In The Band

by MrRedSnake

Sixteen-year-old bad boy Murdoc Niccals and his buddies, Russel Hobbs, 2D, and Paula Cracker all come together and start a band, but trouble arises when Murdoc finds a new guitarist, one that's even better than Paula, one that's not a complete pain in his ass, one who's not too hard on the eyes either, a guitarist by the name of Noodle. Teenager AU

1. In the Band

It was around 12:30 on a Saturday afternoon and a sixteen-year-old young man by the name of Murdoc Niccals laid asleep on the couch he was currently living on. "Murdoc, wake up!" he heard the excruciatingly high pitched voice of his best friend shout, "It's time for band practice!"

The young man groaned, "Ugh, what the hell are you talkin' about 2D? We ain't supposed to meet up for another half hour." he stated before rolling over on his stomach and burying his head in the cushions of the rather dirty couch.

"We met up a 'alf hour AGO! YA OVA'SLEPT!" the other teenager shouted, grabbing Murdoc's alarm clock off the stack of dirty magazines that acted as his nightstand and displaying it for him to see.

Murdoc rolled back over and examined the clock, noting that it was in fact 1:30 PM, not 12, "Huh, so I did. Alright then, hand me that shirt over there." he requested as he sat up and stretched.

2D looked around for the shirt in question, "This one 'angin' off the ceiling fan?"

Murdoc nodded, "Yeah, that's it, the one with the Sex Pistols logo." he confirmed

The singer grabbed the T-shirt, flinching at the smell, "Jesus! When was the last time you washed this fing?"

Murdoc took the garment and pondered the question for a minute, "A couple days maybe? Hmm… Yep, it's been thirty-seven days!" he concluded before grabbing a can of air freshener off the floor, spraying the shirt and putting it on, "There, that should do for another month."

2D chose not to dwell of his friend's borderline horrific lifestyle in favor of getting back to band practice, "Alright, come on, grab your bass and let's go! I told Russ and Paula we'd be back in five minutes!"

"Settle down face-ache, you really think they'll care if we're a little late?" the bassist asked as he searched for his instrument.

"YES!"

Murdoc rolled his eyes "Alright, let me rephrase that. I don't care." he specified before finally finding his bass case, he picked it up and grinned at his friend, "Now, ready to go?"

Oh wowee, a scene transition

On the other side of the neighborhood, two other teenagers by the names of Russel Hobbs and Paula Cracker, the band's drummer and guitarist respectively, waited impatiently in Russel's garage for their singer and bassist to return. Paula was passing the time by bouncing a ball off the wall and catching it, much to Russel's annoyance, "Would you mind not doing that?" the large teenager requested politely in his deep and intimidating voice.

The girl shrugged and turned to face the drummer, "You gonna stop me?" she asked with a smirk.

Russel took a deep breath and held back his irritation, 'Remember what mama said, never hit a woman… no matter how much she deserves it.' he mentally repeated to himself as a sort of mantra. It worked rather well for a few minutes until Paula bounced the ball just a little too hard and didn't catch it, in turn sending it careening into the large man's forehead. Now beyond pissed, Russel proceeded to stand up from the stool he was sitting on and picked up the ball from the ground, taking it to the opened garage door and throwing it outside as hard as he could.

There was a loud THWACK followed by a high-pitched"OW! WHAT THE 'ELL MURDOC?!"

"Wasn't me this time!" the bassist defended as the two approached the garage

"Shit, sorry D, didn't see ya there." Russel said remorsefully

Murdoc chuckled "Bloody good shot though, nailed 'im right in the eye."

"'ey, where'd all these stars come from?" 2D asked, holding his head and struggling to stand.

Paula scoffed, "Took you two long enough, what's the matter Murdoc, too hungover to practice?"

Murdoc chuckled at the girl's pathetic attempt to insult him, "Don't you worry 'bout me Paula, my hangover'll be gone in an hour or two, but you'll still be a massive bitch no matter how much time goes by."

The guitarist scowled at him before turning to 2D, "Are you just gonna let him talk to me like that, Stuart?!"

The singer was currently being aided into a chair by an apologetic Russel, still dazed from his latest head injury, "Whadja say, love? I've got this loud ringin' in m' ears at the moment."

Disgruntled, Paula crossed her arms and decided to change the subject, "So are we gonna practice or not?"

"Don't you think your boyfriend could use a minute to rest?" Russel asked, gesturing to a still groggy 2D

"He's fine." she argued

"Why do I 'ear blood?" 2D asked as a stream of red poured from his left ear

"He don't look fine!" The drummer insisted

Paula sighed, "Stu, put your finger in your ear."

"Wha'? Like this?" the singer asked, doing as instructed and blocking off the blood flow.

"Perfect. Now can we get started?"

Russel sighed, "You sure you don't wanna see a doctor or somethin', D?"

