Work Text:
Nick lay with his head in Brian's lap, enjoying the closeness.
They had the VIP lounge to themselves. Kevin and AJ had flown out on an earlier direct flight to LA. Howie was pacing the terminal, probably talking to Leigh on the phone.
Nick checked the weather in Nashville on his phone, while Brian stared out the window onto the tarmac.
Nick was relaxed, grinning, thinking about the future. "I'll text you in the next few days, so we can figure out when and where we'll see each other, next. You know, after we do what we have to."
"Why wouldn't we let management handle that, like normal?"
Nick sat upright and turned around to face him. "Why would management be involved?"
"We've been through this a thousand times, Nick; you know what comes next," Brian said in a monotone, "We'll get in the studio, set down some preliminary tracks. Kevin and AJ can do that in LA, of course; Howie's got that place in Orlando he likes. Plenty of good studios in Nashville; I'll be in Atlanta. We won't need to meet in person until several months from now, when we're picking the album tracks, if we don't do those hometown trips we talked about."
Nick tensed up. "Why would you be recording in Atlanta?"
Brian just continued to stare out the window. "It's where I live."
Nick flinched, like someone had slammed a door in his face.
#
Brian sat stiffly, staring out the lounge window, watching the planes come and go. Nick rested his head in his lap, and Brian enjoyed the last few moments with his lover.
Brian could feel Nick's happiness radiating off him. "I'll text you in the next few days, so we can figure out when and where we'll see each other, next. You know, after we do what we have to."
"Why wouldn't we let management handle that, like normal?"
"Why would management be involved?" Nick sat up. He seemed confused.
"We've been through this a thousand times, Nick; you know what comes next." Brian didn't know why he had to say it. "We'll get in the studio, set down some preliminary tracks. Kevin and AJ can do that in LA, of course; Howie's got that place in Orlando he likes. Plenty of good studios in Nashville; I'll be in Atlanta. We won't need to meet in person until several months from now, when we're picking the album tracks, if we don't do those hometown trips we talked about."
"Why would you be recording in Atlanta?"
Brian hated the process of hammering it down, putting it all away, until the next moment when he just couldn't stand stabbing himself in the heart anymore. "It's where I live."
Brian continued to stare out the window; he thought he'd have a few more minutes of sunshine.