Sing Without A Song (Epilogue: My World is Filled With So Many Things)
Title: Sing Without A Song (Epilogue: My World is Filled With So Many Things)
Author: itsmadeofgold
Word Count: ~2200
Rating: R
Beta: norosegarden
Disclaimer: This isn't true.
Summary: So I was kind of sad that my story was over and then I started reading comments wanting to see a red carpet moment with these guys, and then I started writing and this came out. Go figure!
Previous chapters: You Walked Into The Room | Just Like The Ocean | Time Will Be The Thief | This Is All So Prototype | He Brings Me Sugar | Thought I Tripped on a Shoelace | It is Delicate and Lovely | If You Love It
Adam reached over and put his hand on Kris's bouncing leg, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on his knee.
"Shhh," he said "Don't be so nervous. It'll be OK."
Kris turned toward Adam, taking a break from staring at the lights of Los Angeles as they sped past him, and gave him a weak smile.
"I'm fine," he said. His leg twitched under Adam's hand, like it wanted to start bouncing again but suddenly remembered itself. "Really."
Adam unbuckled his seatbelt and slid over to sit next to Kris, slipping an arm behind him and around his waist. "Just hold on to me. You'll hardly have to say anything, just smile and don't touch your face. Any picture of you touching your face will look like you're picking your nose."
Kris snorted. "Thanks."
"We'll make it as quick as we can."
"OK," Kris said, turning to look out the window again.
Adam had been right: his new life in LA was head-spinningly strange. Sometimes it felt like he'd moved to another planet. Adam's friends were all so wild and artsy, they all seemed so interesting and different that Kris had a hard time feeling like he fit in with them, no matter how close Adam held him when they were out with them or how many times he told Kris he was well-liked. He felt like he was holding his own, though, at least, and maybe even getting used to it a little bit. As far as his relationship with Adam went, he was more than happy. They made each other laugh and had fun together, the sex was amazing and he felt like he could really talk to Adam. Everything about he and Adam together came naturally. All the other weirdness was easily tolerable given that reward.
The weirdness was about to ramp up, though, he knew. That was what was scaring him. He'd been here for over a month before pictures of he and Adam together showed up on TMZ with the headline Adam Lambert Has Himself a Treat. They'd been out shopping, stopping in a high-end candy store for something to send to Kris's mom. Adam had picked up a chocolate-dipped strawberry from a tray and held it up for Kris to take a bite; the chocolate wasn't completely set and dripped a bit onto Kris's chin. Adam reached out and wiped it off with his thumb, then held it up to Kris's mouth.
Kris remembered that moment well, how weak his legs had felt as he sucked Adam's thumb into his mouth and licked the chocolate off. How they'd immediately gone home and Adam had bent him over the back of the couch, ravaging him the moment they'd walked in the door.
The photographer had captured the entire scene in the candy store, snap snap snap, like a stop-motion movie. They had known it would happen eventually, of course; they had stopped being as careful as they'd been in the beginning. Adam had been understanding and gentle in gradually bringing Kris into the madness of his life, but there was no question of them hiding their relationship forever. If Kris was going to be a part of Adam's life, he was going to be a full part, with all that that entailed.
So the paparazzi pictures just sped up the process that led to this. Other sites had picked up the pictures - Perez had had some especially colorful commentary - and then the photographers were on the lookout for Adam, everybody speculating on who his boytoy was. The tabloids were hungry for pictures, and soon just leaving the house became a hassle. Adam was sympathetic but firm when he told Kris he thought the time had come to meet the public.
And so now here Kris was, dressed in designer clothes that cost more than he'd made in an average month in Arkansas, in the back of a limo on his way to walk his very first red carpet. It was just a movie premiere, it's not like it was the Oscars or something. Normally this kind of event wouldn't even garner much attention; pictures from the carpet would only be picked up if somebody looked especially horrible or flashed a nipple. Word had gotten around that Adam Lambert would be there with his new man, though, so the photographers would certainly be out in force. Yeah, these pictures would definitely get picked up.
There'd be reporters there, too. Asking questions. Adam and Kris had had a long talk the night before, going over the streamlined version of their story - who Kris was and how they'd met - that would work handily for soundbites and be less likely to be mangled or misquoted. Kris thought he had it down, although Adam had been adamant that he really didn't have to do much - he could let Adam do all the talking; the press had no right to expect anything from Kris and Adam wouldn't let them make him uncomfortable.
