(a/n: This stuff right here is not at all in the same vein as the other chapters, but it just kinda came out of me. Too much reading all sorts of non-action oriented bullcrap on my part, I suppose. But it�s still good.)
Ryan found a bar ten blocks away from the Warped grounds and sat down on a stool at the far end of the bar. The place was just about empty, because it was near last call, and Ryan felt in dire need of the solitude. The bartender pushed a double of Jim Beam in front of him and he lifted it to his lips with a shaking hand. �What�s the problem?� The bartender asked, placing his elbows on the dark mahogany surface and leaning toward Ryan�s downcast head.
�Doesn�t matter,� Ryan mumbled back.
�C�mon. I�m like a priest,� he paused, and when Ryan didn�t respond he finished his statement. �You talk to me and you feel better.�
Ryan chuckled and lifted his eyes to meet the friendly gaze of the bartender, green eyes set in an older face, crinkled flesh at the corners. �That�s not where I figured you were going with that analogy.�
The bartender blinked at him a moment, then laughed out loud, slapping the shiny surface of the bar with his hand then pointing at Ryan. �Funny guy.�
Ryan gave him a half smile, the left side of his mouth kicking up. �Sometimes,� he conceded.
�So what�s got you down, son?� The bartender pulled a stool from beneath his side of the bar and sat down.
Ryan gulped a burning mouthful of Jim and set his chin on his fist. �Doesn�t matter,� he reiterated. �Just, you know, sometimes I miss home and I miss it most at night.� He looked out at the darkened sidewalk outside the front door and imagined the ocean just on the other side, a rolling grassy knoll dropping down to the sand just beyond the cement�s end, a dark tapestry of sky falling to the horizon where it touched an even darker sea. He could smell the salt air and the hint of coconut that lingered even though the tan bodies lathered in sun tan oil would have long since gone indoors.
�Where�s home for you?� The bartender asked.
Ryan closed his eyes and thought, wondering himself what that word brought to mind. He saw the sky burning crimson and purple, a red orb being devoured by the churning waters below. �Hmm,� he murmured. �California,� he replied, surprised to find that he had left Florida behind as his home base.
�I bet it�s nice there this time of year.�
�Yeah, it is.� He finished his whiskey and asked for another.
�You know, last call�s in ten minutes.�
Ryan grinned as the bartender filled the glass again. �I better drink fast, then.�
The bartender watched him in silence for a few moments as he drained half of what had been poured. �What�s your name, son? What�re you doing so far from home?�
Ryan found his tongue slow and thick all at once when he attempted to answer. He probably shouldn�t have already been drunk when he showed up here. �I�m Ryan. And you are?�
�Devin.� He presented his hand to the singer in greeting. Ryan lifted his, but found a bit of trouble trying to place it in the larger hand in front of him. Devin came to the rescue, though, gripping Ryan�s hand and smiling.
�I�m in a band,� Ryan continued, when he got his hand back and placed it on the bar to steady himself. �On the Warped tour. I just get sick of these�� He breathed heavily, looking for the right words to use. �These stupid, pain in the ass people who think they�re so smart.�
�And they�re not?� Devin asked, raising his eyebrows as the singer tugged on the ends of his bleached out hair.
�It takes two of them to add up to mediocre,� Ryan mumbled, figuring it might be fine if Devin thought he was speaking abstractly. �But they still get one over on you sometimes,� he whispered harshly. He shook his head, trying to remember if he weren�t speaking abstractly, because goddamned if it didn�t happen over and over again throughout a lifetime.
�Ah, well,� Devin replied softly, looking down the bar to see another person signaling that he wanted a drink. �That�s the way of the world. You win some, you lose some.� Devin placed his fingers lightly on Ryan�s shoulder before he slid off his stool and went to take care of the other guy at the bar. Ryan downed the last of his Jim Beam and dropped a couple crumpled bills on the bar, sliding them under the edge of the now-empty glass before he slid off his stool and stumbled for the door. Just as his sneakers hit the sidewalk he heard Devin proclaim last call, and about five minutes later his knees hit the blacktop when he fell off the curb.
