Are You Curious and Communicative?
Title: Are You Curious And Communicative?
Word Count: Around 5000
Rating: PG- 13 (just to be safe)
Pairing: Mike/Kevin
Gift for exmptfromsanity. I hope you like your present and that it lives up to your expectations.
Thanks: to allypsis for the awesome music recs. And to fueledbysquee for betaing this when I dropped it on her the day before the deadline. Thanks a lot.
Title from Alanis Morissette's "21 things"
Disclaimer: This really never happened. You can take my words.
Nobody really knows how or when their relationship started. Opinions differ on the matter. Take Joe for example, he claims to whoever wants to listen that it was all thanks to him. Nick tends to mumble about “bendy singers that look like a girl” and if it's a bad day, he'll even throw in some “Pete Wentz is the bane of our existence!”
As for Mike, the story he likes to tell (even though it makes Kevin blush and Nick scowl) is about the time he and Kevin were in the middle of an awesome make-out session, a pretty intense one that was going in a direction that Mike wholeheartedly agreed with. And then Nick was taking Kevin away from him and preaching to Kevin about respecting one's vow and being able to look at oneself in the mirror. Mike had felt just like in first grade, when Dave Atkins used to take Mike's candy away from him every day. He had hated Nick at that very moment for interrupting them, and for making Kevin look like someone had just killed his puppy. Mike had wanted to take Kevin in his arms and reassure him. Mike had wanted to promise that he would never make Kevin break his vow. He wanted to promise that if one day Kevin felt like he couldn't look at himself in a mirror, that Mike would always be with him to tell him about the amazing guy he saw. Kevin always smiles at that part.
Kevin, though, he knew from the first time they met. He was backstage at an award show where he and his brothers were going to perform. He was lip synching to Alanis Morissette's “21 things” and he might have been dancing. After a perfectly executed spin he found himself faced with a smirking stranger. A really hot smirking stranger. The first thing this guy told him was “There are so many good songs, better songs out there, why would you listen to that crap, Jonas?” Kevin had no idea who the guy was, but going up to people and dissing their musical tastes without introducing yourself first was a very rude thing to do. Kevin had strong opinions about being polite to strangers, but before he could share them, there had been a half-naked tattooed man shouting, “Carden! Leave that Jonas alone and let's go!”
That's how Kevin had met Mike Carden (and the Butcher, but at least to Kevin, he was less important). He had watched The Academy Is... perform that night for the first time, more curious about them than he usually was about the other bands. Kevin was used to Joe's antics on stage, how he jumped, and danced, and moved everywhere, but he had never seen anyone performing like TAI's singer; it had been almost indecent the way he writhed on stage, and seemed to occupy all the empty space. It had felt like the stage was tiny because everywhere Kevin looked, there he was. As overwhelming as their singer was though, Kevin had also taken the opportunity to observe that Carden guy, who was one of their guitarists. It had been mesmerizing to watch how into the music he really was, like nothing except the music he had been playing at that moment existed, but how at the same time he was attuned to the singer, aware of everything that went on around him.
Joe had come to fetch him before the performance had ended and Kevin decided that he needed to know more about that band and maybe about that Carden person too. In the purest spirit of research, one guitar player to another. After the show, Kevin had found himself in front of a laptop looking up the band, and Mike Carden in particular. He discovered TAI TV and got totally addicted. And oh God! Their singer was William Beckett, the same William Beckett that Demi'd had a crush on for forever.
As Kevin kept watching the TAI episodes, he could sort of see the appeal. William Beckett was definitely hot. But Mike Carden? He was intriguing.
**********
The first time Kevin had gotten a text from Mike Carden, he'd been at home with his family, doing the dishes after dinner. He'd dried his hands and put a safe distance between his phone and the soapy water before taking it out of his pocket. The message read, “I have taken up the heavy burden of correcting the error of your musical ways! I chose this song with you in mind. Try and guess what it is, Jonas! Mike Carden.” Kevin was a bit baffled at how Mike had managed to get his number. He was pretty darn sure he had never given it to Mike or any of his friends. Attached to the text was a video of Mike playing his guitar but there was no sound. Kevin finished cleaning up the kitchen, always the responsible son, and then went up to his room. He had transferred Mike's video on his computer and then picked up his guitar.
It had taken some time for Kevin to get the chords and the rhythm sorted. He just kept getting distracted by Mike's ridiculous forearms and his smirk every time he looked up at the screen to see Mike's fingers on the frets. So Kevin had been playing for quite a while before he finally managed to actually listen to what he'd been strumming. Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love! When he had tried to imagine reasons why Mike would have thought of him while playing that song in particular, he'd felt himself flush from head to toes because everything he had come up with had been really improper. The smirk Mike had sported while playing made a lot more sense now that he knew the lyrics to go with the music. Kevin didn't know how to react to that. He hesitated between burying himself under his comforter, and finding a way to get back at Mike Carden with his smirks and his suggestive choice of songs.
Unfortunately, Kevin had never been a fighter. Luckily though, that's why he had brothers, which was how he'd ended up calling for Joe's help.
The following months had been a bit of a nightmare, according to Nick, but Kevin and Joe had had the time of their lives. They were at war and the enemy was deep in foreign territory. Kevin needed a spy! It turned out that Joe had Pete Wentz's number in his phone (when Kevin had asked him where he got it from, Joe had shrugged, clueless, and said it had just always been there) and Pete was more than happy to give them William's number.
Getting his number had been the easy part. It had been a bit harder to secure William's help. He had driven a hard bargain, and they sort of had to give Nick's number away. To this day, Nick still thinks that it was Pete who gave his number to William. Joe and Kevin never told him the truth and they have no desire whatsoever to do so now that they've heard the rants about Pete Wentz and borne witness to the violence. There is no way they're going to risk redirecting that much anger toward themselves.
