It'd only ever happened on the road, in the middle of nowheres somewhere in Europe or in Asia or in some remote state, behind the buildings of gas stations. The first time was in Kyoto, which Mike insisted he just had to visit during their first tour in Japan, even though the longest he could stay there was half a day. Chester tagged along even though he wasn't that much into sightseeing simply because nobody else wanted to bother. The second time was by the ocean in Malaysia, on the warmest night Chester had ever experienced. The other times... all around the world really, just not in Los Angeles. They knew better than to get any close to each other in the direct proximity of their wives and families. Besides, it wouldn't even have the same magic back at home. It stuck in their heads as a part of touring - like sleeping on the bus, playing Halo and meeting tons of people whispering in strange languages at meet & greets. The touring all around the world was like the frosting of that cake called rock star fame they'd miraculously gotten a piece of and this was like the frosting of the frosting. The small, meaningless thing that wouldn't seem so important to anyone else, but somehow was an epitome of all those other great things that came with touring for them. And there was no point in hiding the fact that they'd missed it. The short tour in Japan in the summer of 2006 was something, but not quite enough. It didn't matter that they were spending so much time together in the studio. It was all different. This could only happen on tour.

Mike's mischievous smile when they were getting on the plane to Europe suddenly had a whole different meaning than it'd normally had and made Chester's throat constrict with nervousness mixed with longing.

He had a wife, true, they both had wives, but since it only ever happened on the road maybe it was just a case of homosexuality out of shortage of females, the same way people turned gay in prisons. Whom was he kidding though - there were herds of willing females all around.

Still, it was only Mike he ever wanted while on tour.

Ever since that incident in Kyoto. Interested in sightseeing or not, he had to admit it was a beautiful city, beautiful, serene and romantic in its own exotic way. The countless old shrines smelled of incense and old wood and schoolgirls in plaited skirts giggled cutely when they saw them. Most likely because they were white guys with no women in sight to accompany them. It was at the back of the Abe no Seimei shrine, in a garden so beautiful it seemed unreal. Mike was saying something about a bridge that connected this world with the outer world that supposedly used to be there, pointing towards some remnants of a bridge indeed, but Chester wasn't really listening, just staring at Mike, smiling amiably. Mike was so excited about coming to Japan finally, his eyes sparkled as those of a small boy's on Christmas entire time he was here. The day before he happily raided a manga store with Joe. Chester didn't get their excitement, but he too felt happy when Mike said he felt like he was dreaming when they got out of there. Mike's joy was infectious. And as they stood in that garden it was radiating off him in waves. He was still talking animatedly, oblivious to the fact Chester was so mesmerized with everything around him, especially Mike himself, he wasn't listening at all. Nothing seemed real anymore. It was just too perfect. And he sealed that perfection with a kiss to Mike's smiling mouth.

It could have shattered with Mike's fist depraving him of quite a few teeth. He heard from Rob once that Mike's left hook was something to be afraid of. And he steeled himself for that, but it never came.

"Ah well, it felt like a date anyway." Mike grinned, putting his arm around Chester's slimmer shoulders. "The most beautiful date of my life." He added in a stage whisper.

They were trapped in perfection where the question of sexuality couldn't matter less. Chester was aware though that it was fleeting by its very nature. The kind of love that's more there than any other while not being there at all. If it ever flourishes into action, that action does not mean a thing, while meaning everything at the same time.

Mike kissed him one more time on that day, when they turned back to admire the sunset which covered the sky in a stunning myriad of oranges and reds behind their back while they were climbing the stairs to yet another ancient shrine.

It was possibly the most romantic kiss Chester had ever experienced. And one that made him realize he enjoyed being kissed by someone taller than him, with his head tilted back.

When they reached their hotel back in Tokyo with Shinkansen at 2 am and met up with Joe in the corridor, Mike answered to Joe's question of 'How was it ?' with 'It was the best date of my life', making Chester blush and Joe giggle.

"Bastard, if you ever tell anyone, I'll kill you." Chester said before entering the room he shared with Rob.