Somehow he found his hotel and stumbled into the elevator, walking down the hallway towards his room. He fished the key out of his pocket and proceeded to miss the slot until someone opened the door. �Ryan?� The voice didn�t seem familiar enough, but his bleary eyes wouldn�t focus until the person leaned down a little and strikingly blue eyes sparked a little recognition.
�Billy?� Ryan wobbled on his feet and Billy reached out a hand to steady him. �What�� He looked both ways down the hallway.
Billy turned the deadbolt in the door to prop it open before he let it go behind him. �Come on,� he murmured sleepily, putting a hand on Ryan�s back and guiding him down the corridor, four doors down. �Where�s your key?�
�I can do it,� Ryan insisted, lifting the key carefully towards the slot, trying to make sure he didn�t miss this time. Instead of opposing Ryan�s efforts, Billy let the shorter man try and gently helped to guide the key home. �See?� Ryan slurred, when he heard the lock spring open.
�Yes, you�re right,� Billy yawned, holding the door open and pushing Ryan inside, tossing the key in after him and watching him disappear into the deep darkness of the room. He pulled the door shut and pressed his fingers into his eyes as he plodded back to his room to sleep before they hauled ass for the next city in the morning.
When the sun cracked open on another summer day, CJ was up and in her bathing suit. She must have slept wrong last night, because the muscles in her neck and shoulders were painfully tight, and that simply wouldn�t do. A drummer can�t have stiff shoulders. She rolled them and stretched them, and decided a trip to the hotel hot tub was the only option. Usually she stayed far away from those things because she could only imagine it was a roiling Petri-dish of germs and bacteria, but she had no choice.
�Where you going?� CJ looked back over her shoulder at Paul, who had obviously just opened his eyes, his voice low and scratchy from sleep and no doubt awakened by her absence, as his arm was splayed across the side of the bed she had just vacated. She smiled as he gripped the mass of blonde hair on his head with both hands, then slid the fists down to rub his eyes. It was all she could do not to climb back into bed next to him, let him drape his heavy arm across her body so she would snuggle in against him and bury her face against his neck, breathing in his familiar scent. Her eyelashes would tickle his skin so he would laugh noiselessly and tuck his chin down, pushing his forehead against hers, their noses brushing before they found a comfortable distance and settled back into sleep.
�I�m going to the hot tub downstairs,� CJ replied reluctantly, wondering why Paul had to look so enticing first thing in the morning. �My shoulders hurt,� she whispered.
�I could rub �em for you,� he offered, rubbing his hands together as a smile stretched across his lips. Benji groaned from the other bed, their voices threatening to wake him up. They both looked over as he stretched out his limbs, nudging his brother dangerously close to the edge of the bed. Miraculously, though, Joel simply shifted in his sleep, one arm hanging down from the bed, his knuckles nearly touching the floor, waiting until Benji settled down again before edging back from the brink and placing his head comfortably on his pillow again. All this in his sleep. Must have been the unconscious intuition that came from spending years sleeping in the same bed as his brother.
CJ crawled up from the foot of the bed and sat back on her haunches, putting her elbows on the pillow next to Paul�s head. �Tell you what,� she whispered. �When I come back, I�ma take a shower, so you can help me moisturize afterwards.�
�Can I help scrub you down?� Paul asked, jiggling his eyebrows.
CJ rolled her neck around. �We�ll see, Pauly,� she sighed as she slid away from him, knowing that if she stayed any longer, if she let her mouth brush against his cheek, she wouldn�t make it out the door. She stepped into a pair of camo pants she�d cut off at the calf, kicked on her sandals, then bent down and picked up a brown t-shirt she�d found at a Salvation Army in Pittsburgh. She draped a towel over her shoulder and glanced back at Paul once more to see he had drifted back to sleep.
