Chapter Text
Theo walks the red carpet, giving the screaming horde of fans and paparazzi his most charming smile.The crowd is a blur. He can’t see them past the flashing lights of the cameras, can’t hear any individual words. Just his name here and there, punctuated by screams.
He’s stopped by a woman with a microphone, and she introduces herself as Karen from E!News and asks him a few questions about the album he’s been writing for the past year. He smiles at the camera, tells the pane of glass that he’s really excited with what he has so far and that he can’t wait to share it. It’s the crafted response drilled into him by his agent, and Karen nods and smiles, saying something cheesy before letting him go.
With one last smile he walks on, guided by the hand at his elbow, his manager Sean, who murmurs at him constantly, telling him when to stop and smile, which interviewer to talk to and which to ignore. He is the navigator, and Theo just does what he’s told.
He hates events like this. How fake they are. Theo much prefers it when he can take some time to stand still and chat with his fans, take photos with them, sign autographs, show them that he actually appreciates their support. At an event like this, it’s lucky if he even gets to wave and say hello.
Before he knows it he’s made it the whole way down the carpet and is left alone in the foyer while his manager leaves to find out what table they’re sitting on. Theo leans against a wall, hidden and unobtrusive while he observes his fellow musicians. Most people ignore him, he’s not quite big enough yet that anyone feels the need to make a fuss over him. They’re all waiting on that album before they make a judgement. He could go either way: one-hit wonder or grammy award winner.
A young man slips into the room, and Theo finds his eyes drawn to him immediately. He has light brown hair and intense blue eyes, and a presence about him that screams ‘I’m important.’ Sure enough, more than half of the room is eyeing him, giving him come-hither stares and secretive smiles. Theo’s never seen him before in his life.
And yet he was walking straight over to Theo, slotting in next to him and completely ignoring the multitude of eyes on him.
“Hey, how’s it going?” He asked, giving him a friendly smile.
Theo blinked, studying him. “Hey,” he said eventually. “I’m alright, and yourself?”
“Great!” He announced cheerfully.
Before he knew it, they were chatting like old friends. Theo had never bonded with someone so quickly in his life, sharing details that even some of his closest friends didn’t know. Something about this guy’s blue eyes encouraged him to open up.
“I really love your song,” Blue eyes said. “Everytime it comes on the radio I belt it out. I think I’ve almost got all the words down.”
Theo raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m impressed,” he said. “It’s only been out for a few months.”
Blue eyes shrugged, giving him a lopsided grin. “To be fair, they play it a lot. But still, I really like the lyrics in it. It’s really emotional without being cheesy. Which isn’t really what you expect from a rap song. Normally they’re a lot more hardcore and pretty much just about sex.”
Theo was overwhelmed by how fast this guy talked. “Yeah,” he said after he’d processed everything. “I mean, rap stands for rhythm and poetry, so I guess I just try to stay true to that.”
“Nice,” Blue eyes nodded. “That’s a good way of looking at it.”
“I think so,” Theo said, warming up to his topic. “So much rap music these days focuses on women in skimpy clothing and who’s got the most money. Just watch any rap music video and that’s all you see, whether it’s Drake, or Dj Khalid or Kanye West or Snoop Dogg. And the women are just as bad. Have you seen a Nicki Minaj film clip lately? It’s literally pornographic. That’s just so superficial. I just want to write and perform good music.”
Blue eyes smiled, and Theo stared at him, blushing a little. He’d been ranting, but nothing got him passionate like music did, and this guy was just so easy to talk to.
“I can respect that,” he said. “I look forward to hearing more of your music.”
The event was about to start, so blue eyes said goodbye before wandering off, and Theo took a deep breath, calming himself. His heart was racing, and it wasn’t until Blue eyes was on the other side of the room that he realised he’d never even asked for his name. He took a few steps forward, intending to follow him and ask, but paused as the guy stopped in front of the gaggle of paparazzi standing just inside the doors. Theo watched as one of them asked him something, and he replied, sending them all into a roar of laughter. Some of them looked over at him, winking or giving him a lewd grin, and Theo felt himself turn pale. What had Blue eyes just told them?
