FIC: Happy New Year
Title: Happy New Year
Author: Cassie Morgan (falconkenobi@aol.com)
Author Web Page: http://www.aemslash.co.uk Obsess, Much?
Fandom: RPS - Good Charlotte
Categories: Benji Madden/Joel Madden. Hints of Benji Madden/Tony Lovato, Angst, Fluff
Rating: PG
Thanks to: You, for reading this. Clare, for letting me tell her the story as I wrote it.
Disclaimer: Benji & Joel Madden, Hilary Duff and Tony Lovato are real people, and the events in this story are just that - fictional, figments of my sick and twisted imagination. Hell, call it a fantasy if it makes you feel better. Whatever. No rumours should be started in regards to any events in these works of fiction. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes and no money is being made out of it.
Warning: Not beta’d.
Summary: It’s New Years Eve and he’s supposed to out partying with Tony. But for Benji, there’s nothing to celebrate when Joel isn’t by his side.
Leaning against the wall, a beer bottle held loosely in his hand, Tony watched Benji for a few minutes before sighing and crossing the roof to sit next to him, legs dangling midair. They sat there quietly, Benji not acknowledging Tony’s presence, just sitting there, staring into the night sky.
“What’s wrong?” Tony eventually asked, bottle between his legs as he lay backwards, hands folded beneath his head.
“Go back downstairs, Tony.” Benji replied quietly.
“Not gonna happen,” Tony informed him, pulling a packet of cigarettes from the front pocket of his jeans. He offered one to Benji before lighting one himself, blowing a cloud of blue smoke into the air. “Not while you’re sitting up here like a miserable fucker - there’s a party downstairs that’s missing Benji Madden.”
Benji sighed and looked over his shoulder at Tony. “He’s not in the partying mood. He’s perfectly happy sitting up here.”
Tony snorted and shook his head. “Uh-huh really looks it.” He sat up again and took a swig from his beer, wrapping his arms around Benji’s shoulder, frowning when Benji pulled away from him. “What’s wrong?” He asked softly, letting his concern for his friend show in the tone of his voice.
Benji sighed and rolled his eyes, turning to face Tony. He folded one leg underneath himself, one hand on the tiles next to him. “You’re not going to go until I tell you, are you?”
Tony laughed. “Nope,” he agreed.
“You’re like a dog with a fucking bone,” Benji pointed out, scowling.
Tony laughed again, leaning forward and placing a wet, sloppy kiss on Benji’s cheek. “And that’s why you love me.” He grinned as Benji glared. “Talk to me Benji,” he encouraged, expression turning serious. again “You know you can trust me… I can’t help unless you tell me what’s wrong.”
“I…” Benji sighed and shook his head again. “It’s nothing. Go back and enjoy your party, Tony.”
“I can’t,” Tony insisted impatiently. “Not when I know you’re sitting up here, miserable as anything. I invited you here to have fun. Not mope around on my roof. Now, either come back downstairs with me and party. Or talk to me.”
“Tony…”
“Benji.” Tony glared straight back at Benji, crossing his arms over his chest, rising an eyebrow in a challenge. “Look, it’s New Years Eve. Only another,” he glanced down at his watch. “15 minutes until 2006. We’re supposed to be celebrating.”
Benji‘s breath caught in his throat and he snorted. “Yeah.” A shudder ran through him, his shoulders shaking lightly as he fought the urge to cry.
“Fuck, Benji… What is it?”
Benji exhaled shakily, heavily, his hands covering his face. “What exactly is there to celebrate, Tony?” He asked, looking up and meeting Tony’s eyes.
“Um… is this a trick question?” Tony asked carefully, dropping his now empty bottle over the edge of the roof, watching it drop to the floor. “The end of this year, the beginning of the new year, endless possibilities,” he shrugged. “Being alive…”
“Losing my brother,” Benji offered quietly.
Tony started, his mouth clicking shut and his eyes widening. “Losing….” He shook his head. “What? You… I… Benji, no! You haven’t… you haven’t lost Joel.”
Benji rubbed his upper arm and took a deep breath. “Yes, I have,” he replied sadly. “He’s never around anymore… never wants to spend anytime with me. He’d rather spend time with… with her, than with me. I’m losing him, Tony.” He trembled, biting down on his lower lip, pressing his lips together in a thin white line as he lost his battle with tears. “For the first time in 26 years…” he trailed off. “He spent Christmas with her. We always spend Christmas Day together, just the two of us. I thought we always would. And now he’s with her tonight. It’s the beginning of a New Year and…he’d rather see it in with her, than with me. This is the first time in my life I’ve spent Christmas and New Year without him and…” he shook his head, words failing him, tears running unchecked down his face. “I hate it, Tony. I hate feeling like this. I hate that I resent her. I hate that he doesn’t need me anymore and I hate that I still need him so much.”
