Here we go again.
Thank you all for your reviews, strangely this story is getting less hits but more reviews than my other.
Proving that the people who read this are obviously cooler.
Anyway, enjoy.
The final chord of the first song died away and the screaming began again, whilst the voices one could determine were mostly female there was the occasional male display of jubilation.
The room was dark, the endless seething mass of black only punctuated by the odd red glow of cigarettes, the atmosphere was one that could only be described as welcoming. People of all ages and walks of life greeting each other for the first time like they were old friends. A huge, tattooed biker moving out of the way of a short kid who couldn't see the stage. People sharing what they had, bottles of water, cigarretes etc.
'Wow, I wish I could take this mask off now.' Beast Boy said loudly to James, who was still waiting for the audience to quiet down.
'All right, all right, I'll do that bit now then.' The singer/lead guitarist of We Were Once replied.
Eventually the screams subsided to the occasional whistle and James moved back to the mic.
'A treat for you guys now, for the first time ever…Evergreen is going to show his face! It's all for you Jump City!' This caused an eruption of noise from the already excitable crowd, who almost exploded at the news that the secretive rhythm guitarist was going to de-mask just for them.
Evergreen (or rather Beast Boy) stepped into James' spotlight at the front of the stage and lifted his hand to the top of his head, over the rim of his mask.
For a while the crowd went insane, chanting and shouting, eventually they were quiet and a slow hand clap began in anticipation of the event.
'I'm loving this.' The green Titan/rock star thought to himself, ripping the mask off.
The crowd was silenced.
'Erm… Good evening Jump City!' He yelled at the microphone.
The crowd went ballistic, shouting, scrambling towards the stage. Cameras flashed from every direction and Beast Boy thought he could just make out a newspaper reporter scribbling down every detail.
He grinned and stepped away from the mic, letting James back in.
'Ok,' the singer yelled through the (top quality Peavey) PA, 'So now you know. Turn into animals and play a wicked awesome solo, this guy can do it all. Next song! This one's off our second major label album, it's called 'Your place or mine?' 1.2...1.2.3.4.' He flung his guitar around in the first chord sequence and ran back to his mic.
'So, having fun?' Raven shouted to Robin over the noise of the music and the fans singing along.
'What?' He yelled back.
'I said; 'having f…'oof!' She was jostled by the now budding moshpit, or more precisely; Starfire, who was a part of the now budding moshpit.
'This is most enjoyable; the intense physical activity is similar to battle but less fraught with danger.' She shouted.
'Or more, depending on the intensity of the pit.' Cyborg said, appearing from nowhere.
'What are you all saying?' Robin yelled, getting slightly frustrated.
'You need to stop talking and join in!' Raven pushed him into the middle of the circle pit, laughing as he tried to avoid the flying bodies.
'Just push them back, man.' Cyborg boomed to him over the heads of some younger fans.
Robin began to slam into the rockers nearby and eventually, once assured that they weren't hurt and neither was he, he began to enjoy it.
'Dude, check out my friends!' Beast Boy shouted to James during an instrumental section, they both stared as the protectors of the city threw themselves into each other. Robin had caught his arm on Raven's lip spike and was bleeding slightly but he didn't seem to notice.
'That's going to sting like hell when the adrenaline wears off.' James shouted back, chuckling.
He ended the song quickly with a great run and powerful chord and let the screams of his fans wash over him, ridding him of any of the doubts he usually got before shows.
'I'm gonna step back and let the green boy do one.' James told the still ecstatic crowd. He motioned BB forwards and stepped away.
'Hey, this one is for someone who means a lot to me,' He began, 'I wrote it for her but she didn't seem to get it when I explained. So, Raven…'
'Me?' Raven gasped.
'This one's for you, it's called 'I fell in love with the end of the world.' He closed his eyes and began the soft, slow riff but he'd changed it a little from the studio version.
'I really hope they're recording this for a live album, because I'm not playing it like this again.' He said down the mic with a little smile.
He was wrenching sounds from his Gibson that didn't seem real, dreamlike bends and fading harmonics that seemed to sustain forever. All in all, it was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever heard.
'I can't believe he would do that.' Raven said, trying not to well up.
'It's so beautiful…' Cyborg was in awe, but it didn't stop him from being the one to initiate the holding up of lighters.
'Where'd you get that?' Robin asked him, trying to hide his own.
'Erm… the street team was handing them out.' He looked around shiftily as Beast Boy broke out of his intro solo and into the verse.
