fic: the art of persistence (cook/archuleta) 2/3
Part one, notes and warnings here
Two days later he's back in LA, and has received from Cook: eight text messages; three phone calls; two voice mails (one of which was drunken, and will be saved for all eternity as blackmail material just in case); and a weird postcard with a picture of a derelict building and no signature, which could be from one of his fans, but the handwriting on the address looks suspiciously like Cook's. He's texted Cook eleven times, five in response to Cook's texts, and another six that he's initiated; called twice; and left no voice messages because he isn't stupid, and he knows he's prone to rambling.
He debates with himself while his father checks out the apartment his management has arranged for him - is three hours since he arrived too early to call Cook? Somehow he has gone from calm and collected and in control to crazy and crushing like a teenager (well, yes, he is a teenager, but that doesn't mean he has to act like it). He can't help himself - he thinks about Cook all the time, and finds himself singing Cook's songs sometimes, totally unaware he's started in on a verse of Always Be My Baby or that new one Cook's thinking of making his first single.
He analyses every fragment of communication from Cook, and every radio or TV appearance he makes, with zealous, obsessive detail. He decides eventually that it was the finger sucking - it meant they had, in effect, mentioned the sex thing and agreed that they would indeed have sex at some point, but had parted without discussing the situation further, so now he's obsessed, and Cook - the--the jerk that he is - is probably absolutely fine. In fact, Cook is likely hooking up with people left and right, and having loads of sex with Kim, and also Michael too.
David catches himself idly thinking about arranging for a hitman to watch Cook constantly and take out anyone who so much as flirts with him, and decides enough is enough. He can't--he cannot have sex with Cook before he's eighteen, no matter how much he wants to; it's been the plan for too long for him to break it now, but a kiss, maybe, would be okay.
Before he can put together a plan, his people (and he still feels embarrassed calling them that, even in his head) decide they want to add an extra song to the album, because it's totally awesome or whatever, and can't be left off, so he's dragged into the studio to record it, and finally emerges, blinking, three days later, not having had even a spare second to call Cook. So he texts Cook, inviting him to lunch (because his father won't let him go out in LA at night unless he's 'accompanied' by his dad or security, and there is no way he is taking either his father or his security guard on his first proper date with Cook). Cook doesn't reply.
David gives him a day or two, still preoccupied with last-minute album tweaking, and a slew of promotional appearances and interviews to start amping up the buzz for the album release. And then he finally gets online and checks his Google Alerts, and the first thing he sees is an article in People about how the Cook/Caldwell thing is over (he's not sorry, even though he actually sort of liked her, because she was nicer than people thought she was), and Cook has been seen all around town with Michael. The article is gushing about how cute they are together, and he can't work out why it's worth a front page splash until he digs a little further and discovers that it's not Michael Johns, it's Michael Phelps.
He just stares for a few minutes, baffled, at the article, because, what, Cook is hanging with the Olympic swimmer now, how did that happen? He knows they met on the Oprah thing, because Cook wouldn't shut up about how amazing Phelps was in person, but he hadn't realised they'd exchanged numbers. And then he digs a little further, and finds pictures - Cook and Phelps, laughing; Cook and Phelps, emerging from a nightclub, hanging on to each other; Cook and Phelps, watching a baseball game...
There are loads of comments from people worried that Phelps is abandoning his training, and chasing the fame thing, and from Cook fans saying that Phelps isn't as pretty as Johns, so can Cook please trade back again, and from people saying what a cute couple they make, and David is shocked to realise that the roiling, burning feeling in his stomach is jealousy.
It's sort of new, really - he wasn't jealous of Kim or Michael (Johns, he reminds himself; there are two Michael's in Cook's life now), or Andy Skib, even though he totally knew Cook had been in love with him when he was younger, because it was obvious they were just best friends now. He wasn't jealous of all the fans who threw underwear at Cook, or gave him flowers, or got kisses and hugs. But this swimmer, Phelps - how can David compete with that? He isn't anywhere near as famous, and he's never even won an egg and spoon race, let alone a billion Olympic gold medals, and the only record he's ever broken is most embarrassing reaction to Ryan Seacrest touching ever - an accolade Cook and Jason had granted him half-way through American Idol.
So there is literally nothing he is better at than Phelps - yeah, he can sing, but so can Cook, so it's not exactly a special or unique gift. It explains why he hasn't heard from Cook in a while, at least - and why Cook has, for the first time ever, not replied to a text from him.
He spends a couple of days moping, and obsessively refreshing all the gossip sites (photo of Phelps and Cook hugging; anecdote about them getting drunk and both sleeping at Cook's apartment; comment from Phelps' coach saying he was taking some scheduled relaxation time post-Olympics, and would be back to full time training shortly; photo of Cook cheering Phelps on as he swam, and then of Phelps dragging Cook into the pool, fully clothed, and then of them both laughing, dripping), and then he decides enough is enough.
He totally saw Cook first, he has a flash drive filled with 2GB of data hidden securely in his room that says Cook is totally head over heels for him, and he is not going to let this go without a fight. The first step, obviously, is to know your enemy, which is where he runs into trouble, because he doesn't hang out at the same sort of places Cook and Phelps do, and it's not like he can wander into one of Phelps' training sessions, make a surprised face, and say, 'Oh, I didn't expect to see you here. So, you and David Cook, huh. How about that?' Not to mention the fact that him in a swimsuit standing next to Phelps in a Speedo - just, no way, no how.
___________
He mulls it over and then he has a flash of inspiration, and bullies his publicist into finding out what Cook's going to be doing the upcoming Saturday. He cons her with a line about how he's been so busy recently, and Cook said they should get together, and he wants to surprise him, and she goes all gooey and gets him the details in about an hour. Cook's going to be at some sort of Hollywood party, at some club he's never heard of, but Summer seems delighted he's taken an interest in the celebrity circuit, and starts talking about how it'll be great to get a shot of him going in; it'll make all the websites, at least, if not the print editions, especially if Cook's in the shot, and then she gets really excited about the possibility of Cook and Phelps having their photo taken with him (he grits his teeth and agrees that it would be amazing).
She says it'll be great as long as he leaves early enough to be respectable and absolutely doesn't drink - 'I wouldn't, not ever, oh my gosh,' he protests - and then she says, 'Now we just have to see about getting you an escort,' and hangs up, leaving him blinking at the phone, baffled.
Everything becomes much clearer when she calls him back and says, 'Hey, Natasha Bedingfield needs a date to the party, and she's perfect - you've met her already, she has a boyfriend, and she's not nearly close enough in age to you that your fans will think you're dating and start harassing her.'
'Oh,' he says, relieved. 'Sure, she's nice.'
'Yes, and I can rely on her to keep you out of trouble,' she says, and then, 'Miley Cyrus has been nosing around, but I'm not letting you within ten feet of her, understand? If she approaches you, make sure she doesn't get up to any funny business; she's trying to promote a new single and a photo of you two kissing would boost it to number one right away. But I don't think she's going to be at this party.'
'Um,' he says, a little terrified, because that whole thing at the TCA's had been embarrassing enough.
'Don't worry, Natasha will protect you. You're picking her up at nine; the car will be ready for you at eight thirty. And I'm sending over some outfits. We'll get Abbie and Kirsty over to dress you and do your hair on the night.'
'Um,' he says again, because he's just spotted a problem. 'I haven't talked to my dad about it yet. I don't know if he'll want me to go to a party at night...'
Summer says, briskly, 'Let me talk to him; I'll explain,' and then clicks off.
He has no clue how she's going to sell it to his dad, but she's kind of a miracle worker, because half an hour later, his dad wanders in and says, 'Summer told me about this event she needs you to attend. Are you okay with going; you don't feel pressured into it? Because you can say no, of course.'
David blinks, and then says, 'No, dad, it's fine. It's good for my career, and besides, it'll be nice to have some fun.'
His dad nods and says, 'Yes, you've been working too hard lately, and I should have thought of that sooner. Well, Natasha seems nice; I'm sure it will be a very pleasant evening.'
David decides something seriously weird is going on - everything seems to be working out so perfectly, there has to be a catch. But it continues to go smoothly - having a team of stylists turns out to be a remarkably pain-free way to get ready for a night out.
They decide what to do with his hair, and how to dress him, and he's totally content with all their choices - there are no freaky sparkles or badly fitting pants in sight, just a pair of jeans and a black shirt, and it's not his normal look, but he agrees with them that he can't wear a t-shirt to a party if his date is Natasha Bedingfield. Although normally he hates being primped and styled, he's so nervous about seeing Cook (and Phelps) that it's reassuring to have other people making all the decisions, and he even allows them to put a little make-up on him - 'So you look good in the photos,' Abbie explains.
When the girls step back after they're done, Abbie says, 'Wow,' and Kirsty nods fervently, wide eyed, and he decides it was worth it. He doesn't really see anything that different, but he feels comfortable in the clothes, which makes a huge difference.
When the limo stops outside Natasha's place, he gets out to open the door for her, and when she comes out, she lets out a low whistle and grins at him.
'Hey, you clean up nice,' she says, and he coughs, embarrassed, and says, 'You look--uh, really nice, too.'
She smiles and twirls, showing off her dress, and he can see that a t-shirt would look really wrong next to her outfit. He helps her into the car, and she coos about how he's such a perfect gentleman, and he has about a second to be nervous and uncomfortable before she starts talking, and he finds himself totally relaxing, because she's lovely.
She's also sneaky like anything, and manages to get a confession out of him in about ten minutes flat. 'Oh, that's so cute,' she squeals, excitedly. 'You and Cook would make a darling couple.'
'Shut up, no, you can't--nobody knows,' he protests, marveling that someone he barely knows has found out all his secrets so quickly. It must be her pout, he decides, he's powerless to resist.
She pets him on the knee and says, 'I won't say anything, promise,' and then they're at the venue, and David's offering her his arm as they walk past all the flashing lights.
