Work Text:
It was the dead of night when Brandon unlocked the front door of the shared home. Exhausted, he entered the house, took off his black leather boots, and stumbled across the carpeted floor towards his room, which he shares with his boyfriend. While Brandon ambled towards his shared bed, he remembered earlier in the day.
— Earlier this afternoon —
Brandon was at work when his sister called him. She knows his work schedule by now and knows that he was supposed to be on his 20-minute break.
After the second ring, he answered his phone, and before he could say his greetings,
“Yo, bro, random-ass question, but can ya play bass with my band and me for a gig tonight?!”
Brandon was glad his phone wasn't on speaker, yet her voice blasted through it at maximum volume, and his coworkers turned to him. He felt heat creep up his neck as their eyes landed on him. He instantly mumbled an excuse and ducked into the break room corner, where it was quieter than the workspace.
Brandon took a deep breath before pressing the phone closer to his ear, trying to calm his anger.
“Goddamn BB, no, what's up?” he answered, forcing a chuckle to mask his irritation. “So, what's up, sis?” Brandon asked his sister to repeat her question as he leaned against the wall.
“My fault, Don. I was wondering if ya want to come join us for a gig tonight as a bass player since we don't have one,” Barb apologised for the rushed question and repeated herself more smoothly.
Brandon massaged his forehead. He could already picture himself lugging his bass across town after a long shift, but he also knew that tone in Barb's voice—the one that meant she was in a bind.
“What happened to Carol, your ride or die?”
“Well, she, uh, got sick early today and told me she couldn’t play tonight because of it,” Barb anxiously responded. “So, my question still stands, ya rockin’ with us or nay?”
Something about her hesitation made Brandon pause. Carol never got sick. Ever. But before he could probe further, he heard that familiar pleading note creeping into his sister's voice—the one that had gotten him into trouble since they were kids.
He checks his watch, ensuring that he has returned before his boss notices his absence.
He sighed loudly before he answered her. “Fine, I'm in. What time is the gig, and is there a theme?”
He heard her jumping with excitement through the phone before she responded to him.
“Hell yeah, brobro, I can always count on ya! Anyway, I'll message you the info, peace with and rock on, little bro. See ya tonight!” Barb blurted before hanging up.
Brandon pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a slow breath to calm his mind before returning to work. The break room door felt heavier than usual as he pushed it open.
As he stepped back into the main area, he sensed someone approaching. Before they could place their hand on his shoulder, Brandon spun his head toward her.
Holly Darlin' stood there with that knowing smile of hers.
“Whoa there, pal,” she said as she smiled before noticing he was acting differently than usual.
“What's goin' on in your mind, bud?” Holly asked, curious about the reason for his excuse.
Brandon didn't want to answer, but remembered that Holly was friends with the boss.
He lets out a defeated sigh before answering. “My sis wanted to ask me if I wanted to join her band's gig tonight since one of her friends couldn't be there to play bass.”
Holly is surprised that Brandon Firehear, the man who fought off a freaking monster of a grizzly bear, is a bass player. ‘He really is full of surprises, huh?’ she thought.
While she was thinking about the idea of him being a bass player, Brandon swiftly caught up with his list of things before it was time for him to return home.
“Well, ain’t that nice of ya, Bough. I’m beyond surprised that ya played bass.” Holly smiled as she walked towards Brandon’s work area, where he was adding the finishing details on a custom barrette for a wedding event. He softly smirked as she patted his right shoulder before she took off to do her job.
Brandon zoned in before the bell rang out, signaling to the employees that their shift was over, and it was time for them to head home after a long day of work. He stretched before getting up from his area and walked towards the door with a noticeable limp. He grabbed his leather jacket and helmet from the coat hanger.
Likewise, he exited the building door and walked towards his motorcycle, which his Father gifted to him on his nineteenth birthday.
He inspected his Harley-Davidson, making sure that nothing was missing or broken, since where he was, there were a lot of visitors from out of town, and not to mention college students, before hopping on his Harley.
Brandon turned the key, then hit the starter, causing the V-twin engine to roar to life with its signature ‘potato-potato-potato’ sound, vibrating beneath him as the engine continued to settle into a rhythmic idle. As he waited for the engine to warm up a bit more, he put his helmet on and waved goodbye to his work companions. While he was driving through the back roads, he thought about the gig and the theme of said gig, including the fact that he would miss tonight's dinner, which he was supposed to make.
