In this chapter: It's Halloween, this day anything goes.
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Ballad
Chapter Eight
"Halloween"
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Roxas entered his apartment, finding it empty just as Namine promised. He sighed and placed his keys on the hook next to the door and hung his coat in the closet. There wasn't so much as a note to let him know when she'd be back, which he supposed was payback for earlier. It was just after two, so he had seven hours to kill until he had to be at the club. He collapsed on the bed and decided that maybe a nap would be the best way to pass the time.
He lay on his side of the bed, waiting patiently for sleep to overcome him. Blue eyes focused on the ceiling, particularly on a crack that was forming across the top of Namine's side of the bed. His wondering on how that had gotten there, because he was sure that it wasn't there yesterday, was cut short when he remembered something immensely more exciting. Right next to his lamp, placed strategically behind his alarm clock so Namine wouldn't mess with it, was Fuu's zine.
Taking from where he left off, Roxas took another moment to just stare at the picture of the two boys. He didn't understand exactly what was so intriguing about seeing them together. Pictures of people from the past could tell the most interesting stories. There was a sign in the background that read 'Seaside Acres'. He hadn't heard of that place when he had come to visit with his parents and Sora.
Axel had that catty grin on his face that Roxas liked. It was a nice grin that symbolized no ill will, the one that Roxas usually received when Axel was in one of his giving moods. Today was a perfect example. He still had that same smile when Roxas ate his pizza and when he was given those stupid combat boots. Roxas wanted to see this picture in color. He wanted to know if his hair was the same fire engine red that it was now, or something completely different like ash blonde or even green. He seemed like the kind of guy who could never keep the same hair color too long. The only thing Roxas wished was that the focus on his body wasn't so blurry. The main purpose of tattoos was to tell a story, and he wanted to know what Axel had to say.
If tattoos did symbolize an archaic form of storytelling, he wondered what this boy would have to say. So this was Riku. This was the lead singer of 13 Hearts' first lineup. He certainly looked the part. Hidden under long bleached white bangs were eyes swimming deep in black makeup. He noticed on the bridge of his nose, in the fleshy area between the eyes, were two metal balls. Squinting his eyes and turning the picture slightly, it looked like it was a piercing. Although there was no one there to see it, Roxas was sure the color in his face paled. Who would do that to their face? After meeting Axel, Roxas was accustomed to lip rings and tattoos, but such an outrageous stunt pulled right in the middle of his face? Riku must be afraid of nothing.
There was also something about this boy that was infinitely intriguing. Despite the tattoos and the ghastly piercing, he seemed like the kind of boy Roxas would want to sit next to and just talk. Talk about the band, about his relationship with Axel, about why he left… Under the picture was the question and answer with Fuu that was split between them.
F: Axel.
A: Riku's sister.
F: Riku.
R: 'Sup?
Roxas stopped reading there. So Fuu did have a brother in the band, so to speak. He felt like her giving him these zines had a new meaning. She wanted him to know more about her brother. He took the next words to heart.
F: So, what's next for this budding group?
A: We're thinking about touring some local places to pimp the new album.
F: Is there a name for this thing? I'm tired of calling it a "new album." I mean, I live with this dickwad and he won't tell me anything.
R: It's called "The Past Life," bitch.
F: Asshole.
R: Hag.
F: Pubes.
R: Cunt.
F: Fag.
Roxas' mouth dropped at the language. Fuu must really care about her brother a lot to print a fight like this in a zine that was delivered across the town, and who knows where else.
A: Don't you wanna know what kinda songs will be on it or something?
F: Sure. I guess.
A: Well, there's 'One Last Embrace' and 'Kissing in the Dark with Boys'
F: From personal experience, I bet.
R: Basically it's most of the songs we have on our Bandcamp and play live. We have a few new songs that we never put on the site though.
A: Like 'O2 Moron,' that one's kinda like this poppy punky garage bandy kind of sound about revenge. And then there's 'Fourth Travesty' which is a little bit darker and more metal than most of our songs, and it's a really resonating melodic piece that Riku and I wrote. And there's my favorite 'Last Night in Andalasia,' which is a love ballad.
F: A love song?
R: Jeez, shut your face! The kids aren't interested in every little detail of a song. There's nothing really special about it…
F: Let the record show that my brother is flustered.
A: I dunno about that, Ri. I think it's pretty cool.
F: So what other special features will be included in your debut album?
A: The album will come with a special booklet with some behind the scenes pictures.
R: Basically us just jerking off.
F: Oh, so nothing new, then?
A: The basic package looks really nice and really sharp. I mean, you designed the cover and everything.
F: But I'm still trying to approach 13 Hearts from a nonbiased point of view.
R: And you're failing miserably. Any other questions?
F: When you were born did mom drop you on your head?
R: Fuck you.
F: Butt monger.
R: Asspile.
F: Shit-streamer.
R: Snot tampon.
That was where the interview stopped. Roxas turned to the last page of the zine and found only a picture montage. Briefly glancing over the words again, he wondered if that was really all they had to say. From what he discovered about Riku, the tattooed punk had a standard brother-sister relationship with Fuu, and he didn't like to talk about the music at all.
Deciding that there was no hidden message to read between the lines of Axel and Riku's interview, Roxas decided to look at the montage at the back of the zine. Photographs capture a person's inner soul, right? There was no better way to find out more about the soul of 13 Hearts.
