Chapter Text
“So basically, you want to wife-swap us?” David asked, unable to keep the sour puss of disbelief and growing anger off his face. What seemed like five minutes after Dave and James “rekindled” whatever they considered friendship and James wants to “take Junior out” and Dave is looking Jason up and down like he’s stripping him in his mind.
Before either Dave or James could clarify--although there was no need, David thought, it was all abundantly, ludicrously clear--Jason asked, arms crossed over his chest as he tapped his foot beneath the table, “Don’t we get any say in this?”
James was quick to throw an arm over his shoulders and pull him in close. “Of course you do, Jase,” he said in a low, gentle rumble, as if he were trying to seduce him into the idea. David really didn’t understand why--why would anyone want to send their partners off with anyone else, friend or otherwise? He shot a glare at Dave, who still looked determined to make it happen, despite his possessive streak over David that had blossomed years ago and continued to thrive.
Dave nudged David’s foot underneath the table. “James told me he’s always had a crush on ya, Junior.”
David’s glare morphed to a look of incredulousness, first directed at Dave, then he turned to look at Jason, who mirrored the confusion still, then finally to James. James caught his eye, confident as he straightened himself up in the seat, arm still around Jason, and flashed a smile of white. David had always thought he was good-looking, especially as he got older--so tall, fiercely strong, long, sweat-streaked blonde hair whipping around on stage, those cool blue eyes, and that voice. David remembered one day a couple years prior when Dave flew into a fury when he found David reclining, eyes closed as he listened to James growling through the speakers, apparently with one hand gently rubbing over his crotch.
David didn’t remember that part and stuck to his story that his hand was merely resting there. Who could remember reality considering the shit they were both on?
Jason shot a death glare at James and, quite dramatically, raised his thighs and moved his chair further away from him.
“Jesus, Jase,” James groaned, reaching out one long arm to tug on the back of the chair, jostling his bassist. “If you don’t wanna, it’s fine, just say so.”
Jason’s eyes flicked down and David watched his lips twist a bit in thought before he looked back up, first at Dave, then at James: “What would we do?”
“Whatever you want,” Dave said, snaking his upper body down across the table to leer at him. David huffed and leaned back, crossing his arms; James noticed, raising his eyebrows while offering what David supposed could have been sympathetic regard.
“It doesn’t seem like they’re into it, Dave,” James concluded, clasping his hand over Jason’s shoulder. “It’s alright.”
In the second that was spared before Dave undoubtedly went to object, David studied James again as best he could. Okay, he could deduce that James was, in fact, hot and David had, in fact, thought that for a while. If he wasn’t going to be forced into anything, he could imagine going out with James...it might actually be fun. If anything, he could talk shit about his own boyfriend and it would work in his favor, even if James and Dave claimed to have reconciled.
He didn’t know what Jason was thinking, though. And what the hell? When had Dave ever been interested in Jason? He’d never said anything to David about it. Maybe he just had a thing for bassists, which made David feel small for a moment until he caught James staring at him again.
“I’ll do it,” David announced. Dave turned his head, looking both surprised and proud; Jason furrowed his brow but said nothing; the smile that stretched across James’ face was so big it was almost absurd.
“That’s my boy,” Dave purred, wrapping his arms around David and kissing his cheek.
David rolled his eyes. “You’re so fucking weird, Dave.” He grabbed one of his wrists to still him: “And I don’t like that you talked about this with James behind my back. And Jason’s.”
“Yeah, what the hell?” Jason chimed in and gave a sideways kick to James’ ankle. “Not cool, man.”
Dave continued to paw at David, toying with his hair and petting him over his clothes. “We’re talking about it now, you idiots.”
James rested his chin on Jason’s shoulder. “If you don’t want to, we won’t. No one will, okay?”
David swore he could see Jason get swept up in James’ eyes and that ridiculous pout; there was no doubt about it when James gave him the quickest, lightest kiss on his nose and Jason laughed silently, shoulders shaking. He looked at Dave again: “When are we doing this?”
