A/N: I have several story ideas ideas in mind for multiple active communities and here I am, writing a fan fic about a 13 year-old movie that didn't have much publicity to begin. Not only that, but writing about a pairing that probably no one else even likes. What the hell is wrong with me?
Now, don't get me wrong; I absolutely LOVE Shep x Stella. The fact that their love transcends beyond physical actions and their souls are spiritually connected is one of the most beautiful elements to a ship I've ever seen. I'd love to write a fluff piece for them.
But, for some unknown reason, I very shamefully ship Arpegius x Stella too. I guess there were just little things here and there that I saw between them; stolen glances, small physical contact here and there, the way he immediately stood in front of her in Veridous Quo to shield her from the laser gun, how he specifically was the one to save her from Darkwood (though Octave and Baryl obviously helped, but he was the one to go for it without second thought) — not to mention they're always paired together.
I'm probably just over analyzing things, but I dunno — I think I like more subtle hints of romance between characters. Though, I have seen people headcanon them as siblings. Which I suppose makes sense, but I just personally didn't get that vibe from them. Both of them being blonde wasn't enough for me, lol. However, I suppose his protectiveness over her could be a brother thing. Who really knows?
Anyway, if anyone actually is reading this, then I hope you enjoy! This is my first lemon to be posted on here, so I hope I did okay. It was kinda hard to give enough personality to their characters, seeing as no one says a single word in the entire film, but I used what little I had.
Stella stood in front of the large window, ghosting her hand on the cool glass as she watched the rain pour down in the night sky. Her mind was cluttered, yet so empty at the same time.
Why did she feel like there was something missing from her life? If had been her dream since she was a child to be a bassist in a famous band, and The Crescendolls were currently the most renown band in probably the whole world. This was what she and the boys had wanted since they first formed their band, but...
She couldn't shake this haunting feeling inside her. It was like a null void swallowing her into complete nothingness — that the only thing she was currently experiencing was a suffocating numbness. It wasn't something she wanted to get accustomed to.
The door opening behind her made Stella jump slightly with a gasp, scared that it was Mr. Darkwood or one of his goons come to demand her to continue working. She wouldn't have been surprised if she developed carpal tunnel from all the excessive signing she had been doing.
However, to her relief, it was only Arpegius that had come in. He looked a little more lively than when she last saw him during which he could barely walk in a straight line from, she assumed, sleep deprivation. Now, he was swigging an energy drink while giving her a small wave.
"Whoops, sorry, Stella. I didn't mean to startle you." Arpegius said with a lighthearted laugh, walking over in her direction and throwing himself on one of the teal couches as he chugged down more of his drink.
"Are you done with your autographs?" Stella calmly asked, turning her body around to face the guitarist.
"Nope. I know I'm probably gonna get my ass kicked for it later, but I'll be damned if I have to sign one more." Arpegius stated with a hint of aggression, his brows knitted together in a slight scowl. However, his natural carefree demeanor broke through once again and he glanced over at her with a grin. "Sooo, I thought I'd come by and check up on my favorite girl. How you feeling?"
The question on its own was simple enough, just casual small talk, but at that moment it was more loaded and complex than she would have foresaw. It took her aback as she tried to come up with a proper answer.
"I... don't know," she replied honestly, casting her gaze to the ground as she rubbed her arm. She wanted to give him a more reassuring answer, but she was never a very good liar to begin with and Arpegius wasn't someone she wanted to lie to.
This caught the guitarist's attention, putting the half-empty can on the table in front of him and propping himself up on his elbows to get a better look at her. Concern lacing his voice, he asked, "Are you okay, Stella? You seem pretty down."
The bassist shrugged her shoulders and pivoted back to the window, watching droplets of rain slide down the outside with a pensive expression. "I'm not sure, honestly. Maybe the stress of all this sudden fame we've acquired is taking its toll on me. Interviews, talk shows, autograph signings, and not to mention all the gigs we've been doing... it's just a lot."
"I hear you, sister," Arpegius remarked with a whimsical sigh, tossing his head back on the cushion while rubbing his tired eyes behind his aviators. He entwined his fingers behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. "Don't get me wrong, I'm beyond stoked that we've made it this far. When Octave first came up to me and said 'Hey, let's start a band' I was pretty skeptical that it'd actually go anywhere. I mean, when I was a kid, I dreamed of nothing more than moving to the States and becoming a famous guitarist, but being famous is hard work, you know? It's not just sex and rock 'n roll."
