Into the Wind
PLOT NOTE: Let's all pretend that Danny lived in Chicago, Illinois, USA for a period of time before his fame, yeah? Ohhh, and he's friends with the members of All Time Low, 'cause I say so. :D
Excuse the cheese, there's TONSSS of it. D: I'm not exactly happy with the plotline, but there's nothing I can do about it now.
Free dom
-noun
The state of being free or at liberty to do as one pleases; a person's ability to be uninhibited by their fears or other constraints.
I want to be free.
The sun shined luminously through the café windows, streaks of yellow light putting a curious natural spotlight on the freckle-clad young man. The beams danced on his skin, flickering in the blue sea of his eyes as they scanned the room hurriedly for only one girl in particular.
The crowded room showed no sign of her—he only caught sight of the bustling customers, all eager to get their precious caffeine and dainty pastries so they could hurry back to their claustrophobia-inducing office cubicles.
The sounds of a sweet acappella voice filled the background, the singer softly humming the delicate melody. He found himself lost in the song, closing his eyes and almost letting it lull him to sleep. He didn't notice a young woman approaching the table until a shadow fell upon him, her tall frame blocking the sunlight that had been streaming on his face.
As he felt the warmth of the rays leave him, he opened his eyes in confusion. The sight before him almost knocked him out of his chair. She was just as he'd remembered, with the exception of being slightly taller and more mature. To him, she looked more beautiful than ever, and he couldn't stop staring at her.
"Danny!" she cried in a slight American accent, her smile overflowing with nostalgia, "You've got no idea how much I've missed you!" She wrapped her small hands around him, letting him inhale the feminine scent of her perfume. "And when am I going to get to meet these fabulous bandmates of yours?" She took a step back, taking in his appearance.
"Hey, Emily," he finally managed to spit out, "Wow. It's been far too long. And trust me, the boys have got nothing on you." It was almost as if he had been transported back in time, and he grinned, the look on his face matching hers.
The two old friends sat in the corner while people rushed all around them, quietly catching up and sharing a laugh once in a while. A slightly awkward silence fell upon them, and Emily used the opportunity to ask a question that had been eating away at her since she found out Danny would be visiting Chicago again.
"Danny?" she started, taking a nervous breath, "Why…why didn't you ever visit? I mean, I know you're not the biggest fan of Chicago, and once you got signed you needed to focus on the music, but…but I missed you, and you promised you would come back. I don't know…I thought the promise was valid and that maybe you'd miss me too." Her eyes now held a sense of worry and vulnerability—a hint of anger slipping into them—that made Danny's heart falter.
He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, one full of guilt that he had brought upon himself, and he couldn't find a valid excuse for her question. He knew that he'd blown it; he'd lost the closeness the two of them once held. Danny was completely aware that it was his fault entirely and that he'd lost her trust once he'd broken his promise.
"Emily, I'm so sorry," he muttered pathetically, lowering his eyes. "It all happened so fast, these past four years, and I don't know how, but it just slipped my mind, and—"
"Oh god, Danny. Don't give me that!" she cut him off suddenly, her voice full of pent-up agression. She wasn't the person she used to be, letting things pass despite how passionately she cared for them. When Danny left, she had learned to stand up for herself; she'd grown an spine, and she was ready to show it. "You've not changed a bit, have you? You're still giving the same excuses and you don't even take a minute to think about how you could've really hurt someone through your mistakes. Have you learned anything at all through this 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience, or are you just the same Danny as you were when you left this place? I've got news for you, then. You may think that because you're famous, the world revolves around you, but it doesn't. None of us stopped growing just because you left this place, and I suggest you do some maturing of your own. Jesus, Danny, just fucking grow up and try and better yourself for once."
Emily was fuming, slightly shocked at herself for letting out all four years' worth of feelings to the poor, oblivious boy in front of her. Still, she stood by her ground and wanted him to see that she'd changed and that he'd missed out on being a part of the stages of growing in her life.
This was not the meek Emily that Danny had once known. She had transformed into a strong woman, and only then did he realize that things couldn't just go back to the way they'd been when he left Illinois.
"Come on, Dan," she pressed, her voice softer now. "You know there's a reason why you've come back, but you're just afraid to reveal it. And trust me, I know how it feels, alright? I struggled and had my fair share of fear while you were gone, and I experienced things that made me wish desperately that my best friend was still here." Emily eyed her companion carefully, wondering if he actually took anything she was saying seriously. "Look, I don't mean to yell at you like that, but your passiveness makes me so aggravated. If you're going to make those kind of decisions, at least stand by them."
Danny's eyes glistened with a dewy sheen, partly from surprise and from strong feelings of regret flooding his veins. "I…" he began, his voice shaky like an old record, "I just…I was afraid. I'm always afraid, and it breaks me down everyday. I'm afraid of what everyone thinks of me; of whether or not I'm disappointing anyone; of whether or not I'll ever be accepted like my bandmates have."
Fear and stress had taken over Danny's life, laced with insecurity and uneasiness. For the first time in his life, he was able to admit the way he felt to someone. He had never revealed his feelings to anyone else before, not even the various members of McFly, because the feeling of vulnerability planted paranoid thoughts into his head.
