What Else Do You Need To Know?
Cory Matthews: Then who am I?
Shawn Hunter: You're Cory. I'm Shawn. Just like it's always been. What else do you need to know?"
Author: Maddie
Pairing: Billy/Robert
Summary: Just Billy and Robert getting closer during the tour
Note: I haven't done Billy/Robert yet so I thought i'd give it a shot. All chapters will be named after quotes from TV series, movies and books.
Chapter 1: What I Can Do
Brooke Davies: I thought I knew you. But I guess it's easier to see what we want than to look for the truth. You think you know me but you don't. And that means you don't know what I can do.
The tour had just begun and everyone was excited. It was so easy now without all of the pressure from the competition, you could just go up on stage and dance without that weight on your shoulders. Billy was really enjoying it and what made it even better was that now he was rooming with Rob. Don't get him wrong or anything he had liked sharing with Adechike but Robert was special to him, they had history after all. He was such a good friend and not exactly horrible to wake up to, if he could choose anyone of the contestants to share with he'd pick Rob it was just a fact and didn't require any explanation.
Rob on the other hand probably wouldn't have been so quick to pick Billy. He loved him and all but he was so damn messy. Everyone else of the guys were so neat, and even if he liked Billy the most as a person he didn't enjoy having to clean up after him only to have the mess there again after five minutes. He'd tried discussing it but somethings seem to be unchangeble.
The routines were a lot of fun because it was a lot of new stuff along with the old. People who hadn't gotten to work together got to do it now and they were doing different styles than they had before. Mainly there had been the same routines since they started the tour but they had only been to three cities. But now they were going to Kansas and there were an additional routine to be performed, krump. Billy had just found out and was excited but a little nervous since everyone but him hated the krump. He had two days to practice starting tomorrow though and he was determined to kill it. Tonight it was all about chilling out and eating with all the others though, everything else could wait till tomorrow. They were all talking about the tour and how excited they were about their numbers, which was when Billy broke the news about the krumping.
"Seriously, are you nervous?" A lot of people were surprised not just Kent, and Billy couldn't help but to be a lot insulted. Was it really that bad?
"A little, but not that much it's going to be better this time."
"There's always hoping." Everyone was thinking it but no one else would have actually said it. Kent just didn't always think before he spoke.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Billy tried not to sound as hurt as he really was but he figured they could tell anyway.
"Nothing just, you don't exactly have the right attributes or training to do krump well, it's not your fault you just don't have it in you. You, you just can't do it"
"Wow thanks for the confidence boost." Kent tried to explain himself but Billy was already leaving to go back to his and Robert's room.
Everyone at the table was glaring at Kent. "Well I didn't mean it the way it came out obviously.."
"Then maybe you shouldn't have said it that way." Robert says before leaving to go after his friend. He finds him in their room watching TV obviously very upset and he very much has reason for it. Robert sits down next to him.
"He didn't mean it like that you know. He just meant that you have too much classical training to just forget all of it."
"You think I can't do it too?"
"Of course I don't think that. You can learn anything you're Billy Bell, the freak, remember. You can do anything you want to." Sure he's exaggerating a bit but who cares he wants his Billy happy not all broken down because of an unthoughtfull comment.
"You're just saying that. But it's fine I'm going to prove you all wrong."
"That's your problem right there. I'm not just saying it. You're the most gifted dancer of us all and if you wanted to learn krump you could. But you don't think you can. If you think you need to prove us wrong it means you think we're right."
Billy doesn't even respond, he's stubborn like that. You can't point out just anything and expect him to respond like a normal human being, he'll just pout in silence. But hey at least he has sex and the city reruns to help his melancholic state of mind. Robert is stubborn too though so he stays there with him just in case he decides to talk to him. That's what makes him such a good friend, a lot of people would be angry or frustrated with this behaviour but Rob just took it and knew Billy didn't mean anything bad by it he just had never learn how to deal with it.