Out in the hallway she slipped her t-shirt on. Just as she was pulling it down over her head, she heard a door click shut down the hall. She looked over and saw LP half walk, half fall out of his room. Their eyes widened when they caught sight of one another. CJ diverted her eyes, turning to look at the wall across from her. �Okay, LP,� she began. �We�re gonna have to stop being the same person, all right?�
LP looked down at himself, realizing he, too, was wearing a brown second hand t-shirt, sandals and cut off camo pants. His towel was even thrown over the same shoulder. He sucked in his breath audibly and glued his eyes to the wall as well. �Jesus, that�s weird.�
�Whatcha doing out here?� She asked, her feet frozen in place.
�Going down to the hot tub,� he replied stiffly. He heard her hum her acknowledgment of the statement.
�Mm hmm. We gotta stop being the same person,� CJ repeated, not looking at him, still staring straight ahead. �Cuz it�s starting to freak people out.�
LP swallowed hard, his throat seeming suddenly too dry. �Are you one of those people?� He asked.
CJ didn�t answer, only let out one highly-controlled breath. �Let�s just both go back into our rooms and change.�
�Deal,� LP replied.
The both of them backed into their rooms again and changed their entire outfits. They returned to the hallway at almost the same time, LP half stumbling though the door again. LP looked at her and she back at him, and they let out a relieved sigh. Now they were dressed nothing alike. The towels were even on opposite shoulders. �Hey, what�s with falling out of your room every time?� CJ asked as they started down the hallway together, towards the elevator.
�Oh,� LP chuckled. �Ryan passed out just inside the door.� He shook his head. �I dunno how that kid gets so wrecked sometimes.�
�Maybe it�s because you can practically see through his skinny ass.�
LP held the door while CJ walked into the elevator, then stepped in after her. �You�ve been looking at his skinny ass?� LP asked, flashing his stellar grin.
�Oh yeah,� CJ assured him, revealing a matching smile. �Oh, baby.�
The doors opened into the lobby and CJ and LP wandered out. LP looked down at CJ�s feet as she dragged them to keep her loose sandals on, her toes slightly out-turned as she grabbed the front of her pants at the waist, trying to keep them from falling down. �You walk like a dork,� LP said.
CJ smirked up at him. �You look like one.�
The man behind the front desk looked up from his magazine as they moved into the room.
LP rolled his eyes as he placed his hand against the side of her head and pushed her away from him. She retaliated by timing her assault perfectly, so she knocked him over the back of one of the oversized couches. She hoped over the back and landed on him hard, pulling a cry of protest out of him before she started smacking his face and bare arms with just enough force for it to sting. LP defended himself by trying to grab her wrists and landing a few hits of his own.
�Hey,� the guy behind the desk called to them. They heard him, but didn�t respond. �Hey, it�s nice to see a brother and sister get along so well,� he said a little bit louder, a smile apparent in his voice.
CJ stopped her assault, still sitting on LP�s hips as he gripped her wrists firmly. She looked back over her shoulder at him, her eyes slit due to violation and incredulity at the audacity of this fellow. She rolled off of LP and grabbed his hand to pull him to his feet, then she approached the front desk, LP following close behind her. She gestured over her shoulder at her companion. �He�s not my brother,� she said sweetly, placing her elbows on the surface and leaning forward over the desk so her feet were no longer touching the floor.
�You�re not?� The man asked.
�He�s my cousin,� she finished, dropping to her feet then turning around quickly, grabbing the front of LP�s shirt and pulling him down to her height. She paused a split second, eyes catching on LP�s before pressing her mouth to his for a prolonged moment, his lips soft and warm, full and responsive. CJ licked her lips when the kiss ended and looked up at the stunned face of the hotel manager. Without a word she started towards the pool area.
�We�re from West Virginia,� LP offered as an article of clarification, then followed his relative to the pool.
