Fic: Sing Me a Song
Title: Sing Me A Song
Author: fizzerbass
Pairing: Kris/Adam; bonus!Cale; brief mention of Tommy
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1899
Summary: Adam surprises Kris.
Disclaimer: The only thing in here that belongs to me is the mistakes and plethora of commas. Everybody else belongs to themselves and I certainly don't mean any disrespect by making things up about them.
Notes: Last I Need to Know fic, I promise! This is supposed to be a future-tour fic, with Kris and Adam in a newly established relationship. Didn't quite turn out as fluffy as I first imagined, but there's quite a happy ending. Thanks for reading!
“Cale? Hi, this is Adam…Lambert. Uhm, Kris’s boyfriend? From Idol? Not that I was his boyfriend during Idol. Not even close, we were strictly just friends during-.”
*chuckles* “Yeah, Adam, I know who you are. We’ve met, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course I do. I just wasn’t sure if you’d remember me.”
“You’re really not that easy to forget. Not when you have actually whips hanging from your belt loops.”
“I know, right? They’re a great ice-breaker for sure.”
“Uh, I can imagine.” *clears throat* “So, what’s up?”
“I want to do something to Kris and I need your help.”
“You want me to help you do something to Kris?”
“Not that kind of something! I want you to teach me something.”
“Uhm, Adam, I don’t think there’s much I can teach you.”
“Jeez! What is it with you straight boys, your minds always head right for the gutter. Gay men do think about things other than sex, you know. Sometimes.”
“O-kaaay. What do you want me to teach you?”
“I want you to teach me how to play the piano…”
~~~later that same week ~~~
“Cale, dude, can I borrow your phone? Mine’s dead and I left my charger on the bus.”
“Sure, Kris. But don’t forget it’s not your phone and start kissing it when you say good-bye to Adam.”
“Ha. You’re so funny. You’d think the reigning Mr. Arkansas would have a better sense of humor.”
*scrolls through recent calls*
“Uhm, Cale?”
“Yeah?”
“How come you’ve got…*counts*…six calls from Adam? Since when do you talk to Adam?”
“What? I can’t be friends with Adam?”
“Dude, all the calls are from this week. From the last three days.”
“So? You’re point?”
“My point is I want to know why you’re talking to my best friend.”
“Don’t you mean boyfriend?”
*blushes* “Yeah…but you’re not supposed to know about that. Nobody is.”
“I hate to tell you, Allen, but when he’s come to three out of our last eight shows, and you both disappear right after the meet and greet? It’s not real discreet.”
*looks worried* “Do you think people know? Is it really that obvious? The divorce has only been final for six weeks…”
“Yeah, but you’re marriage has been over for six months so don’t sweat it, Kris. You’re allowed to be happy.”
“…”
“You are happy, right?”
“Yeah.”
“But…”
“But nothing.”
“Yeah, right, Allen. Don’t even think of pulling that on me, I know you too well. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s great. Fantastic even. I just…”
“Just what?”
“I just miss him. I keep waking up on the bus still thinking we’re on the Idol tour and he’s sleeping right on top of me.”
*coughs*
“Not that way, you creep! In the bunk on top of me.”
“!”
“In the bunk above me! Completely separate from me! Not touching in any way whatsoever!”
*laughs* “Dude, chill, I get it. No worries. Just give him a call. Maybe he can meet us in Toledo.”
*heavy sigh* “He can’t. His own tour starts the day after tomorrow. In New York. It will be six weeks at least before we can see each other again.”
“That bites.”
“Tell me about it.” *looks pitiful*
“Alright, I take it back. You can kiss my phone if it’ll make you feel better when you talk to Adam.” *gets up to leave* “But no tongue!”
~~~two weeks later - on the bus after a show~~~
“Cale! You’re phone’s ringing.”
“Get it for me, dude, I’m in the shower. It might be my Mom calling about my Uncle.”
“Y’alright.” *picks up phone* “Hel-”
“Cale, hi, it’s me. I’ve got sound check in five so I can’t talk. I just wanted to let you know you were right and Tommy was able to do it for me. He’s not as good as you, but-“
“Adam?”
“Kris? Shit. Why are you answering Cale’s phone?”
“Why are you calling Cale’s phone?”
“Gotta go! Love you! Bye!”
~~~one week later~~~
“Hello?”
“Hey, Adam, it’s Cale.”
“Hey, Mr. Arkansas. What’s up?”
“Uhm, you know that thing you want to do to Kris?”
“Yeah, wait ‘til you see me, I’m getting soooo good. I’ve been practicing so hard.”
“Listen, I know you don’t have a break for three more weeks, but is there any way you can get here before that?”
“Why? Is Kris okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s just…”
“Sad? Quiet? Withdrawn? Not sleeping? Eating too many Cheetos?”
“Yes. To all of them.”
*sighs* “I figured. It’s getting harder and harder to get him to talk to me on the phone and I don’t mean harder in a good way. Have the Paps been bothering him?”
“No, it’s not that so much. More like some of the fans are starting to ask him about the divorce and when you two really got together. It’s starting to really get to him, man…starting to make him question himself.”
