Skinny Mean Man, Ch. 4
I love my job, simply because it's never busy, so I can write.
Although today sucked, because I wrote this chapter, and I wrote a one-shot, and I finished the book I was reading, and I STILL had an hour left of my shift before I could leave, so I was bored for a long time.
But, I got paid today, so I rewarded myself with sour cream and onion Pringles, a bottle of Sunkist, and a full tank of gas! YAY!
It's hard to write a story set in cold weather when it's so damn hot out.
And, this chapter's set in my hometown! *waves Chicago flag*
Oh! And, I don't know if Garbo is actually Kevin's roommate. I guessed. If anyone knows, please let me know.
Nick kept his fingers wrapped tightly around his hot chocolate, staring down into its depths thoughtfully as it warmed his hands. It was that kind of early autumn night that left one wishing for summer again. The temperature had dropped considerably in the last few days, and the wind was beginning to bite. Then again, they were in Chicago. It was called The Windy City for a reason. He sipped slowly at the cocoa, letting the steam warm his cheeks.
They were perched on a bench by the edge of the park, not quite close enough to actual park grounds to get in trouble for being there after hours. It was going to be hard to find places to meet and spend time together. They couldn't really go to restaurants or any very public date-type place, not without drawing attention to themselves that they couldn't afford. This was their third "date," and their third night walking around aimlessly talking. Luckily, they'd be heading south soon, toward warmer weather, hopefully.
Nick was exhausted. He had to start giving himself a time limit; he barely had the energy for rehearsals, interviews, and shows, and it was hard finding time to take a nap. He sighed, leaning his head against the cool leather shoulder of Matt's jacket and closing his eyes.
"Hey, how was your day out with Joe?" Matt's voice somehow seemed bright and warm, despite the cold darkness.
Nick smiled at the memory. "The most fun I've had in a long time. We found this store that sold just Beatles memorabilia. I bought him a vintage Yellow Submarine lunchbox." He chuckled. "No idea what he's gonna do with it, but he wanted it, and I told him I'd buy him something cool."
Matt was quiet for a while. Then, he said, "Hey, how close are you two?"
"Joe and me?" Nick sat up, readjusting himself on the bench. "We're best friends. I mean, I love all my brothers, but Joe's something different, you know?"
Matt nodded, looking intently at him with those big brown eyes. "Think I have a chance at being your best friend, Nick?"
He coughed out his hot chocolate. "What?"
Matt shrugged, gracefully, just one shoulder rising and falling as smoothly as water. "I just want to know if I could be someone you could tell everything. Or is that an exclusive-to-Joe thing for you?" His grin was a little too sarcastic.
Nick tapped his pink fingers against the cup in his hands, thinking of a perfect and tactful answer. "Matt, we've only known each other about a month, if you really think about it." He said slowly. "And, we've only been, you know, dating for a few days. We really don't know each other that well."
He looked over at him in time for Matt to meet him leaning in, and the kiss was soft but persistant, strange. Nick kept his eyes open, continuing to look at him, questioningly, when he broke away. "I know just how to kiss you," Matt said quietly, "just the way you like to be kissed."
Nick didn't bother to hurt his feelings or start a fight over the fact that particular kiss had been nothing special. It hadn't been like their first kiss, which was raw and rough and different than kissing a girl. This one was like being kissed like he was a girl, which might actually have been less enjoyable than either other option. But, it didn't matter. Even great kissers have flukes.
"And," Matt went on, "I know just the look you get when your blood sugar's a little low, and the different in your smile when you're talking about Kevin versus when you're talking about Joe, and how your eyes light up when you're talking about music or playing." He draped an arm across his shoulders. "I know plenty about you."
Nick smiled lightly. "Well, maybe after I get to know you better, then we'll talk about the best friend thing. It doesn't matter that much anyway; I mean, you've got the boyfriend thing going for you." His pocket buzzed as his phone vibrated, and he fished it out to answer it. "Hello?"
"Hey."
"Hey. What's up? Is something wrong?"
