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Starting at the Beginning	By : Katma Category: Singers/Bands/Musicians > Savage Garden Views: 2042 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the members of Savage Garden. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Daniel parked his car in the hotel’s lot and strolled inside. He was a little late, be fie figured it didn’t matter. It always took Darren forever to get ready. He’d probably still be waiting ten minutes
from now for Darren to show. Daniel looked around the hotel curiously, admiring the wide, spacious lobby. His eyes fell on a man sitting on one of the numerous couches spaced around the room, and Daniel noticed with a start of surprise that it was Darren. Darren was waiting for him. Daniel blinked
incredulously a few times, then took this opportunity to study his ex-bandmate.

Darren was wearing a pair of nice black pants, not leather, Daniel noticed, and a tight ribbed turtleneck. The turtleneck was a soft charcoal that did amazing things to Darren’s deeue eue eyes from what Daniel could see. It was a far cry from what the singer would have worn to go clubbing during their Savage Garden days. Daniel tilted his head a little as he looked again. He had to admit he liked the look. Darren looked good, on a purely aesthetic level, of course. Daniel looked down at his own clothes and rolled his eyes. I knew he’d find some way to outshine me. Even living out of a suitcase, he manages to find something.

Almost as if Darren had heard his thoughts, he looked up and met Daniel’s eyes. A bright smile spread over his face, and he hopped up out of the couch and moved to Daniel’s side.

“Hey!” he greeted.

“Hey,” Daniel returned. “You ready to go?”

“Yup, whenever you are.”

“Then let’s go.”
Darren fell into step next to Daniel, walking slightly faster than normal to keep up with Daniel’s
long-legged stride. Daniel pushed the door open and held it for Darren, who smiled and walked through. He waited just outside for Daniel to follow.

“So, which way?”

“This way,” Daniel responded, jerking his head to the right.

“How was dinner?” Darren asked as they began walking again.

“It was good. Kat was in the mood for Italian, so we went to one of our favorite places.”

Darren nodded. He remembered what his mother had said earlier in the afternoon about Kat and decided to ask Daniel about it.

“So… did Kathleen feel ignored by us last night? I was telling Mum about dinner, and she said we had probably made her feel a little left out.”

Daniel made a small face. “Yeah, she was kinda mad last night.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make her feel bad, or make you guys get in a fight,” Darren said, feeling a little more guilty about his treatment of Kathleen than he had previously.

“Yeah, I know,” Daniel answered with a shrug. “She knows it, too. She’s just never really had a chance to get used to us being close, and I think it shocked her.”

“Ahh,” Darren said, not really feeling much better. Daniel looked at him out of the corner of his eye, noticing the guilty expression on Darren’s face. He smiled a little, then gave Darren a none-too-gentle shove. Darren looked up, startled.

“Don’t sweat it, mate. You didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. And besides,” Daniel said with a smile, “I’m kinda glad we can be thaose ose again, you know? I’m sorry we upset Kat, but I wouldn’t trade last night for anything.”

A strange elation filled Darren at Daniel’s words and he ducked his head to hide the stupid grin he was sure was covering his face. He answered Daniel quietly and sincerely, however.

“I wouldn’t, either.”

There was a moment of companionable silence between the men. Daniel stole yet another look at Darren out of the corner of his eye. The older man had a ht sht smile on his face. He was staring at his shoes, obviously deep in thought. An answering smile tugged on the corners of Daniel’s mouth. He felt… lighter having Darren around. Daniel was paying so little attention to the surrounding area that he almost missed the turn for the club. He glance up just in time to see the sign for the cross street.

“Hey, Dare, we need to go down here.”

“’Kay,” Darren said, following Daniel. A few more steps and Darren could see the line queued outside. He and Daniel quietly walked to the end of the line and waited.

“Good thing it isn’t too cold, huh?” Darren offered as they stood.

“Oh, yeah,” Daniel agreed wholeheartedly. “You get all whiny when you’re cold.”

Darren’s eyes widened and his mouth rounded as he huffed in righteous indignation.

“I do not get whiny!”

Daniel didn’t even deign to give that comment a verbal answer. He just raised an eyebrow at Darren and smirked. Darren made a face at the guitarist. Daniel just laughed.

