Work Text:
1992
Dave Murray was sitting alone in his hotel room a few hours after the concert as he absent-mindedly plucked at the guitar that was sitting in his lap. The television was on, but he wasn't paying much attention to it as it droned on. The concert had been good, even though Bruce had been distant with all of them. All except for Janick, who seemed to be the only one who could get through that stubborn head of his. He acted as if he simply wanted this tour to be over with.
But Dave was happy to have his room to himself if it meant he didn't have to listen to Bruce bickering with Steve or Nicko. He hated confrontation.
The television continued to drone on as he listened to the soft sound of the rain patter on the roof overhead him. He strummed lightly on his guitar, playing the same riffs over and over again. He wished he could have roomed with Janick so that he could have someone to practice guitar with. Ever since Adrian had left the band, Dave had felt sad and alone without him, but he and Jan had hit it off quickly. He was just so easy to like and get along with.
But Janick was undoubtedly bunking with Bruce. Dave thought about calling his wife to check up on her and the baby but knew that they must be asleep at this hour.
Dave sighed and got up from the couch to put his guitar back into the case that was lying open on his bed. He caught a glimpse out the window to the street five stories below and frowned when he saw that it was raining even heavier than before. As he snapped the clasps shut on his guitar case, he silently hoped that it wouldn't turn into a full-blown thunderstorm.
He set his guitar case down and went back to the couch to watch the sitcom that was on TV. The rain became heavier as he tried to focus on the program, to the point it sounded as if a train was rolling over the roof. Dave closed his eyes, expecting thunder to roll at any moment.
He felt pathetic; he had always been afraid of thunderstorms, ever since he was a young boy. It was a fear that he didn't outgrow in his adulthood. Tamar, as sweet and understanding as she was, didn't seem to understand his fear. When they were on tour in the 80s, Bruce would often taunt him for it as he sat in the corner of the hotel room, attempting to steady his breathing. Adrian would step in, and tell him to piss off before taking his childhood best friend into his arms and giving him something steady to hold onto.
Dave closed his eyes and thought longingly about Adrian and how he used to hug him and hold his hand to comfort him during thunderstorms. He missed him terribly, even if he was slowly growing closer to Janick.
Dave was trying so hard to focus on what was on TV to brace himself for the oncoming thunder, that the sound of the knock on the door caused him to jump. He caught a glance at the red glow on the microwave and saw that it was after two in the morning. He wondered who on earth would be at his door at this hour, but he decided that it was a welcome distraction.
He got up from the couch to peek out the window, seeing Janick's fluffy blond head magnified before him. Opening the door, he smiled at him, happy to see him.
"Hey, Jan. What are you doing here so late?"
Janick smiled, but it looked weary and tired. He had a six-pack of beer in his hand. "Hey, Davey. Bruce and I had a sort of…disagreement, and he said he wanted the room to himself. Do you mind if I bunk with you?"
Dave frowned. "He kicked you out? At two in the morning?"
Janick shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, but Dave could see the pain in his eyes. "He just said he wanted some space. Erm… I brought beer."
Dave opened his door wider, welcoming him in. This whole thing was very strange. Bruce and Janick were best friends. Janick was the only one in the band who seemed to be exempt from Bruce's harsh tongue this entire tour. Even Dave, who did his best to be a mediator and diffuse conflict, was essentially told to piss off by Bruce before having the door to his hotel room slammed in his face.
The two guitarists settled down on the couch in front of the TV, Janick setting the pack of beer down in front of him on the coffee table.
"So, what did you and Bruce fight about?" Dave asked as they both cracked open a can of beer.
Janick shrugged again. "It wasn't really a fight. Just a disagreement."
"It had to have been more than a disagreement if he felt it warranted kicking you out of the room."
Janick stared down at his beer can for a long, painful moment before taking a breath and letting out the next words in a breaking voice: "It was about Adrian."
The sound of his best friend's name hit Dave like a punch in the gut. "What? What about Adrian?"
"Bruce has been talking about leaving the band for a long time now… and tonight he told me that after this tour, he's going to leave Maiden and make another solo album, and he's going to ask Adrian to join him on it."
Dave reeled back as if the news had physically slapped him in the face. "Bruce is…leaving the band?"
It made sense, Dave thought. He didn't know why he didn't see the signs before now, seeing as Bruce considered it a chore to even have to be around any of them, especially Steve, who at this point, neither of them could be alone in a room together without nearly resorting to blows. But the idea of Bruce leaving was… terrifying. He had been with the band for ten years at this point, and he had catapulted the band into stardom in a way that Paul never could. What would happen to Maiden without him?
And to think of him joining up with Adrian made his heart ache slightly.
"Did he… did he ask you to join him?" Dave asked, still reeling from the realization.
Dave immediately regretted asking because tears started spilling from Janick's eyes as if the question had broken a dam that had been holding them back. "No," he said, trying but failing to wipe the tears away as more spilled out. "He said he was sick of seeing everyone's face… including mine. I'm now starting to wonder if he regrets asking Steve to hire me."
