Joe woke up early the next day, his sleep being more torturous than resting. His dreams were filled with Sav's sad accusing blue eyes, silently asking him why he ran away from his feelings instead of embracing them. Joe had wanted to fall into dream-Sav's embrace all the time but the more steps he took toward the sad but beautiful silhouette of his best friend, the bigger the distance between them got. It was frustrating and not soothing at all.

So Joe made his way over to the studio earlier than normal, hoping that he would be able to encounter Sav at some point to apologize for his behavior the day before. He had finally come to some sort of a conclusion concerning the problem that stood between them since it had woken him up again and again during his sleep. Honesty was the most important aspect in their relationship so Joe was going to be honest with Sav, no matter how it would turn out. Their friendship was at stake but Joe couldn't keep hiding his feelings since it made him sick. It would be best to just get it off his chest.

Nevertheless, he was still scared shitless that Sav would hate him for it. He couldn't really handle the possible scenario of them splitting up forever, losing every inch of the wonderful friendship they had shared for all these years. It would kill him from the inside but he was convinced that keeping his feelings to himself would be even more painful. So he both looked forward to and dreaded seeing Sav that day.

Opening the studio door way too early Joe encountered Mutt sitting on the studio couch, reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of steaming coffee. The producer curiously looked up at the singer when he finally stepped inside, clearly irritated by the fact that he showed up that early in the day. They weren't supposed to record until about three hours later that day.

"Joe! Why did you run off yesterday? We were all worried about you! You have no idea how worked up a certain bassist was over the fact that you just left!", Mutt finally asked with great concern and slight annoyance in his voice, staring the singer down accusingly. It was no secret that he took care of the musicians he worked with and couldn't stand it if one or more of them felt terrible. Joe could only imagine how sad Sav had been the day before after he left.

"I'm so sorry... I really do need to talk to him as soon as he arrives here...", the singer tried with a small voice, embarrassedly glancing at his feet, too afraid to meet his producer's gaze. He really did feel terrible for hurting the soft-hearted, innocent man he called his best friend.

"That's another point: He won't arrive here today since he felt so bad yesterday that he asked me if he could crash here. I don't know what was up with him but he said he didn't feel comfortable enough to drive back to his apartment. So he's still in the back room, probably sleeping."

Joe's eyes widened at that information, the things Mutt said not making him feel better in the slightest. He couldn't help but let his gaze wander over to the closed door of the backroom, gulping heavily. Sav was still there? He definitely didn't expect that.

"Do you think I should talk to him now? Or should I let him sleep some more?", he asked insecurely, Mutt just cocking an eyebrow at his hesitant behavior.

"Are you serious right now? Just go and clear whatever stands between you two!"

Joe just ducked his head at that commanding tone, still somewhat hesitantly shuffling over to the closed door and carefully pressing down the door handle. The sight he was met with clearly was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Sav was sleeping on the couch, his soft blonde-brown curls framing his perfect face that featured the soft-looking, rosy lips and the ocean-blue eyes that were still closed. He frowned lightly in his sleep and his nose was slightly scrunched up, his freckles clearly visible due to the rays of sunlight coming in through the window. He still wore the clothes from the day before, except for the fact that he had taken his shoes off and changed his tight blue jeans for a pair of loose gray sweatpants, his legs being pulled up to his chest in a curled-up position. Joe's heart immediately started to beat faster as he carefully made his way over to the sleeping bassist, choosing to sit down beside the couch as silently as possible to hopefully not disturb the sleeping beauty of a man.

From up close the bassist was even more beautiful and that did absolutely nothing to calm Joe's already racing heart. God, he was in way too deep already. The luscious curls shimmering in the sunlight were practically begging for Joe to run his fingers through them the longer he sat there and just gazed fondly at his best mate and at some point, he couldn't control himself any longer. Carefully reaching out, the singer brushed an impossibly soft curl out of Sav's face, gently tucking it behind his ear before letting his fingers rest on the back of the smaller man's head, ever so slightly caressing the soft fluffy strands. Sav let out a sound similar to a content cat, snuggling deeper into the pillow beneath his head while a slow smile stretched his soft lips in his sleep.

Joe's eyes filled with love and affection as he studied the man he was hopelessly in love with, his fingers keeping up the gentle caress while his mind wandered off to the plan he had for that day. He would tell Sav how he felt and he simply prayed that he would still be allowed to do what he did right then after he finished telling him. God, he was sure that he was going to die if Sav would turn his back on him.

