Well, here we are again, in heavy metal town. Don't hesitate to send me a review/PM if the characters get too confusing. They're all from Brutal Legend, but I don't want people to get lost. So far no real OC's have shown up in Eddie's chapters.

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He awoke to the sound of groaning, followed shortly by sunlight slamming into his closed eyes. Eddie could only give a startled grunt as he cast his arm over his eyes. "Shit!"

"Who the hell forgot to cover the glass doors?!" Kage's voice loudly cut through the rabble of cranky hungover metal heads as everyone tried to shimmy away from the window. Lita managed to roll away from the piercing sunbeam with more ease than should be possible for a woman with her level of hang over, especially when spitting out the level of curses she had flying from her lips. Lita's rolling was only stopped when Mangus's attempt at escaping from the sun resulted in him toppling onto Lita. The two cursed and untangled, Mangus scampering out of range of both Lita and Lars for his own safety.

"My fault!" Ophelia called back tiredly as she lurched onto her feet, moving to pull the blinds over the window. The dark haired woman blindly pawing at the cords trying to find them whilst still in a stupor. Her own hangover wasn't doing her any good at the moment.

"If you weren't newly home, I'd kick your ass," Was groused from the couch from Kill Master. The older man scrunching up where he lay, unhappily trying to become one with the ratty fabric of his couch. His lanky body was hardly something that could be scrunched up much less absorbed into the patchy furniture he was laying on.

"I'll owe you an ass kicking later," She called back, quick about closing the blinds when she did find the cords. The darkness a relief to the gathering of drunk metal heads splayed around the apartment. A few sighs of relief could be heard in the room, as well as one or two people passing out on the floor again.

"For closing that, you're safe," Kill Master offered easily back, immediately relieved at the darkness blocking out the sun. He covering his eyes with his arm, laughing a little, sounding younger than he was. "Could be my fondness for you speaking bout now though,"

Ophelia had to laugh at his words, grinning back at Kill Master as she made her way towards the couch. Joining the bony man on the tattered piece of furniture. "Don't mind me if I take advantage of that," She readily taking up the space Mangus had left behind.

"Always knew you were the smart one of the bunch," Kill Master offered with a tired sort of chuckle, patting Ophelia's shoulder as he grabbed a throw pillow to hand over to her.

Kage aimed a kick at the couch, missing entirely as he whined back at the pair. "Could you two save the father-daughter weirdness for later, some of us are trying to sleep," He rolled over onto his belly to hide his face. "It's grossing me out,"

Kill Master's more pleased tone dropped to something much quieter and displeased at that. "Don't make me break my vow, Kage,"

That, that was enough to make the balding man hold his hands up in surrender. "Right," When the vow was mentioned, it was best not to provoke Kill Master unless you wanted to see what the ex professor could do.

######

"You sure you're gonna be okay to drive?"

Ophelia rolled her eyes at the question as she turned the key in the ignition, the car rumbling to life as she spared her friend a brief irritated glance. "It takes anything you drink an hour to work out of you, we slept for 12 hours, so I think I'm good,"

Eddie gave a snort at that, "I was talkin' hangover wise, cause we all got fuckin' smashed last night,"

She waved his words off with a dismissive gesture as she looked over her shoulder before backing out of her parking spot. "I'm headache-y but I can handle a drive, Eddie. We're just swinging by McQueen's after all,"

"We are gonna need a lot of their hang over special," The roadie amusedly surmised as he checked his seat belt, making sure he was properly tucked in. "A hellva lot,"

"Sometimes I wonder if we solely fund that McQueens," Ophelia dryly offered back as she finished backing out, pulling out into the street. The brunette woman going on auto pilot as she drove. She knew the way by now, she had lived in this city long enough to just know the way by heart.

"Probably, we all live close enough to the damned thing." Eddie's laughter was easy, he leaning his elbow onto the soft leathery arm rest on the inside of the car's door, gazing out the window at the familiar sights. "If everythin' wasn't processed to shit, I'd say they always had our orders on hand for us,"

"Shh, don't remind me of that fact. Let me live in the fantasy where I'm eating something that actually is real food,"

Eddie cast a grin Ophelia's way, "Okay, if we're gonna live in the fantasy, lemme see if you still got the appropriate music for it," He reached out to crack open the dashboard compartment. He digging through the mess within for a moment before producing a brightly colored cassette tape. He playfully shook the tape in Ophelia's direction. "Little Mermaid time,"

"I'd marry you in a second for that if not for the fact you hog any bed you sleep on,"

"A man needs space in bed," He lightly offered back with a flash of his teeth in a mocking smirk. He opening its case, dusting the old cassette off as he spoke. "Now lets get our jam on,"

"Hell, yes,"

"Bet your fuckin' ass I can out sing you on this,"

"You are on, Eddie Riggs,"

The drive over was filled with off kilter singing, the two purposefully mangling words as the tape played. Laughter cutting through the terrible singing a time or two as Ophelia drove. The dark haired woman practically wheezing by the time they made it to McQueen's.

"I can't believe you- oh my god,"

"Ey, I can suddenly switch to a different accent if I wanna," He held his nose aloft in the air, playing at snooty.

"You're terrible," She laughed as they pulled behind another car in the drive through. "Why am I friends with you again?"

"My exceptional good looks?" He brushed off non existent dust from his shirt and sat up taller. His playful cockiness was slightly ruined by the fact he bumped his head against the top of Ophelia's car ceiling.

