**TW: Use of the f slur**

The next forty minutes was a whirlwind. Steven could barely hear himself think because of how angry he was, and it didn't help that he was still being asked stupid questions. This interview was such a waste of time. He could be doing far better things than being on camera feeling like a stage.

"It's been wonderful having you guys on Tonight," Jimmy thanked, smiling his stupid smile. "Ladies and gentlemen, Aerosmith!! Goodnight all!"

Steven immediately got up as the band performed the outro, refusing to shake Jimmy's hand before he left. He could feel everyone's eyes on him as he exited the stage, and he didn't dare look at them; he knew what he'd see: shock, disappointment, frustration, and maybe even disgust. He didn't blame him, especially not his bandmates, who were probably now pissed off at him for making a scene.

Steven pushed open the door to his dressing room with a forceful shove and slammed it shut behind him. The sound echoed through the small room, amplifying the tension that hung in the air. Now that he had blocked out the outside noise, he could hear how heavy and labored his breathing was and the adrenaline surging intensely through his body as though he had just taken a cocktail of drugs. He leaned against the wall and held his chest. His heart was pounding like it was about to explode. 

The singer shook his head and collapsed into a chair as he replayed the entire interview in his head. Jimmy had acted like such a dick, treating him like he was less than everyone else just because of the gender he preferred to date. It was such a backwards mindset. He was so relieved that he had gotten out of there before Jimmy could further waste his time acting like an even bigger bigot and asking him more insensitive questions. 

Steven held his head in his hands, suddenly aware that he was shaking. He felt like he was about to have a breakdown. He'd been made to look foolish in front of the entire country. He felt completely humiliated.

There was a soft knock at the door.

"Come in," he called, his voice breaking as several tears slipped out.

He quickly wiped them away as Tom came into the room. He didn't want him to see him crying like a baby.

"Steven, what the hell was that?!" Tom demanded. "I said to keep your cool!" He looked both angry and concerned, but he didn't sound nearly as angry as he appeared.

Steven felt a flash of anger at Tom's confrontation. He got up and stood face-to-face with the bassist, his eyes flashing and his hands shaking. "How can I keep my cool when I've just been publicly humiliated on live television in front of the entire country?!" he shouted. Tom didn't seem to understand how much this affected him. "I look stupid!"

Tom's eyes softened as he slowly started to realise just how much this mattered to his friend. "Jimmy made you lose it on purpose, I understand," he said softly, resting his hands on Steven's shoulders. "But remember that it's still tv. Your anger is their entertainment."

Steven pushed Tom's hands away. "Look at how many fucks I give. None. I don't care that it was for entertainment, Jimmy sprung those questions on me and it's only made me look more of a faggot than people think I am!"

"Steven! Don't use that word!" Tom snapped, ducking as Steven hurled a chair across the room.

"I'll say whatever I goddamn want, Tom. You know it's true. He humiliated me."

Tom shook his head in disbelief, his hands on his hips. "You could have handled it better."

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Lie?"

"I told you to keep your cool because now all people are going to talk about is your sexuality and Joe. Not the album, not the tour. Just you and your personal life!

Do you want us to fail? We worked extra hard on this album, especially now Jimmy is here, because we will fail if the album doesn't sell and no one buys tickets to our shows."

Steven knew Tom was right. That was the hard truth, but he was too angry to admit it.

Steven rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm tired of people trying to make me feel ashamed over who I am. I'm tired of acting like it doesn't matter to me.

And they will, they will. They'll buy the album, they'll purchase the tickets. Stop worrying about it," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "You're such a worry guts, Tom."

Before Tom could respond, the door flung open and Joey, Brad and Jimmy entered the room. All three looked less than pleased with the situation, but at least they weren't grilling him like Tom had.

Tom ran a hand through his hair. "Thank god. Guys, can you please tell Steven that he's going to run us into the ground?"

Joey held up his hand for silence. "Fighting isn't going to solve anything. We need to figure out how to handle this."

Jimmy nodded in agreement. "Joey's right. If everyone keeps talking about Steven's life then we're screwed. We didn't come all this way just to lose popularity because people are more interested in gossiping about Steven being gay."

"God, since when did you all become so negative? We'll be fine," Steven insisted, trying not to picture their career being demolished.

Brad shook his head. "We're not going to be fine for much longer. The media is going to have a field day. We need to come up with a plan."

Steven sighed, rubbing his temples. He couldn't hide from this. They had to do something.

"Look, I didn't mean this to happen. You're right. The best thing we can do is stick together and release a statement. That should smooth things over."

Joey smiled. "That sounds like a plan, but we need to be smart about it. Something that addresses the interview but also focuses on the album and tour. We just need to figure out what to say." He held his chin, deep in thought.

"How about we say, 'Jimmy is a bigot and please buy our album.'"

"Steven, can you be serious for once?"