He dimly hears someone asking her a question, and Natasha's laughing and replying, 'He's my date, of course. I begged him to accompany me; he had loads of other offers.'
He can't help smiling at her, and then she's tugging him inside, and saying, 'Right, I need a drink, and you need a soda, and then we need to find your guy.' He thinks about protesting, and decides there's no point, so he accepts his soda and allows her to steer him around the room, introducing him to people, and she's really good at it - everyone seems to totally love her, and yet they don't spend more than ten minutes with anybody, and less if they're boring.
She tugs him into a corner eventually and says, 'I don't think they're here yet,' and then the noise level goes up a few notches, and a group of girls standing to the left of them start to jump up and down, and one of them says, 'Oh my god, he looks almost as hot in a suit as he does in a Speedo,' and Natasha turns to him, glint in her eye, and says, 'A ha!'
She decides that they have to give it at least forty minutes before approaching Cook, and she skillfully steers him around the room so he never spots more than Cook's back and, he realises, arranges it somehow so that Cook keeps seeing him, but too far away to get to him - 'I told you I was good at this,' she says, laughing.
And then, just when he spots Cook only a couple of feet away, and starts to get butterflies, of all ridiculous things, she drags him onto the dance floor. He's distracted by the sight of Cook's ridiculously tight jeans - he finds himself wondering if they're the same pair he removed, what seems like forever ago - so he only realises what's happening when she nudges him and says, 'David, c'mon, move a little,' and he's horrified, because he does not dance, not ever, he's hopeless.
He can't think what him looking like a moron is going to achieve, but he gives in because she brings out the pout again, which is totally cheating, and tries to move a little. She frowns at him, and then puts her hands on his waist, and starts to move his hips, and he follows the rhythm she's setting, pretty sure he looks lame, but she's laughing, so he guesses its okay.
He gets into it after a minute or two - the crowd is packed pretty tightly around them, so no one can really see, and Natasha starts throwing in some cool moves after a while, and he gets that it's his job to look pretty while she does all the work, and that he can totally do, and he even starts enjoying himself a little, especially when he gets to spin her a couple of times, and then she collapses against him, breathless with giggles, and says, 'C'mon, lets go,' so he follows her off the dance floor, relaxed and happy and still laughing a little, and that's when he runs into Cook - literally, because Natasha has done some sneaky move so that she disappears and he finds himself walking headlong into Cook's chest, and he bounces back, and can't help laughing again, and that's when he looks up to see it's Cook.
Cook laughs too, and reaches out to pull him into a hug. 'Archie!' he says, beaming, 'How are you? I kept seeing you, and I thought I was seeing things, because I would have sworn this wasn't your thing, but it is you!' He seems a little tipsy, but not drunk; just happy, and he doesn't let go of David, even to talk to him, just pushes him back a little and keeps his arm around his shoulders.
David beams back up at him and says, 'Yeah, well, my PR talked me into it, and I'm actually having fun,' and Cook winks and says, 'I noticed,' and that's when Natasha reappears.
'Are you trying to steal my date?' she asks, laughing, and Cook shakes his head, and then nods and says, 'Actually, yeah, I totally am; I miss this dude.'
Natasha and Cook kiss, and David winds up squashed between them as they do, and can't find it in him to mind. And then someone clears his throat behind them, and they break apart to reveal Michael freaking Phelps, who is, like, seven feet tall - he's huge in real life. David feels his eyes going up and up, gosh.
Cook grins widely and says, 'Hey, Mike, I wanna introduce you to some friends of mine; this is Natasha.'
Natasha and Michael shake hands, and then Michael leans down to kiss her on the cheek, and she blushes and says, 'I know you must get this all the time, but you are so amazing,' and then it's his turn to blush, which David fights the urge to find endearing.
'Thanks, I love your music,' he says, which David suspects is a lie, but it's nice of him all the same.
Then Cook says, 'And this is David Archuleta, the guy who should have won American Idol,' and Michael blinks down at him, and smiles and says, 'Hey, Dave talks about you all the time; he says you're awesome,' and David flushes and forces himself not to look at Cook.
'He's the awesome one,' he says finally, and shakes Michael's hand.
'Yeah, he's pretty cool,' Michael agrees, smiling fondly at Cook over David's head, and dangit, he didn't want to like him, but he can't help it. All the press says how shy Phelps is, and totally focused on himself and winning, so David had, to be honest, expected to meet a bit of a jerk, but maybe Cook brings out the best in him, or maybe he's just like that when he's training for the Olympics.
Then Natasha says, 'Oh, I'm just going to go and get myself a refill,' and Michael says, immediately, 'What are you drinking? I'll get it.'
Natasha says, 'Yeah, you must find it pretty easy to be served, being so... tall,' and they both laugh, and then they're heading off to the bar, leaving David and Cook alone together.
'Hey,' Cook says, so softly David almost can't hear him. 'I really have missed you. It's just been crazy recently, but we should totally hang. Uh, I mean, if you want?'
Cook actually sounds kind of unsure, like he thinks David might never want to talk to him again, and he thinks about just walking away for all of a millisecond before saying, 'No, I do, I would--I mean, I'd like that.' He tries a small smile, and then a wider one in response to Cook's grin. 'I missed you too. So, Michael Phelps, huh? Johns must be jealous.'
Cook laughs and says, 'Yeah, he accused me of trading him in for a younger model. He's a really good guy, though. You'd like him.'
David offers him a smile and says, 'I already do,' and then Natasha and Michael reappear with drinks.
'I hope there's nothing alcoholic in that,' Cook says meaningfully, waggling his eyebrows at the drink Natasha's handing David.
'Michael tried to get me to de-virgin it, but I prevailed,' Natasha says, rolling her eyes, and then, 'David, there's somebody I want you to meet.'
David fights to keep the disappointed frown off his face, because he wants to stay and talk to Cook some more - he hasn't seen him in forever - but he says goodbye obediently, and follows Natasha, because if there's one thing he's learned in the last couple of hours, it's that Natasha Bedingfield is a genius match-maker, and he's totally going to do everything she asks of him.
She leads him over to a little booth at the back of the room, and it's pretty dark, so he can't quite make out who's sitting there - it's a guy, he can tell that at least. 'Ryan, hey,' Natasha says, and the guy says, sounding surprised, 'Tash? Hey, I didn't know you were here,' and slides out of the booth to enfold her in a giant hug.
David suddenly gets it - this is Ryan Lochte; wow, his sisters are going to die when they hear he met two Olympic gold medalist swimmers in one night.
'Ryan, honey, this is David Archuleta, he was--'
'--You're the kid off American Idol!' Ryan says, and now he's beaming at David, and David feels himself blush. 'I voted for you, dude, you should have won, you were robbed.'
'Oh, no,' David says, uncomfortable. 'Cook's amazing, he's, like, way more talented than me, he's so awesome--' and then Natasha puts a hand on his shoulder and says, 'Don't give him all the credit, darlin', you're pretty hot yourself.'
'Yeah, totally,' Ryan agrees. 'Hey, I know this is so not cool, but can I get your autograph? My sister would die.' David smiles and agrees happily, asking Ryan for his autograph in return.
Ryan seems really nice, and after about ten minutes, Natasha glances up from the table and says, 'Oh, hey, there's Adam, I'll just go say hi - be back in a sec?' David barely looks away from the intense discussion he and Ryan are having about whether American Idol or Olympic swimming is more competitive to nod at her.
He tells Ryan about the tour, and how awesome it was, and says, 'And Cook was totally amazing; I had to introduce him every night, and the crowd always went nuts for him, it was so cool, and he does all this stupid rockstar stuff like throwing water over himself, and the crowd loves it, he's going to be huge,' and half way through he sees Ryan's face change, go from relaxed and open to tense and pinched, and he stutters to a halt.
Ryan says, to fill the awkward silence, 'Yeah, I'm sure he's a great guy. I've met him a couple of times, with Michael,' and his voice kind of breaks a little on Michael's name, and David feels a prickling of suspicion, because it sounds like--could it be?
To test it out, he pastes his most innocent smile on and says, 'Yeah, they seem really close; they're always together, right? Cook seems to really like him,' and Ryan's face gets even more scrunched up, and then he says slowly, 'Yeah, Mike likes him a lot too.'
David leans forward in his seat, excited, because if he's got this right, Natasha is a genius and he's going to kiss her for this. 'Um, I haven't really told anybody this, or anything,' he begins, hesitantly, and Ryan reaches across to pat him on the shoulder, and says, 'Hey, your secret is safe with me.'
'Um, it's just, I--I know it's stupid, but Cook--when we were on tour, I thought--I don't know.' He looks down at his drink, and stirs it a little.
'Oh,' Ryan says. 'Oh, dude, I'm sorry. That sucks.'
'Oh no, it's fine; it was silly, really,' David says, shrugging. 'Cook's a rockstar, he'd much rather have--um, I mean, spend time with the greatest Olympian of all time than someone lame like me.' He worries he might have overdone it for a second, but Ryan is giving him a kind smile, and patting his hand, and then he slides around the table and pulls David into a hug, and it's not anything like a Cook-hug, but he burrows his face into Ryan's neck and sighs a little.
'Sucks, huh?' Ryan asks gently, and David nods, throat tight, because it does, it really does. Cook and Michael are perfect together, and he and Ryan don't stand a chance.
And that is when he upgrades Natasha to super genius mastermind, because he hears someone clear his throat, and glances up to find Cook and Michael staring down at them - at him and Ryan freaking all over each other, oh my gosh. He pulls back, and Ryan lets go like he's been shocked, and he realises that jumping apart like that makes something totally innocent look way not.
'Oh, guys, sorry,' Natasha says, smiling so sunnily he can tell she's really not at all. 'I didn't realise you were... busy.' The pause is a stroke of genius, just long enough for Ryan and he to both start to blush, and for Cook and Phelps to both notice. David keeps his mouth shut, and decides to follow Natasha's cue.
