Categories > Celebrities > Savage Garden > Truly Madly Completely
Truly Madly Completely
Rose Angel
January 2006
PG-13
Romance
Disclaimer: This is another little story in which I have borrowed the names of two absolutely brilliant musicians in order to create some entertainment. I do not intend to either man's careers. The name of this fic was taken from the album, however, I do not own this name.
Summary: The compliation of Savage Garden's greatest hits has finally hit the stores after three years of little contact between the two men. What memories are finally awoken and pushed to the surface?
Thanks you: To my readers. Hopefully you appreciate this one from my muses.
Author's Note: This was inspired by several different songs, many of Savage Garden's stuff, Darren's song California and the James Blunt song "Goodbye My Lover." I highly suggest his new album, /Back to Bedlam/, as it is fantastic.
Truly Madly Completely 1/2
Daniel Jones fell into his office chair, making a quick circle and then forcing the chair to stop. He placed his hands on the top of his desk and stared at the pink slips that littered his desk, reminding him to call seemingly thousands of different people. But they would have to wait, Daniel just wasn't ready to speak to anyone. Not after the message he had heard on his mobile that morning. The message from his ex-best friend. His ex-bandmate. His ex-lover.
"Hi Daniel, it's Darren. Um, I'm in Brissie doing some interviews for the album. Uh, yeah, so...look, we don't have to keep up this silence. Can't we let bygones be bygones? Er, right. Call me. Same number as always. Maybe we can grab some dinner or something. Or, you know, I could come over and see this brilliant house my parents can't stop talking about. No, that's probably a really bad idea. I mean, Kathleen and all. Right. I'm going on aren't I? This definitely was not how I had planned this message. Daniel, I----"
At that, the message was cut off, and Daniel imagined Darren had cursed modern technology for not letting him leave longer messages. He wasn't sure if he was going to call Darren, though every molecule in his body told him to. Truly Madly Completely- The Best of Savage Garden was now out everywhere but in the States and he had been listening to it non stop since the second Sony had dropped it in his lap, asking him how he liked it. And he did like it, he truly did. Though, he did wish that he could have worked with Darren to create some new songs. But the suggestion had quickly been pushed away by Sony, claiming there wouldn't be enough time; though Daniel knew that Darren didn't want to work with him. Their last meeting had been too terrible to even consider. Daniel had worked out his anger on Darren in words and then, finally, terribly, in a sucker punch to the jaw. The hurt in his ex-lover's eyes still haunted his sleep to this day, and he often woke up in tears.
He picked up his phone and stared at it, wondering what in the world he would say to the older man. He had never been very good at polite conversation; he saved his words for important moments, important conversations. He put the phone back in its cradle and then got out his iPod, switching immediately to California/, one of Darren's new singles. He found /So Beautiful to be just that, so beautiful and amazing, much like their old stuff. But there was something about California that ripped at Daniel's heart. He had to wonder what picture Darren had above his bed, and he liked to think that Darren was talking about him. "Yes, Darren," he murmured, "I do still feel very alone."
His cell phone began to ring and Daniel turned down the beautiful song and clicked accept without even looking at the display. "Daniel Jones."
There was a pause and then, "Hi, Danny."
Daniel nearly fell out of his chair at the sound of Darren's voice and he tried to compose himself. "Dare?" he squeaked and then, after coughing, "Darren?"
"Yeah," Darren's voice was shaking. He's nervous. "How are you doing? I called earlier. Did you get my mesage? The damn thing cut me off before I could finish. I'm uh, in Australia for the album you know and I wanted to see and---"
"Darren," Daniel bit the side of his cheek to keep from laughing, "I got your message."
"Oh!" Darren gasped. "Um...well, then...um...er...I have the entire day free. Actually, no I don't, I have this interview in like an hour and then, well, nothing. And I know you have to work, but I was thinking that we could see each other. Really, Daniel, there's a lot I want to say to you and this time, I'll let you call me all of the things you want to without saying even more terrible things. You can even punch me again if you want."
Daniel cringed at Darren's attempt at a joke. He had always been shit at making jokes when he was nervous, and today apparently was no different. "I can probably take off the afternoon."
"Do you like it?"
"Like it?"
"/California/," Darren replied. "I can hear it playing. Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful, Darren," Daniel grinned. "Your songs are always beautiful."
"Except /Heart Attack/, right?"
"Yes," Daniel nodded, again cringing when he remembered the drunken voice mail he had left Darren after hearing the terrible song.
"We can meet at my hotel room if you'd like," Darren said. "Or, um, just grab something to eat."