As Arpegius continued aimlessly speaking, Stella subconsciously found herself examining him. She was well aware he was handsome and had many female admirers, but his attractiveness had never really meant anything to her before. Now, as she looked at him and scrutinized every little detail about him — from the wild brown locks atop his head down to his surprisingly built chest that was accented by a tight red shirt — she couldn't help noticing just how physically appealing he really was. Yet, when she admired him, it didn't feel like it was Arpegius she was looking at...
Without thinking, Stella's feet took her over towards the couch and she loomed over Arpegius, who had yet to notice her presence amidst his rambling.
"Arpegius," she called out, looking at the male who finally snapped out of his ranting and gazed up at her. For a second, she pictured his hair to be a bit shorter and lighter in color and his skin to be, for some odd reason, light blue.
"Stella? What's up?" he inquired, staring up at her with a helplessly bewildered frown.
Without warning, Stella climbed on top of the guitarist and straddled his waist as she looked down upon him with hazy eyes. She placed her hands softly upon his chest, relishing in the feel of his taut muscles beneath her palms.
"St-Stella?" he croaked out, his eyes widening and his cheeks turning a reddish hue as he gaped in amazement at the sight of the bassist sitting on top of him.
"I'm not okay, Arpegius," Stella spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, leaning forward to where her face was hovering a few centimeters over his, locks of titian hair spilling forward. "I don't know why, but I feel empty; like a part of my very being was ripped away from me. I need your help, Arpegius. Can you fill that void for me?"
He gulped thickly, blinking at few times as he tried to make sense of what was happening. His heart pounded rapidly in his chest and his breathing hitched as he looked straight into her glasses-covered eyes. "I-I don't understand. What are you doing, Stella?"
As if coming out of a strange trance, Stella suddenly comprehended the situation that she put herself it: here she was, on top of her fellow band member in an attempt to seduce him for seemingly no reason. What was she doing?
A terrible feeling of shame and self-disgust washed over the bassist as she climbed off of Arpegius, standing up so her back was facing towards him. Clenching her fist, she put it over her pounding heart and closed her eyes. "I... I'm not sure what I was thinking. Please forgive me, Arpegius; that was wrong of me to do. I don't know what came over me."
"... I should probably get back to work." she quietly stated, about to take a step forward before a pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped themselves around her body and hot breath tickled against her ear as a husky voice whispered.
"What, did you really think you could get off the hook that easily?" Arpegius said lowly, pressing the back of her body to his as his hands settled on her waist.
"Arpegius...?" Stella breathed out, reveling in the warmth that his body radiated. It made her feel alive and secure and just simply feel.
"You can't just go starting something like that and leaving me hanging. I never pictured you as a tease." His lips connected with the juncture between her shoulder and neck, lightly tracing his tongue across her smooth skin.
The unexpected contact caused her to sharply gasp, unintentionally grinding her backside against his crotch. This action only further encouraged the guitarist, who growled and tightened his grip on her waist as he sucked diligently against the side of her neck.
"O-Oh!" Stella let out a surprised moan, heat spreading throughout her body as she titled her head further to the side to give him better access. She leaned back against him, wrapping one arm around him and entangling her fingers in his unruly tresses. Her eyes fluttered shut as she slowly lost herself in the pleasure, the grasp she had in his hair slightly tightening.
He continued planting hot kisses all around her neck, slowly beginning to grind his pelvis against her behind while his hands explored the curves of her frame. She blushed profusely when she realized something was very prominently poking her lower back, trying to bite back a whimper. On instinct, she attempted to move away but he immediately locked her body with his forearm and held her in place to continue his ministrations more persistently.
"A-Arpegius..." she mewled weakly, his very touch setting her body ablaze with each stroke and kiss he gave. In first time for months, she was finally feeling something and she wasn't willing to give it up so easily.
Stella managed to wiggle some leeway from his powerful grip, spinning her body around to be face to face with him. Immediately, she gulped at seeing his expression: the pure carnal lust that clouded his eyes and the cocky smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips made her legs feel weak. Even though she was the one who initiated it, suddenly she found herself overcome with shyness at his gaze.
However, when she looked up at him, his face noticeably softened and a genuine smile worked its way onto his lips. This made her heart race faster in a different manner.
