WWAWR - [04] I've Got a Pocketful of Sunshine
Chapter Four [PG13]
I've Got a Pocketful of Sunshine
Carly walks into the living room, having just finished with her phone call to her husband, eyes spying out Michael and David sitting next to each other amongst everybody doing everything else. Their heads are tilted close together, as though sharing secrets, and every now and then, Michael's hand finds its way onto David's knee, and for a brief moment, Carly catches David's hand holding Michael's tightly. She smiles. They're like the picture of perfect happiness, then, aren't they?
The two are oblivious to the world and barely notices Carly walking up to them until she addresses Michael, "Your turn for the phone, kangaroo."
They look up at her, startled, and she has to stop herself from going "Aww" --because, of course, that would only further enrage Michael, who was now glaring at her; oh, she was going to hear it from him later; Carly tunes out Michael's dark glare and allows herself a small smile at David's deer-in-the-headlights look, a little confused, a little surprised, but he shakes his head to clear away his look, and then smiles at her.
David nudges Michael's side, and he reluctantly takes his hand off of David's knee, and as he passes by Carly, he whispers in her ear, "You've got perfect timing, Carly."
Carly grins at him, "I know, right?" before he shakes his head and walks off to the phone room.
As soon as he is out of sight, Carly takes a seat next to David, and asks him, "How're you feeling, Dave?"
Stepping into the room and leaving the door slightly ajar, Michael settles down into the chair beside the telephone, picks up the receiver, and dials their home number. As he waits for Stacey to pick up, he inhales and exhales deeply and thinks to himself, Here's your big chance, Michael. Are you going to tell her?
And the truth is, Michael doesn't know whether or not he wants to tell her the truth. He knows she's going to find out somehow --either he breaks down and decides to tell her everything, or she finds out from someone else who lets it slip-- and he knows for a fact she isn't going to take it well --nobody in their right mind, he thinks to himself, would be completely all right with their husband cheating on them with another man; a man for Christ's sake. He weighs his options, and as her voice goes, "Hello?" he knows he doesn't have the guts to tell her. Not just yet. Not ever. Not right now.
Michael's throat turns dry. He clears his throat before he says, "Hey, Stace."
He can hear the smile in her voice. "Mike! Baby! How are you?"
He tries to put the same enthusiasm in his voice, and knows he misses it by only so much, "I'm great, baby. You?"
"Just fine," she answers. "I miss you so much, baby."
He pauses unintentionally, and knows he said "I miss you, too, sweetie" much too late as she asks him immediately, "What's wrong, Mike?"
He comes up with the only excuse that enters his brain, "It's just been --I've just been exhausted lately. I'm --I'm sorry I'm so slow today, Stace."
"Aw, Mikey," she says to him, and he is thankful that she cannot see him flinch; he has gotten used to only David using that nickname for him, "we had a deal, remember? No matter how crazy everything got, you'd take time to get rest?"
"I've been trying to get rest," he says honestly, "but there are --there are a lot of things going on right now." Oh, great way to put it, Michael. Smooth.
He could almost see the frown on her face, and he does not prevent himself from thinking that Stacey looks very beautiful concerned. "I don't want anything to happen to you due to over-exhaustion, all right?"
He finds himself smiling, "Yes, sweetie."
"There you go," Stacey tells him, and then they move on to other things.
"I'm great," David tells Carly openly. There is no reason to hide anything from the Irishwoman. "I --I think we're going great."
Carly smiles pleasantly at him, and throws an arm around David's shoulder, shaking him gently. "I just want you to hang in there, all right?" David nods his head, and rests his head on Carly's shoulder; he was thankful that there was somebody he --or Michael-- could go to, like Carly or Brooke, because without people to talk to about their --situation, they would lose their heads long before the competition got into its heavier stages. "It's going to be long and hard and painful," she continues, "but I want you to hang on. You're going to make it through whatever gets thrown your way, all right? Just keep telling yourself that, and it's going to be okay."
