Dandelions Blowing in the Wind

I

~~~

July 1967

Dan had always been a bit of a loner. He kept to himself, afraid to interrupt conversations, afraid to be talked over. Afraid. Afraid. Afraid. Bright lights and loud noises put Dan into episodes where he could not speak. Unable to function. Unable to live.

The world didn't understand this, so Dan shut himself in. He had his loved ones, his found family of sorts. He loved his band. He loved the Dandelions, and he loved every quirk that came with them(maybe not Simon chewing with his mouth open or Blanc not showering for weeks on end.) He loved Pete the most out of all of them though, even if their feelings for each other had to be hidden.

Today was a good day. The band was having a picnic. A break from recording their second album was well deserved. The picnic was out on a field on their shared ranch. Where else would a couple of guys live other than a ranch together?

Dan carried a blanket out, it was checkered and one of the blond's favourites. He spread it out across the grass which was turning yellow from the heat. The sun beamed down upon him, and Dan was so glad for the bangs covering his eyes. He laid down on the blanket, waiting on the others. He yawned. Dan was a cat when it came to his personality and manuerisms.

Pete emerged from the house, honey blond hair shining in the sunlight. He smiled at Dan, sitting close to him. The blonds had been in a relationship since 1965, and no one but Simon and Blanc knew. Pete kissed Dan on the forehead, handing him a pair of square shades.

"Thought you may need 'em," Pete smiled. He had a smile that could light up a room. It was even brighter than the sun itself. Pete was Dan's sun.

Dan brushed his bangs up, putting the sunglasses on underneath. "Thanks, Petey,"

"Anything for you," Pete hummed, laying down next to Dan on the blanket. He slipped his hand into Dan's, intertwining their fingers. A gentle kiss was placed on Dan's hand.

Simon and Blanc came out of the house, arguing like an old married couple. Simon stumbled down the stairs, portable record player under one arm and stack of vinyl under the other. "Pete! Dan! I need your vote on albums! Blanc won't let me play Elvis,"

Blanc rolled his eyes, he carried a basket full of food. They had all pitched in to help out with it; Dan and Pete worked together on tomato sandwiches(Pete was vegetarian), Simon made churros and Blanc picked some fruit from their orchard.

"Crisse, Simon!" Blanc had a habit of reverting back to his native tongue. Blanc was born in Québec City; he had lived there for the majority of his life. "I think Buffalo Springfield would be nice." His English wasn't perfect by far, but it amazed Dan how well he was doing.

     "'Springfield sounds good," Pete hummed.

     Simon whined at that. He was a bit of a toddler at times but the band loved him nonetheless. "But-"

     "Trois to un!" Blanc smiled, a rather rare occurrence but he had a nice smile. "Buffalo Springfield it is!"

     Dan laughed at Simon's pouting, causing him to become even more petulant. He patted his bandmate's back. "Elvis next time,"

     Simon sat down, he set the record player and stack of records down beside Blanc. He pulled off his shoes and peeled his socks off, sling-shotting them at Blanc. Which the Frenchman did not particularly enjoy! He scowled, throwing Simon's socks back at him.

     "Your socks stink, idiot," he said simply, reaching into the basket for an apple. Blanc took a loud bite out of it, purposefully trying to bother Simon. The two would go back and forth like this for hours on end to the point their manager, Jack was his name, was more or less a babysitter. He made sure the boys ate, and bathed(sometimes that was a difficult one for Blanc. He was always incredibly filthy.).

Simon groaned, as he flopped over onto his belly, making sure to accidentally kick Blanc in the process. Pete was busying himself with the portable record player, slipping the vinyl out of the sleeve. Buffalo Springfield Self-Titled(1966) was a communal Dandelion favourite album. Dan had bought it when it was first released, planning on keeping it to himself... and then Pete listened to it... and then Simon listened to it... and then Blanc listened to it.

Needless to say, the album was no longer just Dan's. It was the band's baby, and they would not let a soul get between them and the album... even if Simon threw a fit over them playing it instead his Elvis. It was little things like that that made Dan love his bandmates even more. They were all like family to him.

Dan knew moments in the sun didn't last forever. He knew the sun set on lives the same way it set on the rolling hills and fields of the ranch but that wouldn't stop him from enjoying this part. Nightfall wasn't avoidable but neither was the end. Life was a fragile thing, the blond knew this firsthand.

Here he sat, surrounded by love and laughter. He couldn't imagine life without the love and laughter his fellow Dandelions brought him. Dan wasn't from the best home, and hadn't had the easiest life but they almost filled holes in his hearts. They helped distract from the missing pieces in the puzzle of Dan.

"Danny?" Pete gazed at the blond. "Are you okay?"

It hadn't struck Dan how hard he zoned out. He looked to Pete, nodding. Hugging his lover as tight as possible, Dan blinked back tears. Not particularly sad tears. Bittersweet tears. Thankful tears.

"Have I ever told you guys how much you mean to me?" He studied the other three. Men weren't expected to say things like that in these times but Dan couldn't hold it in. He was full of love for his bandmates.

     Simon was the first to tackle him into an uncomfortably tight hug. "Awh! Dan!" He ruffles up the blond's hair. "I feel the same way about you!" He beamed. Simon had a gap between his two front teeth, because of that there was an inside group between the two. Simon was never happy, he was "gappy" according to an 8 year old Dan. The joke never went away, neither did the brother-like relationship they shared.

"Moi aussi!" Blanc smiled, joining in on the embrace. It was Pete's turn to hug the three. "You never had to say it, we know how much you love us," he said softly, a calloused hand on Dan's cheek. "And we all love you too,"

Dan flapped his wrists, he wasn't sure what caused this reaction but he seemed to do it whenever he was feeling a strong emotion.

"Thank you, all of you," Dan hummed as Pete handed him an apple with a kiss on the forehead.

"Anything for you,"