Cook rubs the back of his neck, a little awkwardly, and says, 'Hey, sorry if we're interrupting anything,' and David sees Michael's face do this complicated thing where he looks angry and jealous and kind of amused all at the same time, and then he hooks an arm around Cook's waist, tugs him in, and bends down to whisper something into his ear, and that's when Cook starts to blush, too.
'You aren't interrupting anything,' Ryan says, leaning back and spreading his legs in what can only be described as a provocative manner, and then pulling David in close with a lazy arm around his neck. David allows himself to be pulled, watching Michael, who looks like he just swallowed a lemon.
Natasha says, 'Well, boys, not that this isn't cosy, but it's almost past my bedtime, so I'm going to have to ask David to escort me home, I'm afraid.'
Ryan seems reluctant to let David go, and then he leans over and says, 'Dude, I totally need your number, you're in LA full time now, right?' David nods, and they swap numbers while David forces himself not to look at Cook or Michael, and definitely not at Natasha, because he doesn't think he can handle seeing the look on her face right now.
Ryan pats him on the shoulder and says, 'Hey, I'll let you know when I swing through town, okay? Some of us have to stop being lazy asses and get back to training now, you know.'
He's not looking at Michael, but Michael stiffens and says, 'Some of us won eight gold medals and deserve a freaking break.' He sounds kind of hurt.
Ryan seems to catch the tone, because he says, softer, 'Yeah, well, I'm just glad you finally took my advice and cut a little loose, dude,' and then he shoves David playfully out of the booth, and David stumbles and Cook catches him, setting him upright.
He finds himself looking at Cook's chin, because he can't meet his eyes, and then Cook places a finger under David's jaw and tilts his head up slowly, and says, 'I'm glad we ran into each other.'
'Yeah, uh, me too,' David says.
'Hey, we didn't even get to talk about how your album's going,' Cook says. 'Are you almost done?'
'Yeah, I just, I think so. They keep changing their minds, though, so...'
Cook pulls him into a hug and says into David's hair, 'Can't wait to hear it, okay,' and then lets him go.
Natasha takes hold of his wrist gently and says, 'Let's go get that photo op done,' and then Ryan says, 'Hey, why don't we all go; that would be totally awesome, right?' and that's how a photo of the five of them ends up on the cover of every gossip magazine in the country: Natasha in the middle, beaming like the cat that got the cream; Cook and Phelps to one side, Cook looking at him and Phelps looking at Ryan, so totally not obvious at all; and him and Ryan on the other side, arms around each other, grinning. That, he decides, pushing the magazines away, and ignoring the zillion messages on his phone from everybody who's seen the photos, is totally a win.
___________
Cook calls him three days later to invite him to the studio to hear the song he's working on; it's going to be the second single off the album, and it is, unsurprisingly, awesome. David finally works up the courage to ask, three hours later, while they're grabbing a quick bite in the restaurant across the street, how Michael is.
Cook looks at him, confused, and says, 'Mike? Fine, I guess - why, did you hear something?' and David then has to face the indignity of saying, 'Um, no, I mean, Michael Phelps. You know, the swimmer?' and Cook totally cracks up and says, 'As opposed to all the other Michael Phelps' we know?'
David just makes a face at him, and Cook shrugs and says, 'He's good, I guess. He had to go back to Baltimore for training, so I haven't seen him.'
David doesn't mention that he received a text message from Ryan that morning (dude omg mike and i totally made out last nite, o_o. i dunno wat u did but ur awesum). Instead, he smiles and says, 'He seemed really nice.' Cook shrugs, and takes a huge bite of his pizza.
David waits, a little curious, when the waitress offers them the dessert menu, because the last time they had a meal together, it got kind of... heated, but Cook just shakes his head. 'You want anything?' he asks, and David decides he's not that hungry anymore. He feels a little flat, and he can't work out why. He got rid of Phelps; he should be feeling pleased right now, but he keeps looking at Cook's downcast face and feeling sick with guilt. What if Phelps was the love of Cook's life, and David messed it up for him? Just because he's too selfish to let go of a stupid daydream?
Cook must notice David's expression, because he says, 'Dave, are you okay?' and David flushes, surprised out of his musings.
'Um, yeah, just--you seem kinda--I don't know, a little down? Is it because of Michael, uh, going back to Baltimore?'
'God, no; I mean, I miss him, but it's not like I'm never going to see him again. No, I just, they showed me the schedule for the holidays, and I won't be able to go home for Thanksgiving, which sucks - we were going to have it at Adam's house this year, my mom and Kendra were gonna do the cooking, and I was just... I was looking forward to a break, is all.'
Off David's dismayed expression, he says, 'Hey, no, I'm going back for Christmas; I get like a whole week, and I'll be there for my birthday, so it's not like I'm being mistreated by my management.'
David says, quietly, 'But it must suck, to not be able to be with them all; I'd hate it if I couldn't give thanks with my family and everyone.'
'Yeah,' Cook says, 'I'm really more upset about missing my mom's pumpkin pie,' and David laughs at him, a little relieved.
___________
David's album is released the week before Cook's, and he can't bear to look at the chart positions, or how much it's selling. He bites his nails almost raw, utterly freaked out by the whole thing, so when he gets told it's at number four on the Billboard main chart, he nearly faints with relief, because it means he's okay, he did it. He may not have had as much a hand in this album as Cook did in his, but he loves it anyway - he's really proud of it, especially the song he co-wrote that made it onto the final cut. It's going to be the third single - the second was released a month before the album, and hit number one - and he's actually more interested in how it does than the album, although he doesn't admit that to anyone except Cook.
The next week David's album jumps up to number two right behind Cook's, which is number one, of course - David calls to congratulate him, and it sounds like Cook is partying with about a hundred people, all yelling, so he keeps the call brief, but Cook calls him back an hour later to congratulate him as well. Cook says, 'I'd apologise for keeping you off the top spot, but I bet you they'll switch next week,' and he turns out to be right.
And of course, at the same time, Cook's second single - which is totally awesome - is out, and rockets to number one, and then David's third single knocks it off the top spot a couple of weeks later (Cook laughs at him when David's so excited he can barely form coherent sentences, but he doesn't care, because he co-wrote it; it's totally his song). Their albums switch positions a couple of times and for about a month he and Cook are at the top of all the charts pretty much constantly. It's cool but also sort of annoying, because people keep asking if he's mad that Cook kept him from getting to number one with the album until the third week of release, or if Cook's upset that David knocked his single off the top spot.
He just keeps repeating his stock answer of how awesome and talented Cook is, and how blessed he is to have shared a stage with him, and then finally, when some journalist sticks a microphone in his face when he's at an awards show and asks him again, he snaps and says, 'Why does everybody keep trying to make out that there's some kind of grudge between me and Cook? He's the most amazing guy I've ever met and I totally love him, and I'm just so happy for him; why can't you all just accept that?'
The reporter pulls back, looking surprised, and says, 'Oh, I'm sorry, I just--that's very sweet,' and he says, 'Thanks, are we done?' and stalks off.
His publicist calls when he gets home, and he's tense, expecting her to be mad, but Summer just laughs and says, 'Good one, kid, that rivalry thing was getting old, huh? I've already spoken to Cook's camp; he's going to make a similar statement the next time he's asked, if he is, and hopefully that should kill it off. But maybe we should have you two do some joint press, and appear at a couple of events together, just so people can see you interacting some more - it's been a while since the show, and not everybody went to the tour or looked at the footage on YouTube of you two being all adorable.'
David blushes, and then says, 'Okay, sure.'
Cook emails him a link to a clip on YouTube the next morning. When he clicks on it, he sees Cook smiling at the camera and saying, 'And I just wanna make it clear that I genuinely think David Archuleta is one of the most talented, inspiring musicians this country has seen in a long time, and I hope my fans are out buying his CD as well, because it rocks.'
He winks at the camera, and then says in a mock-whisper, 'And he's number one on my iTunes most played list; that new song of his is so darn catchy.'
When David finishes laughing, he emails Cook back, just a short one: 'You're my number one too :D'.
In the end, they both sell ridiculous amounts of records, and although the rivalry thing still surfaces every now and then, most people seem to realise they are genuinely friends, which is a relief.
___________
He's glad to escape all the press attention for a couple of days, back in Utah for Thanksgiving. He calls Cook while he's lying on the sofa, stuffed full, and says, before Cook says anything, 'Thank you for being my friend.'
Cook says, 'Aww, Dave, no problem, man. Hey, thank you too. Look, I can't talk; I have a million things to do, but I'll catch you when you're back in town, yeah?' His mom asks if he wants another slice of pie, and although he's totally not hungry any more, he says yes, and she laughs at him.
___________
With the Phelps problem resolved, David can re-focus on his plans, and what with how busy they've both been recently, he's fallen behind. His birthday is fast approaching, and then January, when he's going to seduce David Cook. But the thing is, they've flirted, and had an almost-date, and stuff, but they're a ways off being ready for the whole sex thing, so David decides desperate measures are called for - he's going to kiss Cook.
He decides to do it the last time they see each other before he flies back to Utah. He calls Cook to invite himself over a few days before; having determined that doing it in the apartment he's staying in with his father is just too weird.
And then he panics, because he has no idea what to get Cook for a gift, and it has to be a combined birthday and Christmas gift, so it has to be special. He normally just gets people books or CDs or whatever, but Cook has way more sophisticated tastes than him, and he'd be scared to give him something he thinks is dumb (even though Cook will pretend he thinks it's awesome). He doesn't have much experience of buying gifts for other guys, and especially not other guys he wants to make out with.
He panics so intensely, in fact, that he decides to call in expert opinions. Natasha, despite being amazing at the party, turns out to be useless at gift advising - she suggests a whole bunch of really lame stuff, including cheesy romantic things like cuddly toys, or heart-shaped necklaces, and then she gets all excited and starts suggesting things like strip poker or chocolate body paint.