Inside the menagerie of images was a photograph of Luxord and Xigbar smiling. The pose in the photograph wasn't that hideously uncommon. The bassist had his arm wrapped loosely around Xigbar's neck and shoulders. The lead guitarist had his long hair, which was usually tied back into a low ponytail, splayed over his shoulders and it was covering most of his face. That didn't stop the fact that there was an almost warm smile on his face. A side of his lips was obscured by a hand holding a simmering cigarette limply. It was one of the first time he had seen Xigbar smiling, and he looked almost friendly that way. Roxas hoped to see more of it in the future.
There was another picture of Luxord looking chill as he strummed on his bass on a tattered old chair. A close up of Marluxia's face as he smiled with a drumstick between his teeth like a rose. An over-the-shoulder shot of someone, possibly Axel, going over a set list for the night's show.
There was one photograph, a larger one in the bottom left corner was of the entire band, all five of them, on the beach. Axel stood farthest to the edge, wearing aviator sunglasses with his thumbs digging into the elastic waistband of his board shorts. Xigbar stood next to him looking down and kicking the sand. Luxord was in the middle, eyes squeezed shut without sunglasses to protect from the glare of the sun. Marluxia was next in line, but he was crouched down digging a hand in the sand. He was pulling his shirt out by the hem and placing a collection of shells in it. Lastly, on the farthest right, was Riku. His back was faced away from the camera towards the sea, and he had a six string acoustic guitar strapped to his back, a Fender Dreadnought Cutaway.
There was another photo of Axel playfully reaching out to the camera, one of him singing into a mic during practice, and one of him jumping on stage while playing guitar during a gig. There were a few photos of Xigbar being generally unpleasant, but in most of them Luxord was close by to keep him in check. There was one photo of Marluxia putting his make up on. Roxas could see the reflection of his face in the mirror he was using to apply, and the one hand that wasn't trying to apply eyeliner was flipping the camera off. In the reflection he could also see the person taking the picture, Riku.
One thing Roxas noticed, with a hint of aggravation, was the complete and total lack of a decent picture of Riku. With the exception of the photograph of him and Axel together for their interview, there weren't any other photos of him in the montage or anywhere else in any of the zines. Perhaps Riku was the one behind the camera for all these pictures. The interview with him revealed little or no information, and to that effect Roxas realized that he wouldn't know what to look for to begin with.
The idea of there being a different singer besides Axel in 13 Hearts was what really intrigued him. The redheaded punk, in Roxas' opinion, was the only person to carry the band's heavy sound. From what Axel had described it, as 'poppy' and like 'love ballads,' it sounded nothing like the way the band's sound was now. When Roxas thought back to when Axel was showing him his guitar collection, he remembered him saying that their sound had changed when he willingly handed over the red Fender for Roxas to practice with. It was the same guitar Axel was playing with in the pictures of him jumping onstage during a set.
The blonde looked longingly at the guitar gathering dust in the corner of his room. He hadn't had much time to practice, especially since Namine didn't want him playing while she was doing homework, or planning for the wedding, or watching television, or basically any time she was inside the apartment at all. Axel had been busy preparing for later tonight, and now that Roxas thought about it, he was a little tired and wanted to sleep before the set. Before his eyes slowly lowered to drift off, one of the zine pages propped open to the picture of the band at the beach. Axel really did have a nice smile.
A nap was exactly what Roxas needed. The insanity of the rush afterwards, however, he could have lived without. The blonde had a very sick feeling in the pit of his stomach when he cracked open his eye and realized that the sun had long since set and he could hear trick-or-treaters laughing and running outside. Instantly he sat on his haunches and pulled back the curtain over his bed. The streetlights had lit up and there was already drunken people meandering down the street.
The clock read eight-thirty and Roxas had to be at the set at nine. Tripping over himself and covers while trying to scramble out of bed, he limped into the bathroom and turned the faucet on quickly. While waiting for the water to heat up he rushed back into the living room where his costume for the night still laid folded up in its bag. He took it out and noticed that there were fold creases in the pants and jacket. Taking the tuxedo back into his bedroom and tossing them on the bed, he forced the ironing board out of its closet hiding place and successfully knocked down the pole that held up most of Namine's blouses on hangers.
"Fuck!" he cried aloud, tossing the ironing board with a loud clang into the bedroom and tried to pick up Namine's clothes. Once finished, he grabbed the iron off the top shelf of the closet and placed it on the ironing board. He plugged it in and rushed back to the bathroom where he had left the water running for far too long. Shucking his clothes that he had slept in off his body, he jumped into the shower and bit back a scream at how hot the temperature was. He turned the knob for the hot water all the way to the right and spent the rest of his three-minute shower in a frigid downpour. Only having enough time to suds up and wash down quickly, he jumped from the shower and toweled off and continued to iron his tux.
Laying the anally perfected costume on the bed, Roxas quickly dried his hair and gelled it up the way he was known for. First, he found an old pair of black socks that were a size too big and hung loosely around his ankles. The freshly pressed slacks were next, and he had to put up an all-out fight against those pencil-thin pants to force his feet through them. This was followed by the black button-up shirt and the maroon cummerbund. Roxas blessed whomever decided to use a clip-on bowtie for the costume and strapped the thing around his neck. Lastly was the jacket, which fit better than Roxas would have ever imagined. Digging into the bag he pulled out the last piece of the costume, the mask.
Standing in front of Namine's full-length mirror that hung on the back of the bathroom door, Roxas was a little stunned. This was his first time wearing a costume so… sinister. Before he decided that he was too old for costumes, he had gone as a prince, a dog, even a Power Ranger, but this was different. The costume, although a rental, fit amazingly, and even the pants didn't feel too tight once he got them on properly. The black tux was definitely slimming, and the maroon accents added a hint of darkness for the holiday. He strapped the elastic band of the mask around his head and placed it over his eyes.
