I stepped onto the tour bus hoping to relax with a cold beer while the rest of the guys were out with women they'd picked up after tonight's show. Expecting silence and emptiness, I was surprised that when the doors slid open I heard a quick, screeching guitar solo screaming loudly from within. I took a deep breath and passed the threshold between the rest of the world and one of Alexi Laiho's infamous bad moods.

The only time Alexi ever played after a show was when he was mad or sad. Or both. Honestly, the two emotions weren't very differentiated for the blonde guitarist. Alexi could fill a room when he was upset, and he was certainly filling the bus. So much for a quiet night, I thought to myself.

Then again, Alexi's moods did sometimes have some unexpected…benefits for me. Being his best friend, it often fell to me to calm him down.

I was striding toward the back of the bus, toward the room behind the bunks where the guitarist was surely stewing. His antagonizing of his instrument was getting louder, and I noticed that the door was cracked. I peeked inside to assess his body language before I made my presence known. He was hunched over the guitar, fingers flying over the frets with frightening speed. His face was set in a scowl of concentration. He was the picture of tortured genius.

Then, suddenly, the young portrait stopped playing. Alexi's glance moved to the cracked door where I stood. There was no way he could've heard me, but-

"Janne, what are you doing?" Alexi questioned from his perch on the couch.

Embarrassed, I pushed open the door and stepped into the back room. "I was planning on staying on the bus tonight for some relaxation, but someone has made this impossible." I chuckled, easing the tension with a jab.

"Well…" Alexi was grinning trying to think of a comeback, but his smirk faltered and he fell silent. I walked over to stand in front of the shorter man.

"Allu, what is wrong?" I said gently. He diverted his gaze down to the floor and slumped back onto the couch.

"Nothing." He replied without looking at me. Alexi could be so stubborn and childish when it came to things like these.

"Come on. Spit it out." I stood with my arms crossed looking down at him.

"I said nothing Janne. I just wanted practice."

"Very well." I knew just how to play my cards.

"Hey!" Alexi piped up as I turned to leave him. "You want me to teach you guitar?"

I had never shown an interest in learning guitar before, but if this was what little Allu wanted at the moment, I would humor him. Anything to get his spirits up before the rest of the band piled on the bus.

"Okay…" I turned back around and the blonde eagerly scooted over and made room for me next to him. I sat down and Alexi took the guitar strap off of his shoulders and pushed the instrument into my lap, positioning the strap on my larger frame.

"Okay, this. This is pickup and this is fret." Alexi pointed to the obvious parts of the guitar as if I had never seen the thing before in my life, let alone played in a metal band for the past decade. Still, I had to smile at his enthusiasm.

"If you put two fingers here," Alexi reached an arm around me and positioned my hand correctly, while holding my pick hand with his free arm, "and strum, you have a g-chord."

He moved my hand to strum the guitar and, as expected, a g-chord rang through the room.

"Good! See!" Alexi grinned, his face close to mine. I couldn't help but laugh. His bad mood seemed to have abated quickly. He pecked me once on either cheek, celebrating my dubiously earned success.

"Eww, Alexi, get off!" I feigned pushing him away and wiped my cheeks off exaggeratedly.

"Aww, Janne. You're supposed to respect your teacher." Allu yanked the guitar off of me and set it on a stand, turning off the amp.

I played along. 'Well, 'teacher'," I started, "you seem better now, but what kept you in here tonight?"

Alexi faced me, his face again downcast. He probably thought he'd distracted me. Silly, wild Alexi. He had to know by now that I could read him like a book. The hyper brat was constantly under the delusion that he was discreet.

"Just didn't feel like I played well tonight. I have to practice more so I don't make us look stupid."

For a second I thought he had to be kidding. There was no doubt, Alexi was the best member of Children of Bodom. Hell, he was probably the best guitarist I'd ever seen. He'd been playing forever, and if he made mistakes at concerts, I certainly never heard them. What was this all about? Alexi used to be very insecure, even in things he was very good at. Maybe this was a recurrence of his feelings.

"What are you talking about? You're fucking amazing." I said earnestly.

"No. I need to get better. Everyone's going to be expecting more the more popular we get." Alexi retorted.

"You. Are. Very excellent at guitar. So stupid!" I shoved Alexi playfully. Grinning at him.

"Janne…" Alexi started, but I put a hand on either side of his head, feeling his silky long hair, and kissed his forehead.

"You. Are. A very excellent guitar player." I restated. "There's no reason to get worked up on something you are doing great at."

Allu just stood there, silently, looking up at me with his deep blue eyes rimmed in black eyeliner. I pulled him in for a friendly hug. To tell the truth, I loved the feeling of his smaller body pressed up against my own. I loved how easy it was to wrap my arms around him and to tell myself that I would protect him from the most dangerous things-the evil thoughts floating around his own mind.

When I released him from my embrace, Alexi looked a bit better.

"Now, I thought I was to learn guitar." I teased. He perked up at the mention and fetched the same guitar, heading back to the couch while simultaneously playing a melody from Trashed, Lost, and Strung Out.

"See, you are so good." and he was.