“Welp, time for a food detour, and I definitely know how to bring home for the gang,” Brandon says to himself as he makes a left turn and heads towards the city.
He remembers the spot where he and his friends held dearly, and amongst the restaurants in the city, a small Ma and Pa’s Diner, The Ol’ Farmhouse Diner. Hell, they were basically family with the ‘young’ couple and their family. He eased into the gravel lot; the lines were fading, yet everyone parked in correctly or to the best of their ability. After a few minutes, Brandon found a good place to park, even though it was a long way from the main entrance, but he didn’t mind at all.
Once he parked and turned off his Harley, he took a deep breath before getting off his bike and heading towards the entrance with a notable limp. As Brandon entered the Diner, he sensed the unwanted stares of the outsiders and some college students as he entered the diner. He always hated the way they stared down at him, looking at him like a broken mirror, and said the most idiotic things to him about his scars on his face and body.
“Well, well, well, guess what the mountain lion dragged in?” the older lady's voice cut through his negative thoughts. She approaches Brandon with a grand ol’ smile on her face and gives him a motherly hug.
He chuckles as she hugs him and hugs her back in return, “Heya, Mama, how ya doing this fine day?” Brandon asks as he releases her from his hug and removes his helmet.
“Oh, ya know, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, but that’s business for ya, youngster,” Mama laughs, then asks him the same question about his day, including how his leg is doing.
“Thankfully, not bad. However, I can't say the same for my leg,” Brandon grins as he sits at a long counter that faces the open kitchen. Without asking, Mama served him his favorite after-work drink, a black coffee. He thanked her before asking her if they had any special dishes for dinner, to which she said yes and simply asked if he wanted it to-go. He simply smiled and nodded his head as he said Yes, ma’am. As she wrote his order down, her husband spotted him and made a ‘yup’ noise, which got Brandon’s attention quickly.
“Howdy there, son! How’s cha day been going so far?” Pops exclaimed over his shoulder as he continued flipping the flapjacks and patting them down.
“Not bad, thankfully. How ‘bout yours, sir?” Brandon responded before taking a sip of his coffee. Pops remarked, without missing a beat, that his day was flowing better than Deer’s Creek. He made a glance at Brandon to notice that he looked thinner than usual, which made him stop what he was doing, ask his daughter to take over his spot, and approach Brandon with a disappointed look on his face.
“Son,” he said, his arms crossed. The diner became quiet, or quiet enough to listen in on their conversation.
Brandon began to feel more uncomfortable at the stern tone and glanced down at his coffee. “S-sir?” he uttered quietly as he felt Pops’ eyes staring down on him like two daggers.
“Have ya taken care of yourself this week and taken it easy on that leg of yours?” Pops demands as his tone shifts into a fatherly one instead of being more aggressive.
However, Brandon didn’t even try to answer; instead, he let his silence answer for him. Pops let out a concerned sigh as he looked at him with slumberous eyes. After what happened to Brandon, he knew that the boy’s heart was in the right place, but he also knew that he had never taken care of himself after the horrific event.
“Tomorrow 'round noon, I'm coming up to your job to hand you some things to help your leg, as well as some food so ya can eat something to get some meat on ya bones,” Pops offered to Brandon before adding that he'll add one more item to his order on the house, then walked back to the grill and thanks his daughter for taking over before resuming the cooking.
Brandon’s shoulders relax as he exhales. He knows Pops means well, but he means business when noticing one of his close friends or kids (biological or not) isn’t taking care of themselves.
He felt Mama’s hands on his shoulders and helped him get grounded. Even though he didn’t say a word, she knew him well.
“Another cup of coffee, hon?” she asked. She knows that dark coffee is another way to help him stay grounded.
Brandon slowly nods his head and quietly asks if she could pour it in his thermos, which she said Of course, hon, and poured the coffee in his thermos, almost filling it to the top.
He thanks her with a faint smile, and Mama returns a smile to him before moving along to serve the other customers.
As the minutes went by, his order was given to him, and as he made his way to pay for the food, they denied him the ability to do so, which confused him.
“What? How come can’t I pay for foo-,” Brandon asked, but was cut off by Pops.
“You and ya friends come here so much, and every time y'all pay, including the tip, so as my way, or our way of showing gratitude, your order is on us,” he said, his mustache curling as he smiled.
