Sorry for the long delay! Midterms are coming up soon thus work, work, work. Also, apologies to those who PM me-I don't really have enough time to answer individually, but thanks for the kind words. And thanks to those who pointed out the weird formatting earlier. That was my fault and everything is now fixed. To those who couldn't find the story anymore-you need to set the Ratings filter to include M-rated stories since the default is K-T. Okay, onward!
Chapter 11: We Can Work It Out
The sound of a lawnmower in close proximity woke Derek a few hours earlier than he wanted. He cracked open his eyes to see bright sunlight streaming through the windows, the curtains doing nothing to help, and winced. After his eyes adjusted, he managed to make out the time on the stereo. Seven-twenty. "Who mows the bloody lawn at seven in the bloody morning?"
"I said I'd do it this weekend dad, shut up…" Bleed mumbled thickly, still asleep.
Derek twisted around to look at the man next to him. /Now I remember. Explains why I'm sore./ He winced as he rolled onto his side to press up against Bleed. It was good sort of ache though, Derek thought to himself as he watched Bleed sleep. They probably needed to get up and sneak into the house while everyone was still in bed, but Derek was too content to move.
The motor of the lawnmower was still going strong and Derek groaned inwardly, the noise beginning to annoy him. He shook Bleed's shoulder and tried to wake him but the man merely rolled over and grunted. Derek rolled his eyes and followed, getting on top of Bleed. "Hey. It's time to wake up…"
When he blew a hard gust of air into Bleed's ear, the blond man flinched and groaned, blindly trying to swat him away. His face was pressed into the cushions and made his speech unintelligible.
"What?" Derek managed to make out the words the second time and shrugged. "Well, you can sleep more back in the house. We should get in."
The reply was several grunts.
"I'm not going to carry you." Derek frowned at the whine he received and concededly put his head down on Bleed's back. "Alright, one more minute."
Gradually, Bleed inched his way to face Derek and looked at him with groggy eyes. "Morning…"
"Hello, love." Derek kissed Bleed lightly and pressed his face against the other's neck. He smiled when Bleed's hand lazily stroked his hair and nuzzled deeper into him.
"What time is it?"
"I dunno. Seven-thirty?"
"…Who mows the bloody lawn at this time?"
"That's what I was wondering."
Bleed yawned and hoisted himself on top of Derek, pinning him down. "Want to make some noise of our own?"
"No! Didn't you have enough?" Even though his tone was affronted, Derek couldn't help the smile growing on his face as Bleed kissed his neck.
"Not really," said Bleed, shrugging as he continued moving his mouth to Derek's chest. "I could've gone longer last night, but I was trying to be considerate…"
"Ha! You passed out right after you finished-" Derek suddenly winced when pain shot from his knees up to the middle of his back. "Get off me, will you?"
Bleed shifted his weight off Derek, looking concerned. "What's wrong?"
"Ow…I'm just so bloody sore…" Derek grimaced and attempted to stretch through the dull pain in his lower extremities. He sighed gratefully when Bleed began massaging the small of his back. "We're going to have to do easier positions…"
"Getting old?" Bleed teased as he started working on Derek's left thigh. He ow-ed when Derek punched him in the arm firmly, a small scowl on his face. "I was joking! We're the same age you know…"
They lazed about in a content quiet as Bleed continued to massage Derek's legs. "Better?"
"Better, thanks." Derek smiled and sat up, feeling somewhat tingly and almost boneless. He began pawing at the floor, searching for clothes. His searched turned up a pair of worn, blue jeans and threw them in Bleed's face. "Get dressed-the neighbors are already out and about. Last thing we need is another public indecency charge."
"Uhg…what a bunch of psychos. Do all suburbanites wake up this early?" Bleed grumbled as he retrieved one of his boots from under a seat.
"I think so," replied Derek, his voice muffled from being in the process of pulling on his shirt. He shook his hair out and patted around the floor for his pants. "Oh, here's your other boot-"
"Thank you. Now give me ten dollars if you ever want to see these trousers again." Bleed said in a mock-threatening voice as he held away a handful of leather.
Derek rolled his eyes and snatched his pants back. "You're a jerk."
"You know you love it." Bleed smirked and tugged a lock of Derek's hair, teasingly. He stretched briefly before tugging his shirt on. "Well, I'm decent."
"As decent as you'll ever be," quipped Derek as he made his way to the door. "Oh, don't leave behind your left-behinds."
Bleed made a huffy noise but retrieved the garbage bag. "So annoying…"
Derek ignored his complaining and hopped of the van, somewhat grateful to be outside to stretch his legs. Bleed jumped out after him, bumping playfully into his back. "Watch it!"
"You watch it," said Bleed with a note of amusment. "You're blocking my way."