“Benji, I…” Tony shook his head, pulling Benji into his arms, holding him tightly, sighing when Benji clung to him. He opened his mouth to reply but a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to look in time to see Joel come skidding across the roof to them.
“That’s fucking rubbish, Benjamin!” Joel exclaimed. “And you know it is.” He sank down to sit next to them, rubbing Benji’s back as he embraced him. “I do need you,” he reassured him, turning Benji to face him. “I will always need you, ok?” He brushed Benji’s tears away with his thumbs, cupping his face in his hands. “Ok?”
Benji bit down on his lower lip. “I… I thought you were in LA,” he whispered, pulling away from Joel, wrapping his arms around his waist. “With Hilary.”
Joel whimpered at the pain present in Benji’s voice and on his face.” I was, he agreed, shrugging one shoulder. “But I just flew all the way out here to spend New Year with you. Christmas fucking sucked,” he laughed. “I missed you too much.”
“Really?” Benji asked hopefully.
Joel nodded, reaching out for Benji again. “Really. Yeah, I love Hilary and spending time with her is great but…” He shook his head, blushing and shrugging one shoulder. “I’d rather be here with you.”
Benji sighed shakily and fell forward into Joel’s arms, burying his face into Joel’s neck. Joel pressed a kiss to the top of Benji’s forehead, wrapping his arms around him.
“I’m sorry, Benji. I’m so fucking sorry,” Joel shook his head, calming down as he held Benji. He looked up as Tony stood, flashing a quick grin at him, mouthing ’thanks’ to him, Tony grinning and nodding in response as he made his way back off the roof. Glancing down at his watch, Joel giggled as he heard clocks all around striking midnight, the church bells ringing. “Happy new year, Benji.”
Benji wriggled around, his back to Joel’s chest, leaning back against him as they watched fireworks lighting up the night sky. He grinned, relaxed and content in Joel’s arms, both of them giggling as they enjoyed the display. “Happy new year, Joel.”
~El Fin~
Author: Cassie Morgan (falconkenobi@aol.com)
Author Web Page: http://www.aemslash.co.uk Obsess, Much?
Fandom: RPS - Good Charlotte
Categories: Benji Madden/Joel Madden. Hints of Benji Madden/Tony Lovato, Angst, Fluff
Rating: PG
Thanks to: You, for reading this. Clare, for letting me tell her the story as I wrote it.
Disclaimer: Benji & Joel Madden, Hilary Duff and Tony Lovato are real people, and the events in this story are just that - fictional, figments of my sick and twisted imagination. Hell, call it a fantasy if it makes you feel better. Whatever. No rumours should be started in regards to any events in these works of fiction. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes and no money is being made out of it.
Warning: Not beta’d.
Summary: It’s New Years Eve and he’s supposed to out partying with Tony. But for Benji, there’s nothing to celebrate when Joel isn’t by his side.
Leaning against the wall, a beer bottle held loosely in his hand, Tony watched Benji for a few minutes before sighing and crossing the roof to sit next to him, legs dangling midair. They sat there quietly, Benji not acknowledging Tony’s presence, just sitting there, staring into the night sky.
“What’s wrong?” Tony eventually asked, bottle between his legs as he lay backwards, hands folded beneath his head.
“Go back downstairs, Tony.” Benji replied quietly.
“Not gonna happen,” Tony informed him, pulling a packet of cigarettes from the front pocket of his jeans. He offered one to Benji before lighting one himself, blowing a cloud of blue smoke into the air. “Not while you’re sitting up here like a miserable fucker - there’s a party downstairs that’s missing Benji Madden.”
Benji sighed and looked over his shoulder at Tony. “He’s not in the partying mood. He’s perfectly happy sitting up here.”
Tony snorted and shook his head. “Uh-huh really looks it.” He sat up again and took a swig from his beer, wrapping his arms around Benji’s shoulder, frowning when Benji pulled away from him. “What’s wrong?” He asked softly, letting his concern for his friend show in the tone of his voice.
Benji sighed and rolled his eyes, turning to face Tony. He folded one leg underneath himself, one hand on the tiles next to him. “You’re not going to go until I tell you, are you?”
Tony laughed. “Nope,” he agreed.
