Second Place

West Coast Tour

(Part Two)

Disclaimer: check out chapter one for that – Thanks!

Pairing: Ross/Laura/Riker

Author's Note:

SP*SP*SP

After saying their goodbyes to the R5 Family, the five band members quickly made their way backstage to take a much-deserved rest. All of them were sweating and tired, but still pumped enough to keep them awake for another hour, tops.

Just enough time to get pats on the backs from the stage hands and roadies who handled their instruments even at their home concerts. It was nice being appreciated for a job well-done, but R5 always made sure they showed their equal appreciation for everything they did, too. Without them, there would be no concert.

When everything was squared away, their equipment being packed and stored, the Lynch siblings and Ratliff finally found Laura in their spacious dressing room. She was sitting on the white leather couch they were provided with, her slim fingers running over the screen of her iPad as her eyes scanned whatever she was reading.

"Hey, there you are, Laura," Ross commented, heavily throwing himself into the seat next to her. "We were wondering where you had disappeared to. Did you watch our last number?" He nudged his shoulder against hers, trying to gain her attention.

Laura wrinkled her nose, playfully wiping at her arm. "Ew, you're all sweaty, Ross. Go grab a towel or something," she teased, smiling at the blonde. "And, duh, of course I was watching you guys till the very end. Who do you take me for?" She pointed at herself. "Biggest. Fan. Remember?"

He held his hands up as if surrendering. However, he did stand to grab a towel that Rydel offered to him. "Okay, okay. Just wanted to make sure," he chuckled.

Riker took Ross's place, his own towel and bottled water in hand. He smiled at the brunette, who leaned against his side. His blue-plaid tie was loosened, and she played with the end absently. "What were you looking at on your iPad?" he curiously asked.

"Ryland was just sending me the ratings from tonight's concert," she answered, smiling proudly at her boyfriend. "Do you want to see? They're amazing, like I knew they would be."

"Nah, I'll check it out later. I'm beat." Scooting down on the couch, he laid his head in Laura's lap, sighing in contentment, kicking his feet up onto the armrest. Lastly, he threw the towel over his face and pretended to fall asleep, loud snores included.

Laura giggled, but allowed him to lie there for a few minutes while he decompressed from all the adrenaline rushing through his system. No doubt the rest of the band was doing the same, in their own ways, before they had to go back out to sign autographs and take pictures.

Rydel walked over, holding her chilled bottled water against her flushed face. Using one knee, she nudged her older brother. "Hey, none of that," she said. "We have to be out there again in, like, three minutes. You have to get up."

He groaned, but did as he was told. Sitting up, the towel dropped into his lap but he ignored it in favor of shifting into a proper position on the couch. "I'm up, I'm up."

"Good." With a triumphant smirk, the only female member of R5 went back to the vanity desk she had earlier claimed as hers. "I have to fix my make-up. We'll leave right after that."

All the boys murmured in understanding, although Riker was tempted to lie down again. Laura was so comfortable it was a mystery to him why he didn't just use her as a pillow all the time. He'd have to remedy that, and soon.

Softly, said brunette brushed the lightly sweaty bangs out of his face, catching his attention. He smiled. "Hey."

"Hello," she chuckled. "Come here. You need to fix your appearance. Can't have a boyfriend who doesn't know how to dress himself, now, can I?"

It was Riker's turn to chuckle. "No, I suppose not." He watched as the petite brunette scooted closer, her delicate hands reaching up to straighten his tie and brush out wrinkles in his shirt. He lightly shivered in pleasure; he loved having her hands on him – it was addicting, no matter in what situation.

Unknown to the couple, a certain blonde teen watched them with an unreadable expression. Inwardly, however, was a different story. He liked watching Riker and Laura interact; the former always treated the latter like she was glass – fragile, delicate – which was exactly how she should be handled.

It was the only reason why Ross didn't mind the title of 'second place', honestly. Besides the fact that Riker was a good older brother to him, of course. That last part had to count for something.

