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<< i'm building the big big love
it has to be a big thing
He had intended not to go to Carly's, the Irish pub where they sang for free and for fun. He had thought about calling Neal, using his headache as an excuse, but when he reached out to take his phone it vibrated against his fingers. Startled, he thumbed it to pick up the call. "David here."
"I know you're there, you moron." It was Neal. "Are you feeling any better?"
"I was about to call you, in fact," he replied. "I have a headache, I don't think I-"
"I think you're choosing an easy way out, Dave." Neal was so used to him being a drama queen that he knew exactly when to cut David's complaints.
"What?"
"You've heard me, dude. You are giving up, aren't you?" Neal didn't wait for David to reply. "At least do it with class, Dave. Archie deserves your support. Not your cold shoulder."
"I never-"
"We're coming over to borrow your car, and to make you our official driver, in an hour or so, whether you're ready or not." Neal hang up on him, and that was how David Cook found himself getting ready for karaoke night with pop star Danny Noriega, of all people.
He reluctantly got out of his bed, where he had found a comfortable spot, and wandered over to the wardrobe. He discarded many t-shirts that needed laundry urgently, and ditched a couple of jeans for having a bit of a hole somewhere. He dived through his entire collection - not that he had a full designer's catwalk, mind you - until he found a suitable red short sleeved shirt and some jeans that didn't look like Edward Scissorhands had been practicing with them.
On time, just like he had announced, Neal was knocking on his door, Andy in tow. David picked the car keys and walked out of his apartment before Neal could see the mess the living room was. He had been living there for a week, ever since Noriega had arrived in town, because going over to the master bedroom as such a task for David, who had felt suddenly exhausted after ascertaining that his hopes would be reduced to ashes if Danny Noriega wanted to play with them.
"In a bit of a hurry, are we?" Neal attempted to joke, but David offered him a grunt and led the way out o f the building. He neared his car and opened it slowly. He knew what Neal wanted to tell him, if the but you should know Archie- he had attempted to say was any evidence of it. David just wasn't ready to explain himself to his best friend.
"I'll drive," he offered. Nobody contradicted him, and he didn't say anything about picking Archie up, so he just drove straight to the pub.
David didn't speak a word on their way to Carly's, and since Andy was too busy texting his girlfriend, who was back at college for the time being, and Neal had never been a talkative person - despite his efforts from that day to actually outdo David in the talking department - the ride was silent and offered David plenty of time to think. He came to the conclusion that he could make a last effort before giving up completely - it wasn't that he held any chance against Noriega, but at least his dignity would come out of the encounter mostly unscathed.
When they arrived, Archie and Noriega were already there, occupying a table in the middle of the bar. They had a few people around, like flies attracted to the light, and two free seats with them. The math didn't work for David, but he chose not to object anything. There wasn't an unoccupied chair in the whole pub, so he gracefully took one of the stools and placed it next to Archie, sitting in a higher level than the rest of the crowd. From his height, David could see the way Archie paid attention to his boyfriend, and how Noriega was showering Archie with caresses and quick peeks on the lips any time he could sneak a kiss in front of the audience.
When it was time for a bit of music and fun, Noriega declined the offers to sing at the karaoke, but David accepted the challenge. However, once he situated himself and began singing, he noticed that no one was paying attention to him; instead, all the heads seemed turned to Noriega, who was apparently retelling some story that made the crowd gathered around him laugh. David sang his heart out, I ain't gonna cry and I won't beg you to stay if you're determined to leave, boy, I will not stand in your way; but inevitably you'll be back again 'cause you know in your heart, babe, our love will never end, though he was singing to no one since not even Archie was looking at him.
