Daddy David (3/6)
Title: Daddy David
Author: Me-Rebecka (jesuisunalien)
Pairing: Pierre/David
Chapter: 3/6
Summary: David never thought he'd be cut out to be a dad, but one day he has to face his mistakes.
Disclaimer: Never happened.
ONE
TWO
THREE
David was the only one who was able to function the next morning. He made coffee and sat with a smirk on his face when Jeff stumbled in. He just grumbled.
“Hate Chuck,” he managed to say.
“I'm sorry?” David offered.
“Mhm.”
David smiled gently and offered his friend a tablet to relieve his symptoms of a hangover. Jeff grudgingly accepted them.
“So, uh, how's Danny hanging in there?”
“Good, I guess. I don't really know. How is a kid supposed to be?”
“No idea. We'll be at the hotel today, so no more tour bus.”
“Yeah. I guess. But there's also a show tonight, and I don't know what to do with him...”
“Trevor-the-sound-guy will babysit.”
“I am not leaving my kid with that weirdo!”
“We could hold tryouts and see which teenage fan wants to tutor and babysit David Desrosiers' kid.”
“Yeah, funny. He'd probably be kidnapped and held for a David-must-marry-me ransom.”
“You could bring your mom on tour.”
David just glared at Jeff. He hadn't even told his mom about Danny yet, and he didn't plan on it until he met up with her for Thanksgiving in October, several months away. She'd probably read about it somewhere before he told her.
“Dude, you have to compromise.”
“I know...But, I get worried. I mean, I don't want him hanging out with someone who's gonna influence him in some way, and he doesn't want me to send him to boarding school. What should I do?”
“Weren't you home schooled?”
“Yeah...”
“So...why not home school him?”
“Because we both know I'm not smart enough to teach him anything past guitar.”
“Well you're going to have to settle for something. Maybe you should give home school a try. You just have to read some stuff from a book and give tests and wallah, there you go.”
“It's not that easy,” David groaned. “I would know. I had to experience five hours of my mom reading a bunch of nothings to me.”
“Which is probably why you're so dumb,” Jeff teased.
David just scowled.
“Kidding, kidding. You're smart for a bassist.”
“That doesn't make me feel better.”
Jeff just shrugged. “Sorry, I don't make people feel good. I make them wonder why they're even friends with me.”
“You got me there.”
Jeff smiled brightly. “Of course I do. Now go call a home school place and see what you can do to start Danny on the books ASAP. I think your dumbness is rubbing off on him.”
David rolled his eyes. He figured looking into home school wasn't a bad idea, but him teaching was a terrible one. He barely knew the alphabet! Who took the time to memorize twenty four (or was it twenty-six?) letters? Only crazy people!
Sebastien and Pierre arrived in the kitchen only moments later. They both took the tablets David offered and drank the coffee thankfully. Chuck was the last to stumble in and muttered to himself as he drank the half-cold coffee.
It was nearly noon before Danny crawled out of bed and met the band in the lounge. He asked for a Poptart, which he was given, and sat in between David and Pierre. He nibbled at his food for what seemed like forever before finally finishing the pastry off.
“I'm bored,” he finally announced.
“Join the club, little man,” Jeff grinned.
“When will we be there?”
“An hour,” David said. “Maybe sooner. We're going to stop at the hotel and drop off all our stuff and then we have to go to the venue to set up for the show tonight.”
“Hey David?” Danny said.
“Yeah?”
“Where am I going to go while you're playing?”
David shrugged. “Haven't decided yet. You may have to stay with one of the crew...”
“Are they nice?”
“Most of them.”
“Promise me they'll be nice to me?”
“Whoever watches you better be nice, because if they're not, I'll make sure they get fired. Deal?”
“Okay,” Danny sighed.
David smiled. “Look kiddo, I think I decided to register you for home school, is that okay?”
“What does that mean?”
“I'll be teaching you from home...or a hotel...or the bus.”
“Things like what?”
“I don't know...what do normal kids learn in school?”
“The numbers, the alphabet, how to read...”
“Yeah, I can do all that. You don't know the alphabet?”
“Do you?” Danny shot.
David scowled. The boy had a point.
“We'll both learn it then, together.”
“I guess,” Danny sighed again. “David?”
“Yeah?”
“What's K-Y-J-E-L-L-Y spell?”
“Uh...why? Where did you see that?”
