Drum Kits and Stage Dives

Chapter Six

They talked as they had been all week on the way to Dave’s house. Although their chat had moved from Music and their Band to issues a little closer to heart. Over the past week, Adrian and Dave had seen a considerable increase in the topics they could talk about, and their friendship had strengthened. They were beginning to learn things about each other that normally only best friends and partners might know, and that was a huge comfort for Dave. Still, not a single word of their trip to Asda had been spoken, and there was still no mention of their feelings for each other. Dave was planning to change all that.

Upon their arrival at Dave’s house, the two boys settled themselves down on the sofa in the living room. James had left a note on the side to say that he was staying at his friend’s for tea, which meant that Dave didn’t have to cook anything for him, and he was glad that his brother had left them to talk quietly. There was a nervous but somewhat comfortable silence between the two of them for a few minutes, each sat back against the sofa to stare at the blank television set.

“Dave…” Adrian muttered quietly, turning his head to look at the other boy. Their gaze caught for a few minutes and similar smiles filled their faces. “Uh, say, have you thought much more… about… you know?” Adrian queried sheepishly, his hand lifting to scratch under his ear nervously. Seizing his chance, Dave sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

“If you’re not going to argue with me about my feelings, then I’ll tell you,” Dave replied, looking up at Adrian, who nodded for Dave to continue. A smile spread across Dave’s lips, and he turned slightly so that one leg was up on the sofa, and the other dangled over the edge. “I’m really attracted to you…” Dave started, forcing himself to speak even though his throat felt dry and his mind was reeling. He’d spent every minute since he kissed Adrian coming to the conclusion that he was gay; he wanted Adrian, and he wanted to be with him. He thought about how it would affect his life and decided that he would overcome any barriers that he came across. His mind was set; all he had to do now was tell Adrian. “I… want to let everyone know, that… I am gay… and… I really… want to be with you.”

Adrian’s eyes were wide, and a thought suddenly hit Dave. What if Adrian didn’t want to be with him anymore? What if over the week that they’d gotten to really know each other he’d decided that he didn’t like him anymore? He gulped as discreetly as he could manage and looked up at Adrian hopefully, to find the other boy smiling. Adrian’s smile was contagious, and he couldn’t help himself.

“Wow. I certainly didn’t expect that,” Adrian started, tipping his head to the side slightly, the big grin still on his lips. “I hope you weren’t asking me out though. ‘Cause I thought I’d quite like to do that myself,” he added, standing up from the sofa. Dave’s eyes followed him as he moved to where Dave sat, before kneeling down just in front of the sofa. Dave first acknowledged that Adrian had technically planted himself between Dave’s legs, and then he realised that he was kneeling down in front of him. Dave guessed his assumptions about Adrian not wanting him were very wrong.

“Uh… I… wasn’t… asking you out.” Dave stumbled over his words as he spoke, his eyes fixed on Adrian’s, as if turning his gaze away might remove an invisible barrier between them both. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Adrian to get any closer, but in the position they were currently in, there was a lot of room for imagination.

“Good,” Adrian declared, letting his elbows rest so that he was leant over Dave’s leg. “Because I really wanted to ask you if you’d be my boyfriend, Dave. Will you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in question. As if the question was confirmation of every thought he’d had this past week, his head stopped swimming. Adrian was worth a lifetime of people telling him he was queer, and whatever else they would want to throw at him. He made him feel wanted; he made him happy. Nothing else seemed to matter in the past week, and he wouldn't give any other answer.

“Yeah. I’d… love to,” Dave replied hastily, trying to suppress his grin. Now he felt awkward. In every movie he’d seen, or every story he’d read, the bit after two people got together was the bit where they kissed and stuff. He felt his throat retract as he swallowed and his eyes flickered over Adrian’s gaze, seeing if such events would unfold. Even though he was half-expecting it, he felt his eyes widen when Adrian leant up from his place on the floor and let his hand slide to Dave’s cheek, a soft whimper escaping him when Adrian’s lips let with his, and he might have let out a moan when Adrian’s body pressed against his if his mouth wasn’t already occupied. Adrian was amazing at kissing, and as Dave’s eyes rolled closed he found himself engrossed.