"Don't over estimate yourself, Mr. manly man." She answered back with a shake of her index finger. She casting her gaze forward for now to peer up at the glowing early morning drive in menu. The usual breakfast fares were displayed, along with faint graffiti from the night before the employees hadn't entirely scrubbed off.

"We doin' all hangover specials or got any changes?" Was Eddie's question as he reclined back into the passengers seat. Opening the bag in his lap, sighing briefly at the haphazard array of money that had been chucked at the two of them before they left. Eddie went about sorting through it properly as Ophelia spoke.

"Well, I'm getting a shake, Kage wants fries, Lita wants an apple pie and Kill Master wants an extra large box of fries,"

"Hope they paid for that shit in advance," Eddie managed as he counted out the money, mentally doing the math on how much everything would cost.

"Pretty sure Kill Master and Lita did, same for me, everyone did, but Kage anyway," Kage was always either broke or pretending to be broke so he wouldn't have to pay bills. He was the main slacker of the group. He still somehow got by on jokes, weed and some elusive kind of charm that came with his personality. No one really knew how he managed it.

"…You'd be right, everyone paid up front, 'cept Kage," The roadie wasn't about to pay out of pocket again for Kage, repaired friendship or not, a man had to pay for his own box of french fries.

Ophelia may have not been a mind reader, but she knew Eddie well enough to guess what he was thinking "So, no fries for Kage," It wasn't even a question at this point, just an amused statement on her part as she rested her cheek in her hand.

"Damn right, a man's gotta pony up for his own mother fuckin' fries,"

"You're a weird one, Eddie,"

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The speakers on the walls vibrated as Kage cranked the music up in the back of the store. All it really did was make Eddie's teeth ache in a way that made him feel older than he'd like. He rubbed at his cheek with a faint frown as the song loudly blared over head. If it had been a better song, Eddie suspected he might have grooved with it a little more, that or he was getting old.

He leaned over to Mangus, speaking loudly as he could so the other man could actually hear him. "I ain't one for turnin' down the music…"

"But we should turn down the music," Mangus loudly supplied back, casting the speakers over head a wary glance. "If it changes it'll be worse-"

"Changes?"

As if on cue, the heavy metal guitar solo ended abruptly. A droning man's voice cutting into with a news alert of some kind. Some report about another missing persons case. This certainly wasn't the first time one of these reports had cut through the radio station. It had been happening often enough Eddie was finding it hard not to notice.

"Christ, another-?"

"What-?" Mangus cupped his hands around his ears, the gesture slightly lost at the fact he was wearing headphones. Eddie simply shook his head back, miming for the other man to forget about it.

Relief was almost palatable when Kage finally got the sound back to a manageable level. Apparently the news report had killed what buzz he had gotten from the guitar solo earlier. "Thaaaank fuck,"

"Mhm," Mangus agreed, "Shit, man, my ears are ringing still!"

"Somehow I ain't surprised," Eddie lightly snorted back, stealing a glance over at the cash register, realizing a customer was approaching. He readily made his way over to the counter top. His customer service smile sliding into place, placating apologies and friendly small talk taking place of the lingering thoughts from earlier. He had a job to do, he didn't need to be distracted by the now dimmed news report.

It was just another name he didn't know, another face in the crowd.

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Lita bit the inside of her cheek, trying to stifle a laugh as she reached out to steady herself against the wall. "Good- lord,"

"You're just fuckin' jealous," Eddie said with a bright grin, smearing the lipstick he had been saddled with further. "I got my make up done by a fuckin' professional," The roadie proceeded to make kiss faces at Lita, only making her barely contained laughter worsen. The blonde woman releasing something that could be taken as a cackle. The cackle drew Kage's attention, he poking his head into the break room, having to make a face at the sight of Eddie.

"You haven't washed that shit off yet?"

"Don't be fuckin' jealous," Eddie preened openly just making Lita's laughter worse.

The balding man's brows knit together warily as he eyed the mess of make up that currently resided on the roadie's features. "Jealous isn't the word I'd use for it, dude,"

"You're practically turnin' green, I can see it," Eddie flipped his hair playfully back in the sassiest way possible, "Sides, it ain't that bad. It made Oz's granddaughter happy as fuck,"

"Yeah, but she isn't here anymore," Kage stated with a shake of his head, "C'mon dude, get rid of it,"

Lita managed to catch her breath by this point, her laughter having died down considerably with how irritated Kage was acting about something so simple. "Kage, it's just make up,"

"Yeah, but its…" He seemed on the edge of saying something but shook his head, "Nevermind, do what you want." He frowned back at Eddie. "Free country and all I guess,"

All Eddie could do was incredulously blink in turn, not sure how to even feel about that. "Yeah…" Relieved when Kage gave a huff and left the break room. He closed the door harder than necessary as he stalked back towards the main floor of the store.

"That was odd," Lita stated uncertainly back, her thin blonde brows pinching together as she frowned at the spot Kage had occupied a moment earlier.

"No fuckin' kiddin'," Though Eddie had a decent idea of why Kage acted that way, it didn't mean he exactly liked it. "I'll go wash this off I guess, he kinda pissed all over the moment an set on fire," His words earned a snort from Lita, the blonde woman moving over to offer Eddie a shoulder punch, "I'll help you, since I can tell that little girl got some make up in your hair as well,"

The roadie had to laugh a little at that, "That kid is a zealous one,"

"No kidding," Lita chuckled back as with a smirk, reaching out to swipe a finger under Eddie's jaw, holding the clearly lipstick covered digit up for the roadie to see.

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A little on the short side, but I hope it tides you guys over until I get a bigger chapter written up!