Solitary Man

A/N: Chapter 4! Zack goes to get Freddy’s music.
Warnings: Just the same as last time. Shouta-con certain, definite slash and swearing.
Disclaimer: I own not HIM, their songs, School Of Rock ect ect ect. I am writing this for mah own amusement and not to make moneh. Erm I also own not ‘My Sharona’ by The Knack (the song Dewey sings in this chapter).

Solitary Man

Zack was already beginning to regret his promise to Freddy, he was standing outside the school gates messing with his iPod and generally stalling. In the end he reluctantly started walking, he’d run out of excuses to stand around and if he didn’t go now he would wuss out.

On the way he passed Freddy and Katie going back towards the school, Freddy gave him a thumbs up and thanked him again, Zack found himself questioning why Freddy hadn’t just gone to get his own music.

“No, he did me a favour and I already said I would do this…he probably thought there was no point since I’d already said I would get it for him.” Sighing he adjusted the bag on his back so the strap was no longer cutting into his shoulder, it slipped back into place a few seconds later. Zack grumbled under his breath and tried not to lose his patience, he was in a bit of a foul mood today and everything was annoying him; from Freddy to inanimate objects.

The walk to Dewey’s was over far too fast, gathering up his courage Zack rapped on the door and waited, looking like a deer ready to bolt. Before he got the chance to actually assume no one was in and leave the door opened, the guy who answered Zack had seen a few times and recognised as the real Ned Schneebly or as most of them tended to call him ‘Dewey’s flatmate’ since they got confused. Zack himself was still felt weird calling Dewey…Dewey.

“Erm, hi Ned. Is Dewey about?” Zack blinked as Ned turned away for a few seconds, when he turned back he nodded and let Zack in, “what’s with all the secrecy?”

“Secrecy? I was checking he wasn’t in the shower,” Ned replied giving Zack an odd look, the dark haired boy blushed slightly and ‘ahhed’ feeling kind of stupid, “you thought we were up to something?”

“No…yes…I don’t know,” Zack answered lamely, to be honest he didn’t know what he had thought. That for some reason Dewey may be avoiding him? Zack cussed himself out mentally, why would he be doing that…he was the one that was doing the avoiding. Or trying to, “never mind, it’s cool. Where is he?”

Ned gestured into the den where Dewey still had the same bedroom-corner, he’d justified it with ‘I like that corner now’. When Zack entered the room Dewey wasn’t actually there, the guitarist shrugged and made his way over to the shelves near Dewey’s bed. He was just shifting though the piles of music when he heard singing coming from the bathroom.

‘Never gonna stop, give it up
Such a dirty mind, always get it up
For the touch of the younger kind-’

Zack couldn’t help but blush at the last line, he recognised the song as ‘My Sharona’ by The Knack, he had it on CD somewhere, shaking his head at the shower singing he turned back to the music and began searching for Freddy’s notes again, sure enough the next lines floated though the door.

‘My my my i yi woo. M M M My Sharona...

Come a little closer huh, ah will ya huh.
Close enough to look in my eyes, Sharona.
Keeping it a mystery gets to me
Running down the length of my thighs, Sharona’

Only this time the end of the line was punctuated by a huge crash as Dewey slammed the bathroom door open, Zack jumped a mile high and spun round, he immediately wished he hadn’t.

Dewey wasn’t naked or anything, but he was wearing an open shirt and rather tight pants, upon seeing Zack the vocalist grinned and shook his still wet hair like a dog.

“Zack Attack! Whaddaya doin here buddy?” still looking at Zack he grabbed a towel and started wildly drying his hair, Zack started open mouthed for a good few minutes, “hey, Zack…you ok dude? I didn’t scare you did I?” a concerned question ruined by the simple fact Dewey was still grinning like a madman, obviously proud of himself.

“No! You didn’t…well sort of…I just wasn’t expecting…the bang,” Zack finished lamely, he turned his gaze back to the sheets of music to hide the stupid expression he knew he had on his face, “and I’m here cause lazy ass Spazzy can’t be bothered to come and get his own notes.”

“Ahh, here,” Dewey jogged the small distance and crouched beside Zack, in a few seconds he was holding out the offending sheets of notes and a CD, “the song minus drums, so he knows what it should sound like.” Dewey answered Zack’s unasked question.

“Oh right, yeah. Thanks Dewey.” Zack gingerly took the sheets and CD from Dewey and placed them carefully in his bag so they didn’t get torn or anything. Freddy wouldn’t appreciate him mauling his notes. With that Zack stood up and made his way to the door.

“No goodbye? You wound me with your cold Zack!” Dewey whined jokingly after the guitarist, Zack knew he was joking but…that was just adorable and not fair in anyway. He sighed and turned around, the vocalist was sporting a huge grin again, Zack raised a hand.