"No, you can come to my place," Daniel wasn't sure why he said it, if it was the song playing or if because he really did want Darren to come see his house.
"What about Kathleen?"
"She's out of town."
"Oh, ok. Um, my interview should be done by eleven. I think. Um, do you want me to call you?"
"Sure," Daniel said. "I'll see you soon, Dare."
"Bye, Danny."
It took everything Daniel had not to say, "I love you", and he thanked God when Darren hung up before he did. He wasn't sure he loved Darren Hayes still, because he did have Kathleen, and he loved her so much it was sometimes hard to believe. But there was something about Darren Hayes that he couldn't forget it. And as his iTunes shuffled to play /Truly Madly Deeply/, he sat back and remembered the first time he had realized the feelings he had for Darren ran a little bit deeper than just friendship.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I hate this," Daniel sighed to Darren as he picked up his guitar.
"What?" Darren asked, checking his hair in a mirror and then turning to his best mate.
"This small venue bullshit," Daniel replied. "I feel like I've been performing in clubs my entire life."
Darren laughed. "No worries, Dan, soon Sony will finish up with the damn contract and we'll be performing to massive crowds all over the world. They'll scream for us and you'll be able to have your pick of girls. Any girl you want. They'll line up to shag the sexy guitarist from Savage Garden."
Daniel chuckled at this and then played a couple of notes on his guitar. "Too bad you got married, mate," he said. "Think of all the girls you could have."
"Right," Darren rolled his eyes. "Girls running after the chubby Darren Hayes."
"You're not chubby," Daniel also rolled his eyes. They had had this argument every day since meeting, but Darren's low self-esteem always won out in the end. "How's married life anyway?"
"You know how it is," Darren murmured. "We're not meant to be. I mean, she's an inspirational woman, Danny. Beautiful. Smart. Successful. Everything a guy could want, I guess. But, well, it's just not going right. Something's missing."
"I'm sorry, Daz," Daniel put his guitar to the side and wrapped his arms around the man he had lived with in a tiny flat without money or air conditioning for months on end. And yet, despite this, it was at that moment that Daniel noticed his friend's shampoo. It was at that moment the guitarist noticed how soft the singer's skin was, how his blue eyes sparkled. And as Darren heaved a great sigh, Daniel tightened his hold on his best friend, suddenly afraid to let him go.
"First song is Truly Madly Deeply," Darren said as he pulled away. "Sony loved this one."
"Yeah," Daniel nodded, picking up his guitar and following Darren onto the tiny stage. He watched his mate performing the beautiful love ballad, a song many believed Darren wrote for Colby. Daniel had no idea who it was for, but he found himself hoping it wasn't for the tall blonde woman. He played the same way he always did, meticulously and without mistake, but nearly lost it when Darren breathed into the song, "I love you." The singer had been looking right at him. Had breathed it to him. Truly Madly Deeply was about Daniel Jones.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hi."
"Hey."
It was an awkward moment for the two men as they stared at each other on Daniel's front porch. A hug seemed inappropriate and yet, a handshake seemed too formal. In the end, neither man made any physical contact with the other, and Darren simply followed Daniel into the house. "It's fantastic, Danny," Darren smiled as they walked through the extremely large home.
"Thank you," Daniel had never wanted nor needed a drink more in his entire life. Darren looked absolutely fantastic. He had gone back to dying his hair black, which still made him look like a porcelain doll with the creamy white skin of his, amazing blue eyes, long lashes, and perfect lips. Lips that used to give you pleasure beyond your imagination. The singer was dressed in faded jeans and a midnight blue button up shirt. My God, he looks better than he did three years ago. Snap out of it, Jones. You're married now. "Do you want anything?"
"Hmm?" Darren raised an eyebrow.
"Would you like something to drink?" Daniel clarified as they came into the kitchen and he grabbed himself a beer.
"Water, thanks," Darren grinned as he walked further back into the breakfast nook. "My God, Dan, this is a great view."
Daniel joined Darren by the two massive windows, handing him his drink and then staring out at the ocean. "Yeah, it's really nice, especially in the mornings. With the sunrise."
Darren nodded as he sipped at his water. For several moments, neither of them said a word. It amazed Daniel how uncomfortable he was with the silence. Before, when he and Darren had been in the band and in their relationship, they could sit in silence for centuries without ever feeling obligated to say a word. And yet now, they both were unable to sit still and Daniel was surprised to see Darren was shaking a bit. "I came for a reason, Daniel."
"I know."
"I'm sorry."
"For?"