A movement of the bassist and a yawn pulled the singer back into the present, his hand withdrawing quickly before Sav's eyes finally fluttered open. They were unfocused for a short while but he then noticed that he wasn't alone in the room.

"Joe? What are you doing here?"

Ignoring Sav's question, Joe chose to apologize for his recent behavior first.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday, Savy. God, I couldn't sleep properly all night long because I felt so guilty for hurting you."

He turned to Sav again while he spoke, being careful not to lose himself in the ocean-like depths of the other man's eyes. Confusion and hurt still clouded the blue irises, Joe's heart sinking at the sight. His behavior really did hurt Sav way more than he thought. Maybe that was a sign? Joe didn't even dare to let his mind go off into that territory.

The man in front of him still didn't reply acoustically, he just continued to study him out of slightly dull blue eyes that mirrored his hurt, but Joe was almost completely sure that he could spot a light sparkle within their depths. That somehow encouraged him to go on talking.

"Hey, Sav, please don't be mad at me anymore. I can't handle it when you're not talking to me. Say something, please."

Lowering his gaze, the bassist watched his own fingers while he plucked on the fabric of his sweatpants, just to give himself something to avoid looking into his best friend's begging green eyes. He flinched shortly when two large warm hands came into his line of sight, cupping his restless hands in a warm careful gesture. Feeling the warmth seeping into him from the other man's palms he relaxed, his eyes closing while he took a deep breath and hesitantly intertwined their fingers.

Joe sucked in a sharp breath at the bassist's gesture that silently conveyed trust and also displayed a certain need for contact. His heart fluttered again and he hoped it wouldn't be too soon when he pulled his hands away and opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.

"Come here Sav, please."

The bassist still didn't say anything but instead hesitantly slid off the couch and into Joe's lap and embrace, his arms wrapping around his best friend's back and his eyes falling shut while he breathed in Joe's soothing scent. The taller man let out a sigh of relief at having his best friend in his arms again, his arms pulling him close to his chest while he buried his nose in the soft lavender-scented curls. If they hadn't been so close, he probably would have missed Sav's silent question.

"Why did you run away from me yesterday?"

Gulping hard, Joe knew that the time for honesty had finally come. He needed to be honest with Sav to be able to get that huge weight that was constantly suffocating him off his chest. The bassist had pulled back a bit in order to look into those hesitant green eyes of their normally bold singer, attentively waiting for some sort of answer.

Joe took a calming breath before he finally looked back at Sav, looking deeply into those ocean-blue eyes he was so infatuated with and allowing all his love and affection to creep into his gaze.

"Okay, um, I really do hope that you won't hate me for what I'm about to say. It's a really hard thing for me to do so please just hear me out."

Sav nodded at his words, slight concern clouding his gaze at the implied weight of the singer's words that were about to follow.

"Well, when I first met you I immediately liked you, you're just so caring and attentive and you understand me so well. What scared me though was that you're... even back then you were so much prettier than every guy I've ever seen. Even prettier than every girl I've ever seen. I've been attracted to you ever since we first met."

"Joe-"

"Shh, Sav, let me finish, please. It was never a problem, you know? It never stood between us in any way but everything just got stronger the longer we spent time together. I learned so much about you and you are able to make me smile like no one else is able to do. It felt like we connected on a deeper level and at some point, you were just perfect to me. Everything about you is perfect in my eyes, not just your image. You were pretty all the way but now you are so much more than that to me. So much more. I think I've fallen in love with you, Sav. And I ran yesterday because I knew I would have crossed the line of our friendship without any agreement if I had chosen to stay. It's so hard, you know? To keep my distance in order to not go crazy but still don't behave in a suspicious way. Lately, everything has just become too much. I can't behave as if I just saw you as my best mate anymore so I needed to tell you about it all. If you don't want anything to do with a fag like me anymore, I'll accept that."

Joe looked down after his last words, his body trembling with anticipation while his heart expanded, the weight on it finally disappearing. Sav still didn't say a word, remaining in a shocked silence that seemed to close in on the vulnerable singer the longer it lasted.

"Joe... I... I had no idea..."

The singer squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of Sav's hoarse voice, feeling slightly calmed by the fact that besides his words, Sav hadn't jolted out of his current place on Joe's lap. But still, his heart was on the line either for Sav to take it and make him the happiest man alive or for him to rip it apart in the most painful of ways.

"Look at me, Joe."