David witnessed from the elevated stage as Noriega winked playfully at a girl. It made him sick to his stomach, but what truly revolted him was the way Noriega cradled Archie's face in his hands after Archie said something funny, not half a second after he had diverted his attention from that girl, and how Noriega leaned in slowly to kiss Archie. David could tell the exact moment the kiss deepened; he could see the lines in Archie's neck tensing, his back arching into the touch. It got too much, too intense, for him to deal with, and he bolted off the stage, dropping the microphone in his haste. The loud feedback of the device filled his ears, but it didn't really strike him as he stomped into the corridor leading to the bathroom.
No one turned to see him leaving.
The cold water he splashed on his face gave him back a little of the dignity he had lost when the first tears had escaped his eyes in his way to the bathroom. David studied his reflection on the mirror; saw the sadness in his pupils. He shook his head and was about to get out when Noriega opened the door. The singer greeted him with a slight head bow and went straight to the toilet. David took a couple of steps towards the exit before making up his mind and changing the direction he was headed to. Instead, he got closer to the cubicle Noriega was using, and, very aware of the shitty state of Carly's locks, he kicked it open.
The yelp and the look in Noriega's eyes were priceless and really worth it.
"Hey, Danny," he greeted in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone.
"Hey."
"Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Yeah, sure."
David took air, felt it filling his lungs, and kept it inside for as long as he could before breathing it out slowly, measuring his intakes. "Okay," he finally started. "Here it is." He exhaled the rest of the air and spoke straight from his heart. "You win, okay? Fair and square, Danny. You win."
"Uhm, thank you?" Danny looked really uncomfortable, sitting on the toilet and trying to cover himself as best as he could. But David was relentless, and he had his speech all spread before him in his mind, so there was no way to stop him.
"You did have an advantage or two going in, but-"
He found it difficult to continue all of a sudden, his words tangling up in his throat and choking him up with too many emotions at once. "I-I want Arch to be happy, okay? I don't want him to get hurt, so I have to ask you a couple of questions. I want you to be honest with me." David sighed loudly and leaned into the wood that held the cubicle's door. "Do you know why he only plays songs either Neal or Andy have written?" he started bluntly.
"What?" Danny looked truly confused by David's words.
"Or why his favorite necklace has a starfish clasp?" David continued, remembering the day Lupe had given her son that particular necklace and how proud she had been of Archie when he had graduated with that pendant hanging off his neck. It had been a blow to everyone when she passed away suddenly that very same summer, ten years to the date, and Archie hadn't stopped wearing the necklace, and fidgeting with the clasp was his way to deal with pressure and nerves.
"No."
"Do you even know that he has six different smiles?" David thought fondly of every time he had seen Archie smiling in his life, so many moments shared together that he was ready to give away to this complete stranger that could break his best friend in pieces.
"He does?"
"Oh, yeah," David nodded emphatically. "There's one when something flat out makes him laugh. And then there's one when he's laughing out of politeness. But there's one when he makes plans and one when he makes fun of himself. And one when he's uncomfortable. And one when-" David bit his tongue just in time to avoid saying when he thinks of me, and instead offered, "One when he's talking about his friends."
"I don't know those things yet, David," Noriega confessed in a low voice, his hands flailing around instead of staying on top of his thighs.
"No, you don't. I'm telling you, he is more of-a treasure than you can possibly know. He's not just some wholesome small-town boy, some good-for-you breath of fresh air. Danny, he is a wonderful person with a huge heart. He is talented and funny and lovely."
"Yeah."
"And he has the kind of beauty that a guy only sees once, you know? Once." David could feel embarrassing tears prickling at the back of his eyes. He wiped at them furiously before resuming his tirade. "Listen, Danny, if there is even a chance that you could break his heart, please, just, for his sake-walk away, man."
"I could never break Dave's heart." David had to think twice before snapping at Noriega and correcting him - he was so used to Archie's nickname that sometimes he forgot that he had a given name as well.
"Good," he retorted evenly. "Because if you do, I swear to God, I will tear you to pieces with my bare hands. Or-vicious rhetoric. Whatever comes first."
"You're a good guy, David."
