FIC: Contracts & Conflicts
Oct. 6th, 2009 08:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
paulacasTitle: Contracts & Conflicts
Author: YanzaDracan
Fandom: Kane RPS
Pairing: Chris/Steve
Rating: FRM
Summary: I seem to be having withdrawal from no eye witness accounts, vids, pics, etc. for Kane concerts. My inner fangirl went all angst queen while my sensible self rolled her eyes as it oozed all over the page. You may need to check your blood sugar levels after reading.
It was over. The last note of the last song from the ‘Boys of Summer’ echoed through the room along with the cheers, screams and applause from the crowd.
If he wasn’t already numb from the beer and Black Jack that’d been consumed since late afternoon, he was positive he’d be bleeding on Dante’s stage.
Now he had to survive the next five months.
When you got down to brass tacks, he was truly blessed. There was no way he was thumbing his nose at what God and the Fates had given him.
After the battles Sony he was afraid no record company would even consider signing him. Bigger Picture Group and Bob Ezrin coming on the scene was a dream come true. He still pinched himself sometimes over that one.
Then reality punched him in the head again. All he wanted was to play his music with his friends, get it out to his fans, and play some gigs.
He has all of it, but without the one thing he wanted most.
To share it all with Steve.
Due to contractual obligations and scheduling conflicts he’d be going on the road with only Jason.
Eight years Jason has been with them, and he’s a great friend and musician, but he isn’t Steve and without Steve they’re barely Kane, but because of their contracts they really can’t say a lot about each other ‘cause the suits think that’s publicity for artists not signed to their label. What a crock.
It was midnight. They were both flying out in the morning. He was stopping over in Tulsa before meeting Jason in Nashville to redo some tracks. Then it was back to Portland to take his stuff back to LA before heading out for their gigs with Eric Church.
Steve was flying to Vegas. Between his CD, producing and writing songs for some new girl’s debut CD, plus his gigs in LA—God alone knew when they would see each other in person again.
Instead of standing on the deck in the dark listening to his JD soaked brain argue with his heart, he should be in the shower scrubbing Steve’s back.
As he looked over the lights of Portland, he chided his brain for sounding like a Lifetime movie while the rest of him was already homesick for Steve.
Strong arms slid around his waist as a shower damp Steve wrapped around him.
“You’re brooding.” The voice was raspy from fatigue and cigarettes.
“I miss you.” Came back softly.
“Come inside and we’ll console each other ‘til time to leave.” The blond tugged the broody brunette through the condo and shoved him onto the bed.
“Turn your brain off, Chris and be here with me now.” He growled.
He did. Right up until Steve tucked his head into his shoulder and slid into sated sleep. He savored the smell and warmth that meant home to him.
He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but somewhere in the past year his brain had picked up a hitchhiker. His infernal internal accountant counted his blessings while deducting the price paid for every one of them.
*Why can’t I count sheep like everyone else?* His liquor fogged brain asked.
He finally dozed savoring the last few hours of quiet until he got back from Nashville.
His phone became his lifeline to sanity until Steve had teased him about not being able to get any work done. Stung, Chris had snapped his shell shut and became determined not to bother Steve again.
He was packing his truck for the drive back to LA when his phone sang out Steve’s ringtone. He held the phone away from his ear because of the yelling.
“Where the fuck are you and why haven’t you called?!” Steve yelled.
“Portland…and I was lettin’ ya git some fuckin’ work done.” Chris yelled back.
“What?!” Steve sounded confused.
“You said…”
Steve cut him off. “I know what I said. Dammit, Christian, I was teasing.” Steve sounded exasperated. “When will you be home?”
“Day after tomorrow.” Chris answered quietly.
“Good. We don’t do ‘phone’ so well.” Steve chuckled.
“I think we’ll be getting practice.” Chris grimaced at the thought.
They watched Steve’s episode of Eastwick piled in their big bed. Chris was oddly quiet afterward.
“You’re brooding.” Steve tugged a curl to get his attention.
Chris rolled his eyes.
“Not brooding, just organizing my brain for Kentucky and Ohio. We might be doing a gig at the film festival in Austin.”
He picked at a loose thread on the comforter.
“Did you…?” His expression was hopeful.
“Yeah. No dice. They couldn’t agree on an appearance fee.” Steve watched Chris’ expression fall.
“Oh.” Chris rolled off the bed, snagging his phone as he went.
“Chris?”
His dark half waved him off and put the phone to his ear as left the bedroom.
Steve flopped back on the pillows with a sigh. He loved his life and what he was doing. He loved expanding into writing and producing other artists, but sometimes he longed for days before contracts and having to have some lawyer’s approval to play something anywhere.
A glance at the clock had him rolling off the bed to find Chris.
“Thanks, Jen.” Chris listened.
“…Maybe?...”
“…No it didn’t work out…”
“…Sometimes I wonder why I’m tryin’ so hard to do this. Some days it hardly seems worth it.”
