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Sharing a bus all together while being on tour was something to love or to hate. Some nights when everyone was buzzing with energy they had fun talks, other nights the tension was enough to make each other fight. So when they all knew they would stay in a hotel tonight, no one complained in any single way.
Shane rolled over in the bed, his fingers searching for his phone, checking if he had to get up any time soon. With the clock showing 3:56am he rolled over again, definitely ready to fall asleep again. At least he was until he realized the bed felt weirdly empty. His eyes opened on its own as he felt the side of the bed for Conor.
A small groan escaped Shane’s lips as he put on the small light next to him. The mattress next to him was empty, and it didn’t feel like Conor laid in there for a longer time.
Where was that stupid Aussie at 4am?!
Shane got out of the bed, his eyes scanning the room. Seats at the table were untouched, bed only him, but the bathroom door was closed, bingo. There was light shining through the small slit of the door, and he walked towards it.
«Conor?» Shane asked and knocked at the door. The shower wasn’t running, and he definitely didn’t want to walk into some business of Conor. For a few breaths nothing was to be heard, but then Conor answered, «what?»
His voice sounded exhausted and Shane pushed the door open, leaving him puzzled by the door as he caught sight of his bandmate.
Conor sat fully clothed inside the empty bathtub, his legs dangling over the edge of it while he held his phone in his hands. Black nail polish laid on the seat of the toilet as Conor sat inside the tub chewing gum.
Shane blinked puzzled, because that wasn’t what he expected when he walked into the bathroom. Okay, he didn’t expect anything at all, but that was something else. Where was Mason when they needed him, that seemed more of a situation for Daddy Mason and not brainless Shane.
«What are you doing?» Shane asked and let his hand sink from the doorknob. Conor shrugged softly, «I wanted to write and didn’t want to wake you.»
Stupid Conor for ensuring that Shane got his sleep. Stupid Conor for choosing to write his thoughts out, instead of waking him and letting him hold him until he was able to sleep.
Shane sighed, «did you sleep at all?»
Mason would probably kill them both in the morning when they weren’t on time at the bus. They would be inside their small house on wheels for enough hours tomorrow and no one would want to deal with a sleepy poet.
«No,» Conor answered immediately and shrugged again. Alright, it was one of those times Shane had to pull every little thing out of the poet that lost all of his words.
With three steps Shane made his way to the toilet seat, setting the nail polish away and sat down. Conor seemed exhausted, there were bags underneath his eyes and if Shane didn’t know it better, Conor was ready to fall asleep if only his brain let him.
«Then let me hear it,» Shane said and tapped with his finger on the phone of the Aussie before he added, «those thoughts need their outlets.»
Conor sighed deeply, «need to say I didn’t manage to write anything that's actually post able for Instagram.»
Shane rolled his eyes with a fond view on his face before trying to get any comfortable inside that bathroom.
«Then tell me those not Instagram worthy thoughts,» he ordered and looked at him.
It was like a switch got turned inside of Conor’s brain, his blue eyes focusing on Shane for the first time since he entered.
«I’m thinking about life,» Conor then said and Shane almost wanted to laugh, because when did his little poet for once not think about life? He stayed quiet, leaving Conor to find words for his thoughts.
«I dunno, you know how crazy all of this is right now?“ Conor started and sat up. «I mean we’re on a world tour!»
Shane nodded, showing that he listened, but a bit unsure above where the whole situation would lead to. To be honest, he had a hard time to be comfortable, and he sighed, «Conor, I love you, but can we please have that conversation when we’re not sitting in this trashy bathroom, but our very comfortable bed?»
That seemed to do the trick and Conor got out of the tube he sought shelter in. Shane didn’t ask twice how it was possible for Conor to not have any backache now, but put his hand on Conor’s back and pushed him slightly and with care towards their bedroom. Except that Conor didn’t stop talking.
«And if we think about it, there thousands of strangers waiting for us in line!» Conor rambled and Shane knew this wouldn’t be ending soon. Oh, he did love Conor’s thoughts, hearing them or listening to them, but why did he always have to choose an unholy time that was so unexpected early?