"As I'm sure you can tell, I'm not at all against having some fun," Arpegius playfully stated, tracing his thumb along her delicate jawline. "You don't have to feel embarrassed about it; I was just thrown off-guard, that's all. I wasn't expecting you to get on top of me and start asking me to just take you, you know?"
"But I..." Stella hesitated, her amber hues briefly shifting downwards before looking back up meekly. "You don't think it's kind of sudden or random, o-or weird?"
"I won't lie, I never thought you of all people would come onto me like that, but hey, we're two consenting adults who are both equally stressed out and wanna relieve some of that stress. Nothing wrong with that." he casually stated, chuckling under his breath. "Besides, how could I ever deny the opportunity to be with the Stella of The Crescendolls? Anybody would kill to have such an illustrious beauty in their arms."
Though she knew he was teasing her, Stella couldn't help but feel touched at what he said. She felt like she was becoming a human being once more, emotions finally breaking free from the barrier and flooding back into her soul. She didn't want to lose this sensation.
Cupping his cheeks in her palms, the bassist smashed her lips against his and cocked her head to the side to delve deeper. He didn't resist against this action, instead complying and encircling his arms around her tiny waist as he eagerly pried her lips open with his tenacious tongue.
She gave a tiny whimper and allowed him entry, opening her mouth and pushing her tongue against his before falling into the rhythm. As their tongues battled for dominance, a trail of saliva leaked out of the corner of her mouth. At that point, she couldn't tell whose it was or even care for that matter as they continued their passionate make-out session. To break away for even one second wasn't something either of them was willing, or seemingly capable, of doing.
However, for Stella, this wasn't nearly enough. Even with his arms around her and his mouth covering her own, she needed more — she just needed to be closer. Hooking a slender leg around his waist, she used this as leverage to hoist herself up onto him and wrap her other leg around as her arms circled around his neck.
Arpegius was a little thrown off by this, stumbling back a bit, but not at all against it as he grabbed onto the underside of her thighs and lifted her up more as while maintaining his hungry exploration of her mouth. He eventually fell back onto the arm of the couch, his hands sliding down to grope her ass as he leisurely began to grind his hips up against hers.
Stella cried out at the amazing feeling of his hardened length rubbing against her heated core, pulling away from the kiss to let out a strangled sob and burying her face in the crook of his neck as the teasing gyrations continued to push her further to the brink. More heat pooled into her lower abdomen, her arousal growing as she herself become wetter with the stimulation. Still greedily wanting more, she pushed her hips down with each movement to intensify the sensation.
"Shit, Stella..." Arpegius panted in a slightly breathless voice, "You're driving me crazy."
"I guess I just need someone else to feel crazy too. Hmhm." Stella laughed softly at her own joke, desperately rubbing herself against him as she tightened her arms around his neck. "More..."
"Not here," he said, looking over to the door with a hint of paranoia as he gently patted her back. "Wouldn't want Mr. Darkwood to catch us shagging in plain sight. We should probably head to the bedroom."
Stella nodded in agreement, realizing that it wouldn't be in their best interest to openly have sex when it was easy for anybody to enter the room at any second. At least in the bedroom there would be more privacy.
She made a noise suspiciously close to an 'eep!' when she felt herself being picked up, still clinging onto his body as he stumbled his way over to the bedroom with her in his arms. All the while the two stole kisses from the other, giggling and gasping.
Once in the bedroom, Arpegius used his leg to kick the door shut and gently dropped Stella on the bed. Her chest heaved up and down rapidly as she peered up at her band mate, a shiver running up her spine at the expression he wore; like a hunter finally catching its prey and soaking in the glory.
"You're so sexy, Stella," he purred out, lunging at her as his sturdy body covered hers and reclaiming her lips hungrily. The two kicked off their shoes almost in unison, hurriedly trying to get whatever pieces of clothing they had off.
"Arpegius," she whined against his mouth, voice laced with lust as she impatiently squirmed beneath him.
"Shh, hold on, baby." he hushed her, breaking the kiss as he discarded her red jacket and threw it aside along with her green top. With her chest only being hidden by her strapless white bra, he skillfully snapped the clasp off of it and eagerly observed her breasts spill out of their containment.
Stella couldn't help but feel embarrassed at the lust-filled gaze he gave as he scrutinized her revealed chest, turning her head over to the side to avoid it with glowing pink cheeks.