“On a bottle under your bed.”
“Okay!” Jeff said, clapping his hands. “Who wants to go see how much longer?”
Chuck and Jeff rushed away, leaving Pierre and Sebastien to laugh at David as he tried to explain what KY Jelly was.
“You mean it's like soap?” Danny asked.
“No...Well, sort of. You put it on stuff to make it...slide.”
“Oh. What sorts of stuff?”
“Things like...Uh, well. Pierre would you like to tell him the type of things you put KY on?”
Pierre tried to hide his smile. “Nah, go ahead. You're doing such a great job.”
“Well, uh...Lets see...You can use it for a lot of things.”
“Like what?”
“Uh, when people get their rings stuck on their fingers, just use some KY and it slips right off.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Tried it myself a load of times.”
“Oh. Well mommy had some, too, but she didn't use it for rings.”
Pierre and Sebastien were beyond controlling their laughter. Danny didn't seem to understand what was so funny, and David's face grew redder and redder by the moment.
“So anyway, what color is the grass?” Sebastien said.
“It's green,” Danny said.
“Nuh uh, go look at it!”
Danny ran to a window and looked for grass.
“Wow, for rings, David?” Sebastien taunted. “Really?”
“Hey, did you have anything better?”
“Well, yeah. The truth.”
“He's five years old!”
“So? Everyone's gotta learn it sometime.”
“Oh god...Where did the KY come from anyway? I don't have any. I haven't gotten any in a while.”
“Maybe it's old.”
“Could be,” David shrugged.
“We're here!” Jeff shouted as David thought. “Yay! No more tour bus!”
The bus pulled into a space and the five band members Danny all unloaded. They took their bags and headed inside the hotel where Chuck spent several minutes getting their key cards.
“David...I don't know what to do with you,” Chuck finally said. “There are only enough beds for the five of us, plus Pat when he gets here.”
“He's rooming with me,” Pierre said quickly. “I've got it all figured out.”
Chuck nodded and have the pair their key cards. They went off to find their room, Danny in tow. When they arrived, Pierre opened the door and Danny ran inside, claiming one of the beds as his own.
“I guess you and I can share,” Pierre said.
“Thanks,” David said. “I mean for everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“For taking this so...calmly. Chuck is doing everything he can to make it hell for me, but you're right there picking me back up. Just...thanks.”
“No problem, buddy. What are best friends for?”
David nodded. “Thanks, again.”
“Just don't kick me in your sleep. I know how you are.”
David rolled his eyes. “You mind if Danny takes a bath before us?” David finally asked.
“Sure. He'll probably fall asleep soon, won't he?”
“Not if I take him to the show...and I'm sure he doesn't want to smell bad there.”
“I don't mind,” Danny pipped up.
“Sorry, kiddo. We both smell terrible.”
Danny pouted, but allowed David to fill the bathtub and give him a few things to wash himself with. David left the door open a crack and sat down on the bed beside Pierre.
“Wow,” he finally said. “I think I can do this.”
“Do what?”
“Be a...dad-ish figure.”
“Don't worry about it. My dad was terrible, so I don't know if you're doing well or not, but he's happy so I think that means you are.”
David shrugged. “I hope so.”
“So...what are you going to do about him tonight?”
“I guess...I'll just let him stay in the lounge room by himself, with the TV on so he knows I'm watching,” David smiled.
“How is that going to make him know you're watching?”
“Well...I'll be on stage, and he'll see me on the TV, so it's like I'm watching.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Well I don't want to lie and say I will be watching when I'm not.”
“You make no sense.”
“I know...”
Pierre just smiled. “But I guess that's a good idea. Might want to lock the door or something, so he won't get out...Or find someone to stay with him.”
“Yeah, I know. I have no idea what I'm going to do.”
“You'll figure it out,” Pierre assured me. “Of course you will, you never fail to have a plan.”
“Well...most of my plans are made up, spur of the moment. But...Danny really means something to me, and I don't want to screw up.”
Pierre nodded. “That's a good thing.”
David sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He was tired of complaining about how good of a father he wanted to be. He just wanted to be the best he could be, and even if that wasn't enough he would be assured that he had tried his hardest.
“Hey, David...I gotta ask, what's up with the gloves Danny wears?”
“Sarah's letter said they made him feel safe. I'm not going to take his safety away.”
“How can gloves make a kid feel safe?”
