Title: Ladytron
Author: Dreamiflame
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Todd Hayes and some other people own this, not I.
Notes: It's done, finally. Stay tuned for the rewrite.
The reporter left, and Mandy turned her glass around and around in her hands. The cigarette smouldered untouched in the ashtray, and Mandy stared at the smoke, not seeing it. Brian. He'd wanted to know about Brian.
After all the years, Brian.
And he was here, too, in New York, though he wasn't calling himself Brian. Mandy wondered how long the reporter would be able to keep looking before they made him stop. She'd been visited by the lawyers earlier, though she was sure she'd been an afterthought.
Nobody remembered her, not anymore.
Curt had called her a couple of days ago. He was here, too. Wanted to get together before he left, but she hadn't had time yet. She lifted the glass and swallowed her drink, not tasting it, and went to find Curt's number.
"Curt?"
"Mandy? This is a bad time."
"Oh." She pressed her hand on the counter and blinked, the smoke bothering her. "Sorry."
Curt sighed. "It's not you. I'll call you later."
"Ok." She hung up the phone and rolled her neck, feeling the bones snap in it. Her muscles were tight, but she shrugged that off, and walked back to her table. Picked up the burning cigarette and took a drag, waiting. Killing time.
He didn't call back until later, but by that point she'd already told her manager she wouldn't perform tonight and gone home. The phone rang as she was drifting off. "Hello?"
"My turn for a bad time, huh?" Curt sounded rueful and scratchy. "I'm sorry. I'll call tomorrow."
Mandy shoved a hand through her hair and shook her head, even though he couldn't see her. "No, it's ok. Just... a bit tired." She yawned and Curt chuckled. "Ok, a lot tired."
Silence, then, "I could come over..." Curt sounded hesitant, unlike his normal tone. Mandy thought for a moment, then gave him her address and hung up.
She let him in before he knocked and he gathered her to him, holding her tight against his chest. Mandy breathed him in and heard him doing the same. She had to laugh. "We need to see each other more often."
"No joke," he murmured, his breath stirring the hair at her temple. "You see that kid?"
Mandy lay her head on his shoulder and nodded. "The reporter, right? Yeah, he came to see me."
"He wanted to know about Brian. Brian, for fuck's sake! How weird is that?"
She shrugged, letting Curt draw her towards the couch and tug her down with him. "It's been ten years. Sometimes people look more closely at things for anniversaries."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her partly onto his lap. Mandy laced her fingers through his, and he squeezed their joined hands. "I ran into him, at a bar. After the show."
"Brian?" She hadn't known she could still be surprised today, but the thought of Brian in a bar, after all this time and all the secrecy seems absurd. Shannon would never allow it.
Curt chuckled, rubbing her back comfortingly. "No, the reporter. He called a couple minutes after you did, while the lawyers were sitting there." He shook his head. "I think I recognize him."
Mandy rested her head on Curt's chest. "Really? I like I may have, too. Can't think where."
He brushed one hand through her hair, petting her, and Mandy moved into the caress, sliding her hands beneath his shirt onto his warm back. "Member that concert?"
It was her turn to chuckle. "I remember the pants."
Laughter filled her small living room, and Curt lifted her chin and kissed her slowly. "Me too." Mandy shivered, and Curt smiled, pulling her closer. "You remember the kid?"
Comprehension. "Oh, him." Mandy lay quiet, listening to Curt's heart beat beneath her cheek. "He's changed."
His breath whooshed out of him in a strangled laugh. "We all have."
Mandy nodded, feeling Curt's muscles shift below her head. "So we have." It was quiet for a long moment, and Curt's hands found their way below the hem of her shirt. She shivered and pressed them tighter against her skin. "You're cold."
Curt made a sound that wasn't entirely a word. "I walked around for a while before I called. Didn't want to be drunk when I came here." He slid his hands out from under her shirt and stood. Mandy moved with him to avoid being dropped on the floor, and he held her for a long moment before drawing back. "Can I stay?"