"Okay, I'm sorry. Do you have any suggestions on what we should say?" Steven stepped back and lit a cigarette.

"I got something," Brad piped up.

"What is it, Braddy?"

"How about: We are deeply disappointed with how the interview was handled and the insensitive questions Steven was asked. We believe in equality and respect for everyone. Our focus will remain on the music and the upcoming tour, and we hope that the fans will continue supporting us."

"That's perfect! We should get our PR Team on that right away."

"Do the rest of you have any ideas?" Joey asked, looking around at each member of the group.

"Joey, shut up. What you came up with is perfect, Brad. We don't need to change it."

Steven enveloped Brad in a massive hug. "What would I do without you, Brad?"

Jimmy shook his head, smiling. "Yeah, that sounds great, Brad. But we need to let people know that we won't stand for any bullshit. We're not going to survive if we don't have each other's backs."

"Too right. Aerosmith isn't just one of us - it's all of us," Tom agreed.

Steven groaned, though he was holding back a smile. "Enough with the soppy crap, guys. Let's go get food. I'm starving."

The five men all left the studio laughing and cracking jokes as they made their way back to the hotel they were staying at. Being able to goof off and eat without the prying eyes of journalists or cameras was putting a good end to a bad day.

~

The band all sat on the floor of Steven's room, eating pizza and continuing to joke around, laughing about the most ridiculous things. Steven normally would have joined in with the fun, but he didn't feel like making jokes right now, he just stared at his slice of pizza that he'd barely touched. He had been hungry, but now he wasn't. Worse, he loved pizza. Italian food was his favourite thing to order, but the situation had completely spoiled his appetite.

He just nodded along to his friends' loud chatter, hoping they didn't notice how distracted he was.

"What do you think, Steven?"

"What?"

"Who do you think has the biggest penis?"

Steven felt his face turn pink. He was used to these types of jokes, but never had he been asked such a forward question. 

Tom facepalmed. Their conversations never stayed sensible for long. It was simply inevitable. "Jimmy, seriously?"

"What? Fuck, you guys are so dense tonight, Jesus Christ." Jimmy rolled his eyes, continuing to stuff his face with more pizza.

"Guys, it's obviously Steven," Joey said, pointing at Steven. "He gets swarmed by chicks at every show."

Steven laughed uncomfortably. "C'mon, you know they're just here for the music." He shied away from his friends for a moment as he felt himself get flustered.

Tom smirked. "Right. They're just here for the music."

The singer let out a chuckle. "You guys are idiots."

"Steven, lighten up. We're just messing around, man," Jimmy said, playfully punching Steven in the arm.

"Yeah, I know."

"Dude, what's up? You've been out of it all night. And you're blushing, too. What are you thinking about?"

Steven shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I swear it's not a big deal."

"I bet Steven's just thinking about when he kissed Sebastian Bach at that party," Joey teased.

Brad and Tom snickered to which Steven groaned. Ever since that night, he'd never been able to escape the Sebastian jokes. The guys loved to tease him about it whenever they got the chance to.

Jimmy's eyes grew wide. "Wait, he kissed the Sebastian Bach?" He practically shouted the last part, his voice full of shock and disbelief.

Joey nodded, smirking. "Oh yeah. Right on the lips. In front of everyone. He even elbowed past Jon Bon Jovi just to get that kiss."

Jimmy roared with laughter. "Wow, it takes balls to disrespect Bon Jovi like that. Nice one, Stevie."

"Guys, I'm not thinking about that. I'm just thinking about earlier. But it was a pretty good kiss," Steven grinned. "I have to say. I would do that again to any of the gods if they were stopping me getting to Sebastian for a kiss."

Tom shook his head in disbelief. "I swear you're in love with that guy."

"Oh, I am so head-over-heels in love with Sebby. I might even write a love song about him. Just wait and see. I'll have him at my feet, swooning."

"I can't wait to see that."

"Hey, it might happen! And who knows, maybe Sebastian and I will run away to Las Vegas and elope." He shrugged, playing along.

Oooo's filled the room, and all four men started making kissy faces and kissing sounds at Steven.

"Oh, shut up all of you. You know that won't actually happen," Steven said, finally taking a bite of his pizza. "I was drunk, remember? And anyway, he's an idiot," he continued through a mouthful. "A cute idiot, I'll admit, but an idiot nonetheless."

"So, he's definitely not your type?"

"I didn't say that. All I said is that he's an idiot."

"Oh, I can see it now; it'll be love at first sight and you two will run away together to get hitched like you said. Isn't that your American dream, Stevie?" Jimmy simpered.

"No no no, that is most definitely not my dream. And I've already seen him, asshole," Steven snapped, cracking open a beer. "And it absolutely was not love at first sight," he added when Jimmy continued to look at him smugly.

He did think Sebastian was attractive, but love at first sight was a bit of a far fetch.

