syngende_engel | Reunion

This time they were all prepared for the Dane arriving. Torden had picked up a rental car, Ulfen and Ansgar in the front while Ollie, Rik and Mikkel sat in the back as they headed for the airport. The Danes were all excited since they hadn’t seen Ulfen’s brother in years. Even Ulfen hadn’t seen his brother in almost two years. This was a reunion as much as all the other arrivals.

It was Ulfen who went in to retrieve his brother. He knew the other Dane would need the help. Unfortunately, Raev’s premature birth left him with visual impairments. The changes in lighting, especially stepping outside in the sun from the dimmer fluorescent lights would leave him blind temporarily. The Danes were used to his needs and seamlessly accommodated them but in a strange city the help was appreciated.

“RAEVI!!!” Mikkel screamed as the Dane climbed into the back with them while Ulfen put his bags in the trunk. The older Dane instantly touching the younger one’s face to help with his blurry vision.

“You’ve grown into a young man. You’re tall!” Raev looked down at the blonde’s long legs bunched up in the backseat. The boy must have grown like a weed in the past few years. The Danes all were in a sense of relief now that they were all in one place, aside from Ulfen’s older sister and Ollie’s parents but otherwise, the whole group was together.

Raev ruffled Rik’s hair and kissed Ollie’s cheek which caused the Dane to turn fiery red. After Rik left Raev had flirted quite a bit with Ollie but soon realized that the other Dane was lovesick, still they became friends and have remained that way.

It wasn’t long before Torden was pulling up to where the bus was parked since the tour was about to hit the road to the next town. Everyone should have checked out of the hotel. The Danes all happily pilling into the bus, loud and looking for drinks. The last was Mikkel who had Raev’s arm. He knew the Dane would be blind when he first stepped into the darkened bus. Even with help he stumbled on the last step. Mikkel easily helping him into the seat and heading off to find the older blonde a drink. The youngest of the Danes hyperactive now that all the people he knew as a child were safely away from Denmark.

Raev sat at the couch area rubbing his eyes. They were hurting after being on the plane but that was nothing new.

[Comments NSFW]

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Karl was busy talking with Joe and Aarne, discussing the best way to do body shots whilst perched atop a skyscraper whilst naked. Of course. That was until Hjalmar fell into the bus mini bar yet again, clearing off the bar of glasses causing an awful mess. Mick, Weird and some of the others cleaning up the broken glass with a brush and pan while the drunken Swede rolled onto the floor and then was carried to a nearby couch by Harald. It was chaos of course.

"I think the Danes are back."

The drunk Swede now leaving his friends to greet them coming back onto the bus. Who was it they brought this time? A family member? An ex? Karl was holding a bottle of Jack in one hand and a bottle of Akvavit in the other as he noticed Mikkel helping the new boy into the couch. Could he not see? Maybe he wasn't feeling ok? Poor man.

"Hej, sexy. Who are you? I'm Karl Magnusson. Grumpy Siggy's younger brother. Nice to meet you!"

Karl waving with his two bottles of booze greeting the new man. Oh, he was fucking hot though!

Raev stared at the person talking to him, squinting a bit in the dark. He was about to answer when Mikkel stuck a cold can of beer on the back of his neck. It caused the Dane to scream before reaching out for it.

"Raevi can't see yet." Mikkel told Karl while climbing over the seat to hand Raev the beer.

"I'm Ulfen's brother, Raev." He told Karl and could obviously see enough to slap Mikkel in the shoulder for the stunt with the beer.

The scream caused the drunken Swede to laugh because all the Danes did that, didn't they? Scream when tickled or surprised. This boy must be a Dane too because he travelled back with all the rest. He was blond and sexy too.

"He can't? Sorry to hear that, sweet cheeks."

Karl wanted to ask why the man couldn't see but didn't want to seem rude since he'd only just arrived. Maybe he was partially blind? Whatever it was he would get help with everyone on the bus being kind and helping.

"Ulfen is that hot dancer isn't he? Johan keeps burning a hole in your brother's pants."

Raev waved off the comment about his sight. "I was born with this."

He's stubborn but there's a sound of defeat in his tone. However, his voice is sultry, thick with a Danish accent. He has a beautiful voice in most people's opnion, even when he's just talking.