“I don't know...My hat makes me feel safe.”
“You're just weird. He's slightly normal. It doesn't make a lot of sense.”
“I'm hoping he'll trust me enough to leave them off sometime. But right now, if they make him feel safe, then I'm all for it.”
“Yeah, I guess. It's just weird.”
Moments later Danny came out of the bathroom wrapped his a large towel. His hair was sticking up all over the place, but he smelled clean and fresh. His gloves, of course, adorned his hands.
“I need some clothes,” he said.
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Sorry,” David said, searching through the bags until he found Danny's. He threw the boy a pair of boxers to put on so he wouldn't have to stand in just a towel. When Danny came back from the bathroom he had the towel over his head and walked slowly around the bed towards David, since his eyes were covered and he had no idea where he was going.
“Blue or black?” David asked.
“What color are you wearing?”
“Black...”
“Then I will too.”
David nodded and found a black shirt that went with the dark jeans. Danny dressed himself, with difficulty, but finally pulled his head through the shirt and smiled.
“Mommy never let me pick my clothes,” Danny said. “But I like to pick them.”
“Good, because I'd feel weird if I dressed you, and I'm sure you would feel weird in what I dressed you in.”
“If you dressed me like you dress yourself, then I would,” Danny laughed.
David scowled playfully. “Come on, kiddo. Lets go fix your hair.”
Pierre watched the two go into the bathroom, make up bag and hair products in hand. When they emerged again it was like looking at the younger version of what David would look like when he finished with his shower. The younger had his hair styled exactly as David styled his and even had some basic make up on.
“Do I look pretty?” he asked Pierre.
“Beautiful,” Pierre laughed.
“Does David look pretty?”
“Yeah, I guess he does,” Pierre said, surveying David for a moment.
David rolled his eyes. “I'm gonna take a shower. Mind Danny-sitting?”
“No, it's cool.”
David thanked him and then hurried into the bathroom.
“Will you help me?” Danny asked, holding his foot out for Pierre. Pierre smiled and tied the boy's shoes.
“Is that good?”
“Yep. Thanks.”
“No problem. It's not that hard, you know. Want me to teach you?”
“Oh, I know how,” Danny said.
“Then why...?”
“Because who has time to tie their shoes?”
“Did you hear that from David?”
Danny smiled and nodded. Pierre just rolled his eyes. “Of course he'd teach you how to be lazy.”
“What time is your thingy tonight?” Danny asked.
“Um...I think it starts at seven. Chuck usually keeps track of all that and-”
“Do you like David?” Danny asked, cutting Pierre off.
“Uh, huh?”
“David. Do you like 'em?”
“I, uh...He's my friend.”
“I mean more than your friend. Mommy said my daddy was different from everybody else...She said he didn't have girlfriends, that he had boyfriends. And she said it was okay and I could have a boyfriend if I wanted, that she'd love me no matter what. So I was just wondering who his boyfriend is.”
“I, uh...Don't know. Sorry. I don't think he has one.”
“So do you like him?”
Pierre scratched his head. Did he really want to be having this conversation with a five year old? “Can you keep a secret?” he finally said.
“Sure!”
“I may like him.”
“So why not just tell him? Mommy said lying was bad, you should always tell the truth.”
“It's complicated,” Pierre shrugged. “Besides, we're friends It might make things difficult for the band.”
“Oh. Well I think you should tell him.”
“Yeah?”
“Mommy said David liked confidence.”
Pierre raised an eyebrow. “What else did she tell you about him?”
“That he was a nice man and he would love me no matter what, and that she wanted me to be nice to him.”
“Oh. Well she's right, you know? He'd love you no matter what...”
“I know,” Danny said. “Because mommy told him to.”
“I don't think that's why he loves you...”
“I think it is. Otherwise I wouldn't be here.”
“That's not true. David wanted to keep you, that's why you're here.”
Danny just shrugged his shoulders. “If you say so,” he said in an I-don't-believe-you tone.
“You are just as stubborn as him, you know that?”
“Mommy said that too.”
“Your mom was a smart lady.”
“She was,” Danny confirmed.
The two fell silent just as the shower stopped running. They watched TV for twenty minutes until David emerged from the bathroom. Pierre felt the usual catch in his breath when he saw David, but quickly pushed the thought aside. His conversation with Danny had proven to him that he did, in fact, have feelings for his best friend.
“You going to shower?” David asked.
