Kajos: Hey, this is my first ever song fic. I was listening to the song the other day and I just had to write this. I'm not normally into song fics or short fics but I loved this idea so here it is.
I don't own, smash mouth or atlantis. Though a girl can dream.
Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead
John was 16 when he told his girlfriend he was breaking up with her so he could focus more on his basketball career. There was a long argument about how much time he spent with his best friend Rodney but John was decided. Nancy always expected him to take her out, or skip practise because she wanted to go to the mall. Rodney got it. He never expected John to jeopardise his career to spend time with him he had his own priorities.
"yeah right, John, you know you ain't the sharpest tool in the shed. Someday when you get your stupid ass dropped your going to realise what a looser you were for dumping me." She even did the whole looser L thing on her forehead.
Rodney was having his own girl problems, Katie Brown had pushed him for commitment, Rodney was only committed to his music and his studies. There was no way he was getting serious with a girl now.
Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Back to the rule and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
Rodney was 19 when he stopped and took stock of his life. He looked at the Physics he was doing having just read a letter from John about all the fun he was having. He was miserable and his keyboard, the love of his life was sat in the corner gathering dust. For however smart Rodney was normally was he was being pretty dumb about life. He hadn't done anything to have fun in forever. He put the physics away and pulled his jacket on heading for a bar he knew in town where he would be able to sit and jam on a piano.
John was 19 when he stopped to take stock of his life. He looked around his room at the beer bottles and clothes. He had lost it, between the drinking and the drugs and the girls. He was on the edge of being kicked out of college and with it would go his basket ball career. He got up put the bottles and cans in the recycling, blocked half his friend from chat and facebook, threw away the drugs and pulled on his trainer to go for a run. He was going back to the rules, his training, he was going to hit the ground running and charge on with his life.
So much to do so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Rodney was ecstatic when John flew up to Toronto to see him playing on stage with his band.
"So why did you come up here for College?"
"There's so much to do here, so much to see."
"So lets go see some stuff. Come on we've got five hours till your show."
"Okay, you'll have to drive though."
So they did the tourist thing and saw the sights until Rodney realised he needed to be at set up for the show in ten minutes.
"We'll just take some back streets."
"We are not taking the backstreets."
"Oh, so what's wrong with taking the back streets?"
Five hours later they were sat in some bar in the back of beyond with Rodney playing one of the best sets in his life covering for a keyboard player who had been a know show. He'd missed his own small time show but this band was going to go places and it was way more Rodney's kind of music.
"We'll we'd have never known about this if we didn't go taking those back streets."
Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mould
John grinned as he walked out on to the court under the lights his face up on the big screen and in the background he could just about make out the music they were playing and as part of it Rodney's keyboard. It was the best start to a game ever, and tonight they were going for the gold. He looked around at the stadium that seemed to glitter with camera flashes.
Rodney grinned as he sat in the green room and watched John make another basket while he got ready. The show was about to start and he could already hear the crowd getting pumped as the warm up act came off. He stepped out on to stage and looked around, he was a star. The bands music was original, new and according to many, they had broken the mould of rock music.
It's a cool place and they say it gets colder
You're bundled up now but wait 'til you get older
But the meteor men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture
John stomped up to the cabin looking forward to a Christmas with his best friend. They didn't get much time together these days with their careers. They were always on tour, or on TV, it seemed.
"Hey Rodney, I know you said it would be cold but the guy at the petrol station in down said it was due to drop another three degrees in the next week."
"Well, according to the weather man there's a low pressure system coming in that should warm us up." They argued for a while about it until Rodney pulled up the satellite imagery on his laptop to show John the hole in the clouds at the centre of the low pressure system that was headed their way.
The ice we skate is getting pretty thin
The waters getting warm so you might as well swim
My world's on fire how about yours
That's the way I like it and I never get bored
John insisted on skating on the lake out the back and dragging Rodney out there as well despite his complaints that the ice was to thin. They skated for an hour or so before John went through. Half the lake went with him disappearing. John came up again laughing.
"Hey Rodney get over here." The musician edged over to him and grabbed his hand to help pull him out the water only to find himself pulled in by John.
"what they hell are you thinking?" Rodney asked when he came back up spluttering.
"That the water's so warm we might as well swim."
When Rodney disagreed John Climbed out onto the bank and pulled Rodney out. They tumbled Rodney landing on top of John. They stared at each other so closed their breath mingled in the air between them until suddenly John grabbed the back of Rodney's head and pulled him in for a kiss. Suddenly all the cold was forgotten as their world light on fire with passion. Eventually they broke apart.
"Did you like that?" John asked Rodney grinning.
"Well, it certainly wasn't boring." Rodney replied leaning back down for a second go.
Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mould
After those two weeks at the cabin John was called back to work on a whirlwind of tours, games, TV adds and training. He barely got more than the occasional call into his best friend and now lover. He hated it. The worst part was he couldn't even complain, he had built a reputation on being a charmer. If it got out that he was gay his career would take a hit, not as bad as Rodney's though, his entire image was based on being an irritable ladies man who went through blonde bimbos at one a day. It had never been true but he would loose a lot of credit if people found out he was gay. So John played, won and smiled at the ladies while secretly spending a few hours a day making kissy noises down the phone at Rodney just to annoy him.
Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mould
The band was pissed, Rodney had been in a worse mood the last few months than normal. He seriously needed to get laid but he was turning down everyone. Including Jennifer Keller from the warm up act who he'd had his eye on the entire of the last tour. He just spent all his time snipping, watching basketball and on the phone.
Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas
I need to get myself away from this place
I said yep what a concept
I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change
John was sat in the park wishing he could see Rodney, but even though John had some time of at last, Rodney was on tour. Some kid shuffled up to him.
"Hey, could you spare some change for gas?"
"Yep." He said passing some change to him so he'd leave him alone. He thought about it wishing he could fuel himself into doing something about all this. He missed Rodney so much. This needed to change.
He got off the park bench and headed for his car. He could catch a flight and see Rodney later that day. If Rodney agreed to it he wanted to come out about their relationship.
Rodney was shocked to open his hotel room door to see John.
"John! What are you doing here?"
"I needed to see you Rodney, I need to talk to you."
"Okay." Rodney said warily.
"Rodney, I want to come out. Tell everyone about us."
"So you could do things like show up on tour and kiss me back stage and I could wander into the locker room to eye up your package." Rodney said laughing.
"Yeah, something like that." John said with a grin.
"Sounds great to me."
Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Back to the rule and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow
John and Rodney were sat together holding hands on yet another chat show and same as ever they asked that predictable question:
"When did you two first know?"
Rodney always answers with the story about that night driving the back streets of Toronto until they stopped in the glow of a neon bar sign and went in. With out that glow they never would have had the shining moment when they were married in the park John had his epiphany, they did it at night under a thousand shining stars.
John always said he always kind of knew, but that it was when looking at an email from Rodney he realised he needed to get his life in order to do him proud. That was the moment he swore of serious relationships with girls, and though he didn't realise it at the time dedicated himself to Rodney.
Kajos: So there you have it my first ever song fic. I don't plan to make this a habbit, but I love the song and this pairing. Tell me what you thought.