There was a line of skin surrounding the eyeholes in the mask that Roxas couldn't help but find distracting. He flipped the mask up to rest on his forehead and glanced at the clock. He had ten minutes before he was supposed to be at the club, so since he was going to be late no matter what, a few extra minutes wouldn't really matter. At the same time, he felt like he was doing something inherently wrong to his manliness. Not that Roxas was the most masculine person compared to his other friends, but he still had certain level of self confidence that he could hold himself above other men, or specifically the guys of 13 Hearts. He slowly crept into the bathroom once again and pulled open Namine's makeup drawer. He didn't really know what to expect when opening it, but he flinched just in case bats or evil spirits tried to attack him.
Somewhere between the cave of base foundation and the hollowed forests of nail polish bottles was a small trove of eyeliner. She had so many different colors, most of which Roxas wasn't aware she wore around her eyes. He shuffled through blue, purple, green, brown, even white sticks until he came across the black. He looked closely in the medicine cabinet mirror and studied his eyes carefully. Trying very hard to steady his hand, he brought the tip of the eyeliner pencil to the lid of his eye. The makeup was cold and made his eyelid twitch, making it impossible to draw a straight line. Since he was wearing a mask, most of the misplaced lines would be covered anyway so he kept stroking.
Not simply satisfied with the chalking look the eyeliner left behind, he found a small tub of black powder, eye shadow. Taking a small brush and scrubbing the powder with it, he splashed it over his eyelids blindly and took a step back after he was finished.
He looked like a ghoul, which would normally be very disconcerting, but very fitting for the night. He placed the mask back over his eyes and enjoyed the look of the black blending perfectly with the black ribbon outlining the mask.
Suddenly, he remembered that he was running late and cursed again, running back into the bedroom and realizing it was already past nine. Rushing into the living room to rush out the door, the cold feeling of the tile seeping through his socks reminded him of one crucial detail: he had no shoes.
Roxas didn't want to wear his expensive Italian black dress shoes to what was sure to be a wild night. All his other shoes were brown or white and wouldn't match the suit at all. He was reminded of the pair of combat boots Axel had bought for him earlier that afternoon, and they were still resting peacefully in their plastic bag on the couch. Roxas glared at them as he took them out, wondering if he really had to wear them. They still smelt like the feet of the last person who wore them. Glancing at the clock, he sighed, realizing that he really didn't have the time to debate. It took him more time to lace up the damn things than to put the eyeliner on.
Once they were strapped on, he didn't have time to second-guess his appearance as he rushed out the door and downstairs to the nearest tram stop. Normally, he would feel very ridiculous in this getup, but the tram was filled with a bunch of people his age dressed in costumes ranging from the outlandish men as Spartans in short skirts to the outrageous girls dressed like angels wearing bikinis.
Roxas tried his best to ignore the people already wasted and plastered and the terribly erotic moaning coming from behind the throngs of people inside. On the fourth stop, along with Roxas, the rest of the bus filed out onto the club district that was already crowded with college students in costume.
The blonde in disguise walked down the grubby street quickly towards the only club he had been in. There was a long line waiting outside the Organization again, very similar to the line the first night he visited only at least twice as long. The end of the line disappeared around the corner and out of sight. Much like his first time, he bypassed all of the people waiting in line and approached the bouncer. It was the same man as before, Cid.
"Hey, kid!" he said happily. Roxas paused and looked behind him cautiously, making sure he wasn't talking to some other person in line. He hadn't seen Cid in nearly half a month and even then it was just an acquaintance. "The band told me to expect yeh. Hands up!"
Roxas held up his hands like he was a criminal, but the bouncer just rolled his eyes and pulled his wrists down so he could mark them with large Xs. The young blonde sighed in defeat and the bouncer held the door open for him and he marched through. Inside everything was exactly the same as when he first visited. The same bartender stood behind the counter, ready for another round of kids too young to drink trying to slip him fake IDs. There were similar scene kid talking around the walls of the club and sitting on the benches smoking cigarettes, wearing sunglasses even though the sun had set and they were indoors.
Roxas noticed Squall standing behind his table that he had already set up in the back of the club. Before he even reached the sound booth the tall brunet had noticed him and nodded in recognition. "Hey."
"Sorry I'm late," Roxas sighed, adjusting the mask covering his eyes. It was a very foreign feeling that he hadn't gotten used to yet. "I'd fallen asleep and forgot to wake up, I guess."
He shrugged and started unraveling wires that led to the speakers. "The doors don't open for another half hour. You're good."
"Do you need help with that?" Roxas asked, gesturing towards the large coils of cords he had wrapped around his shoulders.
"That'd be great, actually," he sighed, dropping the cords to the floor. He picked up the male end of the wire and pointed to the green tag taped on the end. "It's not brain surgery. You go behind the speakers and plug this into the outlet with the green arrow on it."
When he took the cords onstage to the back of the speakers, he saw that there were dozens, possibly over twenty outlets each with a different color or number corresponding to them. There was only one with green electrical tape pasted in the shape of an arrow pointing to it, so he plugged the cords into that, repeating the process for the other three speakers that towered on the edges of the stage.
When he was done he returned to Squall's sound booth. "Make sure they were in there nice and tight?" he asked. Roxas nodded and the older man handed him three microphones and stands. "Good. Put these onstage. The red one is Axel's."
