Twitter Trends Outtakes
Title: Twitter Trends Outtakes
Author mamadeb
Pairing: Kradam
Summary: In their heads
Length: 1315 words
Warning: results of violence (may be triggering)
Disclaimer: they're their own
Notes: These are things that happened in my head when I wrote Twitter Trends - five brief forays into the heads of various Idols.
Out-takes
I
He stepped out of the tiny-but-clean men's room at the back of the bar. He noticed the three large men right away - he ALWAYS noticed men, but figured they were waiting to use it.
"Okay, guys. It's all yours." He smiled at them. They just stood there. "Guys? Let me get back to my friends, okay?"
The next thing he knew, he was surrounded by the three of them. He barely had time to shout for help (in his highest chest voice) before he was in the middle of a fight and everything slowed. He kicked out in his heavy boots, and slammed his beringed fists into faces, but they were at least his size and bulkier, and there were three of them. He could feel their workshoes against his legs, their fists on his arms and back and - oh, God - face. He tried to protect his nose, his throat, his mouth - anything. And then everything happened at once - other men - Michael! - showed up, and there was a glint of metal in one guy's hand and that distracted him enough for another guy to slam him in the eye hard enough to make him lose balance and fall backwards, and then Michael had that guy and two men Adam didn't know had the other two and he - he was lying back in Kris's arms.
Security came in right after that, and then the cops, and Kris told him it was safe and all right and he buried his face in Kris's shoulder, smearing blood and make-up all over Kris's shirt, and sobbed in relief and pain and humiliation, while his attackers tried to yell things about faggots and queers in the background.
II
They were all in Danny's room waiting for them - all of them, even Todd and Sara. Allison ran right to them and flung her arms around them both.
"Oh my God! I was so worried, guys! I thought maybe Adam was really hurt…and…oh, God. What did they do to you?"
Adam's arm around Kris's waist tightened as he smiled. It must have hurt. "I'll be fine, baby girl. It's just cuts and bruises - it'll heal." He didn't look good - there was even one cut big enough for butterfly bandages, but the plastic surgeon said it would all heal cleanly and Adam had even joked that he already had terrible skin. "I will be fine." He wasn't fine now, though. His right eye, the one that wasn't swollen and starting to turn purple, showed pure exhaustion. Hell, Kris was tired and the only thing he'd done was be there.
"Guys, I'm going to take Adam to his room, okay? Michael saw more than I did, so I'll let him fill you in." Allison came in for one last very gentle hug, and nearly cried when Adam winced.
III
Adam asked him to stay, so he did. He lay with Adam curled up in his arms, his head on Kris's chest. Adam - so large, so solid - felt smaller and frailer than Katy. And when Adam woke up shivering in reaction and covered in sweat, he just held him closer until he relaxed again. When Kris did sleep and did dream, he dreamed of knives and blood and Adam's tears on his shoulder.
IV
How could he look so much worse in the morning? Allison nearly screamed when Adam and Kris showed up at breakfast - Adam's face was covered in dark purple bruises and shiny with antibiotic cream. His left eye was half closed behind that giant shiner.
"Where's your make-up?" Danny stared over his coffee cup.
Allison rolled her eyes - Danny could be SO STUPID. "He's all cut up! Like, his face could fall off or something if he puts anything on it."
Adam sat down so slowly, and Allison could tell he was trying to not look like he was letting Kris help, but he totally was. She wanted to cry. Or cut someone up. "You didn't…last night, you weren't…what happened?"
"Sometimes it takes a little for bruises to show up. I'm going to get worse looking, honey. I'm going to scare all the fans away tonight." He should have been joking. He just looked sad, staring into the cup of coffee that Kris poured for him. "And I'm going to be all beardy, too." She could barely see the bristles. It was SO weird - she kept forgetting Adam was really a redhead, just like she really wasn't one. It was like they traded hair. She liked that. But she still wanted to kill those haterz.
"Adam's still beautiful, baby." Lil wiped her mouth. "He will always be beautiful. Don't you ever forget that."
Adam covered his face with his hands.
V
"Everyone's ready, Adam. We'll get you in five minutes, okay?" Adam nodded, his eyes wide - whatever could be seen on them. Lil knew he was white white under all that foundation, but she never knew bruises could be so…bright. Then again, everything about Adam was usually so bright.