"Aha, you're adorable," Arpegius murmured, leisurely trailing his hand up to grope one of her full mounds and trapping her rosebud pink nipple in between his thumb and index finger as he tenderly massaged it.
"Mmm..." Stella sighed, rubbing her thighs together longingly as he rolled her pert nipple between his fingers with a gentle tug. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out from this delightful torture.
While his one hand was tirelessly working on her breasts, switching from one to the other occasionally, the bassist failed to notice his other hand travel downwards until she felt her panties being pushed aside and his finger just barely graze her entrance. She made only the slightest noise of approval at he explored her nether regions with deft digits.
"God, you're soaked," Arpegius playfully growled before abruptly dipping his middle finger inside her, slightly curling it as he pumped it in and out of her steadily. "You really been wanting this that badly?"
"A-Ah...!" Stella cried out, bucking her pelvis up when feeling his thick finger enter her womanhood. Her breathing increased, the pressure that was rapidly building up too much for her to handle as her physique trembled. She lightly grabbed onto his wrist, trying in vain to stop his relentless ministrations to regain some composure. "Arpegius, I don't know... how much more I can... ahh ha..."
"Aww, come on, now. I'm just getting you ready for me, is all." Arpegius shot her a chaste wink as he added another finger, quickening his pace while rubbing his thumb in leisure circles against her engorged clit. "But if you insist..."
Within seconds, they were both completely undressed as Arpegius placed his hands on her inner thighs and delicately spread them apart. Taking his throbbing member into his hand, giving it a few hurried strokes for good measure, the male looked at her with an uncharacteristically serious countenance gracing his features. "If you wanna stop, it's not too late. I'll understand if you don't wanna go any further."
Though she appreciated his concern, Stella was slightly peeved at this and huffed a little with a pout. "Now who's the tease?"
Arpegius's stern expression promptly fell and was replaced with a warm smile as he laughed. "I guess you got me there."
"Alright, but if you regret it later don't say I didn't warn you." With that, he rubbed himself against her core a little before ramming inside of her with a grunt.
The sheer force caused Stella to let out a cry of pain and pleasure, her hands shooting up and clinging onto his shoulders as he fully buried himself to the hilt. While he wasn't overwhelming big nor was she a virgin, sex wasn't something she often partook in very often so her body needed some time to adjust.
"Damn, Stella... you feel so good," Arpegius groaned through gritted teeth, but could tell by the grimace on her face she was experiencing some discomfort. Brushing a few auburn strands out of her face, he spoke to her in a soothing tone as he stilled his body, "Just tell me when you're good to go, okay? Last thing I wanna do is hurt you."
"Mhm," she agreed softly, taking a deep breath and exhaling before the pain slowly turned into a dull ache and was replaced with a wave of pleasure. Rocking her hips up, she faintly begged, "I'm good now. Go... please..."
He didn't need to be told twice. Drawing out just enough to where the tip was only remaining in, Arpegius slammed back inside of her. Both moaned out simultaneously at this, the sensation shooting through their bodies like electricity as he picked up the pace and continued thrusting in and out of her dripping core.
Stella fell back onto the bed, arching her back as her body quivered from the acute pleasure that washed over her. Even if ephemeral, at this moment she felt whole once more; she didn't want it to end.
Throaty groans spilled from Arpegius's mouth as he pounded erratically into her warm, tight center, using his arms as leverage to keep himself up while hovering over her writhing body. He grabbed onto one of her legs and threw it over his shoulder, angling himself to reach deeper inside her while using his length in a way that rubbed up against her clitoris for added stimulation.
"Ohh, Arpegius!" Stella called out lustfully, her moans becoming louder with each fleeting second. A little too loud, in fact. Panic overcame the guitarist at his current lover's vociferous cries of passion, causing him to swiftly cover her mouth with his hand.
Leaning in close to her ear, he licked the outer shell with a playful nibble as he sultrily whispered. "If I could have my way, you'd be screaming my name as loud as you could until your throat was hoarse, but right now I need you to be a little quieter, okay?"
Stella nodded, her moans muffled as he continued to pound inside her until he felt it was safe and retracted his hand. With each thrust, she felt the pressure build up, it quickly becoming apparent that she couldn't contain it for much longer.
"Arpegius, I'm so close..." she mewled through labored breaths, wiping off the building sweat from her forehead as his vigorous pummeling escalated.
