Author's Note: I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE DEAL IS WITH THIS STORY. WE HAVE A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP. Also serious WIP problems and all that.

Disclaimer: The events of this story are entirely fictional. The characters are loosely based off of their real-life namesakes, but I in no way expect or claim that anything in this story has/would ever happen in reality. Also, any Starkid plays/characters/songs mentioned belong entirely to them.

~Chapter Four~

There was that awesome feeling that came with performing, the one that coincided with walking onstage to the sound of screaming fans, with hearing them sing your own lyrics back to you. And besides that, there was the excitement of being on tour, of meeting new people and visiting so many unique places.

It was the last night of the S.P.A.C.E. Tour, and- despite the fact that everyone was worn out and ready to finally go back home- it was a celebration. Joe followed the others offstage after their encore. Before he knew what was happening he was swept into a group hug, which mostly consisted of Julia throwing confetti and much confusion over whose hand was touching whose butt.

Eventually, the excitement died down a bit and some of the group ventured outside to greet the fans. Joe saw Meredith leaving and turned to follow, but something held him back. Literally.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Lauren pulling at the back of his shirt, a mischievous smirk on her face. "Heyyy," she sang.

Joe smiled back, confused and intrigued. He'd been getting a weird vibe from Lauren lately, one which- up until just recently- he had been unable to pinpoint. It had caught him off-guard at first because they were such good friends and he had thought that he understood their relationship perfectly. Sure, he'd had his secret feelings for her… but those had been pushed aside long ago. The one thing he had never dared hope for was this new development.

She abandoned her hold on him in favor of gesturing for him to follow in the opposite direction. There was a plan forming in her mind- Joe could see it. And maybe it was the thrill of their last show, or maybe it was just inevitable that it would happen sooner or later.

He followed Lauren through the backstage area and up a flight of stairs. A door at the end of the hall led outside to the fire escape, where they found themselves standing moments later. It was a cold night, but the sight of the city stretching on forever in front of them was worth the chill. The lights were incredible, endlessly spectacular.

Joe turned to Lauren, then, uncertain. "So, what's this all about?" he asked, glancing out to the skyline again and then back to meet her eyes.

Lauren smiled and shrugged half-heartedly. "Did you have fun tonight?"

He nodded, searching her expression. She seemed to be going somewhere with all this and, though it probably had a lot to do with the lingering adrenaline rush they all seemed to be feeling tonight, Joe couldn't help but hope…

She took a small step closer, breathless, holding his gaze.

Well, shit.

"Joe…" Lauren hesitated. Despite her confidence just moments ago, she seemed to be having some trouble articulating whatever it was she wanted to say. "I… I was wondering if…"

He felt dizzy, drunk off her eyes and her voice and everything about her in that moment. He opened his mouth to answer- but he didn't know what his answer was supposed to be- and the words poured out before he could stop them. "Lo, wait. Are we friends? Or what? I mean, I know we are. But I… I want more than that. I mean, if you do. I mean-"

"Hey," Lauren interjected softly, her expression guarded in a way Joe didn't understand. But her eyes were searching and honest, and she held his gaze and said, "Just kiss me?"

And that was when Joe knew he really had no chance left.

He'd fallen. He'd fallen harder than he ever thought possible.

x.x.x

She woke up slowly, her muscles aching and her senses noticeably dulled. But even with the little army of tissues scattered about and the knowledge that her cold certainly wasn't gone yet, Lauren felt more relaxed than she had for days. She was warm and comfortable and well-rested.

A note resting on the coffee table caught her eye.

Leaving you in Julia's hands. Good luck sleeping that cold away.

-Joe

Lauren couldn't help but smile. He really did care about her, even if it got complicated sometimes. She owed him a thank-you.

A barely-there noise made Lauren look up to where Julia was tiptoeing around the apartment. "Hi."

Julia startled. "Crap. Did I wake you up? I was trying to be quiet…"

"Yeah, I noticed," Lauren answered with a laugh. "And I was already awake."

"Oh. Do you feel any better?" Julia asked, walking closer, grabbing a waste basket, and beginning to clean up the previous night's Kleenex massacre.

Lauren shrugged. "A little. Did Joe stay long?"

Julia paused, giving her a knowing look.

"What?" Lauren frowned. She hadn't told Julia anything about their… situation, whatever it was. Maybe it really was that obvious. "I was just asking."

"He left a little while after I showed up to check on you." Another look.

"Why are you giving me that face?"

Julia rolled her eyes, chucking the last tissue into the trash. "Because he has a serious thing for you and I know you've been trying to ignore it but I really don't think it's going away."

Okay, so apparently that part was obvious. Then again, Joe hadn't been as careful as Lauren when it came to hiding his feelings. "It's… complicated," Lauren offered, her eyes straying back to the note on the table.

Julia sat beside her, searching her face. "Do you like him like that?"

Ugh. Lauren had been keeping things to herself for a reason. If she couldn't even figure out how she felt, how was she supposed to explain it to anyone else? She could feel her face reddening under Julia's curious stare. "I… I'm not sure," she answered meekly, but the words didn't feel like the right ones.

"Hmm…" Julia's lips twitched into a grin. "You'd be cute together, though. I could ship it."

"Julia Albain."

"Sorry, sorry," Julia laughed. "I won't say it again."

"Thank you."

"Seriously, though." Julia got up and continued her restless tidying up of the room, stacking dirty dishes and straightening the DVD shelf. "You should give him a call. He was talking about going to visit family in Boston next weekend. Maybe you could go with him?"

"I can't just invite myself on someone else's trip," Lauren countered, ignoring the little hunch at the back of her mind that a weekend out of town might be the best thing imaginable right now.

"I think Joe would be pretty happy if you invited yourself to do anything with him." Julia smirked, eyebrows dancing suggestively.

Lauren groaned and tugged her blankets up to hide her face. "Julia, I'm ill. Show some mercy. Also a glass of water would be nice."

"Bossy."

"Yay! Friendship!"

A sigh and a little more bickering later, Lauren found herself with a glass of water, cell phone in hand, waiting for Joe to answer her call.