I uploaded! This is like, the LONGEST chapter EVER in this fic! Probably will be in the whole one! Or maybe not depending on how the rest of this fic goes! My notes tell me that this fic will reach up to 15 chapters! Anyway, read on :D
The acceptance of the challenge could well have been the end of the group's friendship. As soon as Kitchzy had agreed to the Band Battle Alec had kicked off. After a loud row between the manager and bassist, Tai and tried to calm them down and make them see the brighter side of the tournament, which had caused Vorn to get irritable. He'd snapped at Tai, who'd tried to keep his friend calm, and failing spectacularly. Eventually Kitchzy had cut in again, and Alec had sparked up again, his temper getting shorter and shorter by the minute. There had been another row, in which Tai had tried unsuccessfully to calm everyone down. Plucky sat in silence the whole time, undisturbed. Until Alec rounded on him.
"Don't think you can fucking get out of this just because you're fucking mute, you bastard!" he snarled.
Plucky simply stared back icily.
"Don't you fucking give me that look you piece of-"
"Alec, dude, chill out-"
"Shut it, Tai, you're the one who got us in this fucking mess to start with!"
"Dude, I just-"
"Tai, give up" Vorn muttered.
"Fuck off, Vorn, no one needs your opinion" Alec growled.
"Lay offa him, elfy, ya gotta nasty temper, ya know?"
Alec slammed his hands down on the table, hair unwinding from its plat. They'd had this argument a few times before Kitchzy had accepted, and this time he wasn't ready to deal with any of it. He was going to stand his ground if it meant threatening them at knife-point. The tournament only promised horrible things for the future no matter how he looked at it. He wished he could get Tai to just understand that. What other choice did he have?
"You fucking realise this is going to start a war, right?" Alec tried again.
"Dude, we keep it to music only!" Tai insisted.
"I give up, we go with it" Vorn surrendered tiredly.
"No fucking way you are letting them do this, Vorn! Back me up!"
"Give up, Alec, we've accepted."
"Alec, sweetie, jus' please try an' see it our way-"
"Don't you fucking call me that you little sneak!"
"Dude, Alec, like-"
"I don't fucking care!"
"Alec-"
"Fuck off, Vorn, you coward!"
The Orc stood up suddenly, ignoring the pain in his awkward leg. He glared viciously at Alec, who glared acidly back. There was a long, tense silence as the two teens stood stock still, staring at each other, both fully aware of the other's weaknesses in a fight and how to use it to their advantage. No one moved for what seemed hours, unsure of what the slightest twitch would set off. Plucky watched the two carefully, ready to tear them apart if he had to. Kitchzy and Tai glanced at each other quickly, before looking back at the bassist and drummer.
"Fuck this" Alec growled, turning away. He was tired of all the arguing and found that his moment of stubbornness and adrenaline had left him. He saw no point in arguing when he was the only one who could see clearly.
"Dude, like, where are you going?"
"Away from here, you fucking idiot, I can't be fucked arguing."
Plucky got up and blocked him before he reached the door. Alec narrowed his eyes dangerously but the forsaken stood his ground, cigarette held loosely between his teeth.
"Get the fuck out of my way" Alec hissed.
Plucky stared at him for a while, then shook his head lightly.
"I said, get the fuck out of my way, idiot!"
He shook his head again.
Alec clenched his teeth and let out a short hiss of annoyance "Fucking move!"
Another shake of the head.
Alec snarled, pulled back his fist and swung. He hit the guitarist with more force than intended, and there was a loud tell-tale crunch of breaking bone as Alec's knuckles made connection with Plucky's jaw. He didn't stop to watch Plucky land heavily on the floor, nor stop when the others called him back. He just kept walking, blocking it all out. As he walked his pace sped up, and soon he was running.
He ran at full speed, covering his ears with his hands to block out the sound of the crunching bone, tried to block the images of the startled expression on the normally tranquil undead. He ran without looking where he was going, letting his feet take him where he'd run to in the past, and when his feet carried him out of the city he kept running until he fell down by a small pond and curled up, eyes squeezed shut.