One of the microphones had red electrical tape wrapped around it. The mic looked well traveled and beaten, and the tape seemed like it had more than one layer of use on it. There were some strands of faded and dirtied red tape sticking out from under it, giving the impression that this mic had been around for years. Roxas set Axel's mic up first in the center of the stage, and the other two generic mics where he figured Luxord and Xigbar would be standing. Squall had started taking a roll of duct tape and was securing the cords from the speakers to the floor. While he was busy doing that, Roxas explored the area behind the sound booth. There was a large black case with metal rims and corners that carried all of the electrical cords in a very anally retentive organized way. He took out the three microphone cords and returned to the stage to plug them into the mics. Once Squall was finished with the duct tape, he took Roxas' role.
"I'll finish this part," he said, nodding to the green room. "The guys are still getting ready. Get their stuff for me."
Roxas wasn't exactly sure what he meant. "Stuff?"
"The guitars. The amps. The drums," he said shortly. "Get the drums first, those are a bitch to set up."
Roxas nodded and rushed to the green room. He could hear the voices of the band coming from inside, and not wanting to interrupt, he knocked first. Marluxia was the one that answered the door, originally with a harsh scowl that softened at the sight of Roxas. "Oh, it's you." He opened the door wider and let Roxas come in. The room was pretty much the same as the first time he was in there, when he and Axel had their little "chat", except this time there was a rolling hanger cart with their clothes hanging on it.
Marluxia, Luxord, and Xigbar were all dressed in their Halloween costumes for the show, which were tuxedos just like his only the traditional black and white colors with tails on the jackets. Their makeup was a little heavier than normal. At least, it was normal for Marluxia, but even Luxord and Xigbar were wearing blue eye shadow and red lipstick for the occasion. Roxas figured it was just part of the stage makeup and chose not to question it.
"I need the drums so I can start setting up," Roxas stated. Marluxia nodded and rushed over to the cart, pulling it aside and revealing cases upon cases of musical equipment. He handed Roxas a huge, stout cylindrical case and a slightly smaller one. He made them look so light, but once placed in the blonde's hands he grunted and nearly fell forward. Marluxia didn't seem to mind as he snuck back to the door to open it for him.
"Are there a bunch of people outside?" he asked, sounding a little nervous. Roxas thought this was a bit out of character for the same man that had acted so coldly to him earlier in the day. However, he supposed that pre-show jitters got the best of everyone.
"It's pretty tight. You're in for a good show," Roxas said with a smile. Marluxia looked at him for a moment and returned the grin. When he stepped outside the doors had apparently been opened and the room started flooding with people in costume. Thankfully, Squall took the drums from Roxas and started assembling the set himself. Six trips later Roxas had gotten the bulk of the instruments out of the room, out of their cases, and onstage resting on their stands. Making one last trip to the room, he noticed that there was one merry man missing from the troupe.
"Where's Axel?" he asked, picking up the last small bag that held an extra mic stand, just in case. Throughout all his trips he made in and out of the green room, he had seen the three of them pacing around inside anxiously but the normally incessantly present redhead was nowhere to be seen.
"He's, like, somewhere in the back, or the bathroom, or something. He's getting changed into his costume," Xigbar murmured from his seat on a rusted folding metal chair. Even he appeared to be tapping his foot nervously on the linoleum floor. "He's taking fucking forever."
Roxas nodded slowly, wondering if he should go into the men's room and check on the frontman. He would need to help with the setup, first and foremost. He made several trips back and forth getting all the equipment out of the greenroom, which he guessed was locked in there for safe keeping. On his last trip, getting Axel's guitar, there was a knock on the door before he could leave. The three band members jumped at the sound and none of them made a move to answer it. Roxas looked at all of them nervously and opened the door. It was Squall.
"You're on in five," he said to Luxord, Xigbar, and Marluxia. He pointed a finger at Roxas. "You. Newbie. I need you at the sound stage now." Roxas nodded and tried not to trip over his size-ten steel-toe boots. Before leaving the room he turned to the band.
"Are… you guys okay? Honestly, I'm not used to seeing you so nervous."
The three of them, who had seemed to have their eyes glued to the floor, instantly snapped their heads to look at the young blonde. Luxord shrugged and was the first to talk. "We're just not used to a stunt like this."
"Well, some of us are," Xigbar replied, rolling his eyes. Roxas wasn't sure what to make of that, but Squall called for him to hurry so he rushed out of the green room and closed the door behind him. The club was a lot more crowded than it was when he went to see them earlier. He looked over the audience to try and see if Fuu was around, but with everyone in costume it proved to be impossible.
"ROXAS!" came the overly ecstatic voice from across the noisy club. The blonde looked up and saw Demyx waving at him from behind the 13 Hearts merch booth with, speak of the devil, Fuu. Roxas grinned and walked over to them. Demyx was dressed in pants, a sweatshirt, and gloves that all had a skeleton print on them. He had a plastic skull mask attached to the side of his head so Roxas could still see his face. Fuu waved, wearing a shimmering purple tank top and a shredded black skirt. Attached to her back were a pair of glittering black fairy wings.
Demyx was waving like a lunatic and had a smile to match. "Roxas! Hi!"
"Hey Demyx. Hiya Fuu."
"Hi."
Roxas turned back to Demyx and pointed to the table. "So you guys are manning the booth tonight?" He noticed that there were a few new stickers sitting next to the box of albums. "These are kinda cool," Roxas said, pointing to the stickers. There was one in the shape of a heart that was filled with a flame, a giant '13' in black in the middle. The other was their logo, the heart/fleur de lis combination with the barbed X in the middle that was the same as their first album cover.
Demyx snatched one of each and all but forced them into Roxas' hands. "Take one! I'm sure Axel won't mind."