Just then, his manager returned.
“Who is that?” He asked him quietly.
“Ah,” Sean replied, following his line of sight. “Liam Dunbar. He’s one of the best.”
Theo’s heart sank. He’d just badmouthed some of the most famous and influential rap artists in the industry to a journalist, and a really cute journalist at that. Fuck.
***
Theo sat through the award ceremony in a foul temper, though he tried his best not to show it. His manager had done his best to get a decent table for them, and he was sitting with a group of other “up and comers” that he was expected to make small talk with. He did his best, but he couldn’t stop replaying his conversation with Liam over and over again.
He’d told him so many personal things, had poured his heart out to him, and he’d never felt more foolish in his life. He’d literally been in a room full of singers and journalists.
“Stupid,” he muttered under his breath.
The guy sitting next to him shot him a concerned glance.
“Dude are you okay?” He asked quietly.
Theo nodded, giving him a weak smile. He was a nice guy, really friendly, and he’d respected that Theo wasn’t in the most talkative mood. Theo decided to make more of an effort as there was a short break between performances.
“Sorry I’m not very good company at the moment,” he said, offering his hand. “I’m Theo.”
“Mason,” the other guy said with a smile. “And it’s fine. This whole experience is pretty overwhelming.”
Theo nodded his agreement. “It really is,” he sighed. “I mean, I’d be honoured to win an award of course, but there’s just so many events one after the other and they’re all the same.”
“I know!” Mason said. “It’s like the first and second and even third were excited, but this is like the sixth event in the past two months. I just want a quiet weekend at home with my boyfriend.”
Theo quirked his lips. “What the hell is a weekend?”
Mason laughed at this. “So true, so true.”
“So Mason, what kind of music do you make? Anything I might have heard?” He asked.
“Depends, do you like Hip Hop?” Mason asked.
“Definitely,” Theo said. “Big fan.”
“Awesome,” Mason beamed at him. “I go by Masht. You might have heard my song Major.”
Theo’s eyes widened. “Dude, that’s a great song. You made that?”
“Yep,” Mason said. “That’s my baby.”
“The trumpets were a nice touch,” Theo smirked.
“Thank you!” Mason said, throwing his hands up. “The producer hated them, but I fought him and made him keep it in. You need your own flavour, you know?”
“Oh for sure,” Theo agreed.
“Like with your song,” Mason continued. “Faith, right?”
“Yeah,” Theo nodded.
“The way you mix rap with those beautiful melodies in the chorus. It’s like a mix of the best of rap and the best of r’n’b,” he explained. “It’s something that no one else does.”
Theo was touched by this. “Thanks man,” he said, giving him an open and friendly smile. Mason beamed back at him, and Theo felt a bit of his bad mood evaporating. Not everyone in this industry was a two-faced liar.
***
Three hours later the award ceremony was over and Theo had made a new friend. He exchanged phone numbers with Mason, promising to hang out again with him soon.
“You going to any of the after parties?” Mason asked.
Theo glanced at Sean, who shook his head.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Theo said, feeling a sense of relief. The parties were even worse than the ceremonies were. Just alcohol and drugs and women, and Theo wanted to steer clear of that scene as much as possible.
“I’ve invited a few of my friends around, something low key. Twenty people. You’re welcome to join if you like,” Mason offered.
Theo considered it. It was Saturday night, and meeting some new people in LA was probably a good thing, especially if they were avoiding the larger events like he wanted to.
“Yeah, why not?” He said. “Sounds like fun.”
“Cool,” Mason grinned. “You can meet Corey. He’s a big fan.”
“Your boyfriend?” Theo asked with a wink.
“That’s the one,” Mason said, a fond look in his eyes. “I’ll text you the address. And don’t worry about getting picked up. Plenty of beds to crash on.”