The plan was easy: Bill would get his hands on Mike's phone, and change the ring tone to whatever song Kevin would have sent him, and then change the phone language so that Mike would be unable to do anything about it. Then Bill would text Kevin and Kevin would call Mike. Joe had taught him how to hide his phone number. He had called it Stealth 101.
Bill had sent Kevin a video clip of Mike's reaction to the first time, when Mike's ring tone had been changed to their cover of “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. There had been a vote over which song to choose. Joe thought Britney's “Piece Of Me” would be a better fit, but Kevin found it to be a bit too suggestive, and he was afraid it would send Mike the wrong sort of message. Thank heaven that as the oldest Jonas, his vote was worth double. The song itself wasn't that bad (it was a pretty good cover, if Kevin did say so himself) but the face Mike had pulled when he caught onto the fact that it was his phone playing that Disney song was priceless. Joe had tried to get Kevin to call Mike again and ask him what he thought of Kevin's gift, but Kevin had disagreed; that wasn't his point. And he did totally have a point. Sort of. Even if he couldn't explain what it was to Joe.
Mike hadn't been able to change the settings on his phone for two weeks. He came back strong, though, harassing Kevin with such gems as Divinyls' “I Touch Myself”, Def Leppard's “Pour Some Sugar On Me” , and Prince's “Cream”. Kevin retaliated with Rhianna, James Blunt, and Miley's “7 things” ( Bill told him Mike almost cried that time!) all the while vetoing Joe's suggestions of all things Pussycat Dolls. Joe's plan was awesome, but it seemed like he and Kevin weren't on the same page about what the point was. It had been like Joe was trying to tell Mike that it was okay to try and weasel his way into Kevin's pants. Not that Kevin thought Mike was trying to, (Kevin was pretty sure that Mike was just enjoying making him uncomfortable) but Kevin didn't want to give him the wrong idea.
Kevin wasn't 100% sure that he and Mike were playing the same game, but Kevin was definitely winning. His high score for keeping Mike's phone neutralized was three weeks. He had Hayden Panettiere's “Wake Up Call” to thank for it.
**********
The first time Mike called him, Kevin was busy being a couch potato and watching reruns of “Party of Five.”That's the reason why he didn't check the caller ID.
“I must say I'm pretty impressed, Jonas. I'd never have thought you would be so sneaky, and I don't know exactly what you've done to Bill but for once he actually kept quiet.”
“He obviously hasn't been quiet enough since you seem to know.” Kevin mumbled. “And in case you didn't know, my name is Kevin!” he added, but only in his head.
“Well here's the thing you should know about Bill. He can never keep his mouth completely shut about a good secret. He never told me anything, but he did tell Sisky all about it. Once I realized that, it was just a matter of torturing Sisky enough so that he'd spill the beans.”
Kevin had been sort of horrified to know that Mike had actually hurt one of his band mates just so he could find out the truth. He would never do anything like that to his brothers, even if sometimes Joe seemed to be asking for it. He had felt bad for poor Adam, and worried that Mike Carden might be unhinged.
When Kevin didn't respond, Mike kept talking. “That was actually a joke, Jonas. I just waited patiently for him to be drunk enough to start talking. I'm not a monster, you know. Did you really think I would hurt one of my band mates?”
“Well you did hurt him at least once that I know of, and you seem particularly keen on bullying him so...” Kevin hadn't thought further than proving his point, but when he thought about what he'd just said, he had to admit that he had sounded like a creepy fanboy, and he had stopped talking.
Mike had chuckled and said: “So you checked me out?” And really, the way Mike had said that made it seem so dirty that Kevin had to protest.
“Of course not! That's just... I mean it's really rude, and you shouldn't treat people as if they're a piece of meat, because...”
“I meant on the internet, Jonas. Google?” And there was that flush again, from head to toe. Kevin had wanted to hang up and strangle himself, but he could hear this voice in his head, Joe's voice, telling him to man up,so he just cleared his throat and answered “Yes.” Kevin could feel Mike's smugness all the way across the country.
They had the first in a long series of late night calls that night, during which Mike would be unbearably flirty and verge on obscene and Kevin would stammer, and blush, and flirt back a lot, too.
It was around that time that Nick began to become suspicious of Kevin's ever-so-chipper mood. Bill had sort of upped his phone calls to Nick, and Kevin might have had no idea what was being said during those phone calls, but it was enough to make Nick hate happiness and try to get rid of any sort of joy, whatsoever, around the house. In the interest of making other people miserable, Nick had started some friendly stalking. He kept asking Kevin who made him look so happy when he got off the phone. And when Kevin would say no one, Nick's jaw would get ridiculously tight. It made him want to know what was William doing to his brother that warranted such anger.
So Kevin'd had to dodge Nick and there had been some really close calls, but as a whole he'd gotten the hang of sneaking around. He had felt like he was the king of stealth, and really by that point Joe had nothing to teach him anymore, which is probably why he let his guard down and got busted by Nick, late one night. He and Mike had been talking for a good hour, just sharing touring stories, Mike talking in hushed tones because everyone on the bus had been sleeping. Kevin was lounging on his bed, back to the door, when he suddenly felt like someone was watching him; he had turned around to discover that it was Nick, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He had made a tiny surprised noise in his throat and told Mike he would call him later before hanging up.