“You’re like a dog with a fucking bone,” Benji pointed out, scowling.
Tony laughed again, leaning forward and placing a wet, sloppy kiss on Benji’s cheek. “And that’s why you love me.” He grinned as Benji glared. “Talk to me Benji,” he encouraged, expression turning serious. again “You know you can trust me… I can’t help unless you tell me what’s wrong.”
“I…” Benji sighed and shook his head again. “It’s nothing. Go back and enjoy your party, Tony.”
“I can’t,” Tony insisted impatiently. “Not when I know you’re sitting up here, miserable as anything. I invited you here to have fun. Not mope around on my roof. Now, either come back downstairs with me and party. Or talk to me.”
“Tony…”
“Benji.” Tony glared straight back at Benji, crossing his arms over his chest, rising an eyebrow in a challenge. “Look, it’s New Years Eve. Only another,” he glanced down at his watch. “15 minutes until 2006. We’re supposed to be celebrating.”
Benji‘s breath caught in his throat and he snorted. “Yeah.” A shudder ran through him, his shoulders shaking lightly as he fought the urge to cry.
“Fuck, Benji… What is it?”
Benji exhaled shakily, heavily, his hands covering his face. “What exactly is there to celebrate, Tony?” He asked, looking up and meeting Tony’s eyes.
“Um… is this a trick question?” Tony asked carefully, dropping his now empty bottle over the edge of the roof, watching it drop to the floor. “The end of this year, the beginning of the new year, endless possibilities,” he shrugged. “Being alive…”
“Losing my brother,” Benji offered quietly.
Tony started, his mouth clicking shut and his eyes widening. “Losing….” He shook his head. “What? You… I… Benji, no! You haven’t… you haven’t lost Joel.”
Benji rubbed his upper arm and took a deep breath. “Yes, I have,” he replied sadly. “He’s never around anymore… never wants to spend anytime with me. He’d rather spend time with… with her, than with me. I’m losing him, Tony.” He trembled, biting down on his lower lip, pressing his lips together in a thin white line as he lost his battle with tears. “For the first time in 26 years…” he trailed off. “He spent Christmas with her. We always spend Christmas Day together, just the two of us. I thought we always would. And now he’s with her tonight. It’s the beginning of a New Year and…he’d rather see it in with her, than with me. This is the first time in my life I’ve spent Christmas and New Year without him and…” he shook his head, words failing him, tears running unchecked down his face. “I hate it, Tony. I hate feeling like this. I hate that I resent her. I hate that he doesn’t need me anymore and I hate that I still need him so much.”
“Benji, I…” Tony shook his head, pulling Benji into his arms, holding him tightly, sighing when Benji clung to him. He opened his mouth to reply but a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to look in time to see Joel come skidding across the roof to them.
“That’s fucking rubbish, Benjamin!” Joel exclaimed. “And you know it is.” He sank down to sit next to them, rubbing Benji’s back as he embraced him. “I do need you,” he reassured him, turning Benji to face him. “I will always need you, ok?” He brushed Benji’s tears away with his thumbs, cupping his face in his hands. “Ok?”
Benji bit down on his lower lip. “I… I thought you were in LA,” he whispered, pulling away from Joel, wrapping his arms around his waist. “With Hilary.”
Joel whimpered at the pain present in Benji’s voice and on his face.” I was, he agreed, shrugging one shoulder. “But I just flew all the way out here to spend New Year with you. Christmas fucking sucked,” he laughed. “I missed you too much.”
“Really?” Benji asked hopefully.
Joel nodded, reaching out for Benji again. “Really. Yeah, I love Hilary and spending time with her is great but…” He shook his head, blushing and shrugging one shoulder. “I’d rather be here with you.”
Benji sighed shakily and fell forward into Joel’s arms, burying his face into Joel’s neck. Joel pressed a kiss to the top of Benji’s forehead, wrapping his arms around him.
“I’m sorry, Benji. I’m so fucking sorry,” Joel shook his head, calming down as he held Benji. He looked up as Tony stood, flashing a quick grin at him, mouthing ’thanks’ to him, Tony grinning and nodding in response as he made his way back off the roof. Glancing down at his watch, Joel giggled as he heard clocks all around striking midnight, the church bells ringing. “Happy new year, Benji.”
Benji wriggled around, his back to Joel’s chest, leaning back against him as they watched fireworks lighting up the night sky. He grinned, relaxed and content in Joel’s arms, both of them giggling as they enjoyed the display. “Happy new year, Joel.”
~El Fin~