Somehow they had ended up in this bar. Christian still didn't know why he'd allowed Jordie to drag him into this scum hole when he really wanted to go home - but maybe then he didn't REALLY want to be home alone with the images of the video still in his head.

Anyway, here he was, drinking his Black Jack (the third) and listening to Jordie's blatant philosophical insights about girls, their nether parts and what to do with them. Obediently, he nodded and added a "Yeah," a "you're right, man" or a "really?" every now and then when Jordie paused, looking at him expectantly, but he didn't really listen. He had other thoughts which were much more pressing.

Jordie was already blissfully drunk and intended to get even more so. He was aware that Chris wasn't really listening, but he didn't mind - as long as there was a face in front of him while he talked about the last stupid bitch that had left him for someone else, it was fine with him. He shoved a fringe of his sleek dark hair out of his face and emptied his Bloody Mary, then he continued about women's inability to get an orgasm because of being frigid. "But no," he sighed, waving at the barkeeper, who handed him his next drink with a smile, "they always blame us, don't they? They're NEVER wrong."

"Stupid cunts," Christian replied without interest, silently wondering how shy little Brian Molko had changed to sing in a video featuring lines like "comes across all shy and coy, just another nancy boy". The kid had hardly ever dared to TALK to people at school, for fuck's sake! How could he dare prancing around like the fucking ruler of the universe now? He did have a really cute haircut though, Christian found himself thinking and blushed immediately, glad that Jordie was too drunk to notice and couldn't read his thoughts anyway.

And what had happened to Stefan? Okay, he'd been into music since Christian knew him - but Brian Molko? And moreover - wearing clothes like THAT in a video everyone could see? What was he thinking?

Christian sighed and waved for another Black Jack. He suddenly wished he'd never come to London. If he'd stayed in Paris, he probably wouldn't have to see Brian Molko on TV.

"And she never told me, imagine that!" blurted Jordie right then. "Just faked her orgasms and told me how great I was! Well, how was I supposed to know she didn't like it, huh?"

Christian rolled his eyes. "Yeah."

"Yeah! I can't read minds, you know?"

An already quite intoxicated trio stumbled through the nightly streets of England's capital. Brian walked between his two friends, hugging both of them, giggling and ignoring the cold creeping under his short skirt. "So how can you tell me you're loooooo-honely," he bawled as loud as possible and, considering his state of drunkenness, still very much in tune, "and say for me that the sun don't shiiinnne..."

"It doesn't," Steve pointed out, hiccuping, "it's night."

Stefan broke into a mad snigger.

"Let me take you byyyy the hand and lead you through the streets of London -"

"Why the hand?" Stefan asked, still laughing. "Why not something else, like cock?"

"I'll show you something to make you change you-hour mii-hi-hinnnnd..." Brian's voice trailed off with the last tones of the song.

"I'll get you something to make you blow your mind," Steve echoed, laughing and fumbling in his pockets for another joint.

"Oh, yes, Steve-baby, brilliant idea!"

They stopped while Steve lit it and got the first smoke, then he passed it on to Brian, who passed it on to Stefan, and they started to slowly walk on, smoking, sniggering, stumbling.

"And what now?" Stefan asked when the joint was finished.

"Par-tay!" Brian shrieked, giggling.

"Here, there's party, I think," Steve said, having spied a small bar which looked like it wouldn't mind a drunk rock band featuring a singer in a skirt entering it. Outside the door, a couple was busy snogging and touching as much as possible without losing the clothes in the cold.

They walked up to the door. "Heeey, may I have him when you're done?" Brian squeaked, tugging the girl's jacket.

"Sod off!" the man grunted.

"Awww.... nobody likes me!"

"Shut up," Stefan sighed, grabbing him around the waist and dragging him inside the bar, "everybody loves you, that's why we've just played a brilliant gig in front of a whole bunch of people!"

Brian looked around inside the bar and smiled. It was a cozy place, at least to his own definitions. Seems he wasn't the only not-too-manly guy here, so he probably wouldn't get into trouble for his looks. Could be a nice relaxing evening, he thought, ignoring that most people wouldn't consider 3 am to be 'evening'.

Stefan dragged him to a table and pushed him onto the bench, sitting down next to him so that Steve was forced to sit on the chair.