“No,” Pierre said, snapping back into reality. “I'll do it when we get back. No point in showering twice.”
David just shrugged. At least he would smell nice for the show.
“What time does the thingy start?” David asked, making Pierre smile. Danny had asked that same question just a half an hour earlier.
“I think seven,” he finally said. “We'll probably hear a knock in three, two, one.”
No knock came.
“Okay, let's try again,” Pierre said. “Three, two-”
Knock, knock!
Pierre rolled his eyes and answered the door.
“You guys ready to go?” Chuck asked.
“I think so. Are we, David?”
“Yeah.”
Pierre relayed the answer back to Chuck.
“Okay, the limo is waiting for us.”
Pierre nodded and agreed to meet the band in the lobby in five minutes. As soon as Chuck had disappeared from the doorway, David and Danny came out of their hiding places.
“What are you guys doing?”
“Hiding, what's it look like?” David said.
“Uh...why?”
“Chuck is very scary,” Danny said.
“I agree,” David said.
“He doesn't like me,” Danny said sadly.
Pierre shrugged. “Chuck doesn't like a lot of people, buddy. You're not the only one. But...he's not used to kids. They sort of freak him out. Don't worry, he'll warm up to you.”
“He's still scary.”
“He couldn't hurt a fly,” Pierre laughed. “Trust me, I've seen him try.”
Danny cracked a smile.
“Come on,” David said. “Got your game thing?”
Danny held up his DS and then followed Pierre and David out into the hallway. David was half surprised when he felt a small, gloved hand slide into his without initiating it, but he smiled and gripped the boy's hand. They made it to the lobby just was Sebastien and Jeff did. Chuck was already waiting for them.
“Hurry up,” Chuck urged. “We're going to be late.”
The six of them got into the limo and were driven to the venue. Chuck rolled his eyes as Danny made quiet remarks about how “amazing” it was to be in a limousine. David just glared at Chuck and Chuck glared back. Neither were compromising.
“Sound check,” Chuck said when they arrived. He stalked off, with Jeff in tow. Jeff looked back and shrugged his shoulders, following Chuck just because he'd been told to do so.
A/N: The next chapter is my favorite, so stay turned! It'll be up next week sometime...
Author: Me-Rebecka (jesuisunalien)
Pairing: Pierre/David
Chapter: 3/6
Summary: David never thought he'd be cut out to be a dad, but one day he has to face his mistakes.
Disclaimer: Never happened.
ONE
TWO
THREE
David was the only one who was able to function the next morning. He made coffee and sat with a smirk on his face when Jeff stumbled in. He just grumbled.
“Hate Chuck,” he managed to say.
“I'm sorry?” David offered.
“Mhm.”
David smiled gently and offered his friend a tablet to relieve his symptoms of a hangover. Jeff grudgingly accepted them.
“So, uh, how's Danny hanging in there?”
“Good, I guess. I don't really know. How is a kid supposed to be?”
“No idea. We'll be at the hotel today, so no more tour bus.”
“Yeah. I guess. But there's also a show tonight, and I don't know what to do with him...”
“Trevor-the-sound-guy will babysit.”
“I am not leaving my kid with that weirdo!”
“We could hold tryouts and see which teenage fan wants to tutor and babysit David Desrosiers' kid.”
“Yeah, funny. He'd probably be kidnapped and held for a David-must-marry-me ransom.”
“You could bring your mom on tour.”
David just glared at Jeff. He hadn't even told his mom about Danny yet, and he didn't plan on it until he met up with her for Thanksgiving in October, several months away. She'd probably read about it somewhere before he told her.
“Dude, you have to compromise.”
“I know...But, I get worried. I mean, I don't want him hanging out with someone who's gonna influence him in some way, and he doesn't want me to send him to boarding school. What should I do?”
“Weren't you home schooled?”
“Yeah...”
“So...why not home school him?”
“Because we both know I'm not smart enough to teach him anything past guitar.”
“Well you're going to have to settle for something. Maybe you should give home school a try. You just have to read some stuff from a book and give tests and wallah, there you go.”
“It's not that easy,” David groaned. “I would know. I had to experience five hours of my mom reading a bunch of nothings to me.”
“Which is probably why you're so dumb,” Jeff teased.
David just scowled.
“Kidding, kidding. You're smart for a bassist.”
“That doesn't make me feel better.”
