[C][AU] Fermata

Chrys, laughingly, leaned over and slapped a hand over his brothers mouth. He said something, again in Italian, and lifted his hand from his brother's mouth.

"Richard." Fleck pulled open the passenger door, and held it open for him.

"This is my brother, Chrysanthemum. I didn't expect him to be here. He didn't tell me." The last sentence was spoken accusingly over his broad shoulder.

Chrys just shrugged. "Surprise." He wasn't going to be guilty over this. "Now come on, you know he'll have my head if you're any later. I'm not dealing with the tossers bad mood."

He watched Hank open the door and it took him a second. With a quick "thank you," he slipped into the car. Taking the time to marvel at the interior. It has been a long time since he had gotten into a car this expensive.

"It's nice to meet you," he said to Hank's brother.

That explains why Hank was screaming a flowers name in the middle of the street.

Fleck clambered into the back seat and spread out, with his heavy, and quite dirty, boots up on the white leather seats without any care.

"So, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Poland training with, uh... thingy." Close enough to their name.

"Alfons," his brother stressed, "got fucked over big time. Got in an accident, broke his leg."

"Shi-it." Fleck leaned forwards. "Poor kid."

"Si. Poor kid was looking so promising, too. And since I didn't have someone to coach for the next month, Chai suggested I get my ass over here to see you in. I heard about Dare. Sorry, kid. I'm not much of a replacement, but I'm here."

Fleck's broad shoulders rolled in a shrug. "I'm happy for him. Put some tunes on."

Chrys rolled his eyes. "Like we need any more music in our lives." But he held up his hand, which Fleck dumped his phone into. "Richard, right? Plug this in for me? Play the playlist 'musica auto'."

Fleck Masin owned an iPhone 4 with a cracked screen and a peeling My Little Pony sticker on the back.

Dick looked over his shoulder and a look of horror and disgust crossed his face when he saw dirty boots up on the seats. Normally something he hated in any old car. Let alone an expensive one withWhite leather seats.

If he knew Hank any better he would have voiced his disgust. Instead, he forced his eyes back to the front and listened to the conversation between the brothers.

He nodded a Chrys' request.

"Sure."

He took the phone, not quite believing what he was seeing as he rolled it over in his hand a couple of times.

Why did Hank Masin even own a phone that could possibly be up to seven years old? It wasn't even in a good state. With the earnings he was rumoured to have made, surely he could have brought the latest model numerous times over?

Shaking his head, he plugged it in and played the playlist requested.

A guitar began playing through the speakers and Fleck wooped in excitement.

Chrys grinned himself.

"You ready for this, brother?" Fleck asked.

"You know I am."

Then the lyrics started, and in perfect unison the two of them began to sing. Fleck's voice was stronger, husky and rich. Chrys had a weaker voice, more karaoke-grade than anything else, but he wasn't had at singing.

"Look out new world here we come
Brave, intrepid and then some
Pioneers of maximum
Audacity whose resumés
Show that we are just the team
To live where others merely dream
Building up a head of steam
On the trail we blaze"

Neither cared about keeping quiet as they sang.

"Changing legend into fact
We shall ride into history
Turn myth into truth
We shall surely gaze
On the sweet unfolding
Of an antique mystery
All will be revealed
On the trail we blaze"

Dick started on at the LA traffic. He was listening to sit Hank Masin sing. Live. In a car. With his brother.

It all felt very surreal.

The song itself wasn't something he recognised - at least, he didn't think he recognised it. His brows furrowed together. No, he definitely recognises this song.

But where from?

It sounded like it belonged to a musical or Disney film, he wasn't too sure.

"What is this from?" He finally asked in the break of the song.

"La strada por El Dorado," Fleck replied.

Then he jumped into the next verse.

"Paradise is close at hand
Shangri-la the promised land
Seventh heaven on demand
Quite unusual nowadays
Virgin vistas, undefiled
Minds and bodies running wild
In the man behold the child
On the trail we blaze

The trail we blaze
Is a road uncharted
Through terra incognita to a golden shrine
No place for the traveler
To be faint-hearted
We are part of the sumptuous grand design"

The both of them were really going for broke with this song. They both adored it.

"Never heard of it."

But he definitely recognised this song.

He took out his own phone and typed in a few of the lyrics he heard them sing.

"Oh, The Road to El Dorado. I watched it as a kid," he commented, mostly to himself.

They ran through the chorus one last time and laughed brightly together in the moments silence after the song.

"My children love the film. Having a musician for an uncle means they get a lot of ad-lib renditions of their favourite songs," Chrys chuckled.

And then a new song started, and Fleck jumped, clapping his hands together in excitement.

"This is the shit."

"Well you think that you can take me on
You must be crazy
There ain't a single thing you've done
That's gonna phase me
Oh, but if you want to have a go
I just wanna let you know

Yeah, get off of my back and into my game
Get out of my way and out of my brain
Get outta my face or give it you best shot
I think it's time you better face the fact
Get off of my back."