The next day Billy practiced like crazy. Comfort wasn't on tour so he was doing it with Dominic which also meant a few changes in the routine. He liked Dominic, he was laid back and a good dancer who happily helped him when he struggled without getting frustrated. Between the two they managed to do pretty well, at least that's what Billy was told, he didn't really believe him, after all Comfort and Lil'C had told him he did well too. This time he felt like he had so much more to prove though and it seemed to be helping some even if he didn't feel like he was killing it yet. They both already knew the other routines they were doing by heart by now so they had all the time in the world to work on it and so would they tomorrow, it made Billy happy, he needed all the practice he could get. He would have Kent eating his words if it so killed him.
He spent all his time practicing, even when Dominic had to leave for food, sleep you know the essentials for being able to stand upright, he was practicing. He only slept for a few hours himself, and drank water in rehearsal, everything else was time wasted he thought. People were getting a bit worried that he was working himself too hard, after all they didn't even practice to this extent when they were competing, there was no need for this and Kent was feeling really bad for having driven him to it. The only person who say Billy in those two days were Dominic, Robert lived with the guy and hadn't seen him. He got to bed too early and got up too late for that.
In the end it all was worth it though. When show night came Billy was good, he wasn't awesome which was sad considering the amount of work he'd put into it, but at least he was good. He would have been better had he gotten any sleep and food before the show, it turns out its kind of hard to give lots of energy when you're that drained. That night after the show he was happy to go out to dinner with everyone else, mostly because he was hungry but also because he'd redeamed himself. Everyone was complimenting him on his performance and Kent was apologizing which was all he wanted so he was a lot happier than he'd been. In between conversation he was totally stuffing his face with food and it was so delicious.
"Was it worth it?" Rob asked low enough so other people didn't hear over their conversations.
"What exactly are you referring to?"
"Was that little apology and proving to yourself that you could do it worth not eating, not sleeping, constant practicing to the point of destruction had it gone on any longer?" Robert obviously wasn't happy with what Billy had spent his days doing and he wasn't respecting the reasons behind it.
"Could you stop nagging me. You're supposed to be my friend. You're suppsed to support me no matter what." Billy didn't see why Robert had to kill his good mood.
"Actually no, I'm not supposed to support you no matter what, not if it's unhealthy and stupid. All you did was prove how little you think of yourself. You might not see that but I do, and they all see it too even if they wont say it. I am your friend and that's why I'm pointing this shit out to you. What you just did, over working yourself, caring so much about what other people think, you're better than that. And you can be pissed at me for saying that but I don't care because I care too much about you to not say it."
That left Billy speechless but it didn't matter because Allison was just asking Rob a question so their conversation was over. Billy was a tad amazed over how Rob could keep being so freaking insightful. He was supposed to be twenty and do stupid things like Billy do but no Rob has to go and be all deep and logical. The rest of the dinner Billy keep thinking about Rob and what to say to him later, perhaps it's time for him to act a bit grown up and not run away from uncomfortable conversations.
When they get back to their place, Rob moves for their shared bedroom in the small hotelroom, but Billy stops him when he speaks.
"Thanks."
"What did you say?" Rob sounds shocked, and Billy can hardly blame him, he rarely says it especially in these situations.
"I said thanks, for you know, caring and actually thinking I'm better than this. No one else does, me included I know. I just can't help it. I just needed to prove everyone wrong and that's stupid I know. I shouldn't feel the need to, but I do. Regardless of all that it's nice to have someone who I don't need to prove it to. So thanks, for believing in me and everything."
That was more of a response than Rob ever thought he'd get from Billy, and he was so overwhelmed by the nice feeling that came over him that he pulled Billy into a hug. He held him close and spoke softly to him "I'm not the only person who thinks that. Lots of people do. We all love you, but especially me." Both of them smiles and when the hug ends they both go to sleep a lot happier than they've been for days.