When she squeals excitedly, 'Oh my god, I've got it - get him a copy of the Kama Sutra--hey, they do pop-up versions you know!' he says, 'I'm hanging up on you now,' and does.
She texts him an apology, and wishes him luck, which is so not helpful.
He tries Carly next - she at least knows Cook pretty well, and he only has to put up with five minutes of screaming and hysterical giggling before she calms down enough to take the question seriously, although she keeps on stopping mid-sentence to say things like, 'Aww, it's so cute that you're buying him a gift,' and 'Hey, I'll be invited to the wedding, right?'
David sighs and says, 'He might not even like me, you know. Why would you go from Michael Phelps to me?'
'Oh, honey, you can't think like that. And if he doesn't like you, well, I for one will be pretty surprised, but he'll be kind about it, and wouldn't it be better to know?'
He gets a little depressed at that, but fights it; Cook has been texting him loads recently, and is getting really touchy-feely when they see each other, and anyway, he is totally hot, Teen People says so, so he's pretty sure he can seduce Cook.
He rubs his hand over his face and says, 'Oh gosh, I'm so doomed.'
'Well, the first step is having a cool gift, right?' Carly says bracingly. 'So let's sort that one out.'
She makes good suggestions, but she keeps telling him about CDs or books she's sure Cook will love, and he has to point out that since he's never even heard of the author or the band, it's going to be pretty clear it isn't him who picked it out.
'I want to get him something, you know, special,' he finally admits, and she makes a squeal he's sure only dogs can hear, and says, 'You are so precious; I just wanna squish you!' so he's really glad he's doing this over the phone.
'Okay,' she says finally, 'This is getting us nowhere. You know what I think? I think you should get him something personal, like, okay, not this, but you know when you offer your husband a back massage or something, some kind of homemade IOU?'
In the background, distantly, he can hear Todd yelling, 'You still haven't given me the one you offered last Christmas!' and he gets the giggles.
'Um, I guess,' he says, uncertainly. 'But I'm not offering him a massage, and I can't cook, and my only talent is singing, so--'
'Oh my god, that's it!' Carly cries joyfully. 'You can give him a song!'
'What?'
'Well, you could, like, write him a song and sing it for him, or, or, how about you offer to sing or play piano on one of his tracks? He was bitching about how he couldn't find the right backing vocalists for... I forget the song, that one about not getting what you want?'
'Um, I'm sure he can find someone much cooler than me,' David says, but he's thinking about it. It's something unique, and personal; it won't involve him being embarrassed, and the only downside really is if Cook thinks he's too lame for Cook's sound, and can't work out how to say no.
'Dude, he loves your voice,' Carly says, sensing his mood. 'He kept talking about how amazing that duet was, remember? Hey, you two could do a duet, a love song! How about, oh, you can't do Islands in the Stream, that's him and Mike--Oh, I know, how about I Got You Babe?'
Carly starts humming, and then sings, 'I got you to kiss goodnight, I got you to hold me tight, I got you, I won't let go, I got you to love me so, I got you babe,' and he puts his head in his hands and maybe cries a little.
'Look, Davey, the point is, it's a cute idea, and he'll love it, okay, so go for it,' Carly says finally, and David does feel a little cheered up, because it's way better than a teddy bear holding a heart or--or chocolate body paint.
'Okay,' he says. 'But I am definitely not offering to duet with him, because he'd take me up on it just for the amusement value. I'll just offer to play piano or do backing vocals for him. Thanks for helping me.'
'No problem, sweetheart. Good luck.' When they hang up he feels a lot better about the whole thing.
___________
When Cook opens the door, he's wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt that looks like it's a size too small for him pulled tight across his chest, and he's barefoot, which is just--David only realises he's been staring at Cook's feet like a total freak when Cook coughs and clears his throat. 'Um, hi,' he says, blushing, and Cook laughs.
'Come on in,' Cook says, stepping back and ushering David inside. Something smells really good, and he tells Cook so, and Cook grins and says, 'Yeah, I cooked - you eat pasta, right? What am I saying, you eat everything.'
'You cook?' David asks, curiously, and Cook shrugs.
'Well, you can't live on take-out forever,' he says.
David leans against the counter in Cook's kitchen while he finishes the meal. They talk about Carly's new tattoo, and the song Ramiele just added to her MySpace. David tells Cook about going home, and how awesome his mother's cooking was, and Cook shows him a cute picture his nieces drew him, of them all sitting around a turkey looking sad because Cook's not there. He feels relaxed and happy, and it's just really comfortable, being with Cook.
Dinner is great - Cook really can cook, which is surprising, but pleasantly so. David has three helpings, and Cook laughs at his huge appetite. David protests that he's a growing boy, and Cook raises an eyebrow and says, 'You certainly are,' which makes David blush again.
After dinner, they head into Cook's living room, and settle down in front of Cook's huge flatscreen TV. 'I bet you watch episodes of American Idol on this and gush about how pretty you look in HD,' David says, narrowing his eyes at Cook, and it's Cook's turn to blush, and then he says, 'No, normally I'm looking at how pretty Jason is,' smirking at David.
David decides now is the perfect time to give Cook his gift so he says, 'Um, I have a gift for you,' and digs in his bag to find it.
Cook stands up and says, 'Hey, me too, I'll be back,' and leaves the room, coming back with a small package wrapped in sparkly silver paper. He hands it to David, and David hands him the envelope, feeling suddenly embarrassed. His gift is going to be so lame compared to Cook actually getting him a real present.
'Let's open them at the same time,' Cook suggests, and David carefully undoes the tape, revealing a small velvet drawstring bag. He glances up under his eyelashes at Cook, reading the 'gift certificate' David had designed on his laptop, and then upends the bag over his palm. A delicate silver necklace falls out. He picks it up, and it looks a lot like--it's almost exactly like Cook's favourite necklace, his star enclosed by handcuffs, but instead of cuffs, this one has a star with a musical note on either side.
'Oh,' he says, because it's beautiful, and he's always loved Cook's necklace. 'Oh, thank you,' he says, looking up.
Cook's smiling at him. 'You like it?' he asks, and David nods.
'Could you--will you put it on me?' he asks, and Cook scoots closer, reaching around David's neck to fasten the clasp. The chain feels cool around his neck, but warms up fast with his body heat. Cook's hands are still resting lightly on the back of his neck, and he takes a hitching breath, suddenly so overwhelmed with want, he can't breathe. Cook moves away, and David has to bite his lip to keep from calling him back.
He turns to face Cook again, taking a couple of deep breaths to try and compose himself, and Cook is smiling at him. 'So you really like it?'
'Yeah, I--it's amazing, thank you,' he says.
'I thought handcuffs might be a bit risque for your fanbase,' Cook says, and there's a light teasing note in his voice. Then he picks up the gift certificate and says, 'I don't know that a necklace compares to this, though. Archie, it's awesome; you really wanna sing for me?'
'Oh, I--it doesn't have to be on one of your albums, if I'd be wrong for it; it could be a song you don't even release, or whatever, if you don't want--'
Cook reaches over and puts a finger across David's lips, shushing him. 'It's an amazing gift; thank you,' he says sincerely. 'I've got just the song - I reckon it might be the first single from the next record. You up for that?'
'Gosh, yeah, of course,' David says. 'I'd love to.'
'Okay, and then I'll do backing vocals on one of your songs next, okay?'
'Oh, no, but--if you do that, then it's like I didn't even give you a gift,' David complains, and Cook says, 'No, I insist.'
He's got a wide grin on his face, and his eyes are sparkling, and he just looks so--so freaking beautiful, David can't stand it, so he leans in, closing his eyes so he doesn't see Cook's expression, and presses his lips to Cook's. It's not planned, it's not the way he meant to do it, and he lands a little off-centre, and Cook doesn't do anything at first, but then he brings his hand up to cup the back of David's neck, and readjusts their mouths, and wow. David clutches blindly at Cook's shoulders, because he'd hoped it would be amazing, but he hadn't known for sure, and as first kisses go, it's pretty phenomenal, in his opinion.
Cook's kind of, licking at his top lip, and it tickles and feels really good at the same time, and then Cook's tongue is nudging at his lips, and he opens his mouth almost without thinking, and then Cook's tongue is in his mouth, and he can't even breathe. Someone is making desperate, high-pitched gasping noises, and he realises with a start it's him, and then Cook pulls back slowly, and looks at him, his expression fond.
'I didn't see that coming,' Cook says, after a moment, and David opens his mouth to apologise, but Cook shuts him up with another kiss, just a brief one this time, and says, 'I'm certainly not complaining.'
'Um, I didn't, I just--' David says uncertainly, and then Cook pulls him into a hug and says, 'You're really something, you know that?'
David curls into Cook's body, feeling totally at peace - the thoughts that normally fill his head (must do this, mustn't do that, and what about cook cook cook does he could he will he) silenced for once.
'I'm going to miss you,' David says, stroking Cook's waist lightly through his t-shirt.
'Me too, Archie, but it won't be for long,' Cook says.
They stay like that for a while, not even really talking, and then Cook stirs, and says, 'Archie, you should really think about getting home; it's getting late,' and David squints at his watch and says, 'Oh my gosh, it's past midnight, my dad--'
'--Will totally understand,' Cook says, reassuringly. 'He knows you're with me, and he knows I'm a responsible and respectable citizen.'
He helps David stand up, and then leans down and whispers in his ear, 'Even if I don't want to be right now,' and then he actually nips at David's ear, which makes David jump and shiver simultaneously.
'Me neither,' David says, and then he yanks Cook's mouth to his for another kiss. When he's done, Cook stares at him, looking a little surprised, and David says, 'So I'll see you in 2009,' and Cook says, 'You bet,' and walks him to the door. They hug one last time, and then David drives home and spends the whole night unable to fall asleep, replaying the kissing, over and over, because, wow.