He was so fucking sweet. Kris turned and looked at him again, smiling more believably this time. Adam was looking back at him with his brow furrowed, but relaxed and cracked a small smile when he saw Kris's face mellow.
"You'll be OK," Adam said, though he sounded more like he was reassuring himself.
"I know," Kris said. "Will you?" He laughed.
"Yes," Adam said, his smile broadening. "We'll both be great."
The car slowed, pulling up to the curb in front of the theater. Adam squeezed Kris and reached over to unbuckle his seatbelt for him.
"You ready?" He said.
Kris looked out the window at the throngs of people on either side of the wide walkway, which was frighteningly long; he couldn't see the entrance to the building from here. There were rows of reporters and photographers behind velvet ropes lining both sides of the carpet, with the undulating crowds of screaming fans behind them. They were the regular people - just like he still considered himself to be - waving signs and snapping pictures of the pretty people as they passed by.
Kris took a deep breath. "Let's do it," he said.
Adam nodded, then tapped on the glass that separated them from the driver, signaling him to come around and open their door. Kris wondered if Adam had told him to wait for his sign tonight or if that was regular procedure. A moment later the door swung open and the rush of sound hit Kris like a wall. Shrill screaming, reporters and photographers yelling names and questions, applause and hooting - a general contained mayhem made all the more disorienting by the immediate and relentless flashing of cameras in his eyes.
Kris stepped out of the car, turning to take Adam's hand as he came out behind him. The screaming exploded into hysteria the minute Adam came into view, like somebody had just cranked the crowd's volume. Adam waved to the crowd with his free hand, then squeezed Kris's and looked down at him with a reassuring smile. Kris's smiled back, returning the squeeze, and realized disjointedly that this moment was being recorded from all angles, that if nothing juicier happened tonight images of this exchange of loving looks would be all over the web tomorrow morning.
Weird.
Adam turned and began heading down the carpet and Kris kept pace, walking at his side. He threw his shoulders back and held his head up as they approached the first reporter, determined to at least look confident even if he didn't necessarily feel it. He tried to find his brightest, most amiable smile and wear it believably.
"Adam!" the reporter called; she was a red-headed woman probably in her mid-forties, waving frantically in their direction. Adam smiled as they walked toward her. "Oh my god, am I getting you first?" she said giddily.
"You are," Adam said cheerfully, mimicking her excitement.
"Awesome, awesome," she said. "OK, first things first. Would you like to introduce me to your friend?" She pointed her microphone at Adam, but her eyes were on Kris, her thrill at getting first dibs on him barely contained.
"This is Kris Allen," Adam said, releasing his hand and instead winding his arm around his waist. "My boyfriend."
"Boyfriend!" she exclaimed. "Wow. And how did you two meet?"
"I met him while I was on tour last summer, actually," Adam said. "At my Little Rock stop. We hit it off right away, but it took us a while to get our act together, I guess." He laughed easily, like he was talking to a friend. He was so good at this.
"And have you always been a fan of Adam's, Kris?" the reporter asked. When she pointed the microphone at Kris he momentarily felt lightheaded and glanced over at Adam. If Adam was worried or nervous for Kris, his face didn't betray it; he just looked down at him with an expectant smile, like he was curious to know the answer to the question. But Kris knew if he foundered or seemed uncomfortable at all, Adam would swoop in and take over, and that was comforting.
"Yes, actually," Kris said, surprised at how normal and conversational his voice sounded. "I've been a fan of Adam's since the first time I saw him." He looked back up at Adam, beaming despite himself, suddenly overcome with a rush of pride at being here with him. Adam winked at him.
"So it must've been pretty exciting that he took such an interest in you."
"Exciting, yeah," Kris said. "You could say that." He laughed, not sure whether to elaborate.
"I definitely think I'm the lucky one in this case," Adam said.
"That's so cute," she cooed. "So how long have you been together?"
They answered a few more quick questions, Adam taking the lead and keeping things light but open, as he always did. After a moment Adam told the reporter he had to move on, and they made their way further down the carpet, stopping at various points to smile for a barrage of cameras as people yelled Adam's name at them. They spoke to more reporters, answered more questions. Mostly it was the same thing over and over again, introducing Kris, telling the story of how they'd met in varying levels of detail (Kris was unsure whether Adam just got to feeling silly or just felt especially comfortable with that particular reporter when he told one version of the story that included them making out in the car the night they met). Some of them even asked Adam questions about the album he had coming out later in the year, and a few times Adam mentioned that Kris was a musician too and that they were working on a few things for him. Only a few reporters made Kris squirm, one asking him how the sex was and another asking if they had any plans to marry or have kids. Adam took control in those situations, shutting the intruding correspondent down with humor and moving on, short-circuiting any moment that got too awkward before Kris even had time to sweat.