Vorn had seen Alec storm off many times in the past, the elf's temper was no shock to anyone. He and the blonde had argued about it before, but eventually he'd given up bothering to argue at all. He found that as he grew older, that adapting to situations became easier as long as he accepted it. He'd accepted that he'd never fight in the war; he'd accepted that he had no family to turn to; he'd accepted that he'd be in a band; and he'd finally accepted that he was the least appealing of them. He knew that eventually Alec would come back home, sullen and silently, and act as if nothing had happened. He didn't worry for the elf at all, but he was worried for Tai.
The singer was easily upset by arguments among his friends, and tried to keep disagreements to a minimum, always searching for a mid-point. He knew Tai was scared sick for what could happen to Alec when he was out alone; he'd been distraught when Alec had gone missing. He'd tried to calm him down but the troll had continued to stress, grinding on Vorn's patience. Tai, though mellow and relaxed, had always seemed somewhat too clingy to his friends, Vorn found, and assumed that perhaps it had something to do with the reason he'd ended up in the Orphanage. Vorn had been in the matron's care for most of his life, but Tai had arrived at a much older age than most, too young to make decisions for himself, but old enough to understand what was happening.
He leaned back on his chair, staring at the ceiling in his room. He'd tried to keep everything simple, easy to deal with – unlike Alec's flamboyant decor – but had ended up with large weapons hanging off one wall grandly, as though he hoped to use the one day, and a large horde flag pinned on the opposite wall. In one corner he'd laid out his drums carefully and tidily, with a pile of spare leathers should one break. Once, he'd asked Tai how he kept his furniture so simple, with no personal possessions pas his clothes. His friend had shrugged lightly and smiled.
Tai. Vorn's thoughts moved back to his friend, and remembered how he'd not returned home until sunrise looking like death. He knew about Tai's drinking problem and had once tried to talk to him about it, only resulting in a short argument where Tai simply shrugged off everything he'd said. He knew that he and the troll would always disagree over things, but he usually didn't have the effort to continue an argument very far, and Tai was never up for any kind of argument anyway. He knew that they would never row properly, there would never be a situation that bad, would there? No, there wouldn't, but he did cut his patience every time they disagreed. He was glad the singer was downstairs with Kitchzy, trying to sort out Plucky, he needed time to think.
Alec was curled up tightly, in a self-pitying, mournful way. Somewhere faintly on the edge of his consciousness, he could hear the sounds of footstep's. Someone sat down next to him quietly, but said nothing. A soft hand lay on his shoulder and he raised his head slightly to look at the person beside him. Cassie smiled back comfortingly.
"You should not run away, Alec, it makes people sad."
"Get away you annoying person" he mumbled in Common.
"That brings me back to our childhood; you used to say that to me all the time."
"I say it again. Get away."
"I'm glad I didn't teach you how to swear, you're much nicer when you don't sound like an ill-spoken child."
Alec frowned and said nothing.
Cassie carefully untangled his plat and brushed through his hair with her fingers, neatening it, then re-platted it slowly. They sat in silence for a while as she fixed his hair and he stared at his reflection in the water. Her fingers worked carefully and slowly, and when she was finished she lay it over his shoulder tidily. They sat in silence for a moment longer as he regarded her cautiously and she smiled back.
"You don't have to hide it, Alec, I know you swear, why do you feel the need to hide it?"
"Girls should not hear words like that..." He responded slowly.
"Nobody should, it does nothing for you, Alec. You don't look smart or tough, and it'll only make you less approachable."
"I hate humans for this reason, you betray my people then act nice" He muttered.
"Yes, I know, Alec, you've said this before. You told me you hated humans when we first met. You told me it every day of our childhood."
"I hate undead too."
"Yes, I thought you might. But Plucky doesn't hate you, he's worried about you. And so am I, so please stop lying to yourself."
Alec was silent again.
Cassie shuffled closer to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. For as long as she could remember, she'd considered Alec as an older brother. She'd been a toddler when they'd first met and had refused to talk to anyone else for years. He'd been an older brother to her, someone who would protect her from her fears and danger. To most, she knew, he appeared to be a violent, bad-mouthed brat, but she knew through years experience that deep inside he was capable of caring for his friends truly did value what he had.
