Perhaps You Should Stay Undercover, Part 1
Fic title: Perhaps You Should Stay Undercover
Ships: Kevin Jonas/Danielle Jonas; Kevin Jonas/Mike Carden; Joe Jonas/Demi Lovato; Nick Jonas/Demi Lovato. Implied Joe Jonas/Nick Jonas & Joe Jonas/Demi Lovato/Nick Jonas. Past Mike Carden/Bill Beckett.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When Kevin Jonas got married, he thought it was as happy as it was possible to be. At least, until he met Mike Carden. Still in love with his wife but confronted with forbidden feelings, how will he reconcile himself to himself? And what are his brothers keeping from him?
Notes: Written for jb_bigbang
Warnings: Polyamory, vaguely implied incest.
Art by: mayqueen517, here.
Perhaps You Should Stay Undercover
“With this ring, I thee wed.” Tears filled his eyes as he slipped the ring on her finger. Minutes later, as she removed his old ring and slipped on the new one, sealing themselves to each other and marking the beginning of their new lives together, he felt like his heart was going to burst.
Their first kiss as husband and wife was chaste, but each could feel the emotion behind the abbreviated press of lips, the knowledge that they were bound together until death did them part. Kevin knew that, in Heaven, people neither married nor were given in marriage, but he couldn’t help but feel that this marriage would be Heaven on Earth.
The whole ceremony was beautiful, like something straight out of a fairy tale. Even the unexpected blizzard only added to the ambiance. It was everything Kevin had hoped for and more, everything Danielle had wanted. Her face as she’d walked down the aisle towards him was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. It had only been three years since they’d first met, but already he could barely remember what life felt like without someone near you, helping you up, allowing you to help them up. He and Dani were so blessed to have found each other, and Kevin gave thanks every day that God had brought this wonderful woman into his life.
The reception had been equally wonderful, of course. Most of the family’s closest friends were there, and the clinking of knives against glasses gave Kevin and Danielle the opportunity to kiss as much as they wanted without being mocked by their siblings. Nick choked up while playing the song he’d written for them, which was rare enough that Kevin couldn’t help but tear up as well. Even the fact that Nick and Joe disappeared soon afterwards, Joe holding a bottle of what looked suspiciously like the alcohol Kevin had reluctantly agreed to provide, wasn’t enough to bring him down. He was in love and he was married and what Nick and Joe got up to in the castle was only his business if they got lost and he had to admit he’d been the last one to see them, so he was going to dance with his beautiful bride and allow himself to be happier than he’d ever thought he could possibly be.
Kevin knew what some people said about him. Their mom always told them not to pay attention to that sort of thing, but one visit to a supermarket, one glance at the covers of those magazines, told him more than he’d ever wanted to know. Even if it was a minority, some people thought his marriage, his love for his wife, was a lie. Or, at the very best, an effort to hide his supposed fondness for men. Kevin really wasn’t sure where they got that from. He liked women. Had always liked women! Primarily Danielle, of course, but he was a normal human guy, of course he’d been attracted to other girls before he met her. But guys? He didn’t understand where they got that from. Not at all.
Not that other people’s opinions mattered when Danielle was coming out of the bathroom in less than he’d ever seen her wear before. They’d never even shared a room overnight before getting married, because even though Danielle didn’t wear a ring she respected Kevin’s decision to wait, and they both decided it would be too much temptation. Now, seeing her like this, Kevin knew what a good idea that had been. If she’d ever been as willing as she was now, he didn’t think that all the preaching in the world could have stopped him. He loved her, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and now he got to. Got to love her in all the ways a man should love a woman, when they’d been bound together in the eyes of God and man. He stood up as she drew closer, reaching out to her.
“I love you so much, Dani.”
She smiled, brushing her hair away from her face. “I bet I love you more.”
“Not a chance,” he whispered, leaning in and pushing the straps of her nightgown down her shoulders. He rested his forehead against her for a moment, before capturing her lips with his for their first kiss since the reception ended. She wrapped her arms around him, her kiss growing hungrier, and he found himself embarrassed. She smiled against his lips, however, and ran a hand down his chest.
“It’s OK. This is what it’s meant for.” At that she stepped back entirely and let her nightgown drop, and - though he’d never admit it even to her - he may have lost the ability to form words.
He’d seen pictures of women before, of course. He, like everyone else, had gone through a phase where he backslid on the Lord and looked at illicit photos. But Dani - his wife - standing before him was more amazing than any tawdry magazine could ever hope to be. He reached out to her, and they fell to the bed together.
~~~
The fact that Kevin and Dani moved into their new house immediately following their honeymoon didn’t prevent Kevin’s family from visiting every chance they got. Danielle’s family was, on the whole, busy - not to mention farther away - and while Kevin loved them he couldn’t help but be relieved. One bunch of people interrupting his alone time with his wife was surely bad enough. On the plus side, Kevin’s mom brought food almost every time she came over. This went rather a ways towards easing his irritation with hid dad, who had pulled him aside the first time they’d visited and reminded him that, while he was of course married now, not all sexual acts were acceptable to the Lord. Kevin got out of that conversation quickly, his face flaming.
This was also his reaction when Joe pointedly did not ask him anything. His brother had never been the subtlest of creatures, and his winks and jabs to Kevin’s ribs would have been laughable if it hadn’t all been so embarrassing. Yes, Kevin was married. Yes, he’d had marital relations. With his wife. Not that it was anyone’s business, but Danielle had even shown him some things he’d never thought of doing, things he was quite sure had purposes other than procreation. Frankly, Kevin felt free to ignore his father’s advice on this one.
Eventually, Kevin even stopped caring about what those magazines might have to say. He knew he loved his wife, and that they both loved God, and that was very nearly all that mattered in his life. Of course, the paparazzi continued to hound them, some asking completely inappropriate questions about Dani’s fertility, but with her hand clasped in his he was more than happy to go shopping whenever she wanted to. And, after all, they were in a new house, so it was often more of a necessity than a whim.
Since the band wasn’t touring at the moment, and Nick was still gearing up for his Administration thing, Kevin didn’t really do much outside the house for a few weeks. He got a dog, cooked a lot, and continued doing his Christian duty by his wife - sometimes several times a day. He and Dani had gotten into the groove of married life so quickly that he was genuinely surprised, one morning, to get a call from an old friend whom he hadn’t seen in months.
“Hello?”
“What, you couldn’t even invite me to the wedding?”
“Mike?”
“Of course Mike, you weirdo. What, I’m not good enough for your family?”
“It’s not that you’re not good enough, you’re just not… Italian enough.”
Mike laughed. “I wouldn’t be surprised. You know we’re in town, right? Or as close to your little fake town as a tour’s ever gonna get.” He paused. “We’re in Dallas, is what I’m saying.”
Kevin, having already raced to the calendar, gasped. “Oh gosh, I forgot, I’m sorry! You wanna come over? I’ve got a new place now and everything, I’m sure Dani’d love to meet you.”
“Tempting as a night with the missus is, I think I might have to save that for another time. Noon at the usual work for you?”
“That works! See you there, I guess.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Kevin could practically hear Mike’s smirk as the line clicked dead. A glance at the clock told him he still had an hour until he had to leave, so he headed back upstairs.
Forty-five minutes later, stumbling out of bed for the second time that day, Kevin looked back at his wife. “By the way, do you mind if I go out for a while? My friend Mike is in town, for once, and I’d kinda like to hang out with him.”
Danielle laughed, stretching. “After that, I’d let you do pretty much anything. Besides, I’ve kept you cooped up here too long. Go hang out with your friends, honey.”
Kevin kissed her on the forehead before struggling back into his shirt. “Baby, you know I don’t mind being here with you, right? I mean, I kind of can’t think of anything I’d mind less.”
“I know, Kev, I’m just kidding. Go, have fun. I’m still worn out, anyway.” She stuck her tongue out at him, but he bravely withstood temptation - simply waving, with a smile, and walking back downstairs.
Danielle sat in bed for a few more minutes, reading the newspaper, before deciding it was time to get ready for the day. She pulled on her robe and was just about to start her shower when the doorbell rang. Rolling her eyes in fond amusement at Kevin’s tendency to forget the simplest things, she tightened her robe and went down stairs. The bell rang several more times before she got there, and her expression turned first cautious, then resigned. When she opened the door, she wasn’t at all surprised to see Joe there, in the midst of ringing the bell yet again. She cleared her throat, unable to hold back a grin, and he jumped.
