Greetings!
This is a very random one shot. (Edit: Has become a multi-part story XD)
I am an enormous Bowie fan, and so decided on the second anniversary of his death, to write a fanfic retelling one of his songs.
Had a few song choices, maybe will write them in the future, if anyone wants to read them.
But this one is for Julia Fernandez Hiwatari, who suggested this song to write to.
If you're a Bowie fan, I hope you like it.
If you're not, hope you like it anyway XD
As the title suggests, this one shot is my own interpretation of the song Modern Love by David Bowie. (Lyrics at the bottom)
RIP, Starman!
Modern Love
A hacking, dry cough roused him from his sleep.
He groaned as his eyelids squeezed together harder, the light gently peering through the curtains making it impossible for him to drift back off.
Giving up, he forced them to open, blinking away the film of sleep covering his slightly bloodshot eyeballs.
As he did so, dull ache became apparent in his head.
...He'd hit the bar pretty hard last night.
It took a moment for him to remember he was in a hotel.
Yesterday had been quite the event.
Max Tate got married.
...The idiot.
He rolled himself over and startled as he saw a lump under the bedsheets next to him.
Ah yes...her. Now he remembered.
Cliche as it was, one of the bridesmaids fluttered her eyelashes at him as soon as he laid eyes on her.
He knew he wouldn't have to do much work. Easy prey. No hunting required.
He tensed slightly as she too seemed to stir from her sleep.
He hated this part...it never went well.
Blonde hair and a face smeared with yesterday's make-up popped up from under the covers and gave him a lazy smile.
"Mmm...morning..." she groaned out as she stretched herself awake.
"Hn..." he replied bluntly. He never engaged them in conversation afterwards. Made it more difficult to get them out the door.
She shifted closer and draped her arm across his bare chest.
"...Last night was great..." she said with a suggestive purr.
He arched a brow...it had been all right...scratched an itch...but what part of sloppy, drunk sex was 'great'?
"Uh huh..."
She shifted closer and planted kisses on his chest.
"...Wanna go again?" she giggled.
He felt a shiver of disgust and shifted away from her.
"No, thanks...if you wouldn't mind..." he hinted, nodding towards the door.
Her face fell.
"...What?"
He narrowed his crimson eyes at her.
"I said if you wouldn't mind...got stuff to do..."
She frowned and her mouth fell open.
"...You're just kicking me out?"
He scoffed.
"What did you think this was, sweetheart?"
She looked humiliated.
"...I don't know...I thought we hit it off...thought we could at least get coffee or...exchange numbers or something..."
He hated the look she was giving him. Like he was an asshole.
He'd gotten her off, hadn't he? He wasn't a complete dick. What more did she want from him?
"You basically threw yourself at me. I accepted. We're done here...now, for the last time, if you wouldn't mind?"
Her face heated up as she frowned, angrily throwing off the covers and pulling herself out of the bed. She scrambled her clothes up off the floor and roughly threw them on, never taking her pissed eyes off him as he lay back with his arms behind his head, looking like he could care less.
"...You're a pig." she spat as she finished dressing.
His brow arched in amusement.
"Says the woman who threw herself at me, legs open..."
Her jaw dropped yet again. This wasn't the guy she met yesterday...he'd been incredibly charming yesterday.
"Tina warned me about you! Should have listened to her! ….Well fine! Go ahead and fuck your way through the population! Hope you enjoy your pathetic, lonely life!"
A hard smirk appeared on his face.
"Thank you, I will. Good luck in your desperate attempt to find a man, too. God speed..."
She near enough let out a growl before turning on her heel. He heard a mutter as she left the room. He was pretty sure she said 'asshole'.
...He'd probably hear about this from Max. Tina was his wife. And one of...whatever the hell her name was's friends.
He adjusted his position and settled back down comfortably in to his bed. Now that unpleasantness was over, he could enjoy the rest of his morning. Making himself feel somewhat more human before meeting the others for lunch.
Step 1. Eat something.
He lazily grabbed his pack of smokes. Pulling one out and balancing it between his lips before picking up the receiver of the phone beside him.
As the overly polite voice of the hotel staff greeted him, he sparked his lighter, taking in an inhale and feeling an instant churn of queasiness.
Maybe he was more hungover than he thought...
He grunted an order for some room service before throwing the phone back down and smoking half his cigarette before stubbing it out, realising it was a mistake.
Since he had twenty minutes, there was time for Step 2. Shower.
As the warm water hit his slightly dehydrated body, his mind went over yesterday's event.
The pretty church.
The gathering of friends and family.
The blushing bride and proud groom.
...What a crock of shit.
He only went because it was Max. And Max had said he really wanted him to be there.
He was reluctant. He knew it was a selfish, but...
After attending Tyson and Kenny's wedding a few years back, he knew what was coming.
Lectures, pity and judgement.
"You know, if you tried being a little nicer, all this could be yours!"
"Aren't you lonely?"
"Don't you get tired of living the whole...rich bachelor lifestyle?"
Answer to all three: No, no and fuck no.
Why did he need somebody?
Why did people need somebody? Were they so incapable of being content with their own company?
He guessed the money helped...wouldn't be as much fun if you earned an average wage.
He worked hard. You had to as CEO of a global enterprise.
But he played harder.
If he wanted to take a week off and go to a private tropical island, all he'd have to do was snap his fingers.
If he wanted to snort cocaine off a smokin' hot stripper's chest, he was damn well gonna.
Why on earth would he give all that up for a wife and child?
They said 50% of marriages ended in divorce...the other 50% ended in death.