“Was that Mike Carden?” Nick had said in a disbelieving tone, and Kevin would always wonder how his little brother had managed to channel a 40-year-old father so easily. Kevin had been properly chastised and scared. Nick had kept talking for what felt like an hour about how the guys from The Academy Is... were not good influences for them, and that Kevin shouldn't spend all that time on the phone with Mike. “It's bad enough that Joe and Pete Wentz seem to have become friends,” he said, and the way he had said “friends” was the same he would have talked about a disgusting disease or something. “And William Beckett is calling me regularly now. He wants us to collaborate,” Nick had added with pursed lips. Seeing Nick's reaction had made Kevin question the kind of collaboration William was proposing with his brother. He had made a note to call Mike and ask him to keep an eye on Bill, since he was responsible for Bill getting a hold of Nick's phone number.
Kevin and Mike hadn't stopped talking for hours on end on the phone, but Kevin started being more cautious and Mike had had a talk with Bill. Nick hadn't bothered him about it again. .
**********
The second time they met in person was once again at an award show. Kevin had been overexcited to see Mike again after all those months and he'd had a really hard time trying to hide it from Nick. When they finally saw each other backstage, Kevin had been unable to fight the smile that broke out on his face and it wasn't his fault if Mike's first reaction was to drag him in a corner and kiss him senseless. Nick hadn't been satisfied with Kevin's defense (it may have been due to the happy smile he was still sporting) but then Nick hadn't been happy with anything since the day he discovered that Frankie just loved William Beckett. He had an hour-long monologue about family betrayal. Kevin had fallen asleep in the middle of it, tired from all his late nights on the phone.
Nick had tried to act like Kevin's shadow after that, but thanks to Joe and his art of creating diversions, he had managed to spend half an hour with Mike. A half hour during which Mike had made his intentions toward Kevin crystal-clear, repeatedly. Kevin is not and has never been a girl from a romance novel, so he hadn't swooned. He was just happy to the point of dizziness.
Kevin had had a boyfriend since then, and a pissed-off younger brother.
**********
Kevin went back on the road with his brothers a few months after that second meeting. Kevin had always loved touring. Getting out there and meeting their fans was the best part of the job, except this time he was coming off a month where he had gotten used to hanging out with Mike. Chiz had left to spend some time with his family back in Australia, and he'd left the keys to his place to Mike, so Kevin and Mike had managed to spend almost every day together. They had gone on dates in pretty low-key places, dodging the paparazzi. They had gotten to know each other other properly. Kevin already knew he loved Mike's sense of humor, but watching him laugh in person was an entirely different experience. They had always spent a lot of time talking about everything, but looking at Mike as he was getting more and more animated instead of just hearing it in his voice had been ten times better.
Kevin had discovered that he could get away with practically anything and that just kissing Mike slowly on the cheek would get him to cave in to whatever it was Kevin had asked for. He hadn't abused his new-found power ( He used it only for good!) but he had gotten Mike to agree to a Disney movies marathon, the old school ones. During The Lion King, Mike had held him in his arms and when Mufasa had died, and Kevin had denied crying, Mike had tucked him in closer, kissed his temple and left his lips there until Kevin had had to get up to put a new DVD in the player.
They had gone shopping once, and after trying on a new outfit, the fifth since they had arrived at this place, Kevin had pulled the curtain open to find a visibly bored Mike strumming on an invisible guitar. He had wanted to keep the moment forever. And then Mike's eyes had lightened up when he saw him and Kevin had felt his heart beat harder.
Kevin had really loved spending all his free time with Mike, but what he had liked above everything else had been the make-out sessions. Kevin had kissed other people before but nothing had even come even remotely close to what he felt with Mike. He had wanted to know where Mike had learned to kiss like that because he had felt pretty sure that at least two thirds of what Mike had been doing with his tongue was illegal. Unfortunately he had always forgotten to ask, too busy kissing Mike.
They had a nearly perfect month, leading up to the tour, until they decided to spend a day together at Kevin's place. Nobody had been home for once, and Nick and Joe weren't due till the next day. So Kevin had been sitting in Mike's lap, Mike's back propped up against the headboard of Kevin's bed. One of Mike's hands had been holding his hip tightly and the other was holding his head at the perfect angle for Mike to keep kissing him. And Kevin had never been an idiot; he had known that if he kept on kissing Mike that it would be a bad idea. He really had wanted to stop, especially when he had felt Mike's hand leave his waist to make its way under his shirt. He had already tried to tell Mike it would be better if they stopped but then Mike had licked Kevin's lips slowly before kissing him again. Kevin never had a problem before with stopping things before they could get out of hand, but he was unable to control the situation with Mike. He just kept melting in Mike's arms. He had been thinking of his next tentative attempt to talk to Mike, planning what he would say when Mike had stopped kissing him, when he felt someone yank him away from Mike, and found himself faced with a visibly irate Nick.
Nick had lectured him for what felt like hours but had only been mere minutes. When he tried to throw Mike out though, Kevin had to step in, because Mike was his boyfriend after all, and Nick was not actually his father. That had been the first time that Kevin had wondered what would happen if he had to choose between Mike and his family.
Kevin might have been a tiny bit in love, and when they went out on tour, Kevin might have been a tiny bit lonely.
They've been together for two years now and Kevin knows everything hasn't always been perfect. A few months back he lost his family when he decided to be honest about his relationship with Mike. Joe and Nick hadn't been allowed to keep in touch with him. Kevin knew Joe would disobey, because that's always been one of the perks of being Joe. He had been a bit more surprised that the first call he received when he was thrown out of his own house had been from Nick. Nick who told him that no matter what their parents may have said, he'd be there, and Kevin could count on him. He had found an apartment not too far from his former house, and his brother sent him his things before his parents could get rid of them out of spite.