Part three
Two days later he's back in LA, and has received from Cook: eight text messages; three phone calls; two voice mails (one of which was drunken, and will be saved for all eternity as blackmail material just in case); and a weird postcard with a picture of a derelict building and no signature, which could be from one of his fans, but the handwriting on the address looks suspiciously like Cook's. He's texted Cook eleven times, five in response to Cook's texts, and another six that he's initiated; called twice; and left no voice messages because he isn't stupid, and he knows he's prone to rambling.
He debates with himself while his father checks out the apartment his management has arranged for him - is three hours since he arrived too early to call Cook? Somehow he has gone from calm and collected and in control to crazy and crushing like a teenager (well, yes, he is a teenager, but that doesn't mean he has to act like it). He can't help himself - he thinks about Cook all the time, and finds himself singing Cook's songs sometimes, totally unaware he's started in on a verse of Always Be My Baby or that new one Cook's thinking of making his first single.
He analyses every fragment of communication from Cook, and every radio or TV appearance he makes, with zealous, obsessive detail. He decides eventually that it was the finger sucking - it meant they had, in effect, mentioned the sex thing and agreed that they would indeed have sex at some point, but had parted without discussing the situation further, so now he's obsessed, and Cook - the--the jerk that he is - is probably absolutely fine. In fact, Cook is likely hooking up with people left and right, and having loads of sex with Kim, and also Michael too.
David catches himself idly thinking about arranging for a hitman to watch Cook constantly and take out anyone who so much as flirts with him, and decides enough is enough. He can't--he cannot have sex with Cook before he's eighteen, no matter how much he wants to; it's been the plan for too long for him to break it now, but a kiss, maybe, would be okay.
Before he can put together a plan, his people (and he still feels embarrassed calling them that, even in his head) decide they want to add an extra song to the album, because it's totally awesome or whatever, and can't be left off, so he's dragged into the studio to record it, and finally emerges, blinking, three days later, not having had even a spare second to call Cook. So he texts Cook, inviting him to lunch (because his father won't let him go out in LA at night unless he's 'accompanied' by his dad or security, and there is no way he is taking either his father or his security guard on his first proper date with Cook). Cook doesn't reply.
David gives him a day or two, still preoccupied with last-minute album tweaking, and a slew of promotional appearances and interviews to start amping up the buzz for the album release. And then he finally gets online and checks his Google Alerts, and the first thing he sees is an article in People about how the Cook/Caldwell thing is over (he's not sorry, even though he actually sort of liked her, because she was nicer than people thought she was), and Cook has been seen all around town with Michael. The article is gushing about how cute they are together, and he can't work out why it's worth a front page splash until he digs a little further and discovers that it's not Michael Johns, it's Michael Phelps.
He just stares for a few minutes, baffled, at the article, because, what, Cook is hanging with the Olympic swimmer now, how did that happen? He knows they met on the Oprah thing, because Cook wouldn't shut up about how amazing Phelps was in person, but he hadn't realised they'd exchanged numbers. And then he digs a little further, and finds pictures - Cook and Phelps, laughing; Cook and Phelps, emerging from a nightclub, hanging on to each other; Cook and Phelps, watching a baseball game...
There are loads of comments from people worried that Phelps is abandoning his training, and chasing the fame thing, and from Cook fans saying that Phelps isn't as pretty as Johns, so can Cook please trade back again, and from people saying what a cute couple they make, and David is shocked to realise that the roiling, burning feeling in his stomach is jealousy.
It's sort of new, really - he wasn't jealous of Kim or Michael (Johns, he reminds himself; there are two Michael's in Cook's life now), or Andy Skib, even though he totally knew Cook had been in love with him when he was younger, because it was obvious they were just best friends now. He wasn't jealous of all the fans who threw underwear at Cook, or gave him flowers, or got kisses and hugs. But this swimmer, Phelps - how can David compete with that? He isn't anywhere near as famous, and he's never even won an egg and spoon race, let alone a billion Olympic gold medals, and the only record he's ever broken is most embarrassing reaction to Ryan Seacrest touching ever - an accolade Cook and Jason had granted him half-way through American Idol.
So there is literally nothing he is better at than Phelps - yeah, he can sing, but so can Cook, so it's not exactly a special or unique gift. It explains why he hasn't heard from Cook in a while, at least - and why Cook has, for the first time ever, not replied to a text from him.
He spends a couple of days moping, and obsessively refreshing all the gossip sites (photo of Phelps and Cook hugging; anecdote about them getting drunk and both sleeping at Cook's apartment; comment from Phelps' coach saying he was taking some scheduled relaxation time post-Olympics, and would be back to full time training shortly; photo of Cook cheering Phelps on as he swam, and then of Phelps dragging Cook into the pool, fully clothed, and then of them both laughing, dripping), and then he decides enough is enough.
He totally saw Cook first, he has a flash drive filled with 2GB of data hidden securely in his room that says Cook is totally head over heels for him, and he is not going to let this go without a fight. The first step, obviously, is to know your enemy, which is where he runs into trouble, because he doesn't hang out at the same sort of places Cook and Phelps do, and it's not like he can wander into one of Phelps' training sessions, make a surprised face, and say, 'Oh, I didn't expect to see you here. So, you and David Cook, huh. How about that?' Not to mention the fact that him in a swimsuit standing next to Phelps in a Speedo - just, no way, no how.
___________
He mulls it over and then he has a flash of inspiration, and bullies his publicist into finding out what Cook's going to be doing the upcoming Saturday. He cons her with a line about how he's been so busy recently, and Cook said they should get together, and he wants to surprise him, and she goes all gooey and gets him the details in about an hour. Cook's going to be at some sort of Hollywood party, at some club he's never heard of, but Summer seems delighted he's taken an interest in the celebrity circuit, and starts talking about how it'll be great to get a shot of him going in; it'll make all the websites, at least, if not the print editions, especially if Cook's in the shot, and then she gets really excited about the possibility of Cook and Phelps having their photo taken with him (he grits his teeth and agrees that it would be amazing).
She says it'll be great as long as he leaves early enough to be respectable and absolutely doesn't drink - 'I wouldn't, not ever, oh my gosh,' he protests - and then she says, 'Now we just have to see about getting you an escort,' and hangs up, leaving him blinking at the phone, baffled.
Everything becomes much clearer when she calls him back and says, 'Hey, Natasha Bedingfield needs a date to the party, and she's perfect - you've met her already, she has a boyfriend, and she's not nearly close enough in age to you that your fans will think you're dating and start harassing her.'
'Oh,' he says, relieved. 'Sure, she's nice.'
'Yes, and I can rely on her to keep you out of trouble,' she says, and then, 'Miley Cyrus has been nosing around, but I'm not letting you within ten feet of her, understand? If she approaches you, make sure she doesn't get up to any funny business; she's trying to promote a new single and a photo of you two kissing would boost it to number one right away. But I don't think she's going to be at this party.'
'Um,' he says, a little terrified, because that whole thing at the TCA's had been embarrassing enough.
'Don't worry, Natasha will protect you. You're picking her up at nine; the car will be ready for you at eight thirty. And I'm sending over some outfits. We'll get Abbie and Kirsty over to dress you and do your hair on the night.'
'Um,' he says again, because he's just spotted a problem. 'I haven't talked to my dad about it yet. I don't know if he'll want me to go to a party at night...'
Summer says, briskly, 'Let me talk to him; I'll explain,' and then clicks off.
He has no clue how she's going to sell it to his dad, but she's kind of a miracle worker, because half an hour later, his dad wanders in and says, 'Summer told me about this event she needs you to attend. Are you okay with going; you don't feel pressured into it? Because you can say no, of course.'
David blinks, and then says, 'No, dad, it's fine. It's good for my career, and besides, it'll be nice to have some fun.'
His dad nods and says, 'Yes, you've been working too hard lately, and I should have thought of that sooner. Well, Natasha seems nice; I'm sure it will be a very pleasant evening.'
David decides something seriously weird is going on - everything seems to be working out so perfectly, there has to be a catch. But it continues to go smoothly - having a team of stylists turns out to be a remarkably pain-free way to get ready for a night out.
They decide what to do with his hair, and how to dress him, and he's totally content with all their choices - there are no freaky sparkles or badly fitting pants in sight, just a pair of jeans and a black shirt, and it's not his normal look, but he agrees with them that he can't wear a t-shirt to a party if his date is Natasha Bedingfield. Although normally he hates being primped and styled, he's so nervous about seeing Cook (and Phelps) that it's reassuring to have other people making all the decisions, and he even allows them to put a little make-up on him - 'So you look good in the photos,' Abbie explains.
When the girls step back after they're done, Abbie says, 'Wow,' and Kirsty nods fervently, wide eyed, and he decides it was worth it. He doesn't really see anything that different, but he feels comfortable in the clothes, which makes a huge difference.
When the limo stops outside Natasha's place, he gets out to open the door for her, and when she comes out, she lets out a low whistle and grins at him.
'Hey, you clean up nice,' she says, and he coughs, embarrassed, and says, 'You look--uh, really nice, too.'
She smiles and twirls, showing off her dress, and he can see that a t-shirt would look really wrong next to her outfit. He helps her into the car, and she coos about how he's such a perfect gentleman, and he has about a second to be nervous and uncomfortable before she starts talking, and he finds himself totally relaxing, because she's lovely.
She's also sneaky like anything, and manages to get a confession out of him in about ten minutes flat. 'Oh, that's so cute,' she squeals, excitedly. 'You and Cook would make a darling couple.'
'Shut up, no, you can't--nobody knows,' he protests, marveling that someone he barely knows has found out all his secrets so quickly. It must be her pout, he decides, he's powerless to resist.
She pets him on the knee and says, 'I won't say anything, promise,' and then they're at the venue, and David's offering her his arm as they walk past all the flashing lights.
