Spin The Bottle Verse (RPS)
Banner made for me by the lovely dea_liberty
Title: Spin The Bottle Verse (7/8)
Author: mands_angelfox
Pairing/Characters: Steve, OFC, Chris
Genre: RPS, Romance, Angst
Word Count: 1, 281
Rating: PG
Feedback: Feedback? Is love. No. Seriously, it is.
Summary: One drunken night of fun turns things on their head and all Chris and Steve can do is hang on.
Links: The Verse Prologue-to-Epilogue
Author's Note: I just want to say a couple thanks. First of all to estel_willow for being my muse and holding my hand throughout the entirety of this 'verse, I wouldn't have been able to do it without her. And secondly to charlies_dragon for beta'ing this monster and for being an encouraging voice via email. And last but not at all least to my girl dea_liberty for my new gorgeous banner.
Disclaimer: Isn't real, I know that and you know that, we just wish that it was.
Spin The Bottle (7/8)
The thing about LA is that it’s the rumour mill capital of the world. Everybody knows everybody and sooner or later somebody is going to talk about somebody you know.
Unfortunately for Chris it seems that at the moment the only names on the tip of everybody’s tongues are Steve and Suzie. Not separately but together, and he’s fine with it really. So what if he and Suzie had a fling once and he knows exactly what kind of woman she is? It’s good that Steve has somebody, right? Yeah, it’s good. He just needs to be able to say that convincingly before he sees them together or he might do something he regrets even if he has no idea what that would be.
After the first week Chris manages to convince himself that whatever happened between him and Steve had been a really awful mistake but by the second he’s beginning to itch with a craving he can’t put a finger on. It’s only when he sees Steve long distance at a popular bar that he realises it’s an itch for Steve. Not that he lets Steve see him, it’s not like they parted on good terms and the bruise on his jaw is enough evidence of that.
Chris’ life is pretty much a routine of get up, sit on the couch, try not to think about Steve and ignore the phone. Not that he’s gotten a lot of calls because he knows everybody’s figured out what happened and he’s been painted the bad guy, and he is. He also can’t help but wonder whatever happened to fuck the nearest person and forget about everyone and everything. He’d tried it, straight after Steve had walked out of his house but he hadn’t even able to get it up, and that was just pathetic.
Damn fucking Steve Carlson, he’s gotten under his skin.
If Steve’s under Chris’ skin then the other man’s burrowed into Steve’s heart. He’s trying this thing with Suzie, hoping and praying that it’ll work and it will complete him. The only problem is the only time he’s ever really felt completely whole is with Chris, be it friendship or otherwise, he’s always been the missing piece. Suzie’s great, too great, Steve feels like a heel for using her to forget the person his heart belongs to. But at least she wants him and he’s trying, he’s really trying.
They’re taking things slow but Suzie wants him in a lot of ways and she isn’t shy about showing it, she’s demonstrative in public and completely unashamed in front of others. Everything Chris isn’t and as horrible as it is Steve laps it up, so desperate to matter and to mean something to somebody that he’s willing to play a part even though his heart isn’t even in it.
Chris is pretty good at avoiding people. He has too many bad break-ups and ghosts in his past he’d rather not face again if he can. He manages to stay away from every place that he knows Steve and Suzie frequent and he ignores the invites to various parties because he knows Steve will be invited and he’ll bring Suzie.
The only problem is that tonight he has to go to this big party, to celebrate the new album and it’s not like he can cancel. Eric would have his ass and then some. Chris figures that after three weeks, three days, twelve minutes and thirty seconds he should have gotten over whatever he might have been feeling for Steve. It’s not that he’s been counting, it’s just that ever since Steve walked out of his life he’s had a lot of time on his hands.
So he goes and he makes sure he looks damn good, it’s not like he’s trying to catch anyone’s attention, not like he’s trying to catch Steve’s. He just wants to look good for the party. That’s all. No big deal. Chris mingles, pretends like nothing’s wrong and he thinks he’s doing really well but the moment he clasps eyes on Steve with Suzie his stomach bottoms out and he suddenly can’t breathe.
Steve looks… good, so good. He’s wearing this shirt that makes Chris want to fist his hands in the collar and lick a line along the strong column of his neck, he’s pretty sure Steve tastes as good as ever. But then Suzie’s hand is on Steve’s shoulder and she’s leaning up, sharing something that makes Steve laugh and Chris feels his stomach twist.
He’s so fucked.
Steve’s trying to get into the swing of the party, doing his best not to look for Chris and reminding himself why he shouldn’t care if the other man is here. He just needs to keep focused on Suzie and everything will be fine. It’s easy enough. Suzie makes it easy by sticking close and practically claiming him as her own with every touch and every whispered conversation.
He just can’t help but notice how wrong everything feels without Chris nearby or somewhere in the general vicinity. Steve knows he’s missing more than the dizzying kisses and the mind blowing sex; he misses his friend and the only person that seemed to get him. It’s just not the same but some of the things Chris said really cut to the heart of Steve and he still shudders whenever he thinks about the smile Chris had on his face, he’d never seen that smile aimed at him.
Suzie draws him down into another kiss, says he’s thinking too much and she’s right so Steve just lets it happen. He slides a hand into her hair, cupping the back of her head and kisses her deeper.
Chris needs to look away and he should, it’s a private moment, but he can’t. He’s seeing red and he wishes he could go over there and drag Suzie off Steve but he can’t, he’s the one that pushed Steve away and he’s no longer got the right - never really had the right.
He watches Steve, the way he touches Suzie and longs for those kisses that turned his legs to jelly and blazed a trail across his memory. Chris wants and needs Steve but he ended whatever it was they had, too afraid of what it meant and how easy it was to surrender to Steve and rest in those arms of his. Christian Kane is a lot of things and a coward is definitely one of them. He can do the craziest shit imaginable, like hood surfing, but give him a chance at happiness with a good man that knows him and cares about him and he’s yellow underneath all the bravado.
It’s only when the kiss ends and Steve’s eyes catch and lock onto his that Chris looks away, mumbling an apology to whoever he’s with and making a quick break for the exit. He has to get out of there, before something happens and he’s unable to stop himself from breaking down right there and then in front of everybody he knows. Despite everything Chris still has his dignity and he isn’t willing to lose what’s left of it.
Steve knows he ought to go after Chris but he’s tired of chasing him, tired of always being the one to cover the distance that separates them and maybe it’s better to let go and if he’s lucky Chris will figure things out for himself.
Steve is a lot of things and an eternal optimist is one of those things. It always used to drive Chris insane but maybe it’s just what he needs to believe in a better tomorrow. It has to be better than today.
Previous Part | Next Part