“Ok, ok. See you on Monday Dewey. Hope you have a good week or…something.” Zack smiled as Dewey waved back and turned to look in the mirror behind him. Zack left, closing the door behind him.

***

“Ok, well that was the worst trip to Dewey’s ever. I really hope this thing about being odd around guys goes away…quickly.” Zack muttered to himself as he walked back to school.

‘Ahhh but are you sure that is it?” asked a nasty little voice in his head, “After all…you spoke to Freddy on the way to Dewey’s and you weren’t all flustered around him.”

“Freddy is my long time best friend, that’s different.” Zack argued with…himself, he sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anything else though.

‘Maybe Billy was right…maybe you do have a crush, so to speak, on Dewey…’ Zack clenched his fist in a threat to the voice.

“Shut up. It’s nothing like that, that would be too weird. I know it’s not. It can’t be,” Zack rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands in exasperation, “it better not be that…”

***

“Oh dude thanks,” Freddy was bouncing up and down on the spot holding his band notes and the CD, “this is a real help bud, I owe you.”

Zack shrugged, “No big deal, besides no you don’t, you got detention for me. So we’re even.”

“Awesome Zack Attack! Awesome! So…how was Dewey?” Freddy questioned casually, Zack immediately grew wary even though he knew he was being stupid.

“He was…fine. Just got out of the shower when I got there,” Zack felt the blush cover his face and he knew he wasn’t hiding it very well, “I couldn’t find your music so he helped me.” He finished bluntly, Freddy was giving him ‘they eyebrow’ but he didn’t say anything. Why would he? It’s not like it’s a common teenage worry that you hear about every day.

This was having a crush on your ex-teacher.

***

Monday came around fast, the last practise before the tour, Zack was a bundle of nerves for many reasons and he kept jumping at everything. He had accepted the fact (after much anguish and beating his head off the window) that he had a crush on Dewey. He had been going to see the singer frequently that week as well.

Dewey never questioned it, and the closer Zack got to the singer, the harder Zack fell. He found himself unable to think about anything else in his spare time, he missed Dewey when he couldn’t see him and Zack silently cursed that his crush may be just a little bit more…

That Monday afternoon everyone was practising the original School Of Rock song when Dewey called for them all to stop playing, everyone did so in unison. Minus Freddy who kept banging away at his drums like a crazed wind-up monkey. Dewey sighed and rolled his eyes.

“What is wrong with this kid? Brain damage?” Dewey muttered to himself, the members closest to him giggled and watched Freddy continue to bash away, “Hey Spazzy, Spazzy McGee!? Freddy Jones!” Dewey was yelling, loudly, but Freddy couldn’t hear him over the din.

“Can I have the pleasure this time?” Alicia asked him sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes, Dewey nodded at her and she made her way over to Freddy. Clearing her throat she snatched a drumstick and whacked him over the head with it. Not hard, but it was enough to get his attention.

“Owwww! Fuck! What!?” Freddy was holding his head and glaring daggers at Alicia, she simply smiled at him and tossed her hair.

“Dewey wants you.” She answered with a not so innocent smirk, Freddy pulled a face and intensified her glare.

“You’re disgusting you know that.” He growled at her and put down his remaining stick, Zack was staring at the scene half amused and half…jealous? The guitarist sighed, this really was troublesome.

“No, really. I want you. Just not in the bad way.” Dewey grinned and beckoned the drummer over. Freddy gave him the eye and slowly walked over to the vocalist, slouched and with his hands jammed in his pockets.

“Was I doing something wrong? I played it just the way I usually do…” he was silenced by Dewey turning to Zack and beckoning him over as well, the guitarist complied quickly, looking confused.

“That’s it exactly I want to spice it up a little…so I have this idea. Freddy, if you add this extra beat here,” Dewey scribbled on Freddy’s notes, “and one…here,” more scribbling, “I think it will sound better,” he turned to Zack, “you, come with me.”

Zack blinked, had he done something…really bad? Was Dewey going to tell him off for something? He nervously followed the vocalist out of the room and into a large equipment cupboard, he sat down on a box when Dewey motioned for him to get comfy somewhere.

“Look Zack…is everything ok?” Dewey asked softly, Zack was taken by surprise, both at Dewey’s tone and the question.

“I…I’m fine, was I playing ok? I am playing ok right?” Zack was leaning forward and looking desperate now, if Dewey told him he’d been playing badly he would be upset, that was something he didn’t like to think about.

“No no, dude your playing was awesome! As usual! It’s just…oh shit I’m not good at this stuff. I’m not even gonna ask dude.” Dewey started to get up but Zack stopped him, he blinked down at the guitarist but sat back down anyways.