“I don’t get whiny,” Darren muttered, but quietly. Daneitheither didn’t hear or chose to ignore Darren.

“Looks like the line’s moving pretty quickly,” the guitarist told Darren, craning his neck to see the front of the line.

“That’s good. I hate waiting.”

“Yeah, patience isn’t one of your virtues,” Daniel teased.

“Hey, what is this? Let’s pick on Darren night?” Darren asked in exasperation.

“Sorry, Dare. I just couldn’t resist.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Darren dismissenielniel’s apology with a wave of his hand and a mischievous smile. By that point, the pair was almost to the entrance. They scrabbled around their pockets for the money to pay the cover charge. The two men handed their money to the employee at the door, then entered the club. Darren looked around curiously, then smiled in satisfaction. Daniel had chosen well.

The perpetual haze of smoke that always clouded the air at clubs was still there, but to a much lesser extent. en aen appreciated this fact, both for his lungs and his wardrobe. It was miserably hard to get that smoky scent out of some fabrics, and as Darren didn’t smoke, he hated walking around smelling like an ashtray. The club was dark, but not suffocatingly so. Strobe lights and other colored lights flashed from the huddled, gyrating mass that occupied what was obviously the dance floor. A loud, pulsating beat filled the air. The ambiance of the place was absolutely perfect. Darren shot a smile at a slightly worried-looking Daniel who was studying him for his reaction and got one of Daniel’s brilliant grins in return.

“I like it,” Darren half-shouted, leaning closer to Daniel so that he could be heard over the music.

“Good! Now I’m going to hit the bar. You wanna come?”

Darren just nodded, figuring it wasn’t worth the effort to shout a “yes.” He trailed Daniel to the bar and crowded in next to him. When Daniel finally got the bartender’s attention, he ordered himself two boilermakers. Darren raised his eyebrows at this, and Daniel caught the expression. He grinned devilishly.

“I’ve been busy. I haven’t been able to just go out for a while. I plan to have fun tonight.”

"Good enough,” Darren directed to Daniel. His next comment he directed at the bartender. “I’ll have two tequila shots.”

Now it was Daniel’s turn to raise his eyebrows.

“Two shots of tequila? I thought you didn’t drink much, Dare.”

“I don’t,” Darren shrugged. “But I drink more now than I used to with Savage Garden.”

“Why?” Daniel asked, frankly confused. Darren had always been so adamant about not drinking while he was with Savage Garden. It seemed odd that he would change his mind about this after only a year.

“I dunno. Not drinking just didn’t seem as important anymore.” Darren met Daniel’s shocked look with an amused one of his own. “I’m not an alcoholic now or anything, Dan. I don’t even drink often. I just do it more than I used to, is all.”

“Uh-huh.” Daniel was still slightly skeptical. He wasn’t sure he believed Darren’s story. He just couldn’t see where Darren had changed so much that he would willingly drink tequila shots. As those thoughts were running through his head, the bartender returned with both of their drinks. The
guitarist watched in fascination as Darren picked up one of the shot glasses, tilted his head back slightly, and tossed it back in a practiced and experienced move. He grabbed the lime and bit down
into it, looking challengingly into Daniel’s eyes the entire time. Daniel blinked, impressed.

“Wow,” was his only comment. Darren grinned and watched as Daniel downed his shot, followed by a huge gulp of beer.

“I’m impressed,” said Daniel over yet another sip, but a smaller one this time. “No chaser.”

“I like the taste, susingsingly enough,” Darren answered.

“What made you start drinking tequila?”

“Well… You’re going to laugh. Everyone does when I tell them this. So, I started drinking tequila when I realized I really didn’t like beer. I wanted something else, but when I tried the mixed drinks, my band started making fun of me and my ‘fru-fru’ drinks. So I had to find something
else. I tried tequila and liked it, so that’s what I drink now.”

“Let me make sure I’ve got this straight. You drink tequila because you don’t like beer?”

“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”

Daniel managed to hold off for a few seconds, then burst into laughter. Darren waited him out with the tired patience of one who has put up with something for a while.

“Oh, god, Dare, that is very you. You couldn’t find anything in the middle ground between beer and hard liquor that you liked?”

“Nope.”

“Only you, Dare,” Daniel laughed.

