-tale painting done by a hard rock cover artist and they are fucking fierce.
Adam feels a hundred times more bad-ass just by association and Allison lands in front of him, neck craned back to stare with wide eyes. "Oh, wow."
Katy stays in the air but Adam can see her more clearly from this size; the honey blonde hair and the tired lines around her eyes and mouth. "Wytch, Squire. Teach them to fly. Lord Simon, we need to discuss our plan of attack"
Simon looks really fucking weird from Adam's new angle but there's something more; he's shadowy, like he's been added by a lazy CG artist or something. He nods to Katy and they take over the couch and start talking strategy. Adam tries to pay attention to that, and to how to fly. At least, until he actually tries to fly.
"Flap your wings a little," Allison demonstrates and Adam watches as her glow (and seriously Adam is going to have to think of a better name for it than that) get brighter. "Then, once you've got enough lift, just use your wings to steer, or go faster."
"Okay, sounds fairly straightforward," Adam flexes his wings and tries to get a feel for how the fuck he can make them actually beat. He kinda gets an idea for how to fan them out and fold them back but the whole back and forth thing is a lot more complicated than it should be. Adam wobbles and plants himself face first in the carpet the first few times his wings actually beat.
"Dude, you suck at this," Cook is laughing his ass off from the safety of about a foot over Adam's head. Archie is hovering above him, nudging Cook a little to steer him. His jerky flight would be totally ridiculous if he wasn't doing better than Adam. Adam gets back up and picks lint off his clothes and out of his hair and takes a minute to breathe and focus.
"Try not to think about it so hard," Allison says, unhelpfully. Adam rolls his shoulders and his wings flap; a little tentative at first but beating strongly as Adam works out how to separate the way his new wing muscles move from the way his own shoulders work. "Okay, okay, that's good. You should probably stop now though. Try flying."
Adam jumps a little and it feels a little like pushing off from the side of swimming pool; he's lighter than he should be. Adam flaps his wings again. There's a blur of color and he bounces off Simon's chest. Simon doubles over and wheezes and Adam tries to steady himself. He beats his wings again.
This time, he hits the ceiling. It doesn't hurt as much as Adam expects it to, given the speed he was moving at. Cook falls out of the air because he's laughing so hard but Archie, who is cute and deserves so much better than Cook, grabs a cushion and drags it under him. Adam hits hard enough to fold the cushion over like an Adam calzone.
Allison is laughing her ass off at him when Adam finally gets free of the cushion. Paula is smirking, just short of actually laughing. Katy and Simon are looking serious. Simon turns to Katy and deadpans "This could take a while."
"We don't have a while to spend on teaching him to fly." Katy says sharply.
"Then he can ride with me," which is a little more gangsta than Adam was expecting from Simon. "Wytch, cast your spells before we lose the Prince's trail altogether."
"As you command, Lord," Paula's accent changes and her voice gets deeper. When Adam looks around, she's wreathed in shadows deep enough to completely hide what she was wearing. It's like a black cloak with a hood hiding her face.
Twilight Zone music, Adam thinks. Would totally apply right now.
Simon laughs, throwing his head back and Adam's eyes refuse to focus for second and when he can make Simon out again? it's not Simon any more. It's more like a caricature; if caricatures were horror movie posters. He's like four feet taller (which translates to a couple of miles in Adam's brand-new perspective) and the shadows have spread out to cover half the room. There's fresh air, not recycled through the air-con, that smells of leaves and earth and Simon's wearing battered armor, scarred and dull grey metal with bronze plates.
Adam stares at the two massive horns (or antlers maybe?) that curve out of the top of his helmet. He bites his lip and tries really, really hard not laugh. It is a serious effort of will not to make a 'horny' joke despite the very real awe at Simon's very real bad-assery. "The fuck-?"
"Horned Lord of the Wyld Hunt," Simon says and his voice vibrates up from the floor. "Comes with the territory, so to speak."
"Wyld Hunt?" Cook is a prudent distance behind Adam.
"We don't have time to discuss Court politics." Katy interrupts.
"Agreed," Simon holds out a gauntleted hand, complete with talons and Adam looks at him.
"I-you know, I think I've got this flying thing worked out."
How Simon manages to raise an eyebrow like that while wearing a helmet is beyond Adam's ability to understand.