Sav's voice, which was still hoarse from emotion, seemed like a bittersweet caress to Joe's ears, his warm fingers gently taking hold of his chin to force him to meet the blue eyes leaving tingling sparks in the place they touched and letting the hope flare in Joe's rapidly beating, vulnerable heart. When he finally gazed into those breathtakingly beautiful ocean-blue eyes once more, he couldn't properly make out the feelings reflected in them. Especially since Sav only sent him a short smile before he batted his lashes and cleared his throat in order to say something.

"Well... I'm kind of overwhelmed I have to say. I never in a million years would've expected to hear those words from you. I can't say though that I didn't dream of it happening."

Joe's ears perked up at that last sentence.

"So you dreamt about it? Is that an 'I like you back'?"

Chuckling softly and shaking his head, Sav started talking again. Joe's heart plummeted to the floor in disappointment at the bassist's gesture. So he had just been playing with his head. He most likely dreamt of Joe saying the words he'd just said in his biggest nightmares. Tears welled up in Joe's eyes while he waited for Sav to seal his fate and rip his poor heart apart.

"I've been fantasizing about being with you for so long I don't even know where to start. The most important part is probably that you somehow managed to make me fall head over heels for you. That's also the reason why I was so sad yesterday after you left. I thought you hated me because you found out about my secret and thought of it as disgusting. I was so so scared that you would never talk to me again. So no, it's not an 'I like you back'. It's an 'I love you back'."

Joe thought he would faint at hearing the words coming from the blushing bassist in his lap that shyly gazed at him from beneath softly bowed dark lashes. His heart beat so fast it made him dizzy while happy tears wanted to run down his cheeks. He just barely managed to catch them before they fell down.

"You mean that?", he softly breathed out, his arms tightening their hold around Sav's slim hips while his lips spread into a wide smile that only got bigger when the bassist nodded softly with a shy smile of his own. At that particular moment, Sav looked so beautiful to Joe that he couldn't help himself from gently placing a warm palm on the bassist's reddened cheek, carefully brushing his thumb over his cheekbone before letting his fingers slide into the mass of blonde-brown curls surrounding the younger man's face once more.

"May I kiss you, Sav?", the singer then asked while leaning closer, Sav just nodding his head in an affirmative, his hands taking hold of Joe's strong shoulders to steady himself a bit more. With a smile still painted onto his facial features Joe leaned in until he could feel Sav's rapid breaths hitting his lips. He then gently connected their lips in a soulful, warm kiss, Sav letting out a soft sigh in return.

Joe couldn't breathe in excitement and happiness. Never in his life had there been a kiss that felt so utterly perfect. Sav's lips seemed to be the cause of some sort of electricity that spread out in his whole body, leaving tingling traces through his veins up to the very edges of his fingertips and leaving him addicted and helpless like a puppet on a string. God, why hadn't they ever done that before?

They had to part eventually due to the lack of air, just remaining in the embrace for a few more moments. Joe's heart was close to jumping out of his chest at that point and Sav appeared to be equally affected since Joe could feel his heart beating erratically in his chest pressed against his own. The singer had never felt happier all his life. Eventually, someone knocked on the door, making them jolt apart from each other in fear of getting caught.

"You're done sorting your problems out? 'Cause if yes, we'd like to start recording now", Mutt's voice carried through the wood while Joe helped the bassist to his feet and placed another gentle kiss on the smaller man's forehead.

"We're on our way!", Joe finally replied, smiling softly at Sav before leaving the room with the bassist in tow, joining their bandmates and their producer in front of the mixing console. Satisfied with the fact that they could eventually start working, Mutt clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, today we'll focus on 'Action! Not words' since there's still the most work to be done on that one. Since Joe didn't record his part yesterday we'll start off with doing just that."

Joe nodded at Mutt's words, appearing to be listening in even though he concentrated fully on the fact that Sav stood so close to him and sneakily slid his hand beneath the back of his shirt, his fingers enticing sparks on every inch of skin they touched, unbeknownst by the other bandmembers. Trying to keep his expression neutral at Sav's wicked chuckles he knew that he was in for quite a ride if they actually decided to pursue a relationship.

The day passed with recording 'Action! Not words', Joe spending the major part of it in the recording booth and singing his heart out, the meaning of the lyrics echoing through his mind whenever Sav watched him from the other side of the glass and gave him another one of those saucy winks and crooked half-smiles. His heart did whatever it wanted all the time, too, choosing to increase its beat irregularly from time to time due to the bassist's heart-stopping smiles.

