Title: Strange Attraction
Author: Ligeia
Fandom: The Cure
Pairing: Perry/Jason
Rating: PG-13 (will be NC-17 in Part 2)
Category: Romance
Summary: It's a hot summer afternoon and Jason's feeling restless.
A/N: This is a rewriting of a story I wrote in May 2000. Its sequel, originally called "One more time", will be incorporated in Part 2.
The following story is a mere work of F I C T I O N, meaning it is 100% made up. None of the situations described here ever happened, and even if they did, I have no way of knowing. This is not about spreading rumours or, worse, libel. The people portrayed in this story are real, but I am NOT claiming they did what I wrote. I use their "public personas" and build stories around them as if they were fictional characters.
Summer had just begun and it was hot and sultry that afternoon, the sun shining brightly in the sky and a dull buzz filling the air. The house was surrounded by fields, far away from any kind of metropolitan chaos. Inside, five men were playing, rehearsing for the upcoming summer festivals.
"Break?" Simon proposed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "It's too bloody hot, I need a shower. And a drink."
"I think we've done enough for today," Robert said and put his guitar down on its stand. He massaged his left shoulder and made a face. "I could use a bit of rest too."
"All right. See you at dinner, then." The bassist grabbed the half-empty bottle of water standing at his feet and walked out, patting Perry on the back as he went. Robert and Roger followed him.
Perry looked up at Jason, who was still sitting behind the drums set, idly tapping the drumsticks on his knees and not looking at him. He opened his mouth, but realised he didn't know what to say. He picked up his own empty bottle, threw it in the rubbish bin and left the room.
+++
Jason ran his fingers through his hair, which was still damp from the shower, and sat down at the edge of the bed. He sighed and sank back onto the mattress, stretching his arms over his head as he stared up at the white ceiling. He closed his eyes and tried to get some rest, but sleeping was out of question.
'I need to get out,' he thought and sat back up. He was really pleased that the band was going to play live again, he had missed the gregarious feeling of rehearsing together, the anticipation of being on stage in front of thousands of fans, the adrenaline rushing through him at the start of every show, but there was something that had been making him uncomfortable since the very first day they had arrived. Someone.
The sun was hot and bright outside and Jason mentally cursed for forgetting his sunglasses, but he didn't feel like going back to his room to get them. He just wanted to get away, even if only for a short while, as far away from the source of his discomfort as he could.
He had noticed the way Perry was always looking at him. He had been puzzled at first, not understanding his bandmate's sudden attention towards him, and then one day he'd found himself staring at the guitarist, almost unable to take his eyes away as his friend played a particularly difficult passage, biting his lower lip and frowning in concentration. The sight had made him miss the beat. Ever since that first time, he had caught himself stealing glances of Perry with increasing frequency. He was quite sure Perry had noticed, but neither of them had said anything. Not talking about it hadn't made the issue disappear, though.
He walked quickly, trying to banish the images forming in his mind. Perry on stage, playing his red guitar as if nothing else existed. Perry in the dressing room, tired and sweaty, but smiling as he congratulated him on the show. Perry in a nameless club, mischievous and tipsy, putting an arm around his shoulder and winking.
"Damn!"
Exasperated at his own inability to stop thinking about his bandmate, Jason stopped under a tree and sat down. It was still hot, but a light breeze had risen and with the approach of sunset the temperature was slowly starting to drop.
Jason lay down on the grass, eyes closed and hands behind his head. Perhaps a nap would help. He had just begun to doze off when he heard footsteps. He opened his eyes, blinking against the sunlight, and saw Perry standing beside him.
The drummer was taken aback. What was Perry doing there? Had he followed him? Why...
Before he had the chance to speak, the guitarist sat down next to him. He half-reclined, leaning on his elbows, and tilted his head back. They sat in silence, Jason watching Perry watch the sky.
After a while Perry turned.
"The sky's beautiful today," he said looking at Jason. "It's the same colour of your eyes."
Jason was dumbfounded. He was used to getting that sort of comment from girls, who had often compared his eyes to a 'cloudless summer sky', but that was Perry, who was definitely not a girl. He didn't know what to say.
The guitarist averted his eyes and straightened up. Afraid his bandmate was going to leave, Jason sat up and put a hand on his shoulder. He felt Perry shivering a little under his touch.
"Uhm... Thanks," he said, feeling suddenly quite awkward and at a loss for words.
Perry turned to look at him again, head titled slightly to the side, a pose that was quite typical of him. Almost of its own accord, Jason's hand slid down Perry's back, causing another shiver to run through him. The guitarist licked his lips and slowly leaned forward, inch by inch by inch, until their faces were nearly touching.
Jason gasped as their lips finally brushed, only then realising he had been holding his breath. He closed his eyes, moaning as Perry's tongue slid inside his mouth. He threaded his fingers into Perry's hair, fingertips digging into the back of his head and pulling him closer.
The guitarist broke the kiss at last. He was flushed and panting, face hovering just a few inches away from Jason's. He looked at him with half-opened, unfocused eyes.
"Jason..." He started, but Jason pressed two fingers against his lips, silencing him. The drummer smiled and leaned in, kissing him again.
Perry closed his eyes as Jason slowly reclined, letting himself be pulled on top of him. He moved a leg between Jason's and Jason opened them a little more, bending a knee and lifting his hips, rubbing insistently against him. He whimpered as the drummer's hands slid under his T-shirt and began stroking his back. His lips left Jason's and trailed down his neck, warm breath tickling the soft skin as his hand moved slowly along Jason's thigh. Jason made a strangled sound as Perry bit at the juncture of his neck and shoulder.
Then, suddenly, Perry pulled back. He sat up, trying to control his ragged breathing as he looked down at Jason, who was gazing questioningly up at him.
"What's wrong?" Jason asked, voice low and husky, and slowly straightened up, propping himself up on his hands.
Perry shook his head. "We shouldn't..." He started to stand up, but Jason's hand on his arm stopped him.
"Wait."
Perry stared at him in silence, eyes wide and face flushed, and for a moment Jason had the urge to push him back onto the grass and kiss him until he couldn't speak anymore.
"What just happened... We both wanted it, didn't we?"
Perry looked away. Jason cupped the guitarist's face with his hands and forced him to look up.
"I know you wanted it. You followed me here, didn't you?" Perry held his gaze but didn't answer. "Did you change your mind? Because I didn't..."
He leaned in and felt Perry take a shaky breath as their lips touched. But Perry put his hands on Jason's shoulders and drew back. The drummer dropped his hands and didn't stop him as he stood up. Perry looked briefly down at him, turned round and walked back to the house.
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March 2005