Brandon didn’t know what to say afterward since it felt odd not to pay them. Without a second to miss, he pulled out his worn wallet, pulled out ten twenties, and put them in the tip jar, well, at the bottom of the jar. Even though they said his order was on the house, they said he couldn't tip them for all the hard work they did, as well as their family and the employees.
Their mouths dropped as he did that, and before they could say anything to him, Brandon gave a knowing look, grabbed his order, including putting his helmet on, and took off toward the door and to his Harley.
Brandon may look like a rough-and-tumble, demanding, and fight-for-fun kinda guy, but he never likes that. Well, only if he has to, but only if it calls for it. He does the opposite of his appearance: he gives back, defends those who can't, and most of all, he’s someone that you can lean on.
He moved as fast as he could with his hurt leg as he went to his bike and fired it up. He forgot his bag that he normally used to hold the food, so he had to hold on to it without it falling off while he rode back home, which thankfully he wasn’t that far away from.
—
It took a lot of careful twists and turns as Brandon and the food made it home safe and sound. Also, he made it before his love and his friends, which made him kind of glad since he wanted to surprise them with their favorite meal from their favorite diner.
With one careful step after the other, he made it to the door of their shared home and unlocked it with his key.
“Buck-buck! I’m home, bud!” Brandon announced as he took off his work boots before walking toward the kitchen to place the food and his thermos on the counter. As he grabbed his food and a can of root beer from the fridge, a familiar bark echoed from the top of the stairs.
Brandon smiles, grabs a treat from Buck’s jar, and walks toward the front door.
“Oh no, an uneaten treat took off toward the front door. Whose brave dog would stop this treat from escaping?” Brandon said in a silly voice that Buck loves.
He hears the fast footsteps of the energetic Irish Wolfhound coming quickly toward him, and before Brandon could turn around to face him, Buck jumped on him as if he were still a small pup. Brandon falls on the ground with Buck on top of him, searching for the treat that fell out of his owner’s brother’s hand. It took a good second for Buck to find it and eat it while his tail wagged as he did. After Buck finishes his treat, he finally notices his owner’s brother was on the floor, making a groaning noise as he sprawled face down, arms splayed forward.
Buck tilts his head in confusion as he stares, moves forward, and licks Brandon’s face with his tail wagging. Brandon slowly got up and reassured Buck that he was okay as he patted his head with a grin. Brandon slowly yet carefully rose from the ground and limped toward the kitchen with Buck by his side.
Before Brandon grabs his food and a can of root beer, he puts his love and friends’ food in the fridge so they can eat it later when they come home after a long day of hard work and dealing with ill-mannered customers.
With his food and drink on hand, he moved to the living room and turned on the TV to catch up with telenovelas that he had left off. While Brandon was eating and sharing his fries with Buck-Buck, his phone pinged as a text notification from his sister. Brandon pulled his phone out of his pocket to see what Barb had sent him:
Tonight's gig is at 7:30 pm and the theme is 80s hair metal.
Brandon sighed and responded with a ‘rock on’ emoji to her as a gotcha, sis. He almost placed his phone on the arm of the couch before his sister responded with a ‘rock on’ emoji to him. He shook his head and chuckled at that, returned a ‘rock on’ to her, and as soon as he sent it, she returned the favor.
They did this for three minutes before Barb put a laugh emoji and a peace out emoji. Brandon won and sent a party popper and a thumbs-up to her, finally placing his phone down and relaxing as he watched his telenovelas. He and Buck lay on the couch until Brandon noticed the time; it was now four o’clock, and he remembered that his love, Andrés, was coming home early from his work at 4:30 pm.
So he got up from the couch, along with Buck, and walked to the kitchen to put his empty to-go box in the trash and put his empty can in the big bag under the sink. After finishing putting his trash in its correct spots, he walked toward the front door with a skip in his steps. Brandon sat outside and waited for 15 minutes to see Andrés' '56 Bordeaux Bel Air making the last turn to their home and slowly parking in the driveway.
Brandon got up from the chair and walked toward to meet the love of his life to greet him.
“Well, hello there, Lotus~” Brandon cooed. He looked at his light through the passenger side with his goofy smile.
Even though they've been together for five years, Andrés still blushes when Brandon flirts with him. Andrés’ face turned full red afterward and quickly hid his face in his hands as he giggled. Brandon softly chuckles before moving to the driver's side and showering him with kisses. Andrés’ giggles become laughs as Brandon kisses him until he says no more, which Brandon does so without a second thought.