In a blink of an eye, Arpegius had scooped her up and re-positioned them where he was sitting down and she was in his lap. Gripping onto her hips, he promptly bucked up inside her before regaining a steady rhythm once more. Boldly looking her straight in the eyes, he gave a flushed grin with his hair even more of a tousled mess than usual. "Then cum for me, baby."
Such an audacious action only added to the wondrous aching in her pelvic region. Stella lunged her body forward and grappled onto his sinewy back as she mindlessly bit onto his shoulder to quell her moans. She hadn't even realized she bit down so hard until a iron-like taste hit her taste buds, promptly registering that she had broke skin and caused him to bleed. "O-Oh, I'm sorry, Arpegius. I didn't mean to..." She stopped short when she examined it, noticing an oddity about the color. It was... golden yellow?
Her thoughts were cut off by an almost animalistic growling, feeling the tempo pick up and the roughness suddenly increase as he thrust more desperately up with his grip faintly shaking. "Bite me all you want, baby — you won't break me, I promise."
She wasn't sure if it was the words or the way he said them, but that, along with having already been so wound up from the earlier foreplay, was Stella's breaking point. The orgasm hit her like a tsunami, the blissful feeling coursing through her veins as her womanhood clenched against his pulsating member. She stifled her near-scream into his shoulder once more and dug her fingernails into his shoulder blades, riding out her orgasm until she fell back onto the bed with her flushed chest rising and falling rapidly.
It wasn't long before Arpegius was joining her, his thrusts uneven and rushed before he finally emitted a choked sob and quickly pulled out, his seed spraying all over her lower stomach. He hunched forward, brown fringe stuck to his forehead by a sheen layer of sweat as he attempted to calm down his ragged panting.
Stella picked her head up, her fingers just barely grazing the area on her stomach that was covered in a rather ample amount of fluids. Arpegius noticed this, looking embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish laugh.
"Uh, sorry about that, Stella. I guess I was more worked up than I thought. I'll go get you a towel or something, okay?" He sprung up from the bed, going to the bathroom to retrieve said towel.
Stella sat up groggily, scooping up some of the sticky substance with her index finger and observing it curiously. She bought her finger up to her lips, a wanton interest overcoming her as she briefly tasted the bitter fluid. She recoiled almost immediately, not particularly fond of the taste. It wasn't necessarily bad, but not exactly favorable either.
"You trying to hint at a round two with that?" Arpegius lightheartedly commented with a mischievous snicker, tossing the towel to her as he lied back on the bed with a content sigh.
The bassist cleaned herself up, throwing aside the towel as she herself lied back. Honestly, she wasn't sure how to feel. Now that it was all done and over with, she felt even worse than before; like the void in her had widened and was sucking the entirety of her soul into it. It wasn't that she was expecting for everything to be completely fixed by having sex with Arpegius, but for her to feel even more down because of it certainly wasn't expected. An overwhelming sense of guilt swallowed her, but she couldn't figure out why. Why did it feel like she had just cheated on someone?
Arpegius was able to detect something wrong with her, rolling on his side to look at her. "Something wrong, Stella? Ahh, wait, don't tell: this is gonna be the part where you say 'You did your best' or 'Your enthusiasm made up for it', right? Ha ha, I guess I should have expected it."
Stella's eyes widened, shaking her head at his assumption. "N-No, Arpegius, it was amazing, I swear! I just... I don't know, no matter how good it felt something also felt wrong about it."
"Please don't tell me this is where you reveal that you've got a boyfriend or something, 'cos that'll make what just happened incredibly awkward." Arpegius replied, half-joking and half-serious.
"I don't think I do, but at the same time I don't know. I guess I just don't understand myself very well? No, that doesn't make sense." Stella said with uncertainty, fiddling with the covers. "Sometimes I think I've got amnesia or something. There are so many things I feel like I should remember, but don't..."
"I get that." the guitarist responded without hesitation, much to the surprise of Stella.
"You do?"
"Yeah, I actually do. I'm not sure what it is, but I can't shake this feeling that something's off. It all feels so surreal, you know?" Arpegius stared up at the ceiling, faintly smiling. "This is probably gonna sound dumb, but sometimes I have these dreams where we're aliens and it just feels so right, so natural."
"Aliens?" Stella queried, curious as she gazed at him.