One of Adrian’s hands held Dave’s waist, pressing him down against the sofa and the other hand wound its way round the back of Dave’s neck, easing his head in closer – not that Dave needed much encouragement. Dave slumped against the sofa considerably due to Adrian’s weight on top of him – not that he was complaining. He had a firm thigh in his crotch, and a warm chest pressed against his own. Dave’s hands found their way to various parts of Adrian’s body. He’d managed in the few moments they’d been kissing to search Adrian’s ass, his back, his neck, his sides, and had finally left one to rest on Adrian’s hip and the other to wrap in the soft, dirty blonde hair on Adrian’s head.

There weren’t many thoughts running through Dave’s head in those minutes; Adrian had taken away the worries of the world when he’d asked him to be his boyfriend, and now thoughts of Adrian took over every part of his mind. How nice that tongue felt pushing past his lips, how those hands made his skin tingle, how good it felt being crushed between the sofa and Adrian’s body; why the hell hadn’t he realised Adrian liked him three years ago? He could have had so much more of this.

His hips bucked involuntarily when he felt Adrian’s fingertips ease under his shirt slightly; the warm sensation that rushed from his waist to his head was heavenly. Perhaps, had it happened a few seconds earlier, before Adrian’s hand started creeping up over his stomach, he might have heard the front door click. As it happened, he was far too engrossed in Adrian and his hands that he didn’t, but he did hear James yell.

“OI! GET THE FUCK OFF MY BROTH--.” James yelled, but soon stopped as he realised that Adrian wasn’t being attacked he was being… kissed. Adrian had leaned up off him the moment he’d heard the shout, his eyes darting back and forth between Dave and James. A deep blush filled the cheeks of both boys, while James wore a look of pure hatred. “What the…?” he trailed off, cheeks now as red as the couple's were.

“James. Uh…I…I thought you were staying at your friend’s house,” Dave stammered, leaning up and pulling his shirt back down and standing. Adrian had since moved to sit down beside Dave, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.

“You never told me you…you…were…is he your boyfriend?” James’ eyebrows had furrowed into a confused frown, and he looked like he might be feeling a little sick. He stood still just a few meters from the door, his bag still hauled over his shoulder.

“Uhm…Yeah…Well…As of about…a few seconds ago,” Dave mumbled quietly, a slight smile still fixed on his slightly mauled lips. His gaze turned to James, looking like a little lost sheep. He visibly gulped, and the glare James was giving him forced him to look away, fixating his gaze on the floor.

“Hence the snogging,” James said bitterly, turning his head away from both of them. Without another word, he walked up the stairs as determinedly as he could and made sure to slam the door behind him. It left Dave with a very cold, numb sensation in his stomach. His eyes closed, and he fell back against the sofa heavily staring off at nothing.

“It…probably just came as a shock to him,” Adrian whispered, moving to sit beside Dave, his arm protectively curling round the shorter boy easing him in closer slowly. He didn’t want to pull him in, aware that their relationship was very fresh and possibly fragile. He just wanted to kiss Dave and tell him it was all going to be okay, but he didn’t know James and couldn’t guarantee anything – which made his heart ache.

Over the last week he’d gotten to know Dave better than anyone but James. Dave himself had told him that just the other day and Adrian felt sure that it wasn’t a good thing James had reacted the way he had. At least they hadn’t gotten into a verbal fight, or even a physical one. Unable to stand the distant look in Dave’s eyes, Adrian lifted a hand gently to the other’s cheek, pressing two fingers against the soft skin to bring Dave’s head to face him directly. He let his head tip, aware that his hair flopped across his eyes as it did so. He was glad when Dave reached out to brush back those tendrils of dirty blonde hair: he liked those small gestures. It was Dave that leaned in to kiss Adrian, and the latter was glad for that. He hadn’t wanted to push Dave, and those lips against his meant that he was still certain of his decision.

“Come on, I’ll make us something to eat,” Dave whispered after he leaned back. Dave became aware that the kiss they had just shared had been the gentlest of the three. Only three? He couldn’t believe he’d managed to resist those lips for as long as he had – but with the same resolve, he got up off the sofa and turned to look at Adrian. He reached out to help the blonde up, but when he realised that Adrian had been staring at his posterior his cheeks flushed; Adrian was wearing the cheeky grin that meant he’d been thinking, quite possibly about what he wanted to do with Dave, and Dave really wanted to focus on his hunger right now.

“Something to eat sounds lovely,” Adrian replied, taking Dave’s hand, though he didn't really need Dave’s help. His arms slid round Dave’s small form and wrapped easily around his waist. “What is it? I could murder something off the Dave-ala carte.” Adrian joked. Unable to help himself, his lips met with Dave’s neck and he felt the boy in his arms shudder slightly.