"But it's apparently not good enough," David hadn't planned for his words to sound so bitter, but once they were said he couldn't take them back. He stared at the ground for a few moments before he heard Noriega clearing his throat. He looked up immediately.
"Do you mind if l-" Noriega gestured between themselves and then to the toilet he was occupying.
"Yeah, no. My bad," David rambled lamely.
"Going to finish up in here. I'm sorry."
David nodded again, kind of curtly, and walked away, not even stopping to think of the awkwardness of what had just happened between the infamous singer and him himself. He just kept walking, ignoring the calls of his friends urging him to join them at the table, not paying attention to Archie's voice which just stood out in its graveness. He just kept walking; his head hung low, and made his way back to his apartment walking under the moonlight of a crispy June night. He would have time to recover his car the following day, and his friends could use a cab to go back to their own apartments; and if they had any complaints about that, David would tell them where they could shove those protests.
When he reached his door, he was shivering, and he couldn't even blame it on the cold of the night.
David couldn't believe he had given up. With his Scotch in one hand and the two letters in the other, he weighed his options. In the end, he didn't come to any conclusion, but he had drunk way too much. He stumbled to the bed and allowed the drunken stupor to take over him. The hangover he had when he woke up the next morning was the size of Africa - or at least all South America - and he wasn't in any shape for doing anything, even if it was eight in the freaking morning when his own headache had woke him up. He just pulled the covers over his head and stuffed his aching head into the pillow. He just wanted to die, and do that as quickly and painless as possible.
For the whole week that followed, David endured the presence of Danny Noriega everywhere they went. The singer was at the studio at working hours, he took Archie out and treated him to lunch and dinner, and he even voiced his intention of purchasing a house near Archie's. Noriega was wooing Archie, and David was doing nothing to prevent it. Everyone seemed mesmerized by the gleaming shine of a Hollywood star, even Neal who was usually the type to hate everything that had to deal with fame and celebrity.
it's bringing me to my knees >>
it has to be a big thing
He had intended not to go to Carly's, the Irish pub where they sang for free and for fun. He had thought about calling Neal, using his headache as an excuse, but when he reached out to take his phone it vibrated against his fingers. Startled, he thumbed it to pick up the call. "David here."
"I know you're there, you moron." It was Neal. "Are you feeling any better?"
"I was about to call you, in fact," he replied. "I have a headache, I don't think I-"
"I think you're choosing an easy way out, Dave." Neal was so used to him being a drama queen that he knew exactly when to cut David's complaints.
"What?"
"You've heard me, dude. You are giving up, aren't you?" Neal didn't wait for David to reply. "At least do it with class, Dave. Archie deserves your support. Not your cold shoulder."
"I never-"
"We're coming over to borrow your car, and to make you our official driver, in an hour or so, whether you're ready or not." Neal hang up on him, and that was how David Cook found himself getting ready for karaoke night with pop star Danny Noriega, of all people.
He reluctantly got out of his bed, where he had found a comfortable spot, and wandered over to the wardrobe. He discarded many t-shirts that needed laundry urgently, and ditched a couple of jeans for having a bit of a hole somewhere. He dived through his entire collection - not that he had a full designer's catwalk, mind you - until he found a suitable red short sleeved shirt and some jeans that didn't look like Edward Scissorhands had been practicing with them.
On time, just like he had announced, Neal was knocking on his door, Andy in tow. David picked the car keys and walked out of his apartment before Neal could see the mess the living room was. He had been living there for a week, ever since Noriega had arrived in town, because going over to the master bedroom as such a task for David, who had felt suddenly exhausted after ascertaining that his hopes would be reduced to ashes if Danny Noriega wanted to play with them.
"In a bit of a hurry, are we?" Neal attempted to joke, but David offered him a grunt and led the way out o f the building. He neared his car and opened it slowly. He knew what Neal wanted to tell him, if the but you should know Archie- he had attempted to say was any evidence of it. David just wasn't ready to explain himself to his best friend.