Joe laughed. "Paranoid, much? No, but it's, like, two-thirty, and I can't really sleep. Can you come back soon so I don't have to worry about you getting raped and murdered please?"
Nick rolled his eyes, smiling. "Sure. I'm on my way." He snapped the phone shut, standing.
Matt followed suit, a frown on his face. "Where are we going?"
"Joe wants me back." Nick started walking. "He doesn't like that I've been out so late; it makes him nervous."
Matt caught his hand, falling into step beside him. "But, you're with me. Doesn't he trust me to keep you safe?"
"He's never even met you!" Nick laughed incredulously. "Besides, I can take care of myself; I just don't like him to worry."
"Well," Matt stopped, pulling him to a halt as well, then drawing him into his arms, fingers laced against his back. "I think we should take the long way back. He can wait an extra half hour to sleep, and I don't get to see you nearly as often as he does."
Nick sighed, biting his lip hesitantly, not sure if he would feel more guilty about making Joe wait up or not spending as much time as possible with Matt. And, then he kissed him, and the latter won out, and he let himself he pulled away in the opposite direction of where he should be going.
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"Kevin?"
He groaned, opting to keep his eyes closed.
"Kevin," he was being shaken now. "It's three-thirty. Nick said he was heading back an hour ago."
He rolled over to look up at Joe, just able to make out his silhouette in the darkness. "There's no chance he's standing in the hallway laughing right now and this is all a very cruel prank you two are playing on me, is there?"
Joe shook his head almost imperceptibly. "Can I turn the light on?"
Kevin rolled out of his bed, stretching. "No, Garbo'll wake up." He said, tossing his head in the direction of the other bed, where the bassist lay sleeping. "Are you standing by the table? Throw me my jeans; they're on the chair."
Joe did, and Kevin pulled them on, grabbing his wallet off his nightstand and stuffing it into his back pocket, then pushed Joe out the door into the bright hallway. "Did you try his cell again?"
Joe followed him toward the elevators. "A hundred times; it's not on."
"Shit," Kevin said under his breath, pressing the down button a little too hard. "I knew this going-out-at-night stuff was a bad idea. We shouldn't have let him do it."
Joe was so anxious, he practically leapt into the elevator, and paced around it as it descended. "What could we have done though? Told him we didn't approve? He would've done it anyway!"
"We could've not covered for him!" Kevin snapped.
Joe didn't hear him. "And, who is this Matt kid if he's keeping him out till almost four in the morning? What if he's a creeper or something? What if Nick's lying in a gutter somewhere or -?"
"Don't make me slap you." Kevin interrupted. "I'm sure he's fine. He probably lost track of time."
"Nick doesn't lose track of time!" Joe exclaimed. "He's the smart, responsible one!"
"Joe, seriously, relax." Kevin put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't do this to yourself. We don't know that anything bad's happened at all."
Joe nodded. "You're right. It just freaks me out. He's never just not come back when he said he would."
The elevator doors slid open, and they rushed into and then out of the lobby, pausing outside the door to take in the magnitude of Chicago, realizing with a feeling of dread that they had no idea where he was in a city of eight million people. "We can't split up." Kevin said resolutely, sighing in frustration. "One of us is already missing."
"Nick told me that they can't really go to dinner or anything." Joe offered. "Maybe they took a walk in the park or something."
"Good thought, but what park?" Kevin ran a hand throught his curls, making his hair appear even more unruly than it had with just bedhead. "There have to be a hundred parks in downtown alone."
"Oh, my God!" A girl, probably nineteen or twenty years old, ran up to them, smiling brightly. "Hi! I'm a huge fan. Could I get your autographs?"
They both forced smiles, groaning inwardly, and nodded, waiting for her to fish from her purse the ticket to the show they'd played that night. Joe took it, and her pen, freezing as he looked down at the signature already on it. He pointed at it. "Nick signed this?"
She nodded happily. "Yeah! I ran into him a couple blocks that way." She pointed left down the street. "How lucky to find you too!"
The brothers looked at each other, quickly signed her ticket, and waved as she bounced away. Then, they took off at a run down the sidewalk.
