Struggling Aftermath
Disclaimer:
Heroman is owned by Stan Lee and Bones
Okay…I got a few reviews…but I'm not complaining, because these are enough for me to upload the next chapter. Many thanks to those who reviewed this fic! I'm really grateful. I thought there were those not interested in a Joey x Lina pairing, but I'm glad there are those who liked my opening chapter, so again, many thanks for the reviews. It really gives me the inspiration to have the motivation to work on the story as well as helping me build up the story.
Last chapter is just the start, but here, Joey and Lina are going to get some screen time here as they go on a date before the school term starts, and there the danger commences as our teen "hero" gets his first taste of trouble since the Skrugg invasion.
Now that's all said…we now commence to chapter 2.
Heroman…ATTACK!
-x-
Thursday…
Three days before Joey resumes his study at Central City Middle School, the 15-year old boy got home after his part-time work at Hilly's Café, and the scene shows that while his home appeared to be the same, it did get some "make-over" during his 6-month confinement and rehabilitation at Central City Hospital, which made it a bit "posh", in which the Jones house looked a border within the lower to middle-class. Even though Joey humbly turned down the government's offer of a financial reward, Hughes was able to persuade the boy in to accepting the reward.
While Joey accepted them, he used part of the reward money to "upgrade" his house so as to give it a slightly bigger space, as moving to a new location is "out of the question" for him, and though the "upgrading" is done, it resembles quite the same except with some "minor" addition to the Jones house yet it looked like it almost belonged to a middle-class resident. Joey then puts the rest on a savings bank and it remained there ever since, as Joey relies on his salary as a worker at Hilly's Café to act as his monthly allowance.
While he is about to go to his room, his grandmother, Virginia gave her grandson a letter that came from Holly.
"Ah, Joey…you're home…"
"Good afternoon, Grandma!"
"A letter came…and it's from Holly…"
"From sis?"
"Yes…better go and read it…"
"Okay…"
Entering his room, he opened the envelop which reveals a letter and a pair of tickets for an upcoming concert, and then he read the letter in which the sender is none other than his elder sister, Holly.
"Hey, Joey…this is your elder sister! Sorry if I'm not around you when you were rehabilitating your legs, but Psy told me that by now you're recovered and about to go back to school. My band is performing this Saturday at the Center City Coliseum…and we're performing with famous Japanese-American singer Kylee. The tickets you'll be having are VIPs and you'll get a first-row entrance, so use them to invite Lina and I want you two to have a good time, okay? And…use this opportunity to tell her your feelings…it's time you two get together…so make sure you confess to her and I'm sure she'll agree to go out with you…so go make your move! Ciao! Holly."
Joey blushed at the message, and since he and Lina had their first date, the only progress he ever made is holding her hand (with his gauntlet) and giving her a good ride at the ferris wheel, but he hasn't said anything yet, so he wonder if he should tell her his feelings or not, as he is still shy in regards to the girl he like. But, he realized that Holly is right and he should make his move so he went down towards the living room and picked up the telephone, dialing some numbers and soon he is talking to someone.
"Hello…Davis residence…"
"Um, hello…Lina…?"
"Joey?"
"Lina…hi."
"Oh, hi…what brings you up and decided to call me…"
"Well…I was wondering…are you free this Sunday…?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Umm…you see…"
-x-
Saturday…
It was 18:00, and the scene reveals that the place currently showing is the Center City Coliseum, where Holly and her band, along with Kylee, are going to perform, and with so many people are there, they failed to notice Joey being among the crowd, with Lina beside him, and when Joey showed to the ushers the VIP tickets, they led him and Lina to the VIP entrance area and got the first row area just as the show is just 10 minutes away from the start of the performance.
"Wow…so many people…how did you get the VIP tickets?"
"Sis gave them to me…"
"They're going to perform, right?"