"Typical," the drummer complained, "leave the uncomfortable seat for the hetero!"

"Join the club and you get to snuggle here with us," Brian answered, smirking and leaning against Stefan to rest his head against the bassist's chest.

An incredibly familiar laugh made Christian's neck stiffen. He slowly, very slowly turned his head to look at the tables and almost choked on his Black Jack when he saw a familiar tall figure sitting on a bench, holding another, much smaller figure with black hair. A third man sat opposite of them, and the trio seemed to be engaged in deep conversation of some humorous content, since Stefan's laugh was then followed by something Christian could only describe as the cackle of the Wicked Witch of the West gone bonkers. Brian.

Christian's hands went numb. And he thought the day couldn't get worse!

"She even said no one else had ever made her feel like this!" Jordie whined.

"Liar," Christian forced himself to say.

"Yes." Jordie stifled a sob. "Fucking bitch!"

"Hey, darling!" Brian's voice rang, his eyes fixed on the waitress handing drinks to those sitting at the table next to his. She turned to look at him. "A bit more of whatever that just was, okay, honey?" He flashed her his most flamboyant smile.

She smiled back, blushing prettily. She was hardly older than 22, a slender figure with short brown hair, wearing tight jeans and an even tighter shirt. "Just a second." She started towards the counter, then turned again. "Uhm... could I have your autograph, please?"

Brian sniggered. "Only if you take his too," he said, winking and nodding in the direction of the darkhaired man on the chair, "he's our new drummer, he is, you know, we got rid of the bonehead Robert. Say hi to her, Stevie."

"Hi to her, Stevie."

Stefan and Brian started to giggle again. Steve smiled at the waitress. "Just get us a pen and something to write on, and I'll make him sign it, okay?"

She laughed helplessly. "Okay. Too bad I couldn't get to your show tonight." She sighed. "Work..."

"Well, honey, I could give you your own private show when you're done here," Brian drawled, smiling broadly.

The girl blushed even deeper and hurried to get their drinks.

"Chris, fuck, I'm talking to you!" Jordie interrupted Christian's observation.

Christian turned his head back to his friend with a sigh. "Yeah, sorry."

"Do you know them?" Jordie peered at the three men. "What are they, some sort of freak show or what?" he asked the waitress who was just then preparing the drinks.

She positively glared at him with dismay. "They're Placebo!" she said very, very slowly like talking to somebody clearly not up to her mental level.

"Uh-huh. And who are Placebo?"

"Band," Christian said, "you wouldn't like them, they're a bunch of fags."

"Urgh."

The waitress threw a venomous look at Christian and left to deliver the drinks.

"The girl looks cute, though," Jordie added after a moment.

"The girl's called Brian," Christian replied dryly.

Jordie choked on his drink - the eighth Bloody Mary? Christian hadn't counted. "What?"

"She's a he."

"No fucking way!"

"Yes fucking way. He's a bloke. Sheeesh, Jordie, how long have you been in London? Not everything wearing a skirt is a girl!"

"Yuck!"

The trio welcomed the waitress with cheers and clapping.

"Thanks a bunch, love," Brian chimed.

"Got a pen?" Steve asked, then he signed the piece of newspaper the girl had brought them - it was a passage announcing the gig they'd just played. He handed it on to Stefan, who somehow managed to write his name although he could hardly remember it and then passed it on to Brian.

The singer giggled. "Ok, lessee, what's your name, sweety?"

"Jessica."

"Jessica. Okay, Jessie..." He started to scribble and didn't stop for quite a while. Steve spied at his action with interest, but couldn't read anything due to the room's dimness and Brian sitting opposite to him.

Finally, Brian was finished and handed her her autographs. "Here you go, love."

"Thanks, thanks a lot, guys, thank you!" She beamed at them and went back to the counter, deciphering the words on her way. She stopped midway, blushing more than Christian had ever seen a girl blushing, and stared back at Brian, who sniggered and blew her a kiss. Jessica hurried towards a door labeled "Private", and before she closed it, Christian could hear her shriek: "Sandyyy!!!! You won't believe ..."

Steve and Stefan laughed. "What did you write?" Steve asked.

Brian grinned smugly. "I don't want to be a squealer, but it included her lips and my cock."

"Which lips?" Steve asked with a dirty grin.

"Ewww, Hewitt, you're disgusting!" Stefan complained.