Eventually Kris's name began filtering through the line of media, and by the time they were approaching the door to the theater the photographers were yelling it along with Adam's. It was surreal; even moreso when Kris suddenly realized that this was the first time he was hearing his name screamed by the paparazzi, but certainly not the last.
The last reporter they spoke to knew it before they reached him, squealing "this must be Kris!" when they walked up to him.
"It is," Adam said.
"I have to say," the reporter said. "You two make an absolutely beautiful couple. I mean, really, stunning."
"Thank you," Adam said, pulling Kris in closer and looking down at him affectionately. "He is gorgeous, isn't he?"
"Absolutely," the man said, raising one eyebrow at Adam, surprised. "Well, Adam. Can we say that you're really off the market now?"
"Really and truly," he answered, grinning. "And happy about it."
"How'd you manage that, Kris?"
Kris blew out a long breath as he looked at the microphone pointed at him, then up at Adam, then back at the reporter. "I have no idea," he said truthfully, and laughed. "But whatever I did, I'm glad it worked."
The reporter smiled indulgently at them as Adam thanked him and said goodbye, leading Kris away and toward the door. Once they were in the shadow of the wide arch that stretched over the entrance, Adam turned to face Kris and pull him in close, his arms slipping around his waist. Kris rested his hands lightly on Adam's chest as he looked up at him, smiling.
"You are amazing," Adam said. "That was... great. You did perfectly."
"Thank you," Kris said. "But you're the amazing one. I'm just your arm candy."
Adam laughed, then leaned down to kiss Kris softly, pulling him in tight as their lips moved together, gentle and slow.
The storm of flashes began immediately; Kris felt like he was seeing fireworks through his closed eyelids, and when he opened them in surprise he was blinded. He pulled away from the kiss with a shaky laugh then said, "I think they can still see us."
"Let them," Adam said, then pulled Kris in to kiss him again.
Author: itsmadeofgold
Word Count: ~2200
Rating: R
Beta: norosegarden
Disclaimer: This isn't true.
Summary: So I was kind of sad that my story was over and then I started reading comments wanting to see a red carpet moment with these guys, and then I started writing and this came out. Go figure!
Previous chapters: You Walked Into The Room | Just Like The Ocean | Time Will Be The Thief | This Is All So Prototype | He Brings Me Sugar | Thought I Tripped on a Shoelace | It is Delicate and Lovely | If You Love It
Adam reached over and put his hand on Kris's bouncing leg, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on his knee.
"Shhh," he said "Don't be so nervous. It'll be OK."
Kris turned toward Adam, taking a break from staring at the lights of Los Angeles as they sped past him, and gave him a weak smile.
"I'm fine," he said. His leg twitched under Adam's hand, like it wanted to start bouncing again but suddenly remembered itself. "Really."
Adam unbuckled his seatbelt and slid over to sit next to Kris, slipping an arm behind him and around his waist. "Just hold on to me. You'll hardly have to say anything, just smile and don't touch your face. Any picture of you touching your face will look like you're picking your nose."
Kris snorted. "Thanks."
"We'll make it as quick as we can."
"OK," Kris said, turning to look out the window again.
Adam had been right: his new life in LA was head-spinningly strange. Sometimes it felt like he'd moved to another planet. Adam's friends were all so wild and artsy, they all seemed so interesting and different that Kris had a hard time feeling like he fit in with them, no matter how close Adam held him when they were out with them or how many times he told Kris he was well-liked. He felt like he was holding his own, though, at least, and maybe even getting used to it a little bit. As far as his relationship with Adam went, he was more than happy. They made each other laugh and had fun together, the sex was amazing and he felt like he could really talk to Adam. Everything about he and Adam together came naturally. All the other weirdness was easily tolerable given that reward.