"I'll drive," he offered. Nobody contradicted him, and he didn't say anything about picking Archie up, so he just drove straight to the pub.
David didn't speak a word on their way to Carly's, and since Andy was too busy texting his girlfriend, who was back at college for the time being, and Neal had never been a talkative person - despite his efforts from that day to actually outdo David in the talking department - the ride was silent and offered David plenty of time to think. He came to the conclusion that he could make a last effort before giving up completely - it wasn't that he held any chance against Noriega, but at least his dignity would come out of the encounter mostly unscathed.
When they arrived, Archie and Noriega were already there, occupying a table in the middle of the bar. They had a few people around, like flies attracted to the light, and two free seats with them. The math didn't work for David, but he chose not to object anything. There wasn't an unoccupied chair in the whole pub, so he gracefully took one of the stools and placed it next to Archie, sitting in a higher level than the rest of the crowd. From his height, David could see the way Archie paid attention to his boyfriend, and how Noriega was showering Archie with caresses and quick peeks on the lips any time he could sneak a kiss in front of the audience.
When it was time for a bit of music and fun, Noriega declined the offers to sing at the karaoke, but David accepted the challenge. However, once he situated himself and began singing, he noticed that no one was paying attention to him; instead, all the heads seemed turned to Noriega, who was apparently retelling some story that made the crowd gathered around him laugh. David sang his heart out, I ain't gonna cry and I won't beg you to stay if you're determined to leave, boy, I will not stand in your way; but inevitably you'll be back again 'cause you know in your heart, babe, our love will never end, though he was singing to no one since not even Archie was looking at him.
David witnessed from the elevated stage as Noriega winked playfully at a girl. It made him sick to his stomach, but what truly revolted him was the way Noriega cradled Archie's face in his hands after Archie said something funny, not half a second after he had diverted his attention from that girl, and how Noriega leaned in slowly to kiss Archie. David could tell the exact moment the kiss deepened; he could see the lines in Archie's neck tensing, his back arching into the touch. It got too much, too intense, for him to deal with, and he bolted off the stage, dropping the microphone in his haste. The loud feedback of the device filled his ears, but it didn't really strike him as he stomped into the corridor leading to the bathroom.
No one turned to see him leaving.
The cold water he splashed on his face gave him back a little of the dignity he had lost when the first tears had escaped his eyes in his way to the bathroom. David studied his reflection on the mirror; saw the sadness in his pupils. He shook his head and was about to get out when Noriega opened the door. The singer greeted him with a slight head bow and went straight to the toilet. David took a couple of steps towards the exit before making up his mind and changing the direction he was headed to. Instead, he got closer to the cubicle Noriega was using, and, very aware of the shitty state of Carly's locks, he kicked it open.
The yelp and the look in Noriega's eyes were priceless and really worth it.
"Hey, Danny," he greeted in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone.
"Hey."
"Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Yeah, sure."
David took air, felt it filling his lungs, and kept it inside for as long as he could before breathing it out slowly, measuring his intakes. "Okay," he finally started. "Here it is." He exhaled the rest of the air and spoke straight from his heart. "You win, okay? Fair and square, Danny. You win."
"Uhm, thank you?" Danny looked really uncomfortable, sitting on the toilet and trying to cover himself as best as he could. But David was relentless, and he had his speech all spread before him in his mind, so there was no way to stop him.
"You did have an advantage or two going in, but-"
He found it difficult to continue all of a sudden, his words tangling up in his throat and choking him up with too many emotions at once. "I-I want Arch to be happy, okay? I don't want him to get hurt, so I have to ask you a couple of questions. I want you to be honest with me." David sighed loudly and leaned into the wood that held the cubicle's door. "Do you know why he only plays songs either Neal or Andy have written?" he started bluntly.
"What?" Danny looked truly confused by David's words.