"Everything," Darren sighed. "For telling that damn reporter about the break up without first consulting you. For that night. For ignoring you for the past three years. For refusing to write new songs with you for this album. For...everything."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Darren." Darren turned and gave him a look, causing Daniel to smile a bit. "All right, you did," the guitarist nodded. "But it was a long time ago. And I'm sorry too you know."
"For what?" Darren asked. "You didn't do a damn thing wrong. You reacted the way you were supposed to."
"I hit you," Daniel sighed. "I never should have done that. And you weren't the only doing some ignoring the past three years."
Darren nodded but when Daniel looked closer, he saw the singer was crying. "Oh no, Dare, don't cry. Please don't." And suddenly, he found himself taking the shorter man into his arms, rocking him as if he were an infant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We're getting a divorce."
"What?" Daniel turned from his piano.
"Colby and I. We're getting a divorce."
"Shit," Daniel got up and sat down next to his lover on the couch. "I'm sorry, Dare."
"She said she didn't want to be married to a faggot," Darren's bottom lip quivered as he struggled to hold back tears. "She said the marriage was unfair to her. She's probably right. I've been a shit husband."
"No, Dare, you haven't," Daniel put his long arms around the raven-haired singer. "It just wasn't meant to be."
"I'm moving to New York City."
"What?" Daniel gasped.
"I have to get out of here, Dan. Please understand."
"Of course, Dare." They sat in silence for a moment and then Daniel whispered the words that would inspire a beautiful song just a couple of months later. "Dare, if you need to crash, then you can. You're not alone. I'm here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They didn't talk much for the rest of the evening. It wasn't because all of their problems had been solved, but because neither of them knew how to bring up the problems. They ordered in Chinese and watched two films until finally, Darren stood. "I should go," he murmured.
"Are you sure?" Daniel asked. "It's a long drive. You can stay here if you want."
"I don't want to intrude, Daniel."
"You won't," Daniel smiled. "I'm all alone in this big house. Come on, just spend the night."
"All right," Darren nodded and then followed Daniel upstairs. They were both emotionally exhausted; the evening had taken a lot out of them both and yet, Daniel still felt nervous and alone. The evening had been a veritable failure, serving only to remind Daniel of his feelings for his ex lover and bringing back old memories that he had thought were better left in the past. "Good night, Daniel."
"Good night, Darren," Daniel sighed as he went into his own room and immediately turned on Truly Madly Completely/, smiling when he heard the first strains of /California come over him.
TBC
Rose Angel
January 2006
PG-13
Romance
Disclaimer: This is another little story in which I have borrowed the names of two absolutely brilliant musicians in order to create some entertainment. I do not intend to either man's careers. The name of this fic was taken from the album, however, I do not own this name.
Summary: The compliation of Savage Garden's greatest hits has finally hit the stores after three years of little contact between the two men. What memories are finally awoken and pushed to the surface?
Thanks you: To my readers. Hopefully you appreciate this one from my muses.
Author's Note: This was inspired by several different songs, many of Savage Garden's stuff, Darren's song California and the James Blunt song "Goodbye My Lover." I highly suggest his new album, /Back to Bedlam/, as it is fantastic.
Truly Madly Completely 1/2
Daniel Jones fell into his office chair, making a quick circle and then forcing the chair to stop. He placed his hands on the top of his desk and stared at the pink slips that littered his desk, reminding him to call seemingly thousands of different people. But they would have to wait, Daniel just wasn't ready to speak to anyone. Not after the message he had heard on his mobile that morning. The message from his ex-best friend. His ex-bandmate. His ex-lover.
"Hi Daniel, it's Darren. Um, I'm in Brissie doing some interviews for the album. Uh, yeah, so...look, we don't have to keep up this silence. Can't we let bygones be bygones? Er, right. Call me. Same number as always. Maybe we can grab some dinner or something. Or, you know, I could come over and see this brilliant house my parents can't stop talking about. No, that's probably a really bad idea. I mean, Kathleen and all. Right. I'm going on aren't I? This definitely was not how I had planned this message. Daniel, I----"
At that, the message was cut off, and Daniel imagined Darren had cursed modern technology for not letting him leave longer messages. He wasn't sure if he was going to call Darren, though every molecule in his body told him to. Truly Madly Completely- The Best of Savage Garden was now out everywhere but in the States and he had been listening to it non stop since the second Sony had dropped it in his lap, asking him how he liked it. And he did like it, he truly did. Though, he did wish that he could have worked with Darren to create some new songs. But the suggestion had quickly been pushed away by Sony, claiming there wouldn't be enough time; though Daniel knew that Darren didn't want to work with him. Their last meeting had been too terrible to even consider. Daniel had worked out his anger on Darren in words and then, finally, terribly, in a sucker punch to the jaw. The hurt in his ex-lover's eyes still haunted his sleep to this day, and he often woke up in tears.