"Thanks, Carly," David says, and she nods at him, bringing her arm back to her side. "Hey, I'm gonna go up to the room, all right?" Carly looks at him, eyebrow raised. "Don't worry, I'm not going to jump out of the window or anything, I'm just going to go and choose my song, that's all." He speaks to her with the most innocent face he can muster.
Carly lets him off with a laugh, "All right. But make sure you let me know!" she calls out to David as he begins to walk out of the living room.
David gives her a faint "mmhm" in response.
Michael doesn't realize how much he's missed Stacey until she starts talking about redecoration. He thinks that she is the better half of the marriage suited for interior designing; he hasn't had so much success in that area than she has. As she goes on and on about changing the color of the curtains in their room, Michael's mind decides to be cruel and tells him, There can't be three people in a marriage. You know that.
And Michael was about to snidely remark to himself, I know that very well, thanks, but Stacey questions him, "So, what do you think, Michael?" and Michael is back to his senses.
Having absolutely no clue as to what she's been saying to him, the Australian saves himself the only way he knows how. "All right. That sounds great, Stace."
Stacey giggles, and he knows she's seen right through him. "You have absolutely no idea what I just said, do you, Mikey?"
Michael opens his mouth and almost retaliates with "Don't call me Mikey, only David can call me that," but remembers that she's called him Mikey throughout the whole of their relationship, and suddenly, it doesn't seem like the most appropriate answer, so instead, he forces a laugh out of himself --he prays she can't tell-- and says, "No, not really."
He could almost picture the smile on her face, but whatever image he had of her in his mind vanished immediately as a familiar silhouette passes by the door, and suddenly, Michael doesn't have any interest in curtains at all. "Hey, Stace," he interrupts her comparison of beige and lavender curtains ("I'd love the beige ones, by the way"; "Oh, okay").
"Hm?" she asks him, and he could detect the displeased undertone in her voice, but he pushes onwards regardless.
"I've got to go." He does his very best to sound like an apologetic husband. "Rami wants to use the phone." He pretends to call out, "Wait, hold on, Rami!" and waits for her response.
She is silent for only a moment, "Of course, Mikey. You'll find time to call tomorrow?"
It isn't a question, even though she ended with an inquisitive tone; it is a demand, and he knows he has to find --make-- time to call her tomorrow. "I'll try, Stace," he tells her, although he doesn't know how hard he's actually going to try to make time for the phone call tomorrow, "we'll see."
"All right, Mikey," she says. Will you please stop calling me that? "I love you, sweetheart."
Michael almost forgets to answer her, "I love you, too, sweetie."
"Don't forget to get some rest, all right?"
"I'll try."
And then Michael hangs up and exits the room to follow David up the stairs.
In the time it takes Michael to weave his way through Ramiele and the younger David playing tag with Kristy Lee and Brooke, David has already propped his feet up on pillows and is lying down on his bed, back against the headboard and his MacBook in his lap. The Missouri native has his earphones on and doesn't Michael's entrance until the Australian takes a seat next to him.
David removes his earphones and greets Michael with a smile. "Hey, you. How'd your phone call go?"
"Not as exciting as I'd have liked it to be," Michael tells him as he leans comfortably against David. "I'll admit, I'd rather not have discussed redecoration and curtains for fifteen minutes or so." All right, so perhaps that came out slightly harsher than intended --and perhaps Michael did slightly enjoy the conversation-- but David is shaking his head and laughing, and Michael doesn't have the heart to correct himself anymore as he loses himself in the sound of David's laugh.
David turns his head and Michael becomes so lost in the rocker's eyes that it takes maybe for four five times for David to get his attention, "Mikey!"
Michael's eyes come into focus, "Oh --uh, yeah?"
David chuckles, an amused expression lighting up his face, "I said, 'Do you know what song you're going to sing?'"
"'Islands in the Stream.'"