“Adrian…” Dave whispered barely audible, before twisting in the warm grip. His hands slid up to curl over Adrian’s shoulders as he eased himself closer to the taller boy, who wore a smirk. How foolish he had been to believe he could resist Adrian; it was apparent that for the past week and a half, Adrian hadn’t even been trying to entice him. In fact, Adrian hadn’t made any move on him whatsoever during the period of time he’d given Dave to think.

Their lips met once more and Dave felt strong arms pull him in closer by his waist. Adrian was being gentle, he knew that – but it didn’t stop the strong desire to bowl Adrian over and…and…his thoughts stopped and he leaned away slowly, managing a grin even though his mind was reeling. How had he been stupid enough to forget that people that were in relationships did things that he’d never done before – besides kissing? It wasn’t that he was repulsed by the thought, nor was he reluctant to go any further with Adrian – well, he was at the moment, but that was because they’d only just started dating right? He’d just never thought about it before, and now here he stood, having vivid thoughts about just what he wanted to do to Adrian.

“I think there’s some stuff for pasta in the fridge,” Dave announced, peeling himself away from Adrian’s embrace and moving towards the kitchen. He was fully aware that Adrian was following him, but insisted on ignoring the other boy – on account of the fact he would never get anything to eat if he didn’t. Gathering some things from various areas on the kitchen, he finally collated them on a work surface by the stove. Dave could feel Adrian’s eyes on him with each of his actions, and the gaze only fell still when Dave did, which was when the pasta was on the boil and the other ingredients he needed we sorted and ready to be mixed up.

“Probably be ready in a few minutes,” he said with a nod, turning to rest against the counter. Adrian immediately advanced on him and Dave smirked helplessly. Before long, Adrian’s hands were planted firmly on Dave’s hips, and their lips had connected once again. Dave had allowed his hands to snake up Adrian’s chest and curl round the taller boy’s neck, easing him in and closer to those lips. He wasn’t sure how long they stood there, but Adrian’s hips against his own were beginning to cause a stirring in Dave’s nether regions, and a faint blush was apparent in his cheeks. The intimacy of the situation seemed to negate his hearing, because it wasn’t until his brother had already caught sight of them as he stood at the door to the kitchen, and spoke that he realised James was there.

“Gross,” he muttered blankly, which forced Adrian and Dave to separate quickly. Dave's gaze followed James as he ignored them and walked to the fridge, pulling out a handful of snack foods. Dave sighed a little, and with the back of his hand wiped his mouth slowly. “I was gonna make enough pasta for you to eat too,” Dave explained, raising an eyebrow as he braced himself for James’ next statement. Dave’s brother closed the fridge door and looked over at the stove, then between Dave and Adrian a few times.

“I wouldn’t want to spoil your romantic dinner,” he snapped, grabbing a packet of crisps from one of the cupboards and moving towards the door back to the living room. “Make sure you don’t make too much noise; it’s bad enough just thinking about what you two are getting up to, never mind having to hear it too.” His words were sharp, and Dave felt a pang in his chest, which was a mixture of pain and anger. Dave’s mouth opened to reply to James’ vague insult, but before he could think up anything at all to say in reply James’ door had slammed above him.

Dave turned back to look at Adrian, stark green eyes staring up into Adrian’s sad blue ones. There was unspoken understanding between them, and Adrian moved over to pull Dave into an embrace, arms sliding comfortably round Dave’s waist. A heavy sigh emanated from Dave, and although he felt incredible sadness at his brother’s reaction, he didn’t feel the need to pull out of the new relationship he had made with Adrian. In fact, it just seemed to strengthen his resolve. The realisation that he really was prepared to go through anything to be with Adrian gave him a feeling of comfort, but there was still the lingering fact that his brother was not happy with his orientation.

“Are you okay?” Adrian’s voice broke through the silence after a few minutes, and Dave nodded slowly, leaning back from Adrian to smile at him, his hands still occupying Adrian’s hips. Adrian’s eyebrow arched in unspoken question, asking for some kind of explanation.

“I’m fine. It’s nice to know that even though James is clearly…upset by this, I don’t feel like stopping it,” he explained, blushing slightly at the implications of the words. To be with Adrian no matter what; it sounded like something from some kind of fairy tale, or romantic film or book – from a love story. “Besides, he’ll come round I should imagine. It must be a big shock…coming home and finding your brother…you know.” His gaze drifted guiltily to where the pan holding their dinner bubbled. He wasn’t repulsed by their relationship, just unused to it and its repercussions.