“Oh! Hi, Dani, how are you?” He hugged her awkwardly, as aware as she was that she wasn’t properly dressed. “Uh, is Kevin here?”
“He just left, actually, I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” His face fell, but lifted again after some consideration. “I guess I’ll just have to wait for him. Do you think he’ll be gone long?” He slipped past her into the foyer without waiting for a response, leaving her to sigh and close the door behind him. He was her husband’s brother, and she loved him, but he had perpetually bad timing.
Joe, meanwhile, had stretched out on the couch, his arms behind his head. “So where’d he go?”
Danielle sat on the edge of the chair, tightening her robe again. “Someone named Mike? He didn’t give many details.”
Joe sat up quickly. “Mike’s in town? Awesome, I totally forgot! Maybe he can get us into the show tonight!”
“Wait, wait.” Danielle held up her hands, as if to stem the flow of nonsensical words. “Who’s Mike? What show?”
Joe tilted his head. “You don’t know Mike?”
“I… thought I’d made that pretty clear. No, I don’t know him. Who is he? Why has Kevin never mentioned him?”
Joe shrugged. “I don’t know, has he mentioned much? I got the feeling you guys had been kinda busy since the wedding.”
Danielle shot a sharp look at Joe, but his innocent expression belied the potential double entendre. She never knew with him. “Be that as it may,” she answered, her tone careful, “you haven’t answered my other questions. Who is this Mike person, and what show are you talking about?”
“Oh, right! Sorry!” Joe bounced in excitement. “Mike’s in a band, and they’re in town today - I forgot until you mentioned that, so thanks! The band’s called The Academy Is, with three dots after it. They’re on Decaydance, it’s Pete Wentz’s label. They’re great.”
Danielle laughed, stunned by the flood of information. Still, she supposed she had asked for it. “OK, I get it! So how did they meet? I mean, you guys don’t really hang out with Pete Wentz that much, do you?”
Joe rolled his eyes in exasperation, though not with her: “No, Mom says he’s a bad influence. But we went to one of his parties, once! That was pretty great.”
“So is that where Mike and Kevin met, then?”
“That’s where I was going with tha- ow!” Joe rubbed his arm, glaring at Dani. “You didn’t have to hit me, I was getting there!”
~~~
Mike and Kevin had met at one of Pete Wentz’s parties - the only one Joe had been able to convince his parents to let him attend. They’d insisted Kevin come along for protection, and under that umbrella they’d been able to bring Nick too. Joe knew the Decaydance people did some crazy things, and he knew his parents didn’t exactly trust him not to be influenced by them, which is why they made Kevin come even though he really didn’t want to, even though he didn’t like Pete as much as Joe did. What really confused Joe was that their parents seemed to think it was some sort of punishment to hang out together.
Still, he couldn’t help but be a little resentful, just as a gut reflex, until they actually got to Pete’s house, at which point he was in Heaven. Not literally, he reminded himself, because most of these people probably wouldn’t be there, but it was an appropriate metaphor. He patted Kevin on the back to reassure him, before running off to find Pete. Kevin barely resisted the urge to yell after him to watch his drink, mostly because he knew Joe wasn’t actually as stupid as their parents seemed to think. If Joe got drunk, it would be on purpose.
Nick, meanwhile, had disappeared. Kevin’s frantic search ended in the kitchen, where he found Nick talking with Patrick Stump, Pete’s band’s lead singer. Kevin sighed, shaking his head. Let it never be said that Nick didn’t have ambition. Unfortunately, this left Kevin with no lifeline, so he was reduced to standing by the front door, horribly out of place in this house full of people with tattoos and alcohol and recording contracts not based on their family-friendly image. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there, casting around in what he knew was a vain hope for a familiar face, when a voice to his right startled him.
“You’re a Jonas.” This statement of the obvious came from a man who was obviously well on his way to being drunk, and Kevin sighed.
“Yes, I am.” His mother had raised him to be nice to people who annoyed him, so he uncrossed his arms and turned to face the man. “Kevin Jonas, nice to meet you. And you are?”
The man looked at him for a moment, tilting his head. “Mike. Carden.” He held out a hand, and Kevin took it, surprised. “Sorry if this is rude, I’m kinda drunk, but what the hell are you doing here?”
Kevin frowned. “I’m not sure being drunk is a good excuse for rudeness. If you know you’re rude when you’re drunk, maybe you shouldn’t drink.”
Mike stared at him for a beat before laughing. “You know, Jonas, you may just be right.” He dropped Kevin’s hand - Kevin realising with a start that he had still been holding it - and leaned against the wall. “So, in the interests of… I guess politeness, why are you here? It’s not exactly your scene, is it?”
Kevin couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Not really, but I have to keep an eye on Joe and Nick.” He paused, glancing over to the kitchen to make sure he could still see Nick sitting at the table. “Considering Joe’s probably wherever Pete is, I don’t think I’m doing such a good job with that.”
Mike cringed. “Yeah, that maybe wasn’t the smartest.” He followed Kevin’s line of sight to the curly-haired kid in the kitchen and smirked. “What, uh, what are they doing here, though? Pete actually got his claws in Disney?”
“What? Oh, no, hah. Joe just gets really excited when people pay attention to him, and Pete…” Kevin shook his head. “Pete probably thinks it’s some big joke, bringing those Jonas boys to a party like this. What-” he stopped, rubbing his eyes. “Why do you care?” His eyes widened. “Ohmigosh, I’m sorry, there’s not even an alcohol excuse for that!”
Mike laughed. At great length. “That’s what you think is rude?” He ran a hand through his hair. “Anyone ever tell you that’s adorable?” Kevin opened his mouth to protest, but Mike cut him off, leaning closer. “I’m not some creep, you know. Don’t listen to Bill, he’s full of lies. I’m just interested is all.”
Kevin nodded slowly, more lost than ever and wishing Mike would step back, or at least arrange his mouth so he wasn’t exhaling alcohol right in Kevin’s face. “It’s probably a good idea to avoid asking why you’re interested, I guess. I mean, I don’t know Bill, but you clearly have something to hide if you’re warning me in advance.” He grinned, hoping that came across as the joke he’d meant it to be, and was relieved when Mike laughed again. He wondered briefly if the approval of a drunk person really meant anything in terms of humour, but decided against thinking too hard about it. “So, what do you do?” He rolled his eyes at himself. “I mean, you’re in a band, I guess, or you probably wouldn’t be here?” He waited for Mike’s amused nod and continued: “But what do you- I mean, what do you do in the band?”
Mike, who had waited patiently for the flood of words to stop, pushed himself away from the wall where he’d been leaning. “I play guitar. And write, when Bill can bring himself to let go of the pen.”
Kevin gasped. “Me too! Well, I play guitar, Nick mostly writes.”
“Wait.” Mike furrowed his brow. “You Disney kids write your own songs?” He shook his head. “Wow, did not expect that.”
Kevin frowned, but was saved from having to reply by Pete coming up behind Mike, with Joe following behind him. Noting Kevin’s worried glance, Joe laughed. “Don’t worry, I watched my drink. Mom.”
Pete grinned, which did not at all impress Kevin, because he preferred people to be a little more interested in keeping his underage brother sober. Still, he forced a smile. “Thank you for having, us, Pete,” he said, aware that he sounded absurd in this context but sticking to his manners in the absence of any idea how to act in this situation. “I think we’d better be leaving pretty soon, though.”
“Aw, why? You just got here?” Pete swung his arm around Kevin’s shoulders. “You look like you’re getting along with Mike, you know? I bet you two have all kinds of stuff in common.”
“We both play guitar.” Mike interjected.
“See? You both play guitar! You should stay and talk about that. Besides, your other brother’s pretty deep in conversation with Patrick over there, it’d be a shame to interrupt them.”
Kevin followed Pete’s pointing finger and saw that, indeed, Nick was still in the kitchen. Deciding against turning into his mother, Kevin resisted the urge to pull out his cell and call Nick to tell him it was time to go. Instead he sighed, heading over himself. A glance behind him showed that Joe and Pete had stayed with Mike near the door, but that was probably better.
To his surprise, however, Nick jumped up from the table as Kevin approached. His eyes were shining, and to someone who hadn’t known him his whole life it might have appeared that he was intoxicated. Kevin knew this look, though. It was the look of a person who had found someone with whom to discuss music at his own level.
“Kevin! Have you met Patrick?”