"Right. Little wanker-" Derek shoved Bleed back, giggling when the man tried to herd him off the curb. The odd feeling of someone looking at him made Derek glanced around to see the next door neighbor watching the two of them. "Er…"
"Derek, that Asian bloke is staring at us…" Bleed muttered out of the corner of his mouth, his playful mood now sobered.
"Just act natural-" Derek raised his voice from a whisper and waved at the neighbor. "Lovely morning, eh Mr. Taguchi?"
The old man merely frowned at them before shaking his head. Derek supposed the neighbors were used to odd going-ons since the band moved in. In comparison with having the front of the house picketed by angry mothers, various objects (including Ash) being launched across houses and such, two men exiting a van at seven in the morning was actually nothing interesting.
"Here's some tea."
"Thanks." Bleed grinned and accepted the steaming mug. A plate of toast was set in front of him as well and before he could ask, so was a jar of grape jelly. He forgot how generous Derek could be after a good night of fun and games.
Neither of them felt like going to back to bed now that they were awake. Instead, they both took quick showers (separately, much to Bleed's disappointment) and then sat down for what Derek called 'a bit of brekkie'.
"We're going to the mall today," announced Derek as he tossed the remains of his tea down the sink.
Bleed glanced up from his toast and raised an eyebrow. "Can we get makeovers while we're at it? I was thinking I'm more of spring than a winter lately."
"You need a cell phone!" Derek ignored Bleed's joke and continued. "Look, we all got one. This is mine-it has Tetris and different ringtones and takes pictures-"
"Okay, okay," interrupted Bleed, "I guess I need one if you lads all have them. Let me just finish me breakfast."
"Great, I'm just going to get ready." Derek glanced around before planting a quick kiss on the back of Bleed's head.
Bleed grinned and watched Derek exit the kitchen. The singer was in an extraordinarily good mood (no doubt, thanks to him). He wiped his hands on his jeans and began shuffling the newspaper on the table. The paper was rearranged to 'subtly' have the classifieds on top. He was certain that after last night, Derek could see the perks of getting their own place. Pleased with the paper set-up, Bleed got up from the table and started towards the guest room. His steps skidded to a stop when he saw Derek in the living room talking to Tripp, the kid not looking happy.
"I need to talk to you" Tripp had a serious expression on his face. He looked uncomfortable as he looked around as if paranoid. "It's about Bleed…"
"Oh! We're going to buy him a cell phone at the mall. He doesn't have one." Derek informed Tripp. "Come along with us. You two can clear up that nonsense from last night."
"Derek, it's not nonsense-" Tripp's face tightened as the aforementioned person strolled into the living room. He scowled and looked at the ground as Bleed stepped up next to Derek.
"Ready to go?" Bleed grinned at Tripp and gave a little wave. "Hey. You're feeling better then?"
Tripp merely gave Bleed a cold look before turning back to the singer. "Derek, I have to talk to you now. Please-"
"Come on, Derek-" Bleed cut in, inching his way between Derek and Tripp. He nudged Derek's arm and ushered him down the hall. "We want to beat the traffic, right? And I know how long it takes for you to put on your face-"
"Alright, alright! Jeez, I don't take that long…" Derek huffed lightly, but his expression was amused. He petted Tripp's shoulder as he passed by, speaking to him, "We'll talk later, kid. So, hold that thought."
"Derek-" Tripp's jaw clenched shut as the singer stepped away down the hall.
Bleed watched Derek leave, feeling a bit of fondness. But as soon as he was certain the singer was out of earshot, he smirked coolly at Tripp. "They're not going to listen to you over me. Why don't you just give it up?"
"Why don't you just stop being a jerk?" Tripp shot back, glaring defiantly at the older man.
/…Good one./ "Well, why don't you stop being annoying?" Bleed bristled. He didn't expect the kid to be so determined. Nor did he really expect Tripp to just let go, but he had really hoped he would. "You really think being in Iron Weasel for a few months makes you one of them?"
"…They're my friends," said Tripp, though a flicker of uncertainty came over his face. "And I wouldn't abandon them when things got tough like you did."
Bleed felt his eye twitch and he clenched his jaw. "I wouldn't expect a kid to understand grown-up problems. Why don't you run along and play rock band with your little friends, kid?"
"Derek doesn't know this, but he was right-people don't change." Tripp's voice had a note of grit as he continued. "And I'm going to prove it."
"Yeah? Good luck. There's no way he's picking you over me." Bleed replied confidently. That kid could never replace him. He would make sure of it. Bleed suddenly clapped his hand playfully on Tripp's shoulder, nearly busting into laughter at the startled look on the kid's face. "You're a good kid, Tripp."
"What?"
"Ready to go?" Derek walked back in at that moment, his hair and makeup done. He smiled, seeing the affectionate gesture from Bleed.
"Yep. Later, Tripp." Bleed gave his sweetest smile and walked with Derek to the door.
"What the heck!" Tripp sounded incredulous and his footsteps followed them. "You faker-"
Bleed let the door fly back with a small slam, feeling satisfied. He gave Derek a confused expression as they walked to the van. "That kid's a bit high strung."