The weirdness was about to ramp up, though, he knew. That was what was scaring him. He'd been here for over a month before pictures of he and Adam together showed up on TMZ with the headline Adam Lambert Has Himself a Treat. They'd been out shopping, stopping in a high-end candy store for something to send to Kris's mom. Adam had picked up a chocolate-dipped strawberry from a tray and held it up for Kris to take a bite; the chocolate wasn't completely set and dripped a bit onto Kris's chin. Adam reached out and wiped it off with his thumb, then held it up to Kris's mouth.
Kris remembered that moment well, how weak his legs had felt as he sucked Adam's thumb into his mouth and licked the chocolate off. How they'd immediately gone home and Adam had bent him over the back of the couch, ravaging him the moment they'd walked in the door.
The photographer had captured the entire scene in the candy store, snap snap snap, like a stop-motion movie. They had known it would happen eventually, of course; they had stopped being as careful as they'd been in the beginning. Adam had been understanding and gentle in gradually bringing Kris into the madness of his life, but there was no question of them hiding their relationship forever. If Kris was going to be a part of Adam's life, he was going to be a full part, with all that that entailed.
So the paparazzi pictures just sped up the process that led to this. Other sites had picked up the pictures - Perez had had some especially colorful commentary - and then the photographers were on the lookout for Adam, everybody speculating on who his boytoy was. The tabloids were hungry for pictures, and soon just leaving the house became a hassle. Adam was sympathetic but firm when he told Kris he thought the time had come to meet the public.
And so now here Kris was, dressed in designer clothes that cost more than he'd made in an average month in Arkansas, in the back of a limo on his way to walk his very first red carpet. It was just a movie premiere, it's not like it was the Oscars or something. Normally this kind of event wouldn't even garner much attention; pictures from the carpet would only be picked up if somebody looked especially horrible or flashed a nipple. Word had gotten around that Adam Lambert would be there with his new man, though, so the photographers would certainly be out in force. Yeah, these pictures would definitely get picked up.
There'd be reporters there, too. Asking questions. Adam and Kris had had a long talk the night before, going over the streamlined version of their story - who Kris was and how they'd met - that would work handily for soundbites and be less likely to be mangled or misquoted. Kris thought he had it down, although Adam had been adamant that he really didn't have to do much - he could let Adam do all the talking; the press had no right to expect anything from Kris and Adam wouldn't let them make him uncomfortable.
He was so fucking sweet. Kris turned and looked at him again, smiling more believably this time. Adam was looking back at him with his brow furrowed, but relaxed and cracked a small smile when he saw Kris's face mellow.
"You'll be OK," Adam said, though he sounded more like he was reassuring himself.
"I know," Kris said. "Will you?" He laughed.
"Yes," Adam said, his smile broadening. "We'll both be great."
The car slowed, pulling up to the curb in front of the theater. Adam squeezed Kris and reached over to unbuckle his seatbelt for him.
"You ready?" He said.
Kris looked out the window at the throngs of people on either side of the wide walkway, which was frighteningly long; he couldn't see the entrance to the building from here. There were rows of reporters and photographers behind velvet ropes lining both sides of the carpet, with the undulating crowds of screaming fans behind them. They were the regular people - just like he still considered himself to be - waving signs and snapping pictures of the pretty people as they passed by.
Kris took a deep breath. "Let's do it," he said.
Adam nodded, then tapped on the glass that separated them from the driver, signaling him to come around and open their door. Kris wondered if Adam had told him to wait for his sign tonight or if that was regular procedure. A moment later the door swung open and the rush of sound hit Kris like a wall. Shrill screaming, reporters and photographers yelling names and questions, applause and hooting - a general contained mayhem made all the more disorienting by the immediate and relentless flashing of cameras in his eyes.
Kris stepped out of the car, turning to take Adam's hand as he came out behind him. The screaming exploded into hysteria the minute Adam came into view, like somebody had just cranked the crowd's volume. Adam waved to the crowd with his free hand, then squeezed Kris's and looked down at him with a reassuring smile. Kris's smiled back, returning the squeeze, and realized disjointedly that this moment was being recorded from all angles, that if nothing juicier happened tonight images of this exchange of loving looks would be all over the web tomorrow morning.
Weird.
Adam turned and began heading down the carpet and Kris kept pace, walking at his side. He threw his shoulders back and held his head up as they approached the first reporter, determined to at least look confident even if he didn't necessarily feel it. He tried to find his brightest, most amiable smile and wear it believably.
"Adam!" the reporter called; she was a red-headed woman probably in her mid-forties, waving frantically in their direction. Adam smiled as they walked toward her. "Oh my god, am I getting you first?" she said giddily.