Kevin shook his head as Patrick likewise stood up and offered a hand.
“Patrick Stump, Fall Out Boy. Nick tells me you play guitar?”
Kevin took the proffered hand and shook it briefly. “Yeah, but so does Nick. He’s better than I am honestly.” He paused. “I don’t mean to cut things short, but Nick and I really have to get home soon.”
Patrick waved a hand. “Oh sure, no problem. I remember what that’s like. Hey, and-” he grasped Kevin’s arm, “-don’t worry, he didn’t drink anything with either booze or sugar. He told me why you were worried about that.”
Kevin was oddly charmed, and almost felt bad pulling Nick away from the conversation, but they really had to get home. As the two of them headed for the door, Mike approached and pulled Kevin aside.
“So, people tell me I’m not the best at that first impression thing, but you seem surprisingly cool for Disney. We should hang out sometime. If you think your management can stand that.”
Kevin stared for a beat before nodding slowly. “Yeah, sure. I mean, my management’s basically my dad, so.” Stupid, stupid! Why did you mention that? “I mean, it’s not like he can stop me from hanging out with people.”
“Awesome.” Mike smiled without a hint of sarcasm, and Kevin was startled at how green his eyes were when he was happy. “So, right, numbers. I guess I could just write it on your hand?”
“Yeah, that’d probably work.” Kevin fumbled in his pocket for a pen, but was cut short when Pete held one out between them.
“In the interests of making this more concise?”
Mike glared, but grabbed the pen. He scribbled his number on Kevin’s hand, pressing perhaps harder than was strictly necessary, before handing the pen to Kevin and offering his own hand. Kevin wrote his own number, but before he could pull away Mike grabbed his writing hand and pulled him into an awkward side-hug.
“Here’s hoping you still think I’m interesting when I’m sober, right?”
Kevin smiled, handed Pete beck his pen, and grabbed Joe’s wrist to ensure he actually left the party. Nick, he trusted; Joe, not so much. The next day he had all but forgotten the strange encounter, until his mom called him downstairs with the news that someone named Mike was on the phone and asking for him.
Ever since then, despite an apparent lack of anything in common, Kevin and Mike had taken time to hang out whenever they were in the same part of the country. If they were shooting in L.A., Mike came to visit them when he was in the city visiting Pete, and they both made time to visit if their tours took them near each other’s cities.
~~~
“So, yeah, that’s pretty much it. I have no idea why they get along, but they do.” Joe leaned back, and Danielle swatted at his leg to keep him from putting a foot on the coffee table.
“So Mike’s band is in town tonight, huh? I’d really like to meet him. I mean, if he and Kevin are such good friends.”
“Yyyyeah, that’s the thing, Dani.” Joe sat up. “I don’t know if you’d like him. I don’t even know why Kevin likes him, but he… drinks. A lot. And smokes. And doesn’t really shower when he’s on tour, according to Kevin.” He shook his head. “I mean, that’s pretty standard for touring musicians who aren’t, like, us, I mean it’s not like they have their parents with them reminding them to brush their teeth three times a day…” Joe’s voice descended into a growl, and he cleared his throat. “Point is, I don’t know. I’m sure he’d love to meet you, though. I mean, who wouldn’t?”
Dani thought about that for a moment, before nodding firmly and standing up. “I’ll ask Kevin when he gets back. Right now I need to get ready for the day, though, so I’ll leave you alone for a while. If Kevin’s not back by two, though, I’m going to have to kick you out so you can go back to your own home.” She grinned. “I’ll make him call you about going to that show, OK? I’d like to go, too.” With that, she headed back upstairs to get dressed
Joe, just as soon as he was unsupervised, put his feet up on the coffee table.
~~~
Kevin arrived home at a little after half past two, tossing his keys in the dish by the door. Danielle emerged from the kitchen, where she had been making a sandwich, and kissed him on the cheek. “Joe stopped by while you were out; he wanted to know about the possibility of going to Mike’s show tonight. What would you like for lunch, or did you eat?” She headed back to the kitchen, Kevin trailing behind her.
“Um, thanks, but no, we already… you and Joe talked about Mike, huh? What’d he say?”
“Oh, just how the two of you met at one of Pete Wentz’s parties. I didn’t know you hung out with that crowd.”
“Uh, well, I don’t really, it’s more Joe’s thing. So he said he wants to go to the show?”
“Yeah, I told him I’d have you ask Mike about it. Is that OK?” She turned from the counter, having arranged her sandwich on a plate. “Come to think of it, I’d kind of like to go, too. Just to see what they’re like, you know? And maybe meet this Mike guy you’ve told me nothing about.” She grinned as she brushed past him with her plate, heading for the adjoining dining room as Kevin followed her once again.
“I honestly don’t know how well that’d work out, Dani. Mike’s… I don’t know if you’d like him. I mean I’m sure he’d love you, all smart people do, but he’s… not exactly family-friendly.”
Danielle laughed. “Are you serious? Why would that matter to me? Funny thing is, that’s just about what Joe said, which means you boys don’t know me very well. I’m not gonna get offended by swearing or the fact that he probably hasn’t showered recently. I know not everyone can be Jonases, sadly.” She smiled to show him she was joking before taking a bite of her sandwich. Kevin, correctly taking that as a signal that the conversation was over, went to call Mike about maybe getting them in, and the possibility of Danielle meeting him afterwards.
~~~
In the end, Joe, Kevin, and Dani ended up going to the show. Nick declared his utter disinterest in spending an evening surrounded by drunken idiots, mom and dad agreed, and Frankie wasn’t even consulted, so the three headed off. The drive over consisted primarily of Joe leaning up from the back seat of Kevin’s car to regale Danielle with “interesting” facts about Pete Wentz and Decaydance in general, and of Kevin shaking his head.
The show itself was pretty great, in Kevin’s admittedly biased opinion. Mike was fantastic, as always, and he and Bill put on a great stage show. Kevin was still a little nervous around Michael Guy, for some reason, but he had to admit the man was talented. Butcher was of course a madman, and Siska (Kevin still wasn’t sure of his first name) was pretty good, he supposed - Kevin didn’t really know much about the bass, so he wasn’t the best judge. Danielle even seemed to enjoy herself, despite Kevin’s mid-show worries about her reactions to some of the “bromance”, as Mike had called it, aspects. Bill licking Mike’s cheek, for example, surely wasn’t required, and couldn’t he stop winding the mic cord around Mike’s neck? Still, a good time was had by all, notwithstanding Kevin’s nervousness about the pending introduction.
After the show, and after the fans drifted away from the parking lot where Bill was signing autographs, he brought Kevin and Danielle back to the bus. Joe tagged along, which annoyed Kevin for no good reason, but he didn’t mind enough to say anything about it. Besides, if precedent was any indication, Siska and Butcher would already be settling down in the lounge for a post-show round of video games, and Kevin had no qualms about suggesting that Joe join them there.
Kevin felt a little awkward being herded into the bus like - he struggled to think of a different simile, but none came to mind - a groupie or something, but his discomfort ebbed upon seeing Mike. His first instinct was to rush up to Mike and hug him, but the eyebrow Mike had already raised told him that such an action would most likely be seen as strange. He settled for moving to the side and not-so-subtly gesturing that Joe should go elsewhere in the bus, which he did after only the most cursory of eyerolls. Whatever, Joe knew how infrequent Mike’s visits were, he could deal with being forced to play video games for a while.
Bill, meanwhile, stayed right where he was, hands on his hips and an amused grin on his face. “So this is the new Mrs. Jonas, huh? Nice to meet you,” he said, offering a hand to Danielle, who took it cautiously. “I’m William Beckett, but feel free to call me whatever you want.” He winked at her, but Mike - doing what Kevin would never have dared - jabbed him in the side and glared. “Ow! What? I was just introducing myself to the completely unavailable woman. As you do.”
Mike rolled his eyes, turning towards Danielle. “Sorry about him, there’s something wrong with him.” He shot a look at Bill. “Don’t you have something else you could be doing?”
Bill leaned against the bunks, seemingly unperturbed. “Could be doing? Probably. But why would I, when I have this delightful scene?”
Mike laughed, despite himself, and turned determinedly away from him and back towards Kevin and Danielle. “So! Now that that weirdo can be safely ignored, how have you been? I mean, I haven’t seen Kevin here since the wedding, and I never got to meet you at all, so… yeah, ‘How’ve you been’ seems to cover it.”