"That's right…and looks like sis and her band are making their debut with a famous singer…ah…it's starting…"
As the final minutes passed the concert has started, with Kylee, the feature performer of the concert, emerged from the curtain and Holly and her band are also there where the shows started and the featured singer took the mic and talked to the crowd much to their excitement and delight as she provoked them to listen to her singing, which made the fans eager to hear her sing. Despite the loud cheers, Joey and Lina didn't have problem for now and all they did were staying close to each other.
"HELLO, EVERYONE!"
"HI!"
"EXCITED TO SEE ME?"
"YEAH!"
"WANT ME TO SING?"
"YEAH!"
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU! DO YOU WANT ME TO SING?"
"YEAH!"
"THEN BUCKLE UP…'COZ HERE IS THE FIRST SONG…NOW IT'S TIME WE ROCK THE HOUSE!"
"ALRIGHT!"
There the music blared and the fans await Kylee's first song and there the Japanese-American singer began singing one of her popular songs, much to her fans' delights, and there Holly and her band began to play their musical instruments and the first number has commenced.
~x~
No one wants to wake up to an empty home
No one ever wants to be alone
It's not so easy to let them go
The ones that you love
Now that you're gone, who will make me smile?
Who will pick me up when I fall down?
Who will be there to tell me right from wrong?
I regret letting you go
I have this vacancy in my heart
There's just something that's always tearing me apart
I don't know why I ever let you go
Now, there's no one to bear with me
Everyday I wake up thinking it'll be okay
'Cause you promised me that, you'd come back some day
My heart is throbbing but I will wait
And I'll try... to stay strong
And I will always miss you
But I can't take it anymore
What if you're that one they said
That passed away, oh no
I have this vacancy in my heart
There's just something that's always tearing me apart
I don't know why I ever let you go
Now, there's no one to bear with me
And I miss you and love you and I will hold on
And I know there's a chance that you will come back, oh ooh
And I dream of the day that you'd come back home
And I hope that you know
I have this vacancy in my heart
There's just something that's always tearing me apart
I don't know why I ever let you go
Now, there's no one to bear with me
I have this vacancy in my heart
There's just something that's always tearing me apart
I don't know why I ever let you go
Now, there's no one to bear with me
Bear with me
~x~
The fans applauded at her first opening and then she bowed to them and started to arouse them with excitement as she prepared to sing her second number and this made the audience eager to hear more from their favorite singer as she gets ready to do another song, while Lina starts to clap her hands like the rest of the fans while Joey smiled, seeing that Lina is enjoying herself immensely. He then saw Holly smiling at her then winked, and he nodded his head in response.
"Thanks, sis…"
By then Kylee began to sing her next song.
~x~
We all fall down
And I feel your pain
In these situations
You've gotta step up!
And it's okay
Just take it all in
Nothings ever changed
We all make mistakes
Just breathe it all in ooh woah
Just breathe it all out yeah
Just take it all in ooh woah
Before you fall out yeah
There's a way out
Go ahead & choose
Cuz I am here now
You've got nothing to lose
Yeah, it's OK
Just take it all in
Nothing's ever changed
That's the risk we take
Just breathe it all in ooh woah
Just breathe it all out yeah
Just take it all in ooh woah
Before you fall out yeah
Erase your pain and let go
Just take your time, don't rush now
Don't be too hard on yourself
Leave it all behind now
Just take a chance to breathe now!
~x~
The audience applauded louder at the second performance and Kylee told them to be patient as she'll take a 10-minute break to "recharge", and while the break is ongoing, Joey and Lina glanced at each other and smiled, seeing that they are having a good time, and by then Kyle returned and soon her third number is up which further upped the performance and once more the concertgoers went wild in excitement and anticipation.