And speaking of the mysteriously missing redhead, "Do you know where he is? It's not like him to be scarce before the show…"
Demyx gave Roxas a catlike grin and leaned over the table. He pulled on the lapel of Roxas' coat to bring him closer and almost kissed his ear. "You're under strict instructions from Axel tonight," he whispered hotly. "Enjoy the show."
At that moment three giggly high school girls approached the booth to buy albums. Roxas heard a shrill whistle from nearby and saw Squall had reached his perch on the sound stage, which was positioned a few feet above the audience. The man was motioning for Roxas to join him. He climbed the two steps to reach him and looked at all the knobs and switches that Squall was tweaking. "Do you need any help?" he asked, not wanting to touch anything with out his explicit consent. He was taken by surprise when the man shook his head and looked to the stage. "Then… why did you call me here?"
"The show…" he answered. "You get a better view from here."
Although the sound booth was far away from the stage, it was high enough to get a perfect view of the action going on below. The audience was starting to spark up and creep slowly closer to the stage. Squall put on a pair of headphones with a small microphone connected to it. He spoke softly into it and couldn't be heard over the collective murmur of the audience, but once he stopped talking the lights in the house over the dance floor dimmed.
Shuffling through the crowd, Luxord, Xigbar, and Marluxia walked onstage in their tuxes, strapping on the guitars that Roxas had left waiting for them. Lots of shouting and applause ensured, including a lot of the girls popping their heads up above the crowd searching like meerkats for the elusive fourth member.
Once the audience's cheering settled, Luxord stepped up to the mic. "Good evening everyone," he spoke with his slight accent rolling off his tongue. Roxas was happy to see that whatever nervousness possessed the band in the greenroom seemed to disappear while they were onstage. They were true performers. "Let's get started with one of my personal favorites…"
Xigbar started with a short riff before Luxord started singing a song Roxas wasn't familiar with. "Bonfires burning bright, pumpkin faces in the night! I remember Halloween! Dead cats hanging from poles!"
The audience seemed to enjoy it. Some of the goth kids were dancing together or in groups. It reminded Roxas of a very twisted high school dance, everyone dressed to the nines and just having fun. "Little dead are out in droves, I remember Halloween! Brown leaved vertigo where skeletal life is known! I remember Halloween! This day anything goes!"
Luxord continued singing and when he was finished the crowd cheered and chanted for more. During the break between the songs, Roxas noticed Squall doing some mad tweaking on the sound stage. "What's going on?"
"The next song," Squall mumbled almost too lowly for him to hear. "It has pieces that the band plays and pre-recorded parts that I play. I need to make sure that my timing is just right or else the song will be off and the music won't sound as good."
Roxas found out what he meant when big band music started coming from the speakers. There weren't any trombones or trumpets on stage so it must have come from Squall's sound booth. The brunet looked angrily towards the ceiling of the club where a small catwalk was placed over the stage. He grabbed the mic connected to his headphones. "For the love of God, it's your last night tonight. Just try not to fuck up and get your shit together," he stated loudly and angrily. Roxas saw a shadow move back and forth on the catwalk. There was someone up there tweaking the stage lights.
The big band music, with accoutrement of 13 Hearts, rose up and amounted for a huge, booming voice to echo throughout the dance floor. Nothing could have prepared Roxas for what was about to happen.
"How do you do. I-" It was definitely Axel's voice. It was cut off by another burst of brass. "See you've met my- faithful handyman…"
At that moment, a spotlight from the catwalk flashed on and was aimed towards the back of the club. Everyone's attention turned towards the back entrance, where stood Axel. His cherry red hair was the same as always, but along with it he wore the darkest shade of red lipstick Roxas had ever seen on a man. His eyes had not only the usual eyeliner, but black eyeshadow that reached all the way up to his brows. His body was hidden behind a large black cape.
"Is he… seriously…"
"He's just a little brought down because, when you knocked, he thought you were the… candyman."
The audience dispersed, leaving an aisle straight to the stage. Axel started marching down it. "Don't get strung out by the way I look! Don't judge a book by its cover!" He got on stage with the largest grin plastered on his face that Roxas had seen to date. The redhead was just suicidal.
"I'm not much of a man by the light of day… But by night I'm one HELL of a LOVER!"
The cape was dropped, along with Roxas' jaw. There stood Axel, wearing a black front-laced corset that barely covered his chest. Roxas always knew Axel was a little skinny, but the corset seemed to show off every weakling muscle he had. He was no Tim Curry, but he could hold his own. The blonde almost didn't want to look, but it was inescapable. It was Axel in briefs. No matter how much he tried to focus on something else, hopefully the way the light reflected on the bass drum when it was beaten, or how costumed patrons were still filing in, but his eyes always gravitated back towards the damn briefs. The blonde could feel his face heat up the more he tried to avoid him. He was thankful that the dim lighting hid his cheeks, but he covered his face nonetheless. Axel completed the look with long black shiny gloves and fishnet leggings, topping it off with the most gaudy, glitzy white pumps known to man. The heels had the exact same effect on his legs as it had with women. It made them look long and gorgeous.
Needless to say, the girls in the audience screamed. Roxas had to cover his ears as the pitch reached that point where it couldn't get any higher and the sound was starting to give him a migraine. Squall next to him was lucky with the cushy earphones he was wearing. He had put the background track on pause until the audience calmed down. He lowered the level of the portable mic that was connected to Axel's cape.
The front man took his taped red microphone and continued. "I'm just a sweet transvestite from Transsexual…" He took his mic stand and placed it between his legs. Roxas felt the blood drain from his head to pool at his stomach. "Transylvania… haha!"