Kevin, taking confused note of the unusual lack of profanity in Mike’s conversation, noticed Bill looking at them speculatively. He frowned and directed his gaze back to Mike. “Well, I mean, I haven’t been doing much, lately, ‘cause Nick’s still working on his own thing and we can’t really tour without him, but that means Dani and I get to spend more time together!”
Bill, still hovering, raised an eyebrow, but Mike just smiled. “That must be nice, having time to yourselves. So, uh, Dani?” Danielle nodded her approval of the nickname, and he continued: “What do you do? Are you a musician too?”
“Oh, no!” Dani giggled. “No, I can’t play at all, unfortunately. I’m a hairdresser. Well, I’m actually not working right now, but I’m hoping to get another opportunity now that I’ve settled down.”
Mike nodded contemplatively, and the three of them continued making small talk while Bill - along with Michael Guy, who it turned out had been attempting to sleep in his bunk - very conspicuously joined Joe, Butcher, and Siska in the lounge. Mike and Danielle seemed to get along, and were in the midst of a conversation about their favorite books when Kevin got a call from Nick, informing him that Joe wasn’t answering his phone and needed to get home before Mom and Dad started worrying. Why their parents had decided to appoint Nick the arbiter of curfew Kevin had never been sure, but he promised he’d have Joe home right away. Snapping his phone shut, he turned back to Danielle and Mike.
“I really hate to do this, but Joe needs to get home before our parents start freaking out.”
Mike laughed quietly in seeming disbelief, with which Kevin sympathized. “OK, I guess I’ve kept you two long enough anyway. It was very nice to meet you, Dani,” he said, holding out his hand again, but Danielle surprised him and Kevin both by rolling her eyes and hugging him. He slowly put his arms around her, raising his eyebrows at Kevin, who smiled.
“It was nice to meet you too, Mike. You seem interesting, and I’m glad my husband has such a good friend. For future reference, though, you’re allowed to swear around me. I’m not going to faint or something.” She smiled sweetly, and Kevin was reminded of just how much he loved her.
“Duly noted.” Mike offered a smile of his own before turning to Kevin and pulling him into a hug. Kevin smiled broadly and hugged him back, making sure to pull away before Mike did so as not to seem awkward. It had taken him only a few embarrassing conversations to realise that not everyone hugged the way he and his brothers did.
Kevin collected Joe from the lounge and they left, but not before Mike extorted a promise that Kevin would do everything he could to make sure their next tour went through Chicago. Bill waved at them as they pulled away.
~~~
In the following month, Nick’s Administration tour got off the ground and wrapped up, with Kevin and Joe going to as many of the dates as they could. Mike surprised Kevin by showing up to the LA date, the second-to-last of the tour. He tactfully avoided the subject of Nick’s music, choosing instead to regale Kevin with stories of how boring life was without him and “that face you make like you think you should be offended but you’re not sure why”.
The months after that were generally uneventful, with sporadic visits to and from LA, Chicago, and Westlake. Dani came with Kevin more often than not, and she and Mike seemed to have hit it off. Kevin was of course pleased by this development, because he wasn’t sure what he would have done otherwise. Almost before they knew it, it seemed, they had started rehearsals for their next tour.
Danielle was there almost every day, and Demi came to visit when her shooting schedule allowed. Kevin couldn’t help but be relieved that they’d given up on their plans to put on a Camp Rock Tour - he’d never been sure it was as good an idea as Dad had seemed to think - but he knew Joe and Nick would miss having their best friend around to support them like this. Kevin was lucky, of course, in that he had married his best friend, but even she wouldn’t be able to come on tour with them. She’d gotten another job as a hairstylist, and simply couldn’t afford to take that much time off work, especially so near the beginning of her employment.
So Dani and Demi wouldn’t be coming along, which was unfortunate for all involved, but a new development had just cropped up - one that made Kevin very happy, and his parents more than a little concerned. The Academy Is… weren’t on tour or writing at the moment, and had no plans to be for rather a while, so Bill had graciously granted Mike permission to join Kevin on the North American part of the tour. Mike was pretty sure Bill was only being so nice right now because he knew he was guaranteed mocking privileges for months (if not years) afterwards, but he brushed that off in favour of asking Kevin if he’d mind.
“I mean, I know it’d probably be weird, do your parents even know who I am?”
Kevin laughed. “Probably not, but that doesn’t really matter at this point. If you want to come, I’d love to have you! And- and Joe and Nick, they’d love to have you too.”
“I’m sure.”
Kevin could all but hear Mike’s smirk, and it occurred to him that it was probably not normal for one person to put so much sarcasm in his statements that the other person could hear his expressions through the phone. Or maybe it was just that Kevin knew him too well. Both thoughts were somewhat frightening.
Mom and Dad were less than enthused about Mike’s presence, but Kevin assured them they could take the extra costs out of his cut and he and Mike could share rooms, so it wasn’t even terribly inconvenient. Mostly, he thought, they didn’t want their sons to fall under the influence of this weird Chicagoan with terrifying eyes and a tendency to go alarmingly long between showers. Kevin couldn’t exactly blame them for that, but neither could he seem to make them understand that there was more to Mike. He was funny, and surprisingly sweet, and he took care of his friends like… well, like a Chicagoan, if Kevin were to believe everything he had read when he was ten and obsessed with the Mafia.
Still, his parents weren’t really in a position to make decisions for their 22-year-old son, no matter how much they grumbled, so Mike came along on the tour. The paparazzi and youth press were understandably confused, but over all they didn’t pay him much attention. When they did, it was mostly along the lines of:
“Mike, what are you doing?”
“Mike, how did you and Kevin meet?”
“Excuse me, but who are you?”
Far more common were questions directed at Kevin as he attempted to walk quickly from one site to another, questions such as:
“Kevin, how’s Danielle?”
“Do you miss her?”
“Is she pregnant yet?”
Kevin smiled tightly when they asked those sorts of questions, barreling ahead with no comment, but once the cameras were out of sight his smile dropped into a hard-lipped look of what might have been mistaken for anger by someone who didn’t know how fastidiously good natured he was.
Dad instructed him in no uncertain terms to ignore such vulgar people, hinting that they would get their just desserts in the next life. Mom, meanwhile, gently suggested that he ignore such vulgar people, hinting that, nevertheless, it really was about time she got a grandchild over whom to dote. Nick, who had been dodging invasive questions longer than any of them, tried to convince Kevin that the best course of action was the steely glare. Kevin refrained from reminding his brother that Nick and Dad were the only ones in the family who had ever perfected such a glare, while Kevin - and even Joe - were more likely to sit in silence until the question was retracted or rephrased.
Joe, of course, approached the problem in his own special way: by asking Kevin if he and Danielle were using birth control. Kevin gave him his best shot at a Nick-glare, but Joe just laughed, patted him on the shoulder, and told him to “be safe.” Kevin fumed. As if it was the business of his little brother to know if he and his wife were aiming for a child! In fact, they were using birth control, for the most part, but it was none of Joe’s business. Dani simply didn’t feel she was ready for children yet, and Kevin respected her wishes.
Mike, meanwhile, offered to walk with Kevin as a sort of bodyguard against invasive questions like that. After having seen what some members of the press said to Bill when they found out he had a wife and child, he knew the power of a well-placed glower. This, he explained to Kevin, differed from a glare in its implied promise of subsequent violence. Nevertheless, Kevin declined. If Big Rob wasn’t enough to keep the idiots at bay, he wasn’t sure what one - admittedly scary, but also scrawny - man could do. Mike conceded the point, but continued to rub Kevin’s back until he felt he was in a state to interact with people again.
The tour progressed smoothly. Mike did his very best to ingratiate himself to Kevin’s parents, and they gradually warmed to him - even going so far as to stop grumbling when they couldn’t find Kevin, knowing that he was likely with Mike somewhere and accepting that this meant he wasn’t in danger. Kevin called Dani every day and texted her far more often, while Mike fielded regular calls from Bill - calls that began with mockery but quickly segued into questions about what it was like to be on tour with people who didn’t do any of the things that made touring fun. Sometimes Mike and Kevin switched phones, so Dani could make sure Mike was taking good care of her husband while Bill told Kevin in no uncertain terms that if Mike was humming Disney songs by the end of the tour he would personally ruin Kevin’s life.
And so all was well and everyone happy until, a week or so into the tour, Joe forgot his sunglasses in his bunk. Not such a noteworthy occurrence, except that, upon reentering the bus, he found Kevin and Mike. Standing in the aisle. Kissing.