He shook his head in response, nearly passing out from the sudden action, "I'm fine Russ, really, Paula wouldn't say I was if I wasn't." he explained with an innocent smile.

The guitarist nodded "Exactly. Now let's go already! What are we playin' pickle boy?"

Murdoc cringed at Paula's little nickname for him, so his skin was a little green, it doesn't mean he looks like a pickle, AND NO HE WAS NOT SELF CONSCIOUS ABOUT IT IN THE SLIGHTEST! "Alright, let's start with somethin' easy, Clint Eastwood."

The group got into position and played through the song, 2D powering through to the very last line despite his condition. The song ended and the room was silent for a moment... until Paula decided to speak up, "That was complete shit."

"WHAT?! WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH IT?!" Murdoc demanded

"Where do I start? There are only 23 words, none of them make any sense, and Stu sounded half dead through the whole song!"

"I fink m' left eye's swellin' up a bit."

"You're fine Stuart."

"Okay."

"I mean, what the hell does 'sunshine in a bag' even mean anyway?" she asked

"IT'S A LINE FROM THE GODDAMNED GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY! WHY THE 'ELL DID YA THINK THE BLOODY SONG'S NAMED CLINT EASTWOOD ANYWAY?!"

"WELL IT'S A STUPID NAME!"

The room was quiet for a moment, Murdoc and Paula staring each other down with rage, 2D on the verge of passing out, and Russel worrying for the singer's health and well being. Suddenly, the silence was broken, not by the voice of one of the band members, but someone else, someone who went unnoticed up to this point despite being around since the group started playing, "I liked it."

The band all turned their attention to the front of the garage where the owner of the voice stood. Murdoc was surprised he hadn't noticed her sooner, he's always one to appreciate attractive women, and the Japanese girl standing in front of him with a bottle of Coke in her hand definitely fit that criteria. Oh yeah, she was cute alright, and she liked his music too, the bassist grinned at the positive response, "Well, good to see someone around here's got some semblance of taste."

"You seriously liked that song?" Paula asked

The girl nodded in response, "I did, it's dark and mysterious, catchy too. Although, I do feel like it's missing something..."

"Uh, guys?" 2D interrupted, "I fink I wanna see that doctor now." he said before collapsing to the floor.

Paula sighed, "Alright fine, let's take him to the hospital."

"I'll drive." Russel offered, making his way to the fallen singer, picking him up with ease. "You comin' Muds?"

Murdoc waved the rest of the group off, "Nah, hospitals freak me out." he explained before continuing the conversation with the Japanese girl, "So you really think it's missing something?"

"MURDOC!" Russel shouted

"DON'T YOU 'AVE SOMEPLACE TO GET TO?! I'M TRYIN' TO 'AVE A DAMNED CONVERSATION 'ERE!"

"Just thought I'd warn you, I'd be real upset if anything happened to my little sister." the large intimidating drummer said

"Well that's real nice to hear, I'm glad to know you're a regular family guy, andI'll be sure to let her know should I ever meet her." the bassist sarcastically said before addressing the girl yet again, "You were saying, Miss…"

"Hobbs, Noodle Hobbs. Russel's little sister." she introduced with a giggle

Murdoc's eyes went wide as he looked at the small-framed Japanese girl in front of him, and then at the large black man in the driveway strapping 2D into the backseat of his car, then back at Noodle, then back at Russel, "Alright… this may be a stupid question but-"

"She's adopted, fool." Russel clarified as he got into his vehicle, visibly weighing it down as he did, "Remember what I said Murdoc, or else." he warned one last time before driving off to the hospital.

"So, you're in Russel's new band?" Noodle asked, prompting Murdoc to turn back to face her

"Not quite," the bassist said, to Noodle's confusion, "He's in my band." he clarified with a proud grin

The girl nodded in understanding "Your band makes some very nice music, although you argue and fight like a group of wild gorillas." she said with a laugh

"Well we wouldn't argue so much if Paula wasn't such a…" Murdoc paused for a moment in realization "Gorillas? Hmm… Gorillas… Now that's got a bit of a ring to it." he grabbed a can of red spray paint from a nearby shelf and rushed over to Russel's drum kit, going to work on it with the paint, "Is 'at spelled with one R or two? Ah, screw it." the bassist stepped back from the drums and admired his handiwork, "Whaddaya think?" he asked, gesturing to the newly marked up bass drum that now read 'GORILLAZ' in big red letters.

Noodle laughed, "I like it, especially how you spelled it with a Z instead of an S."

"What? That ain't right?" Murdoc asked, Noodle shook her head in response, "SHIT! Maybe no one'll notice.

The girl laughed yet again, "You shouldn't worry about it, it makes the name more… unique."

Murdoc nodded "Yew-neek eh? Not sure what that means, but I like the sound of it." he said with a grin, "Now, back to our earlier conversation…"

"Ah yes, the song! Well, I think what you have so far is a good start, but it feels incomplete, like it could use something to really pull it all together."