There was another pause in the song, and Luxord and Xigbar unclipped their guitars while Marluxia placed his sticks down and stood up. Once there was a moment where the background music stop for a brief second, the three of them grabbed the front of their tuxes and pulled. The fronts tore off and the backs fell to the floor limply. They had rented trick tuxedos from the costume shop, and under their suits at been outfits similar to Axel's. Being in that outfit, Marluxia beamed at the audience and waved while the other guitarists felt completely exposed. Luxord quickly reached back for his guitar and strapped in on again for some kind of cover. Xigbar followed suit and even lengthened his strap so it would cover his crotch. The crowd released a deafening scream once again.
"Let me show you around, maybe play you a sound. You look like you're all pretty groovy. Or if you want visual…" At this point Axel bent down slowly and touched his toes with the tips of his fingers, little by little standing straight again while letting his fingers traipse up the subtle curves of his body. "…That's not too abysmal, we could take in an old Steve Reeves movie."
Xigbar stepped up to his mic. "I'm glad we caught you at home. Could we, like, use your phone?" he spoke, coughing nervously. Xigbar was used to screaming the echoed lyrics that Axel sang, but actually having a speaking role was completely different. "We're both in bit of a hurry. We'll just say where we are then go back to the car… We don't want to be any worry."
Roxas laughed to himself. If Xigbar was playing the part of Brad Majors, that must mean that Luxord was his darling wife. The clever change in their makeup was ingenious. Roxas never guessed that this was their big plan.
"Well you got caught with a flat, well how 'bout that! Well babies don't you panic! By the light of the night it'll all seem alright. I'll get you a satanic mechanic!"
It was the chorus again. Axel took his very surprisingly well-toned and flexible leg and wrapped it around the mic stand. Roxas smirked and leaned against the railing of the sound booth, watching him as he grinded himself against the thin metal pole. The little burlesque act was one of the most campy and erotic things he had ever seen.
"Why don't you stay for the night… Or maybe a bite? I could show you my favorite obsession."
Axel took his microphone off the stand and sauntered over to Luxord. He walked behind him, and with the help of the pumps he was able to stand a few inches taller. Axel's long fingers once again were used to trail over skin as he traced the bassist's bare shoulders and stood very close. He spoke into the mic while simultaneously whispering into Luxord's ear. "I've been making a man with blonde hair and a tan, and he's good for relieving my… tension." Axel lowered the mic and licked the side of Luxord's face. It was very quick, and the blonde bass player didn't seem to be expecting it and he laughed, nudging Axel away with his elbow. The audience screamed.
Then it was the chorus. Axel ambled back to the center of the stage and delicately placed his hand on the corner of his mouth. "Hit it! Hit it! I'm just a sweet transvestite!" He placed the tips of his fingers on his lips and let his tongue dart out and lick the tips. "From Transsexual…" He let Luxord and Xigbar shout 'Transylvania' for him as he seemed completely enraptured by his own fingers and started an all-out suckfest. Roxas leaned in further from the booth. Axel finished his little show and continued with the song. "So come up to the lab, and see what's on the slab! I see you shiver with antici…"
There was an unnecessarily long pause and Roxas was on the edge of his seat. His heart raced nervously when Axel looked towards the sound booth and they made eye contact. He winked. "-Pation!" He turned back to the audience and smiled. "But maybe the rain isn't really to blame. So I'll remove the cause, but not the SYMPTOM!"
The crowd cheered and Axel lost his Tim Curry façade, his face loosening up and he grabbed a towel from one of the amps behind them and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Roxas wished he could get closer, but Squall reached out and pressed his hand on the blonde's chest and pushed him away from the railing.
"Get any closer and you'll fall off," he commented. "And wipe the drool."
Roxas instantly reached to lips but felt nothing. Squall was just chuckling at him and he realized he was kidding, but he felt sort of trapped. He would never drool for Axel, never.
"Thank you, Bastion!" Axel said happily. "I'm gonna bare it all to you for a moment…" The audience laughed and the front man chuckled along with them. "Okay, so there's this… friend. And he's, like, totally close to me, y'know?" He walked passed Xigbar and sat on one of the speakers. He crossed his legs, and Roxas couldn't get over how overwhelmingly feminine they looked. Axel started twirling the cord on his microphone between his fingers before continuing. "And, I dunno what to do, because, y'know, my friend's a dude. So what do you do when you reach that point in the relationship where you can't be in the same room with him anymore without want wanting to corner him?"
The crowd cheered, seeming like they knew what Axel's monologue was leading to, and Roxas was a little nervous about where Axel was going with this. "Capture him?" He reached his free hand above him and clinched his fist, shadowing the movement of pinning someone's wrists against an invisible wall. "Take him?" The audience had just about enough. "Lover Fucker Man," he stated, turning behind him to pick up his black guitar with the white pick guard that was used for a more metal sound. Marluxia clapped his drumsticks together and started the sound off with an intense drum solo. Xigbar kicked in with his guitar licks, finally feeling comfortable in his element of hardcore music. The pace was quick and repetitive. Luxord walked the bridge between the drums and the guitar while Axel added his two cents in where appropriate.
"Since the beginning, you dreamt of leaving, and since the beginning all I wanted was you!" Roxas remembered this song from the album on the mp3 player. It was one of the faster ones where Axel liked to scream more than usual. For some reason, seeing them live cleared the complexity in the lyrics. "In the car, the bed, the wall, your head. On a hill in the sunset, but never out of your closet!"
From above the crowd, Roxas could hear them singing along. It was such a fun night that Roxas couldn't help himself. "Remember the position of this particular situation that led to your rather sad disposition? Did my fist up your ass clear your intuition?" Roxas hummed along, laughing despite himself. It was such a ridiculous song, but the ridiculous evening was putting him in good spirits.