( Part 2)
Ships: Kevin Jonas/Danielle Jonas; Kevin Jonas/Mike Carden; Joe Jonas/Demi Lovato; Nick Jonas/Demi Lovato. Implied Joe Jonas/Nick Jonas & Joe Jonas/Demi Lovato/Nick Jonas. Past Mike Carden/Bill Beckett.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When Kevin Jonas got married, he thought it was as happy as it was possible to be. At least, until he met Mike Carden. Still in love with his wife but confronted with forbidden feelings, how will he reconcile himself to himself? And what are his brothers keeping from him?
Notes: Written for jb_bigbang
Warnings: Polyamory, vaguely implied incest.
Art by: mayqueen517, here.
Perhaps You Should Stay Undercover
“With this ring, I thee wed.” Tears filled his eyes as he slipped the ring on her finger. Minutes later, as she removed his old ring and slipped on the new one, sealing themselves to each other and marking the beginning of their new lives together, he felt like his heart was going to burst.
Their first kiss as husband and wife was chaste, but each could feel the emotion behind the abbreviated press of lips, the knowledge that they were bound together until death did them part. Kevin knew that, in Heaven, people neither married nor were given in marriage, but he couldn’t help but feel that this marriage would be Heaven on Earth.
The whole ceremony was beautiful, like something straight out of a fairy tale. Even the unexpected blizzard only added to the ambiance. It was everything Kevin had hoped for and more, everything Danielle had wanted. Her face as she’d walked down the aisle towards him was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. It had only been three years since they’d first met, but already he could barely remember what life felt like without someone near you, helping you up, allowing you to help them up. He and Dani were so blessed to have found each other, and Kevin gave thanks every day that God had brought this wonderful woman into his life.
The reception had been equally wonderful, of course. Most of the family’s closest friends were there, and the clinking of knives against glasses gave Kevin and Danielle the opportunity to kiss as much as they wanted without being mocked by their siblings. Nick choked up while playing the song he’d written for them, which was rare enough that Kevin couldn’t help but tear up as well. Even the fact that Nick and Joe disappeared soon afterwards, Joe holding a bottle of what looked suspiciously like the alcohol Kevin had reluctantly agreed to provide, wasn’t enough to bring him down. He was in love and he was married and what Nick and Joe got up to in the castle was only his business if they got lost and he had to admit he’d been the last one to see them, so he was going to dance with his beautiful bride and allow himself to be happier than he’d ever thought he could possibly be.
Kevin knew what some people said about him. Their mom always told them not to pay attention to that sort of thing, but one visit to a supermarket, one glance at the covers of those magazines, told him more than he’d ever wanted to know. Even if it was a minority, some people thought his marriage, his love for his wife, was a lie. Or, at the very best, an effort to hide his supposed fondness for men. Kevin really wasn’t sure where they got that from. He liked women. Had always liked women! Primarily Danielle, of course, but he was a normal human guy, of course he’d been attracted to other girls before he met her. But guys? He didn’t understand where they got that from. Not at all.
Not that other people’s opinions mattered when Danielle was coming out of the bathroom in less than he’d ever seen her wear before. They’d never even shared a room overnight before getting married, because even though Danielle didn’t wear a ring she respected Kevin’s decision to wait, and they both decided it would be too much temptation. Now, seeing her like this, Kevin knew what a good idea that had been. If she’d ever been as willing as she was now, he didn’t think that all the preaching in the world could have stopped him. He loved her, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and now he got to. Got to love her in all the ways a man should love a woman, when they’d been bound together in the eyes of God and man. He stood up as she drew closer, reaching out to her.
“I love you so much, Dani.”
She smiled, brushing her hair away from her face. “I bet I love you more.”
“Not a chance,” he whispered, leaning in and pushing the straps of her nightgown down her shoulders. He rested his forehead against her for a moment, before capturing her lips with his for their first kiss since the reception ended. She wrapped her arms around him, her kiss growing hungrier, and he found himself embarrassed. She smiled against his lips, however, and ran a hand down his chest.
“It’s OK. This is what it’s meant for.” At that she stepped back entirely and let her nightgown drop, and - though he’d never admit it even to her - he may have lost the ability to form words.
He’d seen pictures of women before, of course. He, like everyone else, had gone through a phase where he backslid on the Lord and looked at illicit photos. But Dani - his wife - standing before him was more amazing than any tawdry magazine could ever hope to be. He reached out to her, and they fell to the bed together.
~~~
The fact that Kevin and Dani moved into their new house immediately following their honeymoon didn’t prevent Kevin’s family from visiting every chance they got. Danielle’s family was, on the whole, busy - not to mention farther away - and while Kevin loved them he couldn’t help but be relieved. One bunch of people interrupting his alone time with his wife was surely bad enough. On the plus side, Kevin’s mom brought food almost every time she came over. This went rather a ways towards easing his irritation with hid dad, who had pulled him aside the first time they’d visited and reminded him that, while he was of course married now, not all sexual acts were acceptable to the Lord. Kevin got out of that conversation quickly, his face flaming.
This was also his reaction when Joe pointedly did not ask him anything. His brother had never been the subtlest of creatures, and his winks and jabs to Kevin’s ribs would have been laughable if it hadn’t all been so embarrassing. Yes, Kevin was married. Yes, he’d had marital relations. With his wife. Not that it was anyone’s business, but Danielle had even shown him some things he’d never thought of doing, things he was quite sure had purposes other than procreation. Frankly, Kevin felt free to ignore his father’s advice on this one.
Eventually, Kevin even stopped caring about what those magazines might have to say. He knew he loved his wife, and that they both loved God, and that was very nearly all that mattered in his life. Of course, the paparazzi continued to hound them, some asking completely inappropriate questions about Dani’s fertility, but with her hand clasped in his he was more than happy to go shopping whenever she wanted to. And, after all, they were in a new house, so it was often more of a necessity than a whim.
Since the band wasn’t touring at the moment, and Nick was still gearing up for his Administration thing, Kevin didn’t really do much outside the house for a few weeks. He got a dog, cooked a lot, and continued doing his Christian duty by his wife - sometimes several times a day. He and Dani had gotten into the groove of married life so quickly that he was genuinely surprised, one morning, to get a call from an old friend whom he hadn’t seen in months.
“Hello?”
“What, you couldn’t even invite me to the wedding?”
“Mike?”
“Of course Mike, you weirdo. What, I’m not good enough for your family?”
“It’s not that you’re not good enough, you’re just not… Italian enough.”
Mike laughed. “I wouldn’t be surprised. You know we’re in town, right? Or as close to your little fake town as a tour’s ever gonna get.” He paused. “We’re in Dallas, is what I’m saying.”
Kevin, having already raced to the calendar, gasped. “Oh gosh, I forgot, I’m sorry! You wanna come over? I’ve got a new place now and everything, I’m sure Dani’d love to meet you.”
“Tempting as a night with the missus is, I think I might have to save that for another time. Noon at the usual work for you?”
“That works! See you there, I guess.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Kevin could practically hear Mike’s smirk as the line clicked dead. A glance at the clock told him he still had an hour until he had to leave, so he headed back upstairs.
Forty-five minutes later, stumbling out of bed for the second time that day, Kevin looked back at his wife. “By the way, do you mind if I go out for a while? My friend Mike is in town, for once, and I’d kinda like to hang out with him.”
Danielle laughed, stretching. “After that, I’d let you do pretty much anything. Besides, I’ve kept you cooped up here too long. Go hang out with your friends, honey.”
Kevin kissed her on the forehead before struggling back into his shirt. “Baby, you know I don’t mind being here with you, right? I mean, I kind of can’t think of anything I’d mind less.”
“I know, Kev, I’m just kidding. Go, have fun. I’m still worn out, anyway.” She stuck her tongue out at him, but he bravely withstood temptation - simply waving, with a smile, and walking back downstairs.
Danielle sat in bed for a few more minutes, reading the newspaper, before deciding it was time to get ready for the day. She pulled on her robe and was just about to start her shower when the doorbell rang. Rolling her eyes in fond amusement at Kevin’s tendency to forget the simplest things, she tightened her robe and went down stairs. The bell rang several more times before she got there, and her expression turned first cautious, then resigned. When she opened the door, she wasn’t at all surprised to see Joe there, in the midst of ringing the bell yet again. She cleared her throat, unable to hold back a grin, and he jumped.