He loves it when Andrés laughs. To Brandon, his laughter reminds him of the melody of their favorite song. He would fight another bear for him.
Andrés moved his hands away from his head and noticed his love was staring at him with loving eyes. He softly smiled before leaning in and kissing him softly on his lips. It was now Brandon’s turn to blush as Andrés kissed him on his lips and greeted him with his nickname, Willow.
“Willow, may you please move aside so I can hop out?” Andrés asked as Brandon was still star-struck after the kiss.
Brandon hummed in confusion before realizing what Andrés said and quickly moved aside so Andrés could get out of his Bordeaux Bel Air. Once he did, Andrés finally hugged him with all his might and placed his head on Brandon's chest. Brandon heard a sigh from Andrés, and that got him worried about him.
He knows that Andrés’ job is hard on his mental well-being, especially when it's his favorite thing to do. Both he and their friends have tattoos that Andrés did for them, yet at his job, he has some customers who are very disrespectful and sometimes have unrealistic expectations or unfortunate timing, since his job doesn't do walk-ins, especially when they are full. Brandon didn’t know how to comfort him in his time of need, especially when he had to leave soon to join his sister’s gig.
Brandon kissed Andrés on the top of his head as he returned the hug before placing his own head on top of his. They stayed like this until Andrés let go and asked Brandon if he was alright helping him get the bags out of the backseat. Brandon said it’s all good, and he doesn’t mind helping him at all. He saw a small smile form on Andrés’ face, but it quickly faded like a meteor.
This hurt Brandon’s heart when his love’s wonderful smile faded away from view. What happened at work was already under Andrés’ skin, and whatever words were said were still cutting away. Brandon wanted to ask him about how it went at work, but silently didn’t, for Andrés’ sake.
After Brandon got the bags out of the backseat and took them inside with Andrés by his side, who looked like he had been through hell and back. Twice.
‘What happened at work, my love?’ Brandon thought as he placed the bags on the dining room table.
“How was work today, Don?” Andrés asked with his usual smile. But it felt forced to Brandon’s eyes, and it was worrying him even more, and he wanted to call off his part of his sister’s gig since he wanted to stay with his boyfriend to comfort him.
“It was alright and the same old things happened at work as usual,” Brandon says, in a warm tone.
"Whoa, really? No craziness this time around? That's a first, to be honest with ya,” Andrés responds with genuine surprise. He hasn't heard that before because Brandon usually says what Holly and Demo did, like messing around with him and cracking jokes on the fly.
“Yeah, um, Andrés,” Brandon nervously said, rubbing his hands together, an old habit of his when he gets nervous or anxious.
“Hmm?” Andrés hums softly, confused.
Brandon lumbered toward him, his eyes looking down while drying his hands on the side of his pants. Andrés tilted his head before putting his hands on his hips, his brows slightly raised as if to wonder what his Willow had to say to him.
Brandon gently took Lotus's hands into his before telling him that his sister had called him during work and asked him if he could play his bass guitar at her band's gig.
"And I agreed with her, I’d be at her gig. Though I’m thinking of backing out so I can be here for you,” Brandon added, as his hands hugged Andrés’s hands like it was his lifeline.
Andrés didn’t know what to say to him, but it would help him get his mind out of the gutter, and he was genuinely interested in the theme; the crazier the theme is, the better the outfit will be.
“Wow, you're playin’ your bass at your sister’s band gig? That sounds hella wicked, and what’s the theme of the gig so I can help ya out, since fashion is my middle name,” Andrés responded with a genuine smile.
“Really?” Brandon questioned his decision whether or not he should go.
“Really,” Andrés confirmed. “Now then, what are we workin’ with here?” he added.
“Um, the theme is gonna be 80s hair metal, and are you sure you want me to go?” Brandon nervously said, as Andrés was thinking about what to do with his hair to make it into the style of the bands that were 80s’ hair metal-based.
“I’m sure, Willow, and ya don’t have to worry about little ol’ me,” Andrés said. He moved his boyfriend’s hair around, deciding whether to go big or wild with it.
Brandon smiled at Andrés, letting him style him up to play the part, and let him have fun during the process. His boyfriend took him by the hand and pulled him toward their huge shared closet, where they keep their costumes and heavy metal clothes when they go play a gig.
Andrés looks around the closet to see if they have any 80s-inspired costumes or even clothes that match the theme closely. He was thankful that the closet had a selection for each of them and, within their selection, had a smaller selection.
