literature

Antigravity, Part IV

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The crowd for tonight's concert was even more hyped than on the night before.  Allistair figured that good reviews had spread rapidly by word of mouth, and the people who had managed to get tickets to the second and third shows were probably feeling lucky, indeed.  They were getting their money's worth tonight, as far as he was concerned; the show had been great so far, maybe even better than last night's, and the band seemed to be having more fun, too.

It was nice to just enjoy an entire concert with no thoughts of work, for once.  His editor, Freddie, had raved about the pictures he had taken, and hadn't asked him to try to get more, so Allistair had conveniently not mentioned that he was going to tonight's show.  If he was going to go out later with Devin, though, they might have to be a little more discreet.  He imagined that the press and paparazzi would have caught on to the band's appeal by now, and, he had learned to his slight dismay, people had seen him out with the singer last night.  He had gotten several catty questions at the office, which he had managed to deflect so far, but if he was seen with Devin a second time, well...

The stage was dark at the moment, and the fans were cheering for the encore.  Allistair was definitely looking forward to this part of the show, after Devin's brief teaser this morning.  The band was known for inserting covers into their encores, usually a different one every show.  Last night's had been a throwback to the grunge era, an awesome rendition of Nirvana's "Drain You" that had brought the house down.  Devin had said tonight's encore would be "interesting"...  he didn't know the singer well enough to catch any hint of what that might imply, but he was eager to hear it, nonetheless.

In a moment, figures began pacing onto the dark stage, setting the audience to screaming again, and Allistair shouted right along with them, caught up in the anticipation. When the lights flared back to life, they saw the band back on stage, of course, but they had all changed their outfits.  Before, they had been wearing, basically, jeans and t-shirts, but now they were dressed in a parody of grade school uniforms: gray slacks, blue blazers, white shirts and red neckties (in various states of disarray) for the boys, and Mara in a white shirt, red tie, and a very short blue plaid skirt, complemented by a vampy pair of high-heeled Mary Janes.  The crowd reached a fever pitch until Devin bowed ostentatiously, and Mikhail started tapping out a beat.

The first two songs were Mercury Phase's own, but they were B-sides, Allistair knew, and the audience showed their enthusiasm for having these relatively unknown songs performed for them.  He watched Devin with helpless fascination; dressed like that, his stage persona was subtly different.  Perhaps a little older, a little more serious and sincere.  He still grinned and rolled his eyes at the crowd, but the impression it gave was less of flamboyant enticement and more of subtle coquetry.  His eyes would meet Allistair's every so often, and it seemed like he would smile a little wider before turning away to exhort a different part of the crowd.  The singer was just so damned charming that Allistair found himself wondering how he could have possibly managed to capture Devin's interest, when the man could probably have at least half of the people in the auditorium -- men and women -- at his feet.

The buzz of anticipation before the third song was deafening; three was the length of their usual encores, and they hadn't played a cover yet.  Would it be next?  And what would it be?  Some people were shouting requests for past covers, and of course, a few wisecrackers were calling for "Freebird" and "Stairway".  The noise reached a crescendo as Devin picked up the guitar behind him; he didn't often play it, but sometimes he played rhythm to free Mara for solos and melodic work.  It would prevent some of his usual stage antics, but it also promised a more intense sound.

All of the shouting died away as Mara picked a delicate melody on her Flying V, declaring the song to anyone who knew it: "Today" by the Smashing Pumpkins.  It was a surprising choice, but most of the crowd was loving it anyway.  

Today is the greatest day I've ever known
Can't live for tomorrow, tomorrow's much too long
I'll burn my eyes out
Before I get out



For a few moments, Allistair wondered if he had misunderstood Devin's comment about the encore; he had thought there would be something personally relevant, and neither of the two earlier Mercury Phase songs had seemed to fit their situation.  "Today" was well-known as a suicidal sort of song, full of bitter irony.  Had he missed something...?  Or should he be worried?

I wanted more
Than life could ever grant me
Bored by the chore
Of saving face


Devin's voice, deeper than one would expect from someone of his slight build, was quite a contrast to Billy Corgan's unique sound, but he still managed to sell the angst of the lyrics.  Perhaps his face helped -- the man always seemed to try to emote what he was singing, and there were no cute grins or sly glances for this song... just pain and longing.

Today is the greatest day I've ever known
Can't wait for tomorrow, I might not have that long
I'll tear my heart out
Before I give up


As close to the stage as he was, the photographer noticed the slightly altered lines both from the sound and from reading Devin's lips, and then he finally made the connection.  Devin was singing about the possibly fleeting duration of their relationship, and the built-in time limit in front of them.  He was clearly just as aware of it as Allistair was, but... sounded determined to move forward anyway.

Pink ribbon scars
Will never forget
I tried so hard
to cleanse these regrets
My angel wings
Were bruised and restrained
My belly stings...


The more painful lyrics  made him wonder at Devin's past.  First there was that attack from Mara earlier, and now phrases like these... Was there something so powerful and dark in the singer's background, or was he reading into things too much?

Today is, today is
Today is the greatest
Day...


Watching Devin and Mara play guitar together was interesting; while the singer was playing simple chords, and Mara was playing a descant, they still had a fun back-and-forth interplay that roused the crowd during the bridge.  Spinning on his heel, Devin exchanged a few licks with Ellis before grabbing the microphone again with both hands, leaving guitar duties to Mara.

I wanna turn you on...

The crowd screamed in response to Devin's raw intensity as he repeated the words, hanging on to the mic stand as if it might take off.  he looked straight at Allistair as he sang the third refrain, the light in his eyes causing the photographer to shiver.  To be the focus of such a strong, strongly expressed, feeling, was a bit awesome, in the literal sense.