And kids? Why would you do that to yourself? They'd only bleed you dry and then leave you like a carcass in the sun.
Voltaire had been on his case about that, too. Wanting an heir to leave the precious empire to.
But Voltaire wasn't the boss any more...he was.
He called the shots in everything. His company and his life. No one was going to try and tell him what he should do or how he should live.
Washed and slightly more refreshed, he stepped out the shower.
He tied the bathrobe loosely around himself just in time for the knock at the door.
He slicked back his wet hair and went to the door, pulling it open before instantly feeling a smirk crack as the man on the other side ran his eyes over him barely covered.
The guy seemed to like what he saw.
A blonde man with emerald eyes around the same age as him was smartly dressed in his work uniform.
Pressed pants, white shirt. Black tie. Red waistcoat.
Kai liked what he saw, too...
"Room service!" he said with a polite smile.
Kai's glinting eyes dropped down to the badge on his red waistcoat.
Alex
He knew he was smirking. So instead changed it for the sexiest smile he could muster.
"Thank you...Alex..." he said in a low, husky voice.
The other blushed ever so slightly.
"You're welcome, sir..." he said awkwardly before Kai stood aside and let him push the cart in.
Kai looked over his shoulder after him, getting a glimpse of the back of him as he mindlessly pushed the door closed.
Alex lifted the silver lid off the plate to show the food.
Kai arched a suggestive brow.
"My, my...that's a lot for little old me..."
He felt a smugness as he saw the breath catch in his throat. He tilted his head slightly.
"...I don't suppose you'd care to join me, would you?"
Alex flushed even more and tensed like a canary cornered by a cat. His eyes not knowing where to look.
"I-I'm flattered, sir...but I'm on the clock and all..." he stuttered out.
Kai's smile grew, not taking his smiling eyes off him as he stepped forward and picked up a piece of apple that lay on one of the small plates.
"...And what time do you knock off?" he asked before lifting the fruit to his mouth and taking a bite.
Alex grew even more red. He knew he was interested.
"...about six..." he answered with a slight crack in his voice as his eyes uncontrollably glanced between his half open robe to his eyes.
"Perfect...just in time for dinner...I'm sure you'll be starving by then..." he said smoothly as he stepped even closer.
The canary's life was flashing before its eyes now.
"...Will that be all, sir?" he asked as he turned his head away.
"For now...yes...that's all..."
He nodded politely.
"Well...have a good day, sir..."
His smile grew as he looked him up and down again..
"Oh I will...you too, Alex..."
He walked on by him to leave.
Kai turned to watch him go.
"You know where I am..." he called after him.
Alex stopped at the door and peered over his shoulder again before taking his leave.
Kai took another victorious bite from the apple in his hand.
That hadn't been his best due to his slightly fragile state...but he still had the power to charm.
He'd be back.
He could tell when he'd reeled them in.
He snatched up the newspaper from the cart and draped himself on the bed with his coffee, ruffling the paper open and scanning to see what was going on in the world as he lit another cigarette.
Nothing new.
The same old same old.
The world was still a cesspool of corruption, fear and violence.
Religion was still causing wars.
Humanity was still slipping day by day.
But oh look, at least that beautiful Hollywood couple got married.
And that brought him back to thinking about Max again.
Poor sap.
The sunshine never dulled in him as he grew up.
He actually liked him, despite him being the main culprit for giving him the sympathetic looks and little heart-to-hearts...wondering how his poor friend could be without a partner.
He got excited messages when a picture of him with his latest squeeze got splashed in the papers, only to receive a disappointed apologetic one mere days or weeks later when he heard it was over.
"Don't worry...you'll find the right one!"
Kai never had it in him to tell him to shove his pity up his ass. He knew he meant well.
But his relationships always ended as quickly as they began.
They walked in to his life and just as quickly kept walking.
The allure of the money reeled them in. But then finding out he wasn't an easy man to get along with drove them away.
He even knew deep down he made an effort to drive them away. Just to be safe.
The kind of men and women he attracted were shallow. No signs of life in them. And that was perfect. It meant he wasn't in danger of getting attached to them. When they walked out the door, he could wave bye-bye without a care.
That was how it should be. He made the mistake of putting his trust in a man once.
He'd never fall for that again...
End.
I know when to go out
And when to stay in
Get things done
I catch a paper boy
But things don't really change
I'm standing in the wind
But I never wave bye-bye
But I try, I try
There's no sign of life
It's just the power to charm
I'm lying in the rain
But I never wave bye-bye
But I try,I try
Never gonna fall for
Modern love walks beside me
Modern love walks on by
Modern love gets me to the church on time
Church on time terrifies me
Church on time makes me party
Church on time puts my trust in God and man
God and man no confessions
God and man no religion
God and man don't believe in modern love
It's not really work
It's just the power to charm
Still standing in the wind
But I never wave bye-bye
But I try, I try
Never gonna fall for
Modern love walks beside me
Modern love walks on by
Modern love gets me to the church on time
Church on time terrifies me
Church on time makes me party
Church on time puts my trust in God and man
God and man no confessions
God and man no religion
God and man don't believe in modern love
Modern love walks beside me
Modern love walks on by
Modern love gets me to the church on time
Church on time terrifies me
Church on time makes me party
Church on time puts my trust in God and man
God and man no confessions
God and man no religion
God and man don't believe in modern love
Modern love walks beside me
Modern love walks on by
Modern love walks beside me
Modern love walks on by
Never gonna fall for
Modern love
Modern love