Dead Air

Chapter 5 Part 2

This took me forever and I apologize.  This is also very short so I apologize again.  I just wanted to go into Daniel's head a bit.  And Reagan is pretty mch legit.  That is all.  Enjoy.

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                Daniel climbed the stairs to Paige’s attic room slowly.  He was exhausted after working all day at a local restaurant.  He just wanted to check on her before going to sleep.  He glanced at his watch.  It was only nine.  He raked a hand through his hair as he pushed Paige’s door open.

                “Danny!”  Daniel barely had time to step back to balance himself before Reagan pounced on him.  Reagan wrapped his legs around his waist, holding himself up.  “Surprise.”

                “What the hell are you doing here?  You drove from Illinois?”

                Reagan nodded.  “I need to talk to you about stuff, and I missed Paige.  Everybody back home is so incompetent.  Can we go to your room?  You look tired.  Do you want to talk about this another time?  God, I missed you.”  Both of them turned to look at Paige.  She knew what was coming and waved them out immediately.  Reagan grinned from ear to ear.  He could detect the slightest bit of amusement shining through the confusion on Daniel’s face.

                Daniel backed out of the room, not bothering to close the door.  “What the…” he started.

                Reagan put his hand over his mouth.  “No.  Your room.  Let’s go.”

                Daniel rolled his eyes but obeyed, carrying Reagan down the stairs to his room.  He managed to bite Reagan’s finger gently as he forcibly released his legs from their death grip.  Reagan dropped to the ground.  He hastily turned Daniel around, planted a quick kiss on his lips, and pushed him onto the bed. 

                “Reagan, we agreed this wasn’t going to work,” Daniel muttered, raking a hand through his hair.  “I’ve got my eyes on somebody else already.”

                “Shut up.  I know.  Paige told me.  Just because we aren’t doing the couple thing doesn’t mean I can’t use you to piss off my boyfriend.”

                “What?”

                “I came out.  I got a boyfriend.  My dad now hates me.  No big deal.”

                “How did you get a boyfriend before I did?”

                “I’m not a douche.”

                “Shut up.  What did you need to talk to me about?”

                Reagan bit his lip, staring at Daniel for a few moments.  He sighed and sat down on the end of Daniel’s bed, curling his knees up to his chest.  “Everything in my life kind of went to crap in the last, like, two months.  My mom and dad are getting divorced because my dad had an affair, I guess.  I don’t believe he actually did it.  I feel like it’s my fault.  My dad couldn’t even stand to look at me after I told him.”

                Daniel winced and fell back on his bed.  “It’s not your fault, Ray.  Everybody feels like that’s the case, and it never is.  Just talk everything out.  Don’t be offended if I fall asleep.  I had a long day.”

                “Change out of your work clothes.  They’re sweaty and gross.”

                Daniel smirked.  “If you wanted me out of my clothes, you could have done it yourself earlier.  Less work for me.”  He stood as Reagan rolled his eyes.  He walked over to the door and kicked it shut with his foot as he pulled his previously loosened tie.  He quickly stripped out of his work clothes and pulled on a pair of shorts.  “Alright.  Eyegasm time is over.  Start talking.  Tell me everything and anything on your mind.  It’ll help.”

                “You’ve been on my mind lately.”  Reagan sat still and silent, waiting for some sort of reaction from Daniel.  There wasn’t one.  Daniel didn’t even look at him.  “Damn it, don’t you dare go all therapist on me.  You know how much I hate that.”  He noticed Daniel’s lip twitch as he crawled into bed.  At least he was listening.  “I keep comparing Alex to you.  You always end up being the better end of the comparison.  I miss what we had when I was a freshman.  It was better than what I have with Alex.  And Alex is great, but you were better.  My mom loves him almost more than I do.  My dad has been in a hotel for almost a month.  I’m terrified that he hates me because he was my rock all those years when Mom was sick, and now he’s just going to be gone.  And you know what else I recently discovered I’m afraid of?  Snakes.  I used to want a snake when I was a kid.  I got to hold one.  Becca got one.  I screamed because it wrapped around my wrist.  Will you please interject something, anything, into this rambling mess of a one-sided conversation?”

                “School play,” Daniel muttered, flipping over onto his stomach.  He knew that would be enough to keep Reagan talking for maybe the rest of the night while he slept. 

                “Oh, my God.  I can’t believe I forgot to tell you!  I got the lead this year.  You and Paige have got to come back to see it.”  Reagan stopped then, frowning.  “If you want to sleep, I can leave.”

                Daniel lifted and turned his head just enough to look at him.  “You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to.  I rather enjoy falling asleep to your endless blabbering actually.”  He patted the empty side of the bed.  “And don’t you ever frown at me like that again if you don’t want to cheat on your boyfriend.  Don’t compare us either.  I bet he’s not as much of an ass as me.  Now, lay down and talk about something before I kick you out.”

                “You are an ass,” Reagan murmured as he laid down when Daniel had patted.

                “Yeah.  I know.”

                “You should tell me about that guy you’re after.”

                Daniel glared at him and dropped his face back onto the pillow.  “Not right now.  I’m tired.  Talk.  Not to me.”

                Reagan rolled his eyes, grinned, and started talking.  Just like old times.