“Yeah, I know,” Darren sighed. “I can never find a middle ground.”

“No, you can’t,” Daniel said seriously. Even though he had eaten a large dinner, it had been about five hours since then. The alcohol had hit him hard, making him more open than normal. “But that’s part of your charm. You live life to its extremes, and drag us all along on the roller coaster ride with you. It makes life exciting.”

Darren paused with his second shot halfway to his mouth. His eyes blinked owlishly at Daniel over the rim of the glass.

“It’s part of my charm?” he asked, a tinge of vulnerability evident in his voice.

“Yeah,” Daniel muttered, feeling stupid for blurting out his thoughts like that. He covered by finishing up his first boilermaker and starting on his second. A little voice in his head told him that drinking more wasn’t the wisest idea when he was already upset about how alcohol had affected his actions, but Daniel successfully ignored it.

Darren watched Daniel closely. The singer wanted to say something more, to at least thank Daniel for the compliment, but managed to keep silent. Daniel wasn’t comfortable revealing his
thoughts and feelings verbally, which was one of the reasons he had hated doing interviews. To know what Daniel was thinking, you watched his body language and listened to his music. And right now, Daniel’s body language was practically screaming embarrassment. Darlooklooked around for some topic of conversation that would distract the guitarist, and his eyes fell on an advertisement for a live band that was playing here in another week.

“Hey,” he said, gesturing with his glass. “There’s a live band coming next week.”

Daniel glanced up, obviously not very interested. “Yeah.”

“Do you remember when we used to play places like this?”

“Like it was so long ago,” Daniel scoffed. “Of course I remember. Those were some of the best times we had.”

“Yeah, they were.”

“Really? I would have thought you’d have liked the touring better.”

“Well, there’s something to be said for performing at a place filled with people that you know came there for the sole reason of seeing you perform,” Darren confided. “But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like what we did before we got famous. And anyway, our club performances were probably the last time both of us were really happy, and that’s important to me, as well.”

Daniel looked down into his beer, wondering what to say to that. He lacked the ease of speaking that Darren was graced with. He took another long drink. Every conversation he had with Darren
tonight seemed to end up in this odd and murky emotional territory. Daniel wasn’t sure why this was happening, but it was making him slightly uncomfortable. Their conversations never used to be this charged. Must be the result of the distance between us, he thought. Darren seemed to sense his turmoil, for he was deliberately not looking at Daniel, gaze turned towards the dance floor. Suddenly, his entire expression lit up.

“Hey! This is a great song!”

He began to bounce up and down in place, jostling Daniel’s arm.

“I’m gonna go out there and dance,” he announced after a moment of bouncing in place. “You coming?”

Daniel leveled Darren with an incredulous look. “Darren, you know I don’t dance.”

“Aww, come on, Danny! It’ll be fun. You only have to go out there for this one song.”

“No.” Daniel turned back to the bar and made a motion for the bartender.

“Please??” Darren begged.

“I said no, Darren. I’m not going out there.”

“Oh, you’re no fun, you know that?”

Darren pouted for a moment, then sighed and began to wind his way through the milling crowds to get to the dance floor. Daniel ordered two shots of whiskey, then turned to watch as Darren pushed through the crowd at the edge and immediately caught the beat, moving in time to the bass that flooded the room. Daniel shook his head and smiled. Darren couldn’t sit still for long. He always needed to be doing something. Darren was in his element out there with the loud music and the constant motion. Daniel absentmindedly grabbed one of the shot glasses the bartender had left and tossed it back quickly, then returned his attention to Darren.

Darren stayed out on the dance floor for the next three songs, allowing the music to lift him out of
himself. There was something oddly cathartic about losing yourself to the overwhelming beat and just dancing. He let all the tension of the past few days flow out of his body. Darren’s eyes
fell shut and he moved instinctually to the rhythm he could feel pounding through his entire body. He could feel someone’s eyes on him, but he ignored it. pre pressure of those eyes only increased as time went on, however, and the singer finally felt compelled to open his eyes. Darren turned, searching for the person who had been staring at him, and met the strangely intense green gaze of his bandmate.