~x~
We had a spark you caught my eye
Everytime I'd walk by
We were perfect
At least that is what I though oh
You used to be my everything
I even let you in
Gave you my love and my heart,
Got it back in two
Yes I have been hurt many times
But not like this before
Frustrations come and go
But this ones
Been here for too long
I'm so over it
I see now that I am better off without you
Without you
I'm so over you
I do not need this pain when I am around you
Around you
I am so over it
So over you
I am over it
Over you
I am so over it
So over you
I'm so over it
I see now that I am better off without you
Without you
I'm so over you
I do not need this pain when I am around you
Around you
I'm so over it
I see now that I am better off without you
Without you
I'm so over you
I do not need this pain when I am around you
Around you
Let's go our ways
It's better this way
We'll make it thru
I'm so over you
~x~
Again the audience applauded with approval and are clamoring for more, which Holly and her band-mates saw that their performance is a huge success and now they realized that their concert time is almost up, having spend about nearly three hours, and so Kylee spoke to the audience if they wanted to end the concert with a huge bang, which they reacted with a thunderous reaction.
"THANK YOU, FANS…SO YOU WANT MY LAST NUMBER BE A BIG BANG?"
"YEAH!"
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU! DO YOU WANT TO HEAR MY FINAL PIECE BEFORE GOING HOME WITH SMILES ON YOUR FACES?"
"YEAH!"
"THEN YOU CAN HAVE IT! HERE IT IS…THE ENDING SALVO OF THIS CONCERT!"
And so Holly and her band-mates began playing their instruments as the audience roared with excitement as they recognized the tune of the final song Kylee is about to sing, and both Joey and Lina braced themselves as they too recognized the song which they recently heard from the radio and Holly upped the ante as Kylee started to sing one of her most successful songs to date in Central City.
~x~
hitori kite mita itsumo no kouen
A FEELING NEVER FELT
kodomo mitai ni kaze no oto ga kowakute kaerimichi hashittanda
suki to iwarete hagurakashita
SAY IT AGAIN (gomen ne)
ima nara chanto uketomerareru noni
kimi wa mou inai GONE AWAY
koe ga kikitai yo MISS YOU
ima aitai yo doushite mou ashita o miteru no
nogashita nette TIMING
kantan ni iwanaide mou ichi do dake waratte
kareshi kanojo THIS IS WHERE WE START OUR GOODBYES sou desho eien nante
kuchi ni dekinai yakusoku mo iranai yo tada kimi no tonari ni itatai
mado no soto wa hiro sugiru sora
WHERE ARE YOU NOW (todoite)
itsuka kanau negai nara nee kamisama ima sugu kanaete MY WISH
daisuki na noni IT'S TOO LATE zutto mae kara
akirametemo kako ni dekinai yo
shou ga naitte no way kantan ni kimenaide
HERE AT LAST ON MY OWN SOLITUDE
koe ga kikitai yo MISS YOU
ima aitai yo doushite mou ashita o miteru no
koe ga kikitai yo MISS YOU
ima aitai yo doushite mou ashita o miteru no
nogashita nette TIMING
kantan ni iwanaide mou ichi do dake
daisuki na noni IT'S TOO LATE zutto mae kara
akirametemo kako ni dekinai yo
shou ga naitte NO WAY kantan ni kimenaide
mou ichi do dake waratte
~x~
The audience roared loudly in approval and chanted Kylee's name repeatedly as the singer and Holly's band bowed in response and left the stage just as the performance ended with a good note and a big bang. As the coliseum is being emptied with the concertgoers going home, Holly looked through the window of her band-mates' dressing room, where she saw Joey escorting Lina home, and Kylee asked Holly why she let them go instead of asking them to come here so she would get an up-close-and-personal look at the boy who saved Center City.
"So that's Joey…? You're younger brother who saved Center City…? So cute…but why didn't you invite him here? I bet he'd be thrilled to see you standing beside me…"
"He's got a date…and he would prefer avoiding lots of crowd…he's not used to attention after learning that he was seen on TV…"
"Really? How down-to-Earth he is…"
"And…he's rather go back to normal life after the invasion ended…"
"I see…good for him…and good point…"
Seeing Holly's logic, Kylee is amazed that Joey has kept himself "grounded", and is impressed at the humility the boy has shown. She then told Holly and her band that their performance is a hit and that they'll all get paid with bonus commissions, which the female band members are pleased with, and there Kylee's manager came and offered Holly a proposition to join Kylee in signing a record label that would further help their career. After some several minutes of thinking, Holly and her band-mates accepted, seeing that Joey can take care of himself and that he will understand her position right now.