Andrés was searching for what to dress his boyfriend in. Brandon was looking for a CD mixtape to play so they could have some time to relax and enjoy the moment.
Then a CD caught his eyes, and he noticed the title ‘No valley is too low as there's no mountain that's high’ and underneath the title were his and Andrés’ first initials.
Brandon smiles affectionately as he remembers that this CD was their first anniversary gift for being together. It has their favorite songs from their favorite bands, like Upon A Burning Body to Bring Me the Horizon, and on top of that, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s ‘Ain't No Mountain High Enough’.
Their favorite and comfort song.
“Let's rock this style,” Brandon excitedly muttered as he took out the CD from its case and placed it in his boom box’s CD slot.
The first song played as Brandon tapped his foot to the bass part. Andrés pauses his search and pokes his head out in confusion until he realizes what song it was. His eyes became watery as the emotions from earlier were returning. Andrés knows his love wants to comfort him, though to him, he doesn’t want to be a burden to Brandon. So, with a semi-real grin, Andrés exited the closet and walked behind Brandon and hugged him.
Brandon felt his light hugging him and smiled as he swayed to the rhythm with Andrés' whisper along to the song. They stay like this until the next song blends in, which was Andrés’ favorite, Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’.
Andrés laughed when he heard the intro and jumped around with his hands in the air as he sang. Brandon watches his boyfriend dance around the room and joins in, dancing along with him, head-banging. Andrés giggles at him and headbangs with his love. They mess around until Andrés reminds himself and his Willow that they haven’t found the outfit that fits the 80s’ theme.
Brandon hummed. “What's the first thing that comes to mind-,” he asked, but Andrés interjected mid-sentence. “Bird style of flair,” then gasp at the realization, and immediately run back to the closet to search for what he was picturing in his mind.
He returned with three tops and bottoms in his arms. “Willow, stand in front of me with your arms in a T-pose,” Andrés requests.
“You're the boss, Ram,” Brandon replied. Making his way to him with his arms up to his side, he waits for further instructions.
Andrés hums as he moves two of three tops over Brandon, then asks him which one he prefers and repeats with the third top and bottoms.
The top and bottom that Andrés, with the help of Brandon, landed on were a plain, sleeveless, low U-neck midnight shirt and ripped dark denim jeans with bleach tiger stripes on the sides and back.
That was the base layer as Andrés grabbed the accessories, like a ruby red bandana that had a skull pattern on it, and dog tags. The rest was what Brandon usually wears when he goes out: his studded leather bracelets (upper arms and wrists), silver rings, biker boots, and his dark green ombre leather jacket.
“You were right, Lotus, your middle name really is fashion,” Brandon praises as he checks Andrés’ pick fit.
“I've been telling you that, love,” Andrés responds sassyly and says that they have one or two things to complete the outfit.
He took Brandon by the hand again, making their way to their room on the second floor, where Andrés was styling his love’s mullet hawk while Brandon was putting on his eyeshadow and later eyeliner.
Finally, the outfit was completed as Andrés styled his hair to have more volume and wildness than normal. The fit only took an hour and a half to finish as the clock read six o’clock. Which also means that he has to go soon to warm up with his sister’s band.
Brandon sighs through his nose. It was already too late to back out, and he asked his light if he wanted to tag along with him.
However, Andrés gently declined his offer and said to have a blast out there, plus be safe out there, since the ladies and the friends of Dorothy are not afraid to hit on him.
Brandon chuckles at the moment and says, "That way I have this on,” lifting the dog tags with his and Andrés’ names on them with 'taken’ above their names.
They walk together towards the instruments’ room, which was on the ground floor, to receive his purple Taupe bass and its case. With each step they made, Brandon’s anxiety rose as they approached in front of the garage doors. He knew that he couldn't be there for his lotus.
Even though Andrés says he does not want to come along. Brandon gently repeats the question to Andrés once more.
“I'll be okay, Willow and I have Buck with me until Sonata and Frontier come home,” he answered, placing his hand on Brandon's scarred cheek.
Brandon leaned on his lotus’s hand and held it with his own hand. Andrés smiled and stood on his tiptoes to kiss him on his lips. Brandon leaned in to Andrés’ kiss and picked him up in a hug. He places him down on his feet and says his farewell, and he'll be back before one.
“Also, call or text me if anything happens or if ya want me to get something from the store or ice cream?” Brandon asked.
