Work Text:
Somewhere there is a Box. The Box was made out of a repurposed meat locker. Inside of this Box there were four men who formed a band called the Monkees. There was no way out of the Box but there was a candle.
The candle’s wick was lit when the four were locked inside and it started to burn.
Davy raged and kicked at the walls of the Box. He threw his small body against where the door had been, bouncing off of it and hitting the floor hard. He pounded his fists against the unyielding metal, his knuckles breaking and bleeding from his efforts.
The candle continued to burn.
Micky found it funny at first. He laughed and told jokes to the others as they tried to find ways to escape. He tried to make them smile, assuring them that there was no way they would be stuck here. Imagine being a band trapped in a meat locker. That didn’t make any sense. No one was going to be trapped in the Box.
The candle continued to burn.
Mike turned on Peter after the first hour. He started to snap at him more often. He lashed out, cursing at Peter when the other did nothing when he first insulted him and Peter didn’t fight back. He berated and insulted him, only stopping when Micky stepped in and pulled him away.
The candle continued to burn.
Peter sat down behind the lit candle, his legs folded underneath himself. He stared into the small flame that somehow lit up the inside of the Box. He watched the way it danced and twitched, threatening to go out but never doing so. He reached out and held his hand over it and the flame felt cold against his palm.
The candle continued to burn.
Davy slowly started to calm down. He no longer attacked the walls of the Box, unable to make a dent in it. Slowly he walked back into the middle where the candle and Peter sat, hugging himself in an attempt to self soothe. He sat down beside Peter, resting his head on his shoulder as Peter put an arm around his middle.
The candle continued to burn.
Micky focused his attention on Mike. He was the only one the Texan would listen to. Slowly but surely he was able to calm Mike down, his words working on himself at the same time as he guided Mike to the middle of the Box where Davy and Peter sat. He joined them, looking up at Mike with a hopeful smile, gesturing to a spot on the floor beside himself.
The candle continued to burn.
Mike looked at the three men he shared several years with in the band. He stepped closer, listening to Micky as he went. He hesitated just before moving closer to the candle and looking down at Peter.
The candle continued to burn.
Peter looked up at Mike. All of Mike’s insults and vitriol still rang in his ears. There was no taking them back. He smiled and reached out, offering the Texan his hand and a spot among them beside the candle.
The Box made from a repurposed meat locker remained, holding the band inside.
The candle continued to burn…
And Mike took Peter’s hand and sat down.