Linkin Park: Brad/Chester, #033, Too Much
Title: Mood swings
Fandom: Linkin Park
Characters: Brad, Chester
Prompt: #033, Too Much
Word Count: 786
Rating: PG13
Summary: Chester is too much to handle
Chester hates himself so much it’s hard for anybody else to love him. Or, at least, that’s Brad’s excuse when he packs up his bags and says “I’m going to stay with Mike for a while. I need some room to breathe.”
Chester, he could barely speak for crying, sobbing “P-please don’t leave me I-I c-can’t d-do this without you!”
But Brad left anyway. Chester had always seen this coming; after all, everybody who gets close to him leaves. He’d tried explaining this to Brad once upon a time. The guitarist had wrapped and arm around him, pulling him closer and kissing him softly, whispering “I love you.”
But, you know what they say - liar, liar, pants on fire.
Brad had always said that Chester was hard work. Not to his face, obviously, but more than once he had over heard a conversation with Mike. The pair of them hunched over coffee early in the morning, discussing Chester’s annoying teenage girl mood swings convinced that the singer was still in bed since he usually stayed there until after two.
His theory is - why hate yourself in the morning when you can sleep until noon?
Hearing Brad sigh tiredly, his tone exhausted as he says “We don’t even have sex anymore. He’s so sad all the time and won’t let me help. Not that I don’t try. I just give up.”
Hearing that, it makes him feel sick. He creeps back upstairs, and locks himself in the bathroom, where he showers in cold water. And cries.
***
He must have fallen asleep, because he wakes up cold and shivering in the corner of the tub. It used to be that Brad would come and find him, wrap a towel around him and whisper to him softly. Reassure him. Even if it was all a bunch of lies, it was nice to hear that somebody thought things might be okay.
But now Chester had worn him out, worn him thin, and Brad didn’t have the energy to hold them both afloat anymore.
He gets to his feet shakily and climbs out of the tub, turning off the shower. Shivering, he grabs a towel from the towel rack and wraps it around his waist. Stands in front of the full length mirror on the back of the door for a long time. He knows he’s just feeling sorry for himself and wouldn’t mind all that much if Brad tried to snap him out of it.
But he won’t will he?
He unlocks the door and steps out into the bedroom where the guitarist is sitting on the bed with a book, “You were in there a long time.”
Chester just blinks at him tiredly and nods, fights back tears “Uh-huh.”
Brad rolls his eyes, “What’d I do this time?”
Chester looks up from where he is pulling on a pair of boxers and a T-shirt and gawps, “Uh…”
“Because I’m sick of the way you’ve been treating me recently.”
Chester stares at him, eyes wide.
“I just… I keep trying. But what’s the point? When all I ever get is the bad shit from you. You’re never happy! Ever!”
“Brad - ”
“And I don’t know why I try anymore because I should be able to make you happy and I can’t.”
Chester has no idea what to say. He was the one who was meant to be mad, not Brad. He holds his breath and watches as Brad climbs off the bed and storms away. He’ll sleep in the guest room, and Chester will sleep on his own.
Again.
He should have seen it coming.
***
He wakes up to Brad rummaging through the closet, trying to be quiet and failing. He sits up in bed and squints at him through the darkness. “It’s six a.m. baby,” he murmurs, “What are you doing?”
Brad freezes, doesn’t turn around or explain himself and, soon enough, he goes back to what he was doing, “Go back to sleep, Chester.”
He’s awake now, though, wide awake. And he knows what’s going on. He jumps up and turns on the light, “What are you…where…Brad?”
“I just can’t...I can’t stay anymore, Ches’, I can’t.”
He zips up his bag and sighs, “I can’t love you until you stop hating yourself and taking it out on me.” Shoulders the bag and stares into Chester’s eyes, “I’m going to stay with Mike for a while. I need some room to breathe.”
He chases Brad as he heads downstairs, crying hysterically, begging him to stay.
But Brad’s already out the door.
And Chester can’t breathe.
He doesn’t even close the front door after Brad leaves. He sinks to his knees and cries loudly, heartbroken.