"My brother's probably fucked half this bus by now." Raev opened the beer can while giggling. Sure, he knew that Ulfen and Torden were committed to each other but they also slept around.

Karl was more interested in the man then his eye problem so would be cool about it as he slumped down onto the couch next to Raev. The Swede was social and loved to make new friends trashed or sober alike.

"You're probably right. He's fucking hot though and so is his boyfriend. That tarty Norwegian drummer is sleeping with him and who knows who else."

Being relatively new himself, Karl was still getting used to who was with who and what nationality everyone was. Most of the time he hung out with the drunks and got trashed. He pulled out a box of smokes, which he'd stolen off his brother earlier on, passing the pack to Raev if he wanted to smoke.

"Ansgar..." Raev mentioned.

"I think the Harlot's guitarist is fucking Torden. Fredrik's brother is sleeping with them too." Mikke was sure about that last one. Ulfen at least had slept with him and it made Mikkel feel a little jealous even if he didn't exactly want to sleep with Johan.

"Ulfen's always been with people. I think he had his first boyfriend when he was 13 or 14?" Raev took a drink of his beer. "Are you in one of the bands?"

He knew that not everyone on the tour was but he couldn't quite make out the person's features. Normally he would touch someone's face to help clear things up in his mind but he's also nervous being new here.

"I'm still trying to get my head around who is fucking who because I'm new here. Arrived a few days ago thanks to my grumpy older brother, Dirty Siggy."

Karl didn't care that he was telling everyone on the entire bus that his brother was a grumpy bastard called Dirty Siggy. The younger Swede finding the whole thing hilarious that Sigurd was sleeping with a barely legal stripper boy. Brothers were meant to wind each other up, weren't they?

"I'm in a band but not any of the ones here. Sort of a drifter I guess. Here for the booze, fun and fucks, baby!"

Total trash of course.

"Torden and Ulfen sleep with anyone they can. I'm surprised you've made it this long without one of them flirting with you." Maybe Torden was too busy? It made the younger Dane's head spin when he tried to think about how many people Torden was keeping track of.

Mikkel messed up Raev's hair and scooted out of the seat to go find Fredrik and Sigurd. Now that Raev was on the bus he could learn to navigate it on his own.

"I drift around, too. My brother insisted I come here and get out of the house for awhile." The Dane was nervous around people, especially when it was a new environment. Honestly, the idea of the ever changing environment of hotels and touring was a bit scary since it took him time to adjust to surroundings and not everywhere was good at accommodating for his needs.

"I think Torden is sleeping with four boys? Maybe five? I can't keep count. Makes my fucking head spin."

Karl took a drink of booze from his bottle and then put the other bottle down onto the table. Being a drifter was sometimes fun but it got boring when you watched your family or friends performing on stage when you couldn't. That part sucked.

"My band is back in Sweden, or we're based there. I came here because my band mates were flying to New York to chill for a bit. So, I decided to join Dirty Siggy's tour buddies. Never looked back."

The Swede offered Raev a cheeky smile and couldn't help wonder how the poor man got around with his sight issues.

"I'm not surprised." Raev could only shake his head but it made his brother happy so that was all that mattered.

Raev was listening and his sight was clearing so he could start to make out more of Karl's features which left him staring at the Swede while he tried to piece things together from his blurry vision.

"I'd rather stay home." He admitted while drinking more of the beer. He hoped it would help him relax. "I think my brother wants me to get back into singing."

"You sing? That's cool, sweet cakes. I play bass for my band and love to do all kinds of crazy shit on and off the stage too. What kind of singing do you do?"

Karl shifting a little on the couch, wondering if the Dane could see him properly. How bad were his eyes anyway? It must suck when travelling around not being able to see as good as everyone else. He didn't have a cane so it couldn't be as bad as all that, could it?

"Staying home can be fun too but I get stir crazy if I sit still too long unlike my boring brother, Sigurd. He's a bassist too for the band Blixt here. Bjorn is the lead singer and he's dating Rekker the ginger demon."

"I've trained most of my life to sing opera. I guess I'm one of few natural, male sopranos but I don't like dealing with the people who treat me like a freak for my eyes and voice."

Raev was very self conscious and lacked self esteem but he was trying not to be so nervous in a strange place.

