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tamingthemuseNew poster here, hope I'm doing this correctly.
Title: Web
Fandom: Mock the Week
Pairings: Frankie Boyle/Hugh Dennis, Frankie Boyle/Russell Howard, implied Hugh Dennis/Rory Bremner
Prompt: A Rolling Stone Crushes Toes
Warnings: None
Rating: R
Summary: Frankie does what he wants and Dara lets him.
Frankie Boyle always gets what he wants. It’s a fact of life. And what Frankie wants usually changes with the direction of the wind. He’ll deny it, come up with a host of excuses, but Dara knows better. Dara has spent the last 6 years on the sidelines as Frankie went from pillar to post; like a child in a sweet shop he can’t decide what it is he wants. Even now, as Dara watches Frankie barter with the runner over fruit and biscuits, he’s convinced that no one can say no to Frankie.
First it was Hugh.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, he thinks as Hugh makes conversation with their guest (some Welsh comedian he’s never heard of). If Dara had paid attention to Frankie’s comments about Hugh and Rory (“they’re always together”, “you’d think they were at it”), instead of believing them to be off-the-cuff remarks, jokes at their mates’ expense maybe this whole saga wouldn’t have started. Instead Dara had laughed along with the rest, ignorant of the watchful eye kept on Hugh. Three weeks later he’d caught Frankie pinning Hugh to the dressing room wall, lips firmly locked and hands hidden beneath cotton. A week later Rory found them in a similar situation; Dara wasn’t convinced it was entirely accidental.
Once Rory was out of the picture, Frankie had eased off tremendously. He had gotten what he wanted and now the game was over. The thrill of the chase no longer existed. Dara didn’t think the expression ‘cold shoulder’ was an exaggeration. It had taken Hugh several weeks to confront Frankie about his sudden change in attitude, and he’d only done so after much persuasion from Dara. Whatever their conversation had consisted of, it left Hugh with no uncertainties about the future of their relationship.
The show was left with two team mates who barely looked at each, never mind sharing or creating jokes. Eventually, and thankfully, the dust settled and life on the show returned to their version of normal.
Dara catches Frankie whispering something in Russell’s ear before returning to his seat, a satisfied grin on his face. He shouldn’t have been surprised, really; ever since Russell’s first appearance on the show, he’s hero-worshipped Frankie, laughing too loudly at his jokes, smiling that smile at every opportunity. Dara can’t imagine it was that difficult to go from having the younger man doubled over in laughter to being doubled over for a completely different reason.
The sense of calm that had descended shifted once again; Hugh made a point of not seeing Frankie and Russell’s interactions, while Dara kept as close an eye as possible on the progression of their relationship, if it could be called that.
Frankie’s getting bored with Russell now; Dara can tell in the way he no longer holds Russell’s playful gazes, choosing a good natured jibe with a guest over an exchange with his lover. No one openly calls them that, but everyone and their uncle knows what’s going on. The novelty is wearing off however, and Dara is preparing for the fallout. He adores Russell, but the man has a tendency to miss what’s right in front of him. If he opened his damn eyes, Dara thinks as his microphone is checked and rechecked, he’d see that Frankie’s not interested any more – the challenge is gone. He’d also see the affection that’s not quite hidden in Mark’s eyes when he glances at Russell, how genuine the smile is on Mark’s face when Russell compliments him. Maybe Dara’s reading too much into the situation, but he’d put a fair bit of money on Mark’s feelings for Russell being much more than friendship.
Glancing around the studio, waiting for the make-up lady to finish her last-minute touch ups, Dara can almost see the lines joining the eclectic group across the set – Hugh to Frankie, Frankie to Russell, Russell to Mark – creating an increasingly complicated web. Why doesn’t he stop it? Why doesn’t he take Frankie aside and tell him how dangerous his behaviour is? Why doesn’t he make Frankie understand what he’s doing to the group, their friendships?
As the music begins to play and the audience applaud, the men assume their friendly smiles and silently prepare jovial banter. In his mind, Dara knows the reason why he won’t stop Frankie, put an end to this mess; some day, he wants to be able to draw a line from Frankie to himself.