"Like you really need to ask," Mandy said, trying for flippant and failing. Curt kissed her knuckles and let her lead him into the bedroom. His clothes came off as though magically stripped away, and her clothes followed quickly. Naked, Curt drew her to him, holding her tight.
"I know, but it's the polite thing to do, right?" He winked and Mandy swatted at him, not too concerned when her blow missed.
"Since when do you care about doing the polite thing?" Curt laughed unapologetically and tumbled them into her bed, catching his weight before he crushed her. Mandy wrapped her arms around him and held him close, and Curt sighed, returning her embrace. "God, I've missed you," he mumbled into her hair, and Mandy smiled, running her hands over his back.
They made love slowly, lingering over touches and kisses as though they would never get enough of each other. Mandy decided then that sleeping in Curt's arms was her absolute favorite pasttime. "We really have to see each other more," she murmured sleepily.
"Come with me," Curt offered, and Mandy felt sleep claiming her, turning over his words even as she fell into dreams. In the morning, Curt was still sleeping when she woke, and Mandy took the time to watch him and think it over.
Curt nuzzled her collarbone as he woke up, his stubble scratchy on her skin. "Morning." Mandy drew him up, kissing him fiercely, and he laughed. "You alright?"
"Did you mean it?"
Softly, "Yeah." Curt dropped his head onto her shoulder. "That's what you've been thinking? You woke me up with all the noise of wheels turning in your head."
Mandy swatted his arm. "You're awful."
"Yes." Curt grinned unrepentantly.
She bit her lip hard, and Curt pried her teeth apart with his tongue, gentle and forceful. Mandy felt a tear trickle from her eye, and reached up quickly to brush it away. "Yes," she said when they parted, and Curt's face broke into a huge grin.
"I'm glad," he said simply, and drew her back down to the pillows. Mandy went willingly, still dazzled by his joy. It wasn't a storybook ending, or a happily ever after, but she had long ago given up on them. What Curt was offering was no more than she expected, and the quiet joy she felt at the very idea made her smile.
They would go on, as they always had, but this time, together.
Author: Dreamiflame
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Todd Hayes and some other people own this, not I.
Notes: It's done, finally. Stay tuned for the rewrite.
The reporter left, and Mandy turned her glass around and around in her hands. The cigarette smouldered untouched in the ashtray, and Mandy stared at the smoke, not seeing it. Brian. He'd wanted to know about Brian.
After all the years, Brian.
And he was here, too, in New York, though he wasn't calling himself Brian. Mandy wondered how long the reporter would be able to keep looking before they made him stop. She'd been visited by the lawyers earlier, though she was sure she'd been an afterthought.
Nobody remembered her, not anymore.
Curt had called her a couple of days ago. He was here, too. Wanted to get together before he left, but she hadn't had time yet. She lifted the glass and swallowed her drink, not tasting it, and went to find Curt's number.
"Curt?"
"Mandy? This is a bad time."
"Oh." She pressed her hand on the counter and blinked, the smoke bothering her. "Sorry."
Curt sighed. "It's not you. I'll call you later."
"Ok." She hung up the phone and rolled her neck, feeling the bones snap in it. Her muscles were tight, but she shrugged that off, and walked back to her table. Picked up the burning cigarette and took a drag, waiting. Killing time.
He didn't call back until later, but by that point she'd already told her manager she wouldn't perform tonight and gone home. The phone rang as she was drifting off. "Hello?"
"My turn for a bad time, huh?" Curt sounded rueful and scratchy. "I'm sorry. I'll call tomorrow."
Mandy shoved a hand through her hair and shook her head, even though he couldn't see her. "No, it's ok. Just... a bit tired." She yawned and Curt chuckled. "Ok, a lot tired."
Silence, then, "I could come over..." Curt sounded hesitant, unlike his normal tone. Mandy thought for a moment, then gave him her address and hung up.
She let him in before he knocked and he gathered her to him, holding her tight against his chest. Mandy breathed him in and heard him doing the same. She had to laugh. "We need to see each other more often."
