prompt #003: bewitched by the bayou
Title: Back to the Start
Pairing/Characters: Adam/Tommy
Rating (Word Count): PG-13 (7 X 100)
Content(s)/Warning(s): None
Author's notes: Fair warning, this is a follow-up to my LBB story, and it assumes that you've read said story; otherwise, you'll probably be completely lost. Since this prompt inspired the 'verse in the first place, it was a little bit hard for me to come up with a completely different answer for the same prompt. So you all get a little glimpse into the future. I hope you enjoy!
Many thanks to Leela for the beta. Any remaining mistakes are mine.
Everything is ready. Everyone is ready. Yet Adam's sitting in his dressing room, alone, unable to move, like he's frozen in place.
Since the spell was broken, he hasn't set foot in New Orleans again. He knows what happened to him has little to do with the city itself. The place scares him because he isn't sure how the spell took hold of him in the first place, or why it released him.
When they started planning this tour, he was tempted to say that there was no way he'd sing in New Orleans, no matter how well it paid.
***
He almost did, but then he realized he didn't have an explanation that anyone would agree was a valid concern. The only people around him who know what happened to him are the ones who were around at the time, the ones who know him well enough that they don't believe he would disappear like that for so long without a word.
For everybody else who met him after, the four year gap in his resume seems like a detail. A little odd, maybe, but to them, no more than any of Adam's other quirks. Something that doesn't really matter.
***
So he couldn't do anything but watch with increasing dread as the concert in New Orleans was planned. He couldn't even say anything to prevent them from spending the night there. He was too aware that before that night, there would be a week and a half without a hotel, and everyone involved would hate him if he extended that any longer.
He'd even persuaded himself that he would be okay, but right now, he's scared out of his mind.
He knows he's expected onstage any second, but instead of his annoyed manager, it's Tommy who appears at his door.
***
"You okay, Adam?"
He almost says 'yes' before Tommy closes the door, rests his back against it, and meets his eyes in the mirror.
Adam can't find the words to explain what he's feeling, but as happens so often with them, it seems unnecessary.
Tommy crosses the distance between them and puts his hands on Adam's shoulders. Then he says, his voice barely above a whisper, "I promise I'm not going anywhere." With all the gentleness in the world, he moves his hands down Adam's arms and closes them around Adam's, where he's clinging to his mic like a lifeline.
***
"And neither is this."
It hits Adam so hard, the way Tommy knows him well enough that he understands all his deepest fears without needing to hear him say anything aloud. But all he can do is stare at his hands and ask, "What if I'm left behind again?"
Tommy removes his hands and crawls his way into Adam's lap, forcing him to move. Once he's comfortable, he says, making it clear that he means every word, "I won't let that happen."
That doesn't make Adam feel better, though. "Danielle would have said the same thing the first time around."
***
With gentle fingers under his chin, Tommy makes Adam tilt his head and look at him. "She had no idea what might happen. I do." When Adam shakes his head, incredulous, Tommy continues, "We know you don't have an appearance planned anywhere after the show, so you're not going out. Ashley and Terrance and whoever else wants to will keep us company. We've got booze and a deck of cards and a lot of imagination. We don't need to sleep if you don't want to."
Adam's speechless as Tommy hugs him closer.
"It's my turn to take care of you."
***
The reassurance isn't enough to completely make Adam's fears disappear, but this reminder that Tommy's willing, once again, to be whatever it is that Adam needs, rocks him to the core. "Thank you." He whispers against Tommy's hair.
"Don't thank me." Tommy presses a soft kiss on Adam's lips. "So. Ready to sing your ass off?"
Slowly, Adam takes a deep breath. "I think so."
He lets Tommy pull him out of his dressing room and toward the stage, a newfound confidence in his step, feeling so surrounded by love that he's able to believe it's enough to protect him.
Pairing/Characters: Adam/Tommy
Rating (Word Count): PG-13 (7 X 100)
Content(s)/Warning(s): None
Author's notes: Fair warning, this is a follow-up to my LBB story, and it assumes that you've read said story; otherwise, you'll probably be completely lost. Since this prompt inspired the 'verse in the first place, it was a little bit hard for me to come up with a completely different answer for the same prompt. So you all get a little glimpse into the future. I hope you enjoy!
Many thanks to Leela for the beta. Any remaining mistakes are mine.
Everything is ready. Everyone is ready. Yet Adam's sitting in his dressing room, alone, unable to move, like he's frozen in place.
Since the spell was broken, he hasn't set foot in New Orleans again. He knows what happened to him has little to do with the city itself. The place scares him because he isn't sure how the spell took hold of him in the first place, or why it released him.
When they started planning this tour, he was tempted to say that there was no way he'd sing in New Orleans, no matter how well it paid.
***
He almost did, but then he realized he didn't have an explanation that anyone would agree was a valid concern. The only people around him who know what happened to him are the ones who were around at the time, the ones who know him well enough that they don't believe he would disappear like that for so long without a word.
For everybody else who met him after, the four year gap in his resume seems like a detail. A little odd, maybe, but to them, no more than any of Adam's other quirks. Something that doesn't really matter.
***
So he couldn't do anything but watch with increasing dread as the concert in New Orleans was planned. He couldn't even say anything to prevent them from spending the night there. He was too aware that before that night, there would be a week and a half without a hotel, and everyone involved would hate him if he extended that any longer.
He'd even persuaded himself that he would be okay, but right now, he's scared out of his mind.
He knows he's expected onstage any second, but instead of his annoyed manager, it's Tommy who appears at his door.
***
"You okay, Adam?"
He almost says 'yes' before Tommy closes the door, rests his back against it, and meets his eyes in the mirror.
Adam can't find the words to explain what he's feeling, but as happens so often with them, it seems unnecessary.
Tommy crosses the distance between them and puts his hands on Adam's shoulders. Then he says, his voice barely above a whisper, "I promise I'm not going anywhere." With all the gentleness in the world, he moves his hands down Adam's arms and closes them around Adam's, where he's clinging to his mic like a lifeline.
***
"And neither is this."
It hits Adam so hard, the way Tommy knows him well enough that he understands all his deepest fears without needing to hear him say anything aloud. But all he can do is stare at his hands and ask, "What if I'm left behind again?"
Tommy removes his hands and crawls his way into Adam's lap, forcing him to move. Once he's comfortable, he says, making it clear that he means every word, "I won't let that happen."
That doesn't make Adam feel better, though. "Danielle would have said the same thing the first time around."
***
With gentle fingers under his chin, Tommy makes Adam tilt his head and look at him. "She had no idea what might happen. I do." When Adam shakes his head, incredulous, Tommy continues, "We know you don't have an appearance planned anywhere after the show, so you're not going out. Ashley and Terrance and whoever else wants to will keep us company. We've got booze and a deck of cards and a lot of imagination. We don't need to sleep if you don't want to."
Adam's speechless as Tommy hugs him closer.
"It's my turn to take care of you."
***
The reassurance isn't enough to completely make Adam's fears disappear, but this reminder that Tommy's willing, once again, to be whatever it is that Adam needs, rocks him to the core. "Thank you." He whispers against Tommy's hair.
"Don't thank me." Tommy presses a soft kiss on Adam's lips. "So. Ready to sing your ass off?"
Slowly, Adam takes a deep breath. "I think so."
He lets Tommy pull him out of his dressing room and toward the stage, a newfound confidence in his step, feeling so surrounded by love that he's able to believe it's enough to protect him.