-x-
Later in the evening, just outside the Davis residence, Joey escorted Lina and there she thanked him for giving her a good time. As she is about to go inside her house, she gave him a hug which Joey blushed and only stood there without moving.
"I have to get some rest…thanks for tonight…I really had a good time…"
"You're welcome…"
"Good night, then…"
"Good night…"
As Lina went inside the gate, she came out again, and gave him a kiss on his lips, further causing him to blush deeply as she bid him goodnight. Joey then left and heads home, his cheeks still reddened as he gently touched his lips, feeling Lina's lips are still there and realizing that he got his first kiss. He wondered if they're an official couple, but then stopped as he realized that he hasn't confessed to Lina his feelings yet.
"Ah! I forgot! I should've asked Lina if she can be my girlfriend! Ah…nevermind…that can wait…at least she had a good time…"
As he proceeded to walk home he didn't noticed that some men wearing ski masks are waiting for him and are armed with lead pipes and emerged from several parked cars and struck him, one blow hit him on the left side of his temple and the teen boy is down, having been taken by surprise. The ground that Joey is on is filled with blood as his left temple area is busted open. With no witnesses around, the masked attackers then proceeded to attack him with their weapons, hitting him on his torso and his wounded head.
After that, the leader of the attackers came and grabbed Joey by his head and gave him a warning.
"Joey Jones…you make me sick and look how pathetic you are…you're just a brat now with Heroman gone…see…? You couldn't do those amazing things you showed on TV several months ago…and that shows what a weakling you are…right? "
"Unnhhh…"
"Look at that…he couldn't even fight back…"
"It shows that he's only good with Heroman around…now he's nothing but a weak puppy…"
"Listen up…don't you dare show your face at school…or you'll be sorry…Center City Middle School is better off without you…we'll be the heroes and not a punk like you…"
"Nnnhhh…"
"And you stay away from Lina…she's better off with a real man like me…and if you get close to her…we'll bang more than just your freakin' head…"
As the leader pummels Joey's rib area with the pipe, the attackers' assault came to a halt when a car came and its headlights flashed which forces them to make a run for it, and there the driver of the car emerged, revealing to be Lina's father, who just arrived after a late-night meeting with some businessmen. With him is another businessman who promptly uses his cellphone and called the police while Mr. Davis checks on Joey, shocked to see his state and tries to rouse him from falling unconscious by speaking to the boy.
"Damn hooligans…attacking someone…"
"Hey…Davis, look…that's Joey Jones…whoa! He's bleeding and hurt!"
"Call for police and an ambulance!"
"Got it!"
"Joey…can you hear me? I'm Lina's dad! Try to stay awake!"
"Uhhhnnn…"
To Be Continued...
Okay…hope you liked this chapter…
At least you get to see Joey and Lina having a good time.
Although the chapter ended with a bad night with the masked attackers making things clear to him not to go back to school and to stay away from Lina. Thank goodness Lina's dad came and inadvertently stopped the assault, and at least he is no longer cold towards Joey, having seen him saving Center City from Skrugg invasion and for protecting Lina.
With what happened just now, Joey's return to school has taken a backseat, and the identities of his attackers has yet to be identified.
The song lyrics shown above are theme songs from various anime series, all sung by real life Japanese-American singer Kylee, with the first three songs being the ending themes from Xam'd: Lost Memories. They are titled "Vacancy", "Just Breathe", and "Over U". The fourth one is the second opening theme from the manga/anime Heroman, with the song titled "Missing".
Preview:
Joey eventually goes back to school, and tries to rekindle his "romance" with Lina while adjusting to normal life, while his attackers' identities, and who orchestrated the attack on Joey, will finally be revealed.