Today is the greatest
Today is the greatest day
Today is the greatest
Day that I...
Have ever...
Really
Known


As the final note died away, the stage went completely dark.  The crowd fell silent for the span of a breath, and then the thunderous cheering began.  Knowing that the band would not return, Allistair began making his way to the stage door, where he leaned against the wall, out of the way of the exiting concert-goers.  As he waited for the place to clear out, his mind buzzed with the implications of that last song.

It sounds as if... he really wants to try to make this work.  He's really happy...?  And he wants to hold on to this...  For the second time today, the photographer wondered, What do I want?  Part of me is jumping up and down for the chance... but part of me is wanting to avoid the potential hurt if things go badly, or worse, if they go well but we're so far apart...

The lack of answers made him feel both anxious and a little cross; it must have shown on his face, because Devin looked at him in concern when he ducked out of the stage door.  "Allistair?  What's wrong?"

The photographer tried to smile.  "Nothing, I was just waiting for you."  He followed after Devin waved for him to come along, wondering what the younger man had in mind for the rest of the evening.

"I gotta change clothes," the singer said with a somewhat flirtatious roll of his eyes.  He grinned sidelong at Allistair before walking further into the dressing area, unfastening his jacket and the shirt underneath as he went. It wouldn't be surprising for straight guys to be turned on by the slow unbuttoning of a woman's shirt, but Allistair found it pretty appealing for a man, too.  Maybe it was just the implication of clothes coming off...

A sudden flash of red hair made him nearly jump in startlement.  Ellis and Mikhail were both already in the inner room, the former already changed and trying to brush his long hair, the other in the middle of pulling on a clean T-shirt.  As the drummer pulled the shirt straight, Allistair saw that it was emblazoned with a classic Nirvana smiley-face logo.

He hung back in the doorway, not quite sure of what propriety demanded in this situation.  Ellis glanced up at him curiously, then raised an eyebrow and smiled.  "You can come in if you want."

"Not like there's anything you haven't seen before," Mikhail agreed from the other side.  He was now checking the laces on a very worn out pair of 8-hole Docs.  "'Sides, we're all dressed except Dev, anyway."

His use of "all" made Allistair suddenly remember -- "Er, where's Mara?"

The two instrumentalists laughed, and he could hear Devin's snort of amusement further ahead.  "She's got a room like this to herself on the other side," Mikhail explained.  "Thank God.  I think I'm allergic to her hair spray or something."

Ellis rolled his eyes; this was apparently not a new complaint.  "She's better off with her own space, yeah."  He resumed his brushing, carefully pulling a paddle brush though his wavy hair.  Allistair imagined it got horribly tangled during all of the action on stage.

Despite the invitation, he remained near the door until Devin peered around the corner, apparently shirtless, and waved for him to come to the back.  Still feeling like an intruder, he walked past the other two men to join Devin in the lower part of the L-shaped room.

"This is so aggravating..." The singer waved for him to sit down in a nearby chair as he pawed through a garment bag.  Allistair tried not to stare at the wiry muscles of his back as he did so.  "Usually I'd just go hide in my hotel room for the evening or something, but...  I want to go somewhere with you, and talk."

"Well... we could talk in your room, if you want..."  It was finally sinking in for Allistair that going out anywhere with Devin was going to be difficult, and would only become moreso, with fans and photogs looking for him in increasing numbers.  He wondered if Devin had enjoyed the relative anonymity of last night, and thought that was probably likely.

Devin was pulling on a button-down shirt that had a slight punk edge to it, black with white pinstripes and solid white cuffs and collar.  "I think... I'd rather go out, at least for a little bit," he said as he fastened the buttons.  "My room might be a bit too comfortable... too... easily distracting."  He grinned impishly.

The photographer averted his eyes slightly to keep from blushing.  Devin did have a point... although being in public hadn't seemed to slow him down too much the night before.  "Erm.  Well, how about a late bite to eat?" he offered.  "Maybe we could go somewhere a bit off the beaten path."

"Sure, where do you have in mind?"  A pair of worn black corduroy pants appeared out of the garment bag before the singer doffed the slacks he'd worn on stage.  

"Well..." Allistair steadfastly ignored the free show.  "What sorts of food do you like?  I can think of a few places..."

"I'm pretty game for anything," Devin said with a grin as he threaded his belt through the loops of his pants.  "If there's any spot you think is particularly good...?"

Looks like the choice was going to be his, then.  "If you like Indian food, I know this little place... it looks pretty shabby, but the food is great."

The singer's grin broadened.  "I love Indian, and that sounds perfect.  But..." he grimaced, "how do we get there?"

"The Tube, I think.  But..."  The photographer trailed off, realizing Devin hadn't meant transportation.  How would they get to the Underground stop, two blocks away, safely and unhindered?  "Erm.  I don't know... how recognizable are you, really?"  He grinned slightly at at Devin's puzzled frown.  "What if you wore a hat, and carried a camera case or some such?  Just acted like someone else entirely?"

"Hm.  It's dark out... and if we come out from a different exit... that could work," the singer mused.  "I'll have to bug Mara for a hat, though, I don't have any. C'mon."  Shoving his feet into his boots, he took Allistair's hand and led him out of the dressing room, with barely a pause to wave to Ellis and Mik.

Allistair hoped that the rest of the date wouldn't be this harried... but he didn't mind Devin holding his hand.  Not at all.
Part III

Yeesh, after quite a long break, trying to get this moving again. :) I feel like nothing important happened here either, but as ~Androgene said in the last chapter, character building is important too... ^^;

Now fueled by music videos! XD See MP performing "Today" on the Mercury Phase blog!
© 2009 - 2024 Jenovan
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Charmiam's avatar
Do you no when the next one will be finished