Title: Web
Fandom: Mock the Week
Pairings: Frankie Boyle/Hugh Dennis, Frankie Boyle/Russell Howard, implied Hugh Dennis/Rory Bremner
Prompt: A Rolling Stone Crushes Toes
Warnings: None
Rating: R
Summary: Frankie does what he wants and Dara lets him.
Frankie Boyle always gets what he wants. It’s a fact of life. And what Frankie wants usually changes with the direction of the wind. He’ll deny it, come up with a host of excuses, but Dara knows better. Dara has spent the last 6 years on the sidelines as Frankie went from pillar to post; like a child in a sweet shop he can’t decide what it is he wants. Even now, as Dara watches Frankie barter with the runner over fruit and biscuits, he’s convinced that no one can say no to Frankie.
First it was Hugh.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, he thinks as Hugh makes conversation with their guest (some Welsh comedian he’s never heard of). If Dara had paid attention to Frankie’s comments about Hugh and Rory (“they’re always together”, “you’d think they were at it”), instead of believing them to be off-the-cuff remarks, jokes at their mates’ expense maybe this whole saga wouldn’t have started. Instead Dara had laughed along with the rest, ignorant of the watchful eye kept on Hugh. Three weeks later he’d caught Frankie pinning Hugh to the dressing room wall, lips firmly locked and hands hidden beneath cotton. A week later Rory found them in a similar situation; Dara wasn’t convinced it was entirely accidental.
Once Rory was out of the picture, Frankie had eased off tremendously. He had gotten what he wanted and now the game was over. The thrill of the chase no longer existed. Dara didn’t think the expression ‘cold shoulder’ was an exaggeration. It had taken Hugh several weeks to confront Frankie about his sudden change in attitude, and he’d only done so after much persuasion from Dara. Whatever their conversation had consisted of, it left Hugh with no uncertainties about the future of their relationship.
The show was left with two team mates who barely looked at each, never mind sharing or creating jokes. Eventually, and thankfully, the dust settled and life on the show returned to their version of normal.
Dara catches Frankie whispering something in Russell’s ear before returning to his seat, a satisfied grin on his face. He shouldn’t have been surprised, really; ever since Russell’s first appearance on the show, he’s hero-worshipped Frankie, laughing too loudly at his jokes, smiling that smile at every opportunity. Dara can’t imagine it was that difficult to go from having the younger man doubled over in laughter to being doubled over for a completely different reason.
The sense of calm that had descended shifted once again; Hugh made a point of not seeing Frankie and Russell’s interactions, while Dara kept as close an eye as possible on the progression of their relationship, if it could be called that.
Frankie’s getting bored with Russell now; Dara can tell in the way he no longer holds Russell’s playful gazes, choosing a good natured jibe with a guest over an exchange with his lover. No one openly calls them that, but everyone and their uncle knows what’s going on. The novelty is wearing off however, and Dara is preparing for the fallout. He adores Russell, but the man has a tendency to miss what’s right in front of him. If he opened his damn eyes, Dara thinks as his microphone is checked and rechecked, he’d see that Frankie’s not interested any more – the challenge is gone. He’d also see the affection that’s not quite hidden in Mark’s eyes when he glances at Russell, how genuine the smile is on Mark’s face when Russell compliments him. Maybe Dara’s reading too much into the situation, but he’d put a fair bit of money on Mark’s feelings for Russell being much more than friendship.
Glancing around the studio, waiting for the make-up lady to finish her last-minute touch ups, Dara can almost see the lines joining the eclectic group across the set – Hugh to Frankie, Frankie to Russell, Russell to Mark – creating an increasingly complicated web. Why doesn’t he stop it? Why doesn’t he take Frankie aside and tell him how dangerous his behaviour is? Why doesn’t he make Frankie understand what he’s doing to the group, their friendships?
As the music begins to play and the audience applaud, the men assume their friendly smiles and silently prepare jovial banter. In his mind, Dara knows the reason why he won’t stop Frankie, put an end to this mess; some day, he wants to be able to draw a line from Frankie to himself.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-10 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-10 10:11 pm (UTC)Also, thank you :) I was a bit nervous about posting it - I stared at it for so long that it just lost its shininess, so I'm glad someone likes it :)
no subject
Date: 2008-10-10 10:16 pm (UTC)A delight to read when I have an unfinished essay and my unfinished fic sitting here glaring at me. BOTH will be finished tomorrow.