Because he lied.
Fandom: Linkin Park
Characters: Brad, Chester
Prompt: #033, Too Much
Word Count: 786
Rating: PG13
Summary: Chester is too much to handle
Chester hates himself so much it’s hard for anybody else to love him. Or, at least, that’s Brad’s excuse when he packs up his bags and says “I’m going to stay with Mike for a while. I need some room to breathe.”
Chester, he could barely speak for crying, sobbing “P-please don’t leave me I-I c-can’t d-do this without you!”
But Brad left anyway. Chester had always seen this coming; after all, everybody who gets close to him leaves. He’d tried explaining this to Brad once upon a time. The guitarist had wrapped and arm around him, pulling him closer and kissing him softly, whispering “I love you.”
But, you know what they say - liar, liar, pants on fire.
Brad had always said that Chester was hard work. Not to his face, obviously, but more than once he had over heard a conversation with Mike. The pair of them hunched over coffee early in the morning, discussing Chester’s annoying teenage girl mood swings convinced that the singer was still in bed since he usually stayed there until after two.
His theory is - why hate yourself in the morning when you can sleep until noon?
Hearing Brad sigh tiredly, his tone exhausted as he says “We don’t even have sex anymore. He’s so sad all the time and won’t let me help. Not that I don’t try. I just give up.”
Hearing that, it makes him feel sick. He creeps back upstairs, and locks himself in the bathroom, where he showers in cold water. And cries.
***
He must have fallen asleep, because he wakes up cold and shivering in the corner of the tub. It used to be that Brad would come and find him, wrap a towel around him and whisper to him softly. Reassure him. Even if it was all a bunch of lies, it was nice to hear that somebody thought things might be okay.
But now Chester had worn him out, worn him thin, and Brad didn’t have the energy to hold them both afloat anymore.
He gets to his feet shakily and climbs out of the tub, turning off the shower. Shivering, he grabs a towel from the towel rack and wraps it around his waist. Stands in front of the full length mirror on the back of the door for a long time. He knows he’s just feeling sorry for himself and wouldn’t mind all that much if Brad tried to snap him out of it.
But he won’t will he?
He unlocks the door and steps out into the bedroom where the guitarist is sitting on the bed with a book, “You were in there a long time.”
Chester just blinks at him tiredly and nods, fights back tears “Uh-huh.”
Brad rolls his eyes, “What’d I do this time?”
Chester looks up from where he is pulling on a pair of boxers and a T-shirt and gawps, “Uh…”
“Because I’m sick of the way you’ve been treating me recently.”
Chester stares at him, eyes wide.
“I just… I keep trying. But what’s the point? When all I ever get is the bad shit from you. You’re never happy! Ever!”
“Brad - ”
“And I don’t know why I try anymore because I should be able to make you happy and I can’t.”
Chester has no idea what to say. He was the one who was meant to be mad, not Brad. He holds his breath and watches as Brad climbs off the bed and storms away. He’ll sleep in the guest room, and Chester will sleep on his own.
Again.
He should have seen it coming.
***
He wakes up to Brad rummaging through the closet, trying to be quiet and failing. He sits up in bed and squints at him through the darkness. “It’s six a.m. baby,” he murmurs, “What are you doing?”
Brad freezes, doesn’t turn around or explain himself and, soon enough, he goes back to what he was doing, “Go back to sleep, Chester.”
He’s awake now, though, wide awake. And he knows what’s going on. He jumps up and turns on the light, “What are you…where…Brad?”
“I just can’t...I can’t stay anymore, Ches’, I can’t.”
He zips up his bag and sighs, “I can’t love you until you stop hating yourself and taking it out on me.” Shoulders the bag and stares into Chester’s eyes, “I’m going to stay with Mike for a while. I need some room to breathe.”
He chases Brad as he heads downstairs, crying hysterically, begging him to stay.
But Brad’s already out the door.
And Chester can’t breathe.
He doesn’t even close the front door after Brad leaves. He sinks to his knees and cries loudly, heartbroken.
Because he lied.