“…Yeah, ten years is a long time…I know. I could be here instead of the other side of the fuckin’ country.” Chris whined.
“…No, Jenny, I’m not whining.”
“…Damn, sounds like the circus.”
“…Say ‘Hi’ to Sasquatch. I’ll see ya soon.”
Chris looked up to see a frowning Steve at the end of the couch.
“Steve?”
“What’s not worth it, Chris?” His tone was breathy from his anxiety.
“This music thing.” Chris stared at his hands. “It seemed so easy when we started. Nobody gave a shit or tried to label us. We did those CD’s on our own…no contracts…no lawyers or bean counters…handlers…stylists. Just us and the music. Now the music’s trapped somewhere under all the fuckin’ bureaucracy to where were we can’t breathe without someone gettin’ a cut.”
Steve just stared at the top of the dark head in amazement. Making it in the music business had always been Chris’ dream and for him to have lost faith in that dream was like a blow to the gut.
“Chris.” Steve wanted him to look up.
He needed to be able to ‘read’ Chris.
Blue eyes glittered wetly, but he shook himself like a wet dog and the expression disappeared.
“Wanna beer?” He asked as he practically ran to the kitchen.
Too soon it was time to leave for Kentucky. He and Jason would be meeting the musicians they’d worked with in Nashville there.
Rehearsal was a little rough. They finally started to sync during the sound check. By show time it had all come together until the question he’d been dreading was asked.
“WHERE’S STEVE!” The fangirls yelled in unison.
He and Jason exchanged a look before Chris pulled on his actor’s mask and gave them a pretty speech about scheduling conflicts. How these dates had appeared unexpectedly and maybe in the future they’d all be in the same place at the same time.
He did this at every show until it nearly gagged him to say it. Jason worried when enough Jack to numb two people disappeared.
Jensen flew in for the show in Cleveland, which helped Chris’ state of mind. Before he flew out the next day, he promised he’d be at the film festival in Austin. He then threatened to kick his ass if he didn’t kick Black Jack to the curb.
This led to a shouting match and a couple cuts and bruises that left the friends laughing and Jensen calling Steve then shoving the phone at Chris.
Chris counted the film festival a success. He didn’t know how Jensen did it, but besides himself, Aldis, Beth, and Jared, he’d also got Dave and his family to come down.
He’d strangled the ache that lingered in his chest into submission after talking to Steve on the phone. He couldn’t wait to get on the plane for LA.
With Jensen on one side and Jason on the other, Chris thanked his fans for their support of The Donner Party (Forlorn), and for coming to the show.
“Before you ask, Steve’s still in Vegas working with Darren and this wonderful young singer that he’s written some kick ass songs for.” He paused for the usual sounds of disappointment from the crowd. “I did manage to convince Jensen Ackles to stand in on back-up vocals.”
The crowd roared its approval.
“Hopefully by the time we get back to Portland for the next season of Leverage, Steve will have penciled us in for some more awesome shows at Dante’s.”
While Chris talked, Jensen pulled his microphone off the stand and disappeared into the dark. Chris had just taken a healthy drink from his JD bottle when Jensen reappeared.
Chris set down his bottle and took a look at the band. Greg, his rhythm guitar player was missing.
“Where the fuck did Greg go?” He asked.
The crowd got silent thinking they were about to witness the infamous Kane temper. Jensen just smiled brightly at his friend.
“What the fuck did you do, Jenny?”
“How many times I gotta tell you not to call me Jenny?” Jensen laughed.
“So what’s the fuckin’ punch line?” He growled.
“Actually,” a familiar voice came from the dark part of the stage, “he was stalling to give me time to tune my guitar.”
The crowd rattled the rafters as Steve Carlson set the mic on the stand and plugged into his amplifier. He barely had time to brace himself before his arms were full of a shocked and surprised Christian.
He finally let go and grabbed Jensen in a neck cracking hug.
“You just wait, Jenny.” He threatened.
Jensen just grinned and shoved Chris back to the mic.
“Ya’ll came to see a Kane show!? You’re gonna get a fuckin’ Kane show!”
From Let Me Go to Blaze, not one fan used the seat they’d paid good money for to sit as contracts, obligations, and scheduling conflicts were thrown out the window for the love of the music and the love of each other.
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no subject
Date: 2009-10-06 02:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-06 10:49 pm (UTC)Everyone's always complaining about Chris & Steve never talk about each other in interviews. I always figured it had to do with their contracts & giving 'free' publicity to other labels artists, and all that other legalese crap that goes with exclusivity clauses, etc.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 07:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 10:30 am (UTC)Love the spork thing. Pain without a lot of blood to stain the carpet.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-06 03:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-06 05:03 pm (UTC)thank you ♥
no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 02:26 am (UTC)I get tired of reading people complain about Chris not talking about Steve in interviews...one thing led to another and voila.