Hello! OMG welcome back!
So let's be clear, I had no intention whatsoever to make a sequel to ' Disrupted Cadence', but the idea for this just hit me like lightening one day at work!
I hope you'll like this as much as you did my previous DGM work!
The names for each chapter will still be coming from Tarot Cards, as I've become infatuated with the ones I got myself.
Tarot Card Meaning/ Chapter summary: The important message of the strength card is not to give up. To have the courage to keep at it till you succeed and to have the faith and optimism that you will succeed. This card assures the Querent that they can control not only the situation, but themselves. It is a card about anger and impulse management, about creative answers, leadership and maintaining one's personal honor.
Strength
"So? What do you think of it?"
Allen took off his glasses and put the picture for the jacket of the single on the table.
"I like it. What do you think?" he whispered, turning to Tyki who was sitting next to him.
"I think this signals the start of a new and promising career," Tyki replied with a small grin.
Komui sat down at the round table and smiled at them. "I'll send it into printing then. Congratulations, Allen."
"Thank you for your hard work," Allen replied, closing his eyes and smiling when Tyki pressed a kiss against his temple. "I'm so excited about this."
"Judging from the initial response to your showcase of tonight, you're bound to make a big splash with the release of your DJ debut," Tyki said. "'Tease is going to vibrate to your sound only tonight."
Allen moved in to kiss him softly, wordlessly thanking him for his support.
"Did the gang rsvp for the showcase already?" Komui asked, picking up his phone from his pocket, which was buzzing.
"Yeah, they'll all be there," Allen answered with a nod.
"Great," Komui replied, before moving towards the double doors of the meeting room with a frown on his features as he looked at his phone. "I have to take this. Allen, Tyki, I'll see you guys tonight."
They both watched him go.
"Busy, busy man that Komui," Tyki remarked, beginning to stand from his seat.
"He no longer manages only one band, ever since he took over Marian's label company he has several now," Allen replied. "I'm grateful he still took the time to be here for me though."
"I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted to miss it," Tyki assured him. "And I'm pretty sure that you're going to be his best selling artist," he then added in a whisper.
Allen laughed, "You're just talking to talk…"
"If I only talked to talk I don't think I'd be where I am today, babe… and I most certainly wouldn't have been able to call you mine." He brushed a stray strand of Allen's hair behind an ear hesitantly, smiling sadly when Allen rolled his eyes away wordlessly. "I mean it," he insisted, letting his arms fall back against his side, "Your sound is going to be like a breath of fresh air. They'll love it."
Allen smiled gratefully and began to move in to kiss him before thinking against it. He turned to look looking at the jacket of his very first single as a solo artist instead. He picked it up and stared at it, feeling like one dream was finally about to come true while another began to show slight cracks.
« Dirty Talk – The Showcase »
«Ever since Black Order went on hiatus, we haven't seen each other a lot, » Lenalee replied to the reporter on the red carpet in front of Tease. She tucked back a strand of her mid long hair behind an ear, « but I'm excited to see him working the stage again, yeah. »
Marriage ?
« Almost three years. Thank you, it feels like only yesterday though, » she looked up at her husband and grinned back at the camera with a shrug. Kanda pressed a soft kiss against the top of her head and looked around them at the crowd.
Other members ?
« As you may have heard, Lavi got married a few months ago, Chaoji is still the eternal bachelor and Miranda is now a mother of two. I can't wait to see them all again, it's been months. »
Allen's musical genre shift ?
« Well, Allen's always been one for experimentation, even back when with Black Order. We always tried different things within the rock genre, from more pop-rock to the more edgy-metal-punk genre. No, it doesn't really suprise me that he went over to dance music, it's something he needed in order to prevent loosing his creativity that came with Black Order's hiatus. I'm behind him a full hundred procent. I'm already a fan. »
About the new singer, Fo ?
« I've only met her once, but I love her voice ! I don't think Allen could've found a better partner to match his sound. » Lenalee looked behind her as the crowd standing behind the security bars suddenly erupted in cheers and acclamations. « Has Allen arrived ? » she asked at Kanda who was looking in the direction of the street behind them.
Enjoy the night.
« Thank you, it's going to be great ! » she grinned, waving at the camera and walking on with her husband to the entrance of the club.
« You ready ? »
She finished putting on her silver necklace and shook out her shoulder length, wavy strawberry blond hair, turning to look at him.