"What'd ya have in mind?"

"Well, I think it would work really well as a hip-hop song. Just add a rap verse or two and it would be perfect!" the girl suggested

"A hip-hop song eh?" Murdoc thought about it for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, I see where you're comin' from. That's bloody fuckin' genius!"

Noodle laughed, "Thank you. And I'd love to hear more of your songs if you have the time."

"Well, I'd love to play 'em for ya, but unfortunately I'm without a band at the moment, so unless you know someone who can play guitar and learn all the songs I've written so far then the best I can do is a few bass solos.". The girl smiled widely and ran into the house, walking out seconds later with an electric guitar strapped around her neck, Murdoc gave her an intrigued look, "Is this your way of tellin' me ya play the guitar?"

She nodded affirmatively in response "Yep, I've been playing for as long as I can remember… Probably even a while before that!"

Murdoc nodded "Alright, let's see what you've got then." he said with a grin

Without even the slightest bit of hesitation, Noodle jacked the guitar into the nearby amp and within a moment, broke out into the most amazing solo Murdoc had ever heard… actually, that's not entirely fair, he'd probably heard better in the past, but at this particular moment, he was having an extraordinarily difficult time remembering that any other music had even existed, like it had all been erased from his mind by the beautiful Japanese guitar goddess standing before him. He pondered for a moment if this was the music of angels, but no, angel's ain't got shit on this girl.

A few sublime minutes went by before the girl's playing ceased, "So, what did you think?" she asked with a smile

Once Murdoc fully returned to his senses he promptly dropped to the ground on one knee, "Noodle Hobbs, would you do me the honor of playing guitar in my band?"

Oh wowee, a scene transition

2D sat in the passenger seat of Russel's car with an ice-pack pressed against his left eye, "How ya feelin' D?" the burly drummer asked

"M' eye still 'urts like 'ell, an' I've got a splittin' 'eadache." he explained. Turning the rearview mirror so he could look at himself, he lowered the ice pack and cringed at his reflection. Apparently, the impact of the ball was so hard that it knocked his eye back into its socket, leaving a dark void in the left side of his face, "Well, 'least I can still see outta it." he reasoned

"Man, I am so sorry about that." Russel lamented

The singer smiled at his friend, "Ya got nothin' t' be sorry 'bout Russ, I know ya di'nt mean it."

"Yeah, but I still feel bad. Those painkillers helpin' you at all?"

2D nodded, "A little."

Russel sighed, "I'll find a way to make it up to ya D, I promise."

Russel pulled into his driveway and exited his vehicle to find the garage door closed, music blasting from the inside, "Isn't 'at Murdoc's song, 5/4?"

"Yeah, I think it is."

"Then who's 'at playin' the guitar? D' ya fink Paula came back?"

"Judgin' by the lack of screamin' and arguin' goin' on, no I do not." the drummer answered as he opened the garage door, revealing Murdoc and Noodle blasting out music loud enough to piss off at least several neighbors.

Once the two had sung the final line of the song in harmony and wrapped up their small performance, Murdoc turned to Noodle and spoke, "That was BLOODY FUCKIN' AMAZING! How the hell'd you manage to nail it in one take?"

The girl shrugged in response, "I don't know, it just comes to me naturally I guess, like it's something I'm meant to do."

The bassist nodded approvingly at her answer, "I'd say so! You'll make an incredible guitarist for The Gorillaz!"

"A guitarist for the who?" Russel questioned, finally gaining the attention of the two musicians.

Murdoc turned to the larger teenager with a grin, "No Russ, The Who ain't gonna have shit on Gorillaz, especially not with your lovely sister here on lead guitar."

"Hear that Russel? Murdoc said I can be in the band!" Noodle announced with a smile

The drummer rubbed his head in frustration, "So let me get this straight, in the time that we were gone you recruited my sister into the band, decided she's the new lead guitarist, named us the Gorillaz, and… DID YOU MARK UP MY DRUMS WITH SPRAY PAINT?!"

"Didn't even spell it right," 2D pointed out, "There's two Rs in Gorillas."

Russel took a deep breath and shook his head, "D… go home and rest your eye."

"A'right." the singer obliged and left

"Noodle, go inside."

"Hai." she complied, "I had a lot of fun Murdoc, see you next band practice."

"Can't wait." the bassist said with a grin shared between the two of them

Russel didn't speak again until he was sure the girl was out of earshot, "Murdoc…" he paused for a long moment, searching his brain for the perfect words to convey his emotions toward the other teenager at the moment, he settled for just three, "Run away, fast."

A/N: Damn, it's been a while since I've done one of these, but I just had this idea in my head trying to claw its way out, so here it is. So, dear readers, what do you think? Do you like it? Do ya hate it? Do you wanna see more of this? Do you wish you could erase what you've read so far from your brain entirely? No matter what your opinion may be, I wanna hear it, so be sure to leave a review.