Once they had shed their clothes and eased down into the hot tub, CJ found her muscles began to relax. LP sat in her line of sight, across the tub from her, his feet brushing against her legs now and then, and he watched her slide lower into the water, the shimmering surface tucked just beneath her chin as she closed her eyes. �I don�t think that stunt your twins pulled went over real well,� LP said, the understatement of the year.
�Didn�t go over so great with us either,� CJ murmured lazily, not opening her eyes. �Both Benji and Joel got some bruises to prove it.�
LP shifted so one of the jets� pressure was concentrated just between his shoulder blades. �Well, just so you know, we reserve the right to fuck you guys up,� LP sighed, the swirling warmth around him leadening his eyelids. Unconsciousness settled on him easily, only to be awakened by something splashing into the water in front of him. Both he and CJ sat up and looked around, an upholstered pillow becoming waterlogged and sinking into the hot tub between them.
�Hey, lovebirds!� The voice echoed, but drew their eyes up to the fifth floor balcony. Each floor had a hallway that overlooked the pool and exercise area, and Alex was leaning over the railing to look down at them.
�What?� LP called, his voice a little sharp at the disruption of his peaceful rest.
�Pack your shit, dude. We�re leaving,� Alex called.
LP grunted and hauled himself up out of the water, grabbing the pillow and tossing it onto the deck next to his crumpled heap of clothes. While he dried off, he looked down at CJ as she continued to lounge there looking up through the skylights, sparkling droplets of water clinging to the tips of a few twists that framed her face, and her eyes seemed giant and deep without her glasses there to hide them. As though aware that she was being studied, CJ dropped her eyes to his and cocked her head. �What?� She asked.
LP shrugged and shook his head. �You getting out now?�
CJ lifted her arm out of the water to look at her watch. It was a Timex piece of crap she�d picked up at a K-mart, but it had the two important components she looked for in a watch: it told time and it was waterproof. �My boys won�t be up for another 45 minutes, so I�m just content to sit here and watch you dress.� Her eyes flicked back to him. �And do it slow, baby,� she added, grinning.
LP laughed and shook his head, pulling on his t-shirt. �See you at the show,� he said in parting, their customary valediction. She lifted just her fingertips out of the water and wiggled them to wave goodbye.
In the bus, as promised, Paul gave CJ�s shoulders and neck a slow and careful rub down. While she lay shirtless and prostrate on her stomach, eyes closed and confident in the strong hands of the bassist, Paul�s hands expertly sought out knotted muscles, feeling the tender tissue roll beneath his fingertips before he pressed into it, coaxing the tension out to fall noiselessly onto the rumpled blanket beneath them. Joel played video games a few feet away, eyes glued to the screen despite the activity going on in the same space. When Paul dug into a cluster of knots that clung to the soft tissue fringing the inside of her shoulder blade, a frown came across her face and her body momentarily tensed, her buttocks hardening beneath Paul�s as he reclined there. �Relax, Ceej,� he cooed softly in her ear, his breath tickling her cheek and making her smile. He picked up the remote and turned up the Enya a little, then he used the outside of his hand to skirt along the thin, inflamed ridge of muscle. �You gotta breathe,� Paul told her as he dug in deep to scoop out the hitches.
Benji walked into the back, talking as he entered the room. �What the hell is going on back here?� He inquired, wondering why something so god-awful was piping from the speakers there in the back lounge. �Hey,� he began, drawing the word out to emphasize his interest as he looked down at Paul and CJ. �Can I get next?�
�Of course Benji,� Paul replied in a husky voice that could easily have been a lady on one of those phone sex lines. CJ laughed, shifting beneath Paul. �No laughing,� he said to her.
�You should quit this bassist crap and work at a 900 number,� CJ laughed.
�No talking either,� Paul demanded, grinning down at the open swath of bare skin that was her back and how it yielded beneath his touch.
�Wow, you�re sure into this controlling me while you�re on top,� CJ replied, still laughing. �You just wait till tonight,� she finished.
�Ow, ow,� Joel murmured, not looking away from his video game. �Mental picture, oww.� He paused the game long enough to smack himself hard in the forehead. �That got it.� He resumed without a glance their direction.