“Question himself? About us?”
“No, no, no. More like just wondering if he handled things the way he should’ve with Katy and with you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. He asked me the other day if I thought he was wrong to start something with you knowing you two wouldn’t be able to be together that much. If he was being fair to you…”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I know it is, but you can’t tell him that. Especially after he saw those pictures of you and Tommy.”
“Argh! I knew he’d take those the wrong way. Shit, shit, shit. I really can’t get there” *looks at calendar* “It’s gonna be at least another week.”
“Adam. He performed I Need to Know lying down on the stage last night.”
“Lying on the stage? For real?”
“For real. People in the first ten rows thought he disappeared because they couldn’t see him anymore.”
“Shit, I had no idea. Give me a day to rearrange some stuff and I’ll meet you guys in…what’s the day after tomorrow?”
“Glendale.”
“Glendale, okay. I can do Glendale. Tell Gene to find me a place to hide backstage and not to tell Kris.”
“Will do. Thanks, Adam.”
“No, Cale. Thank you.”
~~~Two days later in Glendale~~~
“This next song is one I wrote during a really hard time in my life last year. I promised Cale I wouldn’t lie down on the floor again to sing it, but it really is a song you’ve got to be lying down for. Works better that way, y’know?” Kris chuckles to himself, looking a little lost. “I’m just glad I was smart enough to ask for a grand piano this time.”
With that, Kris steps up on the piano bench and onto the top of the piano. He lies down with his sneakers near the keys and his head at the end farthest from Cale, flopping his feet open to look through them at his piano player.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
Cale looks quickly offstage and then back at Kris, pressing out the first soft notes of I Need to Know as Kris closes his eyes and sings.
Life’s been blinding me
To what I’d thought I’d see.
Is there clarity in this insanity?
What you want from me, yeah.
Roads in front of me, taking me astray.
Are you leaving me, or are you leading the way?
Can you hear what I’m saying?
Kris’s voice starts to get tight and Cale plays a little louder to mask Kris’s breathing. He sees movement out of the corner of his eye from stage right and shakes his head no. He mouths “not yet” as Kris continues with the chorus.
I need to know.
I need to know.
I need to know.
I need to know.
Feels like I’m trying to breath underwater.
Trying to climb but I keep falling farther.
Will you take my hand?
Kris’s voice is definitely clogged now and Cale hopes his friend can keep from crying until the song is over. He turns and mouths “get ready” to the shadowy figure waiting in the wings.
Feel so far away.
Are you even there?
Can you show me?
Can you make me believe?
Kris is out and out crying now and Cale nods his head vigorously. Adam steps out from behind the curtain and the crowd erupts as he strides over to the piano. He slides next to Cale on the bench and readies his hands over the keys as Cale stands up quickly to get out of the way.
Adam pounds out the chord progression he’s worked so hard to learn for the past two months, pouring everything he feels for Kris into the notes and letting them build along with the strings and guitars in the background. He’s lost in concentration, tongue peeking out the corner of his mouth as he makes sure his fingers hit the right keys in the right order, and doesn’t notice Kris raise himself to sitting.
“Adam?”
Adam looks up quickly but then right back down, there’s a quick three-chord change coming up right at the crescendo and he doesn’t want to screw it up. Not that anyone would hear it with the way the crowd is going wild at seeing the two of them together on stage, Adam can’t believe how many Kradam fans must be in the audience tonight. So much for keeping their relationship a secret.
The song quiets down and Adam looks up at Kris, not needing to look at the keys for this part. Kris shakes his head disbelievingly, shock clearly evident all over his face and it’s obvious he’s too stunned to finish the song. Adam gently takes the microphone from Kris’s hand and nods to Cale who sits back down on the bench to resume playing. His voice is quiet, reverent, as he sings the last chorus and takes Kris’s hand to help him step off the piano.
I need to know. I need to know.
Kris comes hard into Adam’s arms as the frenzied crowd goes nuts all around them. Adam holds him tight, whispering words neither one of them can hear with their earpieces in. Kris pulls away slightly and takes the microphone back so he can talk into it.
“I can’t believe you learned to play…I can’t believe you’re here. Who…when…why?”
The crowd goes silent, waiting for Adam’s answer and Adam wonders if Kris is really going to be okay with all this, with every one knowing they’re together for real. Before he can speak, Kris reaches up to cup his cheek, his whispered words echoing throughout the arena. “I wanted you here so bad. I wanted you here forever.”
Fans from the upper decks start chanting, “Kradam! Kradam! Kradam!” and Adam figures Kris’s admission is all the answer he needs to let them out of the closet. He leans in to speak into the microphone.
“I’m here because the only thing you need to know is that I love you and I’m never letting you go. I’d learn to play the whole orchestra if it meant you’d be with me forever.”
~*~*~*~
Kris gets a letter two days later from the city of Glendale, thanking him for coming to their town for a concert but respectfully asking him not to return. Turns out the high-pitched squeals and screams of the fans during his epic kiss with Adam actually caused minor cracks to the foundation and broke six different windows.
He figures it was so totally worth it.