The bed was so inviting soft and Conor seemed to notice that too, because when he laid on top of the covers he stretched out.
«I mean I’m glad we’re living our dream and that I got to know my second family, but it’s so weird, like I’m dreaming once second and the next I could wake up in my bed and the whole Building The Band stuff never happened,» Conor continued and Shane slowly seemed to realise where those thoughts came from.
Technically their life was literally a dream. Probably no one of the four thought about actually succeeding as the band that didn’t even win at the show. They weren’t first place and still it felt like they were, because suddenly people on the street asked for pictures, and they sold out venues which was crazy.
«But it’s so unreal, because I never thought that I would be following this path, you know?» Conor rambled on and Shane looked at how passionate his poet was talking. Sometimes Shane wasn’t sure how so many thoughts were able to fit into the tiny Aussie’s brain. Maybe that was why Conor wrote, to get all those thoughts out without exploding.
Shane watched how Conor’s hair moved, as he explained with his hands gesturing like crazy. His blue eyes were screaming for sleep, but he seemed to be way too awake to fall asleep any time soon. Shane wasn’t too sure if they would just stay awake until breakfast — even tho Mason would kill them for it.
Conor pushed some of his grown hair out of his face and Shane let his eyes drift, realizing that the shirt the Aussie wore was his. ‚Stupid little thief,‘ Shane thought, but with a warm feeling inside his chest. That feeling that Conor always woke up whenever he looked at him. That feeling Shane almost was sick of it, because it didn’t seem to leave whenever he was in the near of the little poet next to him, the poet that was still talking.
«Would you just shut up and kiss me already?» Shane asked like someone pushed a button. It definitely brought Conor to shut up, because now the Aussie looked at him with confusion, but mixed with something else. Something that Shane recognized as a question, like Conor was asking himself if he just should go for it.
Shane didn’t want to push or anything else. He let Conor decide if he wanted that kind of interaction, because whatever they had the past weeks, it was never more than falling asleep holding each other or holding hands. Both of that always platonically, obviously when Shane grabbed Conor’s hand before a show, gave it a squeeze and gifted the Aussie a beautiful smile it was brotherly love, right?
Alright it wasn’t, because it definitely wasn’t normal to think about kissing someone and saying those would be the brotherly feelings. Shane felt more, much more. Shane would look at Mason and Zach and say they were his brothers, but not sweet Conor.
Maybe it was because Shane lost reality for a second, but he got pushed back into the hotel room the moment he felt the slight chapped lips of Conor pushing their way onto Shane’s.
Shane put his hands on Conor’s cheeks and closed his eyes, enjoying the moment since he didn’t know if he was dreaming or awake.
Conor’s kiss tasted like bubble gum, damn Conor. Shane smiled softly into the kiss as he then felt Conor moving away, but not enough for them to be departed again. Their foreheads touched, they felt the breath of each other on their faces and Shane opened his eyes to look into Conor’s.
«What are we doing?» Conor whispered against Shane’s lips. Shane let his thumbs slide over the Aussie’s cheekbones and pushed another small kiss onto Conor’s lips, only a second, but enough to make him addicted to feeling more.
«I don’t know, but I like it,» Shane answered softly and leaned into another small kiss, leaving Conor to choose if he wanted to. The Aussie obviously wanted, pushing his lips forward for another kiss.
Shane pulled Conor on top of him, one hand on his hip, but the other didn’t leave his face. Conor thankfully helped, moving on top of Shane’s lap and put his hands on his on Shane’s shoulders. With the most longing eyes Shane looked up to his beautiful poet.
«You know I’m not as good in words like you are,» Shane said softly and stroked his thumb over Conor hips, «but you’re the most beautiful person I ever saw, even you look like you need hours of sleep.»
Conor pinched Shane’s shoulder and looked offended, «you really need to learn to make compliments, Shane.»
Shane pulled Conor’s face softly towards him before whispering, «maybe it’s your turn to shut me up?»