SP*SP*SP

As the autograph signing took place, Riker smiled as several fans asked about how Laura was doing and if they were still together. He loved that the R5 Family was so invested in their relationship; that they supported it so openly. Because, of course, among the shippers there were also those who wanted him (or her) for themselves, and didn't mind letting it be known.

It was okay, though. He took it all in stride, and he knew Laura did the same. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion. As long as nothing violent came from said opinion everything was fine. It was cool.

"Riker, Riker," another fan gushed, walking quickly up to stand in front of him. He looked up to smile and reach out to take her poster of the entire band. It was from one of their first photo shoots, and he felt his smile widen as he remembered all the horsing around they did. "Hi, I'm a huge fan of R5! You guys are just so amazing!"

"Thanks," he replied charmingly. He poised his blue sharpie over his picture. "What's your name?"

"Ariel," the girl, who looked no older than fourteen, answered. She was beaming with such happiness and excitement, Riker couldn't help returning her grin. "Um, is it okay if I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Ariel, of course." Deftly, he signed his name and waited to hear her inquiry.

Her cheeks flushed pink as he said her name, but he ignored it as he stared at her curiously. "Well, you see…" she started shyly. "I'm a huge fan of Laura Marano, too… I was wondering… Would she happen to be here, with the band? She's your girlfriend, so…"

Riker chuckled. It was cute the way the young teen shifted on her feet, obviously embarrassed about being so bold but also determined to see one of her idols.

"Yeah, she's here, somewhere. I think she's helping Ryland deal with some secret, backstage stuff." He winked, and Ariel squealed in excitement. "Did you want to give her something? Sign something?"

Ariel immediately began digging through her messenger bag, almost bouncing on her feet. "I have so many of her autographs on her modeling posters she'll start thinking I'm stalking her." She paused to cast him a sheepish look. "Well, maybe only her career… and personal life, a little bit…" They shared a laugh, and she went back to looking through her bag. "Could you give her this bracelet I made for her? And I made one for each band member, of course!"

When she held them out, he took them in exchange for the signed poster, and started searching for the one meant for him. The fans always made it obvious, which he was thankful for. It would have been embarrassing if he'd put on Rydel's.

"The blue one is yours," the young teen said, "I know it's your favorite color. The red one is for Laura."

The bracelets were simple in design, but made with care and consideration, Riker could immediately tell, especially when he saw the little plastic charm decorating each one. His had the band's logo, while Laura's had two: a black and red R5 logo on a miniature guitar pick and a purple heart with R&L printed in swirly, beautiful letters.

"I'm so jealous," he teased, grinning. "I like Laura's one – it's awesome! I'm sure she'll love it. Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," Ariel gushed before moving down the table to have her poster signed by Rydel.

Riker pocketed the other bracelets to hand out later, but he slipped Laura's one around his wrist. He was grateful they were made out of stretchy material, otherwise it wouldn't have fit, and he probably would have broken it. But, he had meant what he said – it was awesome; he especially loved the purple charm, because it was a symbol of a fan's support of their relationship, and the color happened to be his and Laura's 'ship' color.

His attention was caught when another adoring fan quickly made her way to stand in front of him. She was beaming, like all the others, and he returned her smile with one of his own.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I'm meeting R5," she squealed. "I love you guys so much!" She paused for a split second. "Hey, are you and Laura still together? I totally ship you two! You guys are, like, my favorite couple."

Did he mention how much he loved the R5 Family? No? Well, Riker did.

SP*SP*SP

By the time they made it home, it was close to midnight, but the late hour was worth it and so was everyone's exhaustion. They had another successful concert, and the fans were as loving as always.

It didn't get better than that for them. As long as they could make one person smile with their music, they considered it a job well-done.