“I’ll be fine, Darkness, and besides, you’ll have fun jamming out on your bass with her sister. Also, I would love some ice cream,” Andrés replied, with a caring tone in his voice.
Brandon sighed and bunted his forehead into Andrés’. “I love ya so much, lotus,”
Andrés closed his eyes, “I love ya to the sun. willow,”
That was the last conversation they had prior to Brandon hopping in his ‘98 Chevy Silverado with his bass sitting on the floor of the passenger's seat. He turned the key and waited for the engine to warm up before putting it in reverse out of the driveway and driving away.
— Current Moment —
The rest of the night was a blur to Brandon as he walked up the stairs so he could cuddle up with his boyfriend. Brandon knew that it was late because he heard Sonata’s loud snores and the white noise machine in Frontier and Buck’s room. He lumbers to his shared room and knocks on the door before entering the room, only to see their bed empty.
Brandon’s anxiety rose high as he began to mutter Andrés’ name out until he heard a faint sob coming from their bathroom. Those sobs resemble the same ones that Andrés endured two years ago.
Brandon ran towards the bathroom and, without thinking, he burst through the bathroom door. What he saw wasn't pretty, but a broken mirror, a messy counter, and, worst of all, blood.
He heard the broken sob of a lost person and followed the trail of blood to the walk-in shower. Andrés was sitting on the floor, breathing hard and shaking from an unseen fear. He was holding, no, grasping his wild, auburn hair with his bloodied hand as his other hand was covering his mouth.
A concerned frown formed on Brandon's face as he didn't know what to do first, since it had been a while given that the last one, though this one was more fear-based than anxiety. He knows what an anxiety attack is but this wasn't one. It's a panic attack, an intense one.
Brandon entered silently and slowly closed the door. He carefully got on the tilted floor and sat down, waiting for Andrés to invite him closer. Whenever he gets like this, he usually goes to any of them and talks to them to hopefully ease the attack when it happens.
Then he remembered earlier today that Andrés didn't mention anything about work like he usually does, especially after he talks about his work.
“My love, I know you are not here at this moment,” Brandon said, in a soft voice.
Brandon saw Andrés’ shoulders, slightly relaxed, but it wasn't the invitation he knew. Except it does let him know that Andrés can hear his voice. Which means Brandon could softly sing his comfort song.
Listen baby ~
Ain't no mountain high, Ain't no valley low
Ain't no river wide enough, baby
Brandon sang and paused for a moment then resumed.
Don't worry, baby, ~
Remember the day I set you free,
I told you, you could always count on me, darin’
From that day on, I made a vow,
I'll be there when you want me, someway, somehow,
Brandon paused again and waited for Andrés to react, which he did when he looked up and locked his eyes on him.
Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough, To keep me from gettin' to you, babe,
Then Brandon hears Andrés quietly sing along with him as his breathing was slowly returning to normal. Brandon smiled when he realized that and continued to sing to his love.
While Brandon softly sings to Andrés, he carefully yet slowly scooches with knees to Lotus’ side, and watches his love’s body language as he pauses. After a few minutes, Brandon finally made it to Andrés’ side and open his arm at the lyrics:
If you ever need a helpin’ hand, I’ll be there on the double just as fast as I can~
This broke Andrés’ even more and swiftly embraced his love’s arms, sobbing his eyes as if he was a little kid all over again. He holds on tight on Brandon’s leather jacket as an anchor and cries until he drains himself from all of his emotions.
Brandon didn’t mind his love’s crying but it hurts when he hears the pain from the tears. He held Andrés with all of his love and support until they both fell asleep, together, in the walk-in shower.
— Morning hours —
Their friend, Frontier, was always the first to wake up before anyone else did and usually made breakfast for everyone if Brandon wasn't up after him.
While he was making breakfast, their other friend, Sonata woke up with a thud as she fell off of her bed. Sonata came out of her bedroom, staggered towards the stairs, and carefully walked downstairs and towards the diner table.
She notices her medicines and a half cup of luke-warm water was waiting for her on the table. Sonata muttered her thanks to Frontier, whose nickname for her is Dad since Frontier and his family helped raise her when she was younger.
“My pleasure, Havoc,” Frontier responded over his shoulder as he was making her plate.
He ambled towards Sonata and placed her plate in front of her.