Jeff just shrugged. “Sorry, I don't make people feel good. I make them wonder why they're even friends with me.”
“You got me there.”
Jeff smiled brightly. “Of course I do. Now go call a home school place and see what you can do to start Danny on the books ASAP. I think your dumbness is rubbing off on him.”
David rolled his eyes. He figured looking into home school wasn't a bad idea, but him teaching was a terrible one. He barely knew the alphabet! Who took the time to memorize twenty four (or was it twenty-six?) letters? Only crazy people!
Sebastien and Pierre arrived in the kitchen only moments later. They both took the tablets David offered and drank the coffee thankfully. Chuck was the last to stumble in and muttered to himself as he drank the half-cold coffee.
It was nearly noon before Danny crawled out of bed and met the band in the lounge. He asked for a Poptart, which he was given, and sat in between David and Pierre. He nibbled at his food for what seemed like forever before finally finishing the pastry off.
“I'm bored,” he finally announced.
“Join the club, little man,” Jeff grinned.
“When will we be there?”
“An hour,” David said. “Maybe sooner. We're going to stop at the hotel and drop off all our stuff and then we have to go to the venue to set up for the show tonight.”
“Hey David?” Danny said.
“Yeah?”
“Where am I going to go while you're playing?”
David shrugged. “Haven't decided yet. You may have to stay with one of the crew...”
“Are they nice?”
“Most of them.”
“Promise me they'll be nice to me?”
“Whoever watches you better be nice, because if they're not, I'll make sure they get fired. Deal?”
“Okay,” Danny sighed.
David smiled. “Look kiddo, I think I decided to register you for home school, is that okay?”
“What does that mean?”
“I'll be teaching you from home...or a hotel...or the bus.”
“Things like what?”
“I don't know...what do normal kids learn in school?”
“The numbers, the alphabet, how to read...”
“Yeah, I can do all that. You don't know the alphabet?”
“Do you?” Danny shot.
David scowled. The boy had a point.
“We'll both learn it then, together.”
“I guess,” Danny sighed again. “David?”
“Yeah?”
“What's K-Y-J-E-L-L-Y spell?”
“Uh...why? Where did you see that?”
“On a bottle under your bed.”
“Okay!” Jeff said, clapping his hands. “Who wants to go see how much longer?”
Chuck and Jeff rushed away, leaving Pierre and Sebastien to laugh at David as he tried to explain what KY Jelly was.
“You mean it's like soap?” Danny asked.
“No...Well, sort of. You put it on stuff to make it...slide.”
“Oh. What sorts of stuff?”
“Things like...Uh, well. Pierre would you like to tell him the type of things you put KY on?”
Pierre tried to hide his smile. “Nah, go ahead. You're doing such a great job.”
“Well, uh...Lets see...You can use it for a lot of things.”
“Like what?”
“Uh, when people get their rings stuck on their fingers, just use some KY and it slips right off.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Tried it myself a load of times.”
“Oh. Well mommy had some, too, but she didn't use it for rings.”
Pierre and Sebastien were beyond controlling their laughter. Danny didn't seem to understand what was so funny, and David's face grew redder and redder by the moment.
“So anyway, what color is the grass?” Sebastien said.
“It's green,” Danny said.
“Nuh uh, go look at it!”
Danny ran to a window and looked for grass.
“Wow, for rings, David?” Sebastien taunted. “Really?”
“Hey, did you have anything better?”
“Well, yeah. The truth.”
“He's five years old!”
“So? Everyone's gotta learn it sometime.”
“Oh god...Where did the KY come from anyway? I don't have any. I haven't gotten any in a while.”
“Maybe it's old.”
“Could be,” David shrugged.
“We're here!” Jeff shouted as David thought. “Yay! No more tour bus!”
The bus pulled into a space and the five band members Danny all unloaded. They took their bags and headed inside the hotel where Chuck spent several minutes getting their key cards.
“David...I don't know what to do with you,” Chuck finally said. “There are only enough beds for the five of us, plus Pat when he gets here.”
“He's rooming with me,” Pierre said quickly. “I've got it all figured out.”
Chuck nodded and have the pair their key cards. They went off to find their room, Danny in tow. When they arrived, Pierre opened the door and Danny ran inside, claiming one of the beds as his own.
“I guess you and I can share,” Pierre said.