Adrian just nodded in reply to Dave’s words, understanding fully his acceptance and his thoughts in that moment. Adrian leant over slightly, pressing his lips lightly against Dave’s forehead, eyes falling shut as he did so. It was as if suddenly he had been made complete, made certain by the fact that Dave really could put up with the knock-backs that came with being openly gay.

“I hope he comes round for you, Dave…” Adrian mumbled, having dropped his head to the side of Dave’s head, nuzzling against him gently. Adrian felt a pair of hands slip up to either side of his face, and he was pulled back, and forward so that his lips pressed firmly against Dave’s. His eyes widened slightly before falling closed in a happy pleasure, as if the kiss sealed an unspoken deal. They broke apart, and Dave found himself staring up at Adrian with a huge grin on his lips.

“Just give him a little time; he’s my brother and my best friend. As I said, he’s probably just really shocked,” Dave said hopefully, letting his hands drop from Adrian’s cheeks, turning round to stir the pasta again before making a noise that meant it was finished. It didn’t take Dave long to plate up their dinner, and before long they were sitting in front of the television, eating.

“So much for a romantic dinner,” Adrian joked, looking over at Dave in the hope that he hadn’t taken the comment the wrong way, and he was pleased when he saw Dave laughing.

“Not quite, eh? Maybe next time?” Dave suggested, raising an eyebrow in Adrian’s direction. Dave quite liked the idea of them both sitting down to a properly prepared meal set on a candlelit table, and the possibilities were endless. His cheeks flushed at his own thoughts, and he rubbed the back of his hand against his cheek in a vain attempt to make the redness fade. He was glad that Adrian was too intent on the music video playing on the TV and his food to actually notice. Was that was Dave wanted? The ‘extras’ that came with a loving relationship? Were there even ‘extras’? He couldn’t see any reason why anyone would get involved with someone and not want toget close physically. He’d never really given it much thought. Now that he did, he realised he certainly did want to see, and feel the contents of Adrian’s shirt, and quite easily his trousers too. A shudder of anticipation ran down his spine, and he tried to focus on his food, unaware that Adrian was watching him curiously.

“What are you thinking, Dave?” Adrian asked casually, making Dave jump, and when he realised the weight of Adrian’s gaze, his cheeks flushed even more. He looked up at Adrian, shaking his head quickly.

“Nothing. Nothing much…I’m just thinking about you and me,” he explained, hoping that was enough to convince Adrian, but when Adrian’s eyes lit up slightly and a grin spread to his lips – he knew Adrian had seen past the comment.

“Oh really?” Adrian perked, winking once before shovelling another forkful of pasta past his mouth. Dave suddenly felt grateful for his choice in boyfriend. It became blatantly obvious to him that Adrian cared about him, wanted him - yet knew that Dave was one for taking things slow. Adrian had a fascinating respect for Dave, and Dave was beyond grateful for that. A wide grin spread across Dave’s lips, and the pair finished their dinner in their own time. It was after Adrian had insisted on helping Dave do the washing up and they had retreated back to the comfort of the sofa that they sat for a few hours, Adrian’s arm around Dave, watching the television. It wasn’t that they were boring, but Dave had had a long day - which had worn him out that, and getting together with Adrian meant that Dave was feeling rather tired. He was glad that they were sitting happily together, every now and then bringing up a topic about the music video they were watching, or a stupid comment about the adverts. Dave appreciated Adrian’s apparent understanding of Dave’s feelings and needs, and it wasn’t until Dave realised that it was nearing 11 o’clock that they decided mutually that Adrian should go home. A few minutes later, Adrian stood in the doorway to Dave’s house, and they were sharing a ‘goodnight kiss’ across the threshold.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Adrian whispered after they broke apart, and Dave snickered lightly, shaking his head.

“It’ll only be until the morning, Adi. Don’t be silly,” Dave whispered back, his eyes locked on Adrian’s. He knew what he meant though; the thought of having to leave him was almost painful. Adrian shrugged, and leant in to kiss Dave’s forehead again, letting his arms fall to his sides.

“Yeah…I’ll come and get you in the morning. Is that okay?” Adrian asked, smiling as he received a nod in reply. He lifted a hand, and gave a small wave before stepped back slightly. “Goodnight then, Dave. See you in the morning,” he called, turning and walking up the path that led to Dave’s house, his hands dipped in his pockets.