“Whenever you want,” Dave said, ducking beneath David’s hair to nip his earlobe, although the silent matter of very, very soon hung in the air--it’s not like the two bands were often able to run into each other for prolonged periods. David was already expecting this to happen tomorrow. “That alright with you, Junior?”
David purposefully huffed again, smirking a little when that prompted Dave to give him more kisses and nuzzles. Damn. Was it sad that swapping partners was making Dave so affectionate and was it even sadder that David was enjoying it?
“This’ll be fun,” James said, twirling a strand of Jason’s hair through his fingers as his eyes moved to David.
--
For the rest of the night, David couldn’t get Dave off him, literally. He was wrapped around his back, clinging to him as much as he could; assaulting him with kisses to his face; playing with his hair, groping his butt, skimming his fingers over David’s sides and legs any chance he got.
“You’re an asshole, Dave,” David announced to his still-not-listening boyfriend as he crawled into bed in the dark, not bothering to wait for Dave to join him.
He did anyway, of course, creeping over the covers like a cat and then tucking himself right in next to David, turning them on their sides to spoon him. “You really think that, Junior?”
“Yeah, I really think that.”
Dave’s right hand smoothed down David’s stomach. “I saw how you looked at him,” he said quietly right next to his ear, and that hand slipped underneath David’s briefs. “If you really didn’t want to, you would’ve told me no.”
David turned his head so their noses were almost touching. “What if I just said ‘yes’ to get back at you? Do something that’ll piss you off?”
Dave’s hand only went further, fingers wrapping around his dick which was, a little to David’s dismay, getting a little hard. “You can do whatever you want,” he said, starting to stroke. “Anything James can do, I can do better. So just have fun.”
David scoffed but his breath hitched as Dave’s expert fingers stroked him harder. He almost gave in entirely before remembering the other bassist that Dave apparently wanted to fuck. “What about Jason?”
“What about him?”
David rolled his eyes as Dave rolled his balls. “You wanna fuck him?”
“Dunno. Maybe.” Dave gently bit down on David’s shoulder before adding, “Haven’t thought about it that much.”
David mustered the strength to roll over and shove Dave back, straddling him. “Liar.”
Dave merely placed his hands behind his head and settled back into the bed; David was glad he couldn’t really see much of his expression in the dark. “No, I’m not lying. James was the one who came up with this whole thing.” When David only balked in the cover of the night, silent with his thighs clamped around Dave’s hips, Dave added, “He didn’t really tell me straight that he has some sort of fuckin’ crush on you, but when we started talking, he kept gushing about you. It was ridiculous.”
David couldn’t help but be flattered. “Really?”
“Yes, really. Imagine that.”
David pinched one of Dave’s nipples hard. “Why is that hard to imagine?”
“It’s not,” Dave croaked, grabbing David’s wrist. “You’re fuckin’ hot. I just figured--being rivals and all--”
David rolled his eyes. “That’s elementary shit, Dave.” He bent down and hovered his lips above Dave’s. “I’m just glad you two are getting over it. But I still don’t get it. Why would you want me to be with someone else?” With the thoughts suddenly piling up in his head again, David pulled himself back and asked, “Are you bored? Is that why you’re going along with this?”
“Don’t be stupid, I’m not bored,” Dave groused and wrapped his arms around David. “I just know you’d never leave me, at least not for fuckin’ Hetfield.”
“Should I be worried you’d leave me?”
Dave laughed a little. “Fuck no.” He kissed David’s jaw. “We’ve been through it all, baby.”
David relaxed, slumping down against Dave and letting him kiss his neck. “So you’re not gonna leave me for Metallica?”
“Pfft.” Dave licked David’s throat. “I need you, Junior. I always have.”
David smiled. “You always will.”
“Probably,” Dave agreed and snaked an arm down David’s back, hand grabbing his ass. “Now let me show you.”