He dimly hears someone asking her a question, and Natasha's laughing and replying, 'He's my date, of course. I begged him to accompany me; he had loads of other offers.'
He can't help smiling at her, and then she's tugging him inside, and saying, 'Right, I need a drink, and you need a soda, and then we need to find your guy.' He thinks about protesting, and decides there's no point, so he accepts his soda and allows her to steer him around the room, introducing him to people, and she's really good at it - everyone seems to totally love her, and yet they don't spend more than ten minutes with anybody, and less if they're boring.
She tugs him into a corner eventually and says, 'I don't think they're here yet,' and then the noise level goes up a few notches, and a group of girls standing to the left of them start to jump up and down, and one of them says, 'Oh my god, he looks almost as hot in a suit as he does in a Speedo,' and Natasha turns to him, glint in her eye, and says, 'A ha!'
She decides that they have to give it at least forty minutes before approaching Cook, and she skillfully steers him around the room so he never spots more than Cook's back and, he realises, arranges it somehow so that Cook keeps seeing him, but too far away to get to him - 'I told you I was good at this,' she says, laughing.
And then, just when he spots Cook only a couple of feet away, and starts to get butterflies, of all ridiculous things, she drags him onto the dance floor. He's distracted by the sight of Cook's ridiculously tight jeans - he finds himself wondering if they're the same pair he removed, what seems like forever ago - so he only realises what's happening when she nudges him and says, 'David, c'mon, move a little,' and he's horrified, because he does not dance, not ever, he's hopeless.
He can't think what him looking like a moron is going to achieve, but he gives in because she brings out the pout again, which is totally cheating, and tries to move a little. She frowns at him, and then puts her hands on his waist, and starts to move his hips, and he follows the rhythm she's setting, pretty sure he looks lame, but she's laughing, so he guesses its okay.
He gets into it after a minute or two - the crowd is packed pretty tightly around them, so no one can really see, and Natasha starts throwing in some cool moves after a while, and he gets that it's his job to look pretty while she does all the work, and that he can totally do, and he even starts enjoying himself a little, especially when he gets to spin her a couple of times, and then she collapses against him, breathless with giggles, and says, 'C'mon, lets go,' so he follows her off the dance floor, relaxed and happy and still laughing a little, and that's when he runs into Cook - literally, because Natasha has done some sneaky move so that she disappears and he finds himself walking headlong into Cook's chest, and he bounces back, and can't help laughing again, and that's when he looks up to see it's Cook.
Cook laughs too, and reaches out to pull him into a hug. 'Archie!' he says, beaming, 'How are you? I kept seeing you, and I thought I was seeing things, because I would have sworn this wasn't your thing, but it is you!' He seems a little tipsy, but not drunk; just happy, and he doesn't let go of David, even to talk to him, just pushes him back a little and keeps his arm around his shoulders.
David beams back up at him and says, 'Yeah, well, my PR talked me into it, and I'm actually having fun,' and Cook winks and says, 'I noticed,' and that's when Natasha reappears.
'Are you trying to steal my date?' she asks, laughing, and Cook shakes his head, and then nods and says, 'Actually, yeah, I totally am; I miss this dude.'
Natasha and Cook kiss, and David winds up squashed between them as they do, and can't find it in him to mind. And then someone clears his throat behind them, and they break apart to reveal Michael freaking Phelps, who is, like, seven feet tall - he's huge in real life. David feels his eyes going up and up, gosh.
Cook grins widely and says, 'Hey, Mike, I wanna introduce you to some friends of mine; this is Natasha.'
Natasha and Michael shake hands, and then Michael leans down to kiss her on the cheek, and she blushes and says, 'I know you must get this all the time, but you are so amazing,' and then it's his turn to blush, which David fights the urge to find endearing.
'Thanks, I love your music,' he says, which David suspects is a lie, but it's nice of him all the same.
Then Cook says, 'And this is David Archuleta, the guy who should have won American Idol,' and Michael blinks down at him, and smiles and says, 'Hey, Dave talks about you all the time; he says you're awesome,' and David flushes and forces himself not to look at Cook.
'He's the awesome one,' he says finally, and shakes Michael's hand.
'Yeah, he's pretty cool,' Michael agrees, smiling fondly at Cook over David's head, and dangit, he didn't want to like him, but he can't help it. All the press says how shy Phelps is, and totally focused on himself and winning, so David had, to be honest, expected to meet a bit of a jerk, but maybe Cook brings out the best in him, or maybe he's just like that when he's training for the Olympics.
Then Natasha says, 'Oh, I'm just going to go and get myself a refill,' and Michael says, immediately, 'What are you drinking? I'll get it.'
Natasha says, 'Yeah, you must find it pretty easy to be served, being so... tall,' and they both laugh, and then they're heading off to the bar, leaving David and Cook alone together.
'Hey,' Cook says, so softly David almost can't hear him. 'I really have missed you. It's just been crazy recently, but we should totally hang. Uh, I mean, if you want?'
Cook actually sounds kind of unsure, like he thinks David might never want to talk to him again, and he thinks about just walking away for all of a millisecond before saying, 'No, I do, I would--I mean, I'd like that.' He tries a small smile, and then a wider one in response to Cook's grin. 'I missed you too. So, Michael Phelps, huh? Johns must be jealous.'
Cook laughs and says, 'Yeah, he accused me of trading him in for a younger model. He's a really good guy, though. You'd like him.'
David offers him a smile and says, 'I already do,' and then Natasha and Michael reappear with drinks.
'I hope there's nothing alcoholic in that,' Cook says meaningfully, waggling his eyebrows at the drink Natasha's handing David.
'Michael tried to get me to de-virgin it, but I prevailed,' Natasha says, rolling her eyes, and then, 'David, there's somebody I want you to meet.'
David fights to keep the disappointed frown off his face, because he wants to stay and talk to Cook some more - he hasn't seen him in forever - but he says goodbye obediently, and follows Natasha, because if there's one thing he's learned in the last couple of hours, it's that Natasha Bedingfield is a genius match-maker, and he's totally going to do everything she asks of him.
She leads him over to a little booth at the back of the room, and it's pretty dark, so he can't quite make out who's sitting there - it's a guy, he can tell that at least. 'Ryan, hey,' Natasha says, and the guy says, sounding surprised, 'Tash? Hey, I didn't know you were here,' and slides out of the booth to enfold her in a giant hug.
David suddenly gets it - this is Ryan Lochte; wow, his sisters are going to die when they hear he met two Olympic gold medalist swimmers in one night.
'Ryan, honey, this is David Archuleta, he was--'
'--You're the kid off American Idol!' Ryan says, and now he's beaming at David, and David feels himself blush. 'I voted for you, dude, you should have won, you were robbed.'
'Oh, no,' David says, uncomfortable. 'Cook's amazing, he's, like, way more talented than me, he's so awesome--' and then Natasha puts a hand on his shoulder and says, 'Don't give him all the credit, darlin', you're pretty hot yourself.'
'Yeah, totally,' Ryan agrees. 'Hey, I know this is so not cool, but can I get your autograph? My sister would die.' David smiles and agrees happily, asking Ryan for his autograph in return.
Ryan seems really nice, and after about ten minutes, Natasha glances up from the table and says, 'Oh, hey, there's Adam, I'll just go say hi - be back in a sec?' David barely looks away from the intense discussion he and Ryan are having about whether American Idol or Olympic swimming is more competitive to nod at her.
He tells Ryan about the tour, and how awesome it was, and says, 'And Cook was totally amazing; I had to introduce him every night, and the crowd always went nuts for him, it was so cool, and he does all this stupid rockstar stuff like throwing water over himself, and the crowd loves it, he's going to be huge,' and half way through he sees Ryan's face change, go from relaxed and open to tense and pinched, and he stutters to a halt.
Ryan says, to fill the awkward silence, 'Yeah, I'm sure he's a great guy. I've met him a couple of times, with Michael,' and his voice kind of breaks a little on Michael's name, and David feels a prickling of suspicion, because it sounds like--could it be?
To test it out, he pastes his most innocent smile on and says, 'Yeah, they seem really close; they're always together, right? Cook seems to really like him,' and Ryan's face gets even more scrunched up, and then he says slowly, 'Yeah, Mike likes him a lot too.'
David leans forward in his seat, excited, because if he's got this right, Natasha is a genius and he's going to kiss her for this. 'Um, I haven't really told anybody this, or anything,' he begins, hesitantly, and Ryan reaches across to pat him on the shoulder, and says, 'Hey, your secret is safe with me.'
'Um, it's just, I--I know it's stupid, but Cook--when we were on tour, I thought--I don't know.' He looks down at his drink, and stirs it a little.
'Oh,' Ryan says. 'Oh, dude, I'm sorry. That sucks.'
'Oh no, it's fine; it was silly, really,' David says, shrugging. 'Cook's a rockstar, he'd much rather have--um, I mean, spend time with the greatest Olympian of all time than someone lame like me.' He worries he might have overdone it for a second, but Ryan is giving him a kind smile, and patting his hand, and then he slides around the table and pulls David into a hug, and it's not anything like a Cook-hug, but he burrows his face into Ryan's neck and sighs a little.
'Sucks, huh?' Ryan asks gently, and David nods, throat tight, because it does, it really does. Cook and Michael are perfect together, and he and Ryan don't stand a chance.
And that is when he upgrades Natasha to super genius mastermind, because he hears someone clear his throat, and glances up to find Cook and Michael staring down at them - at him and Ryan freaking all over each other, oh my gosh. He pulls back, and Ryan lets go like he's been shocked, and he realises that jumping apart like that makes something totally innocent look way not.
'Oh, guys, sorry,' Natasha says, smiling so sunnily he can tell she's really not at all. 'I didn't realise you were... busy.' The pause is a stroke of genius, just long enough for Ryan and he to both start to blush, and for Cook and Phelps to both notice. David keeps his mouth shut, and decides to follow Natasha's cue.