"Come here Janne, I will show you."

I walked over and once again Alexi's arms were around my shoulders, directing me where to go. I was hopeless, really. Obviously keyboard was my forte. I managed to stagger through the melody one time without severely screwing it up, and Alexi looked like he'd won the lottery.

"Yeah, that's it!" He almost shouted in glee. I took the strap off, satisfied that I'd tried enough to fulfill his instructive desires.

"You're way too sober, man." Alexi said, pulling out a beer he'd been keeping under the couch and throwing back the rest of the can in one gulp. Of course, I knew he wasn't drunk either. It would take more than a few beers to make it past his legendary tolerance.

He squeezed the can and got up, grabbing two more out of the mini fridge, tossing the second to me. I nodded in thanks and took a gulp, wondering why all of a sudden I felt like the party pooper.

"You want to turn on music? We can dance and shit." The guitarist said, jumping slightly up and down to an imaginary beat. I groaned. No matter what mood he was in, Alexi was never going to let me have a peaceful night.

Fine.

"Sure, yeah. Go on." I gestured nonchalantly to the stereo system. Soon enough Behemoth was blaring from the speakers and Alexi was playing air guitar and head banging. How could he have this much energy after we already played a show tonight? Noticing that I was still sitting down, he came over and grabbed my arms, pulling me up with surprising strength for his small form.

"Janne, have fun!" He commanded, waving my hands forcibly above my head. When he felt certain that I would play along, he resumed his crazed thrashing.

A few minutes later I felt small arms around me from behind, latched on to my waist. Alexi set his chin on my shoulder.

"Thank you." He smiled.

"What are friends for?" I conceded.

Alexi leaned his head on mine, swaying still to the rhythm. I wondered if, like some of the other times Alexi was going through his mood swings, he would try to kiss me. I couldn't say I hated it. Fuck. No. I fucking liked it. My problem came when it was over, and everything was back to temporary normal, and I found myself thinking about his pretty eyes or his small body pressed against mine. The things I wanted, I feared, went beyond his stupid, sporadic makeouts. So I ignored it until moments like these, when I had a good feeling that Alexi would end up fucking-around like normal. Or abnormal. Who ever knows with him?

"Janne…" I felt a fist rapping my skull. "Janne!"

"What are you thinking about?" Alexi fished, eyeing me critically, as if he couldn't believe I had to think about anything at this hour.

"Nothing." I said, turning around to face him, standing chest to chest with the shorter man.

Alexi's lithe hand reached up to my neck, pulling my face down to his. His eyes never left mine, which went shivers down my spine, though I'd never let him know it. He stood on his tiptoes and let his lips brush mine, so different from the mouth of any girl I'd kissed. His face was boyish and smooth, but his mouth was harder, hotter, more aggressive.

Our lips melded together, and I felt his tongue brush against my closed lips. I opened my mouth, but instead of letting him enter me, I instead dominated his tongue with my own, deepening the kiss. Our foreheads were pressed together, and I was painfully aware of every contact point between us.

What was I doing? I couldn't get carried away like this. I had to look at it from a purely emotionless standpoint. It was meaningless. Even to Alexi, I knew that this kiss was fleeting. It would never lead anywhere. So I should enjoy, but not think about him like this.

Alexi backed up a few steps, pulling me with him, never separating our mouths. Then, he pulled away, licking his lips a little, looking as gorgeous as always. He pushed me gently toward the couch, and when I sat down, he crawled and kneeled over my legs, continuing where we left off. His mouth and mine moved together. I felt the soft emotion in his body, like he needed reassurance. That was all this ever was. Reassurance. Loneliness.

I reached my hands up and ran them through his hair, controlling his head with my grip. I loved his hair. I heard Alexi gasp a bit.

"Allu?" I breathed during the pause, wondering what had gotten into the little guitarist now.

Instead of a response I felt Alexi's lips against my neck, licking and sucking gently a path along my jugular and jaw line. I managed to control any noise from coming out of my mouth, although it seemed this only made him work even harder.

He nipped at my bottom lip, frustrated when I didn't give in. I opened my eyes and grabbed him around his slim waist, switching our positions so that now he was under me, looking up at me vulnerably. I immediately moved my mouth to the hollow of his throat, relishing the taste of his skin, giving him the same thing he'd done to me. He was not as good at keeping his mouth shut.

"Janne…shit!" Alexi chanted softly as I moved my mouth, finally arriving at his parted lips that quivered eagerly. I stopped, teasing him, knowing his self-control was good for nothing.

"Janne, being so stupid." He murmured before closing the short distance between us again. I chuckled into his mouth. I felt his soft hands pressed against my chest, grasping delicately my shirt. We had never gone so far before as to remove any clothing. This was the extent of it.

Slowly, Alexi's hand crept toward the hem of my t-shirt, settling at the small strip of skin exposed just above the waistband of my sweatpants. He must be feeling brave tonight.

I caught his tongue gently with my teeth, tugging it playfully, enjoying the look on the blondes face as he pugnaciously glared at me, moving his palm to my stomach, tickling me slightly, roaming over my taut abdominals and then to the small of my back. The movement caught me of guard enough that Allu pulled his tongue away from me, licking his lips again subconsciously, still glaring.