He hasn't seen Frankie since then, because his parents don't let him out of their sight but they still keep in touch thanks to Nick and Joe. He'd never imagined his parents would be able to do that to one of their children, and that he would have to sneak around to see his own brothers. Even knowing that Frankie is making their parents pay for the way they treated Kevin doesn't really cheer him up.
It's the first Christmas of his life that he won't spend with his family and it took Mike a lot of time to get Kevin to agree to spend Christmas with him instead of staying in his apartment alone and moping. It's not how Kevin imagined their first Christmas together would go. He had hoped they'd be together in his family's home and that his parents would get to know Mike and appreciate him. Instead he's sitting in Mike's living room and they're sorting ornaments Kevin's never seen before, instead of the ones he grew up with. For someone who claimed that he wasn't really into Christmas, Mike owns an awful lot of garlands, lights, and other decorations. He also doesn't seem to know what to do with them, and Kevin's spent enough time with Mike that he knows Mike is doing all of this for him. He is trying to outdo Kevin's memories of past Christmases, and Kevin is so in love that he can't control the goofy grin that breaks out on his face.
“What?” Mike asks.
Kevin's smile widens “I'm onto you,” Kevin answers. Mike denies knowing what Kevin is talking about, but he's blushing. Kevin's never seen Mike blush before and he is unable stop himself before he says, “You're adorable!” out loud.
Mike scowls and abruptly changes the subject. “We should probably start to hang those out around the place.”
Kevin lets it go, even if he can't stop smiling.
**********
Things go pretty well, until suddenly it's Christmas' Eve and they've been trying to cook their turkey for ages, and it still looks very not done. Kevin is pretty sure that his mother used to do it in, like, ten minutes. He has a whole new appreciation for the food he enjoyed for so long. Mike has already threatened the turkey a couple of times but it doesn't help the situation any. So far they have some really lumpy mashed potatoes, green beans, and not-entirely cooked peas. (Mike claims they're better when they're crunchy.) They made an apple pie (still unbaked) and Kevin is in charge of the gravy. It used to be his job at home at Christmas and he always used to make it perfectly. The only problem is that they've been waiting forever for this bird to cook, and Kevin can't make his gravy if the turkey isn't ready. The apple pie is on the counter, and the pastry is starting to look a little droopy in the heat of the kitchen, because Kevin was sure that the turkey would take less time to roast.
Mike growls some more at the oven and leaves the room, mumbling something about a phone call. Kevin sits on top of the counter and starts snacking on some leftover apples. “If you eat that now, you won't be able to eat anything else later,” Mike says when he comes back in the kitchen. “Bill said that the turkey needs to cook for at least an hour and half more.” When Kevin asks Mike why he decided to ask help from Bill and not from his mother, Mike says, “My mom is pretty mad that we aren't spending Christmas with them. If I call her now, she'd probably jump in her car and come pick us up.” Mike answers. Kevin is baffled because he already met Mike's family and he got along with everyone. He would have loved spending Christmas with them; he doesn't really get why Mike would reject an invitation without asking him first. “It's our first Christmas together,” Mike continues, like he's read Kevin's mind. “We'll probably end up spending the holidays with them until the end of time anyway. I wanted us to have that first one just the two of us.”
The room is silent. Mike looks like he wishes he could be anywhere else and Kevin knows Mike is not a fan of discussing his feelings, even with Kevin. Kevin never had any doubt that Mike loves him, it's pretty evident, and Mike told him a couple of times already. It's just that every time it comes as a shock to Kevin how much Mike is willing to do for them, how much he believes in them.
A few weeks after his parents threw him out, Kevin had met up with Mike in Chicago, and he had basically thrown himself at Mike. By that time he knew his parents would never talk to him again, and he had been set on losing his virginity to Mike as soon as possible. Mike hadn't let him, though, no matter how hard Kevin had tried. He can't help but blush just thinking about it. Looking back, he's never been so ashamed in his life. Mike telling him that it was one of the hottest thing he's ever seen doesn't help either. Mike calmed him down, told him that being angry at his parents wasn't a good enough reason to break a vow he took because he really believed in it. And it wasn't fair to them either. “We're going to have sex one day, you can be sure of it. But you won't break your vow. I promised,” Mike had said before Kevin had fallen asleep.
Kevin brings Mike closer to him and kisses him slowly. They don't stop till the turkey is ready.
**********
The next morning, they're drinking coffee and eating some apple pie because they had never gotten around to cutting it yesterday, already too full. They only have this morning left together: it seems that even if she relented on them spending Christmas' Eve alone, Mike's mother still expects them today for lunch. “We really have to go, man. She can be fucking scary,” Mike says, smiling, half-proud and half-scared.
They're going to exchange their gifts and Kevin is really stressed about his. He doesn't know how Mike is going to take it. He figures he should just go and give it to Mike first. That way if the situation is awkward, he knows he can rush and open his own presents, since Nick, Joe, and Frankie sent their presents to Mike's place a few days ago.
“What is it?” Mike asks, because he is one of those people who want to know what their present is before they open it. Kevin doesn't say anything because he can't. This is the worst idea he's ever had, up there with coming out to his parents without having a back-up plan. He may be having a mild panic attack, and it's an excruciating wait while Mike finally opens his present and finds the key. When Kevin looks up Mike is watching him with that little smirk Kevin's gotten used to. “ Do you want to move in with me?” Kevin says. And it's perfect. He didn't stutter, his voice didn't crack or anything. He sounded like the adult he is now, even if he wish he could scream like a girl to let go of the stress.
Mike never answers Kevin's question. Instead he smiles, kisses him and says “I love you.”
