Author's Note: I put this under the Starship category because it was the closest I could get to Starkid in general, but it will actually be more about the potential creation of AVPT. Thank you for the reviews; I'm glad you all like it! Also, just a warning, things get a bit more physical towards the end of this chapter. No smut or anything of the sort, though- that's not my style. ;)
Disclaimer: The events of this story are entirely fictional. The characters are loosely based off of their real-life namesakes, but I in no way expect or claim that anything in this story has/would ever happen in reality. Also, any Starkid plays/characters/songs mentioned belong entirely to them.
~Chapter One~
"Brian, are you drunk? What the hell is Strip Bingo?"
Joe laughed under his breath, watching from the opposite side of the pool as Jaime tried to reason with an apparently tipsy Brian and Lauren looked on with an amused grin. The sun was setting, and he couldn't help but notice the way its light danced softly across her skin and caught the natural highlights in her hair.
He didn't even realize he was staring until a voice beside him snapped him back to reality. "You and Lauren?"
Joe felt his heart skip a beat in surprise and he averted his eyes quickly, his gaze coming to rest on Darren. "What? What are you talking about?" he shot back, mentally kicking himself for failing to act casual.
Darren smirked, giving him a knowing look. "Hey, how long have you and I been friends? You think I don't notice these things?" He paused, his gaze trailing back to where Joe's eyes had previously been fixated, and lowered his voice a bit. "I just wondered why you haven't told anyone yet."
Sighing heavily, Joe brought a hand to the back of his neck and thought for a moment. He knew what he had been getting himself into when this had first begun, and had kept up his end of the deal ever since. But, truthfully, he wanted someone to confide in, and who better than his best friend? "She doesn't want anyone to know," Joe admitted finally.
Darren looked at him, and it was like Joe could see him putting the pieces together in his head. His intuitiveness was a little hard to live up to sometimes- Joe was sure that he would never be able to see some things the way Darren did. That was okay, though, because sometimes the answers were simply beyond the both of them. "What's she afraid of?" he asked.
"We're just… we want to try things out first before it turns into some big public show, you know what I mean? Like, say the Starkid fans found out. That would be a lot of pressure, and Laur- I mean, we're not sure we want to actually commit to that sort of thing yet."
"And how long has this been going on, exactly?"
Joe sighed again, thinking back to that first night, the look in her eyes when she had asked him to kiss her, the feeling of holding her- really holding her- for the first time and just letting every word and every touch mean something genuine. For one night, there had been nothing to hide from or worry about. For one night, it had just been the two of them, and everything else had seemed insignificant. Then morning came, along with life and commitments and uncertainties. "About two weeks," Joe replied quietly.
Darren was silent, his eyes searching until realization suddenly dawned on his face. "You're in love with her."
Joe's eyes hardened. Why was it so easy for Darren to see what he was feeling? And if it was so obvious, why couldn't Lauren see it, as well? Or was she just ignoring it, not understanding how much it pained him to keep it hidden? "I don't want to talk about this anymore, okay? I'm… I'm going inside."
Darren didn't protest, but Joe could feel his eyes on him as he retreated to the house. The whole situation was screwed up to begin with- telling Darren everything would just make it more real, and he wasn't sure he knew how to handle that yet.
He found most of the others inside, gathered around the TV to watch some movie he didn't recognize. Meredith was sitting on the floor, so Joe plopped down next to her and stared blankly at the screen. Then his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Lauren.
So, Jaime said she would hang out with me, but now she's ditching me for a date with the leftover Chinese food in her fridge. Fatty. :P
Joe smiled down at his phone, typing out a quick message and sending it back. Yeah, like you wouldn't give up a date in exchange for food any day.
Exactly why I don't date. I'm in a steady relationship at the moment. With cake.
Joe snorted out a laugh before realizing that everyone else in the room was completely silent. A few of them turned to give him slightly confused looks, eventually directing their attention back to the movie.
Want to come over later?
It was always like that- one minute their conversation would be light and friendly, just like always, and then suddenly they would slip into this new territory where everything was different. Nerves clenched in Joe's stomach and his mouth went dry as he stared at the text. He was still nowhere near accustomed to the feeling he got whenever Lauren made him an offer like this. Definitely. When?
I'm heading out now. Follow me home in half an hour?
Part of Joe's mind was screaming at him to tell her no. He was in deep enough as it was, and he didn't know if he would be able to keep up the charade if things went much further. Still, the prospect of at least being able to show Lauren how he felt, if only for a little while, was a gift he couldn't pass up. I'll be there.
x.x.x
Lauren had never been one to let her feelings get carried away and out of control. She could be ridiculous, spontaneous, and dramatic, while occasionally choosing to keep more to herself and stay quiet. But there was something about this situation that made her feel different. With Joe, she didn't have the same amount of power over her emotions anymore, and it terrified her. Lauren didn't want to fall in love and deal with the complications of a relationship. She didn't want to lose her friends. Was it too much to ask for things to just stay the same?
She wished she had chosen to ignore her feelings, at the very least. The fact that she had asked Joe to kiss her in the first place still felt wrong. Not so much because she had initiated it or enjoyed it, but because it had led him to believe that she wanted something more. But that was something Lauren wasn't ready to face yet. She felt like such a coward.
And yet there she was, letting him into her apartment again, smiling a little because she knew what was coming and because it was a relief to finally not have to hide. "Hi," she said, sounding much more breathless than she'd intended.
Joe smiled back, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Hi," he echoed. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as he looked at her.
Lauren couldn't think of anything to say. It was as if her mind had gone blank, and every thought was suddenly focused on need and want and impatience. She gave in, standing on her tiptoes and reaching up to press a quick kiss to Joe's lips.
Their eyes met, and it was like her heart was trying to break free from her chest. Her whole body felt far too warm, too full of adrenaline. Ignore it, she told herself desperately. You're making it worse. You're not ready for this yet. Tell him you don't want this anymore.
But the feeling of his lips on hers again was enough to melt her, and she forgot her argument in an instant. Lauren kissed him back fiercely, allowing all of her stress to break free in favor of the need to get closer, to feel something tangible. And Joe was there and she wanted him more than she could explain, for reasons she had yet to understand. Pulse racing, she knotted her arms around his neck and took a step back, pressing their bodies into the wall behind her.
"Lauren…" Joe's eyes were wide and surprised at the sudden intensity, his breath coming in short gasps.
She shook her head and pulled him close again, her eyes fluttering shut as his lips found her neck. "Please don't stop," she whispered, voice trembling slightly.
Joe pulled back abruptly to meet her eyes, holding her gaze steady for a long moment, like he was searching for something. "Are you sure?"
Lauren nodded quickly, wanting nothing more than to forget everything but the feel of Joe's touch and the sound of his voice and the taste of his lips. "I'm sure," she answered softly, moving to close the half-inch of space left between them. If reality was the only thing holding them apart in this moment, then fine. Screw reality. "I want you."