The Lynch siblings, including Ryland, their manager, Ratliff, and Laura, took seats around the spacious dining room table. Ryland wanted to go over last-minute details about the night while it was fresh in his mind. Sure, it could wait until everyone got some sleep, but some things just couldn't be put off.

"Okay, so the show was a success," he said, smiling proudly. "Everyone was happy and only had good things to say about R5. Was there anything anyone wanted to report? Any suggestions to improve an already awesome band?"

Ross raised his hand, like he was still in school. "Yeah, can you ask the light technicians not to shine their spotlights directly on me?" he inquired. "Like, maybe indirectly? It gets too hot after a while."

Ryland made a note on his iPad, nodding. "Done. Anything else?"

"Maybe we should change up our cover songs?" Riker suggested, shrugging. One arm was laid along the back of Laura's chair, his fingers playing with a couple of strands of her hair absently. "Maybe something more now?"

"What do you suggest?"

Laura leaned forward, smiling. "How about a couple of songs that Rydel can sing? Fans would love to see that, I think."

Said blonde clapped excitedly, beaming at the idea. "Oh, I like that! I like that!" she exclaimed. "Let's do that, guys!"

Ryland made another note. "Cool. That's a great idea, Laura. I'll look through some songs and get back to you." He turned to look at his older sister. "Do you have a preference, Del?"

"Something upbeat and something I can choreograph dance moves to."

Ross grinned. "Hey, that would be awesome! With Rydel singing, it'll leave me, Rocky, and Riker, a chance to bust some moves on stage, too."

"The fans will go crazy for that," the youngest Lynch agreed, smiling. He made another note on his iPad. "Okay, I think that should be enough to work with for now. Is there anything else anyone wants to bring up?"

Riker dug through his pocket, pulling out the bracelets and other merchandise the fans made for them. "Some fans were nice enough to make us stuff to wear." Placing it in the middle of the table, he sat back while everyone else brought out their own offerings from the night to hand out.

Curious, Laura poked through the pile, as did the other band members, and picked up a blue stretchy bracelet that her boyfriend had. "Hey, this was meant for you," she said.

"Oh yeah," he said, smiling. "There was this girl – Ariel – she made you a bracelet, too, but I decided to wear it." Holding out his wrist, he showed the brunette the red bracelet with the two charms. He grinned. "I thought it was cool."

"I love it," Laura said, beaming. Easily, she slipped it off and slid it onto her own, smaller wrist to admire how it looked. "Ariel, you said? Was she a brunette with green eyes? Looked about fourteen, maybe fifteen?"

He nodded. "I knew you would. And, yeah, you know her? She said you've signed a bunch of stuff for her before."

"Yeah, she was at my last fashion show for that charity I did last month." Her smile got bigger, if that were possible. "She was so nice! I'm so happy she was at the concert tonight – I wish I could've seen her." At the end, she started to pout, but Riker leaned down to peck her on the lips.

"Next time, babe. Next time."

"Okay, you two lovebirds," Ryland's dry tone cut into the couple's moment, causing snickers from the rest of R5, and Laura to blush pink. Riker, on the other hand, grinned, not at all apologetic. "We're going to bed before you two give us cavities. Good night."

The two said good night to everyone, and they filed out of the room with their new accessories, leaving Laura and Riker alone at the spacious table.

The latter scooped up his girlfriend easily from her seat and set her in his lap, ignoring the small squeal of surprise that left her lips. Instead, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist to hold her in place and grinned cheekily.

"Hi," he huskily whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her in the most delicious way.

She giggled, shifting slightly to get into a more comfortable position. "Hi," she whispered back. Turning, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Shouldn't you be exhausted from the concert?" Sweet, achy heat, however, swirled in her belly; the desire and passion she felt for Riker rearing up within her. It didn't help that she could feel his hardening member underneath her.

"I caught my second-wind."

Smirking, she raised a sly eyebrow at him. "Oh? And what are you planning to do with that?"

