Wash It Away

Mike sighed and dropped down onto one of the bench seats in the lounge area at the back of the bus, his hands immediately coming up to rub at his eyes. With all the tension that had built up over the tour so far, this day off couldn't have come at a better time. The only thing that could have made it better would be if he could get his boyfriend in here alone. On the road, there just wasn't enough time for them to sneak off together and with the way Will had been acting the past few days, neither of them dared try to rely on a promise of how quiet they could be.

To say Will would have been pouting the rest of the day if he walked in on Mike and Michael would have been an understatement. To see the two of them and know that he wouldn't be able to do the same with his own boyfriend for a few months at least .... Not only was there the problem of how far apart he and Damian were on a regular basis, but this was the first time that both TAI and Ok Go ended up touring at the same time since Will had started seeing Damian.

Just as he was starting to drift further into his thoughts, Mike was brought back to the present by the sound of someone half-heartedly slamming the door of the bus shut. He figured it was just one of the guys coming back with their arms full, but the squelching sound that followed didn't sound quite right. "Hey, are you alright, man? It didn't start raining, did it," he asked, hoping that wasn't the case.

"No, it didn't rain, but I'd be a lot better if I hadn't gotten splashed by a car on the way back here."

Before Mike could really react, Michael walked through the half-closed curtains blocking off the lounge from the rest of the bus, pouting slightly. Just by looking at the muddy splashes going up his left side -- there was even some on his face and in his hair -- no one should have needed more explanation than what Michael had already given. "Baby, you are such a mess. You might want to take a shower before we go inside to set up for the show tomorrow night."

"Do you mean to tell me that you don't like it when I'm dirty," Michael asked, lifting his shirt so he could wipe his face with the edge, then coming over to sit on Mike's legs, his pale stomach still exposed as he stretched his arms over his head.

Mike smirked and reached out to wipe away a muddy streak that Michael had missed on his cheek. "Who said I didn't like it? I'm just saying you might want to clean up a bit. It wouldn't taste very good if I got a mouthful of mud at some time tonight, you know. And of course, there's the fans to consider. Imagine all the questions they'd ask if you came out looking the way you do right now."

As the last of Mike's words sank in, the look on Michael's face changed to a rather disappointed pout. Of all the things his boyfriend could have brought up, did it have to be that? Mentioning their fans in just about any situation was enough to put a bit of a damper on things and dammit .... He was already in a bit of a bad mood from getting splashed with cold, muddy water. 'Well, if that's the way he's going to be, I guess I'll just have to be a little more direct about what I want,' he thought, standing up slowly and pulling his shirt off.

"I suppose you're right. I'll just go take a shower now then so the mud won't have a chance to get all dried up. It's just too bad you look so tired. Otherwise, I'd ask if you wanted to join me." Michael dropped his shirt on Mike's lap, a rather squishy pair of socks and shoes going the same way shortly after.

"Trust me, I would love to take a shower with you, but have you seen how fucking tiny the shower is on the bus? There is absolutely no way we'd both fit in there. Even if we did, would you really want to be on the receiving end of another tantrum from Will when he walks in on us again," Mike asked, kicking his shoes off all the same. He figured he wouldn't be going back outside for a while, so what was the point in keeping them on for longer than he had to?

Michael nodded slowly as if in agreement, one hand resting at the waistband of his jeans as if he had been about to unzip them. "You have a point there. There isn't exactly a lot of space in there, but ..... Are you sure you don't want to risk it? We may not have another chance at being alone for a while." He toyed with the button on his pants as he waited for Mike to say something, anything, in response, then shrugged and turned around to walk back up towards the tiny bathroom. "I guess I'll just have to shower by myself ..... and hope that we get another day off sometime soon. Or at least a few hours where we can hide from everyone else."

He barely had time to step out of his pants before Mike pounced, pushing him into the bathroom and locking the door behind them.