"Are you guys ready? Let's rock this shit out!" Clive yells and throws his fist in the air. Dan cringes at his choice of words but it's something you can already expect from him. Clive's their some sort of a cheerleader. They don't know why he's with them at their gigs, but that is all what he basically does. He just shouts unneeded words of encouragement in the their ears and jumps up and down while they play. He's like their private fan or something. But he also does a lot of shit for them. For example he takes care of their instruments and goes buy them new guitar strings if some happen to break during the gig. He gets lunches and booze for them and leads fans to the wrong way, when they're getting too much. Okay, maybe Clive is needed, but Dan really hates the way he says some things.

Phil, PJ, Chris and Dan are all just sitting, well more like laying on the lounge couches at backstage all the while Clive is clapping his hands excitedly in the middle of the room. "Come on guys! You're playing in mere two hours! Aren't you excited at all? You've sold this place out! It's the first one on your tour!"

Dan shuts his eyes with a deep sigh and rests his head to the back of the sofa. Chris groans out and slaps his face with his hands. "Can you just shut the fuck up, Clive? We know we're gonna perform in two hours. We wouldn't be here if we weren't. And we're gonna perform on the stage for another two hours, so we're gonna need energy for that. But we sure won't have any if we start fucking losing our shit right here!" Chris bursts out and glares at Clive with such intensity it almost makes seem like Hell has frozen.

"S-sorry", Clive stammer looking a lot less excited now. Phil feels bad for the guy and stands up from the sofa crease and goes to him, tapping him on the back. "It's fine, Clive. Chris' just an asshole, let him be. Hey, why don't you go get some of those ham sandwiches and bring me one too. I'm kind of hungry", Phil says to him with a casual smile and raises his brow. Clive visibly calms down and lets out a breath he has been holding. He smiles at Phil and nods his head and goes to get the snacks. When he's gone, Phil turns around and goes back to his seat next to Dan and rests his arm behind Dan's head. Dan opens his eyes slightly to look at him with a soft smile.

"You're so kind", Dan whispers quietly to him. Phil almost has to ask him what he said, but then realises and just smiles. During the second hour, their black denim clad legs seem to tangle on their own and their sides touch while they watch Fight Club together with PJ and Chris. Oh, and Clive.

Then Keith comes into the lounge. As soon as he sees Dan, his eyes turn to ice and fire at the same time. "What's going on here?" he asks harshly and hostile. Dan immediately untangles himself from Phil's gentle grip and and watches Keith's tense form move with nervousness and fear. Keith sits right next to him and turns his gaze to the plasma screen TV that hangs on the red wall in front of them, pretending he meant that.

"Uh, w-we're watching Fight Club", Dan answers with a small voice. "Right", Keith replies with the same amount of harshness as before. He leans forward, elbows resting on his knees. After watching the movie for a couple of minutes in uncomfortable silence he states: "Well, this is just pure shit." Then he stands up again and turns to the band who looks like they were in discomfort. Like they are.

"You've got forty minutes until performing. Better start making sure everything works", Keith says. "Louise is here by the way. Wanted to see you guys while you're here", he informs. Louise is one of their best friends and helps them with style and photo shoots. She once wrote them a song too. She's a real bubbly and a funny persona that they just love. She comes in with some young man who looks like he's with the crew. "Hi guys!" Louise says, when she sees them. She goes to hug everyone. The guy stands next to Keith awkwardly with some paper sheet in his hands.

"Oh, and Andy here is gonna be the guy you complain about things. He's part of the staff and deals with the technical side of things. I'm going now. Remember, check your guitars!" Keith tells them before leaving with an awkwardly goodbye-waving Andy.

Dan hugs Louise the last and buries his head in her blond and pink hair that smells like safety. She sits where Keith used to be and takes Dan's hands in her own. Her blue eyes glimmer just like her eye-shadow and lipstick.

"Oh! I'm so glad to see you again! It's been too long", she says. "Yes it has", Dan agrees with a smile. He feels so much more at ease now. "How come you aren't in London?" PJ asks from opposite to her.

"I'm helping with a photo-shoot here and also I just have a meeting with the company I'm working for from London. We're talking about the new designs and such. I'm thinking of floral backgrounds and black, edgy clothes", she babbles with excitement.

"Oh, I know who you've got the inspiration from", Phil says with a laugh as he bumps his shoulder with Dan's. With flustered cheeks Dan tells Phil to shut up in the most loving way ever. Louise just giggles at the whole situation.

They mates continue chatting and watching the movie. PJ hooked up their stuff and made sure everything was right and secured. After half an hour they went to the stage and looked everything was okay there too. They had been there rehearsing the day before. Louise had a laugh on the stage and jammed by herself playfully, pretending to rock it out in her light blue dress and ballerina shoes.

Once everything was done, it already time to begin. They were backstage while the people came to the stadium. Louise wished them luck and they promised to see her soon. Keith ushered them to get a move on in his usually grumpy way.

Dan picked up his guitar, Phil his bass and made their way onto the stage where PJ and Chris already were. The crowd was cheering and acting as wild as ever. They were pretty used to it by now, but it always gave them a massive adrenaline rush. Phil walked on his spot next to Dan on the right side while PJ was on the left side with Chris behind the drums. It was normal for the vocalist to be in the middle, but Dan hated to be put right on the spot of attention so he stayed pretty close to Chris, slightly behind Phil and PJ.

Dan took the microphone from the stand and asked how everyone was doing. He saw no point in yelling, he was after all speaking to a microphone. Dan also had kind of a strange way of holding the microphone with his wrist that was covered in different sorts tribal bracelets bend a whole lot. He set it back on the stand and strummed the few starting solo chords on his electric black guitar. The crowd cheered louder when they realized which song it was in mere two seconds.

Soon the whole band was on it and began playing along enthusiastically.

And when you touched me ah

I felt the tears on my hands, no

Squeezing them tight in me

Locking me up in, don't

Into to the dirt I went

Holding the keys in my lungs

Huffing out in blood...

They continued through the whole night with the crowd being crazy. Some even trying to get on stage. One actually succeeded and tried to get to Dan. The guards weren't fast enough to get it under control, but they made the best of it. Phil lurked next to crazy fan and showing him his skilled playing and grinned widely. The fan was purely ecstatic and put his hands over his mouth. Dan went with it as well and went on the other side of the fan and rested his arm on his shoulder while singing.

Wish I could tell them

That we were here

When they weren't

But who believes the truth

When the lies are so pretty...

A bulky security guard came closer to them (finally) and signaled the fan that he should get off the stage. Dan took his arm off the fan and smirked at him and patted him on the back on his way out. The crowd just laughed at the whole situation. Then came the chorus and the white lights crazed them up. It was sweaty. It was perfect. Adrenaline was rushing in and out of their bloodstream. They were with the people. They were apart of them and so they were too.

Dan felt free.

Only now. Just now. He felt free. He could do anything. He could be himself. No one was pressuring him to do anything. No one was touching him but the millions hearts in front of him. He was happy.

Okay, I just made up some lyrics for this chapter so, um, I don't think I broke any copyright thing or anything. Pretty crap they were, but I'm no songwriter. Any way hope you enjoyed :3