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On Tuesday, they have a radio interview — one of the ones where they have to actually be there, not just phone in.
The only reason Spencer knows it's Tuesday is because of his planner, which he was forced to check when Zack called hellishly early. What he'd really like is for him and Brendon to stay home and and explore their new relationship, but according to the gospel of Zack, that won't be happening today.
They drive for two hours, and then wait around for thirty minutes more until it's time to go inside. Brendon brought a guitar, but it's not like Spencer can ever bring a drum set, so he's stuck with playing games on his phone as usual. For the umpteenth time this year, he thinks about learning more than four chords of guitar. He's not aiming to rival Brendon's variety of instruments, but it would be nice to be able to participate with more than a tambourine or a plastic egg at things like this.
Brendon smiles at him as he holds the door open for Spencer to walk ahead of him into the studio. Spencer has a fleeting thought about having Brendon as his personal servant for a day, making him carry a little tray around with refreshments. They still haven't sat down and gone through exactly what's on and off the table concerning stuff to do, but Spencer has a good memory, and he knows Brendon has said he thinks servitude is cool. Spencer doesn't know what Brendon considers servitude, though. It might be crawling around on the floor, or serving as a human table for all Spencer knows.
The radio show host gets up from the sprawling desk occupying almost half of the studio. He has a mullet, which some people can make look cool. This guy isn't one of them.
"Hi, hey guys, thanks for coming, I'm Justin," the show host says enthusiastically, offering his hand.
"I'm Spencer," Spencer says and shakes hands.
"Yeah, this'll work," Brendon says from off to the side. As Spencer turns that way, he sees that Brendon is eyeing the chairs and the microphones set up in the other half of the room. "Not too cramped."
Then Brendon turns back to them. "Oh, yes, hi, nice to be here," he says, with his interview smile on. "Brendon," he adds as he, too, shakes Justin's hand.
"Right, so we have five minutes until go," Justin says. "We have a few questions from our Twitter audience, and a few of our own, but we have to keep it fast, yeah? And then two-forty-five for the song, like we said."
He hands Brendon the sheet with the questions on it, and Spencer drifts closer, glances at them as Brendon ticks them off with his finger, saying "Yes, yes, yes," for each one under his breath. They look like the usual, and Spencer makes himself useful, getting Brendon's guitar and his own tambourine ready by the mics while Zack checks that it's all set up right.
"I'll do the intro, then you introduce yourselves, we do half the questions, then play your single, then the rest of the questions and we segue into the live song," Justin rattles off quickly as he sits back at the desk, checking his timer. "You all set up at the mics for later? Okay to start the interview in 45 secs?"
Brendon looks at Spencer. Spencer shrugs. They're pretty much set up, and Brendon tuned the guitar while they were waiting, so there's nothing he can think of that needs doing.
"We're good," Brendon says.
Spencer sits in the chair next to Brendon, and Justin reaches across the desk to push their microphones to the right distance.
"And we're back, with What's Hot Right Now, hosted by your favorite person in the world, Justin Pinto," Justin says.
Spencer turns his head and exchanges an amused glance with Zack. It never ceases to amaze him how ridiculous radio hosts are. It's like they over-compensate for something.
"...and with me today, I have Panic! At The Disco, who earlier this year came out with their new album, Vices & Virtues!"
"I'm Brendon," Brendon says into his mic.
"...I'm Spencer," Spencer fills in.
Justin goes into what to Spencer seems like the same pattern every interviewer performs in a live interview. He's so happy to have them here — check. He makes a joke about the exclamation mark — check.
Spencer checks around the room for any kind of live web feed camera before he allows himself to slouch back in his chair.
Brendon reaches out smoothly while he's telling Justin and the listeners how Vices & Virtues is at the same time different from and similar to their first album. He pinches Spencer hard, right below his nipple, and adds a vicious little twist to it as Spencer hunches forward, glaring at Brendon and clamping his mouth shut not to make any noise.
Spencer sits up straight after that.
"It just felt completely natural," Brendon says and grins in Spencer's direction.
"What are your thoughts about the theme of the album, Spencer?" Justin asks, his gaze flickering back and forth between Spencer and Brendon a couple of times.
"I think we grew into it a lot," Spencer says, thinking about ways to get Brendon back for that. He's going to have a bruise.
He wonders if Brendon is into all kinds of pain, or if he just enjoys getting the shit beat out of him. Impact play, Brendon had called it.
"Some of the songs come from bits and pieces we'd already thought about a year or two ago," Spencer says and digs his fingers into Brendon's ribs, pinching hard.
Brendon draws a quick breath, but doesn't make a sound. He looks at Spencer. Spencer doesn't let go.
"...so when we thought of the theme, it was just like, why couldn't we see it before, you know?"
Spencer pinches a little bit harder, watching Brendon gasp silently, and then he lets go. Spencer glances at their interviewer, and finds Justin staring at him. Spencer fixes him with an unimpressed look. So what if they want to pinch each other?
"Yeah, exactly," Brendon chimes in, a beat later. He shifts in his seat.
Spencer wonders if Brendon's turned on. If he is, that would be pretty hot. Spencer himself isn't exactly unaffected, thinking about it. There's a warm, gloating feeling building inside him, at the thought of making Brendon gasp and writhe in his chair, technically in front of thousands of people, but no one would really know.