Word Count: Around 5000
Rating: PG- 13 (just to be safe)
Pairing: Mike/Kevin
Gift for exmptfromsanity. I hope you like your present and that it lives up to your expectations.
Thanks: to allypsis for the awesome music recs. And to fueledbysquee for betaing this when I dropped it on her the day before the deadline. Thanks a lot.
Title from Alanis Morissette's "21 things"
Disclaimer: This really never happened. You can take my words.
Nobody really knows how or when their relationship started. Opinions differ on the matter. Take Joe for example, he claims to whoever wants to listen that it was all thanks to him. Nick tends to mumble about “bendy singers that look like a girl” and if it's a bad day, he'll even throw in some “Pete Wentz is the bane of our existence!”
As for Mike, the story he likes to tell (even though it makes Kevin blush and Nick scowl) is about the time he and Kevin were in the middle of an awesome make-out session, a pretty intense one that was going in a direction that Mike wholeheartedly agreed with. And then Nick was taking Kevin away from him and preaching to Kevin about respecting one's vow and being able to look at oneself in the mirror. Mike had felt just like in first grade, when Dave Atkins used to take Mike's candy away from him every day. He had hated Nick at that very moment for interrupting them, and for making Kevin look like someone had just killed his puppy. Mike had wanted to take Kevin in his arms and reassure him. Mike had wanted to promise that he would never make Kevin break his vow. He wanted to promise that if one day Kevin felt like he couldn't look at himself in a mirror, that Mike would always be with him to tell him about the amazing guy he saw. Kevin always smiles at that part.
Kevin, though, he knew from the first time they met. He was backstage at an award show where he and his brothers were going to perform. He was lip synching to Alanis Morissette's “21 things” and he might have been dancing. After a perfectly executed spin he found himself faced with a smirking stranger. A really hot smirking stranger. The first thing this guy told him was “There are so many good songs, better songs out there, why would you listen to that crap, Jonas?” Kevin had no idea who the guy was, but going up to people and dissing their musical tastes without introducing yourself first was a very rude thing to do. Kevin had strong opinions about being polite to strangers, but before he could share them, there had been a half-naked tattooed man shouting, “Carden! Leave that Jonas alone and let's go!”
That's how Kevin had met Mike Carden (and the Butcher, but at least to Kevin, he was less important). He had watched The Academy Is... perform that night for the first time, more curious about them than he usually was about the other bands. Kevin was used to Joe's antics on stage, how he jumped, and danced, and moved everywhere, but he had never seen anyone performing like TAI's singer; it had been almost indecent the way he writhed on stage, and seemed to occupy all the empty space. It had felt like the stage was tiny because everywhere Kevin looked, there he was. As overwhelming as their singer was though, Kevin had also taken the opportunity to observe that Carden guy, who was one of their guitarists. It had been mesmerizing to watch how into the music he really was, like nothing except the music he had been playing at that moment existed, but how at the same time he was attuned to the singer, aware of everything that went on around him.
Joe had come to fetch him before the performance had ended and Kevin decided that he needed to know more about that band and maybe about that Carden person too. In the purest spirit of research, one guitar player to another. After the show, Kevin had found himself in front of a laptop looking up the band, and Mike Carden in particular. He discovered TAI TV and got totally addicted. And oh God! Their singer was William Beckett, the same William Beckett that Demi'd had a crush on for forever.
As Kevin kept watching the TAI episodes, he could sort of see the appeal. William Beckett was definitely hot. But Mike Carden? He was intriguing.
**********
The first time Kevin had gotten a text from Mike Carden, he'd been at home with his family, doing the dishes after dinner. He'd dried his hands and put a safe distance between his phone and the soapy water before taking it out of his pocket. The message read, “I have taken up the heavy burden of correcting the error of your musical ways! I chose this song with you in mind. Try and guess what it is, Jonas! Mike Carden.” Kevin was a bit baffled at how Mike had managed to get his number. He was pretty darn sure he had never given it to Mike or any of his friends. Attached to the text was a video of Mike playing his guitar but there was no sound. Kevin finished cleaning up the kitchen, always the responsible son, and then went up to his room. He had transferred Mike's video on his computer and then picked up his guitar.
It had taken some time for Kevin to get the chords and the rhythm sorted. He just kept getting distracted by Mike's ridiculous forearms and his smirk every time he looked up at the screen to see Mike's fingers on the frets. So Kevin had been playing for quite a while before he finally managed to actually listen to what he'd been strumming. Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love! When he had tried to imagine reasons why Mike would have thought of him while playing that song in particular, he'd felt himself flush from head to toes because everything he had come up with had been really improper. The smirk Mike had sported while playing made a lot more sense now that he knew the lyrics to go with the music. Kevin didn't know how to react to that. He hesitated between burying himself under his comforter, and finding a way to get back at Mike Carden with his smirks and his suggestive choice of songs.
Unfortunately, Kevin had never been a fighter. Luckily though, that's why he had brothers, which was how he'd ended up calling for Joe's help.
The following months had been a bit of a nightmare, according to Nick, but Kevin and Joe had had the time of their lives. They were at war and the enemy was deep in foreign territory. Kevin needed a spy! It turned out that Joe had Pete Wentz's number in his phone (when Kevin had asked him where he got it from, Joe had shrugged, clueless, and said it had just always been there) and Pete was more than happy to give them William's number.
Getting his number had been the easy part. It had been a bit harder to secure William's help. He had driven a hard bargain, and they sort of had to give Nick's number away. To this day, Nick still thinks that it was Pete who gave his number to William. Joe and Kevin never told him the truth and they have no desire whatsoever to do so now that they've heard the rants about Pete Wentz and borne witness to the violence. There is no way they're going to risk redirecting that much anger toward themselves.