Benji sat down next to her elbow and picked up the bottle of baby oil, squirting a little onto CJ�s back. Paul felt her flinch a little beneath him. �No, see,� Paul said, taking the bottle from Benji and squirting a little into his hand and rubbing his palms together to create some friction. �You have to warm it up first,� Paul finished, then eased the oil onto CJ�s back and did a general sweep of her upper back to try to locate other clusters of tension.
�I see,� Benji replied, watching Paul�s hands work. �Just like if I�ma charm the snake, I gotta get some friction going first.�
�Ow, ow,� Joel began again, smacking his forehead.
Benji grinned over at his brother and threw a stray sock at him. �Shut up, dude. Got news for you, the mental picture�s exactly the same as what you see when you�re rubbing the fireman�s helmet,� Benji laughed, borrowing a euphemism from South Park.
�Shut up, dude!� Joel demanded, pausing his game and glaring over at him, a look of horror on his face. �Just cuz we�re twins doesn�t mean I want to think� oh, God, I�m blind.� Joel dug the heels of his hands into his eye sockets as Benji got up and bounded over to him, tackling him out of the seat and onto the floor.
�Could somebody get me a bucket? I think I might puke,� CJ murmured sleepily.
�Ssh,� Paul hissed, letting his hands slide lower than he had been working before, finding a new focus in her lower back. He knew she always held tension in her lower back, and nothing felt better than attention to that which is long overdue for some special treatment. His fingers drew low groans out of her and he couldn�t help the sly smirk that crept across his lips. The tussle behind Paul grew quiet as the twins� attention was drawn by CJ�s orgasmic sounds.
Benji sat up and pushed Joel back onto the floor as he tried to rise onto his knees to see past the chair he had been sitting on. Joel punched Benji in the side and pushed him away, then got on his knees next to his brother.
�Harder, Paul,� CJ mumbled. Without a word against her speaking, he complied, digging the heel of his hand into her flesh and feeling her counter the motion slightly with her pelvis.
�Oh man,� Benji mumbled, shifting in his pants.
When he was satisfied with the job, Paul sat back. �I think you�re good.� He hooked her bra and stood up, his feet still straddling her hips. CJ got onto her knees and arched her back, then slumped back on her haunches while her palms slid over the blanket, stretching out her arms and shoulders. Then she straightened her legs to form herself into an inverted V, just in front of where Paul still stood. He took the opportunity to look over his shoulder at the twins and grin as though to say, �yeah, look what I got, losers.� CJ slid her palms towards her feet and grabbed her ankles for a moment to give her hamstrings a stretch, then stood up straight, her back bumping against Paul�s chest.
She laughed, plucking her shirt from the hook on the wall. �Sorry, I didn�t know you were still standing there.�
�Didn�t bother me,� Paul assured her as she turned to face him. She looked past him to see the two twins still staring open-mouthed at the two of them. They quickly went back to fighting for the chair in front of the TV when her eyes cut through the trance that had held them in place.
�What�s with them?� She whispered to Paul.
�I dunno. Some� brother thing.�
�I like your bra,� Joel said to CJ, triumphantly perched on the seat he had recently vacated, though still fighting his brother off with one hand while playing his game with the other. CJ looked down at her bra. It was plain, functional, and red, her favorite color outside of black.
�Uh, thanks, Joel,� she mumbled, pulling on her t-shirt, smacking Paul�s hand away as he hooked his fingers into the front of her pants.
Paul pulled his hand back and looked hurt. �Ow. Bitch,� he grumbled, that mischievous sparkle in his eye.
�You�re a man-whore,� she countered, smacking his hand again as he lifted it towards her midsection.
�You�re a tease.�
�Prove it.� CJ made a face then sprinted for the corridor, Paul chasing after her, already unbuttoning his shirt.
All right, well that was a wholly unnecessary installation. There�s more coming and it�s formulating in my mind already, so no worries!