Disclaimer: I don't own Dougie Poynter, Harry Judd, or anyone from McFly/McBusted (sadly).
About: So there's this FaceBook Q and A that McBusted did, and around half way through the second part, Dougie does this laugh that's so perfect, I can't describe it. Anyway, this fanfic idea just popped into my head after watching that. It's from Harry's POV, by the way. Hope you like it, please tell me what I could improve for next time, M xx
Dear Diary.
Dougie laughed today. Of course, he laughs all the time, but today he did his laugh. That beautiful, magical, addictive laugh that he used to have, back in the band house.
When he first joined the band, he had this laugh that was amazing. It was like hearing your favourite song come onto the radio, mixed with kissing the love of your life. Anyone who listened to it would break into a smile. It was contagious. I would wake up every day and look forward to, if nothing else, just hearing that delightful sound escape his mouth. Those were the good days.
I guess it faded once he started to get into drugs, and alcohol. It wasn't easy to spot, but if you kept a careful eye on him, you'd realise how his laugh was fading. It turned from the most striking noise in the world to a quiet, half-hearted chuckle. It was lower, less like the cheerful, teenage one than a serious, down to earth one. Tom and Danny didn't notice as much- they weren't as protective of him as I was. But, eventually, I became aware that something wasn't right.
At the end of 2010, it disappeared completely. He smiled, but the twinkle in his eye wasn't present. His eye's crinkled when he grinned, but they didn't shine like before. I found myself longing to hear him laugh, just once. Even if it only lasted for a second, that would be good enough for me. But he was too far gone to even make a joke, let alone laugh at one.
And then it returned. After he...tried to do it. Yeah, after he went to rehab, when we were on tour. We were hanging out, just the four of us. Danny made a joke- can't remember what it was now; it was an unbelievably bad one. But then Doug laughed. It wasn't the same as it used to be- it was too soft, too ordinary. But it was a laugh. He didn't act as if it was a big deal afterwards, only asked me why I was staring at him. I just shook my head and smiled.
It's been getting better since then. He laughs a lot now, his eyes crinkling like paper bags. The shine that reflects off the ocean of azure in his eyes is there as well. He doesn't notice me watching him when he chuckles- which is often. His laugh isn't as gentle as it was earlier on in the year- its more confident, more noticeable. If you hear him laughing, you'll know its him. But it's still too low, not as careless and loose as it used to be. Its controlled- he'll laugh, and then he realises he's doing it, and stops. I guess he's still not over his nervous, worried old self.
Finally, today, it came back. We were doing a question and answer, it had been a good one too. We were all smiling, we were all happy. Danny was being his usual self, making jokes and doing ridiculous antics. That was when Dougie laughed. I didn't fully take it in at first, but after a few seconds, I looked up at him. He was doing his old laugh again. It filled the room, every gap in the wall, every corner of the place.
The other guys didn't really observe; they were too busy laughing themselves. I did, though. His laugh, it was enchanting, captivating, one of the most amazing things I'd ever heard. It was so...free. That's the only way I can describe it. It penetrated the silence that lingered in the area, killing off any remainders of seriousness. Sorry, I'm blabbing, aren't I?
Dougie's laugh means a lot to me. It tells me how he's feeling. It lets me know he's okay. A few years ago, I would've taken a bullet to the chest just to hear it. And now, now I have it, I'll never let it go again.