"You all right, baby?" She settled next to him. Kris had gone for a bathroom/Katy phone call break, and the others had sort of arranged that, at least that day, they were not going to leave Adam alone. She didn't think he'd actually notice.
"I can't do this, Lil. I can't go out there."
She put a gentle arm over his shoulders. "You can't be afraid for your vanity. You don't have any." It was true - she knew so many men who spent hours just looking at themselves in mirrors, but Adam, even when he was doing his eyes for the show, only saw bad skin and puffiness. She never caught him just staring. Which was funny because he was so beautiful all the time.
"No, it's not that. It's - all they see is that I'm hurt. They don't *know*. None of them *know*."
"You mean the looks? Like, 'what the hell are you doing here?' Or, 'we're not taking our eyes off you?'" She knew those looks very well.
He picked up his head and turned to her. "Yes. You do know. People hating you when all you've done is…is…"
"Sat down in a bar and ordered a drink? Oh, Adam, I know. I've seen my friends come back all beat-down too many times just for being - although some are spoiling for a fight."
"What if they say I was? That I asked for it by coming to that bar? Cause I knew - I saw the clientele and I heard the music, and I knew it might be a mistake. I just figured coming in with guys like - like Mike - you know. It would be cool for a change." He fussed with his hair, bringing the bangs down over his forehead.
"Don't you DARE be saying that. You have the right to walk into ANY place in this country without fearing for your LIFE. No one told those men to be waiting for you. That's their hatred - you be the loving boy you are and stand up for yourself. Let them see that beautiful face full on - here." She handed him a comb and gel from the table. "Get that hair back. Do it like you did for Smokey. Let them see that they can't bring you down and they can't make you hide. Let them see pride. Because we're all proud of you and we all love you. Let them see what hate does, and let them see it that it failed."
"I don't want to be the gay Gandhi, or the gay Martin Luther King." He did as he was told. Lord, he had no eyebrows at all!
"You just be Adam Lambert, baby. That's more than enough." She kissed him on the cheek.
Author mamadeb
Pairing: Kradam
Summary: In their heads
Length: 1315 words
Warning: results of violence (may be triggering)
Disclaimer: they're their own
Notes: These are things that happened in my head when I wrote Twitter Trends - five brief forays into the heads of various Idols.
Out-takes
I
He stepped out of the tiny-but-clean men's room at the back of the bar. He noticed the three large men right away - he ALWAYS noticed men, but figured they were waiting to use it.
"Okay, guys. It's all yours." He smiled at them. They just stood there. "Guys? Let me get back to my friends, okay?"
The next thing he knew, he was surrounded by the three of them. He barely had time to shout for help (in his highest chest voice) before he was in the middle of a fight and everything slowed. He kicked out in his heavy boots, and slammed his beringed fists into faces, but they were at least his size and bulkier, and there were three of them. He could feel their workshoes against his legs, their fists on his arms and back and - oh, God - face. He tried to protect his nose, his throat, his mouth - anything. And then everything happened at once - other men - Michael! - showed up, and there was a glint of metal in one guy's hand and that distracted him enough for another guy to slam him in the eye hard enough to make him lose balance and fall backwards, and then Michael had that guy and two men Adam didn't know had the other two and he - he was lying back in Kris's arms.
Security came in right after that, and then the cops, and Kris told him it was safe and all right and he buried his face in Kris's shoulder, smearing blood and make-up all over Kris's shirt, and sobbed in relief and pain and humiliation, while his attackers tried to yell things about faggots and queers in the background.
II
They were all in Danny's room waiting for them - all of them, even Todd and Sara. Allison ran right to them and flung her arms around them both.
"Oh my God! I was so worried, guys! I thought maybe Adam was really hurt…and…oh, God. What did they do to you?"
Adam's arm around Kris's waist tightened as he smiled. It must have hurt. "I'll be fine, baby girl. It's just cuts and bruises - it'll heal." He didn't look good - there was even one cut big enough for butterfly bandages, but the plastic surgeon said it would all heal cleanly and Adam had even joked that he already had terrible skin. "I will be fine." He wasn't fine now, though. His right eye, the one that wasn't swollen and starting to turn purple, showed pure exhaustion. Hell, Kris was tired and the only thing he'd done was be there.