"Your brother is the one that picked up Mikkel right after his birthday?" The Danes all knew how the Swede had jumped at the chance for the young boy even if they didn't know the whole story. "I don't know anyone. I... I'll need a long time to learn people's voices. The bus is so dark I can't... " Raev sighed. "I can't see much of your face."

"Nothing wrong with using your voice if you've got the talent. Fuck what everyone else thinks. If you've got it, flaunt it. I bet you're an awesome singer and I wouldn't mind hearing you sing one day."

Karl was serious about this as he downed some more booze. The Dane was nervous and shy and this was cute and adorable in the trashy Swede's eyes.

"Yeah, Sigurd. He's dating Mikkel at the moment and can't keep his hands off the boy. It's ok, honey. I barely know anyone either being new myself. You can feel my face and listen to my voice if that helps? No rush. I can sit here all night until you can see my face."

He just wanted to be helpful and for the Dane to adjust in his own time.

"I gave up when no one would hire me." Raev shrugged. "I've tried other careers but I'm not interested."

Raev was drinking quickly because of his nerves but he could handle alcohol so he wouldn't get drunk too quickly.

"I guess there are a couple here that like much younger men?" Raev had heard a bit about people while in the car driving here.

He looked away and shook his head. "I won't ever see anyone's face, not clearly." He was resigned to that and it made the Dane feel depressed, at least when he found himself attracted to someone in the past. "Touching someone's face can help. I see better in bright light."

The bus with its tinted windows and diffuse light was not the best for Raev to see detail. "When the sun is bright I can see, almost normally."

He's feeling his mood sink slowly as he talks about what is wrong with his body. This was one of the moments where he wondered why the universe saw fit to make him this way. "I'll lose all my vision eventually."

"That fucking sucks, sweets. I wouldn't give up on such a hot boy like you and I bet your voice is up there with the best. Yeah, there are a few that like younger men. My brother for one, who is a dirty bastard, then there's young Erik with his older man, Robert. They are cute together. Bjorn is dating Rekker the ginger, who is older than him too."

Karl now knew more about Raev's sight problem and felt bad that he couldn't do anything to help but wanted to keep the man's spirits up. The man was brave for coming along on a tour not knowing anyone and not being able to see well. That took guts and Karl respected that.

"So, when it's sunny outside you can see ok? But in this dim bus it must be a bitch for your poor eyes. Don't let it get you down, babe. We're all in this together with our own problems and issues. We can help you get around if you need help. Make the most of it while you can I say. Even if you do lose your vision it's said that your other senses get stronger."

The Swede was trying to help anyway.

"My voice does nothing if I can't navigate a stage." There was part of the problem. An opera singer who couldn't see the stage props and other people was too much of a liability for most companies. "I trained for a long time but I would have gotten something by now if I had a voice good enough.

Raev nodded. "I can see better than in here." He didn't even know what normal sight was even if he compared his to it constantly. He had an image of what seeing clearly would be like but he's never seen clearly himself.

"You all have your own things to do." Raev didn't want to cause other people problems and would just isolate himself if he could get away with it. This was the main reason Ulfen dragged him out.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Raev finally said it with a disappointed sigh. "Imagine if you knew you could wake up any day and never see another thing again. That's what I've had since I was a child."

Karl didn't really know what to say because he really didn't know what it was like to live without his proper sight or to go through what the Dane had gone through all his life. It was rough and the Swede couldn't do much but offer support anyway he could. Being a trashy guy who drank and smoked too much he just wanted to live life to the full but understood Raev must have felt so many knockbacks over the years.

"Don't give up. That's all I can say. We all have our own things to do but it doesn't mean you should give up on yours. There's always a way, sweet cakes."

The Swede just sighed and shrugged, wondering how he could cheer this guy up.

"Even if you do wake up not being able to see again it doesn't mean you can't stop living. You have a voice and there is always a way to make things fucking work."

Raev wanted to tell the Swede to leave and barely bit back the words before they came out.

"You don't know what you're saying." He was getting upset, or angry maybe, he wasn't too sure. "There's a way, but only if people don't think you're broken. I'm not going to get hired by a band or a opera company when I can't see the stage, or the people, or what I'm wearing. I know, I've tried for years. Even lovers walk away when they find out I'm this way. No one wants to be bothered with how much work I am."