“Awesome, I’ll see you soon then,” Theo grinned. Mason waved as he followed his manager out, already looking down at his phone. Sure enough, a few moments later he received a text message with an address on it. Looked like Mason only lived a few blocks away from him.
“Want me to organise a car for you?” Sean asked.
“Nah, I’ll just drive,” Theo said. “Thanks though.”
“No problem. You did really well tonight, kiddo. I’ve only heard good things about Mason, and that’s even more rare that you might think in our industry. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, same as you.”
Theo nodded, feeling happy. His bungle earlier might cost him when his name was all over the tabloids in the morning, but for now things seemed to be improving.
***
Sean dropped Theo off at his house with a loud honk, and Theo made his way inside, leaning down to pet his cat Athena as she greeted him at the door. He only stayed long enough to pack an overnight bag and change into a more comfortable jacket before heading back out, putting Mason’s address into his GPS.
Ten minutes later he was pulling into the large driveway of a two story house and parking his car alongside a few others. Locking the door, he made his way up to the house, where some loud music could be heard.
No one came when he knocked on the door, so he tested the handle, finding it open and let himself in, following the music to a large lounge room.
Mason spotted him instantly. “Theo,” he cheered. “Glad you could make it!”
He got up from the couch, walking over and offering him a fist bump, which Theo returned with a grin. “Nice digs,” he said.
“I know right?” Mason said. “This place is insane. My agent assures me that I can easily afford it, but my parent’s house would literally fit out in the pool house.”
“You have a pool?” Theo laughed. “Even better!”
“For sure,” Mason agreed. “Come and meet everyone. Everyone! This is Theo!”
Theo looked around the room, giving a friendly smile to the group who were lounging around on the couch and in beanbags. He recognised a few from previous events, but didn’t really know any of them by name. Thankfully, Mason took him around and introduced them.
“This is Lydia,” he said, indicating a lovely red-headed young woman with green eyes. “She’s wicked smart and a bit bitchy. But we love her anyway.”
“Charmed,” she said, flipping her hair and giving Theo an assessing look.
“Nice to meet you,” Theo said politely. She stared at him a moment longer before nodding, her smile a touch more genuine.
“And beside her is Stiles,” Mason continued. “He thinks he’s really funny.”
“Everyone thinks I’m really funny,” Stiles objected. “Right guys?”
“Yeah, definitely,” the guy beside Stiles said, giving him a wide grin.
“Anyone other than Scott?” Stiles pleaded.
“Sorry dude,” Mason said, patting his shoulder. “Scott is his best friend here, and he’s so nice it should be illegal.”
“Worse things to be,” Theo pointed out.
“Exactly dude!” Scott said enthusiastically. “Kindness goes a long way.”
Theo nodded, giving him a smile, which was returned tenfold. He reminded Theo of a golden retriever, all sunshine and wagging tail.
“Here we have Brett,” Mason said, indicating a taller guy sitting on another couch. “He’s a loveable rogue.”
Brett winked at him, and Theo gave him an unimpressed look. Sure, he was pretty enough, but something about him screamed ‘douche’.
“This is Corey, who I’ve already told you all about,” Mason said cheerfully.
“Good things I hope?” Corey asked, smiling up at Theo. He was cute, with floppy brown hair and a friendly smile. He could definitely see why Mason was so enamoured.
“Love of his life, best photographer in the world, great in the sack, yada yada yada,” Theo said with a smirk.
“Sounds about right,” Corey laughed, giving his boyfriend an affectionate look. Mason had the grace to look mildly embarrassed.
He cleared his throat. “Moving on. Here we have Tracy and Josh, good people even if they are actors,” Mason said. Both of them nodded at him, which Theo returned.
It continued on in this vein for awhile. There were more like 30 people in the room, all actors, singers, photographers or some such variation, all in the industry in some way.
“And late to the party as always is my best friend,” Mason said with a grin, indicating the guy who had just walked in. Theo turned, eyes narrowing as he met a pair of ocean blue eyes.
Liam.