"Guys, I'm going to take Adam to his room, okay? Michael saw more than I did, so I'll let him fill you in." Allison came in for one last very gentle hug, and nearly cried when Adam winced.
III
Adam asked him to stay, so he did. He lay with Adam curled up in his arms, his head on Kris's chest. Adam - so large, so solid - felt smaller and frailer than Katy. And when Adam woke up shivering in reaction and covered in sweat, he just held him closer until he relaxed again. When Kris did sleep and did dream, he dreamed of knives and blood and Adam's tears on his shoulder.
IV
How could he look so much worse in the morning? Allison nearly screamed when Adam and Kris showed up at breakfast - Adam's face was covered in dark purple bruises and shiny with antibiotic cream. His left eye was half closed behind that giant shiner.
"Where's your make-up?" Danny stared over his coffee cup.
Allison rolled her eyes - Danny could be SO STUPID. "He's all cut up! Like, his face could fall off or something if he puts anything on it."
Adam sat down so slowly, and Allison could tell he was trying to not look like he was letting Kris help, but he totally was. She wanted to cry. Or cut someone up. "You didn't…last night, you weren't…what happened?"
"Sometimes it takes a little for bruises to show up. I'm going to get worse looking, honey. I'm going to scare all the fans away tonight." He should have been joking. He just looked sad, staring into the cup of coffee that Kris poured for him. "And I'm going to be all beardy, too." She could barely see the bristles. It was SO weird - she kept forgetting Adam was really a redhead, just like she really wasn't one. It was like they traded hair. She liked that. But she still wanted to kill those haterz.
"Adam's still beautiful, baby." Lil wiped her mouth. "He will always be beautiful. Don't you ever forget that."
Adam covered his face with his hands.
V
"Everyone's ready, Adam. We'll get you in five minutes, okay?" Adam nodded, his eyes wide - whatever could be seen on them. Lil knew he was white white under all that foundation, but she never knew bruises could be so…bright. Then again, everything about Adam was usually so bright.
"You all right, baby?" She settled next to him. Kris had gone for a bathroom/Katy phone call break, and the others had sort of arranged that, at least that day, they were not going to leave Adam alone. She didn't think he'd actually notice.
"I can't do this, Lil. I can't go out there."
She put a gentle arm over his shoulders. "You can't be afraid for your vanity. You don't have any." It was true - she knew so many men who spent hours just looking at themselves in mirrors, but Adam, even when he was doing his eyes for the show, only saw bad skin and puffiness. She never caught him just staring. Which was funny because he was so beautiful all the time.
"No, it's not that. It's - all they see is that I'm hurt. They don't *know*. None of them *know*."
"You mean the looks? Like, 'what the hell are you doing here?' Or, 'we're not taking our eyes off you?'" She knew those looks very well.
He picked up his head and turned to her. "Yes. You do know. People hating you when all you've done is…is…"
"Sat down in a bar and ordered a drink? Oh, Adam, I know. I've seen my friends come back all beat-down too many times just for being - although some are spoiling for a fight."
"What if they say I was? That I asked for it by coming to that bar? Cause I knew - I saw the clientele and I heard the music, and I knew it might be a mistake. I just figured coming in with guys like - like Mike - you know. It would be cool for a change." He fussed with his hair, bringing the bangs down over his forehead.
"Don't you DARE be saying that. You have the right to walk into ANY place in this country without fearing for your LIFE. No one told those men to be waiting for you. That's their hatred - you be the loving boy you are and stand up for yourself. Let them see that beautiful face full on - here." She handed him a comb and gel from the table. "Get that hair back. Do it like you did for Smokey. Let them see that they can't bring you down and they can't make you hide. Let them see pride. Because we're all proud of you and we all love you. Let them see what hate does, and let them see it that it failed."
"I don't want to be the gay Gandhi, or the gay Martin Luther King." He did as he was told. Lord, he had no eyebrows at all!
"You just be Adam Lambert, baby. That's more than enough." She kissed him on the cheek.