Cook rubs the back of his neck, a little awkwardly, and says, 'Hey, sorry if we're interrupting anything,' and David sees Michael's face do this complicated thing where he looks angry and jealous and kind of amused all at the same time, and then he hooks an arm around Cook's waist, tugs him in, and bends down to whisper something into his ear, and that's when Cook starts to blush, too.
'You aren't interrupting anything,' Ryan says, leaning back and spreading his legs in what can only be described as a provocative manner, and then pulling David in close with a lazy arm around his neck. David allows himself to be pulled, watching Michael, who looks like he just swallowed a lemon.
Natasha says, 'Well, boys, not that this isn't cosy, but it's almost past my bedtime, so I'm going to have to ask David to escort me home, I'm afraid.'
Ryan seems reluctant to let David go, and then he leans over and says, 'Dude, I totally need your number, you're in LA full time now, right?' David nods, and they swap numbers while David forces himself not to look at Cook or Michael, and definitely not at Natasha, because he doesn't think he can handle seeing the look on her face right now.
Ryan pats him on the shoulder and says, 'Hey, I'll let you know when I swing through town, okay? Some of us have to stop being lazy asses and get back to training now, you know.'
He's not looking at Michael, but Michael stiffens and says, 'Some of us won eight gold medals and deserve a freaking break.' He sounds kind of hurt.
Ryan seems to catch the tone, because he says, softer, 'Yeah, well, I'm just glad you finally took my advice and cut a little loose, dude,' and then he shoves David playfully out of the booth, and David stumbles and Cook catches him, setting him upright.
He finds himself looking at Cook's chin, because he can't meet his eyes, and then Cook places a finger under David's jaw and tilts his head up slowly, and says, 'I'm glad we ran into each other.'
'Yeah, uh, me too,' David says.
'Hey, we didn't even get to talk about how your album's going,' Cook says. 'Are you almost done?'
'Yeah, I just, I think so. They keep changing their minds, though, so...'
Cook pulls him into a hug and says into David's hair, 'Can't wait to hear it, okay,' and then lets him go.
Natasha takes hold of his wrist gently and says, 'Let's go get that photo op done,' and then Ryan says, 'Hey, why don't we all go; that would be totally awesome, right?' and that's how a photo of the five of them ends up on the cover of every gossip magazine in the country: Natasha in the middle, beaming like the cat that got the cream; Cook and Phelps to one side, Cook looking at him and Phelps looking at Ryan, so totally not obvious at all; and him and Ryan on the other side, arms around each other, grinning. That, he decides, pushing the magazines away, and ignoring the zillion messages on his phone from everybody who's seen the photos, is totally a win.
___________
Cook calls him three days later to invite him to the studio to hear the song he's working on; it's going to be the second single off the album, and it is, unsurprisingly, awesome. David finally works up the courage to ask, three hours later, while they're grabbing a quick bite in the restaurant across the street, how Michael is.
Cook looks at him, confused, and says, 'Mike? Fine, I guess - why, did you hear something?' and David then has to face the indignity of saying, 'Um, no, I mean, Michael Phelps. You know, the swimmer?' and Cook totally cracks up and says, 'As opposed to all the other Michael Phelps' we know?'
David just makes a face at him, and Cook shrugs and says, 'He's good, I guess. He had to go back to Baltimore for training, so I haven't seen him.'
David doesn't mention that he received a text message from Ryan that morning (dude omg mike and i totally made out last nite, o_o. i dunno wat u did but ur awesum). Instead, he smiles and says, 'He seemed really nice.' Cook shrugs, and takes a huge bite of his pizza.
David waits, a little curious, when the waitress offers them the dessert menu, because the last time they had a meal together, it got kind of... heated, but Cook just shakes his head. 'You want anything?' he asks, and David decides he's not that hungry anymore. He feels a little flat, and he can't work out why. He got rid of Phelps; he should be feeling pleased right now, but he keeps looking at Cook's downcast face and feeling sick with guilt. What if Phelps was the love of Cook's life, and David messed it up for him? Just because he's too selfish to let go of a stupid daydream?
Cook must notice David's expression, because he says, 'Dave, are you okay?' and David flushes, surprised out of his musings.
'Um, yeah, just--you seem kinda--I don't know, a little down? Is it because of Michael, uh, going back to Baltimore?'
'God, no; I mean, I miss him, but it's not like I'm never going to see him again. No, I just, they showed me the schedule for the holidays, and I won't be able to go home for Thanksgiving, which sucks - we were going to have it at Adam's house this year, my mom and Kendra were gonna do the cooking, and I was just... I was looking forward to a break, is all.'
Off David's dismayed expression, he says, 'Hey, no, I'm going back for Christmas; I get like a whole week, and I'll be there for my birthday, so it's not like I'm being mistreated by my management.'
David says, quietly, 'But it must suck, to not be able to be with them all; I'd hate it if I couldn't give thanks with my family and everyone.'
'Yeah,' Cook says, 'I'm really more upset about missing my mom's pumpkin pie,' and David laughs at him, a little relieved.
___________
David's album is released the week before Cook's, and he can't bear to look at the chart positions, or how much it's selling. He bites his nails almost raw, utterly freaked out by the whole thing, so when he gets told it's at number four on the Billboard main chart, he nearly faints with relief, because it means he's okay, he did it. He may not have had as much a hand in this album as Cook did in his, but he loves it anyway - he's really proud of it, especially the song he co-wrote that made it onto the final cut. It's going to be the third single - the second was released a month before the album, and hit number one - and he's actually more interested in how it does than the album, although he doesn't admit that to anyone except Cook.
The next week David's album jumps up to number two right behind Cook's, which is number one, of course - David calls to congratulate him, and it sounds like Cook is partying with about a hundred people, all yelling, so he keeps the call brief, but Cook calls him back an hour later to congratulate him as well. Cook says, 'I'd apologise for keeping you off the top spot, but I bet you they'll switch next week,' and he turns out to be right.
And of course, at the same time, Cook's second single - which is totally awesome - is out, and rockets to number one, and then David's third single knocks it off the top spot a couple of weeks later (Cook laughs at him when David's so excited he can barely form coherent sentences, but he doesn't care, because he co-wrote it; it's totally his song). Their albums switch positions a couple of times and for about a month he and Cook are at the top of all the charts pretty much constantly. It's cool but also sort of annoying, because people keep asking if he's mad that Cook kept him from getting to number one with the album until the third week of release, or if Cook's upset that David knocked his single off the top spot.
He just keeps repeating his stock answer of how awesome and talented Cook is, and how blessed he is to have shared a stage with him, and then finally, when some journalist sticks a microphone in his face when he's at an awards show and asks him again, he snaps and says, 'Why does everybody keep trying to make out that there's some kind of grudge between me and Cook? He's the most amazing guy I've ever met and I totally love him, and I'm just so happy for him; why can't you all just accept that?'
The reporter pulls back, looking surprised, and says, 'Oh, I'm sorry, I just--that's very sweet,' and he says, 'Thanks, are we done?' and stalks off.
His publicist calls when he gets home, and he's tense, expecting her to be mad, but Summer just laughs and says, 'Good one, kid, that rivalry thing was getting old, huh? I've already spoken to Cook's camp; he's going to make a similar statement the next time he's asked, if he is, and hopefully that should kill it off. But maybe we should have you two do some joint press, and appear at a couple of events together, just so people can see you interacting some more - it's been a while since the show, and not everybody went to the tour or looked at the footage on YouTube of you two being all adorable.'
David blushes, and then says, 'Okay, sure.'
Cook emails him a link to a clip on YouTube the next morning. When he clicks on it, he sees Cook smiling at the camera and saying, 'And I just wanna make it clear that I genuinely think David Archuleta is one of the most talented, inspiring musicians this country has seen in a long time, and I hope my fans are out buying his CD as well, because it rocks.'
He winks at the camera, and then says in a mock-whisper, 'And he's number one on my iTunes most played list; that new song of his is so darn catchy.'
When David finishes laughing, he emails Cook back, just a short one: 'You're my number one too :D'.
In the end, they both sell ridiculous amounts of records, and although the rivalry thing still surfaces every now and then, most people seem to realise they are genuinely friends, which is a relief.
___________
He's glad to escape all the press attention for a couple of days, back in Utah for Thanksgiving. He calls Cook while he's lying on the sofa, stuffed full, and says, before Cook says anything, 'Thank you for being my friend.'
Cook says, 'Aww, Dave, no problem, man. Hey, thank you too. Look, I can't talk; I have a million things to do, but I'll catch you when you're back in town, yeah?' His mom asks if he wants another slice of pie, and although he's totally not hungry any more, he says yes, and she laughs at him.
___________
With the Phelps problem resolved, David can re-focus on his plans, and what with how busy they've both been recently, he's fallen behind. His birthday is fast approaching, and then January, when he's going to seduce David Cook. But the thing is, they've flirted, and had an almost-date, and stuff, but they're a ways off being ready for the whole sex thing, so David decides desperate measures are called for - he's going to kiss Cook.
He decides to do it the last time they see each other before he flies back to Utah. He calls Cook to invite himself over a few days before; having determined that doing it in the apartment he's staying in with his father is just too weird.
And then he panics, because he has no idea what to get Cook for a gift, and it has to be a combined birthday and Christmas gift, so it has to be special. He normally just gets people books or CDs or whatever, but Cook has way more sophisticated tastes than him, and he'd be scared to give him something he thinks is dumb (even though Cook will pretend he thinks it's awesome). He doesn't have much experience of buying gifts for other guys, and especially not other guys he wants to make out with.
He panics so intensely, in fact, that he decides to call in expert opinions. Natasha, despite being amazing at the party, turns out to be useless at gift advising - she suggests a whole bunch of really lame stuff, including cheesy romantic things like cuddly toys, or heart-shaped necklaces, and then she gets all excited and starts suggesting things like strip poker or chocolate body paint.