He picked up his phone and stared at it, wondering what in the world he would say to the older man. He had never been very good at polite conversation; he saved his words for important moments, important conversations. He put the phone back in its cradle and then got out his iPod, switching immediately to California/, one of Darren's new singles. He found /So Beautiful to be just that, so beautiful and amazing, much like their old stuff. But there was something about California that ripped at Daniel's heart. He had to wonder what picture Darren had above his bed, and he liked to think that Darren was talking about him. "Yes, Darren," he murmured, "I do still feel very alone."
His cell phone began to ring and Daniel turned down the beautiful song and clicked accept without even looking at the display. "Daniel Jones."
There was a pause and then, "Hi, Danny."
Daniel nearly fell out of his chair at the sound of Darren's voice and he tried to compose himself. "Dare?" he squeaked and then, after coughing, "Darren?"
"Yeah," Darren's voice was shaking. He's nervous. "How are you doing? I called earlier. Did you get my mesage? The damn thing cut me off before I could finish. I'm uh, in Australia for the album you know and I wanted to see and---"
"Darren," Daniel bit the side of his cheek to keep from laughing, "I got your message."
"Oh!" Darren gasped. "Um...well, then...um...er...I have the entire day free. Actually, no I don't, I have this interview in like an hour and then, well, nothing. And I know you have to work, but I was thinking that we could see each other. Really, Daniel, there's a lot I want to say to you and this time, I'll let you call me all of the things you want to without saying even more terrible things. You can even punch me again if you want."
Daniel cringed at Darren's attempt at a joke. He had always been shit at making jokes when he was nervous, and today apparently was no different. "I can probably take off the afternoon."
"Do you like it?"
"Like it?"
"/California/," Darren replied. "I can hear it playing. Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful, Darren," Daniel grinned. "Your songs are always beautiful."
"Except /Heart Attack/, right?"
"Yes," Daniel nodded, again cringing when he remembered the drunken voice mail he had left Darren after hearing the terrible song.
"We can meet at my hotel room if you'd like," Darren said. "Or, um, just grab something to eat."
"No, you can come to my place," Daniel wasn't sure why he said it, if it was the song playing or if because he really did want Darren to come see his house.
"What about Kathleen?"
"She's out of town."
"Oh, ok. Um, my interview should be done by eleven. I think. Um, do you want me to call you?"
"Sure," Daniel said. "I'll see you soon, Dare."
"Bye, Danny."
It took everything Daniel had not to say, "I love you", and he thanked God when Darren hung up before he did. He wasn't sure he loved Darren Hayes still, because he did have Kathleen, and he loved her so much it was sometimes hard to believe. But there was something about Darren Hayes that he couldn't forget it. And as his iTunes shuffled to play /Truly Madly Deeply/, he sat back and remembered the first time he had realized the feelings he had for Darren ran a little bit deeper than just friendship.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I hate this," Daniel sighed to Darren as he picked up his guitar.
"What?" Darren asked, checking his hair in a mirror and then turning to his best mate.
"This small venue bullshit," Daniel replied. "I feel like I've been performing in clubs my entire life."
Darren laughed. "No worries, Dan, soon Sony will finish up with the damn contract and we'll be performing to massive crowds all over the world. They'll scream for us and you'll be able to have your pick of girls. Any girl you want. They'll line up to shag the sexy guitarist from Savage Garden."
Daniel chuckled at this and then played a couple of notes on his guitar. "Too bad you got married, mate," he said. "Think of all the girls you could have."
"Right," Darren rolled his eyes. "Girls running after the chubby Darren Hayes."
"You're not chubby," Daniel also rolled his eyes. They had had this argument every day since meeting, but Darren's low self-esteem always won out in the end. "How's married life anyway?"
"You know how it is," Darren murmured. "We're not meant to be. I mean, she's an inspirational woman, Danny. Beautiful. Smart. Successful. Everything a guy could want, I guess. But, well, it's just not going right. Something's missing."
"I'm sorry, Daz," Daniel put his guitar to the side and wrapped his arms around the man he had lived with in a tiny flat without money or air conditioning for months on end. And yet, despite this, it was at that moment that Daniel noticed his friend's shampoo. It was at that moment the guitarist noticed how soft the singer's skin was, how his blue eyes sparkled. And as Darren heaved a great sigh, Daniel tightened his hold on his best friend, suddenly afraid to let him go.
"First song is Truly Madly Deeply," Darren said as he pulled away. "Sony loved this one."