The plan was easy: Bill would get his hands on Mike's phone, and change the ring tone to whatever song Kevin would have sent him, and then change the phone language so that Mike would be unable to do anything about it. Then Bill would text Kevin and Kevin would call Mike. Joe had taught him how to hide his phone number. He had called it Stealth 101.
Bill had sent Kevin a video clip of Mike's reaction to the first time, when Mike's ring tone had been changed to their cover of “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. There had been a vote over which song to choose. Joe thought Britney's “Piece Of Me” would be a better fit, but Kevin found it to be a bit too suggestive, and he was afraid it would send Mike the wrong sort of message. Thank heaven that as the oldest Jonas, his vote was worth double. The song itself wasn't that bad (it was a pretty good cover, if Kevin did say so himself) but the face Mike had pulled when he caught onto the fact that it was his phone playing that Disney song was priceless. Joe had tried to get Kevin to call Mike again and ask him what he thought of Kevin's gift, but Kevin had disagreed; that wasn't his point. And he did totally have a point. Sort of. Even if he couldn't explain what it was to Joe.
Mike hadn't been able to change the settings on his phone for two weeks. He came back strong, though, harassing Kevin with such gems as Divinyls' “I Touch Myself”, Def Leppard's “Pour Some Sugar On Me” , and Prince's “Cream”. Kevin retaliated with Rhianna, James Blunt, and Miley's “7 things” ( Bill told him Mike almost cried that time!) all the while vetoing Joe's suggestions of all things Pussycat Dolls. Joe's plan was awesome, but it seemed like he and Kevin weren't on the same page about what the point was. It had been like Joe was trying to tell Mike that it was okay to try and weasel his way into Kevin's pants. Not that Kevin thought Mike was trying to, (Kevin was pretty sure that Mike was just enjoying making him uncomfortable) but Kevin didn't want to give him the wrong idea.
Kevin wasn't 100% sure that he and Mike were playing the same game, but Kevin was definitely winning. His high score for keeping Mike's phone neutralized was three weeks. He had Hayden Panettiere's “Wake Up Call” to thank for it.
**********
The first time Mike called him, Kevin was busy being a couch potato and watching reruns of “Party of Five.”That's the reason why he didn't check the caller ID.
“I must say I'm pretty impressed, Jonas. I'd never have thought you would be so sneaky, and I don't know exactly what you've done to Bill but for once he actually kept quiet.”
“He obviously hasn't been quiet enough since you seem to know.” Kevin mumbled. “And in case you didn't know, my name is Kevin!” he added, but only in his head.
“Well here's the thing you should know about Bill. He can never keep his mouth completely shut about a good secret. He never told me anything, but he did tell Sisky all about it. Once I realized that, it was just a matter of torturing Sisky enough so that he'd spill the beans.”
Kevin had been sort of horrified to know that Mike had actually hurt one of his band mates just so he could find out the truth. He would never do anything like that to his brothers, even if sometimes Joe seemed to be asking for it. He had felt bad for poor Adam, and worried that Mike Carden might be unhinged.
When Kevin didn't respond, Mike kept talking. “That was actually a joke, Jonas. I just waited patiently for him to be drunk enough to start talking. I'm not a monster, you know. Did you really think I would hurt one of my band mates?”
“Well you did hurt him at least once that I know of, and you seem particularly keen on bullying him so...” Kevin hadn't thought further than proving his point, but when he thought about what he'd just said, he had to admit that he had sounded like a creepy fanboy, and he had stopped talking.
Mike had chuckled and said: “So you checked me out?” And really, the way Mike had said that made it seem so dirty that Kevin had to protest.
“Of course not! That's just... I mean it's really rude, and you shouldn't treat people as if they're a piece of meat, because...”
“I meant on the internet, Jonas. Google?” And there was that flush again, from head to toe. Kevin had wanted to hang up and strangle himself, but he could hear this voice in his head, Joe's voice, telling him to man up,so he just cleared his throat and answered “Yes.” Kevin could feel Mike's smugness all the way across the country.
They had the first in a long series of late night calls that night, during which Mike would be unbearably flirty and verge on obscene and Kevin would stammer, and blush, and flirt back a lot, too.
It was around that time that Nick began to become suspicious of Kevin's ever-so-chipper mood. Bill had sort of upped his phone calls to Nick, and Kevin might have had no idea what was being said during those phone calls, but it was enough to make Nick hate happiness and try to get rid of any sort of joy, whatsoever, around the house. In the interest of making other people miserable, Nick had started some friendly stalking. He kept asking Kevin who made him look so happy when he got off the phone. And when Kevin would say no one, Nick's jaw would get ridiculously tight. It made him want to know what was William doing to his brother that warranted such anger.
So Kevin'd had to dodge Nick and there had been some really close calls, but as a whole he'd gotten the hang of sneaking around. He had felt like he was the king of stealth, and really by that point Joe had nothing to teach him anymore, which is probably why he let his guard down and got busted by Nick, late one night. He and Mike had been talking for a good hour, just sharing touring stories, Mike talking in hushed tones because everyone on the bus had been sleeping. Kevin was lounging on his bed, back to the door, when he suddenly felt like someone was watching him; he had turned around to discover that it was Nick, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He had made a tiny surprised noise in his throat and told Mike he would call him later before hanging up.