"Remember when we were very little, and you once told me that you didn't want me around?"
"You were an annoying kid."
"You made me cry and told me to go away."
Alec shuffled awkwardly, looking away from her.
"I ran all the way out here, just to this pond. Do you remember?"
"Yes, I found you much later" Alec smiled faintly.
Cassie smiled softly "You sent an entire search party to find me" she gazed at him thoughtfully "Why did you send a search party?"
"I could not find you" he replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"But you hate humans. You hate the alliance. Why did you look after me? Why didn't you let me die out there?"
He regarded her carefully, then said "Because you are my little sister and you are important to me."
Cassie was silent for a moment. Alec had never said anything like that to her, and she was touched. Before, whenever she'd asked him a question like that, he'd responded with saying that without him she'd have no one to look after her, or that she wouldn't be able to take care of herself.
"Then in that case, they are your brothers, and you are important to them, and they are important to you. So you should go back, because Tai is very upset, and Plucky is worried about you. I think Kitchzy will be more relieved at you being home than offended by what you called her. Vorn will also be happier." She stood up and grabbed Alec by the hand, pulling him up. Holding his hand firmly, she pulled him back into the city.
"Thanks a lot, Cassie" Alec murmured, falling back into Orcish, his face slightly tinted with pink.
"Glad to be help."
"Uhm, I promise I won't swear anymore, okay?"
"That's good" Cassie smiled brightly, glad that for once in her life she was a help to her friends, not a hanger-on who only just understood their language.
Kitchzy raised her head at the sound of the door opening and smiled in relief when she saw Alec walk in, his face somewhat pink but safe. Cassie was smiling cheerfully and walked over, dragging the elf by the hand. The two girls and Alec stood together, watching Tai. The Troll was carefully finishing off some stitching on the side of Plucky's face, his fingers moving slowly and delicately. The undead was sat perfectly still, eyes closed and head tilted slightly to allow more space for the singer to work. Kitchzy was very impressed by his work, and wondered if there was some way of getting him a job in tailoring somewhere, or perhaps first aid. Just for a few extra gold, some investment from the war maybe. She should probably write up a contract later. right now, though, she had to keep her boys happy, because although she felt like she was raising a gang of bitchy teenage girls, they were bringing in the sort of money that makes a goblin shrug and say "it's worth every copper".
Alec walked slowly up to Plucky and Tai and scratched the back of his neck "Uh, look, you guys. I... I'm really sorry about, you know..." Alec searched around for appropriate words that didn't involve swearing.
Plucky stood up and rested a hand on Alec's shoulder and gave him a meaningful look.
"Alec smiled slightly and looked away "...Thanks, Plucky..." he said quietly.
Suddenly, a large pair of arms wrapped themselves tightly around him and Plucky, crushing them "Dude, it's like, totally so much better when you guys are nice and stuff!" Tai half-cried in happiness, swinging them around.
It was then that Alec began to laugh, finally letting himself be carefree and happy for once.
Vorn watched quietly from the foot of the stairs, hidden by the shadows. He watched his friends play and laugh as though they had nothing to worry about. He wondered if he was the only one who thought through everything, analysed every movement made. The only one he could talk to properly these days was Kitchzy, who saw everything in terms of money and how it would benefit her- or in some cases, them- in the future. He always carefully planned ahead to see how things could pan out, it was just how he'd always been. It was how he'd survived after his leg had been crushed. He was a strategist and a survivor. Soon, he knew, everything would crash and burn on them, just as it had on Azeroth.
He turned around and ascended the stairs silently, deciding to think for a while without raining on his friends parade. He knew he'd have to talk to Tai soon, and he hoped that Tai would wake up soon.
Huray, Alec is happy :3 and he'll start sounding grown up now :P If only these boys would stop arguing! Well it looks like they're all friends now.. or DOES IT! What could Vorn be planning? Find out in the next chapter... when I get round to writing it!