"Yeah, we're these blue-skinned aliens wearing orange jumpsuits or something. Instead of brown hair, I'm blond but I'm pretty sure I've still got blue eyes. Other than that, it's not really anything too crazy. We play gigs in front of other aliens, but we have more fun than we do in real life."
"Huh, that actually sounds really nice..." Stella mumbled, a sense of nostalgia washing over her. "What do I look like in these dreams?"
"You? Well, you're blonde, too and your hair is longer — like, past-your-waist long. I think you've got blue eyes, as well, but I never really get an up-close look."
"Hmm, I'm starting to think you just want everybody to be blonde-haired and blue-eyed." Stella teased him, earning herself a sideways grin from the guitarist.
"Nah, because Baryl and Octave don't have blond hair. I just couldn't picture them with any other hair color." Arpegius sighed sadly, closing his eyes. "I wish we could actually live that life. No pressure, no stress, just good times and good music. Now that's the life for me."
The bassist only murmured in agreement, snuggling up to him as her eyelids gradually became heavier. Such activity along with already being exhausted to begin with was a enervating combination and she couldn't find herself able to stay awake any longer. Maybe just a small nap wouldn't hurt.
Stella awoke to the sound of someone very loudly clearing their throat, her eyes fluttering open to find none other than their manager standing by the doorway with a very displeased scowl on his face.
"M-Mr. Darkwood!" Stella gasped out, sitting up instantaneously before realizing she was still completely naked. With a red face, she quickly used the covers to hide her exposed chest and tried her best to avoid Darkwood's intense gaze as he stood there with his arms crossed over his wide chest. It was obvious that he was angry, but the fact he wasn't exploding and was being unnervingly quiet was by far the most terrifying part.
"Get him up." was his abrupt demand, the mere animosity in his words sharp as a knife.
"Psst, Arpegius, get up," Stella whispered as she shook her band mate's shoulder, opting to look at his peacefully sleeping form rather than Mr. Darkwood's vexed countenance. On cue, Arpegius stirred slightly and opened his eyes, smiling as soon as he saw Stella but frowning when he noticed her expression. Her eyes darted from him over to Mr. Darkwood, trying to give him a hint.
Sitting up himself, Arpegius looked over to see their manager still standing there, his scowl only deepening as he impatiently drummed his fingers on his bicep.
"Oh shit!" the guitarist cussed, his heart sinking all the way to the bottom of his gut at the sight. Rubbing the back of his neck, he nervously gave a little laugh. "U-Uh, hey there, Mr. Darkwood. Fancy meeting you here."
Darkwood looked less than amused with this greeting, his face noticeably turning an light shade of red and a large vein bulging on his temple as he closed his eyes. He appeared to be trying to control his anger.
"You two... you... how dare..." Darkwood growled through clenched teeth, body slightly shaking as he refused to look at either of them. "Get dressed this instant and get back to work. I'm letting you off with a warning this time. I will not tolerate this depraved, perverse behavior a second time."
"But Mr. Darkwood..." Arpegius chimed, trying in vain to come up with a defense but was harshly cut off.
"Enough! I will not repeat myself." Darkwood yelled at the duo, spinning on the heel of his foot as he indignantly muttered to himself while walking out of the room. "Damned deviant aliens... clearly I need to restrengthen the signal on the..." the rest was unintelligible.
"Crap, we really pissed him off, didn't we?" Arpegius sighed as he ran his fingers through his brown tresses.
Stella didn't verbally respond, only nodding as she began to search for her skewed articles of clothing and dress herself. An awkward silence shrouded over the duo, unsure of what to say after that even more awkward encounter.
"I think I'm gonna take a quick shower," Arpegius breezily stated, swinging his legs over the bedside and standing up with a brief stretch before heading over to the bathroom. He quickly turned back to her, his sapphire eyes soft. "Hey, I want you to know I'm always here for you, Stel — even if this meant nothing, I won't let it get between us. We're still friends, okay?"
Stella smiled back at him, slowly nodding her head. "I understand, Arpegius. I would never ever want to lose you, even if it's just as friends and nothing more. I-I'm really sorry for using you like that."
"Pfft, come on," Arpegius scoffed playfully, shooting her a wink, "This wasn't a one-sided thing; I most definitely was participating. We used each other, so we're both bad, okay? Just let me know if you need any more 'help' in the future." With that, he closed to the bathroom door.
Stella giggled quietly at this as she heard the shower turn on, now fully dressed and standing in front of the mirror to fix her disheveled hair. Feeling like she looked decent enough, she exited the room.