“Was that Mike Carden?” Nick had said in a disbelieving tone, and Kevin would always wonder how his little brother had managed to channel a 40-year-old father so easily. Kevin had been properly chastised and scared. Nick had kept talking for what felt like an hour about how the guys from The Academy Is... were not good influences for them, and that Kevin shouldn't spend all that time on the phone with Mike. “It's bad enough that Joe and Pete Wentz seem to have become friends,” he said, and the way he had said “friends” was the same he would have talked about a disgusting disease or something. “And William Beckett is calling me regularly now. He wants us to collaborate,” Nick had added with pursed lips. Seeing Nick's reaction had made Kevin question the kind of collaboration William was proposing with his brother. He had made a note to call Mike and ask him to keep an eye on Bill, since he was responsible for Bill getting a hold of Nick's phone number.
Kevin and Mike hadn't stopped talking for hours on end on the phone, but Kevin started being more cautious and Mike had had a talk with Bill. Nick hadn't bothered him about it again. .
**********
The second time they met in person was once again at an award show. Kevin had been overexcited to see Mike again after all those months and he'd had a really hard time trying to hide it from Nick. When they finally saw each other backstage, Kevin had been unable to fight the smile that broke out on his face and it wasn't his fault if Mike's first reaction was to drag him in a corner and kiss him senseless. Nick hadn't been satisfied with Kevin's defense (it may have been due to the happy smile he was still sporting) but then Nick hadn't been happy with anything since the day he discovered that Frankie just loved William Beckett. He had an hour-long monologue about family betrayal. Kevin had fallen asleep in the middle of it, tired from all his late nights on the phone.
Nick had tried to act like Kevin's shadow after that, but thanks to Joe and his art of creating diversions, he had managed to spend half an hour with Mike. A half hour during which Mike had made his intentions toward Kevin crystal-clear, repeatedly. Kevin is not and has never been a girl from a romance novel, so he hadn't swooned. He was just happy to the point of dizziness.
Kevin had had a boyfriend since then, and a pissed-off younger brother.
**********
Kevin went back on the road with his brothers a few months after that second meeting. Kevin had always loved touring. Getting out there and meeting their fans was the best part of the job, except this time he was coming off a month where he had gotten used to hanging out with Mike. Chiz had left to spend some time with his family back in Australia, and he'd left the keys to his place to Mike, so Kevin and Mike had managed to spend almost every day together. They had gone on dates in pretty low-key places, dodging the paparazzi. They had gotten to know each other other properly. Kevin already knew he loved Mike's sense of humor, but watching him laugh in person was an entirely different experience. They had always spent a lot of time talking about everything, but looking at Mike as he was getting more and more animated instead of just hearing it in his voice had been ten times better.
Kevin had discovered that he could get away with practically anything and that just kissing Mike slowly on the cheek would get him to cave in to whatever it was Kevin had asked for. He hadn't abused his new-found power ( He used it only for good!) but he had gotten Mike to agree to a Disney movies marathon, the old school ones. During The Lion King, Mike had held him in his arms and when Mufasa had died, and Kevin had denied crying, Mike had tucked him in closer, kissed his temple and left his lips there until Kevin had had to get up to put a new DVD in the player.
They had gone shopping once, and after trying on a new outfit, the fifth since they had arrived at this place, Kevin had pulled the curtain open to find a visibly bored Mike strumming on an invisible guitar. He had wanted to keep the moment forever. And then Mike's eyes had lightened up when he saw him and Kevin had felt his heart beat harder.
Kevin had really loved spending all his free time with Mike, but what he had liked above everything else had been the make-out sessions. Kevin had kissed other people before but nothing had even come even remotely close to what he felt with Mike. He had wanted to know where Mike had learned to kiss like that because he had felt pretty sure that at least two thirds of what Mike had been doing with his tongue was illegal. Unfortunately he had always forgotten to ask, too busy kissing Mike.
They had a nearly perfect month, leading up to the tour, until they decided to spend a day together at Kevin's place. Nobody had been home for once, and Nick and Joe weren't due till the next day. So Kevin had been sitting in Mike's lap, Mike's back propped up against the headboard of Kevin's bed. One of Mike's hands had been holding his hip tightly and the other was holding his head at the perfect angle for Mike to keep kissing him. And Kevin had never been an idiot; he had known that if he kept on kissing Mike that it would be a bad idea. He really had wanted to stop, especially when he had felt Mike's hand leave his waist to make its way under his shirt. He had already tried to tell Mike it would be better if they stopped but then Mike had licked Kevin's lips slowly before kissing him again. Kevin never had a problem before with stopping things before they could get out of hand, but he was unable to control the situation with Mike. He just kept melting in Mike's arms. He had been thinking of his next tentative attempt to talk to Mike, planning what he would say when Mike had stopped kissing him, when he felt someone yank him away from Mike, and found himself faced with a visibly irate Nick.
Nick had lectured him for what felt like hours but had only been mere minutes. When he tried to throw Mike out though, Kevin had to step in, because Mike was his boyfriend after all, and Nick was not actually his father. That had been the first time that Kevin had wondered what would happen if he had to choose between Mike and his family.
Kevin might have been a tiny bit in love, and when they went out on tour, Kevin might have been a tiny bit lonely.
They've been together for two years now and Kevin knows everything hasn't always been perfect. A few months back he lost his family when he decided to be honest about his relationship with Mike. Joe and Nick hadn't been allowed to keep in touch with him. Kevin knew Joe would disobey, because that's always been one of the perks of being Joe. He had been a bit more surprised that the first call he received when he was thrown out of his own house had been from Nick. Nick who told him that no matter what their parents may have said, he'd be there, and Kevin could count on him. He had found an apartment not too far from his former house, and his brother sent him his things before his parents could get rid of them out of spite.
