Last Man Standing Chapter 4
Title: Last Man Standing
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Benji/Joel
Summary: Benji challenges his other four band mates to test their 'prowess' in a contest. A lot of money is at stake and all five men are determined to win...just as long as no one EVER finds out...
And cue the Disclaimer: I don’t own or know the Madden twins. This never happened. I have not, did not, and will never ever make any money off of this. The story is purely a work of fiction.
Notes: This story is based on a 10k bet Benji lost to Joel a few months ago. They both tweeted about it but never said what it was about...so I got to wondering...*snickers*
( Chapter 1 Money Shots ) ( Chapter 2 Dirty Dream ) ( Chapter 3 Anything )
Chapter 4 - Anxiety
“So help me god, Paul,” Billy spat out through his clenched teeth from under his pillow. “If you don’t fucking leave me the hell alone, I’m going to kick your ‘royal’ ass so bad and so far, it will score a field goal at the next damned Super Bowl!”
“But I’m hungry, Wilma!” Paul whined.
“Dude, quit calling me Wilma!” Billy yelled. “This isn’t the fucking Flintstones!”
“Sure it is,” Paul smirked. “I’m Fred, Joely is Betty, Benji is Barney, and Deano…is, well, Dino.”
“I‘m not you damned pet dinosaur, you pompous prick,” Dean groaned.
“At least you aren’t married to Paul…err…Fred,” Billy yawned, rolling over. “But I do give you mad props on the Betty and Barney scenario, Paul. Benji is short enough to be Mr. Rubble and Joel is so the bitch.”
“I dunno after last night,” Paul folded his arms across his chest. “Joel won the bet.”
“Well then I am sure Benji let his ’Betty’ go and ‘top’ him just this once,” Billy said sarcastically, plumping his pillow.
“Oh shit,” Deano started laughing his eyes still closed. “If the twins are the Rubbles does that mean the kid they have will be BamBam…Margera?”
Billy snorted into his pillow and Paul belly laughed.
“He’d be hell to raise,” Paul shook his head.
“You mean he’d raise hell,” Billy corrected him. “Okay, joke’s up, time for more sleepy. Night fuckers!”
“It’s already past 10,” Paul began, loudly. “And the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I am quite wealthy with all the money you limp dicks will be making for me tonight. Let’s go eat breakfast!”
“Then go eat, your Majesty, and shut the hell up!” Deano yelled, chucking one of his pillows at Paul.
“This sucks,” Paul grumbled as he walked out the door. “Benji said the winner gets to be waited on as King for a day and instead of willing vassals I get stuck with dumbass peasants.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“The stage is yours, in five, guys.”
Joel thanked their manager along with his band mates and then slipped back into his thoughts. Today had not been a good day. It started off early this morning when he and Benji had gotten to their room.
“Only one bed,” Joel said like it was a death sentence.
“It’s a king,” Benji said nonchalantly, throwing his bags down. “You stay on one side and I’ll stay on the other.”
“Mhm,” Joel nodded, knowing the same thing Benji knew.
“Are you okay with this?”
Joel looked Benji in the eyes and saw how much it would hurt him if he said no.
“Yep,” Joel lied, smoothly. “I’m fine.”
“Great,” Benji sighed with relief. “I’m gonna grab a quick shower first.”
Joel watched him exit and opened his bag with shaky hands. This was the epitome of awkward! He was no longer angry but he sure as hell didn’t want to spend the night in bed with Benji either! With the incident earlier, the bets…his dream…and the fucking fact that Joel had a chronic ‘snuggle’ disorder, it all would add up to be one miserable damned night.
Hopping under the covers just before Benji returned, Joel did his best to fake like he was already asleep.
“Joel?” Benji knew it looked like his twin was asleep but something just didn’t feel right.
Breathing deeply, Joel hadn’t responded and finally Benji had drifted off to sleep.
Sure enough, when they had awakened, Joel found himself snuggled into Benji’s side. It irritated him that he never had this problem with anyone except Benji. None of his girlfriends had ever found him cuddling up to them in his sleep. Yet, since he was a baby, he had been Benji’s fucking ‘cuddle-bunny’, as their Mom used to call him. It just didn’t make any damned sense. Thankfully, Benji had woke up and slipped out before anything got too weird.
The rest of the day, interviews were stilted, conversations were nonexistent, and heaven forbid they should accidentally touch each other. At first, Joel thought it was just him, but as the day dragged on, he realized it was both of them. Benji was having as much trouble as he was and that really irritated Joel for some reason. The sound check had been downright disastrous and Joel was beyond nervous about the upcoming performance. Never had he and Benji been so out of sync when it came to their ‘jobs’. Even through fights, hangovers, and pissy girlfriends, they had always maintained their professionalism. For some reason, it just wasn’t working for them today.
“Joel?”
Joel looked up into the uncertain eyes of his twin. “Yeah?”
“I’m tired of this.”
“Me too,” Joel sighed, knowing exactly what Benji was referring to: their disharmony. “What do we do, Benj? What the fuck is wrong with us? I really can‘t take anymore of this and I sure as hell can‘t go out there on stage this way.”
“Okay fellas, 60 seconds!”
“Shit,” Benji cursed under his breath as he saw Joel fall apart at the reality that he would soon have to perform. It was obvious to Benji that there was no way Joel could successfully pull this off tonight. His own inner turmoil was doubled as he passed by Joel’s terrified face, turning from him toward the stadium of fervent fans. Joel followed behind him, as they slowly made their way toward the left stage entrance watching as their band mates prepared to go on.
“Benji,” Joel panicked in his ear. “I can’t!”
“Thirty seconds, guys!”
Knowing that time was running out, Benji acted on pure impulse. Turning around to face Joel, he hugged him like his life depended on it. “Yes you can, Joel. I know you can. Wanna know why?”
“Why?” Joel whispered desperately.
“Because I love you and I fucking believe in you,” Benji whispered back in his ear. Joel slumped into Benji’s body as the horrible nervousness drained out of him.
“Ten seconds!”
“I love you too, Benji but you got it wrong,” Joel choked out, trying hard to keep himself under control.
“You are on in 5...”
“Got what wrong?” Benji asked hurriedly, releasing Joel reluctantly, but knowing he had helped him.
“4...”
Benji put on his guitar and adjusted the strap, still feeling his own set of nerves and pain.
“3...”
Leaning into Benji from behind, Joel suddenly kissed the back of his neck causing Benji to tense up.
“2...”
“I believe in you too Benj,” Joel whispered, gripping Benji’s arm tightly. “But more than that…”
“And now what you’ve all been waiting for: GOOD CHARLOTTE!”
“…I believe in us.”
And just like that, Joel made Benji’s anxiety fade away too.
Author notes:
Nope, not the end, just a necessary part for the ongoing story. Let me know what you think and thanx for reading!