“Thanks Dad. Hold the phone, where's Bough and Thorns at? They should be up by now, right?” Sonata asked, curious about the whereabouts of the two lovebirds.
“‘Am honestly not sure where they are, though I'm sure they are still in their room,” Frontier answered, now curious about it.
“Maybe we should go and check on them since Andrés didn't look so good last night,” Sonata said concernedly.
Frontier bowed his head to think then nodded to agree with her and turned off the used burner before walking up the stairs with Sonata behind him.
They careen silently towards Brandon and Andrés’ room and Sonata softly knocks on their door, cracks the door slowly, and both enter quietly.
Frontier listened for any snoring while Sonata was looking under or around their room. Sonata and Frontier began to hear snoring in their bathroom and without thinking, Sonata slowly cracked the door open and saw the two in the walk-in shower.
Frontier peaks in as well and notices the mirror was shattered by a bloody punch. He follows the trail of dried blood towards Andrés’, now bruised, hand.
He quickly pieces the puzzle together in his mind as what happened last night.
“Poor Thorns,” Sonata said, somberly.
“Same Havoc, same,” Frontier softly agrees with Sonata.
He motioned to Sonata that it was time for them to return before they woke up and noticed them. She quickly nodded and quickly ambled towards the door with Frontier behind her and exited the door.
Two hours went by as Brandon stumbled out of the shared room with his missing leather green jacket and smear make up. He leaned against his weight on the stairs railings and took one step at the time then lumber towards the kitchen.
Frontier knows that Brandon wasn't a morning guy though choose to wake up early and hand him a cup of black coffee. Brandon hummed a thanks before taking a huge gulp of semi-hot coffee, which surprisingly doesn't burn Brandon’s tongue or mouth.
A minute later, Andrés came down with Brandon’s jacket wrapped around his body and decided to go to the living room to lay down on the couch, using his boyfriend’s jacket as a blanket. Sonata didn’t wait as she moved to his side and sat, without hesitation, Andrés rose from the couch and leaned against her side and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Ya want me to hum a band tone, Thorns?” Sonata whispered.
She waited for his answer then he hummed yes to her and closed his eyes as Sonata began to hum a duet song that their band created.
Frontier and Brandon listened to Sonata’s humming as they quietly talked about what could’ve caused his massive panic attack last night and compared vocal notes to each other. However, the only thing that kept coming up was what happened at work might be the main cause for their friend’s attack.
“We both know that Andrés is gonna get us if we tell him what our plan is, Darkness.” Frontier softly remarked.
Brandon stared down at the counter before responding with a darkened expression.
“I know… that’s why we ain’t going to tell him about this.” Brandon replied to Frontier, who shared the same sentiment and look as his ‘brother’.
“Do we ride with a full or partly crew?” Frontier inquired with confidence.
“Partly crew, only the ones who are closest to us. I’ll be ready in a moment while ya send the message to the crew,” Brandon started, he placed his hand on Titan’s shoulder before walking away and toward the downstairs bathroom.
Later, the two got ready to head out on their bikes, Brandon asked the two if they wanted something from the store, mentally took notes on what they wanted and bumped his forehead on their foreheads then walked out of the door with Frontier doing the same and followed him out the door.
They both started their bikes, waited for the engines to idle before backing out of the driveway and took off toward town square, where the tattoo parlor was located. As they drove their partly crew slowly appeared and drove along with them. They each made hand signals to Titan and Darkness to catch them up with their situation. Titan motioned his hand that they had a code wine and without question, they all nodded and rode quietly as they pulled up to the parlor’s lots.
Two of the six stood in front of the entrance as they entered the tattoo parlor, which thankfully no customers were present at this point of time and only the tattoo artists were present.
“Is the owner of this parlor here?!” One of the crew members commanded loudly and glanced around.
“We’re only here for a little talk, that’s all.” Another member added, his rough voice was more inviting than the first member, whose voice was more sharper and imitating.
They waited for a moment until they made their appearance to the crews and shakenly asked them if they wanted to rob them or take their money. The first member sharply asks if they would know the customers who were here yesterday and were tattooed by Andrés Thorne-Martínez.
The owner thinks and says that there were only two people who gotten tattoos from him, Billy Reverb and Cole Mark.
“Darkness?” The sharp voice gal remarked as she turned her attention to him.
He motioned his hands and walked out of the parlor with each limping step of building wrath in his soul. The others followed his lead with no hesitation or questions, hopped on their bikes and took off.