So naturally the singer was quite worked up and unfocused towards the end of the day, sighing in relief when Mutt told him that they finally had the tape he wanted. Exhaustedly he placed the headphones on the chair in the recording booth before leaving it, ruffling his hair and directly running into someone due to the fact that he was so distracted. Looking up he encountered Phil who gave him a once over with a raised eyebrow and an amused chuckle.

"Everything alright, mate? Where's your head today?"

Joe just shrugged at that question and tried to leave the situation as quickly as possible, but the dreamy half-smile that immediately formed on his lips due to the previous events of the day was too obvious for Phil not to notice it.

"Aww, did you meet someone special at last?"

Joe's cheeks colored significantly at his guitarist's words but he couldn't reply acoustically in embarrassment and in the fear that he would spill the secret he had to hold inside for now. To his luck, Sav came by just then and chose to join in on the conversation.

"Hey guys, what are you talking about?"

"Just look at our strong leader! He seems so soft and loved up right now, doesn't he?", Phil replied enthusiastically and gestured over at the flustered singer who just flipped him off in return. Sav gazed at Joe and chuckled in return, seeing the silent plead of getting him out of the current situation in the narrow bright green eyes.

"Well, you're right about that. Our Joe saw a girl the other day and he can't stop daydreaming about her. I think the two of us will stay back in the studio tonight to write her a proper love letter so that he's finally able to get laid again", Sav lied, Joe's blush deepening at the silent implications Sav was making with his carefully chosen words. Phil just smirked and nodded in understanding clapping Joe on the shoulder in support.

"Good luck there, mate."

"Fuck off, Phil", was Joe's only response while his cheeks continued to burn as if they were on fire. Sav carefully waited until the guitarist was out of sight before addressing the singer again.

"What a shame, now we have to stay in the studio together tonight in order not to blow our cover. You can already start to think about some possible entertainment program, maybe the song you just sang is able to inspire you", the bassist whispered into Joe's ear, shortly brushing his warm soft lips against his best mate's cheek before withdrawing and leaving back to the room their other bandmates were still staying in. Joe's cheeks were cherry red at that point but he willed himself to just behave as if nothing had happened when he turned around to follow Sav to the main room.

~~~~

"So, did you come up with some entertainment program already?", Sav asked seductively after the studio door fell into its lock behind their bandmates and their producer, making his way back over to Joe, who was sitting on the studio couch, in his hip-accented stride. The singer's cheeks were on fire once again at that not-so-subtle suggestion, his green eyes not being able to do something else than roaming the bassist's body from head to toe with a passionate glint in them.

Even though he had been flustered almost the whole day due to the bassist's actions, Joe didn't lose his infamous wickedness. So he cocked an eyebrow with a grin, his cheeks still painted cherry red.

"Well, what do you think about coming over here and helping me think about something?"

Sav grinned and bit his bottom lip, closing in on Joe until he was finally seated next to him, his eyes never leaving the other man's. Joe's piercing green stare lustfully bore into Sav's ocean-blue one, daring him to lose control first. But it was Sav's tongue that briefly snuck out to wet those pink lips that made Joe's plan backfire on him.

The singer was on top of the bassist in no time, their kisses hungry and their need almost primal. All sense and reason flew out of the window when they peeled each other's clothes off of heated bodies and bucked against each other for some friction, losing themselves in soft sounds of pleasure and deep kisses.

Joe never knew a sexual encounter like that, having sex with groupies paling in comparison to being with Sav in that intimate manner. Nothing had ever felt so right.

So when they finally came back down from their high and laid there together in the afterglow, Joe's smile couldn't be wider if he tried. His head was resting on Sav's bare shoulder, the slightly sweaty curls of the other man brushing his forehead in a soft tickle whenever he moved. Their hands were intertwined and their hearts beat in unison, silently letting them know that they had done the right thing.

"Hey, Savy?"

The bassist hummed in response, gently nuzzling Joe's newly straightened, blonde hair while he waited for the question.

"You think we should give this a serious try?", Joe asked, raising his head to be able to gaze into the now satiated blue eyes of his best mate, maybe even his lover if Sav didn't have a negative response to his question.

"Well, what do you think?", the curly-haired replied, a crooked smile gracing his heavenly soft lips.

"God, yes. I get hysterical when you're near so I'm all in."

"I'm gonna call you my lover then from now on. And by the way, you should turn that statement you just made into a song."

Joe chuckled at Sav's goofiness but replied all the way while resting his head back on the smaller one's shoulder.

"I might do just that."