In answer, Riker smirked back. A wicked gleam entered his darkening chocolate eyes, and the brunette shivered in anticipation. She loved it when her boyfriend got all naughty and mischievous.

"I can think of a few things that come to mind…"

SP*SP*SP

When he knew the coast was clear, Ross snuck out of his room and silently made his way downstairs. If he knew one thing when it came to Riker and Laura, he knew when the two were getting hot for each other. It was like electricity was bouncing off them, dragging the other closer, not letting go until they were satisfied. Sometimes it took less than an hour. Sometimes it took three hours.

Sometimes it took all night. Ross had a feeling tonight was going to be that last option.

It wasn't like he cared how long the two took, however. The camcorder strapped to his hand made sure he had enough blackmail material, in case Laura decided she wanted to end things. It was one thing to reveal what he did to her in the privacy of his bedroom – it was quite another if it was revealed what she and Riker did during their intimate moments.

She would be mortified if she knew what, exactly, Ross had on her. Absolutely mortified.

But, it also meant she would rethink breaking things off with him, and he knew she would never end her relationship with Riker. She loved him too much, and vice versa.

Ross stopped when he was within view of the dining room table. Getting his camera ready, he made sure to stay in the shadows as he set the lens in the direction of his older brother and the brunette beauty. Instantly, he grew hard at the sight the latter made.

Riker was seated, but his blue-plaid tie was missing, his blonde hair was messed up, and his dress shirt was opened, exposing his leanly muscled frame and defined abs. His leather belt was unbuckled, pants popped open, and Laura was bobbing her head back and forth between his spread thighs to accommodate her petite frame. His hands were placed in her long, silky hair as he directed her movements, and his voice was easily picked up as he instructed her on what he wanted.

"That's it, baby. Suck me deeper – yeah, just like that… God, I love the way you use your tongue, Laura."

"Harder. You gotta suck harder, baby. You want me to pleasure you, too, right? … Oh God, that's fucking good. Fuck…"

"Shit, Laura, I'm already gonna cum… You wanna swallow it, don't you? You want me to cum down your throat… God, you're so dirty – I love it."

After Riker's hips jerked up, and Laura swallowed his semen with a sexy mewl, Ross paused his camera and closed it. On silent feet, he left to head back to his bedroom. He had all the material he needed, and now he was ready to make his next move.

He just needed to figure out when to initiate it.

SP*SP*SP

The next morning, everyone was eating the delicious breakfast that Stormie made when Ryland's cell phone began to ring. All conversation stopped as everyone looked at the youngest member at the table, wondering who would be contacting him so early.

"Sorry about that," Ryland said sheepishly, standing to retrieve his cell from his pocket. He glanced down at the screen, frowning slightly at the unknown number. "I should probably take this. Be right back." With that, he walked out.

Shrugging, Rydel nudged her best friend with her shoulder. When the brunette looked up, she said, "We should go shopping today. We haven't gone anywhere ever since you left for New York." Pouting, she added, "Please? I want to look for more tutus."

"Don't you think you have enough?" Laura teased. In the next second, she brightened as an idea hit her. "Hey, we should think of a new look for you!"

The other girl cocked her head to the side, curious. "What's wrong with my look now?"

"Nothing, but I mean, if Ryland is going to look for new covers for you to sing, why not throw in a new imagine, too?"

Rydel started to bounce in her seat, clapping excitedly. "Oh, that's a great idea, Laura! We can go through my closet and see what I have. This is gonna be so much fun!" she squealed.

Laura was about to share in her friend's enthusiasm, but Ryland's hasty return cut her off. She looked at the younger teen, cocking her head to the side like a lost puppy as she took in his gleaming eyes and wide grin. He was practically vibrating with whatever news he was about to share.

"Ry, what's up?" Ross asked, clearly sensing the younger boy's emotions.

Unable to contain his excitement anymore, he loudly exclaimed:

"R5 was just offered a West Coast Tour!"

Until*Next*Time

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~babydoll92