"We're playing your latest single, 'Ready To Go,'" Justin says. "In the video, you seem to have a musical theme going on — Singing In The Rain..."
"Just singing in the rain," Brendon sings loudly, cutting him off.
Spencer grins and moves his chair closer to Brendon's, enough so that he can lean their legs together.
Brendon turns his head and smiles at Spencer. Spencer smiles back, just fiercely happy that he has this. He has beautiful, ridiculous Brendon in his life, and not just as his friend. Because Spencer will take him home after this, and he has hours to think of what they will do together. What Spencer will do to Brendon.
Spencer slides his hand across Brendon's knee, finding the vulnerable soft place on the inside. He holds Brendon's gaze and pinches him there. It's not as hard as before, but Brendon still goes silent, breathing in with a little hitch.
It's so weird. It's nothing they haven't done before, so many times over the years, but it's never been like this. Brendon never reacted like this. Maybe it's because they weren't together then. Or maybe Brendon didn't let himself react, all those times.
"'Ready To Go,' by Panic! At The Disco!" Justin the show host announces loudly.
The silence couldn't have lasted for more than a few seconds, but Spencer still feels a little weird, listening to the faint sounds of their song drifting out of the turned-down speakers.
Zack nudges Spencer's chair from behind with his foot. Spencer had almost forgotten he was there, in the same way he'd thought Justin the radio show host was completely unimportant a few moments ago. Zack's raised eyebrows when Spencer looks back at him remind him of the fact that they haven't talked to Zack yet. They haven't told him about stuff that's going on. They should probably do that. Also, they should probably act more professional, in a fucking interview. At least that's what Zack's expression seems to be telling Spencer.
"There are three more questions after this," Justin says. "You guys okay to answer those?"
"Oh yeah, totally," Brendon says.
Spencer would like to continue hurting Brendon. To see if maybe he can make Brendon make an audible noise into the mic when the interview starts up again, but that would be an awful idea.
He understands that. He does.
Brendon bumps his shoulder into Spencer's and leans in. "Later, yeah?" he whispers into Spencer's ear.
Brendon probably thinks he's being silent and discreet, but his whisper is loud enough that Zack starts coughing loudly, way too late to cover it up. Spencer is kind of glad he doesn't blush that easily.
Their interviewer is now definitely aware that something is going on, and he spends the short minutes while the song is playing glancing at Brendon, then Spencer, then Brendon again, as if he wants to say something. Spencer is a little surprised that he doesn't. Don't people like him always want to know?
Brendon taps his feet against the floor, humming a little harmony to the final chorus. Spencer lets him be, and also lets him answer the last few questions when they're back to the actual interview. He doesn't want to interfere with Brendon's headspace for making good music.
***
"So that," Zack says, gesturing back to the building as they walk to the assigned parking across the street. "That shit in there — that wasn't just fucking with the interviewer, was it."
Spencer looks around, but there's no one near them, no one to see Brendon's grin growing wider and happier as he walks off the curb with a bit of a skip.
"Nope," Brendon says. "That shit was fucking with you. Apart from the fact that it wasn't fucking at all, because they'd have thrown us out."
Spencer snickers because yeah, that would have been pretty funny. He's not sure how they're going to play this, to be honest. If Brendon is just going to tell Zack what's up, or what. They haven't talked about it.
Spencer hurries the last few steps across the street, to avoid the car that just turned around the corner.
"No, fucking it was not," Zack says conversationally as he jingles the keys to the car out from his pocket. "You going to tell me there won't be any fucking going on later at your house, either?"
Brendon reaches their car and rounds it with a spring in his step. He smiles at Spencer, who can't help smiling back. Brendon is fucking beautiful when he's happy.
"Me, I'm planning for an immense amount of fucking when we get home," Brendon says with great satisfaction.
"Is that so?" Zack asks them. He glances sharply at Spencer. "Immense, huh?"
"That's what she said," Spencer chirps back automatically. He can't stop smiling. Absurdly, he feels like bouncing on his feet, because it's out now. It's not a secret anymore, and Spencer feels both relieved and reckless. Brendon probably infected him with that.
He looks at Brendon, who is systematically pressing his hand against the hot metal of the car door with short, careful movements — holding one second, and then moving on to a new patch of skin. Even as elated as Spencer feels, something goes a-ha in his head at that. That is something Brendon always does, when it's hot and sunny. He presses his hand or his arm against the hot metal, over and over, in a pattern that almost seems absentminded.
What if that's something that Brendon likes?
Zack sighs. "If you're gonna do this, you should probably ramp down on the sexual tension in public," he says. He unlocks the car. "Also," he says, looking at Spencer, and then Brendon, "please don't fuck up the band. I don't want to have to find another job."
"Hey!" Brendon says, pointing his finger at Zack. "Uncalled for!"
Zack gets into the car, obviously uncaring, and Spencer meets Brendon's gaze over the car roof for a moment before they both get into the back seat.
"Fucking, yes?" Brendon asks in a low voice, waggling his eyebrows ridiculously as the car rumbles to life.
"Fucking, definitely," Spencer replies and ignores the way Zack turns the music up loud.