As Derek drove, he listened to Bleed talk about this and that but wasn't fully paying attention. He kept thinking about the kid. Something about Bleed wasn't sitting well with Tripp-something Derek couldn't bring himself to contribute to full on jealousy. It just wasn't in the kid's character, Derek thought.
Bleed, on the other hand, he knew had a habit of rubbing people the wrong way. He also knew that the man was capable of being rather manipulative and self-serving…Derek shook the thought from his head. That wasn't fair. After all, he himself could be rather selfish among other unsavory things. /But you never actually went out of your way to screw over your friends…/ Derek squashed the little voice in his head and put the car in park. Bleed had nothing to gain by alienating the kid.
"Derek?" Bleed's hand was suddenly on his knee and his face was concerned. "You alright? You're a bit quiet."
"Yeah, I'm good." Derek smiled and petted the top of Bleed's hand affectionately. He searched the man's face, looking for something-anything that would tell him if something was up. "Bleed, you'll talk to the kid, right?"
Bleed frowned slightly and looked affronted. "Why? I didn't do anything-"
"He's still upset from the other night." Derek sighed when Bleed gave him a stubborn look. "I don't want him feeling like he's being replaced!"
"Fiiine." Bleed sighed but smiled slightly. "I'll set him straight. Don't worry, it won't be a problem anymore."
"Good…and no teasing him. I know how you are." Derek cleared his throat, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I just want you two to get along. I, uh, care a great deal about the both of you."
"Oh. Well, that's good to know." Bleed's face turned slightly pink and he averted his gaze to his lap. He coughed harshly and rubbed the back of his head. "I'll take care of it, alright?"
"Thanks," said Derek, a wide smile splitting his face. He reached over and squeezed Bleed's hand affectionately. "Let's get that phone now."
"Oh, we should get matching ones so we'll be twins," gushed Bleed in a sarcastic manner.
"You wish you were my twin so you could look like this." Derek retorted, fluffing out his hair.
"Well, if I looked like you, I wouldn't need you." Bleed smirked and batted his eyes at Derek. "I'd just need a mirror-"
"You're disgusting." Derek interrupted, laughing. He got out of the van and waited for Bleed to catch up so they could walk side by side. Having the man with him like this felt good. He had forgotten how much Bleed made him laugh with his crude, off beat sense of humor. That was probably it, Derek thought to himself. Tripp wasn't use to someone like Bleed and took something out of context. It made sense. The scenario alleviated Derek's previous anxiety and he let himself relax, knowing Bleed would sort it out.
Tripp sat slumped in front of the couch, feeling miserable. He couldn't believe how manipulative Bleed was or how easily the guys were deceived by him. Nor could he believe that no one listened to him. It hurt feeling like his word didn't matter. Shuffling footsteps broke through his moping thoughts and he looked up to see Ash. Even though the well-meaning drummer was definitely the dimmest of the group, Tripp often felt like Ash was the only one who understood him. Burger's thought process and emotional responses were kind of erratic and irrational, and Derek was often too caught up with himself to make a good person to have a heart-to-heart with.
"Hey, bro." Ash plopped down next to him, looking a bit tired. He smiled and glanced at the blank TV screen. "What're we watching?"
"Nothing, the TV's not even on." Tripp sighed at Ash's blank look but didn't move to leave. He restlessly picked at the frayed hole in his jeans and looked at his friend. "Hey, Ash, can I talk to you about something?"
"Shoot." Ash tore his eyes away from the screen and settled his gaze on Tripp.
"It's about, Bleed." Tripp hoped Ash wouldn't be evasive like Derek and would listen.
"Oh, yeah. That thing last night…"
"Yeah, that. He said he was going to take my place! And his British accent is fake! Plus, he's always hovering around so I can't talk to anyone…"
"He's not hovering now." Ash pointed out.
"Yeah. That's how I'm able to tell you this," replied Tripp. He sank further back into the cushions. "He's a complete jerk."
After a moment of silence, Ash nodded. "Yeah, he is."
"He is? I mean, you know?" Tripp looked at the drummer, feeling a bit hopeful that someone knew what he knew.
"Well, yeah. But, it's not like he means it," said Ash slowly, his face contemplative. "It's just how he is. I know it's hard to get, 'cause you don't know him too well. Just don't take him too seriously."
"But, he's really trying to squeeze me out!" Tripp protested. "He's a complete fake!"
Ash did seem a bit uncertain for a moment before giving Tripp an encouraging smile. "Bleed just likes to get under people's skins. You're not going to leave the band, bro. We won't let you."
"…Thanks, Ash." Tripp tried to smile back but it came off as half-hearted. He did feel a bit better at Ash's encouraging words, but still, no one believed him about Bleed.
More updates this weekend, hopefully. Fingers crossed! And thanks for the reviews!