Despite how well she had known Danny before, Emily was completely taken aback by his confession. Getting him to show how he felt had always been a challenge, but today she sensed a feeling of desperation in his voice.
A sly grin graced her face as an idea sneaked its way into her head.
"Em?" Danny questioned, confused at the look on his face, especially when he had practically thrown his entire life out on the table for all to see.
"I think I can help you," was her simple reply, as she giggled lightly and grabbed his hand, heading for the parking lot.
"Jeez, I didn't realize how much I missed this place until this," Danny muttered, taking in his surroundings. He felt a buzz of excitement course through him as he made his way through the security gates, finally entire the enormous park for the first time in four years.
Emily only squeezed his hand in response, smiling as she pulled him further into the venue. Eyeing the various "Warped Tour '08" banners that decorated the amphitheatre, she let out a relieved sigh.
Her gaze met his, and they shared a small moment of happiness. "Welcome home," she mumbled before taking off towards one of the various stages, leaving Danny attempting to keep up.
"Jesus, Dan, hurry up!" Emily demanded, maneuvering her way through the crowd as she tugged on his arm, urging him to follow in her suit. "If we're hoping to even get a glimpse of a guitar, we've got to get to the front."
Danny only laughed at her futile efforts. "I don't know what kind of plan you're trying to formulate, but I hope for my safety it's not like your attempt to help me overcome my phobia of bees…" he muttered, shaking his head slightly at the thought he her smothering him in honey in an open flower field.
"Oh, poo. Get over it, little boy! It was a logical idea, alright? C'mon, you've got to be one with your fear to get over it," she defended, wondering to herself if he'd actually follow through with her devious plan this time.
Finally, she managed to drag Danny with her and weasel her way to front row in time to see All Time Low enter the stage. As they introduced their first song, Emily caught the eye of lead singer Alex, and the two exchanged a sly smirk.
As Alex began strumming the intro to Remembering Sunday, Emily turned to face Danny. The poor man was oblivious to the challenge she was about to present to him, which was yet another attempt to get him to overcome his fears.
But before she could explain anything, the song had ended and Alex was chatting happily into the microphone. "Hey, guys, ready for a surprise?" he shouted with excitement into the crowd, "We've got an unexpected visitor here, and I think you'll recognize him as soon has he gets his ass up here…"
Completely confused about what was going on, Danny was pushed from behind by Emily and found himself stumbling onto he stage. Previously hidden in the crowd, anonymous under his hat and sunglasses, he was now exposed and vulnerable, a feeling he was uneasy with even after his experience in a band.
Emily could only laugh at his bewildered expression as Danny was handed the microphone by Alex, his best friend that he hadn't seen since his departure. Looking into the crowd of screaming girls, he felt extremely uncomfortable, desperate to leave a good impression on them. With a sudden epiphany, he realized that everything Emily had accused him of was right. He was a coward, and he hated who he'd become.
He recoiled as Alex handed him the microphone, disgusted with himself. Alex stared at him, perplexed, feeling as if he didn't know his former best friend at all anymore. Danny ran down the stairs in shame, and Emily's eyes went wide watching tears build up in the corners of his eyes. Her sight followed the trail his sneakers left as he ran far from the venue.
"Danny!" she yelled half-heartedly, knowing her voice would be drowned out in the crowd. Sharing a confused look with Alex, she blazed after him, all eyes in the crowd on her in search of where the popstar could have gone.
After what seemed like hours of fruitless hunting, she saw a curly-haired man sitting against the portable toilets, his hand rubbing his forehead until the freckly skin was beet red.
Taking careful, slow steps towards Danny, she finally sat down beside him, quick-paced feet swirling dust into her eyes as she lowered her head to his lap. She grasped his hand, rubbing her thumb against his palm in circles. "It's alright, you know that?" she cooed softly, her voice clear to him even in the enormous crowd. "I shouldn't have pushed you like that; I'm always expecting so much. I just wanted to help you, and I didn't realize how much my words would upset you, and all I wanted was for you to get over your fears, and I want you to be able to accomplish anything you want, and you can do anything you'd like; I know it, and you know I—"
"Shhh," he cut her off, silencing her quickly as he opened his cerulean eyes for the first time since she'd started talking. His lashes were adorned with dewy tears, more salty droplets threatening to spill onto his cheeks. "God, I can't believe I acted like such a coward, running out like that. I didn't mean to get so upset, but the thought of what you said actually being true scares the shit out of me. You're right. I need to change; I need to grow up, and if anyone can help me that, I know it'd be you." He smiled slightly, looking upon her with adoration.
Emily lifted her head up to kiss his cheek lightly, her lips only barely brushing against his skin. Smiling, she sighed, "I hoped you'd say that."
"Love you, y'know that?" he whispered slightly, leaning his head back a bit further.
"Of course, we've been friends for forever," she laughed at his questioning.
"I mean…" he hesitated, unsure of himself, "I mean, I'm in love with you."
Eyes meet. Grins match. Hand falls softly on cheek, and lips hover, a centimeter away from each other.
Old friends—new lovers—reunited at last. Lips crash, and fear is thrown into the wind, swirling away towards the heavens.
I am free.