Although today sucked, because I wrote this chapter, and I wrote a one-shot, and I finished the book I was reading, and I STILL had an hour left of my shift before I could leave, so I was bored for a long time.
But, I got paid today, so I rewarded myself with sour cream and onion Pringles, a bottle of Sunkist, and a full tank of gas! YAY!
It's hard to write a story set in cold weather when it's so damn hot out.
And, this chapter's set in my hometown! *waves Chicago flag*
Oh! And, I don't know if Garbo is actually Kevin's roommate. I guessed. If anyone knows, please let me know.
Nick kept his fingers wrapped tightly around his hot chocolate, staring down into its depths thoughtfully as it warmed his hands. It was that kind of early autumn night that left one wishing for summer again. The temperature had dropped considerably in the last few days, and the wind was beginning to bite. Then again, they were in Chicago. It was called The Windy City for a reason. He sipped slowly at the cocoa, letting the steam warm his cheeks.
They were perched on a bench by the edge of the park, not quite close enough to actual park grounds to get in trouble for being there after hours. It was going to be hard to find places to meet and spend time together. They couldn't really go to restaurants or any very public date-type place, not without drawing attention to themselves that they couldn't afford. This was their third "date," and their third night walking around aimlessly talking. Luckily, they'd be heading south soon, toward warmer weather, hopefully.
Nick was exhausted. He had to start giving himself a time limit; he barely had the energy for rehearsals, interviews, and shows, and it was hard finding time to take a nap. He sighed, leaning his head against the cool leather shoulder of Matt's jacket and closing his eyes.
"Hey, how was your day out with Joe?" Matt's voice somehow seemed bright and warm, despite the cold darkness.
Nick smiled at the memory. "The most fun I've had in a long time. We found this store that sold just Beatles memorabilia. I bought him a vintage Yellow Submarine lunchbox." He chuckled. "No idea what he's gonna do with it, but he wanted it, and I told him I'd buy him something cool."
Matt was quiet for a while. Then, he said, "Hey, how close are you two?"
"Joe and me?" Nick sat up, readjusting himself on the bench. "We're best friends. I mean, I love all my brothers, but Joe's something different, you know?"
Matt nodded, looking intently at him with those big brown eyes. "Think I have a chance at being your best friend, Nick?"
He coughed out his hot chocolate. "What?"
Matt shrugged, gracefully, just one shoulder rising and falling as smoothly as water. "I just want to know if I could be someone you could tell everything. Or is that an exclusive-to-Joe thing for you?" His grin was a little too sarcastic.
Nick tapped his pink fingers against the cup in his hands, thinking of a perfect and tactful answer. "Matt, we've only known each other about a month, if you really think about it." He said slowly. "And, we've only been, you know, dating for a few days. We really don't know each other that well."
He looked over at him in time for Matt to meet him leaning in, and the kiss was soft but persistant, strange. Nick kept his eyes open, continuing to look at him, questioningly, when he broke away. "I know just how to kiss you," Matt said quietly, "just the way you like to be kissed."
Nick didn't bother to hurt his feelings or start a fight over the fact that particular kiss had been nothing special. It hadn't been like their first kiss, which was raw and rough and different than kissing a girl. This one was like being kissed like he was a girl, which might actually have been less enjoyable than either other option. But, it didn't matter. Even great kissers have flukes.
"And," Matt went on, "I know just the look you get when your blood sugar's a little low, and the different in your smile when you're talking about Kevin versus when you're talking about Joe, and how your eyes light up when you're talking about music or playing." He draped an arm across his shoulders. "I know plenty about you."
Nick smiled lightly. "Well, maybe after I get to know you better, then we'll talk about the best friend thing. It doesn't matter that much anyway; I mean, you've got the boyfriend thing going for you." His pocket buzzed as his phone vibrated, and he fished it out to answer it. "Hello?"
"Hey."
"Hey. What's up? Is something wrong?"
Joe laughed. "Paranoid, much? No, but it's, like, two-thirty, and I can't really sleep. Can you come back soon so I don't have to worry about you getting raped and murdered please?"