They drove for a while until they spotted Cole Mark trying to talk to two girl, who looked uncomfortable, wanting him to go away and leave them alone. They pulled over and without warning, ‘Darkness’ hopped off his bike and charged him with a strong tackle, causing them to crash onto the ground with a thud.
The two girls were shocked at the moment then were taken away from the scene by two of the gal members with care. While they were further away from the station, Cole yelled at the stranger to get off of him then proceeded to shout that they scared off the girls that he was trying to flirt with.
“Who tha hell are you asshole!” Cole yelled at him.
With a growl, ‘Darkness’ ripped off his helmet and smiled menacingly at Cole as he answered him with a simple sentence. “Your ol’ nightmare.”
Cole turned pale as his eyes widened, he recognized that menacing smile and dead voice. It was his old bandmate that kicked him out of the band for no apparent reason other than hating him for being better than all of them, especially the lead singer who was just pretty ‘it’.
“Well I’ll be damn, that wannabe dude sent out his mean ass boyfriend and his pals to save his honor, hilarious I must say.” Cole barked out but was cut off by a hard kick from one of the gal members.
“Shit!” Cole hissed.
‘Darkness’ have an idea for him and hand signals to the other about his idea, they laughed at the thought of it and agreed with him as they pick Cole up from ground and take him to the one place he hated with all of his lack of a heart, the Fire Heart’s Desire, a secret place that only a few know and love as it host drag queens, kings and those who are in-between of the two.
‘Hawk’ knocked on the door with a familiar beat and a towering Queen opened the door, saw the logo on the black denim jackets.
“A classic regular, my dears~?” the Queen said cheerfully.
“Yes, you're magnificent,” ‘Titan’ smiled.
“I’ll go tell the others, brb!” The Queen chimed as she walked away from the door letting the crews enter with the tied-up Cole. They were glad that the spot wasn’t far from their original spot. They patiently waited for the Queens along with Kings to do their magic, only the make up routine this time since they know this is big enough for a punishment especially what he said to Thorns.
“Hum, you think maybelline lavender voltage would work for this look, girls?” One of the Queens asked.
“Hundred percent yes and with this eyeshadow, yas!” Another replied with bolt energy.
30 minutes later, they were done with their masterpiece and with thanks ‘Darkness’ and ‘Titan’ tipped them huge. The crew took a picture of the make-up masterpiece then promptly shoved Cole Mark into the middle of a busy sidewalk.
The college students took notice of Cole Mark and tried not to laugh at him or remark about his appearance. Though some students were already laughing their asses off and genuinely asked him if he drunkenly did a poor effort of a dare.
The crew quickly returned to their bikes and said their goodbyes as they departed from the group, leaving ‘Darkness’ and ‘Titan’ to head to the store for ice creams and other supplies for a slumber party plus the items that are required for Sonata and Andrés.
They returned home around early lunch time and they heard reverberating music coming from the house as they glanced at each other with a knowing look. They entered the house, Careless Whisper by Seether was playing as Andrés and Sonata was talking about childhood characters they had crushes on when they were younger.
“What’s up, guys!” Sonata chirped as she noticed them.
“Howdy!” “Sup!” They both responded at the same time.
“Y’all got the stuff?” Andrés inquired.
“Yup plus ice cream for later on,” Frontier cheerfully replied with a smile.
“Hell yeah!” Sonata and Andrés stouted together then high five each other.
“Let the party begin!” Brandon yelled, happily as he raised a beer in the air with a grand old smile.
The rest of the day was full of laughter and joy as they played board games and trivia about random stuff like what characters and current music from different genres. Afterwards, they did a movie marathon and between each marathon they drew a different theme for the next marathon.
As the night begins to close the band changed into their sleep wear with Buck by Frontier’s side and getting pets by Andrés and Sonata. They decided to sleep in the living room since it has a lot of room.
One by one, they drift to sleep with Andrés and Brandon being the last two awake.
“Thanks for being by my side, Willow,” Andrés whispered.
“Always, my Lotus,” Brandon lovely replied, he placed a kiss on Andrés' forehead.
“Also,” Andrés continued. “Thanks for dealing with the garbage, I really appreciate it,” Andrés finished his sentence before drifting off to sleep.
Leaving Brandon confused with how Andrés knew what they did but decided not to linger on it since they were already done with that crap. He slowly drifts off to sleep and snuggles up to Andrés’ side with a sigh.