"You are," Adam said cheerfully, mimicking her excitement.
"Awesome, awesome," she said. "OK, first things first. Would you like to introduce me to your friend?" She pointed her microphone at Adam, but her eyes were on Kris, her thrill at getting first dibs on him barely contained.
"This is Kris Allen," Adam said, releasing his hand and instead winding his arm around his waist. "My boyfriend."
"Boyfriend!" she exclaimed. "Wow. And how did you two meet?"
"I met him while I was on tour last summer, actually," Adam said. "At my Little Rock stop. We hit it off right away, but it took us a while to get our act together, I guess." He laughed easily, like he was talking to a friend. He was so good at this.
"And have you always been a fan of Adam's, Kris?" the reporter asked. When she pointed the microphone at Kris he momentarily felt lightheaded and glanced over at Adam. If Adam was worried or nervous for Kris, his face didn't betray it; he just looked down at him with an expectant smile, like he was curious to know the answer to the question. But Kris knew if he foundered or seemed uncomfortable at all, Adam would swoop in and take over, and that was comforting.
"Yes, actually," Kris said, surprised at how normal and conversational his voice sounded. "I've been a fan of Adam's since the first time I saw him." He looked back up at Adam, beaming despite himself, suddenly overcome with a rush of pride at being here with him. Adam winked at him.
"So it must've been pretty exciting that he took such an interest in you."
"Exciting, yeah," Kris said. "You could say that." He laughed, not sure whether to elaborate.
"I definitely think I'm the lucky one in this case," Adam said.
"That's so cute," she cooed. "So how long have you been together?"
They answered a few more quick questions, Adam taking the lead and keeping things light but open, as he always did. After a moment Adam told the reporter he had to move on, and they made their way further down the carpet, stopping at various points to smile for a barrage of cameras as people yelled Adam's name at them. They spoke to more reporters, answered more questions. Mostly it was the same thing over and over again, introducing Kris, telling the story of how they'd met in varying levels of detail (Kris was unsure whether Adam just got to feeling silly or just felt especially comfortable with that particular reporter when he told one version of the story that included them making out in the car the night they met). Some of them even asked Adam questions about the album he had coming out later in the year, and a few times Adam mentioned that Kris was a musician too and that they were working on a few things for him. Only a few reporters made Kris squirm, one asking him how the sex was and another asking if they had any plans to marry or have kids. Adam took control in those situations, shutting the intruding correspondent down with humor and moving on, short-circuiting any moment that got too awkward before Kris even had time to sweat.
Eventually Kris's name began filtering through the line of media, and by the time they were approaching the door to the theater the photographers were yelling it along with Adam's. It was surreal; even moreso when Kris suddenly realized that this was the first time he was hearing his name screamed by the paparazzi, but certainly not the last.
The last reporter they spoke to knew it before they reached him, squealing "this must be Kris!" when they walked up to him.
"It is," Adam said.
"I have to say," the reporter said. "You two make an absolutely beautiful couple. I mean, really, stunning."
"Thank you," Adam said, pulling Kris in closer and looking down at him affectionately. "He is gorgeous, isn't he?"
"Absolutely," the man said, raising one eyebrow at Adam, surprised. "Well, Adam. Can we say that you're really off the market now?"
"Really and truly," he answered, grinning. "And happy about it."
"How'd you manage that, Kris?"
Kris blew out a long breath as he looked at the microphone pointed at him, then up at Adam, then back at the reporter. "I have no idea," he said truthfully, and laughed. "But whatever I did, I'm glad it worked."
The reporter smiled indulgently at them as Adam thanked him and said goodbye, leading Kris away and toward the door. Once they were in the shadow of the wide arch that stretched over the entrance, Adam turned to face Kris and pull him in close, his arms slipping around his waist. Kris rested his hands lightly on Adam's chest as he looked up at him, smiling.
"You are amazing," Adam said. "That was... great. You did perfectly."
"Thank you," Kris said. "But you're the amazing one. I'm just your arm candy."
Adam laughed, then leaned down to kiss Kris softly, pulling him in tight as their lips moved together, gentle and slow.
The storm of flashes began immediately; Kris felt like he was seeing fireworks through his closed eyelids, and when he opened them in surprise he was blinded. He pulled away from the kiss with a shaky laugh then said, "I think they can still see us."
"Let them," Adam said, then pulled Kris in to kiss him again.