Darren felt a sudden lurch in the region of his stomach as he stared into Daniel’s eyes. There was something different in that gaze, something Darren was afraid to identify. His heartbeat sped up as Daniel’s gaze pulled at him. The singer knew he shouldn’t be reacting like this to his best friend, but he couldn’t seem to stop. It took all he had to finally look down. When he cautiously looked back up, the tension had left Daniel’s gaze. Darren sighed, in relief he told himself, and refused to acknowledge the disappointment that he could feel sinking the blissful euphoria
dancing had engendered.

Darren wound his way through the crowd to reach Daniel’s side again. He glanced at the two empty shot glasses that were now sitting on the bar and laughed.

“Looks like I have some catching up to do.”

“Are we competing now?” Daniel teased.

“No, no!” Darren vigorously shook his head. “You’d win, hands down. But if we’re here to have fun, I don’t want to be left too far behind.”

“Ahh, ok.” Daniel waved the bartender back over and ordered two shots of tequila for Darren and two more whiskey shots for himself. “So, have fun out there?”

“You know it,” Darren responded. “You should have danced, too.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “No. You’re a persistent little bugger, you know that?”

Darren flashed him a cheeky grin. “Yup!”

Their drinks arrived and Darren tossed his two back in quick succession, which he realized was probably not the brightest idea he’d had all night as the room began to spin when he shifted to
a more comfortable position. Daniel laughed at him.

“Little tipsy there, Dare?”

“Just a bit,” Darren said softly, leaning up against Daniel for support. “I think I’m done for the night.”

“Lightweight,” Daniel teased gently. He finished his first shot, then lightly nudged Darren.

“I told you I don’t drink much,” Darren laughingly protested. “And you’re going to be feeling yours soon. That’s what, your fifth shot in under two hours?”

“Sixth, now,” Daniel corrected, laying the now-empty glass on the counter. “And I’m not feeling a thing.”

Darren shot him a skeptical look from his position propped up against the bar. “Prove it.”

“Fine.” Daniel shoved off from the bar… only to stagger and almost fall as his sense of balance chose to strand him in a wildly spinning world. Darren caught him just before the fall became uncontrollable, and Daniel could hear the singer’s light laughter in his ear.

“You aren’t feeling a thing, huh?”

“Shut up and help me up.”

Darren managed to stabilize the guitarist. He had noticed that if he didn’t move too quickly the world managed to stay still, and he blessed his mother for the huge dinner she had made. Darren had a feeling that without it he’d be in worse case than Daniel. Daniel, for his part, clutched tightly to Darren’s arms. He felt incredibly dizzy and a little sick. I think I overdid it a bit, he thought dazedly. Darren took one look at his face and made a quick decision.

“I think we’ve both had enough for tonight. Come on, let’s head back to my hotel.”

Daniel wanted to protest but couldn’t quite work up the energy. Instead, he nodded and allowed Darren to propel him out of the bar and into the brisk night air. The temperature managed to revive Daniel a bit, but he didn’t stop leaning on Darren. Instead, he leaned in a little closer, enjoying the warmth Darren radiated. The two walked slowly towards Darren’s hotel.

“You’re staying with me tonight,” Darren announced abruptly, breaking the silence that had settled between them. Daniel turned to look at Darren curiously, and found himself very close to Darren’s face. His brain shut down for a moment at their closeness, but then he tripped and Darren had to steady him, and the moment was lost.

“I can make it home,” Daniel protested. Darren sighed and shook his head.

“No, you can’t. You’re in no condition to drive, and neither am I. Besides, there’s an extra bed in
the room that you can use. But I won’t let you drive home.”

“Ok,” Daniel acquiesced easily. Darren had a point. And anyway, he didn’t really want this
evening to end. Darren would be leaving soon, and Daniel wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. The two half-stumbled, half-walked into the hotel lobby and pressed the button for the elevator. They practically fell into it when the doors opened, both beginning to really feel the effects of the alcohol. When the doors opened onto Darren’s floor, the singer, who was slightly more sober than his friend, dragged Daniel out of the elevator and down the hall to his room.

Darren braced himself and Daniel against the wall as he fumbled for his room key. The world still spun at the edges if he moved too quickly, and it was slightly more difficult than normal to fit the card into the slot. He pulled it out quickly, but the light continued to flash red. Groaning, Darren tried again. Still red. Daniel, leaning heavily against the wall, watched Darren’s attempts with amusement in his slightly clouded green eyes.