"Don't worry, dude. It'd be our little secret." Mike stated, grinning madly.

Chester looked at him incredulously before disappearing in the room.

Did they have an affair ? He wouldn't call it that. It was more of an infatuation that occasionally resulted in the kind of experimentation young teens tend to conduct, curious as to how they can make themselves and the other feel. He never felt his age when he was with Mike like that. It was such a stupid thing to do, certainly nothing an adult man, and a father, should do.

But it refused to stop. Sometimes during their shows he felt like screaming out to the whole world how much in love he was and how happy it made him feel.

Occasional touches they exchanged on stage were madly exciting and mixed with the adrenaline pumping in their veins after the show served as a powerful aphrodisiac, which made them infallibly latch onto each other later in the night, once they recovered a bit of stamina during a few hours of sleep they got on the bus.

They both woke up without a hitch when the bus stopped at a gas station or for whatever reason. Chester always came out first, a cigarettes' pocket in his hand in case anyone asked and only bothering with a shirt if it was really cold. Mike followed shortly afterwards, his glasses on and hair all disheveled and then it happened. Just like that. Against the side of the bus, on the moist ground or in the grass wet with dew. Him and Mike produced lots of dirty clothes because of that, but when somebody asked them about that, they laughed them off. Sometimes they went more exotic than just the general middle of nowhere. The first time was in Malaysia. With Mike laughing really hard when he pushed him to the ground about how he was possessed by some evil force or something, intent on having gay sex in an Islamic country where the authorities forbade them to jump around on stage. Chester always thought it was kinky to have sex on the beach. Sam wouldn't ever do that with him though, and even if she agreed, she would be nervous and spoil the fun. He never thought he would ever let another man fuck him after the not so great experiences back from his teenage years, but he did. And it felt great.

And it repeated hundred times over and he still loved every single time. And even when he was making love to his wife at home, enjoying her pliant softness in a whole different way, these were still the memories of damp sand under his back and stars sparkling in front of his eyes, no matter if he kept them opened or closed, that made him growl deep in the back of his throat.

The way they sealed their bond with Mike like that was gloriously primal and while depraved of it for months he became starved, as if it was something elemental.

It took a bit of adjusting, before they learned to wake up when the tour bus stopped, before it became a common knowledge their drivers shared that they were coming out together at night stops and one ought to check if they were back before going any further. Europe irked Chester, with its amount of houses guarded by barking dogs scattered everywhere making it hard to find a patch of grass where one could fuck his best friend without being interrupted. It irked him even more with the fact they spent most nights in hotels. They even resolved to a make out session in a hotel bathroom, but Mike got angry with him when he bit him on the lip in the hassle and all this attempt at doing it indoors resulted in were a few lyrics about frustration.

They only managed to make up for it in Russia, after Chester's glorious attempt at singing Mike a serenade accompanied by the sounds of a balalaika - a local kind of a small guitar the Russian fans had given him at the meet and greet in Moscow. All the guys were rolling on the floor laughing by the the time that particular performance of his ended, but only Mike seemed to pick out the intended meaning. If the others suspected anything one way or another, they weren't interested enough to ask or pry.

It was good to be back on tour, Chester decided, admiring the russian night sky. Mike was lying on top of him, not supporting his weight in any way, literally crushing him to the ground with his dead weight. Chester thought it was feeling nice, real in a way, but he still hoped Mike didn't do that to girls. If he did, Anna wasn't as happy fellow as she seemed to be. Because he sure was damn heavy.

"Hey Mike..."

"Huh ?"

"Maybe we could go on a tour in Australia. I'm getting tired of that night sky."

"Ha ha, very funny."

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A/Ns:

lol

I was bored at work.

http://lprussia.com/photos/meet-greet/russianguitar.jpg <-- supposedly, this is the balalaika Chester got in Moscow (though my Russian is kind of nonexistent, so I may be wrong)

I'm sorry about monopolizing the new stories list on the front-page. You people should post more stories _^_