Nick rolled his eyes, smiling. "Sure. I'm on my way." He snapped the phone shut, standing.
Matt followed suit, a frown on his face. "Where are we going?"
"Joe wants me back." Nick started walking. "He doesn't like that I've been out so late; it makes him nervous."
Matt caught his hand, falling into step beside him. "But, you're with me. Doesn't he trust me to keep you safe?"
"He's never even met you!" Nick laughed incredulously. "Besides, I can take care of myself; I just don't like him to worry."
"Well," Matt stopped, pulling him to a halt as well, then drawing him into his arms, fingers laced against his back. "I think we should take the long way back. He can wait an extra half hour to sleep, and I don't get to see you nearly as often as he does."
Nick sighed, biting his lip hesitantly, not sure if he would feel more guilty about making Joe wait up or not spending as much time as possible with Matt. And, then he kissed him, and the latter won out, and he let himself he pulled away in the opposite direction of where he should be going.
-----------------------
"Kevin?"
He groaned, opting to keep his eyes closed.
"Kevin," he was being shaken now. "It's three-thirty. Nick said he was heading back an hour ago."
He rolled over to look up at Joe, just able to make out his silhouette in the darkness. "There's no chance he's standing in the hallway laughing right now and this is all a very cruel prank you two are playing on me, is there?"
Joe shook his head almost imperceptibly. "Can I turn the light on?"
Kevin rolled out of his bed, stretching. "No, Garbo'll wake up." He said, tossing his head in the direction of the other bed, where the bassist lay sleeping. "Are you standing by the table? Throw me my jeans; they're on the chair."
Joe did, and Kevin pulled them on, grabbing his wallet off his nightstand and stuffing it into his back pocket, then pushed Joe out the door into the bright hallway. "Did you try his cell again?"
Joe followed him toward the elevators. "A hundred times; it's not on."
"Shit," Kevin said under his breath, pressing the down button a little too hard. "I knew this going-out-at-night stuff was a bad idea. We shouldn't have let him do it."
Joe was so anxious, he practically leapt into the elevator, and paced around it as it descended. "What could we have done though? Told him we didn't approve? He would've done it anyway!"
"We could've not covered for him!" Kevin snapped.
Joe didn't hear him. "And, who is this Matt kid if he's keeping him out till almost four in the morning? What if he's a creeper or something? What if Nick's lying in a gutter somewhere or -?"
"Don't make me slap you." Kevin interrupted. "I'm sure he's fine. He probably lost track of time."
"Nick doesn't lose track of time!" Joe exclaimed. "He's the smart, responsible one!"
"Joe, seriously, relax." Kevin put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't do this to yourself. We don't know that anything bad's happened at all."
Joe nodded. "You're right. It just freaks me out. He's never just not come back when he said he would."
The elevator doors slid open, and they rushed into and then out of the lobby, pausing outside the door to take in the magnitude of Chicago, realizing with a feeling of dread that they had no idea where he was in a city of eight million people. "We can't split up." Kevin said resolutely, sighing in frustration. "One of us is already missing."
"Nick told me that they can't really go to dinner or anything." Joe offered. "Maybe they took a walk in the park or something."
"Good thought, but what park?" Kevin ran a hand throught his curls, making his hair appear even more unruly than it had with just bedhead. "There have to be a hundred parks in downtown alone."
"Oh, my God!" A girl, probably nineteen or twenty years old, ran up to them, smiling brightly. "Hi! I'm a huge fan. Could I get your autographs?"
They both forced smiles, groaning inwardly, and nodded, waiting for her to fish from her purse the ticket to the show they'd played that night. Joe took it, and her pen, freezing as he looked down at the signature already on it. He pointed at it. "Nick signed this?"
She nodded happily. "Yeah! I ran into him a couple blocks that way." She pointed left down the street. "How lucky to find you too!"
The brothers looked at each other, quickly signed her ticket, and waved as she bounced away. Then, they took off at a run down the sidewalk.