Work Text:
Life builds walls around you. You can either take quiet comfort in them - because nobody can get to you - or suffer, because nobody can get to you.
They were out of options. Some fucking narc of a label worker decided to follow them after the first recording session ended "just to ask a few questions" and saw them kiss each other. By the time the morning arrived, everyone knew.
Weird glances, whispers and fidgety hands followed Joey and Corey everywhere they went. Nobody cared if someone kissed someone, nobody gave a shit if they fucked, even - but a whole romantic relationship was a ticking bomb for the label and for them as well. So, with a very solemn expression, Shawn asked them to "cut that shit out" and "it's either lovey-dovey or the fucking band".
Both of them understood what will the other choose. They knew eachother a bit too well.
So, they had no other options but to resign. A careless "okay, man, chill" was enough to quiet down most of the backlash they recieved. People didn't seem to care that much - everyone was bored and they needed a new hot topic and their impossible love was perfect to latch onto. So when it dissolved in the acid they were forced to bury it in, everyone just... forgot. Or pretended to, at least.
But they never fucking did.
Joey missed Corey so bad his teeth hurt. Life of a celebrity was full of it's own regrets, but the drummer was quite content with most of them. The fire in the eyes of their fans was enough to patch up every single wound the industry made on their body. He was willing to give anything the people asked for; but when they took Corey, it felt as if they took everything. The only person he found comfort in. A part of him. His fucking heart.
Corey yearned for Joey so bad he couldn't sleep. Distance was always necessary in a way, but when he couldn't bridge it or at least hope to do it someday, it hurt a billion times worse. When all eyes are on him, he's forced to hide away all of the parts people would dislike. He's okay with that - but when they ripped out his love, it felt as if they took everything. The only person that loved him as much as he loved them. A part of him. His fucking heart.
Life placed a wall between them. Maybe, in the distant past, they would've found a quiet comfort in it - no drama, no paranoia, no hiding and no stress. But now they can do nothing but suffer - because the cost of those things is just too great to be worth it.
The only thing they can do is wait and hope. But when that hope is forcefully taken away again and again it makes them question if it's all worth it. Though, it's the only goal the label is trying to achieve. They'll exchange letters and quiet glances and passing touches.
Every wall can be climbed over. Every distance will be bridged. At least, this is what both of them tell themselves every night before falling into restless sleep.