"Or why his favorite necklace has a starfish clasp?" David continued, remembering the day Lupe had given her son that particular necklace and how proud she had been of Archie when he had graduated with that pendant hanging off his neck. It had been a blow to everyone when she passed away suddenly that very same summer, ten years to the date, and Archie hadn't stopped wearing the necklace, and fidgeting with the clasp was his way to deal with pressure and nerves.
"No."
"Do you even know that he has six different smiles?" David thought fondly of every time he had seen Archie smiling in his life, so many moments shared together that he was ready to give away to this complete stranger that could break his best friend in pieces.
"He does?"
"Oh, yeah," David nodded emphatically. "There's one when something flat out makes him laugh. And then there's one when he's laughing out of politeness. But there's one when he makes plans and one when he makes fun of himself. And one when he's uncomfortable. And one when-" David bit his tongue just in time to avoid saying when he thinks of me, and instead offered, "One when he's talking about his friends."
"I don't know those things yet, David," Noriega confessed in a low voice, his hands flailing around instead of staying on top of his thighs.
"No, you don't. I'm telling you, he is more of-a treasure than you can possibly know. He's not just some wholesome small-town boy, some good-for-you breath of fresh air. Danny, he is a wonderful person with a huge heart. He is talented and funny and lovely."
"Yeah."
"And he has the kind of beauty that a guy only sees once, you know? Once." David could feel embarrassing tears prickling at the back of his eyes. He wiped at them furiously before resuming his tirade. "Listen, Danny, if there is even a chance that you could break his heart, please, just, for his sake-walk away, man."
"I could never break Dave's heart." David had to think twice before snapping at Noriega and correcting him - he was so used to Archie's nickname that sometimes he forgot that he had a given name as well.
"Good," he retorted evenly. "Because if you do, I swear to God, I will tear you to pieces with my bare hands. Or-vicious rhetoric. Whatever comes first."
"You're a good guy, David."
"But it's apparently not good enough," David hadn't planned for his words to sound so bitter, but once they were said he couldn't take them back. He stared at the ground for a few moments before he heard Noriega clearing his throat. He looked up immediately.
"Do you mind if l-" Noriega gestured between themselves and then to the toilet he was occupying.
"Yeah, no. My bad," David rambled lamely.
"Going to finish up in here. I'm sorry."
David nodded again, kind of curtly, and walked away, not even stopping to think of the awkwardness of what had just happened between the infamous singer and him himself. He just kept walking, ignoring the calls of his friends urging him to join them at the table, not paying attention to Archie's voice which just stood out in its graveness. He just kept walking; his head hung low, and made his way back to his apartment walking under the moonlight of a crispy June night. He would have time to recover his car the following day, and his friends could use a cab to go back to their own apartments; and if they had any complaints about that, David would tell them where they could shove those protests.
When he reached his door, he was shivering, and he couldn't even blame it on the cold of the night.
David couldn't believe he had given up. With his Scotch in one hand and the two letters in the other, he weighed his options. In the end, he didn't come to any conclusion, but he had drunk way too much. He stumbled to the bed and allowed the drunken stupor to take over him. The hangover he had when he woke up the next morning was the size of Africa - or at least all South America - and he wasn't in any shape for doing anything, even if it was eight in the freaking morning when his own headache had woke him up. He just pulled the covers over his head and stuffed his aching head into the pillow. He just wanted to die, and do that as quickly and painless as possible.
For the whole week that followed, David endured the presence of Danny Noriega everywhere they went. The singer was at the studio at working hours, he took Archie out and treated him to lunch and dinner, and he even voiced his intention of purchasing a house near Archie's. Noriega was wooing Archie, and David was doing nothing to prevent it. Everyone seemed mesmerized by the gleaming shine of a Hollywood star, even Neal who was usually the type to hate everything that had to deal with fame and celebrity.
it's bringing me to my knees >>