He had a lot of frustration and back home there was no one to challenge his view point. Karl's words challenged how he viewed himself and the world. It wasn't easy and he was bucking against the view so different than his own. Raev also knew that others around him could never really understand and he had so many things he would have to learn as he lost his sight. The situation was more overwhelming than anything related to the Swede specifically.

"It's basic things. I have to trust other people to give me what I ask for, take me to the places I ask for. I won't even be able to see clothes to put on in this lighting, or who people are." The frustration is clear in his voice but he's not upset, more desperate for Karl to understand that the rose tinted glasses that he wore were not something the Dane could ever embrace for himself.

"Maybe not but I'm trying to help. I may talk shit most of the time but I fucking care for those around me and it sounds like you've given up already. Those lovers that left you for your eye problem? They don't deserve to be around you because that isn't love. People that love stay with one another no matter what shit happens. I'm sorry you've had all this bullcrap thrown onto you."

Karl didn't really know what to do so just let the Dane talk while the Swede drank. What could he say to that?

"That fucking sucks but here on this tour we take care of our friends and those we love. That's what I've found just being here for the few days since I arrived. Don't judge yourself too harshly. I'm going to say someone out in this big fucking world will take you on as a singer one day. No giving up."

Sigurd was better at this sort of talking than Karl but he wanted to try at least.

"I'm tired of trying." He was definitely giving up and getting tired of struggling all the time. "I can't take care of myself. I understand not wanting to have to do that."

The Dane had a lot of self worth issues. They weren't going to get better in just one conversation and he was kind of rebelling against the idea of his own worth. It was going to take time.

"It's humiliating to have to be taken care of all the time." Not only did Raev have low self worth but he had a lot of pride too and some things just hurt that part of him as well. "I'm getting to the point where I will be too old to start a career. My voice won't get me anywhere if no one gets a chance to hear it."

"Ok, honey. I won't bore you with any self righteous shit because that's more my boring brother's scene. How about we hear your voice? Because I bet it's a fucking epic sound."

Karl taking a few gulps of booze while trying to improve the poor Dane's mood. Fuck, he'd had it rough in his life. The whole eye problem really put him down and it wasn't right that people had abandoned him because of this. The man could still sing so why couldn't the stage crew set a chair in front of a microphone and let him sing? It was that easy.

"Not true. Come on, sweet cakes. Give us a song."

The Swede offering a light pat to the Dane's arm.

"You want to hear me sing?"

He wasn't sure if the Swede was serious at first. Apparently, he was and Raev put his beer aside. He hadn't sung in front of anyone for awhile.

"It's been a long time since I've sang." A long time to Raev though was a month or two. He went back to what he had first learned which was male soprano Danish opera. Though Raev didn't believe it when others said it he has a perfect voice, high, airy and angelic sounding.

"Yeah, I want to hear you sing, sexig."

Karl leant back in the couch and wanted to enjoy hearing the younger man's voice. Surely, this would help ease his nerves once he got into it. The Swede giving a beaming smile now that he was going to hear Raev sing.

"I've never heard an opera singer before."

Mostly just glam rock singers so this would be different.

Raev rarely sang for anyone else because he was nervous, and honestly it made him a little sad inside. He wanted to be a singer so badly but his vision was a huge barrier to the stage.

"I was trained in opera but I can sing the style the bands play too."

He took a drink of his beer and paused before singing something in English. When singing in English his Danish accent came through in the sound more than in the opera. In general there was more of his personality, or self, in it, rather than with opera which had a standardized sound. HIs voice was strong and even without a mic could fill the bus with sound easily.

Edited Date: 2022-05-17 12:45 am (UTC)

That singing was something as Karl listened intently just enjoying how Raev sang and could the boy sing. Could the whole bus hear the Dane's talented voice by now? Probably. It was such a good pitch too and Karl was loving it, just staring wide-eyed at how good the Dane actually was. More of the bus came over to see who was singing and to enjoy the song.

"Hey, that's not bad, mate. What do you think, Weird?"

Mick and Weird coming over both pleased to listen to some decent singing. Hunter now joining them, gasping at the voice he was hearing, pleased also. The man was so very talented. Karl took a swig of booze and leant back in his chair.

"That's---so fucking good."