"Yeah," Daniel nodded, picking up his guitar and following Darren onto the tiny stage. He watched his mate performing the beautiful love ballad, a song many believed Darren wrote for Colby. Daniel had no idea who it was for, but he found himself hoping it wasn't for the tall blonde woman. He played the same way he always did, meticulously and without mistake, but nearly lost it when Darren breathed into the song, "I love you." The singer had been looking right at him. Had breathed it to him. Truly Madly Deeply was about Daniel Jones.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hi."
"Hey."
It was an awkward moment for the two men as they stared at each other on Daniel's front porch. A hug seemed inappropriate and yet, a handshake seemed too formal. In the end, neither man made any physical contact with the other, and Darren simply followed Daniel into the house. "It's fantastic, Danny," Darren smiled as they walked through the extremely large home.
"Thank you," Daniel had never wanted nor needed a drink more in his entire life. Darren looked absolutely fantastic. He had gone back to dying his hair black, which still made him look like a porcelain doll with the creamy white skin of his, amazing blue eyes, long lashes, and perfect lips. Lips that used to give you pleasure beyond your imagination. The singer was dressed in faded jeans and a midnight blue button up shirt. My God, he looks better than he did three years ago. Snap out of it, Jones. You're married now. "Do you want anything?"
"Hmm?" Darren raised an eyebrow.
"Would you like something to drink?" Daniel clarified as they came into the kitchen and he grabbed himself a beer.
"Water, thanks," Darren grinned as he walked further back into the breakfast nook. "My God, Dan, this is a great view."
Daniel joined Darren by the two massive windows, handing him his drink and then staring out at the ocean. "Yeah, it's really nice, especially in the mornings. With the sunrise."
Darren nodded as he sipped at his water. For several moments, neither of them said a word. It amazed Daniel how uncomfortable he was with the silence. Before, when he and Darren had been in the band and in their relationship, they could sit in silence for centuries without ever feeling obligated to say a word. And yet now, they both were unable to sit still and Daniel was surprised to see Darren was shaking a bit. "I came for a reason, Daniel."
"I know."
"I'm sorry."
"For?"
"Everything," Darren sighed. "For telling that damn reporter about the break up without first consulting you. For that night. For ignoring you for the past three years. For refusing to write new songs with you for this album. For...everything."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Darren." Darren turned and gave him a look, causing Daniel to smile a bit. "All right, you did," the guitarist nodded. "But it was a long time ago. And I'm sorry too you know."
"For what?" Darren asked. "You didn't do a damn thing wrong. You reacted the way you were supposed to."
"I hit you," Daniel sighed. "I never should have done that. And you weren't the only doing some ignoring the past three years."
Darren nodded but when Daniel looked closer, he saw the singer was crying. "Oh no, Dare, don't cry. Please don't." And suddenly, he found himself taking the shorter man into his arms, rocking him as if he were an infant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We're getting a divorce."
"What?" Daniel turned from his piano.
"Colby and I. We're getting a divorce."
"Shit," Daniel got up and sat down next to his lover on the couch. "I'm sorry, Dare."
"She said she didn't want to be married to a faggot," Darren's bottom lip quivered as he struggled to hold back tears. "She said the marriage was unfair to her. She's probably right. I've been a shit husband."
"No, Dare, you haven't," Daniel put his long arms around the raven-haired singer. "It just wasn't meant to be."
"I'm moving to New York City."
"What?" Daniel gasped.
"I have to get out of here, Dan. Please understand."
"Of course, Dare." They sat in silence for a moment and then Daniel whispered the words that would inspire a beautiful song just a couple of months later. "Dare, if you need to crash, then you can. You're not alone. I'm here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They didn't talk much for the rest of the evening. It wasn't because all of their problems had been solved, but because neither of them knew how to bring up the problems. They ordered in Chinese and watched two films until finally, Darren stood. "I should go," he murmured.
"Are you sure?" Daniel asked. "It's a long drive. You can stay here if you want."
"I don't want to intrude, Daniel."
"You won't," Daniel smiled. "I'm all alone in this big house. Come on, just spend the night."
"All right," Darren nodded and then followed Daniel upstairs. They were both emotionally exhausted; the evening had taken a lot out of them both and yet, Daniel still felt nervous and alone. The evening had been a veritable failure, serving only to remind Daniel of his feelings for his ex lover and bringing back old memories that he had thought were better left in the past. "Good night, Daniel."
"Good night, Darren," Daniel sighed as he went into his own room and immediately turned on Truly Madly Completely/, smiling when he heard the first strains of /California come over him.
TBC
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