"Hey, never mind, I did write about my cock, too, so you're not totally left alone," Brian said, chuckling.

"Stupid cunt, she is," Jordie growled next to Christian, distracting him from his spying activities. He rolled his eyes and leaned over to the barkeeper. "Could you call him a cab, please?"

"Sure," replied the man, grinning at Jordie who meanwhile lay half spread over the counter, muttering curses against women.

"Thanks. I'll be right back," said Christian and made for the narrow door with the sign 'Gentlemen' on it.

The men's room was extremely small, so that when Christian was done and was just washing his hands (one of the few men who always did that, he hated guys who just walked out), the door opened and hit him right in the back.

"Ouch!"

"Ssrry!" mumbled the intruder with a drunken voice, stumbling forward.

"Never mind, Molko," Christian replied calmly.

Brian turned and stared at him. Then he stared a bit more. Finally, the penny seemed to drop. "Chri- Christian?" he stuttered.

"Fancy seeing you here, Brian."

"Uh..." The smaller man was clearly in loss for words. "Hi," he decided on one at last, blinking in the way people blink when they're totally pissed and are forced to concentrate, "sheeesh, what the fuck are YOU doing here?"

"I could ask you the same."

They looked at each other a bit helplessly.

"After-party," Brian explained at last, tugging at his skirt. "Just had a gig. And you?"

Christian smirked. "After party as well, you might say, I was at a horrible party tonight and I'm trying to save the day."

"How long have you been here?"

Christian shrugged. "Couple of hours."

Brian nodded slowly. That meant he'd seen Stefan, didn't it?

"Yeah," Christian answered the unspoken question, "didn't want to disturb you, though. Oh, saw you on TV tonight, one of your clips."

"Which one?" Brian asked automatically.

"Nancy Boy. Pretty pathetic if you ask me."

Brian glared up at him and sniffled, defiantly fluttering his mascara-darkened lashes. "Well, but I'm not asking you, am I?"

Christian grinned. "No."

Brian looked at him a bit more. "Well," he said then, "nice meeting you. I guess."

"Yes, I suppose."

"Uhm - excuse me, okay, but this lady is in urgent need for a piss..."

"Yeah. Bye then." Christian left the tiny room just in time to see Jordie being accompanied outside by the waitress, Jessica.

"Oy there!" the barkeeper shouted. "Called him a cab, if you want to leave with him you'd better hurry!"

"Nah, I'm not in a hurry," Christian replied, sitting down again. "Just give me another one."

"Whatever."

Christian was just sipping at his drink when Brian passed him on the way back to his band. "Aww, come on, Chrissy-prissy, at least say hello to Stef!" he commanded, tugging his sleeve.

Christian sighed. "All right." He got up, took his glass and allowed himself being dragged to the table.

"Look what I found on the loo!" Brian sniggered, looking at Stefan.

The bassist drowsily looked up. "Huh?" It took him considerably longer than Brian to recognize Christian, but then his mouth widened to a happy grin. "Heeeeeeyyyy, Chris!" he mumbled, waving weakly. "Whooooaaa. Whatcha doin' here?"

"Never mind him, he's completely pissed," Brian said, giggling and pulling along another chair. "Come on, Chris, sit down."

Reluctantly, Christian obeyed, putting his glass onto the table.

"Steve, that's Christian, he was at school with Stef and me," Brian explained, leaning over the table so that Christian could smell the alcohol in his breath.

Steve shook his head. "How come your whole school is assembled in London?" he asked, causing Brian to snigger. "Anyway, I'm Steve, nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Christian said, shaking hands with him.

"We played. Sports. You know. Basssetball," Stefan lilted. "At school," he added then, looking pensively, and nodded.

Steve and Brian looked at each other and grinned. "All right, it's up to me, I guess," Steve sighed then, standing up.

"Aw, no Steve, really -" Brian objected.

"Yes, Brian, really, you stay here with your schoolmate and I'll get our little drunkard home. Come on, Stef, let's go."

"Huh?"

"Home."

"Yeah. That's good."

Brian and Christian watched Steve as he half pushed, half carried Stefan outside, both of them grinning at the tall man's inability to use his legs properly.

Then Brian turned to Christian. "Well," he said, smiling wickedly, "what now - schoolmate?"