Wandering around for a bit, she soon found herself entering the room that Octave was currently in. Unlike before, he seemed more awake as he read through a magazine with his legs propped up on the coffee table before him. He looked over at her, shooting her a smile as he went back to his reading.
"Hey, baby-girl. How's it going?" Octave's smooth voice called out, immediately comforting her without any effort. There was something very reassuring about being in Octave's presence; he was that big brother figure who always had your back, something she was deeply grateful for.
"You seem more energetic than before." Stella commented, earning herself a deep chuckle from the keyboardist.
"Got me some coffee, so I'm definitely feeling a little more chipper than before. Sleep would be a lot more appreciated, but beggars can't be choosers." he responded as he held up his mug, briefly taking a sip. "For whatever reason, Mr. Darkwood gave Baryl and me permission for a fifteen minute break and you can bet your ass I'm gonna take advantage of it."
Stella wondered if Darkwood finding out about hers and Arpegius's little tryst had any influence in that. Maybe he wanted to reward them for... well, not fooling around. She wasn't able to properly think about this as she staggered over to where Octave sat, leaning over the back of the couch and slinging her head forward.
"You okay, girly?" Octave questioned, turning his head over to stare at her with his emerald hues filled with worry.
Stella wasn't sure she wanted to straight up answer with: 'I slept with Arpegius because I've been feeling incomplete, only to still feel that way after AND have Darkwood catch us'. So, she only grumbled incoherently and kept her face downward.
"You're probably exhausted, aren't you? They been keeping us up all night to sign merchandise, not giving a damn about our well-being. It ain't right," Octave's expression darkened at the thought of the injustice they were experiencing, but he waved it off with an exasperated sigh. "Why don't you sneak in a quick nap or something? If they give you any crap, I'll be sure to take the beating from those thugs for you."
Stella smiled warmly at this. Yes, Octave definitely was the perfect big brother. "You're too good to me, Octave. What'd I ever do to deserve a friend like you?"
The keyboardist laughed, patting her head as he went back to reading his magazine. "Now now, don't be getting all sappy on me, Stella — you know I'll always be there for my band mates. We're all here for you, girl — me, Arpegius, and Baryl. We've all got your back."
"...Some of us more than others, apparently..." he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear, a knowing smirk on his lips as he kept his eyes glued on the magazine.
Stella's head shot up instantly, her face becoming a remarkable scarlet tint as she gaped at him with her mouth slightly hanging open. She tried to speak, but all that came out were strangled croaks.
"Yeah, sorry about that, baby-girl, but I know. Darkwood came in not too long ago, cursing up a storm about how Baryl and me better not try to pull the same stunt that you two did," Octave nonchalantly answered for her seeing as she was unable to ask the question herself.
"Baryl knows too?" Stella squeaked, already imagining all the incessant taunting she would receive from the youngest of the band.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure he's already harassing Arpegius as we speak," the keyboardist commented in good nature, appearing rather indifferent to the news which, quite frankly, shocked Stella.
"You don't ... you don't think any less of me because of it?" she queried with a hint of fear in her voice, worried that he would have looked down upon her for it.
"Tch, you kidding me? Why the hell would I care about what you and Arpegius do?" Octave confidently replied with a big grin, amused at her worries. "I'm a thirty two year-old, grown-ass man, Stella; I ain't so immature I'd make fun of you or damn you for it. Baryl, on the other hand, is a different story."
"The matter of the fact is, I have no problem with you getting laid. What happens behind closed doors sure as hell ain't my concern. Just make sure whatever is going on between you two don't affect the band, got it? Don't need no melodrama tearing us up."
While this made her feel better, something in it also made her feel worse. Quietly, she said, "There's nothing between us."
"Mhm. Was this before or after you two got it on?" Octave skeptically questioning, arching an eyebrow at her before his mouth cracked into a big grin. "Cos if this is after, you know I'mma have to give Arpegius crap for it. With that big game he's always talking up, to know he ain't all that in the sack is an opportunity I will not pass up."
Instead of directly acknowledging this, Stella decided to ask what Arpegius had mentioned earlier. "Octave, do you remember me having a boyfriend? Or at least someone I was interested in?"
Octave gazed at her with a confused frown, but nonetheless put down his magazine and cupped his chin as he thought. "Mmm... I don't think so. For as long as I've known you, you were always that unattainable girl all the guys pined for but I don't remember you ever having a serious boyfriend or nothing. Why do you ask?"