Fleck's voice was made for this sort of song. Rich and husky, his voice worked amazingly with Bryan Adams'. And he went all out. He loved this song.

It was another song he vaguely remembered. Probably also from a childhood film. Which one, he didn't know.

He kept his eyes trained on the road and didn't interrupt this time. He just listened. Appreciating Hank's raw voice which melded well with the singer and song.

Chrys laughed and shook his head.

"And even when my children aren't around, I'm treated to ad-lib performances of cartoon films."

He rolled his eyes. "How did I get so lucky?" The dry question had an impressive amount of sarcasm behind it, but was directed jokingly towards Dick.

So drawn into Hank's singing he didn't catch onto the question directed at him at first. It took him a second before he realised and he jerked his head up, nodding

"Wish I could be so lucky. Better than a brother who can't sing to save his life, yet still loves to. At the top of his voice."

He loved his brother, but he never appreciated his shower singing early in the morning.

"I have those as well. Between the twelve of us, Fleck and Leo are the only two with any decent singing ability, but aren't the only two that like to sing."

He wanted to cry when Chai decided her time had come to regale them with song. He was sure most of them wanted to, actually. Chai was the most musical, yet least musically inclined of all of them. It was rather a pain to listen to.

His head whipped round to Chrys in surprise.

Everyone knew Hank had siblings. He mentioned them a few times in interviews. But no one suspected he had twelve.

Not that he was going to judge. They only had three more than himself.

Initial shock wearing off, he thought back over Chrys' words.

"So Hank's not included as a sibling with any decent singing ability?"

Probably just sibling banter.

"Right. He doesn't use his nickname. We all forget that."

Fleck was more his name than Hank was in their house. The only person that didn't use his nickname was their mother.

"He goes by Fleck when you're close with him." Chrys tilted his head back to gesture to his brother, still singing his heart out to Bryan Adams.

"Ah, I see."

He glanced round to the singer, who was still very much Hank Masin to Dick. But the nickname did suit him.

"Can I ask why he goes by Fleck?"

"He's a painter and sculptor before he's a singer. Through his childhood, he was always covered in flecks of paint or wet clay or melted wax," Chrys explained, lips curling into a little smile.

"I think Chai was the one to coin the nickname. I think she said he was just one big fleck of paint when he took breaks from whatever project he was working on at the time, and then Fleck just came to be."

It was a pretty simple start to a nickname, but it had taken over completely. Hank was no more between the siblings.

Dick's lips curved up into a small smile at the story - a piece of information that wasn't wildly known by his fans.

It did make him wonder what Hank looked like as a kid; no tattoos, piercings and bleached blond hair. It was hard to imagine.

"That's really sweet," he said sincerely.

Much sweeter than how his siblings coined his nickname.

Chrys snorted.

"Not much about my brother is sweet."

That was clearly brotherly bias. All of the siblings could spit bad words about their siblings. Living in a household with a dozen siblings made for a messy time, and there were trodden toes everywhere.

But they did love each other.

Dick laughed softly at the sibling banter. The familiarity of it was nice.

It also sparked an idea.

He normally liked to tease his siblings by telling them all the celebrities he got to meet through his job. He was sure his a younger siblings would be crazy jealous that he got to not only meet Hank Masin for a one to one interview but was going to see him set up and perform live.

He could tease them even better with photo evidence.

For a second he hesitated. It wasn't normally his style.

But for the sake of teasing...

When the song ended he turned around in his seat to face Hank.

"I don't normally like to ask but I was wondering if-"

The words got caught up in the back of his throat. He could feel heat prickling up the back of his neck.

But he couldn't back out now. It would be even stranger for him to turn around and just leave it.

He cleared his throat and tried again.

"I was wondering if I could get a quick photo? Just the one. It's for my younger siblings, they're big fans. I mean if you don't want to I totally understand."

Fleck perked up when Dick turned around to address him.

"Yeah, sure."

He scooted forwards, throwing one arm over the back of the chair to bring himself closer, and holding his other hand out.

"Pass us your phone."

His face still burnt but he felt himself relax as Hank agreed to his request. That didn't go as terribly as he anticipated. He wasn't horribly shot down.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, selected the camera app and passed it to Hank.

Fleck grinned when the phone was handed to him.

Then he leaned forwards so his cheek was almost pressing against Dick's. He took a couple photos of the two of them, then turned his head and pressed a kiss to Dick's cheek, for a final selfie that would really make whoever saw it jealous.

He thought this guy was cute. If he had a chance, why not take it?

Dick's smile was a strained. Hyper aware of how close Hank's face was next to him. Then he saw it before he registered it; Hank turning and pressing his lips against his cheek and his own lips parted in surprise.

He inhaled shakily and held it. Not quite believing what he was seeing or feeling.

"Oh," was all he could manage after the selfie was taken.

He held out the phone for Dick to take and pressed another kiss to his cheek.

"Hope they're all right."

He knew they were.

Chrys rolled his eyes. "I'm instating a no flirting rule in my car."