“Oh! Hi, Dani, how are you?” He hugged her awkwardly, as aware as she was that she wasn’t properly dressed. “Uh, is Kevin here?”
“He just left, actually, I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” His face fell, but lifted again after some consideration. “I guess I’ll just have to wait for him. Do you think he’ll be gone long?” He slipped past her into the foyer without waiting for a response, leaving her to sigh and close the door behind him. He was her husband’s brother, and she loved him, but he had perpetually bad timing.
Joe, meanwhile, had stretched out on the couch, his arms behind his head. “So where’d he go?”
Danielle sat on the edge of the chair, tightening her robe again. “Someone named Mike? He didn’t give many details.”
Joe sat up quickly. “Mike’s in town? Awesome, I totally forgot! Maybe he can get us into the show tonight!”
“Wait, wait.” Danielle held up her hands, as if to stem the flow of nonsensical words. “Who’s Mike? What show?”
Joe tilted his head. “You don’t know Mike?”
“I… thought I’d made that pretty clear. No, I don’t know him. Who is he? Why has Kevin never mentioned him?”
Joe shrugged. “I don’t know, has he mentioned much? I got the feeling you guys had been kinda busy since the wedding.”
Danielle shot a sharp look at Joe, but his innocent expression belied the potential double entendre. She never knew with him. “Be that as it may,” she answered, her tone careful, “you haven’t answered my other questions. Who is this Mike person, and what show are you talking about?”
“Oh, right! Sorry!” Joe bounced in excitement. “Mike’s in a band, and they’re in town today - I forgot until you mentioned that, so thanks! The band’s called The Academy Is, with three dots after it. They’re on Decaydance, it’s Pete Wentz’s label. They’re great.”
Danielle laughed, stunned by the flood of information. Still, she supposed she had asked for it. “OK, I get it! So how did they meet? I mean, you guys don’t really hang out with Pete Wentz that much, do you?”
Joe rolled his eyes in exasperation, though not with her: “No, Mom says he’s a bad influence. But we went to one of his parties, once! That was pretty great.”
“So is that where Mike and Kevin met, then?”
“That’s where I was going with tha- ow!” Joe rubbed his arm, glaring at Dani. “You didn’t have to hit me, I was getting there!”
~~~
Mike and Kevin had met at one of Pete Wentz’s parties - the only one Joe had been able to convince his parents to let him attend. They’d insisted Kevin come along for protection, and under that umbrella they’d been able to bring Nick too. Joe knew the Decaydance people did some crazy things, and he knew his parents didn’t exactly trust him not to be influenced by them, which is why they made Kevin come even though he really didn’t want to, even though he didn’t like Pete as much as Joe did. What really confused Joe was that their parents seemed to think it was some sort of punishment to hang out together.
Still, he couldn’t help but be a little resentful, just as a gut reflex, until they actually got to Pete’s house, at which point he was in Heaven. Not literally, he reminded himself, because most of these people probably wouldn’t be there, but it was an appropriate metaphor. He patted Kevin on the back to reassure him, before running off to find Pete. Kevin barely resisted the urge to yell after him to watch his drink, mostly because he knew Joe wasn’t actually as stupid as their parents seemed to think. If Joe got drunk, it would be on purpose.
Nick, meanwhile, had disappeared. Kevin’s frantic search ended in the kitchen, where he found Nick talking with Patrick Stump, Pete’s band’s lead singer. Kevin sighed, shaking his head. Let it never be said that Nick didn’t have ambition. Unfortunately, this left Kevin with no lifeline, so he was reduced to standing by the front door, horribly out of place in this house full of people with tattoos and alcohol and recording contracts not based on their family-friendly image. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there, casting around in what he knew was a vain hope for a familiar face, when a voice to his right startled him.
“You’re a Jonas.” This statement of the obvious came from a man who was obviously well on his way to being drunk, and Kevin sighed.
“Yes, I am.” His mother had raised him to be nice to people who annoyed him, so he uncrossed his arms and turned to face the man. “Kevin Jonas, nice to meet you. And you are?”
The man looked at him for a moment, tilting his head. “Mike. Carden.” He held out a hand, and Kevin took it, surprised. “Sorry if this is rude, I’m kinda drunk, but what the hell are you doing here?”
Kevin frowned. “I’m not sure being drunk is a good excuse for rudeness. If you know you’re rude when you’re drunk, maybe you shouldn’t drink.”
Mike stared at him for a beat before laughing. “You know, Jonas, you may just be right.” He dropped Kevin’s hand - Kevin realising with a start that he had still been holding it - and leaned against the wall. “So, in the interests of… I guess politeness, why are you here? It’s not exactly your scene, is it?”
Kevin couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Not really, but I have to keep an eye on Joe and Nick.” He paused, glancing over to the kitchen to make sure he could still see Nick sitting at the table. “Considering Joe’s probably wherever Pete is, I don’t think I’m doing such a good job with that.”
Mike cringed. “Yeah, that maybe wasn’t the smartest.” He followed Kevin’s line of sight to the curly-haired kid in the kitchen and smirked. “What, uh, what are they doing here, though? Pete actually got his claws in Disney?”
“What? Oh, no, hah. Joe just gets really excited when people pay attention to him, and Pete…” Kevin shook his head. “Pete probably thinks it’s some big joke, bringing those Jonas boys to a party like this. What-” he stopped, rubbing his eyes. “Why do you care?” His eyes widened. “Ohmigosh, I’m sorry, there’s not even an alcohol excuse for that!”
Mike laughed. At great length. “That’s what you think is rude?” He ran a hand through his hair. “Anyone ever tell you that’s adorable?” Kevin opened his mouth to protest, but Mike cut him off, leaning closer. “I’m not some creep, you know. Don’t listen to Bill, he’s full of lies. I’m just interested is all.”
Kevin nodded slowly, more lost than ever and wishing Mike would step back, or at least arrange his mouth so he wasn’t exhaling alcohol right in Kevin’s face. “It’s probably a good idea to avoid asking why you’re interested, I guess. I mean, I don’t know Bill, but you clearly have something to hide if you’re warning me in advance.” He grinned, hoping that came across as the joke he’d meant it to be, and was relieved when Mike laughed again. He wondered briefly if the approval of a drunk person really meant anything in terms of humour, but decided against thinking too hard about it. “So, what do you do?” He rolled his eyes at himself. “I mean, you’re in a band, I guess, or you probably wouldn’t be here?” He waited for Mike’s amused nod and continued: “But what do you- I mean, what do you do in the band?”
Mike, who had waited patiently for the flood of words to stop, pushed himself away from the wall where he’d been leaning. “I play guitar. And write, when Bill can bring himself to let go of the pen.”
Kevin gasped. “Me too! Well, I play guitar, Nick mostly writes.”
“Wait.” Mike furrowed his brow. “You Disney kids write your own songs?” He shook his head. “Wow, did not expect that.”
Kevin frowned, but was saved from having to reply by Pete coming up behind Mike, with Joe following behind him. Noting Kevin’s worried glance, Joe laughed. “Don’t worry, I watched my drink. Mom.”
Pete grinned, which did not at all impress Kevin, because he preferred people to be a little more interested in keeping his underage brother sober. Still, he forced a smile. “Thank you for having, us, Pete,” he said, aware that he sounded absurd in this context but sticking to his manners in the absence of any idea how to act in this situation. “I think we’d better be leaving pretty soon, though.”
“Aw, why? You just got here?” Pete swung his arm around Kevin’s shoulders. “You look like you’re getting along with Mike, you know? I bet you two have all kinds of stuff in common.”
“We both play guitar.” Mike interjected.
“See? You both play guitar! You should stay and talk about that. Besides, your other brother’s pretty deep in conversation with Patrick over there, it’d be a shame to interrupt them.”
Kevin followed Pete’s pointing finger and saw that, indeed, Nick was still in the kitchen. Deciding against turning into his mother, Kevin resisted the urge to pull out his cell and call Nick to tell him it was time to go. Instead he sighed, heading over himself. A glance behind him showed that Joe and Pete had stayed with Mike near the door, but that was probably better.
To his surprise, however, Nick jumped up from the table as Kevin approached. His eyes were shining, and to someone who hadn’t known him his whole life it might have appeared that he was intoxicated. Kevin knew this look, though. It was the look of a person who had found someone with whom to discuss music at his own level.
“Kevin! Have you met Patrick?”
Kevin shook his head as Patrick likewise stood up and offered a hand.