"Fine," Adam drifts a little closer and lets Simon snag him as the shadows rise up around them.
Adam's first experience of Fairyland is like an acid trip on fast forward. Simon calls up the Hunt and they pour through forests and over ruined castles, riding under a sky full of multi-colored stars. The air is sweet and crisp and Adam is clinging to the mane of Simon's horse as they fly through Fairyland. Archie and Cook are clinging on beside him, chattering and laughing. Katy and Allison are keeping pace alongside and it's like an action shot.
It's actually kinda awesome but Adam's brain stutters when he thinks about how he's going to describe it to Kris. His stomach curls in on itself and he has to blink a lot to keep the tears back. It stops being awesome after that.
The reek breaks through his bleak thoughts; it's faint but unmistakable. It's the horrible stench from before and Archie's hushed "Goblins," isn't a surprise. The Hunt picks up speed and Adam looks down at Archie.
"So, what do the Goblins want with Kris anyway?" Cook asks.
"Breeding material," Archie says with a shudder.
"They're going to rape him?!"
"No," Archie says quietly. "Worse. Goblins are..."
"Abominations." Simon's rumble finishes.
"They're not really living things," Archie explains more and Adam actually gags and Cook throws up. Goblins turn out not to be the Harry Potter bankers but left over weapons from the Cold War between Seelie and UnSeelie Courts. They don't create anything; they were specifically created that way. Simon explains it was intended to be a built in limitation by the UnSeelie weavers who created them but, like everything else, there was a loophole.
"They were intended to be weapons in a war that neither side could hope to win," Simon says. "The weavers made them to be so terrible that even the thought of facing them would force a surrender. They feed on the living to spawn and their victims remain alive, aware, until the last possible moment."
Adam doesn't - can't - think about that or he is going to throw up and cry for the rest of his life. The stink is stronger as Archie talks about peace accords and the many attempts to exterminate the Goblins and a lot of other stuff that Adam is in no way capable of processing.
The stink of Goblin is getting thicker and Adam has to breathe through his mouth. He's stopped listening to Archie and Simon. He's totally focused on rescuing Kris. They're going to be in time. They have to be. Adam tightens his grip on the horse's mane.
The sky is getting darker overhead, no more stars and moons and the rich midnight blue is rapidly bleeding into oily black. The trees are sparse and mostly dead; one of the other riders crashes through a rotten trunk. Simon spits a curse at him/her. The horses' hooves clatter across the hard ground. Behind him, Adam can hear weapons being drawn. The Hunt is running flat out.
Ahead a castle, ruined and broken, perches on the top of a hill. There's a red gleam through the ruin of gatehouse. Adam fans out his wings and they beat once or twice before he gets them back under control.
The horse stretches out its neck. Simon leans forward. He raises an arm and the Hunt roars like an army of dragons. The stench is so thick, Adam can actually see muddy mist blanketing the bottom of the hill. Cook says something low and heartfelt and probably profane. Archie is muttering but his glow brightens. Adam beats his wings deliberately: once, twice, three times. Katy lights up like a shooting star as the Hunt crashes into the ruins of the Gate. Adam hears Paula's shriek of laughter. Then, all hell breaks loose.
Adam throws himself off Simon's horse. There's Goblins everywhere, armies of rotten grey blobs, seething like a pit of snakes. Adam dives past one of them, wings clumsily angling to dodge. Cook is shouting. There's the clash of metal on metal. The savage cries of the Hunt rise above the shrill wailing from the Goblins.
Adam doesn't pay any attention to the Goblins. He can hear, under the chaos, a soft thread of sound. Kris.
He doesn't remember how he made it across the courtyard. Katy gets him past the Goblins guarding the door to the keep and follows him as Adam hurtles madly up the stairs. He's following the music. It's a KISS song. Rock & Roll All night. Adam's KISS song. Halfway up and the song starts to falter. Katy cries out.
Adam opens his mouth and sings.
It's not like singing for Idol or a musical. It's more. It's opening his heart and shining a light on it. It's a crowd hanging on every note. It's music. It's Adam's soul and he puts everything he is into that song. The clumsy kid, the spotty teenager, the barista, the club animal, the dutiful son, the prima donna, the son/brother/lover/friend and most of all, weaving them together, Kris' best friend. Kris' Beloved.
