Love in a Void

I am calling their relationship Budgert and since there are no other Budgert fics out there other than my one crackfic I think I am at liberty to do so. Title from the Banshees song "Love in a Void" from their album Join Hands.

Today was a different day for the Banshees than most on the music front. Steven and Robert's album Blue Sunshine was getting finalised and all that was left were Siouxsie's vocals and the mixing. Nor could the Banshees play because Steven was sick with a hangover and migraine, laying in bed desperately trying to sleep but head throbbing in pain with each small noise his neighbours made. Robert was basically evicted from his flat that he shared with Steven for the day because he "made too much noise" and "was making it worse" (bollocks - he did everything he could to help his friend/lover through his illness). Siouxsie wanted to be alone in the studio while she belted her vocals, and since Budgie and Robert had to stay out of the studio and away from Severin, they decided to shack up together. Everyone in the band had only recently woken up for the day but it was already 5 p.m and the sun was setting. The drugs made their sleep cycles nonexistent.

Budgie and Robert were of course very amicable, but the band was normally more split down the middle with Robert and Steven, and Siouxsie and Budgie. That dynamic was made even more clear with their Creatures and Glove side-projects. But the two boys were happy to spend time with someone outside their normal pairing. Steven and Robert had grown irritable with each other which was amplified by their constant state of drunkenness or being high, whereas Siouxsie and Budgie were feeling bored of each other and stuck in their relationship. Everything was always the same, and it seemed they could no longer agree on anything musical. Today might be a breath of fresh air for Robert and Budgie.

Robert was on his way to Budgie's flat and his stomach felt strange. Perhaps it was because he hadn't consumed anything yet today... but it felt more like that feeling before going on stage in front of a huge crowd that seemed larger every night... which put him off, because he wasn't going on stage. He found himself thinking over and over again about what him and the drummer would do today, rehearsing things as trivial as how he would knock and then say hello when the white-haired man opened the door. With nothing yet in his system to drown out his thoughts, they returned relentlessly. He walked into the building and when he got to the door he knocked four times, cursing himself because in his head he had rehearsed knocking three times. No one answered yet, so he knocked again. Then again. He had a key so it was no big issue - since it was also Sioux's flat and was much bigger than Robert and Steven's, it's where they normally got together, so everyone had a key. They were just a family.

Robert heard the phone ring from behind the door, and no one answered after four rings, nor did he hear anyone moving, so he quickly went in using the key and answered. "Hello?" What startled him was Budgie's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Robert, hi. I couldn't stand being inside that flat for one minute more so I went to the bar. I tried calling over at your flat but you'd already left. Want to meet here?" This wasn't at all how Robert had imagined the evening going so far. He felt sick.

"O- okay... which bar?" Budgie gave him directions and he put the phone down, collapsing on the black velvet sofa. It was a good thing he was heading to a bar, because he was in desperate need of a drink. After he began breathing normally, he left. He wasn't frustrated about having to walk to another place now, but he was upset because he wanted his thoughts to leave him alone which wouldn't happen until he was with the other man - if even then. The walk to the bar gave him nearly twice as much time to ponder why being alone with Budgie made his stomach so squirmy. He could only think of one reason. After all, he was already attracted to an artificially blond Banshee, so why wouldn't he be attracted to the other? But he couldn't let himself accept it. Oh, God, he thought. It was going to be difficult being alone with Budgie for hours. But where else did he want to or could he go tonight? With Steven wanting him out of the flat and Siouxsie needing to be alone to record vocals, he was stuck with his (newly discovered) love interest. Idiot, he thought, absolute fucking idiot.