“Patrick Stump, Fall Out Boy. Nick tells me you play guitar?”
Kevin took the proffered hand and shook it briefly. “Yeah, but so does Nick. He’s better than I am honestly.” He paused. “I don’t mean to cut things short, but Nick and I really have to get home soon.”
Patrick waved a hand. “Oh sure, no problem. I remember what that’s like. Hey, and-” he grasped Kevin’s arm, “-don’t worry, he didn’t drink anything with either booze or sugar. He told me why you were worried about that.”
Kevin was oddly charmed, and almost felt bad pulling Nick away from the conversation, but they really had to get home. As the two of them headed for the door, Mike approached and pulled Kevin aside.
“So, people tell me I’m not the best at that first impression thing, but you seem surprisingly cool for Disney. We should hang out sometime. If you think your management can stand that.”
Kevin stared for a beat before nodding slowly. “Yeah, sure. I mean, my management’s basically my dad, so.” Stupid, stupid! Why did you mention that? “I mean, it’s not like he can stop me from hanging out with people.”
“Awesome.” Mike smiled without a hint of sarcasm, and Kevin was startled at how green his eyes were when he was happy. “So, right, numbers. I guess I could just write it on your hand?”
“Yeah, that’d probably work.” Kevin fumbled in his pocket for a pen, but was cut short when Pete held one out between them.
“In the interests of making this more concise?”
Mike glared, but grabbed the pen. He scribbled his number on Kevin’s hand, pressing perhaps harder than was strictly necessary, before handing the pen to Kevin and offering his own hand. Kevin wrote his own number, but before he could pull away Mike grabbed his writing hand and pulled him into an awkward side-hug.
“Here’s hoping you still think I’m interesting when I’m sober, right?”
Kevin smiled, handed Pete beck his pen, and grabbed Joe’s wrist to ensure he actually left the party. Nick, he trusted; Joe, not so much. The next day he had all but forgotten the strange encounter, until his mom called him downstairs with the news that someone named Mike was on the phone and asking for him.
Ever since then, despite an apparent lack of anything in common, Kevin and Mike had taken time to hang out whenever they were in the same part of the country. If they were shooting in L.A., Mike came to visit them when he was in the city visiting Pete, and they both made time to visit if their tours took them near each other’s cities.
~~~
“So, yeah, that’s pretty much it. I have no idea why they get along, but they do.” Joe leaned back, and Danielle swatted at his leg to keep him from putting a foot on the coffee table.
“So Mike’s band is in town tonight, huh? I’d really like to meet him. I mean, if he and Kevin are such good friends.”
“Yyyyeah, that’s the thing, Dani.” Joe sat up. “I don’t know if you’d like him. I don’t even know why Kevin likes him, but he… drinks. A lot. And smokes. And doesn’t really shower when he’s on tour, according to Kevin.” He shook his head. “I mean, that’s pretty standard for touring musicians who aren’t, like, us, I mean it’s not like they have their parents with them reminding them to brush their teeth three times a day…” Joe’s voice descended into a growl, and he cleared his throat. “Point is, I don’t know. I’m sure he’d love to meet you, though. I mean, who wouldn’t?”
Dani thought about that for a moment, before nodding firmly and standing up. “I’ll ask Kevin when he gets back. Right now I need to get ready for the day, though, so I’ll leave you alone for a while. If Kevin’s not back by two, though, I’m going to have to kick you out so you can go back to your own home.” She grinned. “I’ll make him call you about going to that show, OK? I’d like to go, too.” With that, she headed back upstairs to get dressed
Joe, just as soon as he was unsupervised, put his feet up on the coffee table.
~~~
Kevin arrived home at a little after half past two, tossing his keys in the dish by the door. Danielle emerged from the kitchen, where she had been making a sandwich, and kissed him on the cheek. “Joe stopped by while you were out; he wanted to know about the possibility of going to Mike’s show tonight. What would you like for lunch, or did you eat?” She headed back to the kitchen, Kevin trailing behind her.
“Um, thanks, but no, we already… you and Joe talked about Mike, huh? What’d he say?”
“Oh, just how the two of you met at one of Pete Wentz’s parties. I didn’t know you hung out with that crowd.”
“Uh, well, I don’t really, it’s more Joe’s thing. So he said he wants to go to the show?”
“Yeah, I told him I’d have you ask Mike about it. Is that OK?” She turned from the counter, having arranged her sandwich on a plate. “Come to think of it, I’d kind of like to go, too. Just to see what they’re like, you know? And maybe meet this Mike guy you’ve told me nothing about.” She grinned as she brushed past him with her plate, heading for the adjoining dining room as Kevin followed her once again.
“I honestly don’t know how well that’d work out, Dani. Mike’s… I don’t know if you’d like him. I mean I’m sure he’d love you, all smart people do, but he’s… not exactly family-friendly.”
Danielle laughed. “Are you serious? Why would that matter to me? Funny thing is, that’s just about what Joe said, which means you boys don’t know me very well. I’m not gonna get offended by swearing or the fact that he probably hasn’t showered recently. I know not everyone can be Jonases, sadly.” She smiled to show him she was joking before taking a bite of her sandwich. Kevin, correctly taking that as a signal that the conversation was over, went to call Mike about maybe getting them in, and the possibility of Danielle meeting him afterwards.
~~~
In the end, Joe, Kevin, and Dani ended up going to the show. Nick declared his utter disinterest in spending an evening surrounded by drunken idiots, mom and dad agreed, and Frankie wasn’t even consulted, so the three headed off. The drive over consisted primarily of Joe leaning up from the back seat of Kevin’s car to regale Danielle with “interesting” facts about Pete Wentz and Decaydance in general, and of Kevin shaking his head.
The show itself was pretty great, in Kevin’s admittedly biased opinion. Mike was fantastic, as always, and he and Bill put on a great stage show. Kevin was still a little nervous around Michael Guy, for some reason, but he had to admit the man was talented. Butcher was of course a madman, and Siska (Kevin still wasn’t sure of his first name) was pretty good, he supposed - Kevin didn’t really know much about the bass, so he wasn’t the best judge. Danielle even seemed to enjoy herself, despite Kevin’s mid-show worries about her reactions to some of the “bromance”, as Mike had called it, aspects. Bill licking Mike’s cheek, for example, surely wasn’t required, and couldn’t he stop winding the mic cord around Mike’s neck? Still, a good time was had by all, notwithstanding Kevin’s nervousness about the pending introduction.
After the show, and after the fans drifted away from the parking lot where Bill was signing autographs, he brought Kevin and Danielle back to the bus. Joe tagged along, which annoyed Kevin for no good reason, but he didn’t mind enough to say anything about it. Besides, if precedent was any indication, Siska and Butcher would already be settling down in the lounge for a post-show round of video games, and Kevin had no qualms about suggesting that Joe join them there.
Kevin felt a little awkward being herded into the bus like - he struggled to think of a different simile, but none came to mind - a groupie or something, but his discomfort ebbed upon seeing Mike. His first instinct was to rush up to Mike and hug him, but the eyebrow Mike had already raised told him that such an action would most likely be seen as strange. He settled for moving to the side and not-so-subtly gesturing that Joe should go elsewhere in the bus, which he did after only the most cursory of eyerolls. Whatever, Joe knew how infrequent Mike’s visits were, he could deal with being forced to play video games for a while.
Bill, meanwhile, stayed right where he was, hands on his hips and an amused grin on his face. “So this is the new Mrs. Jonas, huh? Nice to meet you,” he said, offering a hand to Danielle, who took it cautiously. “I’m William Beckett, but feel free to call me whatever you want.” He winked at her, but Mike - doing what Kevin would never have dared - jabbed him in the side and glared. “Ow! What? I was just introducing myself to the completely unavailable woman. As you do.”
Mike rolled his eyes, turning towards Danielle. “Sorry about him, there’s something wrong with him.” He shot a look at Bill. “Don’t you have something else you could be doing?”
Bill leaned against the bunks, seemingly unperturbed. “Could be doing? Probably. But why would I, when I have this delightful scene?”
Mike laughed, despite himself, and turned determinedly away from him and back towards Kevin and Danielle. “So! Now that that weirdo can be safely ignored, how have you been? I mean, I haven’t seen Kevin here since the wedding, and I never got to meet you at all, so… yeah, ‘How’ve you been’ seems to cover it.”