The last door blows in. Katy again, Adam thinks and there is Kris. Chained to the floor, surrounded by a soupy grey mass, pale and weak but Kris.
"And you drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy/You keep on shoutin', you keep on shoutin'" Adam sings and the mass shudders, splits and Katy is singing and Kris' voice fails as the grey mass drains into the cracks. Adam dives towards him, completely fails to brake and they both go tumbling across the floor, chains snapping and shattering.
"Kris! Kris!" Adam is pawing at him and Kris feels huge, wings limp and body slack. "KRIS!"
Katy lands beside them and Adam won't let go. Kris slumped into the curve of his arms and "He won't wake up, why won't he wake up?"
Katy shakes her head. "He's- He's-, I think, we-we were-"
"No." Adam clutches at Kris. "NO! Nonononononono! Kris, you bastard, you asshole, don't do this. Don't you dare! Fuck you, fuck you, wake up."
He hugs Kris, tight as he can and he sings. It's not his finest performance, he's too choked up and the sob that breaks out throw the timing to shit. He sings 'No Boundaries', even if it's a sucky song and he hates it. He sings because Kris likes to hear him sing. "You can go higher, you can go deeper/There are no boundaries above and beneath you/Break every rule/'Cause there's nothing between you and your dreams."
Kris breathes in, lips moving as Adam wobbles on "'Cause there's nothing" and his voice is almost inaudible. Adam smiles and cries and sings as Katy cheers and cries beside him.
Later, Simon takes him and Cook back to LA. Adam doesn't want to go but Kris, still barely conscious and bundled in cloaks and with the whole Hunt gathered protectively around him, insists. "You can't miss the results show, Adam. You have to be there to accept the trophy."
"You cannot be so fucking sure that I won," Adam manages through another wave of tears. (He is going to be blotchy for the rest of the month and right now, he doesn't care.)
"'Course you won," Kris whispers as his eyes slide closed. "You're awesome."
"Well, I can't argue with that," Adam smiles and holds Kris' hand tighter. "I'm still not leaving you."
"I'm fine," Kris says and Adam snorts. "Okay, I'm going to be fine. It's only for a day or two."
"I-" Adam has to clear his throat. "I'm not going back without you."
"Yes," Kris insists. "You are. But that's okay." He forces his eyes open long enough to smile up at Adam. "I'll be right behind you."
"Promise?" Adam says tearily and Kris rolls his head just enough to kiss Adam's hand.
"Promise."
Adam sleeps most of the way back and only really wakes when Paula shoves him onto his bed in the mansion. His clothes are ruined, his makeup is smeared and he looks like a KISS reject. He's also back to his old size, "still a little glittery," Paula admits "but I don't think anyone'll notice."
Adam almost hopes they do.
He sleeps for most of the day, until the PAs come crashing in and hunt him into the shower, then out into a car with Cook and back to the studio. Cook doesn't say anything to Adam about last night but he bumps Adam's shoulder on the way to makeup and jumps in when the make-up artist exclaims over his red eyes and blotchy cheeks. "Rough night, nothing you can't handle, right?"
They stand up on stage with Ryan beside them and the crowd is nervous and jittery and Adam just feels numb. He doesn't care about the stupid show or the stupid trophy. It feels unreal to be back here, like he's in the Disneyland version of the world, too brightly colored and plastic. He wants to be home, with Kris and a month of free time and a maid service to change the bed-clothes every hour. He stares at the crowd and smiles his best 'professional' smile and wishes Ryan would get to the fucking point already, god!
Then Adam wins.
His brain actually shuts down. He can hear Ryan's polished words and Cook's "Congratulations, man. You deserve this." but his brain isn't actually working. He must say something because there's a round of applause and he gets handed a microphone and the stage is emptied. He looks out into the crowd. Simon and Paula are sitting, looking tired but triumphant and they're clapping like mad. They nod and they smile and Adam lifts the microphone and sings.
He sleep-walks through the press and the jubilant phone calls and he feels like a robot ticking over. He must do okay because none of his new and growing entourage complain. There's a party and Brad texts him to say 'cheer up emo rockstar!'
His mom calls him the next night, after Adam utterly fails to fall asleep. His room feels like an echo chamber and Kris' absence is a huge hole, sucking the color out of Adam's life. His mom sounds really enthusiastic and Adam tries to be upbeat. He should know better than to try to lie to his mom.