“Thanks,” David said. “I mean for everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“For taking this so...calmly. Chuck is doing everything he can to make it hell for me, but you're right there picking me back up. Just...thanks.”
“No problem, buddy. What are best friends for?”
David nodded. “Thanks, again.”
“Just don't kick me in your sleep. I know how you are.”
David rolled his eyes. “You mind if Danny takes a bath before us?” David finally asked.
“Sure. He'll probably fall asleep soon, won't he?”
“Not if I take him to the show...and I'm sure he doesn't want to smell bad there.”
“I don't mind,” Danny pipped up.
“Sorry, kiddo. We both smell terrible.”
Danny pouted, but allowed David to fill the bathtub and give him a few things to wash himself with. David left the door open a crack and sat down on the bed beside Pierre.
“Wow,” he finally said. “I think I can do this.”
“Do what?”
“Be a...dad-ish figure.”
“Don't worry about it. My dad was terrible, so I don't know if you're doing well or not, but he's happy so I think that means you are.”
David shrugged. “I hope so.”
“So...what are you going to do about him tonight?”
“I guess...I'll just let him stay in the lounge room by himself, with the TV on so he knows I'm watching,” David smiled.
“How is that going to make him know you're watching?”
“Well...I'll be on stage, and he'll see me on the TV, so it's like I'm watching.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Well I don't want to lie and say I will be watching when I'm not.”
“You make no sense.”
“I know...”
Pierre just smiled. “But I guess that's a good idea. Might want to lock the door or something, so he won't get out...Or find someone to stay with him.”
“Yeah, I know. I have no idea what I'm going to do.”
“You'll figure it out,” Pierre assured me. “Of course you will, you never fail to have a plan.”
“Well...most of my plans are made up, spur of the moment. But...Danny really means something to me, and I don't want to screw up.”
Pierre nodded. “That's a good thing.”
David sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He was tired of complaining about how good of a father he wanted to be. He just wanted to be the best he could be, and even if that wasn't enough he would be assured that he had tried his hardest.
“Hey, David...I gotta ask, what's up with the gloves Danny wears?”
“Sarah's letter said they made him feel safe. I'm not going to take his safety away.”
“How can gloves make a kid feel safe?”
“I don't know...My hat makes me feel safe.”
“You're just weird. He's slightly normal. It doesn't make a lot of sense.”
“I'm hoping he'll trust me enough to leave them off sometime. But right now, if they make him feel safe, then I'm all for it.”
“Yeah, I guess. It's just weird.”
Moments later Danny came out of the bathroom wrapped his a large towel. His hair was sticking up all over the place, but he smelled clean and fresh. His gloves, of course, adorned his hands.
“I need some clothes,” he said.
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Sorry,” David said, searching through the bags until he found Danny's. He threw the boy a pair of boxers to put on so he wouldn't have to stand in just a towel. When Danny came back from the bathroom he had the towel over his head and walked slowly around the bed towards David, since his eyes were covered and he had no idea where he was going.
“Blue or black?” David asked.
“What color are you wearing?”
“Black...”
“Then I will too.”
David nodded and found a black shirt that went with the dark jeans. Danny dressed himself, with difficulty, but finally pulled his head through the shirt and smiled.
“Mommy never let me pick my clothes,” Danny said. “But I like to pick them.”
“Good, because I'd feel weird if I dressed you, and I'm sure you would feel weird in what I dressed you in.”
“If you dressed me like you dress yourself, then I would,” Danny laughed.
David scowled playfully. “Come on, kiddo. Lets go fix your hair.”
Pierre watched the two go into the bathroom, make up bag and hair products in hand. When they emerged again it was like looking at the younger version of what David would look like when he finished with his shower. The younger had his hair styled exactly as David styled his and even had some basic make up on.
“Do I look pretty?” he asked Pierre.
“Beautiful,” Pierre laughed.
“Does David look pretty?”
“Yeah, I guess he does,” Pierre said, surveying David for a moment.
David rolled his eyes. “I'm gonna take a shower. Mind Danny-sitting?”
“No, it's cool.”
David thanked him and then hurried into the bathroom.
“Will you help me?” Danny asked, holding his foot out for Pierre. Pierre smiled and tied the boy's shoes.
“Is that good?”
“Yep. Thanks.”
“No problem. It's not that hard, you know. Want me to teach you?”
“Oh, I know how,” Danny said.
“Then why...?”
“Because who has time to tie their shoes?”