Dave's heart broke at the sight of his friend in tears. "Jan… this isn't your fault."
Janick tried to wipe away his tears but more continued to betray his distressed state as they spilled out. "How is it not my fault? I only got this job because he wanted me here… and now he's all but implying he regrets it."
"No, Jan… you got this job because Steve thought you're a great guitarist. And you are. Bruce just… probably needs some time off. We all do. But it's still not right for him to take it out on you."
Janick downed the rest of his beer before cracking open another one.
Dave smiled softly, trying to comfort his friend. "Here… let's watch some tele to take our minds off things."
Janick had seemed to have calmed down by now, and nodded, giving Dave a weary smile. "Alright…"
They chatted for a while about what kind of shows they liked to watch on TV as Dave flipped through the channels.
Dave had vaguely registered during his and Janick's conversation that the rain outside was getting heavier, but the sound of the thunder booming still caused his heart to nearly leap out of his chest.
It's fine, he thought. It's just a little bit of thunder, I can pretend it doesn't-
He could hear the cracking of lightning outside before another roll of thunder boomed over head of him, causing him to become paralyzed from fear. A moment later, the television shut off and the lights in the room shut off, engulfing them in darkness.
"What the hell?" Janick's voice murmured in the darkness.
Dave meanwhile was trying to keep his breathing steady. "Let's… get under… the bed…" In moments like this, he was brought back to the times when he was a boy when his older sister would curl up with him under the bed during a thunderstorm and tell him a story to try and calm him down.
Well, his sister wasn't here to comfort him. And she would probably tell him to grow up if she knew he still went into a state of panic at the sound of thunder, since he was in his mid-thirties, and had a wife and toddler at home.
Janick looked in the direction of Dave's voice. "It's okay, mate… it's just a bit of thunder."
"But…but it sounds like it's ground lightning! We have a better chance at it not hitting us if we're under the bed…" His breathing was shallow.
Janick realized that Dave was on the verge of a panic attack and gently shushed him, gently taking his hand and holding it, giving him something steady to hold onto.
Dave gripped the younger man's hand, sighing as a slight bit of relief went through him. Maybe it would be okay after all-
Another loud boom of thunder rolled over head of them, and Dave let out a small whimper as he clung to Janick.
To his surprise, Janick gently wrapped his arms around him, rubbing soothing circles on his back as he trembled. "It's okay, Davey… it's just a little thunder…"
Dave held onto Janick, squeezing him slightly at each roll of thunder but he was no longer on the verge of a panic attack.
"Bruce said that you got jumpy during thunderstorms…"
Dave rested his head on Janick's shoulder, his head close enough to his neck that he could feel the calming rhythm of his pulse. He was so warm.
"Bruce thinks it's funny… that I'm a grown man with a daughter and I'm still afraid of thunder…"
He felt Jan gently shake his head. "Bruce is a…" He stopped himself and sighed. "Bruce doesn't know anything. I don't think it's funny. There's no shame in having fears, Davey… I don't know if you've noticed but I sometimes get anxious while flying."
Dave laughed humorlessly against Janick's warmth. "You don't curl up in the corner rocking back and forth like a tosser though…"
"Doesn't matter, mate… we all have our fears. But it's okay… I'm here…"
The sound of the thunder became quieter with each roll now, and eventually, the rain calmed down to a steady drizzle on the roof above their heads. Dave's heart filled with relief as he relaxed as Janick's consistent warmth beckoned him into a doze.
A long stretch of silence passed as Janick soothingly stroked Dave's long blond hair. Dave was slipping off into a full sleep when suddenly, the lights and TV came back on, jerking him out of his sleep.
Janick shrugged out of Dave's arms to get up and turn the TV off.
"Hey, Jan?"
"Yeah, Davey?"
"Thank you… for everything."
"Any time, mate… Thanks for taking me in…" His voice trailed off. Dave could tell he was still upset about Bruce.
He let out a yawn. "I think you should go get some sleep now. We both should."
Dave nodded and went to his bed, pulling the covers over him as Janick switched the lights off.
As Dave was settling down for sleep, he felt the other side of the mattress slope as Janick's weight pressed down on it.
"Jan...?" he asked sleepily.
"Is it okay if I sleep next to you? It's cold on the couch."
"Of course," Dave said, pulling the blanket over him and pulling Jan closer to him. Janick was always so warm. He had a warmth about him that seemed to radiate outwardly from the inside.
"Goodnight, Davey," Janick whispered and laid his head down on Dave's chest. "You've been a good mate…"
"Goodnight, Janick," Dave sighed, wrapping his arms around his best friend, the feeling of his warmth enveloping him and soothing him as the sound of the rain above them became softer and softer as he fell peacefully into his friend's arms as well as into the arms of sleep.