“You’ve been in god knows how many hotel rooms and you’re still horrible at opening the doors,” Daniel commented with only a slight bit of slurring.

“I’d like to see you try, then,” Darren challenged. He threw his hands up and took a quick step backwards, trying to ignore the sudden disorientation that move caused.

Daniel rolled his eyes and pushed himself carefully off the wall. He took the key from Darren, inserted it in the slot, and pulled it out again. The light flashed green. Daniel pushed the door open, shooting a triumphant glance at Darren.

“Ha!” he exclaimed.

“I hate you,” Darren muttered, stumbling a little as he entered his room. He kicked off his shoes in the entryway and made to go farther into the room.

His progress was prevented by warm arms suddenly wrapping around his waist. Daniel pulled Darren up against him in a tight hug. He nuzzled his head lightly into Darren’s shoulder, noticing the sudden tension in the singer’s body but ignoring it.

“You don’t really hate me, do you, Dare?” he murmured into the singer’s neck.

Darren felt a shiver run down his spine at the caress of Daniel’s breath against the sensitive skin of his ne He He feltuddeudden, strange urge to melt into Daniel’s embrace and never move. He attributed that strange urge and the tingles that were emanating from the places Daniel touched to the copious amounts of alcohol he had consumed, and tried to shove the feelings away.

“No,” he whispered, voice slightly husky. “Of co I d I don’t really hate you.”

“Good,” Daniel rumbled softly. He snuggled closer, burrowing his face in the junction between Darren’s neck and shoulder. Darren smelled so good, of soap and cologne and something uniquely Darren. Daniel rubbed his nose gently against the skin of Darren’s neck, seeking out that scent. The singer stiffened even more, if possible, and gently broke away.

Darren could feel his heart pounding as he pulled away. Daniel’s embrace was making him feel things he had no right feeling for his best friend, and he didn’t want to embarrass himself by turning around and kissing Daniel senseless. The singer turned around and pasted a bright smile on his face, hoping it would conceal the conflicted feelings currently racing through his mind. He noticed Daniel’s eyes were half-closed and he was swaying slightly on his feet, and the fake smile melted into something most tender and real.

“Tired, mate?” he asked gently.

“Mmhmm.”

“Here.” Darren walked over to the other bed in the room and pulled back the covers. He patted the mattress invitingly. “You can sleep here tonight.”

Daniel made his way slowly over to the bed and sat down. He looked up at Darren with an innocent, almost childlike look in his eyes.

“Just like old times, eh?”

“Yeah,” Darren responded, smiling as Daniel quickly flopped over on his back. Dan’s eyelids were drooping again, and Darren was sure he’d be asleep in no time. Then he noticed Daniel’s feet,
which were still dangling off the bed.akinaking his head in amusement, he knelt to take off Daniel’s shoes.

“Dare?” Daniel asked suddenly.

“Yeah, Danny?”

“I missed you this last year, you know?”

“I know, Danny. I missed you, too.”

“’M glad you’re back.” Daniel’s speech was becoming even more slurred as he came closer and closer to sleep.

“Me, too,” Darren answered. He stood up and pulled Daniel’s legs back on the bed so the guitarist was now stretched out fully on the bed. Then Darren grabbed the sheet from the foot
of the bed and pulled it up over Daniel’s form.

“Thanks, Dare,” Daniel whispered as Darren brought the sheet up to his shoulders.

“Welcome,” Darren responded. He hesitated, struck by the urge to press a kiss on Daniel’s cheek. The scene they were enacting was so domestic, it almost seemed like the perfect ending to the night. The urge got too much to resist, and Darren leaned in, intending only to brush his lips lightly against Daniel’s cheek. Daniel, however, moved at the last instant, and Darren’s lips ended up landing squarely on Daniel’s own. The pair froze for an endless second, shocked at the sudden contact, but as the moment passed and shock became realization, neither man pulled away.
Darren’s wide blue eyes stared into Daniel’s surprised green ones, and even as he watched, Daniel’s lids fluttered down to cover his eyes and the younger man leaned deeper into the kiss.
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Starting at the Beginning