"Are you okay, hon?" She asks eventually. "You seem down in the dumps. I thought you'd be over the moon about this."
"I am," Adam says and winces at how weary he sounds. "It is awesome I just...something else happened and..."
Before he can figure out how to explain to his mom that his fairy best friend/roommate/lover isn't there and Adam's missing him fiercely without her calling the men in white coats, his mom takes a sharp breath. "Oh, sweetie, is it Kris?"
"Yeah, I-" Adam pauses. "Wait, what!? You know about Kris? Since when?"
"Sweetie," his mom says patiently. "I'm not stupid and you weren't exactly ...subtle when you were sixteen. What happened?"
"He got kidnapped by Goblins and his Protector, who is seriously scary, took him home to get better. She's awesome but kinda, you know, terrifying."
"Adam, sweetheart," his mom says, sounding like she getting comfortable. "Why don't you start from the beginning and tell me all about it?"
It takes about an hour but Adam gets through everything (well, everything he's willing to admit to his mom,) and his mom tells him she loves him and that she's looking forward to having him and Kris over for dinner as soon as Adam's schedule allows. Adam hangs up feeling a little better and optimistic enough to get him through another two days of interviews.
He and Cook are due to perform live for a morning show back in LA proper and Adam is actually grateful to have Cook along. He's not up to dealing with the relentless media attention alone right now. Brad and Cassidy have promised to assemble a posse to cheer for him. Adam calls them both bitches and resolves to buy them really awesome Christmas presents. They get a limo ride to the outdoor set, which is already packed with fans. Adam puts on sunglasses and braces himself before the door opens and the crowds of paparazzi shout his name.
Adam waves a little and hurries past them. There are fans screaming and he waves to them too as he gets closer to where his friends should be. He's distracted, going over his set and thinking about the interview questions ahead. He's almost to the looming line of security when he spots a familiar flash of plaid.
His reaction to plaid is starting to border on pathological but Adam cranes his neck to look all the same. He knows it can't be Kris. It doesn't stop his stupid heart from leaping into his throat. Then Adam stops dead because it is Kris. Too pale, too thin, with dark circles under his eyes and a yellow sunflower in his hand but unmistakably, undeniably Kris and Adam stares, heart swelling and the photographers and the fans just fade into the background.
Kris looks a little nervous and a lot shy. He's human-sized and his wings are tucked away and his natural glow is more muted than Adam's ever seen it before. His hair is ruffled up, like he's been running his hands through it and he's chewing his lip. Then he sees Adam and he just lights up (thankfully not noticeably) and he smiles at Adam; the big wide smile that crinkles up the corners of his eyes. He's beautiful, amazing and right the fuck here.
Adam doesn't really register how he crosses the space between them. He hears security shouting and the fans screaming but he's focused on Kris whose smile has gone shy as he tips his head up to look at Adam. His eyes are soft, hopeful and Adam crosses the last few feet in one big step.
Kris holds up the sunflower, going a little pink. "So, uh, sorry, I missed the show?"
"Fuck the show," Adam says sincerely and someone giggles behind him. "You're here."
"I said I would be," Kris shrugs a little, hand starting to drop and Adam reaches out to curl his fingers around Kris'. Kris glances at their hands and his smile deepens a little.
"You look..." Adam grins at him. "Well, you look like shit. How did Katy let you out of bed already?"
"Didn't give her a choice," Kris admits, looking unrepentant. "She came with me to make sure I didn't, I don't know, fall over and die or something. She says she's tying me to the bed if I fall over, though."
"I'm going to buy her like a whole florist," Adam says, vaguely aware of a flash of golden hair in his peripheral vision. "Or a fruit-basket? What're her feelings on fruit-baskets?"
Kris is laughing,smiling so wide that it almost doesn't fit on his face and someone's calling Adam's name. He ignores them, curling his free hand around the back of Kris' neck and pulling him into a kiss. Kris fits up against him, lips parting and Adam can taste coffee and spearmint and Kris underneath it all. He can feel Kris' heart racing and his hand closing around Adam's hip as he presses up into the kiss and somewhere off to the sides, camera flashes go off like the Fourth of July and fans scream.
Adam doesn't notice.