"I can't help feeling like there's someone out there for me that I should know, but I just can't remember. I feel like I'm missing parts of my life and it makes me feel like I'm incomplete. It's horrible."
She closed her eyes, fully expecting Octave to deem her as mentally unstable or nothing more than sleep-deprived. She knew, in her soul, that there was something wrong.
"...So you feel that way too, huh?"
That certainly wasn't the answer she was anticipating.
"Wh-what?" Stella pathetically peeped, reopening her eyes to look at the keyboardist.
"Alright, lemme ask you something, Stella," Octave's voice dropped to a harsh whisper, his green hues darting back and forth throughout the room suspiciously before beckoning her closer with gesture of his hand. Obeying his unspoken order, the bassist leaned close to his face.
"Do you remember when or how we first met Mr. Darkwood?" he began, everything about his disposition dead serious. "And I don't mean all those stories he tells us, I mean seriously think back and try to remember on your own when we first met him."
Stella wasn't sure where he was going with this, but did as she was told and tried to think back to when they first acquainted themselves with Darkwood. Though, no matter how hard she tried...
"...No, I don't." she answered honestly, this revelation surprising on its own. It didn't really seem like much, but it was rather odd now thinking about it.
"Mhm, that's what I thought," Octave replied, crossing his arms, "It hit me not too long ago, and then I asked Baryl the same question. Guess what? He couldn't remember either, and I bet if I ask Arpegius it'll be the same answer. Now, how is it that all of us don't even remember the day we met our own manager? If you ask me, that's some sketchy shit right there."
Stella hadn't thought of this, but now that it was being brought to light the suspicion sunk it and more questions ran through her mind. "What does it mean?"
Octave paused for a moment, shaking his head with a defeated sigh. "Not sure yet. I know something's wrong with it, but I can't figure out just exactly what it means. Now, let me ask you another question: do your memories feel off to you?"
"I'm afraid I don't understand." Stella said.
"Alright, let me give you an example. So, I remember there was this time when I was thirteen, right? I snuck into a club once to get my party on. Now, that on its own ain't nothing too out there, you know? I love dancing and I was always pulling those kinda stunts as a kid. And yet, when I think about it, something just feels wrong with it. Like... I don't know, it was tampered with or something. I remember it happening, but I feel like something was changed about it. Now, try to recall a memory from your childhood. Does it feel right to you?"
The first memory that popped into her brain was a very simple one: her eight year old self jumping rope outside, wearing a blue dress. But, as if on cue, something felt vaguely strange about it. It wasn't that she didn't remember jump-roping, but something about the scenario felt synthetic in a sense.
"It does feel kind of off, now that you mention it... I'm guessing you asked Baryl this, too?"
"Yeah, and, again, he said the same damn thing," Octave was evidently frustrated as he ran his fingers through his afro, groaning. "Now, I ain't no conspiracist, but you can't deny there's something fishy about all this. I can't put my finger on it but I know there's something Mr. Darkwood ain't telling us. Maybe it's nothing, but I trust my gut instinct."
Stella was about to respond before something suddenly struck inside her mind, as if all independent thought was suddenly wiped from her brain and she was only able to stare blankly ahead at nothing in particular. Her eyes drifted over to the keyboardist whose expression matched her own.
"Now that's more like it," a sinister voice from behind said, revealing himself to be none other than Darkwood as he grabbed onto Stella's arm roughly. "I prefer my women to be more compliant, hmhm."
"Now, back to work, both of you! No more relaxing or whoring yourselves out." he snarled viciously, jerking her arm and dragging her along. "You have plenty to do and I refuse to allow such gallivanting any longer."
Instead of opposing such callous demands, Stella was only able to lifelessly comply as she followed behind her manager.
A/N: So, I realized some discrepancies with some of the stuff I wrote but there's only so much I can do to fit in Arpegius x Stella. I simply couldn't imagine them doing anything after meeting Shep, especially when he sacrifices himself for them. So, I wrote this in between Nightvision and Superheroes in hopes it could make a little more sense.
It's kinda funny to think of them wearing their glasses during sex, lol. But it's not like I could have them take 'em off. So, I pretty much just wrote it to where after a while the mind control signal wears down until manually restrengthened. It's not a lot, but hey, it's the best I can do.