When she squeals excitedly, 'Oh my god, I've got it - get him a copy of the Kama Sutra--hey, they do pop-up versions you know!' he says, 'I'm hanging up on you now,' and does.
She texts him an apology, and wishes him luck, which is so not helpful.
He tries Carly next - she at least knows Cook pretty well, and he only has to put up with five minutes of screaming and hysterical giggling before she calms down enough to take the question seriously, although she keeps on stopping mid-sentence to say things like, 'Aww, it's so cute that you're buying him a gift,' and 'Hey, I'll be invited to the wedding, right?'
David sighs and says, 'He might not even like me, you know. Why would you go from Michael Phelps to me?'
'Oh, honey, you can't think like that. And if he doesn't like you, well, I for one will be pretty surprised, but he'll be kind about it, and wouldn't it be better to know?'
He gets a little depressed at that, but fights it; Cook has been texting him loads recently, and is getting really touchy-feely when they see each other, and anyway, he is totally hot, Teen People says so, so he's pretty sure he can seduce Cook.
He rubs his hand over his face and says, 'Oh gosh, I'm so doomed.'
'Well, the first step is having a cool gift, right?' Carly says bracingly. 'So let's sort that one out.'
She makes good suggestions, but she keeps telling him about CDs or books she's sure Cook will love, and he has to point out that since he's never even heard of the author or the band, it's going to be pretty clear it isn't him who picked it out.
'I want to get him something, you know, special,' he finally admits, and she makes a squeal he's sure only dogs can hear, and says, 'You are so precious; I just wanna squish you!' so he's really glad he's doing this over the phone.
'Okay,' she says finally, 'This is getting us nowhere. You know what I think? I think you should get him something personal, like, okay, not this, but you know when you offer your husband a back massage or something, some kind of homemade IOU?'
In the background, distantly, he can hear Todd yelling, 'You still haven't given me the one you offered last Christmas!' and he gets the giggles.
'Um, I guess,' he says, uncertainly. 'But I'm not offering him a massage, and I can't cook, and my only talent is singing, so--'
'Oh my god, that's it!' Carly cries joyfully. 'You can give him a song!'
'What?'
'Well, you could, like, write him a song and sing it for him, or, or, how about you offer to sing or play piano on one of his tracks? He was bitching about how he couldn't find the right backing vocalists for... I forget the song, that one about not getting what you want?'
'Um, I'm sure he can find someone much cooler than me,' David says, but he's thinking about it. It's something unique, and personal; it won't involve him being embarrassed, and the only downside really is if Cook thinks he's too lame for Cook's sound, and can't work out how to say no.
'Dude, he loves your voice,' Carly says, sensing his mood. 'He kept talking about how amazing that duet was, remember? Hey, you two could do a duet, a love song! How about, oh, you can't do Islands in the Stream, that's him and Mike--Oh, I know, how about I Got You Babe?'
Carly starts humming, and then sings, 'I got you to kiss goodnight, I got you to hold me tight, I got you, I won't let go, I got you to love me so, I got you babe,' and he puts his head in his hands and maybe cries a little.
'Look, Davey, the point is, it's a cute idea, and he'll love it, okay, so go for it,' Carly says finally, and David does feel a little cheered up, because it's way better than a teddy bear holding a heart or--or chocolate body paint.
'Okay,' he says. 'But I am definitely not offering to duet with him, because he'd take me up on it just for the amusement value. I'll just offer to play piano or do backing vocals for him. Thanks for helping me.'
'No problem, sweetheart. Good luck.' When they hang up he feels a lot better about the whole thing.
___________
When Cook opens the door, he's wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt that looks like it's a size too small for him pulled tight across his chest, and he's barefoot, which is just--David only realises he's been staring at Cook's feet like a total freak when Cook coughs and clears his throat. 'Um, hi,' he says, blushing, and Cook laughs.
'Come on in,' Cook says, stepping back and ushering David inside. Something smells really good, and he tells Cook so, and Cook grins and says, 'Yeah, I cooked - you eat pasta, right? What am I saying, you eat everything.'
'You cook?' David asks, curiously, and Cook shrugs.
'Well, you can't live on take-out forever,' he says.
David leans against the counter in Cook's kitchen while he finishes the meal. They talk about Carly's new tattoo, and the song Ramiele just added to her MySpace. David tells Cook about going home, and how awesome his mother's cooking was, and Cook shows him a cute picture his nieces drew him, of them all sitting around a turkey looking sad because Cook's not there. He feels relaxed and happy, and it's just really comfortable, being with Cook.
Dinner is great - Cook really can cook, which is surprising, but pleasantly so. David has three helpings, and Cook laughs at his huge appetite. David protests that he's a growing boy, and Cook raises an eyebrow and says, 'You certainly are,' which makes David blush again.
After dinner, they head into Cook's living room, and settle down in front of Cook's huge flatscreen TV. 'I bet you watch episodes of American Idol on this and gush about how pretty you look in HD,' David says, narrowing his eyes at Cook, and it's Cook's turn to blush, and then he says, 'No, normally I'm looking at how pretty Jason is,' smirking at David.
David decides now is the perfect time to give Cook his gift so he says, 'Um, I have a gift for you,' and digs in his bag to find it.
Cook stands up and says, 'Hey, me too, I'll be back,' and leaves the room, coming back with a small package wrapped in sparkly silver paper. He hands it to David, and David hands him the envelope, feeling suddenly embarrassed. His gift is going to be so lame compared to Cook actually getting him a real present.
'Let's open them at the same time,' Cook suggests, and David carefully undoes the tape, revealing a small velvet drawstring bag. He glances up under his eyelashes at Cook, reading the 'gift certificate' David had designed on his laptop, and then upends the bag over his palm. A delicate silver necklace falls out. He picks it up, and it looks a lot like--it's almost exactly like Cook's favourite necklace, his star enclosed by handcuffs, but instead of cuffs, this one has a star with a musical note on either side.
'Oh,' he says, because it's beautiful, and he's always loved Cook's necklace. 'Oh, thank you,' he says, looking up.
Cook's smiling at him. 'You like it?' he asks, and David nods.
'Could you--will you put it on me?' he asks, and Cook scoots closer, reaching around David's neck to fasten the clasp. The chain feels cool around his neck, but warms up fast with his body heat. Cook's hands are still resting lightly on the back of his neck, and he takes a hitching breath, suddenly so overwhelmed with want, he can't breathe. Cook moves away, and David has to bite his lip to keep from calling him back.
He turns to face Cook again, taking a couple of deep breaths to try and compose himself, and Cook is smiling at him. 'So you really like it?'
'Yeah, I--it's amazing, thank you,' he says.
'I thought handcuffs might be a bit risque for your fanbase,' Cook says, and there's a light teasing note in his voice. Then he picks up the gift certificate and says, 'I don't know that a necklace compares to this, though. Archie, it's awesome; you really wanna sing for me?'
'Oh, I--it doesn't have to be on one of your albums, if I'd be wrong for it; it could be a song you don't even release, or whatever, if you don't want--'
Cook reaches over and puts a finger across David's lips, shushing him. 'It's an amazing gift; thank you,' he says sincerely. 'I've got just the song - I reckon it might be the first single from the next record. You up for that?'
'Gosh, yeah, of course,' David says. 'I'd love to.'
'Okay, and then I'll do backing vocals on one of your songs next, okay?'
'Oh, no, but--if you do that, then it's like I didn't even give you a gift,' David complains, and Cook says, 'No, I insist.'
He's got a wide grin on his face, and his eyes are sparkling, and he just looks so--so freaking beautiful, David can't stand it, so he leans in, closing his eyes so he doesn't see Cook's expression, and presses his lips to Cook's. It's not planned, it's not the way he meant to do it, and he lands a little off-centre, and Cook doesn't do anything at first, but then he brings his hand up to cup the back of David's neck, and readjusts their mouths, and wow. David clutches blindly at Cook's shoulders, because he'd hoped it would be amazing, but he hadn't known for sure, and as first kisses go, it's pretty phenomenal, in his opinion.
Cook's kind of, licking at his top lip, and it tickles and feels really good at the same time, and then Cook's tongue is nudging at his lips, and he opens his mouth almost without thinking, and then Cook's tongue is in his mouth, and he can't even breathe. Someone is making desperate, high-pitched gasping noises, and he realises with a start it's him, and then Cook pulls back slowly, and looks at him, his expression fond.
'I didn't see that coming,' Cook says, after a moment, and David opens his mouth to apologise, but Cook shuts him up with another kiss, just a brief one this time, and says, 'I'm certainly not complaining.'
'Um, I didn't, I just--' David says uncertainly, and then Cook pulls him into a hug and says, 'You're really something, you know that?'
David curls into Cook's body, feeling totally at peace - the thoughts that normally fill his head (must do this, mustn't do that, and what about cook cook cook does he could he will he) silenced for once.
'I'm going to miss you,' David says, stroking Cook's waist lightly through his t-shirt.
'Me too, Archie, but it won't be for long,' Cook says.
They stay like that for a while, not even really talking, and then Cook stirs, and says, 'Archie, you should really think about getting home; it's getting late,' and David squints at his watch and says, 'Oh my gosh, it's past midnight, my dad--'
'--Will totally understand,' Cook says, reassuringly. 'He knows you're with me, and he knows I'm a responsible and respectable citizen.'
He helps David stand up, and then leans down and whispers in his ear, 'Even if I don't want to be right now,' and then he actually nips at David's ear, which makes David jump and shiver simultaneously.
'Me neither,' David says, and then he yanks Cook's mouth to his for another kiss. When he's done, Cook stares at him, looking a little surprised, and David says, 'So I'll see you in 2009,' and Cook says, 'You bet,' and walks him to the door. They hug one last time, and then David drives home and spends the whole night unable to fall asleep, replaying the kissing, over and over, because, wow.
Part three