"You!-" he started to spit out before I cut him off. He pulled away again, "You jerk, what makes you think-" I cut him off yet again, smiling wickedly at his feigned strictness.

"And what do you think you're doing, then?" I motioned toward his hands which had pushed my shirt up to my chest when they shoved me backwards to get his word in edgewise. Alexi blushed and boldly slid his palms higher, forcing my t-shirt over my head. Not that I couldn't have stopped him, but I was a guy, right? Swept away, I guess.

So I was over him wearing no shirt.

"You little demon." I was holding his shoulders back now, pinning him down.

"Payback." was his only reply, and with a glint in his eye, he tackled me to the floor, tickling me childishly, though nevertheless effectively. Laughter bubbled up before my strength could give me the upper hand. Finally I laid still, watching Allu cautiously stroke my hair as if he were stroking a lion's mane. He took off his own shirt, then, exposing his thin, smooth body. I noticed his abs quivering a bit below his tight chest. He was well muscled, for one so small.

"Are you ticklish too?" I joked, threatening him with wiggling fingers. Alexi resolutely shook his head no, but I doubted his sincerity. I tested him, dragging my fingers lightly across his stomach, but almost the instant I grazed him, he jumped away, betraying his weakness.

"Ah, really." I laughed at him, maneuvering myself so that my hands held his forearms to his sides, and I was face to face with him.

"hmm…" Alexi grunted, giving up. I looked down at the shallow dip just below his sternum. A split second decision had my face lowered to his body, kissing him lightly in spots I had never taken notice of before. I felt his muscles tense as my tongue moved across his warm skin, tasting every inch.

I allowed my tongue to glide over one of his nipples, causing him to stiffen further and make a beautiful squeak deep within his throat. I swirled around the same spot, using my teeth a bit. His back was arched into me, and I felt the beginnings of a bulge in his pants.

This was new, but not surprising. What had I expected? For a moment I was back in that wishy-washy place between love and passion, friendship and wanting him. No. I snapped back, shaking the idea from my head.

Alexi's hands were in my hair again, massaging my scalp and probably knotting the hell out of my hair. I chanced a brief peek at his face. His eyes were closed, his mouth open, making little noises whenever I touched an extremely sensitive patch, with his golden hair splayed beneath him like a sun god.

"Enjoying yourself?" I murmured into his ear before biting down.

"mm-hmm," Alexi managed to choke out. I continued sucking his earlobe until I heard is strained voice again.

"Janne, Janne please-kiss me."

I looked at his needy face, practically burning, his breathing hitched. There was no denying the tightening of his pants, and I had long ago felt myself stirring to arousal. Neither of us could get enough of the other, our tongues swirling frantically, exploring. I was trying so hard to keep my control, but he was making it so fucking hard.

Then, I only just heard the sound of the bus door opening. Shit. Fuck. Fuck. Shit.

"Allu, fuck. They're fucking back!" I whisper-shouted.

His eyes blinked open.

"Go to your bunk. Go to sleep." I commanded, thinking that was the only place where it made sense for me to be without a shirt on alone with Allu on the bus. He stumbled to his feet and I yanked him out of the back room. I practically dove into my bottom bunk, Alexi had the tougher job of making it to the top. He seemed to gain back at least some of his agility, enough to climb the short ladder. I shut my eyes and held my breath.

I heard the guys piling aboard loudly, laughing and talking. They were probably half deaf from whatever club they'd gone to. The club I probably should've gone to as well. I lost track of time, but no one even bothered to check on either of us. I managed to fall asleep after awhile.

I groggily blinked open my eyes to something nudging my back. Uggh, who would be waking me up at this time. Well, it was probably at least nine in the morning, but for us, this was practically nighttime. I rolled over, groaning. This better be fucking good.

All the windows were blacked out on the bus, so I couldn't see much but the outline of anything.

"Huh?" I mumbled, trying to make out what was behind me.

"Janne? Janne are you awake?" I heard a whisper through the dark.

"Gee, I don't know." I scowled gruffly.

"I'm sorry…" The whisper said.

"Alexi?" I asked, finally recognizing the voice.

"I can't sleep." He said, I felt his weight sitting on the edge of my bunk.

"So?" I replied, not sure exactly what he wanted to talk about.

"I thought maybe I could-"

I felt his weight sliding closer to me. The bed wasn't very big to begin with, so having two people in it didn't leave much room for me to question. I felt guilty for being short with him. His warm back was inches from me, I could tell from the heat radiating off of it.

"Allu." I said in a semi-annoyed voice, but at the same time I wrapped my arm around him and pulled him closer, pressing his small body against me, fitting with me like a puzzle piece. He snuggled closer, sighing and relaxing. Perhaps he'd been having his nightmares again. I knew he didn't have bad dreams nearly as much when he wasn't alone. This wasn't uncommon for him, so why did I have to think about it more than it was?

Within minutes his breathing was steady. I figured he'd fallen asleep. Lucky him. It took me longer to drop off into my subconscious.