“Don’t go,” Zack’s voice was so quiet Dewey had to strain to hear it, he patiently waited for Zack to go on, “…I’ve been…distracted lately. Right? A bit nervous, uptight…”

Dewey nodded, “Look dude, is it nerves, cause if it is…trust me we are gonna rock on this tour!”

“No, yes…kind of. I…like someone,” Zack stuttered, Dewey’s eyes went wide and he gave an ‘oooooh’, “really…like this someone. But it’s wrong for me to like this person and it’s making me feel nervous being around them you know…”

“Um…ok dude, right, but if this is the case they must be in the band. Since I only noticed tonight…what’s so wrong about liking-”

“It’s a guy.”

“Oooooh,” Dewey stared at Zack for a little while, then he shrugged and grinned, “Zack, there isn’t anything ‘wrong’ with that.”

“You really think that?” Zack let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, then he became nervous again, Dewey placed a hand on his shoulder and forced him to look him in the eye.

“Yes, I really think that,” he smiled, Zack returned it and then started messing with his shirt cuff, “you still don’t seem convinced buddy.”

“It’s still wrong…the person I like.” the guitarist muttered, Dewey rolled his eyes and grabbed him by the shoulders, Zack’s eyes widened as the vocalist started shaking him slowly.

“What. Is. So. Wrong. About. It!? Talk. To me Zack Attack! I promise to the God of rock, hell I promise on my life I’m not gonna judge you for anything dude! Why don’t you just-” Dewey was cut off mid-rant as Zack leant forward and pressed his lips against the singer’s.

Zack didn’t know what made him do it, but he had done it and now…now he wasn’t going to back down. Since Dewey hadn’t pulled away or told him to fuck off he increased the pressure of the kiss, hands finding themselves entangled in the singer’s striped shirt, moving to straddle him for better positioning.

Dewey was in shock, a huge big helluva shock, all that registered was the ‘I’m being kissed by someone’ and he subconsciously started to return the kiss. Zack thought he was going to die, he had accepted his crush sure, and he had felt fuzzies whenever Dewey was near him. Looked at him. Touched him. But this…this was on a whole different level. This was damn heaven.

It was when Zack moved rubbed him the right way that Dewey snapped out of it. He moaned loudly and then snapped his eyes open, pulling back away from Zack he covered his eyes with a hand.

“What am I doing…what was I doing…” the singer groaned to himself, Zack returned to his box and buried his face in his hands, “…that was wrong of me. Zack, you know that right? It was wrong.”

“You’re a damn liar Finn,” Zack mumbled sadly, Dewey removed the hand and glared at the despairing guitarist, “don’t look at me like that! You said you wouldn’t judge me!”

“I’m not judging you Zack! But this is wrong!” Dewey stood up, trying to shout and whisper at the same time.

“Why is it wrong then!?” Zack stood also, face inches away from Dewey’s, the scene looking almost like a cartoon face-off. Dewey sighed and ran a hand though his hair, he seemed to be looking for the right words, Zack narrowed his eyes.

“Look…Zack, my idea of ‘wrong’ is not gonna be the same as other people’s ideas of ‘wrong’. To me, you are 16 and old enough to make certain decisions by yourself dude,” Zack’s glare didn’t waver for a second, “I accept that…you may have a slight crush on me after finding out you like guys, I trust you to know that much-”

“But you don’t believe that my feelings are true, is that it!? I can promise you it’s not just cause I found out I’m bisexual Dewey!”

“I didn’t say that! Look…you are 16, and while I say I trust you to make the aforementioned choices while most wouldn’t…I have to say dude, you are gonna be 18 in two years time. How much will you want to do with me then? You’ll want a guy or girl of your own age, to hang out with other teens. You won’t want a 30 year old that’s for sure.” Dewey drove the point home, his eyes never leaving Zack’s, Zack himself was gaping. The guitarist flopped back onto the box in shock, he shook his head once, then twice.

“So that…is all?” Zack asked, staring at Dewey, the vocalist nodded, “that’s all that is stopping you from…you know, me and you…” another nod from the singer, “you don’t not like me?” A shake of the head and a slight smile, “Dewey, I’ll never want anyone my own age, I like you.” Dewey sighed and rubbed his head, he headed for the equipment room door and turned.

“Never say never Zack, you heard that saying before?” Zack couldn’t take his eyes off Dewey as the vocalist turned the door handle and left. It was only after the door shut behind him that the distraught guitarist spoke through silent tears.

“…never.”

***

A/N OMG! I chose a pairing! OMG! Angst and rejection! Well not really. I have an idea of where this is going now, and in case you haven’t noticed…(0.o) this IS going to be a shouta-con fic. But…something is going to happen to make this slightly more acceptable next chapter. Well...again, not really, but it does make things easier for ME.