"No joke," he murmured, his breath stirring the hair at her temple. "You see that kid?"
Mandy lay her head on his shoulder and nodded. "The reporter, right? Yeah, he came to see me."
"He wanted to know about Brian. Brian, for fuck's sake! How weird is that?"
She shrugged, letting Curt draw her towards the couch and tug her down with him. "It's been ten years. Sometimes people look more closely at things for anniversaries."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her partly onto his lap. Mandy laced her fingers through his, and he squeezed their joined hands. "I ran into him, at a bar. After the show."
"Brian?" She hadn't known she could still be surprised today, but the thought of Brian in a bar, after all this time and all the secrecy seems absurd. Shannon would never allow it.
Curt chuckled, rubbing her back comfortingly. "No, the reporter. He called a couple minutes after you did, while the lawyers were sitting there." He shook his head. "I think I recognize him."
Mandy rested her head on Curt's chest. "Really? I like I may have, too. Can't think where."
He brushed one hand through her hair, petting her, and Mandy moved into the caress, sliding her hands beneath his shirt onto his warm back. "Member that concert?"
It was her turn to chuckle. "I remember the pants."
Laughter filled her small living room, and Curt lifted her chin and kissed her slowly. "Me too." Mandy shivered, and Curt smiled, pulling her closer. "You remember the kid?"
Comprehension. "Oh, him." Mandy lay quiet, listening to Curt's heart beat beneath her cheek. "He's changed."
His breath whooshed out of him in a strangled laugh. "We all have."
Mandy nodded, feeling Curt's muscles shift below her head. "So we have." It was quiet for a long moment, and Curt's hands found their way below the hem of her shirt. She shivered and pressed them tighter against her skin. "You're cold."
Curt made a sound that wasn't entirely a word. "I walked around for a while before I called. Didn't want to be drunk when I came here." He slid his hands out from under her shirt and stood. Mandy moved with him to avoid being dropped on the floor, and he held her for a long moment before drawing back. "Can I stay?"
"Like you really need to ask," Mandy said, trying for flippant and failing. Curt kissed her knuckles and let her lead him into the bedroom. His clothes came off as though magically stripped away, and her clothes followed quickly. Naked, Curt drew her to him, holding her tight.
"I know, but it's the polite thing to do, right?" He winked and Mandy swatted at him, not too concerned when her blow missed.
"Since when do you care about doing the polite thing?" Curt laughed unapologetically and tumbled them into her bed, catching his weight before he crushed her. Mandy wrapped her arms around him and held him close, and Curt sighed, returning her embrace. "God, I've missed you," he mumbled into her hair, and Mandy smiled, running her hands over his back.
They made love slowly, lingering over touches and kisses as though they would never get enough of each other. Mandy decided then that sleeping in Curt's arms was her absolute favorite pasttime. "We really have to see each other more," she murmured sleepily.
"Come with me," Curt offered, and Mandy felt sleep claiming her, turning over his words even as she fell into dreams. In the morning, Curt was still sleeping when she woke, and Mandy took the time to watch him and think it over.
Curt nuzzled her collarbone as he woke up, his stubble scratchy on her skin. "Morning." Mandy drew him up, kissing him fiercely, and he laughed. "You alright?"
"Did you mean it?"
Softly, "Yeah." Curt dropped his head onto her shoulder. "That's what you've been thinking? You woke me up with all the noise of wheels turning in your head."
Mandy swatted his arm. "You're awful."
"Yes." Curt grinned unrepentantly.
She bit her lip hard, and Curt pried her teeth apart with his tongue, gentle and forceful. Mandy felt a tear trickle from her eye, and reached up quickly to brush it away. "Yes," she said when they parted, and Curt's face broke into a huge grin.
"I'm glad," he said simply, and drew her back down to the pillows. Mandy went willingly, still dazzled by his joy. It wasn't a storybook ending, or a happily ever after, but she had long ago given up on them. What Curt was offering was no more than she expected, and the quiet joy she felt at the very idea made her smile.
They would go on, as they always had, but this time, together.