His voice was fantastic, not just by industry standards but even compared to the heavenly voice of his band's lead singer. Some would argue that for this song, just this once, he actually sounded better than James Raze ever could.
Raven certainly seemed to think so, and she couldn't help letting a few tears roll down her cheek as her favourite song was performed so wonderfully. Just for her.
For the remainder of the song they didn't speak, the whole stadium was silent except for Beast Boy and his guitar; he seemed to have forgotten that anyone else was there. James was simply standing, ignoring the fact that he should be playing rhythm.
The only other member of the band still playing was Jake and that was only because he wanted to keep the green teen in time. To prolong the song.
James remembered where he was in time to strum the final chord, a beautiful suspended ninth as Beast Boy's final pinched harmonic faded into the night, past the sea of flickering lighter flames.
'Thank you.' Was all he said, and then stepped back from the mic.
'All right BB!' Cyborg yelled extremely loudly.
Raven was too busy covertly drying her eyes to scream encouragement.
'Great, get all weepy on us.' Bravery berated her from her mind.
'OK! Fantastic! Now, last year we released our third album and you guys feckin' inhaled the things, so thanks for your money and here's a track from there…' James was on form again after his lapse during Beast Boy's song.
The rest of the night went smoothly, a few minor injuries sustained but nothing noticeable. They would certainly notice the stinging when the adrenaline ran out, but nothing serious.
Raven spent the whole night trying to work through Beast Boy's dedication, even when in a pit her heart wasn't really in it.
We Were Once performed 'I hate Aqualad' as an encore, throwing the chords out into the crowd like they were a lit stick of dynamite and spitting the lyrics like they were foul tasting acid. (On an interesting note, Aqualad was actually there that night, and this was the best part of the set in his opinion.)
'Thank you Jump, you've been great! I need to go lie down.' James shouted at the very end. 'Have a good one.'
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The Titans made their way to the dressing room where they were before and found it much the same as it was previously. Only now it was filled with band members coming down off an intense adrenaline high, or still in the midst of one. It was very loud, in other words.
'Omigod! That was so awesome! I cried during '…Fell in love…' Suzy was jabbering.
'I need caffeine! CAFFEINE!' Jake was shouting through a fit of laughter.
'Hey BB, Where's James.' Cyborg asked, moving to the couch where his friend was sat.
'He went out for a smoke.' Beast Boy replied quietly.
'Hey guys! Look…I found a spoon! Why would they have a spoon lying around. I said spoon a lot. Woah, sp-oo-n…that's so weird.' James had run in holding a plastic spork.
'I didn't say what he was smoking.' BB smiled.
'Uh, James that's not a spoon, it's a sp…' Robin began.
'DON'T SAY IT!' Jake shouted.
'Spork.' Robin finished, despite the warning.
'Oh, wow,' His eyes widened in wonder and amusement at the funny word. 'SPORK!' He screamed, running from the room again.
'That was disturbing.' Raven intoned, she glanced over at the green boy, who was staring at her.
'Can we talk?' She asked. 'Someplace private.' She added after Jake wolf-whistled into his can of Mountain Dew.
'Sure.' He stood and led her to another room.
'I was wondering, on stage you said that you wrote that song…for me.' Raven began.
'Well, duh. 'I fell in love with the end of the world'? How obvious could I make it?' Beast Boy said quietly. 'Should I have called it 'I love you Raven'? Jeez.' He continued to ramble.
'Wait, what did you just say?' Raven stopped him.
'Jeez?' He attempted.
'Before that.' She prompted.
'Raven.'
'Three words before that.' Raven sighed.
'I' He said proudly.
'and then?'
'Love.'
'Next?'
'You.'
'And then?'
'Raven.'
'Put them together.' Raven was getting impatient.
'I love you, Raven.' He said, giving a self-conscious grin.
'I don't know what to say.' She moved back and sat on a nearby stool, hand on head.
'You could…say it back…maybe?' Beast Boy tried.
'But I…' She began.
'Don't, ok I get it, no big deal. We should get back to the others.' Beast Boy looked thoroughly depressed as he turned.
'Beast Boy…I do love you.' Raven said to his back.
He fainted.
This chapter was kinda short, but hey, I'm sure you'll forgive me.
I was really trying to capture the mood in the arena but I don't think it's a mood that can be captured well in writing. Or even pictures. You have to live it.
That's a tip to all you who haven't been to a good old fashioned rock show. GO TO ONE! Take some friends, you'll have a blast. I don't care if it's not your kind of music. GO!
Ok.
So thanks.
Reamis, out.