“G’night Adrian,” Dave sighed, watching Adrian’s retreating back, a small smile slipping over his lips each time Adrian turned to look back at him. It wasn’t until Adrian turned the corner at the end of the street that he closed the door, and fell back to lean against it. The feelings shooting about inside his head were somewhat confusing. It was hard to comprehend that he and Adrian were now a ‘couple’, and even harder to come to terms with the understanding that the two of them shared about one another. Most of all, the feelings he had for Adrian seem to have seeped from inside him somewhere they had been stored secretly over the past fortnight, and now he was beginning to see Adrian in a different light, as well as seeing him as someone he wanted to ravish. He bit his lip, and walked back through the living room, making for the stairs.

It was when he reached the top of the stairs that he realised James’ bedroom door was slightly ajar and he peered round it slowly to find James sitting on his bed, game console controller tight in his hands.

“Hi,” James said, his eyes not leaving the screen, where he was apparently in the middle of a race of some kind. A small sigh escaped Dave and he stepped inside the room, sitting down on James’ bed behind him, eyes on the screen.

“Hey,” he muttered, staying quiet until James’ car passed the finish line and he set the controller down, cracking his fingers before shifting to look at Dave better.

“So come on. How long have you known?” he asked, and Dave supposed he should have been grateful for James’ straightforward question. He tried to find something interesting in James’ room to focus his attention on, and ended up fixing his gaze on his feet.

“Well, Uh…A week,” he whispered, cursing how pitiful it sounded in his head. He tried to rescue himself by continuing. “I’ve known Adrian for ages though, and always felt the need to be around him; I just didn’t really realise what it meant until last week,” he mumbled, his throat feeling like someone had dumped a load of sand inside it.

“I see,” James said, lifting a hand to his mouth and rubbing it gently before looking up at Dave and sighing. “It’s not that I hate you for being gay…I sorta wished you’d said something to me, it was weird…seeing you…” he trailed off, a blush on his cheeks.

“Ah. Yeah, I sorta figured. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before… I was going to tell you… I just didn’t know how,” Dave explained, lifting a hand to tug at his hair gently. James took that to mean that Dave felt uncomfortable – he’d seen him do the same thing a few times before, like if their parents brought up the subject of girlfriends.

“It’s okay. So tell me… You really fancy him right?” James asked, tipping his head slightly and attempting to look directly into Dave’s eyes. He was pleasantly surprised when Dave met his gaze, and he knew that he was happy with the situation. Dave blushed nevertheless.

“Yeah. He’s hot, kind too and all that. Really sweet… I miss him already.” Dave admitted, holding James’ stare for a few more moments before casting his eyes down at his brother’s bed, picking at the quilt gently. “You’re not angry at me then?” He asked sheepishly, blushing when James started laughing.

“You’re my brother Dave, I’m not angry at you for being gay! I was angry with you for not telling me, but I guess I understand why now. How long have you two actually been together…?” James asked, turning slightly so that his back leant against the wall. Dave took the hint that he was comfortable, and leant against the adjacent wall, sighing lightly as he considered James’ words. Lifting his hand to glance at his watch he tried to calculate something.

“About seven hours,” he answered truthfully, a shy grin on his lips. It spread even wider when James started laughing.

“Seriously? That’s too cute,” James replied, leaning forward to punch his brother in the shoulder. This was too good to be true. Dave had a boyfriend who apparently understood him better than he could muster, and his little brother was happy for him. A smile spread across his lips, and he yawned widely. James snickered. “He wore you out then, this Adrian dude?” he offered; Dave narrowed his eyes, grinning.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Dave teased, and James stared at him.

“No,” he stated flatly, before the two of them shared a bout of laughter. Dave yawned again and waved his hand idly in front of his mouth. He felt well and truly shattered now that he thought about it, and stood up slowly.

“I’m gonna get some sleep,” he announced, leaning over and patting James’ shoulder. “Thanks for understanding everything, bro,” he muttered sincerely, noting the change in James’ expression.

“Sure thing. You get some sleep… I’ll see you later,” James added, picking up the game controller again.

“Night then,” Dave replied, retreating from his brother’s room and moving to his own, he decided to take a shower later, stripped to his boxers and promptly passed out in his bed. His brain didn’t give him a chance to think about the day’s events, and shut off the minute his head hit the pillow. For the first time in months, Dave slept until his alarm went off.