“Did you hear that from David?”
Danny smiled and nodded. Pierre just rolled his eyes. “Of course he'd teach you how to be lazy.”
“What time is your thingy tonight?” Danny asked.
“Um...I think it starts at seven. Chuck usually keeps track of all that and-”
“Do you like David?” Danny asked, cutting Pierre off.
“Uh, huh?”
“David. Do you like 'em?”
“I, uh...He's my friend.”
“I mean more than your friend. Mommy said my daddy was different from everybody else...She said he didn't have girlfriends, that he had boyfriends. And she said it was okay and I could have a boyfriend if I wanted, that she'd love me no matter what. So I was just wondering who his boyfriend is.”
“I, uh...Don't know. Sorry. I don't think he has one.”
“So do you like him?”
Pierre scratched his head. Did he really want to be having this conversation with a five year old? “Can you keep a secret?” he finally said.
“Sure!”
“I may like him.”
“So why not just tell him? Mommy said lying was bad, you should always tell the truth.”
“It's complicated,” Pierre shrugged. “Besides, we're friends It might make things difficult for the band.”
“Oh. Well I think you should tell him.”
“Yeah?”
“Mommy said David liked confidence.”
Pierre raised an eyebrow. “What else did she tell you about him?”
“That he was a nice man and he would love me no matter what, and that she wanted me to be nice to him.”
“Oh. Well she's right, you know? He'd love you no matter what...”
“I know,” Danny said. “Because mommy told him to.”
“I don't think that's why he loves you...”
“I think it is. Otherwise I wouldn't be here.”
“That's not true. David wanted to keep you, that's why you're here.”
Danny just shrugged his shoulders. “If you say so,” he said in an I-don't-believe-you tone.
“You are just as stubborn as him, you know that?”
“Mommy said that too.”
“Your mom was a smart lady.”
“She was,” Danny confirmed.
The two fell silent just as the shower stopped running. They watched TV for twenty minutes until David emerged from the bathroom. Pierre felt the usual catch in his breath when he saw David, but quickly pushed the thought aside. His conversation with Danny had proven to him that he did, in fact, have feelings for his best friend.
“You going to shower?” David asked.
“No,” Pierre said, snapping back into reality. “I'll do it when we get back. No point in showering twice.”
David just shrugged. At least he would smell nice for the show.
“What time does the thingy start?” David asked, making Pierre smile. Danny had asked that same question just a half an hour earlier.
“I think seven,” he finally said. “We'll probably hear a knock in three, two, one.”
No knock came.
“Okay, let's try again,” Pierre said. “Three, two-”
Knock, knock!
Pierre rolled his eyes and answered the door.
“You guys ready to go?” Chuck asked.
“I think so. Are we, David?”
“Yeah.”
Pierre relayed the answer back to Chuck.
“Okay, the limo is waiting for us.”
Pierre nodded and agreed to meet the band in the lobby in five minutes. As soon as Chuck had disappeared from the doorway, David and Danny came out of their hiding places.
“What are you guys doing?”
“Hiding, what's it look like?” David said.
“Uh...why?”
“Chuck is very scary,” Danny said.
“I agree,” David said.
“He doesn't like me,” Danny said sadly.
Pierre shrugged. “Chuck doesn't like a lot of people, buddy. You're not the only one. But...he's not used to kids. They sort of freak him out. Don't worry, he'll warm up to you.”
“He's still scary.”
“He couldn't hurt a fly,” Pierre laughed. “Trust me, I've seen him try.”
Danny cracked a smile.
“Come on,” David said. “Got your game thing?”
Danny held up his DS and then followed Pierre and David out into the hallway. David was half surprised when he felt a small, gloved hand slide into his without initiating it, but he smiled and gripped the boy's hand. They made it to the lobby just was Sebastien and Jeff did. Chuck was already waiting for them.
“Hurry up,” Chuck urged. “We're going to be late.”
The six of them got into the limo and were driven to the venue. Chuck rolled his eyes as Danny made quiet remarks about how “amazing” it was to be in a limousine. David just glared at Chuck and Chuck glared back. Neither were compromising.
“Sound check,” Chuck said when they arrived. He stalked off, with Jeff in tow. Jeff looked back and shrugged his shoulders, following Chuck just because he'd been told to do so.
A/N: The next chapter is my favorite, so stay turned! It'll be up next week sometime...