He hasn't seen Frankie since then, because his parents don't let him out of their sight but they still keep in touch thanks to Nick and Joe. He'd never imagined his parents would be able to do that to one of their children, and that he would have to sneak around to see his own brothers. Even knowing that Frankie is making their parents pay for the way they treated Kevin doesn't really cheer him up.
It's the first Christmas of his life that he won't spend with his family and it took Mike a lot of time to get Kevin to agree to spend Christmas with him instead of staying in his apartment alone and moping. It's not how Kevin imagined their first Christmas together would go. He had hoped they'd be together in his family's home and that his parents would get to know Mike and appreciate him. Instead he's sitting in Mike's living room and they're sorting ornaments Kevin's never seen before, instead of the ones he grew up with. For someone who claimed that he wasn't really into Christmas, Mike owns an awful lot of garlands, lights, and other decorations. He also doesn't seem to know what to do with them, and Kevin's spent enough time with Mike that he knows Mike is doing all of this for him. He is trying to outdo Kevin's memories of past Christmases, and Kevin is so in love that he can't control the goofy grin that breaks out on his face.
“What?” Mike asks.
Kevin's smile widens “I'm onto you,” Kevin answers. Mike denies knowing what Kevin is talking about, but he's blushing. Kevin's never seen Mike blush before and he is unable stop himself before he says, “You're adorable!” out loud.
Mike scowls and abruptly changes the subject. “We should probably start to hang those out around the place.”
Kevin lets it go, even if he can't stop smiling.
**********
Things go pretty well, until suddenly it's Christmas' Eve and they've been trying to cook their turkey for ages, and it still looks very not done. Kevin is pretty sure that his mother used to do it in, like, ten minutes. He has a whole new appreciation for the food he enjoyed for so long. Mike has already threatened the turkey a couple of times but it doesn't help the situation any. So far they have some really lumpy mashed potatoes, green beans, and not-entirely cooked peas. (Mike claims they're better when they're crunchy.) They made an apple pie (still unbaked) and Kevin is in charge of the gravy. It used to be his job at home at Christmas and he always used to make it perfectly. The only problem is that they've been waiting forever for this bird to cook, and Kevin can't make his gravy if the turkey isn't ready. The apple pie is on the counter, and the pastry is starting to look a little droopy in the heat of the kitchen, because Kevin was sure that the turkey would take less time to roast.
Mike growls some more at the oven and leaves the room, mumbling something about a phone call. Kevin sits on top of the counter and starts snacking on some leftover apples. “If you eat that now, you won't be able to eat anything else later,” Mike says when he comes back in the kitchen. “Bill said that the turkey needs to cook for at least an hour and half more.” When Kevin asks Mike why he decided to ask help from Bill and not from his mother, Mike says, “My mom is pretty mad that we aren't spending Christmas with them. If I call her now, she'd probably jump in her car and come pick us up.” Mike answers. Kevin is baffled because he already met Mike's family and he got along with everyone. He would have loved spending Christmas with them; he doesn't really get why Mike would reject an invitation without asking him first. “It's our first Christmas together,” Mike continues, like he's read Kevin's mind. “We'll probably end up spending the holidays with them until the end of time anyway. I wanted us to have that first one just the two of us.”
The room is silent. Mike looks like he wishes he could be anywhere else and Kevin knows Mike is not a fan of discussing his feelings, even with Kevin. Kevin never had any doubt that Mike loves him, it's pretty evident, and Mike told him a couple of times already. It's just that every time it comes as a shock to Kevin how much Mike is willing to do for them, how much he believes in them.
A few weeks after his parents threw him out, Kevin had met up with Mike in Chicago, and he had basically thrown himself at Mike. By that time he knew his parents would never talk to him again, and he had been set on losing his virginity to Mike as soon as possible. Mike hadn't let him, though, no matter how hard Kevin had tried. He can't help but blush just thinking about it. Looking back, he's never been so ashamed in his life. Mike telling him that it was one of the hottest thing he's ever seen doesn't help either. Mike calmed him down, told him that being angry at his parents wasn't a good enough reason to break a vow he took because he really believed in it. And it wasn't fair to them either. “We're going to have sex one day, you can be sure of it. But you won't break your vow. I promised,” Mike had said before Kevin had fallen asleep.
Kevin brings Mike closer to him and kisses him slowly. They don't stop till the turkey is ready.
**********
The next morning, they're drinking coffee and eating some apple pie because they had never gotten around to cutting it yesterday, already too full. They only have this morning left together: it seems that even if she relented on them spending Christmas' Eve alone, Mike's mother still expects them today for lunch. “We really have to go, man. She can be fucking scary,” Mike says, smiling, half-proud and half-scared.
They're going to exchange their gifts and Kevin is really stressed about his. He doesn't know how Mike is going to take it. He figures he should just go and give it to Mike first. That way if the situation is awkward, he knows he can rush and open his own presents, since Nick, Joe, and Frankie sent their presents to Mike's place a few days ago.
“What is it?” Mike asks, because he is one of those people who want to know what their present is before they open it. Kevin doesn't say anything because he can't. This is the worst idea he's ever had, up there with coming out to his parents without having a back-up plan. He may be having a mild panic attack, and it's an excruciating wait while Mike finally opens his present and finds the key. When Kevin looks up Mike is watching him with that little smirk Kevin's gotten used to. “ Do you want to move in with me?” Kevin says. And it's perfect. He didn't stutter, his voice didn't crack or anything. He sounded like the adult he is now, even if he wish he could scream like a girl to let go of the stress.
Mike never answers Kevin's question. Instead he smiles, kisses him and says “I love you.”