"Don't lie!" Axel screamed. "You're such a faker! You loved it! I loved it! It was… YOU!" He then continued to pant and wail erotically into the mic.
Roxas turned to Squall and tapped his shoulder. The brunet lifted his headphone and turned to the blonde expectantly. "Um… Are their shows usually so… sexually charged?" Granted, Roxas hadn't exactly been to a lot of 13 Hearts shows, but from what he'd heard they were never like this.
Squall just rolled his eyes in response and pointed the punks below. "Look at them. They're a bunch of kids who want to get lucky. You can't blame us for wanting to set the mood." To make his point, he pulled down the house lights, spoke into the mic and glanced up to the catwalk. The house lights pulled down completely and rainbow-rotating spotlights started spinning around the stage.
The song finished and they started up with 'Revel Boy.' Roxas looked down from his perch at the band as they played their hearts out. Axel would reach out into the audience and enjoy the embraces and outstretched arms waiting to be touched. More than once that night, Roxas noticed Axel glancing up towards him, although he couldn't tell if it was because the redhead knew he was there or just by coincidence from the front man staring blindly into the spotlights. In the very back of Roxas' brain, back where his most private and personal thoughts nested, he hoped it was the prior.
oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo
"Everyone? Okay, we're nowhere near finished yet, but we've been rocking hard and steady-"
"Like your mom!" someone shouted from the audience.
"-And we need a little break. It's not easy to perform in heels." Axel laughed and he clumsily tried to move down the small steps to the dance floor. A young man wearing a beanie and a 13 Hearts shirt let the front man use his shoulder as a support while he made sure nobody got too close. Axel was a local success, but he wasn't to that point of having rabid fans. Yet. The audience was well behaved as the he made his way back to the greenroom followed by the rest of the band.
Squall had taken his headphones off and stretched. "Who's that guy?" Roxas asked, pointing to the man who had helped Axel off the stage that was now leaning against the wall next to the green room door.
Squall blinked. "That's Seifer, the old roadie whose spot you're filling while he's in school."
"So is this why I didn't have to do anything tonight?" Roxas asked. Although he was enjoying the show, he felt like he should be a little more help to the band. He looked behind him at the merch booth, and the line had gotten exponentially longer since Axel called for a little break, but Demyx and Fuu had a two-person system of getting people's orders together that would have just been complicated if a third wheel got mixed in.
"If you want," Squall suggested, "you could go visit them and see if they need anything."
Roxas liked that idea. He hopped down the stairs to the sound booth and between the throngs of people waiting in line for merchandise and those who remained loyal to try and get closer to the stage. He walked right up to the door and was about to knock when a hand forcefully pushed him away.
"Whoa, whoa, woah. Hang a sec chickenwuss, you should know better. Beat it." The old roadie Seifer looked down on him before keeping watch again, expecting the younger man to just leave.
"I'm supposed to be here. I'm Roxas, I've been taking your place for the past few weeks." Seifer brought his attention back to the blonde and raise a brow.
"Proof?"
The brief, short remark caught Roxas off guard and reminded him briefly of Fuu, and he wondered if he and Fuu knew each other. Reaching for his wallet he pulled out the only thing that had helped him in the past. Seifer stared at the business card that Tifa had given Roxas weeks ago and raised a brow that disappeared in the brim of his hat. "So? What's this got to do with anything?"
Thwarted, Roxas settled in for another challenge. "Look, I've been helping them out for a while now, they know who I am. I'm giving them a hand to help pay them to play at my wedding reception. Everyone knows about it. Nobody told you?"
For a moment, Seifer almost looked like he sympathized with young Roxas. "Look, the band gave me very explicit directions not to let anybody in. Their break isn't that long and they want to rest. Not talk to little chocobobutts like you."
"Choco-what?"
At this moment the door opened and Axel peeked his head out. "Seifer, what's-" He cut himself off when he noticed the dark and shadowy figure standing next to the door. "Roxas?"
The blonde took off his mask and let it rest on his forehead. Axel didn't wait for him to reply, and instead took his arm and pulled him into the greenroom. The redhead gripped Roxas by the shoulders, holding him back at arm's length and grinning. "You look fucking hot. And you're wearing the boots!"
Roxas felt his face heat up but decided to blame it on the temperature of the room. If at all possible, Axel was dressed even less than when he was onstage. The corset had been thrown onto a folding chair, so he was wearing only his black briefs and fishnet leggings. Pulling his eyes back up quickly to avoid embarrassment, Roxas pretended to have been occupied with Axel's numerous tattoos. He was surprised to realize that most of the markings on his body were words. There was a statement he tried to make out on Axel's ribcage just under his left pec, but the redhead had cleared his throat and turned to talk to Marluxia about their next song. Roxas averted his eyes to Axel's face, which had been in the middle of removing makeup and now most of the gaudy dark lipstick and black eye shadow was smeared across his face like he had just been thoroughly ravished.
The rest of the band seemed to be in various states of undress. Xigbar had come the farthest. He was already wearing a black shirt and jeans with the rest of his costume lying in a pile on the floor. Luxord had lost the bottoms and replaced them with dark brown shorts. He asked Xigbar for help unlacing his corset top and the guitarist unwillingly agreed. Marluxia was the only one who wasn't in a hurry to change outfits. In fact, he stood in front of the cracked full-length mirror in Axel's pumps checking out his butt in the costume.
