9. Boyband

 

They aren't real either, these stories. Aaron flies from city to city, country to country. He calls Angel from every airport. He still sees Nick, talks to him, but he isn't real either.

He reads until his head is spinning and he can't remember if Timberlake fucked his brother, or Chris or was it Brian? He hopes Britney's a dyke, she seems happier in those ones. He reads and he finds his own name and he keeps on reading.

He meets Ian McKellen and he's polite, and then disappointed when nothing happens. Elijah is there, and he thinks about going over but so's Dom, and he's suddenly dizzily confused. He goes to the bathroom and thinks about tabloids and PR and nothing calms him down except the word dissonance repeated over and over in his head.

Angel comes on tour and they eat popcorn and make love in the narrow bunks, and that's real.

Nick punches him when he finds them asleep, tangled up, and the blood running from his nose is real.

He goes down on his knees, and that's real. Nick's hand around the back of his head is real, there's no mistaking the fingers pressing dents into his skull, blunt head of his cock nudging into Aaron's mouth, and Angel's hands, feather-light on his back, breasts brushing against his back as she kneels with him. That's real.

He tells himself it's real, tells Angel until she starts crying, when Nick slams the door and leaves again.

It's real, he thinks. I'm not making this up.

~ fin

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