Love Angel Music Baby {VG Slash}
I just stumbled into this one by mistake. I could get to like Arthur when he brings me presents. :-)
Love Angel Music Baby
"Curt Wild?"
"Who wants to know?"
"I've been looking for you for ages."
"And now you found me. What do you want, kid?" Curt paused long enough to
blow smoke in his direction, and the younger man coughed.
"I just wanted to say I'm your biggest fan--"
Curt's eyebrows disappeared into his hair. He couldn't have looked more
skeptical if he tried. "Really? Didn't know I had a fan club. Imagine."
Arthur Stuart blushed. It was a charming look for him, honestly, and if
Curt had been the slightest bit interested in anyone but Brian Slade, he
might have flirted with the boy. But he wasn't looking for anyone. Serious
or otherwise.
"The concert was amazing," Arthur said, referring to the Death of Glitter
show that had wrapped up mere hours before.
"Thanks," Curt said wearily. If he had to be nice to one more well-meaning
fan, he was going to scream.
'I was...um, that is...I was wondering..."
"Christ, spit it out, kid. I'm tired and I got no particular place to go,"
Curt snapped.
"What did he say?" Arthur exclaimed breathlessly.
"What did who say?" Curt asked with a frown.
"You know," Arthur whispered conspiratorially as if he feared being
overheard. "Brian Slade."
"Excuse me?" Curt was pretty much out on his feet, but he hadn't taken any
drugs. Yet. So there was no way he could have missed seeing Brian. *If*
he'd actually been there.
Now it was Arthur's turn to look puzzled. Another nice look on the kid,
Curt mused, before slamming the door on that thought. "He didn't come
over?"
"From where?"
"He was right there," Arthur said, pointing to the now-darkened archway
that divided the concert hall from an inescapably bleak corridor that led
outside.
Curt blinked. "He was?"
Arthur nodded. "He was in disguise--"
"Oh, well, why didn't you say so?" Curt sneered. Jesus, he had no more
patience left for this sort of thing.
"You don't believe me."
"In a word? No."
"Well, he was there," Arthur said, vaguely disillusioned by his actual
meeting with one of his idols. "Watching you."
"That's nice."
"Sorry to bother you," Arthur mumbled. "Thought you'd want to know."
"Look, kid, I'm sorry I'm not who you wanted me to be." Arthur nodded, and
Curt felt his heart sink. This was his weakness. He used to take in stray
dogs. Now it was stray people.
"I didn't mean to rip your head off. It's just...the past few weeks have
been...hard." Curt's voice softened before it trailed off to nothing.
"You miss him."
"Like a bad hangover," Curt said dryly.
Arthur cocked his head as though he was struggling to understand, but it
was clear that he couldn't.
Curt forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Sometimes love isn't
enough. You wish it was, but..."
"He hurt you."
"We hurt each other," Curt corrected, somewhat surprised that he was able
to figure out that much.
"There's no going back?"
"Wouldn't if I could," Curt said with such an air of resignation that
Arthur sighed.
"Even if things could be different?"
"What do you got, kid? A magic wand? Even if we could start over, which is
impossible," he pointed out, "how could things be different?"
Arthur smiled, and there was an incandescence surrounding him that made
even Curt's tired senses sit up and take notice.
"That's the funny thing about second chances. They come at the strangest
times. But you have to be open to them. Or you just might miss them."
Curt could have sworn that the boy winked at him.
Right before everything went black.
*****
Love Angel Music Baby
"Curt Wild?"
"Who wants to know?"
"I've been looking for you for ages."
"And now you found me. What do you want, kid?" Curt paused long enough to
blow smoke in his direction, and the younger man coughed.
"I just wanted to say I'm your biggest fan--"
Curt's eyebrows disappeared into his hair. He couldn't have looked more
skeptical if he tried. "Really? Didn't know I had a fan club. Imagine."
Arthur Stuart blushed. It was a charming look for him, honestly, and if
Curt had been the slightest bit interested in anyone but Brian Slade, he
might have flirted with the boy. But he wasn't looking for anyone. Serious
or otherwise.
"The concert was amazing," Arthur said, referring to the Death of Glitter
show that had wrapped up mere hours before.
"Thanks," Curt said wearily. If he had to be nice to one more well-meaning
fan, he was going to scream.
'I was...um, that is...I was wondering..."
"Christ, spit it out, kid. I'm tired and I got no particular place to go,"
Curt snapped.
"What did he say?" Arthur exclaimed breathlessly.
"What did who say?" Curt asked with a frown.
"You know," Arthur whispered conspiratorially as if he feared being
overheard. "Brian Slade."
"Excuse me?" Curt was pretty much out on his feet, but he hadn't taken any
drugs. Yet. So there was no way he could have missed seeing Brian. *If*
he'd actually been there.
Now it was Arthur's turn to look puzzled. Another nice look on the kid,
Curt mused, before slamming the door on that thought. "He didn't come
over?"
"From where?"
"He was right there," Arthur said, pointing to the now-darkened archway
that divided the concert hall from an inescapably bleak corridor that led
outside.
Curt blinked. "He was?"
Arthur nodded. "He was in disguise--"
"Oh, well, why didn't you say so?" Curt sneered. Jesus, he had no more
patience left for this sort of thing.
"You don't believe me."
"In a word? No."
"Well, he was there," Arthur said, vaguely disillusioned by his actual
meeting with one of his idols. "Watching you."
"That's nice."
"Sorry to bother you," Arthur mumbled. "Thought you'd want to know."
"Look, kid, I'm sorry I'm not who you wanted me to be." Arthur nodded, and
Curt felt his heart sink. This was his weakness. He used to take in stray
dogs. Now it was stray people.
"I didn't mean to rip your head off. It's just...the past few weeks have
been...hard." Curt's voice softened before it trailed off to nothing.
"You miss him."
"Like a bad hangover," Curt said dryly.
Arthur cocked his head as though he was struggling to understand, but it
was clear that he couldn't.
Curt forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Sometimes love isn't
enough. You wish it was, but..."
"He hurt you."
"We hurt each other," Curt corrected, somewhat surprised that he was able
to figure out that much.
"There's no going back?"
"Wouldn't if I could," Curt said with such an air of resignation that
Arthur sighed.
"Even if things could be different?"
"What do you got, kid? A magic wand? Even if we could start over, which is
impossible," he pointed out, "how could things be different?"
Arthur smiled, and there was an incandescence surrounding him that made
even Curt's tired senses sit up and take notice.
"That's the funny thing about second chances. They come at the strangest
times. But you have to be open to them. Or you just might miss them."
Curt could have sworn that the boy winked at him.
Right before everything went black.
*****