Michael doesn't think he's answered any question in his life as fast as that.
David chokes and coughs as Michael throws him a handsome grin. The younger man raises an eyebrow, "Excuse me?" Michael shakes his head and leans further into David's embrace as David wraps an arm around Michael.
"I'm kidding," Michael gently assures him, although it does nothing for the quickened pace of his heart, "I'll sing it for you, not for America."
"Seriously, though," David insists, and Michael sighs.
"Honestly?" Michael's voice is resigned. "I've got no clue. You?"
David looks at him with serious eyes, and Michael is looking at him with a slightly nervous look that turns to shock as he declares, "'Dagger Through the Heart.'"
Michael coughs as David did so, and looks at him with wide --frightened?-- eyes, "I beg your pardon?"
David shakes his head and laughs. "I'm joking, Mikey."
The sigh that Michael releases is clearly one of relief as David watches the nervousness leave Michael's beautiful eyes, "Oh --I mean-- yeah, yeah, of course."
David shrugs, "I really don't know, either. 'You'll Never Be the Sun,' maybe? Or, 'The Fire That Keeps You Warm.'"
Michael's smile is large, "Brooke and Carly are going to love those songs, you know that, right?"
"Then we'll give them something unexpected," David says with a grin.
"You go do that, little sparrow."
And Michael has given him the best idea in the world.
"I can't do that without you, Mikey."
David can see the widening of Michael's smile as he tells him the greatest plan he might have come up with in a while.
"Something unexpected, all right," Michael remarks.
"I know, right?"
Michael shakes his head with a smile as he exits the room and descends down the stairs. He finds himself spinning to get away from little Archuleta, who is getting chased around by the short Filipina girl, with a large smile on their face. They are running around and giggling, and he has to admit, their mirth is contagious. Michael makes it through them alive, and sits down on the couch, and Brooke sits down next to him, seemingly exhausted from running around and away from Ramiele.
"How're you feeling, Michael?" she asks gently, and he thanks her silently because she is so --patient?--understanding of them.
"I'm good, Brooke, thanks," he tells her honestly. He sees the older David's form descend from the stairs, and then he stands and says to Brooke, "Stay put." To Ramiele, who seems to be 'it,' he says, "Wait, wait, I'm in, I'm in!"
He eyes David walking down with a crossword book and pencil in hand, and catches his eye. David flashes him a large grin, a light in his eyes, before he puts on a serious facade and makes his way and sits down next to Brooke. Michael could hear David's comments as he begins to take lengthy strides away from Ramiele, who is coming towards him, "Tag? Seriously? Michael Johns is playing tag?"
"Nothing wrong with it, Cook," Michael says loudly, and Kristy Lee turns in his direction as he passes her by, before he shakes his head and calls out, "Watch it!" just as Ramiele zips past. Kristy Lee is made 'it,' and the Idols are scattered everywhere. Syesha, who Michael presumes joined the game after he went upstairs, is over there by the kitchen with the younger David, ready to run in separate directions, Ramiele hides behind Michael with a giggle, and Carly, who has taken a seat next to Brooke, remarks bemusedly, "You better watch it, kangaroo."
"Nah," he says as he twists his body and runs past the couch, avoiding any fragile items as he does so to get away from the female Cook, "I've got this, Carly."
There is adrenaline pumping through Michael's body as he moves toward the kitchen, and Syesha and the younger David are laughing uncontrollably as they bear witness to Kristy Lee and Ramiele chase each other like cat and mouse. Michael's eyes watch the older David, and he can see the Missourian ready to make his move.
Ramiele's loud giggle as Kristy Lee tickles her before proclaiming her 'it' does the trick.
"People!" David stands up, holds his crossword book in one hand and his pencil in the other. "I am trying to do my crosswords, so could you kindly shut the fuck up?"
Michael is the only one who responds with a snort followed by a loud laugh.
Oh, that's priceless, Dave.
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