"The Skid Row poster on your bedroom wall says different," Tom gibed, wiggling his eyebrows.

Steven blushed profusely. "I don't know what poster you're talking about," he muttered, though he knew very well what poster Tom was referring to.

"The one you've probably made out with a million times."

"It was one time, alright? One time! And anyway, why the hell would my American dream be marrying Sebastian?"

Steven sat back on his hands, a part of him feeling interested in what qualities Sebastian had that would ever make him consider tying the knot with him.

"Let's see," said Tom, beginning to list off attributes on his fingers. "He's incredibly successful. A frontman for one of the biggest rock bands -"

"That's debatable."

"He's hot. Blonde. Extremely rich. And he's an incredibly talented singer and musician. Plus, the ladies love him."

Steven scoffed. "He's also cocky, annoying, full of himself and a big flirt!" he pointed out, feeling annoyed at how sassy Tom was being with him.

"Just like you."

"Awe, a match made in heaven," Jimmy joked.

"Can it, asshole. Besides, why would someone like Sebastian ever like me?"

"Dude, really? Have you seen yourself lately? You're a catch, man. Sebastian would be mad not to fancy you."

"Yeah, well, he's probably not even into men."

"How do you know that?"

Steven frowned, starting to feel his stomach churn with uneasiness. Sebastian Bach into men? That'd be a new one. Plus, that party kiss meant nothing. It was just a stupid, drunk kiss, nothing more.. right?

There was a moment of silence as Joey considered the option. The smiles and laughter faded into the background as he contemplated the possibility. He did think Sebastian was pretty cute, but they were both drunk at the time. Neither of them knew exactly what they were doing. It was just a spur of the moment kiss.

"You know, there's nothing wrong in admitting that you have a thing for Sebastian, Steven," Joey said gently. "He's a good looking guy. We all have celebrity crushes. Hell, I used to have a crush on Joan Jett back in the day, so we get it."

Steven ran a hand through his hair, sighing in exasperation. He was already a mess, and this was just making him feel more confused than he already felt about it. But he was indeed thankful that the band supported him in who he fell in love with, man or woman.

"Thanks for the support guys, I guess, but I'm telling you for the last time. I am not in love with Sebastian Bach. End of. Okay? That kiss was just a drunken mistake. That's all."

The group were all quiet for a moment.

"But... What if it was more than just a drunken kiss?" Jimmy asked, leaning forward, his eyes burning with curiosity. "Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought about what it might have meant to Sebastian?"

Steven opened his mouth to argue, but words failed him. He had never thought about it like that. The kiss had definitely been spontaneous, but it had left him with a feeling that he had never been able to shake off. It made him feel annoyed every time he thought about it, but he also felt a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

"Please can we talk about something else?" he asked, quickly. "Can we just talk about our response to the interview?"

Joey shrugged. "Yeah, sure, but we already have our statement ready to go."

"Yeah, but do you think we should do a Q&A as well?"

"That might be a good idea, actually, When should we do it?"

"We could do it whilst we're on tour."

"Or we could answer those questions in the next fan club newsletter," Brad suggested. "Or both?"

Steven stared. Fan club? People really loved them enough to have started a fan club about them?

"We have a fan club?" he asked, completely dumbfounded.

"Yeah. Aero Force One. You didn't know we had a fan club?" Brad questioned, looking almost as equally dumbfounded as Steven was.

Steven shook his head, taking a long sip of his beer. "I had no idea."

"Well, I'm sure everyone will be asking about it. Who knows, maybe Rolling Stones magazine will interview us."

Another interview? That was Steven's idea of hell. "That's the last thing I want. Guys, I think I'm just going to go to bed," he announced, getting to his feet.

The band all laughed, thinking that Steven was just making a joke.

"Bed? It's not that late," Joey cited. "It's only midnight. We have hours ahead of us to enjoy."

Steven smiled at Joey's enthusiasm. The drummer had always been one of the most optimistic in the group. "I appreciate the offer, but I just want to sleep."

The remaining members all looked at each other before shrugging.

"Oh, okay."

"Suit yourself, Tyler. More pizza for us," Jimmy grinned, not hesitating to keep eating as though he'd been starved. "I swear I might as well be in a relationship with pizza," he said in a muffled voice as he, Joey, Brad and Tom headed out of the room.

Steven couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Alright, alright, you enjoy your food, you fat bastard. Goodnight."

"Night, Steven. Sleep well," Brad said.

"Oh, don't worry Braddy, I will. I'll be busy dreaming about Sebastian and our future engagement. Christ sake," he muttered, shutting the door. "They really will never let me live that down."

Steven sleepily padded over to his bed, stripping out of his clothes as he walked. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he kicked his pants off and tossed his shirt onto the floor.

Yawning, he turned the light out and settled down under the duvet, dreading the complicated road ahead.