Fo smirked at him excitedly. « I can barely wait, » she replied, runnin g a hand down her short, bright pink dress and the hotpants she wore underneath. She then reached out to him and took him in her arms in an encouraging embrace.
« We've worked our asses off, » she whispered to him with a smile. « They're going to love you. They already did and they've been dying to hear this awesome new sound of yours. »
Allen sighed and held her tighter. « I've been on many stages before, but this is by far the most frightening one. I have so much to proove»
Fo rolled her eyes and blew a few strands of her bangs out of her eyes. « Want me to punch you, Walker ? Because seriously ? I won't hesitate. »
« Eh ? »
She let go of him and looked at him threateningly. « I'm depending on you too here, so if you don't bring it, how the fuck am I supposed to carry the show out there ? »
Allen grinned sheepishly. « God, you're right... Sorry. I won't let you down, » he whispered determinately.
Fo crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side. « Do you hear that ? »
Allen looked into the direction of the stage and lowered his head with a smile, listening to the crowd calling out their stage name and their individual names. « Yeah... »
« They're the ones you can't let down first, Allen... »
« When did you become this wise ? » Allen asked, beginning to walk towards the stage as the technicians called them towards it.
« I've always been wise, you're just so stupid you never noticed... » she replied with a shrug, walking past him in her black heelless, thigh high boots effortlessly.
He smiled back at her as she glanced back at him with her tongue stuck out.
The door of the limo fell shut and the vehicle immediately left the scene of the showcase afterwards.
« That was amazing... » Tyki said, pouring a glass of champagne for Allen who was sitting next to him.
« The crowd's reaction to 'Angel' was way ahead of expectations... they were going crazy ! » Allen whispered in awe, taking the glass of champagne in a hand.
Tyki nodded and leaned with an arm against the back seat, head resting against his hand as he stared at him lovingly. « You're so amazing, Allen... » he whispered, reaching out to him.
Allen quieted down and closed his eyes, leaning into the hand caressing his face. « Tyki— »
« I miss you, Allen, » he said softly, putting his glass in a holder nearby. He scooted closer and took his face in both hands now. « I miss you, and yet you're right here in front of me... »
« Tyki, I—»
Tyki closed the distance between them and kissed him softly, urgently, desperately. « Why isn't it working ? » he then whispered pleadingly against his lips, eyes still closed.
Allen averted his face and looked to the side, not wanting to voice what he knew was an obvious answer. « I don't know, » he whispered instead, voice trembling as he suddenly had to hold back tears.
« Let's go away, » Tyki then said, making Allen look at him again. « Just you and me, let's work on us. »
Allen looked at him silently, the tears now rolling down his face.
It'd been months coming. This confrontation. He knew that.
« That's not fair, » he whispered to him, shaking his head. « How many times did I beg for us to work on our relationship before ? You were always gone, Tyki. And now that I've finally launched myself as a solo artist you ask me this ? Now, Tyki ? That's not fair. At all. »
Tyki sat quietly and sighed. « I know it isn't... but when else do you want us to fix things ? »
Allen shook his head in disbelieve and sat back in turn. « How about when I asked you to last fall ? I've just started a new career, you can't ask me to put it on hold just because you have time to work on us now ! »
« I'm not asking you to put it on hold, I just want you back, Allen ! Back in my bed and in my life ! « Tyki exclaimed, turning to him. « We're practically strangers again ! »
«And you're practically asking me to make a choice, Tyki, » Allen whispered back softly.
« Why do you see it like that ? Why can't you do both ? » Tyki asked then, moving closer to him again. « Help us work on our relationship and work on your carreer ? Is it such an impossible task that I'm asking ? »
« If it's so easy, then why couldn't you do it ? » Allen asked him calmly. « Why do I have to sacrifice my career now that you suddenly realize that what we used to have isn't working anymore ? »
Tyki fell silent and sighed again.
« I love you, » Allen continued, « so fucking much. But I refuse to feel inferior when it comes to our carreers. All I'm asking is for you to give us a couple of us months, just long enough for me to have some time for us again. »
Tyki remained silent, closing his eyes.
« Tyki ? » Allen tried gently, but didn't receive an answer. He finally gave up and sat back in his side of the car, looking at the passing lights sadly.
It'd only been three years and where there once had been complicity and understanding, was now confusion and frustration.
Allen leaned against the window and closed his eyes, letting his mind take him away to better times, shedding tears of fear and regret.
For the umpteenth time again.
To be continued in: 2. The Star
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-BDP-