Kevin, taking confused note of the unusual lack of profanity in Mike’s conversation, noticed Bill looking at them speculatively. He frowned and directed his gaze back to Mike. “Well, I mean, I haven’t been doing much, lately, ‘cause Nick’s still working on his own thing and we can’t really tour without him, but that means Dani and I get to spend more time together!”
Bill, still hovering, raised an eyebrow, but Mike just smiled. “That must be nice, having time to yourselves. So, uh, Dani?” Danielle nodded her approval of the nickname, and he continued: “What do you do? Are you a musician too?”
“Oh, no!” Dani giggled. “No, I can’t play at all, unfortunately. I’m a hairdresser. Well, I’m actually not working right now, but I’m hoping to get another opportunity now that I’ve settled down.”
Mike nodded contemplatively, and the three of them continued making small talk while Bill - along with Michael Guy, who it turned out had been attempting to sleep in his bunk - very conspicuously joined Joe, Butcher, and Siska in the lounge. Mike and Danielle seemed to get along, and were in the midst of a conversation about their favorite books when Kevin got a call from Nick, informing him that Joe wasn’t answering his phone and needed to get home before Mom and Dad started worrying. Why their parents had decided to appoint Nick the arbiter of curfew Kevin had never been sure, but he promised he’d have Joe home right away. Snapping his phone shut, he turned back to Danielle and Mike.
“I really hate to do this, but Joe needs to get home before our parents start freaking out.”
Mike laughed quietly in seeming disbelief, with which Kevin sympathized. “OK, I guess I’ve kept you two long enough anyway. It was very nice to meet you, Dani,” he said, holding out his hand again, but Danielle surprised him and Kevin both by rolling her eyes and hugging him. He slowly put his arms around her, raising his eyebrows at Kevin, who smiled.
“It was nice to meet you too, Mike. You seem interesting, and I’m glad my husband has such a good friend. For future reference, though, you’re allowed to swear around me. I’m not going to faint or something.” She smiled sweetly, and Kevin was reminded of just how much he loved her.
“Duly noted.” Mike offered a smile of his own before turning to Kevin and pulling him into a hug. Kevin smiled broadly and hugged him back, making sure to pull away before Mike did so as not to seem awkward. It had taken him only a few embarrassing conversations to realise that not everyone hugged the way he and his brothers did.
Kevin collected Joe from the lounge and they left, but not before Mike extorted a promise that Kevin would do everything he could to make sure their next tour went through Chicago. Bill waved at them as they pulled away.
~~~
In the following month, Nick’s Administration tour got off the ground and wrapped up, with Kevin and Joe going to as many of the dates as they could. Mike surprised Kevin by showing up to the LA date, the second-to-last of the tour. He tactfully avoided the subject of Nick’s music, choosing instead to regale Kevin with stories of how boring life was without him and “that face you make like you think you should be offended but you’re not sure why”.
The months after that were generally uneventful, with sporadic visits to and from LA, Chicago, and Westlake. Dani came with Kevin more often than not, and she and Mike seemed to have hit it off. Kevin was of course pleased by this development, because he wasn’t sure what he would have done otherwise. Almost before they knew it, it seemed, they had started rehearsals for their next tour.
Danielle was there almost every day, and Demi came to visit when her shooting schedule allowed. Kevin couldn’t help but be relieved that they’d given up on their plans to put on a Camp Rock Tour - he’d never been sure it was as good an idea as Dad had seemed to think - but he knew Joe and Nick would miss having their best friend around to support them like this. Kevin was lucky, of course, in that he had married his best friend, but even she wouldn’t be able to come on tour with them. She’d gotten another job as a hairstylist, and simply couldn’t afford to take that much time off work, especially so near the beginning of her employment.
So Dani and Demi wouldn’t be coming along, which was unfortunate for all involved, but a new development had just cropped up - one that made Kevin very happy, and his parents more than a little concerned. The Academy Is… weren’t on tour or writing at the moment, and had no plans to be for rather a while, so Bill had graciously granted Mike permission to join Kevin on the North American part of the tour. Mike was pretty sure Bill was only being so nice right now because he knew he was guaranteed mocking privileges for months (if not years) afterwards, but he brushed that off in favour of asking Kevin if he’d mind.
“I mean, I know it’d probably be weird, do your parents even know who I am?”
Kevin laughed. “Probably not, but that doesn’t really matter at this point. If you want to come, I’d love to have you! And- and Joe and Nick, they’d love to have you too.”
“I’m sure.”
Kevin could all but hear Mike’s smirk, and it occurred to him that it was probably not normal for one person to put so much sarcasm in his statements that the other person could hear his expressions through the phone. Or maybe it was just that Kevin knew him too well. Both thoughts were somewhat frightening.
Mom and Dad were less than enthused about Mike’s presence, but Kevin assured them they could take the extra costs out of his cut and he and Mike could share rooms, so it wasn’t even terribly inconvenient. Mostly, he thought, they didn’t want their sons to fall under the influence of this weird Chicagoan with terrifying eyes and a tendency to go alarmingly long between showers. Kevin couldn’t exactly blame them for that, but neither could he seem to make them understand that there was more to Mike. He was funny, and surprisingly sweet, and he took care of his friends like… well, like a Chicagoan, if Kevin were to believe everything he had read when he was ten and obsessed with the Mafia.
Still, his parents weren’t really in a position to make decisions for their 22-year-old son, no matter how much they grumbled, so Mike came along on the tour. The paparazzi and youth press were understandably confused, but over all they didn’t pay him much attention. When they did, it was mostly along the lines of:
“Mike, what are you doing?”
“Mike, how did you and Kevin meet?”
“Excuse me, but who are you?”
Far more common were questions directed at Kevin as he attempted to walk quickly from one site to another, questions such as:
“Kevin, how’s Danielle?”
“Do you miss her?”
“Is she pregnant yet?”
Kevin smiled tightly when they asked those sorts of questions, barreling ahead with no comment, but once the cameras were out of sight his smile dropped into a hard-lipped look of what might have been mistaken for anger by someone who didn’t know how fastidiously good natured he was.
Dad instructed him in no uncertain terms to ignore such vulgar people, hinting that they would get their just desserts in the next life. Mom, meanwhile, gently suggested that he ignore such vulgar people, hinting that, nevertheless, it really was about time she got a grandchild over whom to dote. Nick, who had been dodging invasive questions longer than any of them, tried to convince Kevin that the best course of action was the steely glare. Kevin refrained from reminding his brother that Nick and Dad were the only ones in the family who had ever perfected such a glare, while Kevin - and even Joe - were more likely to sit in silence until the question was retracted or rephrased.
Joe, of course, approached the problem in his own special way: by asking Kevin if he and Danielle were using birth control. Kevin gave him his best shot at a Nick-glare, but Joe just laughed, patted him on the shoulder, and told him to “be safe.” Kevin fumed. As if it was the business of his little brother to know if he and his wife were aiming for a child! In fact, they were using birth control, for the most part, but it was none of Joe’s business. Dani simply didn’t feel she was ready for children yet, and Kevin respected her wishes.
Mike, meanwhile, offered to walk with Kevin as a sort of bodyguard against invasive questions like that. After having seen what some members of the press said to Bill when they found out he had a wife and child, he knew the power of a well-placed glower. This, he explained to Kevin, differed from a glare in its implied promise of subsequent violence. Nevertheless, Kevin declined. If Big Rob wasn’t enough to keep the idiots at bay, he wasn’t sure what one - admittedly scary, but also scrawny - man could do. Mike conceded the point, but continued to rub Kevin’s back until he felt he was in a state to interact with people again.
The tour progressed smoothly. Mike did his very best to ingratiate himself to Kevin’s parents, and they gradually warmed to him - even going so far as to stop grumbling when they couldn’t find Kevin, knowing that he was likely with Mike somewhere and accepting that this meant he wasn’t in danger. Kevin called Dani every day and texted her far more often, while Mike fielded regular calls from Bill - calls that began with mockery but quickly segued into questions about what it was like to be on tour with people who didn’t do any of the things that made touring fun. Sometimes Mike and Kevin switched phones, so Dani could make sure Mike was taking good care of her husband while Bill told Kevin in no uncertain terms that if Mike was humming Disney songs by the end of the tour he would personally ruin Kevin’s life.
And so all was well and everyone happy until, a week or so into the tour, Joe forgot his sunglasses in his bunk. Not such a noteworthy occurrence, except that, upon reentering the bus, he found Kevin and Mike. Standing in the aisle. Kissing.
( Part 2)