Axel stepped away to the hanger rack that was in the back of the room to pull a black undershirt. Roxas got a brief chance to see his back before it disappeared from under the clothing. A large koi splashed up the front man's spine with flame shaped scales, and the water was an epic woven masterpiece of words inked in blue spreading the entire length of his back before it faded parallel to his hips. It was engraved in Roxas' memory forever.
"Okay guys, dropping trou!" Axel exclaimed. While the rest of the band whined and turned away as quickly as possible, Roxas was naïve and caught sight of Axel's butt. There were tattoos on that as well. The redhead was quick to pull on a pair of faded skinny jeans, jumping and pulling on the belt loops to get them comfortable. "Okay, I feel ready to face them again," he said, looking refreshed once he was finally out of his costume.
"Not like that, I hope," Luxord commented, Xigbar still attacking his back trying to get the knot to his corset undone. "You look like you've just come out of the backseat after a five dollar whore."
Axel looked in the mirror again, noticing all the makeup he had missed cleaning up the first time around. "Don't be ridiculous," Marluxia commented, walking up to Axel with a warm paper towel. "Whores are too good for you." Gripping the redhead's jaw like a mother would to her child, he started wiping away at his face to try and get the remnants of lipstick gone. After a few seconds Axel had clearly had enough and he took the paper towel and shoved him away.
There came a knock at the door and Seifer shouted "Three minutes!" from outside. Xigbar cursed and tried to pull harder on the string holding Luxord's costume together.
"It's not coming off," he told the bassist, whose face noticeably paled.
"What?"
"I can't get the knot to come undone. It's, like, stuck." The bassist, not usually one to panic, started tugging at the corset to get it too come off. However, such is the nature of this beast, it was tied on tight to make him have a womanly hourglass figure and refused to budge.
In a ditch moment of desperation, the bassist turned to Axel and frowned. "I'm not going out there like this."
Axel bit his lip and tried to come up with a way out. He turned to Marluxia who was reapplying eyeliner in the mirror, still in full costume. "Are you going to change?" he asked the drummer. The pink haired man glanced to Axel's reflection and shrugged.
"I feel comfortable, there's no need."
Axel turned back to the bassist while pointing to Marluxia with a lopsided smile. "See? You won't be the only one out there like that…" But Luxord looked stupid standing in the greenroom with a flashy woman's corset and men's shorts. He already had his normal socks and sneakers on. "Well, have you tried just throwing your shirt on over it?"
It was worth a shot. Luxord had a thick white shirt, but not thick enough to obscure the fact that he was obviously wearing a black corset under it. "Dammit…"
There was another knock. "You guys ready?"
Roxas tried to think of a quick and easy way to solve this problem. "The jacket!" he exclaimed. The band turned to him like they had forgotten he was even in the room. Roxas took Luxord's tuxedo jacket from the back of a chair and held it out to him. It was held together with velcro and snap-buttons, so the tear-away aspect of the jacket could be done repeatedly. "You can wear the jacket to cover up the corset. Just be careful not the rip it open again."
In a rush, Luxord slid the vest on over the shirt and then the jacket. He looked at himself in the full-length mirror with the rest of the band crowding around him. A tailed tuxedo jacket paired with board shorts and sneakers? Fancy yet punk. Brilliant!
Finally, there was one last knock on the door before Seifer opened it. "Okay, ready? Squall says you're back on now." Marluxia was the first to head out, followed by everyone else.
Before going out the door, Luxord turned to Roxas and smiled. "Thanks."
Roxas waved him off and wished him good luck. Axel stayed behind and turned back to the short roadie. "Listen, Rox, you didn't have to help us…"
"Will you just stop?" Roxas asked. "I like helping out the band. It's fun. Don't ever hesitate to ask me for help with anything."
Axel laughed, taking his hand into Roxas' hair and mussing it up. "Never thought I'd hear those words from you."
"Will you cut that out?" Roxas griped, but it was all in good fun. "What are friends for?"
This was the turning point. Axel paused, but before he could have a chance to say anything Seifer gripped his shoulder. "Axel, now. Everyone else is already onstage." The redhead nodded and sent Roxas one last positive smirk before disappearing through the door. Meanwhile, Roxas stayed in the greenroom and listened to them perform their next song from the muffled echoed sound of the air vents. He calmly started to pick up their sweaty costumes from the floor and folding them up nicely, wondering what exactly he was getting himself into.
xxxXXxxxXXXxxx
So I guess, technically, Halloween continues on into the next chapter too… We're getting to the point where I'm going to need to start actually naming the chapters so the numbering won't be thrown off when we get to the B-Side chapters. Originally all the chapters were Queen songs, but rather than try to recreate that, I think I'm gonna name them songs that inspired or are referenced in the chapter. So, by the time you read this, most of the chapters will (hopefully) have names, and from this point on they'll have names too. For this chapter, it's "Halloween" by the Misfits, which is the song Luxord was singing.
I'm stuck on BBS right now. It's still hard finding time to play when I have to split the tv between two other roommates (and one of them is still in her first playthrough of Dragon Age so whenever her boyfriend comes over with the PS4 I know I'm not gonna get any playing in that night v_v;). Still in Terra's story though, but I'm stuck trying to beat Braig. I'm level 30 and he always kills me without really trying. I feel like such a pushover T_T; Still in love with the voice actor though. Xigbar's one of my favorite Organization members (one of the big reasons why he's in 13 Hearts and not someone obvious, like Demyx). Anyway, hopefully sometime this week I'll be able to report that I beat Braig and will move on to complain about another boss I can't get past.
AND AS ALWAYS please leave reviews! I love reading them and they really help encourage me to continue doing this little passion project. Follow/favs are rad too! I got a lot with the last chapter update and I'm hoping the trend continues~!